Handmaid's Tale information for data sheet (AP lit)

Handmaid’s Tale
Data sheet information
Author Basics
Author Margaret Atwood
Lives in Toronto,Canada
Wrote many works including poetry, essays, journalism pieces and novels including another popular favorite called Cat’s Eye
Atwood was born in Ottawa in 1939.
She holds graduate degrees from Radcliffe and Harvard.
Novel Basics
Published in 1983; made into a movie in 1990
Genre: a distopian, futuristic novel (opposite of a utopian or perfect society)
Setting: Republic of Gilead (Cambridge, Mass); in a dissolved United States well into the future; the religious right has taken parts of the country while areas of rebellion and outcasts are still held, such as is Detroit



Locations
Red Center: where the handmaids are trained/brainwashed
Jezebel’s: a nightclub for commanders where women don’t necessarily follow the societal rules
Colonies: places in the former US that are still “uncivilized”; women are sent here if they are infertile and cannot help society advance. Here they are called “unwomen.”

Characters
Offred: literally she is “of Fred”; she is a handmaid whose job is to produce a baby for the Commander and his wife; she had a child and a former love (Luke)
Serena Joy: Commander’s wife; infertile; former singer
Commander: the head of Offred’s household
Nick: chauffer and handyman in the household; possible helper or harmer or Offred; a low level Guardian

Characters
Moira: a friend of Offred; feminist; escapes from Red Center
Aunt Lydia: a trainer of the handmaids
Janine:another handmaid; becomes Ofwarren; has a baby and is envied for her pregnancy until baby is deformed and called an “unbaby.”
Ofglen: another handmaid; Offred’s shopping mate; member of underground Mayday organization
Characters
Cora and Rita: Marthas in the household of Offred
Luke: once had an affair with Offred; had a daughter together; divorced and married Offred; tried to take her and the child to Canada but was caught; she has never seen him again
Professor Pieixoto: gives a lecture in the year 2195 in the book’s epilogue; he has supposedly found and transcribed Offred’s journal
Thematic Ideas
Women’s bodies are not human but political
When people sit back and allow events and politicians to change society without check, society can destroy others and destroy certain members of a society.
Words, language, books speaking all are important aspects of a society and should not be regulated by government.
What started it?
Society in Gilead changed somewhat quickly as the religious right took over. Women were taken out of jobs, no longer allowed to hold property or bank accounts and stopped from reading. Signs were put up so women didn’t have to read; money now is simply a picture of the item.
Women’s roles include being married to the elite, handmaid’s whose job it is to bear children, aunts who help educate and various other household only jobs.
Symbols (Think and determine what they mean.)
Colors (red in particular) The habit of a handmaid is red to symbolize fertility but the costume is totally covering, resembling a nun’s habit but yet their whole job is sexual as red is also a color of lust and adultery.
Education/Harvard University: it is now the detention center; the yard the location of the hangings and salvagings
Eyes: the secret police; however the symbol itself suggests that government is all encompassing, watching everyone at all times (think Big Brother is watching….)

Handmaid's Tale Background Information (AP English)

