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Week 3 - Anger "My Emotions Give Me Power"

Opening

Never does hatred cease by hating in return; only through love can hatred come to an end.

Victory breeds hatred; the conquered dwell in sorrow and resentment.

They who give up all thought of victory or defeat, may be calm and live happily at peace.

Let us overcome violence by gentleness; let us overcome evil by good. Let us overcome the miserly by liberality; let us overcome the liar by truth.

-Dhammapada

Episode 2.17: Passion

Photo: Buffy and Giles

What to watch for

  • Angelus's uncontrolled rage, and its effects on others
  • Giles' advice on how to handle anger
  • How Giles handles his own anger

Transcript is available at http://www.buffyworld.com/buffy/season2/transcripts/29_tran.shtml

Episode 2.19: I Only Have Eyes for You

What to watch for

  • The varying perspectives on forgiveness
  • The relationship between Buffy's anger and James's anger

Transcript is available at http://www.buffyworld.com/buffy/season2/transcripts/31_tran.shtml

Questions

Is emotion a source of weakness, or is it a source of power?

What are the good uses of anger?

What are the dangers of anger?

Why are we afraid of our own anger? Which characters are most afraid of their anger?

Why are we afraid of other people's anger?

How can we manage anger so that we can put anger to use without putting ourselves at risk?

How can we discuss anger with others without hurting them?

How can anger and forgiveness co-exist?

What is the connection between anger and depression?

What is the difference between feeling angry and being an angry person?

Closing

A person will worship something-have no doubt about that.

We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts-but it will out.

That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and character.

Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Additional Reading

Korsmeyer, Carolyn, Passion and Action: In and Out of Control. South, James B, ed., Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale. Chicago, IL: Open Court, 2003.

Hanh, Thich Nhat, The Miracle of Mindfulness. Boston: Beacon Press, 1975.

Helford, Elyce Rae, "My Emotions Give Me Power": The Containment of Girls' Anger in Buffy. Wilcox, Rhonda V., and David Lavery, Fighting the Forces: What's at Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002.

Riess, Jana, What Would Buffy Do? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004.