The Color Purple by Alice Walker
1. Celie is a poor, uneducated, black 14 year old living in Georgia. Her dad Alfonso constantly rapes and beats her. Celie had two children with her father and he supposedly killed both of the children. A man named Mr.___ wants to marry Celie's younger sister Nettie, but Alfonso gives Mr.___ Celie instead.Nettie runs away and lives with Celie and Mr.___ but after discovering that Mr.___ still wants Nettie, she runs away from them as well. Mr. ___ sister felt bad for Celie and told her to fight back against the abuse and unhappy marriage. Mr. ___'s son Harpo marries Sophia and they have a kid. He tries to abuse her, but she eventually ends up leaving and taking the kids. Shug, Mr. ___'s lover becomes ill and stays at their house. Celie takes care of her and they become very close and intimate. Harpo has a new girldfriend named Squeak. When Sophia comes to visit she gets in a fight with the mayor's wife and is forced to be their maid for 12 years. Shug is now married but continues to have a relationship with Celie. Shug tells Celie that she's seen Mr.___ hide numerous letters, which turn out to be from Nettie. Nettie is on a misionary trip with Samuel and Corrine in Africa. They have two children that to Corrine, look a lot like Nettie. The two children turn out to be Celie's biological children; Alfonso never killed them. And Alfonoso is really their step-dad pretending to be their dad to inherit their house and property from their mother. At first Corrine doesn't believe Nettie that she is their aunt but finally believes her right before she passes away. Alfonso confirms this story to Celie; she losses her faith in God. Celie is done putting up with Mr.___ and she, Shug, and Squeak move to Tennessee. Celie starts a tailoring business. Celie returns to Georgia, gets her land back, and becomes friends with the new Mr.___. Nettie and Samuel get married and Samuel's son, Adam, marries a woman from Africa; he must face African rituals. Celie and Nettie are reunited and even though they are old, Celie has never felt younger.
2. I believe that the main theme of this book is the power of a voice. Throughout the majority of the book, Celie didn't use her voice. She didn't believe she had one. Celie let people walk all over her. She believed that to get through something she just had to be quiet. Celie didn't know how to assert herself. Her actions and words, or lack of, displayed that she didn't feel like she had the power to change her life. By the end she established that her voice did matter and she used it to take her life into her own hands.
3. The author's tone is very serious. The book is written from the point of view of Celie in her letters to God. They are very confessional. The tone of this book is very honest, bringing up hardships and struggles that Celie had to face.
4. Symbolism: Shug tells Celie that God does little things for people, like creating the color purple, just to make people happy and give them pleasure in their lives. The color purple represents all the good in the world that Celie didn't see at the beginning of the book.
Allusion: "It's time to leave you and enter into the Creation."
Point of View: It is clear in the letters between Nettie and Celie that Nettie is quite educated while Celie's letters lack proper grammar and spelling. Having the story narrated by Celie shows that even the point of view of an uneducated, victimized woman is still important.
Syntax/Diction: Celie's writings prove that she is uneducated as well as unhappy. By the end of the book, her letters get longer and more developed, showing that she is much more happier with her life.
Personification: "For six months the heavens and the winds abused the people of Olinka. Pain came down in spears stabbing away the mud of their walls."
Imagery: "The looking glass hang crooked, the curtains torn. The bed look like the stuffing pulled out."
Motif: "Dear God. Dear stars, dear trees, dear sky, dear peoples. Dear everything. Dear God."
Anaphora: "By time I git back from the well, the water be warm. By the time I git the tray ready the food be cold. By the time I git all the children ready for school it be dinner time."
Oxymoron: "Hm, she say, look like a little fat white woman was on one."
Epigraph: Stevie Wonder's song "Do Like You"
Characterization
1. Direct: "I am fourteen years old. I have always been a good girl."
"Samuel is a big man. he dresses in black almost all the time, except for his white clerical collar. And he is black. Until you seen his eyes you think he is somber even mean, but he has the most thoughtful and gentle brown eyes."
Indirect: "He beats me today cause he say I winked at a boy in church."
"I talk to myself a lot, standing in front the mirror. Celie, I say, happiness was just a trick in your case. Just cause you never had any before Shug, you thought it was time to have some, and that it was gon last. Even thought you had the trees with you. The whole earth. The stars. but look at you. When Shug let, happiness desert."
The author uses both direct and indirect characterization approach to make the story deeper and more diverse. It allows the reader to know exactly what the authors wants them too as well as allowing the reader to make an opinion of the characters on their own. The indirect characterization allows the reader to form their own understanding.
2. In a way I believe the author's (or narrator's) syntax/diction changes over time. At the end of the book, Celie's letters were longer and more detailed; she seemed happier with her life. In Nettie's letters, her education showed while throughout the whole book, Celie proved to be uneducated. Also, when Celie was talking about certain characters, she talked about them in a happier tone. When talking about Shug or Nettie, Celie's diction and syntax was the complete opposite of the darkness she was overwhelmed with when talking about Alfonso or Mr.___.
3. Celie is a dynamic character. In the beginning of the story she was someone who took orders and didn't question what people did. By the end of the book Celie was someone who stood up for herself to pursue the life that she deserved. Celie is also a round character because she is developed.
4. After reading this book I felt that I met a real person. There are a lot of women in real life that have been abused and continue to take it. Once they break free from this life they can find happiness. Celie tells her story as if she is talking to someone she knows. Getting a look inside something was personal feels like there is an understanding and connection.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Monday, December 8, 2014
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
1. Prufrock thinks that there is plenty of time for him to do the important stuff, yet he doesn't know if he should. He pushes it off to the side because to him he has plenty of time. The poem goes back and forth from past to future and he ends up running out of time and the opportunity has passed.
2. The allusion to Hamlet is to show the similarities between the characters. At first Prufrock is similar to Hamlet because they are both indecisive. In the end he proves to be more like Polonius in the fact that even indecision is too decisive for him. All he does is follow orders and he is very superficial.
3. Lines 40-44
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair-
[They will say: "How his hair is growing thing!"]
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin-
[They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!"
These lines display that Prufrock is superficial and cares about what everyone thinks about him. He is coward-like. He is indecisive and wants to blend in so people don't judge him.
2. The allusion to Hamlet is to show the similarities between the characters. At first Prufrock is similar to Hamlet because they are both indecisive. In the end he proves to be more like Polonius in the fact that even indecision is too decisive for him. All he does is follow orders and he is very superficial.
3. Lines 40-44
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair-
[They will say: "How his hair is growing thing!"]
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin-
[They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!"
These lines display that Prufrock is superficial and cares about what everyone thinks about him. He is coward-like. He is indecisive and wants to blend in so people don't judge him.
Friday, December 5, 2014
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Comparing Poems
Poetry has been a work of art for years, expressing emotions and connecting to readers. Poems can reach to depths that traditional essays usually cannot do. They're meaningful and unique to oneself. Some poems may be completely different from each other while others may be quite similar. Working Together by David Whyte and Everything is Going to Be Alright by Derek Mahon are two of these poems that share a similar message.
Working Together by David Whyte is about the connection between tangible things and the intangibles. It shows how they work together, resulting in positive outcomes. Humans (tangibles) work everyday with air, gravity, etc. (intangibles). These things cannot be seen yet we trust them. When reading the poem you completely agree and understand, yet it makes you question. You know the force and connection between tangibles and intangibles is true, they're so natural, yet you can't help but wonder more about it. Everything is Going to Be Alright by Derek Mahon displays struggles and hardships, but yet these negatives aren't what matter the most. The positives and good in life will always triumph the bad. Somehow, someway, things will turn out okay and everything is going to be alright.
Both of these poems have a tone of positive optimism and assurance. Both of these poems are truths you live everyday. They are hopeful and inspiring. As a reader, the poems make you feel a sense of ease and calmness. You can take away from these poems that we are all greatly influenced by the life around us. Sometimes you have no control over things, you just have to accept it how it is and trust in life.
Working Together by David Whyte is about the connection between tangible things and the intangibles. It shows how they work together, resulting in positive outcomes. Humans (tangibles) work everyday with air, gravity, etc. (intangibles). These things cannot be seen yet we trust them. When reading the poem you completely agree and understand, yet it makes you question. You know the force and connection between tangibles and intangibles is true, they're so natural, yet you can't help but wonder more about it. Everything is Going to Be Alright by Derek Mahon displays struggles and hardships, but yet these negatives aren't what matter the most. The positives and good in life will always triumph the bad. Somehow, someway, things will turn out okay and everything is going to be alright.
Both of these poems have a tone of positive optimism and assurance. Both of these poems are truths you live everyday. They are hopeful and inspiring. As a reader, the poems make you feel a sense of ease and calmness. You can take away from these poems that we are all greatly influenced by the life around us. Sometimes you have no control over things, you just have to accept it how it is and trust in life.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Intro To Poetry
1. The significance of the title is to show the significance of tangible things (humans) working with intangible things to create positive outcomes.
2. The tone of the poem is uplifting. It's positively optimistic, yet true.
3. I trust the poem and understand it but yet it makes me question.
4. There is a shift where the author says, "I am thinking of the way." The poem shifts from talking about working together to intangible things.
5. The theme is to trust in things you can see, but also things you can't see.
I feel like these questions are almost a format, or steps, to better understand a poem. Going through these questions one at a time allows the reader to analyze the poem and establish what they know.
2. The tone of the poem is uplifting. It's positively optimistic, yet true.
3. I trust the poem and understand it but yet it makes me question.
4. There is a shift where the author says, "I am thinking of the way." The poem shifts from talking about working together to intangible things.
5. The theme is to trust in things you can see, but also things you can't see.
I feel like these questions are almost a format, or steps, to better understand a poem. Going through these questions one at a time allows the reader to analyze the poem and establish what they know.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Hamlet Essay
Hamlet is a legendary tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Though there are many renditions of the play, the importance of many quotes remains intact. Many of the dialogue presented by characters allows the audience to get a better understanding of the overall tone and theme. The words, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't", affect the character's understanding as well as the audience's understanding of the play.
In Act II Scene II after having a conversation with Hamlet about him going mad from his strong love for Ophelia, Polonius says to the audience "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." What Polonius was trying to tell the audience was even though Hamlet is acting crazy, it makes sense. There is a reason for why Hamlet is acting this way. Polonius could tell that Hamlet's speech was planned and in order. Polonius believed that he knew the reason behind Hamlet's madness.
What's ironic is that Polonius is right and wrong. It is true Hamlet is "acting" mad on purpose, but the reason why Polonius thinks he is is wrong. Polonius believes that Hamlet is acting out because his love for Ophelia is so strong; it drove him to it. Polonius ordered Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet which caused Hamlet to be depressed and mad. What Polonius really didn't know was that Hamlet was "acting" mad to disguise his plan to avenge his father's death. This shows that Polonius only sees what he wants to see. He is close minded and believes that what he knows is the truth.
The line, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" said by Polonius allows the audience to gather a better understanding of the tone as well as the overall theme of the play. It is one of the many lines that displays the dark, ironic tone of the play. It helps the audience feel the attitude of the play. This famous line also helps the audience discover the theme of the complexity of action. Throughout the play many characters address utterances, and once they act, or perform, on them they are called performative utterances. In Hamlet it's difficult for the characters to act in a controlled manner. The characters act in bold, uncontrolled actions proving that nothing is certain.
"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" is one of the many lines in Hamlet that allow the audience as well as the characters to get a better understanding of the purpose of the actions as well as the tone and the theme. That line is a prime example of the irony that fills the play and the lengths that the characters go to to hide their actions and motives.