Key Facts
full title · The Handmaid’s Tale
author · Margaret Atwood
type of work · Novel
genre · Anti-utopian (or “dystopian”) novel; science fiction; feminist political novel
language · English
time and place written · Early 1980s, West Berlin and Alabama
date of first publication · 1986
publisher · McClelland & Stewart in Canada, Houghton Mifflin in the United States
narrator · Offred, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead
point of view · The Handmaid’s Tale is told from Offred’s point of view. She tells the story in the immediate present tense but frequently shifts to past tense for flashbacks to life before Gilead and to her time in the Red Center. Much of her narration is concerned not with events or action, but with her emotional state, which is often affected by the memories that well up from her happier past.
tone · The novel’s tone is dark, and at times elegiac for the lost world before Gilead. Consistently unhappy, Offred finds both refuge and pain in her memories. A sense of fear and paranoia also pervades the novel, since all the characters live under a ruthless, totalitarian government.
tense · Offred describes her life in the Commander’s home in the present tense but frequently shifts to the past tense to describe flashbacks and memories.
setting (time) · The not-too-distant future
setting (place) · Cambridge, Massachusetts
protagonist · Offred
major conflict · The Republic of Gilead has subjugated women and reduced Handmaids like Offred to sexual slavery. Offred desires happiness and freedom, and finds herself struggling against the totalitarian restrictions of her society.
rising action · Offred’s evenings with the Commander; her shopping trips with Ofglen; her visit to Jezebel’s
climax · After learning that Ofglen committed suicide to avoid arrest, Offred returns home and Serena confronts her about her trip to Jezebel’s.
falling action · Offred’s arrest or escape at the end of the novel
themes · Women’s bodies as political instruments; language as a tool of power; the causes of complacency
motifs · Rape and sexual violence; religious terms used for political purposes; similarities between reactionary and feminist ideologies
symbols · Cambridge, Massachusetts; Harvard University; the Handmaids’ red habits; a palimpsest; the Eyes
foreshadowing · Offred’s kiss with Nick foreshadows their eventual affair; the attempted kidnapping of Offred’s daughter foreshadows Offred’s eventual loss of her child; Ofglen’s arrest foreshadows Offred’s own arrest.

Alchemist information for data sheet (AP lit)

The Alchemist (for data sheet)
author: Paulo Coelho
Genre: novel/fable
Author Information
Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947
Educated in a Jesuit Catholic school
Committed to a mental institution as a teen
Worked in theater and journalism
An admitted “spiritualist” and activist for free speech and individualism
Author of several other novels
Started writing seriously after an encounter with a stranger who told him to return to the church and walk a medieval pilgrim’s path


Background
Originally written in Portuguese
Published in 1988
First published in English in 1993

What is alchemy? (definitions and history just fyi)
Alchemy is the precursor of modern chemistry. It began in ancient Egypt and moved to the Greeks when they invaded the area. Arabs and ancient Chinese also followed this science and it was born in Europe as the Arabs moved into Spain in the 8th century.

Definition and Premises
Alchemy is best known for its goal of turning base metals into gold. The ancients also desired to use the science as a philsophical and spiritual one by searching for “the philosopher’s stone” or technically when an alchemist’s substance turned red or the achieving of the goal.
Carl Jung was the first to look at alchemy in a spiritual sense, suggesting that alchemy was not a search for actual gold, but that it was the transformation of the human from lead into the gold of spiritual enlightenment.
Other Ideas
Alchemy branched into other areas of study including art and spiritual enlightenment. Alchemists believed in the significance of specific elements, such as air, water, and even specifics such as sulfur. These all had symbols referencing them, which were used in art, etc Many of these beliefs were used allegorically in literature.
Characteristics of this novel
1. Use of dialogue (between characters)
2. Dreams (Santiago’s)
3. Historical and Biblical allusions (King is a Biblical character; Salem is a true Biblical city, etc.)
4. Repeated imagery and symbolism (pyramids, stones, jewels, animals, etc.)

Characters

Gypsy woman: the first to tell Santiago to go
Crystal merchant: helps boy earn money
Englishman: in search of answers to alchemy; on the caravan with Santiago
Merchant’s daughter: she’s the merchant’s daughter!
Fatima: girl at oasis; Santiago falls in love with her
Characters
Melchizedek: king of Salem; gives him the 2 stones; never stop dreaming and follow omens
Alchemist: supposedly over 200 years old; Santiago meets him in the desert; he seems to think he must help Santiago achieve his dreams;
Santiago: shepherd; protagonist; makes mistakes; learns to have dreams and follow through; perseveres and has faith;


Settings
Andalusia:southern Spain; Santiago’s original homeland
Tarifa: Northern Africa
Al-Fayoum: the oasis in the desert
Sahara: the desert Santiago must cross
Tangier, Morocco: city of the crystal merchant; north Africa
Time: late 17th-early 18 century
Symbols
Dreams: the manifestation of the character’s dreams, goals, fears, etc.
Pyramids: the object of the quest
Urim and Thummim:the stones; represent a physical object of luck and the source of answers
Gypsy woman: the catalyst that begins the journey
Ruined church: Santiago’s treasure in “material” form


