Our first session was devoted to exploring background information on our next novel,Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." I provided historical background on colonial exploitation of Africa, specifically Belgium's exploitation of the Congo's people, ivory ,and rubber and tied this history with Conrad's biographical information including his personal experience navigating on the Congo River for a Belgian commercial enterprise. I then discussed Conrad's symbolic and inconclusive style including quotes from the author explaining why he writes symbolically . Next, I addressed the narrative framework , and we discussed the similarities between the novel's narrative framework and the narrartive framework of "Rime of The Ancient Mariner." Further, as literary allusions run beneath the surface of the plot during our second session I discussed both Dante's "Inferno" and the Faust legend as it manifests in German and English literature. We studied a summary of the "Inferno" and Dante's nine stages of hell followed by redemption and I explained how that motif appears in the novel. We then studied the Faust legend as it first appeared in German folklore and later in Marlowe's "Faustus" and in Thomas Mann's Dr.Faustus. I defined the term "Faustian bargain" and we explored how that motif appears in other movies and literary works, for example ,the movies "Apocalypse Now" based on our novel ,"Heart of Darkness "and "The Natural" based on Bernard Malamud's novel.
Today's lesson focused on types of check endorsements ,restrictive and blank. I identified the term "bearer" paper and discussed how an endorsement in blank, without restrictions, creates bearer paper such that anyone in possession of the check can cash the item. We then discussed how to place a restrictive endorsement such as "for deposit only" in order to restrict the holder's right to cash a lost instrument . I then discussed warranties implicit in endorsements ie. that the check is valid and not altered and identified how one can endorse the check "without recourse" in order to avoid liability if the instrument is dishonored. Last, we completed exercises applying the concepts of negotiability and holder in due course.
During today's Spanish class, we started watching a movie in Spanish. Nina will have to write a summary for the movie using only Spanish once we finish watching it.
During our first sessions, Nina wrote a comprehensive essay analyzing and comparing two poems as her final unit assessment. During our last session, we worked on revising and editing the essay . We addressed drafting and incorporating a strong thesis statement into the opening paragraph , reorganizing paragraphs, and adding textual support aligned with the composed thesis statement. We further discussed what inferences readers might draw about the two poets' view of mortality and how those inferences could be a source of commentary for the conclusion.
Today's lesson focused on the defenses available to a borrower against a holder in due course or a bona fide purchaser for value. I first reviewed the requirements for a holder of commercial paper to be considered a holder in due course(HDC) and then on the board outlined a hypothetical wherein a buyer who signs a promissory note , but who has defenses to payment, is sued by a HDC. I addressed how the personal defenses are unavailable but defenses such as forgery, alteration, and bankruptcy remain. Nina raised interesting questions about the fairness of the HDC doctrine, and we discussed the policy favoring negotiability . We then worked on exercises applying today's lesson to other fact patterns involving defenses available against a HDC.
We continued an in depth analysis of Auden's "Musee des Beaux Arts" during the first session. Having addressed theme , we today addressed how form and diction mirror and complement meaning. For example, we studied the consistent use of adverbs to slow down the pace of the poem as if one were strolling through a museum as well as the significance of hiding rhymes through enjambment. Last, we discussed whether the poem's observation about human indifference raises a moral imperative or is merely one of acceptance. During our second session, we studied a form of poetry known as the villanelle as some of the most famous poems in the language employ this very structured form. We specifically analyzed Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art" addressing how one deals with devastating personal loss. We noted how the poet's tone shifts from the nonchalant ("It was not a disaster") to an emotional plea to convince herself that she can "master" her loss. Structually, we noted how the poet formally ties the rhymes "master" and diaster" as end rhymes and hence also thematically ties these ideas .Additionally ,we studied other famous villanelles including Dylan Thomas' " Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night."
We completed our study of checks as a form of commercial negotiable paper by addressing the legal principles controlling lost checks. stale checks, and the obligation of depositors to review cancelled checks for forgeries. While the transfer of funds electronically has become so easy and widespread, we nonetheless addressed the use of bank checks, certified checks, and money orders as alternate means of secure payment. I further introduced the concept of holder in due course and explained how a subsequent holder of paper can secure greater rights than the original holder. Last, we reviewed Nina's homework identifying and defining relevant legal terms.
We discussed the difference between credit unions and traditional shareholder owned banks in the US. We watched a video that looked at the history of credit union failures.
