Katherine Fernandes Period 2 10/3/19 - Blog #1

10/03/19

Katherine Fernandes - Period 2

Aim: How do the images of the Greco-Roman gods/goddesses enlighten modern philosophy?

Do Now: 

Take the following qualities and list them in order of personal importance: BRAWN, WISDOM, JUSTICE, VALOR/ BRAVERY, PATIENCE, NURTURING, REASON, PURITY, TRUTH, BEAUTY, INNOVATION, CHARITY, LOVE, ATHLETICISM, CUNNING, CONFIDENCE, MERCY

The students shared a few of the qualities they deemed important or not as important:

• Robert’s top two qualities were confidence and wisdom because if you don’t have confidence then you won’t be able to get a lot done in life. At the bottom of his list was patience because he shared that he is not the type to wait around for someone else.
• Joshua had truth at the top of his list because without truth what type of world would we live in? He also had reason at the top of his list because the ability to reason is what separates humans from other species on Earth.
• Ben believed truth should be at the top of his list because of his value of knowledge. However, purity was at the bottom of his list because people can strive to be pure, but it can’t be achieved since it is hard to stay pure overall due to the different decisions we make. 
• Thomas thought bravery and confidence should be at the top of the list. He also shared that we don’t really know what “truth” is because if we were cursed to tell only the truth everyday then we would all be leading very different lives.
• Gautaman shared that purity and truth would be last on his list because they should be looked at as concepts instead of ideas we hold.
• Justin shared that number one on his list would be brawn because brawn can be considered dominance and in the history of evolution the more dominant species usually comes out on top. His second quality was wisdom because many of the other characteristics can fall under this category such as justice, truth, reason and purity. 

Someone asked Ms. Fusaro what is the difference between bravery and confidence:

• Bravery is when someone knows the outcome and no matter what it may be, they will still do what they believe is right
• Confidence is the belief in oneself

Ms. Fusaro asked the class how many people had wisdom and reason in their top five in which a majority of the class raised their hand. Then, she asked how many had brawn and bravery in their top five and only a handful of students raised their hands. This lead her to make the point that if anyone going into business as an entrepreneur, they should know their target audience. For example, the students at Tech believe more in the qualities of wisdom and reason instead of brawn and bravery.

The next activity was to make a list with the opposite characteristics from the original list: (here are a few listed)

Brawn - feeble

Wisdom - foolishness/ignorance 

Justice - corruption/bias/prejudice

Bravery - cowardliness

Nurturing - neglect

Reason - following one's heart

Purity - sinful

Truth - lies

Beauty - disgust

Innovation - archaic

Charity - selfish

Love - indifference/apathy (cannot be hate because if you hate someone or something you also deeply care about it)

Athleticism - lazy

Cunning - gullible

Confidence - timid/insecure

Mercy - ruthlessness

All of the characteristics of the opposite list can fit into one of these categories of the Seven Deadly Sins: WRATH, SLOTH, LUST, PRIDE, GREED, GLUTTONY, ENVY 

(Difference between envy and jealousy: Envy is when you want what someone else has. Jealousy is when you want and want to take what someone else has.)

Something to think about: Looking at your list and the antonyms appearing as a juxtaposition, do you feel the diction demonstrates who you are and/or who you strive to be compared against what you personally despise.

Afterwards the groups were given the opportunity to decide which god they would build a shrine for and why.

Student Reflection:

Today, we learned about the different characteristics people can have and how they shape our perception of others. I was able to see what qualities my classmates prioritize and learned more about their perspective on the world. We learned how these characteristics are demonstrated through Greek mythology through each of the gods. For example, the Greek valued wisdom which is demonstrated through Athena and their value of truth and honor is shown through Apollo. What we learned today can be used in our next lessons about Greek mythology and why some gods represent certain things.