LIFE AFTER THIS BLOG POST

Writing a letter to my future self was a perfect opportunity for reflection. I got to really think about what is important and who is important to me right now. I wrote a little bit about some things that have been stressing me out and worrying me lately. It will be interesting to see if those things are as big of a deal as they seem now. Also, will the same things and people make me happy? My letter was extremely personal, after all, what can you really hide from yourself? I'm looking forward to receiving my letter and thinking back on this moment in time.

Practice Essay

Something happens in your environment.  It might be a sound just outside the field of your peripheral vision, it might be be an action that inspires or outrages you, or it might be an outright crisis or opportunity.  Adopt the persona of any character from either the "Allegory" or "No Exit" and explain how this character would respond to the event and why.  Explain how the response reflects the characterization, theme, tone, and general philosophy of the author (Plato or Sartre) who created the character.  Compare this analysis with the work you didn't choose (for example, if you choose Estella from "No Exit," explain her response in these terms and then compare with a slave from the cave in Plato's "Allegory).

Sartre and Plato tackled a similar issue in their works respectively titled "No Exit" and "Allegory of the Cave".  The questions of when one reaches enlightenment and what it means to be trapped cannot be answered in a black and white/ right or wrong way. Each author expresses a unique style and form of characterization in which these issues are addressed.

Sartre's general philosophy and theme implied that one does not reach enlightenment until they have experienced the world and then had everything taken away from them. Once they are left with nothing but the ability to reflect they can truly come to terms with their actions and truth. For example, Estelle from "No Exit" might here something outside of her realm of sight going on and know exactly what it is or see ghosts from her past moving on and making decisions. Because she has already experienced the world and been banished from it (to Hell) she would be able to guess at what it was or observe the situation and understand what was happening.  With herself removed she is more likely to reflect on why the sound occurred or why people are behaving in a certain way because she had once been there and been a part if it.  Had she been in the cave with Plato's prisoners this would not be true.

Plato's prisoners of the cave only know what they are shown. He was portraying the philosophy that one can only reach enlightenment through experiencing what is real in first person.  Had Estelle been in the cave and heard a sound from the outside she would have no way of knowing what it was and be completely unsure how to react. The prisoner's do not have the same freedom of thought that the characters of "No Exit" do because their knowledge is so limited.

Both authors attempted to address the same questions of how enlightenment is reached or brought out in us all. Their differing use of characters as well as their varied philosophies help us to understand their perspectives.

I CAN READ! (kind of)

Here's my trial of reading Dr. Seuss' Fox in Sox in one take! Please excuse my mother doing dishes in the background.

Literature Analysis #4

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

This was a collaborative experience and the other parts of this book analysis can be found on these blogs:
Taylor Duguran
Hannah Savaso
Ian Steller
Bailey Wineman
Annette Sousa
Meghan Martella

Summary: In the opening chapter we are introduced to Pip who has suffered a great loss of almost all of his immediate family except for his sister. He is in the care of his sister and her husband. Pip has a strange encounter with a ragged and frightening man who we later learn is the escaped convict Magwitch who threatens him with brutal death if he doesn't bring him the supplies he asked for by the next day. Pip is naïve and believes this scary man and returns home with the intentions to keep this a secret and meet with the man again.  Pip is forced into going to the home of Miss Havisham who is wealthy and quite strange. She was abandoned at the alter and keeps everything in her house the same as well as wearing an old wedding dress everywhere she goes. Here he meets Estella who he immediately falls for even though she is being trained by Miss Havisham to break the hearts of young men. Pip is an apprentice to his brother-in-law Joe until one day he receives the news from a lawyer named Jaggers that he has been left a large amount of money and takes off the London to learn to be a gentleman. Here Pip befriends Herbert and Wemmick. They lead a rather careless life until Pip must return for the funeral of his sister. Years later Magwitch reappears in Pip's life and reveals he is the source of Pip's sudden fortune prompting Pip to feel a sort of loyalty for him and try to help him escape London and the police who are after him. Compeyson, Magwitch's old partner alerts the police of their plan and is drowned in the river during an altercation with Magwitch who is in turn sentenced to death and Pip loses his fortune. Years after this Pip returns to Satis House (the old home of Miss Havisham) and sees Estella there. She is no longer married and has a new much softer demeanor about her. She and Pip leave hand in hand and Pip believes they will be together long after.

Theme: The theme of Great Expectations is the loss of innocence and the coming of age. Pip must learn to trust his inner conscience when it comes to the decisions he makes and who he trusts. He is often filled with guilt for the trouble he gets in to and ultimately has to learn o accept responsibility and himself. As he comes in to his own his outlook shifts and evolves with him.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

My version of Hell would look rather ordinary such as the world we live in now. But perhaps not inhabited by anyone else but myself. There wouldn't be any real instruments of torture such as in Dantes Inferno. Even in a normal place I believe one can be in Hell because  the mind can do dangerous things to you. Living in the space Satre set up, just a regular space with furniture but in endless day with those you can't stand would certainly be torturous.


Hell could most certainly be described as too much of anything without a break. Constant repetition can be maddening. I believe we use variety in life as a way to break up feelings and preferences to avoid getting sucked into a routine because that would cause life to become dull and upsetting.

Satre describes the setting through dialogue mainly through the characters making blunt observations of their surroundings. Being in a constant state of awareness and in constant light would be severely unpleasant especially if you were stuck in one specific place for a long time. Garcin is shocked at this new information that he will be stuck like this and tries to find loopholes and bangs against the door trying to get the attention of Valet.

Both Plato and Sartre create a place where people are trapped and alone with their thoughts. Plato's characters were trapped inside without ever being let out and Sartre´s are now trapped inside after having been on the outside.

Summary #1 Great Expectations: Introduction

In the opening chapter we are introduced to Pip who seems to have suffered a great loss of almost all of his immediate family accept for his sister. He is in the care of his sister and her husband. Pip has a strange encounter with a ragged and frightening man who threatens him with brutal death if he doesn't bring him the supplies he asked for by the next day. Pip is naïve and believes this scary man and returns home with the intentions to keep this a secret and meet with the man again.

Allegory Sonnet

While in the cave we all might be
there are so many things we'll never do.
So many things still left to see
the choice to leave up to me up to you.

To see the sights you thought you'd see never,
the blinding light of burning truth.
It's the binding shackles you'll have to sever,
the ones placed upon you in ignorant youth.

Some of us will chose to stay here in darkness.
The joys of enlightenment they'll never know.
You must decide to think clear and with sharpness.
Past the shadows out of the cave we will go.

Break the chains and exit with glory,
finally the chance to write your own story.

BRAIN WITH 14(?) LEGS

My group has decided to read at our own pace every night and update our blogs with our progress.
This way we can feel free to go to each other at any time with new insight or questions.

We also each have our own job to post about. For example I'm the summarizer and will give a general synopsis every time I read to help my fellow members with our understanding of the text.

And since I didn't mention it yet, my group is reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

What I Would Have Posted to the MindMap

Who are your favorite contemporary writers and thinkers?
"Why should we prefer our literature to be about things that didn’t happen? Wouldn’t, say, Steven Pinker be a good candidate for the literature prize?"  (   http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/books/review/richard-dawkins-by-the-book.html?smid=pl-share )

Seven reasons why we should read about things that didn't happen:  
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Brennan2.html

Who Is Steven Pinker?
Apparently Harvard professor of psychology...
http://stevenpinker.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Pinker

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?
The sheltered or unenlightened world people are accustomed to living in.

 2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?
The prisoners, the chains, the fire, and the darkness and shadows of the enclosed space.

3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?
People won't be able to handle the amount of information at their disposal at first, but could eventually adapt to "the glare".

4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?
The cave is the small amount that the prisoners actually know or understand and the shackles are what prevent them from expanding their knowledge.

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?
Insecurity can be a shackle to the mind. Self-doubt and a fear of inadequacy hinders growth in many aspects of a persons life.

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?
The freed prisoner's have been given the opportunity to reach enlightenment and see the world for what it can be and would see more value in taking risk than the cave prisoners who would be more prone to stay sheltered and only view the "shadows".

7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?
ignorance and apathy? (I need more clarification on this question)

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?
Open-mindedness is the key to freedom for the prisoners. You have to want the freedom to get it. Once they are willing to be enlightened then they will finally gain their intellectual freedom.

