The Handmaid’s Tale: (a) The opening
refers to links on www.crossref-it.info
The Handmaid’s Tale:
(a) The opening
 Lesson focus:
 To explore how the opening chapter
sets up the novel.
 Opening exercise:
 Read
Swift’s A Modest Proposal
(http://www.gutenberg.org/ebo
oks/1080)
The story of Jacob and Rachel
from Genesis 30:1-24
(http://texts.crossrefit.info/bible/genesis/30)
 Discuss
The significance of these stories
The extracts Atwood has used
from them
What the Sufi proverb might
mean.
(The Handmaid’s Tale >
Synopses and commentary >
Interpretation and the opening
epigraphs)
 Textual examination:
 Read Chapter 1, preferably aloud.
Before any discussion, give out the
Worksheet a)i (perhaps enlarged
to A3).
Students should individually fill
in the middle column, noting
any clues to the themes of the
novel, or hints towards the style
or content of the story.
(The Handmaid’s Tale >
Synopses and commentary >
Section 1: Night - Chapter one)
 Discussion ideas:
 Share the ideas which students
have written down. The teacher can
decide how much information about
the novel to reveal.
(Themes and significant ideas in
The Handmaid’s Tale)
Discuss generally what the
students expect from the rest of
the text.
At the end of the Worksheet,
students could list questions
they have, or things the reader
has NOT been told.
© 2012 crossref-it.info
(Imagery and symbolism in
The Handmaid’s Tale > Vivid
word pictures)
 Recreative task:
 Imagine that you have joined
the women in the old school.
Write a diary entry
describing your first day.
(If you are male, you will
have to use your
imagination even more.
Or you could write as a
guard.)
(The Handmaid’s Tale:
Synopses and
commentary > Section 1:
Night - Chapter one)
(Characterisation in The
Handmaid’s Tale > The
writer’s focus)
 Critical task:
 Margaret Atwood would call
the novel ‘speculative’ rather
than ‘science’ fiction. What
do think this might mean?
Discuss the problems of
this sort of fiction, with
reference to other texts
that you know, if
possible.
(The Handmaid’s Tale >
Introduction)
(Structure and methods
of narration in The
Handmaid’s Tale > Tale
as construct)
 Extension task:
 Students should keep the
Worksheet in their files and
add comments in the third
column as they read through
the novel. They are looking
for examples of any similar
ideas or developments of
what they wrote in the
second column.
(Themes and
significant ideas in
The Handmaid’s Tale)