G.A.L. Grace
Bio
I began writing at 12, but struggled to gain positive results from my work. I joined vocal with the hope that my writing may mean something to at least one person. My greatest ambition is to become an author; to educate and please others.
Stories (29)
Filter by community
Atwood’s Portrayal of Religion in Gilead
Margaret Atwood uses biblical roots to create a religious motif throughout the novel, such biblical references enunciate Gilead’s strict Christian Puritan views. Gilead uses religion to manipulate its inhabitants into believing that the practices that occur in the state are all extracted from the Bible. Therefore, Atwood portrays religion as a form of control over the Gileadean citizens. Religion is a crucial part of everyday life in Gilead, Karl Marx called religion “the opiate of the masses,” Gilead is a religious state in which state and religion are intertwined - making Gilead a theocracy - and are considered the same; its official vocabulary include religious terminology and biblical references. Domestic servants are called “Marthas” in reference to a domestic character in the New Testament in the Bible. The local police are “Guardians of the Faith”; Soldiers are “Angels”; and the Commanders are officially “Commanders of the Faithful.” All the stores have biblical names too: Loaves and Fishes, All Flesh, Milk and Honey. Even the automobiles have biblical names like Behemoth, Whirlwind, and Chariot. Using religious terminology to describe people, ranks, and businesses whitewashes political skullduggery in pious language. It provides an ever-present reminder that the founders of Gilead insist they act on the authority of the Bible itself. Politics and religion are the same in Gilead, where the slogan “God is a National Resource” predominates. The Bourgeoisie (Commanders) use religion to justify their own acts and reap the result. Religion is a tool to manipulate the other lower-ranking classes. The significance of the Gileadean police being labelled the “Guardians of the Faith” is that the Gileadean Institution expects the civilians to have utmost respect for the Police, even though they are simply just men who will not hesitate to shoot a Handmaid for the slightest act of deviance - further emphasising Gilead’s lack of morality toward the lives of women and such actions also exploit Gilead for not always perusing the Puritan values they preach. Similarly could be interpreted from the official names of the Commanders and Soldiers; “Commanders of the Faithful” and "Angels”. Both names suggest pure men with correct Christian values, whereas in reality, they exploit women and murder frequently - the opposite of what the Bible states. The importance of the store names originating from the Bible highlights the complete control Gildead holds over its populace with the use of Christian implications. So, with the constant use of Bible references, Gilead will always have an excuse to punish citizens severely for even the smallest deviances - by stating they are going against the Bible. Therefore, by “abusing” the belief in religion, Gilead is able to maintain complete control over its populace with the use of fear of punishment.
By G.A.L. Grace3 years ago in Humans
Concept of Knowledge in ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
The gothic novel of Frankenstein, and the dystopian novel of The Handmaid’s Tale both share similar themes and symbols. One of the most significant similarities between the novels is how the author presents the role of knowledge; both novels imply a thirst for knowledge can end tragically. As well as this, the authors of both novels create a rebellious pursuit for knowledge through their protagonists. However, the two novels differ in the way the authors have structured the narrative to make the reader feel toward the concept of knowledge.
By G.A.L. Grace3 years ago in Education
Female Power in The Wife Of Bath
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Prologue of the Wife of Bath’s Tale during the fourteenth century, which is also when the tale of the pilgrimage to Canterbury was set. Throughout this Mediaeval period, women’s most important role in society was that of a mother or child bearer, whether she was rich or poor, children were her first priority. Women’s role in society was often compared to that which is written in the Bible. Women were also commonly linked to the Bible as women were inherently seen as untrustworthy or manipulative; which can be depicted through the tale of Adam and Eve. In the Bible, Eve is depicted as manipulative as she uses seduction to convince Adam to eat the fruit after she did. The biblical character of Eve can be viewed as a parallel of Queen Genuivere and the Wife of Bath as each of the women use a kind of manipulation to gain power over men. The Wife of Bath could be considered the most prominent parallel to Eve as they both use seduction to gain power over the socially superior men they were infatuated with. The use of Queen Genuivere’s manipulation on her husband, the King, is evident when she pleads for the Knight’s life by stating she will “so longe preyeden the kyng of grace” (line 888). This statement exemplifies the Queen’s tendency to manipulation as she is using religion to guilt-trip the King into agreeing to her requests. Her use of religion through the words “grace” and “preyeden”, which means forgiveness and prayer, in front of the public shows her wily intentitive as the King knows he cannot turn down the request after the Queen has announced she will pray for his forgiveness for the Knight; especially as forgiveness is a key theme in the Christian Bible. The Wife of Bath openly admits to manipulating her husbands through degrading their dominance in her Prologue. The wife recalls a moment where she was disputing with her husband and states “I have the power durynge al my lyf, Upon his propre body and noght he”. Summarised, the Wife is asserting her own dominance over her husband by claiming sexual power over him, “I have the power… Upon his propre body and noght he”, stripping away his male power and developing a way to manipulate him and get what she wants, through sexual means. This inversion of gender roles would be extremely unrealistic to a 1300s audience, though a contemporary audience would recognise and relate to the increase in female power with the upbringing of feminism in the early 20th century.