9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?
I agree because we have all heard the line "not everything is as it seems" and that makes perfect sense to me. A smiling face does not make a happy person and just because a coffee shop advertises the "World's Best Coffee" doesn't mean you aren't drinking complete crap. Appearances can often just be assumptions or masks to what the underlying reality is.

10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?
Everyone's reality could be different.

We Hang Together

• interdependence- "Underlying key to any strategic alliance, partnership, or interpersonal collaboration."
• coke/pepsi are interdependent by being constantly aware of their competitor
• they must make decisions by monitoring the other company
• inter-organizational relations in both competition and collaboration (global marketing, converging tastes)
• inter-firm relationships provide market awareness and cost discipline.
• "strategic alliance"
• there's a difference between fighting the absence of a resource and trying to attract it
• Americans focus on the "go it alone" method which does not work

Sonnet Troubles

I'm having trouble choosing a sonnet because my favorite poet has so many, here are some favorites:
(courtesy of poemhunter.com and blackcatpoems.com)

One for my big question:
Oh when I think of my long-suffering race,
For weary centuries despised, oppressed,
Enslaved and lynched, denied a human place
In the great life line of the Christian West;
And in the Black Land disinherited,
Robbed in the ancient country of its birth,
My heart grows sick with hate, becomes as lead,
For this my race that has no home on earth.
Then from the dark depths of my soul I cry
To the avenging angel to consume
The white man's world of wonders utterly:
Let it be swallowed up in earth's vast womb,
Or upward roll as sacrificial smoke
To liberate my people from its yoke! 
-Claude McKay 

And these just for fun:          

Sonnet LXVI: I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You

I do not love you except because I love you;
I go from loving to not loving you,
From waiting to not waiting for you
My heart moves from cold to fire.

I love you only because it's you the one I love;
I hate you deeply, and hating you
Bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you
Is that I do not see you but love you blindly.

Maybe January light will consume
My heart with its cruel
Ray, stealing my key to true calm.

In this part of the story I am the one who
Dies, the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,
Because I love you, Love, in fire and blood.

Pablo Neruda

Sonnet XI

I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.
Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.
Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day
I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.

I hunger for your sleek laugh,
your hands the color of a savage harvest,
hunger for the pale stones of your fingernails,
I want to eat your skin like a whole almond.

I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body,
the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,
I want to eat the fleeting shade of your lashes,

and I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight,
hunting for you, for your hot heart,
like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue.

Pablo Neruda

Sonnet XVII

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Pablo Neruda

Hamlet Remix

Sonnet Notes

• "sonnetto" means little song in Italian
• two styles of sonnets
• Petrarch (Italian style)
• Shakespearean Style
• 14 lines
• creative, outside the box
• Petrarch (octane/sestet)
• Shakespearean (3 quatrains followed by a couplet)

Hamlet and Performative Utterance

Using what you've learned about Hamlet the character and Hamlet the play, evaluate the impact of performative utterance on Hamlet and your own sense of self. How does the way Hamlet speaks constitute action in itself? How does it impact the characters and the plot? How does this compare with your own "self-overhearing"? How does the way you reflect on your experience create a sense of memory, expectation, and real-world results? Use the text, your reading/lecture notes, the experience of memorizing the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy, de Boer's paper (and Bloom's/Austin's theoretical frameworks), and the many online and offline discussions we've had.

"To be or not to be, that is the question," is perhaps one of the most famous lines in literary history. This line from Act III of Shakespeare's Hamlet is also a wonderful example of performative utterance. In the scene of this famous soliloquy Hamlet is speaking aloud to himself and working through some of the more difficult thoughts in his mind. Performative utterance allows characters as well as audience members to further understand themselves and the situations they are facing. This is something we ourselves due on a daily basis.  Performative utterance in Hamlet helps Hamlet's words to constitute action, impacts the characters and plot, and uses "self-overhearing" as a way for the characters to reinforce their decisions and come to terms with their emotions.


Hamlet is famous for his lengthy soliloquies. He often goes off on long tangents in which in his own self-deprecating way he is able to make his decisions known to himself and to the audience. By saying aloud that "O, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!" Hamlet's words have become his final decision that he will in fact act out in revenge against Claudius. Every time Hamlet says the words aloud he becomes more resolved within his own mind that he will in fact strike out. In this way performative utterance becomes a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy that we have all attempted at some point. The more you tell yourself that you are capable of passing that big midterm the more likely it is to happen.


Often times, our words that we say aloud to ourselves or even just in our heads can influence the decisions we make. The plot of Hamlet was influenced by performative utterance. If a character would realize something during a private moment, they would almost immediately take action on it. This was clear in Lord Polonius' musings of Hamlet being in love with his daughter. Once this was reinforced in his mind he went straight to the King and worked out a plan to prove himself correct. When we think something is dangerous or worthwhile we often repeat it to ourselves to reinforce our feelings on it before we decide how to act.


Self-overhearing was a common form of performative utterance used. "To be or not to be" allowed Hamlet to give voice to some of his darker thoughts that had been plaguing his mind. When we overhear ourselves speaking we gain a new perspective on our own thoughts and emotions. We are given the opportunity to listen to what we are thinking and it allows us to reinforce and opinion or even a decision we are making. Hamlet often used self-over hearing to work through his decisions and question his existence. While memorizing "To be or not to be" I used self-overhearing as a way to enhance my memorization. I would read the words and say them out loud not only to help myself remember them but also to increase my comprehension of the soliloquy.


Self-overhearing also greatly enhances a person's ability to understand their emotions. Hamlet had some very morbid thoughts and upon saying them out loud was able to organize them in a sense. I often use this method to sort through my own personal issues and feelings. If I begin to feel increasingly stressed sometimes I stop myself and ask aloud "What's bothering me?" and then proceed to list off my major troubles. By doing this I am able to feel as if I have more of a handle on any situation and more capable of working through it.

Performative utterance played a great role in Hamlet. The musings and inner thoughts of the characters reinforced their motivations for their actions to themselves as well as to the audience. Performative utterance can help to move the plot forward as well as add emotional depth to each of the characters.

Tools That Change the Way we Think

"Back in 2004, I asked [Google founders] Page and Brin what they saw as the future of Google search. 'It will be included in people's brains,' said Page. 'When you think about something and don't really know much about it, you will automatically get information.'

'That's true,' said Brin. 'Ultimately I view Google as a way to augment your brain with the knowledge of the world. Right now you go into your computer and type a phrase, but you can imagine that it could be easier in the future, that you can have just devices you talk into, or you can have computers that pay attention to what's going on around them and suggest useful information.'

'Somebody introduces themselves to you, and your watch goes to your web page,' said Page. 'Or if you met this person two years ago, this is what they said to you... Eventually you'll have the implant, where if you think about a fact, it will just tell you the answer."

-From In the Plex by Steven Levy (p.67)

My Thoughts:

First off, if humans had an installment in their brains that gave them everything they ever wanted to know or look up that would be super creepy! What's the point of interacting with others if you already know everything?
Technology, Internet and media have had a great influence on the way that I think and even the way I go about doing things in my day to day life. I have the world at my fingertips in a cute, sparkly-pink case. My time spent searching for the information I need is almost non-comparable to the time it took previous generations to find information. Also, with so much available to me at the touch of a button or the swipe of a touch screen, my concentration is almost never focused on one specific thing. I can text my friend, catch up on world news and listen to music all at the same time. It's gotten to the point where I can even feel unfocused if I don't have a little white noise in the background while I'm working. Either my ability to multi-task has increased ten-fold or I've become extremely ADD. I've been able to learn so much about my personal interests and curiosities through the internet. Things I never even knew existed or books I never would have heard of I have been able to hear about through online communities like Tumblr and even Twitter.
Technology has had a bog impact on all of us and really does put the whole world at our fingertips.

VOCABULARY #9

1.aficionado: enthusiast: somebody who is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about something
2.browbeat: intimidate, typically into doing something, with stern or abusive words
3.commensurate: corresponding in size or degree; in proportion
4.diaphanous: light, delicate, and translucent
5.emolument: a salary, fee, or profit from employment or office
6.foray: a sudden attack or incursion into enemy territory
7.genre: a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by 8.similarities in form, style, or subject matter
9.homily: commentary that follows a reading of scripture
10.immure: enclose or confine against their will
11.insouciant: showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent
12.matrix: an environment or material in which something develops; a surrounding medium or structure
13.obsequies: funeral rites
14. panache: flamboyant manner and reckless courage
15. persona: the image or personality that a person presents
16.philippic: a bitter attack or denunciation
17.prurient: having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters
18.sacrosanct: regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with
19.systemic: of or relating to a system, esp. as opposed to a particular part
20.tendentious: expressing or intending to promote a particular cause or point of view
21.vicissitude: a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant

The Performative Utterance in Hamlet

• "...powerful in mind but still at the mercy of the will of those around him."  WOW.

