Matt Z - Lit Log - Playlist

Creep by Radiohead was the first thing I thought of when I was introduced to this assignment. Creep is a song about people not being in their right bodies for themself and feeling alienated or foreign, the lyric to the song is, “I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo, what the hell am I doing here, I don’t belong here.” In the Handmaid’s Tale, page 61, it says, “My nakedness is strange to me already, my body seems outdated.” This tells the reader that not only does Offred feel that type of way but others might too. These handmaids are put here against their own will, making them feel like this couldn’t be real to them and feeling like they have failed. Offred doesn’t seem like she liked the position she is in and making women have babies against their will just because of this dystopian society. This makes me think of how someone can not be able to feel their body, like they don’t belong in the world but stuff like this helps the reader understand why sometimes it feels like this because, in this case, she’s alone. The next song on my list is Human by Christina Perri. She sings about how we are only human meaning nothing like this should ever have to happen to someone or anyone shouldn’t have to experience anything that makes them feel not right with their own bodies. She makes the song feel like we should all be helping each other and not working against each other because humans are the only living species that can talk to each other, learn, help others ,and we all have flaws. The lyric says, “But I’m only human, and I bleed when I fall down.” In the Handmaid’s Tale, page 94, Offred is having the ceremony and says, “Close your eyes and think of England but this is not England, I wish he would hurry up.” This just shows that this will and maybe break her later. The next song is The Night We Met by Lord Huron. He sings a song about someone in his past who we felt deeply connected to and I can infer that they fell apart and he would love to meet again the way they did. While reading the Handmaid’s Tale, she keeps having dreams and flashbacks of Luke and herself. “Luke was there, behind me, I turned to see him, he won’t look at me… the bell awakes me, and then Cora, knocking on my door… wipe my face with my sleeve. Of all the dreams this is the worst,” page 75. Offred wishes she can know if Luke is still alive and if she can see him again. The lyrics to the song says, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, Haunted by the ghost of you, take me back to the night we met.” I think this part of the song resonates with her and Luke’s relationship well because Offred was his mistress and she really felt like he was the one for her. The next song is You Don’t Own Me by Lesley Gore. This one is self explanatory. The song just means that they are allowed to do whatever they desire and no one shall tell them not to. In the Handmaid’s Tale once again I said this but they are being held there against their will and not being able to do stuff freely. In this song it says, “You don’t own me, I’m not just one of many toys, You don’t own me, Don’t say I can’t go with other boys.” This one connects with the third song and the second song in this essay because the people who run this dystopian society don’t get to tell them what they should do or who they should be with. Once again the reader understands the circumstances for the handmaids but the commander has to have intercourse with the handmaids so they can have a baby but she does want a baby just not with the commander. The last song is IDon’tWannaBeYouAnymore by Billie Eilish. This one is also self explanatory and also resonates with the first song. The meaning behind this song is that she is unhappy with the current state she is in and sees other people doing the things she wants to do but she doesn’t feel like she is made to do those things. Offred knows she wasn’t made to be put in a society where they are forcibly taking action on women to have kids. The lyric says, “If tear drops could be bottled, their be swimming pools filled by models, told the tight dress is what make you a whore, If I love you was a promise, would you break it if your honest, tell the mirror what she knows she heard before, I don’t want to be you anymore.” This is about gender and how people talk about women and that people are insecure and by looking in the mirror people see their insecurities. This also relates to the first song about not being in your body.