Freshmen E.C. - Judge Judy

As we continue our reading of Romeo and Juliet over the break, we have read of the deaths of both Mercutio and Tybalt.  Their deaths, while strong evidence of the existing feud between Montague and Capulet, are perhaps moreso the result of excessive passion and rash behavior than an ancient grudge.  Our criminal justice system accounts for such crimes, assigning particular names to the various types of murder that can be committed.  One must consider intent, premeditation, context, as well as any other pertinent factors leading to the crime.

For this assignment, I'd like you to determine what crimes Tybalt and Romeo commit.  What degree of murder is each guilty of?  Are either of these men guilty of a "crime of passion" or perhaps "temporary insanity?  Is it 1st degree?  2nd degree?  3rd?  Do some research and analyze the text to determine each party's crime.  We'll have a rational discussion about the validity of our claims while exploring a bit of the American justice system in the process.

Sophomores E.C. - Morality, Disney, and Dexter

We'll be discussing the topic of morality as we read through our next book, Crime and Punishment.  We must decide upon a definition for morality, but more importantly, how such a word impacts our sense of identity.  Our sense of morality is clearly tied to our sense of superego and while it suppresses and denies our id.  But to what avail?

Let's first look at the classic moral dilemma (a dilemma is defined as a problem that offers two possibilities, neither of which is practically acceptable).  Your family is starving and the only way you could feed your family is to steal a loaf of bread (so charmingly presented here).  The options are clear, commit a crime but feed your family or do nothing and watch your family starve.  But possibilities contain rather unappealing circumstances; many people do not wish to break the law and they do not wish to watch their families suffer.  And so the dilemma is presented.  What is one to do?

This leads us to many questions.  We know that theft is wrong.  But can theft be right/justified in a particular scenario?  Note Aladdin's dilemma in the previously posted video.  Is theft justified if one intends to use the stolen wares for a positive goal?  Can a good deed cancel out the effects of a bad deed?  Suppose I am starving and I kill a drug dealer and take his money, money that he has earned by selling illegal drugs, perpetuating addicts' addictions.  Is there any morality in my actions?  Am I right or wrong?

Let's use a more modern example.  Many of your enjoy watching the Showtime series Dexter in which detective controls his impulses to murder by targeting criminals that have somehow evaded our criminal justice system.  While certainly presented as an anti-hero, we seem to forgive Dexter for his crimes, perhaps justifying them, even praising them.  Why?

If one commits a crime, even for positive means, is s/he innocent/guilty?  Why or why not?

DISCUSS!   

Sophomores - Extra Credit - You Can't Spell Identity Without Id

In light of our riveting class discussion about a homosexual man's obligations to share his sexuality with his children, I'd like to extend our conversation into our extra credit.

Our protagonist has an arrangement with his wife that while the two are married and loyal to one another (and occasionally physically intimate), he is allowed to quench his sexual desires by sleeping with male partners outside of his marriage.  After many years, the two have raised two daughters who are now both in their twenties.

-Should the father tell his daughters about his sexual identity?
-If a parent is repressing some sort of dark desire such as an addiction or some sort of problem (in his/her mind, we're not going to judge), does it behoove the parent to tell the child?
-What should/n't a parent keep a secret from a child?
-I would encourage you to listen to the entire podcast (we only listened to part of Act II) found here.  Ask questions of the podcast and ask questions of each other.  Be sure to read others' comments and consider your peers' ideas when constructing your own.

I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH.  THIS IS NOT A FORUM TO DISCUSS WHETHER OR NOT YOU BELIEVE HOMOSEXUALITY IS RIGHT OR WRONG.  ANY FORM OF HATEFUL SPEECH WILL BE CENSORED.  WHILE OUR PROTAGONIST HIDES HIS SEXUALITY, WE ARE NOT HERE TO JUDGE.  OUR RESPONSIBILITY LIES IN DISCUSSING THE HUMAN INCLINATION TO REPRESS THE ID.

As we continue to discuss double lives, our conversation will shift away from sexuality and move towards other concepts the id might attempt to repress.

Sophomores - Work for the Week of March 18th

Monday March 18th
Minutes: Imtiaz, Andy, Daniel
Reading HW: Ch. 3, 4, 5
HW: Note how Jekyll speaks about Hyde and how easily he can get rid of him.  If that isn't repression, I don't know what is...  Study Hyde's crimes and note how Utterson's descriptions of London take on a dark, nightmarish tone.  How might Hyde's crimes be unleashing the repressed id within our characters?
PAPER DUE TODAY.  Here's an example of an A paper to to give you some ideas!

