Socratic Seminar Preparation #4

   Part I.

  Winston is arrested, interrogated, and tortured by the prison guards as well as O'Brien. For a long    time, Winston refused to give up his beliefs.  Finally, after going to Room 101 and being tortured with his fear of rats, he betrays Julia and recognizes his love for Big Brother.

Part II.

Level 2:

-Why does Winston not know when he is being arrested?
    There are two scenarios that could be possible.  One is that he was most likely knocked out by the guards, so therefore he would have no sense of time.  Another possibility is that the Party manipulated time so that people would be confused as to what day it was.  Those are two scenarios that are possible.(Logos)

-What does Orwell mean by "unexpected movements" on page 201?
    The term "unexpected movements" refers to any movement that does not include someone sitting still with their hands in their laps.  For instance, when Winston put a hand in his pocket, he was promptly yelled at by the telescreen. This shows that the government controls the movements that the prisoners make. (Logos)

-Why do the common criminals in the book act badly, but political prisoners don't?
     The criminals act badly because they most likely already had behavioral problems which led to them becoming criminals.  The political prisoners didn't commit a huge crime, it was just thoughtcrime. They are also not used to going to jail, whereas the common criminals most likely are.  (Logos)

-Were all of the political prisoners beaten to rid them of intelligence?
      It is very likely that all of the political prisoners were beaten.  The interrogators were trying to get the political prisoners to believe in what the Party wants them to believe in, so they beat the prisoners' true beliefs right out of them. (Logos)

-Why is O'Brien inflicting pain on Winston?
       O'Brien is an interrogator for the Party.  He is trying to get Winston to drop his old beliefs and adopt those of the Party.  Every time Winston said something that O'Brien didn't like, he was in pain. . This is a way to "cure" Winston. (Logos)

-What does Winston's refusal to adopt the thinking that O'Brien wants him to show about him?
       It shows that Winston wants to stay true to himself and who he is. He doesn't care what anyone else thinks about him, even if he could potentially be persecuted for it.  He is more interested in staying true to himself then thinking about what everyone else wants him to think. (Pathos)

Level 3:

-How would you feel if you were a parent and your kid turned you over to the police?
        I would feel betrayed because I had raised the kid and done so much for them, and they turned me over to the police.  Especially if I felt that I hadn't done anything wrong, I would be hurt.  However, if I was living in that society, I would expect it because that was the norm in Oceania. (Pathos)

-Would prison guards be able to get away with injuring someone so badly in our society?
        Prison guards in county jails would not be able to get away with beating someone up so badly because they could get in trouble.  However, the guards at a facility such as Guantanomo Bay would be able to get away with it because they are dealing with possible terrorists, so they would be allowed to  torture the suspects. (Logos/Ethos)

-In Oceania, the Party watches its citizens almost all the time.  How is this evident in society today?
    In the US, Edward Snowden leaked information from NSA.  NSA has records of phone calls and Google searches done by people, so they know what a lot of people are doing.  Google tracks the searches done on a computer by a certain person, so certain ads pop up advertising something similar to what the person is searching online.  Also, the US has spied on officials in other countries, such as Russia. (Logical)

Part III.

"'You don't think they'll shoot me, do you, old chap?  They don't shoot you if you haven't actually done anything-only thoughts, which you can't help?  I know they give you a fair hearing.'"(Page 207)

"The beatings grew less frequent, and became mainly a threat, a horror to which he could be sent back at any moment when his answers were unsatisfactory."(Page 215)

Socratic Seminar Reflection #3

The seminar influenced my thinking about the text because it made me consider why there were

restrictions on relations in the society.  I learned more about the restrictions on sexual relations as well.

I hadn't thought a lot about why the laws were the way that they were.  Camilla's comment that the

Party considered love to be a problem, not cheating, was really insightful because I hadn't thought

about it in a lot of depth.
           

I agreed with the fact that cheating was not considered to be a huge problem because love was

forbidden.  The only valid reason for having sex in that society was to create more Party members.  I

didn't disagree with anything that was said.  If I could say anything, I would have asked at least one

more question.  I think some of them that I had would have generated interesting discussion, but I held

back.


The discussion was really insightful and everyone had great ideas.  Everyone contributed to the

conversation at least once, and everyone was receptive to each others' ideas.  We talked a lot about the

book which was good, because there was too much level 3 discussion.  Everyone left the seminar with

a better understanding of the book.
             

The seminar had some awkward silences, which was mainly because people were waiting for others to

talk.  I did that too.  Some of us were hesitant to share our ideas.  We need to be more confident and

willing to take the lead in the conversation, and not defer to whoever the discussion leader is.

Socratic Seminar Reflection #2

    The seminar influenced my thinking because my perspective on the chapters that we had to read

changed.  We talked about a lot of Level 3 questions.  We were able to connect what was going on in

the book to our own lives.  The questions that asked how the reader would feel if they were in certain

situations of the book were the questions that generated a lot of discussion.  The connection to our lives

helped us see what Oceania was like.  The question about why the Party didn't allow sex except for

creating more members made me think a little bit because I hadn't thought about it a lot before.

