Journal #3 The Handmaids Tale

In the book The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood creates the dystopian society in which the characters in the book live in, in order to make the point back when this book was published, that if people, most importantly women, do not stand up for their rights, they will lose them completely. Atwood was a radical feminist back when this book was written and was very passionate about sticking up for her rights and freedoms as an individual and most importantly, a women. This dystopian society she has created called Gilead, has such little rights and freedoms for the characters that it is almost impossible to be an individual. Atwood is stating that if women do not stand up for their freedom, they will lose their individuality and freedom. 

The society of Gilead in the book is unrealistic but it's not impossible. It is not likely that a secret government will overthrow the United States government, but it certainly is possible. Atwood creats a dystopian society that is terrible for characters in the book but that has a plossible way of life, rather then a dystopian society that is completely unrealistic and unable to ever be made. She does this in order to prove the point that this dystopian society is unrealistic but there is evidence that this could happen. She is doing this to warn people to stand up for and appreciate their rights, in order to keep them, and to prevent a dystopian society like Gilead.

Handmaid's Tale Thesis

Margaret Atwood uses the repeated symbol of red in The Handmaid's Tale to represent the imprisonment and shame experienced by all of the characters in order to illuminate that by limiting a group of people in society, you limit the whole society.

Handmaids tale journal #2

"I wipe my sleeve across my face. Once I wouldn't have done that, for fear of smearing, but now nothing comes off. Whatever expression is there, unseen by me, is real. 

You'll have to forgive me. I'm a refugee from the past, and like other refugees I go over the customs and habits of being I've left or been forced to leave behind me, and it all seems just as quaint, from here, and I am just as obsessive about it. [...] Weep. Weeping is what it is, not crying. I sit in this chair and ooze like a sponge," (227). 

In this passage the character of Offred is talking about her life in this new, cruel world she lives in now. It is apparent that she is a Dystopian Protagonist from this passage for a few reasons. For one she describes how she feels trapped and is struggling to escape not only in this passage but throughout the book. When she describes that she is being forced to leave behind habits from her past life she is expressing that she is under strict rule and that she is being forced to live the way she lives now. She also contemplates trying to escape this terrible place she lives in(in other passages), she is even more inspired to run away by her friend Moira who was able to escape. Another example of her being a Dystopian Protagonist is the way she describes how something is terribly wrong with the society in which she lives in. She expresses that she weeps in this passage and in other passages because of the terrible conditions of society. She also explains in other passages, her deep desire to run away and escape this torturous town because of how terrible her life is there. There are several moral lines that are crossed in her life, through lack of rights women have in the society she lives in. She also questions the existing social and political systems in this passage and through out the book. She explains that she misses her lifestyle from the past because of how terrible she has it now. This is because of how she describes her political system and how terrible it is. The political system gives women close to no rights in this society, which makes Offred's life a living nightmare. She questions this system and often wonders how this system came about.  Very ofter, she describes how questionable and unfair this system is and how much she desperately wants it to change.

Handmaid's tale journal #1

We are containers, it's only the insides of our bodies that are important,"(96). In this passage Offred is describing how the women in this new world are treated. When she says they are only used for "the insides of their bodies" she is referring to how the women in society are only used to make babies. That is their only job. All of the women's rights have been taken away in this new place. They are not allowed to have babies or be in a relationship with who they please, they are selected a husband to have sex with and that is where the extent of their relationships go to. They do nothing more then have sex to produce more babies. The women are forbidden to read, write, and even speak. They must do nothing but reproduce. In this passage one can see that the women in this society are being used and are restricted by the laws of a higher power. They are forced to stay in this civilization(which used to be the United States) and must obey numerous laws put into place by higher powers. It is apparent that Offred is lost and scared in her life right now. She knows what life used to be like and what precious rights they are taking away from them. In this section of the book it is shown that women in society really were used as "containers" and nothing else. This is illuminated through Offred's daily routine and how abused she is for the sake of reproducing. One event that happens in this section that demonstrates this, is when Offred must have sex with her "Commander". It is described as a duty and a job. She has no choice in whether or not she has sex or with who she does it with. It is a part of life for her. 

