2) Then, either:
- Ask a question and work through your confusion in a thorough response. Call on your classmates to also engage with this passage and unpack it together.
OR--
- Make a connection to the news/your own life/another text as a means to dig deeper into the meaning of a passage
OR--
- Look at specific language/literary devices/tools and write a response in which you examine the EFFECT of these devices. What do these observations that you've made DO for your initial understanding of the speaker and the world that she lives in?
Some reminders:
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Format:
"......" (17).
Response:
“His face is long and mournful, like a sheep’s, but with the large full eyes of a dog, spaniel not terrier. His skin is pale and looks unwholesomely tender, like the skin under a scab. Nevertheless, I think of placing my hand on it, this exposed face. He is the one who turns away” (21).
ReplyDeleteWith this passage, I was immediately drawn to the comparison of the Guardian to an animal, and what that could say about the lack of basic humanity in this world. Offred’s description of him as a “mournful” sheep with “large full eyes” reminded me of a young, hopeful child. However, the juxtaposition of a sheep’s sadness with a dog’s playfulness highlights the extent to which Gilead is suppressing human emotions, and how it is negatively affecting the people who are servicing this society. This idea is emphasized when Offred wants to touch his face, in what is most likely a show of protection indicated by the fact that his face looks “like the skin under a scab.” Offred wants to reach out to the Guardian and help him, because to her, this man has been dangerously exposed to the rest of the world, and the effects of living in a society where he is not allowed to be a human or feel like a human are obvious to her when she looks at him. Finally, when he looks away from her, it is then made clear that Offred and the other women in the story are not the only people being oppressed by their society, but those of authority, the Guardians in this case, are suffering as well. Overall, this passage explains that the world of Gilead is dangerous for everyone because it separates people from feeling any emotion towards one another, which is how humans are meant to connect.
I completely agree with your observations! While reading this comment, I was reminded of the following page (22), where Offred compares the guardians to a dog being teased with a bone (when she flirts). This comparison is helpful in perhaps seeing how the society views men; as dogs that must not fall to temptations. The society is the leash that holds the men back or rather "oppresses" them from developing human connections, as you put it so well.
DeleteThroughout the chapters you see Offred compare herself and others to objects. "I stand on the corner, pretending I am a tree" (10). But it is interesting to point out that a tree is alive, can live for a long time and she compares herself to this. Perhaps, this shows that she is the only one who still has life in her.
DeleteI agree with your statement that men are living in a society where they cannot express their humanity. This reminds me of a passage on page 31: "Inside it you can see paintings... of upright men, darkly clothed and unsmiling. Our ancestors". The observation of "unsmiling" men in the paintings in the museum is similar to how men are not able to show emotion in this society. In a way, this painting shows how history repeats itself.
DeleteExcellent conversation, guys. Love the connections you're making to other passages.
Delete“As we walk away I know they’re watching, these two men who aren’t yet permitted to touch women. They touch with their eyes instead and I move my hips a little, feeling the full red skirt sway around me. It’s like thumbing your nose from behind a fence or teasing a dog with a bone held out of reach…..Then I find I’m not ashamed after all. I enjoy the power; power of a dog bone, passive but here. I hope they get hard at the sight of us and have to rub themselves against the painted barriers...They will suffer, later, at night in their regimented beds” (22).
ReplyDeleteI saw a direct correlation between this passage and the short story “Girl” because as stated in the last line, “you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread?”. I interpreted this as the “girls” only source of decision and power, getting to pick out her own bread. In the world of “The Handmaid's Tale” the women do not have the power to make a lot of personal decisions and by tempting the guards she shows she has some power over her body. It was interesting how she continued to relate the men to dogs as if she was aware of their lowly behavior.
I really like the way that you interpreted this passage, when I read this, I Immediately began to think about the “power” that Offred is outlining. This suggestion that the women in the society hold sexual power brought me to question whether this is giving them power or working to do the complete opposite. On one hand, in a society where everyone appears to be oppressed, Offred’s teasing actions would be further oppressing the men (considering they can’t act on this sexual tension). Therefore this justifies the statement that Offred does have “passive” power. However, by sexualizing herself through her actions, Offred would also be objectifying herself, which simultaneously minimizes what power she has.
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DeleteI also noticed this idea of how women were aware of how men and society won't let women have a mind of their own on page 25. When all the stores were changed to picture signs instead of words, Offred is aware that they do this to not let women think for themselves, yet Offred and the rest of the women do nothing about it. This relates to the conclusion about the quote because even though she connects men to dogs, because of their behavior, she does nothing to change their behavior.
DeleteI agree that this passage seems to be alluding to women using their sexuality to gain power over men. I also noticed this on page 25, when Lauren Bacall and Katharine Hepburn, are used to show how iconic women in the media are able to express power. I think that the festival with these women being cancelled is meant to show the authority's desperateness to get rid of this power.
DeleteI agree with your initial analysis of the quote and how you found this passage to connect to "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid. I personally connected this passage to the immense amount of sexual exposure there is in every single way in our modern society. Through all forms of media that we see (or even hear) on a day to day basis (TV, Movies, Advertisements, Magazines, Music, etc.), it is hard to dispute that our society over sexualizes almost everything. In the world created in this book, it displays the polar opposite - basically no sexual freedom for both genders. This also connects back to the interview that we read with Margaret Atwood, in which she describes how she would create the most extreme versions of conservative and feminist views in the novel. Though its not often acknowledged, to truly create a dystopia in comparison to today's society, you would need to implement no sexual freedom.
DeleteTo add, this passage (and your conversation) reminds me of Adichie's comment about "bottom power" not being real power at all.
Delete“Near the gateway, there are some lanterns, not lit because it isn’t night. Above us, I know, there are floodlights, attached to the telephone poles, for use in emergencies, and there are men with machine guns in the pillboxes on either side of the road. I don’t see the floodlights and the pillboxes, because of the wings around my face. I just know they are there,” (20).
