Welcome back!

Sorry it's taken so long to get back on the blog...



We're ploughing our way through The Handmaid's Tale for the next few weeks at a pretty rapid pace. Remember that you are responsible for wider reading (even wider than the York Notes!), and that the librarian has heaps of resources to help you out; you only need to ask.

Last week we looked at Chapters 1-7 and thought about the characteristics of Gilead, and Attwood's method of interweaving the 'foreign' with the familiar. We began to talk about the impact of the first person narrative perspective.

This week we raced through 9-29 and considered totalitarian power in Gilead and how it is maintained. We discussed the idea of 'transgressions' and how rule breaking depends on the context, as well as considering how it is one of the ways that Offred asserts herself as an individual.

Those of us who weren't busy discussing choral singing with Simon Mayo spent today's lesson thinking about the novel's narrative structure, and the importance of memories. We considered Offred's references to the act of writing and tried to trace the history of Gilead. We concluded that Attwood has something to say about those who are complacent in the face of political changes.



Next week, we'll spend the double lesson listening to your presentations on characters and issues. Your homework is to prepare this well. Please do not simply regurgitate what your study guide has to say on the topic.