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SETTING
May 17, 2010 10:50:51 GMT -5
Post by sgalle on May 17, 2010 10:50:51 GMT -5
Wikipedia defines setting as "the time, location, circumstances in which a story takes place...(that) provides the main backdrop and mood for a story or stories. Setting can be referred to as milieu to include a context (especially society) beyond the immediate surroundings."
In what setting(s) does The Handmaid's Tale take place? How do the characters respond to this/these setting(s)? What is your opinion of this/these setting(s) and why?
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SETTING
Aug 20, 2010 23:36:47 GMT -5
Post by joaquin on Aug 20, 2010 23:36:47 GMT -5
The story takes place in the Republic of Gilead. In this place society is very unequal, most of the women are only valued if their ovaries are viable. They are not allowed to read, write or gain knowledge of any type. Men in the other hand are the ones that work and receive money. In an era of declining births, if a handmaid is incapable of having children it is no longer seen as an important part of society. This is an attempt to form a perfect society, but in reality people especially women live trapped without liberty. The Republic of Gilead by trying to form a utopia they in real are forming one in which men control everything and women are seen as objects and incapable of having a big role in society. Within Gilead there's the commander's household were the main character Offred lives. She is a handmaid that constantly questions where her family is. She is also eager to escape, but the fear of the punishment if she gets caught makes her stay. Offred and the other handmaids have little libery they live trapped while the commander enjoys alomost full libery. I think that this setting makes people unhappy since it makes them incapable of choosing what to do and they live trapped in the rules from society. They can’t decide what to be in life because it is already chosen for them. A society can't be perfect if their people are unhappy.
Joaquin Espinosa 11th
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eliza BURBANO GARCIA
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SETTING
Aug 24, 2010 20:42:34 GMT -5
Post by eliza BURBANO GARCIA on Aug 24, 2010 20:42:34 GMT -5
The physical setting of The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a republic recently created in order to achieve some kind of utopia, and it's called Gilead. This city used to be a regular American residence, but a social regiment was imposed on all citizens. All entrances and exits are guarded and controlled. This affects everyone, but especially low class citizens who don’t have any power like Handmaids unlike Commanders who in fact posses more power than any other person. The limited physical space available creates tension within the city and an intense desire for freedom. Offred, the main character, for example is constantly wondering where her former family is and mourns constantly, but fear stops her from escaping since the punishment for any attempt of leaving is to be sent to colonies where they work night and day or instant death. People in general become depressed and many of the citizens try to escape or commit faults like having affairs due to the lack of love and affection, which is not permitted, so in many cases they commit suicide to rest at last, instead of receiving any kind of punishment. In conclusion the setting in which the story take place is psychologically closed; causing a negative effect on people's lives like confusion, exhaustion and lust. In my opinion this is the perfect setting to achieve what these people where trying to achieve which was reproduce during a crisis where most women were sterile. It's a social structure which blocks all possibilities of choice and freedom for that matter by threatening people to have them under the power of fear, which is perfect for the creators of this structure. On the other hand I'm against this kind of ideology because freedom is a right to all human beings and to be deprived of that will result in monotony, and diversity is one of the greatest gifts we posses. ELIZA BURBANO; 11th Grade International
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eliza
New Member
Posts: 4
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SETTING
Aug 24, 2010 21:22:52 GMT -5
Post by eliza on Aug 24, 2010 21:22:52 GMT -5
The physical setting of The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a republic recently created in order to achieve some kind of utopia, and it's called Gilead. This city used to be a regular American residence, but a social regiment was imposed on all citizens. All entrances and exits are guarded and controlled. This affects everyone, but especially low class citizens who don’t have any power like Handmaids unlike Commanders who in fact posses more power than any other person. The limited physical space available creates tension within the city and an intense desire for freedom. Offred, the main character, for example is constantly wondering where her former family is and mourns constantly, but fear stops her from escaping since the punishment for any attempt of leaving is to be sent to colonies where they work night and day or instant death. People in general become depressed and many of the citizens try to escape or commit faults like having affairs due to the lack of love and affection, which is not permitted, so in many cases they commit suicide to rest at last, instead of receiving any kind of punishment. In conclusion the setting in which the story take place is psychologically closed; causing a negative effect on people's lives like confusion, exhaustion and lust. In my opinion this is the perfect setting to achieve what these people where trying to achieve which was reproduce during a crisis where most women were sterile. It's a social structure which blocks all possibilities of choice and freedom for that matter by threatening people to have them under the power of fear, which is perfect for the creators of this structure. On the other hand I'm against this kind of ideology because freedom is a right to all human beings and to be deprived of that will result in monotony, and diversity is one of the greatest gifts we posses. ELIZA BURBANO; 11th Grade International
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SETTING
Aug 25, 2010 14:46:49 GMT -5
Post by sgalle on Aug 25, 2010 14:46:49 GMT -5
What other settings are there in the novel? Can you address other, more specific locations in the novel? What are they? What happens there? How do the characters behave differently in specific locations within Gilead?
