My capstone project was a fantasy book I named “Princess Indira.” It’s a tragic legend about Princess Indira of Anastasia. She grew up in a kingdom that was once attacked which caused her parents to be very restricting. One day, to her surprise, she witnesses an attack on the kingdom so she takes it upon herself to find a way to protect it. My story was derived from an assignment I did in statistics class that I decided to build upon. The assignment itself was essentially a graded game of Dungeons & Dragons, which I enjoy playing. The story itself doesn’t exactly follow the SLA core values, but the process does. First, I had an inquiry about what it would be like to write a book since I’ve taken multiple writing classes at SLA. I then researched how to write a typical structured novel and what constitutes as a novel. After I collaborated with my older sister and aunt who both wrote books within the last five years. From that, I learned that books need storyboards the same way movies do. I presented the idea to my advisor after reflecting on my circumstances by reassuring myself that I can take on such a task before the due date.

In chapter thirty-six of The Handmaid’s Tale, Offred is taken on a “date” to an underground club called “Jezebel’s” with the Commander. Throughout this scene, the reader is made to feel uncomfortable.

From the beginning of the situation, we sense something strange about the Commander that night. “‘Tonight I have a little surprise for you,’ he says. He laughs;” (pg 229) Offred describes it as a “snigger.” We as readers, like Offred, aren’t yet sure what he finds funny or why he emphasized little in his proposal. Offred also says he wishes to diminish things, like her, when talking about something. By definition, “diminish” means to make someone or something seem less valuable. The Commander wants to continue to feel powerful and the only way to do that is to make others seem less. To get ready for the club, the Commander does Offred’s makeup with old products and makes her wear a big cloak that we are led to believe belongs to Serena Joy. Offred decides to do it herself and finds it difficult to do so. “For a moment I think I won’t remember how to do any of this,” The entire scene focuses on Offred getting back into the habit of something she did before it was forbidden for her.

“He slips around my waist a tag, purple on an elastic band, like the tags for airport luggage. ‘If anyone asks you, say you’re an evening rental,’ he says.” (pg 233) We as readers are able to understand, without context, that women of Gilead can be rented for the night for whatever the men so please.

When they get to Jezebel’s, Offred sees women and men lounging around. As stated, the women are dressed in “festive gear”, “olden-days lingerie”, bikinis, and cheerleader uniforms while the men are in work clothes. From the description of the extravagant clothes and make-up the women wear, which contrasts the average clothes the men wear, we know Jezebel’s is a risque club. The dissimilarity between the women working at the club and Offred could symbolize the two truths to Gilead. On one hand, it prides their women on modesty and tradition. It also oppresses women; as seen with Offred wearing a bulky cloak that doesn’t belong to her. On the other hand, men are lusting after women in little clothing; wanting something that is not seen as “Holy.”

The Commander shows off Offred. “The Commander does the talking for me, to this man and to the others who follow him. He doesn’t say much about me, he doesn’t need to. He says I’m new, and they look at me and dismiss me and confer together about other things. My disguise performs its function.” (pg 236) We see the men not care much about the women who are evening rentals. This tells us that Jezebel’s is a club meant for relaxing without the rules of Gilead applying to women so they may objectify them however they want.

Throughout “The Handmaid’s Tale,” we’re told the story from a first-person point of view and as we read on we recognize that the narrator, Offred, isn’t a reliable narrator. This is a literary technique used to describe Offred’s character without using descriptive words. We can also describe Offred’s character with songs.

“Like A Virgin” by Madonna.

The song “Like a Virgin” talks about being intimate with someone you have such big feelings for, the experience feels new when it isn’t. In the story, Offred is in love with Luke; who we know has a wife. There are multiple times when Offred has expressed hopeless devotion to Luke regardless of his beliefs and her situation with Nick. In the scene when Offred kisses Nick in the closet, it’s implied she still thinks of him. “It’s so good, to be touched by someone, to be felt so greedily, to feel so greedy. Luke, you’d know, you’d understand. It’s you here, in another body.” (pg 99)

“Riot Grrrl” by Bikini Kill

A song about SA and rape culture, “Riot Grrrl” is the perfect protest song to the societal norms within Gilead. The construct of Gilead is very oppressive towards women. From the what they wear to how they must communicate their problems, the women of Gilead must operate in a conservative manor. That is why I think “Riot Grrrl” is a good representation of what most women are possibly feeling. The song is hard punk with sensitive lyrics and given the harsh circumstances the women must oblige to, it wouldn’t be far off to assume they have unconscious anger.

