Thursday, October 31, 2013

Prompts and Outline for Monday's Piece

Here is the outline I distributed in class, in case you decide to change your topic.

Here are the prompts that you could use for Monday.  Keep in mind that you can take any quote from the class packet or the "Worrier Warrior" article and build an argument off of that.


  • According to Jean Paul Sartre, “Man is nothing else than his plan…he is therefore nothing else than the ensemble of his acts.”  What is your take on this quote?
    • Are we the sum of what we have chosen to do in life, or is there something else going on?
  • According to Jean Paul Sartre, “The full responsibility of [man’s] existence rest[s] on him.”  What is your take on this quote?
    • Does this seem right or do you want to attribute responsibility for how you have turned out to other people, circumstances, experiences etc.?
    • Sartre appears to believe that we always have a choice to accept or reject the influence of something on us.  What is your take on this concept?  Do we have a choice as to how we react to the people and things in our lives that could influence us?
    • How have your choices created the person you are today?
  • In your own experience, how much influence do parents have on their kids?
  • Do your parents work with your “innate tendencies”?
  • Do you and your parents agree on what high school you should go to?  Why or why not?
  • Do you and your parents agree on your ideas for what career you’d like to pursue?  Why or why not?
  • How “like” your parents are you?  Are you more like one parent than another?  Are you a combination?  Why is this significant?
  • Do your parents treat you and your siblings differently?  Why?  Do you think this can be explained by genetic factors (or “inherent” personality)?
  • Do you have any personality traits that you think were reinforced, changed, or subdued by your parents, friends, experiences etc.?  What does this prove?


Write a response to the "Worrier vs. Warrior" article

  • Are you a worrier or a warrior? Somewhere in between?
  • Write an essay in which you refute the worrier/warrior concept altogether.
  • Write about members of your family as worriers or warriors: where you do think you get your traits from?
  • Write about the effect of testing or grades on you:  think of SPECIFIC anecdotes/stories that show the reader how you felt, rather than just telling us about it.


Write a response to the ideas we've discussed this week (Rousseau, Hobbes, SPE, Milgram, etc.)

  • How do you think you would you have acted had you been a participant in the Milgram or SP experiments? 
  • How would you explain the results of the SP and Milgram experiments?  Why did people do what they did?
  • How does civilization affect humanity?  Are we better off with it?  Worse off?  Both?  Neither?
  • Why do “good” people do “bad” things?
  • Write a response to Nietzsche's concept of the "Will to Power":
  • What do people most want in the world?  Is there one essential thing that we all want?
  • What do teenagers most want?  Adults?  Kids?  Is there a difference?  
  • What do girls most want in life? Boys?  Is there a difference?
  • Analyze how, if at all, money and power are related.


Friday, October 4, 2013

Updated Prompts for Your Nonfiction Pieces!

Here are the prompts I posted in class if you are feeling stuck.  Remember, you have a polished piece due this coming Friday, October 18th.  Here is the information on that.

Write a history of your life through… (pick one)
  • Your favorite books growing up
  • Important sports games or tournaments
  • Your favorite songs growing up
  • Games (video, board, both, etc.) growing up
  • Homework assignments you didn’t do
  • Your most memorable classes
  • TV shows or favorite movies
  • Another idea?

Write a "How To" manual that tells us something about who you are, what you believe, what you care about, how you view the world, what teenagers are like etc.
  • How to ask someone out…
  • How to master Minecraft…
  • How to deal with loss…
  • How to be you…
  • How to trick your teacher into thinking you did a good job on your homework…
Write a response to the "Worrier vs. Warrior" article
  • Are you a worrier or a warrior? Somewhere in between?
  • Tell a (true) story (or stories) about yourself that demonstrate(s) your inner worrier, inner warrior, or inner inbetweener.
  • Write an essay in which you refute the worrier/warrior concept altogether.
  • Write about members of your family as worriers or warriors: where you do think you get your traits from?
  • Write about the effect of testing or grades on you:  think of SPECIFIC anecdotes/stories that show the reader how you felt, rather than just telling us about it.
  • Tell the story about a moment when you overcame anxiety.
  • Tell the story about a moment when you were overwhelmed by anxiety and couldn’t make something happen (think stage fright, test anxiety etc.).
Write a response to the ideas we've discussed this week (Rousseau, Hobbes, SPE, Milgram, etc.)
  • How do you think you would you have acted had you been a participant in the Milgram or SP experiments? 
  • How would you explain the results of the SP and Milgram experiments?  Why did people do what they did?
  • How does civilization affect humanity?  Are we better off with it?  Worse off?  Both?  Neither?
  • Why do “good” people do “bad” things?
  • Just react to what we’ve been talking about this week:  freewrite about your responses, thoughts, questions, confusions, critiques, conclusions… 
Write a response to Nietzsche's concept of the "Will to Power":
  • What do people most want in the world?  Is there one essential thing that we all want?
  • What do teenagers most want?  Adults?  Kids?  Is there a difference?  
  • What do girls most want in life? Boys?  Is there a difference?
  • Analyze how, if at all, money and power are related.




Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Class Booklet and Milgram

If you misplaced your class booklet, here is a digital copy.  Please download it and print it (if you don't have your original copy) so that you can refer to it in class.

Here is the link to the Milgram Experiment video.

Study Questions for this Friday's Quiz

Make sure you have the following questions answered in your notebook.  This is what you should study from for your Quiz on Friday.

There will be extra help at lunch on Thursday if you are feeling... unnerved by the quiz!

Thomas Hobbes

  1. Why does Hobbes believe that mental and physical equality lead to conflicts between people? 
  2. According to Hobbes, what are the three causes of quarrels between people?  Do NOT just use the same exact words he does: make sure you explain what each means. Give an example of each from modern day life.
  3. Why does the state of war keep people from making progress?  
  4. What are your overall thoughts on Hobbes’ ideas?  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Somewhere in between?  Explain!

Philip Zimbardo (Stanford Prison Experiment)
  1. Describe Dr. Philip G. Zimbardo’s famous “Stanford Prison Experiment”:
  2. Why did the guards become “sadistic” or “evil,” according to Zimbardo?
  3. What is Zimbardo’s argument about human behavior AND what evidence does he use to prove this?
  4. According to Zimbardo, how is it possible for us to change our inclination towards sadistic behavior?
  5. What are your thoughts on Zimbardo’s work and findings?  This can be directly related or anything else that comes up for you.  Write at least 3-4 sentences:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  1. According to Rousseau, in what ways are humans and animals similar?  In what ways are they different? 
  2. According to the author, what problems have humans brought on themselves? 
  3. Describe how Rousseau views the natural state of humanity.  
  4. According to Rousseau, where or how did inequality between people begin?
  5. What is Rousseau’s overall view of human nature/behavior?
  6. Compare Rousseau’s view to Hobbes’ and Zimbardo’s
Stanley Milgram (Milgram Experiment)
  1. Describe the Milgram experiment.
  2. What does the Milgram experiment apparently demonstrate about human nature and behavior?
  3. Explain how Milgram’s experiment fits in with Hobbes, Rousseau, and Zimbardo?  
  4. What is your view of Milgram’s work?  Does this experiment tell the “real story” of human behavior, or are his conclusions flawed or misleading in any way?  Explain.