Parallels and contrasts between 20th century feminism and the oppression of women at GileadIntroductionGood morning, class. The question I will explore today is, “How does Atwood draw parallels and contrasts between 20th century feminism and the oppression of women in Gilead?” I will first take a look at some background information on Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, then I will look at the different types of freedom presented in 20th century feminism and in Gilead, and I will also explore the two different types of 20th century feminism: radical feminism and the contemporary one. I will also examine the idea of ​​hierarchy among the women of Gilead, and then come to a conclusion to answer the question posed at the beginning. I believe that the women of Gilead are completely controlled by men, whereas, as in the 20th century, women had more control. Background Information First, I'll cover the background information on the Handmaid's story. - The novel is set in the future. - The United States has been overthrown and replaced by the Republic of Gilead - Gilead, a patriarchal society, returns to traditional values, where men dominate women, men make all the decisions, and women are inferior to men. - Gilead is a dystopian society, a world that has embraced all negative elements.- It is also a theocratic society where the church controls the government. You can see this since Gilead is a place mentioned in the Bible.- There are different classes of women; some are higher class than others, for example the commander's wife has the highest status among all women. - In this book, Offred, the main character, serves as the narrator of the story, she is one of the handmaids, who are like breeding machines. Handmaids are necessary as the fertility rate is low. Schedule: A schedule is like a blackboard that can be written and erased over and over again. This means there are multiple layers of story. Atwood compares the gym to the palimpsest, which symbolizes the change in society from the USA (a pre-Gilead society) to the republic of Gilead, suggesting that the USA has been erased and replaced. - The environment he is in now, has been superimposed on a previous society, and this traces the old past history under the new present society. - So you can see the significance of a palimpsest that creates the differences between the 20th century and Gilead, as it symbolizes change.