The Handmaid’s Tale

Within the book ‘The Handmaids Tale’, Margret Atwood brings forth many notions that have been mad throughout the years regarding women. Despite the book being published in the 1980’s a lot of the beliefs held in the Gileadean society hold true to what is being said nowadays. She mentions that all she did with this book is “taking certain casually held attitudes about women to their logical conclusions” which makes sense considering all casually held attitudes towards any group of people can easily escalate (the holocaust, slavery, etc.). Throughout the book there are many references to political issues regarding the conservative/liberal beliefs that fuel each party. Margret Atwood certainly takes the attitudes towards women to their logical conclusions in a refreshing and eye-opening way, though it might seem exaggerated or impossible to most. The Handmaids tale takes from commonly held beliefs about women’s roles, sexuality, responsibilities and how demoralizing it can turn out when key factors are taken away such as knowledge, feminism, and the use of religion.

When thinking of conservative beliefs and values one usually links it to those held in religion. In fact, the majority of religions out there somewhat bash or put down females and consider them to be less than men. They give specific rules about how a woman should act and dress, while the men have no reason to change. Furthermore, women were once thought of as incompetent and only good for one thing…to procreate. So, is it really so shocking that this book could be that farfetched when women were once denied the right to contraception before? One of the main beliefs that helped the authorities keep a firm grip on the handmaids was knowledge. They kept them in the dark in terms of news and forbade reading entirely. The importance of reading and books is unquestionable as stated by other books such as Fahrenheit 451. Reading allows you to explore the world without traveling, learning about the past without having to relive it, understanding brilliant minds, entertain, self expression. If someone takes something so vital, the ability to express oneself and relate to others it is easy to control others. Without knowledge, one cannot progress, knowledge is power. This is not only shown in the book, but also in historical events such as slavery when the slave owners would this also happens today with immigrants and . People who are education understand the full extent of their capabilities as opposed to people who are stripped from that right; they are vulnerable to the manipulation of their oppressors. Harvard in the handmaid’s tale was a symbol of knowledge and the irony in how the women are standing in the pinnacle of academia yet are deprived of the very thing it thrives on. In other countries there is the long held belief that girls shouldn’t go to school or be educated in anything (Middle East).

In terms of sexuality, there has always been this double edged sword regarding woman’s sexuality: men can be man sluts while woman should be pure. In the book, the men quote scripture and claim that they value woman who remain “virtuous” yet are hanging around at jezebels meeting their sexual needs. Again, they use scripture to justify their actions. The society puts the blame on the women, so even if the commander’s wife is able to have kinds and it’s the commander that is sterile, there is no such thing. They use scripture as proof that what they’re doing is okay. They have even got into the bedroom, able to control the sexual encounters of the women: sex is no longer for pleasure but for reproduction which is why they straight up kill gay people and doctors who conducted abortions. Some of these beliefs stem from conservative ways of thinking like with the pro life belief and the movement towards diminishing options for women. In the handmaid’s tale, the manipulation of the bible/scriptures is quite prevalent much like many people do today. Those who stand out on the street sporting signs like “Jesus doesn’t love gays” are a perfect example of this. Does he really?

 

Work Cited

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. New York: Anchor Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 1998. Print.

Orlando vs Typical Teenagers

Unlike most teens today, most events that occurred in the book wouldn’t be taken as lightly. For instance, the gender transition was dealt with in a matter of seconds and was no big thing. There were also things Orlando did that any normal adolescent would do. Some of these include isolation and discomfort felt in social situations. The definition of teenage angst tbh. The main reason I think that Orlando is relatable is because she has experienced many things that most teenagers go through during their time in high school: heartbreak, social anxiety, isolation, hate on our dreams, and the intense desire to crawl back into bed.

All of us at least once in our life get our heart broken by someone. Orlando gets his heartbroken by Sasha who really doesn’t think twice about him. I usually see this in those coming of age movies where the kid/teen falls hard and start praising the crush using phrases similar to the ones Orlando used, only modern.

