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I chose to emulate the interactions between Offred, Ofglen, and Japanese tourists through the artistic medium of air-dry clay. Although it was brief, at just under three pages, I was really impressed with this scene because of how it overflows with so many deeper meanings. There are beyond endless ways to perceive even the shortest sentences. Just like how every detail in The Handmaid’s Tale is intentional, I wanted to include that same objective in my own art piece. The tourists stand on the left, each wearing different types of colorful, vibrant clothing. The clay women are wearing multicolored dresses and bright lipstick to represent the freedoms that lie outside of Gilead. They are free to express their identities through what they wear. I also purposefully chose to keep the tourist’s arms sleeveless because of the modest lifestyles that Offred and other Handmaids are forced to live. Along with being forced to dress modestly, Offred’s mind has somewhat conformed to the new norms of her society. “Ofglen stops beside me and I know that she too cannot take her eyes off these women. We are fascinated, but also repelled. They seem undressed. It has taken so little time to change our minds about the things like this” (28). Despite her thoughts of retaliation, moments like these remind readers that Offred, amongst the Handmaids, is manipulated as well. Similar to this example, when she mentions her past, she tends to make subtle disapproving and even disappointing remarks about what she used to wear and what she used to do. When she says “We are fascinated, but also repelled,” it made me think about how Janine’s past was addressed. She was forced to listen to her trauma be invalidated through her peers chanting it repeatedly at her. She eventually broke down physically but allowed herself to fall deeper into Gilead’s deception at the same time. Manipulation keeps the Handmaids from regaining their self-worth, it is meant to keep them timid, diffident, and unlikely to retaliate against Guardians or Commanders. I chose to depict this through my artwork by giving the Japanese tourists faces but keeping Offred’s and Ofglen’s bare. This represents the uniformity that Gilead brings to all women. No Handmaid is allowed to have a sense of self, they are seen as objects, all meant to be treated in the same inhumane way. When the interpreter for the tourists (man in all blue) approached Offred and Ofglen, the presence of objectification became more apparent. The way he asked questions then reported back to his group made the interaction comparable to animals at the zoo. He even asks if they could take photos which is why I crafted a small camera. “I can feel their bright black eyes on us, the way they lean a little forward to catch out answers, the forbidden, we excite them” (29). They, similar to the zoo animals, are heavily segregated from the outside population. Margaret Atwood’s intention behind this scene is to emphasize to readers the true severity of the differences and isolation between the Handmaids and the rest of the world.

From the first page of The Handmaid’s Tale, the main character, Offred, blatantly lacks many human rights. She is treated barbarically and almost like an animal. She is degraded as such in the gymnasium. The handmaids are at the very bottom of the Gilliad hierarchy with by far the least rights, authority, and respect. Despite this, they are vital to the continuation of the human race. This leads to an interesting dynamic throughout the story as the handmaids are stripped of their humanity yet protected as royalty. Offred thinks about her complex situation at the beginning of chapter 13, “Like a prized pig” (pg. 69). That she chooses a pig of all animals is meaningful. Pigs, unlike cows or chickens, which produce milk and eggs, are only used for their meat. Offred is also only needed for one thing: to make babies. Other than that, she is treated as swine. In my drawing, Offred is at the center in her handmaid robes. She is in a pig pen surrounded by mud and a wooden fence. Though she is being treated as a pig, she is protected by an armed guard. This is a figurative depiction of Offred’s situation, but also how she has been brainwashed to think of herself. The guard is a very important part of the drawing because he looks out of place at a farm protecting a pig pen. But this is the same as in Gilliad, where handmaids are protected from the outside world because they are vital to the future of mankind, despite having no control over their own, much like a prized pig to a farmer.
Another important element of the art is the pig ball that Offred is kicking around the pen. On page 70, Offred goes into intense detail about what a pig ball is. Through her description, the reader can easily make the connection from the pig ball and the handmaids: “for pigs who were being fattened in pens… the pigs liked to have something to think about.” Offred was “fattened” in the gymnasium, and in the same chapter speaks about her boredom and the disregard she has been given. What makes the pig symbolism even stronger is when, at the end of this paragraph, Offred says, “I wish I had a pig ball.” She has been broken down to a point where, in her mind, even a muddy farm toy would be suitable and entertaining.

“We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.” I liked this quote because of the connection it had to my artpiece and my overall argument. This quote brings up themes of oppression and the search for self-identity within a completely unjust society. The artpiece I created depicts a handmaid wearing a dark red dress, accompanied by a white cone hat that completely covers the majority of her face. The handmaid is shackled by the wrists, as celestial fingers with chains wrapped around them control the maids’ every movement. This drawing symbolizes the loss of identity experienced by the handmaids and shows how the women of Gilead are controlled like puppets under this system. The large hand represents Gilead’s government and the men who wield that almost god like power. The chains around the fingers illustrate an unnatural enforcement of power as the Hand of Gilead decides the Handmaid’s every movement. We can see this theme of bodily control throughout the book, as Gilead has supremacy over one’s every action. The chains that are used to control the handmaid represent the strings used to control a puppet. In this book, Gilead, along with the men in charge, are the puppeteers, as the women are viewed as nothing but puppets to their regime. The handmaid imprisoned by the chains symbolizes all the unjust horrors that the women of Gilead have to go through daily. In the state of Gilead, the color red seems to represent fertility in women. We see that the red dress worn by the handmaid represents their lack of self-identity, as Gilead sees them only for their ability to reproduce. Another key detail that I added was the cone-shaped hat atop the handmaid’s head. This cone hat is worn to promote modesty and isolation among the handmaids, as they are forced to wear the same garments, taking away what little individuality they have left. Now I would like to focus on the faceless figure of the handmaid. Originally, I had planned to add a face, but after further consideration, I chose to leave her face blank to show the handmaid’s loss of self-identity. One of the last details I added was the tape covering the handmaid’s mouth. The tape represents their limited ability to speak and converse amongst each other, offering a stark contrast to the world they once knew. This artwork shows the extreme injustices within the state of Gilead, as this dystopian society uses extreme gender roles that benefit men. The hand of Gilead is also positioned over the head of the handmaiden, further showing the unjust class system within Gilead, as men are on top of the social and political hierarchy. Furthermore, my artpiece captures the essence of the Handmaid’s oppression by the hand of Gilead. This artpiece wasn’t a particular scene within the book, but a symbol of Gilead’s supremacy over the handmaids. I believe that my artwork is significant because it shows how much the lives of handmaidens are controlled, whether it be physically, verbally, or mentally.

