By Diana Hsieh @ 10:00 AM
These discussion questions and podcast were prepared by Diana Hsieh for ExploreAtlasShrugged.com for people interested in creating their own Atlas Shrugged Reading Groups, as well as for anyone wishing to study the novel in more depth. They may be freely used for the study and discussion of Atlas Shrugged, provided that this paragraph remains intact in any reproduction.
Readings
Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Chapter 10 (Part B) - Part 2, Chapter 1
(Note: The listed page numbers are for the larger edition, softcover or hardback.)
Part 1: Chapter 10: Wyatt's Torch
Section Five: 309-13
What do we discover about Eugene Lawson in the course of his conversation with Dagny Taggart? What did he seek and gain from the needy people to whom he granted loans, if not wealth? (309-13)
Section Six: 313-21
How are Lee Hunsacker and Midas Mulligan different? How and why do they clash? Are the two men morally different? If so, how? (313-21)
Section Seven: 321-24
What was the basic scheme for the Twentieth Century Motor Company implemented by the Starnes heirs? Why does Dagny think that it is pure evil? (323)
What was Ivy Starnes' philosophy when she inherited the Twentieth Century Motor Company? What is it now? Why did she change as she did? (323)
Section Eight: 324-27
How is Mrs. Hastings different from everyone else that Dagny has interviewed? Why is that important? (324-7)
Section Nine: 327-36
What is so puzzling about Dr. Akston's meeting with Dagny? What conclusions can she draw from it, if any?
What is the Fair Share Law? What is its basic premise? Why was it passed? (333) How will it kill Colorado?
Why does Ellis Wyatt rebel against the Fair Share Law as he does? How has he fulfilled his earlier promise to Dagny? How does Wyatt's action affect Dagny? (333-6)
Whole Chapter
What is the significance of the title of this chapter?
Whole Part
What is the significance of the title of this part?
Part 2: Chapter 1: The Man Who Belonged on Earth
Section 1: 339-49
How has the state of the world changed since the end of Part 1? How has it declined?
Why does Dr. Stadler want to meet with Dr. Ferris? Why won't Stadler do anything about the book? How is this choice similar to and different from the choice Stadler made about Rearden Metal? (342-8)
Section 2: 349-60
What was the effect of the elimination of Wyatt Oil from the market? (349-50) Are large producers a boon to small ones?
What is the effect of the Fair Share Law on Taggart Transcontinental? Why is Taggart Transcontinental making more money than ever? What is Jim's response? (352)
Why does Dagny feel greater revulsion at Dr. Stadler than Jim or Orren Boyle? (353) Is he worse than the others? Why or why not -- and how?
What does Dr. Stadler want from Dagny? What does she give him? Is she right to do so? (354-60)
Why does Dr. Stadler want to see the motor? How and why does he almost redeem himself? (358-9)
Section 3: 360-7
Why does Rearden refuse to sell any Rearden Metal to the State Science Institute? What does he suggest they do instead? Why? (360, 365-6)
How has the Fair Share law affected Rearden's business? Why? (361-2)
What danger does Rearden feel on hearing the news of Wyatt's departure from the world? What is his response? Is that right or not? (363)
What moral insight does Rearden's conversation with the representative of the State Science Institute reveal? What does he now understand? (366-7)
Section 4: 367-78
How has Hank's view of his relationship with Dagny changed? How is that reflected in his actions toward her? (367-78) Why does Dagny think that she can help Hank win his deliverance from guilt, but that she cannot do so by words? (367)
What does Hank discover about the looter's desire for sanction? How is it important? Why should they withhold that sanction? (377-8)
Whole Chapter
What is the significance of the title of this chapter?
Friday, November 20, 2009 at 0:55:54 mst
Comment ID: #1 Name: William H Stoddard
E-mail: whswhs(at)mindspring.com
I'm a bit puzzled at the sequencing; it seems odd to have one session cover the final chapter of one part and the first of the next part. How do you pick the break points?
For those groups, I divided the novel into twenty sessions, each covering about 65 pages. That's about the right amount of material to cover, given that the groups meet once per week (with breaks for holidays). Often, that means breaking in the middle of a chapter.
Thanks for these great podcasts; I'm finally catching up and just finished session 6. About 43 minutes into this podcast, you talk about Rearden's encounter with a government representative after he refuses to sell any Rearden Metal to the State Science Institute, but you introduce the representative with: "some kind of government representative appears, he has no name, no definite position.." In the book it says "He was Dr. Potter, who held some undefined position with the State Science Institute.", but I can certainly understand you're (consciously or otherwise :-) not wanting to tarnish the good name of Potter.
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