Catherine's English Blog

  In these last few chapters of The Handmaid’s Tale, Offred’s relationship with Nick develops. Although from the ending, we can kind of assume their relationship will most likely not go anywhere. But I do feel like Nick has significantly impacted Offred and her changing perspective, he has helped stabilize and keep her sane. The ending also shows Offred escaping, but this is mainly because of Nick. A lot happens in these chapters, with the old Ofglen dying and then being replaced by a new Ofglen. When Offred finally escapes, I can’t help but think how lucky she is compared to many of her counterparts. Offred was supportive of the resistance, but she didn’t take extreme action such as looking through the Commander's office, and yet Nick was still able to find her an escape route.  What did you think about the ending? Were you expecting Offred to escape?

In these chapters, Offred almost seems to reach a point of acceptance where she wants to stop thinking about her past life and begin adjusting to her new one. We also learn more about the Commander.  As Offred begins growing more comfortable with him, she also realizes she can manipulate him. The Commander is a bit of a confusing character. I’m not sure if he navigates off of guilt for Offred, his personal gain, or loneliness (maybe all three). After reading this far into the book, one thing I’ve also noticed is how Atwood gives us parts of past events as Offred begins adjusting to her new life. Atwood gives us small pieces of history so we can begin piecing them together and discovering different parts of Offred’s life. For example, in these chapters, we learn about how the government was overthrown and Offred’s experience throughout all of it.  What do you think about this developing relationship between Offred and the Commander?

These chapters of The Handmaid’s Tale revealed a lot more about Offred’s past life and the history of Gilead. One of the characters I’m the most interested in is Moira. Offred has tried looking for Moira on several occasions and in memories also describes Moira as slightly rebellious and very much the type to “seize the day”. My interest peaked at the end of chapter twenty-two when Offred describes Moira’s escape. I think these flashbacks Offred has are interesting because it gives more context about the past life Offred had, but it also serves as a way to keep Offred grounded and sane.  Who do you think is the most interesting character so far? And do you think Moira will make an appearance anytime soon? 

These first few chapters of The Handmaid’s Tale were honestly a bit confusing for me. From the flashbacks of Offred's past life to Offred trying to adjust to her new life, I wasn't always sure where Offred was and what she was thinking. Although, one thing I believe Margaret Atwood does extremely well is painting a picture of this totalitarian society. The biggest point that Atwood emphasizes with Gilead is that women are viewed as property of the state. This society is also obsessed with fertility and Atwood shows this in many ways. Firstly, with the role of the handmaidens who are deemed as valuable to society solely because they are able to bear children. Another way this is shown is when Offred is walking through the street and sees one of the past handmaidens gloating about her pregnancy, and how it is almost deemed as impolite to gloat in front of women who are barren or not pregnant. There was also the procession of women who had a miscarriage or lost their baby over chi...

 These first few chapters of The Handmaidens Tale were honestly a bit confusing for me. From the flashbacks of Offred's past life to Offred trying to adjust to her new life, I wasn't always sure where Offred was and what she was thinking. Although, one thing I believe Margaret Atwood does extremely well is painting a picture of this totalitarian society. The biggest point that Atwood emphasizes with Gilead is that women are viewed as property of the state. This society is also obsessed with fertility and Atwood shows this in many ways. Firstly, with the role of the handmaidens who are deemed as valuable to society solely because they are able to bear children. Another way this is shown is when Offred is walking through the street and sees one of the past handmaidens gloating about her pregnancy, and how it is almost deemed as impolite to gloat in front of women who are barren or not pregnant. There was also the procession of women who had a miscarriage or lost their baby over c...

     An unquestionable way to keep the real world from spiraling into an Orwelian society is to not give the government too much power. If the government has too much power, the citizens could be stripped of their rights and it could quickly turn into a tyranny. Another way is to try to not deepen the class divide. We see an extreme caste system in 1984 with the proles not knowing anything, and being conditioned to believe that anything the Party says is correct. We don’t want to create an extreme class divide in the real world to the point where a certain group or class would barely have any rights or be vastly below another. Another way is by preserving our history. The erasure of history in 1984 is something that Orwell talks about fairly in-depth. The Party erased all past history so they could rewrite it themselves. Keeping our history in the real world and learning from our past mistakes is an evident way to make sure that a whole society will never be conditioned t...

