Literary Devices
What kind of poetic device is used here: "The clouds become pregnant. / They let down rain. / The earth drinks the water. / Plants grow roots. / They bear leaves and flowers."
Personification
What kind of text type is "Mrs Darwin" written in?
Journal/diary entry
What colour do the Handmaids wear in public?
Red
Which text is written primarily in free verse poetry?
The World’s Wife
“living laughing love” is an example of ___________ (poetic device) from _______________ (text)
What does the "white dove" symbolize in "Little Red Cap"?
Innocence of childhood, potentially her freedom/independence
What is the name of the secret organisation that opposes Gilead?
Mayday
Which text uses patronymic naming to show the removal of female identity?
The Handmaid’s Tale
What is the major criticism of Icarus in “Mrs Icarus” (use the Greek term)!
Hubris
Which literary technique is used when Offred frequently corrects or revises her own storytelling (e.g. “That’s not what happened”)?
Metanarration / self-reflexive narration
Which literary technique involves giving a voice to a traditionally silent or marginalised female character?
Dramatic monologue (The World’s Wife)
When the narrator says, "I implore thee God Supreme for the power to faithfully tell this tale of Gikuyu and Mumbi," what is the epic convention used here?
Invocation
An Shakespearean sonnet consists of three _________ and one __________. It therefore consists of _________ lines in total.
Three quatrains, one couplet, fourteen lines
What biblical story is used to justify the system of Handmaids in Gilead?
The story of Rachel and Bilhah from the Book of Genesis.
In which text do we see intertextual references to classical myths, fairy tales, or historical figures?
The World’s Wife
Think of two examples of internal rhyme in "Little Red Cap"
sixteen, been
babe, waif
clues, shoes
there, lair, beware
List all of the animals Medusa turns into stone (in sequence).
bee, bird, cat, pig, and dragon
What framing device reveals that Offred’s narrative is a historical reconstruction rather than a direct record?
The “Historical Notes on The Handmaid’s Tale” section.
Which shared literary element is used in both texts to challenge patriarchal authority:
(a) unreliable narration?
(b) revision of source texts?
(c) symbolism?
Give one specific example from either text.
(a) Unreliable/fragmented narration — Offred’s self-corrections
(b) Revision of source texts — Duffy rewriting myths from women’s perspectives
(c) Symbolism — red clothing (Atwood) or gold (Mrs Midas)