Don't let the slightly less than agreeable individuals grind you down

Looking at this in the context of AP lit. test dogma, there is repetition of the lines "And you can dream...So dream out loud" in the second, third, and sixth line. These lines embody the meaning of the song in its entirety. It empowers the oppressed to rebel and transcend their "chains", and to of course, not "...let the bastards grind you down". This coincides directly with Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. This song depicts the submission of a girl who once "... had fire in [her] soul" but who is stifled by her surroundings. Moira was rebellious and individualistic. She refused to be kept prisoner by the Aunts, yet in the end, she becomes the epitome of all that she had protested against in her freedom. She becomes a prostitute at Jezebel's. Offred is terrified by this "..indifference and lack of volition" in her friend and says "Have they really done it to her then, taken away something-what?-something that used to be so central to her?...I don't want her to be like me. Give in, go along, save her skin...I want gallantry from her, swashbuckling, heroism, single-handed combat"(249). Both works call for the rise of the oppressed and depict the frustration("I know you'd hit out...") and perceived helplessness of these individuals. The last lines of the last 2-3 stanzas are very short and are essentially the final words of encouragement, leaving the ultimate possibilities in the hands of the girl. The last stanza repeats the words "you can", leaving hope for escape. Another connection between this song and the novel is the idea of choking.
And you can swallow
Or you can spit
You can throw it up
Or choke on it.....

Yeah I'd break bread and wine
If there was a church I could receive in
'Cause I need it now

These lines from the song automatically reminded me of the imposition of religion in The Handmaid's Tale. When Offred recites her altered version of the "Our Father" she says "I have enough daily bread, so I won't waste my time on that. It isn't the main problem. The problem is getting it down without choking"(Atwood 194). This idea of choking in both works illustrates the suffocating nature of both instances being depicted. This "daily bread" represents the repressive society, and "choking" represents the individual's inability to swallow and accept their new reality. In both works, an indivdual seeks solace in religion, yet finds it inadequate in justifying or remedying the corruption which surrounds them.