By G.A.L. Grace3 years ago in Poets
The Beauty of Scars. Content Warning.
There once was a young women named lily who had a scar on her left cheek. She had gotten it when she was a child, playing in the woods behind her house. She had been running and tripped, falling into a sharp rock that left a deep gash on her face.
By G.A.L. Grace3 years ago in Blush
Four Factions
Chapter One, The Apparition Four factions. Three friends. Two enemies. One desire. The year is 2084, and peace has been perfectly manageable for over 50 years between the four factions; the Bohemians, the Aesthetes, the Enigmas, and the Nefelibatas. The cause of the disruption was brought by the Aesthetes, who own the gift of glimpsing into the future and delving into the past. However, their most recent apparition caused them to confide in the other factions. Something that hadn't been done for over 50 years. This rejoicing has been avoided to avert civil wars amongst the conflicted groups of individuals, as their opposing philosophies, abilities, and interests clashed inexorably; constantly causing an inevitable social upheaval. Therefore, the four factions agreed to separate into the four corners of the United Kingdom; North, East, South, and West, in great hope of reducing the incessant conflict they brought upon the UK.
By G.A.L. Grace3 years ago in Fiction
The Real Monster of 'Frankenstein'
‘The real monster is Frankenstein, not his creation’. I agree with the statement that ‘the real monster in Frankenstein, not his creation’ to a certain extent, partly due to the fact that Victor Frankenstein’s key personality traits can be seen parallel to the Paradise Lost depiction of Satan - painting him as a monster. Victor Frankenstein’s lack of moral sense also contributes to his presentation of the real monster, as he allows his ambition to cloud his morality. However, the statement could be disputed as Victor Frankenstein could be viewed as the modern Prometheus figure, giving his noble characteristics.
By G.A.L. Grace3 years ago in Horror
Is 'The Handmaid's Tale' based on Real Life?
Despite being situated in a totalitarian dystopia, The Handmaid’s Tale is entirely science fiction. The dystopian tale is steeped in political and religious history in almost every regard. The author, Margaret Atwood, has spoken extensively about how she got inspiration for the word of Gilead and the tragedies that took place there. More than thirty years after its publication, the book’s historical roots are one of the most significant factors why it still resonates with readers today. Numerous publications have praised the novel as being “timely” and “prescient”, meaning that the system of Gilead is strikingly comparable to current events. Some people, like Yvonne Strahovski, have even gone to the extent to say that Gilead, a dystopian society in which women are forbidden from reading, Handmaids are given names like “Offred” to identify them as male property, an dissenters are put to death, feels uncomfortably “close to home” in modern-day America. “The Handmaid’s Tale is scary because it’s true”, as one television critic put it. The novel acts as a portrait of human spirit imprisoned in a dehumanizing circumstance and a representation of the dismal, paranoid reality of dictatorship, The Handmaid’s Tale is compelling and potent. In Gilead, women and girls do not have access to the same education as their male counterparts - even to the extent that females are prohibited from reading at all. Educational inequality happens all around the world everyday, but in Tanzania this inequality is sanctioned by the law. For the last 59 years, Tanzania has had a discriminatory ban that denies pregnant school girls their right to education. In the last 8 years, this ban has been reinforced by various political pronouncements. It prohibits girls from accessing education, not just for the duration of their pregnancy but even after it too. In Tanzania, literacy rates have dropped over 20 percent in recent years and more than 55,000 girls have been banned from attending school because of pregnancy in the past decade alone. Survivors of sexual violence are being further traumatized by lawmakers who are making them pay for someone else’s crime with their futures.
By G.A.L. Grace3 years ago in Fiction
Human Colonisation of Planets
In the not-to-distant future, humanity had finally achieved one of its greatest dreams - the colonisation of other planets. After years of research, development, and exploration, humans had discovered several planets that were capable of supporting life, and had established colonies on each one.
By G.A.L. Grace3 years ago in Futurism
