Socratic Seminar Reflection #2

 n our first Socratic Seminar for the novel Kite Runner we had a great introduction to the story. While I generally kept my own opinion my peers showed me new ways to look at Amir and the relationship he shared with Hassan . I was even forced to think of things I hadn’t such as maybe Amir was too young to properly handle the situations he was put under. This opened many ideas about whether Amir was a victim as well and if he is in what way? He longed for love and acceptance by his father so much that he became jealous towards anyone that his father favored. My peers even helped me to strengthen my previous ideas. For example even though Hassan is poorer he is so much stronger that Amir emotionally and is able to protect Amir regardless of how he is treated. Hassan understood Amir so well that he could predict what he was thinking.

The statement that Amir's father was not a very good father was very accurate to me. He didn't really try to find ways to connect to his son and simply love him for the person he was. Many times Amir could plainly see the disgust or irritation in his father's face. This forces Amir to never feel good enough for everyone else or as if he didn't get the "right traits" to be successful. I didn't agree with the statement that he made these horrible decisions because he was too young or scared. I believe he didn't save Hassan because he was selfish. He even states how Hassan's misfortune was the price he had to pay to win his fathers love. Amir was old enough to understand right from wrong and help his friend in dire need. 

Being able to make our own questions worked really well for the seminar. We were able to talk about the things we thought were the most important. More importantly parts of the book we really understood and could connect with. This allowed us to have a deeper conversation.

Since this book has so many controversial topics While making our own questions was helpful it also limited us in a way. Both groups had very similar questions and this showed in the second group. Also a better distribution of people would be helpful. There was a clear difference between the first and second group where the first conversation was more interesting and heated. A better distribution of people may influence other to speak up more and be apart of the conversation.

Socratic Seminar Reflection #1

  In our first Socratic Seminar for the novel Kite Runner we had a great introduction to the story. While I generally kept my own opinion my peers showed me new ways to look at Amir and the relationship he shared with Hassan . I was even forced to think of things I hadn’t such as maybe Amir was too young to properly handle the situations he was put under. This opened many ideas about whether Amir was a victim as well and if he is in what way? He longed for love and acceptance by his father so much that he became jealous towards anyone that his father favored. My peers even helped me to strengthen my previous ideas. For example even though Hassan is poorer he is so much stronger that Amir emotionally and is able to protect Amir regardless of how he is treated. Hassan understood Amir so well that he could predict what he was thinking. 

The statement that Amir's father was not a very good father was very accurate to me. He didn't really try to find ways to connect to his son and simply love him for the person he was. Many times Amir could plainly see the disgust or irritation in his father's face. This forces Amir to never feel good enough for everyone else or as if he didn't get the "right traits" to be successful. I didn't agree with the statement that he made these horrible decisions because he was too young or scared. I believe he didn't save Hassan because he was selfish. He even states how Hassan's misfortune was the price he had to pay to win his fathers love. Amir was old enough to understand right from wrong and help his friend in dire need. 

Being able to make our own questions worked really well for the seminar. We were able to talk about the things we thought were the most important. More importantly parts of the book we really understood and could connect with. This allowed us to have a deeper conversation.

Since this book has so many controversial topics While making our own questions was helpful it also limited us in a way. Both groups had very similar questions and this showed in the second group. Also a better distribution of people would be helpful. There was a clear difference between the first and second group where the first conversation was more interesting and heated. A better distribution of people may influence other to speak up more and be apart of the conversation.

Socratic Seminar #4

Socratic Seminar Prep Sheet:

Part I: Summarization

I read part three of “1984” by George Orwell. In the final section of the novel Winston has been captured by the government and is now enduring constant torture and questioning. The man Winston originally believed was against Big Brother is his torturer. He ultimately is still against the party and O'Brien is forced to take him to room 101. He finally submits to the party and finds  love and comfort in Big Brother's face.

 Part II: Question Development

1.     vWinston hardly thinks about Julia while he is in the Ministry of Love. What does this show about their relationship?

-  This supports the claim that Julia and Winston were only attracted to each other because of their common opposition towards the party. It wasn't real love where they would never betray each other. This also shows how influential pain can be on a persons feelings. (Logical Appeal)

2.      O'Brien betrayed Winston but Winston still favors him. Why is this?

            -  When Winston does as O'Brien wants he doesn't feel as much pain.This is why Winston unconsciously associates O'Brien with comfort. Even before he was caught O'Brien was the first person Winston met that had the capability of thinking like him.  (Emotional Appeal)

3.     When Winston is first captured he meets fellow prison mates that he previously predicted would be captured. How does this go along with O'Briens statements that Winston already knew he was for the party?

