The Handmaid's Tale:
Discussion Questions
In what ways is Gileadean culture similar to ancient Hebrew culture?
In what ways is it similar to ancient Greece and
Rome?
How is it similar to modern Christianity? Is it more similar to
certain sects of Christianity than others?
How is it similar to modern Afghanistan?
You may need the wayback machine from http://www.archive.org/
You may refer to the following websites for help:
| The Taliban's Position on Key Issues |
http://www.taleban.com/taleb.htm |
| The Truth About the Taliban (Chronology is useful) |
http://www.afghan-web.com/politics/taliban.html |
| Lauren Kuisle's "Afghanistan Under the Taliban" | http://bvsd.k12.co.us/cent/Newspaper/oct-nov97/stories/lauren.html |
| "The Taliban's War
on Women in Afghanistan" |
http://www.depts.drew.edu/wmst/WC/Taliban.htm |
| Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan | http://www.rawa.org/women.html |
| "Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan" |
http://www.feminist.org/afghan/intro.html |
| Dr. Matthew Fielden's Bibliography on the Taliban | http://www.afghan-politics.org/Reference/Taliban/Books/taliban_books_on.htm |
| "Petition" on Afghanistan | http://ronacin.acu.edu/iawm/archive/iawm.9901/0008.html |
| Lonely Planet's Afghanistan Warning |
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/middle_east/afghanistan/ |
| Steve Macko's "Could the Taliban Bring Stability to Afghanistan?" | http://www.emergency.com/afgan-ta.htm |
What aspects of Gileadean society make you most uncomfortable, and why?
Where do sexual double standards occurs?
What is the relationship between women? Men? Women and men? How many types of women and men are there? (Remember Ruth Useem's F1, F2, F3 observations.)
Could this revolution happen in our modern American society?