statment: a good author uses allusions to show their pourpose.

Margot Atwood uses allusions to historical events/things that have happened in the past, to show her purpose which is to alert her readers to the horrible things that have been done and are being done in the world. (the shockingness of the book Is not so far fetched)

use of allusions in the handmaids tale:
– the biblical allusion to Jacob and lea from the bible which justifies the handmaids being used. how religion can have a massive influence on the world.
– allusions to Nazi Germany and the soviet union and the control they used
– infertility due to chemicals that has happened before and is still happening in china
– a scheme in Romanian that prevented women form using contraception and made them have as many children as possible to strengthen the country. this was called decree 770 https://historycollection.co/17-moments-in-history-that-inspired-the-handmaids-tale/2/
– breeding programs in nazi germany that aimed at breeding cirtain traits and took the children and gave them to welthy families.
– the way women are still patronised in society and how our body are seen.
– the allusion to purinen England and how they constantly prosocuted people and were suppressive to women, showing how a place like Harvard can be built on a foundation of tirany. “Inside it you can see paintings, of women in long somber dresses, their hair covered by white caps, and of upright men, darkly clothed and unsmiling. Our ancestors.”

“Everything that has happened in this text has happened before and there is
nothing to say that it won’t happen again.”– Margaret Atwood.

Margot Atwood uses biblical\religious allusions as a commentary on religion and how it effects our world: that religion is a controlling and dangerous thing that should be held in suspicion.
“Nations never build apparently radical forms of government on foundations that aren’t there already.”
– the reference to Rachel and Jacob. this shows how religions use things that are in the bible to justifies doing horrible things.
“and when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children rachel envied her sister; and said unto jacob , give me children, or else i die. And jacob’s anger was kindled against rachel; and he said, am i in god’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And she said, behold my maid bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.”
– puritan England is referenced often and this shows how the roots of many of society most prestigious places and organisations are founded in a foundation of control and suppression and this could easily return.
“Inside it you can see paintings, of women in long somber dresses, their hair covered by white caps, and of upright men, darkly clothed and unsmiling. Our ancestors.”
“The society in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a throwback to the early Puritans whom I studied extensively at Harvard”
– biblical allusions like Jezebels shows how religions view women as subservient and that is something that is breed into their very nature. she disagrees with this aspect.
“‘its like walking into the past,’ says the commander. his voice sounds pleased, delighted even”
“from each according to her ability to each according to his needs” page 137

she does not like how controlling religions are she wants to expose how controlling they are and how they can be manipulated to control people. she wants to show this as a warning for people against religion.

the biblical reference to Rachel and Jacob:
this shows atwoods meaning because it shows how religion can use their religiou texts to justifie just about anything. the bible is something that can be interpreted in an infinite number of way, most people would read the passage about rachle and jacob and dismiss it but under the right circumstances it can be used to fuel a movment like the one we see in the handmaids tale. and its not like something like this has not happened before. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren this quote from the old testiment of the bible was used by christian slave holders to justify what they were doing. mrgot atwood wants to show how minipulative and controling religion can be by relating her story to a biblical referance in a way that is not inconsevable. this issues a warning about religion and the negitive effects itcan have givcen the chance.

puriten england referances:
the setting of the book at hardvard university is embedded with historical proof of a past that was neirly as controled and patronly as the one we see in the book. it was built on the foundations of a puriten socity that was surpressive to women and anyone else who was different. by referanceing this in her book it makes us relise that the socity proposed their is not so far fetched as it has happened before and so it could happen again. this warns us about how contoling religion has been in the past, especialy to women and this could happen again. this theocracy is supressive and crul but it is justifiable to christianity.

jezelbels:
jezelbel is a charecter from the bible who is knowen for being unfaithful to god by wershiping other gods. jezebel has become a synonym for a promiscuouse women and is an insulting term. the fact that the bible allows women to be prosocuted and ridiculed for their sexuality. men love to control womens body and this is an aspect that is ingairned into many religions. jezebels is a staple of mens “needs” and how they veiw womwn with the establishment being filled with working girls as well as lawyers and bussines women who have been converted to sexual slaves as they have no other use in the eyes of men and religion.

margrot atwood wants to warn her readers against religion and show then the harmful effects of a therocracy, leading the reader to be more considerate about how much power they should give to religion, and reconsider the power that it alredy has “Nations never build apparently radical forms of government on foundations that aren’t there already.”

margrot atwood wants to warn her readers against religion and show then the harmful effects of a therocracy for womens rights, leading the reader to be more considerate about how much power they should give to religion, and reconsider the power that it alredy has “Nations never build apparently radical forms of government on foundations that aren’t there already.” -Atwood

paragraph 1
– rachle and jacob and how this was used
– how religion uses biblical texts to justify reducing people to a less tan human status.
– this shows how minipulitive religion can be and that one should be wary of it.
-” And she said, behold my maid bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.”
-“And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren” – exodus
– “We are two-legged wombs, that’s all“

paragraph 2 http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2007/10/puritan-women.html
– the allusion to Harvard’s puritanical past
– how the roots of our socity are in a past that was surpressive and crul to women and how this could happen again if religion is given enough power.
– this shows how controling religion can be and causes the reader to hold it in more suspition.
–“Inside it you can see paintings, of women in long somber dresses, their hair covered by white caps, and of upright men, darkly clothed and unsmiling. Our ancestors.”
–“The society in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a throwback to the early Puritans whom I studied extensively at Harvard” -Atwood
– “we are not each-others anymore, instead i am his”

paragraph 3
– the biblical allusion to Jezebel the whore of the bible
– this shows how religion views women as less than men and tries to stamp out any attempt for women to become equal. they fear the empowered woman for she is a threat to their control.
– she wants to shed light on how women in religion are treated and make the reader relies how harmful this is.
–“from each according to her ability to each according to his needs”
– “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” 1 Timothy: 2:12-14 
-“All you have to do, i tell myself, is keep your mouth shut and look stupid. It shouldn’t be that hard”