Imagine That! Or Don't.

D-503, the protagonist of Zamyatin's book, We, is confronted with a problem. This is far worse than catching a cold or missing an appointment. No. The depth in which this is rooted is beyond comparison. He must face a horrible disease. He must face the fact that he has an imagination.

In the society of OneState, D-503 lived in accordance to rules. Obey the bells; insomnia is breaking the law; use pink tickets to engage in sexual behavior! These are the basic rules that govern any successful society working towards creating uniform, happy, slightly robotic Numbers. All actions are dictated under rule of the Benefactor.  A newspaper article proclaims about the progress of the INTEGRAL, ending with: “Long live OneState! Long live the Numbers! Long live the Benefactor!”  This statement is not a mere suggestion.  It is understood by the citizens of OneState that this is law.  There is a widespread belief in praising OneState.  It is the best society in all the world, after all.  

Now I have something that I need you to do. Close your eyes and sit back in your chair. Create a landscape: the sky is cobalt blue and expansive, threatening to swallow you when you're not looking.  There is a figure who walks carelessly at the edge of the woods, humming an unheard tune.  She glances up for a moment, laughing at the game the sun plays with the clouds.

Did any images come to mind?  Did you hear a tune in your head?  Most people would say that 
something came to mind.  Why is this?  There must be a logical explanation and, luckily for you, there is.  You have an imagination.

The imagination is not looked down upon in our society.  It is recognized as a natural component of the mind.  It often leads to creativity or unheard of ideas.  Fresh outlooks and possibilities are often derivative of the imagination.  In We this was not embraced.  It was a concern if one began to think differently.  One should fear a society that condemns the imagination.  The people within such societies are not individuals.  Each person is part of a collective group.  One's personal opinion is not of value.

In the beginning, D-503 shows his devotion to OneState, writing, "The line of OneState is a straight line.  The great, divine, precise, wise straight line-- the wisest of all lines..."(4).  The diction shows his incapability to be imaginative.  His thoughts are the words that have been driven into his brain repetitively.  The words chosen are plain and present an organized structure.  The straight line is comparable to his thoughts.  If D-503 had an imagination, his thoughts would be capable of jumping more freely from one idea to another.  He is a fool to believe that straight is beautiful.  The word "beautiful" is not even used because D-503 does not comprehend it's meaning.  The words used to describe OneState are short and do not express much emotion, which show that these words are not his own.

One must realize the importance of an imagination.  The lack of imagination prevents people from questioning.  People will not question a society if they are incapable of thinking on their own. It is not healthy to live entirely under the direction of another.  One must generate his/her own thoughts. Risks must be taken and choices must be made.  Without this freedom, one loses the ability to live fully.  Life becomes a disease in itself.  An imagination is the antidote.

U2 "Acrobat" and The Handmaid's Tale

The U2 song, "Acrobat," presents many connections with Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.

"Acrobat"

Don't believe what you hear
Don't believe what you see
If you just close your eyes
You can feel the enemy
When I first met you girl
You had fire in your soul
What happened your face
Of melting in snow

(The repetition of "Don't believe" emphasizes that it is hard not to believe the things one hears and sees. Offred clearly had to deal with facing a new lifestyle that she may have not wanted to believe. It continues to say that even if one does not make note of what is going on, it is still present. It is not hard to realize that the enemy is there. This enemy in The Handmaid's Tale is the society itself. It is the higher authorities that rule over Offred. The phrase "fire in your soul" can be compared to Offred. She lost a lot of her personality and life when she was stripped from her old life. This can also be related to Moira who had a lot of spunk. Now, under the new way of life, she works as a prostitute. This job is more gratifying than being a Handmaid in some women's opinions.)

Now it looks like this
And you can swallow
Or you can spit
You can throw it up
Or choke on it
And you can dream
So dream out loud
You know that your time is coming 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down

(This stanza is about facing reality. It embodies the idea that life gave a person a tricky situation. Now, the choice is of how to handle the situation. Will one accept it or lash out against it? Either way, one can dream of a better way. "Don't let the bastards grind you down" is an obvious connection to The Handmaid's Tale. This phrase is meant to instill confidence and the idea of perseverance. One must not let others inhibit them from goals. In Offred's case, she must try and preserve hope. She must not let herself feel helpless. Moira went in her own direction, which is not surprising when looking at her character. She decided that being a Handmaid was not for her. Prostitution is something from the past that exists illegally. This connection to the past, and the defiance of it being illegal, is what makes it attractive.)

