Handmaid's Tale - Blog 7

Final blog, excited much? Heck yes.

Well, since it's the end of the blog, I think I'd like to reflect on the book. What I like, what I didn't, etc, etc, etc.

I enjoy how each character comes to life. I can actually see a woman like Offred living in the world we live in today. Sure, she may not be in the same situation, but she'd probably think the way she does. I see a woman, not so good looking, but not bad either. She had an okay life, a mother that wasn't around, but she still got through it. Fell in love, had a child, etc. Her life was the one of an average person until some major event would change it forever. See, that's a real person. I'm sure that you could find at least 3 or 4 people on each street that would fit this description.

I hated how everything seemed to make me angry. I hated it that Offred didn't fight back. I hated that she didn't stand up for herself more. I hated that she went through this inhumane lifestyle. I understand why she wouldn't, but I could see how much she wanted to with her freakish ideas of burning the house with a match. It's not that I hate she wouldn't do it, I hate that she didn't do what she wanted.

Nick and Offred. Their relationship was so vague. I wish the author would have made it more clear of what was going on in their relationship. We all knew there was sex and comfort, but was it real? Were they in love? Did she still love Luke? What would she do if he was still alive?

Well, yeah.

Handmaid's Tale - Blog 6

If I were a character in the book...

I'd choose to be a Martha.

Sure, I'd be like your average maid, but still. It's better that what the handmaid's got. I would not have to go through all that brainwashing they go through in the schools. I'd be to stubborn and would end up worse than Moira did. Plus, I could not give up my body for someone to use. If I were to bear children, they would be my children. Not yours, or hers, or his, but mine. Plus, I could not stand having some old guy touch me in that way. Can you say pedophile?

Oh and the Wives? Man, do they have it bad. If I were a Wife, I'd be so angry all the time. I would not want to share my husband just so I could repopulate the city. Sure, call me selfish, whatever. I DON'T CARE. You want to go into the bible and see that famous men of God had multiple wives? Old Testament. Plus, God create one man for one woman.

The Aunts. Well, I don't think my personality would fit the one of an Aunt. If I was an Aunt, I'd probably be one working to get the handmaids out of their sticky situation.

Good thing this is fake and women are subjected to these categories.

Handmaid's Tale - Blog 5

The Handmaid's Tale and the real world.

The Handmaid's tale seems to be a whole bunch of event in the real world all wrapped into one with a little sugar on top.

1. The Handmaid's Tale and the Holocaust. Well, sort of. They do make the handmaids wear certain clothing as the Jews wore the stars, but then again...the Polish did not wear clothes pertaining to their ethnic background.

2. French Revolution. Dude, guillotine?!?! That says it all. WHACK! Chop off head, leave on spike, allow whole town to see. Maybe in the book, they went a little easy on the details of death, but they did leave the bodies hanging on The Wall.

3. Salem Witch Trials. Holding women down with rocks and seeing if they sink in water without the use of their hands and feet? Well, witch or not, she's gone. Man, those public executions suck. Poor women at the end of the book who were hung. Oh, and that one guy. He was with that group Ofleng was in. Poor him, he was stomped on by a bunch of women.

Man...author made some serious connections with her book and the real world.

Handmaid's Tale - Blog 4

I'm running out of things to write in here.

Uhm. The Red Center. I hate that place. I haven't even been there, neither does it even exist, but I hate it! And the people that work there, the Aunts, the make me sick to my guts. No joke, true story, for real. The place is the epitome of somewhere to be brainwashed. They take things from the Bible and twist the words around so they can make the best handmaids. 

Who would want to be one anyways? I think these women got the short end of the sticks, yennoe? First off, how did they even get the position of a handmaid? Were there certain qualifications that made you a handmaid, an Aunt, a Martha, etc.? How about the Commanders? Why couldn't Luke be a Commander with Offred at his side as a handmaid? Sure, they're young, but it's more likely that a younger male will impregnate a female? So why take the chances with a guy that's more than likely unsterile?

