Is Gilead built upon the principle of using womens bodies as political instruments?
The society of Gilead is built upon rules and regulations and the aunts Aunt Lydia mainly enforces these rules and regulations amongst the Handmaids.
In this essay I am going to explore whether the society of Gilead uses womens bodies as instruments, therefore if women are used only to produce children and not for any other uses.
I shall include relevant quotes and I shall analyse them in detail to either agree or disagree with whether womens bodies are used as instruments within the society of Gilead.
Womens bodies are used as a political instrument, they are used to ensure that there is not an economical decline within society. Moreover using womens bodies as instrument allows the hierarchy to stay strict and rigid. Women are recessive to men, men are in control and dominant, and this is made clear via the use of clothing, costume, and naming which gets derogarative the inferior you are. In addition their names connote that they are the commander property and he owns them. to reinforce that the wife and himself have control over the Handmaids when having sex the wife sits behind the Handmaid to ensure that there is no sense of pleasure or enjoyment.
The Handmaids have to wear red,the red connotes that they have periods therefore they are fertile, this make its obvious and clear that womens bodies are used as a political instrument within the society of Gilead.
Although The handmaids have a choice of whether to become handmaids or go to the colonies where they have no life at all, diseases and illnesses roam. Once a handmaids has beared a child for a commander and his wife the handmaid can not be sent to the colonies where the "unwomen" go. this whole idea of unwomen is quite disturbing because how can someone be a women but be one because she cannot bear children anymore, she is an unwomen. (another segregation in society)
Another way in which womens bodies are used as political instruments is that there is minimalistic contact between the handmaids and the rest of society, they are not allowed to talk to people about anything because if they do riots and arguments in society may occur. They cannot go anywhere on their own in case they try to run away, and they are only allowed two walks a day. Moreover the Handmaids are forbidden to write "writing is forbidden here" the word forbidden connotes that they will be a punishment if they go against this rule, and forbidden is such a strong commanding word.
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Essay plan
Is Gilead built upon the principle of using womens bodies as political instruments?
Section 1:
Gilead is built upon rules and regulations: the handmaids are scared to break these rules because they do not want to go to the colonies where the unwomen go. So that they do not break the rules there are 'eyes' that watch what they are doing.
Section 2:
The society of Gilead allows commanders and their wives whom cannot conceive to have a child that is at least half theirs. This is quite controversial as it goes against the Bible and its sayings ' thou shall not commit adultery'.
Section 3: To stop the Handmaids from getting distracted or leaving the commander and his wife they are not allowed to read nor write, the shops have images instead of words for the name, the handmaids are seen to be worthless, they have no names they are refereed to 'as'.
Section 4: Society and the economical decline: The whole point of handmaids is to ensure that the hierarchy with in society is kept in place. Moreover the handmaids are fertile therefore they help the society by giving birth to society. They are used as a tool for economical decline not to occur.
Section 5: Moreover the Handmaids are of a lower status they all have to wear red, the society is split into different segments: The commanders, their wives, the Marthas, the handmaids and the eyes.
Section 6: The Handmaids have to do what they are told, once they have given birth to a child they move on to another family and so on and so forth. This connotes that their lives are and strict and they have a particular regime to their lives.
Section 7: The wives not only have to cope with another women sleeping with their husband for a child she has to be there and she has to watch them have sex. Moreover the whole idea of the wives being present maybe manipulating for the Handmaids.
Section 1:
Gilead is built upon rules and regulations: the handmaids are scared to break these rules because they do not want to go to the colonies where the unwomen go. So that they do not break the rules there are 'eyes' that watch what they are doing.
Section 2:
The society of Gilead allows commanders and their wives whom cannot conceive to have a child that is at least half theirs. This is quite controversial as it goes against the Bible and its sayings ' thou shall not commit adultery'.
Section 3: To stop the Handmaids from getting distracted or leaving the commander and his wife they are not allowed to read nor write, the shops have images instead of words for the name, the handmaids are seen to be worthless, they have no names they are refereed to 'as'.
Section 4: Society and the economical decline: The whole point of handmaids is to ensure that the hierarchy with in society is kept in place. Moreover the handmaids are fertile therefore they help the society by giving birth to society. They are used as a tool for economical decline not to occur.
Section 5: Moreover the Handmaids are of a lower status they all have to wear red, the society is split into different segments: The commanders, their wives, the Marthas, the handmaids and the eyes.
Section 6: The Handmaids have to do what they are told, once they have given birth to a child they move on to another family and so on and so forth. This connotes that their lives are and strict and they have a particular regime to their lives.
Section 7: The wives not only have to cope with another women sleeping with their husband for a child she has to be there and she has to watch them have sex. Moreover the whole idea of the wives being present maybe manipulating for the Handmaids.
Monday, 11 October 2010
11th October 2010 Classwork
Analyse the following passage using A01 techniques:
"I lie in bed, still trembling. You can wet the rim of a glass and run your finger around the rim and it will make a sound. this is what I feel like; this sound of glass. I feel like the word shatter. I want to be with someone".
The use of simile "I feel like the word shatter" connotes that Offred feels like she is word and that word being shatter. The word shatter connotes broken, smashed and in pieces, moreover the word shattered is associated with glass which is see through and clear. In addition this connotes that Offred feels that she has no privacy because she is answerable to everyone, she is undermined, and she is not trusted. When glass is shattered it is sharp, jagged and it can inflict pain, this signifies that one day Offred will shatter and she will inflict pain on the people of her choice.
Offred is also broken because she has lost her husband Luke and her Daughter, and she has no way of finding them. Within the previous chapter Offred had been saying how much she wants Luke back and how much she misses him.
Moreover in the previous chapter Offred has "fucked" the commander, she refuses to call it sex because she does not enjoy it and she has no choice in the matter, she does it because she has too. She used to enjoy having sex with Luke hence why she links the idea of having sex with the commander and having sex with Luke whom she loves whole heartidly.
Offred states what she is doing and where she is doing it, this gives the reader background information.
"I lie in bed" Offred does not call it her bed, she only states in bed which connotes that she does not think that it is her bed.
"I lie in bed, still trembling. You can wet the rim of a glass and run your finger around the rim and it will make a sound. this is what I feel like; this sound of glass. I feel like the word shatter. I want to be with someone".
The use of simile "I feel like the word shatter" connotes that Offred feels like she is word and that word being shatter. The word shatter connotes broken, smashed and in pieces, moreover the word shattered is associated with glass which is see through and clear. In addition this connotes that Offred feels that she has no privacy because she is answerable to everyone, she is undermined, and she is not trusted. When glass is shattered it is sharp, jagged and it can inflict pain, this signifies that one day Offred will shatter and she will inflict pain on the people of her choice.
Offred is also broken because she has lost her husband Luke and her Daughter, and she has no way of finding them. Within the previous chapter Offred had been saying how much she wants Luke back and how much she misses him.
Moreover in the previous chapter Offred has "fucked" the commander, she refuses to call it sex because she does not enjoy it and she has no choice in the matter, she does it because she has too. She used to enjoy having sex with Luke hence why she links the idea of having sex with the commander and having sex with Luke whom she loves whole heartidly.
Offred states what she is doing and where she is doing it, this gives the reader background information.
"I lie in bed" Offred does not call it her bed, she only states in bed which connotes that she does not think that it is her bed.
Sunday, 3 October 2010
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