Examples of why Orlando and his surroundings are different to today (how her situation would be looked at differently today)

The nonchalance within Orlando is pretty astonishing. When someone makes such a transition it affects everyone. If Orlando was in our generation today, she wouldn’t be blasphemed but celebrated. The old Orlando would not be “dead” because like she said, same person different body.

Overall views on Orlando the book…and maybe movie

social status, marriage, sleep

 

Works Cited

The Grinder. “Rob Lowe Teens GIF.” Giffy, 29 Sept. 2015

 

 

Victorian Values in The Importance of Being Earnest

Many people in today’s society have values that are quite different from the people of the Victorian ages, well so we think. Some of the core values during that era included marriage, proper social conduct, and wealth/social class. All these characteristics were a deciding factor in the role one played in their society. To be quite honest, a lot of these values are similar to the ones our own society enforces, just a little less extreme. Within the play “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Oscar Wilde explores these values using humor and pokes fun at the seriousness of it all. In the play, and movie, I saw a lot of parallels as well as difference to what we see in our lives today and want to offer my observations on what has changed and what hasn’t.

First off there is the topic of marriage. The mindset the Victorians had towards marriage was to marry for stability and other rational reasons rather than for love. Although it seems very procedural, there are some pros to this type of thinking. Within the play, Lady Bracknell interrogates Earnest on his political stance, income, interests, background, age, and even asks abstract questions to get to know him. The parents ultimately choose who the daughter shall marry by performing these interrogations on many young “eligible” men and eventually inform the daughter of her marriage. It should come as a surprise to the young lady, as Lady Bracknell puts it. This could be both a pro and con, for one the parents weed out the “losers” and present a man that will provide a safe and financially stable home. At the same time, the heart wants what it wants. Nowadays divorce rates are pretty much 50%, so maybe it did help people back then from making reckless decisions. It could have also made them miserable, you know, from being stuck in a loveless marriage. So, I think after watching this that even if love dies, might as well enjoy it while it lasts. Watching this part in the play also reminds me of modern day dating apps, but instead of us weeding out potential soul mates, it’s our parents doing the swiping…gross.

Something else I found amusing at how seriously they were about their behavior in public as well as small rules here and there. The ones I found pretty ridiculous was the cucumber sandwiches and how it was rude to show up unexpected to a house. I mean what is the point of having friends if you can’t just chill and make whatever you’re craving at that point? It seems like such a chore to partake in such a society. If Algernon and Jack felt they had to make up false identities to get away with bad behaviors or ditch social obligations, it tells you something. I think a lot of people today do this too, but instead of “I’m visiting my poor brother who is dying in Paris” it’s “I feel sick”, “it’s a family emergency” and “my dog died”. For the most part we all try and get out of social obligations no matter what era /society we live in, because it’s tiresome. Yes, the circumstances are different, but the value placed towards the rules are the same. People work so hard to fit in , whether it is consciously done, that they end up reaching a breaking point. If your behavior mattered so much back then, it would have probably confused the hell out of me as to what I’m supposed to feel, think, and do.

Last thing I noticed was how social status and wealth matter greatly in all matters. In the movie I noticed how the help was treated, not in a cruel way, but because they worked for them they weren’t taken much into consideration. In the Victorian era, they were looked at deserving of their misfortune. I also noticed how people usually stayed within their social class (friends, marriage, neighbors). For example, it was very important to marry within your own social class and to hopefully acquire some wealth through it. Lady Bracknell is very dismissive of both the men’s statements of engagement until she learns that both women will receive a significant inheritance, she then has a change of heart. Through this, Oscar Wilde shows how twisted the upper class’ priorities were. Everyone’s identities lied mainly on their rank and such. I definitely see this in todays society, where we let our situation or others dictate what will happen to us in the future. We shouldn’t let a fear of doing things out of the norm stop us from living our lives, Wilde shows us this purely by the way he lived his own. People don’t need to be so obsessed with reputation and image as much as our focus needing to be on following your heart. So stop staring at your social media to see who approves of a picture or what the latest trend is and live your life… the way you want to.

