If the government makes the laws, and you are protesting the government…

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This is actually a debate between two writers rather than a typical article or opinion piece.  Which of them do you think has the better arguments in terms of whether protestors in democracies are sometimes justified in breaking laws in order to make their voices heard?  How do these arguments play out in a Slovak (rather than a British) context?

Were some of the boys in blue brown?

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There is a lot to comment on in this story of an American of Indian ancestry and his interest in the Civil War and attempt to see himself and his people as a part of American history.  Why are some people so fascinated by the armed conflicts of history?  Why are some people interested in acquiring balast while others choose to travel light?   To what extent is America a country where anyone can find acceptance no mater what their origin?    Does Chamberlain's speech ring true then or now?   Do you empathise with the need to connect with your nation's history even if you do not share the same ethnicity or even race as the majority?  To what extent is it possible for Slovak citizens of non-Slovak origins to identify with events in Slovak history?

Non-straight Namibians are No Namby Pambies

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This is the last post you can comment on for the month of November.

Is the telling of individual stories (as this article does) a good way to help persuade others of the validity of the struggle of LGBTQ people for their rights?  Most of this struggle seems to take place in the courtroom in Namibia.  To what extent is this where they have the most chance of success?   What parallels can be drawn between how this issue is played out in Namibia and how LGBTQ activists confront perceived injustices here in Slovakia?

Will o Wisps

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Why are some people fascinated by UFOs? Why do others ignore or even shun these people?  Are the ufologists right when they claim that the scientific community should be paying more attention to this, or is it a wild goose chase?

Househusbandry

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What do you think of paid paternal leave?  Are you glad Slovakia adopted this policy?  How does it compare to the policies of other countries mentioned in this article?  Is the idea that housework should be paid work gaining traction?  Has COVID helped this along as this article seems to claim?

Passport please...

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To what extent do you believe vaccine mandates violate legal or human rights?  What about the rights of those that are affected by the choice of others to remain unvaccinated?  What parallels and differences do you see between South Africa and Slovakia in this case?

Ecological catastrophy? Shrug. Whatcha gonna do?

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What do you think is behind the lack of interest in climate change which this article reports?   Is the media partly to blame?   Should the role of the media be simply to report facts, or does it also have the obligation to encourage action?

Termination trauma

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This is the last article you can comment on for the month of October.

What limits seem reasonable to you in terms of abortion, and which limits simply make the experience needlessly more difficult for the woman involved?  Does acknowledging the fact that abortion is a tramatic experience for some women just add fuel to the pro-life side of the argument, or is this necessary information to take into account, even if you are pro-choice?   In any controversy, when is it important to concede points to the other side and address ambiguities, and when is it important to simplify the situation in order to make clear arguments?

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?