ReplyDeleteThis passage keyed me in on structure in the society. Based on the one-use explanations for the floodlights and lanterns that Offred gives, I interpreted this as a metaphor for how single minded the community is. When she says, “I don’t see the floodlights and the pillboxes, because of the wings around my face. I just know they are there,” I read this as a connection to those living in this society trying to ignore their oppression (as well as the single minded perspective I mentioned before), all the while acknowledging that it is there. Those that live in this society have a very medicated state of mind, in the sense they are oppressed so that they are numb when living a certain way that doesn’t threaten their one road through life.
“Their youth is touching, but i know I can’t be deceived by it. The young ones are often are the most dangerous, the most fanatical, the jumpiest with their guns. They haven’t yet leanred about exsistence through time. You have to go slowly with them. Last week they shot a women, right about here….. They thought she was a man in disguise. There have been such incidents” (20).
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this quote, it reminded me of the election and often times children do not really have their own opinnon on who they want to vote for. They are usually being brainwashed by their parents opinnon and just act on what their parents want. The youth in this society do not know the past they have a different prespective then what Offred has. They grew up with violence being okay and a normal act. So will the society ever change for the better if the youth has the mindset that violence and the norms are okay?
When I read this quote, I also thought about how the younger people in Gilead grow up thinking that what happens in their society is normal, but I was also reminded of the importance of context. The youth only believe that what they are a part of is okay because it is all they have grown up with. They didn't live with the freedom that Offred remembers, so they are unable to compare their current lives with any other way of life. To answer your question, I think that because the people of Gilead are still connected to their humanity, and can still feel emotion, they would learn to understand that living in such a restricted society is unnatural and wrong. While they might not be able to outgrow the more violent tactics of their society, I think that they would recognize that they have a right to freedom, as Offred once experienced.
DeleteWhen I read this quote, I actually thought of the young guards as brainwashed also, but I do take a different view on young people in the novel generally. In stories with a dystopia society the young people are usually the factors to rise against the evil in that world. Usually young people find the the evils and see that they are wrong. I predict that the rebels that Offred and Ofglen were talking about is mostly young people. I believe this because no offense, but old people are usually the ones who have chosen the evil in the first place. The reason why young people see these evils usually is, because they are mostly targeted. For example, do you truly believe two young people that are probably barely in their 20s wants to guard those women or that when the handmaids get old other young women will be forced to Offred's fate. As a more concrete example, "The Hunger Games", Katniss was born into the reality that being apart of the game was something honorable to do, but chose to fight against her society even though she wasn't taught differently. Or, "The Lottery", while the men were talking they said other towns had gotten rid of the lottery, because of the uprising of young people, even though they were born into that tradition. I do strongly persuade you not to lose hope in our young characters yet, because they may be the turning point in this whole novel.
DeleteAfter reading this quote, I actually thought about the police brutality occurring in the U.S. today. I related it towards all the acts committed against African Americans such as Terence Crutcher where he was accused of "reaching for a weapon" when really video surfaced that shows his window was indeed rolled up. I drew a parallel between Crutcher and the the Martha who was shot by two Guardians who claimed she had been "hunting for a bomb" (20). It seemed as if they had judged the Martha because she was of a lower class unlike the others in which I related it towards racism towards African Americans today in our society. Much like in the U.S. today, do you think this encounter might foreshadow another movement like the Black Lives Matter Movement to raise awareness of their society's mistreatment of their people specifically the women.
DeleteYes, Rachel. This is what comes to my mind, as well, and is an important connection to make. Also, remember: Atwood wrote this in the 1980s!
DeleteOn page 33, Aunt Lydia says "This may not seem ordinary to you now,but after a time it will. It will become ordinary." With this in mind, I don't think that their society will change for the better however since they are so used to believing that violence is an ordinary thing, they don't assume that they are doing anything wrong and will countinue to be violent. Also, violence is frowned upon, but it is not prohibited.
Delete“But there were some women burning books, that’s what she was really there for… There were some men, too, among the women, and the books were magazines… Good riddance to bad rubbish, she said, chuckling. It okay? she said to my mother… The woman handed me one of the magazines. It had a pretty woman on it, with no clothes on, hanging from the ceiling by a chain wound around her hands… Don’t let her see it, said my mother. Here, she said to me, toss it in, quick” (38-39).
ReplyDeleteThere is a clear difference between the society that Offred currently lives in and the society that she lived in as a child: women do not have freedom in this futuristic nation. Women are now possessions instead of human beings. The magazine with a pretty woman “hanging from the ceiling by a chain around her hands” reveals how women were slowly being oppressed by the rest of society. This magazine foreshadows the society that is yet to come: a nation that restricts women’s rights. This is a nation in which women’s voices are being “chained” by men, so that they remain silent and are forced to obey men’s commands. Also, the fact that Offred’s mother does not want her daughter to see this magazine demonstrates that she does not want Offred to be exposed to gender norms; in this case the gender norm could be how men think they are “superior” than women. Being exposed to a problem makes it easier to submit to it. In addition, the unity between the men and women while burning these magazines shows that not all men are bad, and that some are willing to give freedom back to women. This offers Offred a glimmer of hope in which this society could be soon abolished, and freedom will once again be granted to women.
Wow! I completely agree with the observations you foreshadowed! In the presence of this new society, women are obliged to be subservient, submissive, and passive under male authority. Essentially, within this reality, women must unquestionably comply and submit to men’s orders. More specifically, this reminds me of Offred and Ofglen’s encounter with the young Guardians at the barrier. Despite the fact that the two Guardians seem childish, immature, and naïve, the notion that men are innately given the power to grant consent to women, satisfy the basic definition of traditional gender norms. Offred points out that the Guardians are “the most fanatical, the jumpiest with their guns. They haven’t yet learned about existence through time. You have to go slowly with them.” Thus, this exemplifies that women are unconditionally placed beneath the social class of men, in which they inherently belong to a secondary and subordinate subset. Similarly, this idea of gender patriarchy ties to the conception that women can only travel in twos. For instance, Offred explains that Ofglen is her protector of safety, and vice versa. She says, “the truth is that she is my spy, as I am hers. If either of us slips through the net because of something that happens on one of our daily walks, the other will be accountable.” Therefore, this demonstrates that women are by nature, defenseless, vulnerable, and frail on their own. Alas, this notion has been deeply-rooted and instilled within their society, in which a woman’s inferiority is ideal. Lastly, I saw this idea as an immediate connection to forbidding women to consume coffee and alcohol, and to smoke cigarettes alike. Recurrently, Offred notices that figures of authority (such as the commander’s wife and the Guardians) are allowed the privilege to smoke freely and without punishment. Instinctively, Offred aches to have a mere puff of cigarette smoke, something that will offer a remembrance, connection and a gateway to the past. As she recalls memories of her friend, Moira, smoking a cigarette and asking Offred to “go for a beer” she internally recognizes the injustices and inequalities that exists within their current civilization. Essentially, women are stripped from the basic right to pursue their inner nature and follow their natural id and ego. In this sense, men are given greater privileges and opportunities than women, in which they can fulfill and flesh out their needs and wants without consequence.