No, nothing makes sense
Nothing seems to fit
I know you'd hit out
If you only knew who to hit
And I'd join the movement
If there was one I could believe in
Yeah I'd break bread and wine
If there was a church I could receive in'
Cause I need it now

(The line "I'd join the movement if there was one I could believe in" draws one to think of a Messiah of some sort. There are many leaders throughout the Bible that led people to a better way of life. In relation to The Handmaid's Tale, there was an underground group of women trying to start a movement. This was more of a secretive group, however, with no definitive leader. Offred struggles with the concept of her faith, so the connection can be made to her religious views. She does not believe in a definitive god because she is unsure of her life. She cannot join in communion with herself or anyone else in her disbelief, so therefore she is unable to "break bread and wine.")

To take a cup
To fill it up
To drink it slow
I can't let you go
I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And don't let the bastards grind you down

What are we going to do now it's all been said
No new ideas in the house and every book has been read

And I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And you can find
Your own way out
You can build
And I can will
And you can call
I can't wait until
You can stash
And you can seize
In dreams begin responsibilities
And I can love
And I can love
And I know that the tide is turning 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down

Anthem: Electric Individualism

Equality 7-2521 lives in a society that is structured and not to be questioned. His name, just as his occupation of street sweeper, was assigned. His childhood desires to be a scholar were not important, nor to be considered. The Council of Vocations determined his lifelong career. No discussion. Equality 7-2521 knows that he was assigned his position justifiably. Or at least he believes this at first.

Equality 7-2521 begins to experiment with his discovery of electricity. He tinkers and creates a grand tool to aid society, the light bulb. Eagerly, he goes to inform the World Council. His intentions are for benefiting mankind and perhaps gaining entrance into the World Council. “‘Let us all work together and harness this power, and make it ease the toil of men. Let us throw away our candles and our torches. Let us flood our cities with light’” (Rand 71). His enthusiasm and new found technology terrify the Council. Out of fear, the Council does the most logical thing in saying, “It must be destroyed” (74)! His actions were not those of a collective group, so it must be evil. The World Council threatens to kill him and destroy his light bulb. Equality 7-2521 will not hear of this. Losing his own life is less of a concern than losing his invention. He flees to the Uncharted Forrest in order to protect this.

It took a great amount of confidence for Equality 7-2521 to confront the World Council and flee the city. In addressing the World Council, he demonstrates an independence. When he flees the city, he shows an unwillingness to turn back. His desire for the electricity of human individuality is far too great.

Rand uses Equality 7-2521 to show the ambition that must be enforced in order to maintain individuality. It is through this character that one realizes that it is not the best idea to follow a collective. Thought is a gift that one is given and, for this reason, should be used to it’s full extent. Rand emphasizes that great discoveries of an individual are overlooked or unnoticed in a society based upon the whole. She wants the reader to know that one’s first responsibility is to oneself.

Once living in the Uncharted Forrest, Equality 7-2521 is able to make a grand discovery of self worth.  He is able to recognize that he is an individual.  He is not a collective "We."  He can speak confidently with a word that seems hard to say at first.  "I" enters his vocabulary.

Fahrenheit 451 & Censorship

Censorship. One could find positive aspects in censoring media and literature. It could be argued that certain material is inappropriate and offensive, and should therefore be limited or withdrawn completely. Well. This is one way of thinking.

In the democratic United States, the idea of freedom has been ingrained into the minds of children as young as first grade. Be proud. Be patriotic. To be an American is to have freedom. If literature is taken away, so is a part of this freedom. Freedom of press. Freedom of speech. These are two components of the First Amendment. It is for this reason that censorship is a horrible attempt to lure others into close-mindedness. I imagine that the Dark People of Censorship sit in their robust armchairs and velvet bathrobes, stroking a hideous cat, bearing the devilish grin of He Who Shall Not Be Named. No- not Voldemort. It is the thinking of ignorant bastards, and the lies that are passed onto children, that lead to book banning. It will not harm a child to think for his/her self. I promise. Then again, the Dark People of Censorship would never buy that crap. I'm sorry. I may have offended someone. Wait- never mind.

