In the Handmaid’s Tale, Offred and Nick both share a romantic interest in each other. Throughout the book, they exchange glances and give each other looks that say what words can’t. They’re forbidden to speak to each other, and the type of relationship they want is one that would certainly not be allowed. Despite Offred’s growing interest in Nick and him reciprocating the same, their interactions make it obvious to the reader that Offred doesn’t actually like Nick, she just craves the human connection that has been lacking in her life by being a Handmaid and seeks the rebellion that comes with it. Offred has no control over her life or her decisions. She’s forced to have intercourse with someone she doesn’t know and her husband was taken away from her. Offred’s infatuation with Nick revolved around this; she only wants him in her life for the excitement of it. In Chapter 17 when Offred goes to see the Commander, while waiting in his sitting room, she runs into Nick, who both are not supposed to be there. They suddenly embrace each other and share a kiss, something they both had been waiting for. Offred says, “Both of us shaking, how I’d like to.” (p. 98). Offred is “shaking” from the rebellious nature of it all. The excitement of being with a man for the first time since Luke is making her want to do more. She’d like to take things further and explore. This is the first time she’s been connected with a man since Luke, which is what she has been craving during her time of being a handmaid. The Commander doesn’t fulfill her any emotional needs so she’s left wanting more, extremely unhappy with her life. She hasn’t mentioned anything about what she likes about Nick or anything good about his personality. Offred is just in it for the thrill of it, understandably, since she’s been deprived of a real connection with a man. Additionally, Offred’s want to rebel is displayed even more in the next sentence. She proceeds to say, “In Serena’s parlor, with the dried flowers, on the Chinese carpet, on his thin body.” (p. 98) It shows the nature of this situation, and how dangerous it is for them to be doing this. “In Serena’s parlor” implies that Offred is proud of her actions. Serena will never know what’s happening under her nose and that gives Offred power over her. Also, “on his thin body” demonstrates her need for a physical connection and her focus on the scandalous situation going on. Again, she says nothing about what she actually likes about Nick. She barely knows him and they’ve only really exchanged looks before and they jump straight to kissing. Offred just wants to feel like she has some sort of control over her life and this is her way of doing it. Lastly, during this forbidden interaction between the two lovers, Offred says “A man entirely unknown. It would be like shouting, it would be like shooting someone.” (p.98) Offred is admitting that she doesn’t know the man before her. She doesn’t know him like she knew Luke and she feels guilty for what she’s doing. Yet, her craving to do something, to have some sort of sense of control over her life, is too strong. She knows what the worst case scenario is. For this, they could be executed, put on the Wall. She thinks she won’t mind the consequences in the moment. Offred is attracted to Nick but not for the right reasons. The shallow nature of their relationship reflects the control society had over them. They had no will of their own; people aren’t supposed to mingle like that. “It would be like shouting” means that Nick and Offred in that living room was them asking to be caught. It was such an obviously stupid thing they were doing that Offred knew she was lucky that they weren’t executed on the spot. Essentially, Nick and Offred’s relationship reflects the rebellious nature of Offred and her desires. What she truly wanted wasn’t a relationship with Nick; she doesn’t even know him, and she still misses Luke. Yet, she’s deprived of all human connection in her oppressive society, so she’ll take what she can get and get into a romantic relationship with Nick so that she can have some sort of sense of control over her life. This demonstrates the importance of relationships in our day to day lives; human connection is an important thing, and it’s crucial that we maintain those relationships in our lives in order to truly be free and happy.

In the Handmaid’s Tale, Offred and Nick both share a romantic interest in each other. Throughout the book, they exchange glances and give each other looks that say what words can’t. They’re forbidden to speak to each other, and the type of relationship they want is one that would certainly not be allowed. Despite Offred’s growing interest in Nick and him reciprocating the same, their interactions make it obvious to the reader that Offred doesn’t actually like Nick, she just craves the human connection that has been lacking in her life by being a Handmaid and seeks the rebellion that comes with it. Offred has no control over her life or her decisions. She’s forced to have intercourse with someone she doesn’t know and her husband was taken away from her. Offred’s infatuation with Nick revolved around this; she only wants him in her life for the excitement of it. In Chapter 17 when Offred goes to see the Commander, while waiting in his sitting room, she runs into Nick, who both are not supposed to be there. They suddenly embrace each other and share a kiss, something they both had been waiting for. Offred says, “Both of us shaking, how I’d like to.” (p. 98). Offred is “shaking” from the rebellious nature of it all. The excitement of being with a man for the first time since Luke is making her want to do more. She’d like to take things further and explore. This is the first time she’s been connected with a man since Luke, which is what she has been craving during her time of being a handmaid. The Commander doesn’t fulfill her any emotional needs so she’s left wanting more, extremely unhappy with her life. She hasn’t mentioned anything about what she likes about Nick or anything good about his personality. Offred is just in it for the thrill of it, understandably, since she’s been deprived of a real connection with a man. Additionally, Offred’s want to rebel is displayed even more in the next sentence. She proceeds to say, “In Serena’s parlor, with the dried flowers, on the Chinese carpet, on his thin body.” (p. 98) It shows the nature of this situation, and how dangerous it is for them to be doing this. “In Serena’s parlor” implies that Offred is proud of her actions. Serena will never know what’s happening under her nose and that gives Offred power over her. Also, “on his thin body” demonstrates her need for a physical connection and her focus on the scandalous situation going on. Again, she says nothing about what she actually likes about Nick. She barely knows him and they’ve only really exchanged looks before and they jump straight to kissing. Offred just wants to feel like she has some sort of control over her life and this is her way of doing it. Lastly, during this forbidden interaction between the two lovers, Offred says “A man entirely unknown. It would be like shouting, it would be like shooting someone.” (p.98) Offred is admitting that she doesn’t know the man before her. She doesn’t know him like she knew Luke and she feels guilty for what she’s doing. Yet, her craving to do something, to have some sort of sense of control over her life, is too strong. She knows what the worst case scenario is. For this, they could be executed, put on the Wall. She thinks she won’t mind the consequences in the moment. Offred is attracted to Nick but not for the right reasons. The shallow nature of their relationship reflects the control society had over them. They had no will of their own; people aren’t supposed to mingle like that. “It would be like shouting” means that Nick and Offred in that living room was them asking to be caught. It was such an obviously stupid thing they were doing that Offred knew she was lucky that they weren’t executed on the spot. Essentially, Nick and Offred’s relationship reflects the rebellious nature of Offred and her desires. What she truly wanted wasn’t a relationship with Nick; she doesn’t even know him, and she still misses Luke. Yet, she’s deprived of all human connection in her oppressive society, so she’ll take what she can get and get into a romantic relationship with Nick so that she can have some sort of sense of control over her life. This demonstrates the importance of relationships in our day to day lives; human connection is an important thing, and it’s crucial that we maintain those relationships in our lives in order to truly be free and happy.

