Crime and Punishment Thematic Topics

Here are the topics we brainstormed in class on November 13:

Crime and Punishment is a book about…
· Life
· Guilt
· Crime
· Punishment
· Chance vs. coincidence
· Illusion vs. reality
· Internal conflict of man(insanity)
· Drunkenness
· The Angry Russians ft. T-Sale
· Emotions
· Cycles of poverty
· Class conflict/social order
· Self-deception and justification for immorality
· Hats
· Pride
· Sacrifice
· Love
· Philosophy
· The importance of family
· Prostitution
· Painful deaths
· Morality (deep…)
· Conscience
· Dreams
· Socialism
· Drunken Russians
· Science vs. religion
· Biblical allusions
· Carnal nature of man
· Role of women
· Violence
· Infatuation

Crime and Punishment -- Part 1

If you were assigned to record a summary of class discussion, please post it here. Be sure to note the date of the discussion and the section of the book we discussed. You may also post any ideas you didn't get to share in discussion, or respond to others' blog comments.

Sonnets

I invite you to post your original sonnets here. In addition, you may want to comment (even interpret?) some of the sonnets that your classmates have posted.

Oedipus Rex

This is a good place to post follow-up comments about our class discussion of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. Be sure to note the specific scene or character you wish to discuss; the best comments will be anchored in the text.

"Werewolves in Their Youth"

If you have additional comments about the Chabon short story "Werewolves in Their Youth," post them here. Please try to add new ideas about the story; don't just rehash what was already said in class discussion.

Summer Reading

By way of introduction, please share some brief thoughts about what you read this summer. Include not only mention of the "literary" novel you read for class, but also any other reading you might have done, both literary and "commercial," both print and electronic.