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. 

AP Reading List Choice

I chose to read All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. I chose this book because I like McCarthy's writing style. I read another one of his books, The Road, and couldn't seem to put it down. I also chose this book because I enjoyed the plot summary when i read it.