-       In the beginning of the novel Winston was positive that he and other people around him would be captured. This foreshadowed this point of the story where his former neighbors are happy they have been captured. Winston knew his fate he just always had hope in the back of his head that he could somehow escape it.(Emotional appeal)

4.     How is O'Brien weak/ a coward for giving into the party?

-       Winston will be killed by the party anyway so it would have been better if he died believing what was right. Staying alive just to live a life of lies is not worth it. He is a coward because he already went through so much pain but couldn't take his biggest fear. (Logical appeal)

5.     After Winston has called out Julia's name he is ready to have her head eaten by rats. How does this show the undeniable strength of the party and the type of physiological affect they can have on a person? 

          - The party is so intrusive and in control that they know the deepest fear of its prisoners. The party will do anything to force its people to love the party. The fact that the party knows these things can have a horrible mental effect on a person.There is no escape except for giving in. Winston even fantasizes about the day when he will be shot. (Logical appeal)

6.     What may have caused Winston to begin to cry out Julia's name?

- Winston stated how he could feel that he was most-likely about to be shot and his pain would be over. He most likely unconsciously wants to suffer and wanted the party to be sure that he would die still hating it. It is very interesting how much he desired being shot. It is almost as if tat is the whole reason he rebelled. Just so he could be killed by the party.(Emotional appeal)

7.     What is it like to have strong feelings towards something or someone but have to keep it bottled up?

          - It is believed by many people that no matter how hard you try to keep feelings bottled up or unknown they will come out one way or another. It is almost human instinct to express your feelings. Attempting to do so would be really hard to do and most likely painful. (Emotional appeal)

8.     Have you ever experienced pain so intense you would do ANYTHING to stop?

           - No I personally haven't felt pain that serious but any type of pain is worth trying to stop if you can. (Logical appeal)

      9.   Why do you think privacy is such an important thing around the world?

-Having privacy is important to everyone. Everyone wants to have a place where they can’t be bothered or harmed by anyone else. That is why it is so important.

Part III: Tracking Evidence

·       “I shall save you, I shall make you perfect”

·      “he must keep his  hatred locked up inside of him like a ball of matter” 

Socratic Seminar Reflection #3

Malaika Hall

English/per.3

May 12^th 2014

Socratic Seminar #3 Final Reflection

            In our third Socratic Seminar for the novel 1984 we finally begin to embark towards the end of the novel. While I generally kept my own opinion my peers showed me new ways to look at Winston as he progresses from discrete attempts to learn the truth about Oceania to direct acts against the party. I was even forced to think of things I hadn’t such as maybe Winston and Julia aren't meant to be together.  Since Julia and Winston really have any other people to choose from maybe they are only attracted to each other because they are against the party. This could be supported by Julia not having the same interests as Winston.  My peers even helped me to strengthen my previous ideas. For example the “Big Brother” party purposely waited until Winston had hopes of successfully destroying the party to reveal that they had been watching him all along. This would make defeat more devastating for Winston. 

The statement that Winston and Julia are not compatible was very accurate to me. Even though they definitely fell in love it was a lack of free spirited people that ultimately drew thew towards each other. Other than their similar desire to rebel against the government there was no real evidence of compatibility. Regardless of this Party allowed their illegal love affair to go. I believe the party is less focused on keeping their comrades in line but releasing the need to do so. Any one that they needed to be forced to obey laws was simply killed. This is most limey the fate of Winston and Julia. I disagreed with the statement that Winston and Julia needed to be more carefully and if they had been they wouldn't have gotten caught. Careful or not it was specific places like Mr. Charringtons shop that were all over the Prole area. Places where it was believed they weren't being watched they in fact were. The party was cunning and there was literally no privacy any where. There most likely isn't a place they couldn't go that hadn't been thought of. 

Being able to make our own questions was very helpful for the seminar. We were able to focus on parts of the book we really understood and could connect with. Also even though having a long reading was harder it allowed us to have more to discus. This made the conversation much more interesting. Finally having a half time where we could reflect on how we were doing was very important. We were able to get the opinion of our peers so we could come back and have a better discussion. This allowed us to have a deeper conversation.

While making our own questions was helpful it also limited us in a way. Everyone comes up with similar questions and the second group becomes a sort of repeat. Also a better distribution of people would be helpful. There was a clear difference between the first and second group where the first conversation was more interesting and heated. A better distribution of people may influence other to speak up more and be apart of the conversation.

