Ozymandias! There's a name that won't soon be forgotten! Oh, wait, that's not exactly what Shelley was saying in his poem, was it? I guess Ozymandias's dream to live forever was undermined by the power of time. What did ambition get him? What did greed get him? And where does this hubris word come into play? A couple of you showed me definitions of hubris today, but no one brought it up during the discussion.
How about a shout out to Sean Conley for the image of the statue upon which the poem was based. Very cool to see and it helped some people understand the poem better. Way to go, Sean!
Well, maybe you will see a more relevant use of the word hubris in tonight's reading. Anton Chekhov (thanks Natalie Raffelock!) wrote "The Bet". It's one of my favorite stories to read and discuss. It covers several important issues. Greed, as I'm sure you can guess, but also some deeper ideas like:
How much is a life worth?
Is it better to be alive in any way than not to be alive at all?
Is capital punishment more humane than life in prison?
Be sure you read it thoroughly tonight and be thinking about those questions. Keep the poem "Ozymandias" in mind as well. Do you see a connection? (I hope so!) Be thinking how hubris fits into the story too. Not sure what hubris is? Look it up.
Sonnet is due Friday. I've seen several and you seem to be coming up with some good ideas. Double check those lines to be sure your syllable count is correct. Have fun with the ironic twists if you haven't written yours yet.
Have you discovered what Project Imaginat10n is yet? You'll all find out for sure on Monday. Here's another question about it. What does Project Imaginat10n and that classic old movie Splash have in common? Not sure what Splash is? Ask Mom and Dad.
I won't see you tomorrow because I won't be there--more meetings. I'll be back Friday to collect sonnets and get a feel for whether or not you would take the bet.
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