• "Where Hamlet wavers is in the physical commission of this duty, in transcending the confines of his mental determination into the physical space" Hamlet knows what he must do and has decided it is the right thing, but just can't physically bring himself to do it. He sabotages himself by keeping it all in his head.

• Language is divided by: what is done is being said (illocutionary force), ability of language to deliver a message (locutionary force), and what is achieved by being said (perlocutionary force)

• "self overhearing" characters make self discovery/ revelations based off what they hear themselves say

• Hamlet only swore out loud to remember his father not actually avenge his murder...hmm

What I Think About When I Think About Act III

Hamlet is taking on too much at once! He seems so worked up. He's not allowing himself to heal over his father's death properly. I understand that revenge may help him in the short run but that will only lead to more trauma later. The elaborate play scheme seems so excessive to me.

Thoughts on Hamlet (In Progress)

Hamlet has always seemed to me to be a deeply disturbed individual. He right from the get-go had a lot on his plate and that problem only seems to grow as the play goes on. The more thoughts from within we get from Hamlet such as his "To Be or Not To Be" soliloquy really provide good insight into what are the real things troubling him.

HAMLET"S TO BE OR NOT TO BE...BLINDFOLDED

HAMLET STUFF

There is a link on the course blog to mine and Jenna's Hamlet Act II prezi if you want to check it out! It has a good summary of events and a helpful YouTube video as well as a cited resource really good for in depth translations/summary of Shakespeare.

Literature Analysis #3

Looking For Alaska by John Green

1.  This is a new type of coming of age novel. It's unpredictable and unexpected in every way. Miles "Pudge" Halter convinces his parents that he must go to seek the "Great Perhaps" at a private school his father once went to. Culver Creek boarding school is where Miles makes his first true friends, falls in love, and is made very aware of the tragedies life sometimes deals out. He learns so much about himself and all the ways one decision, one, mistake can change your life forever. After he makes the mistake of letting his friend Alaska go one night, she dies. And it change him forever. Was it suicide? Was it an accident? Was it his fault? Miles and his friends become borderline obsessive trying to answer these questions as well as the most important question of all: "How will we ever get out of this labyrinth?"
2. One of the major themes of this novel would be finding hope after tragedy. Pudge struggles greatly to overcome the guilt and regret he feels for his role in his friend's death. Once he is able to forgive himself, he begins to forgive her and see new hope for his life.
3. The tone is very personal and earnest.

• "Y'all smoke to enjoy it, I smoke to die."
• "That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps."
• "That's the mystery isn't it? Is the labyrinth living or dying? Which is he trying to escape-the world or the end of it?"

     4.

• Imagery "A bunk bed of unfinished wood with vinyl mattresses was pushed against the room's back window"
• Simile "sweat dripped like tears from your forehead into your eyes"
• Characterization "I saw a short, muscular guy with a shock of brown hair."
• Conflict- Pudge must decide whether Alaska's mood swings are worth his own emotional toll
• Consonance "Weekday Warriors"
• Foreshadowing "Y'all smoke to enjoy it, I smoke to die."
• Metaphor "She was a hurricane"
• Motif "How will I get out of this labyrinth"
• Flashback- the book gives a preview of the core group of characters together before starting from the true beginning
• Setting- The setting of Alabama and it's drastically changing weather represents the lives and emotions of the characters as they change almost more often and severely.

Characterization

1.

• "And now is as good as time as any to say that she was beautiful...She had the kind of eyes that predisposed you to supporting her every endeavor."
• "She didn't even glance at me. She just smiled towards the television and said, 'You never get me. That's the whole point.' "

The author uses both approaches to add depth to the characters. They are not only defined by Pudge's description of their looks but also by their actions and choices ultimately making them more true to life.

2. The author's syntax and dicton remain consistent throughout. The entire story is written in Pudge's persepective which is always "suffering yet enduring".

3. The protagonist is definitely dynamic. Miles goes through a huge change throughout the story. He discovers more about himself and goes through life altering situations which cause him to adapt and come out stronger and more aware as a person.

4.Coming away from the book I feel as if I have met a person. Miles is a character that will stay with me for a long, long time. His decision to go forth and force himself into the "Great Perhaps" is something that I can greatly apply to my own life and truly admire. A quote from Miles that shows just how similar he and I are is "But the not-knowing would not keep me from caring..." If there was ever a statement I felt resonate like a bow on a violin string, that would be it.

DEAR OPHELIA

It seems you have found yourself in the middle of quite the conundrum. Between young love and family the choice has never been harder since peanut butter or chocolate. But there was one perfect solution: Reeses. The best of both worlds. I know I cannot tell you to stay away from the prince, that only makes him all the more appealing. And why shouldn't you have him? If he makes you happy then he is worth it. However he is not worth the relationship you have with your brother and father. I would never encourage you to abdicate your responsibilities as a daughter. Now while this may be a brusque way to say this, I wouldn't encourage to engage in any debauchery. That being said you are probably more confused than before. But my solution for you is to find a happy medium. Be honest with your family and make it clear to them that you are willing to compromise and that this boy is someone you deem worthy of your time. As for the prince, be cautious. If he ever makes you feel like you must choose between him and your family it's time to bail. It would be an abomination to lose your family over a boy.

Literary Fiction & Empathy

The article stated that after reading literary fiction "people performed better on tests measuring empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence — skills that come in especially handy when you are trying to read someone’s body language or gauge what they might be thinking". I do agree that reading about characters with more complex issues in their lives and more serious conflicts can inspire more empathy in people. You have to consider the hardships they are going through and then you naturally compare/contrast it to your life and it helps to get you thinking about what others are going through, especially the things you may not necessarily deal with on a daily basis. As Albert Wendland stated, in literary fiction readers also have to be more active. You can't just take a backseat and automatically understand like you can in popular fiction. Each person involved has a different version of the truth leaving it up to the reader to make inferences much like in real life.

VOCABULARY #7

They had all been in France for a total of one hour and forty five minutes. And they were leaving. After all the work and shenanigans along the way they had come to the wrong place. No one had seen Quatro Quatro that angry since Hostess temporarily went out of business.  He actually picked up his backpack and through it against a brick wall so hard it ricocheted and came back and hit him in the face. That brought a plethora of laughter among the group. Ree decided to eschew from getting angry and recoil back into herself as she often did in stressful situations. The group had become somewhat independent but even now she could not stand Ducky Walters ebullient attitude or Jonah's garrulous nature. Between Jonah and Ree there was obviously a very present schism and they often had to stop themselves from stepping forward to harangue the other. They already had a rather capricious friendship given Jonah's loquacious tendencies and Ree's ephemeral patience for it. As Ree tuned out everyone around her as well as all the codswallop going on she came to an abrupt realization.  They had been wrong all along! The perhaps most mysterious object in the known world wouldn't be in France at all! Where else to hide a mysterious object than in one of the most mysterious places in the world. "Egypt!" she exclaimed to her group of peers, "The real destination is Egypt!" And so the group set off to Luxor where the true work would begin...

GREEN EGGS & HAMLET

a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane"?

• He is a character in a play by Shakespeare. (Try to keep up with my amazing intellect here.)

b) What do you know about Shakespeare? 

• He is one of the greatest playwrights of all time. He is famous for his tragic romances and for years high school freshman have been forced encouraged to enjoy his perhaps most famed work Romeo & Juliet.

c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?

• If you struggle with iambic pentameter or solving riddles Shakespeare can be a struggle to understand. He's old as dirt.

d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?

• We could have more in class discussions to really get a feel for what is going on from multiple perspectives.

Thanks Cameron...

Shenanigans - mischief; prankishness.

Ricochet - rebound: to hit a surface and bounce, traveling away in a different direction.

Schism - division in a religious denomination: a major split in a religious denomination usually on the grounds of differences in belief or practice, leading to the setting up of a separate breakaway organization.

Eschew - abstain from: to avoid doing or using something on principle or as a matter of course.

