Words matter. Words frame thought. Words are symbolic. Readers of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale examine how the words In Gilead's "New Language" reinforce the power of the government and provided insight into the symbolic level of the novel as well.

Concepts

dystopian literature, science fiction, discrimination, symbolism

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Ask class members to create a vocabulary page in their reading journals for names and other words they find unusual
• Have group research other novels where books and words are deemed dangerous (Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Brave New World, etc.)

Classroom Considerations

• One of three PBS resources for The Handmaid's Tale
• A free PBS account is required to access materials
• Designed to be used after readers have finished the novel
• A fourth season of The Handmaid's Tale web series was approved in July 2019
• Atwood's sequel to The Handmaid's Tale,  The Testaments was published in 2019 

Pros

• Includes a detailed, carefully scaffolded plan
• Provides a mind map graphic organizer

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.11-12.1 RL.11-12.2 RL.11-12.3 RL.11-12.5 RL.11-12.6