The Handmaid's Tale Flashcards
(201 cards)
1
Q
what is an important piece of context from the start of the book?
A
The introduction
2
Q
Where in the book is Mary Webster mentioned?
A
The epigraphs
3
Q
What is an important piece of context from the end of the book?
A
The historical notes
4
Q
What is the piece of context with Winston?
A
1984
5
Q
what is the piece of context when in Romania they controlled abortion and conception?
A
Decree 770
6
Q
George Orwell’s book
A
nimal farm
7
Q
what were the labour camps called in the soviet union?
A
Soviet gulags
7
Q
What are the mass wedding ceremonies called?
A
moonies
7
Q
Where is the dictatorship we talk about?
A
North Korea
7
Q
Where did the holocaust take place?
A
Nazi Germany
7
Q
What was the policy in China to decrease population called?
A
the one child policy
8
Q
Who was the nazi mistress who committed suicide?
A
Ruth Kalder
9
Q
What was the theory by Laura Mulvey called?
A
The male gaze theory
10
Q
What was the theory bu Judith Butler called?
A
Performative masculinity theory
11
Q
A branch of Christianity mentioned in the novel
A
Puritans
12
Q
What was the movement when women were given a curfew, and who helped to fight for women’s sexual violence to be abolished?
A
Take back the night
13
Q
What was the radical feminist group that protested against women being objectified called?
A
Women against pornography
14
Q
Who was the president of the US whose policies are called Reagenism?
A
Ronald Reagan
15
Q
wat does the time of Gilead go back to?
A
Traditional values
16
Q
Who is the current president of the US?
A
Donald Trump
17
Q
Who was the notorious serial killer?
A
Jack the ripper
18
Q
What types of stereotypes do we see all the way through the novel?
A
Gender stereotypes
19
Q
How many waves of feminism were there?
A
four
20
Q
what is the theory of phelan?
A
Bonding unreliability
21
Who did the study of the psychology of evil?
Philip Zimbardo
22
what is the theory that links to nonconformist behaviours that seek to augment justice?
Heroic deviance
23
who wrote the novel 'great expectations'?
Charles Dickens
24
what is the type of televised worship called?
televangelism
25
who are the people that Serena Joy's character is based off?
Phyllis Schlafly and Tammy Faye Bakker
26
What book does Gilead subvert and change to enforce it's rules?
The Bible
27
What is the theory called when emotions are redirected to another source?
Displacement theory
28
What are some dystopian films that link to the Handmaid's Tale?
Maze runner
Hunger games
29
Which famous figures said to have had affairs can be linked to the book?
Donald Trump
Matt Hancock
Jay z
Hugh Heffner
30
which prestigious university contains the paintings mentioned in the book?
Harvard
31
what is the theory by Karl Marx?
Marxism
32
What are the three things of the dark triad?
Narcissism
Machiavellianism
Psychopathy
33
what are the three aspects that a woman is said to be?
Mother, maiden or crone
34
What was the experiment where people were put into a jail and given roles and attacked and killed each other?
Stanford prison experiment
35
What was the experiment involving electrical impulses?
Milgram shock experiment
36
What are the books by Shakespeare referred to?
Rome and Juliet
macbeth
37
What is the book written by Gilbert and Gubar?
The mad woman in the attic
38
what are the conventions of dystopia?
Oppression
loss of individual freedom
Control
Surveillance
rebellion
indoctrination
environmental decay
manipulation
39
what are the conventions of Canadian literature (CanLit)?
identity
multiculturalism
history and memory
feminism
language
40
who are the two presidents who were assasinated?
Abraham Lincoln
John F. Kennedy
41
what is the abbreviation for young upwardly mobile professional?
yuppie
42
what is the theory of biological evolution?
Darwinism
43
What is the play underground female road based on?
underground railroad
44
what is the theory about the cat being dead and alive at the same time?
Schrödinger's cat
45
what were the women who cleaned up after WW2 in Germany called?
Trummer frauen
46
what was the name of the genocide against Jewish people?
Holocaust
47
what is the theory called for the societal norms and expectations based on gender called?
Hegemonic femininity/ masculinity
48
what is the phenomenon called when abuse victims develop positive feelings towards their abusers?
Stockholm syndrome
49
who wrote the bell jar?
