Resources
Discussion Guide
Susquehanna University Learning Goals
Consider the various perspectives/disciplines from which the topic of fear can be explored. Discuss your ideas with your classmates. Are there some disciplines that did not immediately come to mind when considering this question? Are there some that came up on everyone’s list? Can fear be understood only from a single discipline or are multiple perspectives required for a deep understanding of the topic?
How does fear shape/affect human interactions, belief systems, values, and practices? In what ways does fear positively or negatively shape human experience through its impact on the above?
How can the development of intellectual skills help us look at our own personal fears differently?
What fears might prevent one from possessing a mature understanding of self? What experiences might foster a mature understanding of self?
The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, Rod Serling
Who might the monsters represent given the political context at the time this story was written? Who might the monsters represent today?
On page 12, the narrator says “Fear can throw people into a panic, but it can also make them receptive to a leader and Steve Brand at this moment was such a leader.” Can you think of examples from history or your own personal experience where fear has made people receptive to a leader?
Throughout this story we see fear building in response to unexplainable phenomena. How do the characters in this story contend with those fears? In what other ways might people attempt to settle their fears of unexplainable phenomena? Are some more productive than others?
On page 16, the narrator says, “At least there was an opponent now. Someone who wasn’t one of them. An this gave them a kind of secure feeling.” Why do you think people might feel more comfortable when they are able to identify an enemy?
What role does “difference” or “uniqueness” play in identifying potential enemies on Maple Street? What characters are pinpointed as “aliens” and what traits make them suspects?
How is technology tied to fear in this story?
The two men watching the scene from the hill (page 25), discuss the scene that has played out on Maple Street. “Understand the procedure now?” the first figure said. “Just stop a few of their machines and radios and telephones and lawn mowers. Throw them into darkness for a few hors and then watch the pattern unfold.” Do you agree with that human nature is always that predictable in the face of fear? Can you identify situations where we have seen people act in was that were unexpected when confronted with fearful situations?
The man goes on to state (page 25) that “They pick the most dangerous enemy they can find and it’s themselves.” Do you agree with this statement? Support your answer with examples from history, literature, your personal experience, etc.
From www.rodserling.com/RSWebPages/Monsters_EJTucker.htm:
Describe the role Steve Brand, Mr. Goodman, Charlie Farnsworth, Tommy and Pet Van Horn have in the teleplay.
Based on the reactions to events that happened, why theme do you think the author is trying to convey through this story?
Speculate as to how an individual might have reacted differently in the same situation. Do you think being part of a crowd makes a situation worse?
What does the narrator mean when he says the search for a scapegoat produces fallout that can harm future generations?
Can you think of some event in history that might not have happened had it not been for a "mob mentality"? How might things have been different?
Have you ever been wrongly accused of anything? How did that make you feel? If you have not, how do you think it would make you feel?
Have you ever gone against your own beliefs because it's what all your friends were doing? Why is it so hard not to become part of "a crowd"?
Radio Listeners Panic, Taking War Drama as Fact, New York Times
Link to radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/orsonwellswaroftheworlds.htm
Here we see an example of how fears arise when people lack the “whole story” about something? In other words, how does context alleviate fear?
Radio in 1938 was still a relatively new form of media. How do newer forms of media today have the potential to stir fear? To reduce fear?
How might the global events at the time of the broadcast influenced the willingness of people to believe that this was an actual news story?
What types of stereotypes can you detect in this news story?
To what extent do we believe that the things we hear are true and accurate? How does this relate to what we hear about the ongoing wars today? How do we assess whether a source is valid and reliable?
Viewers responded to this with outrage, feeling that they had been manipulated. Can you think of other times when people have believed something that was intended to entertain to be true?
The New Fear, Sasha Abramsky
Abramsky makes an argument that media, technology, and politics have all played a role in creating what some may consider a “collective fear.” He suggests that the policy choices and culture of the US are being “shaped by something approaching a collective siege mentality.” What evidence does he provide to support this thesis? Do you find the evidence convincing?