Journal #7 The Stranger

Thesis:  Camus uses the motif of guilt to illuminate the idea that it is human nature to not appreciate what one has until it is taken away. 

journal #6 the stranger

At the end of the text Meursault comes to the conclusion that when he dies because of his death sentence(as everyone does at one point in their lives) he will have a fresh start at a new life. After getting talked to by the chaplain, Meursault feels angry and disagrees with almost every idea he has. After being pushed too far Meursault screams at the chaplain at the top of his lungs and at that point he has an epiphany about life and his entire view on it, “Maman must have felt free then and ready to live it all again. [...] I felt ready to live it all again too,”(122). In this passage it is apparent that Meursault has realized why he has been unable to feel remorse for his mothers death. This allows him to accept his own sentence of death and feel peaceful for his final moments on earth. 

I believe that Camus wants the reader to also come to the same conclusion that he did. Throughout the book, he has hidden Meursaults true feelings and emotions about everything in life, including his mothers death. Then finally at the end of the book Camus writes that Meursault has an epiphany and allows the reader to not only see how Meursault has been secretly thinking all along, but also allows the reader to see Camus’ views on the world and his true philosophies that were somewhat hidden through out the book. 

Stranger Journal #5

Camus creates a part 1 and part 2 in the book The Stranger to emphasize Meursault's freedom getting taked away while in jail for killing an arab. He does this to give the readers a better look at Meursault as a character and to get to know him through his time in jail, as he gets to know himself. 

 

There were a few parallel ideas between parts 1 and 2. One of those ideas was the motif of time. When Meursault is contemplating during his time in jail he thinks, "Once again the main problem was killing time," (78) Meursault then goes on to describe his view on time and how it has changed since he arrived in jail. Camus uses the parallel idea of the motif of time to show how greatly his perspective on time has changed and how that changes the way he thinks and lives his life in jail. This is parallel to the motif of time used in part 1, "Twice a day, at eleven and six," (27). By using the motif of time in both parts of the book, Camus allows the reader to understand more of Meursault. They do this by finding out that Meursault has a daily routine and schedule that he never strays from, and this does not change in jail. The only thing that changes is the routine he goes by everyday without his freedom in jail. 

Another parallel idea in parts 1 and 2 is the love Marie has for Meursault. Before jail she was in love with Meursault, and she expressed it to him, even thought he would never say it back. After he was sent to jail, it is apparent in part 2 that he love for him has not died a bit, "You'll get out and we'll get married!" (75), Marie shouts this to Meursault during her visit to see him in jail. This passage illuminates that she still has her strong idea of marriage to Meursault even after he kills a man. She was also deeply in love with him before he went to jail, even when he did not love her back, "That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her," (41). This passage shows that Marie loved Meursault enough to ask him to marry her, get turned down, and still love him after. Camus uses the parallel idea of the love Marie has for Meursault to show how Meursault changes as a character, and how his and Marie's realtionship changes through out parts 1 and 2. 

Stranger Journal 4

Meursault drastically changes as a character from section one to section two. In section one he is very unemotional and simply boring. In section two he starts to liven up which brings out some of his personality. For Instance in section two Meursault finally admits that he feels poorly about his mothers death. He may not have admitted it out loud but even thinking it to the reader is a substancial step for him, "I probably did love Maman, but it didn't mean anything,"(Camus 65). He is stating that he did have emotions that were not expressed when his mother died. He felt love for her and sadness that she was gone, but he was unable to express those feelings in part one. 

Aother instance where Meursault shows his new found personality and feelings is when he expresses his view on God, "Asking me if I believe in God. I said no." (Camus 69) This shows that Meursault does have oppinions and emotions hidden inside of him. It just takes a little effort to force those thoughts and feelings to be shown. 

Not only is there a change in the character of Meursault through his thoughts and dialogue, but also through the syntax and over all mood of the book. In section 1 Meursault is very serious and does not show any emotion or personality for the most part. The sytax of Camus' writing is also very choppy and stacato in the first section. This all changes in the second section, "I was led into a curtained room; there was a single lamp on his desk which was shining on a chair where he had me sit while he remained stnading in the shadows. I had read descriptions of scenes like this in books and it all seemed like a game to me,"(Camus 64). Not only do the sentences extend and flow more in the second section, but there is also a much greater presence of emotion in the writing in section two. In this passage there is almost a  humorous feel to the way he speaks. This is a new side to Meursault that we, the readers, have never seen before during the book. 

