#1
I think the use of red clothing for their class is interesting but I'm not sure why the author chose red rather than some other color. Maybe red is degrading in some ways because its linked to harlots and such. That goes along with their basic satus in life. The most demeaning thing I noticed was the fact that they get "walked" in the field like dogs. Also, there was a reference to little red riding hood in the beginning of the book when she was dressing to go shopping. I'm not really understanding the connection between little red riding hood and the narrarator's situation. I feel its an important comparison though. Also another question I have is what period of time does this take place in? We were talking about that in our discussion during class. Personally, I think its some time in the future because where they sleep seems like an abandoned school or something. I'm not sure though because it could just be a whole different place.
#2
Religion is a big part of this book. Every other line seems to have a biblical reference even for things that don't seem very religious in their society. I think the author is definitely trying to make a point about religion here or else why would she include so much biblical stuff in there? I think it probably has to do with how religion in the real world is often constricting and suppress people's freedom. The way Offred has virtually no power (even the servent-ish people have more power than her) because of this society parallels how some people use religion to oppress women, convincing women that their place in life is to cook and clean and have no power or opinion at all.
#3
The wiki project we worked on really helped me understand why the author of this book uses the language she does. I find the word musings particularly interesting. Honestly, when I first read all those thoughts about words, I didn't really take the time to think about why she keeps thinking about them other than because she is freakishly bored but now I think its to give the reader more insight. Through the words she thinks about, we as the readers can figure out what she's feeling at the moment. Sometimes when she feels like all hope is gone, she thinks about kind of sad words like shatter and thud. I wonder if people will add to the wiki we made in class, it would be interesting to see what other people interpret different language musings to mean.
#4
In the reading we had to do today, I was suprised to read about how Offred desperately wants a match to light that cigar. She describes in a way that makes it seem like she is in withdrawal and craves it so much. I mean sure, many people may enjoy a smoke especially if you are confined like Offred but it seems like a huge addiction for her. This makes me wonder about her past more because we still don't know everything about hwer history yet. Was she a smoker? What other things should we know about her? I think as we read on, we will probably learn even more. Relating to this issue, I wonder why they don't have lighters? Is that against thier religion or something. Also, why is the cook so relunctant to give her the match, does she really think Offred is going to burn down the house?
#5
We have been talking about proproganda in our class recently and I find it interesting how it relates to the book. It seems like the whole society of Gilead is built upon fear and bad logic. Everywhere the people go, they are confronted by possible punishments for any wrongdoing. The wall is one example of that. Also, they use the bible to try to manipulate things so it seems like what the society is doing is correct all the time. Obviously from an outside point of view, we as readers can see that handmaids are oppressed in this society. However, Gilead tries to make it seem like the handmaids are lucky and even call their restrictive hats "wings" which is kind of like a glittering generalities because it links to the idea of freedom and possibly also links to angels and goodness. So yes, in general, I wasn't aware of most of the propoganda in the book until we actually discussed it so I thought that was pretty interesting.
#6
I was thinking about what topics for the wiki project our group should do and I found it interesting that so many historical events are linked to the practices in the book. I'm not sure about uniforms thugh because though people brought up examples of uniforms in class, I didn't really see the same purposes behind them. In the handmaid's tale, it seems like the uniforms are not used for uniformity so much as a kind of status. For example, handmaids are required to wear those red things and wings while guardians and such wear their own particular clothing. This is to keep them in place and know their rank in the society. Well now that I think about it, its kind of the same as the military uniforms right? I'm not sure if different ranks in the military wear different clothing but I know they have those stars and patch things that show off their status. I wonder why the author decided she would make sure everything in the cook came from something that has happened before?
#7
I wanted to think more about the things I wrote about in my essay at school. I was writing about how the author seemed to call for unity in our society. She showed how a group of people can have huge amounts of power but each individual seems weak. Even Moira and Offred's mom end up being defeated and they were the strongest characters in the book in my opinion. I didn't get to connect this idea to real life but now that I have some time, I just wanted to mention that throughout history, groups have made a difference. Individuals may have made an impact but they would have been nothing without their supporters. For example, Hitler created a lot of chaos and killed so many people but he could never have done that without the strong support of so many people. Martin Luther King may have been a great speaker who had great determination but without his followers, he wouldn't have been able to bring about more racial equality.
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This story takes place after a nuclear war or something like that and due to all the radiation some of the population are sterile or infertile. I believe that the Handmaid Offred’s sleeping quarters were in a gym.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thought of the use of red for the handmaids. Red in general is normally associated with something that is or could be considered dark. Red for Blood. Red for passion. Red for lust. Red is also a Goth color. You stated that red is linked to harlots and such; I sort of see what you mean. In the Scarlet letter, the adulteress had to wear a big red A (hence the title). Scarlet is a shade of red. Red is normally associated with something that is not good, so when you see red you get a bad feeling about the thing in particular in some cases. Red marks on your paper are never great, unless they are praises, but that’s rare. You see signs that are marked with a red circle and slash telling you to not do something. Overall, red is not totally bad, however the way the color is sometimes used gives people certain impressions.
I agree religion is a very important part of this book. The author incorporates religious ideals and references in the whole society of Gilead. The stores and the center have some religious reference in regards to their name and even some of the practices have biblical references (handmaid practice). Religion in the real world is actually not constricting. It does not suppress people’s freedom. This is a misconception by outsiders of the faith. Religion helps guide and comfort some. Many need religion for their spiritual needs. To some people it’s how things are. Some aspects of a religion might be constricting however this is what has been practiced for a long time so it is something that has been accepted for quite a while. Totally agree with your last statement. In religion, women are demeaned. In Buddhism, monks have more power and “prestige” than the nuns. In Catholicism, a woman cannot become Pope. Islamic religion makes women cover their heads.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your thoughts on her cigarette cravings and what not, I believe she has lived a liberal life. If you have read about how her mother was and how liberal of a mother, Offred’s mother was you can kind of understand it a little. Her mother came off as a feminist to me and I think the idea of women smoking was not considered a taboo in the household Offred grew up in. Lighters are not necessary for a Handmaid. They are not given any unnecessary or extraneous things. Handmaids don’t light candles or cook, so what would they do with lighters? Handmaids aren’t even allowed lotion, much less a small tool for possible destruction. She could burn the house down or cause some trouble with it, and that might also be a reason as to why matches are given only to the cooks. I don’t think it’s in the religion to not allow matches to Handmaids, it’s just for precautionary procedures.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. The society is one ruled by fear. I can almost see this as a robotic community. There are set times for doing this and that. There are assigned roles for certain people of certain gender. There is no spontaneity. No randomness. Everything is planned, organized and patrolled. I wonder how such a society ever even got accepted in the first place. There is no laughter or happiness it seems. The community is like a lifeless living society. Everyone seems to wear invisible chains. Handmaids are given nothing to do; yet they can’t do as they wish. Handmaids are far from lucky. The only fortunate ones in the society seem to be the Commanders and maybe to an extent the Wives. I agree the “wings” are a glittering generality. I thought it was interesting too, since I also didn’t notice the propaganda that was laced in the book till mentioned in class.
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