My artwork shown above is the equal representation of how controlling the “Big Nurse” treats and controls the other patients in the ward. The wires show a depiction of control that the Big Nurse has over the patients in the ward. My artwork shows the Big Nurse using wires to control the patients as puppets. The nurse lifts up her wooden cross (marionette controller) and down the wooden cross is a bunch of wires. The nurse holds it in a menacing way, and has a huge smirk on her face. The Big Nurse from the book is depicted as a cold hearted human. She clearly has more importance of her reputation and the control, and power she has over her patients rather than the actual health of the patients.

The nurse has wires wrapped around her head forming a nurse cap. She stands over the patients as she takes the wires and is a puppeteer. The patients have a sorrowful look on their faces as the nurse wraps the wires around them and controls them as puppets. We, as readers, know that the patients that are in the ward can undergo very harsh and unfair treatments by the nurses, and the people in higher positions in the ward.

We also know that the nurse “Nurse Ratched” or better known as “Big Nurse” has the tendency to control the patients. “I see her sit in the center of this web of wires like a watchful robot, tend her network with mechanical insect skill, know every second which wire runs where and just what current to send up to get the results she wants. (pgs. 25-26) The wires use a figurative expression showing that the nurse controls the patients with wires, using them like a restraint and a sign of being controlled. Almost how a puppeteer controls their puppet with the string and wooden cross.

In my artwork I wanted to depict this as a form of deep meaning and metaphorical art. The strings are wires symbolizing the control and how chained down the patients are in the ward. Just like the quote explained how the nurse was almost like a robot, always knowing what to do and what she wanted to do at any second, but not only that the wires that represented a sense of control towards the patients.

I wanted to incorporate the metaphor of the puppeteer because it can correlate with the actual scene from the story. Not only that, but I also wanted to create a correlation between the nurse and the patients. How the patients feel around the Nurse, and how the nurse feels about the patients. In my artwork the patients are being controlled, and tied up, silenced. Just like in the book, many of the patients see Nurse Ratched as a “Big” and “Scary” nurse. They do not see her as a nurse that is cheerful nor nice to them. I wanted to make sure those who see my art can make a significant connection with the “Big Nurse” and how she treats her patients. I also hope that people can see the metaphor when it comes to the puppeteer and the “Big Nurse” controlling these people in the ward.

My artwork shows how the handmaids are being watched every second they can be. It represents many different scenes in the book “The Handmaid’s Tale” has many different scenes that shows different characters that watch the handmaids at all times. Those characters being, The Eyes, Wives, and the Aunts. But for this specific piece of artwork I mainly wanted to focus on the “Eyes” of the story. The eyes are the secret police of Gilead. They are the ones who watch everything in Gilead. The eyes are tasked with surveillance and enforcing the laws of the state often to intimidation and violence. The job of the eyes in the Gilead world is to create an atmosphere of fear and paranoia among anyone that might be informed of the real world.

In this art piece I am representing Offred (in the hands), being watched by a bunch of eyes around her. The line “The Kidnapping I Can’t Escape,” is on top of her face disguising the fact that she can never escape. I added the hands around “Offred” representing bars, and barriers where she can’t escape “Gilead.” Around the hands at the top I added angels, with eyes. These represent the “Angels” in the story. Angels are Soldier 24 in order to protect the state but they operate more openly on our less involvement in persuasive surveillance.

I added eyes on top of these angels in my artwork because I wanted to represent that they are both forms of restriction in Gilead. The rest of the images on my artwork mostly show how the women in Gilead are treated by the “hierarchy” which is being silenced. The picture of the woman on the left side. Her eyes are being covered by the words , “ive now come to understand the same thing about trauma :happy, well adjusted people are all different. The traumatized are exactly alike.” I wanted to represent how the women in Gilead are being silenced and brainwashed on their traumatic experiences when living and working in Gilead.

In the book “The Handmaid’s Tale” there are many different examples of surveillance and watching in Gilead that represent my artwork. Offred says “There’s something I want to say, but its like the saying of it will cost me something.” (page number) In this quote Offred explains how she wants to say something, but she has this worrying feeling that she will be caught, and punished for what she will say. It develops a fear in Offred, constant surveillance all the time, making her cautious of what she says all the time, in order to avoid being brutally punished for having her different opinions and thoughts.

