Emperor's Club reflections

1. I think the quote by Aristophanes, “Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever” is correct. All of what is stated is true. People grow up and in that process they become more mature and more educated. I think the part about stupidity lasting forever is based on someone’s willingness to learn.

2. Mr. Hundert is shaken by his experience with Sedgewick Bell because he had never had anyone challenge his authority before. Sedgewick was trying to rattle Mr. Hundert, be the class clown, instead of taking things seriously like the rest of the students. Mr. Hundert was taken by surprise by all of it because he had always been respected and never defied by anyone before.

3. Sedgewick had a way of getting the other boys to follow his lead and get into trouble. The other boys probably felt like rebels when they did the defying acts Sedgewick had done. When Mr. Hundert described Sedgewick’s influence as “hypnotic” he probably meant that the other boys were blindly following him. They knew that what Sedgewick was doing was against the rules but they still went along with whatever he was doing. 

4. Mr. Hundert tried really hard to turn Sedgewick’s attitude around and told Sedgewick that he believed that he could be a better student. When the Julius Caesar quizzes were taking place he saw an improvement in Sedgewick both morally and educationally. When the final quiz was completed Mr. Hundert was faced with choosing the top three contenders for the Julius Caesar contest. Sedgewick was very close to making it into the top three until Mr. Hundert changed his mind about Sedgewick’s final grade. He believed in Sedgewick and wanted Sedgewick to believe in himself so Mr. Hundert made Sedgewick the third contender in the contest instead of Martin – the boy who should have been contender number three. 

5. In the midst of the contest Mr. Hundert notices that Sedgewick is cheating. Sedgewick is the son of a senator – one who provides a lot of money to the school. Mr. Hundert didn’t want to call Sedgewick out as a cheater in front of the school or his father so instead he gave Sedgewick a question which he could not answer so it was impossible for him to win the contest. When Mr. Hundert confronts Sedgewick about his cheating, Sedgewick admits to it and Mr. Hundert’s trust in Sedgewick is broken.

6. Twenty-five years later, when Mr. Hundert is asked to host a rematch of the contest, he agrees because he wants to believe that people change, and wanted to believe that Sedgewick wouldn’t cheat. All the students in the class come together for the contest. Mr. Hundert has hopes that his influence on his students was positive. His hope was squashed when he discovered that Sedgewick was still a cheater, and he feels like he had let Sedgewick down as a teacher. But when his other students give him a plaque saying what a great teacher is, and is shown how much the other men appreciate him, Mr. Hundert has regained his hope that he influenced his students in a positive way.

7. I think the film teaches a moral lesson about living a good, honest life. It goes back to the old saying, “winners never cheat and cheaters never win.” Throughout the movie we see the good and honest people prosper, while Sedgewick only holds himself back. Even though Mr. Hundert put all his faith in Sedgewick, Sedgewick was still willing to cheat to get what he wanted. At the end of the movie, when Mr. Hundert confronts Sedgewick about cheating in the rematch, Sedgewick mentions that he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. But what he doesn’t realize is that his son was listening. His son storms out of the bathroom disappointed. 

8. Mr. Hundert returns to teaching because he knows that he can inspire and influence his students in a positive way. He isn’t going to let one person who was stuck in their ways stop him from believing in himself. On the first day of class Mr. Hundert is surprised to see Martin’s son in his class.

9. Mr. Hundert used many problem-posing aspects of teaching. One would be dialogue, he was always asking questions and having his students think and answer them. He is passionate about what he’s teaching and it is reciprocated by the students. Mr. Hundert grows a strong bond with the students, not always being authoritative, but being a friend as well.

10. The study of the classics helped the students become better versions of themselves when they were adolescents because it taught them discipline, strength and gave them a greater understanding of the world. As they became adults it helped them in their careers, using their knowledge of the classics to become better lawyers, businessmen and even teachers.