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maria jose cordova 11 C
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SETTING
Aug 28, 2010 12:40:49 GMT -5
Post by maria jose cordova 11 C on Aug 28, 2010 12:40:49 GMT -5
The book takes place in a community that is created by some people to make a kind of utopia to make all perfect and equal but not for all people. In the republic of Gilead there’s a community full of house holes each household with a certain amount of Martha’s, a Handmaid, a guard that have to follow orders from the commanders family. This community isn’t free and each person has their job. All the entrance and exits from the city are closed and guarded. The church is a museum there are some stores where people can buy stuff but only what the need and food is expensive. Men are the ones how control all and have all the power, while women are placed in different “levels” depending on if they can have babies or not. The marthas are the ones that clean and cook, the handmaids are the ones that have to have sexual relations with the commanders to give birth a baby that wound be for her but for the commander wife. Because of this the characters began to feel lonely are Offred that she misses her family her daughter and husband. They don’t have freedom and have to follow some rules such as marthas cant live the house, handmaids have to do all the sopping of groceries and have sex, the guards drive the cars, the commander wife has to name the baby and take care of the baby even if they didn’t gave birth to them she is the mother. In this community if someone didn’t follow rules they would be hanged and killed and be shown to all the people.
maria jose cordova 11C
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SETTING
Aug 29, 2010 10:54:37 GMT -5
Post by david valencia on Aug 29, 2010 10:54:37 GMT -5
The Handmaid's Tale takes place in the Republic of Gilead, which is a recently created republic in the context of the story. This place was created to attempt the foundation of an utopia. Although in this Republic women are being mistreated and not being considered part of the society. Women are limited to do many sort of normal and daily stuff such as reading, writing which also blocks their right to gain any kind of further knowledge to what they know right now. Also women are valued and even considered women according to their ovaries or their chances to give birth to a normal child. During the era of declining births, if a woman is not able to give birth or give birth to a normal child they are considered "unwomen" and instantly they are excluded from their Utopian society. Although this is considered a Utopia by many, characters react in a bad way to their surroundings. In the household that is where Offred lives many women say that life is better in there than what it used to be in the past before the Republic of Gilead, but in the other hand Offred thinks of it as a prison and she eagerly wants to get out of it and find out what happened to the rest of her family. I think that the setting of the story is a place that creates a lot of questioning towards what is going on around and so i think the author picked this setting to create this type of questioning towards the reader.
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SETTING
Aug 28, 2011 9:42:37 GMT -5
Post by nathalyrobalino on Aug 28, 2011 9:42:37 GMT -5
The setting of “The Handmaid’s tale” takes place in a new city called Republic of Gilead. Some authorities using their military power created it, in order to attempt to create a perfect society. They have decided to implement specific rules that everybody has to follow depending on their social level. It is a vey unequal society principally between women and men. Men rule and are in charge of high position jobs. Women on the other hand have lost all their rights such as: money, work, and liberty. Most women can’t get pregnant, for this reason a woman with good and healthy ovaries and body is valuable. These women are called Handmaids. They live in a Household with a Commander and his wife; Marthas, who cook and take care of the handmaid, and Guards. Offred, the main character, is a handmaid. Her job is to have periodically sex with the Commander in order to get pregnant. She lives from the memories of the past, where the society was equal and everybody was free. Now she has to do her duty and some other chores such as: shopping and please the Commander. This Republic has some places where handmaids can go such as: the grocery store, where they buy every day the food; a huge wall, where people is dead hanging if they go against the rules. On the other hand Commander’s wives can go everywhere. Usually they visit other Households. Commanders visit in the night a private club hidden from the authorities. There are some beautiful women to please with their necessities. People in the Republic of Gilead want to have freedom even though nobody shows this wish because of the fear.
Nathaly Robalino
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