Extended text essay

Analyse how your imagination was stimulated by the writer’s use of language in a
text you have studied

Offred, the main character of Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale,
believes that “what I feel is that I must not feel”, however the reader is encouraged to
‘feel’ through Atwood’s use of language. My imagination was stimulated by the idea
of the power of language, in creating emotions, providing freedom and as a method of
control, which was expressed by way of first person narration, metaphor and biblical
allusion.

Atwood’s use of first person narration stimulated my imagination by portraying the

power of language in provoking emotion. The novel is written from the perspective of
Offred, a Handmaid in the society of Gilead, who is sharing her life story with the
reader: “because I’m telling you this story, I will your existence. I tell, therefore you
are.” The use of personal pronouns enforces the fact that the reader’s involvement
with the story depends entirely on Offred, giving her a rare sense of power. The style
of narration is gives a singular, subjective account of the Gileadean regime, however
the trust that Offred puts in the reader by telling her story – a dangerous act of
rebellion – means that they are forced to trust her in return. There is no other reason to
believe her story, but the fact that we do stimulated my imagination by showing how
easily people can be manipulated by language, because of the emotions it creates. It is
hard for the reader not to feel an emotional attachment to Offred when she writes that
“I don’t want to be a doll hung up on the wall”, a metaphor which highlights her lack
of power as a Handmaid by comparing her to an inanimate toy. The name Offred
further reinforces the metaphor by suggesting she is ‘owned’ by Fred, but the word ‘I’
contrasts to this as it confirms her own, separate existence. Despite her situation,
language is a means of finding freedom for Offred which stimulates the reader to
consider its possible power in their own lives.

To develop the idea of language as a powerful means of providing freedom and

continue to stimulate the reader’s imagination, Atwood’s makes use of metaphor. In
Gilead, Offred has the “voice of a monotone, voice of a doll”, a metaphor which
expresses the fact that as a Handmaid, her opinions and feelings are of little
importance in comparison to her fertility, determining her role in society. Like a doll,
Offred has no means of communication with others in her position because it is
forbidden, and without the chance to use language, she is powerless to change her
situation and remains under the control of her Commander. The Handmaids are
though of simply as “two-legged wombs”, and this personification dehumanises them,
taking away their ability to communicate, and therefore their freedom. As is shown by
Atwood through the character of Offred, language is power – those who have control
over it have ultimate control, while those without access to it, like the Handmaids,
have no choice but to submit – they cannot say the word ‘rebel’. The danger of this
situation is that the meanings of words change over time so “it may not seem ordinary
to you now, but it will become ordinary.” With continued deprivation of access to
language, eventually it will no longer have meaning for these people, and they will
become literal “two-legged wombs”. Atwood’s description of this situation made me
realise how important is to retain language and stimulated me to consider how modern
society relies on language in giving individuals true freedom: freedom of speech.
The use of biblical allusion also stimulated my imagination by developing the idea of
withholding language as a method of control. The fundamental purpose of the regime
is to increase the rapidly dwindling population through the exploitation of young
fertile women as Handmaids. This is justified by a passage from the bible where
Rachel is infertile, so her maid has a child for her: “Behold my maid Bilhah. She shall
bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.” This story is publicised
throughout Gilead because it suggests the Handmaids have a religious role, giving
them protection but also no way of arguing against it. This society’s downfall is that
people are not aware of many contradictions which exist in texts such as the bible –
they are not precise historical records – and therefore the dangers of reading them too
literally. Rachel says, “Give me children or else I die”, and this is the reality for
Offred – Handmaids have three chances to produce a healthy baby and if unsuccessful
are sent to the Colonies to die of radiation sickness. The bible can be interpreted in
many different ways, which makes its meaning easily manipulated to suit the
purposes of the regime. As a safeguard, it is kept “locked up, the way people once
kept tea locked up”, and this comparison highlights how the bible is a ‘staple’, a
necessity for the rulers of society. At the same time, it is a dangerous weapon because
of the powerful language it contains, so should not fall into the wrong hands – ironic
when Gilead has already manipulated it. People have no access to the original
document so are forced to accept the passages they are read as the truth. It is clear
from this society that the subjective nature of language makes it a powerful form of
control, and my imagination was stimulated by the thought of life in a society
oppressed by lack of language.

“Faith is only a word” but language as a whole is powerful, as Margaret Atwood

concludes in her novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. Through the use of first person
narration, metaphor and biblical allusion, she stimulated my imagination by showing
how language can provoke emotion and give or take away freedom. It is a powerful
tool of vital importance to society, but we are warned to recognise the subjectivity of
language to prevent it from being used to manipulate us.