What would happen if our society followed the Old Testament? (IR)

For my Independent Reading, I read "A Handmaid's Tale."
It was incredibly disturbing.
The premise of the book was that the United States of America had been divided into different warring religious sects and the one that held the most power, the Republic of Gilead, was a branch of Christianity that took the Old Testament and New Testament at it's word. Many don't interpret the bible literally nowadays because many aspects of it are a bit out of date. The main outdated aspect that is exemplified in "A Handmaid's Tale" is the Bible's views toward women. Since I have read only catches of the Bible I decided that I needed to do some biblical research after reading the book just to make sure that everything the futuristic society made into law regarding woman was actually from the bible. Scarily enough, it was. Here is what I found from my research.
Biblical Quotes and how they connect to "A Handmaid's Tale":
 1.) To the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."-Genesis
 In the Republic of Gilead, women are allowed no anesthetics in childbirth so that they can fully feel the pain of birth. They are also most certainly "ruled over" by their husbands.
2.)“When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, Give me children or I shall die! Then she said, Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees, and even I may have children through her.’”
This is where the Republic of Gilead got the inspiration for handmaids. Handmaids are basically mistresses sent out by the government to create children for families when the wife cannot conceive.  They take the scripture so seriously that in order to "follow scripture" the handmaids from Gilead must actually conceive the baby while resting on the wife's knees. No kidding.
3.)“I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” (1 Timothy 2:12)
In the Republic of Gilead, women are not allowed to learn, or to read. Even the Bible must be read by a man.

I don't know what else to say about this book other than it made me seriously frightened of all religion. It also made me think of "Imagine" by Paul McCartney. Do you think we'd be better off with no religion? I'm not sure. Religion can do a great deal of good, but when misinterpreted  or given too much power it can do a great deal of evil. 

Invictus

Invictus
by W.E. Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.

If "Invictus" is not one of the most popular poems of all time, it is at least among the most well-known. Many scholars trash "Invictus" because it is very unspecific and does not clearly state what circumstance the poem is about. Frankly, this is the very reason that I love it. "Invictus" is like abstract art. The basic picture can be clearly seen, but what people make of the picture can vary drastically.


Most people recognize the theme of holding strong against adversity in "Invictus". The author, Henley struggled with arthritis throughout his life, and many believed that the poem was about his winning struggle against the affliction. Many interpret it to have a much deeper meaning and connection to their own lives. The poem was a central part of the movie "Invictus" which focused on South Africa's apartheid movement and Nelson Mandela's strength when he was imprisoned. Because the poem is non-specific to what the specific adversity the author is facing, the poem can be used in new revolutionary ways.
Also after doing some research on this poem, I became interested in the Christian message behind the poem. "how strait the gate" and "charged with punishment the scroll" are direct references to biblical scripture. One could see this reference to mean that the author is holding strong against death or fear of death. Or, perhaps more morbidly, it may mean that the author is giving into death. They are "the captain of their soul" and therefore cannot be spiritually harmed by physical torment ("bloody but unbowed") that happens on earth. There are so many ways to look at this poem. Whichever way one looks at it, it is a poem of great strength and passion. Memorize it and recite it in your head when you are facing hardship or find yourself not being able to stand up for yourself. It helps.

Invictus translates to "Unconquerable"

Magical Metaphors and Terrific Tropes (CC)

Throughout class the last week, we have been discussing different tropes(types of figurative language).
Tropes are everywhere.
In literature, in language, in jokes, and funnily enough, blog posts
This brought me to consider, where would our language be without tropes.
Well, language would be very concrete. There would be no comparisons, no exaggeration, and little room for hidden meaning. Every single writer and poet would be out of a job. More than that, everyone would be forced to talk like robots due to the absence of tropes. There would be no freedom. Our language exists the way it does only because there is room for expression and metaphors and irony.
So this is my love-note to tropes. I have hand-picked a few of my favorites and I will share them with you.
Metaphors:
1.) "He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the
East River."
2.) "He wanted to set sail on the ocean of love but he just wasted away in the desert."
Similes:
1.)"Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever"
2.) "The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil,
this plan just might work"
Let's to appreciate how beautiful these comparisons are...
You see, metaphors are similes always add something to a description. It gives one something to connect to when dealing with an unfamiliar idea. Metaphors and similes can be funny and entertaining.  They can make one think, and try to come up with a connection between two unlike things. It is important to remember that poetry is also the base for some of the world's best poetry. In a robotic world without figurative language, Shakespeare would never be able to ask, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" There is no comparison, for comparisons would cease to exist. What a horrible world it would be to never be able to talk around a subject or compare least favorite teachers to super-villains. Language would be dull.

Yet, compared to the loss of irony, the loss of similes and metaphors would be nothing. You see, sarcasm is a type of irony. Without irony, sarcasm would be non-existent. Without sarcasm, many hormonal teenagers would not have a healthy outlet. It's quite possible that more teenagers would find themselves turning to hardcore drugs and sharpie-sniffing. Therefore, one can make the argument that if tropes were non-existent, my whole generation would go crazy and lose all ambition. All for lack of sarcasm.

Brilliant examples of sarcasm for your enjoyment:
"Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?"
 "I majored in liberal arts. Will that be for here or to go?"
and wait for it...."Not the brightest crayon in the box now, are we?"
METAPHOR and SARCASM
Let us breathe in as many tropes as we can, dear earthlings. (the use of breathe is an implied metaphor because it compares tropes to air)