Saturday, January 31, 2015

Sweet Angel

I still can't believe it. I'm numb. 
Even though I wasn't super close to Breanna, she was a friend. The type of friend that would be there for anyone who needed a laugh. Breanna Rodriguez was such a beautiful soul. She was one of those people that had the ability and strength to make a change in the world. She had big aspirations but an even bigger heart. She constantly chose to focus on the positivity of life even while others didn't. And she spread this positivity to everyone, everywhere she went. As cliche as it sounds, she was one of those people that everybody loved. Not once in the 4 years of me knowing her have I ever hear anything negative about her. Breanna was inspiring. She was going to go to her dream school, she was going to go help others in Africa, and she was planning a senior trip to Yosemite. She couldn't wait to experience and explore. Life doesn't feel the same without her.  So many sweet memories. I love you baby girl. And there's not going to be a day that goes by where I don't think of you and how you forever impacted all of our lives.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Saint Crispin's Day Speech

When reading the speech I understood quite quickly that he was honoring the troops on the day of St. Crispin. Words like men, die, country, live, honor, pray were used throughout the text. I gathered that Henry was saying that those who fight, and continue to fight, should be proud of themselves. Those who do not want to fight, don't have to. The soldiers are his brothers and they share great honor.

I took away all of that from just this speech; I don't know the story line or what role this speech played. Some of the lines made me question their meaning because of the word choice and language.

Lit Terms: List 3

exposition - noun (music) the section of a movement (especially in sonata form) where the major musical themes first occur; an account that sets forth the meaning or intent of a writing or discourse; a systematic interpretation or explanation (usually written) of a specific topic; a collection of things (goods or works of art etc.) for public display
expressionism - noun an art movement early in the 20th century; the artist's subjective expression of inner experiences was emphasized; an inner feeling was expressed through a distorted rendition of reality
fable - noun a short moral story (often with animal characters); a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events; a deliberately false or improbable account
fallacy - noun a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning
falling - adj. becoming lower or less in degree or value; decreasing in amount or degree; coming down freely under the influence of gravity
action - noun something done (usually as opposed to something said); the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field
farce - noun a comedy characterized by broad satire and improbable situations
figurative - adj. (used of the meanings of words or text) not literal; using figures of speech; consisting of or forming human or animal figures
language - noun the mental faculty or power of vocal communication; a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols; the cognitive processes involved in producing and understanding linguistic communication
flashback - noun a transition (in literary or theatrical works or films) to an earlier event or scene that interrupts the normal chronological development of the story
foil - noun anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities
folk - noun people in general (often used in the plural); the traditional and typically anonymous music that is an expression of the life of people in a community; people descended from a common ancestor
tale - noun a trivial lie; a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
foreshadowing - adj. indistinctly prophetic; noun the act of providing vague advance indications; representing beforehand
free - adj. not literalable to act at will; not hampered;
verse - noun a piece of poetry; a line of metrical text; literature in metrical form; verb familiarize through thorough study or experience; compose verses or put into verse
genre - noun a class of art (or artistic endeavor) having a characteristic form or technique; a kind of literary or artistic work; an expressive style of music; a style of expressing yourself in writing
gothic - adj. characterized by gloom and mystery and the grotesque; of or relating to the Goths; of or relating to the language of the ancient Goths; characteristic of the style of type commonly used for printing German; as if belonging to the Middle Ages; old-fashioned and unenlightened; noun a style of architecture developed in northern France that spread throughout Europe between the 12th and 16th centuries; characterized by slender vertical piers and counterbalancing buttresses and by vaulting and pointed arches; a heavy typeface in use from 15th to 18th centuries
tale - noun a trivial lie; a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
hyperbole - noun extravagant exaggeration
imagery - noun the ability to form mental images of things or events
implication - noun an accusation that brings into intimate and usually incriminating connection; a relation implicated by virtue of involvement or close connection (especially an incriminating involvement)
incongruity - noun the quality of disagreeing; being unsuitable and inappropriate
inference - noun the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation
irony - noun incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs; a trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs; witty language used to convey insults or scorn

