The Idea of Conformity in Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Dawe's Poems
“Texts are an exploration of the author’s concerns.” To what extent is this true of the texts you have studied?
The manipulation of textual forms establishes an avenue of analysis of the composers’ concerns and challenges encountered in their worlds, such as totalitarianism and gender oppression, development of technology and consumerism. The exploration of contextual concerns are evident in Margaret Atwood in her dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), through the utilisation of the theme of dictatorial power and the experience of individuals, and correspondingly, in Bruce Dawe’s critical poetry, ‘Not So Good Earth (1966)’ and ‘Enter Without So Much as Knocking (1959)’, thereby characterisation. Together, the two composers explore their concerns through the idea of conformity as a form of negative response from individuals influenced by the coexistence of social and personal values.
Conformity under society’s expectations ultimately results in the dehumanisation of individuals through the loss of freedom. Atwood’s utilisation of the Wall as a motif, creates a metaphorical barrier between the Gileadeans and freedom, as well as a physical and mental barrier, diminishing individuals’ ability to escape, to freedom and thus signifies the power possessed by the Gilead government and forms a sense of fear. The election of Ronald Reagan in 1981 brought about the “Reagan Era”, a period where conservative domination was evident in both politics and society. Atwood addressed this domination of power of the conservatives metaphorically through the society of Gilead, which too, had resulted in the loss of freedom of many individuals. The empathetic tone in “she did it before they came,” highlights the character’s unyielding nature and determination to refuse submission underneath the regime. However, the power to control her mindset and morals is minimal compared to those overriding the society, ultimately strictly confines the individual to a dictated regime, hence
The manipulation of textual forms establishes an avenue of analysis of the composers’ concerns and challenges encountered in their worlds, such as totalitarianism and gender oppression, development of technology and consumerism. The exploration of contextual concerns are evident in Margaret Atwood in her dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), through the utilisation of the theme of dictatorial power and the experience of individuals, and correspondingly, in Bruce Dawe’s critical poetry, ‘Not So Good Earth (1966)’ and ‘Enter Without So Much as Knocking (1959)’, thereby characterisation. Together, the two composers explore their concerns through the idea of conformity as a form of negative response from individuals influenced by the coexistence of social and personal values.
Conformity under society’s expectations ultimately results in the dehumanisation of individuals through the loss of freedom. Atwood’s utilisation of the Wall as a motif, creates a metaphorical barrier between the Gileadeans and freedom, as well as a physical and mental barrier, diminishing individuals’ ability to escape, to freedom and thus signifies the power possessed by the Gilead government and forms a sense of fear. The election of Ronald Reagan in 1981 brought about the “Reagan Era”, a period where conservative domination was evident in both politics and society. Atwood addressed this domination of power of the conservatives metaphorically through the society of Gilead, which too, had resulted in the loss of freedom of many individuals. The empathetic tone in “she did it before they came,” highlights the character’s unyielding nature and determination to refuse submission underneath the regime. However, the power to control her mindset and morals is minimal compared to those overriding the society, ultimately strictly confines the individual to a dictated regime, hence