End of the semester questions

Do you read your colleagues’ work online?  How often? What is it like to read their work? How does being able to see everyone’s work online at any given time change the way you do your work?

How has the publicly and always visible course blog made this course different from one without a blog?  How would the course change if the course blog disappeared tomorrow?

Has publishing your work for the public to see changed your approach to completing an assignment? How so?  How would your feelings about the course change if you couldn’t publish your work that way?

Has your experience of the physical classroom changed because of the open & online aspects?  Where does your learning actually happen?  

You were described in the Macarthur Foundation/DML  interview as “a pioneer”-- how do you describe the experience on the edge to people who haven’t been there (friends and family)?

How do they respond when you describe the brave new world in which you’re working?

What do their responses mean to you?  What effect(s) (if any) do they have on you?

 

 

Answers

1. I read their work occasionally. It really shows insight on how they think. Being able to read others work shows me just how much competition there is out there. We have some very intelligent students in class.

2. It has taught me to take more pride in my work because now everyone can see it, rather than just the teacher. The course would become a lot less demanding. No one would know what time you did your homework and no one would know if u did it at all.

3. It has made me want to do it more because anyone can click on my blog now and see that I am missing that assignment. I wouldn't nessesarily feel the drive to finish my work completely and to the best of my ability.

4. My classroom experience feels the same. I experienced a similar classroom setting my sophomore year, so it isn't really new to me. My learning actually happens in the classroom. I'm not really into all the Internet stuff that we are doing. I honestly would rather take notes off of lectures. I learn better that way.

5. I would describe it as life changing. The world wide web is a crazy place full of a ton of information.

6. I describe it as different and new. It isn't awful, but I wouldn't choose to live this way.

7. Who's responses? The publics? My peer's? It is weird having my work critiqued by multiple people at multiple times, but it is kind of cool because it shows me that I'm not as good as I think I am and I can always try harder and improve more and more.

 

Lit Analysis #5

Bless Me Ultima by: Rudlolfo Anaya
GENERAL
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).


CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

General
1. Antonio is almost 7 years old when Ultima comes to live with them. His family took her in because of her healing powers and experience with magic. She becomes very close with Antonio who becomes fascinated with the process of healing. He frequently goes out with her to collect herbs and make remedies. Antonio begins school and his mother desperately wants Ultima to reveal his destiny. She tells her that he will become a man of learning.
The war ended and Antonio's brothers return home from the war. They have a strange conflict with their father that Antonio will never understand. They both struggle to lead independent lives.
Tenorio gets in a conflict with Ultima and blames her for the death of her daughters. He tries to kill her, but fails. Later, he curses a man and the mans house becomes haunted. Ultima is called upon to get rid of the ghosts, and she does. She is highly respected after this.
Tenorio is still infuriated with Ultima and tries once again to kill her, but ends up shooting her owl. Ultima dies soon after because her owl is her spriritual symbol. Antonio is very sad and buries the owl as Ultima's last wish.
2. The theme is the importance of culture on an individuals identity. For example, the towns people look down upon Narciso for being the town drunk but little do they know that his traumatic experiences from war are what have altered his phsycological state. The characters are limited to what their culture has taught them, and never look past their own assumptions.
3. The authors tone is hopeful. The story is told by Antonio and since he is young, he has reason to hope for everything to turn out the best. He is very mature for his age though. He has many intellectual questions that adults cant even comprehend. The fact that the child tells the stroy, gives it a sense of innocence in a town of guilt. "