DeleteI completely agree with you Maia, however I took the symbolism of Offred's ache for a cigarette as a way of slowly killing herself. Many times as seen in Hamlet with the case of Ophelia, a sense of freedom for women, a way out of societies chains,a rebellion, was by killing themselves. If a woman died in this society, not only would it bring attention, but it would bring questions. If there is no blatant example of a problem in the society's system then no one will question it and if no one questions it then there is no change. For women, the choice of suicide not only gives them the freedom to have a choice in their life, but it brings about attention to the problem.
Delete“I’m looking down, at the sidewalk, mesmerized by the women’s feet. One of them is wearing open-toed sandals, the toenails painted pink. I remember the smell of nail polish, the way it wrinkled if you put the second coat on too soon, the satiny brushing of sheer pantyhose against the skin, the way the toes felt, pushed towards the opening in the shoe by the whole weight of the body. The woman with painted toes shifts from one foot to the other. I can feel her shoes, on my own feet. The smell of nail polish has made me hungry” (29).
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the passage, I immediately thought of the lack of humanity and self-expression within their society. There is an absence of individualism between the handmaids, which ultimately strips away the essence of their identity. Immediately, once the tourists arrive, their presence symbolizes a remembrance of the past, in which people were allowed the freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the basic right to engage in a stream of consciousness. The simplistic idea of painting one’s toenails reminds her of this exact life, one that was alive with opportunity, choice, free will, and independence. When Offred says that “the smell of the nail polish made me hungry” she yearns to feel somewhat of a connection to humankind and a sense of vigor and vitality. Frankly, being human is the essential air she needs to survive. Without it, she cannot help but feel this “hunger” grow into a burning desire. Yet, while she craves to return to this time, the country seems to plunge into a domineering, oppressive, and tyrannical reality. Essentially, all remnants of the past are now being erased. What was once regarded as “everyday life” looks to be a distant dream.
I also thought of this lack of humanity and the fact that the handmaids have no way to express themselves strips them completely of their personalities as well. Without personalities how are people able to truly connect? Imagining myself in Offred's situation makes me have this "hunger" within me too just for natural human contact. The handmaids have no support this way, and they are already in such a controlled situation that going through it all alone must drive them to insanity at some point. This passage also made me think about how we can completely take for granted the humanity and independence little decisions, like the color of our nails, can give us. Without this humanity we are merely just moving bodies with no control over what makes us unique and who we are.
DeleteI agree with your statement about how to Handmaids are so restricted that they lose their sense of individuality. I also think it's significant how she's remembering the nail polish specifically. Nail polish tends to be a very feminine thing. The nail polish symbolizes freedom that she sees this women having that she is reminiscent of. As you said, an activity as simple as painting her toenails is becoming so distant. It's almost as if the society has completely stripped the women of the small activities, and has told them so strictly how to live their lives.
Delete“It’s the bags over the heads that are the worst, worse than the faces themselves would be. It makes the men like dolls on which the faces have not yet been painted; like scarecrows, which in a way is what they are, since they are meant to scare. Or as if their heads are sacks, stuffed with some undifferentiated material, like flour or dough” (32).
ReplyDeleteGilead is showing their power and influence by displaying the dead bodies of those who have had a part in an abortion. The use of “bags over the heads” of hanged men dehumanizes them, making them look “like dolls on which the faces have not yet been painted” or “like scarecrows” instead of people (32). The fact that the men look like “dolls” is disturbing, when one thinks about the tantruming children that use dolls to take out their anger, suggesting that the Gilead are angry children with the power to kill those that disagree with them. Also, to cover the men’s faces, making them seem doll-like implies that Gilead uses the lives of these people as playthings. This image of lifeless bodies dangling for all to see reminded me of terrorist groups such as ISIS, who publicize murder in order to scare their opposition. The horrifying pictures put on the internet by ISIS are very similar to the Men’s Salvagings of Gilead since they are “meant to scare” (32).
I completely agree with your analysis of this quote and I love how you compare the Gilead to angry children. When I read this passage, what stood out to me was the fact that she talks about the sacks looking as if they are stuffed with an "undifferentiated material, like flour or dough." The sacks are meant to cover the men's heads to prevent recognition. However, the fact that it seems that the sacks are stuffed with flour or dough emphasizes the way these people are expected to view these men. They are not expected to be seen as people with valid thoughts and ideas, but as puppets or pawns with heads filled with nothing but fluff.
DeleteI also completely agree that the hanged men are dehumanized and portrayed as dolls that Gilead can do anything to. I also think that it is extremely important that they had white bags over their heads. This takes away their identity and instills fear in anyone who lays eyes on them. To me the white bags mean that hanged men could be anyone.
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ReplyDelete"I think about laundromats. What I wore to them: shorts, jeans, jogging pants. What I put into them: my own clothes, my own soap, my own money, money I had earned myself. I think about having such control" (24).