I drew a clock with the first part of the day, the afternoon hours, having no specific label, and an arrow going around the clocks towards nine o’clock. The later evening hours have labels to them, and there is also an eye in the clock, representing the constant watch that Offred is under. One of the major themes in the Handmaid’s tale is time. Offred’s imagination and her mind is the only thing that is truly hers; she doesn’t own a single tangible thing, not even really her body. A lot of the story revolves around Offred’s reflection during the long periods of time she’s alone, with nothing more to do but reflect on her past life when she was free. She’s a prisoner to a society that uses her for her body, but at least she has her mind and her own thoughts; this, she uses to think about those she misses: Luke, her mother, and her daughter. Offred often mentions how much time she has as a Handmaid. This is what the unlabeled hours on the clock represent and the arrow speeding through that section of the clock. She says “There’s time to spare. This is one of the things I wasn’t prepared for—the amount of unfulfilled time, the long parentheses of nothing.” (p.69) Offred had to adjust to this lifestyle; she used to be free, but now her only use is to get impregnated and birth a healthy child. Her “unfulfilled time” is replaced with flashbacks of the past, echoes from her loved ones that she can’t quite grasp onto. There’s not much for her to physically do; she’s trapped. She tries to fulfill her time doing tangible things to keep herself occupied, like searching her room thoroughly, but all she’s truly left with is her thoughts and her mind takes over. A large chunk of the time she has occurs during the night time, which is why the night hours are labeled. Offred says, “The night is mine, my own time to do with as I will, as long as I am quiet.” Night is often when Offred reflects the most on her past. She views it as her time, which is something that no one can take away from her, just like the memories she still has of Luke, her mother, and her child. That’s something that she will have forever. She owns nothing tangible; her only form of freedom is her ability to form her own thoughts. Yet even with this free time, she still can only do so much; she’s stuck with herself and the thoughts that haunt her. Lastly, Offred has her time at night to herself but she still feels like time is slipping away from her. That is why on the clock there are multiple arrows in the later hours. It shows how her perception of time is being warped and she feels as though she is losing time. “I lie, then, inside the room, under the plaster eye in the ceiling, behind the white curtains, between the sheets, neatly as they, and step sideways out of my own time. Out of time. Though this is time, nor am I out of it.” Offred feels trapped in time; she’s constantly being watched by “the plaster eye in the ceiling,” always being controlled by the higherups. That is what the eye in the clock represents. She has so much spare time that forces her to explore the depths of her mind, yet it still feels like time isn’t moving. “Out of my own time,” implies that she’s out of time to live her life. She has no more freedom, her loved ones have been taken from her and everything else she had stripped. Offred has nothing left to do but use her time to hope that things will get better, that maybe she won’t be a prisoner forever. With my artwork I wanted to highlight the theme of time which was represented through multiple scenes in the story. It has been the only thing keeping Offred going, through her flashbacks and happy memories, and it has allowed her to explore the depths of her mind that she hadn’t before. Time has been a gift and a curse to Offred, but her relationship with it helps add to the plot of the story and offers the reader a better understanding of her past.

This is our map for Bikini Bottom. Hope you enjoy looking at Spongebob’s hometown.

This is our map for Bikini Bottom. Hope you enjoy looking at Spongebob’s hometown.

My notebook has helped my learning experience because it allows me to jot down my thoughts for a better understanding of what we’re learning. My annotations keep me connected with whatever story we are reading. Going forward, I will continue to keep thorough notes that I can go back to when I need help. Q2 Notebook

My notebook has helped my learning experience in many ways. For instance, it keeps me engaged in the class conversations. Since I know I will have to refer back to my notes, it encourages me to write down everything. My notebook also keeps me organized. Additionally, it helps me when I’m doing my work because I can look back on information. Moving forward, I intend to make it even more organized and neat. I want to write even more down and improve on the quality of the notes.

Notebook Video

This story is about two estranged siblings, Liz and Rob, that don’t speak to each other for years. When Liz has a baby on the way, she decides to reach out to Rob, which eventually leads to their reunion. The main idea of this story is that if you love someone, you will always hold a piece of their heart. This story is inspired by “Far From the Tree” because they both answer the question of what it means to be a family.

I hope you enjoy my Me Magazine.