I think that this is the most unjust world and even though some women didn't have the best of lives (they were raped, didn't have a good childhood, bad parents, no friends, etc.,) it's a whole crapload better than the lives these women live now. They can't have a job, they are only used for certain reasons, they can't speak their minds, their thought for instead of using their on thinking, etc. So I'd rather take my chances of getting beat up for my money than not having my own life to live.

Handmaid's Tale - Blog 3

Power of knowledge.

 

In Gilead, women aren't allowed to read. Instead of a shopping list, they are given photos of the food needed. Books aren't allowed near them, not even the Bible!

 

I figure that if they had books, they'd have knowledge. We all know that knowledge is power. The most power people in the world have degrees from major colleges and such. If women were able to be intelligent, they could rebel. The older adults, Commanders, Wives, Aunts, Guardians, etc., would lose all power. They have brainwashed each handmaid to follow their orders and have taken away most of their thoughts as individuals. 

The older adults want these women only to make children. They have no other use of them except for reproduction. Now, if the women did not want to be used like this, they would probably fight anyone who’d force them. Now who would fight if they didn’t think that this way of life was wrong?

Eh, this sounds a bit sketchy and all over the place. You guys get my point. If you have knowledge, then you have power, but you can’t have power without any knowledge. Yeaaaa.

The Handmaid's Tale - Blog 2

While reading, I was deeply enriched in the scene where the Commander wants to play Scrabble with Offred. It made me question much of what could possibly be going on through the Commander's or what his actual intentions were.

I feel as if he does not want to treat Offred as a Handmaid, but as an actual human being. First off, he's acknowledging the fact that she knows how to read and spell, something women are not allowed anymore. In some sort of way, he may actually be calling her equal to himself, but she does in fact beat him the first round.

Maybe he's lonely. I'm sure his life with is actual wife isn't as exciting as it used to be. I guess this may be the only real human connection he has had with anyone in so long. You can just sense it from the way he gets tongue-tied while asking her to play. I mean, his wife seems so cold and distant from everyone in the house already, I doubt she treats her husband very differently. I kind of feel sorry for the poor guy. I guess this new world hasn't just impacted women life Offred, but also lonely old men like the Commander.

The Handmaid's Tale - Blog 1

I have to admit that this book is more interesting than I thought. I might actually have to say that I do, in fact, enjoy this book. From the very beginning the book captured my attention.

What I want to discuss is Offred's situation as a handmaid. I see that the Aunts have brainwashed her to believe that her body is a "vessel" for one to use. I mean sure, she could have it worse if the Commander beat her or would use her body whenever he pleased, but still. She had a life once, with a mother, a husband, and a daughter. They must have got deep down into her brain to get her to believe that this was what God wants her to do. To only be used to carry a child who they won't even be able to take care of and to watch grow.

I see these handmaids as an article of clothing shared among many siblings. Once one has grown out of it, the shirt or pair of jeans go to the next kid in line. Once they have found no use for it, it goes to the next, and the next, and the next. The sad part in the handmaid's life is that if they are of no good use for three Commanders, then they're send to the Colonies. I find this all completely bogus. I believe that if this were to happen, women would be at such a lower standard than they were before the were allowed in colleges or given the right to vote or even to be able to call themselves equal to men. If it were up to me, I'd most likely rebel this lifestyle if it were chosen for me. I don't believe that any woman should be subjected to such cruelty just because some radiation incident happened and left the whole country with a declining birth rate.

Blog Six

I laughed when I finally understood what the handout Ms. Aaland gave us was really about. At first, I thought it was a small man speaking and most of the men of Whileway was short because of natural selection. Then I realized that this small man was actually a woman! Jeez old man, that was weird for me. I also thought that the women who were mating were each other found a strange was of fertilizing the egg. I still don't understand it either. Can can you fertilize an egg without the sperm? I swear, Ms. Aaland has us reading some crazy things about gender/reproduction. I thought this was almost as strange as The Left Hand of Darkness. The only difference for me was that the Gethenians were able to change sex while the women used science to reproduce.