Characterization
1. Direct- "She took my hand and the silent magic powers she possessed made beauty from the raw, sunbaked llano, the green river valley, and the blue bowl which was the white sun's home."
-"He spoke in Spanish and the village he metioned was his home. My father had been a vaquero all his life, a calling as ancient as the coming of the Spainard to Nuevo Mejico."
Indirect- "I pressed my forehead against the cold wood of the porch wall and closed my eyes. I wanted the cold to draw all the heat our of my tired, wet body and make me well again. The day had been so long, it seemed to stretch back to eternity. I only wanted to go home... I wanted to hate Andrew for being bad with the women, but I could not. I only felt tired, and older."
- "At first we could only see the flaring light of the pinon torches. Then our eyes grew accustomed to the dark and we could see the dark outlines of men, and their red, sweating faces by the light of their torches."
2.  No, the authors syntax remains the same throughout the entire novel. Since Antonio is narrating the story, everyone is seen through the eyes of the same character, so the syntax and diction remain the same.
3. The protagonist, Antonio, is a dynamic character. At the beginning of the novel, Antonio was as innocent as he looked. He was naive and young. He had alot of questions, but he didn't understand the meaning of them before he became close to Ultima. By the end of the novel, Antonio may not have grown much in age but in mind, he grew about 20 years. He had a new understanding of the world and the people around him, thanks to Ultima.
4. I feel like I have just met a character in a book. I never was fully intregued into the novel. It isn't the type of story that really grabs my attention. For me, it lacked a romantic subplot. I think that the book was very well written and that the story was great. It just didn't hook me the way I beleive it was intended to. "At that moment I heard Ultima's owl hoot a danger cry outside. There was someone out there. I looked at Ultima and saw her smile vanish. She held her head high, as if sniffing the wind, and the strength I had seen when she dealt with Tenorio at the bar filled her face. She, too, had heard the owl."

No Exit

Think about the place you have chosen as your hell. Does it look ordinary and bourgeois, like Sartre's drawing room, or is it equipped with literal instruments of torture like Dante's Inferno? Can the mind be in hell in a beautiful place? Is there a way to find peace in a hellish physical environment? Enter Sartre's space more fully and imagine how it would feel to live there endlessly, night and day.
My idea of hell is a place where I am extremely unhappy and I have no one I love around me. It could be anywhere. Sometimes I see school as a type of hell, but school isn't the stereotypical hell we picture in our minds. There is a way to find peace in a hellish enviornment: you have to accept your surroundings and the people that surround you. Once you give up fighting against what you don't want to see, you will become content.

Could hell be described as too much of anything without a break? Are variety, moderation and balance instruments we use to keep us from boiling in any inferno of excess,' whether it be cheesecake or ravenous sex?
Athletes will understand when I say that certain work outs are often described as hell. If practice runs long and it is boring or a really hard physically, most will say that "this is hell." But they don't mean it in the literal term that they have died and are being punished for there sins. They mean that they are tired and want to get "the hell" out of there.

How does Sartre create a sense of place through dialogue? Can you imagine what it feels like to stay awake all the time with the lights on with no hope of leaving a specific place? How does GARCIN react to this hell? How could you twist your daily activities around so that everyday habits become hell? Is there a pattern of circumstances that reinforces the experience of hell?
He shows panic in their voice. It shows that they are trapped. The characters also describe the setting through the dialogue. Garcin reacts calmly, then he is super confused, then calm and accepting, then he goes a little bonkers. But overall he seems to keep his cool considering where he is and the new life he is presented with. I'm not really sure if there is a way to create your own living hell. Usually other people create it for you rather it be intentionally or unintentionally. When people say that a certain situation is hell, they mean that it is difficult for them to cope with physically or mentally.


"No Exit" is a story about three people that were basically thrown together in hell as their own torturers. Each person was put there to torture on or the other, or both. They are there for what seems like just a few hours and they all get on eachothers nerves so quickly. They realize that "hell is other people" and yet they still contiue to bicker and bug eachother.
I think that Sartre does a great job of getting his message accross which is "hell is other people." He is saying that you dont need to be in the firey furnace of what we see hell to be, to be in hell. All you need to to be malcontent with things and people that you do not like.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens/ Lit Analysis #4

GENERAL
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)

CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

General

1. Pip comes from a non-traditional background, he was an orphaned child who was being raised by his sister and her husband in London during the mid-nineteenth century. As he was in a graveyard gazing upon the tombstones of his family, a man attacked him from behind and threatened to kill. This man, Magwitch, turned out to be a criminal who had escaped from jail. Just as Pip was doing everything this man said in order to live another day, Magwitch was recaptured.

Recovering from this near-death experience, Pip's uncle took him to the Statis House to play. This house is the home of Miss Havisham. While in her home, Pip meets and falls in love with Estella. Estella was raised to break boys hearts at the request of Miss Havisham. She eventually married an abusive man. But just because she was married didn’t stop Pip’s persistent perusing of the young lady.

