 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:
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 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:
In your response you might address any or all of the following prompts:
Successful responses will:
In your response, use at least a few of the terms below (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, 2/13/2026. 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.   Context: As you read The Handmaid’s Tale, pay attention to two big ideas:
1) World-building (Setting) This isn’t just “where and when.” It’s how the entire society operates: its rules, routines, symbols, and what people are permitted (or not permitted) to do. 2) Narrative Voice This is how the story is told and who is telling it. Offred’s voice shapes what we notice, what we trust, and what we question. These two things work together: the setting shows us what kind of world Gilead is, and Offred’s voice shows us what it feels like to live there. After this week’s reading, you can see that The Handmaid’s Tale blends genres: it’s speculative, realistic, and dystopian. You’re also learning that Gilead’s rise and its religious government controls nearly every part of life in what used to be the United States. Finally, you’re starting to see that Offred is full of contradictions: she is oppressed, but she also finds ways to be resistant. Even when the system tries to erase her identity, she uses memory and storytelling to hold on to her sense of self. This also connects to the difference between “freedom from” (freedom from danger or chaos) and “freedom of” (freedom to choose your own life). Prompt: Write a response about this week’s reading that explains how the setting and Offred’s narrative voice help Atwood highlight themes like:
In your response, use at least a few of the terms below (and apply them correctly):
Success Criteria: 1. Make a clear claim (what Atwood is showing and why it matters). 2. Use the vocabulary accurately (choose terms that truly fit your examples). 3. Use specific evidence from the text, such as:
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, 2/5/2026. 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, 2/7/2026. In Part 1 of A Thousand Splendid Suns, Nana says the following to her daughter, Mariam: “Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have.” Select three distinct passages from Part 1 (add page #) that show how this sentiment informs Mariam’s life and how it relates to themes you believe will be intrinsic to the larger meaning of the novel. Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above):
--200-250 words --minimal errors in grammar and usage --thoughtful and thorough writing --Use the name that you were assigned in class as your nom de plume. --Be sure to add word count. --Due by 11:59 PM on Sunday night! --REMEMBER, this is a Practice Assessment and, therefore, will not be accepted late.  Final Blog Prompt: Chapters 22 and 23 contain a strong sense of foreboding, or the feeling of a catastrophe around the corner. Look through these chapters and demonstrate how suspense is used to foreshadow future doom. Use several examples to prove your point. Relate these examples to the function of a gothic novel.
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 word count. Due by 11:59pm Friday night 12-11-2020! 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 word count. Due by 11:59pm Sunday night 12-13-2020! At this point in the novel, you may have found multiple parallels between the events in the text and Joseph Campbell's Monomyth as revealed in the summer reading text, How to Read Literature Like a Professor.   The sardonic blind man named Ely, who the man and boy encounter on the road, tells the father that, "There is no God and we are his prophets" [p. 170]. What does he mean by this? Why does the father say about his son, later in the same conversation, "What if I said that he's a god?" [p. 172]. Are we meant to see the son as a savior? Why is Ely the only character named in this novel? What does this mean and how does it affect your understanding of the meaning of the work as a whole?
 This image could depict Mariam at peace in the final chapter of Part 3.2 of A Thousand Splendid Suns. While this moment is important, it is no means the only significant point in these chapters.
|
Blog Post Rubric
Archives
April 2026
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed