The Handmaid's Tale Controversy

A presentation discussing the factors that led to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale being one of the ALA's most challenged books.

Transcript

1. THE HANDMAID’S TALE CONTROVERSY A presentation by Tory Bayly
2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
3. SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel written by Margaret Atwood. The United States has been taken over and replaced by the Republic of Gilead, a religious society that takes “traditional values” to a whole new level. Men are often in positions of power while the women are subservient to them, especially handmaids—women whose one job is to bear children for high ranking men and their Wives. They are completely stripped of their bodily autonomy. They aren’t allowed to read or write, go out alone, or form companionships of any kind. The novel is told from the point of view of Offred, a handmaid in the early days of Gilead, who hopes to find the husband and daughter she has been separated from. She does not shy away from revealing the bleakness of her situation, describing handmaids as “two- legged wombs, that’s all” (Atwood 136). She often goes back and forth between the present and flashbacks of the time before, showing the audience how quickly their freedoms can be taken from them. Towards the beginning of the novel, Offred wants to get out of her situation and be reunited with her family, but after developing a relationship with Nick she seems to get more and more complacent with her situation, jumping at the chance to finally indulge in the simple pleasure of being close to someone. The novel ends suddenly, leaving Offred’s fate up in the air. Her story shows the world the dangers of trying to control women’s bodies. It is a little underwhelming when there is no resolution to a story, but it makes the message hit harder.
4. Go here to see the image more clearly: Gilead Times Before Gilead was formed, birth rates were declining due to the legalization of abortion, easy access to contraceptives, and nuclear waste from powerplants. Atwood writes, “Of course some women believed there would be no future, they thought the world would explode… They said there was no sense in breeding… such wickedness. They were lazy women… They were sluts” (113). With the chance of carrying a baby to term extremely low, it becomes very exciting news when a handmaiden succeeds. Unfortunately, handmaidens do not get to raise the child they sacrificed their body for: “She’ll be allowed to nurse the baby for a few months… After that she’ll be transferred, to see if she can do it again, with someone else who needs a turn” (Atwood 126).
5. CHECK OUT OFFRED’S TWITTER: HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/BEFOREOFFRED I made a twitter account detailing Offred’s life before the formation of Gilead. Even though the tweets sound a little silly, I included emojis and slang to demonstrate how much freedom she had before. Also, I know her real name is never revealed in the novel but in the television series it is June, so I decided to use that to separate Offred the handmaid from her past self. Pretend the tweets are months/years apart.
6. ENJOYED THE BOOK? CHECK OUT THE TELEVISION SHOW, STREAMING ON HULU Despite the novel being challenged countless times, The Handmaid’s Tale is enjoying success as a very popular television show on the streaming service Hulu. It has reached a large audience and I find this to be a major victory. Atwood’s message will be heard.
7. CHALLENGING THE HANDMAID’S TALE
8. FACTORS THAT LED TO CHALLENGES In this podcast I discuss the factors that lead to challenges of The Handmaid’s Tale and why its message makes people uncomfortable.
9. CENSORSHIP—THE BIG PICTURE
10. THE EFFECTS OF CENSORSHIP • On readers: Readers are the most impacted by censorship. Their rights are being reduced every time they experience censorship. Not being allowed to gather knowledge and educate themselves on the issues of the world weakens them. For example, if a child is never allowed to read sexually explicit books, they may grow up ignorant of safe sex practices. Censorship makes it harder for people to form their own opinions, making them more susceptible to the beliefs of an individual or group. I believe it makes them more closed minded. It is like being blind to the entire world around them.
11. THE EFFECTS OF CENSORSHIP • On writers: Writers are having their voices muted. Their first amendment rights are being violated. Censorship affects the audience they are able to reach and may have a negative impact on the future of their literary career. • On publishers: Publishers have the final say on what readers are exposed to. They have to consider the public’s reaction to what gets published. If they alienate certain readers, they might lose business. Censorship mostly affects their public image and their financial status.
12. THE EFFECTS OF CENSORSHIP • On teachers: Restricting the material taught in classrooms keeps teachers from fulfilling their responsibilities as an educator. They are failing their students because they are not able to help shape them into well-rounded, thoughtful adults. • On librarians: Libraries are places where people can educate themselves on a wide variety of subject—culture, sex, politics, etc. Mature and sensitive topics should always be available because they give readers a better understanding of the world. Librarians are educators in a way. They help educate the public by providing them with all sorts of reading material. Censorship hinders them from doing this, similar to how teachers are affected.
13. WHERE IS CENSORSHIP TAKING PLACE? WHO IS BEHIND IT? Both images courtesy of the American Library Association
14. ORGANIZATIONS FOR BANNING • American Family Association: A Christian organization promoting a “culture based on biblical truth”. They attempt to expose works they deem immoral. • Parents Against Bad Books in Schools: They identify books that may be considered “bad” and provide information on what parents can do to make sure their child is not reading something they think is inappropriate.
15. ORGANIZATIONS AGAINST BANNING • Freedom to Read Foundation: A non-profit organization whose purpose is to defend the First Amendment, protecting the rights of libraries to collect information and of readers to access it • National Coalition Against Censorship: Formed in response to the Supreme Court case Miller v. California, they educate the community and work to fight censorship without the need for litigation • Project Censored: Founded in 1976, they believe than an informed public is absolutely necessary for democracy. They educate the public on the importance of freedom of the press and work to expose news censorship
16. WORKS CITED Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. O. W. Toad, Ltd., 1986. Svensson, Patrik. “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Internet Speculative Fiction Database, Al von Ruff., 25 Apr. 2017, www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?2223801. Miller, Bruce, creator. The Handmaid’s Tale. Daniel Wilson Productions and MGM Television, 2006. Hulu, www.hulu.com/search?q=The+Handmaid%27s+Tale. American Library Association. "Free Downloads”. American Library Association, Document ID: 77f7362e-06b8-4b20-8262-b870e3fb52ea, 3 Jan. 2013, www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/freedownloads.
17. WORKS CITED White, Catriona. “Dystopian fantasy? The Handmaid’s Tale is based entirely on real history.” BBC, 2 June 2017, www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/c7bbe6fc-f452-4015-acdb- 719ff8e5d389. Ziv, Stav. “Challenges and Bans of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Aren’t Really Just About Sex or Profanity.” Newsweek, Newsweek LLC, 28 Apr. 2017, www.newsweek.com/challenges- and-bans-handmaids-tale-arent-really-just-about-sex-or-profanity-591907. Hulu. “The Handmaid’s Tale Trailer (Official) • The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu”. Youtube, 23 Mar. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJTonrzXTJs.
18. WORKS CITED “More About Project Censored.” Project Censored, Media Freedom Foundation, projectcensored.org/more-about-project-censored/. “About Us.” National Coalition Against Censorship, ncac.org/about-us. “About FTRF.” Freedom To Read Foundation, www.ftrf.org/page/About?. “Our Mission.” American Family Association, 14 Feb. 2017, www.afa.net/who-we-are/our- mission/. “A Bad Book In Your Child’s School?” Parents Against Bad Books In Schools, www.pabbis.com/badbook.html.