General 1) Injustice, dehumanization of 1) Our tendency to shun the women (juvenalian) outsider (juvenalian) in both the a) systemic and intentional androids’ cases and in Isidore’s b) pessimistic a) we learn more about him 2) Hypocrisy because his is ostracized a) Social structures of equality b) Tie into narrative POV b) The versus the have- 2) Corporate greed (juvenalian) ??? nots, exemplified in gender- in the Rosen Association’s need based terms to produce the latest, greatest product, no matter the risk or cost a) Ironically, this leads to sameness (as seen by Rachael in being a type of android, less an individual) Commonalities Handmaid/Androids Both works are social satire Narrative POV Allows the perspective of the outsider, the ostracized and dehumanized, to be heard Isidore (3rd person) Offred (1st person) Androids, Handmaid extrapolate a modern concern, project it forward Dehumanization removal of identity from women (Handmaid) and the ostracized (Androids Isidore) – denial of humanity to androids Handmaid/The Road • etc… Differences Handmaid/Androids Speculative fiction (Handmaid) v. science fiction (Androids) Androids is more critical of technology and our relation to it (Due to sci-fi genre of Androids and Dick’s address of reality vs artificiality as a motif, though Atwood addresses it elsewhere) Handmaid is more social and immediate: more urgent, perhaps, than Androids Handmaid/The Road • etc…
General 1) Injustice, dehumanization of women (juvenalian) a) systemic and intentional b) pessimistic 2) Hypocrisy a) Social structures of equality b) The versus the have- nots, exemplified in gender- based terms 1) Our tendency to shun the outsider (juvenalian) in both the androids’ cases and in Isidore’s a) we learn more about him because his is ostracized b) Tie into narrative POV 2) Corporate greed (juvenalian) in the Rosen Association’s need to produce the latest, greatest product, no matter the risk or cost a) Ironically, this leads to sameness (as seen by Rachael in being a type of android, less an individual) ??? Commonalities Handmaid/Androids Both works are social satire Narrative POV Allows the perspective of the outsider, the ostracized and dehumanized, to be heard Isidore (3rd person) Offred (1st person) Androids, Handmaid extrapolate a modern concern, project it forward Dehumanization removal of identity from women (Handmaid) and the ostracized (Androids – Isidore) denial of humanity to androids • Handmaid/The Road etc… Differences Handmaid/Androids Speculative fiction (Handmaid) v. science fiction (Androids) Androids is more critical of technology and our relation to it (Due to sci-fi genre of Androids and Dick’s address of reality vs artificiality as a motif, though Atwood addresses it elsewhere) Handmaid is more social and immediate: more urgent, perhaps, than Androids • Handmaid/The Road etc…
comparative_chart_intro.docx