Website (with bibliography): https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/fortheloveofthrifting?usp=sharing

I created a website with a guide for thrifting in Philly, while educating viewers on the topic of thrifting and its benefits vs. alternative, more common methods of shopping. I made purchases at most of the stores I visited and used them to curate outfits and photographed them on myself and 3 other models. I knew I wanted to do something related to clothing and fashion, and when my first idea didn’t pan out due to funds I thought doing something based on thrifting, an affordable alternative which I am passionate about, would be a good idea. I learned a lot about what thrifting means to low income communities and how gentrification has poorly impacted them, yes in terms of affordable housing, but also affordable clothing. Thrifting has long been a method of acquiring affordable clothing in low income communities for the working class. It has since been noticed as a trend by middle class citizens who have hijacked the business model and blurred the line between thrifting and reselling more expensive or rarer items, sometimes for even higher prices. This new demand has caused many thrifts to appeal to these wealthier customers, thus taking away from those working class citizens. One of my greatest joys this year has been thrifting and putting together new looks and people have started to notice. Underclassmen have been coming up to me asking where I got pants or a jacket and I’m happy to tell them to come watch my capstone presentation to give them some sauce so they can expand their own closets with something unique and true to them.

Going Home Podcast

Speakers: Na’im Faulkner, Khairi Roberts, James Murray

Pod #1:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qcpp0rkclyEMclhfKbJzdXC5RGNKIOdr/view

What does each interaction with other people tell us about the main characters or the world?

1 Mom Leaves

In chronological order of the book, the first interaction they had with another person was when the woman left. Her family was not enough for her to want to survive in this hellish world. The man pleaded with her to stay but it wasn’t enough. “Death is not a lover. Oh yes he is”. (pg. 57) This must have been a long time coming because when the boy woke up he knew, “she’s gone isn’t she”. I think this experience, aside from the whole apocalypse thing, has a lot to do with why the man is as cold as he is. This scene lets us know on an emotional level how truly terrible the state of the world is, leaving our two main characters to embark on their journey south.

2 Lightning-Stricken Man

When they come across a man who has been struck by lightning, the boy is compassionate and wants to help him, which is a theme that will continue to show throughout the entire book. This also goes to show just how fortunate they are that the man is able bodied and not old, as well as the fact that neither of them are alone. We can only imagine what it is like to be in this post-apocalyptic world, being in it alone seems much more impossible.

3 Roadrat

When they notice a truck coming up the road, fear strikes the heart of the man and boy and we are first introduced to the “bad guys”. When the man approaches the truck driver (roadrat), he gets into a verbal and physical altercation that results in the man killing the roadrat. The boy’s compassion reaches new levels when he expresses that he is upset with the man for killing the roadrat, even though there was a point where the roadrat grabbed the boy and put a knife to his throat. This interaction lets us know that there are still motor vehicles being operated, and there is some bigger group of “bad guys”. “Yeah. We got ammunition” (pg. 64)

4 Basement Food

They find a big house on the side of the road and enter in search of some food or supplies that could be useful, but what they find shocks them. They found a bunch of naked people, some with torn off limbs. This shows us how evil these “bad guys” are and what they would do to survive. They have been, and will continue to round survivors up and eat them, which is why the man was hiding when they came across the truck.

5 Ely

They find an old, somewhat blind, frail man who calls himself Ely. This is the first time the boy was able to convince the man to help someone. We also see glimpses of the boy maturing with him knowing that he won’t be able to take the man with them. I believe McCarthy added this interaction to add in a more philosophical aspect to provide meaning to what it is to survive on the road. He also further establishes the religious aspect of the story, for further though.

6 3 Men & Pregnant Woman

When the man thinks they are being followed, there is a shift in how the boy responds. The man is no longer just giving out orders, instead they both understand the situation and come up with a plan together as the boy knows the people may be after their food and anyone would be willing to take their lives for it. This shows a growth in the boy’s understanding of the gravity of the apocalypse.

7 Thief

When someone steals their cart, the man is livid. When they find the thief, the man takes everything from him. The boy wants to go back and help him which shows an incredible amount of compassion seeing as though that thief was ready to leave them for dead.

8 End (Good Guys)

In the end, the man is dead, and the boy finally finds more “good guys” which gives us a little hope for the boy’s future.