I also saw this short story as very feminist. The author made the guys out to be lustful freaks that wanted to, well, you know with the women that were left on Earth. I just felt that the author wanted to portray the men as society usually does. Dominating, tall, and well built. I can understand why since these were the only men left after generations upon generations, but still. I didn't find it fair for the men.

I also thought that why couldn't the women mate the guys anyways? I mean, that's the way it was truly meant to be. I'm not saying that I have a problem with lesbians or gays for that matter. I mean, just because this couple doesn't want to be with men and nor do their daughter, but there has to be other women out there who are more than curious to be with a guy.

I don't know if the author really wanted the readers to see the story the way I did, but reading it sure did piss me off. I really do hate when people like to stick to stereotypes...

Blog 5

Seeing as we have finished The Left Hand of Darkness, I figured that it would be best to describe the book as a whole and what has been learned so far.

In the beginning of the book, I was always left confused and scratching my head. I could never understand who these people were, where they were from, their gender or the way they reproduced. I'm sure that I didn't understand crap about this book up until about Ch. 12 or 13 when Genly was sent to the Pulem Farms. 

Since then, I've been able to take the book in  and understand what I have read. Part of me even enjoyed reading the book, much to my dismay. I think it took a while for me to understand what was happening because I wasn't enjoying the book. So once I got into it, it was much easier for me to take in the knowledge.

The question that keeps popping up in my head is whether or not Estraven and Genly have romantic feelings for each other.  They did spend at least 3 or 4 months together and were each other's only company. Also, when Estraven was in the tent, the readers could definitely  feel the sexual tension happening between the two. Maybe it's a matter of whether or not either of them would react on their feelings for the other. It's possible. When Estraven dies, we can see the sadness in Genly while reading Ch. 20. It seems like someone ripped part of his life off of his body when Estraven was shot and killed in front of his eyes. 

I also find it strange that the King decided not to immediately declare Estraven a non-traitor. One would think that once someone has brought a guest back to where  he was staying that he would be marked a hero. Or even the fact that he helped bring the other Ekumen down from their space craft. Without Estraven, none of what happened in chapter 20 would have happened at all. It would only be fair that Estraven is given credit, or at least have him being called a traitor stopped.

Another question that seems to be on my mind is Genly's sexuality. I can't decide if he's gay or not. He has been surrounded by "males" for quite some time and he says that it's weird for him to hear and see a female. Also, whether or not his feelings for Estraven play a role in sexuality. Even Faxe, when we see Genly "checking" him out. 

I guess my questions are answered according to how people read the book and some people may agree or disagree, but still. It would be nice to know what Le Guin wanted to her readers to take in as she wrote this book.

Blog 4

During Genly and Estraven's travel back to Karhide, Estraven shows me that he is willing to give up his customs in order for him and Genly to survive. Estraven does many things that most people wouldn't to on Karhide because it's either wrong or they just don't do it. 

Somewhere near the beginning of their travels, Estraven steals many pounds of food from a place near their campsite. I remember Genly possibly speaking that it was unlike the people of Karhide to do that. He also says something about how he could tell Estraven was not exactly proud of what he did. This just shows me that Estraven is willing to do things he would consider wrong so he can get back home with Genly. This also shows me the manly part of Estraven. Usually, Genly says that Estraven is more feminine than masculine because he has more fat than muscle and the way he personality is in general. Estraven throughout the voyage seems more like a man than Genly does besides the fact that Genly can push himself harder and faster if he would like.

I found it interesting that Estraven knew how to hunt. I forgot what animal it was, but he hunted a couple of small fox-like animals. Genly says something about how the people of Karhide do not hunt because there isn't much to hunt. This makes me question Estraven's background and where he learned this survival tool.

