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.

short essay #3

               In the novel “The Other Wes Moore” the author also named Wes Moore describes the lives of two boys who despite their similarities take on two totally different life paths.  As these two boys enter adult and take on their life paths the similarities between these two boys decrease more and more. Wes who just like Wes 2 was originally facing problems deciding what to do with his life is now on his way to becoming a rhodes scholar and decorated veteran while Wes 2 faces a court room on accomplice and robbery charges and eventually life in prison. The reader can begin to  look back on the lives of these young men  and determine what had the most influence on their lives today. The title of Part 2: “Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled” directly applies to the major life choices of Wes and Wes 2 and the idea throughout the novel that people do "what others expect of" them.

                    As children Wes and Wes 2 were intelligent, loving, funny, fatherless, and had mothers who wanted the best for them. But as time went on it was proven that it is only a combination of good choices and positive surroundings that lead to success. Wes and Wes 2 most likely took on different life paths because of the difference life choices they made.  Wes eventually decided to take education seriously while Wes 2 dropped out. Wes only had to be responsible for himself while Wes 2 was not careful and early on carried the responsibility of children. Wes and Wes 2 knew they had to be smart and lead and honest life but Wes fortunately never got involved in drugs while Wes 2 wasn't strong enough to stay away. In comparison  to Wes, Wes 2 who  was recently releases from prison after only 6 months (very short for what he could have served) carried the rules of the streets with him and eventually dropped out of high school. Both Wes's got a second chance to get their lives together, but the two parallel biographies determined whether they took advantage or not. Wes 2 didn't have very high expectations for himself, excepted being arrested as routine and when he was angry reacted strongly and without thinking. Meanwhile Wes was finally beginning to understand that he had to live an honest life and think before he acts.

              In the end, the next three chapters show how “Choices and Second Chances” are only beneficial if a person understands how important they are. Many people need the help of a positive environment or people around them to make these decisions. This is shown through the differences between Wes and Wes 2. Both boys had potential to be great but will become very different people as a result of this difference.

Chapter 8: Surrounded

Importance of Education/ Crimes

                 In the eighth chapter "Surrounded"  Wes Moore 1 and 2 experience the final major changes in adult hood that will effect both of them forever. As growing adults their lives no longer share many similarities. There were two common themes of importance of education and crimes.

Quote 1: "Wes was walking down a street, Philly cheesesteak in one hand and a new pair of blue jeans in the other."(p.153)

-Wes 2 and his brother Tony were currently the most wanted people in Maryland. They were two key suspects in a robbery and murder of a police officer. Before they were arrested it was Wes's family that had to deal with the police. Meanwhile Wes and his brother could be found chilling in Philadelphia. Wes and his brother were very inconsiderate to allow his family to face ridicule alone. This makes Wes and his brother seem selfish. This goes against Wes's 2 ideas of living a more healthy and honest life.

Quote 2: "Maybe it was because he'd never thought long term about his life at all " (p.157)
-As Wes finally receives his life sentence in jail he reflects on how he ended up in that situation. It wasn't until Wes 2 received an extreme consequence that he thought about his life in a long term view. This is very different from Wes who as early as high school began to think about what he wanted to do with his life. He even states "I started to think seriously about how I could become the person I wanted to be." This shows another main resin for why the two boys turned out so different. Wes 2 didn't even know the type of questions he needed to ask himself. This shows a lack of adult throughout his life. Wes 2 didn't have the support like Wes had or people to tell him about life.

Quote 3: "Early losses condition you to believe that  short-term plans are always smarter"(p.157)
-Once again Wes 2 was taught the rules of the "street." Even though these rules helped him earn money it was beliefs such as this that didn't support living a healthy life. Because Wes 2 was only thinking about his life in short-term it would be hard for Wes to truly learn from his mistakes.  

Quote 4: "He felt very alone. He sighed deeply. A sudden apathy sapped him" (p.157)
- As Wes 2  receives his sentence of life in prison these are the expressions he feels. He realizes that the odds aren't in his favor and the jury is most likely against him. This shows how the odds are against many black males even outside of the court room. Many people feel scared of them no one takes the time to hear their story of feel sympathy towards them. This is important because Wes is also a black male and could have easily met a similar fate that Wes 2 did.

Quote 5: "I stared at the young man...His bright eyes and straight back demanded attention.The confidence in his stride was something that...I did not have yet"(p.170)
-Wes states this as he sees a young man in Africa who has just gone through a rights of passage. He has moved from childhood and is now considered a man. Even though he is young he has the maturity of a man. Wes now has an example of what a man does and is supposed to look like. This is important because he eventually needs to become a man. It is this example that is crucial to the development to young men.