Stranger Journal 3

Motifs:

1. Time- "Twice a day, at eleven and six..." (Camus 27). So far in the book Camus has used the motif of time quite a lot most likely to develop the idea that people have routine schedules that limit them and force them to waist their lives away. 

2. Light- "Ablazed with sun light." (Camus 25). Camus uses the motif of light to start to give the reader the idea that happiness can bring light and brightness to anyones life. Perhaps Meursault, a very boring and sad person, will find something that will bring happiness and light into his life later on in the book? 

3. Pleasure- "I felt good." (Camus 26). Through out the beginning of the book, Camus stresses the idea that ones pleasure in life is a very important aspect to their happiness and overall well-being. Without pleasure in their life they are dead, and basically not living. Camus believes in Egoistic Hedonism?  

Stranger Journal 2

My personal philosophy: 

Truism 

1. God created the Earth and still watches over us, but only iterferes on occasion. He cannot be everywhere at once so he must watch from afar at peoples lives, until he decides to step into peoples lives and create what we call a "miracle". This is why God can not answer everyones prayers at once, only a selected few. 

2. Everything happens for a reason. There is a chain of specific events that lead up to a certain point or event in ones life, no matter what. Whether small or large, everything you do in your life, you do it for a reason. So that it will lead to a specific outcome in your life. 

3. You must create your own fate. When people are born they are not who they are until they 

make themselves who they are. They do this by creating opportunities for themselves and thriving in life. 

4. Almost everything has a scientific explination. If you take just about anything in the world, there is a scientific explination for how it occurs, will occur, ect. It can be very useful for predicting and preventing things. 

5. Hard work always pays off. No matter what it is or how hard you worked, it will eventually be worth the effort in the end. Putting in the effort in everything you do, will allow you to thrive at everything you do. 

6. Carma is real. No bad deed goes unpunished. No matter how insignificant the bad deed wa,s it will eventually come back to bite you in the butt. 

7. Good relationships in your life will help you thrive in life. With people surrounding you that are supportive and loving, you have more motivation to be a better person throughout your life. 

8. Happiness is achieved through hard work. In order to be happy you must put in hard work in every aspect of your life. In your relationships, career, ect. This will allow you to achieve great things and in term, creat personal happiness. 

9. Money and material things do not allow you to achieve happiness. The idea of them might momentarily make you happy but it is the love and good relationships in your life that you should truely value. So spend time mending your relationships, and love, rather than spending it focused on money and material items.

10. There is the ability to change within everyone. Every human being should be given a second chance in order to change their lives. If a person does one thing wrong in their life, that does not mean that there is no room for change. If you give certain people a chance, they will truely surprise you. 

The Stranger Journal #1

Summary: In chapters 1 and 2 Meursault deals with a difficult time in his life, yet he is unable to express his emotions about this traumatic event that happened to him. In this time in the book Meursault is planning and attending his mothers funeral. We also get a view in on his everyday life in chapter 2. When he is planning and attending his mother's funeral, he seems very relaxed and unemotional during the entire experience. 

Personal Reaction: I am having mixed emotions about Meursault at this point in the story. Part of me likes the character because of his humor and odd personality at times. Another part of me dislikes this character because of his lack of emotion, boredom, and nonchelant response to his mother's death. 

Analysis: By using the character of Meursault, Camus is trying to express the idea that people hide their true emotions at difficult times in their lives. He does this by having this main character of Meursault hide his true emotions of guilt and sadness under his outer appearance of boredom. For example when he Meursault says, "I felt like telling her it wasn't my fault, but I stopped myself..."(Camus 20). By Meursault thinking this, it is obvious that he has these inner feelings of guilt, yet he cannot express it to others. The main character of Meursaault is, overall, used in order to express a theme throughout the book that people hide their true emotions during difficult times in their lives. 

Research: In 1942 Algiers became the headquarters of the allied forces of North Africa. The Italians also raided Algiers on December 11, 1942. Other raids and battles also took place around this time, during WWII.