In Act II Scene II after having a conversation with Hamlet about him going mad from his strong love for Ophelia, Polonius says to the audience "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." What Polonius was trying to tell the audience was even though Hamlet is acting crazy, it makes sense. There is a reason for why Hamlet is acting this way. Polonius could tell that Hamlet's speech was planned and in order. Polonius believed that he knew the reason behind Hamlet's madness.
What's ironic is that Polonius is right and wrong. It is true Hamlet is "acting" mad on purpose, but the reason why Polonius thinks he is is wrong. Polonius believes that Hamlet is acting out because his love for Ophelia is so strong; it drove him to it. Polonius ordered Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet which caused Hamlet to be depressed and mad. What Polonius really didn't know was that Hamlet was "acting" mad to disguise his plan to avenge his father's death. This shows that Polonius only sees what he wants to see. He is close minded and believes that what he knows is the truth.
The line, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" said by Polonius allows the audience to gather a better understanding of the tone as well as the overall theme of the play. It is one of the many lines that displays the dark, ironic tone of the play. It helps the audience feel the attitude of the play. This famous line also helps the audience discover the theme of the complexity of action. Throughout the play many characters address utterances, and once they act, or perform, on them they are called performative utterances. In Hamlet it's difficult for the characters to act in a controlled manner. The characters act in bold, uncontrolled actions proving that nothing is certain.
"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" is one of the many lines in Hamlet that allow the audience as well as the characters to get a better understanding of the purpose of the actions as well as the tone and the theme. That line is a prime example of the irony that fills the play and the lengths that the characters go to to hide their actions and motives.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Hamlet- The Madman(?)
When faced with a traumatic situation, some may handle things differently. Many people may be paralyzed, in a sense, while others may go crazy and have a breakdown. It's almost as if they don't have control of their mad ways. It's easy to see Hamlet, from Shakespeare's Hamlet, as the crazy madman. I, however, see Hamlet as a self-critical young man who knows exactly what he is doing.
Shortly after Hamlet's father's death, his mother and his uncle got married. When this news came out, Hamlet was enraged. Not only was he suffering from the loss of his father, but he now had to deal with his uncle taking his father's place, in the kingdom as well as in his mother's bed. Young Hamlet now had the responsibility of avenging his father's death and saving the kingdom. With such big responsibilities, Hamlet developed a plan. Pretending to be nuts would divert suspicion away from him and his plan. If people think he is mentally off, the characters with bad intentions won't see him as a threat. These characters will let their guards down around Hamlet, allowing him to cleverly gain the upper hand. Hamlet speaks fake madness when around others. For example when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern visit Hamlet, he strategically talks mad, causing them to lose their guard and reveal information about Claudius.
Hamlet's strategy to pretend to be insane is quite clever. Everyone is worried about his state of mind, but in reality he is perfectly sane. It is all apart of his deceiving plan. This plan proves that Hamlet is wise and conniving, yet intelligent. He isn't a mad man. He is a man that is strategically getting revenge for his father. Hamlet sees right and wrong and wants Claudius, and Gertrude, to receive consequences for their actions. Having two personalities (so to speak) allows Hamlet to say what is on his mind and his "unstable mental health" is an excuse for it. He knows exactly what to say, but doesn't over think it. The scene about the play within the play is genius. Hamlet's whole plan is genius, and it proves that he is self critical and has control; he isn't a mad man like some may think.
Shortly after Hamlet's father's death, his mother and his uncle got married. When this news came out, Hamlet was enraged. Not only was he suffering from the loss of his father, but he now had to deal with his uncle taking his father's place, in the kingdom as well as in his mother's bed. Young Hamlet now had the responsibility of avenging his father's death and saving the kingdom. With such big responsibilities, Hamlet developed a plan. Pretending to be nuts would divert suspicion away from him and his plan. If people think he is mentally off, the characters with bad intentions won't see him as a threat. These characters will let their guards down around Hamlet, allowing him to cleverly gain the upper hand. Hamlet speaks fake madness when around others. For example when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern visit Hamlet, he strategically talks mad, causing them to lose their guard and reveal information about Claudius.
Hamlet's strategy to pretend to be insane is quite clever. Everyone is worried about his state of mind, but in reality he is perfectly sane. It is all apart of his deceiving plan. This plan proves that Hamlet is wise and conniving, yet intelligent. He isn't a mad man. He is a man that is strategically getting revenge for his father. Hamlet sees right and wrong and wants Claudius, and Gertrude, to receive consequences for their actions. Having two personalities (so to speak) allows Hamlet to say what is on his mind and his "unstable mental health" is an excuse for it. He knows exactly what to say, but doesn't over think it. The scene about the play within the play is genius. Hamlet's whole plan is genius, and it proves that he is self critical and has control; he isn't a mad man like some may think.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Class Discussion on Performative Utterance
- Acting on something creates a sense of reality
- Hamlet doesn't meet expectations (created by ghost) which makes him feel negative
- what Hamlet hears is locutionary
- going along with Claudius and not saying or doing anything is illocutionary
- the way he talks is perlocutionary
- Hamlet is stuck in a cycle about his feelings
- talking negatively will inhibit actions
- how do words affect ones personality
- is there a real self or do you creat yourself through what you say and do
- Polonius is a character of words (similar to Hamlet) and Claudius is a character of actions
- Killing Claudius while he is on his knees isn't a heroic act
- Hamlet doesn't meet expectations (created by ghost) which makes him feel negative
- what Hamlet hears is locutionary
- going along with Claudius and not saying or doing anything is illocutionary
- the way he talks is perlocutionary
- Hamlet is stuck in a cycle about his feelings
- talking negatively will inhibit actions
- how do words affect ones personality
- is there a real self or do you creat yourself through what you say and do
- Polonius is a character of words (similar to Hamlet) and Claudius is a character of actions
- Killing Claudius while he is on his knees isn't a heroic act
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
The Performative Utterance in Hamlet
- Hamlet is often seen as indecisive; he knows his duty but struggles to make it reality
- He is very powerful but struggles to act
- Performative language acts
- Locutionary force: the ability of language to deliver a message; illocutionary force: what is done in being said; perlocutionary force: achieved by being said
- Writers use performative utterances to show that language influences a person to do something
- Characters that come from Shakespeare's plays develop through self-hearing; they over hear themselves thinking and in doing so gain self-knowledge
- Hamlet demonstrates a disconnect between what he says and what he does
- Shakespeare was a dramatist; his characters have to present themselves through speeches, soliloquies, etc.
- Locutionary is that Hamlet wants revenge; Illocutionary is that he promises his fathers ghost he will kill the king; Prelocutionary is whether he does it or not and what results from that
- Common motifs are drama and play acting which brings the reader to the conflict of finding what is sincere and what is not
- Performatives that fail are called infelicities
- Hamlet is in hollow performative act and has powerful emotional forces and can spur action that had great consequence
- Hamlet is strongly influenced by the words of the first player and uses the first players emotions to decide what he shall do
- Hamlet's intentions are misrepresented due to his play acting that requires more attention
- The central mimetic act is a play at madness designed to hide Hamlet's murderous intent, to cover his investigation of his uncles crime and to inoculate him from punishment for his various small sins, in short he acts as if he is crazy in order to distract the others from what he plans to do
- Hamlet has made successful utterances because Polonius believes his madness
- Hamlet does not say he is mad but uses language to pretend that he is through illocutionary forces
- Hamlet realizes that royalty and power is fraudulent and he must break those barriers because he cannot trust those of royalty
- Hamlet looks at how others see him and question if that's who he really is
- Everyday, everyone creates an identity of themselves that is constantly evolving
- Claudius has unhappy performative utterances when praying because he feels guilty yet still has power and does nothing but pray (he hasn't performed happy utterances)
- Hamlet chooses not to kill Claudius while he is praying because he doesn't want him to go to heaven
- Hamlet uses performative utterances to self realize who he wants to be
- Hamlet has changed entirely over the course of the play
Monday, November 10, 2014
Hamlet Notes
Act I
Scene I
- Dark winter night outside Elsinore Castle in Denmark
- Bernardo relieves the watchman Francisco
- Marcellus and Horatio join Bernardo
- The ghost of King Hamlet appears (it must be a warning of impending misfortune)
- Horatio recounts the story of King Hamlet's conquest of lands once belonging to Norway, saying that Fortinbras wants to reconquer those forfeited lands
- They try to speak to the ghost but it disappears
Scene II
- King Claudius explains his marriage to his sister-in-law, Hamlet's mom, and mourns his brother.
- He recieved a letter from Fortinbras demanding the surrender of the lands King Hamlet had won
- Claudius and Polonius grant Laertes permission to move back to France for school
- Claudius asks Prince Hamlet why the clouds still hang upon him
- Hamlet's inner sorrow is so great; he isn't going to show that he is greatly upset
- Claudius says it's a son's duty to mourn but if he mourns for too long it's unmanly and inappropriate; and that he should look at him as a father (just because one grieves doesn't mean that they're unhappy)
- Hamlet calls people out for "fake" grieving for his father
- Claudius doesn't want Hamlet to return to school and his mother agrees; they think they know what's best for him
- Hamlet wishes he wasn't there to see this and that it wasn't happening
- He wishes suicide wasn't a sin (out of anger because of his father's death and his mom's haste marriage to his uncle)
- Horatio says he came to see King Hamlet's funeral and Prince Hamlet said that he came to see his mother's marriage: Horatio said he came for both
- He tells Hamlet that they saw his father's ghost
- Hamlet dispassionately questions them
Scene III
Scene I
- Dark winter night outside Elsinore Castle in Denmark
- Bernardo relieves the watchman Francisco
- Marcellus and Horatio join Bernardo
- The ghost of King Hamlet appears (it must be a warning of impending misfortune)
- Horatio recounts the story of King Hamlet's conquest of lands once belonging to Norway, saying that Fortinbras wants to reconquer those forfeited lands
- They try to speak to the ghost but it disappears
Scene II
- King Claudius explains his marriage to his sister-in-law, Hamlet's mom, and mourns his brother.
- He recieved a letter from Fortinbras demanding the surrender of the lands King Hamlet had won
- Claudius and Polonius grant Laertes permission to move back to France for school
- Claudius asks Prince Hamlet why the clouds still hang upon him
- Hamlet's inner sorrow is so great; he isn't going to show that he is greatly upset
- Claudius says it's a son's duty to mourn but if he mourns for too long it's unmanly and inappropriate; and that he should look at him as a father (just because one grieves doesn't mean that they're unhappy)
- Hamlet calls people out for "fake" grieving for his father
- Claudius doesn't want Hamlet to return to school and his mother agrees; they think they know what's best for him
- Hamlet wishes he wasn't there to see this and that it wasn't happening
- He wishes suicide wasn't a sin (out of anger because of his father's death and his mom's haste marriage to his uncle)
- Horatio says he came to see King Hamlet's funeral and Prince Hamlet said that he came to see his mother's marriage: Horatio said he came for both
- He tells Hamlet that they saw his father's ghost
- Hamlet dispassionately questions them
Scene III
- Ophelia is Laertes sister
- Ophelia and hamlets love is passionate
- watch out for Hamlet and his sexual desires but mainly because he's a prince, he's a good guy but being pulled in many different directions
- what hamlet says in the voice of a politician, Ophelia will interpret it as a young girl in love, don't have sex
- takes the advice but isn't making any promises
- it's a double blessing to Polonius to have both his children there
- watch what you say, think before you speak, don't get in debts, be loyal and honorable, but quality over quantity
Scene IV
- they are drinking and having a party
- other countries think that's absurd
- "something is rotten in the state of Denmark" cliche
- Ophelia and hamlets love is passionate
- watch out for Hamlet and his sexual desires but mainly because he's a prince, he's a good guy but being pulled in many different directions
- what hamlet says in the voice of a politician, Ophelia will interpret it as a young girl in love, don't have sex
- takes the advice but isn't making any promises
- it's a double blessing to Polonius to have both his children there
- watch what you say, think before you speak, don't get in debts, be loyal and honorable, but quality over quantity
Scene IV
- they are drinking and having a party
- other countries think that's absurd
- "something is rotten in the state of Denmark" cliche
- The ghost appears and Hamlet wants to talk to him alone
Scene V
Scene V
- King Hamlet is the ghost; he's in purgatory
- Claudius killed King Hamlet; the mom knows because she had an affair with him
- he was taking a nap under the orchard an Claudius poured poison in his ear
- only knows what he knows because he's a ghost
- tells Prince Hamlet shouldn't punish Gertrude, leave her to her own guilt, but get revenge on Claudius
- "I have sworn 't" (Hamlet is resolved)
- "there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy"
- "the time is out of joint: o cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!"
