Literary Analysis #4: The Color Purple

GENERAL:
1. Celie is abused and raped by her Pa, who takes away her children after they’re born. Eventually, Pa marries Celie off to a man who is just as abusive as Pa. Celie’s new husband looks after of his house, and work in his fields. Celie is somewhat happy to marry him because she can now remove her younger sister, Nettie, from Pa’s household. However, after Nettie lives in his household for a time without encouraging his sexual advances, he kicks Nettie out. Though Nettie promises to write to her sister, Celie doesn’t hear from her. Celie’s life gets worse and worse, as she’s now separated from the only person in the world whom she loves and who loves her back. Celie’s life changes when he brings his deathly ill mistress home for Celie to nurse back to health. His mistress, Shug, is everything that Celie isn’t: sexy, sassy, and independent. Celie quickly falls in love with Shug, and Shug falls in love back. For the first time in Celie’s life, she has a chance to enjoy sex, romance, and friendship. Together with Shug, Celie discovers the mystery of Nettie’s silence for so many decades: he has been hiding all of Nettie’s letters in his locked trunk. When Celie finds her sister’s letters, it unlocks a new world for her. Instead of being submissive and downtrodden, she realizes the full extent of the abuses she has suffered from him. This knowledge gives her the strength to leave him. Celie heads off to Memphis with Shug to start a new life. Nettie’s letters transform the way Celie sees the world. From Nettie, Celie learns that Pa isn’t actually her biological father. Celie also learns that Nettie is living with the Reverend Samuel and his family, working as a missionary in Africa. The Reverend Samuel had also adopted Celie’s two children from Pa many years back. Nettie, Samuel, and the children plan to return from Africa soon. Celie learns that Pa has died. She also finds out that the house that Pa lived in actually has belonged to Celie and Nettie since their mother passed away. So now Celie owns a home, which she prepares for Nettie’s arrival. Now an independent woman, Celie remains close friends with Shug, although Shug is not faithful or constant in their romantic relationship. Celie also gains a new friend. After she left him, he became a changed man. He’s reformed and is now a pretty decent guy. Although Celie isn’t remotely romantically interested in him, they now enjoy each other’s company. After several decades abroad in Africa, Nettie returns with Samuel, who is now her husband, and with Celie’s two children. The sisters have a blissful reunion, and although they’re now old women, we get the sense that they’ve just begun the best years of their lives.
2. The theme of the novel builds a huge significance around female relationships. Female ties take many forms: some are motherly or sisterly, some are in the form of mentor and pupil, some are sexual, and some are simply friendships. Sofia claims that her ability to fight comes from her strong relationships with her sisters. Nettie’s relationship with Celie anchors her through years of living in the unfamiliar culture of Africa. Samuel notes that the strong relationships among Olinka women are the only thing that makes polygamy bearable for them. Most important, Celie’s ties to Shug bring about Celie’s gradual redemption and her attainment of a sense of self.
3. The tone is very serious and honest. This is not a funny novel. In fact, though there may be one or two funny moments in the novel, we can’t remember them right now. This is a novel about utter hardship, sadness, tragedy – and a woman who finally figures out how to beat the odds no matter how badly they are stacked against her. Celie, the primary narrator, takes a serious look at her life through letters to God. She’s not joking around, she’s expressing the sadness of her life in the healthiest way she can. Her letters to God, and later to Nettie, are very honest. She doesn’t hide the hardship that she’s been through, her embarrassment, or shame. Essentially, the novel is intended to be like the unedited thoughts that go through a person’s mind.
4. Symbolism: The color purple represents all the good things God created in life for man.
Imagery: The pants are an image of how Celie transforms from a woman under a man's hand to her own self.
Allegory: The letters and conversations that Celie has with God is a story throughout the whole novel where she is able to maintain her sanity.
Setting: Georgia in early 20th century; small African town in early 20th century
Syntax: helps describe the time period in the early 20th century

CHARACTERIZATION:
1. Direct: The author is decribing her character's appearances; Describes the character's traits
Indirect: Celie calls Albert Mr.; Celie is explaining how she feels about Mr. The author uses more direct chracterization throughout the story because she is more of a descriptive author in the fact that she more describes the people and situations directly rather than have characters create the story by dialogue.
2. The author only uses one sort of syntax and diction because she only speaks really of Celie. The syntax is very loving and sweet when Celie is a little girl. And as she grows, so does the text.
3. Celie, the protagonist, is definitely dinamic. When she is a young child, she is scared and helpless and extremely sad. But as she grows she becomes this independent strong woman. The situations she goes through create her character and mold her into a passionate strong woman.
4. After finishing this book, I felt the deepest compassion for Celie. I felt as though I went through everything she did. I was there with her at an early age and grew up with her as she grew into this beautiful woman. She literally became a beautiful sight in my eyes. The book was no longer text, but almost like a dream. I definitely felt as though I lived through The Color Purple.

Thinking Outside the Box

Both Plato and Sartre describe the limitations of our thinking with very descriptive sort of "real life" senarios. They use descriptive stories-Plato with the prisoners in the cave unable to see around them, and Sartre with the three dead people in hell-to try and expand their reader's thinking. Plato uses the whole metaphor of the "cave" and "prisoners" to imply that our minds are covered by what we think we see and what we want to believe instead of seeing the reality of things. This really makes the reader think, may I say, "outside the box", because we don't necessarily think about this really at all. Sartre describes his hell as a typical place where three normal people meet. Yet, within the simple text, there is an extended allegory with a hidden message: we are not tortured by any specific labeled "torturers", but by the things and people around us that make us hate everything. There are things in life that just make us tick. With Sartre's story, he created a dinamic story to expand the reader's thinking into what our hell would really be. Both of there extended metaphors and allegories create a very broad range of thinking for their readers.

"Allegory of the Cave" Sonnet

When we see, what do we really see?
Is it all real or just make believe?
There's a fine line between the truth and reality
But our mind only lets us see partially.
We are trapped inside the "cave" of our minds unable to see past the dark.
We are prisoners within ourselves unable to see even a spark.
How we crave to imagine the full picture of what's real
Yet, our eyes deceive our minds and make us believe the unreal.
We ourselves are the creators of our world.
If we only see what we want, we only see a swirl.
A swirl of this vast wonderful place,
where the truth and reality are what we have to face.

Can you really stop companies from tracking you?

So we've been talking about filter bubbles and such in class and when I saw this article on my Yahoo, it looked like something good to share with y'all. We all think we are doomed when it comes to concealing our privacy on the internet but this article says otherwise. So here it is. Hope you find it interesting. :)