Back to Me - The Marias The song “Back to Me” by the Marias is a song that represents the yearning for a past lover that has since moved on from the relationship and is now interested in other people. In the song, the lead singer María Zardoya, sings about her longing for them to return. In chapter 15 of “The Handmaid’s Tale” Offred and Moira secretly chat in the bathroom about Moira’s escape plan. Offred tries to convince Moira to stay, and not to risk escape, but Moira doesn’t listen. Offred thinks to herself, “I couldn’t stand the thought of her not being here, with me. For me.” (89) Offred’s thoughts show her strong friendship with Moira and the emotional support they provide for each other in Gilead which strongly connects to a moment in “Back to Me”, where Zardoya sings the words “Is she all that you want? Is she all that you need? I’ll be there in a hurry, baby come back to me.” In this case “She” can refer to the action of escaping Gilead and getting a taste of freedom. We can gather that Offred likely feels scared for Moira, but also upset that Moira would choose to leave Offred to get a taste of freedom.

About You - The 1975 This song describes the emotional turmoil that can be present in relationships as well as strong themes of longing, followed by slivers of hope in a realm of uncertainty and pain. These themes are shown well in the lyrics, ‘Do you think I have forgotten about you?”, and “Hold on and hope that we’ll find our way back in the end”. This connects greatly with Offred and Luke’s relationship. The two characters haven’t seen each other in a long time and we often see Offred thinking about Luke and reminiscing about their past. Offred anticipates a message from Luke, recognizing that, “It’s this message, which may never arrive, that keeps me alive. I believe in this message.”(106). She wonders, “Does Luke hope?”(106). We can see that Offred feels deeply for Luke, but his feelings about her are unclear. Offred clings to the hope she has left, represented in the song, to keep propelling herself forward in life to keep from giving up. Let Loose - Mt. Joy A song about the desire for connection and breaking free from something holding one back, “Let Loose” by Mt. Joy can be used to describe the scene on page 81 where Offred plays footsies with Nick in secret. Gilead’s society differs greatly from ours. In Gilead, there is a different interpretation of what is considered exciting and rebellious than what is to us, including acts of romance. While more intimate things for us are devoid of real emotional connection in Gilead, simpler things for us seem rebellious for them. For example, while Offred and Nick play footsies in secret, Offred recites, “I feel my shoe soften, blood flows into it, it grows warm, it becomes a skin.” (81) In this moment Offred feels excitement, something that is unusual to her at this time. We can link this to the lyric, “I wanna get lost, I wanna get loud with you” in “Let Loose”. This describes the feeling of wanting excitement or a sort of adventure.

Saturn - SZA This song is about the longing for a purpose and a better life. Over the course of the song SZA contemplates her emotional state and the realities of her life. SZA sings, “Stuck in this paradise, don’t believe in paradise” expressing her dissatisfaction with her life and disappointment with “paradise” which could be interpreted as an idea of happiness from the perspective of society. We can connect this to Serena Joy’s state specifically in the first few chapters of the book. In chapter 3 Offred comments on Serena Joy in her garden. Upon noticing her she states, “From a distance it looks like peace” (12) and “Maybe it’s just something to keep the Wives busy, to give them a sense of purpose.” (13) From this we can see that Serena Joy likely is in a similar situation to SZA. She appears to be in paradise due to her minimal responsibilities, but instead Serena doesn’t enjoy this life at all, and wishes she had more of a purpose.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8nGO853SaEdoe61gA3EXbhcPyuV-ALG_&si=EPEjESo5iTvkgVN0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mf80civn2WuxeukGcqkqSllvLYSLoXvzl1oCqW9fHM4/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ihAjDHKU72F1qqu_mxyHfvjckcmn8TNe0tkwBrV_x7E/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14pe50MmMc1onTsU1iBMiNUsxj1wx0dZvOwn3W7rDeSw/edit?usp=sharing

Creep by Radiohead

This song captures Offred’s Feelings of alienation and powerlessness in Gilead. In the song, there are the lyrics “I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo,” and this echoes her internalized sense of being an outsider in a society that dehumanizes her. Offred’s identity and her struggle to adjust her past self to her present self as a handmaid are reflected in the song’s tone. For example, she says, “I want to keep on living, in any form,” which resonates with the song’s themes of self-doubt and survival despite feeling out of place

Every Breath you Take by The police

This song’s main theme of surveillance and control parallels the presence of “eyes” and the constant monitoring in Gilead. In the song, the lyrics “Every breath you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you” this mirrors the regime’s overpowering watchfulness over its citizens. Offered’s observation that “The Anuts were the ones who taught us to whisper almost without sound” highlights how language and behavior are polived, making this song a fitting song for the atmosphere of fear and control in Gilead.

Mad World by Tears for Fears

The tone and lyrics of “Mad World” reflect the dystopian reality of Gilead and OFfrede’s sense of loss and confusion. The line “the Dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had” parallels Offred’s memories of her past life and the dullness of her present life. The book doesn’t mention, but makes an example of how Offred’s memories are both a refuge and a source of pain, and that is also shown in this song, too, especially when Offred says, “We lived in the gaps between the stories.” This highlights the chaotic nature of her existence right now.

Respect by Aretha Franklin

Through irony in the context of Gilead’s oppression of women, “Respect” symbolizes the resistance and desire for dignity that underlie Offred’s narrative. The song’s demand for respect contrasts highly with the Handmaid’s enforced submission, especially during the Ceremony, which Offred describes with a lot of honesty: “The commander is Fing. What he’s fing is the lower part of my body.” This song represents the unspoken rebellion and the yearning for Self-direction beneath the surface,

Sound of Silence by Disturbed

The representation of silence in The Handmaid’s Tale is most definitely there, from the whispered conversations in the bathroom to the forced muteness everywhere. “Sound of Silence” captures this theme very well, with the lyrics like “Hello darkness, my old friend,” which invoke the isolation and suppression that Offred experiences. The novel shows this through the language tool as of control “The Anuts were the ones who taught us to whisper almost without sound,” finds a haunting echo in this song’s meditation on silence and communication.

