The Fountains of Silence: A Novel

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What country did Francisco Franco lead, and during what time period did he lead? What kind of a leader was he?

Teaching Suggestion: Fountains of Silence takes place in Spain, during Francisco Franco’s regime. Depending on their backgrounds, students may know a great deal or very little about Franco. After you gauge their level of prior knowledge, you might use the resources listed below or similar sources to fill in any gaps. This will ensure that all students have the necessary background knowledge to read the novel effectively.

• This 3-minute video from Daily Dose Documentary offers a brief overview of Franco’s years in power and offers students a look at historical footage from the era.
• This article from History.com clearly explains the rise, reign, and impact of Franco.

2. What are some of the human costs of living under a fascist regime? How might living in such conditions impact people intellectually, emotionally, and physically?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt is intended to help students empathize with the characters in the novel. It asks them to move beyond surface-level ideas such as “Fascism is unfair” and examine more deeply how fascist governments impact their citizens. Allowing students to discuss their answers to this prompt will expose them to a wider range of ideas; offering them the resources listed below will also enrich their perspectives on this issue.

• This article from Swansea University details what life was like for ordinary Italians during the reign of Benito Mussolini.
• This article, from the journalistic and academic forum Verfassungsblog, recaps a famous series of Tweets sent by residents of former Eastern Bloc nations regarding their experiences with fascism.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

For you, personally, what might be the most difficult part of living in a fascist state? How would you cope with the danger and limitations on your freedom? Do you think you would have the courage to resist?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt is intended to personalize the topic for students, to increase their engagement with the book. It can also function to help get students thinking about possible strategies that people living in fascist regimes might choose to adopt, creating a foundation for later discussions of the novel’s thematic concerns with Silence and Resistance. Students may struggle to answer authentically in a whole-class discussion; this question might be better answered in writing or in small-group discussion.