Oppression

If you missed the discussion on the causes and effects of an oppressive government in the society in The Handmaid's Tale, feel free to comment on some of the questions below. You may also wish to support your ideas with quotations from the novel.

1. What kind of society did the fundamentalist leaders of Gilead, in The Handmaid's Tale, hope to produce through their revolution? What kind of society does it become?
2. Is this society stable or not?
3. What does the quote "You are now given freedom from. Don't underrate it" mean?
4. Will too much power destroy the U.S.?
5. Does fear control us?

Remember to capture your ideas on the multi-flow map on p. 13 in your notebook.

Sexism

If you missed the discussion on the causes and effects of sexism in the society in The Handmaid's Tale, feel free to comment on some of the questions below. You may also wish to support your ideas with quotations from the novel.

1. How do they control women? What techniques are used?
2. Is Serena Joy in power or out of power?
3. Does Offred fight or survive?
4. Why were some of the women content to live the life they were living?
5. Is government control of sexuality a successful control tool?

Remember to capture your ideas on the multi-flow map on p. 6 in your notebook.

Censorship

If you missed the discussion on the causes and effects of censorship in the society in The Handmaid's Tale, feel free to comment on some of the questions below. You may also wish to support your ideas with quotations from the novel.

1. Why is reading dangerous?
2. Why do the Aunts change all of the women's names?
3. Offred makes a point of saying that she is not writing this down. Why is that important?
4. What words have new meanings or what words were made up by this society? Why and to what effect?
5. Why is the Bible under lock and key in Gilead?

Remember to capture some of your ideas on censorship on the multi-flow map on p. 9 in your notebook.

Handmaid's Tale Exams

The blue book essay for The Handmaid's Tale will be Wednesday, February 27, and the multiple choice exam on plot, character, setting, and vocabulary is on Thursday, February 28.

Vocab page 188-311

The following nouns are the final words to learn for the multiple choice test on The Handmaid's Tale:

abasement, p. 194: a reduction in rank or reputation
perfidy, p. 201: treachery, betrayal
susurration, p. 215: a whisper, a murmur
prurience, p. 215: lust; longing
volition, p. 249: a willful choice or decision
bathos, p. 255: insincere pity or compassion
obverse, p. 259: counterpart

Vocabulary pages 107-188

pillage, p. 124: rob; steal; embezzle
collusion, p. 132: complicity; involvement; conspiracy
peccadillo, p. 155: sin; offense; indulgence
banal, p. 158: trite; commonplace; dull
ignominious, p. 163: embarrassing; disgraceful; humiliating
sedition, p.168: treason; subversion; troublemaking
approbation, p. 184: approval; praise; consent

Vocabulary, pages 67-106

For this section of vocabulary, each base group will compose a synonym triplet for the class for their assigned word. The synonym triplet should be presented with a beat. Adding a gesture or a body movement that fits the definition is check plus material.

Vocabulary pages 67-106

lithe, p. 73, limber, agile, bendable
bracken, p. 74, forest floor covered with ferns
waif, p. 79, orphan, found person
amulet, p. 84, necklace worn for protection
tableau, p. 87, frozen scene on stage
effigy, p. 95, crude representation of someone disliked
lithograph, p. 104, artistic print made by ink transfer

Handmaid Vocab, pages 34-66

lie vs. lay (p. 37): According to Diana Hacker's Writer's Reference, "lie is an intrasitive verb meaning to 'to recline or rest on a surface.' Lay is a transitive verb meaning 'to put or place.'" (Transitive verbs take direct objects. Intransitive verbs do not take direct objects.)

disconsolate (p. 38): unhappy; without solace

cassock (p. 43): a long garment worn by the clergy

foundered (p. 44): to sink; to fail

parley (p. 49): a meeting or conference between enemies

lugubrious (p. 54): mournful; gloomy; dismal

pantaloons (p. 62): loose-fitting underwear that goes all the way to the knee.