Plethora - large or excessive amount or number: a very large amount of something or number of things. 

Ebullient - lively and enthusiastic: full of cheerful excitement or enthusiasm.

Garrulous - talking too much: excessively or pointlessly talking.

Harangue - address somebody loudly and forcefully: to criticize or question somebody.

Interdependence - depending on each other: unable to exist or survive without each other.

Capricious - given to sudden changes: tending to make sudden unexpected changes.

Loquacious - talkative: tending to talk a great deal.

Ephemeral - short-lived: lasting for only a short period of time and leaving no permanent trace.

Inchoate - just beginning: just beginning to develop.

Juxtapose - put side by side: to place two or more things together, especially in order to suggest a link between them or emphasize contrast between them.

Perspicacious - perceptive: penetratingly discerning or perceptive 

Codswallop - nonsense  

Mungo - cheap fabric 

Sesquipedelian - using long words: characterized by using long words 

Wonky - unreliable in use: not to be relied on to be steady or secure or function correctly 

Diphthong - two vowels as one syllable

 

Thanks: http://creesesrhsenglitcomp13.blogspot.com/

IF I ONLY HAD MORE TIME

On today's midterm I was extremely caught off guard. While I did study it was not nearly enough to prepare me for the shock of pulling all the words from memory. In the future I would like to use more creative methods of studying to help really retain more of the words.

Literature Analysis #2

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

1. This book is about the coming of age of Maya "Mata" Angelou. She is passed from home to home but the most prominent parts of her childhood are spent in rural Stamps, Arkansas living with her brother Bailey and uncle in the back of her grandmother's store. There Maya bore witness to a large amount of racial intolerance. Maya is confused by the mere existence of "the whites" and sees them as another species. A visit from their father reveals that they are to be brought to St. Louis to live with their mother. This is where Maya encounters one of the great tragedies of her childhood. She is first molested and later raped by her mother's live in boyfriend Mr. Freeman at eight years old. After his trial he is murdered which causes Maya a good amount of (undeserved) guilt. After this tragedy she refuses to speak to anyone except her brother and eventually they are sent to live again with their grandmother "Momma" in Stamps. Here is when Maya meets Mrs. Bertha Flowers who acts as a mentor and huge influence to Maya's life providing her with "lessons in living". After scary encounters with racism Momma fears for their safety and arranges for them to live with their mother in California. Here after struggles to find independence and a shocking revelation about her father Maya is able to overcome multiple struggles and obtain a diploma. After hiding her pregnancy the story comes to a close (for now) with a son being born and loved unconditionally.

2. One of the most prominent themes of the book is racism/segregation and it's effect on one's coming in to adulthood.

3. The author's tone is poetically earnest and contemplative.

 "Each year I watched the field across from the Store turn caterpillar green, then gradually frosty white. I knew exactly how long it would be before the big wagons would pull into the front yard and load on the cotton pickers at daybreak to carry them to the remains of slavery's plantations."

"Other than that they were different[white people], to be dreaded, and in that dread was included the hostility of the powerless against the powerful, the poor against the rich, the worker against the worked for and the ragged against the well dressed."

"I couldn't understand whites and where they got the right to spend money so lavishly. Of course I knew God was white too, but no one could have made me believe he was prejudiced."

4. Literary devices/techniques:

• Imagery: "I watched the field across the Store turn caterpillar green, then gradually frosty white."
• Allusion: "...her eyes full of sleep and hair tousled, I thought she looked just like the Virgin Mary"
• Anecdote: the author often takes time to recount times where she and her brother would cause mischief together and paid for it with a good lashing from their Grandmother.
• Conflict: Maya blames herself at first for the rape and for Mr. Freeman's murder.
• Epithet: "Most Beautiful Mother in the World"
• Portmanteau: "powhitetrash" = poor white trash
• Flashback: the entire book...
• Juxtaposition: the lifestyles of whites and blacks in the south. Whites: "But above all their wealth that allowed them to waste was most enviable." Blacks: Although there was generosity in the negro neighborhood, it was indulged on pain of sacrifice."
• Setting: Stamps, Arkansas is a true southern town of the times. Hot, rural and filled with racism.
• Metaphor: "being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat."

CHARACTERIZATION

1.

• When Maya is seeing or talking to people the author uses direct characterization to describe them. This is a biased way of viewing the characters but essentially helps us learn more about Maya based off the important figures that were featured in her life and how she viewed them. Such as her brother who was undoubtedly her favorite person in the world:

"His hair fell down in black curls...he was small, graceful and smooth."

"And the fact that we was my brother...was such good fortune it made me want to live a Christian life just to show God that I was grateful."

• You get to know Maya through  more indirect characterization of using her thoughts and actions. This approach gives us full insight into Maya and how she thinks and reacts the various elements of her life. Maya's thoughts allow us as readers to understand that she is much deeper than what other characters assume.

"If growing up is painful for the Southern black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. It is an unnecessary insult."

"I wanted to throw a handful of black pepper in their faces...to scream at them...but I knew I was as clearly imprisoned behind the scene as the actors outside were confined to their roles." (This quote is from a scene where powhitetrash children are mocking and harassing Momma showcasing Maya's helplessness and burning protective side.

2. The authors word choice changes mostly based off of whether the characters involved in the dialogue are black or white. Formalities change within the races as does what is considered the appropriate grammar. For example the conversation between Momma and Mrs. Flowers is very different than the conversations between Momma and white folk she may come across.

3. The main character, Maya is most definitely a dynamic character. Maya faces numerous challenges and hardships including racism and assaults on her body and character. She is forever changed by these events and evolves because of them.  Each event she goes through be it the tragic rape at a young age or meeting Mrs. Flowers who helped shape Maya as a person and writer helps her to change as a person and eventually come in to her own.

4. Coming away from the book I felt as if I had met a person. Maya Angelou has always been one of my inspirations. Reading this story I felt as if there were so many things I could relate to on a personal level. An example of a quote that will stay with me for a long time is "If you're for the right thing, you do it without thinking."
  

THE COMPARISON'S TALE

I read The Miller's tale with my group and upon hearing the presentation of The Wife of Bath I immediately found similarities. Chaucer's satirical and humorous tone was consistent throughout both of the tales. The theme was also similar in that both pieces focused on satirizing the sanctity of marriage and peoples' integrity. Both stories involved deceit and lack of faith within marriage as well as people who showed little to no shame for their actions.

TALE OF CANTERBURY TALE

The Miller's Tale (SCANDALOUS)

Summary: There is a carpenter named John who rents rooms out to various guests. Among the guests is a student (clergy, clerk) named Nicholas the Handy (handy...how ironic). The carpenter has a young wife named Alison who he is very possessive of and in a constant state of worry of losing her. While he is out of town Nicholas flirts with Alison and after a slight reluctance ends of getting his HANDY hands on her. They realize that it would not be a good idea to carry on this affair while John is in town so Nicholas devises a plan. Meanwhile Absalon (another clerk) is giving his all to try to win over Alison. He waits outside her window until late into the night to serenade her with songs of his undying love much to the dismay of John the carpenter and his wife. Nicholas decides the best plan is to convince the carpenter that a flood is coming and that he must complete a list of tasks before he, his wife, and Nicholas himself are all killed. The carpenter believes him and completes the ridiculous tasks. He is exhausted after and falls asleep. While he is asleep Nick and Alison sneak away for a hook up (IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN) in the carpenter's bed (shameful). While they are there Absalon has decided to try his luck with Alison and goes to the window to ask for a kiss. She and Nick think it is pathetically hilarious and trick him in to literally, kissing her ass. Enraged by this cruel trick Absalon finds the blacksmith and requests a hot iron. He goes back to the window and pretends he wants another kiss. This time Nick sticks his bum out of the window and gets swatted and scalded by the hot iron. This commotion causes the carpenter to startle awake and he ends up getting injured in his haste to avoid the false flood. When he tries to justify his actions Alison and Nicholas to HANDY write him off as mad and the entire town laughs him off as a crazy person. Excerpt:  "So she was screwed, the carpenter's young wife, despite all jealous safeguards he could try; And Absalon had kissed her nether eye, and Nicholas is scalded in the rear. This tale is done, God save all who are here!"

1. One of the central characters was Alison, the carpenter's young wife. She is described by everyone as being exceptionally beautiful. Reader's learn she is easily persuaded because it literally took a man five minutes to get her to cheat on her husband. Whenever she speaks to anyone she is described as having a "wanton" look in her eye.

