Chapter 2 Flashcards
“they’ve removed anything you could tie a rope to”
“they” unidentifiable power- hierarchy in regime to instil co-operation as you cannot fight back something you do not know.
Dystopian trait.
Illusions to suicide- implicit
“A return to traditional value”
warped, perverted perception of the Biblical moral values is being used to justify the horrendous rules instated by the regime.
Links to Reagan’s presidency in the 80s as he was focussed on traditional religious values, especially regarding homosexuals and abortion, likening him to Gilead.
thought must be rationed
connotations of war such as WW2 which she drew inspiration from
1984- thought police
“its those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself”
euphemistic term for suicide
“open” juxtaposes her entrapment and shows us she would feel freer in death than as a handmaid.
2nd person pronouns “you” and “yourself”- distances her from action- unwillingness to act upon it.
Survival- CANLIT trope
“red: the colour of blood which defines us”
associated with menstrual blood and childbirth- purpose
red symbolises all blood- blood represents life and death
red- lust and passion- Scarlet Letter- the handmaids are designed for adultery and their clothing reflects it.
German prisoners in Canada in WW2 wore red as they couldnt escape (red stands out against snow)
“door of the room, not my room I refuse to say my”
indefinite article “the” negation in “not my”- doesn’t take ownership over what she has under these circumstances.
emphatically stressed first person adjective “my”- emphasis on her refusal to feel at home under the guidelines of the regime.
“like a distorted shadow… some fairytale figure in a red cloak”
shadow- reflection of her former self- unrecognisable under the regime- not her true self- loss of individuality
intertextual ref to Little Red Riding Hood-
foreshadowing of Offred being taken by the Eyes
“Unwomen”
prefix suggest under the regime you are only deemed a woman if you fufil your womanly duties, as set out in the epigraphs in the book of Jacob.
links to 1984- restricted language
“would, might” repeated
repetition of modal verbs- longing and desire from Offred for normalcy
