The Silence of Feminism

While reading the article “fear of feminism” written by Lisa Hogeland, there was a few points that caught my attention. In the reading it mentioned the reasons why women are afraid to join the movement of feminism. One of the points mentioned is that they are afraid of standing up for what they believe, women are also afraid about political power shutting down and opposing their movement. Since, the movement still continues to grow, it is not as strong as they wish, many women are afraid to oppose power in fear of what may happen. Along those lines, they are afraid that when men find out that they are feminists and have joined the movement, many women are afraid that they will not establish their homes, and wonder what type of men will be willing to form a commitment with them. What feminism really requires is a woman who has a voice and trusts her voice! A woman who is not afraid to speak up for the rest, especially not afraid of being judged by society, a woman who is not afraid to be loud, intellectual and to step out of her small bubble like the traditional norm implements upon them.
I think in response to this reading, and in response to the fear that many women face by joining the movement. I would suggest to not take the freedom we have achieved this far for granted, just how the government has granted certain rights over the years in this country, with their power and as long as men still remain in high power positions, all these rights and changes achieved could be taken away the same way they were given, unless women decide to step up their game and do something about it. Women should not be afraid to fight for their movement, not only do it for themselves, but also for their kids and future generations to come. Women can make of the power and government what they want if they put their mind and heart to it. The only thing women in today’s society should fear is God, other than that, why not take a stand and continue to fight for women’s equality all over the world, one person at a time.

THE CLICK

In the reading, “Real Mean Join the Movement”, the author presents men that have joined the women’s movement. She narrates that through the course of their lives they have redirected their education for the cause. I think that the feminist movement is not just about women and women issues. Men like women often fall the victims of stereotypes, sexism and strict gender norms because of societies patriarchal ways. I think it is important to recognize that the feminist movement does not want to take away anything from men, there just needs to be a revision on how things are. I think something as simple as the equal division of labor in the household goes along way.

It is unfortunate that not many men recognize that the feminist movement is not just for women, and more sadly enough that the ones that are in the movement are isolated and pushed to the side for taking this side. I think this is a one of the components on why the other waves of feminist movements may have failed. There is this lack of cohesion among members of society, and then there are those that will do anything to protect their power and privileges at any cost.

As he mentions briefly it is important to recognize a profeminist to someone that just wants to fulfill the role of prince charming that comes in to save the day. I can only imagine what a slap in the face this would be to encounter someone with such false pretenses, however I must understand that not all men take that stance in the movement. Many men are changed by the moment when it “clicks” to them that they have been privileged without the real recognition from their part. I truly hope that this “click” would occur more one women though, sometimes it just feels that we have given up in the struggle.

Taking things for granted

The Handmaiden's Tale, I feel is really trying to illustrate about taking things for granted and not continuing to push forward in the current woman's movement at the time of the book's publication (but is still relevant when speaking of the current state of the movement now). It was basically showing how when things are truly restricted that people will lose much more than they think. It won't be simple to change things back and that it may even be near impossible.

The book also shows how women who are in the best positions in these new societies still aren't happy when you look at Serena Joy, and how even trying to build a resistance will have large amounts of casualties considering the original Ofglen hung herself. It shows the brutality of a new society in which people are beaten to death for facing crimes they didn't commit only because they were vocally resistant about their rights. The book has clearly shown how woman's rights need to be continually fought for and that women need to appreciate both how far they have come and how farther they need to go.

The book was quite enjoyable and I found it to be very similar in some respects to 1984, only this one focuses on women's rights in a totalitarian patriarchal government whereas 1984 focuses on a society wherever everyone was restricted. I do wish the book focused on some of the males who may have been fighting for the females more, as while it was focused on women's rights I feel the guys were underrepresented in the book except when portrayed as dominating men who simply used women which makes sense, it just would have been nice to see male perspective from one who wants equality.

freedom

I found the Handmaid's tale very entertaining and interesting. To Offred it seems that freedom is not what you have but what you don't have. Most people, including myself don't realize the freedom they have until it is taken away. Offred doesn't realize the freedom she had until she is placed in this caged society and her freedom has been stolen. I know I have had plenty of experiences in which I didn't realize my freedom until my parents took it away for obvious reasons of misbehaving. Even though Offred was supposedly ‘free’ before Gilead took over, I wonder if she felt free. In society we compare our freedom to what others have and don't have. We live up to other people's standards and opinions on what freedom truly is. I enjoy reading dystopian novels. It opens a different part of your mind and allows it to wonder. I often wonder if they are reflecting society or the logic behind society. Dystopian novels often are not trying to predict the future but they are commentary for the past and the present. This is the main reason I found the Handmaid's tale entertaining. It was interesting to see what Offred and other women experienced and lived in. Freedom is something that people should realize they have when they do have it, not when it is taken away from them.

