Page 1: Manipulation of the Natural Order

The first page explores how both novels develop threat through the manipulation of natural order. In The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood presents a dystopian society where natural human rights and relationships are systematically destroyed through totalitarian control.

Quote: "I would not put into it anything that humankind has not already done somewhere, or for which it did not have the tools."

Highlight: The Night chapters and Offred's flashbacks serve as powerful tools to demonstrate how society can be manipulated and destroyed by human power.

Example: The manipulation of natural order is evident in Gilead's prescribed manner of speaking and the exploitation of women's bodies under religious justification ("Blessed be the fruit").

In Frankenstein, Shelley explores the manipulation of the natural through Victor's attempts to overcome death, representing the dangerous consequences of human ambition unchecked by moral constraints.

Vocabulary: Puritanism - A religious movement characterized by strict religious and moral principles, which influenced the structure of Gilead's society.

Definition: The Enlightenment - An intellectual movement (1688-1815) emphasizing reason, individualism, and skepticism toward traditional institutions and ways of thinking.