vocabulary #9

aficionado n.- An enthusiastic admirer or follower; a fan.
  Jacob Fowler is not only an aficionado of football, but of school as well.

browbeat tr. v.- To intimidate or subjugate by an overbearing manner or domineering speech; bully
  All Jacob has to do to browbeat his opponents at a football game is show up.

commensurate adj.-   Of the same size, extent, or duration as another.
  Jacob is not on a commensurate level when compared to his peers, he is far above them.

diaphanous adj.- Characterized by delicacy of form
 The aggression Jacob shows on the field is an example of him not being at all diaphanous.

emolument n.- Payment for an office or employment; compensation.
  Jacob is so good a Football that he deserves an emolument for even being in the team's presence.

foray n.-  A sudden raid or military advance.
  Jacob Fowler is so intelligent and intuitive that he can lead a foray with minimal training.

genre n.- A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content
  If he were to write a book, Jacob's style would be so unique that he would need his own genre.

homily n.-  sermon, especially one intended to edify a congregation on a practical matter and not intended to be a theological discourse
  Jacob's pre-game speeches are like homilies, especially when he implies the importance of motivating each other.

immure v.- To confine within or as if within walls; imprison.
  One time I was immured and Jacob being the man he is he helped me escape and take vengeance against those who wronged me.

insouciant adj.- Marked by blithe unconcern; nonchalant.
  No one team phases Jacob Fowler, ever game he goes in there with an insouciant attitude towards them.

matrix n.-  A situation or surrounding substance within which something else originates, develops, or is contained
  Jacob Fowler will win a Nobel Prize because he will discover the matrix that cures every type of cancer.

obsequies n.- A funeral rite or ceremony.
  When Jacob dies his obsequies will be so grand that it will be broadcasted worldwide and will receive more views than the royal wedding.

panache n.- a dashing manner; style; swagger
    Jacob Fowler has such a panache to him that makes it easy for him to make friends.

persona n.- The role that one assumes or displays in public or society
  Jacob does not need a persona because he will always display his true personality to anyone he meets.

philippic n.-  A verbal denunciation characterized by harsh, often insulting language; a tirade.
  Jacob is such a humble person that he will not burst out into a philippic if he is not voted "Greatest Man Alive".

prurient adj.- Inordinately interested in matters of sex; lascivious
  Jacob does not need to be prurient because he attracts women just with his charm.

sacrosanct adj.- Regarded as sacred and inviolable.
  Everyone views Jacob in a sacrosanct manner because he is a Football God.

systemic adj.- Of or relating to systems or a system.
  Jacob is systematic in his approach with style of play in football, he wears down the opposing lineman then when he is ready to make a big play he strikes.

tendentious adj.- Marked by a strong implicit point of view; partisan
  Every time Jacob expresses his political views, it is hard to not be tendentious because of his persuasive way of speech.

vicissitude n.- A change or variation
  If Jacob Fowler was to be cloned, there would be no vicissitude because he is already perfect.

JUST REPAYING THE FAVOR TO JACOB!!!!

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) (copied and pasted from Dr. Preston's blog)

The internet and media changes the way I think because there will be partisan articles about certain subjects. This means that I myself can not be lazy and just view one or two articles and instead read multiple articles from both sides of these arguments. But at the same time it is a great thing that the internet does not limit the way of thinking or restricts people from exploring more on a topic, we do this to ourselves because some of us are not as open minded as others. Another great thing is that our government does not limit our use of technology and instead encourage people to state their opinions (in a polite manner of course).

Filter Bubbles

A. I learned that Social Networking sites and search engines have learned to tailor to the users preference and
B. This makes think differently because it makes me wonder if I am too bland when I surf the web. It also seems that I am not as well as informed about current events than I thought I was and that I was not aware that my searches have become more and more appealing to me.
C. It raises the question that if the Internet was becoming more and more censored, reverting us back to earlier times of newspapers that hold back parts of the story.
D. I would try to use every search engine that is available, instead of just Google and Yahoo. I also need to research more worldly news and less sports as well.