Themes
Follow your dreams…
True love will last…
Faith and spirituality as significant…
An individual’s quest for meaning in life…
Discovering what is really important in life…

Author’s Terms (could use this in genre or examples, too)
Soul of the World: the world’s morality
Unspoken language: what all humans know and understand
Philosopher’s stone: search for “life”…
The language of the world: what we all get from each other just by being human
Literary Devices in style (could use for characteristics of genre)
Personification: Santiago “hears” his heart; his dreams take on a reality
Irony: didn’t become a priest because he didn’t need God with his sheep, but he “finds” spirituality in his journey
Use of fables/allusions: other stories make the same point and are connected to Santiago’s journey or religious texts
Other Devices (could use for examples of author’s style)
Foreshadowing: Santiago’s dream, etc.
Allusions: King M of Salem…his story is in Genesis as he served Abraham…
Setting: as the story progresses, the setting becomes more unfamiliar but also more detailed in some respects

Discussion As We Begin reading…
“Simple things are the most valuable…” What about this statement seems true?
“When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true.” Do you agree? Does the universe conspire against you?
In what way are “dreams” and “omens” significant in today’s world? Are these believeable ideas?

Discussion as we begin reading…
Have you ever had a non-waking dream that was so significant that it caused you to follow through or not follow through with something?
What controls a human life, fate or destiny? Why?
Are humans in control of all aspects of their lives?
“People are afraid to pursue their dreams because they feel they don’t deserve them.” Is this a a true statement?
Discussion as we begin reading…
What other stories can you think of that deal with dreams and following dreams?

Notes on J. Swift and satire (for honors)

Satire: What exactly is it?
Copy any slide that says COPY

Definition *Copy
Satire: using wit and sarcasm to make a point about an issue or event

Irony: when the opposite of what is expected happens (verbal, situational, dramatic)
What is the satire here?
Here?
Here?
Here?
Here?
So, why satire?
It’s funny, and when something is funny, people pay attention. The fine line is keeping the balance between humor and making a point and harming someone.
Tina Fey’s “30 Rock” was in its second season; then Fey created her Palin character and SNL’s ratings took off. Her own show, which has nothing to do with Palin, had an increase of over 30% in its newest season.
So, why Jonathan Swift? *COPY
When Swift lived in the 18th century, Britain controlled other countries like Ireland and the rich in Britain lived lavishly while the poor lived under the control of others in squalor.
Swift used satire to make a point of poverty, wealth, politics, culture, etc. By using humor, people paid attention, and he couldn’t be jailed because he just had to say it was “satire.”
The First Political Satirist: Jonathan Swift
Swift satire *COPY
Gulliver’s Travels: The entire novel is a satire of his society. “Lilliput” satires war, politics, and political parties. “Brobdingnag” satires what it takes to be a politician. “Modest Proposal” satirizes eating babies because the government won’t take care of the poverty issue in Ireland.

Restoration history notes (for honors)

Restoration 1660-1798
England is weak after the war with the colonies, but toward the end of the period, strengthens itself.
Science dominated by explaining with scientific observation what was happening in the natural world.
Writing during this time period became more no-nonsense, precise, exact, and very plainspoken.
Restoration
New religious ideas came into being such as Deism, which meant that God created the world and then left it to run itself.
Charles II allowed only the Anglican Church; others were persecuted and left England because of this.

