A Summary of Margaret Atwoods The Edible Woman

A Summary of Margaret Atwoods The Edible Woman The Edible Woman is the first novel by Margaret Atwood, published in 1969. It tells the story of a young woman who struggles with society, her fiancà ©, and food. It is often discussed as an early work of feminism. The protagonist of The Edible Woman is Marian, a young woman with a job in consumer marketing. After she gets engaged, she becomes unable to eat. The book explores Marian’s questions of self-identity and her relationships with others, including her fiancà ©, her friends, and a man whom she meets through her work. Among the characters is Marian’s roommate, who wants to get pregnant but surprisingly does not want to get married. Margaret Atwood’s layered, somewhat fanciful style in The Edible Woman explores themes of sexual identity and consumerism. The novel’s ideas about consumption work on a symbolic level. Is Marian unable to consume food because she is being consumed by her relationship? Additionally, The Edible Woman examines a woman’s inability to eat side by side with the unhappiness in her relationship, although it was published at a time when the psychology of eating disorders was not commonly discussed. Margaret Atwood has written dozens of books, including The Handmaid’s Tale and The Blind Assassin, which won the Booker Prize. She creates strong protagonists and is known for exploring feminist issues and other questions of contemporary society in unique ways. Margaret Atwood is one of the most prominent Canadian writers and a major figure in contemporary literature. Main Characters Clara Bates: She is a friend of Marian McAlpin. Quite pregnant with her third child as the book begins, she dropped out of college for her first pregnancy. She represents traditional motherhood and sacrifices for ones children.  Marian finds Clara rather boring and believes she needs rescuing. Joe Bates: Claras husband, a college instructor, who does quite a bit of the work at home. He stands for marriage as a way to protect women. Mrs. Bogue: Marians department head and a prototypical professional woman. Duncan: Marians love interest, very different than Peter, Marians  fiancà ©. He is not particularly attractive, not ambitious, and he pushes Marian to be real. Marian McAlpin: The protagonist, learning to cope with life and people. Millie, Lucy, and Emmy, the Office Virgins: they symbolize what is artificial in womens stereotypical roles of the 1960s Len (Leonard) Shank: A friend of Marian and Clara, a lecherous skirt-chaser according to Marian. Ainsley is trying to trick him into fathering her child, but he is the opposite of the married father, Joe Bates. Fish (Fischer) Smythe: Duncans roommate, who plays a special role near the end in Ainsleys life. Ainsley Tewce: Marians roommate, the ultra-progressive, aggressive opposite of Clara and, perhaps, also Marians opposite. She is anti-marriage at first, then switches two different kinds of moral earnestness. Trevor: Duncans roommate. Trigger: A late-marrying friend of Peters. Peter Wollander: Marians  fiancà ©, a good catch who proposes to Marian because it is a sensible thing to do. He wants to mold Marian into his idea of the perfect woman. Woman Down Below: The landlady (and her child) who represents a kind of strict moral code. Summary Marians relationships are introduced and she introduces people to each other.  Peter proposes and Marian accepts, giving over her responsibility to him, though she seems aware that is not her true self. Part 1 is told in Marians voice. Now with an impersonal narrator of the story, people shift. Marian becomes fascinated with Duncan and begins to have trouble eating food.  She also imagines her body parts are disappearing. She bakes a cake-woman for Peter, who refuses to take part in it. Ainsley teachers her how to put on a false smile and a fancy red dress. Marian shifts again, finding herself rooted again in reality and she watches Duncan eat the cake.

Make a Simple Weather Barometer

Make a Simple Weather Barometer People predicted the weather back in ye good olde days before Doppler radar and GOES satellites using simple instruments. One of the most useful instruments is a barometer, which measures air pressure or barometric pressure. You can make your own barometer using everyday materials and then try to forecast the weather yourself.   Barometer Materials glass, jar, or canplastic wrapa strawrubber bandindex card or lined notebook papertapescissors Construct the Barometer Cover the top of your container with plastic wrap. You want to create an airtight seal and a smooth surface.Secure the plastic wrap with a rubber band. The most important part of making the barometer is getting a good seal around the rim of the container.Lay the straw over the top of the wrapped container so that about two-thirds of the straw is over the opening.Secure the straw with a piece of tape.Either tape an index card to the back of the container or else set up your barometer with a sheet of notebook paper behind it.Record the location of the straw on your card or paper.Over time the straw will move up and down in response to changes in air pressure. Watch the movement of the straw and record the new readings. How the Barometer Works High atmospheric pressure pushes on the plastic wrap, causing it to cave in. The plastic and the taped section of straw sink, causing the end of the straw to tilt up. When atmospheric pressure is low, the pressure of the air inside the can is higher. The plastic wrap bulges out, raising the taped end of the straw. The edge of the straw falls until it comes to rest against the rim of the container. Temperature also affects atmospheric pressure so your barometer needs a constant temperature in order to be accurate. Keep it away from a window or other places that experience temperature changes. Predicting the Weather Now that you have a barometer you can use it to help predict the weather. Weather patterns are associated with regions of high and low atmospheric pressure. Rising pressure is associated with dry, cool, and calm weather. Dropping pressure forecasts rain, wind, and storms. Quickly-rising pressure that starts from average or high pressure during fair weather indicates a low-pressure cell is approaching. You can expect the pressure to start to fall as poor weather approaches.Quickly rising pressure (over a few hours or a couple of days) after a period of low pressure means you can expect a short period of good weather.Slowly rising barometric pressure (over a week or so) indicates good weather that will stick around a while.Slowly falling pressure indicates the presence of a nearby low-pressure system. Changes in your weather are unlikely at this time.If the pressure continues to drop slowly you can expect a long period of bad (as opposed to sunny and clear) weather.A sudden drop in pressure (over a few hours) indicates an approaching storm (usually arriving within 5-6 hours). The storm probably involves wind and precipitation, but wont last long.