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Great Expectations Lecture

Bildungsroman
- novel of education and maturity from childhood to adulthood
Pip: 
- has imaginings of what his life could be like, but he doesn't see that these desires don't come without effort because he's a child. 
- He's an orphan and acts with my sensitivity. 
- He has a strong sense of being unwanted and is conscience of getting the short end of the stick. 
- Questions if he deserved what he's gotten or if it's unfair. 
- He doesn't know what normal is. 
- He has grand expectations and fears. Vulnerable. 
- Adopts males as role models because he's fatherless.
He's a seed (he hasn't yet become)
Magwitch: 
- He represents the outside adult world that parents try to protect their kids from. 
- Eats like an animal. 
- Not government by civilization. 
- Has capacity for wickedness and brutality. 
- He represents a threat of abandonment, greed, evil, etc.
- He sends a message to pip: if he's with Magwitch what does it say about him (Pip)
Havisham: 
- Witch like figure. 
- Has duel meaning: horrible decay and dream unfulfilled & shining promise, potential of fairy godmother character. 
- Sacrificed her life for betrayal. 
- Everything since the day she was left at the alter is untouched (represents dead hopes) 
- Duel possibility of adulthood. 
- She's rich but not what she seems (either is Estella)
Estella 
- Trained to be a heartbreaker by Havisham
- Pip is smitten with Estella. 
- They remind pip of himself
Fairy tale part: 
- Male desire to dominate the world and wanting to be something more
- Fairy tale world is interrupted by reality of give and take
- Pip has to take active steps to see what will happen in his life
- Pip meets more father figures (Joe and Jaggers) 
- Uses these characters to embody the moral universe. 
- Is pip like Joe (physical work where he derives power but he doesn't use it) or Jaggers (knows things about people which gives him power and uses it to keep others loyal)
Joe:
- Lives by feeling. 
- Looks at situations as a whole and goes with gut. 
- Doesn't judge on appearances. Romantic. 
- He isn't successful financially but has rich emotional life. He's content.
Jaggers
- Lives by letter of the law. 
- Cold objective. 
- Doesn't deal with emotions. 
- Makes others spell things out. He makes things hard on people. 
- Only thing that can be trusted are facts (difference between joe). Has a lot of money but isn't emotional.
- Joe keeps mother and child together and adopts child
- Jagger sends child away and uses the mother as his servant. Jagger is purely a business man and tells pip that
Wemick: 
- Plays off of Jagger. 
- Clerk. 
- Works with Jagger's. 
- Two different Guys at work and home (Joe-like privately and Jagger at work). 
- Represents old nostalgic world. 
- People are worth more than money. 
- Has both philosophies throughout his day. 
- Thinks as money as an advantage at work
- Pip tries different personalities and traits some he likes some he does.
Magwitch 
- Represents Pip in bad circumstances. 
- He identifies with pip as an orphan. 
- Has a double life. Evil life of childhood. Better life as he grows and is influenced by Pip
- Less action and more mindset of protagonist
1- Havisham is not fairy godmother
2- Estella isn't intended for Pip but part of her training process
3- Magwwitch has created Pips expectations and thoughts.
- It's not about adult telling a child how to live his life but the child figuring it out on his own
- Joe has accepted moral compromise (lower than where pip sees himself)
- Pip wants to be practical like Jagger but also emotional like Joe. He differs from both he's a fantasist. He doesn't make compromises yet. He's a realist.
- Joe married Miss Joe. 
- Magwitch stays alone. 
- Pip cuts himself off from his past. He becomes a snob because he can't commit to who he is. Distant and judgmental and unwilling to be vulnerable. 
- Pip doesn't get it yet. 
- His autobiography is a confession. Dealing at middle age with the problem of his youth. It's catching up to him. It's a self cautionary tale.
- Estella isn't worth pursuing. Pip doesn't want to have fantasies. They aren't the same couple. They're a middle aged couple that has failed
- Joe has married Bitty and has a child named Pip

All That David Copperfield Kind of Crap

When Salinger says, "all that David Copperfield kind of crap," he's referring to one of Dickens' stories/characters where David Copperfield doesn't have a strong relationship with his parents and people are constantly entering and leaving his life. Salinger's character in Catcher in the Rye had a lousy childhood and his parents didn't pay attention to him. This is quite similar to Pip in Great Expectations, but unlike in Catcher in the Rye, Pip doesn't have parents; he's an orphan. In both stories, they're use to unstable relationships. When a reader hears a saying referring to David Copperfield and/or Dickens, they can infer that this is the relationship trying to be portrayed. In Dickens' writing, readers are educated on the characters internal thoughts on these types of relationships and situations. Salinger, however, uses a more distant approach and just refers the reader to Dickens instead of elaborating like Dickens does. Salinger stays away from Dickens' "style" by calling David Copperfield's stuff  "crap".

