Tag Archives: Handmaid's Tale

Atwood’s Novels in the News

By Robin Bates | Published: December 13, 2017

Atwood’s unsettling predictions registered two hits this past week: a GOP Congressman pressuring assistants to be surrogate mothers and recent reports of pigs engineered to carry human organs.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged gene splicing, genetic engineering, Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, organ transplants, Oryx and Crake, pigoons, Trent Franks, Year of the Flood | Comments closed

Handmaid’s Emmy, A Sign of Its Urgency

By Robin Bates | Published: September 19, 2017

The Emmys signaled that “Handmaid’s Tale” is as relevant as ever as America’s misogyny deepens. So is Euripides’s “The Bacchae.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Bacchae, Donald Trump, Euripides, Feminism, Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, misogyny | Comments closed

Handmaid’s Tale, More Relevant Than Ever

By Robin Bates | Published: April 26, 2017

With Hulu set to release “Handmaid’s Tale” tomorrow, I gather together all my past posts on Atwood’s dystopian classic. The novel isn’t only important for liberals but has lessons for rightwing women as well.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Christian Right, Feminism, Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Sexism | Comments closed

Schlafly, Model for Atwood’s Serena Joy

By Robin Bates | Published: September 6, 2016

Recently deceased Phyllis Schlafly served as the model for Serena Joy in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel “Handmaid’s Tale.” Because Serena Joy gets the society she says she wants, however, her life turns bitter. Schlafly was lucky to live in a society that allowed women to have their own careers.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged anti-feminism, Feminism, gender repression, Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Phyllis Schlafly, Sexism | Comments closed

Misusing Metaphor in the Abortion Debates

By Robin Bates | Published: October 6, 2015

Both sides are misusing metaphor in the abortion debates. If we want a deeper vision of reality, we must turn to literature.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "lost baby poem", Abortion, abortion debates, Cider House Rules, figurative language, Handmaid's Tale, John Irving, Lucille Clifton, Margaret Atwood, Metaphor, politics | Comments closed

Teaching Gender Sensitivity at West Point

By Robin Bates | Published: February 18, 2015

Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale” is required reading for entering West Point cadets. Good things could happen.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Feminism, Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, Phyllis Schlafly, sexual assault, Ursula Le Guin, West Point | Comments closed

Is Atwood’s Dystopia Coming True?

By Robin Bates | Published: July 25, 2013

Atwood’s dystopian “Handmaid’s Tale” argues forcefully that women must maintain control over their own bodies.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Abortion, Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood | Comments closed

Is Atwood’s Dystopia Coming True?

By Robin Bates | Published: April 22, 2013

With the rise in state legislatures passing anti-abortion legislation, Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale” seems more relevant than ever.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Abortion, Christian Right, Feminism, Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, women's reproductive freedom | Comments closed

Threatened by Female Empowerment

By Robin Bates | Published: October 15, 2012

Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale” addresses issues raised by the Taliban shooting of a Pakistani school girl and also speaks to our abortion fights.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Abortion, Handmaid's Tale, Malala Yousafzai, Margaret Atwood, Taliban, women's issues | Comments closed