Some of the myths and facts about slavery were very surprising to me. What were you're reactions to the facts and which ones stood out to you the most?

OLOD vs. Romeo and Juliet

Towards the end of Of Love and Other Demons, there are many parallels to Romeo and Juliet, in particular, dying out of love. If this is the case, the convent can be seen as a force (like Romeo and Juliet's parents), separating their love. Do you think Sierva Maria's many misfortunes like being abused by doctors and being thought to be possessed by a demon represented another aspect of Romeo and Juliet or were they just additional forces keeping Sierva in the convent therefore separating her love towards Delaura?

Cultural Relativism

We discussed cultural relativity in class today and defined it as judging a culture on its own terms, and not through your own culture. Do you think it is possible to be completely objective, not biased, when judging another culture?

Alien Invasion

If an extraterrestrial species(i.e. not human), invaded the world in the 1700's, how do you think the Native Americans, Europeans, and Chinese would have reacted?

Sierva Maria's father's help

Do you think that Sierva Maria thought that her father was trying to help her? if so, do you think she appreciated the help?

Machiavelli In America

Machiavelli said that you want to rule with love and fear, but if one is lacking rule with fear. What do you think Machiavelli would think of the way the Spanish ruled the Natives?

If China had found the Americas first

If China had found the Americas first, do you think the Native Americans would have reacted the same way when the Spanish arrived?

Mongol Rulers vs. European Rulers

In our research of the Mongols and Europe, we have met many different rulers that use and view their respective powers in different ways. My question is, how do you think the ideals and ways Mongol rulers use their power differ or resemble those shown by European rulers? Also, how do these ideals relate to Machiavelli?.

Genghis vs. Khubilai

Why do modern day Mongols worship Genghis, and not Khubilai? Khubilai seems to be the one who globalized and was tolerant of the Chinese, whereas Genghis just wanted to conquer and kill.

Holinshed's Chronicles have all the characters that Shakespeare's Macbeth has. A key difference is the nature of the main character, Macbeth. In Holinshed's work, Mackbeth is one who enforces justice and fights for good, while Shakespeare's Macbeth is a power-hungry, blood-thirsty, terminator-esque mofo. How do you think that the nature of the main character changed the plot of the story? Are there other elements that made the two stories so different?

Religion in Macbeth

Does Macbeth appear to belong to any religion or have any belief in God (esp. one of the branches of Christianity)? Or does he distance himself from a belief in God? What textual evidence supports your opinion?

Bonus question: what about Lady Macbeth?
Bonus bonus: Banquo?

Machiavelli in Macbeth?

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth see that the murder of Duncan is the next step needed to be taken for the 

throne. Macbeth says, "Each corporal agent to this terrible eat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show. False face must hide what the false heart doth know" This quote exhibits an extremely Machiavellian ideal that one must be, externally, the advocate of all that is good and truth but, internally, the greatest enemy of both. As Shakespeare shows Macbeth to have a Machiavellian human nature, what does this tell about Macbeth's nature?

Fate in Macbeth, Act One

The role of fate in Macbeth is one that changes the course of Macbeth's actions. In Scene Four of Act One, Macbeth believes he may only become king if he kills Duncan. Do you think Macbeth is fated to kill Duncan? Or, do you believe Macbeth is using fate as a scapegoat for his actions?

Machiavelli on the Dutch Revolt

In Machiavelli's The Prince, he talks about how to conquer and control a city if they used to live under their own laws before the conquer. Machiavelli writes, " And no matter what one does or foresees, if the inhabitants are not separated or scattered, they will forget that name and those institutions, and they will have recourse to them instantly at every opportunity" (22). What would Machiavelli think about the Duke of Alva only killing 1/9 of the accused heretics? What would Machiavelli have done different if he were in charge? According to Machiavelli, if the Duke of Alva had killed more people at the "Council of Blood", would this have stopped/prevented the revolt?

Favorite Topic

Hey guys! We are pretty much at mid trimester and I was wondering what was everyone's favorite thing we've talked about so far? Why is it your favorite thing and what does it connect to?

William the Orange vs. Machiavelli

What parallels do you see between William the Orange's proclamation and Machiavelli's The Prince?

Luther on Modern Art

What do you think Luther would say about the Christian art of the 21st century?

Iconoclasm

In the readings for Wednesday iconoclasm is discussed. Was this a new idea proposed by Luther or have we seen examples of this before (hint hint the Bible)? What do you think made people follow this idea with such fervor? It also says that Luther changed his opinion from "indifference to pictures, to positive approval of them." What do you think caused Luther's shift of opinion?