In Fahrenheit 451, it was not a small collective that was banning books. It was not an apprehensive school board, a parent concerned about a child's morals, or a mean librarian. It was far worse. In fact, there was an occupation devoted to ridding the society of the abomination of books. Guy Montag was born into this society to burn books, born to follow the charcoal smothered path of his father, who was also a fireman. It was because of the sparse supply of books that Montag and many others accepted this life. There was no need to question it. No one knew what was in books. It was...disgusting, that's what!

It was hearsay, that's all.

Recently, in Chareleston, West Virginia, two books by Pat Conroy have been banned. In his Letter to the Editor, published in the Charleston Gazette, he expresses his contempt for these banners. He said, "The world of literature has everything in it, and it refuses to leave anything out." This is exactly why books are a magnificent. There are books on every such topic. Some speak loudly, remaining in the mind 20 years later. Some are painful. Some are uplifting. Why should one be banned over the other?

Montag had books at the tips of his gloves and his curiosity began to ignite.  He grabbed a book in a burning house, which he blamed solely on his hands.  He was unable, at that point, to understand his subconscious desire for finding meaning in life.

In Montag's society, burning books was done to promote ignorance.  It was a way to make everyone equal.  No one would have more knowledge than another person.  There would be a great sameness.  

Is this what is wanted for our society?  Should each person possess the same level of cognition? This idea is ridiculous.  The world prospers through learning.  By destroying books, destroying an outlet of knowledge, nothing is gained.

The Handmaid's Tale: Men in Offred's Life

In Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's Tale, there are three men that play an important role in Offred’s life. Luke, The Commander, and finally, Nick, are responsible for influencing the thoughts of Offred. Each one represents a different shift in her thinking.

Offred is first loyal to her husband, Luke, or at least his memory. She often recalls how things were before the U.S. Government was overthrown. The dangling possibility that he may still be alive is what keeps Offred's hope alive. She reminisces of the time before, which shows her inability to let go and accept the present. Her longing for human sensuality is apparent with her recollections of lying in bed with Luke. She says, “If I thought this would never happen again I would die. But this is wrong, nobody dies from lack of sex. It’s the lack of love we die from” (Atwood 103). Of course, one does not expect her to embrace the life of a Handmaid. This life is far from passionate. It is devoid of the emotions shared by two lovers. Through nurturing the memory of Luke, Offred clings to an ounce of hope that life will change.

It is through the Commander that Offred finds her present life more bearable. When he calls upon her to enter his office for the first time, she is puzzled by his simplistic desire to play Scrabble and insist that Offred kiss him on the cheek. She continues to visit him regularly, which serves as a relief for both characters. It is in his office that they are able to stretch the suffocating rules. Offred becomes better acquainted with The Commander which makes her more of a mistress than a Handmaid. It is through The Commander that Offred is able to stimulate her knowledge with words and Scrabble. These intimate moments are the closest thing to reality for Offred. There is a lightheartedness in their meetings, yet also a great risk in their furtive ordeal. Offred finds solace in the devilish and unaccepted affair. Smelling the alcohol on his breath, she says, “I admit I relish it, this lick of dissipation” (209). This hint of alcohol on The Commander’s breath is something Offred thrives off of. Being able to talk to another person, reading an old Vogue magazine, or looking at articles of the past are reminders of the life Offred once lived. It this small taste of her prior life that keeps Offred sane.

Nick, originally designated to have sex with Offred under the orders of Serena Joy, serves as the most gratifying companion. Offred continues to visit Nick numerous times after their first encounter. Each time they make love with utmost passion, as if it is the last opportunity to do so. Although he never denies her, Offred always asks if it is too late. In this, she feels “more in control, as if there is a choice, a decision that could be made one way or the other” (269). Being with Nick is entirely different than playing Scrabble with The Commander. Offred and Nick understand their position, which is what makes it work. They are not people of power so, through the sensual and passionate relationship, they gain strength from one another. She focuses on him entirely, as though being with him is an addiction. With Nick, Offred is not fearful of the horrible fate that could await her because it is all she has.

Offred finds hope in the memory of Luke, escape in the meetings with The Commander, and lust and compassion with Nick. While thinking of Luke, she believes that there is a chance of returning to her previous life. In intimacy with The Commander, she finds entertainment of the present and a way of spending her idle time. The copious visits to Nick show Offred’s desire to immerse herself in the final passionate moments of life. She realizes that being with Nick is what she needs to feel alive in the disparity of her situation, whatever the outcome may be.