In the handmaid's Tale, we see the use of language being corrupted by the Republic of Gilead. The english language has been changed and warped to suit the new society and the needs of it's elite. Now that women are no longer legally allowed to hold jobs, Gilead's system of titles that are given to men are the only way of determining any individuality. All individuality has been taken away from the women of the society as they are defined as wives, handmaids, or marthas and have their real names taken away from them. Feminists and deformed babies are deemed subhuman, known in Gilead as "unwomen" and "unbabies". Others such as blacks and jew are known through biblical terms ("Children of Ham", "Sons of Jacob). These names set them apart from the rest of society. These names are given to people in order to make their persecution a much simpler process, people are called 'unwomen' and are sent away just as those called 'rapists' or 'murderers'.
People no longer greet each other in the same way either, terms like "hello" and "goodbye" have all but been obliterated from the language and have been replaced with phrases like "praise be" and "under his eye". These new words are used to root out the disloyal from the mass population, as not using them is a sign of betrayal.
Gilead is host to a whole new set of rituals that we have never seen before, given new terms in an attempt to dissociate the rituals from what they truly are. "prayvaganzas" are necessary and a way of promoting propaganda as well as marrying arranged couples en masse. "Salvaging" is the new word for a public addressing and executing of criminals. Worst of all perhaps are "particicutions", the group slaughter of a single individual. It's a new type of ritual, one we would never see right now.
The perversion of language through the supression of freedom, literature, and certain subjects is extremely reminiscent of "newspeak" in George Orwell's 1984 which is an extreme version of this.
Together, the language changes in Gilead that we are witness to all serve the purpose of serving the will wills of the Commander's and their interpretation of the religion they follow. It's a form of policing the population, removing individuality, and cover up real meanings.
People no longer greet each other in the same way either, terms like "hello" and "goodbye" have all but been obliterated from the language and have been replaced with phrases like "praise be" and "under his eye". These new words are used to root out the disloyal from the mass population, as not using them is a sign of betrayal.
Gilead is host to a whole new set of rituals that we have never seen before, given new terms in an attempt to dissociate the rituals from what they truly are. "prayvaganzas" are necessary and a way of promoting propaganda as well as marrying arranged couples en masse. "Salvaging" is the new word for a public addressing and executing of criminals. Worst of all perhaps are "particicutions", the group slaughter of a single individual. It's a new type of ritual, one we would never see right now.
The perversion of language through the supression of freedom, literature, and certain subjects is extremely reminiscent of "newspeak" in George Orwell's 1984 which is an extreme version of this.
Together, the language changes in Gilead that we are witness to all serve the purpose of serving the will wills of the Commander's and their interpretation of the religion they follow. It's a form of policing the population, removing individuality, and cover up real meanings.
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