Unity can be thought of as the most important theme in our culture because we are an ever evolving species in a shrinking world. “I pray for world peace” is very common in our society, yet time and time we have been proven that the only instances we really have true unity is when we are faced with a common enemy. If there is a commonality in our society, even in this little microcosm that is Riverside, we instantly create leaders based on age, talent, social status, etc. Can we really achieve unity or are we just not ready for it yet?

Three texts should be taken into consideration this week. One is Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by the great Shunryu Suzuki. This little book is about the unity of the self.

zenmind-1jpjy4h

The second text is by Freud’s contemporary and rival, Carl Jung on the collective unconscious. This small piece is an overview of Jung’s uncovering of this psychological phenomenon. A better text, if you’re into such things, is Jung’s Man and his Symbols.

Collective Unconscious-2hntuyo

The final selection is one that you might be familiar with. It is John Donne’s famous Mediation XVII from his long winded text Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. This is a piece that stresses the world around us and our connectivity to others. Granted this piece was done in 1623 or so, but the major concepts still hold true.

DonneMed17-2jzlo7z

So, as this is the final inquiry discussion, I would like to ask these questions in concordance with your own connections.

1. What is the definition of unity in our society? Is is achievable? Conceivable, even? First think about unity of the self and then reflect upon the collective unity of a nation then as a species. Do we have to have a ‘hive-mind’ in order to achieve such a phenomenon? Also, since a human’s life is temporary, why does unity have to be forever? Can we live for something bigger than ourselves?

(Ok, that was about 10 questions in one.)

2. Connect the theme of unity to something in modern day society, whether it be news, art, prose or poetry. Tell me and the class why it is relevant to the discussion.

3. Here’s your provincial prompt: Certain events change our impressions of
life. Can this involve uniting together or having a form of collective unity? Explore the prompt and the question.

While considering authority, there are many sub topics we can talk about this week: oppression,  culture, corruption, obedience, and conformity. Granted, we have talked about some of these topics a little bit with the theme of equality, so I’d like to specifically talk about what authority means and how it can be used for good and evil. So we aren’t talking just about control, but the social impacts of law, of implementing those laws and the result of implementation.

Here are some great pieces to really look deeply at:

Machiavelli  – The Prince

Prince-Adapted2-1fwb1uq

Also, there is a piece on authority by Joseph Conrad called Heart of Darkness. The movie, Apocalypse Now was based on this wonderful short novel. If you’re a movie fan you should check that out as well. Below is the link to Heart of Darkness:

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/526

These are questions for you to consider as we explore this theme:

1. What is your own definition of authority? How have we seen authority played out in society in the past? How about right now? To have authority figures is extremely important, but there is a fine line between authoritative and authoritarian. Explore this.
2. Don’t we have the right to question authority? Find examples for both sides of this question. How about authority in major works of literature or film? Can you make any connections of authority to the real world today?
3. The provincial prompt that fits authority would be that role models influence our lives. Having gone over question #1, I’d like for you to really understand the implications of following blindly versus following intellectually. Don’t we have preset biases to what kind of authority or role model we should follow?

Remember, this isn’t about equality anymore. Let’s focus only on authority in society. You are more than free to use 1984 as an example in your search.

Equality is what we strive for, especially in such divided times. We have touched upon this theme a few times throughout the semester. Think about political-correctness, class systems, poverty, and the all mighty power; the power to control and the power to corrupt.

Even though Orwell’s 1984 is a fine example of equality (or the lack of equality), I have a few more pieces to show you.

This is the actual transcript from a re -enactment of Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment. There are also two movies and a novel that I will note here:

Narration Stanford-w80z6o

Das Experiment (2001, Germany)

The Experiment (2013? USA)

The Lucifer Effect – Philip Zimbardo

Also with this theme, I have an important piece, also by Orwell called Animal Farm. There are strong parallels to the Russian Revolution and Stalin’s rule. Not only did I find a copy of the allegory itself, but I found a good website on the parallels. Check them both out.

http://site.iugaza.edu.ps/sbreem/files/2012/03/animalfarm.htm

AnimalFarm-r6em1u

These are the questions – a more generalized approach:

1. What is equality in your own words? Can your definition of equality be achieved in this sociopolitical environment of today? (Didn’t think so, but why?)
2. What famous works / movies / TV programs can you think of that deal with the theme of equality or a lack of equality?
3. If people can be influenced by their environment (provincial prompt), then how can people be so blind as to follow bad leaders? Do we really know what good leadership is? Do we even need leaders?
   1. The following is a great thesis by a gentleman named A. John Simmons (University of Virginia) on the philosophy of anarchism. It’s a fascinating look at a world without leaders that won’t go to ‘hell in a hand-basket’ as it were.

This is always a taboo subject, but demands recognition when analyzing literature or looking at the world. This week, we will delve mainly into the concept of gender and what it means to be a sexual being in modern society.

Here is a video I will show to you when we have time in class:

Fantastic piece on the different genders and unity.

Here are some questions we will look at this Friday:

1. What is the definition of sexuality? What is the definition of gender? Do we really consider this to be part of our cultural identity? Is it always an obvious choice?
2. There are many pieces of literature that have sexuality. Find one appropriate piece for the major discussion. Tell the class (or small groups) why you chose this piece. Does it define your own views on sexuality as a whole?
3. Will our current cultural climate really accept sexuality and freedom of gender choice, or are we still steeped in the after effects of a Puritan lifestyle? Here is a place to also talk about sexuality in different cultures other than Canada / USA / Commonwealth.