Artist Statement: This image depicts the scene on pages 71-72 of The Handmaid’s Tale. Janine is in the center, small as can be, while the girls around her point accusingly. Janine shrinks under their hurtful gaze, their faces graying into anonymity because their personal identities are not relevant to her pain. They are a single entity that taunt her, not because of who she is, but what was done to her. To them, she has been reduced to a nasty word; comparatively, the girls have been reduced to bullies.

This scene is from Janine’s perspective, so the girls surrounding her are intentionally one-dimensional. Surrounding them are vague shadowy figures with reaching claws. This can be interpreted as both the handmaids-in-training further melting into a concept, a voice, for Janine. Or, as the demon that is girls turning against each other. They are grabbing and clawing, both at Janine, and at the girls. Perhaps they are trying to coax more girls into the bullying. The only thing Janine can register is their incessant chant. “Her fault. Her fault.” Those words are ingrained everywhere in the art, the bright white contrasting the dark reds, burning the etches into Janine. Still, this behavior is unexpected because of the concept of girls supporting girls.

In a world where women are supposed to stick by each other and savor as much power in numbers as they can get, it is jarring for that unity and empathy to be stripped away, especially for a tragedy such as a gangbang. That event was out of Janine’s control, despite however neutral or positive she may have felt. Instead of empathizing with her, they are taught to blame her. Void of support, it feels as though the entire world has turned on Janine. Thus, the piece illustrates the idea that a single phrase can hold the weight of the entire world.

Offred knows this. The other girls know this. They understand the heavy impact of their words and that Janine doesn’t deserve this at all. Still, there is unity in turning against her. In this us vs. her ultimatum, the girls see the damage that Janine takes, and it is less appealing to be in her position or on her side. They are complex creatures in that way, that they know what they are doing is wrong, but justify it through their fear. Their fear that they will be given away, the fear of openly standing against this society and culture of blaming women for sexuality, and the fear that at any moment, they can be her. Janine’s position is one of relief, for at least it’s her that suffers, and not them. But it’s important to note that these girls aren’t evil. They have been pushed into a corner and are doing everything in their power to preserve their sanity. Unanimously despising an innocent is far from the best preservation of humanity, but it’s better than nothing.

Other details worth noting are the overall red color scheme, which is a tie to the red of handmaids, and how the color darkens as the image zooms out.

In a world crafted from silence, an art piece can speak louder than any voice. This piece serves as a depiction of the underlying themes in The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood. This piece explores a society where life and death, submission and rebellion, are woven into a single piece. It speaks for a story that requires depiction,attention to detail, and analysis. The focal point of the image lies in a small window, directly from Handmaid Offred’s Room. While inside the small window, it is filled with the color red. It’s devoted as a constant reminder of the color red throughout the story. The recurrence is less of a coincidence and more of an underlying theme. It represents the fertility, sacrifice, and violence endured by the people of Gilead. The women’s menstrual cycles don’t just play a significant role in their stories, but actually are the sole purpose of their existence. Their cycles can be seen as a sign of failure from the previous month, or a celebration of success at the sign of no blood. Similarly, it can be seen as the blood from childbirth, as it is the goal and terror of the life of a woman in Gilead. Likewise, readers may see the blood as a notion of public executions, intended to spread fear and threat. It may seem like a mure color, but it is intended by the author to be used as a constant reminder of the suffering of the people from Gilead, and what the women in particular have endured. It embodies the trauma held in the story within a single image. As for the window, it can be interpreted as a metaphor for containment. Filled with red inside, revealing the handmaids trapped within their system. The red handprints embody the countless number of women being dehumanized throughout the system. They are a sign of silent protest from the victims of Gilead, a sign of protest after years of silence, a break for escape.
Surrounding the window lay bouquets. They intend to show the unfufilled potential of the handmaids and wives. What they could be if their society gave them water and sunlight. They suggest hope in a world that feels hopeless, a sign of light, in a world full of darkness. They serve as a reminder that even in a world determined to oppress humanity and beauty, something will always push past its barriers and grow. For the window itself, it was the Handmaid, Offred’s only true connection to the outside world. It can be seen as a potential sign of escape, or just a sign for a future outside our field. The unidentified handprints illustrate the stripped identity of each woman, how they are visible, yet stripped of their names and stories, their identities being dulled down to a single purpose.
Ultimately, the art synthesizes the core depictions within The Handmaid’s Tale into a single image. It forces the reader to empathize with the lack of control the people of Gilead have. It embodies the oppression, fear, and trauma humans develop when they’re forced into a world of hatred.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x812XzXcCSq9Ba6u-cVn9WXI7tzUPZTLcJ-H32Kd8r4/edit?tab=t.0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wulxnBMF8L6hSMnqwLuhrpOVaNasrmiJ0DwUhu2aO0w/edit?usp=sharing

When I read manhwa like Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, I get emotionally attracted to the character, sometimes it becomes too much. For me it is not just about liking the characters, it’s like me living alongside them mentally. When something tragic happens, or even hints at it happening, my mind goes into a deep spiral. I start to imagine all the worst possible outcomes and almost always, go into the worst-case scenarios. It’s not that I want a tragedy. It’s because I want to be ready for it. Maybe that’s why I connect deeply with the main character of Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Kim Dokja. He’s a reader who knows the entire story. He reads every chapter, every twist and yet, when he is thrown into the world of the novel, he still gets emotionally attracted to all the characters. Even though he knows what is coming, he still chooses to suffer with all the characters. He tries to change their fates. He prepares for the worst, even what he has already seen written. That is how I feel when I read bittersweet stories. Like Kim Dokja said, “I wish to see the novel’s epilogue.” I know that the pain is coming, but I still imagine ways to prevent it. I still hope, yet I know it will hurt. Sometimes, I lie to myself about these stories not because I believe the lie, but because it helps me feel better. I try to imagine that the character survived, that the ending was different, that the pain was avoided. I know it’s fiction, I know it’s over. But my mind does not want to let go. It chooses to rewrite everything, trying to soften the blow. It is like an automatic coping mechanism that turns on by itself, and I myself have come to rely on it. In chapter 18 of The Handmaid Tale Offred’s line “Whatever the truth is, I will be ready for it.” (p.106) Here Offred doesn’t know what has happened to Luke, her husband. He might be dead. He might be imprisoned. He might have escaped. But for Offred she doesn’t have an answer, so her mind does what mine does: it imagines every possibility, especially the painful ones. Offred says: “I believe Luke is lying face down in a thicket…” (p.104). She continues,“I believe he’s safe. I believe he’s in danger. I believe he’s dead. I believe he is alive.” This isn’t just grief. It survival. Offred here prepares herself emotionally for every version of reality, because not knowing is worse than knowing. That is exactly how I feel when I read stories that leave characters in limbo or with unresolved pain. I always imagine the worst so I won’t be blindsided. I rehearse the worst outcome so I’m not caught off guard even if it never happens. At the beginning I saw Offred as the polar opposite of me. She seemed to wanted connection, attention, and intimacy, things that I despise. I isolate myself emotionally, especially when I get attached to fictional characters. I usually keep these emotions to myself. It is easier when no one is trying to fix it. So when Offred longed for Luke or reached for Nick, I could not relate. The 4th wall thought, “She is not like me.” But then came Chapter 18 my view of Offred shifted, with Offred imagining Luke’s fate, and suddenly I saw a piece of myself in Offred. She was not longing to seek love. She was doing what I do, which was mentally preparing for tragedy. She was rehearsing pain, not because she wanted it, but because she needed to be ready. At that moment I realized we both thought about the “what ifs.” For her, it is like a survival tactic during her lowest time. For me it is a way to brace myself emotionally, even when nothing has happened yet. This realization changed how I’ve been reading the novel so far. I stopped seeing Offred as someone unlike me. I started seeing her as someone who copes the same way I do quietly and internally through mental imagined scenarios and imagining different outcomes. With Offred shifting emotional state, her cycle of hope and despair contrast how I respond to stories like the manhwa I read. She imagines every possibility, not because she wants the pain, but because she needs to be ready for it.

¨Love yourz¨ The first song Love Yourz, is about appreciating what you have, even when times are tough. Offred often thinks about her life before Gilead, which was full of love and freedom. She remembers being with her husband, Luke, and the happy moments they shared. J Cole’s song reminds us to value our shared lives. J Cole song reminds us to value our lives and relationships, which connects to Offred long past in the book Offred says “I remember the smell of his skin the way he would hold me¨. This shows how much she misses the love she once had. The message of ove Yourz” connects to Offreds memories and highlights her desire tohold onto the love that has been taken from her The second song “Fire” talks about the destrutive nature of oppressive system and the strong desire for freedom. In Gilead, women are controlled and treated like property. Offred and other women face strict rules that take away their freedom. Offred expresses her feelings of being invisible when she says, ¨We were the people who were not in the papers.”This quote shows her desire to resist the system that tries to erase her identity. The themes of resistance and strengths in ¨Fire¨ reflect Offred’s struggle to find her voice and fight against the regime ¨ 4 Your Eyez Only” tells a story about legacy and how one’s life affects future generations. Offred’s story is not just about her survival, it’s also about her hopes for her daughter, who was forced to leave behind. The sng focuses on sharing wisdom and experiences, which connect to Offred’s wish to ensure her daughter knows the truth about their past. In the novel Offred often thinks, Ï want to be able to tell her what happened to me.” This line reveals her deep desire to share her story and the lessons she has learned. The song´s focus on legacy resonates with Offred’s hope that her daughter will understand the struggles of Women in Gilead. The fourth song, “Middle Child talks about the struggle for recognition and the desire to have a place in a world that often ignores people. In Gilead, women like Offred are treated as if they don’t matter and must compete against each other to survive. This feeling of being overlooked is central to Offred’s experience. Offred describes her feelings of being unimportant when she says I am not allowed to read. I am not allowed to write¨. This highlights her lack of power in a society that does not value women. The themes of fighting for one´s place and voice in “Middle Child” connect to Offred’s struggle against the silence imposed on her by Gilead. Finally, “Neighbors” explores themes of community and the difficulties in relationships. In the relationship between women is complicated by jealousy and fear. Offred’s relationship with Sersna Jot, the wife of the Commander shows this complexity. OFfred notes, he is not my friend. I am not her friend.¨ This line shows the tension and distance between them. The song exploration of how societ can hurt relationships connect with Offreds struggles can hurt relationships connect with Offreds struggle to connect with others in a divided world. In conclusion, J Cole’s music helps us explore the themes and experiences in the book. Each song connects to Offred’s journey, her memories, and her fight against oppression. The emotional power of J Cole’s lyrics deepens our understanding of Offred’s character and the world of Gilead. Through songs like ¨Love Yourz,” Fire¨ ¨4 Your Eyez Only¨ Middle Child, ¨ and ¨Neighbors we see how music can reflect and enhance our understanding of literature. These connections remind us of the importance of l for frove, the fight for freedom, the values of sharing stories, the struggle for recognition, and the complexities of relationships. J Cole’s songs help us appreciate the depth of Offred’s story and the strength in the face of oppression

J. Cole - MIDDLE CHILD (Official Audio) Love Yourz J. Cole - 4 Your Eyes Only [Explicit] J. Cole - Neighbors J. Cole – Fire Squad (Official Music Video)

