Esther Akerewusi
Ms. Jackson
ENG4U
31 May 2018
The Leverage of Language in Gilead
What is Language? Language is a method of human communication, either spoken or written, that consists of the use of words in a structured yet conventional way. In the book, The Handmaid’s Tale, the people of Gilead are powerless as they have no means of communication amongst themselves. The use of religious language creates power for the Gilead government to control the behaviour of its citizens while neologism shows how the government controls the people by implementing a different lifestyle. Role names and patronymics are also being used to classify the citizens in order to make it easier for the government to manage them. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret …show more content…
Biblical language helps the theocratic regime in The Handmaid’s Tale maintain it’s dictatorship. “And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children…that I may also have children by her” (Genesis 30:1-3, King James Version) This quote was gotten from the bible and stands as the basic principle throughout the book, The Handmaid’s Tale. It links the idea of a woman’s duty to having children and a man being allowed to get angry if a woman can not produce a child. This belief is what devalues the women and defines them by their fertility. “Give me children or else I die” symbolizes how the importance of marriage relies mainly on childbirth. The use of biblical language in this context reflects on how the theoretical regime creates a system that controls and restrains its citizens. Freedom of speech is taken away and replaced by salutations sourced from the bible. “Blessed be the fruit, she says to me, the accepted greeting among us” (21). When the handmaids and other residents of Gilead meet with each other, they greet with the biblical quote ‘blessed be the fruit’. This greeting displays the profound principles int he Republic of Gilead. This use of propaganda and censorship displays how the government of Gilead controls their
Ms. Jackson
ENG4U
31 May 2018
The Leverage of Language in Gilead
What is Language? Language is a method of human communication, either spoken or written, that consists of the use of words in a structured yet conventional way. In the book, The Handmaid’s Tale, the people of Gilead are powerless as they have no means of communication amongst themselves. The use of religious language creates power for the Gilead government to control the behaviour of its citizens while neologism shows how the government controls the people by implementing a different lifestyle. Role names and patronymics are also being used to classify the citizens in order to make it easier for the government to manage them. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret …show more content…
Biblical language helps the theocratic regime in The Handmaid’s Tale maintain it’s dictatorship. “And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children…that I may also have children by her” (Genesis 30:1-3, King James Version) This quote was gotten from the bible and stands as the basic principle throughout the book, The Handmaid’s Tale. It links the idea of a woman’s duty to having children and a man being allowed to get angry if a woman can not produce a child. This belief is what devalues the women and defines them by their fertility. “Give me children or else I die” symbolizes how the importance of marriage relies mainly on childbirth. The use of biblical language in this context reflects on how the theoretical regime creates a system that controls and restrains its citizens. Freedom of speech is taken away and replaced by salutations sourced from the bible. “Blessed be the fruit, she says to me, the accepted greeting among us” (21). When the handmaids and other residents of Gilead meet with each other, they greet with the biblical quote ‘blessed be the fruit’. This greeting displays the profound principles int he Republic of Gilead. This use of propaganda and censorship displays how the government of Gilead controls their