Context

• When was Margaret Atwood born?

  1939
• What influenced the themes of environmentalism in Atwood's work?

  Her childhood in rural Canada
• At what age did Atwood start formal schooling?

  Twelve
• What degree did Atwood pursue at Harvard?

  Masters’ degree
• Which themes influenced The Handmaid's Tale?

  Puritanism and political overtones
• What types of writing has Atwood published?

  Poetry, prose, essays, and criticism
• What social issues does Atwood advocate for?

  Women's rights, free speech, and LGBTQ+ rights
• What does Atwood's work often explore?

  The dynamics of power and oppression
• How does Atwood depict oppression in her work?

  Through mundane, daily events
• What makes Atwood's dystopian fiction believable?

  It is based on real events
• What does The Handmaid's Tale illustrate about complacency?

  It warns against ignoring political changes
• When was The Handmaid's Tale written?

  1984
• Where was Atwood living when she wrote The Handmaid's Tale?

  West Berlin
• What was a significant global event during the 1980s?

  The Cold War tensions
• What did Atwood's upbringing during WWII teach her?

  Social and political orders can vanish overnight
• What metaphor did Atwood use to describe change?

  Change could be as fast as lightning
• What was a major influence on Atwood's writing of The Handmaid's Tale?

  Second wave feminism
• What did Rachel Carson's Silent Spring address?

  Adverse effects of pesticides on the environment
• What pesticide was banned in 1972?

  DDT
• How does environmental awareness appear in The Handmaid's Tale?

  Through references to polluted seas
• What is feminism concerned with?

  Rights of women and sexual equality
• What are the four waves of feminism?

  1. First Wave: Suffrage movement (mid 19th century to WWII)
  2. Second Wave: Women's rights in workplace and society (mid 20th century)
  3. Third Wave: Intersectionality and diverse feminist voices (1990s)
  4. Fourth Wave: Social media activism and addressing sexual harassment (2012 onwards)
• How does Offred's character reflect feminism in The Handmaid's Tale?

  She observes feminism from a distance
• What does Offred's mother represent in the novel?

  A feminist activist from the second wave
• What does Offred's relationship with Moira illustrate?

  Different expressions of feminism
• What political climate influenced The Handmaid's Tale?

  The Reagan administration's conservatism
• What organization did the Christian right wing form in response to social changes?

  The Moral Majority
• What did the Moral Majority oppose?

  Abortion, gay rights, and secularism
• What was the impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis during the 1980s?

  It fueled homophobic moral panic
• How does Atwood's work speculate on the Moral Majority's potential power?

  It imagines a society like Gilead
• What does the historical notes in The Handmaid's Tale reveal?

  Reduced fertility due to a sexually transmitted disease
• What does Atwood's writing remind us about civil stability?

  It is never guaranteed
• What are the key themes in The Handmaid's Tale?

  • Environmentalism
  • Feminism
  • Power dynamics
  • Political oppression
  • The impact of complacency