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.
Solid start - watch out that you don't scatter too much in one paragraph and possibly confuse the reader. Take each point at a time and don't run them together unless to make a specific issue clear.
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