Week 2's Responses

Response to Ch. 10- the sexual evolution

Sometimes, most of the time, journals and articles concerning science are just not that interesting. Mark Sumner on the other hand has found a way of presenting his ideas in an entertaining and somewhat informative manner. Through the means of literary writing he is able to apply his scientific knowledge and present his theory in a way that anyone could understand and possibly have interest in. He seems to have a pretty extensive history with the subject matter, claiming to have degrees in geology and biology, and participated paleotological excavations. Instead of presenting us with a bunch of scientific mumbo-jumbo that most people could not understand, he shocks you with his less than politically correct word choice, and makes you laugh while simultaneously informing you of his ideas. This is definitely one of the major advantages of writing in a literary manner verses scientific. The author is able to provoke interest in the audience to a subject that may not have ever been considered.

Response 1 to The Handmaid's Tale

Slow to unfold, a confusing plot of absurd situations is presented in the Handmaid's Tale. As the story progresses, the reader begins to realize that what seems to be the barbaric practices of century's past is actually the future. Offred, the narrator, continually refers back to this past life that once she existed in: the green of the Martha's uniforms was like that of "a surgeon's gown of the time before" (p.9), and listening at a door was "a thing I never would have done in the time before"(p.10). This "time before" is mentioned often, but the specific of what had happened to make life so miserable was not told until nearly half way through the book. On page 174, we come to find out that the president and Congress had been shot, and in the hysteria of this state of emergency the takeover began and eventually led to the disastrous conditions that Offred lives in. I put myself in that situation and realize that this situation is not as far fetched of an idea as I would hope. I can not imagine how one could keep their sanity in conditions that she had to live in. It's haunting to read how much Offred misses her past life, and the little things that she once took for granted. She remembers the last time she and Luke were in their house together before they had to flee, "He put his arms around me. We were both feeling miserable. How were we to know we were happy, even then? Because we at least had that: arms, around" (192). The world that she previously lived in, and the world I know live in are very similar in regards to our freedoms and opportunities. Seeing this being taken away from her makes me see how fragile what I have really is and appreciate it that much more.

Response 2 to The Handmaid's Tale

The way woman are treated in this book is ridiculous but not all that far fetched. Woman have been mistreated for centuries, used for their bodies and work. But this extreme treatment of woman is not like any I have heard of before. Divided into groups and color coated, the Marthas in green, the Wives in blue, and the Handmaids in red, and the Econowives in stripes each woman assigned to a particular purpose. Treated as mere object, a vessel to procreate the human species the Handmaids are treated the worst. At one point Offred thinks the Commander sees her beyond the Handmaid position, "To him I'm no longer merely a usable body. To him I'm not just a boat with no cargo, a chalice with no wine in it, an oven- to be crude-minus the bun. To him I am not merely empty"(163). It is so inhumane to think that these woman had been treated this way. The Commander treats the situation of the woman so coldly, he thinks it is better for them to be like they are verses the way they were, "This way they are protected, they can fulfill their biological destinies in peace" (220). If these woman are unable to reproduce they are sent away to the Colonies, a place that no one but the nuns are willing to go. Being a Handmaid she is conditioned to lose the identity she once held. Offred is like a machine, a baby machine and is no good until she is able to make a product. She says, "My self is a thing I must now compose, as one composes a speech. What I must present is a made thing, not something born"(66). The way in which not only they are treated but treat themselves, is degrading and unnatural. It seems the sole purpose of this society is merely survival but nothing else, but I wonder what they are surviving for. How can one live without emotion, or freedom to be oneself?

Week 2's Question Response:

"Europe's baby shortage crisis"- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/Europe/1236237.stm

A major issue in The Handmaid's Tale is the low birth rate in Gilead. It is such a major problem in this book that the society had trained specific woman to fulfill this need in their culture. For these Handmaid's their sole job was to make babies. Offred remembers Aunt Lydia saying "when the population level is up to scratch again we'll no longer have to transfer you from one house to another because there will be enough to go round" (162). Fortunately, the problem in Europe with their low birthrate is not as bad as in Gilead, and they are not going to the extremes that the society in the book went to to re-populate its cities. In Italy, the crisis is the worst, but instead of creating Handmaids they are looking at funding the mothers for the first year of their child's life. One struggle the Europeans are having is the woman having to balance their jobs with families, so the women are choosing not to have children. The Italians are hoping that this "One year Off" program will help relieve women of some of their concerns with having children and working.

"Natashay Ward: Paying for prayers?"-
http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=3290256&nav=0hBEZMmt

I know this is a little extreme, but both of these situations seem kind of ridiculous to me. In the book, there is a store called "Soul Scrolls" were you buy prayers. This society is a bit crazy to me. They are incredibly legalistic and practice ridiculous disciplines. To buy a prayer seems to defeat the purpose of praying altogether, kind of like the Church selling indulgences to the poor in the 15th and16th centuries. At "Soul Scrolls" you choose the prayer you would like then "punch in the number, then punch in your own number so your account will be debited"(167). The worst part of it is that its not at all shocking to hear about things like this are still going on today. In an article posted on the WAFF 48 News website, a woman is reported as having starved her kids to death because she was giving the majority of what little money she had to her church and the Joyce Meyers ministery. "I've had a lot of cases where people felt like in order to serve god and be pleasing in god's sight, they had to do literal things," said a local pastor, T.C. Johnson. Its very sad what happened to this family, but its a very good example of Marx's quote "religion is the opiate of the masses". It is a very powerful thing that could be abused to manipulate people, similar to the situation in Gilead.