Literature Analysis #3: Wuthering Heights

GENERAL:
1. We learn that the story of Catherine and Heathcliff is told through the housekeeper of the Wuthering Heights esate. As young children, Catherine and her brother have to welcome in their newly adopted brother, Heathcliff. He soon takes up the job of their stableboy. Catherine grows extremely close with Heathcliff but her brother keeps him at an icy distance. As they grow older, Catherine and Heathcliff begin a romantic relationship, but soon Catherine decides she cannot marry Heathcliff because of his temper and attitude. Heathcliff overhears and leaves the estate without saying anything to anyone. Catherine soon enough marries Edgar Linton and lives with him. All is well until Heathcliff returns and starts to have a love affair with another younger girl. Catherine is outraged and starts to get sick while learning she is pregnant. She dies in childbirth and Heathcliff takes Cathy(her daughter) in and raises her. Isabella soon dies as well as Heathcliff.
2. When Heathcliff cannot have the woman he loves, he turns his attention to revenging his childhood tormenter, his adoptive brother Hindley. Because Hindley never lost an opportunity to demean Heathcliff, the "gypsy" grows up determined to destroy Hindley and become master of the two houses. The fact that Hindley already has a tendency to drink and gamble to excess makes Heathcliff's vengeance all the easier. Without this desire for revenge, Heathcliff would have had nothing to do but pine after Catherine, so revenge becomes a major motivator for his character. On paper, he succeeds in his revenge: thwarting property and inheritance laws, he manages to become owner of the two houses. But by his own admission, revenge loses its thrill in the end.
3. The attitudes of our narrators help shape the tone as the drama unfolds, so that Lockwood's initial curiosity and fascination convey a lighter feeling than after he realizes how sinister Heathcliff is. Whenever Heathcliff is around, the tone tends to grows darker. Likewise, you can tell Nelly Dean really enjoys storytelling, so she tries to sustain a tone of suspense and mystery – that way she keeps Lockwood's, and by extension the reader's, attention. This is what keeps Lockwood up late and what keeps us reading.
4. Symbolism: The old beaten down furniture is a symbol for the dark setting.
Imagery: The dark and stormy setting is an image for the dark tone and evil theme of the story.
Irony: It's ironic how Catherine marries Edgar for his money and status when she has feelings for Heathcliff before and now he has aquired lots of money.
Dialect: The speech of every character is rigid and dark just like the whole setting and story.
Frame story: This story the reader is reading has another story within it as the housekeeper is telling it.
Setting: Setting is very dark which describes the theme of revenge and is evil.

CHARACTERIZATION:
1. Direct: When the narrator first speaks of Heathcliff, she describes exactly how he is and how she feels about him; When the younger Catherine is explaining how much she loathes living with Heathcliff.
Indirect: Catherine is explaining to another character how she feels about Heathcliff and how she cannot marry him; The housekeeper describes the whole story and every character through her words to the traveller.
2. When talking of Heathcliff, the author's diction and syntax is evil and hard. When speaking of Catherine(both younger and older), the author's diction and syntax is sweet and sort of naive in a way.
3. The protagonist is definitely dynamic. At the beginning as a child, Catherine is in love with Heathcliff and only sees him as perfect. As she grows older, she becomes a lot more wise and actually sees Heathcliff for who he is.
4. I felt the complete hatred towards Heathcliff by the end, yet, I also felt sorry for him. Although he did some pretty mean and hateful things, he also did lose the love of his life-his "soul". After Catherine's death, his inner core was wripped out of him. Even though he was so easy to hate by the end of the book, deep down I felt the deepest hurt for him.

Vocabulary #11

1.Affinity- relationship by marriage
"After researching her family history, she discovered there is no affinity between her and her cousin."

 

2.Bilious- of or indicative of a peevish ill nature disposition

"Her bilious attack made her look almost pathetic."

 

3.Cognate- of the same nature
"The twins were cognate to each other."

 

4.Corollary- A proposition inferred immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof
"His corollary proved the point of the other man's story."

 

5.Cul-de-sac - a pouch
"My friend lives around the cul-de-sac."

 

6.Derring-do- a daring action
"The woman's derring-do saved many people and made her the town hero."

 

7.Divination- The art or practice that seeks to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge due

to the interpretation of omens
"Her divination made it possible for her to know what is going to happen next."

 

8.Elixir- A substance capable of prolonging life indefinitely
"The elixir in the fountain made people from all over seek to find it's magnificient powers."

 

9.Folderol- a useless accessory
"Her tons of jewelry are but a bunch of folderols."

 

10.Gamut- an entire range or series
"The gamut of the obstacle course is about 10 miles long."

 

11.Hoi polloi- the general populace
"The hoi-polloi is of African decent."

 

12.Ineffable- incapable of being expressed in words
"My feelings for him are so intense they are practically ineffable."

 

13.Lucubration- to study by night
"Once you attend college, it seems the only studying you get is of lucubration."

 

14.Mnemonic- intended to assist memory
"The mnemonic drugs were needed to access the woman's thoughts she forgot."

 

15.Obloquy- abusive language
"I tend to use a lot of obloquy when I am angry with something or someone."

 

16.Parameter- an independent variable used to express the coordinates of variable point and functions of them
"The parametic equations are always hard because you have to figure out what 'this is for that'."

 

17.Pundit- a learned man
"The man is a pundit for he went to school and got an education."

 

18.Risible- provoking laughter
"Her risible is what made the man fall for her so fast."

 

19.Symptomatic- having the characteristics of a certain disease but arising of a different cause
"The symptomatic disease not only tricked the patient but the doctors as well."

 

20.Volte-face- a reversal in policy

"The volte-face was put in order due to the fact that no one was abiding by the rules."

"To be or not to be..." in Song (by Courtney Welbon)

So I was on Youtube looking up simple readings of the "To be or not to be" speech from Hamlet, and it this was like the second video on the suggested videos. It's actually pretty cool. Very catchy! :)
So here it is!

P.S. Sorry I didn't actually put the video up. I thought the URL would be easier.

Literature Analysis #2: Cold Mountain

GENERAL
1. Cold Mountain describes a young man's jouney back to his true love during the Civil War. Falling for each other before he had to leave, Inman and Ada's relationship was in the peak of just beginning to bloom. But wanted to fight in the war, Inman found himself soon saying goodbye to his love and promising he would be back soon. Time passes and Ada is left trying to revive her father's farm by herself. After hiring some help, and building a new friendship, Ada finds herself still wandering if Inman will come back to her. The immense amount of time being seperated from each other tears Ada and Inman apart from deep inside them. A few months into the war, Inman is wounded and stranded by his own body. This starts his journey, wounded and barely able to walk, back to Cold Mountain where his heart is waiting for him. He finally returns to his love and reunites with her. But only a little while later, Inman is shot by a horseman, leaving Ada alone forever. She is devasted, but by the end of the book, realizes the hardships she has gone through are the ones that make her strong and able to take care of herself now.
2. The theme of this book is definitely that time is hard thing at times, but can also be the one thing that makes change possible. The book decribes how not only does time change these characters but it also changes the culture and land of the time back then.
3. The author's tone is very sincere and heartfelt. His words are soothing to the ear. "He wished to live a life where little interest could be found in one gang of despots launching attacks upon another." "The world was such an incredibly lonely place, and to lie down beside him, skin to skin, seemed the only cure." "But for a while that night, it was a place that held within its walls no pain nor even a vague memory collection of pain."
4. Imagery: "The view was a long one for the flatlands, the hospital having been built on the only swell within eyeshot." Metaphors: The scenery and the endless mountain lines are metaphors of the long journey and hardships both Inman and Ada had to go through to find one another. Similies: "The window was as tall as a door..." Foreshadowing: Inman escaping the Home Guard team only to be shot later. Also, the appearnce of the crow Ada sees is a depiction of death. Symbolism: The crow symbolizing death; the forks in the roads and crossing symbolizing different options for Ada and Inman and Inman's journey

CHARACTERIZATION
1. Direct: When Inman is thinking and talking about how Ada looks to him and how beautiful she is; Inman's depiction of the old man who doesn't talk
Indirect: When Ruby says that Inman's fever is back up she is saying that he's getting worse; When Ada and Ruby are talking about Inman they decribe how he looks and how sick he is.
The author uses both of these to decribe characters by exact desciption using mostly direct characterization because he wants to let the readers know exactly how someone is and what they look like rather than through someone else.
2. The author's diction and syntax definitely changes as he changes from character to character because the book is written in two people's different views. When the author is focused on Inman, the diction and syntax are more strong and brute. Unlike when focused on Ada, it's more sweet and womenlike, yet also strong at the same time.
3. There are actually two protagonists in this book and I would say they are definitely both dynamic for they change throughout the whole story. At the beginning they are both sad, lonely, and depressed characters. Mostly just missing each other and wanting to get back to one another. By the end of the story, Inman has travelled on a long journey and it has shaped him into this even stronger man than before. Ada is faced with Inman's death and the depression could overtake her like before, but instead it makes her even stronger and she can now take care of herself.
4. After reading this book, I came away feeling I had just been a direct witness to these people's whole lives. All the decriptions and feelings piled high up on me really sucked me into the book and definitely made me apart of their own world. At the very end of the book, Ada has just gone through hell and come out a survivor. I felt like I had just gone through all of her troubles as well as her special moments with her. She decribes her life now after Inman dies as loving and full, yet there will always be a part of her that is still with Inman, but she can now live life the way she always wanted to when she was waiting for him to come back to her. I felt like we had gone through the same thing, and maybe I even felt I was her and I had been the one who went through this heartbreaking but magnificient part of my life.

