The Machine Stops

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the story over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Forster capitalizes certain words and phrases throughout the story.

• Why are those words and phrases treated like proper nouns? (topic sentence)
• What do these words tell you about this society’s values?
• How do those values relate to the society you live in? (conclusion)

2. Forster’s story is meant to be a warning about the potential problems of technology.

• If you had to distill Forster’s warning into one idea, what would it be? (topic sentence)
• Illustrate why you agree or disagree with this warning with evidence from the text.
• Do you think this warning is still relevant today? (conclusion)

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider how the story resonates today with current technological advances. Do you think the world in the story could possibly come to pass? Why or why not? If you were writing a version of “The Machine Stops” for today’s audience, what warning might you offer? How might you shape a future dystopia? Use specific evidence from the story to explain.

2. How does the idea of religion come into play in “The Machine Stops”? What does the story say about religion? What do you think is the importance of a society that worships a machine? Consider evidence from the text as well as evidence from research about modernist views on religion’s role in society.

3. One of the anxieties and downsides of the industrial revolution was the effect on the environment, which was shown and explored frequently in modernist art in the early 20th century. How do nature and the environment function in the story? Using the lens of eco-criticism, what do you think Forster is saying about humanity’s relationship to earth. Do you agree? Why or why not?