“We thought we had such problems. How were we to know we were happy?” # 51 This line from Offred reflecting on his life before, with Hannah and Luke is simple but impactful. This realization is specific to Offred’s situation, but there’s something familiar about it. It’s the way people often can only really see and recognize their happiness when it is no longer present and the way normal complaints can suddenly seem like a luxury when viewed from a worse perspective. Margot Atwood is able to capture a real human feeling and experience in the moment, the realization of missing something when it is gone and the clarity that comes after things have already changed. What hits so deeply about this specific quote is the way it feels so realistic. People tend to focus so much on the bad parts of life, like what’s going wrong or what’s annoying us, that we tend to forget about the good. Offred had Luke and Hannah, she had freedom and a normal life, but she probably spent so much time worrying about the common things like work, stress and money. Now she is trapped in this horrible society where she’s been stripped of all her freedoms, she can’t even use her real name, and then looking back, all her old problems seem ridiculously small. This connects directly to the real world, when we think about the way we tend to view society changing, we often will feel nostalgic towards the past and romanticize what we had, but in the moment our problems still felt massive. This makes me think about the way my parents will talk about this generation and the way things were so much simpler when they were growing up, without social media and all the new technology, but im sure back then they were probably stressed about other things and didn’t realize they were living in what they would now probably call “ the good old days.” It’s almost like Margot Atwood is showing us a common pattern that occurs throughout history through this quote. People during Nazi Germany or the great depression probably looked back at times when things were normal and think the same thoughts “We thought we had such problems. How were we to know we were happy?” Or even more current times like the corona virus, we suddenly started wishing we had been grateful for simple things like grocery shopping and going to school when suddenly we were stuck in our homes. There’s constantly moments where society changes and everyone realizes the things they lost that they took for granted. If we constantly look back on times we miss, it’s scary to realize that at some point we will probably be missing right now. We could look back on 2025 and think all the things we currently worry about are not even a big deal. This quote also makes connections to how we view and talk about America compared to other countries. We constantly fight and complain about politics, the economy and other social issues and even though these complaints are completely valid and worth fighting for, if we look at countries like Afghanistan where women can’t even go to school or places like north korea with insane dictatorship, we realize that with all of our problems, we still have these freedoms that millions of people would do anything for. I think that’s one of the reasons the handmaid’s tale is such a scary book. Margot Atwood isn’t writing about a different planet nothing like ours, she is showing a society that looks like ours but could turn into the horrors of the handmaid’s tale. The women in the book used to have freedoms like American women, who never realized that they would lose the most basic rights. This represents the ways that democracy and freedom can be changed. We learn and read about societies that collapsed or turned into dictatorships but it never seems realistic. Margot Atwood’s quote shows us that people living this probably felt the same, they were just normal women dealing with regular problems, when everything changed. This is why this quote is so impactful because it’s not just about Offred missing her old life but also telling of how quickly things can change.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q5FvSNyC-pRjcVgDd3shvHbQl9ek0AE0XgKI4Wswoos/edit?usp=sharing

The Wall is something that was introduced to readers in chapter 6. Ofred says it is hundreds of years old, made of bricks, with barbed wire and metal posts surrounding it. The Wall is filled with 6 bodies, and the handmaids are forced to look at them. Ofred notes that the bodies are hung with white bags over their heads, which she states is the worst thing that could be over their heads. My artwork helps readers visualize just that. It shows two handmaids in their red dresses and white hats looking at three bodies on the wall. In the drawing, Ofred looks as if she is walking away while the other handmaid beside her has stopped. I chose to do this because it helps present the idea that some handmaids have already become desensitized to The Wall, while others are still adjusting. In the drawing, you will also see a quote next to Ofred and below the bodies that says “We lived as usual by ignoring,” What makes this scene so significant is how true this can be in today’s society. When scrolling on social media, watching the news, or hearing news from others, it is easy to have little to no empathy for things we see. While I think this can be true for any citizen in any country, I specifically think this idea is very prominent when it comes to Americans and how we live. When reading this part, I initially thought it was very dehumanizing; however, I realized that this is something that citizens do in everyday society. As the two handmaids are looking at The Wall, Aunt Lydia says, “This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after time it will. It will become ordinary,” (pg 11). Many things today seem out of the ordinary, but over tim,e we become accustomed to them just as Aunt Lydia suggests in the book. However, even though this idea may be true, I question how much we as a society have normalized without realizing it. Crime, death, and losses are all things in American society that have become overlooked if they have happened to the average citizen. This is due to the fact that these things are far too common to see. Tragedies are something that we see every day, causing this to be the unfortunate norm for American citizens. As we see these things almost every day, we fail to have any genuine emotions towards it until it happens to us personally. This goes along with Aunt Lydia’s quote, as we continue to hear about different losses, the more they become not so different but somewhat average. As Ofred and the other handmaids continue to encounter The Wall, the easier it will become for them to be less sensitive towards it. The constant repetition of seeing things such as The Wall does nothing but force the handmaids to become numb to anything surrounding death and or loss.

This story discusses how women are being exploited as a means to an end by men. The women are trying to get close to them and hoping that they can bear a child. The question for this story is, how does religion influence people & spark fear? The story that we are looking into is called “The Handmaid’s Tale.” This story is all about men being more powerful than women, and every woman that are under their followership is trying to get close to them, and tries to have a child with one of them. This story also shows that there is a ¼ chance of having a healthy child being born, while the other ¾ chance is of children being born unhealthy and may die after being born.

In "The Handmaid's Tale,” there are a lot of women who are under a religion where they are being used to give birth to one of the commanders. There are different rankings for women, and they are “The Aunts,” and they are the elderly ladies who have an education and give the Handmaid’s some lessons about how to be a Handmaid. “The Marthas” are just cleaners who are also invisible to other people. “The Handmaid’s” are servants to the commanders and bear their children. “The Unwomen” are scared to become a Handmaid because they don’t want to become part of that religion where they have to bear someone's children, and want to escape the place. The men have their own rankings, and they are “The Guards,” who are the protectors of the Handmaid’s, making sure that nothing happens to them. “The Angels” run the society, meaning they are in charge of guarding the front lines, and they are also trusted with upholding. “The Commanders” are basically running the whole thing. “The Eyes” are mysterious because they are always undercover, seeing if the Handmaid’s were spreading information with them.