Humanism vs. The Theses

Looking at Lucretius' humanist view in his book, On the Nature of Things (discussed in The Swerve), and Luther's 95 Theses, both seem like a challenging way of living. Do you think it would be easier to live like Lucretius and "conquer [your] fears, accept the fact that [you] and all the things [you] encounter are transitory, and embrace the beauty and pleasure of the world" (6). Or would it be simpler to live by the way of the 95 Theses and live perfectly in the eyes of your faith and god?

Pico vs. Luther

Pico  says that man is able to be whatever they want, he says that man can be an angel, or they could be animals, and it is each mans decision to choose which he wants to be more like, Martin Luther on the other hand, believes that man does not have the freedom of Choice, god decision who to give faith to. he has pre-planed mans life, and you can not go against his plan. Which do you believe based of of the texted you have read?  

Savonarola & Luther

What would Savonarola think of Luther's opinions and teachings? What would he think of his 95 theses?

THO Reformation Reading

In the reading we had tonight in THO, Martin Luther splits Christianity into different sections of belief with the reformation. This all starts with his 95 theses which he posts on the door of the church. My question is, what about the ideas and concepts of indulgences finally drove Martin Luther over the edge with disgust of the church and caused him to start the reformation, and how does this reflect the church at the time?

Galileo Trial

Of the six documents we read for the Galileo trial, which do you think is the most supportive of Galileo and which one is the least supportive?

Copernicus or Galileo

If you were one of these men who discovered/believed that the earth was not the center of the universe, what would you do? Would you: attempt to prove it, possibly be resented for it, and yet attempt make a name for yourself like Galileo; or write it down, tell no one, but conversely not get fame or recognition for your discovery, and thus peacefully die like Copernicus?

Galileo's discoveries and the Bible

Do you agree with Galileo? Or do his discoveries indeed go against the Bible? How so? Based on that, is he a heretic? Or is he simply going against the ignorant (and false) beliefs held by those in power at the time (the Catholic Church), who simply didn't understand God's creation fully? How did this impact society's view of Galileo's discoveries?

Machiavelli in chapter fifteen says, "the distance is so great between how we live and how we ought to live that he who abandons what is done for what ought to be done learns his ruin rather than his preservation" (66). Essentially, Machiavelli states that the human condition has deteriorated so much that when some tries to lead a good life he will see his demise. Do you agree with Machiavelli? Does this idea of his come up in life today?

Machiavelli's attitude towards the Medici family

Do you think Machiavelli purposely chose to leave out his personal opinion while he was writing the Prince? I ask this because he wrote this book for the Medici family so maybe he thought that his own opinions would conflict with the Medici's opinions.

The Prince & Violence

Thus far in our readings of The Prince how does Machiavelli view violence in correspondence to power?

Abraham and Giannotto in The Decameron

On pages 38-42 in The Decameron, Abraham ended up seeing the beauty of the Holy Spirit despite the corruption of the church, whereas Giannotto tried to hide it from his friend. Why do you think Giannotto thought Abraham would not be able to see the holiness in the church that he professed himself to be righteous?

Renessaince Art

In the paintings we looked at in class the other day, two of the paintings were made to draw your eye towards Heaven and God.  Why did the other artist choose to make the connection between the mother & son instead of  to Heaven and God like others?

Women in the Decameron

Why do you think that the women think that they are so subordinate to men? In the church they describe themselves as "fickle, quarrelsome, suspicious, timid and fearful....men are truly leaders of women" (18-19). Why do you think they describe themselves in this way instead of supporting each other?

How do you think the movement of the renaissance was represented through the paintings of Giotto, Botticelli, and Rafael? What elements were different and which ones stayed the same?

Guilds in Late Medieval Cities

So after reading the Human Odyssey, one line really stuck with me. "Craftsmen and merchants wanted to make even more money, so they tried to improve their products or sell something else no one else had." (Klee, Cribb, Holdren, 39). What interested me about this quote was the last part about selling something no one else had. As explained in the reading, the guild system was an association merchant and tradesmen organized that "set standards for their work and protected their interests." (40). In a guild, innovation was not allowed, yet these merchants were improving their products and creating things no one else sold. This leads me to believe that the rise of cities during the late medieval ages is what caused the guild system to die, as everyone just wanted to make as much money as possible. What do you guys think about this?

Mercutio

Why has Shakespeare ended Mercutio's dramatic life so early in the play?

