AP English and English 8 Final Paper Project Topics
Mrs. LaRubio
Final Paper on Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale
DUE Wednesday, June 7th
Choose one of the below questions. The questions are not all-inclusive; rather they should serve as a
‘jumping point’ for your essay. You should incorporate other ideas or concepts discussed in class or
have considered on your own.
Your paper/project will be presented in a program called Wakelet. ALL of your assignments
will be submitted this way. It is your responsibility to share your work with me and keep in
touch with me regarding your progress and your grade. The email address you are using is
clarubio@schools.nyc.gov
Your Wakelet paper project must include the following:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Two of your best revised Read 20 assignments (to be uploaded as Microsoft Word
documents after you receive your grade).
Three of your best ClassNotebook assignments (to be uploaded as Microsoft Word
documents); these should be relevant to the topic you are writing about and examples of
YOUR BEST WORK.
An Annotated Bibliography—this is done by uploading ALL OF YOUR SOURCES
CONSULTED and writing briefly about them; you will follow the guides posted on
Cornell University and the OWL at Purdue (see the links posted in Class Notebook
under the Content Library). We will discuss this more in class.
The paper itself: the paper will be on one of the following below topics and will be
dependent on the options you choose.
a. 8 page paper option
i. Your paper topic as well as all of the below:
ii. 5 sources (The Handmaid’s Tale, 1 Read 20, 3 outside sources) with MLA intext citations
iii. Works Cited** page on separate page (MLA format)
iv. MLA heading on the first page of paper; title your paper
v. Double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins
vi. Formal academic English, grammatically correct (spelling, punctuation,
capitalization, verb tenses, etc.)
b. 5 page paper option
i. Your paper topic as well as all of the below:
ii. 5 sources (The Handmaid’s Tale, 1 Read 20, 3 outside sources) with MLA intext citations
iii. Works Cited** page on separate page (MLA format)
iv. MLA heading on the first page of paper; title your paper
v. Double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins
vi. Formal academic English, grammatically correct (spelling, punctuation,
capitalization, verb tenses, etc.)
vii. SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS IN ADDITION TO
YOUR FIVE PAGE PAPER:
1. Write an alternate ending for the book (3 page minimum, doublespaced)
2. Graphic Novel of any important section of the text: 16 panel
graphic novel (you can include a splash page for 4 of the panels;
your work must be in color)
3. Video of your interpretation of one the sections of text with
accompanying screenplay (minimum of 2 pages); video can be
acted out, claymation, or a cartoon
4. Another creative option that we come up with together
Please note, any student who attempts to ONLY hand in a creative option
without an academic paper will receive a failing grade for this marking period
with NO EXCEPTIONS.
The Handmaid’s Tale PAPER TOPICS:
1: Women’s bodies and their reproductive functions are the subject of scrutiny in The Handmaid’s
Tale. The term body politics refers to the practices and policies through which powers of society
regulate the human body, as well as the struggle over the degree of individual and social
control of the body. How is The Handmaid’s Tale a lens for examining body politics in an
extreme totalitarian society? Some things to consider:
 Examine how women’s biological function has come to define them in this society
 Aunt Lydia states, “There is more than one kind of freedom…Freedom to and
freedom from. In the days of Anarchy it was freedom to. Now you are being given
freedom from. Don’t underrate it,” (Atwood 24). What is the difference between
these freedoms and why is this relevant to body politics?
 Does the state have a right to regulate anyone’s body with regard to sexual
reproduction? Where does autonomy end and fascism begin?
 This should be dealt with in regards to the text as well as current events in our own
society. You could also consider historical information.
2: Think about the role that reading, education, and language play in The Handmaid’s Tale. Discuss
why a government would manipulate and restrict access to language. Some questions to consider:
 What neologisms have been introduced and what purpose do they serve?
 Who is allowed to read and who is not?
 Who has the privilege of reading and writing; is it directly connected with positions
of power? (You should think about the time Offred spent in the Red Center, when
the Commander reads to the household, the Aunts, Offred’s experiences in the
Commander’s office, etc.)
 Where are words substituted for pictures?
 This should be dealt with in regard to the text as well as current events in our own
society. You could also consider historical information.
3: Women are categorized according to how they fit or do not fit into society’s strict definition of
“Woman.” Define women according to the Republic of Gilead. Some questions you may consider
include:
 How are they categorized?
 Which women do we meet who appear to fall into these strict categories of women?
Who does not?
 Are any of the women in the novel truly satisfied with their superficial roles as
women? Who are the most dissatisfied? Why?
 What parallels can you draw between Gilead’s definition of women and our society’s
definitions of women?
 What observations and conclusions can you draw about this?
 How does this connect to the shift from third wave to fourth wave feminism and the
Me Too movement?
4: Moira is one of the most important women in the novel for several reasons. Explore how Moira is
a foil for Offred and how she is symbolic of the greater resistance against the Republic of Gilead,
particularly anyone who is an outsider. Some questions to consider:
 How does Moira resist the Republic of Gilead? The society before the revolution?
 In Chapter 22 she is described as a “loose woman.” Explain what is meant by this
statement (be explicit!).
