October 7

IB 30/35

We finished watching Episode 9 ("The Better Angels of Our Nature") of Ken Burns' "The Civil War" today in class. Your answers to the Episode 9 questions are due tomorrow. We looked at an evaluation of the Lincoln Presidency today, and also started a lecture on Reconstruction. Please remember that you must be in tutorial tomorrow, we're starting the film "Lincoln" tomorrow and we'll be starting the film at 8:30 sharp. Don't be late!

I think I'll post another poem here today. You might remember this one was recited in the Episode 9 documentary by James W. Symington a commentator in the film and a former Congressmen from Missouri. It's Thomas Hardy's "The Man He Killed". An interesting note about Symington: in addition to being a Congressmen, he is also a published poet.

The Man He Killed

Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have set us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!

But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
 I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.

I shot him dead because—
Because he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough; although

He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
Off-hand like—just as I—
Was out of work—had sold his traps—
No other reason why.

Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat, if met where any bar is,
Or help to half a crown.

Social 20-1

You wrote your Unit 1 Final Exam today, and you had the entire period to write it. You'll get the results of this exam tomorrow, along with your overall mark in the course. Your next major assessment will come on Friday, October 18th when you'll write your Unit 1 WRA I three source analysis in class.

Social 30-1

I did a homework check on your Chapter 6 Key Terms and Questions today. I also returned some homework as well. We watched a couple of videos from the news magazine show 60 Minutes today, one called "Dutch Treat" and then "Welfare a la Carte". The first video focused in on the Netherlands and the social welfare state, and the other on Norway. Please remember that you have your Ideological Reaction to Industrialization Test on Thursday, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it).