Research Paper On Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is a well-known Canadian author and poet; she has written more than sixty novels and collections of poetry (McMahon 12). She is also a businesswoman, environmental activist, and the inventor of the LongPen (“Margaret Atwood Biography” 1) (Christensen 1-2). Growing up during the 1940s and 1950s meant that women were expected to stay at home and take care of the house and children. After reading about Atwood’s background, there are three major reasons that explain why she writes. The time period of Atwood’s childhood motivates her to write because she wanted to break away from the social norms. Atwood’s parents also help to motivate her because they are supportive of her efforts. Her past relationships motivate her because they
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Her mother, Margaret Dorothy Atwood, is a former dietician (Hile 1). Her father, Carl Edmund Atwood, is an entomologist, which is a person who studies insects (Hile 1). Atwood has two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister (McMahon 12). As a child, she loved to read fairy tales, comic books, and stories about animals (Oates 2). Atwood began writing when she was five years old (Oates 2). However, she took a break from writing between the ages of eight and sixteen (Oates 2). Due to her father’s research, Atwood spent much of her time in the woods of northern Quebec (McMahon 12). She did not attend school as a full time student until the eighth grade (Oates 2). By the time she was sixteen years old, Atwood knew that she wanted to write professionally (Hile 4). Atwood began studying at the Victoria College in the University of Toronto in 1957 (McMahon 12). She wrote poems during her time in college and published them in the college’s literary journal (McMahon 13). In 1961, she graduated with a Bachelor of Art in English and continued to study at Radcliffe College as a graduate student (McMahon 13). She married Jim Polk in 1967, but they were divorced in 1977 (McMahon 9). Atwood married Graeme Gibson, a writer, and gave birth to her daughter Jess (McMahon
Her mother, Margaret Dorothy Atwood, is a former dietician (Hile 1). Her father, Carl Edmund Atwood, is an entomologist, which is a person who studies insects (Hile 1). Atwood has two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister (McMahon 12). As a child, she loved to read fairy tales, comic books, and stories about animals (Oates 2). Atwood began writing when she was five years old (Oates 2). However, she took a break from writing between the ages of eight and sixteen (Oates 2). Due to her father’s research, Atwood spent much of her time in the woods of northern Quebec (McMahon 12). She did not attend school as a full time student until the eighth grade (Oates 2). By the time she was sixteen years old, Atwood knew that she wanted to write professionally (Hile 4). Atwood began studying at the Victoria College in the University of Toronto in 1957 (McMahon 12). She wrote poems during her time in college and published them in the college’s literary journal (McMahon 13). In 1961, she graduated with a Bachelor of Art in English and continued to study at Radcliffe College as a graduate student (McMahon 13). She married Jim Polk in 1967, but they were divorced in 1977 (McMahon 9). Atwood married Graeme Gibson, a writer, and gave birth to her daughter Jess (McMahon