The Trotsky

What is reincarnation?

Do you think reincarnation is

1. Possible?  
2. Unlikely?  
3. Very Possible?
4. Impossible?
5. Not just possible, but true and I can prove it!

Do you believe there is an Afterlife?

What are the similarities and differences between the idea of an Afterlife and Reincarnation?

If you see something bad taking place do you feel like you should do something about it?

For example, you see a little kid getting picked on by a mean and ugly gang of older kids.  Do you wish you could help out the little kid- maybe wish you could be transformed into Spiderman or become invisible, for a minute and fix things and then go on with your life?

Why or why not?

Not that you could become Spiderman, but is it natural to want to help one's fellow man?

Let's watch a movie about a high school student named Leon who tries to help others out, even if it causes some friction with his family and the authorities.

While watching the movie, raise your hand when you don't see exactly why people are doing what they are doing.

Are you ready?

http://ffilms.org/the-trotsky-2009/

http://www.movie4k.to/The-Trotsky-watch-movie-914593.html


Student protests in Hong Kong
http://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000003147895/the-voice-of-a-hong-kong-student-leader.html?emc=eta1

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/world/asia/hong-kong-china-democracy-protests-students.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LargeMediaHeadlineSum&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Introduction to Government

Introduction to Government

Do Now:
Copy the question and add your answer:

1. Does society depend on there being a government, or does the government depend on there being a society.  Explain your thoughts by using some examples to illustrate your view.

2. An alien has just landed.  Explain to that alien what the purpose of government is.

What I would tell the alien is....

The alien would understand that government is...

Trying to explain to an alien about government makes me confused about government than I was before because....

3. What ideas about the relationship between government and society does the conversation between the alien and the human try to get us to think about?

EXIT TICKET

Explain the meaning of this political cartoon:

2. 






2. If you already know how to drive, explain why you would need a license to drive.

3. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.  Explain, in your own words, what this statement from the Declaration of Independence means to you.

4. If the majority of people, in a democracy (a government that is ruled by the people) make a mistake about what laws are good or bad, would they admit it?  Can a majority ever admit it was wrong?

5. I heartily accept the motto, "That government is best which governs least"; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe— "That government is best which governs not at all"; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.  Explain, in your own words, what this statement from Henry David Thoreau’s 1849 essay “Civil Disobedience” means to you.  

6. With the abolition of private property, then, we shall have true, beautiful, healthy Individualism. Nobody will waste his life in accumulating things, and the symbols of things. One will live. To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.  ― Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man under Socialism

What is Oscar Wilde saying and do you think he is right or wrong?  Please explain.

7. What is Law?  Is Government necessary for Law?  Can there be Law without Government?





8. What is the ironic message the cartoonist is trying to get you to think about?

In Class Writing Topics - Government

An alien has just landed. Explain to that alien the purpose of government.	Which is more important to your daily life: local government, state government, or federal government?
Zoos are sometimes seen as necessary but not poor alternatives to a natural environment.  Discuss some of the arguments for and/or against keeping animals in zoos.	Imagine  that your teacher wants to teach a new subject for the next few weeks.  Your teacher will take suggestions, and then let the students vote on the new subject.  Write a short essay to support your choice that aims to persuade the other students to vote for your choice.
Since the invention of nuclear weapons we have had a long period of GLOBAL peace and stability.  Are nuclear weapons global peacemakers or killing devices?	Should the government place a tax on junk food and fatty snacks?
Explain how you plan to participate in government as you grow older.	What questions would you specifically like to ask the President of the United States?
What is capital punishment and what is it’s purpose?	If a person commits a crime and asks to be forgiven, is it unjust to punish them?
Should schools or families be in charge of the education of minors in society?	Doing assigned homework may be a good way to reinforce classroom learning, but does the government have the right to tell you what school work you should do when you’re not in school?
Should the schools, or the students enforce a dress code?	Should classes be scheduled for 3 hours a day, twice a week, instead of every day for an hour?

Young Goodman Brown - Link

http://coursesmrhedges2013.blogspot.com/2013/01/young-goodman-brown-by-nathaniel.html