ReplyDeleteThis passage really emphasizes to me, the extreme lack of control that Offred and the other handmaidens have over their lives. The fact that something she used to take for granted now brings back such a recollection of freedom shows how vastly her world has been altered. This also relates to our world today, as doing laundry is something we barely consider in our lives and doing it does not give us a sense of freedom. What stood out to me was the repetition of the words “my and I” in this passage. To me they represent the ownership and control she once had over her life. She was once able to choose what she wore, she once used things that were hers, and she was once self-sufficient using money she herself had earned. This passage also reminded me of page 8, where Offred said “The door of the room- not my room, I refuse to say my- is not locked.” This contrasts with the passage above by showing an instance where rather than emphasizing her possession over something, she flatly refuses to accept the room as her own. Although they both show opposite actions, these passages are connected in the sense that in both cases Offred is being defiant, unwilling to accept the circumstances she is in. Although she has close to no control over her current life, both her memories and her actions show that she is unwilling to throw away her freedom.
I found this passage really interesting, and I do agree with your (very clear and convincing!) argument, that Offred's sentimental tone when talking about what she used to wear and have shows that she is unhappy with the new society. However, her opinion has been changed since the Gilead took control. She realizes this herself when she sees the tourists and thinks, “[t]hey seem undressed. It has taken so little time to change our minds, about things like this” (28). Even despite this change, she still longs for her freedom, revealed when she says, “I used to dress like that. That was freedom” (28).
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ReplyDelete“The two young guards saluted us raising three fingers to the rims of their berets.Such tokens are accorded to us.They are supposed to respect, because of the nature of our service.” (21)
ReplyDeleteAs I read this quote, I could not wrap my head around the choice of words used for how the handmaids are supposed to be treated with “respect”. While reading this novel you don’t get the idea that they are respected, because in all the action and precautions taken against them, it doesn’t seem like a respectable job.When you are doing something respectable to other people you have a certain honor in doing that job. The same way soldiers who are going to Iraq describe why they are going there to serve their country, because of the honor in serving their country. There is supposed to be an honor in being a handmaid's, but there is not. It is more like they are being forced to give their body away to provide for their race. But the question is, if they are doing such an honorable thing for their race, why not it'd be honored and respected? Why not have being an handmaid’s one of the most upscaled jobs? If being a handmaid was an honorable and respected job to do the women probably wouldn’t commit suicide as much, or try to break out as much and more women would be open to the job. I believe as humans we fail to see the honor and respect the jobs meant to be respected the most, because when soldiers come back from Iraq they're not respected and honor, the way someone serving our country should be and the handmaids have the same misfortune of being taken advantaged of.
I completely agree with you, the use of the word respect baffles me too. However I am considering that maybe it is the guards job to respect the handmaids for they are a casual form of police. Maybe the guards even feel sympathy for the handmaids when no one else does.
DeleteI completely agree with both Max and and Aaliyah in response to the choice of words used in the quote. In this society a hand maid’s job is to be there for a man when ever sexually needed. However I see the salute as a form of sympathy or apology, Throughout the selected reading, Offered reflects back on “easier” times and it seems it's hasn't been long that these controversial rules have been placed upon the people. The men might also remember what is was like to have a personal loving relationship with a women of their choice, and therefore salute as an apologetic gesture.
DeleteI disagree with all three of your statements. Remember on page 26 when the pregnant handmaid walks into the store and everyone looks at her in awe. That’s because as a handmaid your job is to get pregnant and when you are pregnant everyone is jealous and envious. So the use of the word respect highlights the importance of the handmaid’s jobs in this society. Although, it is true, from our view point seeing women objectified in such a way that their only job is to get pregnant is wrong. However, in this world, getting pregnant is the goal, hence the respect given to the handmaids from the guardians.
Delete"The store has a huge wooden sign outside it, in the shape of a golden lily; Lillies of the Field, it's called. You can see the place, under the lily, where the lettering was painted out, when they decided that even the names of shops were too much temptation for us. Now places are known by their signs alone" (25).
ReplyDeleteThis quote emphasizes the idea the women are not allowed by society to have a mind of their own. This correlates to many short stories we have read, such as, "Girl", "The Renegade", and many more. In "Girl", the narrator is directly telling the girl how to behave in every situation she would be put in. She is not allowed to decide for herself how to act. In "The Renegade", characters such as Judy, Jack, the grocer,and many more characters are telling Mrs, Walpole what to do with Lady, rather then let her have a mind of her own. Additionally, later on page 25, the narrator talks about how Lillies, the name of the store they are in, used to be a movie theatre where 'women on their own'(25), such as Lauren Bacall and Katharine Hepburn would attend the Lillies festival. This tie between the old Lillies and the new Lillies store, shows how Aunt Lydia is correct when she states, "They seemed to be able to choose. We seemed able to choose, then" (25). Therefore, the passage about Lillies and Short stories we have read, such as "The Renegade" and "Girl" have a direct tie of ideology, both conveying that society won't let women think for themselves.
“It’s an event, a small defiance of rule, so small as to be undetectable, but such moments are the rewards I hold out for myself, like the candy I hoarded, as a small child, at the back of the drawer. Such moments are possibilities, tiny peepholes.”(21)
ReplyDeleteTo me, this passage shows some of the first signs of Offred's defiance to the world she is living in. This act of letting herself be captivated by the guard is a silent and personal way of giving herself freedom. Every aspect of her life is being controlled by other people because of her status, except for her mind. She is using her mind as a way to ensure that she does not give in to this horrible and degrading system. This private “reward” that she allows herself counteracts the complicity she displays. She describes this freedom of her mind as “tiny peepholes” that allow her to see a better life for herself. The way that the author compares this indulgence to a child stashing candy makes it more accessible for the reader to relate, as this is a very common form of resistance. The comparison suggests that something very mundane can be used as the start of a much larger resistance to oppression. The “possibilities” alluded to here is foreshadowing Offred’s growing tolerance to resisting the system she is a part of.
"Behind the barrier, waiting for us at the narrow gateway, there are two men, in the green uniforms of the Guardians of the faith, with the crests on their shoulders and berets: tow swords, crossed, above a white triangle. The Guardians aren't real soldiers. Their used for routine policing and other menial functions, digging up the Commander's wife's garden, for instance, and their either stupid or older or disabled or very young, apart from the ones that are Eyes incognito"(20).