Tuesday March 19th
Minutes: Tali, John, Brandon
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Please judge a stranger based on their appearances.  How is our judgment accurate?  How is it inaccurate?  Why does Stevenson's Utterson view Jekyll in such a positive light?  What about Jekyll's appearance cause Utterson to underestimate him?

Wednesday March 20th
Minutes: Crystal, Wei, N/A
Reading HW: Remarkable Incident of Dr. Landon, Incident at the Window, The Last Night, Dr. Landon's Narrative
HW: Considering Jekyll's affinity for chemistry, what do you suppose led him down this path of experimentation?  Did he intend to create some sort of id-releasing potion?  Is he like a lycanthrope (were-wolf) attempting to cure his own disease?  How exactly do these transformations "work"?

Thursday March 21st
Minutes: Tyler, Brandon N., Zafir
Reading HW: Finish the book.
HW: Find an article from a prominent news source that follows someone with a "double identity."  Find an analyze the presence of the superego and id in this article.  Please bring in the article to class.

Friday March 22nd
Minutes: Calvin, Dror, Jan
Reading HW:
HW: Stevenson reportedly destroyed the first draft of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  Considering his poor health, what .. Link

Monday April 3rd
Minutes: Johnson, Eric K., Melissa
Reading HW:
HW:

Freshmen - Work for the Week of March 18th

Monday March 18th
Minutes:Jordan, Bowen/Mo
Reading HW: I.iii-I.v
HW: How do Romeo and Juliet speak to one another before/upon/after their meeting.   Is this love at first sight?  What is the nature of their love?  Please address particular quotes in the passage.  Does their love increase when discovering one another's lineage?  Why or why not?

Tuesday March 19th
Minutes: Derrick, David X.
Reading HW: I.v
HW: Determine character motivations for Capulet, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, and Nurse.  Each motivation should be a minimum of two sentences.

Wednesday March 20th
Minutes: Laura, N/A
Reading HW: II.i-ii
HW: Please determine the character motivations for Romeo, Juliet, and the Nurse.  Please write a minimum of three sentences each.

Thursday March 21st
Minutes: Cindy,  Jenny
Reading HW: II.iii
HW: What is the friar's role in Romeo and Juliet?  Please focus on Romeo's interaction with the friar to understand the dynamics of their relationship.  What about the friar's words connect to some of the larger themes of our text?

Friday March 22nd
Minutes: Adam, Alice
Reading HW: Finish II
HW: Select an example for your extended footnote assignment.

Monday April 3rd
Minutes: Dristi, Mahdi
Reading HW: Act III
HW: Be prepared to discuss your extended footnote assignment.

Freshmen E.C. - Shakespeare and Love Songs

Your job is to pick a love song and post a youtube link on our blog explaining how this particular song perceives love considering how we've discussed the extensive varieties of love throughout our class.

Be sure to explain which song you've selected, how the song depicts love, and how the song compares/contrasts with a particular line in Romeo and Juliet.  Be sure to include the Act, Scene, and line of the quote.  For example, if you're using line 455 from Act III, Scene VIII, the citation would look as follows: (III.viii, 455).  Note how the act is capitalized, the scene is in lower case and followed by a comma, and finally the line's number is presented.

Have fun!

And if you're struggling, I'll put down some of my favorite love songs!

The Cure - Six Different Ways
Radiohead - Lucky
Air - How Does It Make You Feel?
Blur - Tender
Grinderman - The Palaces of Montezuma

Sophomores - Work for the Week of March 11th

Monday March 11th
Minutes:
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Full draft due.

Tuesday March 12th - Homeroom Day
Minutes:
Reading HW: Complete Siddhartha.  Bring in your book for today.
HW: How does Hesse describe Siddhartha's enlightenment?  What is the essential difference between knowledge and wisdom?  Do you agree or disagree with how Siddhartha defines the two?  I find it depressing that Siddhartha can only reach such a level of understanding the world so late in his life.  Do you believe that we can only attain enlightenment in our golden years?  How can such a revelation compare with the human cycle of life? 

Wednesday March 13th
Minutes: Julie, Kevin, Mindy
Reading HW: Read the following article and watch the embedded video on the Id, Ego, and Superego.
HW: Are you id driven or superego driven?  How do the two balance in your life?  Try to think of two examples of when your id and superego were conflicted.  What would you be like if you were dominated by your id or dominated by your superego?

Thursday March 14th - P/T Conferences 5:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.
Minutes: Natalie, Andrew, Daisy
Reading HW: "Story of the Door" and "Search for Mr. Hyde"
HW: Why does Stevenson choose to make a reference to Cain so early in the novel?  What terrible crime is witnessed in the first chapter?  How does Stevenson choose to describe Hyde on page 10?  What particular words stand out to you in this description?