Lit Terms: List 2

Circumlocution - noun an indirect way of expressing something; a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things

Classicism - noun a movement in literature and art during the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe that favored rationality and restraint and strict forms

Cliche - noun a trite or obvious remark

Climax - noun the decisive moment in a novel or play;arrangement of clauses in ascending order of forcefulness; the highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding

Colloquialism - noun characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech

Comedy - noun light and humorous drama with a happy ending; a comic incident or series of incidents

Conflict - noun an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals); an incompatibility of dates or events; opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings; opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot);  the reference of an expression

Connotation an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning

Contrast - noun the act of distinguishing by comparing differences;the range of optical density and tone on a photographic negative or print (or the extent to which adjacent areas on a television screen differ in brightness)verb put in opposition to show or emphasize differences; to show differences when compared; be different

Denotation - noun the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to; the act of indicating or pointing out by name

Denouement - noun the final resolution of the main complication of a literary or dramatic work; the outcome of a complex sequence of events

Dialect - noun the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people

Dialectics - noun a rationale for dialectical materialism based on change through the conflict of opposing forces

Dichotomy - noun being twofold; a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses

Diction - noun the manner in which something is expressed in words; the articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audience

Didactic - adj. instructive (especially excessively)

Dogmatic - adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative

Elegy - noun a mournful poem; a lament for the dead

Epic - noun a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds

Epigram - noun a witty saying

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Hacking My Education

This semester I want to read more. This semester I want to prepare more for the AP test. And this semester I want to strengthen my skills in all aspects of literature and composition. I want to become more engaged in class, and collaborate. I want to widen my perspectives on pieces that we read and see the depth that others see and I want to be able to recognize techniques used. To do this I think that I need to come to class more prepared so that I can engage more in conversations.

Lit Terms: List 1

allegory - an expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances; an extended metaphor; a short moral story (often with animal characters); a visible symbol representing an abstract idea
alliteration - use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse
allusion - passing reference or indirect mention
ambiguity - unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning; an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context
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
analogy - drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity in some respect
analysis - an investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations in making up the whole; the abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts in order to study the parts and their relations
anaphora - using a pronoun or similar word instead of repeating a word used earlier; repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
anecdote - short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)
antagonist - a drug that neutralizes or counteracts the effects of another drug; a muscle that relaxes while another contracts;someone who offers opposition
antithesis - the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance; exact opposite
aphorism - a short pithy instructive saying
apologia - a formal written defense of something you believe in strongly
apostrophe - the mark (') used to indicate the omission of one or more letters from a printed word; address to an absent or imaginary person
argument - a variable in a logical or mathematical expression whose value determines the dependent variable; a summary of the subject or plot of a literary work or play or movie; a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true
assumption - the act of taking possession of or power over something; the act of assuming or taking for granted
audience - a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance; the part of the general public interested in a source of information or entertainment; a conference (usually with someone important); an opportunity to state your case and be heard
characterization - the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features; acting the part of a character on stage; dramatically representing the character by speech and action and gesture
chiasmus - inversion in the second of two parallel phrases

AP Prep Post 1: Siddhartha

A)
1. In the beginning of the book, Siddhartha rebels against his father. Later on in the book, Young Siddhartha often rebels against Siddhartha. Which literary technique best describes this?
a) metaphor
b)anthropomorphism
c)allusion
d)foreshadowing
e)irony
2. "In the evening of this day they caught up with the ascetics, the skinny Samanas, and offered them their companionship and obedience. They were accepted."
In the context of the passage, the singular form of the word "ascetic" (line 1) most likely means
a) sybaritic
b) iconoclastic
c) stoic
d) self-abnegating
e) puritanical
http://www.learnerator.com/ap-english-literature/q/1041/siddharthas-actions
3. Siddhartha's last exchange with his friend Govinda could best be described as:
a) humorous 
b) hyperbolic 
c) self-indulgent 
d) sarcastic 
e) indifferent
http://www.learnerator.com/ap-english-literature/q/1041/siddhartha-and-govinda
4. The main purpose of the first-person point of view in the passage, “I am no longer what I was, I am no longer an ascetic, no longer a priest, no longer a Brahmin” is to make clear?
a) The change in Siddhartha’s physical lifestyle, in order to follow his spiritual one
b) Show Siddhartha’s anger at the corruption present in his father’s position
c) Reveal the frustration in Siddhartha’s journey toward enlightenment
d) The views and beliefs of his family and his religion
e) Draw attention toward the excitement that Siddhartha feels now that he has less responsibility
http://snobles.grads.digitalodu.com/blog/groups/ap-english-2012-2013/forum/topic/siddhartha-multiple-choice-questions/
5. Siddhartha eventually realizes that the techniques used by the Samanas to achieve their goals are
a) insufficient
b) abusive
c) too efficient
d) necessary
e) disciplined
http://www.learnerator.com/ap-english-literature/q/1041/samanas-goals

