Two Novels

My students have just completed two novels: The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.  This month, instead of responding to articles or recordings, I have provided some discussion questions about these works.

The Blithedale Romance: Why doesn’t Miles spill the beans?

When he discovered that Hollingsworth wanted to purchase the land for his prisoner reform scheme, why does Miles retreat to town instead of telling the others at Blithedale?  How would the plot of the novel have changed if had revealed this?

The Blithedale Romance: Are philanthropists inherently selfish?

This novel deals a lot with causes: the Transcendentalist and Fourierian ideals of the Blithedale project, the feminism of Zenobia, and of course the reformation of criminals which Hollingsworth devotes himself to.  What does Miles (or Hawthorne?) say about the dangers of this?  To what extent do you think he is right?

The Bell Jar: Esther as a young adult

Esther is an academically oriented young adult (like you).  To what extent can you identify with the difficulties she faces in the novel?

The Bell Jar: Am I better or worse than…?

Esther spends much of the novel comparing herself to others.  Do you think this is something that helps to cause her depression?  Or is it more of a symptom?  Or is it simply normal –something that most of us do but do not always admit to?

The Blithedale Romance and The Bell Jar: Too close or too far away?

Miles is constantly wondering whether his unhappiness is caused by being too concerned about Priscilla, Zenobia and Hollingsworth, or not concerned enough.  Which is it?  Is Esther’s problem in any way similar to that of Miles?

The Blithedale Romance and The Bell Jar: Types of feminism

Both novels have feminism as an important theme.  How does Plath’s (or Esther’s) view of feminism differ from that of Hawthorne (or Miles)?

The Blithedale Romance and The Bell Jar: Realistic or idealistic?

Both novels use characters to create a contrast between the attitudes of idealism/optimism, realism and cynicism.  What does each novel have to say about these attitudes?

Walking the fine line between frigid and hysterical

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Are women condemned for displaying strong emotion (or not displaying enough emotion) more than men are?  Clinton was often criticized for her lack of emotion.  How has Caputova fared? What do emotions (or the lack of them) tell us about credibility –if anything?

A thousand words gone with each jpeg

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How do you feel about photographs?  Are you someone who accepts that memory is ephemeral, or do you try to capture and catalogue all of your experiences?  Do you ever go back and look at your old photos?  How would you feel if they were lost or destroyed?

Is “poor you” an insult?

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Is classism a problem in our society in general or Slovak society in particular?  Are the poor often seen as undeserving of help?  Are blue-collar crimes (or crimes by poor minorities), more often condemned than white (collar) crimes?  What encourages such prejudice and what can be done to combat it?

Breivik, Roof, Bissonnette, Tarrant... crazies all

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This is a response by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand to the recent mass shooting in Christchurch.  Is saying that a white supremacist terrorist is crazy an excuse for not facing our own racism?  Is claiming that Islamic terrorists are motivated by their religion/ideology treating the group we do not belong to according to a double standard?  What can be done to fight white supremacy, which seems to be on the rise?

Sell carrots instead

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Should government money be used to revitalise poor neighborhoods with projects like this one?  What do you think about government food assistance to poor people, which seems to be a part of the market’s success?  Is having teens work on the market a good way to prevent crime?  Why isn’t the market more popular with locals?

Sorry for that little massacre some decades ago

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This is the last entry you can comment on for the month of April.

What do you think of government apologies for injustices committed in the past?  Do you agree with the author in this case?  Is he right in being dismissive of possible financial obligations for example?

What happens when you look that horse in the mouth

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Welcome to the listening blog.  This month, all links will connect you to recordings rather than written articles.

Would you ever hire someone to buy a gift for you?  Have you ever given someone an "ironing board"?  Or got one?  Is gift giving more trouble than it is worth?  What do you think about gifts from companies?  Or the role of gifts in diplomacy? 

In commenting on this blog, you may be helping to train a robot

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Is it worrisome that computers are replacing workers?  Is the data that helps train this AI work that should be paid for?  Is gathering data for free like feudalism?

Arabana online

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Would a job like Karina Lester's appeal to you? How important is it to preserve minority languages?  What about dialects?  How much is language connected to geography?  Is globalization and migration destroying local languages?

An ode to the moocher and the urban forager

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Has internet shopping changed our style of life? Is it one of the causes of political discontent these days?  Is wandering without an aim or searching through a second-hand shop no longer something that is done in our efficient, fast-paced society?  If so, what have we lost, if anything? 

I'll believe when I see it (as long as it pushes my buttons)

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How big a problem do you think confirmation bias is in terms of helping to make fake news effective?  How can we fight against fake news and our own tendencies to believe what we would like to believe, or to react in anger?  Do you think fake news is or could be a factor in inciting violence-- in Slovakia as well as India?   Can fact-checking websites help? 

The baroness in the tree

This is the last recording you can comment on for March.
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Does living in a (fairly) big city like Bratislava ever make you long for the countryside?  Are you attracted to political activism as a way to make a difference? Would you ever be tempted to live in a tree like Miranda?  Or give (part of your life) to a cause?

Money for nothing and checks for free

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Do you think a universal basic income policy is a good way to counteract the problems of rising income inequality and technological unemployment?  What do you think about the possible ways to fund it?  Would something like this ever be adopted in Slovakia?

Ezechial on the Wall

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Would a career as an art gallery owner appeal to you? What makes art so valuable (in a monetary sense or in other ways)?  Do you agree with the author in terms of the two different types of prophetic message that art conveys?  Which type is more important for you?

A Compendium of Current Campus Controversies

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Are men's rights and white pride legitimate causes, or are people just losing sight of who has really held power throughout human history?  Are some opinions too toxic to be given platforms by social media sites or by universities?  Are protests against ostensibly offensive speakers and the organisations that host them another form of free speech or is this a form of censorship?  Do safe spaces increase polarisation or help even the odds for vulnerable groups?