English 11

 I'm back and all is well!

Today I'll be checking in with the class to see how far you got in your literary response for Thomas King's Totem. My understanding is that the writing portion of this response is yet to be done, so we'll dedicate some time to this for the first half of the class today. After our break, we're going to dive into The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.

This one is a doozy. We're going to need some working vocabulary to discuss the philosophical implications of this story.

1. Hedonism: The decisions we make should prioritize the avoidance of personal pain and the pursuit of personal pleasure.
2. Utilitarianism: The decisions we make should prioritize the greatest overall happiness for as many people as possible. There are many varieties of this belief - we will discuss in class.
3. Egoism: Focuses on the role of the self - the individual.
4. Utopia: The world in a perfect state; happiness and plentiful, the world is thriving.
5. Dystopia: A setting where we discover the extent of cruelty people are capable of. Often makes arguments regarding human nature. Hopeless and despair are common topics here.
6. Scapegoat: A person who is blamed, or suffers for the wrong doings of others. The object of irrational hostility. (Merriam-Webster)
7. Existentialism: Branch of philosophy that concerns itself with exploring the purpose of our existence. Attempts questions such as "Why think?" "Who am I?" "What is my purpose?"
8. Absurd (literature): The meaningless struggle to find meaning through futile actions. Behaviors often seem irrational and ridiculous.