Gidget

For my community event I decided to go down to the Raven and take in a classic movie. There were a few other things that I would have rather done for this paper but my schedule along with my kids schedule didn’t coincide very well. So here I am in the Raven sitting with a pint waiting for the flick to start. I have never seen the whole movie but I have had the chance to catch a few scenes on cable from time to time, and honestly I am a little worried that I won’t be able to find a way to tie Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale to this girl power movie of the 1950’s. We shall find out after, see you then. It’s a shame there is no popcorn.
Gidget is a young girl with plenty of determination and a booming personality. She goes to the beach with some older girls to sunbathe and try to pick up on boys. That is when I noticed the first attribute that resembles The Handmaid’s tale. While the girls are at the beach the boys that are there completely ignore Gidget and the rest of the girls. Just like in The Handmaid’s tale: the men hardly pay attention to the women unless they want or need something. Yet every time the women have their back turned the men are usually looking them up and down; still living somewhat like they used to, only inside their minds now.
The way that the men act towards Gidget and the other girls is in a very sexist and superior way, just as in The Handmaid’s Tale. Although the way that they treat her resembles the way that they act in the movie rather than that of the book of The Handmaid’s Tale, but being that this is a movie I hope that it is ok to compare both a little. Another similarity is how the boys named her Gidget, combining the words girl and midget. This is not unlike Atwood’s book and how they gave all the handmaid’s combined names like Of-Fred, Offred.
Gidget just like Offred is willing to do whatever she needs to do to get what she wants. From playing the boys against each other to try and land the one she wants or begging her parents for the money to buy her surfboard. Of course this is not like Offred and using her body to stay alive and out of the colonies, but it has the same principals behind the idea.
One more thing that I noticed, and while being complete speculation on my part I couldn’t stop letting the thought cross my mind: Is Gidget’s best friend who I don’t think was ever named gay just like Moira. Of course in the 1950's even if she was gay and was supposed to be in the movie, they would have never insinuated that in that back then. Although you look at the way she is so butch and rough and tough. Always dressed tomboyish and usually not doing anything feminine when we see her. It might have been a strong insinuation back then.
All in all it was a decent movie. It was probably much better in 1956 and of the best quality then, but for this day and age it wasn’t the best. Yet that is what made it a challenge. I had to look past all of the bad acting, fake scenery, and old film to find the story behind the movie. I am glad that I came to watch this flick and I hope that I tied it together enough with The Handmaid’s tale for your liking. This definitely wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but I think it turned out well.



For some reason no matter how many times I try to insert a link it will not insert it! So once again here is the URL

For more on Gidget: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gidget

Source Evaluation

http://proquest.umi.com.proxy.yc.edu/pqdweb?index=5&did=1648856911&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1279928542&clientId=1407



I have been trying all morning to access the Proquest site so that I could cite the article that I am using for my paper. The site is down because of technical difficulties until this afternoon and I have to work at noon, so that is why I just posted the link above instead of the correct citation. This article is about a woman that is a huge fan of Atwood and believes her to be a kind of psychic that can predict certain things in the future. The article is her account of what happened and how she felt about the experience. When I first stumbled across this article I had to read it twice to make sure that I was actually right in thinking that this article tied my thesis together perfectly. So thank you Atwood. My paper is about how I think that Atwood could have been writing more of a warning of things to come than just trying to make an interesting book.


Martin, Rick. "The Most Powerful Man In The World? THE "BLACK" POPE." Spectrum Magazine 4/15/2000: n. pag. Web. 25 Jul 2010. .


The second site is an interview from Spectrum magazine in April of 2000 in which Rick Martin (Editor and Owner of Spectrum) interviews Eric Jon Phelps who is a historian and an American conspiracy theorist. Who concentrates his studies on the Roman Catholic Church, the Black Pope, and the Knights of Malta. All of which he believes are a part of a new world order that is secretly running every aspect or our world from the inside: From our economic crisis to the wars in the middle east, to the assassination of many top officials in history, including JKF and President Lincoln. The reason that I chose this interview is because it covers the time period in which Atwood wrote her book in.
Whether Spectrum magazine can be considered reputable or not is of some question. Being that with any religion or government, and the conspiracies that lie within, there is always some suspicion and even the smartest and most knowledgeable historians and scientists can’t tell what is real and what isn’t.
The article has quite a few citations at the end to confirm what was stated in the interview: Some of which are from the books that Eric Phelps wrote. Others are religious documents. While the statements in the interview seem very logical it is once again up to personal beliefs and open to ridicule. The information on the internet is overwhelming when it comes to these events and discussions.
While the copy of this article was pulled from a religious website it can be found in numerous places on the net. This one was the easiest to read and also has the creepy picture of The Black Pope. The website is just the article, no advertisements or pop-ups. Strictly information and that’s the way I prefer it.

