This is my IB English A HL Language and Literature Essay and aims to explore the question: "In what ways does the Republic of Gilead, in Margaret ́s Atwood ́s `The Handmaid ́s Tale ́, restrict language and communication as a method of control?".
It was externally graded by IB Examiners in the...
In what ways does the Republic of Gilead, in Margaret´s Atwood´s `The Handmaid´s
Tale´, restrict language and communication as a method of control?
Word count: 1499
, Rationale
I selected the question: ‘In what ways does the Republic of Gilead, in Margaret´s Atwood´s
‘The Handmaid´s Tale’, restrict language and communication as a method of control?’. The
concept of the restriction of language and communication was extremely interesting for me
as language and communication are a part of our ordinary life and they shape our identity
and our sense of self. However, if the manners in which people use language and
communicate with one another are thoroughly restricted by the authorities, it can have a
detrimental impact on people´s individuality and mental health. I will consider different
perspectives to the restriction of language and communication and discuss Atwood´s
potential meanings and intentions.
In my critical essay, I will:
• Consider the ways in which the Republic of Gilead restricts language and
communication.
• Analyse the impacts of restriction on language and communication on the Gileadean
society, notably the Handmaids.
• Explore how Atwood criticises totalitarian regimes and their methods of control.
The dystopic novel `The Handmaid´s Tale´, written by Margaret Atwood in 1984 and
published in 1985, empathetically conveys how language and communication are restricted
by the Republic of Gilead in order to control the individuals and exert power over them. It
could be argued that Atwood is attempting to critique those nations that place their citizens
under constant surveillance and restriction due to the detrimental impact on their freedom,
individuality and mental health. Perhaps Atwood may also be seeking to inspire people to
take action and reflect on their own conditions in our society.
Atwood insightfully explores the ideas of the restriction of language and communication by
totalitarian regimes and how they starkly impact the mental health and individuality of the
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