Emperor's Club reflections

1.  This seems correct; however ignorance and stupidity are often thought to be the same.  However, their definitions are quite different.  Ignorance is a lack of knowledge, so this most certainly can be reversed with proper guidance and effort.  Stupidity can be defined as dull and senseless, so it is not a lack of knowledge, but rather a cornucopia of already formed senseless and stubborn opinions.

2.  Mr. Hundert does everything in his power to help Bell.  The way he chooses to discipline and guide Bell is basically textbook-on with how this should be done.  Unfortunately, Mr. Hundert sacrifices his own principle of honesty by moving up Bell's standings in an attempt to help Bell.  He believes that this will give Bell more confidence in his abilities and push him to try harder.  When this does not work because Bell cheats, I can only imagine the pain and betrayal that Mr. Hundert feels.  He gave up his own moral ethics for nothing.

3.  Sedgewick has a very powerful authority about him.  Whenever he does something, the other boys follow along.  This natural leadership is a gift; however Sedgewick uses it in a very negative way.  Mr. Hundert sees this and recognizes that his influence is hypnotic because the other boys cannot seem to help but participate in the tom-foolery.

4.  I really have a problem with Mr. Hundert's "ethical dilemma."  I do not see it as an ethical dilemma at all.  Ethics have to do with what is right and wrong.  Martin clearly deserved the honor.  Now, let's say that Martin had chosen to give his spot to Sedgewick; that would be fine.  It is not Mr. Hundert's spot to give away.  Yes it is fantastic that Sedgewick finally started working harder, but couldn't he have also learned the lesson of good sportsmanship by not receiving what he wanted?

5.  Mr. Hundert discovers that Sedgewick is cheating at the contest.  He has to decide whether or not to call him out on this in front of the whole crowd, including Sedgewick's father.  He gives Sedgewick a question that he knows Sedgewick will not have the answer to as a way of getting him out.  When he confronts Sedgewick, there is no remorse; rather Sedgewick is just upset that he didn't win.

6.  Mr. Hundert still feels bad because he took away Martin’s chance at being in the contest by giving his spot to Sedgewick.  I believe that there were multiple reasons he wanted to do this contest.  He wanted to see if Sedgewick had changed at all, he wanted to reconcile with Martin, Sedgewick would donate money to the school, and he wanted to see his old students.  He hoped that what he had taught them would still stick with them.  He was disappointed in Sedgewick and saddened when he thought the others had left without saying goodbye, but he was happy when they were all waiting for him in his room.  He was also relieved when Martin forgave him for not giving him his spot in the contest.

7.  I seriously wanted to cry at the part of the movie where Sedgewick's son overhead what his father said.  How painful this must have been for him.  I believe that this scene really showed how important it is to live an honest life that you can be proud of.  There is always someone looking up to you and your choices affect those around you.  Sedgewick had such a painful relationship with his father, how could he have not learned from this?  He should have chosen to overcome the poor choices his father made and thus been a proper father for his own children.

8.  After returning from the Julius Cesar contest, Mr. Hundert decides to return to teaching.  While he was hurt by the school not giving him the position of headmaster, he realizes that there are more important things.  He puts this aside for the sake of making a difference for the students.  The surprise that he receives is that Martin’s son is now in his class.  He looks out the window and sees Martin and they exchange glances that there are no longer hard feelings.

9.  Mr. Hundert’s classroom looks like a very comfortable learning environment.  While he is in charge and has the respect of his students, he is not a dictator.  He asks his students for their advice.  While he does give lectures, he is also open to discussions.  I believe that the reason his students respect him so much is because he respects them as well.  His way of teaching allowed his students to both learn and enjoy the experience.

10.  Mr. Hundert saw the value in educating students about the past.  He believed that they could learn from past mistakes and look up to past heroes.  This gave the students role models to live up to and quotes to live by.  No doubt, it was probably very hard to learn all of this, but they persevered and became better students.  When the students are all reunited at the Julius Cesar rematch, it is evident that they have risen to very promising careers.  They also seem to be men of integrity, so what they learned in their youth has affected who they have become.