<p>Announcements Schedule: Readings: see class page Response Papers: Number 10 due today; Topics for 11-14 posted (below) Research Paper: Discussion (11/30, 12/7, 12/14; or, 12/ 14, no revision) Questions Grades (Spreadsheet, Charts) Quiz! Questions to be determined Discussion: Part Three, “Burning Bright” Topics to be posted Conclusions Viewing: At least second half… Response Paper Topics (Due Nov.21): 11) Due Nov.21:A dystopia is, virtually by definition, a possible world, one that logically and at least semi-plausibly arises from our current world. (Or from the time period in which the work was written.) Furthermore, dystopian works generally focus on society and its impact on the individual. As such, certain works of science fiction or fantasy, while interesting, are not dysptopian. Consider the society depicted in The Handmaid's Tale: Is the development of the Republic of Gilead possible? Plausible? Why, or why not? 12) Due Nov.21: In “Their Identities Denied, Afghan Women Ask, ‘Where Is My Name?,’” Mujib Mashal writes, The denial of women’s basic identity in public is emblematic of how deep misogyny runs in this society, when even male schoolchildren often get into fights to defend their honor, which they are taught is besmirched if someone mentions their mother’s or sister’s name. Hassan Rizayee, an Afghan sociologist, said the custom was rooted in tribal ways of life: “According to tribal logic, the important thing is the ownership of a woman’s body,” Mr. Rizayee said. “The body of a woman belongs to a man, and other people should not even use her body indirectly, such as looking at her. Based on this logic, the body, face and name of the woman belong to the man.” Similarly, The Handmaid's Tale, women’s identities are subsumed by the use of names such as Offred and their bodies concealed; however, this clearly does not stem from “honor” or “tribal ways of life,” as Gilead is a near-future theocracy/theonomy in the United States. Why and how does the subjugation— or ownership—of women in the Republic of Gilead differ from that described by Mashal as extant in Afghan culture? 13) Due Nov.30: The children born to handmaids are, if healthy, adopted into and raised by the families the handmaids serve. However, this creates a thorny question, one not addressed in the novel nor in the movie: Once the first generation of fertile women drafted as handmaids has been...depleted, let’s say, where do more handmaids come from? 14) Due Dec. 7: “Historical Notes,” the last section of The Handmaid's Tale, seems to suggest that the Republic of Gilead is short-lived, at best. Furthermore, the names, cultural origins, and relative positions of the conference presenters and attendees also seem to suggest not just the overthrow or dissolution of Gilead, but a radical shift from contemporary world politics, as well. How do the “Historical Notes” function as a coda and as a suggestion of a better society, even a Utopia?</p>