What are your reactions to the first act? Pick a character or incident that stood out to you as especially significant in light of our discussions of power, scapegoating, and Puritan theocracy. Write a post giving your impressions and thoughts, integrating at least one quotation from the text. Consider trying to predict where the character will end up as a result of his/her motivations and actions. Respond to at least one classmate by adding an insight to theirs.
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What are your reactions to the first act? Pick a character or incident that stood out to you as especially significant in light of our discussions of power, scapegoating, and Puritan theocracy. Write a post giving your impressions and thoughts, integrating at least one quotation from the text. Consider trying to predict where the character will end up as a result of his/her motivations and actions. Respond to at least one classmate by adding an insight to theirs. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. -Frederick Douglass In our discussions of power, a few points came up consistently: -Power, or control, comes in forms ranging from physical force to money to personality to political control -It seems to be an unavoidable aspect of human relationships: there is always a power relation -Human beings may have a natural instinct for power, or "will to power," that pushes us to compete -We can divide power into positive/creative/selfless and negative/oppressive/selfish types -The Puritans turned into exactly the kind of oppressive power they initially resisted and finally fled Now I'd like you guys to extend this discussion into the subject of resistance to power. Each of the summer reading novels features a character who embodies this resistance, be it Montag, Clarisse, V, McMurphy or Linda, and you'll be seeing many more excellent examples in The Crucible; American literature is full of them. I'd like you to think a bit about these characters, our discussions, and the quote above, then answer any of the questions below that intrigue you in an opening post. What is it about these kinds of characters that attracts our interest and admiration? Is resistance something to celebrate or criticize? What is the morality of resistance - in other words, what justifies it? Does it need to be justified? Is resistance just one's own will to power clashing with another's? What are some examples of resistance, in your life and in the world, and how can we evaluate them? Finally, is there a connection between love and resistance? creativity and resistance? writing and resistance? (Required post = 1 paragraph, 1 quote, 20 pts. Required response 5 pts. Additional responses +5 max). Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. -Frederick Douglass In our discussions of power, a few points came up consistently: -Power, or control, comes in forms ranging from physical force to money to personality to political control -It seems to be an unavoidable aspect of human relationships: there is always a power relation -Human beings may have a natural instinct for power, or "will to power," that pushes us to compete -We can divide power into positive/creative/selfless and negative/oppressive/selfish types -The Puritans turned into exactly the kind of oppressive power they initially resisted and finally fled Now I'd like you guys to extend this discussion into the subject of resistance to power. Each of the summer reading novels features a character who embodies this resistance, be it Montag, Clarisse, V, McMurphy or Linda, and you'll be seeing many more excellent examples in The Crucible; American literature is full of them. I'd like you to think a bit about these characters, our discussions, and the quote above, then answer any of the questions below that intrigue you in an opening post. What is it about these kinds of characters that attracts our interest and admiration? Is resistance something to celebrate or criticize? What is the morality of resistance - in other words, what justifies it? Does it need to be justified? Is resistance just one's own will to power clashing with another's? What are some examples of resistance, in your life and in the world, and how can we evaluate them? Finally, is there a connection between love and resistance? creativity and resistance? writing and resistance? (Required post = 1 paragraph, 1 quote, 20 pts. Required response 5 pts. Additional responses +5 max). |
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AuthorMr. Justin Biggs Archives
August 2016
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