The last chapter of 1984 was the ending I anticipated, but one I honestly did not want to happen. At the end of 1984, the Party has finally won and Winston's feeling/story of rebellion is over. Winston hates Julia and can't even think of any memories that aren't associated with Big Brother. I believe the ending ultimately shows how powerful this dystopian society is. Another alternate route for an ending that I first thought would happen when reading the first chapters of 1984 was that there would be a huge rebellion and the Party would be overthrown. Although the ending Orwell went with is the exact opposite and some readers could argue that it is less lackluster, I think the ending Orwell chose to write is much more meaningful, gives Winston's story and this dystopian society more significance, and provides the reader with much to reflect on. What did you think of the ending? Was it what you originally anticipated and did you like it?

 In this section of 1984, we are given an analysis of how O'Brien's torture has affected Winston's brain. With the way Orwell describes Winston's feelings and state of mind, I think that the copious torture Winston has had to endure has ultimately changed his brain chemistry. In these chapters, Winston grows tired and almost turns into a different person. Although, Winston's thoughts of Julia almost seem to ease some of his pain and he realizes that he still hates the Party and Big Brother. When Winston slightly rebels, he is then put into a torture room. Even after the extensive amounts of torture Winston has endured, O'Brien then tries to exploit Winston's deepest fears. After Winston is pushed so far to the edge, he finally betrays Julia. After reading chapter five, it almost felt like O'Brien and the Party had another victory and truly broke Winston. Although Julia and Winston's relationship was fairly short-lived, I was surprised when O'Brie...

In the beginning chapters of Part Three, Winston is finally captured and goes through a process comparable to brainwashing. Winston firstly goes through torture, and then he becomes brainwashed to believe that many of his memories are fake. Reflecting on these past two chapters, I think the brainwashing of characters seems to be a common occurrence in many utopias and dystopias. A notable example is The Giver by Lois Lowry. Although the brainwashing in The Giver is not as obvious, the characters in The Giver are made to believe that their government has informed them about everything, such as past history, when in reality the government keeps everyone in the dark about what exists outside of their society. In The Giver, there are also extreme constraints in the society such as no lying and not acting on sexual impulses, which is similar to the rules that The Party implements in 1984. What novel do you think has similarities to 1984? And what are those similarities?

I thought the last few chapters of Book Two were where the climax of the book was reached. Since the beginning, Winston was always paranoid about being caught by the Thought Police. Winston went to extreme measures to stay hidden in earlier chapters too. I thought everything tied together in the last chapters to produce this peak point in the plot. An example would be Julia, she was mentioned in earlier chapters but in Book Two we finally got to meet her and learn more about her reason for rebellion. Another example would be the Brotherhood, Winston's urge to rebel has been a major part of the plot and drives a lot of his actions. Winston had wanted to join the brotherhood, and in the later chapters of Book Two, Winston was finally introduced to the Brotherhood. Ultimatley, I thought Orwell tied many loose ends together in Book Two which made for a great pinnacle in the plot and left the reader with a lot of questions. What did you think about the ending of Book Two? Did you love i...

       Book Two of 1984 included many passages about the different realizations Winston had, whether it be about Julia, how the Party governs their lives, or the history of the Party. Firstly, I think Julia's character added a lot to the book. It introduced an actual rebel and took Winston out of his own anxiety and thoughts. In book two we learn a lot about Julia and her disregard for many of the Party rules, as well as how she dismisses the purpose of the rebellion. Book Two mainly centers on Winston and Julia's relationship, and I thought this part of 1984 added a lot to both the characters and the plot.      In the later section of book two,  there is more focus put on the Party. More specifically, the later chapters of this book focus on the different rules the party has, the history of the party, and the growing rebellion. When O'Brien is introduced, I think it gave us more insight into the rebellion and showed a person other than Winston wh...

 Censorship is an extremely present theme in 1984, especially with countless mentions of the "thought police". Winston is so paranoid that the Party will catch him that he even considers harming his colleagues and harming himself. As Winston goes on this journey of uncovering past history and what the Party erased, everything seems to be gone. The residents of the dystopian society in 1984 seem to be so brainwashed that they can't even tell clear lies. An example I thought was interesting was how the Party always announced that they were giving more food, but in reality, they were giving less. The residents, mainly the proles, have been given so much propaganda and have been completely brainwashed to the point where they aren't able to conceptualize what is right in front of them. Parts of the society in 1984 also reminded me of the society in The Giver. In The Giver by Louis Lowry, color has been completely erased from society and a lot of history has been as well. T...

 Prompt (Fiction): How are current dystopian depictions similar to 1984? How do they differ? What is significant about the similarities and differences? The first few chapters of Orwell's 1984 reminded me of Brave New World in many ways. The first similarity I noticed is how the society portrayed in 1984 aims to have a lack of individuality just like Brave New World . Although the methods taken in these two books are very different, I believe the goal is ultimately the same: to have everyone fit into a certain mold and caste. The idea of rebellion and speaking up against society is also thought of as extremely taboo.  A difference I noticed in these two novels was how the dystopian society in 1984 wants to suppress sex and sexual desires, while the dystopian society in Brave New World takes advantage of and employs these desires. As  I mentioned previously, although the methods taken by these two societies are different, I think the end goal is the same. What do you t...

