Milestone Two: Rough Draft Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel takes place in Gilead, located in New England in the United States, where the republic’s democracy has been overthrown and replaced by a totalitarian theocracy. In order to procreate, the plummet of live births in Gilead leads to the implementation of divorced and fertile women serving as surrogates for childless couples. The Handmaid’s Tale tells the story of Offred’s life prior to the change in government and follows her as she navigates life from her current station. Based on the theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Marxism gives attention to social structures and classes, which includes the ideology that the ruling class remains in authority due to the subjugation of the working class. The theory of…
Mayfair Rucker Friday, December 1, 2017 C Block Analysis of Language in The Handmaid’s Tale There is a proverb that came to my mind when reading The Handmaid’s Tale: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” There is more to our language than strict grammar and spelling; words carry beliefs with them, and so they can harm or heal you at the deepest levels of your being. I was caught off guard with how well Atwood portrays this theme in The Handmaid’s Tale. While Gilead does use force to keep their…