According to one review of Wicked, the novel is about:

the quest for the existence of souls; a challenge to our knowledge of what true evil is; family and how they impact our growth (or stunt it); adultery; sexual behavior; mythology within this mythological world; politics and government; sibling rivalry; fate versus individual choice; and a smattering of other ideals… [Maguire] asks the reader—in no uncertain terms—does our upbringing turn us into the people we eventually become? Are humans the only sentient (conscious) creatures? How does our family relate to us in our later years? Can we break away from fate and create our own path? Do political extremes drive people of power to commit terrible crimes?

Before you put Cuborica completely behind you, ask yourself if your experience in Cuborica raised some of these same issues. If so (which I expect it did) how does Wicked help you to understand what happened to you in Cuborica? Or, how did what happened in Cuborica help you to understand what happened in Wicked?

We began the year considering what you believe; now it is time to ask what challenges your beliefs? We have discussed your place in your systems and disruption of those systems. How have those systems contributed to the formation of your beliefs? How has disruption of those systems challenged your beliefs? How do you respond to the challenge? What did you believe going into Cuborica? How were your beliefs challenged? How did you respond? Now, consider Wicked...what did those characters believe and how were their beliefs challenged? Beliefs about faith, the Animals, the nation, the wizard, Shiz, politics and use of power...

HW:
The Arrogance of Righteousness:
That the one thing which is "wholly and eternally wrong" is the effort of so-called statesmen to inject one-sided and jaundiced sentiments into the youth of the country in either section. Such sentiments are neither consistent with the truth of history, nor conducive to the future welfare and unity of the Republic. The assumption on either side of all the righteousness and all the truth would produce a belittling arrogance, and an offensive intolerance of the opposing section; or, if either section could be persuaded that it was "wholly and eternally wrong," it would inevitably destroy the self-respect and manhood of its people.
John B. Gordon, Maj. Gen. CSA

The Arrogance of Righteousness

Consider the leader who:

• refuses to rise to power?
• is unaware of how much power s/he has?
• fears inadequacy?
• has a conscience? a soul?
• has a capacity for evil and a talent for goodness?

human qualities that enable/enhance or interfere with the exercise of leadership and power

Lily asked an interesting question: Why does Elphaba leave? (Nessarose, Shiz, Fiyero, the monastery...)

Remember to USE THE TEXT. HDYK what Elphaba thinks about faith? Use her conversations with Nessarose and Fiyero. What does she think about leadership? About the excercise of power? About inalienable rights? HDYK? Which passages of the text are you interpreting? Why are you understanding them in the way that you do?

Don't forget to contribute you groups insight to the class Google Doc!

• Who is asked to sacrifice? What do they give up?
• Who has a good conscience? HDYK?
• How will they they judged by their deeds?
• Who leads?

COFFEE Seth

What is leadership? What are the characteristics of good/bad leadership? What does it look like in action? How are decisions made and who gets to make them? What happens when you don't like the outcome? What recourse do you have?

• And when we think we lead, we are most led.
  - Lord Byron
• Leadership is the other side of the coin of loneliness, and he who is a leader must always act alone. And acting alone, accept everything alone.
  - Ferdinand Edralin Marcos
• Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
  - Dwight D. Eisenhower
• The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on.
  - Walter Lippmann

How does a sense of obligation affect the use of power?

With regard to Cuborica and Wicked, consider:

• Leadership and Power
• Arrogance, Intolerance and Righteousness
• Conscience and Sacrifice

Don't forget to contribute your group's insight to the class Google Doc!

No Whiting today

No Whiting today

Happy Holidays!

COFFEE Kate

HW: Read Rose Williams: "Look for some others for to 'plenish de earth"

For Monday read Jacqueline Jones

What power did slave women have over themselves? Consider that black women endured the double burden of being black and female; how did survival mechanisms developed under slavery serve bondwomen in their role as woman and laborer? How did the intricate web of choices forced upon them affect or alter the lives of bondwomen? Is oppression human nature? Can it be overcome?

Re-reading
What power did slave women have over themselves? Consider that black women endured the double burden of being black and female; how did survival mechanisms developed under slavery serve bondwomen in their role as woman and laborer? How did the intricate web of choices forced upon them affect or alter the lives of bondwomen? Is oppression human nature? Can it be overcome?

Now revisit up to p. 145 - fill in the gaps of the conversation we have had so far.

HW: KW to page

This reading is broken into segments so you can read and process the material in more manageable chunks; you don't need to read Reconstruction (yet).

Woo Hoo - coffee courtesy of Sarah H.

HW: KW to page 177

HW: KW to page 221 (we will give you time to start)

Your slavery questions

Wrap it all up with a bow: the KW Essay

Spend 15 minutes writing to this prompt: If I had been born the opposite sex...