THOUGHTS ON HAMLET (IN PROGRESS)

When w first began reading Hamlet, I thought that it was just going to be Hamlet learning from his father how to be king (like in lion king) then he would do something to make him believe that he was responsible for his father's death and leave his kingdom. He would then return and kill his uncle but then he would be murdered himself. After reading the story so far, I feel as if it was a bit more complex and more in depth that his plan was, than what I first thought. From here I believe that Hamlet would start to reveal his play long plot to kill his uncle, even though I believe he will accomplish this goal, he will face some dire consequences as he repents about what he has done.

Literature Analysis #3

The Hunger Games

 

1. The story begins with the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, going through her typical day: hunting with her partner Gale, so they earn money for their impoverished families. This day however is cut short because it is the day of the reaping, where young children are randomly selected yearly so they may participate in a battle to the death against the other 11 districts. The hunger games was created because of rebellion 74 years prior and is a sign of the Capitol showing their power to the twelve districts. Katniss goes home to prepare for the reaping and finds her younger sister, Primrose, petrified because this is her reaping, as opposed to Katniss who has been in the reaping four years after turning twelve. She comforts Prim and they head off to the reaping. At the reaping the choose Prim to be the Tribute for the girls, however Katniss volunteers in her place to save her sister's life. They then finds out who the male tribute is, it turns out to be Peeta Mellark, a boy from Katniss' school who helped her out in hard times after her father died. They say their good-byes to family and friends. Katniss receives a mockingjay pin from the governor of district twelve's daughter. On the train to the Panem they meet their mentor for the games, Haymitch Abernathy. he is a drunk who does not respect any of his tributes, but after Katniss and Peeta show some fire, he decides to train them properly. Once at the Capitol, they get cleaned up for the opening ceremonies. To get started on the right foot Katniss and Peeta make an impact with a flaming carriage. After all is said and done, Katniss becomes a favorite of the games and is dubbed "the girl on fire". The games get started and Katniss is left with very little resources. As the games go on Katniss is alone while Peeta is with the crowd favorite group "the careers". She is able to make an alliance however with a girl from District Eleven, Rue. This comes about because Katniss drops a nest of Tracker Jackets, a wasp like poisonous bug, and she becomes poisoned by the stings and is out for two days. They plot to take the Careers' supplies so they would have to fend for themselves. They are successful, but Rue dies, leaving Katniss alone once again. After a few days Katniss finds out that for the first time, a pair from the same district is able to win the games. She goes on to find Peeta so they could go home together. Upon finding him. Katniss finds that Peeta is hurt when he fought off a career so she can escape. They spend days in a cave until they learn that there is a medicine that will help his severe wound. Katniss goes to retrieve it and almost dies but is saved by Rue's fellow tribute, Thresh. Once back Katniss receives a letter from Haymitch to say that she needs to act in love with Peeta. She obliges and the two romanticize until they move out of the cave. They face off against Cato, the male tribute from District One. After an immense battle, they defeat him and believe that they are done with the Hunger Games. They find out that the new rule has been revoked, but Katniss decides to commit suicide with Peeta so they won't have a victor. They are able to survive and the games end, Katniss not knowing the Capitol is furious with her. Before the victors interview, Haymitch reveals to Katniss that the Capitol is not pleased with her actions and tells her to put on an act of being madly in love with Peeta so the will not get the impression of rebellion. The story ends with Peeta finding out that this is an act but goes along with it, for the sake of District Twelve.

 

2. An increasing theme of this novel is fighting against the injustice of higher powers. This is evident when Katniss convinces Peeta to eat nightlock so they don't give the Capitol a victor of the hunger games. Unannounced to her, she sparks some sentiment of rebellion and even though she is not fully aware, she knows she has started something that will change the course of history.

 

3. The tone varies throughout the novel. At the beginning the tone is more of depressed and dim tone because Katniss lives in poverty and barley gets her family by. Ex: "Then take it. And take care of her!" This shows that Katniss sees her mother's capabilities of taking care of Prim are not on par to her liking. Once Katniss starts getting ready for the games, her tone becomes more aware and untrustworthy. Ex:“For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first.” This was after Katniss found out that her district mate, Peeta, was working with the favorites to win the hunger games, showing that she was always aware that she might be betrayed by who she thought was her ally. Another tone shift occurs towards the end to a more ominous and foreshadowing tone when Katniss and Peeta survive the games. Katniss is informed by her mentor Haymitch that the Capitol is not pleased with how she dealt with the situation with the nightlock. Ex: "listen up you're in trouble. Word is that the Capitol is furious about you showing them up in the arena." said Haymitch.