Pip was given a generous fortune from an unknown source. To claim his fortune, Pip had to travel to London where he could inherit this fortune at the age of twenty-one. While in London, Pip met Herbert Pockett, whom he aided with his fortune in order to help Herbert pursue his dreams. Magwitch turned out to be the source of Pip’s fortune, not Miss Havisham. Pip became close with the murderer and tried to help him escape London. But they failed and he was sentenced to death.

At the end, Pip discovered the love of his life, Estella, is Magwitch's daughter, but it doesn’t affect the feelings he has for her. They live happily ever after together.

2. A theme for this novel would be true love never fails. Even though Estella was rude and mean to Pip he still perused her. Even while she was married. He was able to see through the impurities and his persistence paid off.  


3. The tone of the novel is distressed and hopeful at the same time.

·         “Well then, understand once for all that I never shall or can be anything but miserable unless I can lead a very different sort of life form the life I lead now.”

·         “I walked away at a good pace, thinking it was easier to go than I had supposed it would be. But the village was very peaceful and quiet, and the light mists were solemnly rising, as if to show me the world, and I had been so innocent and little there, and all beyond was so unknown and great, that in a moment with a strong heave and I sob I broke into tears. “

·         “Nothing was needed but this; the wretched man, after loading wretched me with his gold and silver chains for years, had risked his life to come to me, and I held it there in my keeping! If I had been attracted to him by the strongest admiration and affection, instead of shrinking from him with the strongest repugnance; it could have been no worse. On the contrary, it would have been better, for his preservation would then have naturally and tenderly addressed my heart.”

4.

• Metaphor-"... think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day." (page 82) In this quote, the chains and flowers were metaphors for what could potentially hold the characters back from doing what they really wanted.
• Anaphora-"... one [man's] a blacksmith, and one's a whitesmith, and one's a goldsmith, and one's a coppersmith. Divisions among such must come, and must be met as they come." (page 260) This quote made a point that each man must be separated due to their profession.
• Narration-"...I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip." (page 1) Right from the beginning of the novel, Dickens identified Pip as the main character as well as the narrator.
• Foil- "Keep still, you little devil, or I'll cut your throat!" (page 1) This quote was made by Magwitch, the convict that attacked Pip at the beginning of the novel. This quote only made Pip look more innocent and defenseless and made Magwitch look more evil and crooked. Pip was identified as a young orphan who was visiting his parents tombstones as he got attacked by a criminal who escaped incarceration. These two descriptions made each character look opposite of another at this point in time.
• Setting- "As I was looking out at the iron gate of Bartholomew Close into Little Britain, I saw Miss Jaggers coming across the road towards me." (page 142) During this time in the novel setting was crucial since Pip had to travel to London to collect his fortune.
• Innuendo-"I give Pirrip as my father's family name, on the authority of his tombstone and my sister..." (page 1) Immediately we discover that Pip is an orphan without him directly saying so.
• Local Color- "I am going to London, Miss Pockett.." (page 136) London exists in this novel just as it does in reality. In fact, this is where Dickens grew up.
• Frame of reference-"Nevertheless, a hackney-coachmen, who seemed to have as many capes to his greasy great-coat as he was years old.." (page 139) During this era, coachmen were extremely common as well as popular.
• Point of view-"I looked all around for the horrible young man, and could see no signs of him." (page 5) This quotes proves that the point of view is in first person in this novel.
• Symbol- "I am greatly changed. I wonder you know me." (page 415). This quote by Estella represents change in this novel. All in all, I feel that Estella represents change and recovery throughout the whole novel.

Characterization

1. Direct characterization:

·         “I took the opportunity of being alone in the courtyard, to look at my coarse hands and my common boots. They had never troubled me before, but they troubled me now, as vulgar appendages.”

·         “She had her back towards me, and held her pretty brown hair spread out in her two hands, and never looked round, and passed out of my view directly.”

Indirect characterization:

·         “I cried, kicked the wall and took a hard twist at my hair.”

·         “I noticed that Miss Havisham put down the jewel exactly on the spot from which she had taken it up.”