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the guards are called " The Guardian of the Faith" leads me to believe that there is some sort of religion being practice or followed. Or that this may be a whole religious system under a religious leader named "Eye". "Eye" sounds like the leader of this faith or religion and everyone is under his rule while he watches from above. Another thing that leads me to believe that there is a religion or faith being practiced is the way Offred answers the new girl. When someone says a good thing, she replies with "praise be". I know that I nor my friends would say "praise be" without a direct order which leads me to believe that she follows this religion where the religious police are "The Guardians of the Faith".
Furthermore, there is a symbol that is described on the uniform of the Guardians with tow crossed swords and a white triangle underneath.I see this symbol as the swords are the protection and the triangle is life. This shows that the guardians are protecting the people of "Eye".
Now this is just my interpretation and i could be totally wrong.
“The heads are the heads of snowmen, with the coal eyes and carrot noses fallen out. The heads are melting. But on one bag there’s blood, which has seeped through the white cloth, where the mouth must have been. It makes another mouth, small red one, like the mouths painted by children. A child’s idea of a smile. This smile of blood is what fixes the attention finally” (32).
ReplyDeleteThis passage starts with comparing those who have been murdered for not obeying society’s rules with snowmen. Snowmen usually symbolize the joys of child hood and happiness. The juxtaposition of snowmen and the dead bodies seems to emphasize that this society twists its corruption and immorality and covers it with the appearance that everything is good sort of like a pleasant childhood memory. When Offred observes that the “The heads are melting” it almost as if to say that society’s cover or happy spin is wearing off. Her further observation about how the blood forms a smile that could have been drawn by a child makes something so gruesome seem perversely innocent and good-natured. It seems the “smile of blood” is a mask that everyone in the society has to wear.
I agree with this a lot and really like your connection of the snowmen to childhood. When the snowmen's "coal eyes" and "carrot noses" fell out, it's as if different parts of children's lives are falling apart. For example, the university they would attend has been shut down.
DeleteI agree with what you are saying. In most distopian novels, for example The Giver the people in society start out as not knowing that anything is wrong, and believing there distopia to be a utopia. In the Handmaids Tale this is not the case. The protagnist Offred and many of the other charecters clearly know that they are not living in a utopia. This is demonstrated through the scene where Offred and Ofglen encounter the tourists. Offred remebers what it is like to have the simple luxury of being able to pick out your own clothes and misses it. This highlights the imperfection in this "utopia" which makes it a distopia. Then when she is faced with the question of is she happy she lies, and responds yes. This scene on page 29 clearly highlights the common knowdledge that this new society is a distopian for a large amounts of its inhabitants. Unlike the Giver and other distopian novels the reason why Offred was able to view this society for what it was, was because she has seen freedom and lived before this distopian regime.
Delete"As long as I don't move. As long as I lie still. The difference between lie and lay. Lay is always passive. Even men used to say, I'd like to get laid" (37).
ReplyDeleteI found this passage very interesting. It first starts with Offred trying to lie still on the floor, as if something bad might happen. It seems as if she is in a dangerous position or area right now. It then goes to her talking about the word that sounds exactly alike, lay. She describes it by saying, "Even men used to say, I'd like to get laid." When saying this it seems the meaning of "laid" is to have sex. The world that this novel is taking place in is very different from the one live in today. In the last line of that passage, she says specifies men "used to" say laid in the meaning of having sex. In todays world a lot of the time men are assumed to always "want sex." In the time of the novel, are men not assumed to "want sex" anymore?
Like you, also found this passage interesting. I questioned whether or not women had a choice in having sex, or that the men could just chose when they wanted to "lay" someone, and forcing that person to have sex with them. Regarding your question of if a man are assumed to not want sex anymore, I feel like this story doesn't take place in a modern society, so men are associated more with having power over people, rather than just "wanting sex."
DeleteWhile I completely respect your take on this idea of how it might be that men in this universe don't want sex anymore, I personally take this passage to be something completely different. Offred's constant definition and differentiation of the words 'lie' and 'lay' seems to connote that her lying still is somewhat of an active act. Considering the role of Handmaids in the novel, my guess is that she doesn't often feel that she has power over all that much. On the back of the book, it actually states that she must 'lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant.' It says that she lies, not that she lays. This passage, in my opinion, has more to do with the role of sex in this world, and the way that she must submit, if not completely, to the Commander during sex, which is why she draws the comparison to the slang term of wanting to get laid.
DeleteWhen it says, "Lay is always passive. Even men used to say, I'd like to get laid", it contradicts the gender norms that have been portrayed throughout this novel. For instance, the males have been portrayed as strict and aggressive but here it shows that men would rather be the passive ones during sex. This shows the contradictions of gender norms throughout the novel.
Delete“I look at the one red smile. The red of the smile is the same as the red of the tulips in Serena Joy’s garden, towards the base of the flowers where they are beginning to heal. The red is the same but there is no connection. The tulips are not tulips of blood, the red smiles are not flowers, neither thing makes a comment on the other” (33).
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book so far the color red seems to come up very often. Red always seems to be associated to something that could be seen as negative in this new world. Most things Offred has to wear are red, the red blood symbolizing death and even the flowers planted are red. Red can either be seen as representing love or passion, but can also represent danger or anger. The fact that red seems to always call attention to or express danger in this new world must mean that in the old world it symbolized something very different and positive just like so many other things. The color red, something that could be very positive, is turned into something very negative and a representation of everything that comes with the restrictions of this new world. Offred states in this quote “…neither thing makes a comment on the other”, she’s referring to the red of the tulips and the red of the blood from those who were killed. I have to disagree and say that both reds represent some sort of frustration. The red from the blood is the frustration of knowing people are being killed while the red of Serena Joy’s tulips is the frustration that her garden is the only thing she is now allowed to tend to.
