 You’ve just finished The Handmaid’s Tale... And instead of ending with Offred, Atwood gives us a transcript from an academic conference hundreds of years later. Why? Before we write a more formal literary analysis essay, we need to figure out what this ending is really doing. Address the 5 parts below in your primary blog response. This does not need to be formal in style. It’s thinking on paper (blog), and you can be as conversational as you like. You do not need to answer each specific question in your response, but you should use them to guide your literary musing. PART I: First Reaction
PART II: What Do We Notice? 1. How Do the Scholars Talk About Offred?
PART III: The Last Line The chapter ends with “Are there any questions?” Finish your conversation by exploring at least two possible meanings of this line. Consider:
PART IV: Bridging to the Bigger Idea Now push your thinking further. Do you think Atwood is only criticizing these fictional academics, or might she also be saying something about:
PART V: Preparing for the Essay (The Big Move) How does reading Offred’s full story change the way we judge Professor Pieixoto? In a meta-analysis of this chapter, how does examining Pieixoto's lecture force us to reconsider everything we just read? How does it shift the question from “What happened to Offred?” to “How will her story be handled?” and maybe even to “Who controls meaning?” Finally, ask yourself, "What is Atwood's message to me?" 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, 3/6/2026. 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, 3/8/2026.   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.   Margaret Atwood employs three epigraphs at the beginning of The Handmaid's Tale to establish the novel's tone. Based on the epigraphs provided, analyze how each epigraph contributes to an understanding of:
Successful responses will cover:
Key Terms: Anachronistic: Something that seems to belong to a different time period than the one it is portrayed in. Imperative: A command or instruction given in the form of a sentence that starts with a verb. Metaphor: A way of describing something by comparing or calling it something else, creating a vivid image or meaning. Satire: A way of using humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize or mock societal issues, individuals, or systems. Epigraph #1 “And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister*; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.” - Genesis 30:1-3 Epigraph #2 But as to myself, having been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success, I fortunately fell upon this proposal.... -Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal Epigraph #3 ‘In the desert there is no sign that says, “Thou shalt not eat stones.”’ - Sufi Proverb Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 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, 1/30/2026! 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. Today, I would like for you to read and respond to the article, "In the Minds of Others" by Keith Oatley. You should read and annotate the print article that I give you, but I will also include a link here. This article further develops the ideas from Independent Reading Blog #2 and will be of use later when we finish our Independent Reading Unit.  Click on the image above to go to an electronic copy of "In the Minds of Others" by Keith Oatley. "Literature’s Emotional Lessons: |
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