The Irony

All throughout this entire book I have read chapter after chapter in which women are being deprived of their birth rights, or any rights for that matter. The whole purpose of the state of Gilead is to deprive women of their rights and create a world in which men hold all of the power. In chapter 42 we see the act of salvaging which is in fact not that at all. The Salvaging takes place in what used to be a part of Harvard. There three women, 2 handmaids and 1 wife are hung in front of a giant group of women. Next a Guardian is brought forth for the act of Particicution. The man is accused of having raped a woman and cause a miscarriage, although who knows what he really did. It is important to question what those in charge say because they are members of Gilead and they will do anything to get their masses under control. What happens next is a brutal beating to the Guardian handed down by the women who decided to stay after the Salvaging.

The salvaging and particution work to show that anyone who resists or rebels against the standards and expectations of Gilead will be punished. Those in power want people to realize that they can do nothing to escape their grasp. The old way of thinking must be tossed aside, and one must incorporate themselves into their new daily lives. In the case of the Handmaids, the hangings work to reinforce their helplessness to the totalitarian regime. It can also be said that Atwood means to show the ways that those in charge separate women into two types, which is something that even we in real life have come to see. In the book one can become a nuisance, but get hung; in real life women can have sex, but get called a whore. I might be looking in too deep, but I feel as though this is something Atwood could be addressing if one were to look deeper into the lines.

Control of Women

The control of women is a dominant idea in this novel. The reign of Gilead is dependant on this and this alone. The Commanders who first developed Gilead used several tactics to rid women of their independence. The first would be outlawing women to work and own their own bank account. Another would be that women no longer had control over their bodies. The Handmaids were used to make children and were raped by the Commanders while the Wives watched. Another tactic that was used to control women in Gilead was the language used. Women no longer had names but were defined by their positions. Handmaid’s names became that of the Commander they worked for. Offred was the Handmaid OF FRED. This use of language takes away women’s individuality and makes them mold into the framework of Gilead. Another interesting use of language is that of the Unwoman. Unwomen are those unable to conceive a child. This title puts power into childbearing and makes all those who can not conceive think they are not worthy to be called a woman. The control of women in Gilead is not too far off from the type of control women struggle with in America today. Women are fighting for rights to control their body and be able to provide for themselves. Today language is also used to control women such as the term slut or the negative connotations associated with the word feminist.

Salvaging and Particicution celebrations of Gilead

Once again, Atwood creates a paradoxical situation in part XIV when the “salvaging” takes place; women are hanged for unnamed crimes in front of Harvard University and an audience of women as well. Atwood describes the salvaging as a routine practice where “[they] take [their] places in the standard order” (273) and she even describes the accused as looking like “graduating students” (273) on stage. This is very ironic because a salvaging means saving, yet these women are being hanged and killed for actions that Gilead considered crimes. This proceeding only enforces the totalitarian regime of Gilead since it is apparent that the hanging of these prisoners “salvages” and helps maintain the strict rule of the Gilead Regime. It almost becomes a show where the women play a guessing game to guess the crime of the abused, since “the crimes of others are a secret language among [them]” (275). The salvaging works to show that anyone who opposes or acts against the set behaviors will be punished and Gilead cannot be over ruled, instead the hangings reinforce the powerlessness of women and the powerful totalitarian regime.

Another strange event of Gilead is seen in Chapter 43: “Particicution”, in which the group of Handmaids are allowed to attack a Commander who has been “convicted of rape”, and thus” has abused his position of trust” (278) so he must die. The Particicution is an interesting event in which the Handmaid’s actually have power over a commander. I believe this event may also be used to punish those who dare act against the set rules of Gilead. On the other hand, the Particiuction also allows the Handmaids to let out their anger and frustration for being so powerless under the totalitarian government. Gilead has manages to strip women of their identity and those few involved in Mayday are punished harshly if found out; punished by Paricicution maybe. When Ofglen mentioned that the commander they were beating “was a political…one of [them]” (280) I realized that the rape accusation was nothing but a constructed story to fool the Handmaids into believing he deserved to be beaten and killed. Again, the Gilead society blocks off individuals who try to deceive it; it seems like no ONE person can fight the Republic of Gilead.