The Tools That Change the Way We Think

I feel like now that technology/media/internet are "taking over the world", it has become such a great friend to us, but can aslo subdue us into changing the way we think and, eventually, the way we act. It definitely changes the way we think based on the fact that we no longer feel like we are hopeless in finding something out that we don't know or understand. We now think that technology and the internet give us a feeling of knowledge even if we don't actually know anything. If I don't know something or can't figure something out, what do I do? Simple. Google. The easy access to information I don't know gives me a feeling of wisdom. I know it may sound ridiculously stupid, but it's true. We feel powerful to have all the information in of the world at the touch of a button or just a click of the mouse. We now feel like we aren't in the dark about things. Media is a great example that sheds light on things we don't know or want to find out. In just a simple clip of a video on the news, we can find out all we needed to know. We have changed the way we look at information as well as our own knowledge. We feel powerful.

Notes on Hamlet

The play has certainly evolved from the fact that act the beginning Hamlet was shocked about the news of his uncle killing his father and just all together angry at everyone and everything around him. And now that the play has developed, he is now this strong character with a mindset of his own. He has a plan and he is going to stick to it to take revenge against his uncle. We now have this wondering in the back of our brains of what is going to happen. Is Hamlet actually going to kill his uncle? The plot has thickened a lot and everything is more suspenseful now.

At the beginning of the play, I thought that it was going to be about straight-forward revenge, but now that all of these twists and turns are happening, I'm starting to think that all that awaits for me now is suspense after suspense. Before, after hearing that Claudius killed his father, I thought Hamlet was just going to right away kill his uncle. But now that he has hatched this plan to catch his uncle, everything has become more on edge. I feel like the plot and the characters are going to keep on thickening up and we are going to be left with one big catastrophe at the end of the play.

Who was Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare. Such a complex man no other can really understand him. There are many stories that talk about where he came from, where he was born, when he was born, what was his culture like growing up, his family, etc. Yet, those are just stories. Anecdotes that we are all bound to assume as facts. I feel like we will never truly know who this amazingly brilliant creature known as William Shakespeare is.

I feel like when students even hear the name Shakespeare, they immediately let a grunt, their hands get sweaty, and they think of how for how ever long they are going to have no life during the time the are assigned to read a piece from Shakespeare. Some don't get it, but most go into it feeling like they know they won't get it and they should just give up now. I can say that I was definitely one of these students a while ago. But now that we discuss not only Hamlet, but his other works and how he writes similarly in a lot of his plays, I feel like I've progressed a lot as a reader of Shakespeare. I will now read a line or a passage, not get it at all, go back and try breaking it down, and eventually I find myself engulfed in the writing and actually understanding a lot of it. I think I now get his puns and that a lot of what he says he doesn't actually mean literally. And I find myself still tripping up on his language. Of course, it's not the same language we use today so it can be quite difficult at times. But I know that's not something that you just get, but something you have to work on.

To Facebook or Not to Facebook?

I LOVE Facebook. I mean, what typical teenager doesn't? Honestly though.... The thing about Facebook is that it gives me something to do when I'm extremely bored. Which is a lot of the time. I can sit on it for hours and every few minutes or so someone will post something to my news feed so there's always something new going on. Whether it's a picture, a post, etc., there's always a new change of "scenery". The benefits are the straight-forward answers everyone will always give you. Like how it is a perfect way to stay in touch with people. This is 100% completely true and I fully agree. If I didn't have Facebook, I most likely wouldn't talk to half my relatives. This is a terrible thing to say, but it's true. It gives us a chance to not only communicate through direct talk, but see what one another is up to through recent pictures and posts and such.

 Some risks for using Facebook is that it gives other sites a chance to see what you do on Facebook and track what are you're likes and dislikes that way they can send you piles upon piles of popups and such. This IS a tragedy. Because, honestly, who likes popups?! They suck. Also, this concept is extremely dangerous. I know that I don't want my personal information floating around the internet for anyone to access.

Reading this article and discussing this in class definitely helped me become more aware of what I do exactly when I'm on the internet. Before I really knew anything about this, I had no idea that this kind of thing could actually happen. I now think that the internet, which unfortunately includes Facebook, can be a harmful tool. This is a serious matter, but I feel like most people out there in the world, mostly the ones using the internet the most, don't actually know what's going on here. As did I before I knew anything about this at all.

Vocabulary #9

1. Abortive: failing to produce the intended result
"The marriage was abortive after the couple got divorced within the first few months."
2. Bruit: spread a report or rumor widely
"The group of girls bruited the false statement that one of the girls was pregnant."

3. Contumelious: scornful and insulting behavior
"His contumelious attitude towards people makes others dispise him."

4. Dictum: a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source; a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle
"The judge's dictum was final."

5. Ensconce: establish or settle
"The settlers ensonced a newfound culture and way of living when they came to America."

6. Iconoclastic: characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions
"His inconoclastic comeback was forced by his built up anger."

7. In medias res: a narrative that begins somewhere in the middle of a story rather than the beginning
"When the girl was interrupted by her mom, she had to start her story in medias res."

8. Internecine: destructive to both sides in a conflict
"The fatal earthquake was an internecine to both side of the war."

9. Maladroit: ineffective or bungling; clumsy
"The group left the annoying girl behind because of how maladroit she was. She kept holding up the group."

10. Maudlin: self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness
"The old man's maudlin talk was making me feel actually a little sad for him."

11. Modulate: exert a modifying or controlling influence on
"Her modulate control could make her followers practically do anything."

12. Portentous: of or like a portent; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner
"Our portentous praises to the gods made us hopeful they would grant us want we wanted."

13. Prescience: the power to foresee the future
"She has a prescience manner about her that makes me think that she knows what's going to happen."

14. Quid pro quo: a favor or advantage granted in return for something
"When I do something nice for someone, I don't expect a quid pro quo."

15. Salubrious: health-giving, healthy; pleasant, not run-down
"Fruits and vegetables are salubrious foods."

16. Saturnalia: the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December; an occasion of wild revelry
"The party was so wild it was almost saturnalia."

17. Touchstone: a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized
"His touchstone was often critiqued."

18. Traumatic: emotionally disturbing or distressing; relating to or causing psychological trauma
"I went through a tramatic experience when my brother almost died."

19. Vitiate: spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of; destroy or impair the legal validity of.
"Most couples in high school end up vitiated their relationship because they are so young and naive."

20. Waggish: humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner
"His waggish mood made it almost impossible to not laugh when you're around him."

Vocabulary Midterm Autopsy

On the midterm I got a 74. It's definitely a lot better than I thought I was going to get. I sort of went into the test thinking that I didn't studu enough and getting a good grade would be nearly impossible. The week before the test, I followed my study schedule, yet, by the time Thursday rolled around, I felt overwhelmed by all these words and I felt like I definitely was not ready to pass it. I think the outcome of my score is due to my complete concentration when taking the test and the determination to get the highest grade possible. I went into the test feeling sort of unprepared, yet while I took the test I felt the need to just do the best I could and actually finish the test. When the final comes around, I can definitely improve on not letting myself become so overwhelmed and to just calm down and take it one step at a time.