Work Cited

Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. New York: Modern

Library, 2003. Print.

 

 

 

 

Frankenstein in Today’s Society

For the most part there are many misconceptions about Frankenstein and the original story. This is because of the way Hollywood portrays the book. Some misunderstandings include Frankenstein being the name of the creature or the creature himself lacking basic knowledge and the ability to speak. I have never seen the movie Frankenstein and the closest I’ve ever been to viewing it was watching a trailer during commercials or hearing a jab at it during a show. Quite honestly I assumed that Frankenstein’s creature was some kind of killing machine who lacked cognition. That he simply killed to kill, like it was instinct.

However, after reading the book I realized that he wasn’t what people made him out to be. In the book, he learned how to speak and go about life and was very aware of his situation. Despite his current reputation as being this ferocious creation, he actually had a heart. Well, longed for companionship. Then later on he turned “evil”. Subsequent to reading I also notice that we treat the creature similar to the way he was treated in the book…kind of. We assume that he’s this mistake who just brings suffering to the people around him. Obviously, it’s due to how he is presented to us, but it also raises an important question. Was he created that way: doomed to wreak havoc on the town? Are people born that way or is it because of the environment they were raised in or a specific experience that “flipped the switch”?

I felt really bad for the creature. Every time he would even approach a person, they would run him off because of his hideousness. In my opinion people aren’t born evil. I think there is something that turns them that way whether that be a lack of love, wanting power or even revenge, it all depends on the person. Frankenstein’s creature resembles a lot of modern day people and the rebellion that occurs in life. Although there are killers out there, I’m mainly talking about the kids who just make poor decisions in life. They chose a certain path because of being fed up or have tried everything and decided conforming to their “mold” is easier. Much like how Frankenstein decided to kill people since he was looked at as this monster and him constantly having to look in. He resented feeling that way and ultimately resented people in a way.

Frankenstein was just misunderstood much like many people nowadays. Some get bullied because of how different they are either in appearance or interests. I mean the moral of my take is to not judge a book by its cover. Something widely preached yet we all do it. There are many Frankenstein’s our there and although it is not to that extremity their issues do exist. People’s circumstances and environment shape who they are. The difference here is that Frankenstein had to learn about the world all on his own and what made it even more difficult was his frightening appearance. He was actually gentle and nice, but life (specifically people) turned him into a vengeful person much like many wronged people today.

 

The most annoying play I’ve come across

The majority of the time my facial expression stayed the same, genuinely annoyed with not only the characters we read about but also the actors in the play. Well, being completely honest, the real reason I was annoyed with the play was the actress who played Mariane and Mariane herself. It was like every time she came out and started wailing I would make Dwight’s face internally.

Like who even cries that loudly? And next to the mic of all things, I couldn’t hear the conversation because of her. It was pretty exaggerated. However, it was also kind of humorous to see that even the actors would be taken back. Mariane’s character represented a typical damsel in distress always obeyed fathers wishes, holding their tongue, and when upset throwing themselves on a nearby object to cry on. Reminds me of a Disney princess.

One saving grace however was Dorine’s commentary. She expresses the opinions I have when I see such drama. She on the other hand is very different to Mariane. She actually speaks her mind and doesn’t shy away from expressing what she wants. She guides Mariane and knocks sense into her when she’s acting like Ariel up there.  For the most part the only reason I somewhat enjoyed it was because Dorine would make snide comments that voiced my own thoughts on the events unfolding. She seems to be the most sensible one and the play wouldn’t be the same without her. It would be nothing more than a foolish family doing nothing, but going along with what the father dictates, which is what causes more unnecessary drama. So, every time Dorine would preach, I felt like this.