"I look down at the sidewalk, shake my head for no. What they must see is the white wings only, a scrap of face, my chin and part of my mouth. Not the eyes. I know better than to look the interpreter in the face. Most of the interpreters are Eyes, or so it is said. I also know better than to say yes. Modesty is invisibility, said Aunt Lydia. Never forget it. To be seen -- to be /seen/ -- is to be -- her voice trembled -- penetrated. What you must be, girls, is impenetrable." (28)
ReplyDeleteI find this passage to be extremely interesting because it changed my outlook on the Aunts that we were acquainted to within the introduction. In those first few paragraphs, I thought the Aunts to be completely ruthless in the way that they must have to punish the soon-to-be-Handmaids, judging from the cattle prods that they were allowed to have, and didn't like them all that much. Judging from this passage, though, the Aunts almost seem to be sort of guardians, even motherly figures towards them, trying their very best to give the girls some kind of knowledge on what they were facing. This passage also plants the idea that perhaps the Aunts were once Handmaids themselves, perhaps ones that are no longer able to bear children any more because of older age. The way that Aunt Lydia's voice 'trembles' when she speaks of being penetrated supports this, implying that Aunt Lydia has been sexually assaulted before, maybe even raped under her previous role as a Handmaid. This leads us back to the idea that the Aunts might be sort of mothers to the new Handmaids, doing whatever they can to give the girls a fighting chance at surviving their terms as Handmaids and really only punishing them whenever it is truly necessary. They have to punish the girls; it's not as if they really want to.
“Now we walk along the same street, in red pairs, and no man shouts obscenities at us, speaks to us, touches us. No one whistles. There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from. In the day of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don’t underrate it.” (24).
ReplyDeleteThis passage stood out to me because it gives possible motive/perspective into why this revolution began and this dystopia was created. Obviously, if you were to read up to this point in the book with little insight, it would seem like it is an utter dystopia and every aspect of this society is wrong. But, as pointed out in this passage by Aunt Lydia, there have been some benefits to the “new” kind of freedom implemented in this dystopia. An article on theartofmanliness.com by Brett & Kate McKay states, “The more negative freedom you have, the less obstacles that exist between you and doing whatever it is you desire”. Negative freedom and “freedom from” are the exact same concepts and may foreshadow what lies ahead for our narrator. Though she may not be fortunate enough to have positive freedom, or “freedom to”, in which she would be able to completely control her actions like she did in all of her flashbacks - “freedom from” may very well assist her on her journey across the novel and be the reason she is able to attain her ultimate goal, whatever it may be.
This passage also stood out to me but not for the same reason. When reading this, it reminded me of modern day and how women walking down the street are always catcalled. Women are always being whistled at and touched inappropriately while minding their business. In this dystopia, this rude feature seems to disappear. Would this be a good thing or a bad thing? Is this proof that women are better respected in this world or just not cared about?
DeleteI think this is an great point, but my question is what real benefits are there to "freedom from"? Yes it frees you from some of life's small annoyances, but in being protected from those things what do you really gain? The argument can be made that "freedom from" can provide a more simple, and more happy life. There is less to worry about in your daily life. However beyond that she is still oppressed so if she has larger goals does she have enough freedom from to attain them?
Delete“These men, we’ve been told, are like war criminals. It's no excuse that what they did was legal at the time: their crimes are retroactive. They have committed atrocities and must be made into examples for the rest” (33).
ReplyDeleteThis quote seems odd given what we have read so far in the novel. So far, it seems like women have far less power than males. A pretty evident example of this is that names of assigned handmaids are “of” and then the males name. However, this sentence seems to remove that power from men. That is why this paragraph is confusing to me. Who is telling these stories about how bad men were yet allowing them to have so much power within the society? Is the result to these crimes the reason males have this power?
I agree with you that this quote seems to go against the idea that in this world men have all the power and women have none. But I think thats the key to understanding this. Men having all the power means that men must also represent that power in the right way. If a man abuses his power in the wrong way, then people begin to think that they do not deserve to have power at all. These men need to be punished because they are breaking the façade of the absolute patriarchy being the right way to run a society.
Delete"You don't tell a story only to yourself. There's always someone else. Even When there is no one. A story is like a letter. Dear You, I'll say. Just you, without a name. Attaching a name attaches you to the world of fact, which is riskier, more hazardous: who knows what chances are out there, of survival, yours? I will say you, you, like an old love song. You can mean more than one. You can mean thousands" (40).
ReplyDeleteAs the story progresses it becomes more clear that Margaret Atwood's society has placed women into the roles of the housekeepers and baby makers. As seen in the short story "A Jury of Her Peers", there is a common theme of the unity of women symbolizing their fight against their oppression. By Offred stating that a story is universal, that there is "always someone else", she is stating that her story of being a handmaid, of being degraded and wanting to fight back is not only her story but the story of other women and handmaid's as well. A letter is mostly used to communicate to other people whom are far away, so when Offred states that a story is like a letter it represents how her oppression is universal and the reason why she uses "you" so as not to be attached to a specific name is because the "you" is the women that she identifies with and in her own way it's a way for her to rebel against the system by unifying herself to these other women, these other stories, in which their story gives them power.
“I remember the rules, rules that were never spelled out but that every woman knew: Don’t open your door to a stranger, even if he says he is the police. Make him slide his ID under the door. Don’t stop on the road to help a motorist pretending to be in trouble. Keep the locks on and keep going. If anyone whistles, don’t turn to look. Don’t go into a laundromat, by yourself, at night” (24).
ReplyDeleteThe language in this passage is very telling of the rest of this book and what it will be about. The language illustrates a story about women being downgraded and needing to follow certain rules, whether they are “set in stone” or not. The excerpt starts with “I remember the rules, rules that were never spelled out but that every woman knew” (24). The deliberate use of saying the rules are for women and continuing to say that every women knows them regardless of not actually being written says a lot about the society this is being written about… OUR SOCIETY. The author, Margaret Atwood, adds a subtle emphasize on the gender words in this passage: woman, he and him. The use of emphasizing these gender words is to add to the effect of what women are expected to know and do vs. men. Atwood does a good job of highlighting the untold rules that woman in our society follow such as not turning around to see who just whistled at them, which would typically be a man. I expect to see more passages like this later on in the book, highlighting sexism and a patriarchal society.
