Supplemental Sources

The reality is, if you intend to succeed, you cannot rely on the classroom to give you what you need to know.

This is true is any situation, from the lowest, most sadly run-down public school to the poshiest, most blue-blood private academies with the golden keys to the city; education does NOT begin or start with the class bell. It is a personal discipline, and will only give to you what you put into it.

That translates as personal sacrifice, personal study, and personal endurance for the purpose of learning. The more subjects you master and immerse yourself in, the more your mind becomes capable taking on new interests, and the more likely you will be to succeed in the areas of education, and the world which opens up to the educated (and not the merely "diploma'd").

To that end, we start with small baby steps. Your heart may not quicken when reading of the struggles people of the past have endured for the sake of their civilizations, of the heartbreaking defeats, the glorious victories, the intrigue, the romance, the betrayals, the murders of the ages. That's alright; some things are an acquired taste. The important thing to know is that, as with food, the larger and more sophisticated the range of your palate, the more mature and seasoned your taste becomes. The value of such taste extends far beyond pleasing your parents or your teachers, and even beyond getting into the right school or getting a scholarship; educated thinkers are valued so highly exactly because, apart from the practical uses of education, the soul which develops a yearning for knowledge in all fields is usually a soul which is full of the wonder of God's creation, and thus resides in a person who generally dedicates their lives to the Good, the True, and Beauty.

What's all this about? Well, Borders is going out of business, and that means there's a chance to catch some good deals on books which delve into topics you might otherwise only glance at in the course of your normal history class. Go get a book on the life of Charlemagne ($9), pick up a tome filled with the speeches of Winston Churchill ($15) or read about the driving psychosis behind the assassination of President Lincoln ($10). Enrich yourself; and if you don't use Borders today, find them on Amazon tomorrow. You'll never even begin to fully appreciate the life, struggle, and death of the people of Constantinople until until you invest a day or two and read their story for yourself.

My recent scores (and preemptive recommendations...):

Lost to the West (The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization)

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World (fair warning - I have heard that the historicity of this is questionable to say the least. Probably still a fun read, if only as an exercise in when history goes wrong...)

Paris 1919

King, Kaiser, Tsar

The Great Mortality

Plato's Cave - In Class Edition!

Life in the Middle Ages

What If?

History is often the study of a great many "might have beens"; any good historian - no, scratch that - any decent student will find him or herself frequently asking one of the most tempting questions of all...what if?

What if Caesar had not been assassinated? What if Rome did not fall? What if Constantine had failed? What is Harold Godwinson had managed to repel the duke of Normandy? What if the Crusades had successfully held the Holy Land? What if Henry II had not managed to establish Plantagenet supremacy during his reign? What if the church had welcomed Luther theses and reformed with his help? What if Zwingli and Luther had gotten along? What if Henry VIII had remained married to Catherine of Aragon? What if Philip V's armada had succeeded? What if...

For a studied historian, there are literally numberless possibilities to reflect and consider. While some of these might be flights of fancy, true scholarship demands a little effort before the benefits of such daydreams becomes evident.

To that end, there is an offer of extra credit available. Here are the terms:

**You must develop a "What if..." scenario based on history we have studied this year.

**You must write between 1 1/2 - 2 pages as you flesh out this scenario.

**The paper must introduce the topic (what event(s) are you reflecting on, why does it matter, etc), propose a *viable* hypothetical alternative (don't ponder how the presence of aliens might have influenced the crowning of Charlemagne; this should be based in real history, considering an alternative which easily *could* have happened), and finally reflect on what consequences would have come about from this new event.

**You should demonstrate a grasp of the flow of the events in question, and how easily things might have been different, if one element changed; you should also demonstrate your vision for the repercussions of this change on the grand scale of European and even global history, culture, etc.

Completing this assignment can earn you as much as 10% extra credit, granted to the last test you took in history class; the amount of credit awarded will depend on the quality of the work submitted.

This paper MUST be turned in on or before March 22. Anything after that will not be eligible to receive credit; your labor will be merely for the love of considering history and all of it's quirky nuances...

Good luck!

Pause for a moment of Beauty

Everyone should pause for a moment of beauty, now and then. When that beauty translates as the latin for Psalm 42:1...well, your momentary pause might enable you to glimpse the eternal throne. May your hearts be lifted up, and may you have the peace of God abiding in you.

All My Sons

All My Sons is an amazing American addition to the theatre canon, and well worth the read (let alone taking the chance to actually perform). As with any Arthur Miller play, there is a gravity to the story which belies the simple beginnings and easy going status quo which opens the play; life will not continue as it has, and a great conflict will finally be forced to it's breaking point.

Although you probably haven't read it, you should. This would require all of the exertion of going to the library and checking it out, or ordering it on Amazon. Do it. You won't regret it.

For men, it is a play which forces us to confront the burden of integrity, both to our families and our communities. For women, it is a story which allows us to engage the question of the price of peace, the value of the family. For each of us, it provides the chance to ask some big questions, and (perhaps most importantly) it allows us to go to the theatre! And after you have read it, check out this link, and think hard about characters, plot devices, and the stories we tell through that wonderful medium, the stage.

We need a hero!

This gets to be featured and linked on this blog for two reasons: the reference to Edmund Burke, and the recognition that men are trying to be heroes, and must struggle to understand what that means. Enjoy!

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. ~ Edmund Burke