The new Ofglen Handmaid Free Essay Example

The Party claims that the average human being is better off under the Party than before the Revolution and for all Winston knows this could be true. His only evidence is that he instinctively feels that his standard of living is unbearable and that at some other time in history, things must have been better. The reality of life under the Party (poor, dirty, and hungry) is completely different to the image of life according to their propaganda (efficient, futuristic, and mechanical).

Even so, everyone appears to swallow the propaganda and believe they are living the great life they see in posters and on films.

This highlight’s just how great the extent of the Party’s control over its members minds. Writing and reading of books, other than Party school books, which themselves are greatly manipulated, is forbidden. This is due to the fact that the Party sees either as a threat and a way of communicating idea’s that may go against the Party.

An example of this is Goldstein’s book which if anyone is caught reading, is punishable by death. The Party has outlawed literary elements to protect itself and prevent the freedom of thought. In a similar way, the Party’s national language is Newspeak.

Unlike other languages which are used to develop expression of thought and feeling the Party controls and contains these feelings and idea’s by reducing the Oldspeak language. This prevents any idea of rebellion and keeps the Party’s control tighter. Communication between families has also become an area not to be trusted, as children are taught and rewarded to betray their parent’s in if they do anything against the Party. The Party also sloganise everything. There are no laws in Oceania just slogans. Sloganising reduces the already narrowed vocabulary of Newspeak to ideas which are intended to be

taken in by the citizens to such an extent that movement away them from is not ordinarily a distinguishable possibility. To impose this upon a nearly global urban community is the monumental task of the authorities in Oceania and one which in 1984 is nearing completion. By using slogans the Party has gained even more control over it’s members and in the book it is near completion of overall domination. In Handmaid’s Tale the fanatical leaders of Gilead have also created a new language like The Party have in 1984. The language in Gilead warps reality in order to serve the needs of the new society’s leaders.

Women are given titles according to their newly created roles, Handmaids, Wives or Martha’s. By creating this knew title the government control’s there individuality. Deformed babies and feminist are now called “unwomen” and “Unbabies”. Greetings have now changed and new phrases created. Failure to use these new greeting can cause suspicion of unloyalty. By controlling thier names and aspects of language, Gilead can maintain it’s control over women and their bodies. By using a new language both Atwood and Orwell are exploring the link between the perversion of language and a government’s repression.

Handmaids are not also allowed to read and write in Gileadian society. Shop names are shown through symbols. Talking between a group of more than three is also strictly forbidden. Communication between one another is also highly dangerous as they have to monitor what they say as in 1984 no one can be trusted so not only do the population monitor what they say they also monitor what each other say out of fear. This can be shown through Offred when the new Ofglen Handmaid arrives. Offred does not know how to act around her as she does not know how devoted to the Gilead cause she is.

This highlights just how much control the Gilead society has over it’s subjects and how fearful they are. As well as controlling the Party members lives the Party also control it’s member relationships. There can be no personal relationships. The Party does not allow it or sex. Sex can no longer be used as an expression of two people’s feeling for each other, hence why Winston has to go to the prole dominated lands to sleep with a prostitute whenever he wants sex. The Party states that sex is only for bearing children.

“goodsex,” “normal intercourse between man and wife, for the sole purpose of begetting children, and without physical pleasure on the part of the woman; all else was sexcrime. ” The minimizing of sex is again the Party enforcing control over it’s member ways of expressing emotion. They can not express their feelings verbally due to Newspeak or physically through sex. The Party is trying to eliminate positive feelings and relationships for/with one another and allow only a relationship with Big Brother with all their optimistic feelings and love shown towards him. The same happens in Gilead.

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