4. Ten Literary Elements

1. Allusion- When Haymitch warns Katniss about the Capitol being angry at her for her stunt in the games. Ex "listen up you're in trouble. Word is that the Capitol is furious about you showing them up in the arena."
2. Apologia- At the reaping where Katniss talks about the dark days and how they lead to the games. Ex "The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games
3. Characterization- Mostly direct characterization shown with describing Peeta. Ex "Medium height, stocky
4. Symbolism- Katniss describes a time in her life when she was learning from father and reveal she was named after a plant. Ex "As long as you can find yourself, you'll never starve."
5. Flashback- After Katniss finds out that her sister has been picked for the reaping she goes back to a time when she became a bit unaware and refers to it at the moment. Ex "It was as if the impact had knocked every wisp of air from my lungs... That's how I feel now..."
6. Foreshadowing- When Katniss reacted badly when she learned that Peeta was her fellow tribute in the games, implying a deeper relationship. Ex "...Because I recognize this name, although I never spoken directly to its owner."
7. Imagery- Susan Collins does a great job of describing the poverty of Katniss and her family. Ex "District 12. Where you can starve to death safely."
8.    Simile- Collins is able to explain Katniss in a more painful manner. Ex "My legs, arms, torso, underarms, and parts of my eyebrows have been stripped of the stuff, leaving me like a plucked bird, ready for roasting."
9. Point-of-view- This book uses First -Person and is effective because we get a better sense of Katiss' thoughts.
10. Satire- Katniss and Gale Ridicule the government with accents that make fun of the Capitol people. Ex "Suddenly he falls into a Capitol accent as he mimics Effie Trinket, the maniacally upbeat woman..."

Characterization

1. Two examples of direct characterization were when Collins described Peeta and Katniss' cat. An example of indirect characterization would be Katniss describing Effie Trinket, the escort throughout the Hunger Games. Another example would be Speaking about President Snow although he has very few appearances showing the fear people have for him

2.Susan Collins does not change syntax when it comes to character because she uses first person point of view and the only character development that is prominent in the novel is Katniss.

3. Katniss would be considered a dynamic character because she goes from a shy reserved girl to a warrior who unknowingly causes a shift in view of the Capitol. She goes from not caring about the government and worrying about them threatening her family to being very cautious of them and doing anything in her power to keep her family safe.

4. I do feel as if I met Katniss because the struggle that she goes through is very appealing to me and caught my attention the minute she narrated about her life. What also was very helpful was the fact that it was in first person point-of-view made me feel like I was on the journey with her throughout the novel.



Literary Fiction and Empathy

Reading fiction can help understand people better because the study talked about in the article stated that people are easier to breakdown emotional intelligence by reading literary fiction. Albert Wendland stated “Reading sensitive and lengthy explorations of people’s lives, that kind of fiction is literally putting yourself into another person’s position — lives that could be more difficult, more complex, more than what you might be used to in popular fiction. It makes sense that they will find that, yeah, that can lead to more empathy and understanding of other lives.” is very true because the more knowledge a person has on a certain situation, the better they are able to relate to the person's life. So far Hamlet has been very intriguing to me mainly because the aside by Hamlet Jr. lead me to believe the disapproval that he has for his mother marrying his uncle. It makes me think "how am I handling the death of a loved one" or "how am I going to deal with a wedding I don't approve of". If these situations arise in my life, I would try to reference Hamlet because ii may feel the same emotion as he.

Character Study 6

https://etherpad.mozilla.org/wBpeA8c7UN

Green Eggs & Hamlet

a) Not much, but I do know that it is about a man who wants to get revenge for his father, who was murdered by his brother. It was an influence of the Lion King.

b) I know that Shakespeare was one of the most influential people in the world. His plays are difficult to understand. 

c) People frown when they hear "Shakespeare" because they view his work as too difficult to understand. Also they probably do not like his work and would not want to study it in any way. Not may people enjoy Shakespeare in general anyway.

d) I have no idea what we could do to make Shakespeare more fun, but we can brainstorm in class to make it more memorable.