 Explore the connection between Moira and Offred’s mother. How are they both
outsiders in Gilead AND in the society pre-revolution?
 Why was Moira the women in the Red Center’s fantasy? Trace her role throughout
the novel and determine her symbolism and what she adds to the overall meaning of
the work.
 What parallels can you draw between Gilead’s social hierarchy and what it means to
be outside of this hierarchy?
 How does society view marginalized people and why does that effectively mean that
they too are subjugated by the patriarchy, regardless of their sex? Be explicit in your
discussion and use examples from the text and current events. This needs citation.
5: The Commander is a character that many people have a strong reaction to. Explore how he is
symbolic of the stereotypical patriarchal male of Western society. Why is his behavior problematic
and why would Atwood choose to include a person such as this in the work? Some questions to
consider:
 How is the Commander’s behavior stereotypical?
 In what ways does he contradict the values preached by the Republic of Gilead?
Why is this so disturbing?
 What parallels can you draw between the Commander’s role in Gilead and leaders in
our society? What observations and conclusions can you draw about this?
 What is the motivation for men in his position to make laws such as the ones created
in the novel? What connections can you make to real-life events?
 Consider specific events currently happening in our society now such as abortion
laws, gun laws, laws affecting LGBTQ+ (such as the drag restrictions in Tennessee),
laws affecting migrants, book bans, and other restrictions. YOU MUST DEAL
WITH AT LEAST ONE and connect it to the text.
6: You may also construct your own paper topic. If you choose to do this, you must submit a
typed paper proposal no later than 5/22. Please meet with me to further discuss the specifics of
this option.
DUE DATE:
The paper is due on Wednesday, June 7th. Late papers go down a grade for each day they are
late.
Your Paper/Project’s Secondary Sources
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You must use secondary sources; I’ve given you a plethora of sources that are appropriate
on the Wakelet for our class. I strongly suggest using these sources. ALL sources must be
included in your Wakelet.
You MUST use one Read 20. Only one Read 20 counts towards your Works Cited List.
If you choose to include another Read 20, add it to your Works Cited list. However, you are
still responsible for using 3 outside sources. The other sources must be picked either from
the list I gave you, or a source that you found.
o A word on sources:
 You must use an academic search engine to locate your sources NOT Google.
Google is NOT APPROPRIATE for academic research. If you need additional
help, please reach out to either myself or Ms. Ascione, our librarian.
 You must evaluate your sources; a safe bet is using OUR school library
resources—the GALE catalog, or using JSTOR which is available through the
Brooklyn Public Library.
 Look for a website that has an academic affiliation—attached to a course or a
university (anything with .edu is safe); other good sources are those that are the
online versions of all print media (NYTimes.com, for example), and anything
ending with .gov, .org, and .edu. If it does not fall into one of these categories,
check with me.
 Unless I have vetted it, do not use popular culture magazines; because The
Handmaid’s Tale was recently on television, there will be plenty of sources out
there from various magazines and other online media. Not everything is
reputable.
o Just because it is online does NOT MEAN YOU CAN USE IT.
o What kind of article is it?
o Who published it?
o What is the goal of the article?
o Can the information be fact-checked?
o Is it peer-reviewed?
o If you cannot answer these questions, you CANNOT use the article.
Check with me if you are not sure. I cannot stress this enough.
 I will NOT accept a Wikipedia source. Don’t waste your time.
 Also keep in mind, you should TRY to push yourself to do outside research. The
goal of this project is to get you used to doing a college-level research paper and
being able to apply your writing skills that you have worked very hard to develop
this year to more social-science/general humanities topics instead of pure

literature. We are still examining literature, but we have moved into the realm of
big picture issues
Remember, you should not merely quote the author/writer—demonstrate how
meaningful her/his statements are to the work you are discussing AND TO
YOUR THESIS.
WORKS CITED:
 If you fail to hand in a works cited list with the above requirements, your paper will go
down in points (e.g. If you hand in an "4" paper, but fail to give me three sources, and
instead only give two, you will receive an "3.5".
 If you hand in an "4" paper but only hand in one source, you will receive a "2.5" etc.)
 Anything listed on your works cited page should be cited in your paper. If you put an entry
on your works cited list and then it does not appear in your paper, this will also cause your
grade to be lowered.
IF YOU PLAGERIZE YOUR PAPER:
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You will automatically receive a failing grade for this assignment and for this marking
period.
This includes taking source material and not citing it (e.g. pulling large chunks from a
source like LitCharts, an online paper you found—essaygenie or something like that—or
anything else, OR if someone else writes your paper for you. There is no exception to this.
If you use AI to write your paper—and I have already seen/discovered people doing this
(there is no way for someone to write barely passable work while in class and then suddenly
write wonderful work as soon as they are writing an essay—even Grammarly.com cannot
fix this)—you will automatically receive a failing grade for this assignment and for the
marking period.
Do your own work. I am happy to help you (in person, via chat, or email), but I do not
respect academic theft.
Finally, please come up with your own ideas and discuss them with me! I am available to discuss
your paper during 5th, 6th, and 8th period in the Library. On Fridays, I am also available period 9.