Socratic Seminar Reflection #2

Malaika Hall

English/per.3

May 5^th 2014

Socratic Seminar #2 Final Reflection

            In our second Socratic Seminar for the novel 1984 we continued with and introduction to the story and begin to see how the plot will emerge. While I generally kept my own opinion my peers showed me new ways to look at Winston and his more direct attempts to learn the truth about Oceania before the revolution.  I was even forced to think of things I hadn’t such as maybe the proles aren't smart enough to rebel against the Brotherhood. Since a prole has never experienced a better life they may be content with the constant danger they are in and have no reason to rebel against it. There is a similar issue with all the comrades except they are under constant supervision. My peers even helped me to strengthen my previous ideas. For example the “Big Brother” party was purposely destroying everything that a person might fight for . This includes family, love, and even beauty. The party made sure the only alliance someone had was to the Brotherhood.

The statement that there might not actually be a war going on was very accurate to me. There was no real evidence of a war other than than the occasional dropping of bombs. The use of propaganda and pictures of the war could all be faked and used to bring the comrades together. Winston stated how the people around him were ugly and would be even if they weren't poor. I believe this goes back to the party making sure there was no beauty in the world. I disagreed with the statement that Winston was in touch with his emotions. Winston saw a severed hand and simply kicked it into a gutter. He did not spend any thought on the subject or think about the person that might have just lost there hand. I believe that regardless of how different Winston is from other comrades he has still been negatively affected by the party.

Once again being able to make our own questions was very helpful for the seminar. We were able to focus on parts of the book we really understood and could connect with. Having a half time where we could reflect on how we were doing was very important. We were able to get the opinion of our peers so we could come back and have a better discussion. This allowed us to have a deeper conversation.

While making our own questions was helpful it also limited us in a way. Everyone comes up with similar questions and the second group becomes a sort of repeat. Also a better distribution of people would be helpful. There was a clear difference between the first and second group where the first conversation was more interesting and heated. A better distribution of people may influence other to speak up more and be apart of the conversation.

Socratic Seminar Reflection #1

Malaika Hall

English/per.3

April 29^th 2014

Socratic Seminar #1 Final Reflection

            In our first Socratic Seminar for the novel 1984 we had a great introduction to the story. While I generally kept my own opinion my peers showed me new ways to look at Winston and his slow path to rebellion. I was even forced to think of things I hadn’t such as the “broken elevator” symbolizing the broken promises in the government. This opened many ideas about things such as all the contradiction in the names of the many “ministries”. There are ministries of peace and truth where the purposes of these ministries are actually the opposite. My peers even helped me to strengthen my previous ideas. For example the “Big Brother” party purposely-targeting young children to build their own generation of loyal subjects. The party was very manipulative and focused on eliminating the need to think for yourself.

The statement that the all-seeing government forced people not to trust themselves or others was very accurate to me. Winston stated how he hated people he was attracted to and was anxious about the connection he felt with O’Brien. Many people were so concerned with being aligned with the laws of the government that it became hard to actually have friends or trust anyone. I disagreed with the statement that Winston was consciously attempting to rebel against the government through his journal. I believe that he was simply trying to express his feelings that had been bottled up for a long time.

Being able to make our own questions worked really well for the seminar. We were able to talk about the things we thought were the most important. More importantly parts of the book we really understood and could connect with. This allowed us to have a deeper conversation.

While making our own questions was helpful it also limited us in a way. Both groups had very similar questions and this showed in the second group. Also a better distribution of people would be helpful. There was a clear difference between the first and second group where the first conversation was more interesting and heated. A better distribution of people may influence other to speak up more and be apart of the conversation.

Othello Dramatic Reading Words and Actions Video

A. Link to YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0AL_OlTK1o


B. Statement of Intent

         For my Dramatic Reading video I chose a 22 line excerpt from Act 5 Scene 1. This excerpt was mainly a dialogue between Iago and Roderigo but included a short soliloquy at the end. In the beginning of the excerpt I chose a very comforting but stern tone for Iago. This was because Iago was trying to further convince Roderigo that he was making the right decision. Iago had to convince Roderigo that he needed to start a fight with Cassio. But little did Roderigo know that whether he  or Cassio dies Iago will benefit. Iago speaks of this towards the end of the excerpt which is when I chose a more sneaky tone. Roderigo most likely felt scared and unsure which are the tones I chose for him.

        From this excerpt I truly was able to understand how conniving and manipulative Iago was. He knew exactly which buttons to push on each person in the story. He knew what he needed to say to make Roderigo fight Cassio. Roderigo was just a chess piece for Iago that couldn't think for himself or realize when he was being played.

       The use of soliloquy's throughout the story provide very useful information to the viewer. This moves the plot in a positive direction for Iago but his evil plans aren't known by the characters in the play. If the characters  had somehow caught on to Iago's plan as the audience knew perhaps they wouldn't have died. my excerpt was actually the start of Iago's plans not join in his favor because only Roderigo dies.