For your final paper, you will write a 6-7 page argumentative essay that examines a theme in Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and makes a case for why this theme matters urgently in our own lives and society today ( or doesn't). While Atwood clearly wrote this novel as a cautionary tale, your job is to evaluate whether there is actual cause for concern.
Your task is threefold:
- Make an argument about what Atwood is warning us about through her portrayal of a specific theme and how she tries to convince the reader that her warnings are justified.
- Topics to consider:
- the ethics of biotechnology
- concerns about the environment and climate change
- the influence of corporate power
- the commodification of humans
- technological progress without ethical constraints
- social inequality and class division
- whether there is hope for the future
- another theme you identify
- Connect it to our world. Ground your argument in contemporary reality. What current technologies, social trends, or ethical dilemmas mirror the novel's concerns? Where do you see Atwood's warnings playing out (or failing to materialize) ? Include at least one specific, real-world example from your own observation, experience, or current events that either confirms or challenges Atwood's vision.
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Synthesize what Atwood portrays in the novel and your discussion of contemporary reality. As you analyze a theme within the novel, be sure to connect it to real world situations: do not simply write your essay in two parts (1/2 Atwood, 1/2 a contemporary issue).