Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (pgs 173-352)

In this portion of the novel, Kingsolver wrapped up the last half of her year as a local eater and yet vowed to continue eating the way she was, only a little less strict. She described the joy of the first tomato, and how quickly that first tomato turns into a field full of tomatoes waiting to be harvested. The entire family assisted with canning and pickling to prepare for the lack of fresh vegetables in the upcoming winter. They managed to survive the "Hungry Month" (February) by adapting their meal plan to include more meats and soups. The meal plans featured at the end of certain chapters not only sound amazing but are even occasionally given in a recipe. This book is obviously meant to be a field guide to eating local, the first stop being the reader's kitchen. Kingsolver became increasingly horrified by the food industry, even going so far as to call American animal farms what capitalism would look like "in the absence of moral or regulatory constraint." And it really is true. There is no doubt in my mind that this family's experience eating food that was locally and humanely raised will spark interest and debate for anyone that reads this book. The food industry has caused Americans to put little thought into the food they consume, when in all actuality healthy food should be their main concern, seeing as how much it effects our daily lives.
Not to mention that eating locally can be a real bargain. Kingsolver and her family saved thousands over the course of the year, with each member of the family eating a meal for just about 50 cents. Although farming for oneself is a bit of a stretch, it can be a valuable source of income on the side, and even a small vegetable garden can take some economic weight off. Americans need to reevaluate their relationships with their food sources, and I for one can not wait to join my mom at the local farmers market tomorrow.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (pgs 1-172)

Kingsolver, Barbara. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2007. Print.

This book begins with a giant transition for Barbara and her family of four. They have sold their home in Arizona and are moving across the country to Virginia, where they have owned a farm for years. A few months after getting settled, the family attempts to eat only local food for an entire year. As simple as it sounds, it is truly backbreaking work. To sustain themselves, the entire family participates in growing food and caring for animals as well as regular trips to farmers' markets. The youngest daughter, Lily, even raised her own chickens for both eggs and meat, which was a difficult but necessary business decision for her to make. Their local diet becomes a lifestyle choice in a very short amount of time, as the family learns more about the environmental woes a normal diet can cause as well as the surprising satisfaction of having a life that revolves around local food. One of the most heartbreaking foods they had to give up was fruit in the winter, but it just made them appreciate the fruits come summer even more.

The book features short essays by the father, Steven, which are a little dry at times but cover the scientific bases. I found Kingsolver to be an extremely credible source on the subject of local eating, so I did not find these essays justifying her statements to be necessary. The daughter's essays are more of a welcome break from the book, and provide powerful insight on the mindset needed to accomplish this sort of goal. Eating locally is an incredibly admirable thing to do. However, not many people know about the environmental devastation caused by simply eating a peach during wintertime. I am only halfway though the book but I have already had multiple discussions with my family about what we do to eat local, such as shopping at the Wednesday Market, and what we should be doing, such as buying more foods that are actually in season. This book provides a valuable education on an overlooked topic, and it is already making me want to reevaluate my lifestyle choices and integrate more local foods into my diet.

The Handmaid's Tale Entry Three (Pages 199-295)

Offred reveals in this entry that the main reason for the giant change to society was an attempt to establish mothering as a necessary role, because too few women were reproducing. Offred is shown a photo of her daughter by Serena Joy, and she is devastated by the thought that her daughter has moved on completely. The Commander took Offred to an Officers Club, where she spotted Moira, who seemed defeated and was no longer the spunky friend Offred remembered. The commander invites Offred up to a hotel room and she feels unnerved by his touch, and to her his hands become symbols of how she belongs to him. Serena Joy influences Offred and Nick to be intimate to produce a child, which allows Offred the tiniest bit of normal human interaction. Offred tells Nick her real name, which demonstrates the close bond that they have formed and her trust of him. Offred finds comfort with Nick, and the way he makes her feel is a standard that the Commander could not live up to. Offred attends a salvaging, where Ofglen gives herself away by trying to put one of her comrades out of his misery. Her herois efforts only served as a warning to Offred to not try to save anyone else, and to focus on her own survival. Serena Joy discovered that Offred and the Commander had been fraternizing outside of their duties, but before she has time to punish her handmaid, Offred was taken by the state for telling secrets. This higher power that eventually takes Offred is present throughout the book in the form of Eyes who watch for signs that people are not abiding by the rules. Although Offred is extremely wary of the people that come to take her away, Nick tells her that she can trust them. This leaves the reader with an overall feeling of hope that Offred is in good hands and will be taken to a safe place.

The Handmaid's Tale Entry Two (Pages 103-195)

During this passage, Offred's status in the house begins to change for the better. The Commander invites her to spend time with him because he wants to make her feel like their arrangement is not such a bad thing. His guilt allows her to gain back certain luxaries, such as lotion, which may foreshadow her asking for an even bigger favor, such as a chance at freedom. Offred discussed how the giant change in the way society functioned came to be, which she illustrated as beginning with the collapse of the government. She also remembered the day that she and Luke had to run away from home, although she did not specify why. Using a series of flashbacks, Offred recalls a great deal more about her past, including her history with Moira, Luke, and her mother. While at a Birth Day, Offred requests information about Moira as opposed to Luke, perhaps because she could not bear to hear bad news about him. Ofglen, Offred's walking companion, revealed herself to be a rebel, and at first Offred's lack of interest in her is very surprising. It would seem that Offred would cling to this hint of rebellion, but she hardly even reacts to the information that there are others with the same sentiments as her. Offred's indifference reveals that she has given up almost all hope for change. Additionally, Offred begins to describe how the world came to be such a backwards place, specifically recalling the day that women were no longer allowed to own property. Her frequent ventures into the past make it very apparent that she is uncertain about the current state of the world. Her lack of information makes her uncertain about the present and because of that she has little hope for the future.


Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. Print.

The Handmaid's Tale 1/3

The main character of 'The Handmaid's Tale,' Offred, seems to spend the majority of this passage describing what she sees but not how she sees it. Offred, who has yet to reveal her former name, is a handmaid in the house of the Commander. Since Serena Joy, his wife, can not become pregnant, it is Offred's job to bear a child for the Commander. As a result, Serena views it as her job to make Offred's life miserable. Although Offred continually notes that she is one of the lucky ones, her unhappiness shines through her attempts at ignoring her emotions. Offred is very convincing as a character in her situation, in part because she has developed a lack of emotion to cope with the trauma. The author seems to be sending home the message that the world will become a very scary place if everybody just ignores their emotions.
Offred often dreams of her husband Luke, and the life they had together, which included a daughter. The author seems to indicate that she may be able to see them again in the future, in part because as far as Offred knows, they are still alive. Nick, the chauffeur, serves as a symbol of temptation for Offred, because he constantly flirts and offers himself to her. Offred occasionally mentions her friend Moira, who the author seems to use as an example of what would happen to Offred if she fought back. From the handmaid's perspective, the system is unbeatable, and there is nothing she can do to save herself. However, the book foreshadows that Offred may soon find a way to escape. This foreshadowing presented itself during her conversation with Nick, when it became apparent that certain rules could be broken.
This entire portion of the passage introduces the reader to Offred's daily life before the world was changed and after the world was changed. She is extremely nostalgic for the past and prefers not to think of her present situation. The author seems to be trying to reach out to an audience who is unhappy with where they are right now, and tell them that eventually their situation will improve if they do something about it.

Journal Entry Two

Over the past week I have created an annotated bibliography for six sources concerning the subject of birth order. Through this process I learned why there are such differences between siblings. For instance, firstborn children generally agree more with sources of authority, and they themselves often grow up to be leaders. Middle children on the other hand are thought to be very good mediators, perhaps because they had to deal with the constant interaction with both a younger and an older sibling. The youngest children are typically the babies of the family who seek to get attention any way they can. They are also often the most rebellious of the birth orders.  Finally, only children who are female usually put their love life first, whereas male only children put their career first. I also discovered that there is a certain amount of romantic compatibility when it comes to birth order. For example, an oldest child and a youngest child often make a good match because the firstborn will cause the younger to become more responsible and the lastborn will make the older loosen up and become more spontaneous with their life. This was probably especially interesting to me because my mother is a firstborn and my father is a lastborn and they get along so well. Because of my research work, I now feel like I know my topic extremely well. I not only know the fundamental characteristics of each birth order, but I also know how it affects that person's relationships, career, and even success. Before I began this project I didn't believe that birth order science was actually capable of predicting something in my life. Now I see people's interactions as explained by birth order. Almost all of my family member's personalities seem to be shaped in one way or another by their birth order. I am now a believer in birth order science, in part because I have always wondered why siblings react differently to a similar situation when they grew up in the exact same environment. I didn't realize it before I undertook this project, but birth order helps to explain many of the fundamental differences between siblings, and I now see birth order as one of the main reasons the world is the way it is.

Journal Entry on Birth Order

I think the real reason I chose to investigate the science behind birth order was because I've always been a bit of a skeptic. I always thought that people who believed in that sort of thing were just looking for random ways to explain why they are the way that they are. When my sister and I were really little we both took a quiz on the computer that guessed what sibling order you were based on questions. We both got firstborn as an answer, so that has only fueled my doubts about birth order. All that I know about the subject of birth order comes from the quiz I took. If I remember correctly, firstborns are supposed to work well with authority and have strong leadership qualities, and lastborns often rebel from authority and are very creative problem solvers. In my opinion, the main reason people believe in birth order science is because the descriptions for each of the siblings positions are so general that anyone can identify with it. For instance, almost everybody can remember an event in their lifetime where they agreed with authority and when they rebelled against authority. This means that their personality can coincide with both the characteristics of an older sibling and a younger sibling. Which brings me right back to believing that all of this birth order information is just a bunch of hype. But that doesn't mean I can't be swayed to believe in the power of birth order- I just need to see a bit more concrete evidence before I believe it. I'm curious to learn more about the specific details of the positive and negative effects of birth order, so that I can apply them to my own life and see if they hold true. Even though my sister and I were raised in the same environment with the same parents, we have completely different personalities, and I wonder if birth order is one of the main reasons we're so different. I would also like to know if the stereotypes about siblings such as the older being the more responsible and the younger being mischievous are actually true and can be backed by fact. Even if my research doesn't persuade me to believe in the power of birth order, I have a feeling I'll find out something interesting with my topic being as personal as it is.