- Hamlet is going to revenge his fathers death
Act II Scene II
- "therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit"
- "though this be madness, yet there is method in't"
- "for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"
- "what a piece of work is a man!" (Cliche, theme of play, capabilities of people)
- actors haven't lost their art, their just not taking it seriously (brought to the castle for cheap entertainment)
- Hamlet is sort of mad and testing if he can trust them
- quotes a play that is parallel to what is happening
- compares himself to an actor (the actor can weep and what not yet Hamlet can't weep or talk about it. He feels like a coward)
- he should be cut up and fed to the birds, even if he could speak talk to cheap
- if Claudius and Gertrude witness this play that hits the core, they'll reveal themselves
- Hamlet enters lines into the play to change it and hatch a plan (play within a play)
- "the plays the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king"
Act III Scene I
- By looking like their doing the right thing they can convince people their not malicious
- first time we hear it from Claudius admit he is feeling guilty
- "to be or not to be" (all these questions about whether to live or die, etc)
- Rosencrantz & Gildenstern are on Claudius' side
- Hamlet comments that he doesn't trust Ophelia in the moment. It's easy to be seduced by beauty
- he doesn't love her anymore
- questions her motives
- he is upset at everybody
- he knows he is imperfect but everyone else is so much worse
- tells Polonius how he feels about him
- women corrupt men
- he is uncontrollably mad
- Claudius and Polonius set up a conversation with Ophelia and Hamlet to hear what he says
- Claudius wants to remove the threat (hamlet)
- Polonius tells Claudius to let hamlet and Gertrude talk alone while Polonius eavesdrops
- if he is a threat, send him to England
- Polonius only thinks about himself
Scene II
- Hamlet says act naturally don't over do it but don't under do it. Make it seem real; don't improvise
- commenting on the overall play and the play within the play
- Hamlet tells Horatio to look out for Claudius' reaction
- Claudius killed King Hamlet; the mom knows because she had an affair with him
- he was taking a nap under the orchard an Claudius poured poison in his ear
- only knows what he knows because he's a ghost
- tells Prince Hamlet shouldn't punish Gertrude, leave her to her own guilt, but get revenge on Claudius
- "I have sworn 't" (Hamlet is resolved)
- "there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy"
- "the time is out of joint: o cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!"
- Hamlet is going to revenge his fathers death
Act II Scene II
- "therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit"
- "though this be madness, yet there is method in't"
- "for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"
- "what a piece of work is a man!" (Cliche, theme of play, capabilities of people)
- actors haven't lost their art, their just not taking it seriously (brought to the castle for cheap entertainment)
- Hamlet is sort of mad and testing if he can trust them
- quotes a play that is parallel to what is happening
- compares himself to an actor (the actor can weep and what not yet Hamlet can't weep or talk about it. He feels like a coward)
- he should be cut up and fed to the birds, even if he could speak talk to cheap
- if Claudius and Gertrude witness this play that hits the core, they'll reveal themselves
- Hamlet enters lines into the play to change it and hatch a plan (play within a play)
- "the plays the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king"
Act III Scene I
- By looking like their doing the right thing they can convince people their not malicious
- first time we hear it from Claudius admit he is feeling guilty
- "to be or not to be" (all these questions about whether to live or die, etc)
- Rosencrantz & Gildenstern are on Claudius' side
- Hamlet comments that he doesn't trust Ophelia in the moment. It's easy to be seduced by beauty
- he doesn't love her anymore
- questions her motives
- he is upset at everybody
- he knows he is imperfect but everyone else is so much worse
- tells Polonius how he feels about him
- women corrupt men
- he is uncontrollably mad
- Claudius and Polonius set up a conversation with Ophelia and Hamlet to hear what he says
- Claudius wants to remove the threat (hamlet)
- Polonius tells Claudius to let hamlet and Gertrude talk alone while Polonius eavesdrops
- if he is a threat, send him to England
- Polonius only thinks about himself
Scene II
- Hamlet says act naturally don't over do it but don't under do it. Make it seem real; don't improvise
- commenting on the overall play and the play within the play
- Hamlet tells Horatio to look out for Claudius' reaction
- Hamlet acts/replies insanely
- The players act out the play
- Hamlet sexually teases Ophelia
- In the middle of the play Claudius tells them to turn the lights on and stop; everyone leaves
- Hamlet is excited and continues to act insane
- Gertrude asks to speak to Hamlet
Scene III
- Claudius is worried that Hamlet is dangerous and asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to escort Hamlet to England
- Alone, Claudius expresses his guilt
- Hamlet is about to kill Claudius but he doesn't want to do it while he is praying because he doesn't want him to go to heaven (he will kill him when he is sinning)
Scene IV
- Gertrude tells Hamlet that he offended Claudius and he says that she offended King Hamlet
- Gertrude cries out for help and Hamlet thinks Claudius is hiding behind the curtain but it is really Polonius and he kills him
- The ghost appears but Gertrude can't see it
- Hamlet tells Gertrude the truth and she says she will keep him promise
Class Notes
- Because of the play and Hamlet knowing, Claudius sees him as a threat and it isn't going to end
- Claudius isn't upset with his actions, he's upset that it is now an inconvenience to him
- Hamlet is feeling cocky
- Polonius and Hamlet are some what opposites (foils) yet the same. They're both people of words. Polonius does stuff with bad intentions while Hamlet does them with good intentions
- Hamlet wants Gertrude to see herself how he sees her
- Hamlet kills Polonius then goes crazy and says rude things towards his mother
- Hamlet doesn't feel guilty
- In this scene, Hamlet is transformed from a character of words to a character of actions
- Getting rid of Polonius takes more words out of the story
Act IV
Scene I
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come and go like props
- Gertrude describes Hamlet as nuts and how he killed Polonius; they want to send him away to England
- Gertrude and Claudius are going to spin Polonius's death and excuse it
- Claudius doesn't want to turn Hamlet in because he is afraid Hamlet will turn on him
- Claudius wants Hamlet out of the picture
Scene II
- Polonius is with Hamlet's dad but Claudius isn't in the same place
- A different side of Hamlet is shown; he is being cocky and saying he is a Prince
- Hamlet says Rosencrantz is a sponge and he has no say
Scene III
- It's not the actions that are judged, it's if people like the person (Claudius paints this picture about Hamlet)
- Hamlet says that they can't seem like they are reacting; they must pretend that it was the plan all along to go off to school
- Claudius isn't bigger than anyone else; he's a player in the game
- Claudius is arranging to have Hamlet killed in England
Scene IV
- The conversation between Hamlet and the soldiers was introduced because the soldiers represent honor and courage
- Hamlet sees that the land the captain is fighting for isn't worth it
- It triggers inner commitment in Hamlet; it makes him realize he isn't doing what he planned/needs to do
- It is hard for Hamlet to carry out the ghost's orders but it makes him want to even more
- We have a brain to think, plan, and carry out action
- Hamlet questions why he is procrastinating and is blaming himself
- The soldiers that do battle are so much better than Hamlet
- Hamlet resolves into tapping into his inner soldier and the deed
Scene V
- Ophelia has gone crazy
- She is talking about her dead father, love, and rejection
- Claudius stops the madness
- Ophelia is going to tell Laertes that Claudius and Gertrude are excusing her father's death
- She says Laertes should be king
- Laertes shows up
- Any part of Hamlet that isn't angry, isn't King Hamlet's son
- Who will hold Laertes back from getting revenge
- Ophelia's wits are dead
- Laertes is twice angry with Hamlet because of his father's death and for making Ophelia crazy
- Claudius is trying to calm Laertes down
Scene VI
- Claudius' plan isn't going as planned
- Hamlet isn't on his way to England; he has a secret of his own
- Laertes brings a letter; it's Hamlet's writing; he's coming
Scene VII
- Claudius covered up Polonius' death because everyone loves Hamlet and he didn't want to upset them
- Claudius agrees with Laertes that he should kill Hamlet
- They come up with a plan: Hamlet will challenge Laertes to a duel because he is fond of his sword and Laertes will kill him in the duel. He will cover his sword with poison as well. If Hamlet wins, Claudius will give him poison to drink
- Ophelia drowns
Class Notes
- Because of the play and Hamlet knowing, Claudius sees him as a threat and it isn't going to end
- Claudius isn't upset with his actions, he's upset that it is now an inconvenience to him
- Hamlet is feeling cocky
- Polonius and Hamlet are some what opposites (foils) yet the same. They're both people of words. Polonius does stuff with bad intentions while Hamlet does them with good intentions
- Hamlet wants Gertrude to see herself how he sees her
- Hamlet kills Polonius then goes crazy and says rude things towards his mother
- Hamlet doesn't feel guilty
- In this scene, Hamlet is transformed from a character of words to a character of actions
- Getting rid of Polonius takes more words out of the story
Act IV
Scene I
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come and go like props
- Gertrude describes Hamlet as nuts and how he killed Polonius; they want to send him away to England
- Gertrude and Claudius are going to spin Polonius's death and excuse it
- Claudius doesn't want to turn Hamlet in because he is afraid Hamlet will turn on him
- Claudius wants Hamlet out of the picture
Scene II
- Polonius is with Hamlet's dad but Claudius isn't in the same place
- A different side of Hamlet is shown; he is being cocky and saying he is a Prince
- Hamlet says Rosencrantz is a sponge and he has no say
Scene III
- It's not the actions that are judged, it's if people like the person (Claudius paints this picture about Hamlet)
- Hamlet says that they can't seem like they are reacting; they must pretend that it was the plan all along to go off to school
- Claudius isn't bigger than anyone else; he's a player in the game
- Claudius is arranging to have Hamlet killed in England
Scene IV
- The conversation between Hamlet and the soldiers was introduced because the soldiers represent honor and courage
- Hamlet sees that the land the captain is fighting for isn't worth it
- It triggers inner commitment in Hamlet; it makes him realize he isn't doing what he planned/needs to do
- It is hard for Hamlet to carry out the ghost's orders but it makes him want to even more
- We have a brain to think, plan, and carry out action
- Hamlet questions why he is procrastinating and is blaming himself
- The soldiers that do battle are so much better than Hamlet
- Hamlet resolves into tapping into his inner soldier and the deed
Scene V
- Ophelia has gone crazy
- She is talking about her dead father, love, and rejection
- Claudius stops the madness
- Ophelia is going to tell Laertes that Claudius and Gertrude are excusing her father's death
- She says Laertes should be king
- Laertes shows up
- Any part of Hamlet that isn't angry, isn't King Hamlet's son
- Who will hold Laertes back from getting revenge
- Ophelia's wits are dead
- Laertes is twice angry with Hamlet because of his father's death and for making Ophelia crazy
- Claudius is trying to calm Laertes down
Scene VI
- Claudius' plan isn't going as planned
- Hamlet isn't on his way to England; he has a secret of his own
- Laertes brings a letter; it's Hamlet's writing; he's coming
Scene VII
- Claudius covered up Polonius' death because everyone loves Hamlet and he didn't want to upset them
- Claudius agrees with Laertes that he should kill Hamlet
- They come up with a plan: Hamlet will challenge Laertes to a duel because he is fond of his sword and Laertes will kill him in the duel. He will cover his sword with poison as well. If Hamlet wins, Claudius will give him poison to drink
- Ophelia drowns
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Literature Analysis #2
The Things They Carried- Tim O'Brien
1.Tim O'Brien returns to war after being shot for the first time and is shot again. It takes the new medic, Bobby Jorgenson, a long time to get to him and by the time he does, Tim has gone into shock and the medic treats him for the wrong thing. He lives but is unable to return to the field and begins a new job in the military, preparing supplies and weapons. Tim O'Brien suffers from PTSD and struggles adapting back to his normal life. He is now looked at differently by his Platoon. Tim seeks revenge towards Jorgenson for not fully caring for his wound, which led to infection. He attempts to get his old Platoon members to help him mess with Jorgenson, but they refuse because he is now apart of their crew. One man, Azar, agrees to help. They go to where Jorgenson is working late at night and attempt to scare him by making noises in the brush and making items float. Tim finds a lot of joy in scaring Jorgenson, but wants to stop after awhile. Azar convinces him to keep going. Jorgenson shouts out that he knows it's O'Brien messing with him. They meet and forgive each other. The rest of the Platoon accepts O'Brien back in as family.
