Characters
Who is the protagonist of the novel?
Tierney
Who is the following quote about?
"Heaven is a boy in a treehouse, with cold hands and a warm heart"
Ryker
Who benefits the most from a patriarchal society?
Men
Who had Gertie been in love with? (or had expressed love to?)
Kiersten
What year was The Grace Year published?
2019
In what ways was Tierney raised more like a son? What skills was she given that other girls did not have?
Tierney was able to chop wood, start a fire, successfully plant in the garden, fend for herself...
Finish the quote: "We are the only ______ ________." (Kiersten)
We are the only Gods here
In The Grace Year, which character epitomises the patriarchal society they live in?
Mr Welk - he oppresses women, doesn't tell them the truth about the magic, keeps the Grace Year going to suit himself, uses women to his own advantages, does not allow women to have a voice.
Who does Tierney have the closest relationships with?
Men - her father, Ryker, Michael, Hans (although this relationship takes a dramatic change)
The book is structured into four main parts. What are these parts named after?
Seasons - spring, summer, autumn, winter
Which character from Mean Girls can we compare Kiersten too? Name the character and provide two reasons why they are similar.
Kiersten is most similar to Regina. They are similar as they hold a lot of social power within their group. People look up to both Kiersten and Regina, and people are scared of them. Through fear they control their peers to do what they want.
Who is the following quote about?
"I took her as plain, a scared rabbit among a den of wolves, but she's so much more than that"
Gertie
Fill in the blanks: Patriarchy is a s__________ system where m____ hold primary p_________ and dominance, particularly in roles of l_____________, authority, and decision-making.
Patriarchy is a social system where men hold primary power and dominance, particularly in roles of leadership, authority, and decision-making.
In what ways did we see female rivalry in the novel? Name one.
Separating the beds (veiled v not veiled), burning down what was built at the encampment at the end of each Grace Year, Kiersten banishing Tierney, encouraging girls out the gate into the poachers, punishing each other even when men not around...
The author of The Grace Year uses intertextuality. Name two other texts that we can see similarities of The Grace Year in.
The Handmaids Tale, Lord of the Flies, Mean Girls
Why did Ryker not kill Tierney and what does this tell us about his character?
Ryker did not kill Tierney as he was repaying a debt to her father. This shows he had a moral code and wanted to do what was right.
Michael said the following to Tierney "I always believed, in you… in change, you just didn’t believe in me." What did he mean by this? Or what does this tell us about Michael?
It indicates that Michael knew the way Garner County was run was not ok. He knew that Tierney did not agree with the social norms and would have liked to have worked with her to change things for the future. Michael was going to take his father's place and therefore would have some more power to make these changes. You get the sense he is sad that Tierney wasn't so aware of the possibilities and that she thought he was just like his father (and the other men of Garner County).
How does the feminist movement help to combat disadvantages women face because of patriarchal norms?
Feminism is the idea of promoting gender equality. This does not mean that women become superior to men, but that genders are equal. Feminism works to challenge societal norms that perpetuate (continue promoting) systems that work in favour of only men.
Briefly describe how the relationship between Tierney and Ryker changed throughout the novel.
At first Tierney thought Ryker was innately evil as he is a poacher. She judges him before she knows him. She believed rumours about the poachers without question.
Then they begin to let their walls down and in doing so realise they have misjudged each other.
By the end Ryker has helped to open Tierney's eyes to reality and she has learnt that there are different motives for the poachers. She learns that Ryker is also a victim of Garner County.
What is a dystopian society? Provide one way that Garner County is a dystopia.
A dystopian society is a place where things may appear to be perfect or working well on the surface but when you look beyond that things are very different. The people living in a dystopia are often highly controlled and manipulated. In Garner County, women are controlled largely by men and they keep tabs on each other. They are limited in what they are allowed to do and are conditioned to believe that a lack of knowledge is good.
What do Gertie and Tierney's mother have in common?
They both conform to survive. Tierney's mother looks to do all the right things a woman should - she appears quiet, obedient etc but in fact she is hiding the fact that she is the usurper.
Gertie hides her true self. If she was open about her sexuality she would be challenging the societal expectations and therefore would be punished.
If they both didn't hide certain things then they would not survive long in Garner County.
The epigraph contains the following quote from Margaret Atwood: "A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze."
Explain how this quote relates to The Grace Year.
The rats we can see as the Grace Year girls, or the women more generally. The maze could be Garner County or the encampment. The quote suggests that the girls are given a sense of freedom however if they are to step out of line in any way they would be punished. This means they are not really free as the conditions placed upon women in this society are constricting and highly controlled.
In what ways does patriarchy still impact our lives today? Identify two ways.
Gender pay gap, proportion of men v women in leadership roles, access to education is normally limited first to girls, representation in politics, gender roles - how men and women are expected to act
If you were to compare Tierney and Michael's relationship to a relationship we saw in Little Women, who would you compare it to? Explain your reason for this comparison.
We can see a similarity with Jo and Laurie's relationship. They were also childhood friends who had a strong bond. Laurie wanted to marry Jo but she was not interested, putting her ambitions first. We know that Tierney is not interested in a romantic relationship with Michael and is unhappy when he presents her with a veil, in the same way Jo was unhappy when Laurie suggested marriage.
Define the word 'depravity'.
"I mean, its not everyday a girl accused of depravity gets a veil"
This word is normally used to refer to someone morally corrupt or wicked.