The Handmaid's Tale Context Portfolio

Daniel Arcega

Mrs. Emerick

IB English HL II


Socio-Historical Context 

        For my historical context portfolio, I created a model of a panopticon. A panopticon relates to The Handmaid's Tale because the society depicted in the novel is similar to that of a panopticon. On the outside is the description of a panopticon along with real-life examples as well as its connection in The Handmaid's Tale. On the inside is a ring of prison cells, creating a model panopticon.














Works Cited

“Internalized Authority and the Prison of the Mind: Bentham and Foucault's Panopticon.” HAAW Workplace, Brown University, 2009, https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/13things/7121.html.  

 Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Trans. Alan Sheridan. New York: Pantheon, 1977.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hamlet and The Stranger Final Topic

Daniel Arcega Mrs. Emerick IB English HL II November 30 2021 Hamlet and The Stranger Final Topics D.3 Hamlet and The Stranger use the main protagonists’ internal dialogue to give the reader insight into their character. Hamlet’s soliloquies are used to show the audience his internal conflict.  Hamlet’s internal conflict originates from a sense of uselessness. His soliloquy in act one scene two describes to the audience how powerless he feels. “But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue”(Shakespeare 1.2.159). The entire soliloquy is about how Hamlet despises the marriage between Claudius and Gertrude, yet at the end of it he relents that he is unable to speak his true feelings. Further on in the story, twice is Hamlet shown his inability to carry out his revenge. After watching the player act: “Yet I, A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause”(Shakespeare 2.2.561-563). Hamlet is angered that he is not enraged at his father’s murder but he ...
Read more

The Scarlet Letter Creative Portfolio

Image
Daniel Arcega Mrs. Emerick IB English HL II Scarlet Letter Creative Portfolio     Seen above is a physical recreation of the titular scarlet letter worn by Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. The letter is made distinct by the gold threading which Hester herself sewed into it. However, Hester isn't the only character who bears a mark of shame. I decided to recreate what I believe these symbols would be, if they manifested physically, for the other important characters in the novel.      The letter above represents the brand upon Minister Dimmesdale's chest. As implied in the story, he wears the same symbol as Hester since they share the same crime. However, the detailing of the two letters is what differentiates them. Hester's letter is adorned in golden thread by her own hand, representing how she willing shows it off to the world. In comparison, Dimmesdale's letter is marred by splotches which symbolize the corruption of his s...
Read more

Poetic Notes

Image
Daniel Arcega Mrs. Emerick IB English HL II   Poetic Notes Poem #1: "The War Photographer" by Carol Anne Duffy Thesis + Outline: Duffy juxtaposes gruesome imagery with the photographer's perspective to illustrate how one is able to become desensitized to violence through constant witnessing of it. Duffy uses violent imagery to convey the horrors witnessed by the photographer. "fields which don't explode beneath the feet of running children in a nightmare heat"(11-12) "blood stained into foreign dust"(18) These lines show the reader what the photographer sees everyday The strong visuals help to align the reader's perspective with that of the photographer. The photographer's mannerisms are shown in contrast to the horrid events he sees. "Solutions slop in trays beneath his hands, which did not tremble then though seem to now"(7-8). In the moment of witnessing the violence, the photographer had no distinct reaction to it, shown by hi...
Read more