Fundamentally, Atwood is warning us about the decrease in fertility due to pollution, food and basically the way that we live our lives. Other observations and warnings sprout from this and from our society. Essentially, the first technique used to engage the reader and make them consider the warnings is the genre; science fiction. As this ultimately is an enlarged reflection of today and it has a function of suggesting how our world could turn out to be. There are such a range of techniques used by Atwood to encourage the reader to consider warnings that focusing in on one main device may successfully portray the depth in which Handmaids Tale can be analysed. Therefore the focus of this essay is language.

Firstly, the novel is written in present tense which immediately makes the science fiction touch base with the reader, it is real and can be seen as happening 'right now.' This is also portrayed through the description of senses and actions, which bring Offred back to the moment 'the motor turns.' Also, there are quite a lot of gaps within each chapter - visually representing the space in which Offred lives and is not telling the story- a sile

Alongside this, is the format, as we find out for certain in the Historical Notes that the diary was in fact saved as a compilation of tapes. This has immense influence on the style of the novel, as it is so colloquial. 'I walk around to the back door, open it, go in...' this style encourages the reader to engage more with Offred. The reader can oddly feel at ease in this completely unsettling society. Perhaps this has the effect of startling the reader even more as at times the reader just receives 'matter of fact' descriptions of situations ' her legs apart, I lie between them, my head on her stomach...' This is startling due to the familiarity in Offred's tone. As the society has been up and running for quite a while Offred is not 'obliged to consider' the oppression in which she is experiencing or how wrong the society is - in which case, we are.

Furthermore, Atwood seems to warn us that indeed power and control can go unnoticed until it is too late - like the historical notes, the reader is unaware that this novel has been tampered with and that the chapters were a creation from Proffessors and not Offred, until the end. But it is the humour in this section that obliges us to have the ability to mock these people in power, in the university of 'Denay nunavit' (deny none of it). At the same time it provoke the reader to consider similar powerful models in their society who are patronising a

Some common words found in the essay are:
Historical Notes, Proffessors Offred, Handmaids Tale, Fundamentally Atwood, Rachel Jacob, Furthermore Atwood, , reader consider, science fiction, consider warnings, handmaids tale, reader consider warnings, historical notes, atwood warning, encourage reader,
Approximate Word count = 952
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)