Restoration
There began to be a huge rift in social classes as the poor became very poor and the rich became very rich. This led to new types of literature, the essay and the novel; both often were in the form of satire, or political and social mockery.
Journalism also was born, as well as newspapers and magazines.
Restoration
Toward the end of the time period, issues and literature changed as people became more focused on industrialization, social inequality, and poverty.
Writers: Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Samuel Pepys, William Wordsworth, Samuel T. Coleridge

Revised List of vocab. words for honors final exam 2010

REVISED LIST OF VOCABULARY FOR HONORS EXAM 2010

1. Diligent 16. Reined 31. soughing
2. Adversity 17. Reprisal 32. obsequious
3. Obstinate 18. Purge 33. lineage
4. Frugal 19. Taut 34. nether
5. Prowess 20. Vile 35. wary
6. Surmised 21. Sluggishly 36. dispatch
7. Entreat 22. Averted 37. void
8. Dauntless 23. Roused 38. repented
9. Impedes 24. Chasm 39. forlorn
10. Rapt 25. supplicant
11. Plight 26. petulant
12. Verity 27. intimation
13. Temperate 28. ominous
14. Prate 29. obscure
15. Spawned 30. Irascible


There will be ONE set of matching and approximately 15 fill in the blank sentence completions.

The Things They Carried short summaries

The Things They Carried
Brief Story Summaries
The Things They Carried
Men carried whatever they need for survival, both physical and emotional.
Jimmy: pictures of girl; Ted: extra ammo;
Most carried emotions on the inside. “It was sad…the things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do.”
Love
Jimmy tells Tim about Martha. He saw her again. They never got together. He still loves her.
Story is significant to show that soldiers needed something to hold on to. He may have loved her or he may have loved the idea of her.
Spin
Tim says, “On occasions the war was like a ping-pong ball. You could put a fancy spin on it, you could make it dance.”
Soldiers are remembered: Mitchell mails lice to USO; Norman and Henry play checkers every night; following a man to get through land mines; Ted adopting a puppy that Azar straps to a mine; worrying about medals and death
Tim, even after the fact at 43, wishes he didn’t feel so guilty and that there were also some peace stories.

“On the Rainy River”
Tim goes to Minnesota to the Rainy River that borders Canada. He nearly goes AWOL, and meets and old man named Elroy at the Tip Top Lodge who silently helps Tim work through it. Tim had received a draft notice on June 17, 1968 right after graduating from Macallister College. He did not want to go to war.
He struggles with the idea of war, and then ends with, “I would go to the war--I would kill and maybe die---because I was embarrassed not to.”
“Enemies”
Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk get into a fight because Lee stole Dave’s jackknife.
The story shows the violence between these two who are supposed to be friends.
“Friends”
Dave and Lee make a pact to kill each if one receives a “wheelchair” wound.
Lee stepped on a mortar. He freaks out when Dave comes, thinking he’ll kill him because of the pact, and now he doesn’t want to die. Dave comes over and swears not to kill him. The story ends with, “Later we heard that Strunk had died somewhere over Chu Lai, which seemed to relieve Dave Jensen of an enormous weight.”
“How to Tell a True War Story”
Rat has to write a letter to Kurt Lemon’s family regarding his death; he struggles. In between Tim explains to the reader what a war story is and is not: never moral, no virtue; it embarrasses you; if you are bothered by it or the obscenity, then you don’t care for truth…
They talk about listening while on patrol…how they hear things, like music, that can’t be there.Alone and in a foxhole can freak you out.
Rat tortures a baby water buffalo in a way to take out his frustration regarding Kurt’s death.
Cont…………>>>>>>

