1 Directions: Is the world steadily improving? Generally
Transcription
1 Directions: Is the world steadily improving? Generally
Directions: Is the world steadily improving? Generally the same? Or getting worse? You were asked to take a position in class way back in August. Now, after a year of World History, use the chart below to gather information in preparing for our Socratic. For each historical event and piece of literature answer, in bullet point form, how the events connect to one another and to the world today. Part I- Historical Events Event Enlightenment Bulleted Points for Argument 1) How does the individual fit into the “scheme of things” in the modern world? 2) What is the relationship between humanity and religion in the modern world? 3) What are human rights? 4) Based on your view of human nature-what is the ideal form of government? French Revolution 1) What does it take to have a democracy? 2) What has the world learned from this revolution? 3) How important are these lessons for developing democracy in countries today? 4) What rights should all people have? 5) Is the French experience unique or can other countries adopt democratic forms of government successfully? Napoleon/Congress of Vienna 1) What is divine right? 2) How does Napoleon change perspectives on this traditional ascendency into power? 3) What impediments to change still exist for democracy and how are they overcome? 4) What does Napoleon’s usurpation of power tell you about peoples’ willingness to accept a dictator after a period of instability? 1 Industrialization/Imperialism 1) How did technological change and inventions impact peoples’ lives? 2) What is progress in society? 3) What defines civilization? 4) What motivates colonial expansion? 5) What are the impacts of colonialism on indigenous peoples? 6) As Americans, do we continue to view others as less worthy than we are due to our technological superiority? WWI 1) Is war really a choice or must it be carried out? 2) What is the effect of nationalism locally and globally? 3) Is it human nature to be violent? 4) When and why does propaganda have a strong influence over individuals? 5) What creates animosity between people? 6) How has the shift to militarism changed society and is it reversible? Rise of Communism- Russian and Chinese Revolutions 1) What is the reality of communism vs. the idea of communism? 2) Why do so many revolutions fail? 3) Why would communism be so appealing to a nation? 4) Why does communism lead to dictatorships? 5) Where did Stalin and Mao go wrong? WWII/Holocaust 1) Who is most responsible for the war and the Holocaust? 2) What was the effect of nationalism in Germany, Italy, and Japan? 3) Why do individuals like Stalin, Churchill, and FDR seek power? 4) Why are charismatic leaders so appealing? 5) Does “total power” always lead to total corruption? 6) What is the effect of total war on soldiers and society? 2 Cold War 1) What is the price of becoming a world power? 2) What happens to society and the people within it with the introduction of technology? 3) What is mutually assured destruction (MAD) and how did this change warfare? 4) What is the “military-industrial complex” that President Eisenhower talks about, what are its dangers, and do you believe his fears are justified? 5) Why do you think “communist” countries oppressive dictatorships and why must they control information? 6) Why did the US use propaganda during the Cold War and were our motivations different from the Soviet Union’s? 7) What does the fall of the Berlin wall indicate about government and about human nature? Part II- Literature Plato’s Allegory of the Cave 1) What affects the way you think and behave? In other words, what are the influences that have informed you of who you are and how you act on a daily basis? 2) What is Plato’s overall message? What is the essential insight you take-away from this message? 3) Why can’t the chained prisoners hear or understand the released individual? Why is this important to your own view of reality: to your own existence? 4) In what ways can you relate Allegory of the Cave to your life? Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities 1) What is the role of a citizen in a democracy? Civic Virtue. 2) What are the responsibilities of the government towards its citizens? 3) Why did the revolution become so violent? 4) How did Dickens use characters to reflect the various views of revolutionaries and reactionaries? 3 5) Why did Dickens use resurrection in the form of Sidney Carton? 6) What is the significance of Mme and M Defarge? Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart 1) How is civilization defined in history and who writes the definition? 2) Think back to your essay. What are some of the positive features of Ibo people that the colonists destroyed? Likewise, what are some of the negative aspects of the Ibo people that the British helped end? 3) In what ways has colonialism helped and debilitated other cultures? 4) Is there any form of colonialism today? Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front 1) Does All Quiet on the Western Front do a better job of showing humans at their best or at their worst? 2) Consider the different characters: Paul, Kat, Himmelstoss, Kantorek, etc. and think of several scenes that show people acting heroically or cruelly. What does this say about what war does to human nature? 3) Remarque wanted to show the reality of war. Did people learn any lessons from his novel or do we continue to romanticize the idea of war in the modern world? George Orwell’s Animal Farm 1) At the end of the novel, Clover stares in disbelief at how Napoleon and the other pigs look exactly like the humans. Do you agree with Orwell’s point about how absolute power corrupts absolutely? Have you seen any counter examples? 2) How has this novel added to your understanding of communism, revolutions, and human nature? Elie Wiesel’s Night 1) Elie Wiesel’s account of human nature tells a powerful account of 4 his experience in the Holocaust. 2) He looks at himself as both a messenger and a survivor. Did he succeed as messenger? Why or why not? 3) Do you think that a Holocaust could happen again? Why or why not? Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 1) In what ways does Bradbury depict a society that is completely disconnected from each other and consumed with superficial desires? 2) Describe how burning books is a form of censorship and relate this to the burning of All Quiet on the Western Front by the Nazis and to Kurt Vonnegut, jr’s “You Have Insulted Me”: A Letter. 3) To this extent, who decides what to censor? How does this impact our view of a society that chooses not to read? What then are the dangers to freedom and democracy as we know it? 5