English a level - AO5&3 handmaid's tale

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give two examples from THT which support a narrative reading

“we learned to whisper almost without a sound” chapter 1. sibilance creates a sense of suffocation, with the reader sharing the sense of menace and questioning who is listening

Offred often offers reconstructed and unreliable narratives

3 examples from THT which support an eco-critical reading

“the sky is full of deadly hardware, but oh God, how beautiful anyway” chapter 17

“the searchlight moonlight” chapter 30

the colonies show the human neglect of the natural world

context regarding the dangers of DDT

"Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson in 1962 was a warning of pesticides (DDT) in which produced mutations, general danger and disaster to the environment. Atwood was often inspired by Carson’s work, despite her marginalisation because of her gender

DDT was banned in 1972

context regarding the threat of nuclear waste towards the environment

A nuclear disaster occurred in Pennsylvania, 1979, when a pressure valve at the Three Mile Island suddenly malfunctioned

regarded as one of the worst nuclear disasters in American history

context regarding the Christian Right movement

a 1970s and 80s American right-wing Christian movement which relied on the religious view that a soul resides in a fertilized egg, inferring that abortion is wrong

their goal of “advancing” society ironically contradicts the American constitution, which protects religious freedom

signified a rise of conservative Christian morals, such as domesticising women

context regarding IVF

the first IVF baby was born in 1978. Braude said the practice of IVF was “viewed with absolute suspicion”. people believed IVF doctors were “playing God”. it was also only available to high income individuals, like how the handmaids are only available to high-ranked families

21st century reproductive rights context

the overturning of Roe V Wade in 2022 made abortion limited in 20 states. Trump was elected in 2016 and 2024, and he believes abortion should be tightly controlled and encouraged women towards domesticity

context regarding the bible in fundamentalist Protestantism

THT can be viewed as a theocratic, puritan utopia

Atwood’s ancestry lies in puritanism, and she criticizes the use of the bible as a means of control as opposed to an expression of faith

puritan women also had to dress conservatively, like the handmaids

context regarding punishment in fundamentalist Protestantism

in Puritan New England, the first buildings were a prison and gallows

many women were hung for being witches during the Puritan Witch hunts of the 17th century, including Atwood’s relative Mary Webster in 1683

these punishments reflected in THT in symbols of oppression, such as “the wall” and the university where people are hung

2 quotes from ‘Dystopia - an overview’ by Kidd

“deep down we know that a dystopian future is more likely than a utopian one”

“The ruling powers of most dystopias justify their existence through some practical or moral good”

4 quotes from ‘Language and resistance in The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Clist

“Controlling names means having a say in social roles”

“Neologisms like ‘pravyganza’ and ‘salvaging’ that deny any distinction between… biblical language and advertising jargon”

“While Gilead can control what Offred hears and reads, they can’t control her interpretation of it”

“if everything is only symbols and signs, and nothing real, then no action has meaning or consequence and the result is a kind of madness”

when was the ‘take back the night’ movement

1978

2 quotes from Katie Baty’s ‘‘Under his eye’ - seeing and surveillance in The Handmaid’s Tale'.’

“in Gilead, appearances are always deceptive.”

“the women at Jezebel’s may be passive in their acceptance … of the male gaze … but Atwood expects the reader to see the sordid and hackneyed reality.”

argument from Loxton

Offred becomes less questioning of the regime as she begins to benefit from it, spending more time with nick

describe the north american feminist movement

women’s liberation movement campaigned for sexual freedom in late 1960s

‘take back the night’ movement 1978

roe v wade established in 1977

AIDS context

4,000 Americans killed by AIDS by 1984, much speculation (such as that it would cause fertility rates to drop), created public fear which could be use by extremist groups like the Christian New Right

Atwood quote on the realism of the novel

“there isn’t anything in the book that hasn’t happened in real life”

quote from Lisa Jadwin on reality of THT

“Atwood’s novel derives its power from an accurate, if disturbing critique of contemporary norms”

quote from Lisa Jadwin on the aunts

“the aunts embrace their duties as enforcers of patriarchal law”

2 examples from THT which support a Marxist reading

rebellion of Moira and Ofglen

the ‘historical notes’

quote from Carol Beran

“Offred’s power is in language”

quote from Paul Gray

“Atwood’s novel lacks the direct, chilling plausibility of 1984”

Alanna Callaway quote

“the Gilead takeover can be read as stemming, in part, from women’s lack of solidarity in pre-Gilead culture”

Cavalcanti quote

the Ceremony “synthesises the institutionalised humiliation, objectification, and ownership of women in Gilead”

when was contraception banned in Romania and under which dictator?

1966, Ceausescu

Literary context of ‘The Scarlet Letter’

written in 1850 by Nathaniel Hawthorn, set in the 17th century in the same location as THT (Massachusetts). uses the colour red to symbolise and shame female sexuality

where did Atwood live when writing THT

West Berlin, which remained separate from East Berlin until 1989

when was the Iranian revolution and how did this influence female rights in the country

1978-79

mandatory veiling for women introduced, women required to have husband’s permission to travel, and public stoning as punishment for dissenters became law

quote from J. Brooks Bouson

Offred is “a victim of circumstances, not an active agent capable of directing the plot of her own life”

quote from Erika Gottlieb

“since the dystopian regime denies its subjects free will, the central character cannot be made responsible for her ultimate failure”

quote from ecofeminist Reshmi

“Atwood suggests that the society of today where choices are too many may lead to a totalitarian future that prohibits choice”