I outlined on the whiteboard the permutations of the motif of "light" in the novel starting with the protagonist's initially hiding himself in a dark tunnel through his re-discovery of electricity. We discussed the various meanings of "light" as insight, intellectual curiosity , self knowledge, and discovery. Marcos is very impressed with Ayn Rand ,and we had a prolonged animated discussion about the meaning and implications of her philosophy of pure self interest and her disdain for public altruism. Marcos offered arguments supporting Rand's theory and argued that her criticism of economic collectivism was perhaps more aptly described as a condemnation of the mind set of those who supported collective efforts or the forced altruism of programs such as the income tax-which Ayn Rand did in fact despise . We reviewed Marcos' study guide questions and worked on developing his answers to questions that seek an explanation of various quotes from the novel. For homework , I assigned chapters 9 and 10 and answering the study guide questions on these chapters. We will complete the novel next week and then commence review for the final exam.