Nothing Gold Can Stay By Robert Frost Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.   I chose this poem since even from reading the title, it's clear that he's writing about the idea that nothing good stays for too long. I think this definitely applies to life, nothing great ever stays but better things later come along. I think Frost's use of nature in the poem applies really well to life too since every season nature goes through different experiences. Although many of the seasons don't last long, as Robert Frost says: "only an hour or so", each year they end up maturing from different conditions. Frost is describing a cycle in this poem too, and I think this applies really well to life, how many experiences are cycles over again. Although the poem is short, I think it definitely describes...

The way Joe Brainard describes death https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58250/death-56d23c74e8276 The poem that I chose explores the topic of death. I think the topic isn't something I avoid, but I think this poem portrays it in a way that faces death headfirst that is completely unfamiliar. Most people think about what happens after death, but rather than thinking about those possibilities, Joe Brainard almost minimizes what death should be thought of as, describing it more as an event or statistic. I really enjoyed his light satire and sarcasm throughout the poem. He tries to make learning and understanding the aftereffects of death this more lighthearted thought, and he definitely views it in a way extremely unfamiliar to me. Rather than talking about the importance of death and what it means, he rather says it's an extremely normal thing that happens to everyone.

The poetry of  Hsieh T'iao Contemplating the Capital from the Three Mountains in the Sunset Hsieh T'iao From Pa Szu I contemplate Ch'ang An, From the south I look toward the capital. Embellished by the sun, The pointed roofs appear to me ondule. The red clouds spread themselves like pieces of embroideries, The limpid river is smooth like white silk. The spring islets are covered with twittering birds, The parks are adorned with variegated flowers. While setting out I was already reluctant, Nostalgically I now think of the joyous feasting. When is a reunion expected? My tears fall like rain. Fondly I turn my eyes to my native land, Who can prevent his hair from turning gray? This poem by  Hsieh T'iao describes the place he grew up in Taiwan. I thought this poem was really interesting since from the beginning it's extremely idyllic. He describes Taiwan as this peaceful place almost separate from the rest of the world and its chaos. From the poem, ...

Epic Poetry Epic poetry is a type of poetry that is narrative poems that tell a series of events and are fairly long. Epic poetry came from ancient Greece, and one of the most famous epics is "The Odyssey" by Homer. I feel like epics aren't read a lot of the times or covered because of their length. An epic is typically long, but I think the length adds to the poem and you're able to experience much more as you read, such as prose, plot, and even certain history. In many greek epic poems, it talks about a hero's journey and goes really deeply into greek mythology. As time progressed, epic poems weren't used only to talk about a hero's journey but a way to evoke a lot of emotions or create a drama with comedy and tragedy in a really lyrical form. One of the best parts of an epic is it's length, because of that nothing is rushed and you're able to experience a full storyline in these poems. Here is a link to a few epics: https://www.poetrysou...

I chose a limerick as the form of poetry we have not yet studied. Limericks were first made popular in the 1800s by the author Edward Lear when he published the "Book of Nonsense", a book featuring lighthearted and comedic limericks. An example of one of his limericks would be: There was an Old Man with a beard, Who said, 'It is just as I feared! Two Owls and a Hen, Four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard!' Limericks are short poems consisting of five lines, and the first, second and fifth lines must rhyme with each other, while the third and fourth lines must rhyme with each other. Another attribute of limericks is that the first, second and fifth lines must have the same number of syllables, while the third and fourth lines must match each other in syllables too. The typical number of syllables used in the first, second and fifth lines is 8-9, and the typical amount used in the third and fourth lines is 5-6 The limerick is a f...

Favorite Poet The poet I chose was Edgar Allan Poe, I first began reading his short stories and found his poetry this year. After reading a few of his poems such as The Sleeper and A Dream Within a Dream , he became my new favorite poet because of his writing style, his portrayal of emotions, and the meanings behind his poems. The first poem I read was “The Sleeper”, and I was completely caught off guard by his style of poetry and wording. I believe what surprised me the most about his poetry was his descriptiveness and use of prose. In “The Sleeper”, he describes his environment in an extremely beautiful way which captures how the narrator is feeling and everything around him. Poe has a very specific writing style that still fits into a structured rhyming but manages to incorporate other aspects such as illustrations and actions, which helps further the story.  Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 and wrote works ranging from mystery stories, poems. Poe didn't receive much re...