Equus Analysis: Day 2; A Clockwork Orange Discussion

By -
Lab: Period 1

Please read the handout on the psychologists.
  • Boris Cyrulnik: Our history does not determine our destiny
    • Life sucks. Tragedy strikes. Bad things happen to good people. Bad things happen to bad people.
    • Resilience is not inherent within a person; it is developed over one's lifetime, mainly through relationships. Humor and positive emotions build resilience.
    • Some people have a greater ability to "bounce back" from problems or are able to manage or cope.
    • Pain is determined often by how we react to it. The brain adjusts to pain or trauma (ventricles and the cortex shrinks), but it can recover in a well supported environment.
  • Lawrence Kohlberg: Morality Develops in Six Stages
    • Children develop a moral code and awareness of respect, empathy, and love through the interaction with others. 
    • Preconventional stages (childhood): behavior is determined by conditioning (punishment, reward, and reciprocity).
    • Conventional stages (adolescence-early adulthood): behaving as others would have us behave, upholding laws/rules, and maintaining social order...(i.e., school, church, family, etc.) 
    • Postconventional stages (beyond conformity): the individual is the judge of moral behavior; development of the conscience and universal moral principles rather than social norms. Only a few ever reach this stage.
  • Stanley Milgram: Humans are socialized to be obedient. Authority figures compel us to comply. Groups and peer pressure influence our moral thinking. Society demands obedience. See: The Miligram experiment.
  • Paul Ekman: 6 basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise); emotions form in our unconscious and can override our fundamental drives: hunger, shelter, sex, self preservation or safety, etc.
  • Alfred Adler: There is always someone superior to you, so you feel inferior around them. Inferiority motivates us to try new things or achieve. Balanced psyche leads to confidence. Imbalanced psyche leads to an inferiority complex and/or neurosis.
You should aim to use some of these theories, along with Freud, Anna Freud, Watson, Skinner, Pavlov, James, Janet, and the other psychologists we've studied to examine your chosen character:
  • Dysart
  • Alan
  • Frank
  • Dora
  • Hesther
  • Jill
Write a summary (1-2 pages approx. length) of how any of these theories help explain the motivation, objectives, conscious actions or words of that character in Act 2. Try to find reference to at least 3 different psychologists to examine your chosen character. Collect data by referencing the page or exact line that helps prove your analysis or case from Act 2.

If you finish before the end of the period, please do one of the following:
  • Gather with at least one other student who has chosen the same character as you and compare notes. Did you find the same or similar examples? Help each other interpret the character you chose in Act 1 or 2.
  • Work on any of the prompt ideas from your homework article on College Admissions. 
  • Read and consult source material for A Clockwork Orange. We will have a discussion on the book next class.
    • A Prophetic and Violent Masterpiece (scholarly journal article). This is an excellent example of how summary, analysis, critique, synthesis, and research can come together in a scholarly or academic article effectively. Please read this as a model, identifying where the article summarizes, where it analyzes, where it critiques, and how it uses synthesis and research from a variety of source material. Most of you will be expected to write similar articles later in this course, as well as in college.
    • The Clockwork Condition (New Yorker) from the mouth of the author. This article, written by Burgess himself, helps explain what he attempted to accomplish with the book and provides excellent insight into the psychology of the author.
    • A Clockwork Orange (film studies) - What it All Meant (video review of the film)
    • And for fun: Thug Notes: A Clockwork Orange
Period 2:

We will conduct our Socratic seminar on A Clockwork Orange.

HOMEWORK: Your character analysis paper on Equus is due Wednesday, Nov. 15. The coffeehouse is Nov. 15 at 7:00. All are welcome to attend! If you want to be an emcee, please let me or Ms. Gamzon know ASAP.

Finally, please get your field trip forms signed and clear yourself with the Nurse's office for our field trip to MCC on the 16th of November. We will be leaving at 8:15 (period 2) from the Commons and will be gone until period 9. Lunch is provided by the college.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Namesake Analysis/Discussion Chp. 1 & 2; How It Feels To Be Colored Me

By -
Image
Let's go back to examining  The Namesake , Chapter 1 this morning to continue examining the writing style going on here. Take a closer look at these passages: Pg. 3 (1st full paragraph) to 4 (end of 1st full paragraph): How is Ashima's character compared/contrasted with the American women in the hospital? What do you notice about the sentence structure of this paragraph? What does the use of dialogue in this paragraph provide for the reader? What literary devices do you notice? Can you find figurative language/metaphor/alliteration or other elements of imagery? How are the sentences similar to a contraction (the action in the scene)? Pg. 10-12: how is Ashoke's character presented? How does his story parallel or contrast with his wife's? How is Ashoke different from the other American men in the waiting room? What details do we learn about him?  Pg. 13-14: Nickolai Gogol and the short story "The Overcoat" is alluded to here. Just notice it for now. This al...
Read more

How It Feels to Be Colored Me & Writing Prompts

By -
Image
"How it Feels to Be Colored Me" is an essay by  Zora Neale Hurston . Take a moment to read a bit of information about Zora Neale Hurston, then we'll read the essay in class. Look closely at how the article opens (the hook, lead-in, thesis), and how it develops (the body, topic sentences, argument), and notice the sentence structure (length, diction, syntax). After studying some of these elements respond to the article in writing. ESSAY PROMPT: What defines you? What single physical, mental, emotional trait defines you? Why? What is the significance of this trait?  ESSAY PROMPT: Think about your own educational experience. How multicultural has your experience been?  ESSAY PROMPT: Is there value in having a common culture (for example stressing the idea that we are all 'Americans' over fragmenting our culture)? Why or why not? ESSAY PROMPT: Does this idea of multiculturalism need updating? Is this issue still important--and, if so, why? ESSAY, PLAY, or M...
Read more

Mythology Prezi Projects

By -
Myths. Watch the following short videos concerning mythology. W hat makes a hero ? Anti-hero of One's Own A Host of Heroes Due at end of class , please complete your mythology Prezi project.  You should know the major gods/goddesses of your chosen mythological subject. Create a slide or two where you discuss/list who are the major gods/goddesses in your chosen mythology and what they represent You should know the creation myth that goes with that tradition. In a few slides tell the story of that creation myth through videos, pictures, text, etc. [note: most cultural mythology traditions have more than one creation myth. Pick the one you'd like to use.] You should identify key cultural traditions/beliefs that are represented in the myths of this culture: for example: arête (strength) is a common cultural quality examined in many hero myths. Find examples of some others. At least one slide should include the cultural tradition--note that this slide could come before ...
Read more