2. I believe Chaucer's purpose with telling this character's tale was to satirize society. He was saying that maybe even the people of the church aren't as straight-laced as they like to appear. Such as how Nicholas and Absalon were both either clergy's or students of God and they showed no mercy in going after a married woman and telling lies to get what they want.

Literature Analysis #1

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

1. This book begins in the middle of a teenage nightmare. Ezra was the "It" guy. Captain of varsity tennis, homecoming king, and student council President. Until he had his one tragedy, one night that changed everything and freed him from the expectations of everyone around him. He left a party after a fight with his girlfriend and is the victim of a crippling car accident. And as he is spending weeks in the hospital, not one of his "friends" or teammates is there to visit him. Not one. He should care more, but...that isn't the life he wanted. Reconnecting with his old friend Toby who suffered his own personal tragedy in seventh grade (catching the severed head of a Chinese tourist at Disneyland) and befriending the new girl in town with mystery surrounding her Ezra is finally able to start deciding who he wants to be. While this is easier said than done he cannot wish to change what happened to him. From tennis team to debate team, he couldn't ask for what this personal tragedy has done to him to be taken away, because he is grateful for it. Heartache, self-discovery, and severed head jokes for every day of the year allow readers to watch Ezra come in to his own, with his cane in one hand and leash to his giant poodle who might as well be Gatsby in the other.

2. The theme of the novel is overcoming the odds on the journey to self discovery. That is truly the only way to describe it. Ezra is the victim of a hit and run leaving his knee shattered and ending his ability to play sports, or walk without a cane. He has so much to overcome and while it would be easy to wallow in it or quit trying, he believes his tragedy has given him the gift of a new start. He is no longer obligated to sit with the dull-witted jocks or spend hours playing a sport he has no passion for just to please his father. This book is about deciding who you are and when it's time to start acting like it.

3. The tone was very sincere. The main character took things as they were and did not believe in sugar-coating what had happened to him, his situation, or his feelings while also keeping things quite hopeful.
"I can't say I forgive her for refusing to indulge the perhapsness of what might have been, but I understand why she chose to do it, and she never asked for my forgiveness."

"I don't know if he's right, but I do know I spent a long time existing, and now, I intend to live."

"I still think that everyone's life, no matter how unremarkable, has a singular tragic encounter after which everything that really matters will happen."

4.

• Foreshadowing: "It was as though I was collecting memories of her; as though I knew, or suspected, what was coming."
• metaphor: "Her eyes were a hurricane, and there was nowhere for me to seek cover.
• sarcasm: "I don't know why people say 'hit by a car' as though the other vehicle lashes out like some sort of champion boxer."
• amplification: "What hit me first was my airbag, and then my steering wheel, and I suppose the driver's side door and whatever that part is called that your knee jams up against."
• imagery: "there was the stink of my engine dying under the front hood, like burnt rubber, but salty and metallic."
• cacophony: "The impact was deafening, and everything just seemed to slam toward me and crunch."
• Characterization: Toby is at first just the old friend who caught the severed head on a Disneyland ride, but eventually becomes Ezra's salvation by way of giving him the second chance he has longed for.
• Conflict: Ezra is forced to overcome his crippling knee injury and find his true path.
• Flashback: Ezra begins a flashback to the night of his accident with "I had just turned seventeen, was embarrassingly popular, earned good grades, and was threatening to become eternally extraordinary."
• Juxtaposition: The author allows Ezra to reflect on his current situation in comparison to where he would have been.

Canterbury Tales (I)

• Chaucer saw first hand the different types of people making the Pilgrimage to Canterbury
• He was raised by his merchant father but spent time working for people of all walks of life
• He wrote for the common people about the things they witnessed within the "upper class" on a day to day basis that was often overlooked in literature.
• I thought it was particularly interesting that Chaucer went in to so much detail with each character. Their physical description either complemented or completely disproved their inner selves.

I really want to read more about the Nun because you know she must have a good story since she tries SO very hard to appear perfect. I'm also hoping to get more of the story for the Friar.

Character Study (II)

This is it. The day it all begins. Ree knew she was ready for anything...so long as it didn't involve spiders. She had signed up for this new reality series in the hopes of proving that she could be spontaneous and wild. Enough of the perfectly put together girl everyone saw. It was time for something crazy. She was outside the headquarters for the TV station producing the show. Infamous for it's wild antics and tendency to push the envelope she hoped to God she wouldn't regret this. The journey was about to begin. The first step was to meet her cast mates. With a few carefully calculated steps she was right in front of the door. No turning back now. With a shallow breath in and a deep and sure exhale she reached forward and pushed the door open, taking a step inside. Here goes everything.

Character Study (I)

*THWACK* And she's down. Again. She has just tripped over yet another miscellaneous item that lay on the floor of her room. If you can call it that. There isn't so much "room" as surface area now unrecognizable due to random this, that, and the other covering every inch of spare space. She's always referred to as the "responsible" one, with everything figured out. Perfectly composed in the midst of any situation. Even a spontaneous journey like the one she is about to set off on. Looking around from her new (and admittedly pathetic) vantage point she can finally see the other shoe she was looking for wedged underneath her bed. And there is her brand new shirt she planned on bringing for a special occasion...right under her dog who smells decidedly less than pleasant. Perfect. If only all her friends could see her now, sprawled out on the ground in her vat of perfectly disorganized chaos. Maybe they might finally notice a chink in her feigned shining armor. Every other time it is always "Ree, you're so on top of things. I wish I could be that put together!" Ha! Sure you do. She wipes sweat from her brow as she picks herself  up off the floor. At least she thinks it's a floor. Her mother claims to have not seen anything resembling a floor in decades. Good one Mom but she's seventeen and therefore hasn't been around for decades. Joke's on you! A glance at the clock takes her straight out of her reverie. Twenty minutes to finish packing and not even half way done? Yeah, that sounds about right.

NETVIBES

Net is not vibing for me yet...

I don't get it. I am not really sure how to customize it. I set up my "dashboard" for world news and then a separate dashboard has social media but I'm not sure how to make the two cohesive. Overall at this point I am pretty confused but I set up an account. Help?

VOCAB #6

1. obsequious: obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree

• Private schools have a reputation of having multiple obsequious students.

2. beatitude: supreme blessedness

• Her beauty was viewed as beatitude.

3. bete noire: a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads

• Math analysis is a common bête noire among high school students.

4. bode: to announce beforehand, or predict

• This does not bode well for you.

5. dank: disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold

• The cave was excessively dank after the recent storms along the coast.

6. ecumenical: representing a number of different Christian churches; nondenominational

• Some families choose to be ecumenical and even non-practicing.  

7. fervid: intensely enthusiastic or passionate, to an excessive degree

• I have a fervid desire to download the new Drake album.

8. fetid: smelling extremely unpleasant

• The cheese factory was fetid.

9. gargantuan: enormous

• I had a gargantuan bruise on my shin after my soccer game.

10. heyday: the period of a person's or thing's greatest success, popularity, or power

• Sammie Sweetheart from Jersey Shore has long since passed her heyday.

11. inveigle: persuade to do something by means of flattery or deception

• It wasn't hard for that girl to inveigle more money out of her adoring parents.

12. kudos: praise and honor received for an achievement

• Kudos to anyone who understands AP Statistics.

13. lagniappe: something given as a bonus or extra gift

• We received a lagniappe on our last vocab test for drawing a doodle.

14. prolix: using or containing too many words, tediously lengthy

• This vocab assignment is a bit prolix if you get what I mean.

15. protégé: a person who is guided by an older and more experienced person

• The Karate Kid was a protégé to that old guy.

16. prototype: a first model of something

• Apple often creates prototypes of new technology.

17. sycophant: a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain an advantage

• Sometimes a teacher's favorite student can appear as a sycophant to their peers.

18. tautology: the saying of the same thing twice in different words

• Emerson uses tautology to help us "understand" concepts.

19. truckle: to submit or behave obediently

• Many people are forced to truckle beneath the power of forceful governments.

20. incubus: something that causes somebody much worry or anxiety

• Homework is a definite incubus to students.

21. infrastructure: basic organization, structure, set up

• The engineer designed the infrastructure for the new library.

22. accolade: (n) public recognition, tribute, praise

• The Lincoln monument is an accolade.

23. acerbity: (n) bitterness

• I tend to speak with too much acerbity when I'm tired.

