The Penelopiad Essays

The author, Margaret Atwood, wrote a book called The Penelopiad. Margaret Atwood is from Ottawa (margaretatwood.ca). She attended University of Toronto and Radcliffe College, where she received her undergraduate degree and master’s degree(margaretatwood.ca) She has written more than forty books that are based on fiction, poetry, and critical essays. Margaret and the character from The Penelopiad, Penelope, are both females, therefore Margaret understands what Penelope goes through as a woman. Margaret

tell lies for assorted reasons. Maybe they are afraid of what will happen if they tell the truth, or maybe they just do not want to damage their pride. One of these people is Penelope, a character in Margaret Atwood’s feminist, satirical novel, The Penelopiad. In the novel, Atwood gives a voice to Penelope, an unheard yet fundamental character of “The Odyssey.” However, the narrative of Penelope is full of the deception that is also present in ordinary life. As a result of Penelope’s first person narration

a Canadian novelist, poet, and environmental activist born in Ottawa Canada. She specialized in works of Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, and Dystopian Fiction. She has written many novels and poems and was awarded for some of her work. The Penelopiad is a novel written from the perspective of Penelope the wife of Odysseus and her twelve maids. It describes the life she and her maids lived while Odysseus was out to war at Troy and the deadly outcome when he returns home. Penelope was taken advantage

is portrayed as a handsome man in the Odyssey because during the Mycenaean and Homeric period men that had any trace of an athlete in them were considered to be good looking because of their masculinity, strength and toned bodies. Whereas in the Penelopiad, Odysseus is portrayed to be the opposite of that. Because Atwood has drawn from the information given in the Odyssey, there is not a clear picture drawn of Odysseus excluding the influence of society’s views during the time, so Atwood has portrayed

gets a chance to tell her story in the typical Greek Mythology fashion written by Margaret Atwood (Atwood 2006). The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood explores the classical greek vision of female representation compared to contemporary feminism by voicing the story of the women from The Odyssey by Homer.

Atwood’s the Penelopiad. The Penelopiad as a modernized, fresh view of a vaguely described character, which originated from the Odyssey named, Penelope. Penelope is an obscure or cryptic female character who is interpreted to be a cunning, sly, secretive, intelligent, passionate character that can be compared to Shakespeare’s Juliet. Penelope goes through stages of enlightenment, struggle and happiness and questions the way society works as well as trustworthy relationships. The Penelopiad

Margaret Atwood, an internationally acclaimed novelist, poet and short story writer is widely considered as a major figure in Canadian litrature. In her works, she focuses on the themes of alienation and self-identity. As a poet, her works concentrate on the question of identity with as much pasion as Neruda and Walcott. There is a style and force in her writing.The major themes of Atwood’s poetry include the inconsistencies of self-perception, the Canadian identity and experience, the paradoxical

The Relation of Life and Fiction in Modern Japanese Literature Second Paper Fumiko Enchi, Masks Masks by Fumiko Enchi is a novel which depicts outstanding female characters who behave far from how a traditional, good woman should behave. These characters are the center of the story, a story which revolves mainly around Mieko, even though one might think when starting to read the book that the main plot is about Yasuko and her two potential lovers, Ibuki and Mikame. Far from that, the story gains

the trial in The Penelopiad, the “accused” do not deny the murders they commit. What seems to be more important is the reasoning and justification of the murder. In The Penelopiad, the court is depicted as a familiar 21st century model. The Attorney for the Defense opens the argument, “Was he or was he not justified in the slaughtering, … we do not dispute the slaughters themselves … [of] upwards of a hundred and twenty well-born young men, give or take a dozen (page 175, Penelopiad)” Atwood emphasizes

Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, written roughly 3000 years ago, demonstrates what the common people’s mindsets were like during ancient Greek times. On the contrary, The Penelopiad, a loose adaptation of Homer’s story written in the 21st century, brings more modern viewpoints to its characters and central themes. By virtue of the vastly different time periods in which these two pieces were written, their portrayals of the main characters contrast greatly; notably with Homer’s legendary character Odysseus

time and history, patriarchy has taken over. The Penelopiad, a novel by Margaret Atwood set in ancient Greece shows a group of characters differently than The Odyssey. Before, The Odyssey portrayed the maids as promiscuous, evil, and wanted the audience to think badly of them. The Penelopiad, however, shows them as innocent and harmed, and wants the audience to have sympathy for them. Before, The Odyssey made the maids appear to be evil. The Penelopiad, though, shows a more innocent side to them. When

In the Odyssey and the Penelopiad there is a large amount of symbolism to portray ideas and foreshadow events. However, in the Penelopiad there is a clearer presence of feminism in the tone of the book when read, despite the fact that it is narrated by Penelope herself. During the time period in which the books take place, it is very common that people believed in gods of all types, sacrificing, omens, and magic. One such omen that is seen in both books yet has two very different meanings is the

mention much of the background of the twelve murdered maids, The Penelopiad by Margeret Atwood reveals all the dark realities for women through the choruses of the maids. As Atwood provides their perspectives, the maids tell their stories of their dehumanization through the choruses throughout the Penelopiad. From being ignored to being dehumanized, the twelve girls tell their stories of their life living as a slave. The maids in The Penelopiad symbolize the oppression of lower class women in society as

The Odyssey, written by Homer during the eighth century, has several core themes which include destiny, perseverance, and loyalty. The Penelopiad, told by Penelope as the narrator along with the twelve maids that were hung in The Odyssey honorable point of view. After reading The Odyssey and then The Penelopiad some discrepancies were identified which left readers questioning what really happened between Odysseus and Penelope. In the beginning of The Odyssey, Odysseus had recently won a contest for

home after a long time while Penelope has been trying to fend off the suitors with her maids and slaves. On the book The Odyssey by Homer, the author discusses how Penelope has been waiting this entire time if she has been faithful or not. In the Penelopiad in the first two pages, Penelope discovered the truth after the Odyssey and she stated herself that she had been faithful the entire time and Penelope has been seen time and time again to be good so we can trust her on that. Second look at differently

In The Odyssey, it is Odysseus that is telling the story, and he shows his own high opinion of himself by exaggerating his successes and making his failures seem inconsequential. In The Penelopiad, on the other hand, Odysseus’s faults are brought forward through the observations of his wife. Penelope mostly comments on his wit, which boarders on malicious manipulation. Both accounts show different sides of Odysseus but Penelope’s observations remind the audience that he is not an infallible hero

Penelope? Personally, I am having a hard time choosing what to believe and what not to believe; more specifically, I am conflicted over the character of Odysseus. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as a hero whose only flaw is his pride. In The Penelopiad, he is characterized as almost the opposite. Penelope states that she “had inklings, about his slipperiness, his wiliness, his foxiness…, his unscrupulousness, but [she] turned a blind eye” (Atwood 3). She claims that he was a cheat, a liar, and

Circe is a figure from Greek mythology that has been reimagined and brought to life in Madeline Miller’s novel “Circe”. In her novel, Miller navigates Circe’s character and gives her a voice never given before in the past. The portrayal of female characters in literature, particularly within the realm of Greek mythology, has often been full of stereotypes and limited presentations. In such narratives, women are frequently relegated to binary roles of either the virtuous housewife or the malevolent

At Penelope’s wedding, her mother makes a small speech, although not very helpful to Penelope at the time. In the speech, her mother says: “Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through

people running for a position of power. This scene is captivating while demonstrating key lessons even from stories long ago. Furthermore, The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood is based off of The Odyssey and told from Penelope’s perspective. While The Odyssey leads you to believe that Penelope was unaware of Odysseus’ true form when disguised as a beggar, The Penelopiad offers additional insight. Page 106 is an example of this. After returning from his adventure and war, Penelope sees Odysseus for the first