The narrative fulfills the author's purpose in showing the impact of war on a person's life. The author also shows how the men really relied on each other's friendships to survive.
1.Tim O'Brien returns to war after being shot for the first time and is shot again. It takes the new medic, Bobby Jorgenson, a long time to get to him and by the time he does, Tim has gone into shock and the medic treats him for the wrong thing. He lives but is unable to return to the field and begins a new job in the military, preparing supplies and weapons. Tim O'Brien suffers from PTSD and struggles adapting back to his normal life. He is now looked at differently by his Platoon. Tim seeks revenge towards Jorgenson for not fully caring for his wound, which led to infection. He attempts to get his old Platoon members to help him mess with Jorgenson, but they refuse because he is now apart of their crew. One man, Azar, agrees to help. They go to where Jorgenson is working late at night and attempt to scare him by making noises in the brush and making items float. Tim finds a lot of joy in scaring Jorgenson, but wants to stop after awhile. Azar convinces him to keep going. Jorgenson shouts out that he knows it's O'Brien messing with him. They meet and forgive each other. The rest of the Platoon accepts O'Brien back in as family.
The narrative fulfills the author's purpose in showing the impact of war on a person's life. The author also shows how the men really relied on each other's friendships to survive.
2. The main theme of the book is guilt and burdens- the title is a clear example of that. All of the characters in the story carry physical burdens as well as emotional ones. These emotional burdens include fear, reputation, and vulnerability. Many of the men can't forgive themselves for deaths of their brothers, and suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. The different stories in the book exemplify the struggles the men of the platoon went through during and after the war. The characters must attempt to accept their experiences, but for some, the burden is just too heavy.
3. The author's tone is pretty straightforward and comfortable. The author is retelling stories and the reason behind why he is telling them. He is familiar with his subjects, and you can infer that he is feeling remorse. "I wanted to do something, stop him somehow... I was trembling. I kept hugging myself, rocking, but I couldn't make it go away," expresses Tim's guilt about torturing Jorgenson. "None of it mattered. The words seemed far too complicated. All I could do was gape at the fact of the young man's body." Plain and simple- he felt bad. It's easy to gather from this that Tim felt remorse-it's pretty clear. "You can't fix your mistakes. Once people are dead, you can't make them undead." Straightforward.
4. Point of View: Most of the time the story is told from first person, but at times third person is used to distance Tim and allow other characters to tell their story.
Foreshadowing: Tim mentions the deaths of men, and later recounts these stories.
Symbolism: The dead young Vietnamese soldier represents guilt.
Juxtaposition: The placement of the stories told.
Blend of fiction and non-fiction: He questions stories.
Repetitions: He frequently repeats stories, adding in details. (he retells Kiowa's death 5 times)
Imagery: He describes the battlefield to allow the reader to try and experience what he dealt with.
Similies/Metaphors: Allow the reader to get a sense of the severity of a situation.
Flashback: To help the reader understand the character's experiences and their constant remembrance of the unfortunate events.
Structure: The book was written with interconnected short stories.
Characterization
1. Indirect:
"He would look them in the eyes, keeping his chin level, and he would issue the new SOP's in a calm, impersonal tone of voice, an officer's voice, leaving no room for argument or discussion."
"...I sometimes felt the fear spreading inside me like weeds. I imagined myself dead. I imagined me doing things I could not do- charging an enemy position, taking aim at another human being."
Direct:
"Lavender's left cheek bone was gone."
"There was a large Band-Aid at the back of her head, a row of black stitches, a piece of gauze taped above her left ear."
Tim uses indirect characterization to show psychological development, adding to the effect that Vietnam was this crazy place where you slowly lose your mind if you haven't already lost yourself as a whole. Tim uses direct characterization to be more blunt about the horrors of war. By telling the reader exactly how it looked, they can envision it for themselves.
2. When focusing on a character, the author's diction stays the same as he develops the characters specifically; some characters are emphasized more. The syntax slightly changes with an increase in dialogue when stories are being told.
3. The protagonist, Tim O'Brien, is a dynamic character. Before the war he doesn't want to be a part of it and tries to run away from it. By the end of the story, however, Tim can't leave the military life and his platoon-mates, and he continues to reminisce on his experiences. He is also a round character because by reading about the stories he was in and his experiences, the reader sees that he is a developed character.
4. After reading the book, I felt like I actually met a person. In the following passage, "They didn't know history. They didn't know the first thing about Diem's tyranny or the nature of the Vietnamese nationalism, or the long colonialism of the French- this was all too damned complicated, it required some reading- but no matter, it was a war to stop the Communists, plain and simple, which was how they liked things, and you were a treasonous pussy if you had second thoughts about killing or dying for plain and simple reasons. I was bitter, sure. But it was so much more than that. The emotions went from outrage to terror to bewilderment to guilt to sorrow and then back to outrage. I felt a sickness inside me. Real disease," all of Tim's emotions are shown. Throughout the book you get an understanding of who Tim is. I felt like i was personally told all of these stories.
Foreshadowing: Tim mentions the deaths of men, and later recounts these stories.
Symbolism: The dead young Vietnamese soldier represents guilt.
Juxtaposition: The placement of the stories told.
Blend of fiction and non-fiction: He questions stories.
Repetitions: He frequently repeats stories, adding in details. (he retells Kiowa's death 5 times)
Imagery: He describes the battlefield to allow the reader to try and experience what he dealt with.
Similies/Metaphors: Allow the reader to get a sense of the severity of a situation.
Flashback: To help the reader understand the character's experiences and their constant remembrance of the unfortunate events.
Structure: The book was written with interconnected short stories.
Characterization
1. Indirect:
"He would look them in the eyes, keeping his chin level, and he would issue the new SOP's in a calm, impersonal tone of voice, an officer's voice, leaving no room for argument or discussion."
"...I sometimes felt the fear spreading inside me like weeds. I imagined myself dead. I imagined me doing things I could not do- charging an enemy position, taking aim at another human being."
Direct:
"Lavender's left cheek bone was gone."
"There was a large Band-Aid at the back of her head, a row of black stitches, a piece of gauze taped above her left ear."
Tim uses indirect characterization to show psychological development, adding to the effect that Vietnam was this crazy place where you slowly lose your mind if you haven't already lost yourself as a whole. Tim uses direct characterization to be more blunt about the horrors of war. By telling the reader exactly how it looked, they can envision it for themselves.
2. When focusing on a character, the author's diction stays the same as he develops the characters specifically; some characters are emphasized more. The syntax slightly changes with an increase in dialogue when stories are being told.
3. The protagonist, Tim O'Brien, is a dynamic character. Before the war he doesn't want to be a part of it and tries to run away from it. By the end of the story, however, Tim can't leave the military life and his platoon-mates, and he continues to reminisce on his experiences. He is also a round character because by reading about the stories he was in and his experiences, the reader sees that he is a developed character.
4. After reading the book, I felt like I actually met a person. In the following passage, "They didn't know history. They didn't know the first thing about Diem's tyranny or the nature of the Vietnamese nationalism, or the long colonialism of the French- this was all too damned complicated, it required some reading- but no matter, it was a war to stop the Communists, plain and simple, which was how they liked things, and you were a treasonous pussy if you had second thoughts about killing or dying for plain and simple reasons. I was bitter, sure. But it was so much more than that. The emotions went from outrage to terror to bewilderment to guilt to sorrow and then back to outrage. I felt a sickness inside me. Real disease," all of Tim's emotions are shown. Throughout the book you get an understanding of who Tim is. I felt like i was personally told all of these stories.
Literary Fiction & Empathy
After reading this article, I found that the study done was awesome. They concluded that reading literary fiction "allows for more imagination and encourages readers to make inferences about characters and be sensitive to emotional nuance and complexity." Over any other genre, literary fiction teaches readers to be more empathetic. I feel like this can be very beneficial to me. In regards to Hamlet, this strategy may help me see the deeper meaning of Hamlet. This will allow me to see the real character of Hamlet rather than what is just on the surface or what one can read on Sparknotes. Reading about Hamlet's thoughts and struggles may make me more open-minded when trying to understand someone.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Communities studying Hamlet
If you search the topic Hamlet on Twitter, many related posts will come up of students just like us studying Hamlet. Many of these posts say that people are dreading it.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Vocabulary #6
abase - cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of
Ex- I watched my colleagues abase themselves before the board of trustees.
abdicate - give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
Ex- The government was accused of abdicating its responsibilities.
abomination - an action that is vicious or vile; an action that arouses disgust or abhorrence; a person who is loathsome or disgusting; hate coupled with disgust
Ex- This law is an abomination to all mankind.
brusque - marked by rude or peremptory shortness
Ex- She is known to be brusque and impatient.
saboteur - someone who commits sabotage or deliberately causes wrecks
Ex- The saboteur was punished severely.
debauchery - a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity
Ex- One may find another's personality debauchery.
proliferate - cause to grow or increase rapidly; grow rapidly
Ex- Apple products continue to proliferate.
anachronism - an artifact that belongs to another time; a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs to another age; something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred
Ex- Everything was as it would have appeared in centuries past apart from one anachronism, a bright yellow construction crane.
nomenclature - a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline
Ex- For one thing, the basic nomenclature was confusing.
expurgate - edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
Ex- The editors expurgated hateful references to the government in the author's book before publishing it.
bellicose - having or showing a ready disposition to fight
Ex- There is a group of bellicose men.
gauche - lacking social polish
Ex- Some will find it gauche; others will enjoy its boldness.
rapacious - excessively greedy and grasping; devouring or craving food in great quantities; living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey
Ex- His landlord is very rapacious.
paradox - a statement that contradicts itself
Ex- The man lied many times before, but when he told his friend, "I'm lying right now," the paradox confused him.
conundrum - a difficult problem
Ex- Jane was confronted with a large conundrum and didn't know what to do.
anomaly - a person who is unusual; deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule
Ex- There are a number of anomalies in the present system.
ephemeral - lasting a very short time; noun anything short-lived
Ex- Fashion is ephemeral.
rancorous - showing deep-seated resentment
Ex- Many people became rancorous because of the man's ignorant speech.
churlish - having a bad disposition; surly; rude and boorish
Ex- It seems churlish to complain.
precipitous - extremely steep; done with very great haste and without due deliberation
Ex- The cliffs on the North Atlantic coast are precipitous.