Vocabulary #7

1. aberration: the act of departing from the right, normal, or usual
"He aberrated from trendy styles to weird clothes that no one would have ever guessed he would wear."

2. ad hoc: for the special purpose or end presently under consideration
"A committee formed ad hoc to deal with the situation."

3. bane: a person or thing that ruin or spoils
"Gambling was the bane of his existence."

4. bathos: a ludicrous descent from the exalted or lofty to the commonplace
"

5. cantankerous: disagreeable to deal with; peevish
"The cantankerous and argumentative man was annoying to most people."

6. casuistry: specious, deceptive, or oversubtle reasoning, especially in questions of morality
"However, i'm not convinced of such casuistry because i'm not convinced that self-regard and egocentrism are exactly the same thing."

7. de facto: in fact; reality
"Although his title was prime minister, he was de facto president of the country."

8. depredation: the act of preying upon or plundering; robbery
"His depredation towards his girlfriend made her feel empty and selfconscious about herself."

9. empathy: the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings
"I felt empathy towards her when she lost her dad to cancer."

10. harbinger: a person who goes ahead and makes known the approach of another
"The harbinger made the girl feel welcomed in the group."

11. hedonism: the doctrine that pleasure and happiness is the highest good
"Loving and happy people believe in hedonism."

12. lackluster: lacking brilliance or radiance; dull
"The lackluster jewelry wasn't very appealing and nobody wanted it."

13. malcontent: not satisfied or content with currently prevailing conditions or circumstances
"I felt malcontent with my work."

14. melliflows: sweetly or smoothingly flowing; sweet-sounding
"The harmonies make beautiful melliflows that makes you want to listen to the song over and over."

15. nepotism: patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship
"The teacher was accused of nepotism after she gave more attention to one student than the rest."

16. pander: a person who furnishes clients for a prostitute or supplies persons for illicit sexual intercourse
"The pimp was a pander."

17. peccadillo: a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifiling fault
"His peccadillo made his parents very angry, but after a couple weeks of being grounded, he was finally forgiven."

18. piece de resistance: the principal dish of a meal
"

19. remand: to send back, remit, or consign again
"They remanded the man to jail after he committed a second crime."

20. syndrome: a group of symptoms that together are characteristics of a specific disorder, disease, or the like
"The boy was born with Down Syndrome which has been very hard for the family."

Vocabulary #8

I guess I can't be in abeyance of what I think I know about Hamlet so far. Well, the one thing I am absolutely certain of is that he is definitely not ambivalent, but has strong feelings and is certain in what he thinks. I can obviously tell that his life around him beleaguers him. Yet, he doesn't let other think for him but has carte blanche and has his own feelings about things. You can see this when Claudis and others are talking and Hamlet has this outburt of cataclysm. He thinks that his mother is debauching their whole family after she marries her brother-in-law. I can also tell no one really thinks of him as special or having a eclat of any kind. He is definitely different from other characters for he certainly is fastidious but doesn't gambol when something exciting happens. He is passionate about the finding of his father's ghost and is imbued with deep fascination of the ghost. It is true he is an inchoate young boy who is lampooned by his stepfather, but he is also very strong and not malleable, but holds his own. I would have to say his stepfather is a powerful nemesis that is against him. Yet, he has lots of opts to follow his stepfather and mother, but he can be definitely be a philistine and go against everyone and everything. His character is some sort of picaresque in the sense that he is a rough sort of hero in this play. His sometimes queasy actions and refractory personality makes him stand out among others though most might not see this. He is a savoir-faire character who is not confused but knows just what to do.

Lit. Analysis #1: Atonement

1. In Part One, the story starts out with the introduction to the Tallis family on one particular day. It focuses on Briony, a yound thirteen-year old girl with a writer's wild imagination. Cecilia is her older sister who is in love with Robbie Turner, the boy they grew up around. When Briony finds out of Cecilia and Robbie's fondness for one another, she plans a way to keep them apart as long as they live. That night at dinner, the two young boys, also their cousins, run away for they do not like staying at the Tallis house, and everyone goes in search of the boys. While out searching, Robbie by himself as well as Briony, Briony sees a man raping Lola, her other cousin. She automatically suspects Robbie and hatches a plan to destroy Robbie right then. She then tells everyone Robbie was the man who raped Lola and he is soon convicted and sent to jail. Part Two opens with Robbie fighting in the war pre-1942 after having spent 3 years in jail for his "crime". He experiences the horrors of war first hand. Cecilia is now a nurse. Robbie and Cecilia reunite and hed towards London. In Part Three we see eighteen-year old Briony taking up nursing as well thinking if she did good it would make up for her terrible sin. She attends the wedding of Paul(who she finally finds out is actually Lola's rapist) and Lola but doesn't stop the wedding. Briony visits her sister and Robbie in London and finally clears all charges against Robbie.

2. The theme of Atonement is the extemely obvious factor of guilt. When Briony hatches her plan to get rid of Robbie by blaming him for raping Lola and sending him to jail for 3 years, she has to live with the immense guilt on her shoulders for her whole life. As young as she was, she didn't fully comprehend Robbie and Cecilia's deep love for each other. Briony only thought Robbie was hurting Cecilia by them being together. As she grows from a young child to an adult, she realizes that she nearly destroyed any sort of happiness for her sister and Robbie. For the rest of her life she has to deal with the guilt that rips her from the core of what she did when she was only a child.

3. In the beginning of the novel the author's, Briony, tone is very adolesent and naive. She wants to become a write and has a very descriptive and wild imagination which makes her that much more childish. In the beginning of the novel before they have dinner, Briony watches Cecilia get naked and jump into the lake. She soon runs off with this wild story as her imaginations takes her into a completely different world of her own. Also, when Briony gets angry with her cousins when they don't participate in her play like she wants them to. This shows a child being a normal child. Not getting their way when they want to. As the story developes and she grows as a character, the tone changes to the more guilty and sofisticated side to Briony. When she's eighteen we learn that she is trying to become a nurse. She disinctively says that she wants to be a nurse because if she did good then maybe it would make up for her sins.

4.
     1) Briony's diction certainly makes her tone come out even more. It resembles her childlike behavior and imagination. Her stories that she writes are full of childish words and meanings. While watching her sister dive into the water naked to go after the broken vase, Briony makes up this huge story about what she think would happen. Her diction clearly resembles her childishness.    
    2) The time spand plays a very interesting part in the story. The whole horrific thing that happened in the book that created all the chaos was written in a matter of one day. While the whole story is in a time spand of about 5 or more years. It shows that it's not actually focusing on what happened but how the characters responded to the event. Five years later, Briony is explaining how she still has to live with her guilt of what she did so long ago as a child.
    3) Characterization is very significant to the tone in this book. While Cecilia and Robbie are older and finding this new found love for one another, Briony is extrememly naive, childish, and imaginative. Briony's tone is completely different from that of Cecilia because she is young and immature. When she writes her stories, her tone is always wild with imagination and very naive you could tell right off the bat it was from a young child.
    4) Conflict is the whole issue in this story. The conflict sets the theme up perfectly. When Briony tells everyone it was Robbie who was the rapist(conflict), it changed the lives of all the characters, especially Briony who had to live with the guilt of her crime(theme).
    5) Dramatic Irony also plays a big part in the conflict. When Robbie realizes he gave Briony the wrong letter to send to Cecilia, Briony reads it but neither Cecilia nor Robbie know she has read it. That's the huge deal breaker for Briony that makes her hatch her plan to rid of Robbie.

