ipl-logo

Comparing The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

679 Words3 Pages

In the novels, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, showing the human soul in very similar ways. In these two novels, they take away the understanding of the soul to push their beliefs on others. Saying that Handmaids or Androids don't have a soul, or aren't as valuable as others, makes it easier for people to see them as less than. In The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, the human soul is based on who you are. If you are a person with power, you are seen as a real human, if you are less than, you are seen as a tool for the people in power to use to get what they want. In the following quote you will be able to see our main character, Offred, used as an object, "My arms are raised; she holds my hands, each of mine in each of hers." …show more content…

What it means is that she is in control of the process and thus of the product." Atwood 93. This quote shows how they saw the Handmaids, they didn't see them as more than a womb. They used the Handmaids to reproduce and then passed them on to the next family in power who needed someone to care for their child. This quote really shows how once they were deemed less powerful, they lost their rights and their connection to the human soul. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, they use the theory of the human soul a little differently. In this novel, the people in power make the decision that Androids don't have a soul, but is that even a fair statement? In the novel, Androids grow, age, and experience life just like humans do. Sometimes the Androids don't even know that they aren't human, so can we even say they don't have souls? if they live, breathe, feel, mourn, and laugh, who are we to say that their experience is less than our own? In the quote "Only clean, noble girls who-" she pondered. "Androids can't bear children," she said. Is it a

Show More
Related
1167 Words | 5 Pages

While both Omar El Akkad's "American War" and Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" portray dystopian societies, the characters' responses to their oppressive environments reveal distinct coping mechanisms and psychological impacts, reflecting the authors' nuanced explorations of power, resistance, and survival. In “American War” we see various characters show struggles of a dystopian life after a societal collapse, while “Handmaid’s Tale” focuses on the resilience and struggles of characters in a dystopian society where there is one ruler and women are treated as objects only good for babies and sexual acts. In "American War," Sarat Chestnut clearly displays resilience and defiance in the face of a societal collapse, while Offred in “Handmaid’s

Read More
576 Words | 3 Pages

The Human Spirit What is the human spirit? People have different definitions and opinions of the “Human Spirit.” Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem, describes how the human spirit is associated with the fundamental knowledge of intellect, reality, morals, and understanding. . “My hands… My spirit… My sky… My forest..

Read More
1373 Words | 6 Pages

Utopian Vision Dystopian Reality One of America’s Founding Fathers , Thomas Jefferson once said, “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery” (Andrew 99). Humanity should learn how history repeats itself as the past often has ironic relevances to the present and future. Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale and the director, Neill Blomkamp’s film Elysium both posit stories for the human race in the future of the oppressed, authoritarian societies, where the privilege enjoy a life of luxury and harmony while controlling and dehumanizing the much larger lower class.

Read More
1550 Words | 7 Pages

In my project I will make a comparative study between the functioning of present day society and the two futuristic dystopian novels, one is the classic by George Orwell ‘Nineteen ssEighty-four (1949)’ and other is the masterpiece by Margaret Atwood ‘The handmaid’s Tale’ (1985). The idea for this study arose, when recently the sale and the relevance of these two dystopian books resurged rapidly even after some seventy and forty years of their first publication. Both of the novels deal with a totalitarian society, where government keeps a watch on every plane of an individual’s existence. We came across two protagonists, namely Winston smith in Nineteen Eighty-four and Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale they both are a victim of a government where

Read More
722 Words | 3 Pages

Women on the Homefront During World War II The World War 11 period is a very interesting time in women's history in the United States because for the first time, women were actually being encouraged to take jobs that were usually held by men and therefore needed a more "masculine attitude" . Traditional female gender roles were challenged during this time period . Not only were some of these women simply serving the country during its need in wartime, but they were trying to pursue their own passions and interests . The government and media's heavy use of propaganda such as Rosie the Riveter was used in order to manipulate and influence women into joining the workforce and taking on more "masculine" jobs, simply because the men were away at war.

