Music In hardships

Lit Log 2

People Hatin’ - The Red Clay Strays: This song looks at how people hate each other for not listening to others, and how they convey that hate. In Gilead, we see how the government chooses to hang people to convey their hate for self-expression, specifically when Offred and her comrade are walking by the church where they hang enemies of the government. She says, “Only two hanging on it today: one Catholic, not a priest though.” (176), showing the reader that this is common enough that she has learned what to look for to tell the difference between a normal catholic and a priest. These themes of hatred continue to show up throughout the book. This further reinforces why a song about how people hate each other belongs on this playlist. While it may not focus on Offred specifically, it illustrates how Gilead, in many ways, mirrors the way people convey hate in our world.

Richmen North Of Richman - Oliver Anthony: This song reflects the struggles of working-class people under those who do not care for their employees and take control of their lives. It’s that fact that brings this song into the fold of this playlist, as it relates to how the handmaids are never thanked for their work, much like the rest of the women in Gilead, they are cast aside and neglected except for when they have to perform the ceremony. This song also talks about how most of the wealth in this country is held by the top 1%, much like how in Gilead it’s implied that the elite hold all of the commodities. This is shown throughout the book. At the beginning, Offred describes how they burned all of the magazines when she says, “There are no more magazines, no more films, no more substitutes” (19), and later, when the commander gives her a magazine, she seems shocked and confused about how he procured one. This again works to show us how the elite control the supply and distribution of these commodities. This song is sung out of fear and distrust of people. Oliver Anthony achieves this by appearing in the music video, sitting in the wilderness, and exaggerating his words and expressions to convey his distrust and anger towards the elite. In Direct contrast, Offred shows little emotion toward people and is actively discouraged from showing emotion. This happens throughout the book, but it is particularly evident when a tourist group is visiting and the tour guide asks her questions; she contemplates her response. In the book, she describes her response by saying, “I look down at the sidewalk, shake my head for no.” (26) This simple response is again in contrast to Oliver Anthony’s reaction to people who “wanna have total control.” (2:12) he directly calls out the elite and voices his mind. It’s lines like those that show how even though two people can share a similar feeling about a style of government, they may show their disagreement in two very different ways.

Take Me to Church - Hoizer: Hoizer is known for standing up for equal rights and voicing his opinion through his songs. One of his most well-known and msot played songs is “Take Me to Church,” where he describes the struggle of an openly gay couple being harassed by a group of masked men. Violent acts like that show how we are currently straying towards a path that leads to a government like the one they have in Gilead; they openly hang people for not following the strict laws of the government. Throughout the book, LGBTIA+ people are only mentioned a few times, but later in the book, we can infer by the actions of the Gilead government and the overall disdain for people who are different that they, too, would face the same fate as priests and other groups that are hanged. One similarity between the book and the song is that in the music video of “Take Me to Church,” we see a mob of people burning the belongings of the couple featured in the song. Similarly, in The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s said that women also burned books in the early days of Gilead. (32) These details describe how, even though these groups are hated for different reasons, many of the “tactics” taken by the hate groups are similar and employ a similar hatred.

Labour - Paris Paloma: Labour by Paris Paloma describes the struggle of women in relationships in which they feel trapped. This song gained msot of its popularity during the “Me Too” Movement and has stayed in the public eye. This song explicitly mentions how many women feel trapped in a marriage, and as if their only job is to have babies. In the song “Paris,” Paloma says, “If we had a daughter, I’d watch and could not save her” (1:26), which directly parallels how in Gilead, daughters are taken from their families and given away. In one of the later chapters, it’s described as a sort of wedding ritual where many daughters are given away at once, where she writes, “And now the twenty veiled daughters, in white, come shyly forward.” (196) These words also show how in Gilead many of the traditions of our modern world have been altered to better suit and fit the standards of the government to help reinforce their ideals. Similarly, in Labour, the song accurately depicts how many women are practically held hostage in their relationships, much like how Offred was stuck with Luke after the start of Gilead, when she was no longer allowed to work or hold a bank account. Even though she trusted Luke, she still felt trapped in the relationship.

Bella Ciao - Unknown (It’s been republished many times over the years): The Last song I included on this short playlist is the protest song Bella Ciao. This song has been replicated and translated over its over a hundred-year history. Its main credit and popularity come from the late 1920s and early 1930s in Italy, where it was sung as an anti-fascist anthem. Today, it’s been translated into English and is sung in protest of not only the US government but also the Israeli government and their blockade of the Gaza Strip. I chose to include this song to show hope and that even though the tunnel is long and dark, there’s always light at the end ot it. Throughout history, victory has prevailed from the people who persevere and resist tyranny. Throughout the book, there are constant mentions of the types of Hope Offred holds onto. Most notably, she holds onto the hope that Luke is still out there and that he will try to rescue her. She says this midway through the book when she says, “He made contact with the others, there must be a resistance, a government in exile. Someone must be out there.”(90). This shows that even though she has been forced into this new way of life, she holds onto some hope that someday Luke will save her. Maybe they’ll be able to return some sense of normality. Since Bella Ciao is most remembered as a protest song, it’s also worth mentioning how, in the same quote, she also talks about how there “must be a resistance, a government in exile. Someone must be out there.” this further reinforces the notion that she is not alone in this fight and that others are also working to save not just ehr but everyone who has been forced into this new way of life.

Many more songs could be added to this playlist that also relate to people’s uprising against the group of fascist governments. Many of them either come from modern times, the 40’s during the Nazi takeover, or other fiction novels that also tell the story of tyrannical governments.

Link to Playlist: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEtDwf1tlK5UDfcAHA5QZbCs2aHTABmcE&si=UAJm-kMhFB_W_m4h