Vocabulary #6

1. beatitude: supreme blessedness; exalted happiness
"The monk had a certain beatitude about him that glowed from deep inside him."

2. bete noire: a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded
"The Grinch is an example of a bete noire for everyone dislikes him."

3. bode: to be an omen of; predict
"The weatherman bode the weather because they can't see the future and tell the exact weather."

4. dank: unpleasantly moist or humid
"The swampy place was very dank and unpleasant."

5. ecumenical: general; universal
"Christianity is an ecumenical religion."

6. fervid: burning; glowing; intensely hot
"The fervid coal was beautiful yet very dangerous to touch."

7. fetid: stinking; having an offensive odor
"His fetid body odor was absolutely disgusting."

8. gargantuan: gigantic; enormous; colossal
"The gargantuan roller-coaster was enormously terrifying."

9. heyday: a stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, or success
"The army's victory was a great heyday for all of America."

10. incubus: imaginary sexually appealing demon-like woman who decends upon sleeping men or people
"Unfortunately, incubi have been reported before by people, mostly men, that haunt and terrorize them in their sleep."

11. infrastucture: the basic framework of an organization
"Our infrastucture of this organization is to spread peace and make the world a better place for everyone."

12. inveigle: to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk
"His inveigle talk really helped him get women into his bed."

13. kudos: honor; glory; acclaim
"Kudos to the young man who saved this woman's life!"

14. lagniappe: a small gift given with a purchase to a customer by way of compliment or good measure; bonus
"My lagniappe for completely the assignment was a gold star."

15. prolix: extended to a great, unnecessary, or tedious length
"His prolixed speech seemed like it would never end!"

16. protege: a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someone interested in his/her career
"The president's bodyguard is one of the most important proteges out there."

17. prototype: the original or model on which something is based or formed
"The prototype model helped the architect build the skyscraper to scale."

18. sycophant: self-seeking, servile flatterer
"He is such a sycophant! Always kissing up to the teacher."

19. tautology: needless repitition of an idea without additional force or clearness
"The woman used useless tautology throughout her speech."

20. truckle: to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely
"The man truckled behind the woman in case she were to fall for he could catch her and save her life."

Textbook Notes

Notes:

    Epics- epics are tales of ancient role model that can be taught about the times in which they were popular

   Gilgamesh- 4000 years old

   Iliad- 3000 years old

Prologue to Gilgamesh:

Gil built home for main gods, high ranking person

Anu & Ishtar, father of gods and goddess of love

takes place in Uruk

Gil is son of Lugalbanda and Lady Wildcow Ninsun

Gil is vangard and rear guard of army

2/3 god, 1/3 man. not sure how that math works

From the Iliad:

goddess Athene (as Trojan warrior) leads Hektor to Achilleus

she said to fight ruthlessly to see if they or Achilleus would die

H swore brutal battle and bargained to bring back dead to home country

Ach said no oaths between enemies.

shows honesty and knows he wouldn't honor his word

Ach fighting to avenge his countrymen H killed

H wants fair fight face to face

H threw spear and Athenes had abandoned him. knew death was fate

H wanted swift death, got speared in the neck. mercy from Ach

Ach actually avenging his partner Patroklos who H killed

Ach wants to let him sit out and be eaten

H begs to be taken hime for burning and promises treasure

Ach shows no more mercy and refuses offer. wants true revenge

H's last words were cursing but Ach didn't believe him. knew gods would take him in stride

History of English Church and People*The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Bede (673-735) Rome had protected and supported Britain but when it withdrew, England was left isolated and prone to invasion

Monks and monasteries kept written word alive and preached it

Bede most learned scholar

father of English history

A History of the English Church and People

describes conquest of Britain by Anglo-Saxons after Romans left

wrote in Latin so all could read his work done at Jarrow

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle written by King Alfred's group of monks

sent out and minks added to chronicle

from A History of the English Church and People

Belgic Gaul id south of English island

tells of prosperous and promising Emglish land

even shore is bountiful

Latin common medium for scriptures

Britons-original inhabitants

then Scythians came to north Isish coast (W of Britain) and found Scots

Pictish settlers rejected from settling in Ireland

sent to go to Britain, promised help to fight if they resisted

settles in north, Britons in south

king comes from lady's side as part of agreement to marry into Pictish families, if needed

Ireland more pleasant with no reptiles or snakes, immune to poison

Scots originally from Ireland, migrated to Britain

from The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Vikings broke up and went to Briatin

King Alfred created long ships to beat Viking raids

Danes beached at Isle of Wight

English took ships and killed their men, ruthless

tide saved Danes

Beowulf and Godsylla Translation

Meanehwæl, baccat meaddehæle, monstær lurccen;
Fulle few too many drincce, hie luccen for fyht.
Ðen Hreorfneorhtðhwr, son of Hrwærowþheororthwl,
Æsccen æwful jeork to steop outsyd. Þhud! Bashe! Crasch! Beoom! Ðe bigge gye
Eallum his bon brak, byt his nose offe;
Wicced Godsylla wæld on his asse.
Monstær moppe fleor wyþ eallum men in hælle.
Beowulf in bacceroome fonecall bamaccen wæs;
Hearen sond of ruccus sæd, "Hwæt ðe helle?"
Graben sheold strang ond swich-blæd scharp
Stond feorth to fyht ðe grimlic foe. "Me," Godsylla sæd, "mac ðe minsemete."
Heoro cwyc geten heold wiþ fæmed half-nelson
Ond flyng him lic frisbe bac to fen
Beowulf belly up to meaddehæle bar,
Sæd, "Ne foe beaten mie færsom cung-fu."
Eorderen cocca-cohla yce-coeld, ðe reol þyng.

Meanwhile, back at the mead-hall, the monster lurked
Full (of) few too many drinks, he was looking for a fight
Then (name), son of (name) asked the awful jerk to step outside
Thud, Bash, Crash, boom, the big guy
All of his bones broke, bit his nose off;
Wicked Godzilla wailed on his a ss
Moster mopped the floor with all the men in the hall
Beowulf in the backroom making a phone call (?)
Hearing sounds of ruckus said, "What the hell?"
Grabbed his strong shield and sharp switch blade
Stood forth to fight the grimlic foe
"Me," Godzilla said, "Make the mince-meat"
Hero ? quickly got (getting) held with the famed half-nelson
And flying him like a frisbee back and forth
Beowulf belly up to the mead-hall's bar,
said, "No foe has beaten my fearsome kung-fu."
He ordered coca-cola, ice cold, the real thing

Vocabulary #5

1. acumer: keen insight; shrewdness
"Had he possessed the financial acumen to go with his engineering brilliance, he would have made a fortune."

2. adjudicate: to pronounce or decree by judicial sentence
"Three distinguished members of the committee will adjudicate the claims for compensation."

3. anachronism: something or someone that is incorrectly placed in a historical or chronological time
"I went into the film having resolved not to allow my enjoyment to be spoiled by any historical anachronisms I happened to spot."

4. apocryphal: of doubtful authorship or authenticity
"This story probably apocryphal, but the principle is valid."

5. disparity: lack of similarity or equality; inequal
"Disparity between men and women in the past is almost shocking as well as disgustingly wrong."

6. dissimulate: to disguise or conceal under a false appearance
"It was very difficult for Sara to dissimulate the truth from her friend."

7. empirical: derive from or guided by experience or experiment
"The empirical investigations of scientific history are what make it possible for us to understand science."

8. flamboyant: strikingly bold or brilliant; conspiciously dashing and colorful
"That man is more flamboyant than most of those girls!"

9. fulsome: excessively offensive to good taste; disgusting; sickening
"The fulsome apology was so pathetic there was no way I was taking it seriously."

