Week of January 31-February 4

Brave New World
1. Leisure-time activites were of great importance in the World State. Are Americans filling leisure time intelligently or are we allowing ourselves to be shaped by the media and Big Business?
2. Compare Brave New World with other dystopian novels you have read (1984, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm). Note the differences in the ways the characters of each novel are kept in complete submission.

Week of January 24-28

Brave New World
1. If you had to choose between happiness or truth, which would you choose? Discuss.
2. How accurate is Huxley's vision of the future (remember Brave New World was first published in 1932)? Think about America as you know it today.
3. What about the novel do you find the most disturbing so far? Discuss.

Week of January 17-21

The Tempest
1. The Tempest is often called a fantasy--a work that takes place in an unreal world and features incredible characters. How prevalent is fantasy in popular entertainment today--in movies, television, and books? Do you prefer fantasy to other kinds of entertainment? Discuss.
2. Like all of Shakespeare's works, The Tempest can be set in different times and places and still not lose its appeal. Imagine that you are a movie director, and that you are creating a new version of The Tempest. How would you do it? Who would you cast as Prospero? Miranda? Caliban? Discuss.