the handmaid's tale
by Margaret Atwood
Some of the materials may contain sensitive subject matter and/or language. Please preview the resources beforehand and make any alterations as needed.
- Start by showing your students the following video, a brief overview of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
- Now read the poem "An Abortion Ban" by Maya Marshall, written in the wake of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court ruling. As you are reading, ask your students to pay attention to the speaker's attitude toward the recent ban.
- Ask your students about the speaker's feelings toward the ban. What implications does the speaker imply about the decision? How does it affect women? Briefly discuss.
- Then briefly discuss how poem reflects the issues the women face in Gilead from The Handmaid's Tale. Even though the novel is not directly about birth control, it does touch on the lack of autonomy women have with their bodies, so ask your students to consider those connections.
- Have your students open the following document and go over the instructions with them. In this assignment, your students are going to link the common themes, images, or concepts of the poem together, then tie them in directly with The Handmaid's Tale. Once you've gone over the directions, give your students time to work.
- When your students have finished, ask them about the examples they've pulled from the poem. How do those examples connect to one another conceptually? And how do those examples reflect the plot of The Handmaid's Tale?
lesson 1
An Abortion Ban
by Maya Marshall
lesson 2
They are hostile nations
by Margaret Atwood
- Ask your students to examine the title of the poem they'll be examining today, "They are hostile nations." How can the title of the poem apply to the novel? Briefly discuss.
- Read "They are hostile nations" by Margaret Atwood aloud. As you are reading, ask your students to think of the parallels between Atwood's poem and her novel, The Handmaid's Tale.
- Have your students open the following document and briefly go over the instructions with them. In this part of the assignment, your students are going to simply make connections between the poem and the text. When you've gone over the directions, give your students roughly 20 minutes to work independently.
- Once your students are done, have them open the following Google Jamboard and have them post their thoughts on the appropriate page (there are three of them, one for each section of the poem). Give your students about 10 minutes to complete this task.
- Divide your class into groups of three.
- When your groups are situated, tell them to open the Google Jamboard. Each group needs to find one plot point - per section - that nobody from their group had posted. Then your students should discuss the parallels between that quote and the poem for 5-10 minutes. If students find themselves finished with their discussion early, they can simply pull another quote.
- Start with Section 1 of the poem, then move onto the other sections after the allotted time has elapsed.
- When all groups have finished, hold a brief conversation about the poem as a whole. What reality does it depict? How is it similar to the novel? How does it differ?
- Start class by asking your students about the "legacy" of The Handmaid's Tale. In what ways does it reflect our world today? Briefly discuss.
- Read "The Moon Is in Labor" by Gail Wronsky aloud to your students. As you are reading, ask your students to pay attention to the emotions of the speaker. How does the speaker feel about her role as a woman at this specific point in time?
- Have your students open the following document and go over the instructions with them. In this assignment, your students will be analyzing two pieces, "The Moon Is in Labor" and an editorial by Margaret Atwood, and - in the form of a Blackout Poem - discuss how the two pieces reflect the sentiment of one another and underscore the feelings of many women in today's society.
- Once you have gone over the instructions, give your students time to work.
- When your students are done, have a few of them share their pieces with the rest of the class. Project their poems on the board, if possible, then ask each group to discuss their creative process/thoughts behind their piece.
lesson 3
The Moon Is in Labor
by Gail Wronsky