Women in The Decameron

Do you think that women felt like they should not have rights, as suggested in The Decameron, pages 18-19, in 1353?

Romeo and Juliet and the Renaissance

Did the end of the feud in Romeo and Juliet represent the start of the renaissance?

Time of Romeo and Juliet

What are some pieces of evidence that place the story of Romeo and Juliet after the Plague?

Shakespeare's idea of love

Do you think Shakespeare's personal ideas of love are shown in Romeo and Juliet?

Zack's Question (which he posted to the old blog)

we have talked about many different peoples philosophy, view on life, and also people's opinion of humanity this year... (marx, freud, hobbes, locke, ect. and all the isms.) which one of these things/people/beliefs do you like and agree with most and why?

Favorite

What has been your favorite thing we have done this year? It can be a project, book (even though Sebastian posted that below), discussion, anything!

World Civ 2 Readings

Now that we are done reading all of this year's books I'm curious to find out which book or any reading at all would you want to definitely have next year's students read?

Cries of Hate

After finishing the story, I think the last sentence of "The Stranger" is open for interpretation. What do you guys think about the last sentence: "For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate."

Why do you think Meursault would WANT to be greeted by spectators with "cries of hate"? From this quote, do you think he died happily?

The end of the stranger

since we have finished the book, what did you all think. was the end happy or sad?

Existentialism

What do you think about existentialism?  Do you think that it's true there is no inherent reason to life or is there some greater meaning in life for humans?

Monsieur Meursault

Meursault is an unconventional character, and he causes a lot of mixed feelings in the reader. In light of his recent actions (the murder in particular) what do you think of him?

Capitalism In "The Stranger"

So one of the questions in class was why is Camus writing a story about such an odd character.  But Meursault isn't that odd. Do you think that Camus wrote this to simply display how modern life is focused on the external and what an individual means rather than how to help anyone else?

Depressing Thought

So on Friday I had a really dark thought and was wondering what you guys think about it.  As we've been studying the 20th century, I have noticed some similarities between the totalitarian leaders (Stain, Hitler, Mao): all killed millions of people but actually did help industrialize and improve the economy of their respected country.  This led me to the question, which I am now asking you all, in general is it necessary to suppress/kill one group of people in order to industrialize? Which then lead me to the question, is industrialization worth it? Sorry, I know this is pretty dark but I think it is interesting and am wondering what your ideas are on it.

Did He REALLY Love Her?

After reading the last few pages of 1984, one could say we see Winston's 'true' feelings towards Julia when he gives her up to the Party. By doing this, do you think that there was a part of him, all along, that could never fully put her life before his? Throughout the whole story, Winston made it sound like he really loved her. Why would he give her up and give her the fate of Room 101 just so that he wouldn't face his biggest fear? What does this say about his character? Is he purely selfish, or did he have a legitimate reason to rat her out? ("rat"....ha ha ha...)

The End

As we were assigned to finish 1984 tonight, i was wondering what everyone thought of the ending? good? bad? depressing? or just general thoughts or objections to it.

Marriage of Convenience

The winning skit from A/D block ... and from E/F block.

1984: Parallels to our Society

Today in class, when we were talking about 1984, people seemed to be concerned that we could be living in a society like Oceania and never really be aware of it. I was wondering if you guys see any parallels between our western society and anything that would suggest that 1984 is not just another piece of anti-communist propaganda. Essentially, why might 1984 scare us as members of a western society?

funny joke!

Hi guys! So, I was talking to a fellow classmate and we thought that it was completely necessary to post this joke that we thought was hilarious! hope you laugh!

ARRRRR SHE BLOWS AHOY ME MATEYS

That title was just to capture your attention and has nothing to do with my topic.

So today we have a brief reintroduction to pre Cold War Russia and Lenin was brought up. I have a question that might be a little off from the Cold War per se, but a good question nonetheless.

Do you think he was a good or bad person? Also a good or bad leader? Why?

Obviously someone liked him if historians never put him on the same plane as Stalin or Mao or Castro and if everyone in Russia went to see his dead body and grieved. Moreover once famously said "As influenctial in life as he was in death."

Short Question: Was Lenin good or bad? As a person AND as a leader.

Empires

This isn't a question it's just a link to a cool animated map of all the European empires throughout history.

http://www.mapsofwar.com/ind/imperial-history.html

Kawabata Palm of the Hand Stories

Kawabata, the author of Palm of the Hand Stories, seems conflicted in his view of the new Western values that were influencing Japan throughout his lifetime? In some ways he seems to embrace Western modernity (feminism, individualism, etc.) but in other ways he seems to criticize Western modernity (capitalism, industrialization, etc.)? Do you think overall Kawabata EMBRACES Western values/modernity or CRITICIZES Western value/modernity?