10. immolate: to sacrifice
"I immolate a lot of things to reach my goal and get exactly what I want for my future."

11. imperceptible: slight, gradual, or subtle
"The imperceptible movement of a root has pushed through the foundations of a wall.

12. lackey: a servile follower; manservant
"He has a lot of lackeys because he's a celebrity."

13. liaison: the contact or connection between units to ensure concerted action
"We were under the command of a royal navy captain who was in close liaison with our own captain."

14. monolithic: made of or containing only one piece
"A huge corporation is often said to be monolithic, especially if it is enormous and powerful and all its parts are dedicated to the same purpose."

15. mot juste: the exact, appropriate word
"Using cuss words to express rage are a rare case where these words are mot juste."

16. nihilism: rejection of establishment laws and institutions
"Teenagers often use nihilism to slash out at the hatred they feel towards the world."

17. patrician: a person of noble or high rank
"A king can be classified as a patrician."

18. propitiate: to make favorably inclined; appeased
"After Hillary Clinton was in the red from her campaign spending, she attempted to propitiate Barrak Obama to procure financial assistance."

19. sic: to attack
"Sic 'em!"

20. sublimate: to make nobler or purer
"The king sublimated the knight for his courageous act of heroism."

My Hero's Journey

I'd have to say my hero would be Simba from The Lion King. He goes through this intense journey as he tries to win back his land and bring his kingdom back to it's feet. Although many young children don't see it, The Lion King is an incredible and absolutely typical representation of Campbell's stages of drama.

1. The Ordinary World- Simba is introduces first as a mischevious young boy just waiting for trouble. But after the tragic death of his father, he is forced to flee from the one and only place he knows. He is therefore stranded causing the stress and saddness within him.

2. The Call to Adventure- After many years of living easy by the motto "Akuna Mattata", Nala, a friend form his past finds him and tells him of how life is at home. The terrible news shakes up the situation. Simba is now forced with a decision to either go back home and save his kingdom or ignore the problem because it's not his to deal with.

3. Refusal of the Call- Although Simba thinks this news is terrible, he decides right off the bat that he CAN NOT go back. He couldn't face his family or his home because of what he did to his father. Or what he thinks he did for that matter. His fear of what everyone will think of him overcomes his bravery and courage that he doesn't know still exists inside of him.

4. Meeting with the Mentor- A while later, that crazy monkey stops in his path. He gives him the reasons why he has to go back and why this would be the only way to really get his father back.

5. Crossing the Threshold- After getting hit in the head a few times by the crazy monkey, he finally gets some sense knocked into him and embarks on his quest to save his kingdom.

6. Test, Allies, and Enemies- When Simba gets back home, he realizes that all that Nalla has told him is true, yet he never thought it was as bad as what he sees. He sees his mother getting emotionally and physically attacked and this pains him to see this. He sees his fellow friends and allies getting tortured by the nasty hyenas. And eventually sees Scar which he has targetted as his main offense.

7. Approach- Simba finally gets his alone time with Scar, ready to finally end Scar and get his kingdom back to who and where it belongs. He's confronted with not only Scar himself, but the terrible memories of his past that come flooding back to him as he sees Scar's face.

8. The Ordeal- There's a moment where Scar has Simba by the hands while Simba is hanging off of a cliff, and Scar reveals that that's exactly how he killed Simba's father. Simba finally realizes that it was Scar who killed his father. This seems to be his biggest fear of coming back home, and having Scar reveal this truth springs a whole new life to Simba and makes him more powerful than ever.

9. The Reward- After Scar dies, Simba and the other lions and lioness rejoice now that their kingdom is restored.

10. The Road Back- Simba now realizes this is where he belongs and he can finally come home. The scene changes from dark to plentiful and green showing how hard the mission truly was.

11. The Ressurection- Simba now has to stand up to the plate and take his rightful place as king. This sort of symbolizes the purifying and rebirth of Simba, now as the king of the Prideland.

12. Return with the Elixir- Simba has officially returned home. He has a baby with Nalla and the last scene ends with their baby being help up by the monkey and showing all the kingdom the prince. It shows how Simba has transformed into the lion and the king he thought he would be when he was young.

Vocabulary #4

1. apostate: a person who foresakes his religion, cause, or party
"They consider all sinners apostates."

2. effusive: unduly demonstrative; overflowing
"The effusive lesson left the students without any knowledge of the content."

3. impasse: a position or situation in which there is no escape
"Attemps were made to overcome the impossible impasse."

4. euphoria: a state of intense happiness or self-confidence
"The girl was in a state of euphoria after she kissed her crush."

5. lugubrious: mournful, dismal, gloomy usually in an exaggerated manner
"The lugubrious man slumped around after he was just dumped by his girlfriend."

6. bravado: a pretentious swaggering display of courage
"The man's bravado attitude could either come off as proud or arrogant."

7. consensus: majority of opinion
"The consensus of the people voted to have open campus for the school."

8. dichotomy: division into two parts usually between two opposed parts or kinds
"Dichotomy becomes possible after the world has overcome all it's problems and found peace with another."

9. constrict: to draw or press in; shrink or stop from growing
"The boa constricted it's prey eventually killing it."

10. gothic: style of art developed in France during the 12th century showing great detail
"This gothic style of art is so detailed and fascinating!"

11. punctilio: a fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure
"They will not part with the least punctilio in their opinions and practices."

12. metamorphosis: change from one state to another
"Butterflies go through metamorphorsis as they transform from a catepillar to a butterfly."

13. raconteur: a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly
"He is a born raconteur, lover of life, and communicator."

14. sine qua non: an indispensable condition
"He buys his grapes for his sine qua non wine."

15. quixotic: extravagantly chivalrous or romantic
"Many readers are attracted to the quixotic stories rather than realistic romance."

16. vendetta: any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, or contention
"The two families have a certain vendetta towards each other which makes it hard for them to ever get along."

17. non sequitur: a statement containing an illogical conclusion
"The story had a non sequitur at the end which through off the whole idea of it."

18. mystique: a framework of doctrines, ideas, or beliefs
"He has retained a certain mystique that make him quite a catch for the girls."

19. quagmire: a situation from which extrication is very difficult
"The puzzle is quite a quagmire!"

20. parlous: dangerous; clever; shrewd
"The parlous state of the economy takes a toll on the lives of the people in the United States."

AP Reading Book

So after an intense long look at the huge list of all the books I had to choose from to read, I eventually chose to go with Atonement by Ian McEwan. I chose this book because I've heard of the movie (I know. I should never base a book off the movie) and it looked really good. I haven't gotten the chance to see the movie yet, so I thought it would be a great idea to read the book first and see what it's about and then watch the movie. That's always the right way to go. Also, I'm a sucker for a good love story. I know the cinemas probably made the whole story about romance, but the book has to have some sort of romance. The movie looks like it would be good, so why not read the book first to get the real story?

Beowulf Questions

(Prologue)

1.  It was unusual the way Shield came into power because, like most powerful kings or princes, he wasn’t born into a royal blood line or something like that. He was a forgotten child who eventually grew into a strong and powerful man. His funeral was very emotional. They people respected him and made a tribute to him by sending his body on a boat into the sea just as he floated into power. Shield was Hrothgar’s grandfather.

 

(Herot is attacked)

 

1. Hrothgar created a great land and kingdom which was visciously and drastically attacked by the trecherous and monsterous dragon Grendel. After the attacks started, Grendel terrorizes Herot and leaves fear in the minds and hearts of every citizen living in the village. The attacks lasted a whole year, but the Danes didn't know what to do. They even had council meetings but men were too scared to try and defeat Grendel.

 

(The Hero Comes to Herot)

 

1. When Beowulf hears of Grendel's attacks, he quickly demands a boat filled with him and the bravest men of the Geats to travel to Herot and slay the beast.

