Ryan White and Margaret Atwood

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Ryan Wayne White was born on December 6, 1971 in Kokomo, Indiana. At three days old, he was diagnosed with Hemophilia A, a life-threatening blood disorder. To treat this disorder, he received blood transfusions of Factor VIII weekly. In 1984, during a procedure to remove a portion of his left lung due to pneumonia, White was diagnosed with AIDS. From that point on, his life became a battle in all aspects—for his health, for his education, for his friends. Although White passed away in 1990, he is remembered as a fighter and a poster-child for AIDS education. In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Republic of Gilead is attempting to recover from a nuclear fallout that has destroyed the population. In doing so, they have created a series of policies designed to keep childbirth at a maximum. As a person that endured so much oppression, while Ryan White may not have agreed with the way that The Republic of Gilead delivered the regulations regarding abortion, he would have supported them because they embody the belief that everyone and everything deserve a fighting chance.

The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian-style novel designed to provide a quick glimpse as to what the United States would be like if it were penetrated and overtaken by totalitarian extremists. The main character, Offred, begins her story in a school gymnasium somewhere on the Harvard/MIT campus; and from there we learn more about Offred and her struggle to adapt to the loss of her own free will. The Republic of Gilead—this dystopian novel’s totalitarian regime—keeps women under control by prohibiting any form of literature, limiting contact with males aside from their assigned commander, and enforcing their biblical views regarding childbirth and its sanctity....

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...sm." Nlm.nih.gov. U.S. Dept. of HHS. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. .

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. New York, NY: Anchor, 1998. Print.

Crowley, Jeffrey. "Honoring the Legacy of Ryan White." Whitehouse.gov. Office of National AIDS Policy, 30 Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. .

Health Resources & Services Administration. "Who Was Ryan White?" HRSA HIV/AIDS Programs. U.S. Dept. of HHS. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. .

"HIV/AIDS Basics." AIDS.gov. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. . Regularly maintained by the U.S. Dept. of HHS

John, Elton. "Elton John's Letter to Ryan White, 20 Years after His Death from AIDS." Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis. The Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. .

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