Chain Gang - Sam Cooke

This song would be in the opening showing the Handmaid’s and Martha’s. The scene would go back and forth between the Martha’s doing their various tasks like cleaning, cooking, and doing various tasks and the Handmaid’s having sex with the commanders during the ceremony. The continuous background “huh, hah, huh, hah” sound will represent the labor they are doing throughout the day. In the chorus Cooke repeats “That’s the sound of the men working on the chain gang”. That line is essential to why I chose it because the irony highlights the fact that this labor is being done by women. The “chain gang” represents that they are trapped in their “reduced circumstances” and not doing this labor by choice.

Freedom (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - Beyonce

This song is all about Moira. But it isn’t just Moira’s experience, it is what she represents for the other Handmaids. The chorus makes a very noticeable connection to Moira as she escaped her post in an attempt to get out of Gilead to start a new life, or maybe return to some sense of her old life. This scene can start with Offred dreaming. Dreaming of Moira tying up Aunt Elizabeth and walking out of the center. This scene would be before Moira tells Offred what actually happened. Instead of the scene being what actually happened to Moira, it would be Offred dreaming of Moira pulling off this great escape that she hopes he can mimic. The main part that separates this song from moira’s true story is the “Ima keep on runnin’ ‘cause a winner don’t quit on themselves”. Moira quit. Or maybe not. She realized her circumstances and chose the best, realistic option.

“”Moira” I say. “You don’t mean that.” She is frightening me now, because what I hear in her voice is indifference, a lack of volition” pg. 249

This is why it’s a dream. Deep down Offred likely can’t even imagine what it would really be like to escape. So her mind keeps running away. Away from becoming content.

That’s What I Want - Lil Nas X

When becoming a Handmaid, Offred lost a lot of things from her old life, including love. Offred often remembers her husband fondly, rarely mentioning the rough parts of their relationship. Song lyrics: “These days are way too lonely” This scene will be another night scene where Offred is wanting to be held. Wanting to feel like someone valued her and her body, not just her womb.

“I want Luke here so badly. I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I am not” pg. 97

Those feelings are the essence of this song. The opening line “Need a boy who can cuddle with me all night” is exactly what Offred wanted when thinking of Luke before Nick walked in the room. Those feelings of being wanted were so strong to Offred that she almost took a huge risk and had sex with Nick. Song lyrics” I want someone to love me”

Enjoy Yourself (feat. KAROL G) - Pop Smoke

In this scene, the Commander takes Offred to Jezebel’s for the first time. This scene starts off very intimate with the two of them in the Commander’s room back at the house. We watch Offred change clothes into her costume and metaphorically, subtly hints at Offred letting some of the Gilead principles that have plagued her for so long leave her body with her clothes. She puts on makeup, which she hasn’t done in a while.

“For a moment I think I won’t be able to do any of this, and my first time with the eyeliner leaves me with a smudged black lid” pg. 231

This song serves both as a love song from the Commander to Offred, but also a moment where Offred can be free. Song lyrics: “They say, fly girls have more fun, So what? So you should enjoy yourself”. The lyrics represent the Commander bringing Offred out and showing her off, and even though Offred knows this is what she’s doing, she doesn’t take this time for granted and has a drink before ducking off to meet Moira. Song lyrics: “You don’t gotta put your cup down, drink freely, and holla at me if you need me, baby you should enjoy yourself”

UUHH - Teezo Touchdown

For this scene there isn’t much to it. We know how long the sexual tension between Nick and Offred has been building. We also know how much Offred has been longing for passionate, intimate sex. Holding nothing back, Teezo Touchdown’s vocals on “UUHH” perfectly capture these emotions during what would be Nick and Offred’s sex scene. I’m not going to describe a made up sex scene in details but here are some of the lyrics: “You know what’s on my mind, I know what’s on your mind”, “I know that you’re nervous, I’m kinda nervous too”, “First I’m gonna Uh, then I’m gonna uh-uh, uh-uh, and that’s gon’ make you uh-uh-uh”. You get the gist.

Right now our country is divided between right and left. Both sides are seemingly trying to pull the country in two opposite directions. I know you said we should write about politics OR religion, but I feel that in this scenario we cannot separate the two. As of 2023 over 60% of the U.S. Population identifies as Christian, and about 25% identify as catholic. A large wave of conservatism has been running rampant through our country for quite a long time now and with social media that wave is only growing with younger people also adopting these older politics. Many of our republican representatives share these very strong, conservative political views that deeply impact women (and men) stemming from Christian ideals.