24. attrition: (n) gradual reduction in the size of a work force

• Companies often undergo attrition when their stock reduces in value.

25. bromide: (n) saying that lacks originality

• Raining cats and dogs is a bromide.

26. chauvinist: (n) somebody with a sense of superiority, sexist, homophobe

•  Romney.

27. chronic: (adj) long-lasting, continuing, ever present

•  I have a chronic knee injury.

28. expound: (v) expand on, explain, talk about

• I'm going to need you to expound upon that topic.

29. factionalism: (n) existence of groups within a larger group.

• Many sci-fi books experiment with factionalism.

30. immaculate: (adj) perfect, spotlessly clean

• My room has never been immaculate.

31. imprecation: (n) curse, swearword, expletive

•  Rap music is filled with imprecations.

32. ineluctable: (adj) not to be avoided, inevitable

• Growing older is ineluctable.

33. mercurial: (adj) lively and unpredictable

• Adam Sandler is a highly mercurial actor.

34. palliate:(v) alleviate symptons, cure, heal, treat

• Doctors are trained to palliate all different illnesses and injuries.

35. protocol: (n) a set of guidelines or rules

• There is a specific protocol for every professional job.

36. resplendent:(adj) dazzling, impressive, splendid

• Waterfalls are a resplendent part of nature.

37. stigmatize: (v) label as socially undesirable

• Many cancer organizations have stigmatized smoking in public due to second hand smoke.

38. sub rosa: (adv) secretly or privately

• They decided it was best to handle the situation sub rosa.

39. vainglory: (n) excessive pride, boastfulness in personal ability

• Beowulf expressed a bit of vainglory while speaking to Unferth.

40. vestige: (n) a trace or sign of something that is no longer present.

• There was a vestige of the woman's bold perfume in the air.

41. volition: (n) choice, wish, decision

• My mother did not agree with my final volition because she deemed it irresponsible.

WHAT A CHARACTER

A character I know that I will remember for a long time is Miles "Pudge" Halter from Looking For Alaska by John Green. He is a special character for me because he is the first male character that I have ever been able to deeply and wholeheartedly understand and connect with. The desire he harbors for the "Great Perhaps" and his confusion for the world around him is something that I haven't been able to get off my mind since I first read it. We are so similar I feel like a piece of him is in the back of my mind at all times. I read a lot of books. Not many characters have been able to stick out of the blur of fiction and information I have picked up the way Miles has.

Declaration of Learning Independence

My declaration is going to be about understanding. I want to really understand more about my Big Questions, not answer them if that's even possible, but to really understand more about them. I want to understand more about myself and how the literature I read in class and for the literature analysis truly relates to and effects me.

Vocab #5

1. obsequious: obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree

2. beatitude: supreme blessedness

3. bete noire: a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads

4. bode: to announce beforehand, or predict

5. dank: disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold

6. ecumenical: representing a number of different Christian churches; nondenominational

7. fervid: intensely enthusiastic or passionate, to an excessive degree

8. fetid: smelling extremely unpleasant

9. gargantuan: enormous

10. heyday: the period of a person's or thing's greatest success, popularity, or power

11. inveigle: persuade to do something by means of flattery or deception

12. kudos: praise and honor received for an achievement

13. lagniappe: something given as a bonus or extra gift

14. prolix: using or containing too many words, tediously lengthy

15. protege: a person who is guided by an older and more experienced person

16. prototype: a first model of something

17. sycophant: a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain an advantage

18. tautology: the saying of the same thing twice in different words

19. truckle: to submit or behave obediently

20. incubus: something that causes somebody much worry or anxiety

21. infrastructure: basic organization, structure, set up

ALL OF THE ABOVE

To be honest I didn't know what to expect going into the 1987 AP exam. I was really surprised when I was able to answer as many questions as I did correctly.  The questions that tripped me up the most were the questions in the poetry selections asking which format was used (iambic pentameter, etc.). The essay portion was difficult in my opinion and I tried to time myself during writing to make it more realistic and found my final result satisfactory but not my best work. Most of the vocabulary I was able to recognize which made me feel pretty good!

VOCABULARY #4

1. accolade: (n) public recognition, tribute, praise

• The Lincoln monument is a famous accolade.

2. acerbity: (n) bitterness

• I never understand why people choose to address others with such a high level of acerbity.

3. attrition: (n) gradual reduction in the size of a work force

• A few years ago the education system went through quite the attrition during nationwide budget cuts.

4. bromide: (n) saying that lacks originality

• Raining cats and dogs is an example of a bromide.

5. chauvinist: (n) somebody with a sense of superiority, sexist, homophobe

• In my opinion, Romney is a complete chauvinist.

6. chronic: (adj) long-lasting, continuing, ever present

• My doctor told me I have chronic tendonitis.

7. expound: (v) expand on, explain, talk about

• I found it unnecessary to expound the details of my vacation to everyone.

8. factionalism: (n) existence of groups within a larger group.

• Many dystopian novels are centered around the idea of factionalism.

9. immaculate: (adj) perfect, spotlessly clean

• I don't think my room will ever reach an immaculate state.

10. imprecation: (n) curse, swearword, expletive

• The amount of imprecations in his speech was unnecessary.

11. ineluctable: (adj) not to be avoided, inevitable

• Growing older is ineluctable.

12. mercurial: (adj) lively and unpredictable

• Will Ferrel is a highly mercurial actor.

13. palliate:(v) alleviate symptons, cure, heal, treat

• Doctors are trained to palliate all different illnesses and injuries.

14. protocol: (n) a set of guidelines or rules

• There is a specific protocol for every professional job.

15. resplendent:(adj) dazzling, impressive, splendid

• Waterfalls are a resplendent part of nature.

16. stigmatize: (v) label as socially undesirable

• Many cancer organizations have stigmatized smoking in public due to second hand smoke.

17. sub rosa: (adv) secretly or privately

• They decided it was best to handle the situation sub rosa.

18. vainglory: (n) excessive pride, boastfulness in personal ability

• Beowulf expressed a bit of vainglory while speaking to Unferth.

19. vestige: (n) a trace or sign of something that is no longer present.

• There was a vestige of the woman's bold perfume in the air.

20. volition: (n) choice, wish, decision

• My mother did not agree with my final volition because she deemed it irresponsible.

Beowulf Essay

Prompt: Compare Beowulf with a modern hero, both as characters and as symbols of the times in which both were created.  Support your thesis with at least three (3) literary techniques and three (3) textual examples that strengthen and illustrate your ideas for your readers.

    Heroes are known to act as symbols for different values and ideas that are important in specific time periods. Beowulf is perhaps one of the oldest heroes to be written about. Throughout the text there are hints at what traits are desirable to have within that time period and which people were considered the alphas. The same can be said for Movies like Hancock and characters such as Batman. Not only are the desirable qualities quite different, but so are the "monsters" they face.

    The characterization in Beowulf made it very clear that an extreme amount of confidence and bravado was desired in heroes. Beowulf had a confidence that in our society would come across as hubris especially when he was boasting to Unferth that "Truth I[Beowulf] claim it, that I had more might in the sea than anyone else". Strength and bravery were the most desired characteristics. While those still play an important role in our society, more often we have the case of heroes being "ordinary people who do extraordinary things". Characters such as Hancock and Batman may have accomplished great feats that most could not but they still have a level of relatability that is hard to reach with Beowulf. They have flaws such as Hancock's alcoholism and their respective fears of inadequacy.  Heroes in modern times are admired for their ability to overcome the flaws that hinder most people. In Beowulf's time, flaws went almost completely unacknowledged because that wasn't viewed as desirable of a hero. Beowulf was written without much internal conflict. He saw a threat, such as Grendel, and went to eliminate it. Heroes in our society often face multiple internal conflicts that set them apart from ancient heroes like Beowulf.

   A major difference also lies within the way these different versions of heroes go about battling evil. Firstly, Beowulf would always be matched up against old school, evil monsters such as Grendel with  claws and razor sharp teeth. Hancock and Batman each face evil human beings with weapons and razor sharp intellect. The representations of evil itself have changed as much as the heroes. Part of Beowulf's heroism was his ability to go into a dangerous situation relying purely on himself without extra precautions like a bullet proof latex suit designed to withstand any threat that is commonly worn by heroes today.

