I spent a good time at SLA thinking about the different ideas for capstones I could do when I became a senior. I narrowed my ideas down to having events where people could come together and plant whatever their hearts desire. Like all projects, my capstone idea had to start with research. As a person who was so interested in basing a huge project on planting, I had little to no idea of how planting life really worked. During this process of planning, my ideas clashed with some of my peers that would be working on the terrace at the same time as me. There, we decided to combine our capstones in a way that could come together and become a bigger event involving more people. I view the greenhouse as an achievement and a safe space where I can go, whenever I feel the heaviness that comes from being a student.I’ve spent a huge time at SLA finding my people, and sophomore me wished we had small places like the greenhouse to meet people with the same interests. With this capstone, I was able to learn so much about not only plants, but the importance of time management and the importance of planning. As I found balance with my time, planning everything came next, my weekly research, responsibilities, and the final details to my capstone. I hope that other students can look at my projects, and see that they don’t need to change themselves to have a place at SLA.

Link to full annotated bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yPbp-1W69CUIKXuAYtezLXEFmn4aUZHtPJXmu-ABZsc/edit?usp=sharing

Purple Hues Podcast dives deep into the Literal and Figurative devices that appear in the book “The Color Purple” By Alice Walker. A book about a character named Celie and the events of her life, navigating how to discover the things she desires.

In this first episode, the hosts of Purple Hues share their hottest take along with their first impressions of the book. Analyzing key parts to build up bigger ideas later in the story.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qe9kLsRMckDofdgvWxu1ajgNKKaHivow/view?usp=sharing

The Road, a book by Cormac McCarthy, is a dark story of a father and son trying to survive an apocalyptic world. As readers, we see their journey through countless unfamiliar backgrounds and we see their mostly depressing story. Where everyday of survival for these characters, is a battle with themselves, and the crazy world around them.

When reading The Road, one is aware that happy moments are treasures in the stories of the main characters. When often seeing them struggle to keep being alive, we can’t help but to dig deeper into the moments where the father and son are at ease.

It’s no coincidence that these good moments are a sign of safety. McCarty uses these moments to show readers that characters are finally somewhat safe. We see this when the son can just live as a normal child, learning to thank people and God with–“Dear people, thank you for all this food and stuff.” (146)— a prayer. And the father, just a father for his son, “You’re doing good, the man said. You’re doing good.” (39). The author’s strategy is compelling. Showing that with environmental safety, we can learn more about the lives and perspectives of characters outside the world they live in.

When reading, it almost feels surreal seeing these characters just live after experiencing the most traumatic horrors of their lives. As readers you grow to appreciate and desire more of these moments for the characters. On The Road, various types of safety are displayed for readers to uncover and analyze. But after reading the book from start to finish, we thought it would be important to show the perspective that explores the idea that good moments equate to safety. By showing specific experiences of the characters, we as readers can observe the different types of stability represented in the book.

more detailed examples below:

“Alone at last, I think. The fact is that I don’t want to be alone with him, not on a bed. I’d rather have Serena there too. I’d rather play Scrabble. But my silence does not deter him. “Tomorrow, isn’t it? He says softly. “I thought we could jump the gun.” He turns towards me. “Why did you bring me here?” I say coldly. He’s stroking my body now, from the stem as they say to stern, cat stroke along the left flank, down the left leg. He stops at the foot, his fingers encircling the ankle, briefly, like a bracelet, where the tattoo is, a Braille he can read, a cattle brand. It means ownership. I remind myself that he is not an unkind man; that, under other circumstances, I even like him.” (254)

Offred’s relationship with the commander is one that becomes more complex as the story progresses. What first starts as a “harmless” friendship between two people who like playing scrabble, becomes a relationship with a weird power dynamic. In the latest chapter; 37-39, readers can see the tension and awareness Offred goes through at the club the commander brought her to.

Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale Offred is unsure of what her relationship with the Commander is. She is aware of the dangers from it, but she also knows if she disobeys, the Commander himself could ruin her. In some sections, it is clear that Offred feels uncomfortable with the way the Commander is acting. She describes it to readers but right after, she backs up the Commander. Almost like a button has switched inside of her swapping for the brainwashed version of her, reflecting how powerless she is in all of the relationships she has had.

In chapter 39 pg. 254, when both Offred and the Commander are in the hotel room he rented out, the Commander starts making a move on Offred. The first first thing readers might catch on is how he is throwing himself at Offred. In a sexual way, he begins to caress her body showing clear intentions that what he wants is intimate. Offred has tried to avoid this sexual tension multiple times, but this time, it seems like there is no escape from it. She is clearly uncomfortable and she shows by the way she describes the situation. “The fact is that I don’t want to be alone with him, not on a bed. I’d rather have Serena there too.” (254) Even with the discomfort, she then changes the way she speaks about the Commander. “I remind myself that he is not an unkind man; that, under other circumstances, I even like him.” (254) This happens very often, Offred will often mentally justify anything that a man does to her. In class discussions, my peer Esther and I were to make the connection that our main character seems to need that attention even if it is bad to be validated or have some sort of purpose.

