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Literary analysis handmaids tale
Atwood the handmaid's tale analysis
Literary analysis of the handmaid's tale
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The Handmaids Tale
In Margaret Atwoods novel, "The Handmaids Tale", the birth rate in the
United States had dropped so low that extremists decided to take matters into
their own hands by killing off the government, taking over themselves, and
reducing the womens role in society to that of a silent birthing machine. One
handmaid describes what happened and how it came about as she, too, is forced to
comply with the new order.
Before the new order, known as the Sons of Jacob, took over, women had a
lot to be afraid of. They had freedom to do whatever they wanted, but this
freedom was severely inhibited by maniacs who could strike at any time. Women
followed rules to keep them out of danger, but they were not enforced.
"I remember the rules, rules that were never spelled out but that every woman
knew; dont open your door to a stranger, even if he is the police. Make him
slide his ID under the door. Dont stop on the road to help a motorist
pretending to be in trouble. Keep the locks on and keep going. If anyone
whistles, dont turn to look. Dont go into a laundromat, by yourself, at night .
.. Women were not protected then."(p. 24)
Nobody believed it could happen to them. When the Sons of Jacob took over and
began to take away their freedom, they accepted it. They were afraid and the
Sons gave them some security. Because they accepted the first few laws, it was
hard to refuse to not go along with the ones that followed.
When the women were finally stripped of their identities, they felt as
though they had deserved it because they had done nothing to try and save any of
their other rights.
"We looked at one anothers faces and saw dismay, and a certain shame, as if wed
been caught doing something we shouldnt. Its outrageous one woman said, but
without belief. What was it about this that made us feel we deserved it?"(p.
166)
The Sons used this insecurity to round up the women and place them in
institutions where they would be "safe". Once they had them within their
The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood is a novel about a totalitarian state called Republic of Gilead that has replaced the United States in which the women of society have been taken away from their families and forced to be
William Shakespeare uses many techniques to liven the intensity, and the excitement in his plays. In the play of MacBeth, Shakespeare uses blood imagery to add a sense of fear, guilt, shame, insanity, and anger to the atmosphere. The use of blood imagery allows the audience to vision in their minds the crime scene where Duncan was murdered, as well as the scene where Lady MacBeth tries to cope with the consequences of her actions. The talk and sight of blood has a great impact on the strength and depth of the use of blood imagery.
Shakespeare used the image of blood to portray the central idea of Macbeth, King Duncan’s murder. The crime is foreshadowed in the second scene of the first act. The king shouts, “ What bloody man is that?” (I,ii,1) He is referring to a soldier coming in from battle. The soldier then explains to King Duncan of Macbeth’s heroics in battle. One assumes that Macbeth is bloody just like the soldier. The soldier describes Macbeth in action “Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, / Which smoked with bloody execution.” (I,ii,17-18) This line connects Macbeth with killing, and hints at the future.
In the 1960's another group was being formed to rival the Black P-Stone Nation. The Black Gangster Disciple Nation was started by a man named David Barksdale. The Black Gangster Disciple Nation {BGDN} fought bloody wars ont he Chicago south side over turf and drug sales. King David Barksdale was assassinated in 1974. As a symbol of honor and remembrance the six-pointed Jewish star {Star of David} was adopted by the BGDN as well as crossed pitchforks pointing up. Following Barksdale's death, the leadership of the Black Gangster Disciple Nation was taken over by two men; King Larry Hoover and King Jerome 'Shorty' Freeman. They divided the Gangster Nation into the Black Gangster Disciples, led by King Larry Hoover, and the Black Gangsters, led by 'Shorty' Freeman. Both of these men were soon incarcerated but continued to run their groups from inside the penal system.
imperfection." If she hadn't been so close to detestment, he would not have minded the
Blood is also used to display the guilt in Lady Macbeth near the end of the play. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth is the one who tries to keep Macbeth sane and to keep from breaking.
Regardless of Barksdale's own arrest record, by the early 70's it was clear that his gang was involved in narcotics trafficking. And when he died, the narcotics territory and leadership of the Black Disciples was up for grabs.
African American gangs in Los Angeles originated mostly from the migration of African Americans from the South after World War II. In the 1920’s most of the gangs in Los Angeles were family oriented and it was not until the late 1940’s that the first gangs began. The gangs surfaced out the area known as the East Side, which is the area east of Main Street to Alameda. A lot of the gangs surfaced because of the racism perpetrated by the whites. There was clear segregation and racism against blacks, they were not allowed in certain areas of Los Angeles and could not buy property there. White gangs got together to stop African Americans from trying to integrate themselves into the Los Angeles society. In turn, African Americans formed their own gangs to retaliate against the white violence against blacks. Eventually, the white gangs’ attempt to segregate blacks began to fail, and they began to move out of the inner city into the fast growing suburbs. African Americans moved into the city and accounted for 71% of the population. What began as a conflict between whites and blacks now became an intraracial problem between African Americans themselves. Fights between the West Side of Los Angeles and the East Side were mostly socioeconomic based. The gangs from the Westside fought to prove their toughness and credibility, while Eastside gangs fought because they were viewed as economically inferior to the Westside. Black community leaders began to see a problem with the African American youth and began to educate and promote social welfare amongst the community. Alprentice “Bunchy” Carter, a member of the Slausons, recruited youth to fight against police brutality instead of each other. The conflicts between African American inner city gangs began to eradicate and they were evolving into a socially aware groups working together against racism and police brutality.
Shakespeare uses the symbol of blood in MacBeth to represent treason, guilt, murder and death. These ideas are constant throughout the book. There are many examples of blood representing these three ideas in the book.
A new society is created by a group of people who strengthen and maintain their power by any means necessary including torture and death. Margaret Atwood's book, A Handmaid's Tale, can be compared to the morning after a bad fight within an abusive relationship. Being surrounded by rules that must be obeyed because of being afraid of the torture that will be received. There are no other choices because there is control over what is done, who you see and talk to, and has taken you far away from your family. You have no money or way out. The new republic of Gilead takes it laws to an even higher level because these laws are said to be of God and by disobeying them you are disobeying him. People are already likely to do anything for their God especially when they live in fear of punishment or death. The republic of Gilead is created and maintains its power structure through the use of religion, laws that isolate people from communication to one another and their families, and the fear of punishment for disobeying the law.
The ability to create life is an amazing thing but being forced to have children for strangers is not so amazing. Offred is a handmaid, handmaid's have children for government officials, such as Commander Waterford. Offred used to be married to Luke and together they had a daughter but then everything changed; Offred was separated from her family and assigned to a family as their handmaid. The society which Offred is forced to live in shaped her in many ways. In The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood uses cultural and geographical surroundings to shape Offred's psychological and moral traits as she tries to survive the society that she is forced to live, in hopes that she can rebel and make change.
In Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaids Tale’, we hear a transcribed account of one womans posting ‘Offred’ in the Republic of Gilead. A society based around Biblical philosophies as a way to validate inhumane state practises. In a society of declining birth rates, fertile women are chosen to become Handmaids, walking incubators, whose role in life is to reproduce for barren wives of commanders. Older women, gay men, and barren Handmaids are sent to the colonies to clean toxic waste.
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel in which Atwood creates a world which seems absurd and near impossible. Women being kept in slavery only to create babies, cult like religious control over the population, and the deportation of an entire race, these things all seem like fiction. However Atwood's novel is closer to fact than fiction; all the events which take place in the story have a base in the real world as well as a historical precedent. Atwood establishes the world of Gilead on historical events as well as the social and political trends which were taking place during her life time in the 1980's. Atwood shows her audience through political and historical reference that Gilead was and is closer than most people realize.
Symbols are present in every person’s daily life. Symbols are seen everywhere, whether it is through art, religion, culture, or road signs, they are all around. Blood is a symbol that is seen in art, religion, literature and many other visual forms. Its direct connection to the human body is a significant aspect of its symbolism. People in the medieval period, which was right before Shakespeare’s time, thought that the blood was a person’s life force, and to some extent they were right. Literature uses blood to represent a variety of things such as a character’s desires, emotions and conscience. In the play “Macbeth,” by William Shakespeare, blood symbolizes many things, however, the most significant
One day , the day that Esau and Jacob weren’t born , God talked to my wife . He told her that he will ask me to bless the order son . And the younger son will be served by his brother . Then she thought about how to help Jacob to lie to me . So they succeed . I didn’t realize that the men who I have blessed is Jacob because I was blind .