For my English class, I have to give a key note address for 5 minutes. I have no ideas whatsoever. Here is the task:

From our prehistoric beginnings to our modern, materialistic lifestyle, humankind has had a desire to control things around him/her.

Your task then is to present a key-note address to an educated audience, comprised of scientists, philosphers and philanthropists at a conference on "The Inherent desire to control all things - have we gone too far?"

In order to present a well informed and throught provoking address, you will need to include examples from the past as well as the present and from a number of sourses including the text studied in class.

The novel we studied is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. PLEASE HELP... any ideas are appreciated.

Write an essay about liberal wack-job teachers and social engeneering in our schools!

Okay.... now tell me how I'm supposed to relate that to WUTHERING HEIGHTS.

Seriously, the other classes got to do Frankenstein and Dracula. Our class got jibbed.

Don't know how much it will help but I found some links you could possibly at least get an idea or two from

http://www.historyguide.org/resources.html
http://www.duboislc.org/html/ManThinking.html
http://www.sntp.net/essay1_6.htm

...the compulsion to control or destroy the flesh of the other has been historically stronger than the stated desire of brotherhood.

-From http://www.omplace.com/articles/WarAgainstNature.html
A little religion/philosopy bent but I thought the quote was interesting.


...The Taoist Lao-tzu advocated that rulers keep society simple and the people in ignorance, as knowledge serves only to arouse the desire of people for things they cannot have, producing discontentment and unhappiness.

-From http://members.aol.com/rhrrr/phileast.htm
Again more philosophy but I liked the quote


Classic control/revenge theme...

Heathcliff vows revenge and does not care who he hurts while executing it. He desires to gain control of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange and to destroy everything Edgar Linton holds dear.

...The Taoist Lao-tzu advocated that rulers keep society simple and the people in ignorance, as knowledge serves only to arouse the desire of people for things they cannot have, producing discontentment and unhappiness.

-From http://members.aol.com/rhrrr/phileast.htm
Again more philosophy but I liked the quote



Wow. Totally off topic here but.... that is
not what Lao Tsu advocated at all. I perused that link (and it's a good one) but wow... talk about totally taking things out of context. Eeeek.

Sorry.. I get upset when people completely misrepresent the mighty tao.

Glaucon:
Sorry.. I get upset when people completely misrepresent the mighty tao
The "mighty" Tao?
What are you, French?

Mistermistoffoles:
From our prehistoric beginnings to our modern, materialistic lifestyle, humankind has had a desire to control things around him/her.

Your task then is to present a key-note address to an educated audience, comprised of scientists, philosphers and philanthropists at a conference on "The Inherent desire to control all things - have we gone too far?"

In order to present a well informed and throught provoking address, you will need to include examples from the past as well as the present and from a number of sourses including the text studied in class.

The novel we studied is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. PLEASE HELP... any ideas are appreciated.

Odd that they'd have you discourse on power by using Wurthering Heights.
That's like having a dialectic on economics with Catcher in the Rye.

Mnah- you can work up something corny considering the social inequalities between classes in love- Heathcliff and Catherine- and the extent that even supposed humble will go to forsake all their values for passion and control.
And when they ask you stupid questions, remind them you were assigned a stupid book.

Holy shit, it's a pretty open topic. Talk about communism with quotes from famous people.