Power Flashcards
Paranoia as an insidious way to create power
- constant fear of survielance leads a all to feel they are being watched (Foucault theory of panopticism) and conditions them thus to suppresses their physiological state, breeding distrust and conformity and subjugation
Quotes supporting paranoia as a mode of insidious power
- they arrest a man in public with no warning and entirely uncalled-for violence just to get into people’s head.
- Offered recalls arrest of a Martha ‘fumbling.. for her pass’ which shows distrust is rife
- even call their spies the ‘Eyes’, all to get into people’s heads as it connotes the idea that eyes are EVERYWHERE
- ‘she is my spy, I am hers’
- ‘perhaps he is an eye’
-‘gilead is within you’ and ‘under his eye’ are repeated taglines of the regime. Entire regime plays off the idea of constant surveillance
Commander as the archetype of power OVER in society
- a wealthy white Christian man valued not only by modern society but particularly by gilead, his position allows him to exert control not only through institutional means but also through personal interactions, creating a subtle and complex form of oppression
- Robert Dahls the concept of power says the theory of power OVER is someone having power over another to make them do things they wouldn’t do. This is how the commander influences offered and how gilead influences the subjugated handmaids
Quotes to support how the commander is a symbolism of power OVER others
-‘forgiveness too is a power. Maybe it’s about who can do what to whom and be forgiven for it. (Discussing the distribution of power) (chapter 23)’ forgiveness typically connotes to Christianity and reprinting, in this context offered shows how all traits of morality can be corrupted and used as power over others. The commanders position of power lets him break many rules, and other commanders do the same, but he is able to be societally forgiven for it whilst she in a subjugated position would be likely killed. Hypocracy of those in positions of domeince OVER others
- commander could give me away so easily, by a look, by a gesture’ offered as the most subjugated member in society is COMPLETELY powerless at the hands of the commander. Whilst she is forced to break rules for him that she wouldn’t chose to, it is her whom is in danger
- (at Jezebels) the trouble is I can’t be with him any different from the way I usually am’ offered reveals in this scene that even in casual environments the societal power that the commander holds means he will always subjugate her. This is shown by how offered cannot physically reject his advances though she is uncomfortable in her body language- men with societal hierarchy always dominate OVER
Offered as a passive subversion of society, finding power WITHIN
Offred characterises how power can be found in subtlety in one’s psychological resistance through her usage of memories and narrative
- helene cixous ectricure feminine shows how she writes her own authentically female story
Quotes to support offreds passive resistence and power WITHIN
- ‘I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling’ ‘I dont have to tell it’ Offred is able to look at herself externally as if she is not truly present and thus is not submitting to gilead. Offred has hope that she is taking hold of the narrative and thus there is hope for her future. Offred is able to regain power through memories.
- ‘I repeat my former name’ ‘my name isn’t offred’ her memories of the past show that she cannot be ripped from her identity and the power she used to wield.
- the narrative is non linear and this reflection to her memories wields her power as she can tell stories of her identity. The fact it is unreliable also attribues to offreds power as SHE can control the tellling of her story and thus reclaim her agency
- ‘this is a belief of mine. This may also be untrue’ ‘i expect moira said something like it’
- ‘one deteches oneself’ though she cannot physically escape, offred finds power in mental solidarity. The impersonal pronouns show narrative detachment and help her write her own story.
Offreds gradual reassertion of power
-as time is spent in a gileadian theocracy, Offred begins to assert more power against the regime as she begins to oppose hugely the ideological framework of the regime. As the novel progresses Offred begins to become more powerful in small but meaningful acts of resistence
Quotes supporting offreds assertion of power
- ‘I want to know’ she uses her relationship with the commander in order to gain power
- joining of mayday
- ‘ I would like to steal something.. would make me feel i have power’ whilst the CEROMONY which she is waiting for renders her powerless as does the regime, Offred acts upon her own autonomy to take an item in order to regain some identity
- chapter 17 she steals butter and performs her own ritual of using it as lotion. This shows an autonomy as she is able to tend to her own identity
- ‘searchlights are off, which is not usual. A power faloiure’ Offred by the end of the novel peruses immoral sexual relations with a risk of death. Attwood uses a double entendre here to show how the power has failed in gilead in restricting her autonomy and now she has gained control.
- chapter 46- ‘I am above him, looking down, he is shrinking.’ As she is taken away from the household and presumably to a rebel group, attwood uses the physical positions of the commander to convey that the societal power has shifted and now Offred has true freedom.
Language as power
- in gilead language is power and attwood characterises its control as showing how gilead has complete dictation over the autonomy of its citizens and similarly how it can be reclaimed in an act of rebellion
Language as power quotes
- the aunts and commanders are the only ones who can read and write and the handmaids can not even speak loudly or watch the news. Therefore their language is controlled more tightly than that of the men.
- ‘blessed by the fruit’ ‘may the lord open’
- whilst the handmaids are constrained by their language, moira and offreds mother use crude language and obsinities in order to reclaim language for themselves in a distinct manner.
- offred notes ‘there is power in the whispering of obscenities.. reduces them to the common denominator’ here she understands that language and especially crude and colloquial tones diminishes the power of the regime
- offred herself uses écriture. feminine, the female narration, in order to resist against the gileadian regime and often uses métaphores and double entendres
A new wave of power by Veneklasen and miller
- power is expressed in four ways: power OVER which is power at the subjugation of others, power WITH which is found in collaboration, power TO which is the power an individual has to make change and power within which is how we all have the agency to shape our lives
Power WITH- oflglen
- attwood characterises the character of ofglen as proof of how alliance forms collective power and often leads others to rebellion fuels by empowerment and solidarity fir one another
Proofs to show how ofglen helps show power WITH in companionship alliance and collaboration
- chapter 27- ‘ofglen reflected in the glass.. she’s looking straight at me.. we can see into each others eyes’ mirrors and glass are a symbol for truth and spiritual reflection in literature, this shows how they are true equals to one another and have found solidarity in each others selves, giving them alliance and thus power.
- ‘we have crossed the invisible line together’ the line shows that treason is punishable by death but the unity of their crossing shows that they have become incredibly trusting at once and close allies. This is an insidious form of resistence, power formed through liberation of each other and solidarity.
- chapter 35 ‘find out and telll us.. anything you can’ when offred gains news from the commander in their affair she shares it with the mayday network and ofglen, in doing this she is spreading power within the subjugated alliance she has formed and thus those in these positions are getting power together
