A Transcript From The Twelfth Symposium On Gileadean Studies

†¢ A transcript from â€Å"The Twelfth Symposium on Gileadean studies† †¢ The discussion takes place in 2195 in Nunavit †¢ Professor Piexoto is the main speaker †¢ After he is introduced, Piexoto begins his discussion with a joke o Insensitive and unsympathetic as they as discussing the sufferings that Offred endured †¢ Piexoto explains that the story of The Handmaid’s Tale was discovered from an assortment of cassettes that were found in a house in Maine. †¢ After trying to determine the authenticity of the tapes, he and the other Professors determined that the tapes were real and were recorded about 150 years ago (closer (but still later) to our present day). †¢ There was only one voice speaking into the recording. †¢ The tapes were disorganized and not labeled nor numbered. o The chronology of the tapes and eventually of the writing of The Handmaid’s Tale was guessed and may not be exactly accurate. o This reflects the back-and-forthness that Offred takes the reader as she lives half the time in the present and the other time in the past as she remembers her memories. †¢ Piexoto warns readers not to judge or criticize the Giledean society for its harshness and suggests they try to understand the motives of the society. o â€Å"Our job is not to censure, but to understand.† (302). o There was a great deal of suffering as the condition of the environment began to worsen and the birthrate continued to decline. o The customs and way of life in Giledean were not made up by their leaders, but