PROJECT SPACE Handmaids

Tale
The Influence of Space
Think about the concept of space in your life and in your readings (primary and
secondary).
Choose a space that you would like to research and explore. This place can be anywhere
a coffee shop, a record store, a specific street corner, a sports arena (see more ideas in
the list below).
Develop a commentary about society or community/belief systems based on your chosen
space and/or how it defines you individually or who we are collectively.
Writing Task:
Consider how the particular space you studied during observation reflects some form of
ideology or how it shapes our understanding of difference. Does the space highlight a
specific social and/or political issue? Does the space reflect socioeconomic concerns?
Are certain issues connected/related to particular spaces? How is this mirrored in the
spaces in the novel?
For the Project Space Essay, you should further explore the implications of space and the
social issues tied with it. The goal of your essay is to clearly define how certain spaces
are wrought with ideologies that affect and shape our conceptions of world and being, or
how certain issues are tied with certain spaces.
Some questions to consider:
Does the use of space fit its purpose?

Consider how space supports/challenges the customary way we see the world
around us.

How does the space of Gender affect the world around us as well as the characters
in the novel?

How has the space of family changed in the novel and in our real world?

How does the space of language affect us as well as the characters in the novel?
Consider segregation.

What do the spaces within Handmaids Tale say about that world?

Discuss how the space functions in a larger context? (Hospitals, Museums,

Universities, Government Buildings, etc.) How do these spaces change us?

How does the history of this space hold meaning for us? How does the history of
the space within the novel hold meaning for the characters?

How does this space shape us, and/or how have we shaped it? How does a
space shape the characters within the novel?

Do not simply answer these questions but rather use them to get ideas for the kind of
information you should include in your essay.

Project Space asks that you form groups of four to consider the
socioeconomics and politics of space within Handmaids Tale and also our
world. While space can be defined as urban, community, social, and
personal, it may also be institutional (e.g., the university, hospital, military).
Were interested in how space shapes our conception of world, self, and
other. We will read Handmaids Tale and look at how space may equate
to/create/ or destroy country, segregation, religion, family, and
understanding.
Project Space Requirements:
Critical reading of Handmaids Tale/supplementary readings
Weekly Moodle Posts
Ethnography/Walking Tour
Space/ Theme Assignment
Individual Essay (4-6 Pages)
Ethnography/Walking Tour- After a lecture on the rhetoric of space,
students will be asked to analyze a space and then type up a 2-3 page paper
about the rhetoric of a location of the students choice. Student must go to a
specific location and record at least 1 pages of notes about the space of a
location/ and how the said space changes peoples interactions and etc. Then
they must type up their observations in a clear and concise format. (3-4 1/2
pages and notes)
Space/Theme Assignment- In a group you must discuss the multiple uses of
space and overall themes in the novel Handmaids Tale. Id like for each
group to come up with a list of the different depictions of space within the
novel and the themes within the novel. Then, each group will share them

with the class.

From that list, each student must choose a depiction of space within the
novel to rhetorically examine. How does the shape of the space in the novel
affect the characters and their interactions? How is this theme represented
through this space? In this mini essay, you should explore how the spaces
influence and shape the characters in the novel and then prove it with some
textual examples. (2-3 pages)

Essay 1-The Influence of Space(@4-6 Pages)

In this essay, Id like you to rhetorically analyze the use of space in our
everyday world/ and in the literary world of Handmaids Tale. I would
suggest focusing on a shared theme in the novel and the space you choose
(such as government control, censorship, behavior modification, gender
roles, and etc.).
How does the rhetoric of a space change a person/character and influence
their interactions with the world around them? You might want to think
about: Courts, bathrooms, libraries, schools, amusement parks, and etc.
What does this mean? You can think of space in Handmaids Tale (and in
everyday interactions) as a rhetorical force, which shapes our interactions
with people and even changes our interactions with the space itself. If you
believe that space shapes peoples reactions, then create an argument that
specifies how space changes interactions with the world around them. Be
specific. If you dont believe that space shapes a person, then create a thesis
that supports your point in detail.
Examine one of the many Spaces in Offreds life and describe how this
space influences her. Then, examine a specific space in your life and explain
how this space influences you or people around you. You can do this by
providing textual and personal observations and then analyzing them.
When thinking about how space rhetorically shapes Handmaids Tale and
your own life, consider the space of:
Social Interactions (gender codes, us vs. them, social codes, and etc.)

 Institutions (military, education, police, and etc.)

Space of Gender (Male, Angels, Eyes, Female, Unwomen, Marthas,
Aunts, Handmaids, and etc.)
Physical Spaces (A Court, Gilead, the home, dystopia, and etc.)
Public/Private (Compare and contrast a public/private space from your
life and the text)
Space of the Dystopian World
Your essay should be about the Rhetoric of Space. In the essay, you
must discuss how space influences your everyday interactions with
people just as much as it does for characters in a novel. You must provide
valid evidence from the novel and observations from your life that
supports your conclusions.