Sylvia Plath
50
the theory for how bad experiences shape the mind?
Trauma theory
51
What was the sex house that High Heffner ran called?
Playboy mansion
52
What is the house called where you are constantly watched?
Big Brother
53
what is Aunt Lydia's main role in Gilead?
Indoctrination of Handmaids
54
is Aunt Lydia a true believer in Gilead?
Yes- she is an enforcer of the rules
55
Where does the reader first meet Aunt Lydia?
The Red Centre
56
what is Aunt Lydia a symbol of?
Oppressive control
57
What does Aunt Lydia serve as for Gilead?
Guiding force and survival mechanism
58
What question does Atwood create using Aunt Lydia?
Who is really to blame for her actions?
59
What is Aunt Lydia used to highlight?
the dilemmas facing the many factions of the feminist movement
60
what are the key characteristics of Aunt Lydia?
Merciless
Matriarchal
Misogynistic
61
Aunt Lydia's key moments
Testifying
Moira's first escape attempt
the unwoman film
Offred imagining Moira's escape attempt
Salvaging
Particicution
62
What is Aunt Lydia's relationship with Offred?
serves as an internal voice to help Offred stay alive
Symbolises the oppressive control that Gilead has over women.
63
who is Aunt Lydia a character foil to?
Moira
64
what role does Offred have in the narrative?
Protagonist and the narrator
65
what does Atwood use Offred to symbolise?
the oppressive nature of patriarchy and the resistance to the oppression
66
why are Offred's memories significant?
to juxtapose the freedom of the past with the oppression of the present
67
what do memories provide to Offred?
An escape from the present and a way to rebel
68
How is Offred tied to her identity as a Handmaid?
The patronymic name "Offred" and the "red" in her name ties her to the colour she has to wear to symbolise her identity
69
what does the colour red symbolise?
Parturition, fertility and life but can also symbolise violence
70
What does the colour blue symbolise?
purity and serenity and the virgin Mary
71
when was the Handmaid's tale published?
1985
72
which far-right religious organisations were on the rise when Atwood wrote The Handmaid's Tale?
moral majority, focus on the family, the Christian coalition
73
what type of tale is the handmaid's tale?
cautionary
74
What are Offred's key characteristics?
dynamic, intelligent, resilient
75
What are Offred's key moments?
The Red centre
The new posting
Meeting serena Joy
Shopping
The wall
The ceremony
"Nolite te bastardes Carborundrum"
Scrabble
Ofglen revealing Mayday
losing her job
Prayvaganza
Jezebels
Meeting Nick
Salvaging and particicution
Confrontation
Van
76
Who is Serena Joy?
The wife of the Commander
77
What did Serena Joy used to do before Gilead?
She was a televangelist
78
What does Serena Joy emphasise
women's ability to oppress other women which is crucial to the success of Gilead
79
what is her garden a symbol of?
Fertility
80
what type of character is Serena Joy
static but complicated
81
What are some key characteristics of serena Joy?
lack of empathy
hypocritical
unlikeable
82
What are Serena Joy's key moments?
Offred meets Serena Joy
The ceremony
Arranging for Offred and Nick's affair
Showing Offred the picture of her daughter
Discovering the lingerie and confrontation
83
what type of character is Moira?
unconventional
84
What does Moira serve as to Offred?
moral compass and sense of hope
85
what does Moira challenge?
LGBTQ and gender stereotypes
86
What are Moira's key characteristics?
Rebel
source of hope
activist
87
what are Moira's key moments?
arrival at the Red Centre
First escape attempt
Imagining Moira's escape attempt
Offred losing her job
With Janine in the Red centre
Jezebel's
88
Who is the Commander?
a high-ranking official in Gilead
89
What does the Commander symbolise?
power and hypocrisy
90
what does the Commander use his power to do?
break the rules
91
what influenced the Commander's character
Reagen-era politics, religion, opposition of the ERA
92
what are the Commander's key characteristics?
patriarchy
deceptively unassuming
hypocritical
93
What are the Commander's key moments?
Offred noticing the Commander outside her room
the ceremony
first meeting with Offred
Playing scrabble
identity being revealed
the meaning of "nolite te bastardes Carborundrum"
jezebels
94
What is the Commander's relationship with Offred?
complicated
she feels sorry for him as she sees him as a victim of Gilead.
