Andrea Campuzzano

Period 3/ Krause
April 2, 2015

The Meaning of Words

What if language was taken out from society? How would you cope? In The
Handmaids Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, is a dystopian story about how one woman,
Offred, is a Handmaid in the house she lives in. In the setting, all women have duties that apply
to a man (the Commander). With everything being controlled for her, Offred is left to control
only her thoughts. This is what keeps her sane during a time of change. She must obey the rules
given to her by the Aunts, whom brainwash women to set them to societys standards. In the
Republic of Gilead, women are objectified and have no power among their existence.
Right off in the beginning of the story, the readers are out into Offreds point of view. We
get to listen to her conscience. We learn about her story before the revolution and how her
choices have made her into the person she is today. After having been brainwashed by the Aunts
at the Red Center, Offred now has to deal with the responsibilities as a Handmaid. Her duty is to
have babies with the Commander, but must give the child away to him and his wife. Offred cant
help but ponder the thought of whom she is and if she is willing to fight against the system
society has put forth on against women. I try to conjure my own spirits, from wherever they are.
I need to remember what they look like. As a role of a Handmaid, choices are set upon for herwhat she must eat, where she must live, and how to dress. Before the revolution, Offred had her
own life- she had a husband, job, and daughter, before society became corrupted.

Before a women becomes a Handmaid, they must obey the rules and be sent to the Red
Center, which is a camp women went to before they are assigned their duties. After the
Revolution, women, now, must be held captive against their own will. The Aunts are older
women who teach the younger women how to behave and act towards this new society. With
now having new rules being set forth upon them, all women have no choices or rights. Offred
remembers the time of how strict the Red Center was. Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth patrolled;
they had electric cattle prods slung on thongs from their leather belts. For a Handmaid, rules
must be obeyed in order for survival. If they broke any rules, they were sent to concentration
camps. Aunt Lydia said it was best not to speak unless they asked you a direct question. In the
setting of Gilead, its society is corrupted against women.

In todays modern society, the use of language and words are a powerful form of
expression and freedom. In one article written in 2005, The Power of Language defines the
way how language can be used. Its writer, Cat Thompson, wrote about how and why language
can be an influential tool towards society. If we realized the potential that language has to create
and transform our lives, we would pay a great deal more attention to our utterances. While
relating her article to the Handmaids Tale, we can understand why Offred finds freedom towards
the use of words. Being able to say anything in her conscious allows her to make opinions and
judgements that are free from the repressed society of Gilead. With one of the themes expressing
feminism, today, feminism is more talked about. The idea of feminism allows women to stand up
and speak about equal rights for both women and men. Without having the freedom of speech,
feminism would not be able to exists.

In the Handmaids Tale, women are oppressed in society. Their conscience thoughts is the
only freedom they have. Margaret Atwood writes a story about how women, a minority group,
are being pushed down in a productive community. Even with men controlling societys needs,
its mass production of population would not be possible without a woman. Atwood challenges
the ideas of womens roles in society and brings a shining light on feminism. Her use of imagery
creates a vivid sense of how language is important- especially if a woman uses it to convey ideas.