2. The author’s syntax does change when he is focusing on a character. While narrating, he tells the story in regular English. But when a character is speaking, the English is broken and sometimes unintelligent. “I had not been mistaken in my fancy that there was a simple dignity in him. He touched me gently on the forehead and went out. As soon as I could recover myself sufficiently, I hurried out after him and looked for him in the neighbouring streets; but he was gone.” “I wish’, said the other, with a bitter curse upon the cold,’ that I had ‘em here. I’d sell all the friends I ever had, for one, and think it a blessed good barigain…”

3. Pip is dynamic and round character. At the beginning of the novel, he was a small, young boy with little chance at becoming successful in life. Then he was presented with the opportunity of being rich and respected. He also went from fearing a man who tried to kill him, to becoming his acquaintance and helping him escape.

4. After reading the novel, I feel like I had met a person. Pip is a very easy character to relate to. The love story within the novel helps the reader become attached to Pip. His story pulls at the reader’s heartstrings. “You have always held your place in my heart.” I answered. This line pulls together the whole idea of true love waits. It shows that Pip waited and waited for Estella no matter the cost and he probably would have waited for her until the day he died.

Sonnet

They were stuck in a cave
Against their will
Held there till the grave
Never to live life to it's fill

Prisoners were held to see
Only shadows
That was their reality
They lived in the nightglow

One man's freedom
To step outside
To gain wisdom
Of the world they've been denied

The man felt strong and fufilled
While the others were lost and unskilled

Mindmaps...

Here is a simple mindmap:
http://www.text2mindmap.com/
it simply organizes the months of the year by season.

A more complicated mindmap:
http://www.matchware.com/en/products/mindview/mindview2_be/examples.htm#
shows time management for managers.

here is a simple mindmapping website:
http://drichard.org/mindmaps/

Literature Analysis #3

The Road by Coramc McCarthy

Literature Analysis Questions

GENERAL
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)

CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

 

Literature Analysis Answers

1.       The novel is about a father and his son walking across post-apocalyptic North America. It is the middle of winter and it is always cold. The son is about 6 years old but has the maturity level of a thirty year old man. He asks questions that require deep thought to answer and most of the time he never gets his answers. His father only replies with “I don’t know.” They are walking across the land to hopefully get to the coast where they can be “safe.” While they are walking they have to hide from cannibals that roam around in their large diesel trucks. The only form of protection they have is a little handgun and they have very little food.

At night, while the boy sleeps, the father reflects on his past. He remembers his wife and how she left them. He thinks back to his childhood when the world wasn’t covered in ash and the sky was blue instead of grey.

The story ends with the father’s death and the boy moving on with another family.

2.       The theme is responsibility and dependency. The man is 100% responsible for his son. If they had lived a normal life, he would still be responsible for him, but in this new strange world, he has to make sure that he is always warm and healthy (as possible) and fed and safe from strangers. The boy is dependent on his father because he has no clue where they are going. He has to trust that his father will keep him safe and fed. He trusts his father, even though his father is barely able to keep him alive.

3.       The author’s tone is removed. It seems as if he is narrating a documentary rather than telling a story.

“ He went to see about the boy. He was damp with sweat and the man pulled back one of the blankets and fanned his face and then turned down the heater and went back to bed.”

“Nobody wants to be here and nobody wants to leave.”

“Houses or barns or under the bank of a road-side ditch with blankets pulled over their heads and the noon sky black as the cellars of hell.”

4.       Characterization- the author uses indirect characterization throughout the entire novel. “Just wait here. He said. I’m going with you. I thought you were scared. I am scared. Okay, just stay close behind me.”

Conflict- the world is covered in grey ash and there are few signs of life and it’s the middle of winter. “He just say there holding the binoculars and watching the ashen daylight congeal over the land.”

Flashback- the father often flashes back to times when his wife was still with them. “I don’t care. It’s meaningless. You can think of me as a faithless slut if you like. I’ve taken a new lover. He can give me what you cannot.” “Death is not a lover.” “Oh yes he is.”

Mood- the mood is of darkness and sorrow with not much hope. “We used to talk about death, but not anymore. Why is that?” “I don’t know” “It’s because it’s here. There’s nothing left to talk about.”

