The Handmaid's Tale - Chapter 1 Graded A+

The Handmaid's Tale - Chapter 1 Graded A+ What does Astwood do at the very beginning of the novel that creates curiosity within the reader? ️️She drops the reader into the plot, or really into a flashback, straight away with no explanation - "we slept in what had once been the gymnasium..." Give a quote that portrays how cruel and controlling the Aunts at the Red Centre are... ️️"Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth patrolled; they had electric cattle prods slung on thongs from their leather belts" - the fact that they use cattle prods shows how the handmaid's are treated as animals "(about the Aunts) no guns though, even they could not be trusted with guns. Guns were for the guards..." - what does this quote show? ️️This quote shows how there is a hierarchy within Gilead, where although the Aunts have a position of power over the handmaids, they are still below the guards and all other men just because they are women, which is why the guns are "for the guards" and not the Aunts. This then further shows how extreme sexism is apparent in all areas of Gilead society. "I thought I could smell, faintly like an afterimage, the pungent scent of sweat, shot through with the sweet taint of chewing gum and perfume of the watching girls" - what is this an example of? ️️Olfactory Imagery (scent imagery) "we had flannelette sheets, like children's" - what does this quote show? ️️this shows how the handmaids are treated like children, who need guidance and protection, and who aren't given any independence or autonomy. this treatment is very degrading to them as well. "army-issue blankets, old ones that still said U.S" - what does this quote show? ️️This shows how Gilead used to be what we now know as the US. Also, the fact that the handmaids are given "army-issue blankets", shows how they are all treated as one big group rather than individuals, where everything is regimented like in the army. "we weren't allowed out, except for our walks, twice daily, two by two around the football field which was enclosed now by a chain-link fence topped with barb wire" - what does this quote show? ️️This description of the red centre and how the handmaids are treated in it is very similar to how one would describe a prison and its prisoners, which suggests that the red centre is very much like a prison, where the handmaids feel trapped and alone. This is interesting as all these women originally became handmaids because they were forced to as they had committed some kind of crime, so in a way this is an actual prison. However, as a prison system no longer exists in Gilead, they were actually spared execution instead, due to them being fertile, so they had something the government and society wanted, meaning they are seen almost as valuable objects in this way, as they can procreate when barely anyone in this society can anymore. "the Angels stood outside it with their backs to us... If only they would look. If only they would talk to us. Something could be exchanged, we thought, some deal made, some trade-off, we still had our bodies. That was our fantasy." - what does this quote show? ️️This shows how the handmaids still have some hope for the future, as they at least have a "fantasy". However, it also shows how they have been programmed through the Red Centre to believe that their bodies are objects, which the verb "exchange" emphasises, and they believe that their bodies can be given up in this way for a better life, as this ideology has creeped into their fantasy. It is the only way they know how to escape now, and in a way it is the only way after all. Furthermore, their bodies are one of the only things that the handmaids have control over, and "We learned to whisper almost without sound" - what does this quote show? ️️This shows how oppressed and restricted the handmaids are, as they aren't even allowed to talk to each other, especially at night. This is similar to how children would be treated. Communication is a key part of life, and is something we take for granted, but even this is something that is forbidden for them. "in this way we exchanged names, from bed to bed: Alma. Janine. Dolores. Moira. June." - what does this quote show? ️️Again, the verb "exchanged" here shows how the Handmaids' names are something that they hold onto as if they were precious objects, as they are not only another one of the few things that they have control over, but they are also forbidden in their new lives as Handmaids, and so they are seen as things that can be secretly exchanged between each other. This is therefore seen as a very intimate and personal act, which helps to draw the reader in to Offred's life and makes the reader feel more connected to her and to what she's going through. what does "palimpsest" mean? ("a palimpsest of unheard sound") ️️a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain What is dystopia? ️️A futuristic, and often ominous, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. What are the 6 main traditional conventions of dystopian literature? ️️~ the world of dystopia seems recognisable to the readers as it's a nightmarish version of their own world ~ propaganda is used to control the citizens of the society ~ independent thought and freedom are restricted ~ the leader is worshipped by the citizens of the society ~ the leaders of the state claim that their society is perfect ~ the majority of people live deprived lives and are in a constant s