In class we discussed the second paragraph on page 196 of "The Handmaid's Tales". This paragraph truly embodies the power of knowledge, how the handmaids feel about men, and what "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" means.
When Offred is finally able to write something down, everything she has been thinking in her head seems to come to life. This proves the overall power that the pen holds and how just knowing you have the knowledge to write something down can empower a person completely. Being able to physically write out "do not let the bastards grind you down" may be the push Offred needed to truly believe and live by those words.
This paragraph also shows what the handmaids feel about the men who control their lives. In class we came to the conclusion that "Pen Is Envy" clearly stands for "penis envy". This means that whoever holds the pen holds the power, and in this situation, it is only the men who are allowed to use this power. This leaves women with only envy for the knowledge and power that men have. Envy is also one of the seven deadly sins in the bible, so I am curious to see if a religious connection comes into play with the phrase "pen is envy".
"Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" means "do not let the bastards grind you down". While this holds a powerful meaning in the words itself, I think the most important thing about this phrase is that it connects Offred to the women who lived in her room before her. It is a reminder to Offred that whoever this women was got out of her bad situation. It is also a reminder to Offred that the stories that are so fuzzy in her head are true. This phrase is a continuous reminder that men are not supposed to be treating her the way they do and that society was not always the way it is portrayed in this novel.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Identity
"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood had me thinking about identity and the importance of having one. The women in this novel are completely stripped of their identities in this new world that has been thrust upon them. They have taken away their real names, clothing, education, and even their children. It is as if whatever they knew before they lived in this lifestyle is completely removed from memory and replaced with subjective information that is completely brain washing these women.
The treatment of these women feels similar to how Jews and other minorities were sees as less than human and had their identities taken from them in the holocaust. The treatment of these women in "The Handmaid's Tale" proves to me that women are only seen as objects and are only sees as useful if they are fertile. If women weren't needed for reproduction, it appears as if their fate would would parallel to that of Jews in the holocaust. Just as the women are giving labels of property, Jews were given numbers as their identity and were forbidden to use their real names. Just like the women in this novel, Jews would secretly call themselves by their real names as a reminder who who they truly are. "We learned to whisper almost without a sound. In the semi-darkness we could stretch out our arms, when the Aunts weren't looking, and touch each other's hands across space sideways, watching each other's mouths. In this way we exchange names, from bed to bed" (14). What is so terrifying about the women described in this story is that they are beginning to believe the things that they are being brainwashed about. For example, when one women is raped, the other women truly believe that she brought it upon herself. Perhaps if the holocaust had gone on longer than it did, Jews would begin to believe that they were unworthy and that they had no identity.
Just as the narrator of "The Handmaid's Tale" continues to tell us, a story must be told even if no one is listening. Telling her stories is what is keeping the narrator sane through out this novel. Telling stories of their past lives and using their real names is what helped to keep oppressed Jews sane during the holocaust. When someone loses site of their overall identity, that is when hope is lost, and when the oppressors have achieved their goal.
The treatment of these women feels similar to how Jews and other minorities were sees as less than human and had their identities taken from them in the holocaust. The treatment of these women in "The Handmaid's Tale" proves to me that women are only seen as objects and are only sees as useful if they are fertile. If women weren't needed for reproduction, it appears as if their fate would would parallel to that of Jews in the holocaust. Just as the women are giving labels of property, Jews were given numbers as their identity and were forbidden to use their real names. Just like the women in this novel, Jews would secretly call themselves by their real names as a reminder who who they truly are. "We learned to whisper almost without a sound. In the semi-darkness we could stretch out our arms, when the Aunts weren't looking, and touch each other's hands across space sideways, watching each other's mouths. In this way we exchange names, from bed to bed" (14). What is so terrifying about the women described in this story is that they are beginning to believe the things that they are being brainwashed about. For example, when one women is raped, the other women truly believe that she brought it upon herself. Perhaps if the holocaust had gone on longer than it did, Jews would begin to believe that they were unworthy and that they had no identity.
Just as the narrator of "The Handmaid's Tale" continues to tell us, a story must be told even if no one is listening. Telling her stories is what is keeping the narrator sane through out this novel. Telling stories of their past lives and using their real names is what helped to keep oppressed Jews sane during the holocaust. When someone loses site of their overall identity, that is when hope is lost, and when the oppressors have achieved their goal.
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Justified?
"A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell and "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston made me think a lot about if people can be justified for their actions, especially extreme ones. "A Jury of Her Peers" also made me question whether keeping quiet when you know about something wrong is just as bad as actually committing a crime. As we also discussed in class, I, along with several other students, believe that Delia in "Sweat" was much more justified in killing her husband than Mrs. Wright was in A Jury of Her Peers. While both women were clearly tortured in their everyday life, Delia appeared to be completely consumed by her husband's abuse and never had an escape from his consistent torture. Mrs. Wright had friends, and seemed to be subjected to things very typical to women of this time, such as being bossed around and disrespected overall. I feel that what connects these two short stories is not only the fact that these women are being degraded by the men they surround themselves with, but also the huge power of doing and saying nothing. The women in Jury of Her Peers collectively decided that they weren't going to tell the authorities or their husbands about the information they had on the murder. "The women did not speak, did not unbend". By saying nothing, these women made the choice to save their friend from being arrested for the murder of her husband. This proves the power of keeping silent. For Delia, keeping silent meant that her husband would end up dead and she would make it out of her horrible life alive. By keeping quiet, Delia made the most powerful statement possible by letting her husband die. "She lay there. "Delia. Delia!" She could hear Sykes calling in a most despairing tone as one who expected no answer. The sun crept on up, and he called. Delia could not move--her legs were gone flabby. She never moved, he called, and the sun kept rising." keeping quiet, these women all contributed to women universally joining together to create a bond that lead to an overall revolution for women. Obviously not on the same scale as these women, my sister and I understand that in some situations it is more important to cover for each other rather than be in trouble by our parents. Trust is extremely important, and just as the characters in these short stories weight out their actions to the consequences of confessing their actions, my sister and I sometimes need to do the same for each other.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)