McCarthyism is Still Alive

The following notes are for Najiha. But is am posting it here so that others who are interested can take a look. Our main target is to watch the film "Good Night, and Good Luck".  I would particularly like Tananze, Aminah, and Naqvi to take a look. At the same time we shall consider how in early 1950s a new phase of political witch-hunting changed the face of US politics, short-lived though it was. Here is a list of materials that will prepare you for the discussion.

1. Watch the full film here > "Good Night, and Good Luck", Directed by George Clooney
2. Documentary on broadcast Journalist Edward R. Murrow and his confrontation of McCarthy. It can be seen here > Edward R. Murrow
3. Death notice of Senator McCarthy is here > McCarthy is Dead
4. Finally, lawyer Joseph Welch's famous charge to McCarthy "Have you no decency" at the public hearing. Watch it here > Have you No Decency? 

As you will see the George Clooney film questions the limit of state power over individual's right to disagree. Here is a classic case of Private V. Public. The film also builds on the limits of public broadcasting companies to take sides on a national issue. As you will see in the documentary listed on the 2nd above, Newsweek newspaper ran a cover story on Edward R. Murrow, which rhetorically asked "Should Television Take Sides?" 

I will add a few more notes in numbered sequence.

1. E. Murrow asked in the night of broadcasting about McCarthy, "Is there an Achilles' heel?", implying was there anyone in the room who had a questionable past which McCarthy could possibly use against the CBS broadcast team. And then Murrow warned "The TERROR is among us."
2. Commentators say that it was the night when Television "came of age."
3. McCarthyism is comparable with Stalinist Purge in Soviet Union which occurred between 1936-38 when more than a million 'dissenters' were executed for fear of being different opinions. 
4. After the anti-McCarthy broadcast, CBS Television had some changes in CBS's executive Bureaucracy, primarily to ensure that no SINGLE journalist could "Overwhelmingly Influence" the network's policy. 
5. It is interesting to note that after the CBS broadcast E. Murrow's denunciation of Senator McCarthy's unethical ways, McCarthy himself appeared in a TV show and announced that "Murrow is a symbol, the leader, the cleverest of the jackal pack."
6. McCarthy died prematurely at the age of 47, troubled by consumption. His political legacy was removed by his own political party Republican Party. 
7. However, in 2020 McCarthyism has probably returned to the modern world in the image of Trump.  

Tananze Work Progress

Work In Progress for English Literature and Language

Work for English Language:

1.     Blog writing = Has this been assigned by your School? Have you done any ESSAY this last 4 weeks? If not, I want to send you two Essay Topics.

Work for English Literature:

1.     Write about themes, ideas and analyse poems from time to time = Is this what you have been doing or plan to do.

Individual Work:

1.     Started Never Let Me Go = this was actually started some time back. What is your Progress?

2.     Walt Whitman = How did you come across Walt Whitman? Because Whitman is a NOT a good poet to work on at this stage as reading Whitman involves very LONG time commitment. You also have to work on other writers of the time to understand Whitman. At the surface level Whitman is very SIMPLISTIC.

3.     W.B Yeats (I recently read “Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven”, it was very beautiful.) = Yeats is alright and you need to figure out which poems you want to work on. Send me the list of 5 poems immediately.

4.     Shakespeare (I plan to finish all the Sonnets and start reading more of his plays.). = Shakespeare Sonnets are complex and very good for learning poetic Craftsmanship. I want you to start working on King Lear TRAGEDY and then Much Ado About Nothing COMEDY.

Some Heavy Reading Materials

More is Different = http://robotics.cs.tamu.edu/dshell/cs689/papers/anderson72more_is_different.pdf
John Inkenberry essay= https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/gji3/files/why_the_liberal_world_order_will_survive.pdf

The first essay is about Scientific Inquiry and the second one is about the International World Order. Two different ways of looking at the world we live in. 

Mock Preparation for O / A Literature Students and Language Students

I have been working with students using various platforms in the past three days. It is high time that we work consistently as if the Exam season is in full Swing. Here is a summary of work so that each of you can see what others are doing.

1. Aminah: We have already made arrangements for working on the AS Economics. You have sent me your selected questions that you have chosen and you are expected to work on these questions. We shall soon sit for a FULL Mock Paper of Econ Paper 1 and Econ Paper 2. Probably by next week. We shall send these papers through the School for Grading.
2. Bianca: I had a talk with you about the way we shall work on the AS/A2 Literature Mock Paper. We have long been working on individual Questions, and I shall now send you a Question Paper on each of the following Papers - Paper 1, and Paper 4. Since we have also decided that Physics Mock should be undertaken, please let me know which QP you want to work on by day-after-tomorrow. 
3. Tananze: I had a talk with you about the Mocks that we need to work on. Since your school has not given you any Literature Mock Paper, we shall prepare 2 sets of Papers and send it to school by the end of this week. I have already sent you 2 sets of Literature QP for writing. You are expected to finish the First Paper tonight.
4. Naqvi: You have send me the Mock QP that your school has provided. You are expected to work on the 2nd Paper tonight and get ready for 1st Paper tomorrow. You have decided to work on "View From the Bridge" instead of "An Inspector Calls." Simultaneously, you will work on "The Whale Rider" and a Film Book provided by the British Film Institute.  
5. Ahmed: Ahmed, I have not yet been able to talk to you about the Language Mock Exam. However, I want to send you a Mock Paper which you will work on tomorrow Morning. In the meantime, let me know which TYPE of Questions you would prefer to work on with me in the next ONE week.
6. Uzayr: You have been working on ALL of your O' level papers, which I have gathered from a discussion with your mom yesterday. I would like to talk to you regarding the way we can set a MOCK day for writing a FULL English Language Mock.  
7. Ifrit: I think we are gong fine with regular online classes. I am happy that your sentences and ideas has improved a lot in the past few sessions. We shall fix a set of questions for your Shakespeare. 
8. Tahmid: I have sent you a couple of things. I was expecting to see a PICTURE of all the books you are currently using as part of your School Language and Literature class. I also hope that you will send me a review for two of the Films (one Bengali and one English) that I send the links of. Let me know if there is anything you want to work on. If you are willing, I want you to start working on the Autobiography of famous scientist Feynman; it's titled "You Must be Joking Mr. Feynman". 
9. Nabila: Although we do not have any contact after you have done the last class with me, let me know if there is any Question from Comprehension you want to work on. Use the two books that I introduced you with. If needed you can use one of your School QP for writing the Short Essays.