I also found this passage interesting because it made me think about how, in both the novel’s society, and our own, women are bound to certain habits and expectations, even in things regarding their own safety. This reminded me of a passage earlier in the reading where Offred is describing her life in public as a handmaid, “we aren’t allowed to go there, except in twos.” These passages portray the confines of gender roles and the lack of trust towards both genders.
DeleteI completely agree with your analysis, and adding on the way society has changed to empower women has mostly changed all of the 'rules' listed here. For example "If anyone whistles, don't turn to look"(24),if that were to happen on a day in 2016 majority of empowered females would turn around to defend themselves because that is what we are taught to do.
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ReplyDelete"One of them is vastly pregnant; her belly, under her loose garment, swells triumphantly. There is a shifting in the room, a murmur, an escape of breath; despite ourselves we turn our heads, blatantly, to see better; to touch her."(26)
ReplyDeleteThis passage gave me a deeper understanding of the Handmaids Tale because it revealed a lot about the world in which the protagnist lives in. When the Offred, and Ofglen are on line waiting to buy food for there masters they encounter a certain spectacle that seems to make many of there fellow handmaids stare, this specatcle is a pregnant handmaid. The handmaid who is preganant is looked at in a puzzling way in which some may interpert as curiosity while other's may see it as jealousy. I see there stares as jealousy. As we learn later on, on this, pregnant handmaids are given special treatment. A pregnant women does not have, to go shooping. Also now that a pregnant handmaid is, "closer to death" and is the carrier of life she gets a guardian. A handmaid needs a guardian when pregnant because, "Jealousy can get her." The stares from other handmaids signify jealousy, which could lead to violence, which would explain the special protection that a pregnant handmaid recives. It is revealed throughout the passage that we were assigned, but especially in this quote that pregnancy is the goal of the handmaids. Whether this goal was established by each handmaid individually or the society that they work in remains to be unseen. But by the 40th page it has been revealed that pregnancy and children are of major importance in this society.
"But more likely they don't think in terms of clothing discarded on the lawn. If they think of a kiss, they must then think immediately of the floodlights going on, the rifle shots. They think instead of doing their duty and of promotion to the Angels, and of being allowed possibly to marry, and then, if they are able to gain enough power and live to be old enough, of being allotted a Handmaid of their own" (22).
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this quote, I began to wonder about why the people and specifically since written in the pov of Offred correlated any sign of love with an action of brutality or anger? Were they given the belief that all human contact should be ruthless and heartless? Being with the idea of a Handmaid and their duties when these men have wives which emotional hurts them because it is 'infidelity' yet they are built to build these walls of strength and submissiveness. It is also the same for men where they also build of wall that strengthens them to believe they do not need the love of a woman... why is their society build that way? Why did Margaret Atwood purposely use the irony of the names of the class in which their jobs are a clear opposite of what they represent?
I was also going to use this quote. I agree with the fact that the society gives men the portrayal that they should be "strong" and "independent" without the need of a woman. It somewhat highlights how society is portrayed today where women are looked at as soft, and that'll "ruin" the tough image of a man.
Delete“The lawns are tidy, the façades are gracious, in good repair; they’re like the beautiful pictures they used to print in the magazines about homes and gardens and interior design” (23).
ReplyDeleteI found this passage very interesting because it really gives the reader a glimpse into how Atwood is trying to portray the society Offred is trapped in. This description alludes to the lack of humanity found in the new society. While everything seems perfect is is truly not. The street that Offred is walking down illustrates the difference between how people lived before and after everything happened. Offred later refers to the houses as a “model town” (23), which I believe perfectly captures the aspect of this. The architects of this society created a false sense of security in which everyone feels protected so that there would be less of a revolt against their authority. If they could get everyone to think it worked, why would there be any reason to question the ethicality of it?
"The car is a very expensive one, a Whirlwind;better than the Chariot, much better than the chunky, practical Behemoth. It's black, of course, the color of prestige or a hearse, and long and sleek. The driver is going over it with a chamois, lovingly. This at least hasn't changed, the way men caress good cars" (17).
ReplyDeleteWhy did the author include this in a time where men are typically not allowed to be with women? What does it say about the narrator's view of men?
One thing this illustrates about men in this world as well as the narrator's idea of them is that while they are oppressed, they aren't quite as much as women. They haven;t been forced to change as much. They still hold on to some of the things they love and she feels that she has nothing left to hold on to. The driver loves his car and that is something that may keep him grounded but she has nothing.
"He lives here, in the household, over the garage. Low status: he hasn't been issued a woman, not even one. He doesn't rate some defect, lack of connections. But he acts as if he doesn't know this or care. He's too casual, he's not servile enough. It may be stupidity, but I don't think so. Smells fishy, they used to say; or, I smell a rat. Misfit as odor. Despite myself, I think of how he might smell. Not fish or decaying rat; tanned skin, moist in the sun, filmed with smoke. I sigh, inhaling" (18).
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this passage, I was instantaneously drawn to the way she describes this character Nick. She compares him to the other males that she has come across in this dystopia and she draws distinctions which elude to some vivid literary devices. When she said, "He hasn't been issued a woman", she indirectly says that it is not very often that a male doesn't have a female counterpart to "please" him. Thus showing women in this novel as a form of pleasure. She also goes on to say "Smells fishy", as if it is to her, very skeptical that a male doesn't want to be pleased by a female who doesn't necessarily want to please him. She doesn't trust a man that doesn't confine to the norms of a man in that general dystopia, which symbolizes the very confusing ways that both genders are viewed. In some situations, they are viewed as you normally would expect in a patriarchal society, the men dominating the women, but there is also a few exceptions here where both genders defy the gender norms. For the males it is this character Nick, and for the females Serena Joy, the commander's wife.
"Low status: He hasn't been issued a woman, not even one" (18).
