how a simple phrase in the handmaid’s tale shook my understanding of freedom

There’s a moment in The Handmaid’s Tale where Offred repeats: “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.” It’s fake Latin, but it means “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” When I first read it, I smiled. It felt like a secret rebellion — a tiny spark in a dark place. But then I realized those “bastards” aren’t always obvious. They’re the quiet dismissals at work, the sideways glances in family dinners, the constant microaggressions that wear you down bit by bit. Being told you’re “too sensitive” or “overreacting” is part of it. Last year, at a holiday party, my cousin joked, “Women are just better at complaining.” Everyone laughed. No one said a word. It hurt. I stayed silent. That phrase reminded me that resistance isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s simply holding on to your voice when the world tries to silence it. Freedom isn’t just laws or rights. It’s the everyday battles — the small moments when you decide, “I will not back down.” And that’s where freedom lives. #Entertainment #Books #FeministPages #MargaretAtwood #TheHandmaidsTale