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Similarities Between Animal Farm And The Handmaid's Tale

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The novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood illustrates a dystopian society effectively by presenting all the negative aspects in it. In the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian state, women have suffered greatly from the oppression from the government and this greatly differs from the idealized society. Comparatively, the film Animal Farm (1999), which is based on the novel of the same name by George Orwell, creates a similar representation of dystopian society while using rather different techniques. By depicting the unequal society with people of stratified classes and the difference between ideals and reality, both texts have constructed a representation of dystopia which criticizes and satirizes the political figures that are reflected from the texts. The class stratification in the society is one of the key aspects of the representation of dystopia in both texts. In The Handmaid’s Tale, women are categorized into different groups within the Gilead society based on their function in the society. Due to the low …show more content…

Although Napoleon the swine, as the leader and the smartest among the animals, claims to be building a society where all animals are equal, the other animals are exploited as laborers to fulfill its own desires. This theme is highlighted ironically at the end of the film, as Napoleon sells the most loyal worker, boxer, to buy himself alcohol. When contrasting the two texts, it can be seen that the animals other than the pigs play a similar role as the Handmaids. Both have been indoctrinated by the government’s propagandas to believe that they should serve the society, and both have been exploited by the authority. Therefore by illustrating the inequality in the society, not only do both texts illustrate a representation of dystopia effectively, a reflection of our own world is presented as well, as the problems of discrimination and inequality still exist

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Emotion plays a crucial role in human nature. It is one factor that dictates many of the thoughts and actions one makes. The manipulation of emotion is a powerful and devious tool used by many people to invoke certain thoughts in others and sway one’s ideas to one side or another. Emotions such as pride and anger can completely overtake someone and alter their perspectives and ideals. The books The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984 both take place in a brutal dystopian society where many people are puppeteered by the manipulation of their emotions due to the government.

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990 Words | 4 Pages

The Push for Power: How Governments Manipulate Minds and Memories The demand for power throughout the government has always caused an uproar in events. There has always been a fight for who has the most authority and respect from the citizens, but if they don’t earn this respect there is always a chance that they might do anything to get it. In every totalitarian government, there is systematic control that the government uses on its people. Whether that control is technological or not, they use this control to manipulate citizens to benefit themselves. The totalitarian governments in George Orwell’s 1984, and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale, are the “Big Brothers” in these surreal worlds in which they are trying to manipulate the citizens

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997 Words | 4 Pages

And just like in To Kill a Mockingbird those who do not fit into societies boxes are shamed and avoided by their families and former friends. The Handmaid 's tale conveys that society looks at people as expectations, measurements, and archetypes it causes people to be outcast unless they

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1994 Words | 8 Pages

The novel’s themes reflect the reality of our times, including the use of religion to justify limiting women’s rights, maintaining male hegemony, and controlling women’s bodies (Zarrinjooee and Kalantarian 66-71). The parallel between Gilead and the current conservative religious cultures - for example Hungary - highlights the significance of the novel’s dystopian aspects for contemporary readers (“Hungary Government Proposes Constitutional Amendment Mandating Christian Gender Roles.”). The strict gender norms, dress codes, and lack of autonomy for women in Gilead illustrate the dehumanization of women, while the emphasis on their reproductive potential perpetuates their exploitation (Atwood 8-363). Overall, The Handmaid’s Tale serves as a warning and a lesson on what not to become as a society and encourages readers to take action against injustice and oppression (Rine

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342 Words | 2 Pages

Language is a major themes in both novels “1984” by George Orwell and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwool. Language are heavily reshape in both novel in order to crave a goal to control individuals. “1984” creates authority over citizens through altering and reducing the English language to its most basic form. To “return” to the root of English, the Party have to eliminate the complexity of the language - synonyms and subtle meaning of words -from the existence of the people minds in the apparent belief that there is no justification from antonyms and ‘shades of meanings’, and only one concept should only subsist . However the true purpose of simplifying language and destroying words is to eliminate concepts that might led to the idealism of rebellion and disobedience; The Party does not want the thoughts of rebellion and disobedience to exist therefore they have to destroy and simplify to a huge extent.

