A Low Art

A Low Art
By: Margaret Atwood

Who is Margaret Atwood?
She is an Internationally-known author that has written award-winning poetry, short
stories, and novels, including The Circle Game (1966), The Handmaid’s Tale(1985),
The Blind Assassin (2000), Oryx and Crake (2003), and The Tent (2006). Her works
have been translated into an array of different languages and seen several screen
adaptations, with both Handmaid’s Tale and Alias Grace becoming miniseries in
2017.
Born on November 18, 1939, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to a nutritionist mother and
entomologist father who fostered a love of nature. Growing up in Quebec and
showing a passion for writing at an early age, Atwood eventually pursued her
undergraduate studies at Victoria College at the University of Toronto, graduating in
1961. She then earned her master’s at Radcliffe the following year.
Social Situation in the Philippines during that time
An issue during that time was when heavy fighting
occurred between the MILF Rebels and Troops after the
formal peace negotiation between the two.
The social situation in the Philippines during the time the literature was
written was 2005. The evident issues in the literature such as
discrimination and gossip can be related to the social situation of the
Philippines. Wars, attacks, and terrorism are frequently happening in
the country because of misunderstanding and false information. The
information handed out by the government similar to gossips created
and caused the revolt of groups and rebels which causes such wars
happening like the MILF attack.
Setting and how it helped improved
the literary piece
Setting: Underworld
In the Literary piece, It

showed the progression in the
story of Penelope and the
setting created another
abience.
Symbolism
1. Sack full of words - it shows that all the things
that we want to hear or the things that we have
heard have some negative and positive meanings
2. Low Art - Discrimination or Gossip

Unlocking of words
1. Factoid – an assumption or 4. Edifying – providing moral or
speculation that is reported and intellectual instruction
repeated so often that it becomes
accepted as fact.
5. Inkling – a slight knowledge or
2. Eminent – famous and suspicion
respected within a particular
sphere or profession.
6. Unscrupulousness – having or
3. Plausible – skilled at producing showing no moral principles; not
persuasive arguments, especially honest or fair
ones intended to deceive.
7. Rampage – a period of violent 8. Jeering – make rude and
and uncontrollable behavior, mocking remarks, typically in a
typically involving a large group of loud voice.
people
9. Preposterous – contrary to 10. Foxiness – shrewdness as

reason or common sense; utterly demonstrated by being skilled in
absurd or ridiculous deception
Plot Discussion
A Low Art opens with Penelope, the first-person narrator, quoting herself saying, “now
that I’m dead, I know everything.” Penelope then goes on to say that this wish did not
come true, at least not totally. Death, Penelope thinks, despite the knowledge it does
bring, is not worth the cost. She even says that she would rather not know some of the
things she has learned.
Penelope begins to describe the afterlife, stating that everyone arrives in the underworld
in a sack “full of words—words you’ve spoken, words you’ve heard, words that have
been said about you.” Penelope notes that her own sack was full of words about her
husband and that some people say that her husband made a fool of her and got away
with everything.
Odysseus’s account, Penelope thinks, was always so “plausible,” and many people
believed his account of things while taking the mythology with a grain of salt. Penelope
admits that even she believed him often, thinking that he would not lie to her since she
was such a loyal wife.
Bitterly, Penelope thinks that all she amounted to was a “stick used to beat other
women with,” since all the storytellers considered her the model of a faithful wife.
Penelope wanted to scream at other women and tell them not to be like her. Penelope
admits that she always knew that Odysseus was tricky, but that she pretended not to see
that side of him. Instead, she kept her doubts to herself because she “wanted happy
endings.” Now, though, Penelope realizes that lots of people were mocking her in
secret. They told stories about her that Penelope calls “scandalous gossip,” but that she
says will only make her seem guilty if she denies them.
Penelope decides that it is her turn to make her own story now because she owes it to
herself. She notes that storytelling is a “low art,” and that people would have laughed if
she had tried to be a storyteller in the past. However, Penelope states that she no longer
cares about public opinion, so she will continue with her story. She states that her lack
of a physical body makes speaking difficult, and she has no one to listen to her story.
Still, she is determined to tell it.
Relation of the literary piece to
the present situation of the
Philippines
We can relate this not only in
the Philippines but around the
In A Low Art, Penelope was world as well. There are
being gossiped about. She people who gossip about
found out that people were others. They may seem nice
talking about her and were and friendly when you're with
spreading rumors. them, But once your back is
turned they start to spread
rumors and gossip about you.

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A Low Art

By: Margaret Atwood

In the Literary piece, It

2. Low Art - Discrimination or Gossip

9. Preposterous – contrary to 10. Foxiness – shrewdness as

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