What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish
(https://youtu.be/cW8VLC9nnTo?si=G_s9hHk9vsN-npZd)

Lyric: “I used to float, now I just fall down”

Quote: “I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure,… Now the flesh arranges itself differently. I’m a cloud, congealed… I see despair coming towards me like famine.” (page 74)

The song expresses a sense of emptiness about identity, and this quote reflects this idea of a loss of recognition. Offred reflects on how she lost control of her body and how she no longer exists for herself, but for her reproductive system. Both the song and this quote shows the feeling of being disconnected from her true self. Offred’s sense of self has been replaced by her societal role, just like the lyrics she’s questioning her worth beyond what others expect from her. There is an emotional pain that comes from being defined by external forces.

Freedom by Beyoncé (https://youtu.be/7FWF9375hUA?si=BoR7MafCvkoszkMa)

Lyric: “Imma keep running, cause a winner don’t quit on themselves”

Quote: “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. (Don’t let the bastards grind you down.)” (page 52)

This quote is a latin phrase carved into Offred’s room and this becomes a source of strength for her. The lyric and the quote express determination to keep fighting despite being trapped in oppression. For Offred the carving represents hope and the strength to resist Gilead’s control over her body, similarly to Beyonce’s lyric emphasizing the empowerment of fighting through the struggle. Both show that to get freedom, you can’t give up hope and spirit, even if you’re not physically free yet.

Bad Religion by Frank Ocean
(https://youtu.be/JMpypbtrcCg?si=5JF5lAlPrJhCORAx)

Lyric: “Its a bad religion to be in love with someone who could never love you”

Quote: “I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance.” (page 39)

Frank Ocean sings about needing hope or faith to survive heartbreak. Offred is very similar in the way that she relies on belief as a survival mechanism. She tries to convince herself that her suffering is just a story, to try and hold on to the little hope she has left. Frank Ocean turns to religion for comfort to cope with unreturned love and emotional pain. Between both, faith becomes a form of hope, it offers them temporary relief, but also reveals how powerless and lonely they are.

TV by Billie Eilish (https://youtu.be/_JGGLJMpVks?si=-cIEleova_dyB95g)

Lyric: “The internet’s gone wild watching movie stars on trial, while they’re overturning Roe v. Wade”

Quote: “We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print.” (page 57)

This lyric shows how society loses focus on women’s struggles and rights, but instead pays attention to celebrity drama. In Gilead women have no control over their own body and have been completely erased in a sense. Both highlight how choosing not to pay attention allows oppression to happen and to continue to grow. The book and the song emphasize the primary idea that silence can be just as harmful as the system of control.

Pretty Hurts by Beyoncé
(https://youtu.be/LXXQLa-5n5w?si=yqNaAu2w7B28l-eS)

Lyric: “Perfection is the disease of a nation”

Quote: “My nakedness is strange to me already. My body seems outdated… I avoid looking down at my body, not so much because it’s shameful or immodest but because I don’t want to see it.” (page 63)

Women are stripped of their individuality and identity and forced to reach unattainable standards of appearance or roles, and defined by how well they “perform”. Just like the lyrics reveal about the world we live in, Gilead reduces women to objects of appearance and function rather than humans with feelings or freedom. The women in the book are important solely for their fertility, Gilead enforces control over women’s bodies similarly to how society takes control over women’s beauty. Both emphasize the idea the patriarchal power wants to define a woman’s worth through their physical appearance or function.

In chapter five of The Handmaid’s Tale, there is a long list of rules and restrictions governing the women in Gilead, especially the Handmaids. These rules shape the mind of the women, altering the perception of their own freedom. The clothes they wear make them walking signifiers of their “status”, as well as removing their individuality and controlling their visibility. One way this society makes sure to maintain women’s compliance is by banning reading and writing. These rules are so decided that even small acts of disobedience turn into what everyone else sees as a major defiance. All of this sums up to the manipulation of freedom. The rules are justified to the Handmaids as if they’re made so that they have a “choice”, when in reality they do not.

Handmaids are always dressed in red and white, which marks their fertility and their role. This way of dressing, Offred refers to as a habit, making this seem like an ingrained custom. “Some people call them habits, a good word for them. Habits are hard to break.”(24) This quote suggests that the clothing is not just uniform, but a way to force a habit onto the women. The white wings are a restriction of sight, which can be seen as both physical and intellectual limitations, preventing them from seeing the outside world as well as not allowing them to think freely. The rules governing their interactions on the street are strict. They always have to stay in pairs, not speak unless absolutely necessary, and keep their heads down. This instills isolation from each other, forcing them into a state of surveillance and distrust.

Having the ability to read and write is a powerful tool in maintaining ignorance. The store signs in the town are now pictograms. This visual prohibition is a constant reminder of the control over women’s access to information. They treat women as illiterate and incapable of making independent decisions or thoughts. The goal behind this is to make them seem or feel incompetent of making choices, with this it allows the higher ups to further keep them brain washed. Offred often talks about the loss of control, something as simple as handling or earning your own money gets taken away. “We use tokens for food, not money, money has been deregulated.” She reminisces on her past, thinking about the laundromats, where she had “my own soap, my own money, money I had earned myself.”(24) These simple acts have been stripped away due to Gilead’s rules.

The handmaids try to maintain an independence, because the opportunity for it is so slim already, they take the risk of or think of taking the risk of breaking the rules. A very big rule the handmaids have is no contact in any way with anyone, and Offred eventually breaks this rule. This society suppresses and prohibits all forms of a woman’s personal relationship, it makes it seem as if something as small as eye contact is an act of resistance. Gilead seeks to control the handmaids’ bodies as a function. They dehumanize these women so much and act as if they are machines made solely for the purpose of reproducing. Gilead doesn’t want to control the handmaids’ bodies, they also want the power to control their thoughts and memories. This is the rule we see Offred constantly breaking, she often has a constant flow or memories reminiscing on her past life. This is a strong example of how Gilead has the ability to restrict the body, but they have not been able to master the mind.

Before all these rules Aunt Lydia described Gilead as “freedom to”, but now it is “freedom from.” The idea of freedom is now twisted in a way to make the handmaids believe they have been saved from all the bad things in society, but what it really does is take away their ability to choose. “There is more than one kind of freedom. Freedom to and freedom from. In days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom. Don’t underrate it.”(25) “Freedom to” would be when women had the freedom to choose their clothes, jobs, and partners. While they had this freedom they were still exposed to sexual harassment and violence. “Freedom from” would be the positive benefits, women have freedom from fear, unwanted attention, and the pressure of objectification. Gilead stretched the dangers of before so much so that they can make it seem like all of this is for the protection of the women, when really it instills power, control, and tricking the handmaids into accepting oppression in exchange for a false sense of security.

I feel a lot of sympathy for the women in this story, I can’t imagine what it would be like everyday to live under the control of someone else. Having the right of choice taken away is insane to me or being forced to forget your old life is something I never want to imagine. When the author writes scenes of her having memories with her child and husband, having her freedom, and the pain of losing her family and basically her whole life taken away, I can feel the impact and emotion brought up with it.

Q2 Notebook My notebook has helped me during quarter 2 because it allows me to look back on previous lesson notes when I need them. I will continue to keep my notes organized moving forward.