This document provides an agenda for a class discussing justice and applying philosophical lenses to the novel A Game of Thrones. The class will include group discussions on Cicero, Thoreau, and how they relate to characters and events in the novel. Students will get into teams to analyze passages from Cicero and Thoreau in relation to specific examples from the book. Then the full class will discuss their analyses. Finally, students will work on brainstorming potential essay prompts applying the philosophers' ideas to the novel for their final paper.

1. Class 15: EWRT 2

2. AGENDA
0 Essay #3 Questions or Comments
0 Group Discussions: Justice and A Game of Thrones
0 Get into your teams to consider the application of Cicero
and Thoreau to A Game of Thrones
0 Class discussion: Cicero/Thoreau and A Game of Thrones
0 In-class writing: Generating Prompts

3. Essay #3
Questions or Comments?

4. Why look at GOT through the
lenses of philosophy texts
0 EWRT 2 aims at providing the tools for both meaningful reading
and critical thinking. Intertextuality expands the scope of text
interpretation beyond the reader, carrying it to the meeting place
of texts.
0 The challenge of developing intertextual aptitudes develops
conceptual, curricular, and methodological perspectives.
0 Using a theoretical or philosophical lens, that is viewing a novel
from a particular perspective, fosters thinking development, the
use of broad lateral thinking, associative thinking, focusing, and
critical thinking.
0 The practice of frequently using intertextual aptitudes helps to
develop a habit of mind that includes complex thinking, creative
insights, and speculative conclusions.

5. Injustice
Get into your
teams to consider
the application of
Cicero and
Thoreau to A
Game of Thrones.
Make sure to find
textual evidence
to support your
claims.
Group Discussions: Justice and
A Game of Thrones

7. Cicero: Eddard, and Robert
0 Philus says, “the teaching of
‘wisdom’ [is] that we should
rule over as many subjects as
possible, indulge in pleasures,
hold on to power, be rulers
and masters” (127)
0 Philus’s interpretation of
justice: “be merciful to all
men, act in the interests of
the entire human race,…and
never tamper with religious
property or what belongs to
the community or to private
persons” ” (127).
0 [Robert] yells, “I want
them dead, mother and
child both, and that fool
Viserys as well. Is that
plain enough for you? I
want them dead”
0 (Eddard responds, “This
‘dragonspawn’ is in his
mother’s belly…Even
Aegon did no conquering
until after he was
weaned” (352).

8. Cicero: Eddard and Joffrey
0 ” Let us imagine that there
are two men, one a
paragon of virtue, fairness,
justice and honesty, and
the other an outrageous
ruffian. And let us suppose
that [...]the good man is an
evil villainous criminal,
and that the bad man, on
the other hand is a model
of honourable and
propriety” (128).
0 ” King Joffrey looked her
up and down. “your sweet
words have moved me,” he
said gallantly, nodding, as
if to say all would be well. ”
I shall do as you say, but
first your father has to
confess. He has to confess
and say that I’m the king..”
(2238 ipad version).

9. Cicero, Eddard, and Honor
0 Given the circumstances,
Philius asks “who could be so
mad as to doubt which of the
two men he would prefer to
be?” (128). The obvious
choice to this is the life of the
evil man. But to live a humble
and honorable life, Laelius
says all men would
eventually answer to God
“the single master and ruler
of us all” (129),
0 Eddard Stark has lived an
honorable and humble life
as he shows it through all
of his actions. When King
Joffrey arrests him for
treason against the crown,
Eddard Stark stays humble
until the bitter end. While
King Joffrey’s ruling was
unfair. The “stone[s] came
sailing out of the crowd”
(607) as the mass majority
reacted to Eddard’s
confession.

10. Cicero: Shedding Blood in Vaes Dothrak
0 “[Laws] are imposed by
the fear of being
penalized” (Cicero 126).
0 “Do as [Daenerys says],
[…] before you get us all
killed” (Ser Jorah to
Viserys: Martin 498).

11. Thoreau and Arya
0 Thoreau expresses his
disdain for the
government: “…he
cannot without disgrace
be associated with
[slavery].”(Thoreau
140).
0 Arya states to Sansa “I
don’t care” (Martin 117)
and “I don’t like the
queen” (Martin 119)
Arya says “the woman is
important too” (Martin
61),

12. Thoreau and Eddard
0 Thoreau claims, “A very
few, as heroes, patriots,
martyrs, reformers in the
great sense, and men,
serve the state with their
consciences also and so
necessarily resist it for the
most part; and they are
commonly treated as
enemies by it (139-140).
0 Ned responds to Marq Piper,
asking for vengeance [in
response to Ser Gregor
Clegane burning down
common man fields] , when
he argues, “I thought we were
speaking of Justice. Burning
Clegane’s fields and
slaughtering his people will
not restore the kings’ peace,
only your injured pride
(Martin 469).

13. Thoreau and Eddard
0 “Under a government
which imprisons any
unjustly, the true place
for a just man is also a
prison” (146).
0 Eddard Stark was
thrown into prison for
trying to keep his honor
and remain loyal and
just to the king, yet was
thrown into prison for
his actions.

14. Thoreau and Danerys
0 “It is not a man’s duty, as
a matter of course to
devote himself to the
eradication of any, even
the most enormous
wrong; he may still have
other concerns; but it is
duty to wash his hands
of it, if he gives it no
thought no longer”
(Thoreau 143).
0 “They pass other women
being raped. Each time
Dany reined up, sent her
khas to make an end to
it…”(680)

15. Thoreau and the Dothraki
0 “’The common people
pray for rain, healthy
children, and a summer
that never ends,’” Ser
Jorah told her. ‘It is no
matter to them if the high
lords play their game of
thrones, so long as they
are left in peace’” (Martin
151).
0 “Practically speaking, the
opponents to a reform […]
are not a hundred thousand
politicians […] but a
hundred thousand
merchants and farmers
here, who are more
interested in commerce
and agriculture than they
are in humanity” (Thoreau
141).

16. Thoreau, Tyrion, and The Wall
0 “Such command no
more respect than men
of straw or a lamp of
dirt. They have the same
sort of worth only as
horses and dogs.” (pg. 2
Thoreau)
0 “The Nights Watch is a
noble calling!” Tyrion
laughed. “You’re too
smart to believe that.
The Nights Watch is a
midden heap for all the
misfits of the realm”
(104 Martin).

17. Thinking Ahead:
Generating
Prompts
 Using Cicero or Thoreau, and
A Game of Thrones, write one
or two good questions that you
might consider answering for
your final paper.
 Using Machiavelli or Lao-tzu,
and A Game of Thrones, write
one or two good questions that
you might consider answering
for your final paper. .

18. Brainstorming Essay
Prompts: Example
0 Is civil disobedience a practical and worthwhile response
to injustice?
0 Identify an example (or two) of Thoreauvian-style “Civil
Disobedience” in A Game of Thrones.
0 Argue for its success or failure as both a social protest and a
personal undertaking. That is, does it disrupt or change the
status quo? Do the personal risks and sacrifices outweigh the
consequences of the disobedience?
0 Finally, argue either for or against “civil disobedience” as an
approach that should be used in contemporary society?

20. Form new teams for this unit. Remember, 50% of
your team must be new to you!
THEN, DISCUSS THE DIVISION OF LABOR FOR PLATO
Questions for Critical Reading (453-54)
We will come back together to go over the homework
before we leave!

21. Homework
0 Essay #3 Due Friday before
noon
0 Read A World of Ideas: Plato's
"Allegory of the Cave" (443453)
0 Post #29 Questions (TBD) for
Critical Reading: (pages 45354)