    While these aspects clearly differ, some truths about heroes are still relevant today. Heroes are those willing to sacrifice anything be it love, happiness, or even their own life purely for the benefit of others. Beowulf showed this in his final battle where he gave every last breath he had against the dragon to let his people live another peaceful day. This is why firefighters and marines are called heroes just like Beowulf and Batman are. Heroes are those who are first to sacrifice so hopefully others don't have to.

  

WILL STUDY FOR FOOD

The scholarship I found information on today is the Elks Lodge 1538 "Student of the Month". Winners of the scholarship receive a $200 check as well as an additional $500 dollars at the end of the school year. Also, students who win "Student of the Month" automatically qualify to win a $1750 scholarship through a joint program called "Student of the Year". That is a potential $2450 towards college expenses. This is a good scholarship for me to apply for because even with financial aid I will need extra cash to help with personal expenses throughout my college career. I'm hoping to make as much as I can to be quite honest. I'm high maintenance ok.

VOCABULARY #3

1. apostate: (n) somebody who renounces a belief or allegiance, deserter.

2. effusive: (adj) unrestrained in expressing feelings, gushy, lavish

• I found the couple to be much too effusive in their vows.

3. impasse: (n) point at which no further progress can be made, standstill, blockade

• After we had been arguing for hours we found ourselves at an impasse.

4. euphoria: (n) extreme happiness

• If my mother would buy me One Direction tickets I would find myself in a state of euphoria.

5. lugubrious: (adj) gloomy, extremely mournful

• The Fault In Our Stars has a lugubrious ending.

6. bravado: (n) boldness or courage, swagger

• The athlete was only relatively talented and all his bravado didn't show results in the game.

7. consensus: (n) general or widespread unanimity, agreement, harmony 

• The panel reached a consensus only after comparing the numerous pros and cons of each choice.

8. dichotomy: (n) separation of different or contradictory things, contrast

• There is an extreme dichotomy between winter and summer.

9. constrict: (v) narrow, tighten

• The small room felt constricted once filled with people.

10. gothic: (adj) dark, barbarous, uncivilized

• Frankenstein is considered a gothic character.

11. punctilio: (n) observance of etiquette.

 

12. metamorphosis: (n) change in physical form, transformation

• Sometimes women look as if they have undergone a complete metamorphosis after plastic surgery.

13. raconteur: (n) somebody who tells entertaining stories

• As a child I was known to be somewhat of a raconteur during sleepovers.

14. sine qua non: (n) essential condition, prerequisite, requirement

• Having a pre-arranged absence form is a sine qua non for most on campus school activities.

15. quixotic: (adj) excessively romantic/romanticized, impractical

• It is quixotic to claim true love on a first date.

16. vendetta: (n) prolonged feud, quarrel

• Tweety Bird and Sylvester have quite the vendetta.

17. non sequitur: (n) incongruous statement, one statement does not follow the other.

• It is a non sequitur to state your love of pineapples after comparing apples to oranges.

18. mystique: (n) mysterious quality, air of mystery

• The girl who worked in the spell shop had a certain indescribable mystique.

19. quagmire: (n) difficult situation, awkward situation difficult to escape from

• The man found himself in a serious quagmire after being caught in his lie.

20. parlous: (adj) unsafe, dangerous

• Rock climbing can lead to many unforeseen, parlous events.

Why This Book...

The book I chose for the first literary analysis is Looking For Alaska by John Green. I chose this book because I am a really big fan of the author and have heard great things about it. I really like the fact that the main character goes deeper than the "typical teen" and has a lot of demons.  This book shows people my age dealing with issues a lot more complex than previous novels have given teens credit for and I find that really intriguing.

VOCABULARY #2

1. accoutrements: (n) accessory or piece of equipment associated with a specific object.

• I didn't have all the proper accoutrements necessary to create a realistic costume.

2. apogee: (n) the best or greatest point.

• The apogee in most action movies involves a car chase.

 3. apropos: (adj) just right, opportune, fitting

• I found that the family gathering was not the most apropos time to announce my bad grades.

4. bicker: (v) to argue about something unimportant.

• Every time we get together my sister and I end up bickering.

5. coalesce: (v) to merge or unite things

• The two coaches decided to coalesce the separate programs to create one team.

6. contretemps: (n) an unfortunate occurrence, mishap.

• Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMA's was a hilarious and unforeseen contretemps.

7. convolution: (n) difficulty, complication

• We had lost our map which presented a serious convolution in our road trip.  

8. cull: (v) remove somebody or something as worthless, reject, discard

• There was too much excess footage so the director had to decide which scenes to cull.

9. disparate: (adj) very different, describes two things that cannot be compared.

• Ghana and the United States are two disparate places.

10. dogmatic: (adj) expressing rigid opinions, inflexible, unbending

• The preacher was dogmatic in his beliefs.

11. licentious: (adj) sexually immoral, unchecked by morality, pursuing desires selfishly and aggressively

 

12. mete: (

 

13. noxious: (adj) physically harmful, morally harmful

• We knew something went seriously wrong when we smelt noxious fumes during the experiment.

14. polemic: (n) passionate argument, controversial

• The outspoken girl launched an incredible polemic against animal cruelty.

15. populous: (adj) highly populated, overcrowded

• Costco is rather populous on pay-day.

16. probity: (n) moral integrity, correctness

• It is extremely difficult to find a politician with decent probity.

17. repartee: (n) witty talk

• My best friend and I often have conversations filled with humorous repartee.

18. supervene: (v) to follow immediately after, interrupt, appear, turn up

• The after party supervenes directly after the award show.

19. truncate: (v) shorten by removal, abbreviate

• The gardener found it necessary to truncate the shrubbery to boost curb appeal.

20. unimpeachable: (adj) impossible to discredit, flawless

• In my opinion Harry Styles is purely unimpeachable.

Beowulf Notes from 8/21

Here is a crappy picture of my Beowulf notes from a few nights ago. I am too lazy at the moment to type them up but it will get done eventually!

Beowulf Comprehension Questions

Prologue:

1. Scyld became leader because he was the strongest out there. No one would dare to challenge him and because of that he gained respect. His people were sad to see him go. They sent him to sea in a ship filled with gold and other riches. Scyld is the great-grandfather of Hrothgar.

Heorot Is Attacked:

1. Hrothgar undertook the task of building a mead-hall (banquet hall). Grendel attacked it at night by killing thirty men and continued his attacks for 12 years. The Danes were struck with grief for their lost friends and no one dared to use the new hall. All those who fought against Grendel in effort to stop him were killed.

The Hero Comes To Heorot:

1. Beowulf assembles a ship of men and sets sail to Hrothgar upon hearing of his struggle with Grendel.
2. When the Geats arrive they meet Hrothgar's lieutenant, a watchman, who asks what the strangers purpose is for landing there. They respond that they are there to speak with Hrothgar about ways to help battle the monster.
3. Beowulf then meets Wulfgar who is impressed with Beowulf's tale and immediately relays the message to Hrothgar. Beowulf is then invited to see Hrothgar and offers to fight Grendel unarmed. It's not surprising that Hrothgar knows Beowulf because tales of his feats have traveled such a long way.
4. Hrothgar tells Beowulf that after his father killed a member of the Wulfing tribe Hrothgar sent money and treasure in hopes of mending the feud.

Feast at Heorot:

1. Unferth accuses Beowulf of losing a race against his childhood friend Breca. Beowulf responds with his version of the story about how not only was he victorious but he also slayed multiple monsters along the way. This is relevant because it highlights Beowulf's previous victories and reinforces the audience's confidence in him. He accuses Unferth of being a drunk and calls out his weakness against Grendel.
2. Queen Wealhtheow thanks God that Beowulf is there to fight Grendel (www.sparknotes.com).

Beowulf Returns Home:

1. Hrothgar predicts a great future for Beowulf and promises him gold.
2. Hygd is the wife of King Hygelac and she differs from Modthryth because she(Hygd) is not a killer of innocent people.
3. Beowulf hopes to inspire a feud between the families again, hopefully strong enough for fighting to ensue. This is a far less noble and heroic side to Beowulf.
4. Of course Beowulf embellishes the story of his great battle.
5. Beowulf is given treasure and a land of his own to rule from Hygelac. He gives a lot of his treasure to his king.

