Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Choose a quote from the book that really speaks or stands out to you. Explain why you chose it, its value in the book, and its value to you.
While reading this book, there were many quotes that were brought to my attention, but one quote in particular stood out to me. This quote was, "Beside the main gateway there are six more bodies hanging, by the necks, their hands tied
in front of them, their heads in white bags tipped sideways onto their shoulders." While reading this part, I pictured this in my head and it has stuck with me. Later on, she goes on to say, "We’re supposed to look: this is what they are there for, hanging on the Wall." This shows that the government wants to control or brainwash their citizens by scaring them and showing them what could happen to them if they didn't follow the rules. I chose this quote because it caused the most emotion from me. While reading about this part in the book, it reminded me of when we read Night and Elie Weasel talked about his experience with watching people get hanged. The leaders hanged people for different reasons, but the main reason was to let other know that they were in control now. The same goes for The Handmaid's Tale because the leaders wanted to show their authority over the citizens. This shows that in this dystopian world, the leaders want to enforce their beliefs and their laws on everyone, which can be compared to a dictatorship. They don't want people to have their own "brains" in a sense because this would allow them to think for themselves, so they brainwashed people into believing that this world is normal, when is reality it is not. These quotes allow the reader to understand the government more. It allows the reader to understand that the government has strict rules and regulations about how people should live their life's based on ages, genders, etc.. I am really enjoying this book right now and hope to soon find out the backstory for what caused their world to be flipped around.
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This scene was also significant to me because it made me think about how much the police and the government shelters and sensors unpleasant situations to the community members and its citizens. I think that it is interesting that you compared Night and The Handmaid’s Tale because I can now see the connection between their use of punishments. Although the books are fiction and nonfiction, they both use real actions that produce completely legitimate and nonfictional actions. It is scary to think that this type of world could become a reality for humans. When reading this book, I found it interesting that the Offred was relieved that she didn’t recognize the bodies. Although this told her that Luke could still be alive, it seemed weird that she wasn’t as deeply emotional like her walking partner. The backstory of this dystopia is something that I am also looking forward to.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the quote, I was quite astonished and it stuck out to me as well. The quote showed that the government is not much of a Utopian society in any way like they are trying to portray it is. They are striking fear into the people, rather them love where they live. The scene also showed that the government knows that many people do not agree with the rules in place, so they are using the dead bodies to let the people know that if they do not agree publicly with the rules, they will also be killed. I never thought about the book being similar to "Night" until reading your post, and I see the similarities between the two books. Both government bodies are trying prove that they are in control into a negative way, but they both believe what they are doing is the right thing.
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