Polonius, Hamlet, and Privacy

Everyone is concerned about Hamlet. Polonius's theory is that Hamlet is upset not only because of the death of his father, but also because Ophelia has rejected him. In order to prove his theory and to get to the bottom of Hamlet's problems, Polonius confiscates a love letter written by Hamet to Ophelia and reads it to Claudius and Gertrude.

Is it ever OK to invade someone's privacy -for a parent to snoop, go through a child's text messages, etc. -for a concerned friend to look into another's personal life?

Explain why it is or is not OK to invade another person's privacy. Back up your argument with specifics. *200-word minimum.

Blogging is torture!

Discuss the use of torture and execution in Shakespeare's England -why and how it was done / provide specific examples.

"Capital punishment" consists of executing someone for their crimes. "Corporal punishment" consists of causing someone pain or discomfort in order to punish them or to discourage a certain behavior. Corporal punishment can consist of anything from being forced to sit in a corner, to being spanked, to being whipped or stretched on the rack.

The United States executes criminals all the time, and we've recently tortured terrorism suspects. Do you think that capital and corporal punishment work, or do they just cause people to be angrier and more violent? Explain.

*Post your response on your blog, not this one.

Background Music

First: If you haven't done so by now, add a link to your blog student blogs page (see the post from March 30 below).

After you've done that, do this (post it on your blog, not the class blog):
In Ancient Greece, epic poems like The Odyssey were sung, and music was played to accompany the story. Think about your favorite scene from The Odyssey the n write about it and the music that would go well with it.

First paragraph: Describe the scene (the circumstances, what happens during the scene, the characters involved, the setting, etc.)

Second paragraph: discuss why you like the scene (Can you relate to it in any way? Does it show something about the characters involved? Is it funny, inspiring, or sad? Does it make you feel good? ...)

Third paragraph: think about a song that would make for good background music to the scene. Explain the song (what it sounds like, who it's by, what it's about, and why it would work well with this part of The Odyssey. Include a link to the lyrics and/or a streamable version or video of the song in your post. You can even embed the song/video if you want to get fancy.

After you've this, visit one of your classmates pages (available on the student directory page). Read what they wrote about their favorite scene and the music that should go with it, and leave them a comment (50 words minimum) about what they wrote.

Home Sweet Home

"I know no sweeter sight on earth than a man's own native country" -Odysseus.
Reread Odysseus' description of Ithaca, his homeland, on pg 212, lines 21-32.

In The Odyssey Homer spends a tremendous amount of time describing the landscape of Odysseus' Ithaca. Throughout his journey, Odysseus risks his life and declines great opportunities all in order to get home. Obviously Odysseus feels that Ithaca is worth risking everything for.

Many people have sacrificed to make your neighborhood a safe and comfortable place to live. Consider your town, your block, your home. Is it worth fighting for? Risking your life for?

In today's post:
*Explain what your neighborhood looks like and what it's like to live there. *Provide details.
*Discuss wether or not it's worth fighting for.
...If it is explain why.
... ...If it isn't, answer this question: Should we make things better at home? Do we owe it to anybody to make things better?

If you can, include a picture to go along with your post.

Add your blog to the directory.

Add your blog to the directory. Here's how: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26vne-_I13A

Is Odysseus a good leader?

Throughout thier journey home, Odysseus and his men find themselves in a few tough situations. In fact, the entire crew dies, and Odysseus ends up stranded on Calypso's island. Whose fault is this? Are the men to blame? Do they lack the discipline to get tehmselves home? Or is Odysseus to blame? Does he fail in his role as a leader?

*Answer this question in a post on your blog (not this class blog).

*Provide specific supporting details.

*Yor post should consist of about 200 words.

Follow the Class Blog

Make things easy; follow the class blog. Here's how:

1) Click "Follow" in the top-left corner

2) Click the orange "Follow" button.

Now you'll be able to see new class blog posts on your dashboard.