Ex- I watched my colleagues abase themselves before the board of trustees.
abdicate - give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
Ex- The government was accused of abdicating its responsibilities.
abomination - an action that is vicious or vile; an action that arouses disgust or abhorrence; a person who is loathsome or disgusting; hate coupled with disgust
Ex- This law is an abomination to all mankind.
brusque - marked by rude or peremptory shortness
Ex- She is known to be brusque and impatient.
saboteur - someone who commits sabotage or deliberately causes wrecks
Ex- The saboteur was punished severely.
debauchery - a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity
Ex- One may find another's personality debauchery.
proliferate - cause to grow or increase rapidly; grow rapidly
Ex- Apple products continue to proliferate.
anachronism - an artifact that belongs to another time; a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs to another age; something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred
Ex- Everything was as it would have appeared in centuries past apart from one anachronism, a bright yellow construction crane.
nomenclature - a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline
Ex- For one thing, the basic nomenclature was confusing.
expurgate - edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
Ex- The editors expurgated hateful references to the government in the author's book before publishing it.
bellicose - having or showing a ready disposition to fight
Ex- There is a group of bellicose men.
gauche - lacking social polish
Ex- Some will find it gauche; others will enjoy its boldness.
rapacious - excessively greedy and grasping; devouring or craving food in great quantities; living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey
Ex- His landlord is very rapacious.
paradox - a statement that contradicts itself
Ex- The man lied many times before, but when he told his friend, "I'm lying right now," the paradox confused him.
conundrum - a difficult problem
Ex- Jane was confronted with a large conundrum and didn't know what to do.
anomaly - a person who is unusual; deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule
Ex- There are a number of anomalies in the present system.
ephemeral - lasting a very short time; noun anything short-lived
Ex- Fashion is ephemeral.
rancorous - showing deep-seated resentment
Ex- Many people became rancorous because of the man's ignorant speech.
churlish - having a bad disposition; surly; rude and boorish
Ex- It seems churlish to complain.
precipitous - extremely steep; done with very great haste and without due deliberation
Ex- The cliffs on the North Atlantic coast are precipitous.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Unphotographable
This is a picture I did not take of my sister and I driving down A.W. Grimes in Texas. I rolled down the passenger side window on the jeep and the warm night air filled the car. The street lights glowed in the rear view mirror. We were singing I Hold On by Dierks Bentley. In that moment I felt infinite.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Canterbury Outline
Body Paragraph 1: A significant tale and what the tale was trying to teach the reader
- The Clerk's tale was trying to teach people to be constant in adversity and in the face of God (like Griselda was to Walter). People under God must live in virtuous patience, accepting whatever will God serves on them.
- Moral/philosophical tale
Body Paragraph 2: Why is the main character of this tale so important and how are they portrayed
- Griselda is the main character: humble, patient, virtuous, loyal, accepting, etc.
- She is the opposite of the Wife of Bath and her tale about women having control/power over their men
Body Paragraph 3: What ideas and techniques Chaucer used to describe this tale and get his message across
- direct characterization was proved with indirect characterization
- very structured: each "part" had its own main problem
- told the reader exactly what happened in a straightforward manner and what he wanted the reader to gain/learn from the tale
- The Clerk's tale was trying to teach people to be constant in adversity and in the face of God (like Griselda was to Walter). People under God must live in virtuous patience, accepting whatever will God serves on them.
- Moral/philosophical tale
Body Paragraph 2: Why is the main character of this tale so important and how are they portrayed
- Griselda is the main character: humble, patient, virtuous, loyal, accepting, etc.
- She is the opposite of the Wife of Bath and her tale about women having control/power over their men
Body Paragraph 3: What ideas and techniques Chaucer used to describe this tale and get his message across
- direct characterization was proved with indirect characterization
- very structured: each "part" had its own main problem
- told the reader exactly what happened in a straightforward manner and what he wanted the reader to gain/learn from the tale
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
The Point of Canterbury Tales is...
The Canterbury Tales aims to incorporate many themes through various stories told from various perspectives. In the collection of tales told by diverse characters, attitudes about life and literature are exemplified in a satirical manner.
Green Eggs & Hamlet
a) The only thing I know about Hamlet is that it was written by Shakespeare.
b) The only thing I know about Shakespeare is that he wrote Hamlet.
c) Students frown when they hear Shakespeare because his works are known to be long, uninteresting, and hard to comprehend.
d) To make studying this play an amazing experience, we can approach Hamlet from a different perspective and do more than just read about it.
b) The only thing I know about Shakespeare is that he wrote Hamlet.
c) Students frown when they hear Shakespeare because his works are known to be long, uninteresting, and hard to comprehend.
d) To make studying this play an amazing experience, we can approach Hamlet from a different perspective and do more than just read about it.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Vocabulary #5
Shenanigans - secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering.
Ex- Widespread financial shenanigans had ruined the fortunes of many
Ricochet - a glancing rebound; spring back; spring away from an impact
Ex- The bullet ricocheted off a nearby wall.
Schism - division of a group into opposing factions; the formal separation of a church into two churches or the withdrawal of one group over doctrinal differences
Ex- There is an unfortunate schism between scientists and power.
Eschew - avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of
Ex- He appealed to the crowd to eschew violence.
Plethora - extreme excess
Ex- There was a plethora of committees that attended the meeting.
Ebullient - joyously unrestrained
Ex- Jane sounded ebullient and happy after she got off of the phone with her boyfriend.
Garrulous - full of trivial conversation
Ex- Alan is foolish, garrulous old man.
Harangue - a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion; deliver a harangue to; address forcefully
Ex- He is the kind of guy that would harangue total strangers about gun laws.
Interdependence - a reciprocal relation between interdependent entities (objects or individuals or groups)
Ex- Indeed, the relationship among advanced postindustrial countries is one of complex interdependence.
Capricious - determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason; changeable
Ex- His capricious humor elevated and deposed them with the same disconcerning suddenness.
Loquacious - full of trivial conversation
Ex- The teacher is known for being very loquacious.
Ephemeral - lasting a very short time; anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form
Ex- Fashion is ephemeral.
Inchoate - only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
Ex- Their thinking moves by leaps in the dark, through fruitful errors and inchoate visions.
Juxtapose - place side by side
Ex- Black and white photos of slums were juxtaposed with colored images.
Perspicacious - acutely insightful and wise; mentally acute or penetratingly discerning
Ex- It offered quite a few facts to the perspicacious reporter.
Codswallop - nonsensical talk or writing
Ex- Some people believe other religions are just codswallop.
Mungo - cloth made from recycled woven or felted material.
Ex- Many high end fashion designers hate mungo.
Sesquipedelian - characterized by long words
Ex- The scientific journals were sesquipedelian.
Wonky - inclined to shake as from weakness or defect; turned or twisted toward one side
Ex- Your sense of judgment is a bit wonky at the moment.
Diphthong - a vowel sound that starts near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves toward the position for another
Ex-The production of a diphthong acoustically is a glide between two sounds.
Ex- Widespread financial shenanigans had ruined the fortunes of many
Ricochet - a glancing rebound; spring back; spring away from an impact
Ex- The bullet ricocheted off a nearby wall.
Schism - division of a group into opposing factions; the formal separation of a church into two churches or the withdrawal of one group over doctrinal differences
Ex- There is an unfortunate schism between scientists and power.
Eschew - avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of
Ex- He appealed to the crowd to eschew violence.
Plethora - extreme excess
Ex- There was a plethora of committees that attended the meeting.
Ebullient - joyously unrestrained
Ex- Jane sounded ebullient and happy after she got off of the phone with her boyfriend.
Garrulous - full of trivial conversation
Ex- Alan is foolish, garrulous old man.
Harangue - a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion; deliver a harangue to; address forcefully
Ex- He is the kind of guy that would harangue total strangers about gun laws.
Interdependence - a reciprocal relation between interdependent entities (objects or individuals or groups)
Ex- Indeed, the relationship among advanced postindustrial countries is one of complex interdependence.
Capricious - determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason; changeable
Ex- His capricious humor elevated and deposed them with the same disconcerning suddenness.
Loquacious - full of trivial conversation
Ex- The teacher is known for being very loquacious.
Ephemeral - lasting a very short time; anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form
Ex- Fashion is ephemeral.
Inchoate - only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
Ex- Their thinking moves by leaps in the dark, through fruitful errors and inchoate visions.
Juxtapose - place side by side
Ex- Black and white photos of slums were juxtaposed with colored images.
Perspicacious - acutely insightful and wise; mentally acute or penetratingly discerning
Ex- It offered quite a few facts to the perspicacious reporter.
Codswallop - nonsensical talk or writing
Ex- Some people believe other religions are just codswallop.
Mungo - cloth made from recycled woven or felted material.
Ex- Many high end fashion designers hate mungo.
Sesquipedelian - characterized by long words
Ex- The scientific journals were sesquipedelian.
Wonky - inclined to shake as from weakness or defect; turned or twisted toward one side
Ex- Your sense of judgment is a bit wonky at the moment.
Diphthong - a vowel sound that starts near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves toward the position for another
Ex-The production of a diphthong acoustically is a glide between two sounds.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Character Narrative
We've been in classes for about a month now and I was still getting use to the place. Baylor was now my home. I sat there in my Sociology of Medicine class thinking about how different my life was a year ago. I was in high school, trying to balance college applications and having the fun senior year experience. But boy was I glad I had applied for early action. The stress I had drove me crazy, but it was well worth it. I snapped back to reality when I realized the professor had asked me what I thought about the lecture. I twirled my pencil around my long, blonde air as I quickly pulled an answer out of thin air. He replied with a smile. Phew.
After class, my dad called and offered to pay for my plane ticket to fly back to Santa Maria for a few days to visit because I don't have classes Monday or Friday. Since I wouldn't be missing school and I didn't have to pay for it, I figured why not. I flew in late that Thursday night and decided to hike Point Sal Friday morning. On my hike that morning, I ran into a couple in desperate need of help. The boyfriend had fallen and hurt his leg. I helped the panicked couple and as we were waiting for assistance we began to get to know each other. I had found out that the girlfriend, Courtney, was a fan of adventure and that we had a lot in common. She thanked me for my help and promised to stay in touch. I spent the next few days visiting with friends and family and then I was back off to college.
After being back at school for a few weeks, I was walking around campus when I saw a sign hanging from a bulletin board. It said that if we wanted to earn extra school credits we could go on a mission trip to Africa. I hesitated to call the number. Would I be safe? Would I be able to do it without all of my materialistic things? I should do it. It'll be good for me. I called the number and got all of the information I needed. It was settled. In 3 months I would be going to Kenya with my fellow students. Later that night while writing up a paper in my dorm room, I thought of the sweet, adventurous girl I had met on my hike back at home. I called her up and told her about the opportunity. A few days later she called me and had said she would be going to Kenya with me. I sat there in Starbucks smiling. I was now looking forward to the mission trip.
We all met at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with our passports and vaccinations in hand. We had our single carry-on bags with us filled with necessities. Electronics, anything that required being plugged in, and anything with a fruity scent were prohibited. 12 of us, including Courtney, boarded Kenya Airways for our 18 hour flight. Boy this is gonna be a long one.