B)
1. d
2. d
3. a
4. e
5. a

C) AP questions require the reader to have a strong vocabulary which is something I aim to achieve. Once I strengthen my vocabulary, it'll help me to better understand the questions/answers. For the AP test I'm going to have to be able to slow down and absorb what I'm reading, but at the same time I can't go too slow since it's timed. I need to work on analyzing what I read and the approach I take to critical thinking.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Literature Analysis #4

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
1. The book opens with Lia's best friend, Cassie, dying in a motel room alone after calling Lia 33 hopeless times. Lia's life continues to spiral out of control as she starves and cuts herself, and pushes everyone away from her. Years ago, Lia and Cassie established a bet on who could become the skinniest. They both struggled together. Lia is anorexic and Cassie was bulimic. Cassie's death had an immense impact on Lia and Lia continued to lose weight. She had gone to rehab and therapy but nothing worked. Lia would cheat on her treatment plan, and rigged the scale at home to show that her weight was increasing when it was really decreasing. Lia didn't get along with her mom so she lived with her dad, step-mom, and younger sister. Everyone would try to help Lia but she refused it. They thought Lia was getting better, but she secretly was getting worse. A boy, Elijah, that worked at the motel the night Cassie died befriends Lia and tells her what he knows. Lia then begins seeing Cassie's ghost everywhere and can't escape it. She would take pills or exercise at night, but her visions only got stronger. Lia's refusal to eat causes tension at home, which is something she tried to shield her sister, Emma, from. Lia goes and sees her mom who tells her that Cassie died after her esophagus ruptured from many years of vomiting and drinking. Lia's visions of Cassie become stronger and Cassie tells Lia that she will soon be with her. Lia is slipping and it becomes visible to her father. They fight over Lia going back to treatment. Emma then walks in on Lia after she sliced her chest open multiple times. After almost dying and being discharged from the hospital, Lia's mother who is a doctor takes care of her. After Lia's session with her psychiatrist, where she's told that she should be placed in a psychiatric-care facility, she visits Elijah at the motel where Cassie died. She wants to leave with him, but while she's asleep he lives without her. Lia is malnourished, dehydrated, and about to overdose on sleeping pills. She toys with thoughts of suicides. She decides to leave because her sister Emma needs her, but then she sees Cassie in the room she died in. Cassie tells her that her heart is about to stop and it's too late. Lia the grabs the symbolic see-glass out of Cassie's mouth and sees her future. She apologizes to Cassie for not answering her calls and phones her mother to tell her where she's at. The ambulance come, Lia's heart stops, but she lives and is taken to the hospital. Lia is readmitted for treatment and this time she wants to live. Lia wants to recover and rebuild her life and relationships, and knows she can do it by taking baby steps.
2. The most prominent theme of this book is self perception. Lia struggles throughout the entirety of the book with how she sees herself. She strives to become the size she wants but her weight is never low enough. At 89 pounds Lia still sees herself has fat and ugly. Cassie too struggled with negative self perception which led to her death.
3. The tone of the book is depressing and distant. The story is dark and the way the author writes Lia's point of view shows that she doesn't see herself as a real girl but as a lost cause. She is never happy and she doesn't want to deal with her problems. Lia acts as if Cassie's death didn't effect her when deep down inside it did"Me and my dad never talk. We just pretend to think about talking and we mention from time to time that one of these days we really should sit down and talk. It'll never happen."
4. Allegory: "Dr Parker and all my parents live in a paper-mache world. They patch up problems with strips of newspaper and little glue."
Repetition: "Must. Not. Eat. Must. Not. Eat. Must Not. Eat."
Motif: The number 33. Cassie called Lia 33 times before she died. Lia's heartbeat was 33 beats per minute in the ambulance. They sewed Lia up with black thread 33 stitches.
Symbolism: "You're not dead, but you're not alive. You're a wintergirl." Lia (and previously Cassie) is frozen in this state of not being dead but not being alive. The story takes place in the winter so Lia is also physically cold because she is so thin.
Personification: "I put Band-Aids on my weeping cuts."
Irony: "I failed eating, failed drinking, failed not cutting myself into shreds. Failed friendship. Failed sisterhood and daughterhood. Failed mirrors and scales and phone calls. Good thing I'm stable."
Onomatopoeia: "The front door closes hard with a muffled whoomp that pushes air against all the windows."
Simile: "Her hair looks like an over-brushed doll's wig..."
Metaphor: "Drops of blood fell, careless seeds that sizzled in the snow." 
Allusion: Emma asks if Jesus is Santa's cousin.
Characterization
1. Direct: "Me- a scrawny elf girl the size of a small second grader standing up to a future varsity football player, offensive tackle."
"She was puking on purpose so she wouldn't get fat."
Indirect: "Most of the girl's soccer team is there too, along with Cassie's friends from the stage crew, and a couple girls from the musical."
"We are crayons and lunchboxes and swinging so high our sneakers punch holes in the clouds.”
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. The author/narrator's syntax/diction/tone changes when talking about different characters. The syntax/diction/tone develops a character. Lia's thought and dialogue are portrayed different when talk to/about her innocent sister Emma and her mother with whom she doesn't get along with.
3. Throughout the majority of the story, Lia is a static character. She doesn't change at all. She keeps her close-minded ways. At the very end of the story, Lia proves to be a dynamic character when she decides that she wants to live and take care of herself to become healthy. Lia is also a round character. She believes she's a lost cause and tries to distant herself from emotions. Deep down however, the reader knows that she is affected by things and has feelings.
4. After reading this book I feel like I have met a person. The author did I great job of taking the reader inside of Lia's brains and showing us her thoughts that she never let her family see. This story provides insight into a real condition that many people struggle with.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Masterpiece Talk- Sierra Sanchez

