Lightning Thief
Spoilers below -
1. What did you think of the modernization of Olympus and the gods, and the relocation to America?
2. Percy has ADHD. In what ways did you think he did or did not fit this diagnoses? What does this say about the prevalence of childhood disorders, compared to the past?
3. Compare and discuss the various parent/child relationships in the book. What does this say about the family unit today?
4. What does the modernization of the Land of the Lotus Eaters say about the temptations and distractions facing people today? vs. Odysseus? Are computer games an addiction, time passer, or distraction?
5. How and why are the concepts of environmentalism and animal cruelty so important in the book? What about our world's loss of Pan?
6. How do you feel about the book's assertion that gods either have an abundance of children, or are sworn to abstinence? Do you think this is a responsible or realistic portrayal in this modern account? (And why is Zeus so mad at Poseidon for breaking the oath when he did it first?)
(this is typically me - I can suspend disbelief that there are gods and monsters, but have problems with the following two issues:)
7. Three preteens traveling across the country unescorted? Seriously?
8. If there are so many people having children with Greek gods, how is it kept so secret?
9. In the beginning of the book, Percy tries to reconcile the fact about the Greek gods with his concept of God. Chiron tells him "God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical." (67) Later, when visiting the underworld, Percy asks Grover about people believing in a different hell, and Grover tells him "Who says he is seeing this place the way we're seeing it? Humans see what they want to see." (293) What did you think about the book's handling of merging the religions, vs. just being a mythology story?
10. What did you think about the various decisions made in the end of the book? Percy's choice not to use Medusa's head? His mother's choice to use it? The children's choices to return home instead of stay at camp?
11. *Obligatory comparison to Harry Potter*
Ok. I think that was everything. Unfortunately, I wasn't writing down my thoughts as I went along. I thought I would remember it all.
1. What did you think of the modernization of Olympus and the gods, and the relocation to America?
2. Percy has ADHD. In what ways did you think he did or did not fit this diagnoses? What does this say about the prevalence of childhood disorders, compared to the past?
3. Compare and discuss the various parent/child relationships in the book. What does this say about the family unit today?
4. What does the modernization of the Land of the Lotus Eaters say about the temptations and distractions facing people today? vs. Odysseus? Are computer games an addiction, time passer, or distraction?
5. How and why are the concepts of environmentalism and animal cruelty so important in the book? What about our world's loss of Pan?
6. How do you feel about the book's assertion that gods either have an abundance of children, or are sworn to abstinence? Do you think this is a responsible or realistic portrayal in this modern account? (And why is Zeus so mad at Poseidon for breaking the oath when he did it first?)
(this is typically me - I can suspend disbelief that there are gods and monsters, but have problems with the following two issues:)
7. Three preteens traveling across the country unescorted? Seriously?
8. If there are so many people having children with Greek gods, how is it kept so secret?
9. In the beginning of the book, Percy tries to reconcile the fact about the Greek gods with his concept of God. Chiron tells him "God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical." (67) Later, when visiting the underworld, Percy asks Grover about people believing in a different hell, and Grover tells him "Who says he is seeing this place the way we're seeing it? Humans see what they want to see." (293) What did you think about the book's handling of merging the religions, vs. just being a mythology story?
10. What did you think about the various decisions made in the end of the book? Percy's choice not to use Medusa's head? His mother's choice to use it? The children's choices to return home instead of stay at camp?
11. *Obligatory comparison to Harry Potter*
Ok. I think that was everything. Unfortunately, I wasn't writing down my thoughts as I went along. I thought I would remember it all.