Atwood presents the female characters as being both oppressed and dehumanised through how their freedom being stripped from them. An example of this is how they are no longer allowed to smoke cigarettes due to the potential harm it can cause their pregnancy. Woman are protected in Gilead however this also means that they must submit to the state-sanctioned rape by their specific commanders. In chapter five Aunt Lydia states that “There is more than one kind of freedom… Freedom to and freedom from.” The freedom to that she is referring to is the ability to make a decision, an example of this is evident through how Offred is given a chance to escape by the doctor, however she immediately questions herself by thinking “why am I frightened?” This implies that she is so accustomed to being oppressed she is almost scared to take the chance of freedom that is being handed to her. This portrays a sense of dehumanisation in terms of female characters as freedom is regarded as a basic human right.
In Ken Kesey’s One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest, all women, with the exception of the prostitutes, are characterised as evil, sexless, threatening and terrifying figures, which is supportive of the argument that women find it harder to be an individual by highlighting the way woman are viewed and portrayed in society. The novel’s portrayal shows them as either control freaks that emasculate the men around them, such as Nurse Ratched, and Billy Bibbit’s mother, or as objects for sexual gratification, such as the two prostitutes Candy and Sandy. The patients refer to Nurse Ratched and the other female characters within the ward as “Ball cutters” highlighting that they believe women are intent on dominating men to the point where they feel castrated, like their manhood has been taken away and they have no freedom or individuality, whereas the prostitutes are dedicated to pleasuring men and doing what they are told and so are praised and encouraged by the male patients of the ward, further dirtying the image of women in society and telling women that they will only be accepted by men when they allow themselves to become a
From 1973 to 1978 she researched women and neurosis from that she was inspired and published her novel, Women at Point Zero, which was based on a female, who was on death row, that was in jail for murdering her husband. Later in 1980, she became more and more involved in women reforms. Her involvement with these reforms closed all doors for her in finding a job. Soon after she was imprisoned for her “crimes against the state”. She believed to be arrested because she started criticizing the policy’s that were being made.
Where females were the offenders, the emotional and irrational nature of the crime were outlined whereas for males the violence was made to seem ‘normal.’ Words such as ‘unnatural’ ‘unfeminine’ and ‘sadistic’ are boldly written in newspaper headlines when describing crimes committed by females, their appearances and lifestyles, unlike their male counterparts, are also of major interest. Eric Hickey (Magma, 2002) speaks of female killers and describes them, "These are the quiet killers, every bit as lethal as their male counterparts, but we are seldom aware of them in our midst because of the low visibility of their killing." Tracie Andrews is a former glamour model that was jailed for life for stabbing her fiancé Lee Harvey with a penknife. Andrews appealed for witnesses to come forward as she insisted her partner had been the victim of a road rage incident. At the time of the murder the main focus of the newspapers were on Tracie’s physical appearance (Marsh and Melville, 2009) with headlines such as ‘former model Tracy Andrews’ and ‘blonde Tracy Andrews’ the Sun newspaper also had the headline ‘Death Quiz Tracy in Glamour Poses’ subsequent to her arrest for the murder.
Though I believe this power quest is best shown through Nurse Ratchet’s power over the patients in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. Ken Kesey begins his novel by showing the protagonist Randle McMurphy arriving at an Oregon mental institution in a police car, this shows that McMurphy is already suppressed and most likely not enjoying it. McMurphy was sentenced to the mental institution after getting in trouble with the law and at the prison. While at the institution McMurphy is monitored by nurses both male and female. The head nurse, Nurse Ratchet, is the main antagonist and the person most interested in attaining power.
Although she is free from the physical restraint of her small cell in MiddleSex, she still has to deal with both not being able to see her family and the mental wounds that live within her. It is unbelievable to me that even years after she escaped there were people still trying to have her returned to the US. This further emphasizes corruption in the higher levels in the hierarchy of society. This was especially evident in her trial where there was clear evidence that proved that she could not have possibly pulled the trigger that killed the state trooper. This
Bystander Effect: The Good Samaritan Erica Kelley Victory University The term bystander effect is the finding that the greater the number of people present, the less likely people are to help a person in distress. When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses. Bystander effect research was stimulated by the infamous case of a young woman named Kitty Genovese, who while screamed for help was raped and murdered on the streets of Queens, NY. This is a scary finding that happens repeatedly on a daily basis. Although people say that they would help in an emergency situation, people will pass the responsibility on to others because of fear, selfishness, and nonchalant thinking.
Like for instant, shouting, swearing, blaming, putting down, making her feel stupid, and embarrassing her. Domestic violence is believed to be the most common, yet least reported crime in the United States. It is the number one cause of injury to women. Drugs, alcohol, stress, or battered women provoking her partner do not cause domestic violence. “Domestic violence happens more than automobile accidents, muggings, and rape combined” (Slovut).
Prison Term Policy Recommendation Stephanie Swalve CJA 314 October 2, 2011 Shawna Olachea What comes to mind when you hear the word prison? Prison is a place for criminals that have done wrong doings are punished. Many think that the prison system is a financial burden on the economy. Many others may think that the prison system is justified as it provides a place for criminals and guarantees protection to society from the individuals that pose a threat to other people. No matter what people believe the prisons here in the United States are becoming more and more over populated at high rates that even professionals have debated on what steps that they can take in order to get the population of prisons down to where they need to be.
While they were both citizens and members of society they often did not benefit from the full protection of the law. Many were exposed to violence and wound up murdered or assaulted. In many areas it seemed that law enforcement would both publicly denounce them but at the same time tolerate them. Prostitutes were routinely hauled in, made to pay a fine and then released, this contributed to the existence of law and order in the west. There is also good evidence that suggests the U.S. Army not only used the services of prostitutes but condoned the