After class, my dad called and offered to pay for my plane ticket to fly back to Santa Maria for a few days to visit because I don't have classes Monday or Friday. Since I wouldn't be missing school and I didn't have to pay for it, I figured why not. I flew in late that Thursday night and decided to hike Point Sal Friday morning. On my hike that morning, I ran into a couple in desperate need of help. The boyfriend had fallen and hurt his leg. I helped the panicked couple and as we were waiting for assistance we began to get to know each other. I had found out that the girlfriend, Courtney, was a fan of adventure and that we had a lot in common. She thanked me for my help and promised to stay in touch. I spent the next few days visiting with friends and family and then I was back off to college.
After being back at school for a few weeks, I was walking around campus when I saw a sign hanging from a bulletin board. It said that if we wanted to earn extra school credits we could go on a mission trip to Africa. I hesitated to call the number. Would I be safe? Would I be able to do it without all of my materialistic things? I should do it. It'll be good for me. I called the number and got all of the information I needed. It was settled. In 3 months I would be going to Kenya with my fellow students. Later that night while writing up a paper in my dorm room, I thought of the sweet, adventurous girl I had met on my hike back at home. I called her up and told her about the opportunity. A few days later she called me and had said she would be going to Kenya with me. I sat there in Starbucks smiling. I was now looking forward to the mission trip.
We all met at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with our passports and vaccinations in hand. We had our single carry-on bags with us filled with necessities. Electronics, anything that required being plugged in, and anything with a fruity scent were prohibited. 12 of us, including Courtney, boarded Kenya Airways for our 18 hour flight. Boy this is gonna be a long one.
We spent the next 3 months educating the people of different tribes on how to stay safe, we learned about their religion and beliefs, and we helped build schools and clean up their villages. I learned more on this trip than I thought I would. I went into this thinking that I would be the one making the difference in people's lives, little did I know they would make a difference in mine as well.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Character Study III
Because I don't have classes on Friday or Monday, my dad offered to pay for my plane ticket to fly back to Santa Maria for a few days to visit. Since I wouldn't be missing school and I didn't have to pay for it,I figured why not. I flew in late that Thursday night and decided to hike Point Sal Friday morning. On my hike that morning, I ran into a couple in desperate need of help. The boyfriend had fallen and hurt his leg. I helped the panicked couple and as we were waiting for assistance we began to get to know each other. I had found out that the girlfriend Courtney was a fan of adventure and that we had a lot in common. She thanked me for my help and promised to stay in touch. I spent the next few days visiting with friends and family and then I was back off to college.
After being back at school for a few weeks, I was walking around campus when I saw a sign hanging from a bulletin board. It said that if we wanted to earn extra school credits we could go on a mission trip to Africa. I hesitated to call the number. Would I be safe? Would I be able to do it without all of my materialistic things? I should do it. It'll be good for me. I called the number and got all of the information I needed. It was settled. In 3 months I would be going to Kenya with my fellow students. Later that night while writing up a paper in my dorm room, I thought of the sweet, adventurous girl I had met on my hike. I called her up and told her about the opportunity. A few days later she called me and had said she would be going to Kenya with me. I sat there in Starbucks smiling. I was now looking forward to the mission trip.
We all met at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with our passports and vaccinations in hand. We had our single carry-on bags with us filled with necessities. Electronics, anything that required being plugged in, and anything with a fruity scent were prohibited. 12 of us, including Courtney, boarded Kenya Airways for our 18 hour flight. Boy this is gonna be a long one.
After being back at school for a few weeks, I was walking around campus when I saw a sign hanging from a bulletin board. It said that if we wanted to earn extra school credits we could go on a mission trip to Africa. I hesitated to call the number. Would I be safe? Would I be able to do it without all of my materialistic things? I should do it. It'll be good for me. I called the number and got all of the information I needed. It was settled. In 3 months I would be going to Kenya with my fellow students. Later that night while writing up a paper in my dorm room, I thought of the sweet, adventurous girl I had met on my hike. I called her up and told her about the opportunity. A few days later she called me and had said she would be going to Kenya with me. I sat there in Starbucks smiling. I was now looking forward to the mission trip.
We all met at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with our passports and vaccinations in hand. We had our single carry-on bags with us filled with necessities. Electronics, anything that required being plugged in, and anything with a fruity scent were prohibited. 12 of us, including Courtney, boarded Kenya Airways for our 18 hour flight. Boy this is gonna be a long one.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Canterbury Tales II
The Wife of Bath
Characterization: Direct (the author tells what the character is like; reveals traits about a character in a straightforward manner)
Ex:
- "A worthy woman"
- "somewhat deaf "
- "Her kerchiefs were of finely woven ground"
- "Her hose were of the finest scarlet red and gartered tight; her shoes were soft and new. Bold was her face, handsome, red in hue."
- "She was skilled in wandering by the way"
- "She had gap teeth, set widely"
- "She had a flowing mantle that concealed large hips"
- "She liked to laugh and chat and knew the remedies for love's mischances"
Tone: At first the author's tone directed towards the Wife of Bath seems respectful and complimentary. He discusses the abundance of things she has experienced and about her extravagant appearance. His tone towards her turns to be unfavorable because she commits almost every sin.
Sense of humor: Ironic because he complimented her at the beginning but then grew to not favor her.
Characterization: Direct (the author tells what the character is like; reveals traits about a character in a straightforward manner)
Ex:
- "A worthy woman"
- "somewhat deaf "
- "Her kerchiefs were of finely woven ground"
- "Her hose were of the finest scarlet red and gartered tight; her shoes were soft and new. Bold was her face, handsome, red in hue."
- "She was skilled in wandering by the way"
- "She had gap teeth, set widely"
- "She had a flowing mantle that concealed large hips"
- "She liked to laugh and chat and knew the remedies for love's mischances"
Tone: At first the author's tone directed towards the Wife of Bath seems respectful and complimentary. He discusses the abundance of things she has experienced and about her extravagant appearance. His tone towards her turns to be unfavorable because she commits almost every sin.
Sense of humor: Ironic because he complimented her at the beginning but then grew to not favor her.
Character Study I
We've been in classes for about a month now and I was still getting use to the place. Baylor was now my home. I sat there in my Sociology of Medicine class thinking about how different my life was a year ago. I was in high school, trying to balance college applications and having the fun senior year experience. But boy was I glad I had applied for early action. The stress I had drove me crazy, but it was well worth it. I snapped back to reality when I realized the professor had asked me what I thought about the lecture. I quickly pulled an answer out of thin air and he replied with a smile. Phew.
Monday, September 22, 2014
My Dashboard
I've decided not to experience with Netvibes. I feel like it'll just be another thing I have to worry about. The way I stay oraganized works for me. I use the calendar on my phone for important events that are coming up or in the near future, or something that I know I may forget. I also leave notes in my notepad on my phone telling me not to forget to do something. As for schoolwork, I just remember it. When I get home from school I run through a checklist in my head of what I need to do. On my phone I also have the blog(s) bookmarked so it's convienient. I also have them bookmarked on my laptop. So to stay organized, what works best for me is putting it down in my phone or just remembering it.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Phonar14 Video
- Phonar: photography narrative
- It's about habits and establishing them from the start
- Rapid fire production; thinking through doing
- Thinking from habits you already have
- Need passion & camera to be a photographer
- You become a slave to habits
- Systems have become someone's solution to a problem; you don't realize it until you think out of the system
- Systems don't want us to think for ourselves
- A photo is fixed in time, it ages
- There is a difference between an image and a photograph
- A photograph is bound by the experience rather than the evidence
- Everyone who has access to taking photos is a photographer
- Most photographers, if everyone is a photographer, keep their photos on social media (Facebook)
- We crop photos into rectangles because they're easier to ship around, but the actual photo is much bigger
- If you want to change the world you have to start describing it differently
- After we get out of the shackles of media, stories will change
- Nonlinear decentralized media environment: online & offline
- Transmedia: story is told from multiple platforms (ex-book, movie, video game, etc)
- When you're a trusted source you can tell your story so you know what you're talking about and people believe you and people can tell you their stories
- Connections lead to platforms and change you into something greater than a supplier; has the potential to be greater than just photography
- Something fixed in time has value
- Some images are to be believed but then questioned culturally
- When you not only read images but when you create images you should question them
- Photography has the ability to change the world
- When we think about ourselves beyond a supplier and as trusted collaborators it strengthens us and allows us to explore
Connections to Canterbury Tales
- It's a story that incorporates many stories and we need to look at the bigger picture
- Every story has a message if you look at it from different perspectives
- There's more depth to a story than just what happened; the experience is even greater
- The journey is a collaboration just like this world needs to be
- Keep in mind all different sides/perspectives
- It's about habits and establishing them from the start
- Rapid fire production; thinking through doing
- Thinking from habits you already have
- Need passion & camera to be a photographer
- You become a slave to habits
- Systems have become someone's solution to a problem; you don't realize it until you think out of the system
- Systems don't want us to think for ourselves
- A photo is fixed in time, it ages
- There is a difference between an image and a photograph
- A photograph is bound by the experience rather than the evidence
- Everyone who has access to taking photos is a photographer
- Most photographers, if everyone is a photographer, keep their photos on social media (Facebook)
- We crop photos into rectangles because they're easier to ship around, but the actual photo is much bigger
- If you want to change the world you have to start describing it differently
- After we get out of the shackles of media, stories will change
- Nonlinear decentralized media environment: online & offline
- Transmedia: story is told from multiple platforms (ex-book, movie, video game, etc)
- When you're a trusted source you can tell your story so you know what you're talking about and people believe you and people can tell you their stories
- Connections lead to platforms and change you into something greater than a supplier; has the potential to be greater than just photography
- Something fixed in time has value
- Some images are to be believed but then questioned culturally
- When you not only read images but when you create images you should question them
- Photography has the ability to change the world
- When we think about ourselves beyond a supplier and as trusted collaborators it strengthens us and allows us to explore
Connections to Canterbury Tales
- It's a story that incorporates many stories and we need to look at the bigger picture
- Every story has a message if you look at it from different perspectives
- There's more depth to a story than just what happened; the experience is even greater
- The journey is a collaboration just like this world needs to be
- Keep in mind all different sides/perspectives
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Canterbury Tales I
Geoffrey Chaucer
- Middle class merchant, page in royal house, soldier, diplomat, royal clerk; medieval society
- While serving in the English army in France, he was taken captive and held prisoner; King Edward paid his ransom
- Early poems were based on European poetry
- Later work displayed insight into human character
- Inspiration may have come from his pilgrimage to Canterbuy
- Medieval literature: romance to comedy, rhyme to prose, crude humor to religious mysteries
Vocabulary
- Solicitous: showing care or concern
- Garnished: decorated, trimmed
- Absolution: act of freeing someone of a sin or criminal charge
- Commission: authorization
- Sanguine: confident, cheerful
- Avouches: asserts positively
- Prevarication: evasion of truth
from The Canterbury Tales: The Prologue
- Background: medieval Christianity, pilgrimages were popular ways to express religious devotion
- Canterbury is southeast of London and a major destination for pilgrimages
- People flocked the cathedral to pay respect to Archbishop Thomas a Becket who was murdered
- It's the return of spring with the rain, birds chirping, flowers and leaves
- This time of year, people want to go on pilgrimages; many chose to visit Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral
- He stayed at tavern in Southwark called Tabard Inn; diverse group of 29 travelers walked in
- Joined the group and in the morning they continued one
- The knight is the noblest and polite; his son acts as his apprentice; they both have great strength but are devoted to love
- The son fights for his lady; he sings, plays flute, etc. very passionate and responsible
- Accompanying them is the knight's Yeoman (freeborn servant); he is a forester
- The Prioress is named Madame Eglentyne; she isn't apart of the royal court but she acts like it(delicate and dainty); speaks French; compassionate towards animals
- The Monk loves hunting and horses
- The Friar is a member of the religious order that lives by begging; he hears confessions and assigns easy penance to people who donate
- He is popular with wealthy landowners, innkeepers, and barmaids; pays no attention to beggars because they won't help him; the donations he gets allows him to dress and live rich
- The Merchant borrows money and no one knows he's in debt
- The Clerk devours books rather than food
- The Man of Law, a lawyer, prepares flawless legal documents; appears busier than he actually is
