agenda | 10 june 2009

Agenda

• Attendance Quiz
• Discuss "The Veldt" and recent articles
• Discuss "Rules of the Game" in its film version

Discussion Questions for Bradbury's "The Veldt"

• There are two recent (in the past few years) articles that address Bradbury's "The Veldt" in interesting ways. First, in 2006, the Beaverton School District (in Portland, OR) decided to keep "The Veldt" on school reading lists despite parent complaints. Read that article here. Then, in 2007, Fox News reported the potential for mind reading games that sound similar to those that appear in "The Veldt." Read that article here.
• Though "The Veldt" was originally published in 1951, we can see controversy and applications today. Why do you think that is? What about the story makes it controversial?
  
• Like "The Minority Report," this story was written in the mid-twentieth century and speculates about technology in the future. How are the stories similar/different in the way they approach future technology?
  
• Consider the conflicts in "The Veldt." What kinds of conflict are included? How do the conflicts connect with one another?
  
• What do you think is the larger message being presented by this story? How does Bradbury get that message across?

Discussion Questions for "Rules of the Game"

• Background: This story is from Tan's 1989 book The Joy Luck Club, which is known for its discussion of both Chinese Americans and mother-daughter relationships. It's set in San Francisco in the 1980s and is mostly told through flashback. The book includes sixteen separate tales, all narrated by either a Chinese-born mother or her American-born daughter. ‘‘Rules of the Game,’’ narrated by one of the daughters, Waverly Jong, details Waverly’s rise and fall as an American chess champion when she is a child.
• Mark places in the story where Waverly or her mother shows 'invisible strength.' How does this demonstrate 'invisible strength'? Based on your reading, what is 'invisible strength'?
• As the title indicates, the story places importance on certain rules. In addition to the rules of chess, what other rules are at play in the story?
  
• How do conflicts of both culture and generation appear in the story? Which characters do you find more sympathetic in the story's conflicts?
  

Homework due 6/11

• Read "Intervention" and "Royal Beatings"
• Blog your response to one or more of the discussion questions