Lord Of Flies

Below there are 4 writing prompts dealing with themes in Sociology that can be related to the book "Lord of the Flies."  Write a response to each and then answer the questions from the reading.  Write a response to each prompt with 80 words or more.  You may choose to write on one prompt in 300 words or more if you wish.  (Basically you will have over 300 words total when done)

1.  "Society knows perfectly well how to kill a man and has methods more subtle than death"
     Andre Gide (100 words or more)

2.  If we can't separate our civilized self from our savage self which will take over and why?  (100 words or more)

3.  How is a civilization created?  Are people controlled by society or is society controlled by people?  Be persuasive.  (100 words or more)

4.  On page143-144, Simon has a “conversation” with the Lord of the Flies in which the pig's head "tells" him a number of things – that he is “ignorant”, that he is “not wanted”, and that if he doesn’t do as the LOTF says the boys will “do” (kill) Simon.  The LOF also tells Simon that their would "be fun" on the island and that Simon should understand that he was "not wanted."

What is the LOTF taking about? What has Simon been doing that makes the LOTF angry? Why Simon in particular? Why not any of the other boys?
In sociology context this is really a conversation/battle of good vs. evil.  Think of the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other shoulder (your conscience) telling you what you should or should not do.

DasBus

Simpson's parody on Lord of the Flies

http://putlocker.is/watch-the-simpsons-tvshow-season-9-episode-14-online-free-putlocker.html

Bacha Bazi

Sexual Abuse as a custom?

Read the article at the above link.  Write a reaction in 200 words to the article.  100 words for the reaction and 100 words for sociological imagination/mindfulness.

Lord of the Flies quiz blog

So for Chapters 1 and 2 I want you to do the following:

Pretend you are Piggy and write a letter to your aunt.  In the letter you should talk about Jack, Ralph, Simon, the conch, creepers, "the Beast", and the fire(s).  Tie in yesterdays activity "I'm going to a party and I'm bringing..." to the formation of groups  (chorus/tenor/alto).

Your grade will be based on the essay rubic-just use details and correct grammar/sentence structure and you will be fine. (Give me concrete details/evidence to convince me you read most of it)  There is no required length-just get the job done.  It is worth 20pts.

Sociological Mindfulness

So the other day I asked the class if they knew or could imagine what their place in the future would be.  Where did they fit in or could they see where they would fit in the big picture.  Of course most of the students weren't able to give an answer.  So here is some food for thought for those who are having a hard time grasping the concept of sociological mindfulness.  Think about the
 past and all the ways individuals with sociological mindfulness have impacted our world.  Some people might  think about  Rosa Parks, Gandhi, Elenore Roosevelt, Einstein, Mother Theresa and think about the movements like the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the women's rights movement, the civil rights movement, the elimination of polio, the homosexual movement and etc...  Here is 10 acts of courage that changed the world.  All of these people and movements are a product of those who had sociological mindfulness.  Think about Rosa Parks and realize that her actions changed the people on that bus and that changed the people of the city which changed our nation and that has influenced the world's view of human rights and the dignity of all human beings.  Our actions in day to day life, like where we sit on the bus and how we treat others can make a difference.   That awareness is sociological mindfulness.  In personal life, it might be  parents sending a kid to college even though they themselves never went there and they didn't have the money.
 
The Starfish Parable is another way to think about being sociologically mindful

One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.
Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, "I'm saving these starfish, Sir".
The old man chuckled aloud, "Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?"
The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, "It made a difference to that one!"

 We cannot change the world, but by being aware of how our actions affect those around us, we can make a difference for those who we do come into contact with us.


 Here is a video that highlights sociological mindfulness from a radical perspective.

https://www.ted.com/talks/sam_richards_a_radical_experiment_in_empathy?language=en

Your assignment is to think about sociological mindfulness.  In a 300 word post I want you to reflect on the above video.  I want you to also include examples of where you were sociologically mindful or at least an example related to your life.  Lastly I would like you to finish the question "I see myself fitting into the big picture of society..."

Mass shootings: an American problem?

So the other day I mentioned manifest and latent functions.  Over a year ago there was a shooting of a TV reporter and her cameraman in Roanoke, Virginia.  Since then there have been several shootings in the United States including the Dylan Roof shooting in a South Carolina church.  When questioned about the shooting Roof admitted to the shooting showing little remorse.  He even laughed at certain points in the questioning.  Sociologist Robert Merton came up with manifest and latent functions, but he also had a theory that he called "Strain Theory." 



What I want you to do is read the article at the following link "American Exceptionalism."

Tell me what you think about the article.  You may agree or disagree.  Tie in Merton's strain theory with your opinion.  Be prepared to give a short oral report tomorrow in front of the class.

An Easy A?

So know you don't get an easy A.  What I am talking about is Merton’s manifest and latent functions via "An Easy A".  Most of you are familiar with the movie mentioned above.  I chose the story of Easy A, to illustrate Merton’s concepts of manifest and latent functions.  This tale of rumors and reputations is about how high school student Olive Penderghast’s decision to help a friend out brings a series of unexpected events and consequences.  Olive’s decision to help her bullied friend out by saying they had hooked up, could be viewed as the manifest function, or the intended purpose.  However, the repercussion of this act was a suddenly tarnished reputation and the requests from a lot more of her less than desired and troubled peers, which could be regarded as the latent function or the unintended consequence.  Watch the trailer below to gain an understanding into the concept.

or click link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KNbPnqyvItk


And here is a link to a Sociology project that explains how Reality TV has changed the norms of society.  There are some examples of symbolic interactionism, conflict theory, and so forth.

https://sociologyjrs2012.wordpress.com/