In one of the texts, Offred was in a ceremony, and the commanders told them to pray. This is what the text said, “I pray silently: Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. I don’t know what it means, but it sounds right, and it will have to do, because I don’t know what else I can say to God.” (Pg90) Offred didn’t know the meaning of what it meant, and the praying word was in Latin so they never know what it meant. I am also in confusion with my religion because I’m not really interested in my religion, but my mom does this every day, and she would always chant something, and I never fully understand what it even means at all. My family's religion is all about Buddhism, and only my mom and my aunt are the only ones who do this every morning. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1og4OydqIsJkcgPtNAIXN2YG19y2CbMD7K9SRdNzUqK4/edit?usp=sharing

                     A Woman’s Choice

The world is filled with unfair treatment between men and women. It’s shown in different ways. and some more than others. The Handmaid’s Tale is a book created by Margaret Atwood, and it does an excellent job of showing a dystopian society where there is oppression only for women. Throughout the book, our main character, Offred, has to suffer the consequences of a society failing her. A cruel world where women are allowed to be used and tossed around with no punishment. Many sections in this book acknowledge this issue, where Offred feels uncomfortable because a man is treating her differently. I decided to go with the moment when Offred is having her first doctor’s check-up. When randomly, the doctor asks her if she would like to get impregnated by him with no care in the world. This happens during chapter twelve, specifically these sentences, “It’s genuine, genuine sympathy; and yet he’s enjoying this, sympathy and all. His eyes are moist with compassion, his hand is moving on me, nervously and with impatience.”-Pg.61. This section tells a lot about the system operating in The Handmaid’s Tale and raises the question, How does a hierarchy that favors men affect the autonomy of a woman to make her own decisions?

When I myself was reading this section, with Offred at the doctor’s appointment, I was disgusted. I showed a clear moment that I was uncomfortable with the situation. Which is why I wanted to tackle this section, as it painfully shows an insight into true events that happen in the real world. In the section I selected, Offred can tell that the doctor’s actions aren’t based on sympathy or wanting to help; it’s pure lust. As the doctor is a man, he automatically has a higher ranking than Offred. He has the power over Offered, and he makes sure to use this hierarchy to his advantage. As the doctor asks Offred if she would like one of his sperm to have a higher chance of her being pregnant. This automatically creates a choice for Offred; the reader knows by now that women in this system aren’t necessarily supposed to make decisions like this. It creates a complicated position for Offred, as not being pregnant means death for women in this world. But in the section, it’s noticeable that the doctor is doing this for his own pleasure; it’s the word choice Atwood uses that reveals this, repeating the word sympathy to cover the doctor’s real intentions. Offred can tell that the doctor is enjoying his time towering over her, knowing that she can’t take on a hard decision like this. As this section alone can give away how men in this oppressed world affect a woman’s choice, there are many other quotes in The Handmaid’s Tale that can relate to this section.

The commander has one of the highest roles when it comes to the setup hierarchy in this book. They are men who get to roam around more freely than women. In the recent chapters the class has read, I noticed how the commander is soft around Offred. At some point, at the end of chapter twenty-three, he gives a choice to Offred, asking her, Will you kiss me? This is how it went: “Thank you,” he says. “For the game.” Then he says, “I want you to kiss me.” Fast forward to Offred’s response, “I think about how I could approach the Commander, to kiss him, here alone, and take off his jacket, as if to allow or invite something further, some approach to true love, and put my arms around him and slip the lever out from the sleeve and drive the sharp end into him suddenly, between his ribs.”-Pg.139/140. When I read this quote, I automatically thought back to the doctor scene because the theme of this choice is the opposite of the doctor’s section. But in the end, it’s still a man in the story with a bigger role in the hierarchy, affecting a woman’s options. The reason I thought this was because whatever choice Offred decided on, which she ended up kissing the Commander, it could lead to life or death. The Commander now holds a secret that he can spread if he wants to, most likely making Offred an unwoman. This can also go back to the doctor; he could also get Offred in trouble for bestowing a choice upon her. In the real world, women have more freedom and make their own choices. But in The Handmaid’s Tale, it plays out differently.

Offred is met with hard choices she has to make, or with the thought of wanting to make a choice. This moment with the doctor shows a world with sexism and misogyny. It reveals the true process of how this hierarchical world works and how women don’t have the freedom to naturally choose. As I will continue reading this book, I want to connect this deep critical question to every chapter I read. As it will allow me to truly understand Offred and her characteristics. While also showing me why the men have the power over her. Hopefully, in the future, Offred gets to be free.

When coming up with this artwork, I didn’t really know what specific scene to include. There are so many powerful and inspirational scenes within The Handmaid’s Tale, none of which was what I was looking for. I wanted something that more so called me as I was drawing each line to make out the picture. That’s when I finally came up with the artwork that you see. I realized that I want to show a picture that contrasts what is seen on the outside of a handmaid versus what they are actually thinking while going through everything. I know you might be asking, well, what does any of it mean? So starting with the pregnant crying handmaid. I would say that this handmaid is Janine and represents how she is pregnant but is sad that she knows that she has to eventually give up her baby once she gives birth, and is not okay with the circumstances. In some way, even though this is specifically Janine, this could also be a representation for all the handmaids, showing the harsh things that they have to go through and live with.
In the artwork, the handmaid is saying, “We’ve been sent good weather.” Even though they are saying this, a person could see the storm clouds that I made, so why is she saying that we have been sent good weather if there isn’t any? Well, this goes into the metaphor aspect of my art because it’s supposed to represent how they have to hide and censor their own feelings just to survive in this world. It shows how the handmaids are forced to put on this smile that is truly not there just to make the leaders of their society happy and make them move on. It’s just not fair that these women are forced to be humiliated and just used as birthing objects for other people, and not by choice. So it just shows that even though they might seem happy on the outside, there’s really a storm going on in their head. Other than the storm clouds, there are other clouds with things in them. One you could see, it seems like it became a popular saying in the book, “Nolite te bastardes caborundorum.” This saying means “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” I added this because I added a scene of June being in her bedroom, touching the carving of this saying on the floor in her closet. I just thought that this was important because it seems like the only thing that helps her stay sane. It helps her want to keep fighting or try to find a solution to all the madness. Even though at the time she didn’t know what it meant, she just knew it was a message left by someone who was in the same position as her. She felt like her struggles were relatable at that point. Lastly, the last quote I pulled was “when we think of the past, it’s the beautiful things we pick out…” I chose to add this because if you can see under it, there are black figures of what used to be her family. I just think it’s a way to show how the lie they knew of before was all behind them before, and is just a dream for them now. It’s no longer their usual or reality. This brings me into my whole reasoning of doing this, which was to just overall show their struggle. Show what they think in this very moment of living. Just letting viewers realize how deep this book actually could go.