Beowulf Attacks the Dragon:

1. Beowulf wishes his men good luck but asks for no help in facing the dragon.
2. Beowulf is not as strong as he used to be in his youth and struggles against the dragon. While most of his companions flee in terror Wiglaf remains and encourages the others to stay and fight because it is their duty to remain loyal and honor their oaths. Wiglaf continues to aid Beowulf in the fight.
3. Wiglaf continues to assist Beowulf. The dragon manages a bite to Beowulf and before he realizes it will be a fatal bite, Beowulf stabs and kills the dragon.
4. Beowulf asks Wiglaf to fetch some of the treasure for him to see before he dies. Beowulf is joyful that he has won this treasure for his people. He wanted a large pyre decked with armour.

Beowulf's Funeral:

1. Wiglaf scolds the soldiers who fled and calls them cowardly. He predicts that many clans who were too afraid to attack them while Beowulf was alive will hear of his death and launch attacks.
2. a
3. Wiglaf tells the crowd of Beowulf's final moments and to begin building the funeral pyre specific to Beowulf's last wishes.
4. The dragon's body is thrown into the water.
5. During the funeral "the Geats burn their kings body on a funeral pyre and bitterly lament his death." After they take to building a tower in his honor for sailors far and wide could find it. (from the translation by Burton Raffel).
6. In the last three lines the Geats say that no better king had ever lived and that there was no one so deserving of praise as Beowulf. In a way this is expected of someone who was a military hero because they are often thought to be the biggest, baddest, and bravest of society.

The Fight with Grendel, Celebration at Heorot, Another Attack, Beowulf fights Grendels Mother, and Further Celebration at Heorot: Courtesy of Jenna.
The Fight with Grendel

1.)Heroic poetry normally has a scene in which the hero arms for battle. What is different about Beowulf's preparations for his fight with Grendel? Beowulf unarms himself when preparing for battle with Grendel which is unusual for the time because a characteristic of a hero back then was excellent sword skills and he instead decided to use his hands. 2.)What happens when Grendel enters Heorot? How does Beowulf fight with him? What happens when Grendel tries to leave? Does Grendel escape? What does he leave behind? When Grendel enters Heorot he killed one of the men easily so he was taken aback when Beowulf comes at him with such power. Grendel tries to escape, but Beowulf rips off his arm. Grendel finally manages to escape only to go die alone. Celebration at Heorot 1.)When the Danes and Geats return from following Grendel's tracks to the mere, someone sings in Beowulf's presence, comparing him to Sigemund and saying that he was not like Heremod (lines 883-914). How is Beowulf like Sigemund? How is he not like Heremod? Beowulf is similar to Sigemund in that he had won many battles and is known for his courage and bravery as well. Heremod and Beowulf are similar because they were both excellent warriors, but Heremod was interested in the fame and fortune that goes along with winning and Beowulf was not. 2.)How does Hrothgar respond to Beowulf's deed? What does he offer to do for him? What does Unferth have to say now? Hrothgar is so happy that Beowulf slayed Grendel that he promises him his kingdom and all his riches. Unferth doesn't really have anything to say because he is embarrassed that he was so wrong about Beowulf. 3.)The singer sings of Finn during the feasting (lines 1070-1158). The exact details of the Finn story are not clear, but in general, what happens? What does it suggest about the wisdom of using a woman as bride to heal enmity between tribes? In the story of Finn Hnaefs daughter is given to Finn as sort of a peace offering which suggests that marriages were seen as business agreements in that time. 4.)When the feasting resumes, what does Wealhtheow ask Hrothgar not to do? Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to forget his children and their inheritance. 5.)Wealhtheow gives Beowulf a large, broad necklace. What later happens to it? What does Wealhtheow ask Beowulf to do? Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to look out for her sons and to help them if they need it. 6.)Why do so many men remain in the beer hall to sleep? Why is it a mistake? The drunk men fall asleep in the hall because they believe, now that Grendel is gone, that it is safe. This is a mistake because Grendel's mother comes seeking revenge. Another Attack 1.)Why has Grendel's mother come to Heorot? Is it the same reason Grendel had? Grendel's mother comes to get revenge by killing Beowulf while Grendel entered Heorot to just kill anyone in sight. 2.)What is Hrothgar's response? Whom has Grendel's mother killed? Hrothgar is very upset about Grendel's mother so he offers Beowulf a reward if he can kill her. 3.)What sort of place is the mere? The mere is dark and dangerous, it is always covered with a thick fog. Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother 1.)How does Beowulf tell Hrothgar to respond? Beowulf says he'll fight for the Danes and believes that he'll be sucessful. 2.)What happens at the mere before Beowulf enters it? Beowulf sinks down in the water. 3.)How does Beowulf prepare for the battle? What sword does he take with him? Beowulf tells Hrothgar what he wants done in case he doesn't make it back and he takes his ring marked blade sword. 4.)What happens when Beowulf enters the mere? What is surprising about where Grendel and his mother live in the mere? Grendel's mother grabs Beowulf's armor which protects him from her claws. The surprising thing about where Grendel's mother lives is that it's underwater. 5.)What happens to the sword Beowulf borrowed from Unferth? The sword breaks when it makes contact with Grendel's mother. 6.)At one point Beowulf is on the floor, with Grendel's mother sitting on him and drawing her knife. How does Beowulf escape? Beowulf digs deep and uses his incredible strength to get out from under her. 7.)How does Beowulf kill Grendel's mother? What weapon does he use? What happens when she dies? What does Beowulf take with him from her home? What happens to the sword he used to kill her? Beowulf kills Grendel's mother by using a sword he found hanging on the wall and breaking all her bones. When she dies her body lights up, he brought Grendel's head and part of the sword because some of it was stuck inside her body. 8.)What happens when Beowulf returns to the surface? Did his men expect him to return? The men didn't expect Beowulf to return so no one was there when he surfaced. Further Celebration at Heorot 1.)What does Beowulf give to Hrothgar? Beowulf gives him the sword of giants. 2.)What message does Hrothgar have for Beowulf? What and why does he tell us about Heremod? Why and how did Heremod die? What lesson does Hrothgar teach with the Heremod example? Hrothgar tells him to seek virtue because Heremond didn't and he ignored the signs of the gods. This teaches Beowulf not to act selfishly. 3.)What does Beowulf give to Unferth as he leaves? Beowulf gives Unferth his sword back.

The Dragon Wakes: Courtesy of Rachel

The Dragon Wakes

1.      How much later does part 2 take place? What kings have died in the meanwhile? What danger now exists?

Part 2 takes places 50 years later. King Hygelac and his son Heardred have both died. The danger that now exists is the dragon that is attacking the kingdom.

2.      Why is the dragon angry? Why did the man take the cup? How did the treasure come to be there in the first place? (The speech of the lone survivor, the one who put the gold in the barrow, is in a typically old English elegiac tone.)

The dragon is angry because a man stole a cup from his treasure. The man stole the cup from the treasure to honor his lord. The treasure was there because ancient people hid it there.

3.      What did the dragon destroy that evening?

The dragon destroyed buildings and homes in the kingdom.

4.      Why does Beowulf think his home was burnt? Why does he order a new shield? How will he fight this battle? What will happen to him?

Beowulf thinks his home was burnt because he did something to anger god. He orders a new iron shield so that it can’t be burned like his old wood one would be against the dragon. Beowulf plans to fight this battle until the death.

5.      How did Hygelac die? (the description in lines 2354-2379 begins one of the several versions of Geatish history and Hygelac’s death we will get.) What did Beowulf do after Hygelac’s death? What happened when he returned home? Did he accept Hygd’s offer to become king?

Hygelac was killed by the Frankish king in a battle. Beowulf killed the Frankish king and refused to become king in loyalty to his cousin.

6.      What happened to Hygelac’s son Heardred? (That’s the story in lines 2380-2390.) How did Beowulf plan to revenge Heardred’s death (lines 2391-2396)?

Heardred was killed by the Swedish. Beowulf planed on revenge by befriending the man that killed Heardred.

7.      How many men accompany Beowulf as he goes to meet the dragon?

Eleven men accompany Beowulf to meet the dragon.

8.      What happened to Hygelac's oldest brother Herebeald? Who killed him? What did this do to his father King Hrethel? What happened between the Swedes and Geats after Hrethel's death? What happened to Haethcyn? How did Beowulf revenge Hygelac's death?

Herebeald was killed by Heathcyn (the younger brother). King Hrethel went into a depression and then died. After Hrethel’s death the Swedes and Geats continued having their conflicts. Heathcyn died and Beowulf revenged Hygelac’s death by killing a lot of the Swedes.