Motif- the road. “He fashioned sweeps from two old brooms he’d found and wired them to the cart to clear the limbs from the road…”

Paradox- the man tells his son of how life used to be. It is hard to imagine for the boy because he never witnessed it. “It’s a dam… It made the lake. Before they built the dam, that was just a river down there. The dam used the water than ran through it to turn big fans called turbines that would generate electricity… To make lights.”

 

Characterization

1.       The author doesn’t use any direct characterization. Two examples of indirect characterization are “Just wait here. He said. I’m going with you. I thought you were scared. I am scared. Okay, just stay close behind me.” This shows that the boy is scared like he should be, but he is brave. “You wanted to know what he bad guys looked like. Now you know. It may happen again. My job is to take care of you. I was appointed to do that by God. I will kill anyone who touches you. Do you understand?” This example shows that the man can be impatient and lose his temper with the boy. But it also shows that he is very protective and religious.

2.       The author is very static when he changes from character to character. The way he tells the story is very dry and stoic.

3.        The main character, the man, is static and flat. His morals never change and his goal never changes. He always wants to do what’s best for the boy and get him to safety. His main goal in the novel is to get to the coast unharmed. They succeed but they don’t find what they had been looking for. This discourages the man but he keeps on walking to find a place where his boy can finally be safe.

4.       I feel like I have read a character. There is no way for my mind to grasp the situation that the boy and his father are in. I can’t even picture the world that McCarthy describes.

 

sonnet recital

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykR7urd90MY&feature=youtu.be

sorry that the quality of the video is so awful..

Sonnet

 

 

The girl was wearing red, with hood and frill,

the big bad wolf used Granny as a snack,

when Red turned up he knew he'd have his fill,

in Granny's robe and specs he hit the sack.

"Hello," she said, "I've brought some cakes for tea,

how come your eyes are huge - you got the flu?"

The wolf replied: "That's so poor Gran can see,"

"But - so's your nose, and dang, your teeth are too!"

The wolf was only toying with the dame,

a lucky day - two juicy girls to munch,

he threw the covers off, "I'm glad you came,

your Gran was breakfast - now you'll do for lunch!"

She screamed, a woodsman burst in through the door,

that wolf won't dress in nighties any more.

 

.

http://kingpoetry.com/red%20riding%20hood.htm

Liturature Analysis #2

Literature Analysis Questions
GENERAL
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
3. Describe the author's tone.
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone.CHARACTERIZATION                                                                                       1.Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? 
2. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
3. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? 

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

General

1. John Grady and his friend Rawlins decide to lead the life of cowboys, so they head down to Mexico. On their journey they run into a boy named Belivns. Belvins gets seperated from the group and is mugged. His horse and gun taken from him. The two boys try to help their new friend but they end up getting seperated from him once more. They then find work as cowboys at a nearby ranch. John Grady proves himself to be a great cowboy with a great understanding of horses. He soon becomes disracted by the ranchers daughter, Alejandra, whom he begins an affair with. John Grady is warned by Alejandra's great aunt that becoming involved with her is a bad idea, but he doesn't listen. When Alejandra's father finds out about the affiar, he turns John Grady and Rawlins over to the local police. They are charged as being in cohorts with Belvins who is being held in prison for murder. Belvins is executed and Rawlins gives a false confession. John Grady and Rawlins have assasins sent after them, but they both survive the attacks. Alejandra bribed the prison guard to set them free and he did. John Grady goes back to her and begs her to come with him back to Texas, but she refuses. She says she can't leave her family. He returns back to Texas but he is emotionally scarred without his love and his best friend who is no longer his friend.

2. The theme of this novel is similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. About two starrcrossed lovers who will never really be together. The difference in All the Pretty Horses is that neither of them die, they are just forced to be seperated, never to see eachother again.

3. The authors tone is that of an average narrator. He seems indifferent to what is going on in the story.

4.

Ambiguity- never sure of what was going to happen next with their criminal life.

Assumption- John Grady assumed that life would be easy as a cowboy... he was wrong.

Climax- When Rawlins and John Grady are attacked by the assasins, then relesased from prison.

Conflict- John  Grady battles his issues with his friend and with his love for Alejandra.

Dogmatic- Alejandra refuses to leave her family for John Grady.