Link to Doc

While reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, there was this one scene that I found particularly unsettling and intriguing where the mandatory ritual ceremony with the Commander and the Handmaid, Offred, conducts sexual intercourse. On surface level, it felt like what the author was trying to show was that the Commander was justified by the sacred duty to impregnate Offred for the reproduction of the population of Gilead which is completely understandable especially when they’re struggling in birthrate. However, delving deeper into this scene, it does symbolize how women are often exploited through the aspects of power, obedience, and control. Through this scene, Atwood uses Offred’s perspective to show the objectification of women’s bodies and the uneasiness when they’re being sexually controlled. As I read, I was extremely disturbed by the descriptive imagery that Atwood has used on the ritual between Offred and the Commander. The Ceremony is framed as an event justified by the sacredness of the Bible, but it felt like it was forced. The scene where Offred describes how the Wife and Offred are positioned, “My arms are raised, she holds my hands, each of mine in each of hers.” mimics a spiritual prayer as if it’s being done under the divines. But yet I sensed that it wasn’t spiritual, but done as an act of duty. The ritual transformed sexual intercourse as a sign of obedience, completely removing the aspects of intimacy and showed women’s role as an act of duty. Reading this, I was struck by how easily rituals can be exploited by the justification of faith and scripture, promising comfort and community, became a weapon of forced violence. My reaction reading this scene was uneasy since both roles, the Commander, and the women, had such a difference in power to the point where women could be exploited and trapped easily. For me, the Ceremony became an example on how a hierarchy of different roles with different powers, use religion as a safety net for domination and exploitation of others. What disturbed me further was the way the Ceremony reduces the women’s bodies to functional parts. In the scene where Offred observes how Serena Joy, the Wife, “is lying on her back fully clothed, except for the healthy white cotton underdrawers. Her legs are apart, she is holding my hands.” This position that Offred held emphasizes how her body is literally split off from herself. Because Offred’s upper half of her body is held by Serena Joy and the lower rest is used by the Commander, Offred is seen as a vessel rather than a human being. While the Ceremony has continued with the intercourse between the Commander and Offred, Offred kept note of the Commander’s behavior about how he treated the ritual as something to be required than desired, showing a lack of intimacy, shown form the quote, “He is preoccupied, like a man humming to himself in the shower.” I find that this scene normalized how objectification had become in Gilead when it comes to reproductive control. It wiped out women’s roles of mothers, wives, and lovers, and replaced them with wombs to be exploited against. Atwood also utilized Offred’s narration with irony which created both distance and resistance between the Commander and Offred. This one quote during the Ceremony, “This is not recreation, even for the Commander, This is serious business.” had shown how Offred had reacted. Logically, I would’ve thought she’d react with horror or disgust, but instead, she kind of narrated a flat tone as if she’s mocking the ritual. From what I’ve understood, I felt like her irony became a survival tactic. She knew that she couldn’t stop the act, so she controls the way she frames it in her mind since that’s the only thing she could control. Intellectually, I found this as a coping mechanism and way to detach herself from the brutally awkward Ceremony to stop her from breaking. Personally if I were in Offred’s position, I would’ve reacted the same way: finding ways to resist without directly rebelling. Reflecting on the Ceremony, I realize that I’m sensitive and I tend to be mirroring the discomfortness that Offred had faced along with her own strategies of surviving emotionally. I feel like the author’s intention of including and writing this scene was not just to directly show two different-gendered people having sexual intercourse, but to show the minor problem in reality of how women are treated as reproductive machines rather than actual human beings and how people can easily cover this using religion.

When coming up with this artwork, I didn’t really know what specific scene to include. There are so many powerful and inspirational scenes within The Handmaid’s Tale, none of which was what I was looking for. I wanted something that more so called me as I was drawing each line to make out the picture. That’s when I finally came up with the artwork that you see. I realized that I want to show a picture that contrasts what is seen on the outside of a handmaid versus what they are actually thinking while going through everything. I know you might be asking, well, what does any of it mean? So starting with the pregnant crying handmaid. I would say that this handmaid is Janine and represents how she is pregnant but is sad that she knows that she has to eventually give up her baby once she gives birth, and is not okay with the circumstances. In some way, even though this is specifically Janine, this could also be a representation for all the handmaids, showing the harsh things that they have to go through and live with.
In the artwork, the handmaid is saying, “We’ve been sent good weather.” Even though they are saying this, a person could see the storm clouds that I made, so why is she saying that we have been sent good weather if there isn’t any? Well, this goes into the metaphor aspect of my art because it’s supposed to represent how they have to hide and censor their own feelings just to survive in this world. It shows how the handmaids are forced to put on this smile that is truly not there just to make the leaders of their society happy and make them move on. It’s just not fair that these women are forced to be humiliated and just used as birthing objects for other people, and not by choice. So it just shows that even though they might seem happy on the outside, there’s really a storm going on in their head. Other than the storm clouds, there are other clouds with things in them. One you could see, it seems like it became a popular saying in the book, “Nolite te bastardes caborundorum.” This saying means “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” I added this because I added a scene of June being in her bedroom, touching the carving of this saying on the floor in her closet. I just thought that this was important because it seems like the only thing that helps her stay sane. It helps her want to keep fighting or try to find a solution to all the madness. Even though at the time she didn’t know what it meant, she just knew it was a message left by someone who was in the same position as her. She felt like her struggles were relatable at that point. Lastly, the last quote I pulled was “when we think of the past, it’s the beautiful things we pick out…” I chose to add this because if you can see under it, there are black figures of what used to be her family. I just think it’s a way to show how the lie they knew of before was all behind them before, and is just a dream for them now. It’s no longer their usual or reality. This brings me into my whole reasoning of doing this, which was to just overall show their struggle. Show what they think in this very moment of living. Just letting viewers realize how deep this book actually could go.

The first song on my Handmaid’s Tale playlist is the song Grieving by Leith Ross. Grieving is, unsurprisingly, a song about grief. More specifically about Ross grieving her past and her female ancestors, seen by the lyrics, “I never will stop grieving, Who we are when we are young, For my grandmother, her children, And who I never will become”. These lyrics really strike me, as they encapsulate everything I see in Offred’s emotions and grief. Similar to Ross, Offred misses her mother and often reflects on the life she could’ve lived but now seemingly may never get the chance to. All of this and more, make Grieving by Leith Ross the headlining song on my Handmaid’s Tale playlist.

