In chapter 23 of The Handmaid’s Tale. Offer is telling us how she comes to her senses. Between Luke and the commander, she realizes and is coming to a point where she doesn’t have a say in anything and feels taken advantage of.

The quote that stood out to me in chapter 23 was: “We are not each other anymore. Instead, I am his.” This quote hit me because it shows how Offred is no longer in a relationship built on love and equality. She is forced into a role where she’s owned and not loved. It’s not about the connection anymore; it’s about control. That shift from being someone’s partner to being someone’s property is heartbreaking, and it made me think of a time in my life where I felt like I didn’t have a voice either.
When I started volleyball in 9th grade, I was terrified. I had always been bigger than most of the other girls, and I thought that meant I wouldn’t be good enough. I was scared I wouldn’t make the team, scared people would judge me, and scared that my name belonged, so instead of speaking up and showing confidence, I let people run over me. I didn’t take up space, I didn’t ask questions, I didn’t play like I knew I could, I just tried to stay quiet and not get noticed, so I wouldn’t get embarrassed for being bigger and not knowing how to play volleyball.
That feeling of dimming yourself down because you didn’t think that you deserve to be there, reminding me of offered she’s in a society that doesn’t value her thoughts or feelings, she’s forced to play a role that just like I felt forced to play the role of being a quiet, insecure girl who didn’t want to mess up. Offered says, “ I am his,” and that line shows that she’s been reduced to someone’s possession. I feel like I was letting other people define me, too, not because they told me I had to, but because I was too scared to speak up. In chapter 23, Offred starts meeting with the commander, and they play Scrabble, which seems small, but it’s actually huge. It’s the first time she’s allowed to use her mind to speak freely, even if it’s just through a game, that moment reminded me of when I finally started to feel confident on the volleyball court. I remember one practice where I made a great serve, and my coach actually cheered for me. It was the first time I felt maybe I did belong, just like offers are still a tiny bit of power in those secret meetings. I started feeling a tiny bit of confidence in myself. But even then, offered knows she’s not free, she says, “I am his “because even though she’s allowed to play Scrabble and talk, it’s still on his terms. She’s still trapped in this world on the unspeakable. That’s how I felt,t tooLikeke I was only allowed to feel good if someone else permitted me. I didn’t fully believe in myself, yet I was still holding back. This chapter made me feel, and we think about how hard it is to find your voice when you’ve been taught to stay silent. Offered used to have a life where she was free, she had a husband, and daughter a job. Now she’s in a world she’s not even allowed to read. That loss of identity is something I felt in a smaller way when I started High School. I didn’t know who I was anymore. I was trying to fit in. I was trying not to stand out, and they made me feel invisible. Reading just a chapter helps me realize that even small acts of confidence matter. Offering to play Scrabble might seem like nothing, but it’s her way of holding on to who she used to be; it’s a way of saying I’m still here. For me, stepping onto the volleyball court and finally speaking up was my way of saying the same thing I’m still here I deserve to be seen. This quote also made me think about how her relationships can change from Power gets involved. To have a loving relationship with Luke, where they were equals. Now she’s in a situation where she’s being used. That shift is painful, but it reminded me of how important it is to be in spaces where you’re respected and valued. Whether it’s a team or friendship, or a classroom, everyone deserves to feel like they belong. In the end, this chapter showed me that finding my voice takes time. Offered is still trapped, but she’s starting to push back in small ways. She’s starting to speak up for herself more, but I was scared to speak up. But eventually I did, and once I did, everything started to change. I started to feel stronger and more confident and more like myself, just like I learned that even at your worst, you still find ways to hold on to who you are.

In chapter 18 of The Handmaid’s Tale, he feels alone and lonely. She is losing herself emotionally, physically, and mentally, her thoughts of Luke and losing people, say a lot about how I wanted to craft this portrait. I drew this portrait of her alone in a room, holding her belly. I used red and dark colors to come out as in this aspect because I think of this scene as sad and intense. The scene had to be offered. I wanted to show and be clear that she is a handmaid, so I made her in red. As she is forced to wear that color, this also shows everything that she is going through, the loneliness, the grief, and despair she feels from Luke.