“War Story” cont.
Tim says those who pay attention to the animal instead of Rat’s loss or Kurt’s death, haven’t been listening. He uses some old lady as an example who tells Tim to “put it all behind me.” To her, and those who don’t get it, he says, “Because she wasn’t listening. It wasn’t a war story. It was a love story.”
“The Dentist”
Curt Lemon is terrified of the dentist. He refuses to go. Shows that even a macho soldier is afraid of every day things.
Finally, so he won’t be seen as unmanly, he has the dentist take out a perfectly good tooth.
“Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”
Rat is the narrator.He tells the story he heard while on RR.
Mark Fossie brings his cute, blonde girlfriend ,just out of high school, to his platoon in Vietnam. She gets weird and starts going on patrol with the “Greenies” (special forces)…quits wearing makeup, bathing, wears face paint, a necklace of tongues even.
The story is unbelievable; that’s the point. War changes everyone. “You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it’s never the same.” ---Rat
“Stockings”
Henry Dobbins has a girlfriend. He wears her pantyhose around his neck as a good luck charm. She dumps him in October; he’s devastated, but wears them still saying, “ The magic doesn’t go away.”
“Church”
Alpha Company digs foxholes with some Buddhist monks watching. Kiowa says that they can’t set up IN the church. “It’s bad news…You don’t mess with churches.”
Religion is discussed a bit with Kiowa who says he grew up with it.
Henry gives the two monks some peaches and tells them to leave. Henry ends with, “All you can do is be nice. Treat them decent, you know.”
“The Man I Killed”
Story begins with a matter of fact description of a dead body.
Tim, the author, imagines the dead man’s life story and makes the guy real.
Tim shot him and can’t deal with the guilt. He says he’d surely have walked by, and he didn’t have to do it.
Kiowa says he had to do it; if HE didn’t, then someone else would have. He advises Tim to “Talk.”
“Ambush”
Tim’s daughter Kathleen, at 9, asks him if he’s ever killed anyone. He says that he wants to tell her what he remembers, but he wants her to stay a little girl, too.
He describes the event of killing the man again, but this time adds in his personal reflection and more guilt.
“Style”
A Vietnamese girl is found dancing after a village has been destroyed. Her family is gone.
Azar says he doesn’t “get it” and makes fun of her. Henry tells him to stop and have respect. Henry says, “all right then,…dance right.”
The point: You’ve got to have respect for death, even if it was your enemy and even if it was necessary; death is still a loss for someone.
“Speaking of Courage”
There’s little difference between courage and fear.
Norman goes to a lake and can’t believe that the rest of the US has gone on living normal life. He questions the value of his fighting; he thinks he will disappoint his father.
He feels guilt over Kiowa’s death.
He wants Tim to tell the story.
“Notes”
The previous story didn’t sit right with Norman, so Tim writes this version. He explains that he needed to rewrite and retell the story of Kiowa’s death. (see next story)
Norman kills himself at the YMCA in 1978.

“In the Field”
The platoon is on patrol and must settle for the night. The inexperienced Lt. Cross has them break near a sewage pit. We learn that Cross didn’t want this responsibility and feels unprepared as well.
Someone takes out a light and the enemy pounds them. Kiowa is hit and goes down under the sewage pit.
Everyone, especially Cross and Mitchell Sanders, feel guilty for not saving him, for letting the sewage get in the way of going after him.
“Good Form”
Tim says he’s 43 and an author and that “almost everything else is invented.” He wants the reader to focus on the story rather than is the story true.
Guilt takes over. Stories are told from different points of view. A story can have more than one truth.
“Field Trip”
Tim takes Kathleen to Vietnam. He visits the field where Kiowa died and places his moccasins in the mud pit. He tries to put the story to rest.
A Vietnamese man raises a shovel in a gesture of greeting and peace.
Tim says, “I felt something go shut in my heart while something else swung open.”
“The Ghost Soldiers”
In this story Tim tells the reader he was shot twice. The first time is in the side and Rat takes good care of him. He’s out for over three weeks; when he returns Rat is gone and Bobby Jorgensen is the new medic. Tim is shot in the butt and Jorgensen nearly kills him by not taking care of the wound properly.
As punishment, Tim and Azar scare Bobby with gunfire, flares, sandbags, etc.
“Night Life”
The night life is night patrol. They sleep during the day, move at night. Some had to use drugs to make it. The event bothers Rat. He can’t take the dark and quiet. He confesses to the others that he’s losing it, and the next morning he has shot himself in the foot. It’s so he can leave, but not die.
“The Lives of the Dead”
Stories preserve the lives of those who died in the war.War “wasn’t guts; I was scared”, which is probably the sentiment of many soldiers.
He recalls Linda in elementary school. She had cancer, lost her hair and wore a hat.First loss he recalls and the first funeral. He says, “We keep the dead alive with stories.”
His final words are, “…when I take a high leap into the dark and come down thirty years later, I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy’s life with a story.”