Read More
1504 Words | 7 Pages

Although the novels are set in very different worlds, ‘A Clockwork Orange ‘(ACO) and ‘The Handmaid’s tale’ (THT) both explore how punishments create a climate of fear and how this is necessary for both dystopian societies to maintain order and deter individuals from transgressing. However, Burgess and Atwood portray the enforcement of punishments in different ways. Atwood presents Gilead as a radical regime that uses its public displays of punishment like the salvaging as a means to indoctrinate the citizens, creating a climate of fear which stimulates conformity. While Burgess choose to explore how a society imposes its punishments on a more subjective base: he focuses on the idea of Classical Conditioning and Aversion Therapy as means to rehabilitate rather than punish the ultra-violent protagonist Alex. However, it

Read More
1427 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale, the progression of Offred developing a sense of her own choice is slightly more apparent but is shown through the offerings of Gilead. Understanding the choices made by the handmaids and by Offred gives a perspective of how their oppressed freedom is conflicting with their own choices. “Yes, we are very happy,” I murmur. I have to say something else can I say?”(29). The quote symbolizes the fear from Offred and Ofglen about fighting to say the truth about their lives in Gilead, as Offred is struggling to rebel against the rules of Gilead.

Read More
1002 Words | 5 Pages

The society of both novel, “1984” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” shares familiar methods in order to maintain higher power to control lower class citizens. Their absolute goal to gain complete dominance is through removing or destroying a piece of humanity in order for disobedience or rebellion to be impossible. Gilead and Ingsoc constantly condition citizens by monitoring and invading their privacy. Both regimes employed similarly styles of monitoring, such as spies organisations or simply through the surveillance camera.

Read More
898 Words | 4 Pages

Lord of the Flies Are people born evil or good? Some people believe that humans are born good but get tempted into sin. Some people believe that humans are born evil and stay that way. Some people wonder if there is an inner debate of the soul. Because everyone is different could we be born with different souls.

Read More
981 Words | 4 Pages

In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the Republic of Gilead actively represses women by forcing them into very narrowly defined, ultra-conservative gender roles. This totalitarian government strips women of all rights and protections, and imposes severe punishments for defiance. Pollution and disease had caused severe infertility in this society, drastically reducing birth rates. In an effort to reverse a drastic population decline, this thoroughly misogynistic and power-hungry regime, takes full control over the human reproductive process. Furthermore, the leadership uses various dehumanizing methods to achieve complete subservience of women to men.

Read More
857 Words | 4 Pages

Margaret Atwood has seamlessly woven a tapestry of feminist elements - mainly regarding gender oppression - within her works. With that, using two of Atwood’s texts, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Year of The Flood, as the foundation for our literary research, we will be focusing on the commodification of the female flesh in both similar dystopian contexts. Commodification refers to the action or process of treating an object, or a person, as a raw material or product that can be bought and sold, or even treated as an object of which sovereignty can be held over by one. In both works, women are victimized and treated as sexual beings whose bodies and physical expressions can be freely used by the men who have power over them against their will. The two texts illustrate how society brings about the oppression of women and this exacerbates the commodification of women.

Read More
996 Words | 4 Pages

In this written text, the emphasis will be on Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale and as well as the way Atwood portrays women and how it can be argued to show the oppression of women. The main purpose is to analyze the way women are treated throughout this book and depict why they are represented this way in the society in Gilead. Then, comparatively, observe the men’s domination over women and how they govern this society. In The Handmaid’s Tale, women are stripped of their rights, suffer many inequalities and are objectified, controlled by men and only valued for their reproductive qualities. The Gilead society is divided in multiple social group.

Read More
1587 Words | 7 Pages

We see these conflicts exemplified throughout the story as corruption controls both power and identity. Margaret Atwood preaches the importance of these lessons to help us appreciate the possession of human rights that we acquire. Power that is held

Read More
1141 Words | 5 Pages

From the outset, literature and all forms of art have been used to express their author’s feelings, opinions, ideas, and believes. Accordingly, many authors have resorted to their writing to express their feminist ideas, but first we must define what feminism is. According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, feminism is “the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state”. As early as the fifteenth century is possible to find feminist writings. Centuries later, and although she never referred to herself as one, the famous English writer Virginia Woolf became one of the greatest feminist writers of the twentieth

Read More
889 Words | 4 Pages

The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel written by Margaret Atwood in 1985. She is well-known for being a poet, novelist, inventor, essayist, and an environmental activist. She 's a feminist this is important because in her novels she often portrays the female characters being oppressed and rebelling against stronger males. Attwood is very interested in environmentalist issues and one of her main themes for her novels, particularly ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ include men interfering nature. The Handmaid’s Tale is about a totalitarian society set in Gilead which used to be apart of the United States.

Read More

More about Comparing The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

Open Document