Discussion Questions for "The Girl who was Plugged In"

Consider the narrative voice. Who is telling the story? To whom is it told?

What is this future society like?

The story is about gender as imprisonment. Do you agree?

Might Judith Butler’s ideas about the performative dimension of gender be useful here?

Think about the story in relation to fairy tales, particularly Cinderella.

Discussion Questions for "The Start of the End of it All"

Outline the physical and psychological characteristics of the female narrator.

List all the things the aliens are doing to undermine human society. What do they have in common? What are they trying to do?

How does the story play with the stereotypical view of the ‘alien invader’?

Focus on the way the aliens speak. Are there any similarities between how the woman speaks and how the aliens speak?

Discussion Questions for "Out of All Them Bright Stars"

There is a reference to Humphrey Bogart’s hat in Casablanca on p.647 and another indirect reference to the film in the story’s title. What is the connection between the film and the story?

Every human character is prejudiced in some way. Why are they like this, and do you think Sally overcomes her own prejudice?

Think about the pronouns Sally uses to refer to the alien

Why does Sally get angry at the end of the story?