95
What is the Commander's relationship with Serena Joy?
he has power over her, and she resents it.
96
What is the commander's relationship with Nick?
the Commander has power over Nick.
97
what are citizens defined by in Gilead?
social class (gender, age, race, sexuality, status and power)
98
who are sent to the colonies?
people of colour, old people, gay people and people who dont adhere to social ideals
99
what does Marxism say about the determination of class?
class is determined by ownership of property and labour.
there are 2 main social classes: the bourgeoises (higher) and the proletariat (lower)
100
who are the most powerful people in Gilead?
the Commanders
101
why are the wives of the Commanders not as powerful as the Commanders?
because they are women
102
what are angels?
high ranking men who serve Gilead's front lines
103
what are the eyes?
Gilead's secret police
104
what are the guardians?
Gilead's guards and police
105
who are the Aunts?
they are a group of older women who are responsible for indoctrinating handmaids and enforcing Gilead's rules
106
who are the marthas?
they work as servants for the high-ranking people like Commanders
107
who are the Handmaids?
women who are capable of having a child
108
Who are the econowives?
they are a group of lower ranking women married to people such as guardians.
109
who are the Jezebels?
women who were forced to become sex workers
110
Who are the unwoman, gender traitors and children of ham?
the lowest social class and the people sent to the colonies
111
what does the theme of gender highlight?
the inequalities faced by women because of their gender.
112
when was the first wave of feminism?
1848- 1920
113
when was the second wave of feminism?
1960- 1980
114
what were the outcomes of the first wave of feminism?
women gained the right to vote
more women were in higher education.
115
what were the outcomes of the second wave of feminism?
expanded reproductive rights
increased access to education
the equal pay act
more feminist organisations founded
Roe v. Wade legalised
116
when was the third wave of feminism?
1990- 2010
117
what were the outcomes of the third wave of feminism?
the feminism movement include women of all races, classes and cultures
the internet was utilised as a place of activism
expanded discussions about violence against women
continued fight for reproductive rights
118
when was the fourth wave of feminism?
2021- present
119
what were the outcomes of the fourth wave of feminism?
#MeToo campaign
Time's up movement
Women's march
social media being used for activism
120
what is liberal feminism?
achieving rights through legal reform
121
what is radical feminism?
a radical change to society where white male supremacy is fully eradicated.
122
what does the Commander symbolise?
masculine ideals. he is white, male, able-bodied and Christian.
123
how does the Commander maintain his power?
through sexism
124
how does Luke contrast with the Commander?
Luke shows that even modern men can be oppressive towards women
125
how do the Handmaids symbolise reproduction?
they wear red and are only useful for their wombs
126
what was being protested against at the time The Handmaid's Tale was written?
LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, abortion rights, pornography, civil rights.
127
what did feminists believe pornography was?
exploitative, dehumanising, and a promotion of violence against women
128
what year did the supreme court legalise the right to abortion?
1973
129
how does the Commander use Offred as a way of rebelling?
he uses his power and influence over her to benefit himself.
130
why does the Commander break the rules?
to make people understand how powerful he is but also for his own benefit
131
what does Moira reject in Gilead?
the heteronormative expectations.
132
why does Moira rebel?
for her own survival
133
what is Moira's rebellion a sense of for Offred?
hope
134
Why does Ofglen rebel against Gilead?
a way to survive and be free of oppression
135
what does Ofglen provide Offred with?
a way to resist the regime but also a sense of hope and Security.
136
how does Offred react to there being an underground resistance group?
she is relieved that other people can do the direct action, and she doesn't need to
137
why doesn't Offred go to the marches or try to immediately help her situation?
Luke convinces her not to go to the arches by using patriarchal ideas and she doesn't actively fight against the injustice through fear of being reported and violence.
138
what does Offred choose to protect over anything else?
her own survival
139
In which chapters do we see Offred's past?
Night (1,7,18,24,30,40,46)
140
In which chapter does Offred go to the doctors?
11
141
In which chater is the ceremony?
16
142
In which chapter is the prayvaganza?
33
143
In which chapter is the jezebels?
37
144
In which chapter is the salvaging?
42
145
In which chapter is the particicution?
43
146
In which chapter do we find out about Ofglen's suicide?
44
147
In which chapter does Serena Joy confront Offred about jezebels?