- Franklin is a wealthy farmer; preoccupied with food
- Five Guildsmen (all artisans); with them is a shipman (cook) who stole wine from his merchant
- taffeta-clad Physician bases practices of medicine on knowledge of astronomy and the 4 humors; has good setup w/apothecaries; well acquainted with ancient & modern medical authorities but reads little scripture
- slightly deaf Wife of Bath; keen seamstress; jolly & talkative; gives good love advice
- Parson: gentle & poor; pure of conscious and true to the teachings of Christ; hates excommunicating; kind to sinners; accompanied by his brother the Plowman who works hard and loves God
- Miller: crude jokes and drinking; stout & strong; steals from costumers
- Manciple: stocks an Inn of Court (school of law); uneducated; manages his lord's estates
- Reeve is a good carpenter
- Summoner arraigns those accused of violating Church law; uses power corruptly for own good; uses position to dominate young women in his jurisdiction
- Pardoner; thinks he rides fashionably; disrespectful manipulation of the poor for his own material gain; despised by the Church
- Narrator apologizes for any possible offense; wants to tell the truth even if its disgusting
- The host (governor, judge, record keeper) of the group welcomes the company; wants everyone to be happy and entertained
- Each person will tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back; the most meaningful will receive a meal paid for by everyone else
- They start their journey and if anyone disagrees with the host, they will pay for everything spent along the way
-The knight begins the first tale
- Middle class merchant, page in royal house, soldier, diplomat, royal clerk; medieval society
- While serving in the English army in France, he was taken captive and held prisoner; King Edward paid his ransom
- Early poems were based on European poetry
- Later work displayed insight into human character
- Inspiration may have come from his pilgrimage to Canterbuy
- Medieval literature: romance to comedy, rhyme to prose, crude humor to religious mysteries
Vocabulary
- Solicitous: showing care or concern
- Garnished: decorated, trimmed
- Absolution: act of freeing someone of a sin or criminal charge
- Commission: authorization
- Sanguine: confident, cheerful
- Avouches: asserts positively
- Prevarication: evasion of truth
from The Canterbury Tales: The Prologue
- Background: medieval Christianity, pilgrimages were popular ways to express religious devotion
- Canterbury is southeast of London and a major destination for pilgrimages
- People flocked the cathedral to pay respect to Archbishop Thomas a Becket who was murdered
- It's the return of spring with the rain, birds chirping, flowers and leaves
- This time of year, people want to go on pilgrimages; many chose to visit Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral
- He stayed at tavern in Southwark called Tabard Inn; diverse group of 29 travelers walked in
- Joined the group and in the morning they continued one
- The knight is the noblest and polite; his son acts as his apprentice; they both have great strength but are devoted to love
- The son fights for his lady; he sings, plays flute, etc. very passionate and responsible
- Accompanying them is the knight's Yeoman (freeborn servant); he is a forester
- The Prioress is named Madame Eglentyne; she isn't apart of the royal court but she acts like it(delicate and dainty); speaks French; compassionate towards animals
- The Monk loves hunting and horses
- The Friar is a member of the religious order that lives by begging; he hears confessions and assigns easy penance to people who donate
- He is popular with wealthy landowners, innkeepers, and barmaids; pays no attention to beggars because they won't help him; the donations he gets allows him to dress and live rich
- The Merchant borrows money and no one knows he's in debt
- The Clerk devours books rather than food
- The Man of Law, a lawyer, prepares flawless legal documents; appears busier than he actually is
- Franklin is a wealthy farmer; preoccupied with food
- Five Guildsmen (all artisans); with them is a shipman (cook) who stole wine from his merchant
- taffeta-clad Physician bases practices of medicine on knowledge of astronomy and the 4 humors; has good setup w/apothecaries; well acquainted with ancient & modern medical authorities but reads little scripture
- slightly deaf Wife of Bath; keen seamstress; jolly & talkative; gives good love advice
- Parson: gentle & poor; pure of conscious and true to the teachings of Christ; hates excommunicating; kind to sinners; accompanied by his brother the Plowman who works hard and loves God
- Miller: crude jokes and drinking; stout & strong; steals from costumers
- Manciple: stocks an Inn of Court (school of law); uneducated; manages his lord's estates
- Reeve is a good carpenter
- Summoner arraigns those accused of violating Church law; uses power corruptly for own good; uses position to dominate young women in his jurisdiction
- Pardoner; thinks he rides fashionably; disrespectful manipulation of the poor for his own material gain; despised by the Church
- Narrator apologizes for any possible offense; wants to tell the truth even if its disgusting
- The host (governor, judge, record keeper) of the group welcomes the company; wants everyone to be happy and entertained
- Each person will tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back; the most meaningful will receive a meal paid for by everyone else
- They start their journey and if anyone disagrees with the host, they will pay for everything spent along the way
-The knight begins the first tale
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Bede Notes
Background
- Majority of Britains are illiterate
- Through the monastery, Bede had access to books and literature
The Situation of Britain and Ireland: Their Earliest Inhabitants
- Britain (Albion) is surrounded by Gaul, Germany, and Spain
- Opposite side of Britain is the isles of Orcades
- Britain is known for good pasture, rich in grain, rivers, shellfish, pearls, metals
- Nights are short in summer ; summer days and winter nights are long
- 5 books of divine law, five languages, four nations- English, British, Scots, Picts
- Latin is common medium through the study of the scriptures
- Original inhabitants were Britains in south; Picts in north
- Ireland is mild and healthy in climate, no reptiles, scented air; original home of the Scots
from The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
- East Anglia and Northumbria were split up by Vikings and those w/o property went oversea to Seine
- The king's best thanes died at the same time
- Anglia and Northumbria harassed Wessex with raiding bands
- 6 ships did evil in the Isle of Wight
- The English battled the Danes at sea and the English won
- That summer, 20 ships perished with men
- Alfred, the English king, passed away 6 days before All Saint's Day
- Athelwald went over sea to Essex with all the ships he could get, lured Anglian forced to break the peace
- Eohric, Aethelwald, Byrhtsige, Ysopa, and Oscytel died in battle
- The Kentish and Danes fought
- A comet appeared
- Alfred died; peace was fastened in Tiddingford
- Majority of Britains are illiterate
- Through the monastery, Bede had access to books and literature
The Situation of Britain and Ireland: Their Earliest Inhabitants
- Britain (Albion) is surrounded by Gaul, Germany, and Spain
- Opposite side of Britain is the isles of Orcades
- Britain is known for good pasture, rich in grain, rivers, shellfish, pearls, metals
- Nights are short in summer ; summer days and winter nights are long
- 5 books of divine law, five languages, four nations- English, British, Scots, Picts
- Latin is common medium through the study of the scriptures
- Original inhabitants were Britains in south; Picts in north
- Ireland is mild and healthy in climate, no reptiles, scented air; original home of the Scots
from The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
- East Anglia and Northumbria were split up by Vikings and those w/o property went oversea to Seine
- The king's best thanes died at the same time
- Anglia and Northumbria harassed Wessex with raiding bands
- 6 ships did evil in the Isle of Wight
- The English battled the Danes at sea and the English won
- That summer, 20 ships perished with men
- Alfred, the English king, passed away 6 days before All Saint's Day
- Athelwald went over sea to Essex with all the ships he could get, lured Anglian forced to break the peace
- Eohric, Aethelwald, Byrhtsige, Ysopa, and Oscytel died in battle
- The Kentish and Danes fought
- A comet appeared
- Alfred died; peace was fastened in Tiddingford
Declaration of Learning Independence
The declaration of learning independence allows students to learn as they please. We are given independence to explore and comprehend in the style that works best for us. Some may learn visually, through experience, or through listening to someone/something. This indepence we are given in this class gives each and every one of us the fair opportunity to take on learning in a way that works best for us.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Vocabulary #4
obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner;attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Ex- They were served by obsequious waiters.
beatitude - a state of supreme happiness
Ex- All of our actions are to be directed toward such beatitude.
bete noire - a person or thing that one particularly dislikes
Ex- Uncle Edward was my father's bete noire.
bode - verb indicate by signs
Ex- Their argument did not bode well for the future.
dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid
Ex- Walking into the dank basement sent chills up my body.
ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions
Ex- The local churches are sponsoring an ecumenical services on the green.
fervid - adj. extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion
Ex- The candidate made a fervid speech that held the audience's attention.
fetid - adj. offensively malodorous
Ex- The fetid water of the marsh made me sick.
gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky
Ex- The giant almost flattened the travelers with his gargantuan foot as he walked through the forest.
heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
Ex- The paper has lost millions of readers since its heyday in 1972.
incubus - someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream
Ex- Debt is a big incubus in developing countries.
infrastructure - noun the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; the basic structure or features of a system or organization
Ex- Access what damage you can and rebuild the critical infrastructure system.
inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
Ex- We cannot inveigle him into putting pen to paper.
kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation
Ex- Kudos to everyone that put the event together.
lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)
Ex- Jenny gave her favorite teacher a lagniappe.
prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length
Ex- He found the narrative too prolix and discursive.
protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
Ex- He was an aid and protege to the former senator.
prototype - noun a standard or typical example
Ex- The firm is testing a prototype of the weapon.
sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
Ex- I thought you wanted a competent assistant, not a nodding sycophant.
tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true
Ex- John's English teacher told him to avoid tautology in his essay.
truckle - verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
Ex- The student truckled to the bully who would push him on the playground.
Ex- They were served by obsequious waiters.
beatitude - a state of supreme happiness
Ex- All of our actions are to be directed toward such beatitude.
bete noire - a person or thing that one particularly dislikes
Ex- Uncle Edward was my father's bete noire.
bode - verb indicate by signs
Ex- Their argument did not bode well for the future.
dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid
Ex- Walking into the dank basement sent chills up my body.
ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions
Ex- The local churches are sponsoring an ecumenical services on the green.
fervid - adj. extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion
Ex- The candidate made a fervid speech that held the audience's attention.
fetid - adj. offensively malodorous
Ex- The fetid water of the marsh made me sick.
gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky
Ex- The giant almost flattened the travelers with his gargantuan foot as he walked through the forest.
heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
Ex- The paper has lost millions of readers since its heyday in 1972.
incubus - someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream
Ex- Debt is a big incubus in developing countries.
infrastructure - noun the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; the basic structure or features of a system or organization
Ex- Access what damage you can and rebuild the critical infrastructure system.
inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
Ex- We cannot inveigle him into putting pen to paper.
kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation
Ex- Kudos to everyone that put the event together.
lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)
Ex- Jenny gave her favorite teacher a lagniappe.
prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length
Ex- He found the narrative too prolix and discursive.
protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
Ex- He was an aid and protege to the former senator.
prototype - noun a standard or typical example
Ex- The firm is testing a prototype of the weapon.
sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
Ex- I thought you wanted a competent assistant, not a nodding sycophant.
tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true
Ex- John's English teacher told him to avoid tautology in his essay.
truckle - verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
Ex- The student truckled to the bully who would push him on the playground.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Literature Analysis #1
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1. The story opens in London, 600 years in the future where nearly everyone and everything is industrialized. Everyone takes orders from a few people at the top of a World State. Humans are grown in a lab and divided into various castes. They are conditioned to believe moral "truths"- consumerism is the main focus. The main job of everyone is to keep the economy stable and strong. Sex is casual. A narcotic called soma is part of the everyday lifestyle. There is no sadness, individuality, no families, no literature, and no religion. Conservative Bernard has a date with unorthodoxed Lenina. While they are at the Savage Reservation (a place completely opposite of "The Other Place") they meet a boy named John (who turns out to be the Director's long lost son) and his mother. Bernard uses John as blackmail to the Director so he doesn't get exiled; the Director resigns. John isn't impressed with the civilized world, and the fact that he isn't allowed to quote Shakespeare. John refuses to have sex with Lenina and calls her a whore. His mother, Linda, overdoses on soma and dies; no one understands why he is so sad because to them, death is no big deal. John causes a riot and Bernard and Helmholtz try to help him but end up being exiled. Johns runs away to an abandoned light house, flogging and starving himself. Everyone comes to watch and take part in an orgy where John ends up having sex with Lenina. The next morning he hangs himself.