    I agreed with the statement that the Party members felt threatened, which is why they were a

dictatorship.  They were afraid that an uprising would occur.  I disagreed with the statement that even

though vocabulary was decreasing, it did not affect the thought process of a person.  Thoughts lead to

speech, so if the vocabulary was decreasing, it would also affect how someone thought.  If I could go

back to the seminar, I would have asked a question because I had several that might have sparked good

discussion, but I couldn't bring myself to ask them.

     The seminar flowed very smoothly.  There were no interruptions and everybody listened to each

other.  Because of that, people built off of others' ideas and the discussion was thought-provoking.  No

one disrespected another person's ideas, if someone disagreed, they did it respectfully.  Everyone had

good ideas and contributed to the discussion.

      For the next seminar, we could do a better job talking about the book itself.  It seemed like the entire

discussion consisted of Level 3 questions.  Those kinds of questions are great, but we kind of got away

from the book a little bit.  It would be good to talk about the book so everyone could have a good

understanding of it.

1984-Socratic Seminar Reflection #1

       The seminar influenced my thinking about a topic because I gained some more insight into how

Oceania's society functioned.  I learned about how it connected to the real world as well, since there

have been histories of people with authoritarian governments.  Several examples of this are Germany,

during the Nazi era, as well as North Korea.  To start the seminar, I asked, "Why does everyone call

each other 'comrade?'"  I thought that it was a result of the country always being at war, but the

responses I got were that it was just a word used to address each other, just as Mr. and Mrs. would be

used.
 
      I agreed with the idea that the citizens had to be careful about what they said and thought because

they were being watched by Big Brother and his regime.  The citizens could be arrested for saying or

doing anything that the government viewed as a threat.  I didn't really disagree with anything that was

said, because I thought that everyone's ideas made sense.  I should have told the group my response to

the question, because it could have presented an opportunity to take the conversation in another

direction, but I didn't.
       
 Everyone had good ideas and the discussion was thought-provoking in general.  Everyone shared their

insights and views on certain topics.  People were attentive and engaged in the discussion.  Sasha did a

good job of facilitating it and making sure that everyone was involved.  Some questions were really

good, as well, I had to think for a while to come up with the answer several times.
     
  The main thing that people should work on is making their questions clear and relatively easy to

comprehend.  There were several times that I had no idea how to answer a question because it was

either too complicated or it didn't get to the point.  In both cases, I had no idea what some of those

questions were asking, which might have limited some opportunities to make a really insightful

comment.  That is the main thing that people should work on.

Statement of Intent-Othello Dramatic Reading

   The excerpt that I chose to read is Iago's soliloquy in Act 1, when he reveals his revenge plan to carry out against Othello.  In the first sentence, the tone is sinister, since he is showing how he can manipulate Roderigo to help him carry out his master plan.  From "I hate the Moor" until "Cassio's a proper man,"the tone reflects resentment because he is revealing his reaction to being denied a promotion. There are pauses after "Let me see now" and "Let's see" because this is the time when he is plotting his scheme.  The last two lines, he is triumphant, because the details have been worked out and he is ready to carry out his plan.
   Throughout the recording of this soliloquy, I learned how clever and manipulative Iago is.  Almost every character was part of his master plan that led to the demise of several characters, including Othello and Desdemona.  While he is the antagonist in the play, he is very clever.  His plan was complex and planned very carefully, which shows both his cleverness and his intelligence.  I learned that if Iago wasn't clever and intelligent, the play would have ended differently because the plan could have backfired on him.
     The impact of the soliloquy on the text as a whole was huge.  It set the plot in motion and foreshadowed the events that would follow.  Without it, the play would have had a different outcome.  Iago would have taken a more rational approach to solve the problem. It affected all of the stages of dramatic structure because it shaped the entire outcome of the play.  It also further complicated the characterization because at first, Iago comes off as a loyal officer to Othello.  The soliloquy shows a completely different side to him, and it portrays him as a two-faced person.

Chapter 8: Surrounded-Theme Analysis

     The themes in this chapter are Crime, Mentoring, and Parallel Biographies.

    Crime:

   "Three days earlier, in broad daylight, two masked men had run into J. Browns Jewelry, waving guns at the customers, ordering them to the ground." (Page 146)

     Many people turn to crime in order to provide for their families.  Most of the time, they do not have a job or they have a very low-paying one.  Places such as jewelry stores are prime spots to get money, due to the expensive items that are present in the store. Many young people had dropped out of school, making it hard to obtain jobs.  Since dropouts often have a hard time getting a job due to their lack of education, they have to find other ways to make money to support themselves and/or their families.  Robbery was one of the most popular ways to do that.

   "Baltimore City was now averaging over three hundred murders a year, making it one of the per capita deadliest cities in America."