Communism v Capitalism

We know a bit about all the things communism has done to the world and what capitalism has done to the world so here I propose first off which is better for the people, then for the country, and then for the world.

Can the crimes Japanese committed be justified?

Maybe some of you don't know how Chinese hate Japanese. Japan has committed unforgivable crimes in China back to late 1930s. The Nanjing Massacre is known to everyone. After eighty years, Japan still held hatred towards China. Just recently, Japan tried to annex Diaoyu Island, which was close to Japan and Taiwan. Diaoyu Island has a important military position: the seas around the island have rich oil resource underneath. But the Western powers have influenced Japan in many ways since the war. Can the crimes Japan committed be justified? Do you have sympathy towards Japan?

We all know that all of the axis powers were tried for war crimes at the end of WWII but none of the allies. The allies have also committed many war crimes. The US did some terrible things in Japan. This isn't including the nukes dropped on Nagasaki or Hiroshima. I am referring to all the instances of slaughter of Japanese people who surrendered. Usually US soldiers would kill them whether they surrendered or not which is a major war crime as well as the mutilation of corpses from the aftermath of the battles between the US and Japan(Battle of Guadalcanal). It was reported that 60% of the dead Japanese soldiers were missing skulls. This is a war crime as denoted in The 1907 Hague Convention and the Geneva Conventions. Do you think that the war crimes the allies committed were justifiable in any way? Also do you think that it is fair for war crime trials to be held under the London Charter(the thing that only persecuted axis powers)? Why do you think we tend to ignore these things?

"Ground Zero 1945: A Schoolboy's Story"

What was your reaction to Ground Zero 1945: A Schoolboy's Story?  And, based on what we've read so far, do you think it was okay for the U.S to bomb Japan?


For me, personally, I read the BBC handout "Nuclear Power: The End of the war Against Japan" and was persuaded that using nuclear weapons was a good decision and that the loss of 140,00 people was not as bad compared to the estimated number of casualties for both sides had the U.S. invaded.  But then, I read the story.  The images and the simple storyline brought me close to tears.  The illustrations depict the immediate destruction brought on by the bombs and the pain and terror inflicted on so many innocent people.     

Morality In Warfare?

Here is a link to a great documentary with Robert McNamara. McNamara was the Secretary of Defense under Truman and in this interview he is answering some tough questions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gekdt0QwFQw

So, do you think there should be morality in warfare? Is there room for morality in war? Would you do something that you knew would be a 'war crime' just to ensure victory?

Hitler Really Isn't All That Bad

Ok Hitler was really bad, but the title did catch your attention.

After what Ms.Stuart shared with us about Eugenics being very prominent in the late 19th/20th centuries, it kind of seems as though Hitler wasn't doing anything that hadn't already been done; instead he was doing what most other powerful countries were doing: "sterilizing inferiors" to make their country better. This raised a question that I though would be interesting to here your view on: Is Hitler really the evil being he's made out to be?   Say you were a martian and you were studying the period of time on earth AS A WHOLE would you feel as though at the time such views/actions were ok?  Yes he committed mass genocide, created concentration camps, and all that bad stuff ; however, these were all things that had been done before. He just took it to the extreme. In spite of all that negativity, he saved Germany from completely falling under, gave people hope, and was all for racial unity... Of course I don't think the bad out weighs the good, I'm just trying to get everyone to look at the situation from another viewpoint.  

What did you guys think of the ending of Maus? Do you think that Artie progressed throughout the comic? How do you think the story changed the relationship between Artie and his father?

Relationship between Vladek and Artie

Now that we have come pretty close to finishing Maus, do you think that Artie and his father have a good "father to son" relationship? Why/Why not?

Eugenics Movements and Genocides (...the Nazis weren't alone)

Ideally, I would've liked to talk about this in class, but since we are a bit behind schedule as is, I thought I'd post it here.

I think sometimes when we study the Holocaust in isolation, we get the impression that this was all the result of one man's evil, or perhaps the evil of a select and isolated group.  But here's the thing:  the Nazis were hardly the only ones coming up with some really disturbing ideas about "racial fitness."  From the late nineteenth centuries (post-Darwin) up to the Holocaust, these ideas were widely accepted.