Falling Action- John Grady gets back his horses and returns to Texas.

Omnicient Point of View- Narrator is all knowing.

Pacing- Story moves along quick.

Pathos- The author caters to the readers feeling by including a love story.

Purpose- to show the readers that trying to be an adult as a teenager is difficult.

Characterization

1. No, the tone and diction all stay the same as the story goes on. The tone of the novel also helps to depict that each character is discribed in the same way.

2.  The protagonist, John Grady, is a static, flat character. His views on life don't really seem to change by the end of the story. He doesn't seem to learn anything from his adventures in Mexico.

3. I felt like I had met a person. When I read a story, I usually feel like I have met a person, especially when the author does a great job at writing the story. Cormac McCarthy is a favorite author of mine, I always enjoy reading his books. I feel like I know John Grady, but I don't feel like I fully understand him.

Tools That Change The Way We Think

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

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

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

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


My thoughts...

I read a book once that had to do with Utopias and the government controlling everything about it's people. From their clothes, to their schooling, to their personalities and how they looked. The people had these rings that were basically the Internet and a personal advisor all rolled into one. When I read, I thought that they were cool in a fiction sense, but to have stuff like that in real life would just be crazy. It would make our race even more lazy than we are now. We would become completely reliant on technology. Is that what we want for the future? I sure don't..

Notes on Hamlet

Since the beginning of Hamlet, I have now learned to appreciate Shakespearean English in a way that I have never thought about before. I see it now as a beautifully complicated language that more people should become fluent in.
My opinion on basically everything that is Hamelt related has stayed the same. I didnt have much of an opinion to begin with and I still dont really have one now.

Who Was Shakespeare?

Shakespeare was a quiet man. If he had not written any great works, then he would have flown through life unnoticed and untouched. But he did write some great pieces like Hamlet and Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. He was married at the age of 18 and had 3 children. We are left to wonder about what Shakespeare was doing in life from 1585-1592 which are referred to as his "lost years."
When students hear "Shakespeare" they think about great peices of writing, but they also think about the difficult to understand English and all the projects that come along with reading his plays in class.
Now that I have read a few of Shakespeare's plays and we have throughly discussed them in class, I can now read a scene and acctually understand what is going on without having someone tell me.
What still causes me to struggle is his humor. I dont get when he is trying to be funny and when he is being serious.

To Facebook or not to Facbook

Intially, I thought Facebook was the coolest thing ever invented. I loved the fact that I could keep up with things that are going on in my old friends lives who I dont talk to anymore. But then I found myself on Facebook all the time and I realized that it really is pointless and a huge distration that I didnt need in my life. So I deactivated my account. After a few months, I reactivated it and now I have learned to manage the amount of time I spend on Facebook.
A benefit of Facebook is the social aspect of it, but that is also a huge risk. You always run the risk of posting something that you don't want a certain person to see and if they see it, then you could have some major problems. Another risk is the fact that alot of personal information is just sitting there on your page just waiting to be looked at by someone who you dont want looking.
By reading this article, I realized that there are alot more security precautions I could take on Facebook to help to keep my personal information safe.

Remix! Vocab #9

 

I apologize for what seems to be my lack in enthusiasm.. I am camera shy. But I decided to come out of my shell for this weeks vocab remix. I hope that it is helpful to anyone who had prononciation issues or wasn't sure of a definition. If there are any questions, feel free to comment :)

Remix!

Hamlet- Act III Scene i

Vocab Mid-term Autopsy

On my vocabulary midterm I received a 70. I am satisfied with this score. But I know I could have done better and possibly gotten a 100%. I studied for the midterm but not as hard as I could have. If I were to have looked over the words a week in advance rather than just two days then I would have had the words totally memorized and then I would probably still have them in my memory for the final. For the final I will look at the words a week or two in advance and I will probably try a different study strategy then just simple flash cards.

Vocabulary #8

Abeyance-(N.) A state of temporary disuse or suspension.

Ambivalent- (Adj.) Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Beleaguer- (V.) Beset with difficulties

Carte blanche- (N.) Complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best.

