Purim

Tonight was Purim, a rather exciting Jewish holiday, which features strange costumes and pastries. Also, we won our first playoff trial today, advancing us to the next round on Monday.

I have been doing homework since returning home from synagogue. Tomorrow, my Rise and Fall of the Great Powers class will complete its trial of Napoleon Bonaparte for Crimes Against Humanity. I am playing Napoleon. I have prepared a ridiculous French accent, and hopefully will be acquitted. It is always interesting to see how these historical mock trials will play out. On the one hand, I somewhat believe that Napoleon is guilty of the charges, so I am playing devil’s advocate in that sense, something I often do and enjoy greatly. However, I am also speaking in line with what happened historically; Napoleon was not in fact ever tried, much less convicted. So regardless of which side one is on in such a trial (I had similar thoughts in our 10th grade trial of President Harry Truman for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity concerning the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), one is arguing against some sort of establishment.

Frisbee practice tomorrow! Hopefully the field will be clear enough that we can play an actual game.