P6, C3, 2: "Smoking Gun"

Detail from "The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of the Empress Josephine by Pope Pius VII, 2nd December 1804" by Jacques-Louis David

According to Soni, when the workers were at their lowest point, Aby inspired them with these words, in which he invokes the name of his young son, Bobby: "I would rather lose my life than my honor. Let Bobby inherit my honor" (288).

Aby's view of honor involves something more than simply telling the truth. How do you think he would define it for the other workers?

What does "honor" mean with respect to the Honors Program at ECU?

If you complete the requirements of the Honors Program, you will be an Honors graduate. But is that the same thing as performing honorably? What is the difference?

If someone in the Honors Program does not behave honorably (by cheating on assignments, for example), does that diminish the value of the program for other members? 

Only answer this question after you've read part six, chapter three and all the preceding chapters.

P6, C8: "Thanksgiving"

"The Musicians" (1991) by Fernando Botero

At several points in the book, the workers are inspired by the phrase "Hum ek hain!," which he translates as "We are one!"

This phrase means so much to the workers because of the sacrifices they have made with and for each other and their families. They have endured adversity and persisted together.

Have you ever been a part of a group that developed a profound sense of togetherness by overcoming adversity together?

How did your experience compare with the experience of the Indian workers?

Only answer this question after you have read part six, chapter eight and all of the preceding chapters.

P6, C9, 2: "Alvin Ladner's America"

"Light/Dark" (1977) by Marina Ambramovic

Soni takes solace in the fact that he "made the Indian men human" to Ladner (322).

Have you ever had an experience in which you thought of someone you didn't know very well as an enemy, but when you got to know them better or learned more about them, you felt differently about them?

If so, describe that experience here.

Only respond to this prompt after you have read part six, chapter nine and all of the preceding chapters.

P6, C9, 1: "Alvin Ladner's America"

"Hunters in the Snow" (1565) by Pieter Breugel the Elder

According to Soni, Ladner felt that it was "downright dishonorable" for ICE to force him to "pick up an undocumented man in his fifties to deport him over a decades-old drug offense" (319).

Why would Ladner consider it "dishonorable" for ICE to arrest and deport someone who broke the law? Isn't that their job?

And if Ladner believed it was unfair for ICE to serve private employers "to exploit immigrant reconstruction workers after Katrina, calling in raids on payday to avoid having to pay them," why did he help out Signal when they called in ICE to capture the undocumented workers who abandoned the work camps?

Only answer this question after you've read part six, chapter nine and all of the preceding chapters. 

Epilogue: Forgetting

Soni reports that a monument built as a reminder of the highwater mark of 2005's Hurricane Katrina was later painted over.

Why do you think they did that?

Under what conditions is it a good idea to take down monuments in order to help people "move on"?

Under what conditions is it important to remember traumatic events?

Is this one of those cases?

What made Hurricane Katrina a moment worth remembering other than the hide watermark?

Only answer this question after you've read the entire book.

The Great Escape Takeaway

So you've read The Great Escape now. In 100 words or less, identify the part of the book that is most likely to stick with you the longest. What's your take away?

Don't answer this question until you've finished reading the entire book. Claiming to have read the book without having done so would be dishonorable. Far better to take a late penalty than to sacrifice your integrity for a grade. Owning your life choices can be the first step to enlightenment.

Honors Summer Read 2023: Rules of Engagement

"Island Library" (1977) by Jamie Wyeth

Welcome to the East Central University Honors Program's Enduring Questions website!

If you are enrolled in an Honors Enduring Questions class for the fall semester of 2023 at ECU (EQ1 or EQ3), this website is for you. Read on!

Ten percent of each student's grade in both EQ1 and EQ3 will be largely based on your responses to the questions raised here.

This website is designed to spark conversation. The sort of conversation we're looking to create with this website is academic in character. Thus, your responses should consist of clear, concise statements of your ideas crafted in standard English (not text-speak!). They should be long enough to convey your thoughts, but short enough for other readers to read and respond to fairly quickly. In short, you don't want your responses to be so long that you monopolize (or kill) the conversation by going on, and on, and on.....(we all know how irritating that can be!).

Obviously, responses should not use profanity. They should be civil and respectful. People do not always agree. Responses can be critical; however, all communication is expected to be courteous and professional. Contributors' positions may be questioned; their character should not.

The objective here is to reflect on some of the issues raised by the text, to connect the reading to your personal experience, and to help first- and second-year Honors students get to know each other better.

When should I begin posting my responses?
As soon as you have begin reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

When is this assignment due?
This writing assignment is designed to be completed before classes begin in August.  Details about where and how to account for and submit your word count total will be provided in class when the semester starts (preview: you will compile your comments into an email that you will send to sbenton@ecok.edu after classes begin).

How many questions should I respond to?

We do not expect you to respond to each question, but you should respond to several representing different sections of the book. We hope that by the time all the class has completed the assignment, every question will have at least one or two responses.

Are there any questions I have to answer?

Yes: "The Takeaway." Only answer "The Takeaway" when you have finished reading the book. When you answer the Takeaway, you are also testifying that you have read the entire book.

How will you know if I have read the book? Will we be tested on it?

We won't test you. We'll trust you. These questions are not designed to show whether or not someone has read the book. They are designed to enrich your engagement with the book and with other Honors students. But if your answers somehow raise suspicions about whether you've read the book or not, you may get further questions. The main thing at stake is your Honor.

How much should I write?

Your responses should add up to a sum total of not less than 750 words.  Don't try to load up all 750 words into one or two comments.  You should also respond to comments left by other readers. And pose questions to other readers. (Check back later to see if anyone has responded to your comments-and respond to their responses.)  All of this writing will count toward your 750-word total.  Students are responsible for keeping track of their word total (eventually, we will ask you to cut and paste your responses into a Microsoft Word document, which has a word count feature).  This is not just a writing assignment, though; it's a reading assignment, too.  Every student is responsible for reading every word of the assigned text.

Where do I post my responses?
At the bottom of each question post, you will find a "comment" link. If it has a "0" beside it, that means no one has commented yet; as more people comment, the number will go up. When you're ready to weigh in, click on the "comments" button, read any previous comments, and start writing. Please sign your posts. And use your real name--not a nickname--so we can get to know each other).

More questions?
E-mail us at sbenton@ecok.edu!

Now, go here!