Debate Topics: Debate Two

Affirmative action, an issue most hotly debated in terms of collegiate admissions, is a state-held law that allows for "limited consideration of race in terms of creating more diverse communities." In other words, it allows colleges, employers and other such entities "some" ability to provide opportunities to individuals within certain minority groups.

The largest examples of such opportunities include minority based achievement scholarships and specialized programs. By contrast, "quotas," an old employment law that mandated work forces "had to" have an equal distribution of ethnic diversity have been outlawed. 

FOR: Affirmative action in New Jersey is necessary and should be upheld.

AGAINST: Affirmative action in New Jersey is reverse-discrimination and should be illegal.  

The Debate Topics: Debate One

Chapters 2 & 3 of A People's...deal with racism. Specifically, his thesis addresses the contrived and government-motivated nature of relations among colonial American white Europeans, African blacks and continental natives. Whether or not you agree with the nuances of Zinn's position, and they are certainly debatable, the consensus should hold that part and parcel to the story of America are atrocities toward African Americans, Native Americans, and let's face it, most dark skinned human beings in general.

This point is NOT debatable. But some modern discussions in race relations, many of which contain relevance to early America, are.

For Nick Murphy

A better answer than mine.

Work for the Week, February 28 - March 4th

This week: Please write your Journals # on the following NPR piece about Iraq. After listening to it, please comment on your feelings on America's "success" in the war. Your comment can focus on something as simple as "do you think we did the right thing by overthrowing the Saddam Hussein regime?"



Also, please listen to the following updates on Libya. Please be sure to come in tomorrow having spent a little time poking around the "Frontline" site on Cairo and the April 6th Movement.








Mon & Tues: SATs

Wed & Thur: Return to revolution in Cairo & writing

Friday: Debate Set-up Day

Next Week: Return of Vocab, Debate in Class Prep & Good Ole' Huck...keep a'readin'

I'm Baaaaaa-aaaaack

Try not to look so shocked...you had to figure I'd be back eventually...right?

For the Revolution in Cairo piece, journal assignments will be plagarized right off some schmoe's college blog. Grab them here (obviously numbers are different).

Vocab tomorrow....Debates set-up will be posted before Monday...Huckleberry Finn read to Chapter 22 by Wednesday, March 2nd.

Monday, February 14, 2011: Huck Finn work while I'm Out

Happy Valentine's Day...the Costal twins get a little stronger everyday. Though Henry is still in intensive care, he is doing much better. Thank you for all your thoughts and well wishes.

For this week, please keep reading Huck Finn through Chapter 13. Mr. Sera will also be intermittingly assigning you work to prepare you for the exam (only two and a half months to go). 

For each day, you will also have a journal to write.

Monday's journal: For Chapters 4 - 6, write about a few instances in which "society" fails Huck, Jim and/or Pap. How does the failure occur, and what is Twain trying to say about the conventions of civilized life?

Tuesday's Journal: Return to Jackson Island. It's baaaaaaaaack...how does the symbolic nature of Jackson's Island different this time around. What does the island symbolize to Huck and then Jim, how is this different than in Tom Sawyer?

Wednesday's Journal: Discuss the episode with Huck and the rattlesnake. What metaphor could Twain be harkening here? Discuss why you think the way you do.

Check the blog everyday for further assignments.

To Keep Track While I am Gone...

By Monday, please read Huck through Chapter Seven. Write a journal in your notebook for each of the following questions:

1. There is a great deal of irony in the interactions among the boys in Chapter 2. Twain tells us a great deal about their perceptions of the world. The way in which they handle Huck's entrance into the gang is especially interesting. He almost "cries." What do their actions and his reactions say about their perceptions?

2. Discuss your impression of the dialect used throughout the novel thus far. Does actually reading the book change your previous stance on the re-write discussion from earlier this year?