“Misery Business” by Paramore

As said before, Offred is been in a relationship with a married man, Luke. “Misery Business” is about getting back at a homewrecker. Although in this situation, Offred is the homewrecker, the narrator of the song has expressed the joy she gets in being with the guy she wants and the joy of seeing said homewrecker upset about it. “Two weeks and we had caught on fire/She’s got it out for me but I wear the biggest smile/ Whoa, I never meant to brag; But I got him where I want him now.” (Misery Business) I think Offred would like this song because of her mischievous personality.

“Just a Girl” by No Doubt

Although I am basing this song selection off of the title, it does connect to what Offred had to go through when Gilead was becoming what it is. In the beginning of the story, we’re in the gymnasium as Offred is connecting her surroundings to things she has experienced and has not experienced. Remembering how school dances take place in gymnasiums and her longing for a sexual experience, we as readers gather that she is as the song chorus puts it “Just a Girl.” “…as I knew from pictures, later in miniskirts, then pants, then in one earring, spiky green-streaked hair. […] There was old sex in the room and loneliness, and expectation, of something without a shape or name. I remember that yearning…” (pg 3)

“Lovefool” by The Cardigans

To be a “Lovefool” means to be in love with someone who does not feel the same. In the book, Offred gets attached to Luke through their affair. She becomes desperate for his love and attention even when he’s not around. However, we are not sure that Luke feels the same. Given that he doesn’t want to divorce his wife, we can assume that he doesn’t feel as strongly about her.

I decided to make a commentary on sexism because I watch commentaries daily. I find the idea of someone giving facts and opinions on a certain topic, then making it into a video is educational just as much as it is entertaining.

I chose the topic of sexism because up until almost three years ago, I wasn’t the most educated on it. Almost three years ago I was 12 and didn’t know about sexism. I knew the word, but after watching sitcoms that poked fun at the matter, I saw the topic as just another thing people were sensitive about. With this commentary, I wish to educate children to know that sexism isn’t a joke. I wish to teach children that were my age, not to see it the way I did when I was uneducated and ignorant.

Though this commentary isn’t only for kids. I think anyone and everyone could listen to it because it doesn’t hurt to be informed.

One thing I learned from the research was how people CAN see this as a joke. “Thomas Ford and Mark Ferguson once pointed out “Sexist and other discriminatory disparaging humor takes a code for granted: its funniness relies on people recognizing the stereotypes that are the basis for the joke. It asks us to not take discriminatory stereotyping seriously. That’s not going to take the sting out of it.” and I couldn’t agree more.” This was said in my commentary. If this interests you, you should watch the entire thing for more information.

(P.S My computer is acting weird so in order to listen to it you need to click on the paper, download it, then you can listen and you don’t need me to give access)

For the Coming of Age 2020 project I chose to submit a picture of my journal entry I wrote in 8th grade at the beginning of online learning. I chose this because I feel as though it perfectly sums up my attitude towards what was going on at the time and it also sums up some other people’s reaction toward Quarantine and COVID. I talk about not taking the situation seriously. Back when it started, I knew Covid was a threat but I, to an extent, thought that I just wouldn’t get it or it just wasn’t that big of a deal. That was until my father became sick. You never really realize the pure danger in something till it basically slaps you in the face and my project talks all about that. My project also talks about school. Since I’m in 9th grade, I had to leave the school in which I wrote this in. I’ve been at that school since 3rd grade when I transferred there. During the last few weeks before school closed was hard. We were starting our PSSA prep and got a new principal who changed things up a lot. I started to hate that school and would say I couldn’t wait to leave. When they sent out a letter that we wouldn’t be back in school in 2 weeks I was ok with that because I still wasn’t fully educated on coronavirus. It wasn’t until May 19th when the school said they would send a cap, I was upset and asked my mother why and she asked me if I new what was going on. I was still oblivious and she turned on the news. I saw thousands of cases of COVID-19 and saw the amounts of death. I was finally scared straight. I was also told I won’t be going back to school either until possibly next year, which meant highschool would start but we won’t be there to really go. That was the exact moment I finally had a realization. The next day on online class the teacher told us to write down our feelings, and I did. I wrote about my journey to finding out why this world was in a panic and why I should have taken it more seriously.