Anthem assignment

Anthem – Question Generating Assignment

You will be composing discussion questions as you read Anthem.  Discussion questions will be submitted on Monday.  From the questions submitted, I will select a variety for our class discussion.  When your question is referenced, you will be expected to lead and or moderate the discussion in a meaningful way. 

Assignment parameters:

Read and annotate Anthem

Each student must create 5 open-ended questions for use in our class discussion.  Questions must be typed and ready for submission on Monday, 12/1/14.

Questions will be assessed based on intellectual merit.  Questions should lead to thoughtful discussion and debate.

Topics to consider:

Names in Anthem:       

How does Rand name her characters?

What do the characters’ name each other?

In the end, why do the new names bear significance within the larger ideas of the novel?

Ask yourself what it means to name a person.

Why are you named the way you are?

Is the act of naming powerful?

What might persons, who change their names, consider as they ponder new ones?

What kinds of names are prevalent in contemporary American society?

Egoism and Selflessness:

How does Rand discuss these two concepts within her novel?

Why one concept is preferable over the other one, or why neither concept is preferred.

Free will and determinism:  

How does Rand depict the concepts of free will and determinism in her novel?

Will your adult life further the perpetuation of one or the other ideal?

Religion & mythology:

Politics:

The Declaration of Independence

The timeline given to you in class

The particular time period in which Anthem was written         

Specific Literary techniques & their impact:

          Allegory

            Tone

            Motif

            Characterization, etc.