Cataclysm- (N.) A sudden violent upheaval, esp. in a political or social context

Debauch- (V.) Destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt.
(N.) A bout of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, esp. eating and drinking

éclat- (N.) brilliant or conspicuous success

Fastidious- (Adj.) Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

Gambol- (V.) Run or jump about playfully

Imbue- (V.) Inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality: "imbued with deep piety".

Inchoate- (Adj.) Just begun and so not fully formed or developed

Lampoon- (V.) Publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule or sarcasm.
(N.) A speech or text criticizing someone or something in this way

Malleable- (Adj.) Easily influenced; pliable

Nemesis- (N.) The inescapable or implacable agent of someone's or something's downfall

Opt- (V.) Make a choice from a range of
possibilities

Philistine- (N.) A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them

Picaresque- (Adj.) Of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero

Queasy- (Adj.) Nauseated; feeling sick

Refractory- (Adj.) Stubborn or unmanageable

Savoir-faire- (N.) The ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations.

Midterm Studying Stratagies

I plan on making flashcards for each of the words and then reviewing the flashcards over and over, removing the ones I have memorized as I go, until I have them all memorized. This strategy has always worked for me in the past. It's easy and fast. It will probably take me an hour to memorize all the words. The only problem with this strategy is that it doesn't help me in the long run. Once I take the test, all that hard work goes down the drain and I can only remember about half the words I had previously memorized.

Vocabulary #7

aberration - an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm

Ad hoc- for the special purpose or end presently under consideration

bane - something causes misery or death

bathos - triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos

cantankerous -having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate

casuistry - moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas; argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading

de facto - in fact; in reality

depredation - an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action

empathy - understanding and entering into another's feelings

harbinger -an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage

hedonism - an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle

lackluster - lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality

malcontent - discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted

mellifluous - pleasing to the ear
nepotism - noun favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)

pander - someone who procures customers for whores (in England they call a pimp a ponce); verb arrange for sexual partners for others; yield (to); give satisfaction to

peccadillo - a petty misdeed

piece de resistance - the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction.

remand - the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (or the continuation of the trial); verb refer (a matter or legal case) to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine, in or as in a jail

syndrome - a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease

Rubric Notes

Reading: Pg. 64-82

Vocab #5

Acumen- keen insight, shrewdness.
- She had remarkable acumen in business matters.
Adjudicate-to settle or determine judicially.
- The judge has some discretion in how to adjudicate the case.
Anachronism- something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronilogical time.
-The sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.
Apocryphal- of doubtful authorship or authenticity.
-The real the aprocryphal are beautifully interwoven.
Disparity- lack of similarity, inequality, difference.
-the was an obvious diparity in the early 1900's.
Dissimulate- to diguise or conceal under a false appearance, dissemble.
- The dissimulated their feelings about their feud.
Empirical-derived from or guided by experience or experiment.
- It seems logical to test his ideas by the same eperical standards.
Flamboyant- strikingly bold or brilliant, showy.
- The humble are often less successful than the flamboyant.
Fulsome- disgusting, sickening, repulsive.
- Most people find nose-picking fulsome.
Immolate- to sacrifice
- Some cultures immolarte their animals to the gods.
Imperceptible- very slight, gradual, subtle
- The slope of the road was imperceptible.
Lackey-a servile follower.
- In fear of embarrassment, he sent a lackey in his place.
Liaison- a person who initiates and maintains such a contact or connection.
- In would hace been absurd to question the open liaison.
Monolithicp- consisting of one piece, solid or unbroken.
- The stone column was monolithic.
Mot juste- the exact, approriate word.
- In some cases, curse words are a mot juste.
Nihilism- total rejection of stablished laws and institutions.
- Rebels base their rebilion on nihilism.
Patrician- a person of noble or high rank, aristocrat.
- Decoraters are known for theri room's partician good looks.
Propitiate- to make favorably inclined, appeased, conciliate.
- She propriated his decision to form a new club.
Sic- to attack
- When one tells their dog to attack someone they say, "Sic 'em!"
Sublimate- to make nobler or purer.
- They read about great men sublimates ambition.

