51ºÚÁÏ

Lesson 16: The Salvaging & Ofglen’s Fate (Chapters 36-38) - The Handmaid’s Tale

This lesson is part of a comprehensive 30-lesson unit, with the full unit available this Saturday. Lesson 16 focuses on the critical themes of violence, fear, and control in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian world of Gilead, examining the public punishment of The Salvaging and Ofglen’s fate.

Essential Question: How does Atwood use violence and fear to maintain control in Gilead?

Lesson Overview:

• Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the role of public punishment in totalitarian regimes.
  • Explore how violence reinforces fear and obedience in Gilead.
  • Analyze the impact of The Salvaging and Ofglen’s fate on Offred’s perspective.

• Starter Task: Begin with class discussions to explore previous punishments in The Handmaid’s Tale, the purpose of public executions, and the role fear plays in shaping behavior in Gilead.

• Real-World Context: Connect Atwood’s depiction of Gilead to historical and modern instances of public executions, including:

  • Nazi Germany’s use of public executions for control.
  • The Soviet Union’s show trials and purges under Stalin.
  • Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
  • Recent reports of extrajudicial killings and public executions in Gaza in 2024.

• Key Themes:

  • The Salvaging: Explore Ofglen’s decisions and their impact on Offred, as well as the broader implications of rebellion and resistance in Gilead.
  • Class Discussion: Students will reflect on the role of public punishment in maintaining fear and control, as well as examine whether there is any hope for change in Gilead.

Assessment Activities:

• Annotation Task: Annotate key quotes from The Salvaging and consider how these reflect the oppressive atmosphere in Gilead.
• Workbook Questions: Engage with reflective questions about Ofglen’s fate, its impact on Offred, and the broader implications for resistance in Gilead.

This lesson encourages deep analysis of violence as a tool of control, both in Gilead and the real world, and provides a foundation for understanding how fear and public punishment suppress rebellion in totalitarian regimes.

This lesson includes a full presentation and a handout looking at key quotes from the Salvaging and critical thinking questions to gain a deep understanding of this section of the text.

Keywords: The Handmaid’s Tale, totalitarian regimes, violence and fear, public executions, rebellion, Gilead, Ofglen, resistance, Atwood, historical context, real-world connections, totalitarian control.

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