Throughout the 1920s, the U.S. was actually the "world leader" in Eugenics (the "science" of good breeding/biological fitness).  Forced sterilization was practiced in many U.S. states and approved of by the U.S. Supreme Court.  You can read about it here.  In fact, in North Carolina, this continued into the late 1960s; they targeted lower-class African Americans.  You can read about that here.

Concentration camps weren't invented by the Germans either; they were used first by the British during the Boer War in South Africa.  (Though these weren't death camps, many people died of starvation and disease inside them). --thanks to Gabbi for reminding me of this one.

Nor was the Holocaust the first mass genocide.  The Armenian genocide, which happened during WWI, was a systematic effort by the Ottoman Turks to eradicate the Armenian people.  1 million Armenians lost their lives, and the Turkish government still denies the whole thing ever happened.  (Google it.)

So the Holocaust is exceptional in its scale, but not necessarily in other ways.  Given this, why do you think we focus so much on the Holocaust?  Do you think removing the Holocaust from this late nineteenth and early twentieth century context (wherein the ideas that motivated it are not that unusual) is a bad idea? 

Porcupines?

Following up on the idea of the outer frame story, I found it very interesting that the first thing that popped into Artie's head when asked how the Israeli Jews would be portrayed was porcupines.  It sort of makes sense in that the Israelis are very protective of their nation as porcupines use their spines to defend their territory; however, there are many other options for what the Israelis could be drawn as.  What do you think the Israelis could be depicted as, and why would you think that?

HOW TO DISCUSS: Should we incorporate the Ball?

So today I have been thinking about the use of the ball at our Maus discussions. We, both sections, have officially decided to ditch the ball at the beginning of the year; however, it has made its triumphant return (coincidentally near the start of Major League Baseball) and has received mixed feelings from my classmates and I on its return.

Personally, I think the ball creates more issues with people solely trying to get their points out and receiving a good grade for the discussion by getting out their points from earlier while waiting just to get the ball. Basically: less disscussing and more focus on just yourself.

However, being high school, some people are scared to speak at an open-fire live debate between screaming factions such as myself (I get too heated at times) and other bold peers. So the ball can also create comfortable speaking environments as well as all ideas being layed out.

IF YOU CAN'T READ: The discussing ball... Should we use it? YES or NO? And WHY?

My Father Bleeds History

Based on what we have read in Maus so far (book I), do you think Vladek is generally happy that Art is writing about him? What evidence formed your opinion? If you think he does not particularly like the fact Art is writing about him, what does that say about their relationship?

Maus

Why do you think Spiegelman chose to make the jewish people mice in the book? Do you think that there were specific reasons or connections between the people and the type of animal their character was portrayed as in the book?

Treaty of Versailles

Going off of our discussion during class, do you think that Hitler would have come to power if the Treaty of Versailles hadn't existed/ was a lot less severe?

Appeasement

Are you pro or anti-appeasement? Why?

Maus

What do you think about Maus? Do you think that the comic book style helps bring the story to life, or do you think that the panels are just distracting? And how does the narrative change your view of the story- do you like how it is a reflection of what has already happened or not?

Great Documentary

This is and always will be my favorite WWII documentary, and I think it is definitely worth watching. This link is just to an episode that outlines the beginnings of WWII, but there are more episodes that expand on Hitler's background and so on. Plus it's in color so it's easier to relate to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo4CNMlp6hU&list=PL152E8D1B0EBF9E87&feature=player_embedded

Hitler

Do you think Hitler was ultimately good for Germany, or bad? Explain.

Vladimir Lenin

Two views were discussed at the end of the Lenin documentary.  Some people think he negatively impacted Russia (setting up the communist regime), and others think he left a good legacy (helping the poor who suffered worse under the tsar).  The majority of people would agree he had many negative impacts.  Which side do you agree with? Was Lenin coming to power the best thing for Russia at the time? Should the Tsar still have been in power? Or would they have been better off with the Provisional Government that was established before Lenin?

***Dimwits***

Check out my last post!

Bug Life

Considering what we know about Gregor's character, personality, and values, what do you think he would have done, in the situation he is in, if he hadn't turned into a bug? Do you think he would have come to his senses and finally moved out of the small apartment or do you think he would have stayed a prisoner of his horrible life and remained as the family income? If he would have stayed, do you think he would have attempted to change his family's ways or let them be dependent on him forever?
Also, in each scenario, what would his decision say about human tendencies in general? (For example, if he would have stayed, one could say that humans tend to choose family over social life.)