Friday March 15th - P/T Conferences 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. - 20 minute periods today.
Minutes: Yusuf, Caroline, Theo
Reading HW: Please read pages 1-4 and 9-10 (only the passages that discuss the "double")
HW: What is Freud's definition of the "Uncanny"?  Please review the description of Hyde on pg. 5.  How does this description fit Freud's "uncanny"?  How does Freud define the "double"?  How are "uncanny" emotions perhaps tied to the "double"?  Give an example.  I'll be checking homework in class.

Monday March 18th
Minutes:
Reading HW: Ch. 3, 4, 5
HW: Note how Jekyll speaks about Hyde and how easily he can get rid of him.  If that isn't repression, I don't know what is...  Study Hyde's crimes and note how Utterson's descriptions of London take on a dark, nightmarish tone.  How might Hyde's crimes be unleashing the repressed id within our characters?

PAPER DUE TODAY.  Here's an example of an A paper to to give you some ideas!

Freshmen - Work for the Week of March 11th

Monday March 11th
Minutes: Jordan, Bowen
Reading HW: Sonnet 130
HW: Translate Sonnet 130 into modern English as per our lesson on Friday.  Update Shakespeare's words so that they fit a modern context.

Tuesday March 12th - Homeroom Day - Books to be Distributed
Minutes:
Reading HW: Romeo and Juliet's famed encounter in II.ii.  Please read Romeo's opening statement (the opening 24 lines).
HW: Complete the close reading exercise we began in class.  Read for both understanding AND analysis/interpretation.  You will hand these in so try your best and show your work!

Wednesday March 13th
Minutes:
Reading HW: Prologue
HW: Please define true love in six sentences minimum.  What does this term mean to you?  How have you arrived at these conclusions?  What examples of true love help you define this expression?

Thursday March 14th - P/T Conferences 5:30 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.
Minutes:

Reading HW: I.i-ii
HW: Why would Shakespeare start his playing telling us what happens at the ending?  How would you characterize two young people willing to take their lives in the name of love?


Friday March 15th - P/T Conferences 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. - 20 minute periods today.
Minutes:
Reading HW: I.iii-v
HW: Consider the events that lead up to Romeo and Juliet's meeting.  Why are the two young characters overcome with depressed emotions?  How might these respective scenarios influence their "love at first sight"?


Monday March 18th
Minutes:
Reading HW: Review Act I.v
HW: How do Romeo and Juliet speak to one another before/upon/after their meeting.   Is this love at first sight?  What is the nature of their love?  Please address particular quotes in the passage.  Does their love increase when discovering one another's lineage?  Why or why not?

Sophomores - Work for the Week of March 4th

Monday March 4th - Conference Schedule
Minutes: Wendy, Dror, Mindy
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Rewrite due today.

Tuesday March 5th - Homeroom Schedule
Minutes: Mark, Jeremy, David
Reading HW: "Sansara" and "By The River" and skim this excerpt from Freud's Interpretations of Dreams.
HW: What is the significance of Siddhartha's dreams?  How can we interpret this strange dream he has?

Wednesday March 6th - Regular Schedule
Minutes: Alex, Jeffery, Sophie
Reading HW: "The Ferryman" and "The Son"
HW: Please have four quotes selected for your paper.  Explain why you selected each quote in 2-3 sentences.  I will be checking this.

Thursday March 7th - Regular Schedule
Minutes: Jason, Jacky Y., Salman
Reading HW: "Om" and "Govinda" and the following article on suicide.
HW: Why does Siddhartha consider suicide?

Friday March 8th - Regular Schedule
Minutes: Jorge, Sungwoo, Zafir
Reading HW: Finish the book.  Bring the book to class to return it.
HW: First draft of Life Paths assignment due.

Monday March 11th
Minutes:
Reading HW: N/A - Work on your paper.
HW: Second workshop before paper is due on Wednesday.

Freshmen - Work for the Week of March 4th

Monday March 4th - Conference Schedule
Minutes: Adam, Rina
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Presentations

Tuesday March 5th - Homeroom Schedule
Minutes: Cindy, Kevin M.
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Presentations

Wednesday March 6th - Regular Schedule
Minutes: David H., Kyle
Reading HW: N/A
HW: Presentations

Thursday March 7th - Regular Schedule
Minutes: Anika, Lianna
Reading HW:
HW:

Friday March 8th - Regular Schedule
Minutes: Rui, Alina
Reading HW:
HW:

Monday March 11th
Minutes: Jordan, Bowen
Reading HW:
HW: Translate Sonnet 130 into modern English.