Reading back on what I have wrote I understand that it may seem far fetched and full of speculation. Yet isn’t some of the best history seemingly unbelievable at certain points? I hope that you agree with me in that the world should be questioned. I mean why not? Doesn’t the world constantly question us?

For even more conspiracies: (once again it will not link the url) http://www.vaticanassassins.org

Book VS Movie The Handmaid's Tale

Well let me start by saying I was right. If you have read any of my previous papers you know that I am a firm believer in watching the movie before I read the book. While I am not too fond of reading, this is not why I believe that you should watch the movie first. The reason why, is this: the book is usually better than the movie ever could be. Not for lack of effort but because a movie just can’t convey the same detail and feeling in two hours that a book can in several hundred pages. So if you read the amazing book chances are the movie will suck. Even if everyone thinks it is the best movie of the year. I don’t want to have movies ruined for me; I would rather have a movie improved upon by the book.
`This would have been the case with The Handmaid’s Tale. The movie while not great was not horrible either; that is how I would have viewed it if I had not read the book first. While the overall idea was the same, the way that it was perceived through the movie is drastically different than the book. I assume that they felt the need to liven it up a bit and that is why they made the characters interact with each other considerably more than in the book. The Handmaid’s especially. I couldn’t believe that they didn’t have their wings as in the book and was highly disappointed as a result. Although I guess what is the point when you can almost freely talk to one another. Of course like any movie some things are added and some things are changed. Take Nick for example, he is much older than mid-twenties like the book portrays. He is also much more forward than the quiet polite man in the novel. Offred and Moira as well, they do not know each other from before, Offred helps Moira escape, and Offred also has a name: Kate. The first time that Offred (Kate) goes downstairs to meet the Commander Nick escorts her downstairs; in the book she goes alone.
One thing that truly surprised me was that the doctor had his gloves on. This seemed to be such a defining factor in the book that I didn’t think they would leave it out of the movie. I was also shocked that in the movie they added the scene where Offred goes to the Red Center to check in, record the dates of their ceremony and compare them to the dates of her cycle. I assume they did this to help establish a timeline for the movie. Obviously they had to move things along a little quicker than in the book. This is also why I was not surprised that they shot Luke in the very beginning to get him out of the way. She spent a lot of time in the book wondering and talking about him and their failed escape. So much time that if they would have kept the wonder of him alive they would have had to make a sequel or a prequel depending on which way they told the story just to fit him in. I assume this is also why they rearranged the story into more of a constant timeline than jumping around from memory to memory as if she were telling a story to a friend like in the book.
I could go on and on about all the little details that were changed erased or added to the movie but I figured putting some thought and feeling into the paper was better than making a never ending list of differences. However, a few things that I still cannot get over are as follows: the explosion scene, which I thought wasn’t very necessary except to mention the possibility of murdering the Commander. Also, the way that they hung the handmaid at the Salvaging with the rope that was supposed to be sticky with tar and encircling them. This made no sense to me, and it didn’t add anything to the story. It was just as dramatic in the book. Finally, the last thing that completely drove me nuts about the movie was the fact that she killed the Commander in the end, with a dull knife and in a horrible display of acting no less. I don’t understand why they had to completely ruin the movie at the end. It would have ended with the same feeling and reaction that the book did if they just left it alone.
Like I said, I would rather watch the movie first that way the book doesn’t ruin a decent movie for me. However, I must thank the professor for the change in how things were viewed. Even though I hope to not do it again, I thank her for the experience in frustration and disappointment.