But again, it got a bit annoying. She started to seem more like a rebellious daughter rather than an obedient maid. Overall the play was a story most of us have witnessed in real life. The idea that some person is only getting on our good side and manipulating us to get what they want: power, money, etc. Tartuffe is also seen in movies and TV shows, where you want to strangle them every time you know they are going to mess up a beautiful moment. Moral of the play, don’t trust snakes even the ones who dress in robes and are thought highly of. And trust your family! I mean why would they lie? What I find ironic is that Tartuffe follows the bibles teaching and so does Orgon yet in 1 John 4 it says “My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world”.

Well, there’s nothing more to be said about that verse so…

Works Cited

Commonwealth School. Tartuffe: The Imposter. Performance by Commonwealth

Players, Youtube, Commonwealth School, 13 Dec. 2016, youtu.be/aumk9SoZT_o.

Moliere. Tartuffe. Edited by John Berseth, Dover Publications, 2000.

Double Standards

First off, I hate Iago.

Okay, now we can move on.

The play we read in class was Othello by William Shakespeare. This play was focused around 3 men (Cassio, Othello, Iago) and 3 women (Bianca, Desdemona, Emilia) and the miscommunication and manipulation that went on between them…all because of Iago. I despise Iago for causing all this drama just because he was butt hurt, but I also despise the way they all handled the situation. For one, Othello never even asked his wife straight out what was going on, he would just physically (the dramatic slap) and verbally abuse her. And what makes it worse is that she didn’t even say anything!!! Well maybe once, but it was all meek and soft. She kept bending to his will and what he believed. Like, say something woman!!! Her AND Bianca never took a stand against the men. Why not speak your mind?

I mean, I can sort of count Emilia as being outspoken because in the end, she stood up and defied her husband by telling the truth. This was so rare, but was necessary in all situations. This brings me to the double standard enforced upon the woman of that time by the hypocritical men…even to this day. Lets be real, no woman can fit the mold of that time, even those who lived in that era. I mean, imagine being told that you are supposed to be pure till marriage, do all the housework, take care of all the children, cook, clean, follow the fathers rules as well as the church’s – in general, women were meant to be submissive to the current male in their life. How ridiculous.

Like, seriously? That’s too much.

The way they viewed them was hypocritical, how can you look down on woman not being virgins, for example, when men are the ones taking their virginity. It takes 2 to tango dude. How can they believe that the women’s voices were inferior to theirs? We are all capable achieving great things, it’s just the body parts that are different. Who are they to judge us? Cassio values purity and a by the book marriage yet has no problem having sex with Bianca on the daily, then goes on to can her a whore and unmarriageable. What kind of bs is that, he’s the man slut if anything! These double standards are toxic and unfair. All the male characters, from Iago, the demeaning villain, to Cassio, a noble and trusting man, hold these beliefs no matter what value they place towards their partner. They all considered their “woman” to always fall short of some ridiculous expectation. To be a woman during this period meant to be submissive, loyal, devoted, and pure beyond measure even when their husband/lover may not have been.
Unfortunately the opinions held by men on how we should act regardless of the era a woman are irrelevant. If the men wouldn’t have been so full of themselves and the woman would’ve valued their own idea of what womanhood should be, the play probably would have ended differently…hopefully with Iago being only one who dies. Overall, the most important lesson to take from this is better said by Viola Davis:

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William, and Sparknotes. No Fear Shakespeare: Othello. New York : Spark Publishing, 2003. Print.

Is Doctor Faustus Really That Logical?

Within the play by Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, the audience gets a front row seat to the play by play of the conflict Faustus has with literal representations of good and evil. The bad being the devil and other demons while the good is the angel on Faustus’ shoulder and the old man that appears to him. I found this play very frustrating to say the least since it involved a person who continuously lived in denial and made a bad bargain. In addition, the audience knows the inevitability of the situation and witness Faustus himself realize his predicament, but stays loyal to his deal. Along with this, there are a lot of examples of irony and situations that could have easily been fixed if Faustus had not given into his boredom, pride, and temptation.

