My Sorority Pledge? I Swore Off Sisterhood

Based on the NY Times Article, My Sorority Pledge? I Swore Off Sisterhood, answer the following questions. I'd like you to consider the implications of what the author has written in her essay. Some of your responses will require you to make inferences based on logic and the actual text.

Respond to each question fully and then respond to two of your peers posts for a total of 8 posts.

1. What comparison does the author make about the female and male responses to her unwilling participation in the "ledge party?"
   
2. If you had to choose which side is more "right" than the other?
   
3. What is the author's reason for not reporting this crime either to the police or her school authorities?
   
4. Would treating the incident as a crime have been helpful in healing the pain she experienced as a victim?
   
5. How might reporting the incident have impacted her situation as someone who was ostracized in the sorority and on campus? How does the author's self-image change in the wake of this incident?
6. Why does the author choose to avoid the word "rape" in her essay? How might it affect her essay and you the reader if she chose to include it in her writing? How has this incident impacted the author's life? (Hint: You may find it useful to research the terms "date rape" or "acquaintance rape" in order to get a more rounded perspective on the topic.)
   

Reading Schedule: A Virtuous Woman

• November 13th to page 43
• November 20th to page 93
• December 4th to page 138
• December 11th to page 165
  
  Please formulate two substantive questions for our classroom discussion for each reading. These should be typed and ready for submission..

Essay: Night

Basic English 2
Essay 2: Night


First Draft Due Tuesday November 18th
Second Draft Due: November 25th
Third Draft Due November 9th


In a well-developed five paragraph essay, discuss dehumanization in the novel, Night. Your essay should include at least three specific examples of events that occurred which dehumanized Eliezer, his father, or his fellow Jews.

The essay should be comprised of a thoughtful analysis of the example, and not merely a retelling of the scene or incident that considers the significance of the example. You should also consider what effect this has upon the Jews such as how it impacts their mental state, interactions with one another and their self-concept, as well as how it may influence non-Jews to treat them.

Online discussion: Night

Consider the following from on online source:

"Convincing an average citizen to commit a violent act or to murder a fellow human being is extremely difficult. Our moral code tells us that such acts are immoral and indefensible. However, through the skillful use of dehumanization, leaders throughout history have succeeded in doing just that. Once the enemy has been stripped of humanity and becomes an object worthy of punishment, the idea of mistreating or even destroying this threat becomes morally justifiable." (from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-dehumanization.htm on November 6, 2008)

Discuss at least three specific examples of events that occurred which dehumanized Eliezer, his father, or his fellow Jews.
In your response you should also consider what effect this has upon the Jews such as how it impacts their mental state, interactions with one another and their self-concept, as well as how it may influence non-Jews to treat them.

Posts should be 7-10 sentences each.
For further reading on dehumanization you may consider online sources on the topic such as Wikipedia to inform your opinions.