ReplyDeleteAs I read this passage, I skipped over this quote not thinking anything of it. But as I thought it over, it proved itself as very demeaning. I interpreted it as Nick not being "given" a woman (or women). Looking at this quote through a feminist's lenses, the narrator had reinforced a patriarchal ideology. In this dystopia, a woman is seen as an object or property that can be taken and given away, basically portraying a woman as useless. This relates to "A Jury of Her Peer" when the men believed the women couldn't solve the case. They undermined the women and their capabilities. Is this view apart of the dystopia or just because of the time period?
“This woman had been my partner for two weeks. I don’t know what happened to the one before. On a certain day she simply wasn’t there anymore, and this one was there in her place. It isn’t the sort of thing you ask questions about, because the answers are not usually the answers you want to know. Anyway there wouldn’t be an answer.”
ReplyDeleteThis situation, where the one before, Ofglen, is replaced by another, shows how the identity of these women has been taken from them and are replaced by who they serve in society. Their personalities literally don’t matter anymore, because all that matters now is who they are in service to. This directly supports the theme of identity in the novel, and how the women in it have lost their identity and are only represented by the man they serve. Even their old names have been forgotten and have been replaced by “Of-name of man they serve”. The author has taken the idea of a husband “owning” his wife in our world to a whole other level.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen skirts that short on women. The skirts reach just below the knee and the legs come out from beneath them, nearly naked in their thin stockings, blatant, the high-heeled shoes with their straps attached to the feet like delicate instruments of torture. The women teeter on their spiked feet as if on stilts, but off balance; their backs arch at the waist, thrusting the buttocks out”(28)
ReplyDeleteThe manner in which she describes the way the women are dressed made me think of how women dress today.I think if someone were to walk around the city streets dressed in the opposite description it would be considered odd. I also think most of the reason why this bothers her so much because in a sense her freedom was taken away when she was ordered to dress a certain way. I also feel that in a school like Beacon High School everyone is free to show how they are feeling, by the way they are dresses, which is something she is not able to do.
This quote also reminds me of something Offred remembers Aunt Lydia saying: "This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary." Offred is stunned by the tourists simply because she has adjusted to the current system in place. Rather than comparing the Japanese to the standards in Japan, she compares them to stands of Gilead(?) and of course they will not match up. It is interesting because while Offred finds the Japanese to be foreign, the Japanese find her to be foreign as well. Essentially, its all about perspective, and what one is used to that will determine the way they react to others.
Delete“We turn and walk together past the large houses, towards the central part of town. We aren’t allowed to go there except in twos. This is supposed to be for our protection, though the notion is absurd: we are well protected already. The truth is that she is my spy, as I am hers” (19).
ReplyDeleteThis quote emphasizes the absence of sisterhood amongst the women in The Handmaid’s Tale. It shows how society has invalidated empathy and that the bond between women has become not nearly as important as society’s obligation to follow the rules. By referencing ‘spies,’ Atwood also shows how women are being pitted against each other by higher powers, as spies usually work for the government. The quote also reminds me of the “A Jury of Her Peers,” and the sisterhood that did exist amongst the wives. In the end of the short story, Minnie Foster ends up being ‘saved’ by the other housewives who empathize with her and understand why she killed her husband. However, in The Handmaid’s Tale, women do not empathize with each other. Although everyone is well protected, the women still feel ‘unsafe’. Both stories show that sisterhood provides a sense of security for women in a patriarchal world and that without it, women are vulnerable.
“This woman had been my partner for two weeks. I don’t know what happened to the one before. On a certain day she simply wasn’t there anymore, and this one was there in her place. It isn’t the sort of thing you ask questions about, because the answers are not usually the answers you want to know. Anyway there wouldn’t be an answer.”
ReplyDeleteThis situation, where the one before, Ofglen, is replaced by another, shows how the identity of these women has been taken from them and are replaced by who they serve in society. Their personalities literally don’t matter anymore, because all that matters now is who they are in service to. This directly supports the theme of identity in the novel, and how the women in it have lost their identity and are only represented by the man they serve. Even their old names have been forgotten and have been replaced by “Of-name of man they serve”. The author has taken the idea of a husband “owning” his wife in our world to a whole other level.
"It had rained during the night; the grass to either side is damp, the air humid. Here and there are worms, evidence of the fertility of the soil, caught by the sun, half dead; flexible and pink, like lips" (17)
ReplyDeleteImmediately, I was draw to this passage. Offred mentions how the soil is still fertile and how she sees worms as evidence of this fertility. I found it interesting how she described the worm as a pair of "lips" reminding me of flowers. Flowers are generally used to describe women or the purity that women hold within themselves. Offred mentioned that it had rained during the night and, of course, water is used to make flowers grow and bloom however, she describes the worms as half dead, which brings me to the conclusion that Offred believes that purity that she holds within herself is gone or "half dead".
"Though I never ran at night; and in the daytime, only beside well-frequented-roads. Women were not protected then" (24)
ReplyDeleteThis situation highlights how the women are out for themselves in this restricted society. The passage then follows with a set of rules of how the women should protect their identities, such as not answering the door, and not helping others. I find this as a reference to real life society, but rather than protecting their identity, their identity is hidden. In a reality sense of society, women have their voice suppressed under a masculine bubble, where their voices can't be heard, similar to the rules of "protecting" their identity from others.
“I lie, then, inside the room, under the plaster eye in the ceiling, behind the white curtain, between the sheets, neatly as they, and step sideways out of my own time. Out of time. Though this is time, nor am I out of it. But the night is my time out. Where should I go? Somewhere good. Moira, sitting on the edge of my bed… ” (37)
ReplyDeleteThis passage stood out to me because it is a strong acknowledgement of her restrictions within this society. She describes the plaster ceiling, the white curtains, the neat sheets- it sounds like she has memorized this room almost as if she is imprisoned. Then she brings up the concept of time. This is interesting because she realizes that time continues to move even if she ‘leaves’ the society, however she momentarily breaks free from her limits in the society. The way she describes it is like an escape to a whole different world. It is also significant that after she says wants to ‘escape’ to somewhere good, she mentions Moira. Moira represents hope in this novel, and is Offred's escape. This is indicative of how controlled she is, that the only time she can be free from these limits and expectations is when she ‘stepping out of time’ away from this society.