handmaids Flashcards
AO2 of how offred uses moira as a symbol of resistance and hope
she never calls her by her gilead name, she remains from her past
AO3 of moira’s character
as a lesbian & radical feminist
she is a symbol of deviance against the stigmatisation of hiv/aids and moral majority/ reaganism
two sides of interpretation of the aunts
symbol of oppressive control, reinforcing the regime, women on women is much more villainous
also they could be victims themselves as explored in the testaments
2 points on the name ‘aunts’
‘ants’ like following the leader
‘aunts’ like not sisters or nunnery, more distant and sinister still holding the religious undertones
what do the aunts do to the handmaids
indoctrinate them showing videos of the past eg “reclaim the night” marches in leeds trying to off put protesting for women’s rightd
2 examples of offred’s memories being unreliable
both the commander & aunts look more pathetic in real life at the particicution
& the commander ‘looks smaller without his uniform’
describe the eyes in the handmaids tale (2)
secret police in a totalitarian state
glorification of the male gaze; embodies god
describe ‘palimpsest’ in the handmaids tale
altering something upon layers and layers
rewriting history, literal interpretation of the bible, recreating greetings ‘blessed be the fruit’
and strip them of an identity
like 1984 when they are constantly rewriting history to eradicate the past and rewrite citizens memories. they abandon personal perceptions of reality
how does atwood allude to slavery
- ‘children of ham’ = black people in society who have been displaced
- handmaids have been taken away from their family; given their patronymic name and forced to serve the regime
reminiscent of slavery pre-1865
what is the fancy name for offred’s name
patronymic
eg of a nuclear accident
bhopal 1984
eg of a country coming close to this
1960s communist romania
pro-natalist banned abortion and due to large no of backstreet abortions many children orphaned or abandoned if couldn’t care for them
how does atwood reference jews
hanging on the wall is a jew with a yellow star, shows gilead is same level as nazis
similarities of stalinism 2
- rewrote history, palimpest of knowledge
- colonies represent the soviet gulags and labour camps
2 similarities to islamist states
- atwood visited the ME. implemented sharia law into the novel, restrictions on women, chaperoned and covering their face
- also filmed public executions, similar to the particicution
3 features making this a typical dystopian literature
reflection of society
oppressive government
extreme interpretation of the law
an eg of another book atwood wrote and what it was about
the edible woman 1969
atwoods first novel
- felt like she was being eaten alive, separation of self and body
how is the class structure formed
and marxists claim
whoever fits the values is promoted in social status
eg male, heteronormative, conservative
marxists also separate each status into the bourgeoisie and proletariat
