December
6
ELA 20: Dec 6 Writing Intro and Conclusion paragraphs…
the-emperors-club-assignment-body-pars.doc
- Students came to class and were given a copy of the three body paragraphs constructed for them to write their intro and conclusion around. I had only intended to use another fifteen minutes of class time for their writing but they worked with so much focus it was hard to move on. I was pleased with several of the opening paragraphs students came to have read and seek suggestions on. They look like interesting introductions. I’m looking forward to the final drafts.
- Just before the bell went, I explained the sub unit that we will begin next class based on Values and Goals. I talked a little bit about the ideas behind the unit and mentioned a poem we will study within it. I read a short bit to them and hopefully piqued their interest. We will continue next week.
- Their intro and conclusion paragraphs are due on Monday. (They have access to the three body paragraphs in a word document file that is attached to Wednesday’s ELA 20 blog entry. They can open that file, type in their own intro/conclusion paragraphs around those paragraphs and hand in the whole essay for their final submission.
Introduction
In our world of uncertainty, limitless “maybes” and an incomprehensibly vast set of mere possibilities, the small emotion that humans have come to name “anticipation” is probably as close to an absolute concept as is likely to be found. This most basic and universal of emotions is present in nearly all human works and actions, it is felt in our daily lives, portrayed in our literature and entertainment, and is an integral part, no matter who the person or how ambitious his or her pursuits, of the ways in which people travel through their fleeting lives. Relevant to the idea of anticipation are concepts like hope, the potential of individuals, and the hypotheses that lead humans to search for answers to their numerous questions. In virtually all facets of life, some form of anticipation is present, be it in the forms of hope, dread, or something altogether different. As in nearly all media and stories, anticipation in its myriad forms plays an important part in the plot of the movie “The Emperor’s Club”, which deals with the different outcomes that may be yielded by hope in another person’s potential, misplaced and otherwise. A teacher at a high-end school for boys, his name Mr. Hundert, places his hope in a young boy, Sedgwick, in hopes that he will fulfill the potential that Mr. Hundert knows he has, though Sedgwick quickly falls away from his potential heights. The movie deals with several varieties of hope and anticipation, felt by all people at one point or another; how individuals place hope in the potential of others, the simple desire to not repeat one’s missteps in life, and the basic desire for people to believe that their efforts in a given aspect of life will be met with reward of some kind. As in all things, there is often a significant difference that lies between one’s hopes and the true reality, and it is important to consider where one’s hope is placed, for failure in this regard often has consequences farther-reaching than either party is aware of, or prepared for.
Conclusion
The film deals in part with the importance of hope, and how its status can change from a driving force behind someone’s will to succeed to a self-destructive failure at a moment’s notice, yet also reinforcing that hope can be renewed, and potential regained. It is important realize here, though, that none of this can be achieved without personal effort and drive, and it is often easier to surrender hope altogether than to face the task of regaining one’s feet after having it proven unfounded. Whatever “hope” is, be it nothing more than a human emotional response, justified optimism directed towards the potential of oneself and others, or a purposefully self-deceiving set of lies, it is something that is felt by everyone throughout their lives. Perhaps it is not fully understood in its source, but it is an irrevocable part of the way in which people anticipate events in their lives, and often how they meet failure. However, just as Mr. Hundert discovered when the remainder of his students turned out to be principled men, we are not capable of anticipating all variables and possibilities in a situation, and while our predictions for the future may often be proven false, all actions yield reactions, and thus our efforts may not be totally wasted. After all, even Caesar could not have foreseen what influence his own death would have upon Rome, and nor could Rome itself, until after the final thrust.
Introduction
Most things in the future can not be controlled. There is no such thing that has power enough to decide what will happen, or what will not happen. Sometimes all that can be done is to anxiously sit and wait, and let events flow as they should. For some people, as Mr. Hundert in The Emperor’s Club who attempts to control the future in such a way to make Sedwick Bell’s life a little more worth while, ends up making a terrible mistake that is regretted. Through this video, we see how a certain individual expects to be appreciated, how there is potential in every human being that is hoped for, and that when one wrong doing is done it will be made up for and never done again. People’s characters are shaped as young children and are very hard to re-mold into someone great, even if your heart and soul is put into trying.
Conclusion
It is a very good thing to anticipate events, but bad in others. In the ways of the movie, it is shown how a person is wanting to be rewarded for his goodness, how potential in everyone is hoped to come out, and that wrong doings are never even thought about over again. When you fulfill an expected goal, it is obvious that it will feel splendid, for the goal has been reached successfully. On the other hand though, if the sights are set high, it might get missed and therefore fall short and totally shatter the esteem of that individual. The esteem may never be high enough to trust again, but do not worry, there is always excellence inside everyone, that is waiting to be strived out, it just let loose, and roamed free.