Does this sense of “collective fear” ring true to you?
What personal experiences do you have with fears that may have made the leap to irrationality?
In what ways have you, your family, or your community, made decisions based on fear?
What examples of irrational response based on fear are you aware of (in addition to those described in the essay)?
Describe the ways in which Abramsky uses the work of others to construct an argument that is his own.
Consider some ideas presented in Abramsky’s article in the framework of the “characteristics of risk” summarized by Ropeik. Do they make more sense?
“Violence and fear sell, as do stories that trigger emotional rather than cerebral responses (p. 46).” Given this, is it not just good business for media to focus on stories that will generate viewer interest? Do media outlets have a responsibility to present stories that are most important/ relevant rather than most sensational?
Do you agree that “anecdotes often trumps data when it comes to crafting public policy”? Can you identify a case when this was true?
Hollywood Science, Steven Kotler
Do you think neuromarketing is an ethical business practice?
Do you think that there are consequences, in the brain or otherwise, when fear is purposely generated in situation that do not pose any real threat? Are we desensitized because of gratuitous violence in horror movies and elsewhere?
Why we Crave Horror Movies, Stephen King
Do you agree with King that we are all more or less “insane”? How does your experience of Horror movies stack up to King’s description?
What is King’s view of society? What role does he think horror plays in our daily lives and in our attempts to fit into broader social groups?
How do we decide what is horrific? Why are some horrific narratives not viewed as such (for example, fairy tales)?
King writes of horror movies, we “go to re-establish our feelings of essential normality.” What other genres (television shows, movies, etc) might serve similar purposes?
The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe
What evidence, if any, are we given to support the narrator’s assertion of sanity?
Is there any in formation given about whether the narrator is male or female? Does your mind fill in the information?
Why is the narrator so obsessed with the eye?
In what ways might an “overaccuteness of the senses” be indistinguishable from madness?
What is it about the process of going insane itself that is so disturbing? What does it feel like to go insane?
How does social class affect whether we view someone as insane? What is the difference between eccentricity and insanity? Are we more willing to use eccentricity for people from more privileged social classes?
When I have fears that I may cease to be, John Keats
Why do you think writing this poem allows Keats to come to the conclusion that neither fame more love are important?
The Dream of Authority, Jane Tompkins
Tompkins asserts that dreams about fear of failure, of being unprepared, or of being exposed as an imposter are quite common. What do these dreams reveal about our insecurities of vulnerabilities? Why does our subconscious periodically revisit them at points in our life well past their references?
How is the relationship between teacher and student shaped by the participants’ childhood models and role expectations?
How might enacting role expectations serve to protect both from feeling or being perceived as vulnerable? At what cost does this come?
As students, does it surprise you to read that teachers often have dreams about failure in the classroom?
The Risk of (not) Communicating, Lynne Kelly
Do you consider communication to be a form of risk taking?
What are the risks of NOT communicating? Do the benefits outweigh these potential risks? Under what circumstances?
Learning to Fall, Anne Beattie
What have the narrator’s fears cost her and what makes her finally yield her fear of losing control?
Do you admire exposed vulnerability as the author does?
Has fear ever caused you to be closed to “falling”?
The Fear, Robert Frost
From http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pdf/teachersguides/PoemsByFrostTG.pdf
What is the action in this poem?
What has the woman seen?
What is she afraid of?
What indicates that the woman has been afraid for a long while?
What is Joel’s response when the man on the road identifies himself?
What happens at the end?
Why does the lantern hit the ground?
What has contributed to the woman’s fears?
Fear: Can’t live with it, can’t live without it, Scott Lilienfeld
As you read this article, consider why and how fear is useful. What are its limitations?
How might you use your fear to better understand yourself, and your interactions with the world and the people around you?
How do phobias differ from fears?
What are the categories in which phobias can be placed?
What physiological changes are associated with feelings of intense fear? Why might these be useful when we are in danger?
What is meant by the term “psychopath” and how are these individuals thought to experience fear?