Learning more about who Offred is and what happened to human society in the earlier chapters, we could see that from the beginning, she craved any kind of power that she herself did not have. Offred used tactics that she knew could cause her trouble just for the thrill. “They touch with their eyes instead and I move my hips a little, feeling the full red skirt sway around me. It’s like thumbing your nose from behind a fence or teasing a dog with a bone held out of reach..” (22) Taunting the guardians reflects how far Offred will go to get that validation revealing the need to defend the men who do wrong by her.

This pattern does not only occur with the Commander, I also caught on that Offred did this with her past relationships and just men she passes by in her tale. Luke is one of these examples. One moment that stood out to me was when Offred was telling the story of how Gilead came to be. At that moment, she had just lost her job and access to all kinds of things she owned. Feeling distraught, she wanted comfort from her love. As many recognize, a relationship between two people should be sacred and something one can find comfort with when the worst happens. On the contrary, Luke did everything but truly offer comfort. Passing on the matter and wanting sex with Offred.

“Hush, he said. He was still kneeling on the floor. You know I’ll always take care of you. I thought, Already he’s starting to patronize me. Then I thought, Already you’re starting to get paranoid, I know, said. I love you” (179)

Offred needed that consolation yet she was shut out like a door shutting on your face from not being a wanted guest. The sex most likely happened afterwards without the liking of Offred. Yet with everything that happened, she defended the idea of him, dismissing everything once again. This cycle goes back to the Commander.

When reading The Handmaid’s Tale it is important to see the patterns Atwood drops around the story to expose the main character’s ways. Offred’s self sabotaging ways – defending those who did her wrong– reveals how her mental state is suffering and has been since way back when. Offred’s character is broken and has been for a long time, and experiencing the rise of Gilead botched the way she navigates her relationships. She’s alone and will justify anything as long as she can to keep the relationship’s spark alive.

Liquid Smooth by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfurc6KcMwk

Liquid smooth by Mitski is about recognizing that youth and beauty is a privilege. This privilege wants other people to notice it in you before it is gone; referring to getting older and plain.

Liquid smooth implements the idea of a woman’s body being seen as an object to men “my skin is plump and full of life”. We see Offred referring to this idea with her own body. “I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation… Now the flesh arranges itself differently. I’m a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within its translucent wrapping.” (pg. 73)

The women in The Handmaid’s Tale are living in a civilization where the youth are more fortunate. Older women like the wives aren’t successful the way the handmaids are. Yes they have power compared to them, wealth and husbands. But they can’t have what is mostly important in the society of Gilead, children.

Once more to see you by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9yfLGT_ozQ

Once more to see you by Miski explores the strong desire to be with someone even with the circumstances of trying to maintain an image to the public. Mitski explores this by singing about important moments individuals experienced together.

“If you would let me give you pinky promise kisses, Then I wouldn’t have to scream your name. Atop of every roof in the city of my heat. If I could see you. Once more to see you.”

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the main character Offred is alone and often depressed. Her past life is gone, and the person she loved the most is as well. Throughout the book, Offred calls out to Luke in hopes he will hear her. “I looked up at the blind plaster eye in the ceiling… I wanted to feel Luke lying beside me, but there wasn’t room” (pg. 52). Offred’s state of mind is fragile and the more time passes, her deepest wish is to have someone by her side.

Bag of bones by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf0rzDVijC0

Bag of Bones by Mitski is a song about feeling trapped in one’s routine while being lost and looking for an escape. Mitski explores the song’s character as their messy room, translating to the chaos of their life and mind. “I’m all used up, pretty boy, over, and over again.” We see this feeling of being trapped with Offred’s character multiple times in The Handmaid’s Tale.

In chapter 7, Offred is able to explore the memories of her life in hopes to escape. The memories in the beginning are good and later become dark. The complete tone shift shows the chaos that is going in her mind. “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.” (pg. 39) Offred is tired and deeply wants to escape, she has hopes but hopes might not last forever.

Wife by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7FwNXxgl10

In the song Wife by Mitski, the deep exploration of the struggle of women defining themselves in relation to their marriage shows a sense of entrapment. Offred is not the only one that might feel trapped. Every woman character seems to have their own trouble relating to their new life. The chorus reveals that the speaker feels pain to her partner by their inability to have children together. Like Serena Joy, she daydreams about having a song and giving a name of her own.

The speaker in the second verse wants to break away from the “cliff” and find her own path but she is again held back by her inability to give children. Serena Joy is met with this fate. She spends time gardening for this exact reason. “Maybe it’s just something to keep the wives busy, to give them a sense of purpose.” (pg. 13) Hoping to take her mind away from everything she can’t give, she does things in hope to give something.

Me and my husband by Mitski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU_Dbxciei8

Me and my husband by Mitski explores the idea of companionship, unconditional love, and stability. Mitski reflects upon the dying good moments and the comfort of her marriage. The song explores the character’s sentiment towards her husband and that she is grateful to be able to depend on the man in her life.

This dynamic is seen with Serena Joy and the commander. Eversince the new age of Gilead has set in place, her relationship with the commander has undergone turbulent waters. With her inability to give children, their relationship is a mere picture and something to display stableness in the family. “As for my husband, she said, he’s just that. My husband. I want that to be perfectly clear. Till death do us part. It’s final.” (pg. 16) With her old life gone and everything she had power over, Serena Joy guards what she does have heavily in hopes she won’t lose it again.