51ºÚÁÏ

This lesson delves into the character of Serena Joy in The Handmaid’s Tale, exploring how Atwood critiques conservative feminism through her portrayal. Students will examine Serena’s background, her contradictions between her past beliefs and her current role in Gilead, and her complex position within the regime’s power structure.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand Serena Joy’s background and beliefs.
• To be able to evaluate how Atwood uses her character to critique conservative feminism.
• To be able to analyse Serena’s role and power within Gilead, and compare her experiences with those of other women in the society, such as the Handmaids, Wives, and Marthas.

Lesson Activities:

• Starter Task: Students will discuss in pairs what students already know about Serena Joy, her role in Gilead, and her motivations.
• Class Discussion: Share initial thoughts before delving deeper into the lesson with targeted questions.
• Reading: Students will revisit Chapters 8 and 13, focusing on Serena Joy’s pre-Gilead speeches.
• Group Work: Students will rotate through four stations to explore key concepts, including conservative feminism, complicity in oppression, Atwood’s views on Serena, and Atwood’s critique of conservative feminism (all handouts included).
• Extension Task - Comparison Activity: Students will use the provided table to compare the privileges and restrictions of Serena Joy and Offred, considering the power dynamics between the two women and how Serena is both an oppressor and a victim under Gilead’s regime.

Extension Task: Write a paragraph comparing the extent to which Serena Joy is a victim of Gilead and how much she is responsible for its oppression, incorporating Atwood’s critique of conservative feminism.

Exit Task: Students will summarise key insights from the lesson before leaving.

This lesson is part of a comprehensive 30-lesson teaching pack on The Handmaid’s Tale. For the full unit, including all 30 lessons, visit my TES shop. The entire teaching pack will be available from 8th March 2025.

51ºÚÁÏ Notice: This resource is for personal classroom use only. Redistribution, resale, or uploading to shared platforms (including school drives and VLEs not for personal classroom use) is strictly prohibited. If you need additional licences, please purchase them separately. © 2024. Revolutionary Education. All rights reserved.