If fear is adaptive, why do we still see psychopaths in the population? Why hasn’t this trait, if genetically determined, been eliminated from the population?
The Consequences of Fear, David Ropeik
What are some of the characteristics of risk outlined by Ropeik?
Can you think of a time when you might have inadvertently put yourself at greater risk because your fears did not match the fasts?
If so, can you identify one or more of the characteristics of risk that might have influenced your inaccurate risk perceptions?
In what ways can technology alleviate our fears? When does it tend to raise new fears?
Ropeik discusses the increase in news publication, but the fact that ownership of news outlets is more concentrated than ever. What are the consequences of this concentration? Is this something people should fear? If so, why?
In what ways do media outlets contribute to public misperceptions of risk?
According to Ropeik, what practical steps can be taken to reduce risk misconception?
Why the Human Brain is a Poor Judge of Risk, Bruce Schneier
What are the two systems involved in assessing risk?
The Construction of Fear, Barry Glassner
What public scares are currently being created and perpetuated by the news media? Is the attention given to the scare in line with the evidence that the scare is warranted?
In elevating the scares seen in the news today, what other social concerns are being diminished or swept under the rug?
In what ways are these scares relevant to your surrounding community and your personal life?
How are personal narratives (stories) used as a diversionary tactic?
What does Glassner mean when he writes, “many fears are constructed to protect against other fears, and indeed, against fear itself”? Explain this in your own words, using examples.
How does this explanation of the usefulness of fear compare to that put forth in other readings? Are they mutually exclusive?
Compare the constructionist hypothesis to the social strain hypothesis. How are they similar? Different?
How are narratives placed within “frames” when presented by journalists or politicians?
Why is this type of misdirection (constructing fears to protect against other fears) problematic?
Fear, Inc., Daniel Gardner
How do your personal fears influence your consumer purchases?
Do you think it is ethical to promote fear (more so than is warranted based on data) in order to sell products?
What makes us feel safe? Do the increasing security measures in public places increase or decrease your fears?
Security systems promotes fear of others rather than familiar fears. Which do you think pose a greater threat?
How do pharmaceutical industries sell products by marketing fears? Is this responsible?
How is rhetoric used by pharmaceutical companies to create patients?
Roots of Fear, Sharon Begley
To what extent do you think we are manipulated by ad campaigns? Do you think those who are better educated are less likely to be manipulated by appeals to fears?
How can well-developed critical thinking skills minimize potential manipulation?
First Inaugural Address, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Identify examples of positive and negative language in this address. Consider whether Roosevelt’s use of positive and negative language achieved an effective balance to motivate his many audiences.
Do politicians today use rhetoric aimed at reaching their many audiences?
Why do you think historians see this speech as signaling a new age of imagined intimacy between the American people and the White House?
Which, if any, of the issues raised in this address are still relevant today?
Fear Itself: Meditations on gay marriage, David Moats
How is narrative used by the author to alleviate fears in the debate surrounding marriage equality?
Do you think fear is what motivates political opposition to marriage equality? If so, why do you think so many fear marriage equality? If not, what other factors might motivate opposition to marriage equality?
How does the rhetoric surrounding the issue influence public opinion? For example, how do you think people would react if asked if they support “gay marriage” v. “marriage equality”?
Is the term “gay marriage” a slur in the same vein as “That’s so gay”? If so, why do you think it is so commonly used in debates about the issue?
Not Your Homeland, Edwidge Danticat
Following 9/11 xenophobic fears and racial profiling were (and many would argue still are) rampant. Can you think of other times in our history when we possessed a similar fear or suspicion of others?
What do you think it will take for the US to move beyond this attitude of fear and suspicion?
What role does power, or lack thereof, play in this essay?
Are you willing to sacrifice personal liberties in the name of national security?
The Flying Machine, Ray Bradbury
How do we see government fears manifest in this short story?
Fear of machines is a common theme in Bradbury’s work. How do we see this theme in “The Flying Machine”?
Have you ever felt threatened by the innovation of some new technology? How did you respond?
