FREEDOM FROM
ESSAY QUESTION
‘There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom
to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy it was freedom to.
Now you are being given freedom from.’ Examine the quality of
life for women in light of Aunt Lydia’s statement, illustrating the
methods used to ‘protect’ women.
 Copy out the question
 Highlight the key words
 What are the different dimensions to this question?
START BY COMING UP WITH YOUR INITIAL THOUGHTS
COPY AND ADD TO THE SPIDER DIAGRAM
Things which
bring quality
of life in
Gilead
Things
women used
to have
freedom to
do
Things
women are
free from in
the novel
Freedom
to /
freedom
from
Methods
used to
protect
women in
Gilead
Methods
used to
protect now
/ in the 80s
YOUR LINE OF ARGUMENT
1. Discuss to what degree you think women in Gilead have a quality
of life / are now free in Gilead
2. Summarise your line of argument in a single sentence
3. Which ideas from your spider diagram support your line of
argument? Number them in the order you think it would be sensible
to organise them. Are you going to put your more superficial points
first and your stronger ideas later? Are you going to progress
chronologically through the novel? Will you take a comparative
approach: freedom now vs freedom then?
4. Find quotations which support each of your points