WHAT I MEANT TO SAY WAS

My thesis was not clear, so this is going to be my first thesis (in theory).
     Chaucer was able to show his literal genius by using the style of character to help development and distinction. His tone was able to show that he was able to relate events of that time while still able to put humor into his works. The way Chaucer used many literary techniques further exemplified the fact that his literature was ahead of his time.

IF I JUST HAD MORE TIME

If I had more time to prepare for the midterm, I would have studied the vocab longer. My main problem was drawing blanks about words or definitions or both. I feel the amount of studying would have been enough, but I don't know if it was my nervousness or the fact that I did not study enough that was the reason I did not do what I wanted to for this test. As for the Canterbury aspect, I feel as if I did a pretty decent job, but my examples could of been more detailed or even had more textual examples could have been sufficient. I will study every vocab from now on just incase these first vocabs are in the final we may have.

Literature Analysis #2



The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 

1. It starts off with a boy named Huckleberry Finn. He has may adventures with his friend Tom Sawyer. They like to talk about robbing people and becoming pirates. They never fulfill their tasks because they realize that they are not bad people. Huck is taken care of by the Widow Douglas because he doesn't know his mom and his father is a drunk. The widow believes that it is her Christian duty to civilize Huck. Then out of the blue, Huck's father comes back to take care of his son once again. So they go and they hide in a cabin until Huck realizes that he needs to run away from his dad. After a while of running, Huck goes to a small island and meets up with Jim, The Widow Douglas' sister's slave. Jim informs Huck that he heard that he was going to be sold and he didn't want to be any person's servant other that Miss Watson. The two go on many adventures and meet many people on the way and they meet some people named "the duke" and "the king. they go on many conning adventures with these two until they are finally able to leave them behind. Soon the two swindlers come back and tell Huck that they sold Jim so he may go back to his proper owner. Huck then goes to a farm, where they are holding Jim, and to his surprise he finds that his friend Tom was there as well. Tom comes up with an elaborate plan to free Jim. It turns out to be pointless because Jim had been free since Miss Watson's death, two months prior. Tom already knew this already and said he did it for the adventure and to have fun. They go back to Missouri and find that Huck's dad has died as well. It leaves off with Huck wanting to flee to the Indian Territory.

 2. A theme of this novel is that even back when Minorities were discriminated against, there was still many positive traits the author portrayed them as. For example, Jim the slave, was more than just a slave, he was an intellectual and was very good with advise. Huck had a good view of his wisdom first hand due to all the time they spent together while being runaways. Some may say it was racist for its use of the word "Ni**er", but they have to realize that Twain was trying to get a feel of the time of the book so they may be able to understand it better.

 3. Twain used the first- person and it showed that Huck was craving for adventure and surrounded himself with kids of the same nature. "Aunt Sally she's goin to try adopt me and sivilize me and I can't stand it." This is a call to adventure because it shows Huck is not contempt with being under some one's rules. "I took a good gap and a stretch, and was just going to unhitch and start.." this shows how fearless Huck is and shows how he feels capable of fending for himself. "I never felt easy till the raft was two miles below there and out of the Mississippi" this shows that even when he had some doubt, Huck was able to overcome it and move forward towards more adventures.

 4.  Literary Techniques
                   1. Irony- Good example when Huck found out Jim was a free man, but Tom wanted to make it more adventurous.
                    2. Metaphor- Used throughout the book, but one that caught my eye was "...he was sunshine..." used when Huck described  Col. Grangerford.
                     3. Personification- A great example was Huck saying "the wind was trying to whisper something to me" intended to make us believe that Huck is trying to get a sign of something good or bad.
                     4. Point-of-View- this story uses point of view and it gives us a better understanding of how Huck would talk and how he view certain obstacles.
                      5. Symbolism- Throughout the entire book when Huck and Jim are on the run and talk about being free, all the while they are traveling the Mississippi River and the river has become synonymous with freedom.
                       6. Simile- Twain used simile when he described the King and the Duke stating "they slept like dead people"
                       7. Allusion- There is a lot of allusion, but one that was very prominent was when alluding to Twain's other work The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
                       8. Imagery- The Mississippi River is used for imagery because it implies the life that Huck wants to live, a free and tranquil life.
                       9. Diction- The diction Twain used was very informal, it gave a sense of the time and it was easy to understand with its humor.
                       10. Setting- As in all stories the setting is vital to the story because it gives the reader a feel for the story and what to expect from it.