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971 Words | 4 Pages

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the effects of suspicion on a society, on handmaid’s, are clearly visible; it can also be seen that the government’s method of control leads to the creation of a dystopia. The Handmaid’s Tale proves that a society built on fear and shaped by suspicion achieves near total control of the population by the ruling class, the government of Gilead in this case. In chapter 42, Aunt Lydia describes how they will no longer announce the crimes that the prisoners have committed at the Salvagings. Once Offred learns this she states, “Now we are left to our own devices, speculation” (Atwood 275). Therefore, through Offered, the reader is able to see how the handmaid 's will now have suspicions of what the prisoners did to get hanged, since they are no longer being told.

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2035 Words | 9 Pages

Works of literature often portray ideas relating to Marxist theory, this is why in a dystopian society, class distinctions dominate the social climate, using Marxist ideologies as a tool to define the lives of the narrator and those around her. In Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, ideologies from Marxist theory dominate the society in which Offred, the narrator, lives in, evidenced by the strict class systems and limited interaction between them. In writing the novel, Atwood makes a point to create a world that could exist using technology and ideas already accessible in today’s society, meaning the events that take place in The Handmaid’s Tale could happen in present day. Offred lives in a reality where class distinctions dominate society, and women, especially fertile women. These women are displaced downwards, although there are those women who attempt to resist the grip of society.

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1107 Words | 5 Pages

Often, we see a society’s cultural values reflected in its citizens. For example, the United States values equality, a standard that is shared in all facets including gender. The opposite is true of Gilead, a fictional society in Emily Bronte’s The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel’s main character, Offred, is subjected to degrading treatment simply because she is a woman. It becomes apparent that this repeated degradation has affected the protagonist’s mind.

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The suffocating society of Gilead is presented where individualism is completely taken away from them, and what it means to be human has been completely eroded away from what we know today. To be human today means, to be honest, affectionate, caring, understanding and to have passions. However, being too passionate for something only leads to chaos as seen through Victor 's overpowering desire for knowledge that led to chaotic results. Offred 's identity and individualism have been completely stripped away from her as he legal rights, name and clothes have been destroyed. She 's just another cog in a machine as she is labeled as a handmaid, only valued for her "viable ovaries".

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1141 Words | 5 Pages

In Animals Farm, there is a pig who’s name Napoleon. This character did not contributed to the society with his actions. In effect, he did not respect the concept of “Animalism” which is the equality of all the animals. He did many actions that broke this conception during the entire story. At the beginning, Napoleon, take the farm with Snowball when the farmer, Mr. Jones, left.

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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.

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1008 Words | 5 Pages

cultural constructs of femininity, identity, and the extent of government control. The story explores the affects social and political trends have on society. The Handmaid’s Tale evaluates gender roles and the subjugation of women. Atwood’s use of aphorisms, symbolism, and allusions urges readers to examine the juxtaposition of cruelty and vulnerability in femininity.

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801 Words | 4 Pages

Using the examples of Napoleon and Boxer this essay will discuss the truths of human nature and express the traits of these characters both good and bad including; loyalty and obedience as well as selfishness and greed. Napoleon represents the corrupt political dictators that have been in power before and even after the novel was written. He slowly and subtly put himself into power of the farm and was very manipulative in the way he got there. The animals were always ensured that everything he did was for the good of the farm but as the book goes on Napoleon’s hunger for power is revealed.

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1031 Words | 5 Pages

The government told the human race that nothing is wrong, it was just the citizens’ fear of the worst. So people did not worry about their lack of food or unsafe working conditions because they had no reason to distrust the government. They never realized that their idea of a utopia slowly slipped through their grasp. Rather than maintaining utter perfection in respect of laws, politics, customs, and conditions, the government remained in oppressive societal control; everything appeared ideal, but once examined closer, the true horrors came to light.

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1012 Words | 5 Pages

The contrast to this perfect society is a dystopian society. Dystopian societies are marked with fear and have little to no chance of improvement. Animal Farm, an allegorical novel by George Orwell, includes a dystopian society. The novel takes place on a rural farm known as, Animal Farm, which is a dystopian society alluding to Soviet Russia. Although Animal Farm is portrayed as the perfect utopia, the animals living on the farm cannot create individual thoughts because of the way they are controlled by propaganda, characterizing Animal Farm as a dystopian society due to these traits.

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