 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.  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!  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?
There is often a sense of moral ambiguity that one can experience because of cultural conflict. I’ve often been faced with questions such as, "Do I believe this is right or wrong because of the way I was raised, or is it right or wrong because of a universal set of morals that all humans share?"  Reflect on these tensions for yourself, and compose a piece of personal writing addressing some (not all) of these questions:
|
Blog Post Rubric
Archives
April 2026
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed