Margaret Atwood in Literature - Essay Example

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian who has made substantial contributions to the field literature. The impact she has made through her poems, fictions and critics has been proved to have a social message in common. She was a feminist and an active social campaigner. She very precisely used her literary skills to evoke feelings of positivism and to provoke the need for change from socially ill situations. Its no wonder that she was short listed for the Booker price five times and was the finalist for the Governor General’s award seven times. She won the former one time and the later two times. The socially relevant message that most of the works of Margaret Atwood contains is quite evident. An urge for change is always on demand in all her literary masterpieces. The poems she has written are no exception. In most of her poetic works a theme of ‘call for change’ is well reflected. This in broader terms is the message of ‘renovation’. Different socially relevant scenarios have been both directly and indirectly depicted in the works of Margaret Atwood. All of those works, towards their end has concluded with a call for change or even an indication towards the possibility of a positive situation. The objective of this essay is to critically analyze different poems of Margaret Atwood and to explain the ways in which they have dealt with the theme ‘renovation’. Three different poems were considered for the review. They included ‘The Sad Child’, ‘Bored’, and ‘More and More. The trial of the author to reflect a message on the need for renovation is being highlighted in the essay. It is quite evident that the role of the poet as a social activist has highly influenced the writing style and the plots of the poems. She being a feminist and her urge to see a social renovation has well been reflected as a gist of the poems which are being analyzed. Though the subjects of social interest have been wide and vivid, the common factor in all of them is the need for change. ‘The Sad Child’ has within it a solid message for the generations to come. It demands children to change and to be happy so that the world of tomorrow is happy along with them. In the initial lines of the poem, the poet has well created a background, explaining the sadness that the childhood bears. Interestingly, the context of sadness of children has been plotted by the author in such a way to be globally relevant. When someone from an underdeveloped nation reads this, he or she would relate this sadness to the one because of being deprived of food, education and the minimal facilities. When it’s taken in the context of a highly sophisticated corporate society, it would relate to the sadness due to being denied of the care, love and time from the dear ones. So what so ever be the context, the author asserts that the newer generation is sad in its own way. The message for ‘renovation’ is quite clear from the second line of the poem itself. When the poet says, “its psychic. Its the age. Its chemical”, the evident message is that there is a way out and it’s not the end of the world. The opinion of the author is that this sadness is only a state of mind. The message that the poem extends to the society is very positive and creative. So loudly has been this positive spirit pronounced as the lyrics of the poem goes, “Count your blessings”. It means rather than being sad of what the society is deprived of, it better and positive to remind oneself of the goodness that has been bestowed. In other words the poem reminds the younger generation not to complain but to fight with what they have been blessed with. The strength of the poem is in the population that it has targeted. Renovating the thought process of the younger generation would mean a major milestone in the societal renovation process. When the author urges children to act before the red flame seeps out, it clearly is a ‘call for change’. She wants the society to enjoy life before it comes to standstill. A change in the mindset of the people is symbolized all through the poem. ‘Bored’ is another poem which wants its readers to break the boundaries that restrain them from enjoying the freedom of life. Considering the feministic background of the author, it can be assumed that the plot of the poem would have been set on a wife bound within the boring routines of her husband. However, this background can be applied to any social scenario where people are urging for change but are bound to the societal restrictions. All through the poem, the narrator is explained to have a very boring time doing the same things. While one is engaged doing the agricultural routines, the companion follows him with all the boredom in the world, but no word said. The author explains the seriousness of the situation through the line, “It wasnt even boredom, it was looking, looking hard and up close at the small details”. Life turns around a single point. That is what happens in such a scenario. While taking into account many of the social situations to which people are forced into and which actually people do not like, the poem stands out a strong message. “Why do I remember it as sunnier all the time then, although it more often rained, and more birdsong?”. When the author asks this, she clearly means why one should restrain to the social boundaries, when there are greener pastures around. Be that of a uncomfortable marriage bonding, or be that of a unsuitable job, the question posed by the poet is relevant. A renovation is urged by the author as she has wrote, “I could hardly wait to get the hell out of there to anywhere else”. This is a real call for change. Margaret Atwood does not want to her readers to be bound to anything boring. She wants a social renovation in which life is free and enjoyable. The boring rhythm of doing things over and over need not be repeated and the society be renovated to a state where every one takes the freedom to enjoy life in their own ways. Different from ‘‘The Sad Child’ and “Bored’ which speaks of change from states of oppression, More & More’ demands renovation from a state of greed and the loss of self identity. The comparison of the human nature to assimilate fully into the world losing oneself, with the green burning process of the nature is quite interesting. While the trees have leaves and green components to consume the never ending stock of air around it, the human have just got eyes, teeth and other non green parts. Still the society is greedy of the worldly needs. Interesting is the fact that the more you consume, the more would be the desire to have more. This generic scenario can be applied to much number of socially relevant situations. The poet says, “This kind of hunger draws everything into its own space; nor can we talk it all over, have a calm rational discussion.” This suggests the danger that the mere desire for the world and the worldly things can cause upon the society. The poet compares reason for this to that of a hungry dog’s logic about bones. All it means for it is to eat it and the world around is immaterial .People would end up in loosing their ability to have a social and rational thinking. They would only care for them and their cause. The case of a corporate businessman just remembering to make money and forgetting his or her roots all the way through is an implication of this insight. Such a society would end up in creating individuals with no bonds for each other. A turn back from this situation has been urged as a warming by the poem. One of the lines of the poem says “So be careful, I mean it, I give you fair warning”. This gives a clear indication on how serious is the poet on the issue. The poet wants the society to be renovated in such way that it consumes of the world only in optimal quantum. In totality, The Sad Child’, ‘Bored’, and ‘More and More are poems which reflect a strong need for social renovation. Though the context behind the renovation is different, the concern towards the society and the urge for a change is evidently common. Many other poems of Margaret Atwood also have similar themes common. It can be assumed that to an extent, the background of the author as a social campaigner would have contributed to this cause. Read More