2. The men meet Hrothgar's leiutenant, also the watchman, when they arrive at Herot. He demands to know their family's history and why they are on the sands of Herot. Beowulf then explains who he is and why he has come to their village.

3. Hrothgar’s herald, Wulfgar, is known for being the wisest men in Herot. When he meets Beowulf and his gang, he’s impressed with him so he goes to Hrothgar and tells him about Beowulf. Hrothgar says that he remembers Beowulf as a little boy and recalls his own friendship with Beowulf’s father. I’m a little surprised that he remembers Beowulf for their villages are a long ways apart from each other and it can be easy to forget something that happened so long ago.

4. Beowulf meets with Hrothgar and tells his memories of his past with Hrothgar and his father. When Beowulf’s father Heatholoaf, a member of the Wulfing tribe, Hrothgar sent treasure to Beowulf’s father to praise him for his victory.

 

(Feast at Herot)

1. Unferth accuses Beowulf of losing a swimming match against Beca. Beowulf then accuses Unferth of drunkness and describes what really happened that day and told him the truth. He says that Unferth’s accusations show how idiotic he is when he says that Beowulf won’t be able to beat Grendel. This scene is a symbol of the poem as a whole by showing how confident and heroic Beowulf is.

2. Queen Wealhteow gives a toast to Beowulf and his men and praises them for their bravery and thanks them for helping her village.

(The Fight with Grendel)

 

1. Beowulf, cocky as he is, decides to lay down his weapons and fight the demon unarmed, the way that the demon will be fighting him.

2. Beowulf waits for Grendel to approach him, and then wrestles him. Grendel ends up getting away, but not without getting his arm ripped off.

 

(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? (Be alert for inserted stories such as this one. Beowulf contains many of them, most much more complex that this one.)

2. Hrothgar praises him and offers to make him an adopted son.

3.  In general, what happens is that the Finns and the Danes have enmity towards each other, and they battle. The Finnish king is married to a Danish woman, and kills her family. In the end, she ends up being able to be returned to her family once her husband has been killed.

4. She wants her children to be treated kindly after his death.

5. She asks him to be friends with her children.

6.They were drunk, so they probably just felt inclined to sleep there. It was a mistake because soon, Grendel’s mother would come upon the hall and they were not prepared for that.

 

BEOWULF AND GRENDEL'S MOTHER  

 

(Another Attack)

 

1. Grendel’s mother was grieving because Grendel died, and came back seeking revenge upon the first sleeping man she saw, and carried him away.

2.Hrothgar’s response was to be distraught because the person Grendel’s mother killed was his trusted adviser. He commissions Beowulf on another quest.

3. Mere is a dark, mysterious, magical swamp. No one knows how deep it is, and most natural beings seem to fear it.

 

(Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother)

 

1. Beowulf assures Hrothgar to trust him because he will not let Grendel’s mother escape this time.

2.  The counselor was decapitated before they could reach the mere.

3. Beowulf prepares this time by arming himself. Unferth lends him the sword named Hrunting, which legend says has never once failed in a battle.

4. Beowulf tells Hrothgar to take care of his people if he does not make it back. The demons live on the bottom of the swamp, which no one had reached before.

5.  It is unable to pierce her skin.

6. The armor he put on had protected him, and he was able to fend off what he could using Hrunting.

7. Beowulf gets a weapon that she had on her wall that was forged by giants. It was able to kill her. When she is killed, the room becomes lighter and Beowulf can see Grendel’s corpse. He brings up his head, as well as the handle of the sword he used to kill Grendel’s mother since the rest of it had melted.

8. Most of Beowulf’s men had not expected his return so they sulked back into the town. But when they saw he was alright, they praised him and celebrated even more.

 

(Further Celebration at Heorot)

 

1. He gives him the head of Grendel impaled on two spears.

 

(Beowulf Returns Home)

 

1. Hrothgar predicts a bright and good future for Beowulf full of success because of his fearlessness and honor.

2. Hygd is a brave and beautiful young queen. Modthryth was also a queen, but she was wicked and cruel.

3. He seems to think that this marriage will only further the war. This is definitely a more manipulative and political side to Beowulf than we’ve seen thus far.

4.He reports it accurately with an emphasis on how terrifying the monsters were and how great the spoils were, which says a lot about where his mind is when he is performing these feats.

5. Hygelac gives him some land to rule over, and eventually he becomes king.

 

BEOWULF AND THE DRAGON  

 

(The Dragon Wakes)

 

1. It takes place at least two decades later. Hygelac has died, and left Beowulf as king. Now, a dragon is plaguing the Geats.

2.The dragon is angry because a thief stole a goblet from the treasure trove the dragon was guarding. The treasure got there because an ancient race that was doomed to perish began to bury their treasures there, and the dragon found it.

3. Besides incinerating an entire country side, Beowulf’s throne room was also extra crispified.

4. Beowulf assumed he was receiving punishment from the gods. He orders a new, fire proof shield and plans on fighting the dragon alone.

5. There was a battle in which Hygelac died, but Beowulf was able to survive. Instead of becoming a king then and there, he acted as a protector to Hygd’s son. He then avenged Hygelac’s death.

6. He is killed in a battle with the Swedes. Beowulf then ascends to the throne and resolves conflict with the Swedes.

7. Beowulf takes 11 men to go fight the dragon.

8. There was a fight between two brothers in which one was accidentally killed, and this is what Beowulf relates to the war with the Swedes.

 

(Beowulf Attacks the Dragon)

 

2. When Beowulf fights the dragon, all of the 11 men leave him, much like they did when he fought Grendel’s mother. Wiglaf stays behind and fights beside him loyally.

3. The second time, Beowulf receives a fatal wound and Wiglaf ends up killing the dragon.

4. Beowulf wants to see the treasure before he dies. When he sees it, the thanks the gods. He wants to be made a barrow for which to be buried in.

 

(Beowulf's Funeral)

 

1. When Beowulfs companions return, they are ashamed because Beowulf has died. Wiglaf shames them, and expects foreign warlords to attack now that Beowulf is not around to protect them.

3. Wiglaf tells the crowd that the only way the hoard can be opened is by the will of god.

4.The dragon lies dead in the hoard, unable to be opened.

5. They burn the body, and put it on the hill for everyone to see. The death of their king is greatly mourned by the Geats.

6. They said he had the greediest spirit, and now he has been burned. This seems odd coming from a culture who revered him so much, but we all know how much the treasure and glory meant to him.

Vocabulary #3

1. accolade: any award, honor, or notice
"After winning the games, the girl was accoladed with showers of gifts."

2. acerbity: harshness or sourness with roughness
"His acerbity tone makes him not worth haning out with."

3. attrition: a decrease in numbers, size, or strength
"The attrition of the population frightened the mayor of the town for he didn't know why everyone was leaving."

4. bromide: a salt of hydrobromic acid or a compound containing bromine
"Potassium bromide is the chemical compound of potassium and bromine."

5. chauvinist: a person who is blindly and agressively patriotic; a person who believes one gender is superior to the other
"Soldiers can sometimes become chauvinists after being in war for so long."

6. chronic: constant or habitual
"My chronic back pain is so annoying and very painful."

7. expound: to state in detail or explain
"The professor expounded the lesson more clearly after the student told him they weren't understanding it."

8. factionalism: self-interested
"I'd say my sister practices factionalism on a daily basis."

9. immaculate: free from flaws, strain, or impurities
"The immaculate hero became the face of the kingdom for centuries."

10. imprecation: an act of cursing
"I make several imprecations every day when I get angry at something."

11. ineluctable: incapable of escaping
"The ineluctable trap was feared by all the animals in the woods for they knew they would never escape."