Here’s a piece by Freud on the psycho-sexual stages of childhood. Please, by all means disagree with this concept, as many before you already have.

freud_psychosexual-16t2nqb

Is innocence really that important?

This week will be more of a writing inquiry, not as such a discussion inquiry. We will discuss a little throughout the week with journal prompts.

The provincial prompt we will be connecting innocence to is as follows:

Our journey into the future begins in the past.

There are two things to consider when thinking about innocence. Does innocence really exist in weathered adults? Can innocence be kept whole throughout a person’s life?

Also, consider this: (Journal for Monday)

1. What, in your definition, is innocence and how is it related to your own life experiences?
2. Why are ‘coming of age’ stories so popular? Can you think of any that you have connected to? (Think movies, TV shows, short stories, novels, plays, etc.)
3. How can our journeys into the future begin in the past? Can this be connected to innocence as a whole?

There are many coming of age stories about innocence, but my all time favorite is one by Voltaire, called Candide. It is below if you’d like the PDF.

candide-12mw7dg

Also, I have a wonderful juxtaposition of 2 poems by William Blake that encapsulate a fine line between innocence and experience (and, aptly, his poetry titles were named the same thing).

Welcome to the world of VIRTUE

This week will be a little different. We are ‘stepping up our game’ if you will. Now that you know more about the style of the class, the teacher, and the unit, I want to propose a challenge that is directly related to the government exam.

The government exam includes umbrella theme statements every year. These statements are tied to all three of the pieces that are included. (The poetry, the prose and the non-fiction essay.)

The final part of the exam is the narrative non fiction writing piece. This piece is what the majority of students struggle with – so I will be dedicating more time to it in class while getting you into the frame of mind that is needed for first year humanities college courses.

So – the theme this week will be directly connected to an actual provincial theme. It is your job in writing to connect the two, no matter how unrelated they might seem at first. Critical and quick thinking are tools that are very overlooked with narratives.

Virtue is:  Wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, temperance, justice, & transcendence

Here are three questions to consider:

1. What is your own view of virtue in modern society? Think about virtue that is a part of socioeconomic and cultural norms (or abnormalities) of today. Also think about current events that contain virtue or vice.
2. How can virtue be applied to your own life? Would you consider yourself to be virtuous? Be honest with this question.
3. The important things in life endure over time. How can this be applied to virtue?

Here are some extra curricular pieces to consider when unpacking and connecting these two ideas:

jackson_lottery-2cahzbo

https://www.cwu.edu/~warren/Unit1/aristotles_virtues_and_vices.htm

Virtues-The-Master-List-2ijh0k8

Welcome to the world of LOVE

• What is your definition of love? Are there different kinds of love like there are different kinds of needs?
• What are some famous works of art (music, painting, stories, etc.) regarding love? HINT: there are many.
• Is romantic love a form of madness? Is the love of God the purest form of love there is?

1. A particular beautiful body.  This is the starting point, when love, which by definition is a desire for something we don’t have, is first aroused by the sight of individual beauty.
2. All beautiful bodies.  According to standard Platonic doctrine, all beautiful bodies share something in common, something the lover eventually comes to recognize. When he does recognize this, he moves beyond a passion for any particular body.
3. Beautiful souls.  Next, the lover comes to realize that spiritual and moral beauty matters much more than physical beauty.  So he will now yearn for the sort of interaction with noble characters that will help him become a better person.
4. Beautiful laws and institutions. These are created by good people (beautiful souls) and are the conditions which foster moral beauty.
5. The beauty of knowledge.  The lover turns his attention to all kinds of knowledge, but particularly, in the end to philosophical understanding.  (Although the reason for this turn isn’t stated, it is presumably because philosophical wisdom is what underpins good laws and institutions.)
6. Beauty itself–that is, the Form of the Beautiful.  This is described as “an everlasting loveliness which neither comes nor goes, which neither flowers nor fades.” It is the very essence of beauty, “subsisting of itself and by itself in an eternal oneness.”  And every particular beautiful thing is beautiful because of its connection to this Form.   The lover who has ascended the ladder apprehends the Form of Beauty in a kind of vision or revelation, not through words or in the way that other sorts of more ordinary knowledge are known.

This is my personal favorite Plato piece on love: (It is 50 pages- only the strong will survive this dialogue, I caution you.)

Plato-Phaedrus-1yyp0qo

This week, we will be focusing on wisdom as our theme. Since this is quite a broad topic, there will be a more focused approach to where our discussion will go.

Like for the past two weeks, I would like for you to bring in some example of what the word wisdom means to you. If you’d like, you can bring in some contemporary art / piece / other personal memento that reflects your own perception of wisdom.

Here is a poem by E.E. Cummings to help you get into the frame of mind that promotes a good inquiry discussion on Wisdom~

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond

somewhere i have never traveled, gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

or if your wish be to close me,i and
my life will shut very beautifully,suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility:whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

Keep these questions in mind as well while you are looking:

1. What does wisdom mean to you? How is it similar to smartness? Different?
2. Can wisdom really reflect a person’s character in this instant gratification style society?
3. Who is a hero to you? What have they taught you?

Let’s have a good discussion this Friday.