Abortion has been a very controversial topic for longer than I could probably imagine. Recently, it has still been at the forefront of political discussions and debates with pro-life and pro-choice protests sparking violence. The Handmaid’s Tale has made it very clear that Gilead is a pro-life society and abortion is punishable by death. Even assisting with an abortion can turn you into an ornament on “the Wall” where those killed at the “Men’s Salvagings” are displayed as a public warning.

“Each has a placard hung around his neck to show why he has been executed: a drawing of a human fetus. They were doctors, then, in the time before, when such things were legal. Angel makers, they used to call them; or was it something else?” pg. 32

As tensions around abortion laws have been brewing, most recently, Roe v. Wade was overturned which has greatly upset those with pro-choice values. Remember that The Handmaid’s Tale was written as a precautionary tale and Margret Atwood did not put anything in here that she says humans haven’t already done. Gilead is the direction she believes we are going in and the overturning of Roe v. Wade can be considered a step in that direction.

There has always been a stigma around sex in the catholic church. Many christians believe sex should be for reproductive purposes only, which is why any pre-marital sex is considered sin. The idea is that sex is a means for an end, usually a family. However in Gilead it doesn’t seem to be about starting families. The Commanders and Handmaid’s aren’t raising these babies, and they definitely aren’t starting families. Yet the negative stigma around sex for pleasure is still very present. Despite that, characters have shown clear wants for sex throughout the book. But, it’s not just the sex they want, it’s the intimacy.

“We all do it. As long as we do this, butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we will some day get out, that we will be touched again, in love or desire” pg. 96 Offred compares the idea of having sex with Nick in secrecy to “shooting someone”.

“He puts his hand on my arm, pulls me against him, his mouth on mine — how I’d like to — My hand goes down , how about that, I could unbutton, and then. But it’s too dangerous” pg. 98 Even the Commander, who is the one that is supposed to be reproducing with Offred and nothing more desires that intimacy.

“I want you to kiss me, said the Commander” pg. 135

Today, slut-shaming has become a very common thing in our society. Stigmatizing and ultimately condemning a woman for engaging in behavior judged to be promiscuous or sexually provocative. The wiki dictionary on slut-shaming defines sluts as “people, especially women and girls, who are perceived to violate expectations of behavior and appearance regarding issues related to sexuality”. As a society we already have “expectations” about how a woman should conduct herself in regards to her sexuality. Everyone is different when it comes to sex and the way they express their sexuality. But most people have a sex drive, and Gilead is designed to suppress them and indoctrinate them to believe sexual expression and desire is wrong.

Janine, a girl who was raped, was openly condemned in class and used as an example for all the other girls.

“Whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says — Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison. Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us. She did. She did. She did. Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen? Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson.”

“We meant it, which was the bad part.” pg. 72

We are being taught the same things now. Obviously not in such an extreme manner, but the way we see several forms of media portray sexuality and the way we see society respond, similar messages are being spread and understood as true. The most important thing about The Handmaid’s Tale in my opinion is that it is based in the future, and not the past. This book serves as a warning that is extremely relevant now as the wall of separation between church and state becomes less and less stable.

“There’s nothing in The Handmaid’s Tale that didn’t happen, somewhere” -Margaret Atwood

Na’im Faulkner Español 1 Banda B 02/25/21

Mi familia es divertida y extrovertida. Nosotros valoramos el uno al otro. No tengo hermanos, pero mi padrastro tiene dos niños. Tengo dos tías y un tío. Mi madre, mi padrastro y yo vivimos en mi casa.

Mi padrastro, Brandon, es alto y moreno. Él tiene una barba, un bigote, y es calvo. Él tiene la piel morena. Él es tranquilo y responsable. También es molesto. No es ni tímido, ni mentiroso.

Mi tía es alta y muy delgada. Ella tiene la piel marrón clara. Ella lleva el pelo ondulado y largo. Ella es muy extrovertida y divertida. También es muy desordenada. No es ni antipática, ni callada.

Yo soy bajo y delgado. Soy moreno y tengo piel marrón claro. Yo tengo pelo corto y rizado. Yo soy rubio. Soy ruidoso y divertido. También soy muy simpático, a veces, o un poco antipático a veces. No soy ni callado, ni estúpido. Tengo catorce años.

Mi tía y yo somos extrovertidos pero vagos. Somos de Atlanta, Georgia. También somos desordenados y muy delgados. Nosotros tenemos la piel marrón clara y naturalmente el pelo rizado. No somos ni calvos, ni gorditos. Tampoco somos pelirrojos.

Poster link - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XaU-h1CzmcX8Rt0gG43pTHErRAfnDlCU2bovnyh7j2g/edit?usp=sharing