Scared of the Dark

To what extent does fear play a role in your lives? Please post by Oct. 15th @ 11:59.

Safe Water- "Change We Can Believe In"

As we begin to read Mark Twain's satirical novel Huckleberry Finn, Barack Obama is in the first days of his presidency. During much of his campain Obama discussed his ideas about change and what changes America needs. Remember that at the heart of true satire is a call for change. Twain's novel calls for change in much the same way. As you read Huck Finn, notice and discuss some of the changes Twain calls for that still ring true today, over 100 yrs later. (2 posts by 2/27)

Candide- The Missing Years

For this assignment, I want you to write creatively. I would like you all to share in the writing of a missing chapter from Voltaire's Candide. Each person should add something on to the last entry. We should strive to stay true to the text and remain in Voltaire's satirical voice. This should be good... (2 posts by 2/27)

Knowledge vs Ignorance

The plot of Oedipus is a search for knowledge and the result of this search is its climax, where Oedipus comes out of the darkness (ignorance) and into the light (knowledge).

Which is better knowledge or ignorance? What kind of knowledge should we all possess? What things would be better off left unrevealed? To what extent are we responsible for what we know?

You can respond to each question individually or together but must post twice by November 27th at 11:59pm.

Truth and Nature

For this blog there are two parts. You must post twice but can do so in any combination.

First, you can follow this link and select a quote from the page to discuss as relevent to Romanticism, Thoreau, and yourselves. http://www.whale.to/vaccine/quotes4.htm

Or you can answer this: Which of the maxims would be best to live by? Explain.

or you can do both- Post by 27th of November- 11:59pm

Reason (Enlightenment) vs Faith (Romanticism)

To this point in our course we have seen the pendulum of world view swing from a faith based religious / Puritan society to a reason based America breaking free from Britain. We will soon see society's pendulum swing back to a romantic view of the world and then forward to a logical realist view of the world. Where are we today and how do you know? Where are we headed?

Macbeth # 3 Gender Ambiguity

Issues of gender and role reversals are evident throughout Macbeth. It could be argued that Lady Macbeth is as power hungry and ambitious as Macbeth if not more. Unfortunately for her, she died, arguably, as a result of overstepping her place in society; of usurping the "correct" order of things. To what extent do gender issues exist today? What is true about the social hierarchy with regard to men and women? Is the way it is today the "right" way?