Ultimately, I created this collage as my art piece to show or depict how Offred, and the Handmaids in general, are being monitored and watched all the time in Gilead. It expresses the art form of the control and paranoia Offred is constantly being in. The reason why I chose to depict the “Eyes” in my art piece was because the eyes play a huge part and role in the story. Its significant to the story, and to Offred because it shows us that there is a higher power, and makes the structure of the people who are in power. We see how controlling the “Eyes” are, by seeing how afraid Offred is just by saying the wrong things. This is important because we see the root of why so many women are afraid to speak up in Gilead.

Who Run The World (Girls) - Beyonce This song “Who Run The World (Girls) by Beyonce” represents the anthem of female empowerment. The song recognizes women , strength,independence,and leadership. It can relate and also represent to all the women in Gilead that are being controlled by a hierarchy run by men. Offred and Moira are both characters that feel and are rebellious against the ideologies that Gilead has against the women. For example, Moria rebels against the system by escaping. “Moira marched straight out the front door, with the bearing of a person who where she was going, she saluted, presented Aunt Elizabeth’s pass… and disappeared.” (132) This song can make a connection to Moira’s escape. Since this song is about rebellion and about strength, it feels the most correct way to show how it can relate towards Moria, so far she has been the character that rebelled the most with stabbing an “Aunt” which is basically a “mother” figure that teaches the handmaids on how to be a good surogat.

Alright - Kendrick Lamar In this song Alright by Kendrick Lamar represents the oppression people of color have to go through in today’s society. The lyric “ Abusing my power full of resentment, Resentment that turned into a deep depression,” stands out to me and represents the type of character Offred is. Offred is a character in Gilead’s society that knows what’s going on, and knows that as a handmaid she gets abused for her power of creating life. “You can get up now, Get up and get out. She’s supposed to have me rest, for ten minutes, with my feet on a pillow to improve the chances.” (95) The lyrics “We gon be Alright” shows a collective determination to resist despair, just as Offred shows how she rebels from Gilead’s oppressive system. Based on both the book and the song, they represent the power of hope, and human spirit, showing that there is always a light in the darkness.

Runaway - Kanye West In this song “Runaway by Kanye West,” Kanye West uses this song to reflect on his own, flawed behavior letting others know and to distance themselves from his instability to form healthy relationships. I feel like the feeling of this song can relate to the men in the world of Gilead. It can relate to this lyric because of how controlling and oppressive the system is. Just like how Kanye expresses his mistakes in his song, the men in Gilead also use women as a tool, rather than treat them as real humanity. Kanye represents himself in the face of destruction. In the book Offred finds this moment of rebellions against the many system using women as tools by seducing the Commander as a power move to get him to trust her, so that she can stab him in the back. (139) “I want you to kiss me, I think about how I could take the back of the toilet apart… some approach to true love, and put my arms around him and slip the lever out from the sleeve and drive the sharp end into him.” (140) We see Offred taking power into her own hands and using manipulation just like Kanye did with the relationship he was talking about in his song. “ When it starts to get crazy, then run away bae, i got a plan, run away as fast as you can.”

I Gave You Power - Nas In this song “I Gave You Power by Nas” describes how a gun is used as an instrument for violence and control. “I don’t get to say shit Just grab me, just do what the fuck they want, Sell me, throw me away.” This can heavily relate to the bodily functions that are being used in Gilead. The women’s bodies are mostly used as tools, just to create human nature. For example in the book, during the ceremony Offred was used as a tool for the Commander and the Commander’s Wife. Offred was an accessory, and used as a tool. “This is not recreation, even for the Commander. This is serious business. The Commander, too, is doing his duty.” (95) Offred expresses that it isn’t love, not recreation of the human life, its just “business”, she sees that she isn’t there to enjoy it, but to rather do it. Both the song and the book share the same on using “tools” as a way of destruction and violence.

No Church In The Wild - Jay Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean In this song “No Church In The Wild” by Jay Z, Kanye West, and Frank Ocean, describe how the world and its oppression against the people can change and become rebellion. What’s a God to a non-believer , who don’t believe in anything? Will he make it out alive?” These lyrics express how people don’t believe in oppressive systems, and challenge the oppressiveness of the system with rebellion. Challenging people with power can be dangerous. Just like in the book, “The Handmaid’s Tale” , Offred grapples with the hypocrisy of a society that claims to uphold religious values while subjugating women in the society. “Freedom , like everything else, is relative.” It shows how Gilead can twist the idea of freedom and morality to control people. Much like the song, the song also tries to highlight the struggle for humanity in the corrupt system.

Playlist! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBEXtV10Ln9JKxSiJfQnMeVQzwS_gbOI-&jct=huXgQAEuw_Ck7NcfyrJlQA

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