Characterization

    1. Direct Characterization- One example of this is when Huck describes Miss Watson by saying "... a tolerable slim old maid with goggles on..." this gives us a straightforward description of Miss Watson. She is further characterized when Huck states that she is religious and cares deeply for education. An example of indirect characterization is when Huck wants to leave rules behind an example is " it was rough in the house all the time... and when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out." this shows that Huck does not want to be disciplined and civilized so he decides to run away.

   2. Mark Twain's does not change neither his syntax or diction when focused on character because it is in first person POV. Thus it does not give much room to change either because the story needs to be told by Huck Finn and it is better to be consistent.
  
   3. Huckleberry Finn would be considered a static character because even after being a runaway for quite a while, he still does not want to be civilized or live under someone else's rules. His spirit for adventure remains evident when he states that he plans to go to the Indian Territory.

   4. After reading this book, I did feel as if I met Huck in person. The entire book was so well written that it seemed as if I was on the Adventure with him. He was always able to inform the reader when another person was speaking just incase they( the reader) did not understand what the point of that part was.



Character Study #5

I think I am delusional, but this is as real ad it gets. The dragon rider states that he is from Skyrim, yes the Skyrim video game world, and I say "are you serious right now?". Man I need to get away from these people before I go crazy. The next few hours are a blur to me, but I am informed that this Skyrim man is being really crazy and unreasonable. He goes off on his own sometimes then other times he is rational, he is being really weird. We approach a van and the woman that was dumped, her name is Ming I believe, reveals that she is a secret assassin. At this point I am not really shocked knowing the day I have been through. While in the van, the six of us contemplated our next move and I propose the idea of going to Las Vegas so we may spend all the money we want. And away we went.

THE COMPARISON'S TALE

From what I read, I found that Samson in The Monk's tail was very similar to the style of the Cook's apprentice because they were both womanizers in a way. Samson was a polygamist, this may be considered a womanizer because of the many women these men are involved with, but have a sense of actually being a couple. While the apprentice was just a womanizer for his own pleasure, one is still able to make some relation between these characters because it shows that Chaucer is able to make relations between characters by using vastly different types of controlling women, in this case. I also feel another valid comparison would be Samson with the knight from the Wife of Bath tale. There is a comparison here because it shows that men are still able to take advice from women even when other people would view it as losing pride. Things could turn for better, as in the case for the Knight and having his wife go from Old and ugly to young and pretty, or for the worse, as with the case of Samson. Direct comparisons may be hard to find with these tales but Chaucer did a splendid job of making the reader analyze the readings to find well backed comparisons.

Character Study 4

As I come to, I realize that I was not too badly hurt. It is pretty miraculous that no major limbs were hurt in any way, but my head was throbbing like crazy. At the time I was not aware that I had a concussion, but I seemed like I was functioning properly. Many things were blurry to me, so much so I don't remember the driver apologizing. What I can remember was that the driver was a young woman and that she was meeting her boyfriend or some story of that nature. I also was able to remember a hitchhiker, I guess he was a beach bum, but my knowledge was very fuzzy. What I was certain was that we went to a sushi restaurant and we met another woman who was broken up with not to soon before. Then again the concussion made me forget what the conversation was about or whether it was quick or long and detailed. There was a vivid picture in my mind of an explosion close by and the four of us went to see what it was about. By this time, I felt like my concussion was going away and was able to know that she was a time traveler who goes through time as an education. Just the fact that she was from the future made my head hurt once more and I forgot a good portion of the journey. Once I came to again, we are going to a place, I can't remember, then out of nowhere a FREAKING DRAGON came crashing down, I was going completely insane that I was going to jump in front and wake me from this dream. I then backed out of the idea and instead the dragon crashed into the eloping woman's car and killed her fiancé.