The more I read about the two's voyage, the more I learn of Estraven and how he cares more about Genly. I don't know whether or not it's because he has some emotional connection with this alien from another world, or if he knows he can endure more than Genly can. Estraven's feelings as well as Genly's feelings confuses me more than the part of every year being Year one.

Blog 3

Although Ms. Aaland says that we don't necessarily have to write about what we have recently read, I think that Chapters 13 and 14 were the most mind capturing captures throughout the book. Most of the time, I read The Left Hand of Darkness and I don't understand what's going on and who these new people and places are. In these two chapters, not only did I understand what was going on, I was actually interested in what I read.

In chapter 13, I had sympathy for Genly Ai because he was stuck in the truck. Not only that, he was naked, was only fed water, 2 of the other passengers died and were left on the truck. Also, the other people on the truck with Genly were people he did not know, nor did they strike up a conversation with each other.

What interested me most about this chapter was that Genly Ai didn't really question why he was there. In this chapter, he mostly spoke of what went on during the ride to the prison. I can't recall him wondering what he wrong. 

I also learned a softer side to Genly. You could tell he had a lot of compassion for the man that died because he was beaten badly and was hemorrhaging. He gave the man comfort as he died. Genly didn't know the man at all and had the courage to try to help. If I was in his shoe, I don't think I would have done anything because I would be too scared to even look at a man dying.

In chapter 14, we learn a lot of Estraven. We find out his true motives and that he really does want the alliance with his world and Genly's. 

When Estraven goes through the trouble of saving Genly, my entire opinion of Estraven changes. At first, I thought that he was a no good, two-faced person, because he was saying one thing to Argaven and another to Genly. I don't think that Estraven would put himself in danger if he didn't feel bad about what happened to Genly. 

When Genly finally wakes up after being rescued, I feel as his and Estraven's conversation is the climax of the story. We finally figure out the problem of what kind of person Estraven is and who's side he is on. 

Blog 2

I must say that reading chapters 9 and 10 confused me more that the idea of Year One and having no gender at all.

First, I thought that the Estraven in chapter 9 was the Estraven we had been reading about. Then, Holleigh had explained to me that it was a different Estraven from the past and the present Estraven was named after him.

The past Estraven, from my understanding, was in a land that was an enemy of his country. He then met someone from that place who saved him by warming his cold body. They then kemmered and had a child. I don't know if the Estraven that killed his brothers was the son of this relationship or the Estraven that was cold. So later, they named this Estraven, whichever one it may be, Estraven the Traitor.

One question they asked during the disscussion today was if the Estraven of the present resembles Estraven of the passeed. I do think that they are similar. Both left home, although for different reasons, I'm sure. Both of them wanted to make peace with others and did not want to go to war. So in some ways, I do believe that both Estravens remsemble each toher.

The next chapter, I can't speak much of. I didn't understand it much other than the fact that Genly Ai was speaking with others who asked him about himself. Also, we learn that the King's son dies and some of the people Genly Ai is travelling with dislikes the king and hope that the rest of them live just as long as the one that died. That, was a bit harsh I might say, but it does say that some people do not agree with the way King Argaven is.

Blog 1

Like most people in the class, I'm finding this book hard to understand and hard to read. The unfamilar words and names make it harder for me to remember what happens in the book and who each person is. For starters, I think that the entire world in this book is a bit strange. I'm not understanding how each year can be Year One. What does that make the rest of the years before that then? What really strikes me as odd is the fluid gender. Today in class, we discussed, well the others discussed seeing as I did not do the reading, Faxe's ability to be both male and female. I remember one of the students saying that it would be confusing to be both since males are entirely different than females. That made me ponder of what it would be like to be a boy. Seeing as I'm a female, and although I do have some traits that would be considered "boyish", I think that if I was a boy, I wouldn't know how to act. It also makes me question reproduction in the story. Can some aliens be mothers one day and a father the next? Also, "we" discussed the telepaths, and choosing another leader. So from today's discussion, it seems as if I was able to understand the book through the ideas and thoughts of the other kids. It seemed as if I learned that nights reading through the help of the group.