Comp II Discussion Questions
“Young Goodman Brown”
1. Reflect on your own personal reactions to how Goodman Brown changes in the story. Why do
you think he changed as he did? (Reader-centered analysis)
2. What does the town seem to symbolize at the beginning of the story? What does the forest
symbolize? How does Goodman Brown view the town differently after returning from the
forest? (Text-based analysis)
3. What does the story seem to be saying about the nature of the human heart, of sin, of
forgiveness, of self-righteousness? What can we learn about ourselves by reading this story?
(Combination of text-based, reader-based, and context-based analysis)
“The Cask of Amontillado”
1. Trace the basic plot of the story: chart it on paper/board (elements of fiction)
2. Who is the narrator? What is the narrative perspective? Can we trust this narrator, why or why
not? (elements of fiction)
3. What is irony? Give some examples from the story (elements of fiction)
4. Does Montressor achieve his stated goal in the story? Why or why not? (critical thinking and
interpretation)
“Exposures”
1. Describe the scientist (main character and narrator). What kind of person is he?
2. What does the story seem to suggest about the nature of the scientist?
3. What is his main scientific problem or question he is trying to solve? What is the main problem
his son is having in school? How does the private life influence his public life?
“Rappaccini’s Daughter”
1. Describe Rappaccini. What kind of person is he? What kind of scientist is he? What kind of
father is he?
2. What does the story say about the nature of scientific competition?
3. What ethical questions about scientific exploration does the story raise?
4. What does the story say about parental love, love of family, and romantic love?
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5. In what way are humans designed to be in relationships? What happens if we are not allowed
to experience healthy relationships?
“Interlocking Pieces”
1. What is the difference between the cerebrum and the cerebellum?
2. What questions about the nature of the human “self” or “person” or “soul” does the story raise?
3. What medical ethics questions are being raised by the story?
“2064, or Thereabouts”
1. What is a “cyborg”? Describe the wandering artist character and the narrator. How are their
biological bodies combined with machinery?
2. What or who is the wandering artist searching for? What does he ultimately find?
3. What are the limitations for science and machinery in trying to solve deep emotional and
spiritual questions of purpose, meaning, and security in life?
Ghost in the Shell and “Better than Human”
1. In groups, pick out one or two key points from the article and discuss how these thoughts are
represented or treated in the film.
Shakespeare Sonnets
1. In groups, pick an element of poetry and discuss it in relation to an assigned sonnet.
2. Pick one sonnet and write a summary of what you think it means.
“Ode on a Grecian Urn”
1. Describe the different scenes or stories depicted on the urn that the speaker is observing.
2. What questions is the speaker raising about the relationship between art, temporality, and
eternity?
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
1. What is a dream or a vision and how does it differ from reality?
2. What is the relationship between Mitty’s real life and his fantasy life?
3. Why does Mitty have such an active dream life or imagination?
4. What does he seem to long for in the end? How is he a tragic character?
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“The Yellow Wallpaper”
1. Where does the narrator say she is? Where is she actually? How do we know?
2. What is her psychological condition? How do we know?
3. What is the tragic importance of her psychotic state or condition? What is the irony behind the
mechanism of her supposed freedom at the end?
“Kubla Khan”
1. What is the relationship between the Preface to the poem and the poem itself? Why do you
think Coleridge wrote the preface to the poem? (Note: when Coleridge recited his poem, he
would often tell different versions of this preface, so the preface is important to understanding
the poem.)
2. Describe the vision that the poet has. How is he trying to recreate this vision through his poem?
3. The poem uses a lot of natural imagery. How does this imagery relate to the creative process of
writing a poem or creating art?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1. What is romantic love (eros), parental love (storge), and unconditional love (agape)? How does
the play explore these different forms of love?
2. What is the conflict between the Fairy King and Queen? How does their love feud affect the
love of the humans? How does the resolution of their love feud affect the love of the humans?
3. What does the realm of the court or kingdom represent? What does the realm of the fairy
world/forest represent? What happens when the boundary between these realms are
transgressed (both positively and negatively)?
4. Describe the Nick Bottom character. Why does Shakespeare write him into the play? What is his
function?