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Key Passages (generally proper length for oral commentaries)

Passage Description

Location of Passage

# of Lines

Offred’s Mom and “storytelling”

In Chapter 7:  page 38 from “Or in a park somewhere…” to the break on p. 39 AND THEN from “I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling” to the end of the chapter [Leave out the section on lost time and Offred’s daughter.].

57

The Doctor Passage

In Chapter 11: page 60 from “When I’m arranged I reach my hand out…” to the end of the chapter.

65

The sitting room, pre-Ceremony

In Chapter 14:  page 80 from “The room smells of lemon oil…” to page 82 (top) “I read that somewhere, once.”

56

The Ceremony

In Chapter 16:  first line of the chapter “The Ceremony goes as usual.” AND THEN page 93 (bottom) from “My arms are raised…” to the end of the chapter.

76

Offred and the Commander playing Scrabble

In Chapter 23: page 138 from “‘I’d like you to play a game of Scrabble with me…’” to the end of the chapter.

65

Offred remembering the night before she and Luke tried to escape from the new society

In Chapter 30: page 192 from “The night before we left the house…” to the end of the chapter

61

Offred and the Commander discussing Gilead

In Chapter 32: page 210 (very top) to page 211 “It always means worse for some.”

57

Moira at Jezebel’s

In Chapter 38: page 238 from “When that was over they showed me a movie.” to the end of the chapter.

71

The ending

In Chapter 46: page 293 from “It’s all right. It’s Mayday.” to the end of the chapter.

50

 

SHORT Key Passages

(generally a good pick for, say, a written commentary that you might have only an hour to compose one day in class…..hmmmmm….)

Passage Description

Location of Passage

# of Lines

Opening chapter—In the gymnasium

All of Chapter 1

44

Finding “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

In Chapter 9: page 52 from “I saved the cupboard until the third day” to the end of the chapter.

46

Remembering Luke

In Chapter 18: page 103 (very beginning) to page 104 “…blowing in as dust across the floor.”

32

Moira’s escape from the Red Center and reconstruction

In Chapters 22-3: page 133 from “The story passed among us that night…” to page 134 “Although for them it may have lasted all the forever they had.”

32

Biblical allusions galore… one night in Offred’s head

In Chapter 30: page 194 from “I pray where I am…” to the end of the chapter.

44

 Jezebel's

In Chapter 37: page 234 from "I stand still and stare at them." to 236 "It shouldn't be that hard."

46