Sierra's masterpiece is based on fashion. She's not completely sure on what she wants to do but she has some ideas. An idea she has is setting up a fashion show and collaborating with someone. Sierra would style and someone else could coordinate the show or do the music, or some other aspect of the show. Another idea she has is to style people based on different categories/styles and show them to the class, along with a blog showing different styles and outfits. On the blog she would provide descriptions, inspirations, and other styling tips.

Masterpiece Talk- Jhaicelle Laron

Jhaicelle has always been inspired by feminists and women leaders, especially in the fashion industry. She aspires to be a woman that can "have it all" and also inspire others herself. She wants to help the fight of breaking the barriers and stereotypes of women and (or the lack of) women leaders. The goal of her masterpiece is to become educated on how she can become successful in her future, especially in the fashion and business world. Learning about the qualities and knowledge of successful women leaders will help her in directing her life and hopefully inspiring others to take control of theirs as well and pursue their dreams.

Masterpiece Talk- Chrystal Dulay

Living in a small town like Santa Maria, there isn't many "fun" things for teenagers to do. Many result in drugs, alcohol, and getting into trouble. There are constant questions between friends, "What should we do tonight?" "What is there to do this weekend?" The most popular answers would either be nothing, or to go to a party. The few things that there are to do cost money that most of us don't always have. Chrystal's goal is to create a positive atmosphere where teens can have fun sober. She's not sure what direction to go in but she would like to collaborate with someone, like CJ from Fighting Back Santa Maria, to get something started.

Masterpiece Update

My topic for my masterpiece is body image (media advertising, competition, effects, goal/attitudes).

As a teenage girl in high school, I feel like our appearance and body image is really important to (most of) us. I feel like this topic has become even more important over the past year. Every social media site gossips about body types and features, what makes someone "hot" and what makes someone "ugly". It's a competition out there that has highly impacted many people (specifically teens) emotionally, mentally, and physically.

Researching this topic and how it has affected many people personally will provide an insight into how damaging this controversial topic is and how together we can change the negative vibe of the words and embrace the beauty of body image. Exploring this broad topic about body image will hopefully allow myself and others to become more accepting and open to all body types and features that God gave us.

I feel that this topic requires mature communication skills. This is a sensitive topic to many and you have to approach it with complete respect and understanding. You must be aware of society today in all aspects of life, as well as the history of this topic and how it has transformed.

I don't have a formal plan yet of how I want to go about researching this topic. I do however want to ask people that I, as well as others, know and get their point of view on the topic. I want to somehow (if possible) make an online survey that asks personal questions about this topic and allow people to submit their opinions anonymously. I want to get inside how body image and the media perspectives have impacted people. I want to learn about the effects this topic has had on many and the struggles that they have gone through. I want to branch out to people who have written online articles, books, or who have shared their own personal stories and become educated on the impact of what the importance of body image has had on them. I want to learn about how one can look at these words "body image" and think positively about them.

For this approach, I believe that the computer/internet will be my best tool. I want to give people the opportunity to tell me their stories anonymously if they want to get their story out there but don't feel comfortable with having the world know who it belongs to. I will need to research articles, books, and personal experiences.

To tell my story, I think I'm first going to start with making its own personal blog. On this blog I will post notes and any information that I find and want to use to tie my project together. I would also like to include videos, either ones that I make or ones that I find online. I want to show examples of how social media depicts this topic, its effects, and how we can change this view. As for the final presentation platform, I'm still exploring my options.