Jezebel's, as a setting, encapsulates the duality of Gilead: a regime that outwardly enforces strict moral codes but inwardly indulges in depravity and excess. The "masquerade" atmosphere serves as a metaphor for the regime itself-a facade of order masking chaos and corruption. Offred's internal conflict is mirrored in the women around her. Serena Joy serves as her foil; a woman who, despite their class difference, represents the women who see the hypocrisy but have submitted themselves to it. Ofglen is the moral voice of resistance, while Moira's voice serves as a spirit of her past. This fragmented identity is apparent as Offred struggles to reconcile her pre-Gilead self with her current reality. This doubling of identity is further illustrated in her connection to Nick, who represents both a risk and a refuge. This moral ambiguity comes to life in Offred's "particicution" during the Salvaging. While resistance is critical, survival is fundamental, so safety through acquiescence becomes obvious.

In your response, you might address any or all of the following prompts:

• Analyze the presentation of Jezebel's and it significance as an element of the hypocrisy at the core of Gilead.
• Analyze how Offred's interactions with Nick reflect her identity and vulnerability.
• Explore the significance of the Salvagings as a ritual in Gilead.

​Successful responses will:

• Have a clear focus on how guilt and despair with identity and intimacy affect the themes of hypocrisy and corruption.
• Identify and explain key examples of narrative structure and language that depict Offred's internal conflict.
• Highlight the broader societal and dystopian context of Gilead and its impact on Offred's autonomy.
• Discuss the significance of the last chapter of Offred's narrative and its ambiguous ending.

In your response, use at least a few of the terms referenced in these blogs (and apply them correctly). Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add a word count. Due by 11:59 pm Friday night, 2/27/2026. 

Secondary Blog Response Expectations (read everyone's primary responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add a word count. Due by 11:59 pm Sunday night, 3/1/2026.

The action in this week's reading was both notable and contextually rich. We focused on Janine's highly ritualized birthing ceremony, Moira's escape, the Commander's odd games of Scrabble with Offred, contrasted with Offred's reflections on a childhood memory of a documentary about Nazi Germany. In this Primary blog entry, please consider how, in this week's reading, Atwood presents and connects the control and commodification of women in Gilead with the psychological effects of oppression.

In your response, you might address any or all of the following prompts:

• Explore how Atwood uses language, symbolism, and narrative techniques to convey Gilead's power over women's bodies and identities.
• Analyze how Offred's reflections on the Commander and the Nazi Germany documentary reveal her coping mechanisms.
• Discuss how these chapters reflect broader themes of survival, complicity, and moral ambiguity.

​Successful responses will:

• Develop a clear, structured argument that explores Atwood's portrayal of women's experiences, using relevant terminology (e.g., commodification, symbolism, stream of consciousness, metatextuality).
• Link the events of the reading to the wider dystopian context, feminist critique embedded in the novel, and/or the philosophical and historical implications of complicity and survival.
• Show an understanding of how Atwood balances oppression and resistance through Offred's perspective.
• Utilization of relevant historical and societal contexts (e.g., totalitarian regimes, Puritanism, environmental crises) to enhance interpretation.

In your response, use at least a few of the terms below (and apply them correctly):

• ​Metatextual: When a text draws attention to its own nature as a story (e.g., Offred's reminder, "this is a reconstruction too").
• Allegory: A story, image, or idea that conveys a deeper moral or political message.
• Dramatic Irony: When the audience knows more about a situation than the character does, creating tension or humor (e.g., Offred's view of the Commander as harmless contrasts with his actual role in Gilead's horrors).
• Antithetical: Directly opposed to or contrasting ideas (e.g., Gilead's rhetoric about purity and safety versus its institutional violence).
• Motif: A recurring idea or symbol that supports a theme.
• Symbolism-Using objects, characters, or settings to represent larger concepts (e.g., Offred's body as a symbol of control).
• Stream of Consciousness-A narrative style presenting a character's thoughts and reactions in a flow without structured order.
• Allusion: An indirect reference to historical, cultural, or literary events or figures (e.g., Nazi Germany comparison).
• Vernacular: Every day, ordinary language used by people in casual speech.
  
• Catharsis: Emotional release or relief through expression.
  
• Idiom: A common phrase with a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning (e.g., "give up the ghost").

Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add a word count. Due by 11:59 pm Friday night, 2/20/2026. 

Secondary Blog Response Expectations (read everyone's primary responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add a word count. Due by 11:59 pm Sunday night, 2/22/2026.

The list is long of possible topics to discuss in this week's reading. Select one of the topic choices below to discuss how Atwood's use of Narrative Techniques and Imagery to illuminates your understanding of them:

• Women's Bodies and Autonomy
• Doubling and Identity
• Power and Resistance
• Time and Monotony
• Isolation and Camaraderie
• The Past and the Present
• Surveillance and Conformity
• Silence and Voice
• Control and Religion
• Hope and Despair

In your response you might address any or all of the following prompts:

• Analyze Atwood's use of narrative techniques, such as fragmented structure, imagery, and Offred's reflective voice, to convey themes of control and resistance.
• Consider how these techniques reveal Gilead's control over Offred's life and identity and, essentially, women as a whole.
• Analyze Atwood's use of Offred's detachment and reflective narration to depict the Ceremony.
• Analyze the narrative within the dystopian genre, focusing on the psychological effects of oppression and Atwood's feminist critique.

​
​Successful responses will:

1. Develop a clear argument, using appropriate terminology (e.g., symbolism, metaphor, motif, narrative perspective, tone, dystopian characteristics, stream of consciousness, etc.).
2. Provide adequate and appropriately cited evidence that ties directly to the argument.
3. Explore a nuanced portrayal of the topic and prompt selected from the list above.

​
In your response, use at least a few of the terms below (and apply them correctly):

• Analogy- A comparison between two things to clarify or explain an idea.
• Direct Characterization-When a writer explicitly tells the reader a character's traits.
• Indirect Characterization- When a writer reveals those traits through the character's actions, dialogue, thoughts, and interactions with others. 
• Motif-A recurring idea or symbol that supports a theme.
• Symbolism-Using objects, characters, or settings to represent larger concepts (e.g., Offred's body as a symbol of control).
• Imagery-Descriptive language appealing to the senses to create vivid mental pictures.
• Narrative Lacuna-A deliberate or accidental gap or omission in a narrative.
• Epizeuxis-Repeating words in immediate succession with vehemence or emphasis (e.g., "Crybaby. Crybaby").
• Synesthesia-A literary device that mixes senses (e.g., "a red scream").
• Binary Opposition-Contrasting concepts (e.g., light/dark, good/evil) used to emphasize themes.

Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add a word count. Due by 11:59 pm Friday night, 2/13/2026. 

Secondary Blog Response Expectations (read everyone's primary responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add a word count. Due by 11:59 pm Sunday night, 2/15/2026.