Essay Plans for a comparative essay between The Handmaids Tale and 1984,
including the themes of: gender, voice of protest, different types of conformity and negative tone.
With Links to context and critics.
The Handmaid's Tale AO5 Key Critical Quotes Revision Grid
Important Quotes from the Handmaid's Tale by Atwood
EDEXCEL ENGLISH LITERATURE- An essay on the presentation of setting in The Handmaid's Tale and Frankenstein
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English Literature
Dystopian Literature
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Gender:
The Handmaids tale 1984
- Women are looked down upon in the - Negative view on women
handmaids tale, they are seen has - Winston’s opinion on Julia thinks
having no importance but to bear violent things of her, doing terrible
children things to her
- Men often take advantage of women - Book in general no positive portrays of
huge divide within genders women seen as weak and unintelligent
- All women's rights have been stripped- - Women only duty for pornosec and
fire all women from jobs, name not on reproducing not well respected- this
bank account only duty,
- Men have dominance not allowed to - Winston blames women for being
read and right sexless beings
- Women only must attend salvaging's, - Winston has become desensitized
men don’t, so how much of an
influence and power they have other
women
- Offered more likable than Winston
more relatable
- Phillys scaffly- believed women should
stay at home, not go out to work
- Critic Coral Howal- "Atwood's feminist
concerns are plain here but so too are
her concern for basic human rights."
- Women in handmaids are used as - The party itself doesn't discriminate
political instruments male and females from one another
- They are completely dehumanized and - In the eyes of the party they are
seen only to bear children treated equally
- Like 1984- sex only for procreation, - But because they preach the idea that
women not allowed to nurture their sex is for duty and not pleasure,
children, could be vaporised discrimination within society is created
- Seen as women constantly being taken with women often being looked down
advantage of upon.
- Women living in constant paranoia, - The party want people to be sexually
does not affect men as they have frustrated, want them to have anger
higher authority and hate, towards the situations they
- Nazi regime/ past dictatorships- are in. Winston flashback to having sex
constant paranoia - having women with prostitute- dehumanises, is
attend salvaging's, so they are so embarrassed by her, desensitized
scared to voice up. Constantly
threatened
- Women seen as a stronger sex - Critic – Beatrix Campbell- “part of the
- From the account of offered it shows problem is that Orwell's eyes never
that she is rebellious come to rest on the culture of women,
- Relationship with the commander and their concerns, their history their
nick movements” Orwell largely presents
- Didn’t do anything to stop herself as stereotypical and misogynistic views of
well, she continued, liked the power women
and sense of being rebellious - However
- Moira – she went against the regime, - May seem that Orwell has negative
she rebelled views on women/ deliberately
, - Serena joy went against her will, she portraying them in the way he does
sent offered to sleep with nick to try - The nature of their description related
and get her pregnant to them shows importance and how
- Feminist movement. women in 1984 have a significant
impact.
- Julia is not seen as weak and what
would be expected of her
- She has the strength to do what she
wants
- She lives life according to her desires
and finds way to be with the men she
wants without being caught, clever
knows how to work the system, hope
that many more women could be like
Julia we just don’t know as it is kept a
secret.
Voice of protest:
Both trying to protest with the intention of novel to give people a warning.
To show what the world could be like if don’t change perspective on certain aspects of society
The handmaids tale 1984
- Attwood protests of women and their - Show mistreatment of people within
mistreatment in society society
- Women have no rights there only duty - Rights being taken away, constantly
is to bear children living in paranoia
- Taken advantage of constantly - Constantly being watched
- Living in fear, could be threatened with - “Big brother is watching you”
execution - Use of the telescreen
- Need to see issue - Spanish civil war, Orwell experience-
- Margret Atwood wrote the handmaids people living in paranoia
tale knowing event that happened in - Critic-Dorian Lynskey -He always tried
the book had already happened and to to tell the truth and admired anyone
say they could happen again who did likewise
- Islamic revolution overthrow of the
shah
- Critic Coral Howal- "Atwood's feminist
concerns are plain here but so too are
her concern for basic human rights.
- Constant use of misinformation, - False information/ change truth
Atwood emphasis don’t want to be a - The use of double think constant
society where it can no longer be different interpretations, editing,
trusted- protest so this can't happen. erasing
- In the handmaids tale we don’t know - People easily manipulated
how reliable the narrative voice is we - Easily taken advantage of- party
don’t know the absolute truth, members take advantage of the proles
- We only know one account- and don’t knowing they won't rebel- as they keep
know if that is trustworthy them satisfied
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