Response to the Handmaid's Tale & further thought of the Giver
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A few weeks my teacher showed us some parts of the movie "The Handmaid's Tale". I had always thought that the Giver was already an unimaginable place to live in, but nothing prepared me for this movie.
This movie was about a community or nation in the future when pollution had increased to the point that it cause 90% of the women to be infertile. Therefore there is desperation for children and continuation for the human race. Thus this movie is about a woman who is fertile and is forced to give birth to children for the rich family, and women who do this are called handmaids, hence the title. Unlike the Giver this community does not have sameness and have a social hierarchy, there is also racism and men are treated superior. I realized that the Giver did not seem so bad after all.
The handmaid’s tale had thoroughly disgusted me; I can not believe that the world would be usurped by such an immoral community. Imagine, hanging nuns because they refuse to give birth and forcefully making them go against their beliefs. The other thing that disgusted me was that they used the Bible as propaganda. I think that that is a complete misuse of something considered holy, even if one does not believe in it. It is totally disrespectful and rude. I do not understand why the people do not overthrow the community, after all the main supporters for this community is those who are in power or have the money and position.
I definitely much rather live in the community of the Giver than in the one in the Handmaid’s tale.
I began to think that actually living in the Giver community will not be that bad. After all ignorance is bliss. Even if we think that it is unfair to not have colour, music or true feelings, but if we do not know that there are such things in the world, it may be better to live without it. Then, there would not be unfairness to those who are blind or colour blind, one will not know true pain and grief and or be envious of other’s happiness.
However this also seems to contradict itself. After all we will never be able to truly prove that ignorance is bliss, and we will never be able to measure what are “true” feelings.
In conclusion, I feel that the giver has the hardest job of all, knowing others are ignorant and feeling indignant over them doing things that are not right to do, yet unable to tell the truth and consequentially causing hurt to the people. I think that they do indeed deserve highest honour for being able to keep all their feeling of unjust and anger inside themselves. Therefore I have utmost respect for the Giver.
--Mary HAD a little lamb--
10:56 AM