The quote I want to surround my artwork is “ But this is wrong, nobody dies from lack of sex. It’s the lack of love we die from. There’s nobody here I can love, all the people I could love are dead or elsewhere.” I chose this quote because it shows how Offred is losing herself within the book. She is losing any type of love she once had. Between her daughter coming into an empty, lonely world, and not having a father figure. And losing the love of her life while still trying to dream up scenarios of them together.

When she said it’s a lack of love and everyone she could love, I thought about how I would be if I lost my mom or if I were trying to raise a child alone. I feel for her as she says this. It moved me. She is pregnant, and she was ripped off a loving, bright pregnancy, but instead, she is facing the cold, shut-out world. She is cut off from anyone she could love or trust in the world. In the book, we see a lot of hope and despair, and as I read this chapter, all I could think about is how she is in survival mode. But this is also connected to her growing up as a child and how she had freedom, and all the lost memories of her childhood. This is why I drew this scene like this, because I thought the quiet pen could drop and you would hear it. To the surrounding noise in her head, giving her hope.

This is why I drew black shading around her looking out a window in the rain. This symbolizes the environmental state of Gilead as to why she is trapped. Not just emotionally but physically, she is trapped as well. She can’t express herself or get a really good connection. I drew her by herself because I wanted to emphasize the isolation. I wanted her head down, looking to try not to cry from the weight she is carrying right now.

One of the big takeaways that I thought about from this book was that it offered me to face this alone. She still is huma,n and she has feelings. She is in a society that does not really support women; they just want to use their bodies. She is not just being used for her body, but she is fighting inner battles with herself that are killing her. This is all while carrying a child, so she needs more support than ever. That’s why I drew her baby, and she is just holding on to the last thing she loves and cares about. The one thing that’s keeping her sane.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18g6dCSJQ4zzYeJMfcgymluc5Xsq3nP4vsEE_LGG5ooU/edit?usp=sharing

hi, I’m jaelle and this is my notebook project. I had just recently lost my notebook so I wasn’t able to complete the notebook quiz to my full potential being as though everything is in my notebook. my notebook has helped me keep organized and has made it a long way just enough to get full for q2. I believe that I will do 3ay better in q3 for my notebook I have a lot of things planned for my notebook. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W58lkIHmX9K5Qxf6o9AEYZ4HfallOX2t/view

this is my group project. we were assigned to make a portrait out of straight lines and we did a dog.

my notebook has been there every step of the way and many more things to write In here I hope to keep up with my notebook and writing notes. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TrMJIBnJ7xYbRVHXPASf9W49sEtQdnk_/view?usp=share_link

this is about a girl that has a dream to open a beauty salon so when her dreams come true. she also just has some conflict but she gets through it.

My story is about a family that has split from each other. The family names are Samira, Jaidon, Zahmir, and Zaniah. Zahmir and Zaniah are twins. They were born on February 29th at 2:13 pm. The family finally went home after 2 days of being in the hospital. Zahir and Zaniah grew up with each other. Zahmir was 2 years old getting himself into trouble by breaking things. The father got tired of Zahmir breaking things. So, Jaidon ( the father) talked to Samira (the mother) about him. Samira tried to tell Jaidon that Zahmir is only 3 years old. But Jaidon didn’t wanna hear Samira’s mouth at the moment which caused them to start arguing. Jaidon said, “Zahmir is going to be a big problem in school and at home because of his behavior.” When Samira heard what Jadion said, she had some kind of reaction which caused her to say “I can take him somewhere else than planning on staying here for the rest of his 18 years” she said. After the 5 minutes they have been going back and forth, Samira started packing, getting ready to leave the house. They said their goodbyes.

This is my first project of the year enjoy my me magazine. keep in mind I have to add a couple things

This is my first project of the year enjoy my me magazine. keep in mind I have to add a couple things