From what the historical say we can gather that the book was not written straight into a book format however it was recorded by Offred. This is quite weird because Offred and the other Handmaids are forbidden to talk and they have no form of communication within their rooms. But Offred could have hid the recorder in her cupboard where the inscription was found "don't let the bastards get to you". The story was recorded over old music tapes, Offred kept songs either side of the tape to ensure if anyone heard it they would think that it was only a tape filled with music.
Offred is an unreliable narrator because she states that she wasn't allowed to talk however she has been doing so via the tape recorder.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Nick profile due for 4th November
This is Nicks profile:
a. Nick is a guardian however he is also the chauffeur to the commander
b. He is a member of the secret police (an Eye)
c. Nick has an affair with Offred because Serena Joy wants a baby (the commander is unaware of this)
d. Offred thinks shes pregnant via Nick
e. Nick arranges for Offred to escape (breaking the rules of Gilead)
a. Nick is a guardian however he is also the chauffeur to the commander
b. He is a member of the secret police (an Eye)
c. Nick has an affair with Offred because Serena Joy wants a baby (the commander is unaware of this)
d. Offred thinks shes pregnant via Nick
e. Nick arranges for Offred to escape (breaking the rules of Gilead)
Monday, 1 November 2010
Classwork 1st November 2010: Features with evidence from the text
Rank order he features from one to ten, starting with the one that best characterised the novel for you as a reader.
This is a novel:
1. About the exploitation of women
2.Of alienation and unbelonging
3. About male power and conflict (partiarchal society)
4. Exploring political systems (women's bodies are used as political instruments)
5. about loss, e.g of freedom, mothers, children
6.with a strong sense of place and time (only two walks a day)
7. that explores a society based on repressive religious systems
8.
9.
10.
For your top three features, find evidence from the text to support and explain your choices.
1. The exploitation of women:
One of the main features for me within the Handmaids tale is the fact that women are exploited to have children against their will.
The handmaids have no choice but to have sex with the commanders and bear their children, the only other choice is to go to the colonies where diseases are a high risk. The handmaids are made to wear red and only red, the connotation of the colour red are fertility. They handmaids have to follow rules and regulations "no need to use trains".
2. Manipulation and Power in Gilead:
Another feature within the handmaids tale is the presence of manipulation and power. Although the society of Gilead is a theocracy there is no one in charge or at the top of the hierarchy. there is no one for people to turn to because there is no government.
Offred knows that she has power because of her fertility, however she cannot use this to her advantage. Moreover with the relationship with the commander she slowly gains power, however she cannot use this as a strength because the commander will at no extents protect her from his wife (the previous handmaid committed suicide)
She also learns that Handmaids kill themselves in order to gain some final power about how they die.
3. Sexuality:
Lesbians and gays get executed, abortion doctors get executed, they ritualized strange and weird sexual relations which are supposedly supported by the bible?
This is a novel:
1. About the exploitation of women
2.Of alienation and unbelonging
3. About male power and conflict (partiarchal society)
4. Exploring political systems (women's bodies are used as political instruments)
5. about loss, e.g of freedom, mothers, children
6.with a strong sense of place and time (only two walks a day)
7. that explores a society based on repressive religious systems
8.
9.
10.
For your top three features, find evidence from the text to support and explain your choices.
1. The exploitation of women:
One of the main features for me within the Handmaids tale is the fact that women are exploited to have children against their will.
The handmaids have no choice but to have sex with the commanders and bear their children, the only other choice is to go to the colonies where diseases are a high risk. The handmaids are made to wear red and only red, the connotation of the colour red are fertility. They handmaids have to follow rules and regulations "no need to use trains".
2. Manipulation and Power in Gilead:
Another feature within the handmaids tale is the presence of manipulation and power. Although the society of Gilead is a theocracy there is no one in charge or at the top of the hierarchy. there is no one for people to turn to because there is no government.
Offred knows that she has power because of her fertility, however she cannot use this to her advantage. Moreover with the relationship with the commander she slowly gains power, however she cannot use this as a strength because the commander will at no extents protect her from his wife (the previous handmaid committed suicide)
She also learns that Handmaids kill themselves in order to gain some final power about how they die.
3. Sexuality:
Lesbians and gays get executed, abortion doctors get executed, they ritualized strange and weird sexual relations which are supposedly supported by the bible?
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Essay draft due for 4th November 2010
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.
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.
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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