12. mercurial: changeable; eractic; animated; lively
"Cartoons are always easy entertainment for kids because they are so mercurial."

13. palliate: to relieve or lessen without cury; to conceal the gravity of an offense by using excuses
"The boy tried to palliate his reason for disobeying his parents' orders after they confronted him about what he had done."

14. protocol: the customs or regulaitons dealing with diplomatic formality or etiquette
"The CIA's protocol is very strict for a lot of people are not able to work for it."

15. resplendent: gleaming; shinging brilliantly
"The diamond was so resplendent the man had to buy it for his wife."

16. stigmatize: to mark with a stigma or brand; to set some mark of disgrace or infamy upon
"The troubled boy stigmatized the family's reputation."

17. sub rosa: secretly; privately; confidently
"To get away with robbery, you have to have a sub rosa approach to the theft attempt."

18. vainglory: excessive pride over one's own achievements
"The boy couldn't get over his own vainglory after scoring the winning touchdown at the championship game."

19. vestige: a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that is no longer present or in existence
"The fossils were the last vestiges of dinosaur life."

20. volition: an act of willing, choosing, or resolving
"Did you get there through your own volition  or did someone else choose your path for you?"

Peer Edit AP Exam Essays

Question #1 Essay:


        As time passes and new generations are replaced by old ones, many culturistic things change, as they should or the idea of progression would never be an option. In the article by George Eliot, she confesses that from her time and generation, leisureness has changed drastically. She uses techniques like imagery to convey her viewpoint on how widely the generations have changed while pointing fingers at the now to admit we are in the wrong and we not leisure enough.
        As you read further into the article, you realize she's talking about what life was like for someone from her time. She uses the image of his everyday life to paint a picture of how easy it once was. This gives an insight into how she say her past while proving her view on leisureness. She uses words like "jolly" and "easy" to describe the time period.
        According to Eliot, there's a "new leisure", or the now, and an "old leisure", the one she knew. She expresses that everyone back then didn't rush or worry. How everyone was at ease. Never having to worry about what might have happened yesterday or what might happen today or tomorrow. She believes everyone was actually leisure. They got up in the morning, did their things they needed to do, and went to sleep at night. Everything was just easy. She talks about "old leisure" in a way to describe her time as almost beautiful. Yet she believes times have changed for the worst and there's no such thing as "leisure" any more.
        As she describes her "old leisure", Eliot points out how destructive our leisureness is now. She states we are all worrying. Life is a task for us. We aren't at rest anymore. Pretty much, leisure doesn't exist for us anymore.
        George Eliot tries to explain in her excerpt that basically times have changed since her generation. Her time used to be easy going, jolly, and leisure. Now it seems everyone is in a hurry or always worrying about where to go, how to get there, who will be there. Leisure for us is now longer an option. Her imagery, expressio  of "old leisure", and the sharp attitude towards today's population implies her view on leisureness and how  it has changed immensly since her time. And unnfortunately for us, it may never change.






Question #2 Essay:


        Many authors seem to modify their books' morals or attitudes' of characters to build the story. They do this in a way to either create conflict or rather bring people together. In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the author chooses a character who completely denies the traditions of her generation and also changes attitudes of other characters to bring them together. This then stirs the story and creates that thickening plot line readers crave and authors get praised for.
        Austen chooses her main character, Elizabeth, to completely disagree witht he idea of marriage for money instead of for love because this then creates immense conflict throughout the story between many different characters. Tradition back then was very specific and to have someone deny all beliefs of them is sure to make trouble for that character and those around him/her. During the time period of Austens' works, marriage for money was very common. This particular tradition was very significant because Austens' views of the matter came out through her books. You can tell in her work she deeply wanted the idea of marriage for only money to be changed.
        Austen's change of attitudes for both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were a crucial part for the plot and the theme of the book. As they both first loathe each other, by the end of the book their attitdues towards one another change completely and they end up, ironically, getting married. This contrasts with the tradition of marriage for wealth as they didn't follow this tradition. Their mood changes were important to the book because it eventually brought them together. And still the author intended for all of this to happen.
        By using Elizabeth as a narrator in th book, we see how Austen expresses her views through Elizabeth. This then helps pursuade the reader to see, and eventually except, the changes of tradition and attitudes. Elizabeth's active mind and influencial tone helps draw the reader in. This eventually changes the audiences' views on the books' traditions and the charactes' attitudes.
        The book Pride and Prejudice can be seen to have many modifications of events as well as characters. The author, in this case Jane Austen, actually specifically makes these modifications to advocate the storyline/theme. Little do some readers know, these changes in traditions and characteristics of characters draw them in and get them to think and view these subjects as the author intends them to.


       

Socratic Seminar: The Right to Our Own Opinion

I think today's seminar went well but could have gone better. It was our first so I think I have to be a little more warming to how little discussion we really had. I did learn something about how I feel about this topic though: it's a duesy. Whenever someone makes a point that I like, I agree with them. Yet when another person makes the complete opposite point and rejects what the other is saying, I also agree with them as well.

It's true that we don't have the RIGHT to our opinions because we can be wrong and the facts are right. Yet stating something about yourself like, "I like purple", (mentioned today) is also a fact because it is right. It doesn't matter whether someone disagrees with you. It's not wrong is it?

I really can't make up my mind! But I think that's what this discussion and this specific topic is about: there's no agreement on the subject. Just like any other topic out there such as religion and politics.

A big chunk of the discussion today was about how we should give in to other's opinions because you may know they're right and it makes you stronger. But another person said to do the exact opposite and fight. The thing is(and I would have liked to say this) is that that's how the world is. Not all people are going to back down because they are wrong and end the conflict that easily. It would be nice if everyone did, but they don't! And you can't CAN'T change that! It's like those ditsy pageant girls prancing around screaming, "WORLD PEACE!". We all want it, but it's most likely not going to happen. I really wish I was more positive but it's the truth.

Reflections on Week 1

Only four days in and I already know what to expect of the class and of myself. I know, it's crazy. I definitely think that listening to Socractic Seminars and lectures will help further more with my participation level in this class. If I listen and understand the lectures and the seminars, I have more of my own opinions and thoughts and therefore I can share my thoughts and ideas on the matter more. I also think that blogging everyday, checking Dr. Preston's blog, and keeping in touch with my collegues via cell phone and Facebook will help me stay on track in the class and raise my participation level that much higher. I'm also aware that I have work everyday from 4 to 8 so I know I have to get to work right when I get home and finish everything or else I am going to have to come home late and having to stay up even later to finish all my homework.

The best learning experience probably would have been when I went with the Righetti choir on the college trip. We visited Fullerton, which is where I'm planning to attend, and we met their choir director. He was amazing helpful and such a great teacher that I walked away ftom the campus full of knew knowledge of singing that I never had had before. I knew I had to pay attention the minute he started talking to us because I thought to myself, "Wow. This is the real deal. This guy is going to lead me right to the next step in my life and I want to soak up as much knowledge he will give me now as possible!". It was truly an amazing experience and til this day I still remember everything he has taught me and I actually use his techniques and styles in my singing which have made it possible for me to progress and become better.

I'm excited the most about this class to actually learn. I know it sounds bad, but last year in English I didn't really learn anything new that I already didn't know. Everyday I went into the class brain dead not evening wanting to do anything because I thought the class was a waste of my time. But already I know this class is going to be extremely different. I'm looking forward to using technology to expand my knowledge of not only computers but English as well. No more paper all the time. No more writing and getting a cramp in my hand. Just my computer and I. And I love that! In the long run, using technology all year will defintely help me in the future because I will actually know what I'm doing. A few weeks ago, I had no idea how to create a blog or even where to start to create one. Now I have one up and going and hopefully I can use this to my advantage and create another blog or something like this in the future.