Categories of your life that you considered...school (perception of intelligence or studiousness) vs. societal role (power and importance), relationship with parents, personality, sense of humor (ability of recognize persecution), friends, seeing political issues as gender issues (abortion), double standards for behavior, stereotypes (using them vs. being victim of them), childhood (pink vs. blue), traditional patterns and the rebels who buck the system

HW: Reading Gender specific texts...don't forget KW

Young Women read: The Sadkers

Young Men read:
The Men They Will Become:
Ch. 17 Late Adolescence
Ch. 18 Enabling
Ch. 19 Cheating
Ch. 20 Play and Sports

As you read

For reflection and discussion with a Partner

After you meet with your partner

What do you believe about yourself as a student? What is the source of these beliefs? How do you act on your beliefs? What happens when other points of view challenge your beliefs? What actions do you take with this knowledge?

Work on Prospectus - DUE at the end of the period

HW: Read KW

Moses enslavement as a product of his own thinking: see list of Zinn topic headings, who are each of those people or groups in Moses' mind/experience?

Over vacation read:
Please Don't Come Back from the Moon

"Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love..." (JFK)

• Who is asked to sacrifice? What do they give up?
• Who has a good conscience? HDYK?
• How will they they judged by their deeds?
• Who leads?

Essay Organizer

Let it snow...

Writing Groups for WICKED
Workshop the papers already!

Poisonwood Bible
HW: Read PWB Book I "Genesis" to page 30 for Tuesday

Focus Questions for 1-30:
-What is your opinion of Orleanna Price? What has led you to this opinion?
-How does she describe Africa? What are the contradictions within her descriptions? What conclusions can you draw of her based on her description of Africa?
-What is Orleanna's opinion of herself? HDYK?
 

THE ESSAY YOU WILL WRITE WHEN THIS READING IS ALL OVER

YOU ARE FOREWARNED!

YOUR DIRECTIONS ARE CLEAR

NO COMPLAINING

NO SLACKING

GET TO WORK

New Unit: Conscience
How does a sense of obligation affect the use of power?

"Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love..." JFK

HW:  Read PWB Book I "Genesis" to page 55 for Wednesday

Focus Questions for 30-55:

-The first sentence on page 30 is an example of assonance - what is the effect, of this deliberate decision by Kingsolver, on you, the reader? What does it make you think? See? Hear?

-On page 8 Orleanna says, "I married a man who could never love me, probably. It would have trespassed on his devotion to all mankind." What evidence do you have that this is true? How would you characterize Nathan Price? HDYK?

-What is Poisonwood both literally and figuratively?

-What are Nathan's expectations of: himself; his wife; his daughters; the Congolese; his God?

class notes

WICKED PAPER DUE

HW:  Finish PWB Book I "Genesis" for Friday
Focus Questions for 56-83:
-On pages 61-63 Kingsolver describes two examples of how "nature" responds to the "deluge." What are these examples? Why do they each respond to these incidents in the way that they do?
-At the end of Adah's chapter, she describes her father's efforts at restoring the garden as, "exactly the length and width of  burial mounds." Why would she use this simile? (This same simile is used again on page 77.)
-On pages 77- 83 how does Leah understand her/their obligation to God? Where does this understanding come from?
-What does Leah seek for herself?  Why do her efforts at fulfilling her obligation not provide this? HDYK?

LAST DAY FOR HENRY/LOCKE/WASHINGTON LEADERSHIP AND POWER REWRITES

HW:  Read PWB Book II "The Revelation" to page 141 for Wednesday.

Read GENESIS (in class)

Genesis chart

Finish Book II "The Revelation" for Friday 12/23

Focus Questions for Revelation:
-What is Nathan’s attitude towards his family? How has it changed? How has it stayed the same? What has led him to this attitude?
-How do the Price daughters respond to their father’s treatment of them?
-What do the characters allow themselves to become conscious of?
-What is the Leah’s obligation to Africa? HDYK?
-Pride is a central focus of this “chapter.” How does the character’s pride influence their understanding of their obligations? To their cause? To themselves? To others?
-How has Nathan’s obligation changed?
-How are the Congolese similar (and different to the Prices)?
-What does Lumumba mean when he says “We are going to make the Congo, for all Africa, the heart of light”? Based on what you have read so far is this possible?

In GENESIS: are enemies created? If so, how are enemies made? If not, what prevents that from happening?
Discussion Notes

Finish Book II "The Revelation" for Friday (see questions on 12/16)

Finish Book II "The Revelation" for Friday

Revelation Reading Questions (12/16)

PWB reading for vacation: Read Book III "The Judges"