     Crime was prevalent in Baltimore City in the 1990s. Only 38 percent of high school students graduated on time, leaving the rest of them to make money on the streets.  Dropouts will often turn to crime to try to provide for themselves, and also to protect their fellow gang members.  Since there were a lot of high school dropouts, a lot of young people started to turn to crime.  Their lack of education, combined with a lack of guidance in some cases, led them to turn to a life of crime.  If a student goes through their life without having someone who was a good influence on them, they are more likely to get into trouble when they get older because they don't know how to handle their emotions in a professional manner, and they don't know the difference between right and wrong.

   "This wasn't the first trip through the criminal justice system for either of them.  Both men, in their early twenties, had long criminal records that included drug charges, handgun violations, and assault charges." (Page 149)

        Many times, people who make their money off of the streets get into trouble more than once, which can lead to their downfall.  Sometimes, convictions for crimes such as drug charges and handgun violations can start a chain reaction to them committing larger crimes that require more jail time.  Other times, they commit larger crimes such as felonies right off the bat without there being any warning signs whatsoever. In this case, the men who were part of the crew to rob the jewelry store had engaged in crimes before, which shows how common crime was in Baltimore City.

 Mentoring:

  "'…But make sure you do not leave without understanding the history.  Make sure you understand who Cecil Rhodes was and what his legacy is.  Know this before you apply for his scholarship.'"

       This is an example of mentoring because the mentor (Mayor Schmoke) is giving the mentee (the author Wes) advice that is needed to apply for a scholarship that has the potential to impact their life.  The mentee is receiving good life advice that will help them stand out and be picked for the scholarship.  Mentors can be very valuable in a young person's life because they lead their mentee in directions that can be prestigious.  Someone who has someone like that in their life will be better off in the long run than someone who doesn't.

Parallel Biographies:

" I realized just how similar were the challenges the young boys here and kids like the ones I grew up with faced.  In both places, young men go through a daily struggle trying to navigate their way through deadly streets, poverty… but they also have the history of determined, improvisational survival…" (Page 170)

       This is an example of parallel biographies because it shows the similarities between Wes's life and the lives of South African kids his age.  Many problems that youth face are universal no matter what region someone lives in.  While the West tends to have better facilities in general and not a whole lot of people are under the poverty line compared to other regions, big decisions still have to be made in both regions, and this quote shows that.

Title Justification Essay #3

       The path of one's life can lead to fulfilled or unfulfilled expectations, depending on the type of path that was taken.  In the third part of The Other Wes Moore, entitled "Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled," the paths of both Wes Moores arrive at their defining moments.  The author Wes attends paratrooper training while in the army, and he becomes a regimental commander, one of the highest-ranking officers at Valley Forge.  He had fulfilled expectations that the school had demanded of him. Wes 2 had gone to Job Corps and received his GED and vocational training, but after holding down a few jobs back home, he resorted to his old ways.  He and his brother robbed a jewelry store, and shot a police officer, leading to a life sentence in prison.  The title of the collection of chapters is appropriate with the author's purpose because the purpose is to encourage young people to make a positive impact  with their life, and the section shows the rewards and opportunities that come with going in the right direction and fulfilling expectations.
       The author demonstrates the rewards for making a positive impact in this section. One such reward was that "Valley Forge had selected me to be the regimental commander for the 70th Corps of Cadets.  This meant that I would be the highest-ranking cadet in the entire corps of over seven hundred people." (Page 134) From the time that Wes had arrived at Valley Forge to the time he was about to enter junior college, he had changed.  The adjustments that he made to his attitude and demeanor were instrumental in changing his life.  He rose up through the ranks, gaining more respect with each promotion. The series of promotions cumulated with him being the highest-ranking officer in the corps. This shows that his elders at Valley Forge believed in him. As someone gains more respect, their outlook on life also changes.  They realize that their elders believed in them and their ability to be a positive contribution to society, and they start to believe it, too. This leads to them becoming officers in the military (in Wes's case), police officers, doctors, or any other career where they make a difference. The reward ends up being the satisfaction of helping others. Also, when Wes went to talk to the mayor of Baltimore, Kurt Schmoke, he received a golden opportunity because of the direction his life was going in: "The words 'law school' escaped from my mouth, the fallback answer for students who have no idea what they want to do with their lives.  Mayor Schmoke waved his hand at the idea.  'Have you ever heard of the Rhodes Scholarship?'"(Page 161)  Wes had just finished completing an internship with the Mayor, and they were having a discussion about the experience and Wes's future plans. Mayor Schmoke thought highly of Wes, justifying the reason that he encouraged Wes to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship.  Many times, when a young person is viewed as exemplary, they are recruited to engage in prestigious programs or apply for scholarships.  For example, a student with straight A's is often encouraged to apply to the National Honor Society.  The more people that think highly of the person, the more opportunities are available to that person, and the more options they have for pursuing interests that they  have.
         The author shows how going down the right path can lead to several doors of opportunity opening.  It can lead to important leadership positions such as army officer, politician, or any other profession like that. It can also lead to other opportunities arising that have the potential to help a student discover their true calling in life.  Hopefully, a teen heading down the wrong path will read that section and be inspired to change the direction they are heading.