The+Handmaid’s+Tale

Facilitator: Amie Muir Room Assignment: Student Enrollment:

__Themes from the Reading__
 * Human Rights
 * Modern human demographics/population growth rates
 * Interactions between a society's political structure and religious beliefs
 * Construction of social structure and gender roles
 * Utopia vs. Dystopia
 * Construction of and corruption of religious-based morals
 * Freedom and choice
 * Totalitarian regimes, government control
 * Loneliness and the need for human contact/interactions

__Guided Reading Questions__


 * What factors contributed to the creation of the society Offred lives in?
 * Identify the various socio-economic classes in Gilead. How is the status, privileges, rights, etc. (or lack thereof, depending on the class) justified by Gileadean ideology?
 * Identify the various "ranks" among the female population of Gilead. What are the expectations (in terms of duties) from each "rank"?
 * How is the difference between the various ranks of women justified by Gileadean ideology? (Differences in terms of rights, privileges, status, clothing, etc.)
 * By what factors are citizens of Gilead limited in terms of choosing their own destinies?
 * What elements are in place that allow the Gileadean government to maintain order?
 * To what degree does the government differ when ruling over/controlling men vs. ruling over/controlling women?
 * What is the difference between "freedom to" and "freedom from"?
 * How might the snapshots of Gileadean society we get from the narrator differ if the story was from the perspective of a Wife? A Martha? A Commander?

__Preparation for the Discussion__

Be prepared to discuss personal reactions to the themes of the book in addition to the guided reading questions. We will make use of evidence from the book to discuss wider implications about human society and modern civilizations.