2. Brave New World has a few themes; science as a mean of control is a quite apparent one. Biology, psychology, and physiology are misused in the control of reproduction, Soma, and entertainment machines. The World State's control over human activity destroys even the scientific progress that gained it such control. Another theme includes consumer society. The attitudes and behaviors of the world in the book are extremes of our society today where people's happiness is based off the ability to satisfy their needs. Freedom and confinement is another strong theme emphasized in Brave New World. People are in a constant state of imprisonment of happiness. They are condition to not feel negative emotions. They are imprisoned by brainwashed sayings, drugs, and promiscuity.
3. The tone of Brave New World is satirical, parodic, and dramatic. The book is a satire of society today.This society is made to be seen as wonderful and prosperous while the book really is a warning of the completely controlled society. Students even turn pale and sick when hearing the word "mother." In chapter 13, Lenina forgets to give a bottle its immunization. The text dramatically says, "Twenty-two years, eight months, and four days from that moment, a promising young Alpha-Minus administrator at Mwanza-Mwanza was to die of trypanosomiasis." Also at the end of chapter 3 it says, "Slowly, majestically, with a faint humming of machinery, the Conveyors moved forward, thirty-three centimeters an hour. In the red darkness glinted inumerable rubies." Brave New World combines dark drama with healthy puns and parodies such as "Orgy-porgy" or "Thank Ford!"
4. The author used a parody of a utopian society to create a disutopian society. Irony is also used in the book in which the reader knows things that the characters do not, and that this new world is an extreme version of our society. Being able to identify a metaphor too strengthened my understanding of the book. The Director continuously referred to the people as insects in saying, "This hive of industry." The author used symbolism of soma to represent the use of instant gratification to control the people. Multiple allusions to Shakespeare are present such as, "O brave new world that has such people in it." Another example from chapter 11 illustrates the authors use of visual imagery when describing characters and scenes- "Finally–and this was by far the strongest reason for people's not wanting to see poor Linda–there was her appearance. Fat; having lost her youth; with bad teeth, and a blotched complexion, and that figure (Ford!)–you simply couldn't look at her without feeling sick, yes, positively sick." Personification is also used, as it is seen in a sentence in chapter 18- "Eternity was in our lips and eyes." In that same chapter, the author also used a hyperbole when Bernard asked the savage if he had eaten something that had made his stomach upset due to his ill-looking face. Hence the Savage responded with "I ate civilization." Precision of language is present in Brave New World. Society is described in which scientific exactitude is everything: "eighty-eight cubic meters of index cards". The story is mainly narrated from the third person point of view of Bernard of John."'In brief,' the Director summed up, 'the parents were the father and the mother.'…'These,' he said gravely, 'are unpleasant facts; I know it. But then most historical facts are unpleasant.'"
(I read the book online so I can't cite the pages)
Characterization
1. An example of direct characterization includes, "The mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling an outsider he behaved like one, which increased the prejudice against him and intensified the contempt and hostility aroused by his physical defects..." A second example of direct characterization is, "Tall and rather thin but upright, the Director advanced into the room. He had a long chin and big rather prominent teeth, just covered, when he was not talking, by his full, floridly curved lips. Old, young? Thirty? Fifty? Fifty-five?" An example if indirect characterization includes, "'And then he spends most of his time by himself-alone.' There was horror in Fanny's voice." A second example of indirect characterization is, "Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly color. I'm so glad I'm a Beta." The author uses both approaches to further the novel's themes and his purpose/message he wants the readers to take in.
2. Yes the author's syntax is adjusted when focusing on a character. The syntax becomes more lyrical to express a specific character and how they feel and think. An example of this is clear when John talks about love and Shakespeare.
3. As the protagonist, Bernard Marx is a dynamic character(at least for a time being). As the start of the story Bernard is reserved. He stayed away from soma, avoided confrontation, and wasn't a sexually active man. After John came into his life, Bernard completely changed and became outgoing. He now took soma, hosted parties, and attracted women. Bernard shifted from being timid to being narcissistic. By the end, he has lost his popularity and is back to being dissatisfied with his life. Bernard is a flat character and can easily be described in one sentence-someone who is consumed with misery.
4. When reading Brave New World I felt like I was meeting a character rather than a person. The way Bernard dealt with situations he faced wasn't compatible with how one would react today. His responses were unrelateable "Bernard gave his orders in the sharp, rather arrogant and even offensive tone of one who does not feel himself too secure his superiority. To have dealing with members of the lower castes was always, for Bernard, a most distressing experience. For whatever the cause...Bernard's physique was hardly better than that of the average Gamma. He stood 8 centimeters short of the standard Alpha height and was slender in proportion. Contact with members of the lower castes always reminded him painfully of his physical inadequacy." I personally feel that the author just seemed to describe characters.
1. The story opens in London, 600 years in the future where nearly everyone and everything is industrialized. Everyone takes orders from a few people at the top of a World State. Humans are grown in a lab and divided into various castes. They are conditioned to believe moral "truths"- consumerism is the main focus. The main job of everyone is to keep the economy stable and strong. Sex is casual. A narcotic called soma is part of the everyday lifestyle. There is no sadness, individuality, no families, no literature, and no religion. Conservative Bernard has a date with unorthodoxed Lenina. While they are at the Savage Reservation (a place completely opposite of "The Other Place") they meet a boy named John (who turns out to be the Director's long lost son) and his mother. Bernard uses John as blackmail to the Director so he doesn't get exiled; the Director resigns. John isn't impressed with the civilized world, and the fact that he isn't allowed to quote Shakespeare. John refuses to have sex with Lenina and calls her a whore. His mother, Linda, overdoses on soma and dies; no one understands why he is so sad because to them, death is no big deal. John causes a riot and Bernard and Helmholtz try to help him but end up being exiled. Johns runs away to an abandoned light house, flogging and starving himself. Everyone comes to watch and take part in an orgy where John ends up having sex with Lenina. The next morning he hangs himself.
2. Brave New World has a few themes; science as a mean of control is a quite apparent one. Biology, psychology, and physiology are misused in the control of reproduction, Soma, and entertainment machines. The World State's control over human activity destroys even the scientific progress that gained it such control. Another theme includes consumer society. The attitudes and behaviors of the world in the book are extremes of our society today where people's happiness is based off the ability to satisfy their needs. Freedom and confinement is another strong theme emphasized in Brave New World. People are in a constant state of imprisonment of happiness. They are condition to not feel negative emotions. They are imprisoned by brainwashed sayings, drugs, and promiscuity.
3. The tone of Brave New World is satirical, parodic, and dramatic. The book is a satire of society today.This society is made to be seen as wonderful and prosperous while the book really is a warning of the completely controlled society. Students even turn pale and sick when hearing the word "mother." In chapter 13, Lenina forgets to give a bottle its immunization. The text dramatically says, "Twenty-two years, eight months, and four days from that moment, a promising young Alpha-Minus administrator at Mwanza-Mwanza was to die of trypanosomiasis." Also at the end of chapter 3 it says, "Slowly, majestically, with a faint humming of machinery, the Conveyors moved forward, thirty-three centimeters an hour. In the red darkness glinted inumerable rubies." Brave New World combines dark drama with healthy puns and parodies such as "Orgy-porgy" or "Thank Ford!"
4. The author used a parody of a utopian society to create a disutopian society. Irony is also used in the book in which the reader knows things that the characters do not, and that this new world is an extreme version of our society. Being able to identify a metaphor too strengthened my understanding of the book. The Director continuously referred to the people as insects in saying, "This hive of industry." The author used symbolism of soma to represent the use of instant gratification to control the people. Multiple allusions to Shakespeare are present such as, "O brave new world that has such people in it." Another example from chapter 11 illustrates the authors use of visual imagery when describing characters and scenes- "Finally–and this was by far the strongest reason for people's not wanting to see poor Linda–there was her appearance. Fat; having lost her youth; with bad teeth, and a blotched complexion, and that figure (Ford!)–you simply couldn't look at her without feeling sick, yes, positively sick." Personification is also used, as it is seen in a sentence in chapter 18- "Eternity was in our lips and eyes." In that same chapter, the author also used a hyperbole when Bernard asked the savage if he had eaten something that had made his stomach upset due to his ill-looking face. Hence the Savage responded with "I ate civilization." Precision of language is present in Brave New World. Society is described in which scientific exactitude is everything: "eighty-eight cubic meters of index cards". The story is mainly narrated from the third person point of view of Bernard of John."'In brief,' the Director summed up, 'the parents were the father and the mother.'…'These,' he said gravely, 'are unpleasant facts; I know it. But then most historical facts are unpleasant.'"
(I read the book online so I can't cite the pages)
Characterization
1. An example of direct characterization includes, "The mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling an outsider he behaved like one, which increased the prejudice against him and intensified the contempt and hostility aroused by his physical defects..." A second example of direct characterization is, "Tall and rather thin but upright, the Director advanced into the room. He had a long chin and big rather prominent teeth, just covered, when he was not talking, by his full, floridly curved lips. Old, young? Thirty? Fifty? Fifty-five?" An example if indirect characterization includes, "'And then he spends most of his time by himself-alone.' There was horror in Fanny's voice." A second example of indirect characterization is, "Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly color. I'm so glad I'm a Beta." The author uses both approaches to further the novel's themes and his purpose/message he wants the readers to take in.
2. Yes the author's syntax is adjusted when focusing on a character. The syntax becomes more lyrical to express a specific character and how they feel and think. An example of this is clear when John talks about love and Shakespeare.
3. As the protagonist, Bernard Marx is a dynamic character(at least for a time being). As the start of the story Bernard is reserved. He stayed away from soma, avoided confrontation, and wasn't a sexually active man. After John came into his life, Bernard completely changed and became outgoing. He now took soma, hosted parties, and attracted women. Bernard shifted from being timid to being narcissistic. By the end, he has lost his popularity and is back to being dissatisfied with his life. Bernard is a flat character and can easily be described in one sentence-someone who is consumed with misery.
4. When reading Brave New World I felt like I was meeting a character rather than a person. The way Bernard dealt with situations he faced wasn't compatible with how one would react today. His responses were unrelateable "Bernard gave his orders in the sharp, rather arrogant and even offensive tone of one who does not feel himself too secure his superiority. To have dealing with members of the lower castes was always, for Bernard, a most distressing experience. For whatever the cause...Bernard's physique was hardly better than that of the average Gamma. He stood 8 centimeters short of the standard Alpha height and was slender in proportion. Contact with members of the lower castes always reminded him painfully of his physical inadequacy." I personally feel that the author just seemed to describe characters.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Monday, September 8, 2014
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