Family Guy

Gregor's family treated him pretty badly, but through everything he was still compassionate and kind and never seemed to be hurt.  H died for his family. But Gregor seemed like a decently smart guy if he knew his family kept him for his money and was always treated bad, then why did he stay with them? He had a good job, he was intelligent and had plenty of money. why didn't he move out?

Predict Please

Alright sooooooooo it is obvious this book is not purely about turning into buggy/cockroach nasty thing.
Kafka tries to foreshadow what may be the focus of the story in chapter one with Gregor's focus on work. This whole of idea of working seems rather strange given that his family is a bunch of whack jobs, whom he is living with, and that he constantly thinks about work and it seems to overpower the thought that he is now a bug. In short, what do you think the main focus of the book is? (in relation to history of the late 1800s and pre-WWI 1900s)

Dreams

On page 11 of the book, it says he woke from troubled dreams, could those troubled dreams have anything to do with ther trams formation? Could the dreams have been the transformation in itself?

Buggin

Why do you think Kafka made Gregor a bug? Why not some other creature?

The White Man's Burden

For the response paper, do you think that Kipling's idea of the overall situation was accurate, or could there have been a few over exaggerations?

Having the Right Reaction

Today in the documentary, there was a huge section on the Rebellion of Indians after the use of animal fat in their gun cartridges.  First, do you think that the use of the animal fat was the only thing that really drove away the Indians, or could there have been another overlooked problem.  Who do you think had the right to react the way they did, The Indians, or the British?  Third, is the reaction of either side necessary, what other ways could they have reacted?

Rise of the West

Now that we have learned a lot about the possible causes of the rise of the west, what do you think was truly the distinguishing factor that allowed Europe to conquer most of the world? Was it by accident or chance, or were there certain European values/innovations that made the "rise of the west" inevitable? For example, China had the largest navy in the world during the Ming Dynasty, but they stopped their voyages because they really weren't interested in conquering. Europeans colonized nations before they even knew what resources they could find there. In other words, do you think there were truly different European values/innovations that made Europe able to conquer the world, or could other cultures have spread their influence had they been granted the same luck as Europeans?

China Accomplishments vs. Europe's Industrialization

Based upon notes from the other day about the world systems theory, do you guys think that, overall, Europe's industrialization was better/more advanced than China's several accomplishments thus far (such as the Ming Voyages, capitalism, the planning for famine, or their stable government), or do you believe that China has always been "ahead" of Europe and its successes?

Europe's Colonization

Are you all okay with Europe brutally conquering, colonizing, and converting the Americas, Africa, and all those other places we talked about? Do you think that even though it was rough at the time, it all worked out for the better, or do you think it is inexcusable and everyone would have been better off if they hadn't done it? Also consider their conduct and attitude overall, especially after reading what they did to India in our homework for Monday.

Capitalism: Good or Bad?

This is kind of a broad question, but overall, do you guys think that capitalism is good/beneficial for the world, or do you agree with Marx's view of capitalism (a system that is not necessarily good for the people, but great for the economy, and a system where the equality is replaced with a strict hierarchy of constant oppression between the classes)?

"Invisible Hand"

After our reading in class and for homework, I noticed some similarities between Smith's and Marx's ideas of 'greater than us' forces at work and was wondering if you guys felt the same way.  They both believe in the power of peoples' self-interest as a moderator.  Do you think this is accurate? Do you think that it will regulate both the present day (economy) and the past (class struggle, people want the best)?

Debate Continued...

Since during the Jane Eyre debate Mrs. Stuart chose our sides for us, I am going to continue this debate on the blog, where you can choose whatever you believe is true.  So again I ask, do you think that the novel Jane Eyre can be considered rebellious?  Why or why not?

Tonight's reading

How do you guys feel about Mr.Rochester not telling Jane about his crazy wife? Were you surprised that Jane was able to leave despite the way she described feeling towards him?

Tonight's reading

How do you guys feel about Mr.Rochester not telling Jane about his crazy wife? Were you surprised that Jane was able to leave despite the way she described feeling towards him?

True love?

So what do you guys think about Jane and Mr. Rochester? Like a true Romantic, do you believe that love can conquer every obstacle? Or do you think that the differences between them (wealth, class etc.) will be too much to overcome?

Poetry

So what is your favorite poem so far? Why?

The Essay: Which Side?

Yoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyoyo! What is up everyone? To ruin your weekend and remind you that school is tomorrow, I decided to post in the blog.

For the in-class essay on Friday, which side did you take? Also, include a small statement or thesis to your argument just to explain why.