https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3 Review your reading of Atwood's intro to the book; one review of the Testaments; and the Atlantic article on Elie Wiesel and bearing Witness. For one of these texts, explain what interested you, surprised you, or upset you; add a quote as part of your response, and be clear about which text you're responding to. Please respond to one other person's idea, and link ideas when possible. en-us 2021-04-01 16:32:34 UTC 2025-11-19 14:00:58 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388909606 I was surprised by the outrightness of the author's father's response, “When people I
barely know ask me to tell them what happened to me during the Holocaust, it feels like they are saying ‘Nice to meet you. I heard you were gang raped, tell me about it.’” Given the daughter in question was a teenager at the time, it seems very unfiltered to me. 
-Sky]]> 2021-04-06 19:57:45 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388909606 https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388917449 One thing that surprised me was that Margaret Atwood did not originally think highly of being a political or social activist. But then she had a conversation with writer and activist Carolyn Forche that changed her outlook on the role of a writer in activism. An Atlantic article by Sophie Gilbert states, "The conversation came during a pivotal moment in Atwood’s writing life. Four years earlier, in an essay titled 'On Being a Woman Writer,' Atwood had bristled at the idea that making art came with a burden of political responsibility. Active involvement in certain movements 'may be good for the movement,' she wrote dryly, 'but it has yet to be demonstrated that it’s good for the writer.'" The Handmaid's Tale is a major step away from the ideologies Atwood previously maintained and I was surprised that the novel was really more of a turning point, not a continuation, in Atwood's thinking.]]> 2021-04-06 20:00:02 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388917449 https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388918947 "All children are miracles, but
my sister and I and other children of survivors were not supposed to have ever existed." This quote grabbed my interest since I noticed that there is a sense of obligation. The author feels almost guilty that she is alive when so many others weren't fortunate. This allows the author to immerse herself further in the history of the Holocaust and her own family's history. I believe that this is beneficial we can listen to others stories. ]]> 2021-04-06 20:00:29 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388918947 2342151 https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388924748 "All of these choices came from a legacy of genocide and a struggle to understand the severed roots of my family tree—an understanding I pursue even more now that I am myself a parent of questioning children." This quote was interesting to me because it made me think about how in order to move forward with our lives, we need to understand our past. Our past has made us and put us where we are today, and without acknowledging it, it would be a failure on our part. We have a duty to be good human beings, and Friedberg's quote gets at how we can do that: reflect on our past to create a better future.]]> 2021-04-06 20:02:11 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388924748 https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388925873 One quote that surprised me was, "I recognize now that staying silent for so long did not
signal a lack of strength in my father. He courageously embraced life after the Holocaust with great humor and optimism, bringing children into a world that had betrayed and abandoned him. My father needed to leave his past behind in order to take that leap of faith." I found this quote surprising, because throughout the reading I had wished he did not stay quiet for so long. When I heard this perspective however, I realized that that may have been best for him. ]]> 2021-04-06 20:02:33 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388925873 2342653 https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388950983 One thing that surprised me was that Margaret Atwood did not originally think highly of being a political or social activist. But then she had a conversation with writer and activist Carolyn Forche that changed her outlook on the role of a writer in activism. An Atlantic article by Sophie Gilbert states, "The conversation came during a pivotal moment in Atwood’s writing life. Four years earlier, in an essay titled 'On Being a Woman Writer,' Atwood had bristled at the idea that making art came with a burden of political responsibility. Active involvement in certain movements 'may be good for the movement,' she wrote dryly, 'but it has yet to be demonstrated that it’s good for the writer.'" The Handmaid's Tale is a major step away from the ideologies Atwood previously maintained and I was surprised that the novel was really more of a turning point, not a continuation, in Atwood's thinking.]]> 2021-04-06 20:10:48 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/aq7mna722y65r5l3/wish/1388950983