For more on The Handmaid's tale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale

The Handmaid's Proposal

How do religion and its conspiracy’s of control fit into The Handmaid’s Tale? Have they really been trying to brainwash us forever, and do they control the world like some say they do? Is The Handmaid’s Tale a warning of things to come if humanity doesn’t get back on track?
Honestly I have more questions about this book than I have time to answer. When I first saw the cover of the book this story was the last thing that I had expected. I had never heard of it before, and was thoroughly intrigued once I started getting into it. The way that they stripped them of all of their freedom, and even took away their names was almost heart wrenching. It was also originally what made me think of religion and how some of the Muslim members change their names. It also made me think of the way that their women have to cover their entire bodies. The fact that they conformed to the new society in The Handmaid’s Tale so quickly really makes me question how much religion has changed people unwillingly without people noticing in our society. How are we controlled by what people think is the right way of doing things? Is this why it has taken so long for the women in our day and age to gain some power and equality?
These are a few of the many questions that I have about The Handmaid’s Tale, and even though I am not sure exactly how I will construct this paper or what the outcome will be; I can say that I am eager to dive in a little deeper and see if I can get the bottom of some of my questions and concern.

For more on religious control and spiritual abuse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_abuse

Handmade Thesis on The Handmaid's Tale

The beginning of the book was very intriguing and not at all what I expected. It feels nice to get away from the war stories. The people in this book’s past were so free and proud, like we as a nation are today. I can’t imagine them letting that go for a supposed greater good. However, I can imagine someone writing a book with such a horrifying future for women and young girls alike that it might scare them out of getting an abortion or even having sex in the first place. This book is just another means of birth control by fear.
Things have gotten so horrible for women in this book, that even after reading it, the memory of it will follow a female around. Especially a young one who is just coming into her sexuality and is easily scared by stories that are not real. Being reduced to a baby vending machine in your mind is enough to scare anyone away from a good time. In the book even the doctors that had performed abortions were executed, could you imagine being one of the girls that actually received one? Living in constant fear is what it was all about. Just like most people want girls to live now. Fear sex, fear society, and most of all fear men. That is what The Handmaid’s Tale is all about.

WEAK

1. A -is the weaker statement. It is too broad. There is nothing that can be argued about that statement because it is true
2. A -is the weaker statement. While you could argue the statement you shouldn’t. This seems like more of a common sense statement to me.
3. B -is the weaker statement. This statement is way too open. All jean companies do not only target young -adults, they have to target everyone as a whole.
4. A -is the weaker statement. Everyone who picks up a program or reads a review knows that’s what it’s about.
5. A -is the weaker statement. It sounds more like an overview of the band and their music. Not an opinion by one person.

Dear Prof. Darrow

Dear Prof. Darrow,

First I would like to thank you for the wonderful job that you are doing this semester. Your class is definitely different than my 101 class was, and I appreciate the change of pace. Although I was more tuned towards the free writing of my 101 class I am thoroughly enjoying yours as well. I didn’t expect to be reading and watching such horrifying, yet intriguing stories in my English class. That stuff is usually saved for history classes, which I don’t plan on taking a lot of so thank you for the mixture. Reading the books by O’Brien and Huze was certainly an interesting and emotional experience. I knew that war was horrible and that people died. I also knew that a lot of soldiers never recover from war. But I had never read firsthand accounts of stories that actually took place and the truly gruesome tragedies they lived through. It gave me a greater respect for our soldiers than I already had, and more frustration and anger towards our government than ever before. War; while sometimes necessary, it seems it is usually just a play for power and dollar signs.

The hardest part of this semester for me has been the literary analysis, yet I hope it doesn’t show too much. I sway more towards how the words make you feel and where the story wants to carry your mind. Not how the story got you there or why things are written the way they are. Although I do seem to do this more with poetry, but only after I read the poem two or three times so that I can truly feel it. Besides analyzing a piece of work doesn’t make you right, it’s nothing more than another opinion. No one except the writer knows why certain words, phrases, and punctuation were used. Yet, a certain amount of analysis is definitely necessary depending on our major. Industrial Design not so much, but for the students that are going into law, English, or Psychology it will play a huge role in their line of work. Just like I am sure that it does for you every day while you sit and grade paper after paper.

For the second half of the semester I want to focus on time management for myself. Normally I am quite organized with my scheduling of school vs. everything else, but life has been very hectic lately. Between my kiddos, work, moving, and taking three online classes’ things have proved a little crazy. So I just hope to slow things down a bit. That way I can give my classes the time and dedication that they and I deserve. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter, and have a great day.

Sincerely,

Jesse Duran