Beowulf ond Godsylla

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

Translation:

Meanwhile, back at the mead-hall, the monster lurked
Full (of) few too many drinks, he was looking for a fight
Then (name), son of (name) asked the awful jerk to step outside
Thud, Bash, Crash, boom, the big guy
All of his bones broke, bit his nose off;
Wicked Godzilla wailed on his a ss
Moster mopped the floor with all the men in the hall
Beowulf in the backroom making a phone call (?)
Hearing sounds of ruckus said, "What the hell?"
Grabbed his strong shield and sharp switch blade
Stood forth to fight the grimlic foe
"Me," Godzilla said, "Make the mince-meat"
Hero ? quickly got (getting) held with the famed half-nelson
And flying him like a frisbee back and forth
Beowulf belly up to the mead-hall's bar,
said, "No foe has beaten my fearsome kung-fu."
He ordered coca-cola, ice cold, the real thing.
(http://allah-sulu.livejournal.com/1186927.html)

Deconstruct a hero

Tow Mater- Cars 2
Mater was just an average tow truck living in a small town until a race car showed up one day and turned his life around. This race car, Lighting McQueen, became Mater's best friend. McQueen got asked to race in a world cup race and he invited Mater to go with him. Mater wasn't the best at acting mature in social situations, so he embarrassed McQueen and he told Mater to just go home. During his time in Japan (where the first race took place) Mater had a tracking device placed on him with a picture of the bad guy that secret agent spies were looking for. Mater was found by these spies and they had assumed that Mater was a secret agent spy as well.
During the big race that McQueen was in, all the racers were only allowed to use a special kind of fuel, Alinol, in their car. This was all fine and dandy until cars began to combust and people were blaming it on the oil. People were worried that someone could seriously get injured due to this unexplained explosions.
Mater figured out that the bad guy that they were looking for was the cause for the combustion of the fuel. He did everything he could to get to McQueen (who was still using Alinol) so that he wouldn't get killed by the combustion of the oil. Mater single handedly figured out that the creator of Alinol was also the destroyer of it.
I see Tow Mater as a hero because his adventure, even though he did it unknowingly, helped to save his best friend. He put his own life at risk in order to save his best friend. That to me, is the idea of an ideal hero. The kind of person who will do anything and everything to save the one they love.

Vocab #4

Apostate- a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.
-Babies were killed to keep them from growing up with apostate parents
Effusive- unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve
-She was effusive, welcoming, and kissed me on both cheeks.
Impasse-a position or situation from which there is no escape;deadlock.
-Prisons are built so that the prisoners are in a position of impasse.
Euphoria-a state of intense happiness and self-confidence
-She was flooded with euphoria as she went to the podium to receive her varsity letter.
Lugubrious-mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected,exaggerated, or unrelieved manner
-Many love songs are lugubrious when singing about a lost love.
Bravado- a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.
-The hero showed bravado when he vonlunteered for the adventure.
Consensus-majority of opinion
-The club required a consensus to create or get rid of club rules.
Dichotomy-division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs.
-Cell division begins in a dichotomy.
Constrict-to draw or press in; cause to contract or shrink; compress.
-A snake constricts to kill its pray.
Gothic- pertaining to or designating the style of painting, sculpture, etc., produced between the13th and 15th centuries, especially in northern Europe,characterized by a tendency toward realism and interest in detail.
-Old buildings from the 13th century are considered of gothic style.
Punctilio-a fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony,or procedure.
-During a Navy funeral, the way the men fold the flag is a punctilio.
Metamorphosis-any complete change in appearance, character,circumstances, etc.
-The character went through metamorphosis when his outlook on life completely changed. 
Raconteur-a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly.
-English teachers are usually strong raconteurs.
Sin qua non- an indispensable condition.
Quixotic-extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical,or impracticable.
-Old time Romeos were quixotic in their shining armor.
Vendetta-any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention
-It is bad to hold grudges over vendettas.
Non sequitur-an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises.
-Einsteins hypothesis' were non sequitur for his time.
Mystique-a framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs, or the like,constructed around a person or object, endowing the person or object with enhanced value or profound meaning.
-Perhaps more than any other type of artist, the ballerina possesses a certain inexplicable mystique.
Quagmire-a situation from which extrication is very difficult.
-Today physicists are still stuck in the same quagmire.
Parlous-perilous, dangerous
-Jumping off a cliff at the lake to practice high diving is parlous.