Lesson One
Here is a passage from chapter five when Margaret Atwood is still introducing us to Offred, here with Ofglen, as they proceed on the prescribed daily walk/ shopping trip. It is divided into 3 segments. Divide the class into 3 groups and each take one of the segments.
- What are the contrasts here and what do they tell us about the culture of Gilead and its effects on its citizens?
- Ponder, discuss and record your thoughts about the following and then discuss your responses in a plenary session.
Group 1
A group of people is coming towards us. They’re tourists, from Japan it looks like, a trade delegation perhaps, on a tour of the historic landmarks or out for local color. They’re diminutive and neatly turned out; each has his or her camera, his or her smile. They look around, bright-eyed, cocking their heads to one side like robins, their very cheerfulness aggressive, and I can’t help staring. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen skirts that short on women. The skirts reach just below the knee and the legs come out from beneath them, nearly naked in their thin stockings, blatant, the high-heeled shoes with their straps attached to the feet like delicate instruments of torture. The women teeter on their spiked feet as if on stilts,…
