Discussion Topics for Freakling:
- Compare and contrast the two main settings of Freakling: the city of Deliverance and the powerless colony. List similarities and differences. What does Taemon like about each? Where does he feel more comfortable?
- Taemon has to hide his powerlessness from his friends and neighbors to protect himself, which creates a moral dilemma. When is it okay to lie in order to protect yourself?
- Describe Yens’ attitude toward psi. How is it different from Taemon’s feelings about psi?
- Psi has some significant limitations: knowledge, authority, and state of mind . Do powerless people have to deal with these limitations as well? How?
- If you had psi right now, what would you be able to do? Think of the limitations involved. Would you able to open the door or flush the toilet? Could you take money from an ATM with psi? When could you use it to shove someone?
- Is it fair for some people to have more power than others? Think of at least one in which you would want some people to be more powerful than others, and one situation in which you would want everyone to have equal power.
- Name three different ways in which your society decides who has power and who doesn’t. Are these examples helpful or harmful to society? Why?