Sunday, May 17, 2020

Examples Of Utopia In The Handmaids Tale - 1246 Words

A Utopian Dystopia the Handmaids Tale Hello, and good morning today’s date is October 18 and my name is Zainab Bahia and this is my Individual Oral Presentation on The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood. When The Handmaid’s Tale was published in 1985, the world’s search for a utopia had failed, resulting in some of the most disastrous social experimentations in the history of humankind, much like Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany. Dystopia flourished and took on a new importance as technology gave rise to supervision and monitoring concerns, unheard of before the 20th century. With an increasingly disintegrated society, the quick fix that utopias promoted became more impossible, and readers began to look for warnings. The focus of todays†¦show more content†¦This symbolism rats in mazes think they are free because they can move about, when in reality, they are trapped. They are unaware that they are in a maze, they consider themselves free. Similarly, the handmaids are free to go anywhere within town that they want, as long as they stay within the boundaries or their own maze. They do not have any desire to go elsewhere, and future generations will believe this is freedom, because this is what they will have been told all their lives The next Utopian idea that will be discussed is â€Å"Citizens have no fear of the outside world†. However, within the novel it is seen that this is not the case but, that the characters are afraid of the outside world in this scene at the end of the novel and it reads â€Å"Whether this is my end or a new beginning I have no way of knowing: I have given myself over into the hands of strangers, because it can’t be helped.† (Atwood, 195). The essence of this emphasizes that the fear they have for the outside world is due to the lack of knowledge and exposure of what is to come. Whether they are in the hands of the Eyes or being watched by Mayday. Another Utopian idea to examine is â€Å"Individuality and Innovation are welcome†. It is stated within The Handmaids Tale that women are not allowed to read and write all they are to do is bare children and care for the home.Show MoreRelatedThe And The Handmaid s Tale By Margaret Atwood1260 Words   |  6 Pagesproperty in order to ensure citizens follow the government’s revolutionary and oppressive rhetoric. Hence, this paper explores the role of property in two of the most well known fundamentalist societies in literature history: Utopia by Sir Thomas More, and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Both authors acknowledge that property represents a significant threat to governments that aim to have an equal society where every citizen contributes to the well being of the nation. Thus, property is restrictedRead MoreSummary Of Feminism In The Handmaids Tale724 Words   |  3 Pagescriticizing religious conservative politics. Writer, Fiona Tolan analyzes Atwood’s work more in depth in â€Å"Feminist Utopias and Questions of Liberty: Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale as Critique of â€Å"second wave feminism†. In this academic journal, Tolan argues that The Handmaid’s Tale is criticism to â€Å"second wave feminism†. She states the Aunts, Serena Joy, and Offred’s mom as examples of second wave feminist who believe transitioning into Gilead is right for women. She criticizes that this is theRead MoreThe Handmaids Tale As A Dystopian Society1207 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Handmaid’s Tale, the author, Margaret Atwood, creates a dystopian society that is under theocratic rule. From this theocracy, each individual’s freedom is, for the most part, taken away. The Handmaid’s Tale creates a dystopia by placing restrictions on the individual’s freedom, using propaganda to control its citizens, and by having citizens of Gilead live i n dehumanized ways. Furthermore, the creation of a hierarchal system in Gilead caused its citizens to lose the ability to feel empathyRead MoreHandmaids Tale-Dystopian Literarture1579 Words   |  7 PagesThe Handmaid’s Tale-Dystopian Literary Tradition Dystopia is defined as being a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding. Dystopian is also considered to be about futuristic societies that have degraded into repressed and controlled states. Dystopian literature uses cautionary tones warning us that if we continue to live the way we do, this can be the consequence. A Dystopia is contrary of a utopia (a world where everything is perfect) and often characterizedRead MoreElements of the Authors World Present in Utopian Fiction Essay1796 Words   |  8 Pageseffort to make society realize its faults. Thomas Mores Utopia is similar to Erewhon because it makes commentary on certain social issues of his time, disguised as a story about a different culture. George Orwells 1984 and Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale were also written based on the societies in which the authors lived, but these stories take place in the same society at a different time, so they serve more as cautionary tales than social commentary. Erewhon satirizes many aspectsRead MoreA Utopian world is impossible to create because nature would not allow it. Shakespeare’s play shows700 Words   |  3 Pagesconflicts to occur because imperfection is key to perfection. A Utopian society only revolves in a persons mind. A person might think of a Utopian Society to escape their situation but they do not look at the disadvantages, let us take killing, for example in a Utopian world, killing someone is illegal. If we do not kill anyone, how are we going to find food to keep ourselves alive? We have to kill. Negative aspects of humanity’s basic nature are jealousy, greed and revenge that would always interruptRead MoreMargaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale Essay1724 Words   |  7 Pageswoman’s sole purpose for being alive is her functioning uterus. If that woman fails to bear a child she can be killed. If that woman disregards the law she can be tortured, or even terminated. In the dystopian future of Marga ret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale women’s bodies are used as political instruments. Because if the harmful pollution in the United States, a new Constitution has been made to address and correct the decline in birth rates. To do this the government has created Handmaids. Read MoreThe Handmaids Tale Feminism Essay1465 Words   |  6 PagesMargaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, is undoubtedly a staple piece when considering feminism in literature. While most works might take a firm stand on one side or the other when considering feminism, The Handmaid’s Tale approaches the subject differently; instead of establishing an ironclad position either supporting or condemning feminist ideals, Atwood’s novel showcases both ends of a spectrum concerning the advantages and disadvantages of such a movement in a democratic-turned-totalitarianRead MoreMargaret Atwood s The Handmaid s Tale Essay1309 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some† (Atwood 211). Almost all attempts at a utopia eventually evolve into a dystopia because of the class that ends up being oppressed. In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, this is exactly the case, and the oppressed caste is the handmaids. The United States has been transformed into The Republic of Gilead. This change was stimulated by the increase in rape and violence against women, as well as the dropping fertilityRead MoreTo What Extent Can â€Å"the Handmaid’s Tale† and â€Å"the Scarlet Letter† Be Described as Works of Dystopian Fiction?2086 Words   |  9 PagesTo What Extent Can â€Å"The Handmaid’s Tale† and â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† be Described as Works of Dystopian Fiction? The definition of Dystopia is an imaginary place where the inhabitants are exploited and control is maintained through oppression. Both â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† and â€Å"The Handmaid’s Tale† reflect characteristics of a dystopian novel. A dystopian novel is usually fictional and futuristic to the time in which it was written. The characters are made to worship a concept or figure as a way of control

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