Religion

Something I found hilarious was that Faustus decided that he didn’t believe in God and found the study of religion to be a waste of time, but was summoning a demon and made a deal with the devil. That doesn’t make any sense, if he doesn’t believe in God how can he believe in the devil? God created the devil so believing in only one isn’t really an option. The whole play is based on religion and the ideology’s of the sixteenth century Christian faith such as the deadly sins and forgiveness. When I read this I thought of the movie, of course, but realized that Faustus was committing a pretty big one: consciously turning ones back on God and refusing countless opportunities for redemption. This is something we see throughout the play, Faustus rethinking this whole demise, but not for too long before a demon shows up or he just simply dismisses it and spills more blood. In my opinion, God gave Faustus many signs and windows. Even though Faustus committed one of the major sins, God can still forgive him for  Christians believe that God can forgive even the worst sin/sinners. This being said, Faustus could have even repented at the last minute, and if he truly meant it, he would have been forgiven.

Street-smart v. book-smart

There were many signs that should have popped out to Faustus, but unfortunately didn’t. This was pretty funny considering he is considered to be highly intelligent/book-smart. The only things was that he could not see the misfortune he was bringing on himself, something most people can notice. One obvious sign would be whenever the blood started to clump and he couldn’t sign his name. I think that was the very first sign to something not being right. The other instance would be when the demons and angels would literally be trying to convince him to chose their side. It is considered bad to be book-smart, but lack the simple capabilities to decipher when to get out of a sticky situation. It just shows how he lacks common sense. Even the bargain was a flop. I mean, only 24 years for basically a lifetime of servitude and misery? That was dumb. 

Another thing I find interesting would be the personification of the seven deadly sins. They were all very descriptive and entertaining, especially the lazy one. Overall, the play was in my opinion a cautionary tale, warning everyone to stay with what is familiar.

Work Cited

Marlowe, Christopher. Dr. Faustus. Edited by Thomas Crofts, Dover Thrift, 1994.

 

Who am I?

Hey!

First off, thank you for deciding to check out my blog. My name is Illeana N. Rodriguez and my pet peeve is always having to ‘add it to the dictionary’. I am also referred to as Illy (my friends), nane (my sister), and homeskilla biscuits (my best friend). I am currently 18 years old, a Sagittarius, and still a high school student. I am also the middle child, right between my older sister, Sam, and “tween” brother, Miguel. The main people that have influenced who I am the most would be my mom and sister. Being raised by my mom for basically my whole life has taught me to value a few things: independence, kindness, diligence, and life in general. My sister on the other hand has epilepsy and experiencing/witnessing what I have growing up has taught me patience, selflessness (sometimes), to stand up for someone/something (always), and to cherish things we usually take to granted.

One of my favorite hobbies is to hike. Unfortunately, it’s pretty flat here, so I don’t really get the full experience, but just being outdoors is what I enjoy most. This leads me to my love for trying new things, exploring new places, and my wanderlust. I have always wanted to travel, even if it is still here in the United States. It’s cool to see what “normal” is in different areas whether that be the diversity, food, music, traditions, or weather/scenery. When I do read, I personally enjoy romance, fiction, and mystery books. I play guitar…more like in the process of learning to play guitar and I have a dog named Mia.

If you’ve managed to get this far, you’re possibly wondering what the point of this blog is. Something I should have addressed in the beginning, but I’m glad you asked! The sole purpose of this blog is to share my connections with the books we read in British Literature. More specifically so I could unleash my thoughts on certain topics a bit more informally. Hopefully, I inspire you to pick up one of these books high school students are forced to read or at the very least provide some food for thought.

Happy scrolling!