We're reading Oedipus in class right now. Today, I introduced the idea of "hamartia," or a tragic flaw. Oedipus's hamartia was his extreme arrogance (also known as "hubris"), and it ultimately brought upon his downfall. I asked students to write about their own hamartia, then asked for volunteers to share their flaws. One of my Asian students, who has only been in this country for a year or two, raised his hand:
"My hamartia is that I a bit racist. You know, the Chinese, we eat the rice. You white people, you all eat the bread. And black people, they eat the fried chicken."
Thankfully, this class has a sense of humor. I told the student that cultures are more than their carbs, and we moved on quickly.
5 comments:
Oh yeah? I had a student group turn a Greek tragedy into a musical.
That sounds like a tragedy in an of itself!
I am always amazed at the "insights" which students bring up. I have no idea how many times I shook my head and took the class off in another direction! They always keep you on your toes, don't they?
You're such a graceful teacher Rachie.
I second Anna. I wouldn't have known what to say, but you seemed to handle it with such grace and light humor!
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