The second song on my Handmaid’s Tale playlist is the song More by Halsey. This is a song about longing for a kid, and more specifically about the yearning and feelings of loss after having a miscarriage. This song encapsulates for me some of the ways that Offred is feeling throughout the book, as she has gone through a similar experience, with her child being taken away from her rather than having a misscarriage. We see this in moments like when Offred is at the doctor, reminiscing on her past with her daughter, when she thinks to herself, “She fades, I can’t keep her here with me, she’s gone now. Maybe I do think of her as a ghost, the ghost of a dead girl, a little girl who died when she was five”.

The third song on my Handmaid’s Tale playlist is the song Witches by Alice Phoebe Lou. This song being about her pushes and pulls of dependence and independence throughout different parts of different relationships, reminds me of Offred and her Commander’s current relationship and power dynamics. Additionally, Lou’s symbolic use of witches in the song as representations of female empowerment and how men/societies often fear that kind of self respect and power in women is very powerful and makes me think of how Offred’s mom and her group of feminists was said to have acted by Offred when she said, “They must have poured gasoline, because the flames shot high, and then they began dumping the magazines, from boxes, not too many at a time. Some of them were chanting; onlookers gathered. Their faces were happy, ecstatic almost.” This act of burning derogatory feminine portrayals is reminiscent of witches being burned at the stake.

The fourth song on my Handmaid’s Tale playlist is the song Pretty Girl by Clairo. Pretty girl is about the singer, Clairo feeling like she’s changing herself too much for a relationship and trying too hard to please her partner, seen in the lyrics, “And I could be a pretty girl, I’ll lose myself in you”. Eventually, this relationship ends and she feels like she is better off. I get similar feelings to these when reading Offred and the Handmaid’s forced efforts to please the commander to stay in their position, because, while bad, it’s better off than they could be as unwomen. I imagine if the Handmaids are ever free, or the system ever changes they will feel similarly to how Clairo felt after the end of the aforementioned relationship.

The fifth and final song on my Handmaid’s Tale playlist is the song Money In The Grave by Drake and Rick Ross. This song is a 180 from the other songs on this playlist, and that’s for a reason. It’s so different because this song connects to how the commander is feeling and acting throughout the first couple dozen chapters of The Handmaid’s Tale. Lyrics like, “I got hoes that I’m keepin’ in the dark, I got my niggas ‘cross the street livin’ large”, make me think of how the commander is hiding a relationship with Offred and how he and the other men are the only people in the world who are, “livin’ large” and have power/wealth. Offred stating that, “The Commander is the head of the household. The house is what he holds. To have and to hold, till death do us part”, has a similar feeling to Drake saying, “I don’t wanna change ‘cause I’m good where I’m at”. They are both saying that the position of the man in power, The Commander/Drake, isn’t changing anytime soon. Overall, my playlist encapsulates the feeling and actions of a variety of characters in The Handmaid’s Tale, from the obvious, Offred, to the more obscure characters like The Commander and Offred’s mother.

Throughout history, the lack of autonomy women have over their own bodies has always been blamed on the lack of modesty in their lifestyles. Instead of placing blame onto the predator who assaults women, there is typically a response as to what the women could have done for the assault to have been avoided. Without accountability for the abuse women go through, women may start to believe the hateful rhetoric being forced upon them and start turning against one another. This idea is perpetuated in The Handmaid’s Tale by the women’s opposition to one another during “Testifying.” During this time, the Handmaids are expected to share past personal experiences with the rest of the group. When it was Janine’s turn to share, she told the story about how she was “…gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion” (71). Instead of providing Janine with comfort and support as would be expected, the Handmaids instead told her it was “Her fault, her fault, her fault…” (72). This is representative of how society pits women against each other by showing how propaganda can persuade people to believe something that does not align with their ideals. The Handmaids’ chanting that Janine’s assault was her own fault was not a conclusion they came to on their own. Instead, they were being instructed to say this by the Aunts in Gilead until they started to believe what they were saying. In our society, this is seen in the rhetoric that women have to act a certain way for men not to prey upon them. If dressed in a way that is seen as “provocative,” a woman may be met with the question, “Well, what were you wearing?” This question has become normalized in conversations surrounding the sexual abuse of women and is used to deflect the blame of the abuser onto the innocent woman. This allows the idea that women need to dress modestly if they do not want their boundaries to be crossed to be sustained. This philosophy controls the way the Handmaids are allowed to dress. Each Handmaid has the same uniform: an outfit that is “…ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts, the sleeves are full. The white wings too are a prescribed issue; they are to keep us from seeing, but also being seen” (8). Since Handmaids are not allowed to have sex, or even be in the same room with a man unsupervised, this implies that one of the main reasons that the Handmaids should not be seen by society is that it may be too tempting for others to want sexual relations with the Handmaids. The lack of control of the men in Gilead dictates what the Handmaids are allowed to wear, and teaches them that their bodies should be something that they are ashamed of; merely an object for others’ pleasure that needs to be hidden away. The notion that a woman’s body is shameful causes both the women of Gilead and our society to feel like their bodies are a taboo subject that should not be discussed. This hateful speech leads them to the conclusion that they deserve the violations inflicted on them. After being ridiculed the week before, Janine tells the group that “It was (her) own fault. (She) led them on. (She) deserved the pain” (72). Being jeered at in the weeks before converted Janine’s mindset from being a victim in a disgusting situation to believing she was the one responsible for her own suffering. This shows how systematic oppression against women not only silences them, but also convinces them they need to carry their trauma alone. In our society, this results in women not speaking out against their abusers due to the fear that their situation will not be believed. In a society where women and their experiences are easily disregarded to preserve the lives of abusers, women lose their voices. In The Handmaid’s Tale, this holds a literal meaning– the Handmaids are forbidden from communicating with one another. In our society, this means that a woman’s voice feels powerless. Women will be forced to suffer and endure the abuses at the hands of men until society makes an effort to change its patriarchal ways. Even though they are set in different realities, the oppression and degradation of women are evident in both The Handmaid’s Tale and our own society. While The Handmaid’s Tale may be an exaggeration of the abuse women go through in our world, the themes of abuse and patriarchy are too common and too normalized in both societies. The Handmaid’s Tale should serve as a warning for what our society may become if the silencing and shaming of women continues without repercussions.