2020 IB Extended Essays

Tale is “against the use of religion as a front for tyranny.” (Atwood, 2017), supporting the impression that the fundamentals of the religion are not to blame but the misuse that leads to oppression within society. The all-pervasiveness of religion is evident in Atwood’s utilisation of religious terminology as names of people, social ranks and business identity like the store “Milk and Honey”, a biblical allusion to abundance. By allocating these religious names to mundane objects, Atwood whitewashes the political manipulation of the Bible whilst simultaneously making religion an all-pervasive part of Gilead. Additionally, Atwood uses religious names as a satirical tool by juxtaposing the meaning of the name to the behaviour of the character. For example, the euphemistic name “Angels” is used for soldiers, which contrast the gentle stereotype that is associated with the angelic. This juxtaposition between meaning and action can be seen as an analogy for the manipulation and distortion of religion by those in power. The reader can see the absolute distortion through the eyes of the commander’s wife, Serena Joy, who originally believed in the Puritan system and helped set the rules in place, until it meant that she could not even read the bible she believed in. Offred, like Serena Joy, loses all faith in religion during the ceremony where she says, “God is love, they once said, but we reversed that” ( p292 ). In this way, the distortion of religion as a tool to oppress has made her lose faith in something that used to be considered “love”. In The Handmaid’s Tale , there is an underlying element of blame regarding religion within this text, seen in Offred’s disregard of religion as a form of love whereas in God Dies by the Nile the female characters still have love for Allah. El-Saadawi only ever vilifies the corruption of religion. In a moment of dramatic irony, Sheikh Hamzawi says to the Mayor that “You can search in vain for Islam, for a devout Muslim. They no longer exist.” ( p20 ). By having one of the cruellest men in the novel make this remark at the start, El-Saadawi immediately highlights the mendacity of religious leaders. El-Saadawi said that it is her belief that “Islamic societies manipulate the precepts of Islam in order to oppress and restrict women” (El-Saadawi, 2015). In God Dies by the Nile , she

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