45
148
In which chapter does Offred get taken away by the ambiguous van?
46
149
why does Offred question the futility of rebellion?
to justify her own passivity
150
why does Offred rebel against Gilead?
to make her life more tolerable
151
what does Offred do to rebel?
she goes to Jezebels, steals butter, reads with the Commander, has an affair with Nick and lives through her memories.
152
what organisation did Jerry Falwell set up?
the moral majority
153
what did the moral majority oppose?
abortion, gay rights, pornography and the ERA.
154
when did the moral majority disband?
1989
155
what is the significance of the name Offred in the bible?
Offred is similar to offered implying that Offred is a sacrifice.
156
what is the significance of the name Moira in the bibe?
comes from the Hebrew name Miryam which means rebellious and is also associated with the Virgin Mary.
157
what is the significance of the name Luke in the bible?
Luke is the author of the third gospel which tells the story of origins, birth, death and ascension of Jesus
158
what does the Commander's position of power allow him to do?
break the rules of Gilead
159
why are the Handmaids prevented from forming alliances or friendships?
to remain oppressed and so they can't unite and rebel.
160
what are mirrors and glass an important symbol of in literature?
truth and spiritual and physical reflection.
when Offred and Ofglen see each other in the window it symbolises their similarities and their role as each other's equals.
161
how to Ofglen and Offred choose to resist Gilead's oppression?
by choosing companionship and power with each other.
162
what does "power to" encourage?
people to recognise their own power
163
what does "power with" focus on?
collaboration
164
how does Moira take power back for herself?
by escaping the Red Centre
165
what does Moira's idea of sexuality contrast with?
the Commander/Gilead's idea of sexuality.
166
How does Offred maintains a sense of identity and power?
through her memories
167
why is language important in The Handmaid's Tale?
used to control information and oppress people but also use d as a tool for resistance
168
why is the loos of identity so important to allow for oppression?
it becomes easier to dehumanise someone
169
who introduced the concept of social identity theory?
Henri Tajfel
170
what is the social identity theory?
the parts of our identity which are shaped by pur relationships with others.
171
what happens to the identities pf the handmaids during indoctrination?
the aspects of a person's identity are stripped away so they can only identify as their role
172
what does Offred symbolise?
fertility, sacrifice and patriarchy
173
how does Gilead use past relationships to dehumanise handmaids?
it means they are forced to adhere to their societal roles
174
How does the replacement of Ofglen show that Handmaids are defined by their societal role?
the quick replacement shows that Handmaids are only defined by their role and not their identities and the new Ofglen was found quickly
175
how does Gilead diminish self-expression and identity?
they all wear the same clothes
176
what is Atwood a vocal advocate for?
Women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, free speech, climate change activism
177
which wave of feminism was Atwood's work heavily based on?
second-wave feminism
178
when were the first cases of AIDS reported in the US?
1980
179
in what year are the historical notes?
2195
180
who wrote the historical notes
Professor Peixoto
181
how many chapters are in The Handmaid's Tale?
46
182
which chapters are night chapters?
1,7,18,24,30,40,46
183
which chapters are shopping chapters?
2,3,4,5,6
184
which chapters are waiting room?
8,9,10,11,12
185
which chapter is a nap chapter?
13
186
which chapters are household chapters?
14,15,16,17
187
which chapters are birth day?
19,20,21,22,23
188
which chapters are soul scrolls?
25,26,27,28,29
189
which chapters are Jezebel's?
31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39
190
which chapters are salvaging?
41,42,43,44,45
191
what type of narrative is The Handmaid's Tale?
homodiegetic narrative
192
what type of fiction is The Handmaid's Tale?
speculative fiction
193
what are the common themes of speculative fiction?
dystopia, science fiction, technological advancement, social experimentation.
194
what is the significance of using the bible?
it allows the reader to create comparisons between the book and real life examples of the manipulation of religion to justify oppression
195
what is the significance of using real life events to base The Handmaid's Tale off?
it allows the reader to draw comparisons but also leans into the cautionary tale as these events have happened and can happen again.
196
What are some examples of speculative fiction?
the hunger games, stranger things, The Great Gatsby, 1984.
197
Why has Atwood based Gilead off the Iranian revolution of 1979?
to show how places and regimes like Gilead can happen in real life.
