‘Compare the significance of cultural differences in two other texts you have studied:
Throughout this essay, I will consider how Atwood and Duffy present the domestication and suppression of
female identity and the conformity or rejection of religion as a result of cultural differences in ‘The Handmaid’s
Tale’, ‘History’ and ‘White Writing’. In regards to the significance of cultural differences, I will explore how
culture is an integral part of one’s identity and therefore a rudimentary aspect of the texts.
Both Atwood and Duffy present the domestication and suppression of female identity due to cultural
differences, as women are socially conditioned to conform to an archetypal role in order to appease men. In
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, Atwood employs the grotesque simile; “I lie there like a dead bird”, a contemplative and
apt description of Offred’s psychological conditioning as a result of the misogynistic Gileadean ideals.This
reduces the integrity of intimacy, twisting it into something repulsive rather than desirable. The verb “lie” is
passive, suggesting a lack of resistance, coupled with the lexis “dead” implies the extent of Offred’s
indoctrination as she is reduced to her fertility in order to appease the men in charge of the Patriarchal regime.
On one hand, this could be interpreted as aligning with the ideals of Gilead, if not in the way they expected,
showing that despite her base instincts and attempts to escape her oppression, she is still being indoctrinated
to the point of remaining subconsciously compliant. However, it also emphasises her lack of desire for the
Commander, distancing herself from her humanity, perhaps in order to be able to cope with the intimacy she is
about to experience with him. The animalistic imagery highlights that despite the relationship between Offred
and the Commander and the occasional perception of a more equal power balance, Offred remains
subservient, suggesting that the proceeding intimacy is for the pleasure of the Commander. The confirmation
to male ideals as a sacrifice for integral identity is due to the cultural differences on gender roles that those in
hierarchical power enforce. Furthermore, Atwood also explores Offred’s acknowledgement of the past;
“Women were not protected then” to adopt a critical stance to the way in which women were often, and still
are; vulnerable, harassed, assaulted and taken advantage of at the hands of self-important, misogynistic men.
The verb “protected” is used ironically here, as the Handmaid’s are more oppressed and have internalised the
idea that women are culpable for the actions of men as a result of male superiority. This concept is also
mirrored by Islamic Fundamentalist Groups who enforce women’s dress codes, constant male companionship
and brutal punishments, the obtrusion of which has caused the loss of female experience, their existence is
defined by men. There is almost a sense in which Offred longs for the past oppression of women, and the
freedom that is associated with her past. It also attests to the transformation of women’s style and sense of
individualised methods of expression, as women were empowered by their own choices and thoughts, a trivial
act which is now sought after as a result of the constriction imposed by Totalitarianism. Atwood highlights the
regression of female experience, as a result of the eradication of free will and opinion, and alludes to how
Gilead’s ideals are rooted in Puritanism. Whilst Atwood is critical of the suppression of female identity, she
presents a protagonist who conforms to the ideals of men, whilst Duffy, in ‘History’, adopts an overtly critical
tone in order to expose the injustices caused by patriarchal systems. Duffy approaches this through her
personification of ‘History’ as an old woman; “She woke up old at last, alone,”. She subverts the conventional
standards of beauty, through the deconstruction of the patriarchal archetype of women, in order to convey how
females collectively will no longer be defined by chauvinistic, misogynistic ideals, the idea that fuelled Radical
Feminist thinking. The pronoun “she” is used by Duffy to immediately establish the female perspective,
representative of all women through time, further emphasised by the fact that ‘she’ is impersonal, providing
universal appeal to represent the neglection of all female experience. This establishes the message of the
poem forthright, to accentuate how women have always been present throughout history, despite the lack of
physical acknowledgement. They have been immortalised through Duffy’s literature in an attempt to preserve
and recognise all forgotten women. Furthermore, the adjective “alone” is implicit of the status of women and
used to remind the reader of the suppression of female perspectives through time, the depersonalisation,
objectification and dilapidated nature of the women is a testament to the abuse and disregard of their purpose.
This coupled with the adjective “old” is used to suggest how women have been weathered and aged by
experience, but yet this wealth of knowledge and guidance has been undermined by the egotistical, narcissism
of men. Moreover, Duffy conveys how women have assumed a passive role within society through the
denotation of the role of women throughout history, notably the role of Mary in Jesus’ life; “She’d seen them
ease him down from the Cross, his mother”. The verb “seen” suggests passivity, and is used by Duffy to
convey how women have been silent observers in history as a result of their enforced acquiescence as a result
of the dominance of men. Identity can be viewed as synonymous with culture, and thus a woman's cultural
beliefs and existence has been impinged by the dominance of men. Through Mary’s confirmation to a
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