1)What is the play about?
Hamlet is a play written by Shakespeare, he writes of Hamlet wanting
revenge on his uncle. Hamlet's father comes to him as a ghost and
tells him that his own brother is the very person that poisoned him. The brother of the king
ends up marrying Hamlet's mother becoming the king. Hamlet is angry and
tells the brother that he knows what has happened. The brother plans to
kill Hamlet, but ends up killing himself and several others.
2)Why is interpreting the play
such a challenge? Why doesn't everyone agree on what it means?
Interpreting it is a challenge because people all over the world were taught differently so they all get something different out of it, which is also why they can't agree on what it means.
Find a minimum of three other learning communities that are studying Hamlet:
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
"Pre-Will"questions
a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane"?
As far as my answer goes right now is I know that we are going to be reading about him a lot, and he is a solemn character.
b) What do you know about Shakespeare?
I know he is famous for all the plays he has written and that no one knows exactly who he was, some historians think it might have been multiple people even.
c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?
I think it's because it is sometimes boring and long and sometimes hard to understand.
d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?
We could focus on it and go through what any little thing that is confusing so it all makes sense.
As far as my answer goes right now is I know that we are going to be reading about him a lot, and he is a solemn character.
b) What do you know about Shakespeare?
I know he is famous for all the plays he has written and that no one knows exactly who he was, some historians think it might have been multiple people even.
c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?
I think it's because it is sometimes boring and long and sometimes hard to understand.
d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?
We could focus on it and go through what any little thing that is confusing so it all makes sense.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Vacabulary List #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
ex/ My friend Alyssa is an aberration.
Ad hoc- for the special purpose or end presently under consideration
ex/ I sometimes stop a conversation after ad hoc.
bane - something causes misery or death
ex/ I now understand why they call him Bane.
bathos - triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos
ex/ Bad climaxes end up in bathos.
cantankerous - having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
ex/ The "bad boy" was cantankerous.
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
ex/ Most people have a casuistry.
de facto - in fact; in reality
ex/ I believe in science, de facto.
depredation - an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action
ex/ The wrecking ball was created for depredation.
empathy - understanding and entering into another's feelings
ex/ I usually can empathize with my best friends.
harbinger - an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage
ex/ The girl thought he was cute so she harbingered him.
hedonism - an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle
ex/ Some people are affiliated with hedonism.
lackluster - lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality
ex/ When I go to the dunes with my friend Alex his truck gets lackluster.
malcontent - discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted
ex/ Jessica cried, “Down with the system!” as she gathered with other local malcontents at a rally.
mellifluous - pleasing to the ear
nepotism - noun favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)
ex/ Kelli’s singing voice is lovely and mellifluous.
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
ex/ That company tends to pander to the interests of the younger crowds.
peccadillo - a petty misdeed
ex/ Randy’s parents made his every little slipup and peccadillo a big problem, and this made him feel terrible about himself.
piece de resistance - the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction.
ex/ The artist had works all over the gallery, but her biggest, best piece—her piece de resistance—was toward the back of the room.
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
ex/ The court decided to remand the defendant to a drug treatment center.
syndrome - a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease
ex/ It makes me sad when I hear about people that have or get life threatening syndromes.
ex/ My friend Alyssa is an aberration.
Ad hoc- for the special purpose or end presently under consideration
ex/ I sometimes stop a conversation after ad hoc.
bane - something causes misery or death
ex/ I now understand why they call him Bane.
bathos - triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos
ex/ Bad climaxes end up in bathos.
cantankerous - having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
ex/ The "bad boy" was cantankerous.
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
ex/ Most people have a casuistry.
de facto - in fact; in reality
ex/ I believe in science, de facto.
depredation - an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action
ex/ The wrecking ball was created for depredation.
empathy - understanding and entering into another's feelings
ex/ I usually can empathize with my best friends.
harbinger - an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage
ex/ The girl thought he was cute so she harbingered him.
hedonism - an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle
ex/ Some people are affiliated with hedonism.
lackluster - lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality
ex/ When I go to the dunes with my friend Alex his truck gets lackluster.
malcontent - discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted
ex/ Jessica cried, “Down with the system!” as she gathered with other local malcontents at a rally.
mellifluous - pleasing to the ear
nepotism - noun favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)
ex/ Kelli’s singing voice is lovely and mellifluous.
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
ex/ That company tends to pander to the interests of the younger crowds.
peccadillo - a petty misdeed
ex/ Randy’s parents made his every little slipup and peccadillo a big problem, and this made him feel terrible about himself.
piece de resistance - the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction.
ex/ The artist had works all over the gallery, but her biggest, best piece—her piece de resistance—was toward the back of the room.
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
ex/ The court decided to remand the defendant to a drug treatment center.
syndrome - a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease
ex/ It makes me sad when I hear about people that have or get life threatening syndromes.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Literature Analysis Questions: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read.
Slaughterhouse Five is mainly a story about a man named Billy Pilgrim, who is an optometrist and time traveler. The novel follows Billy as he lives the events that have happened in his life over and over again. Vonnegut makes the reader read awesome imagery of the terrors of war, "the quiet desperation of suburban life" and the breakdown of the psych through Billy's time. Just before he is captured as a prisoner Billy experiences his first time jump. When this happens he sees his whole life, past, present and future, right in front of his eyes. After the war, Billy returns from Europe back to his civilian life, but doesn't stop randomly jumping through time, witnessing his birth, his death and big events in between. He is eventually abducted by aliens who experience time in almost the same way, but Billy would rather only look at his life's better days. Ignoring his family's objections, Billy told the world about his time traveling and about his abduction, glorifying the story with a detailed version of his death.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
Time and memory: The science fiction parts of the novel have to do with time travel. Billy leaps in time, experience his life's events out of order and repeatedly. He learns on the alien world of Trafalmadore that all time happens simultaneously, but no one really dies. But it has a evil side, the bad times also live forever. Memory is one of the novel's important themes, because of their memories, Vonnegut and Billy cannot move past the Dresden massacre. Billy leaps back in time to Dresden again and again, but we read a lot about Dresden because Billy relives it in his memory multiple times.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
I think Kurt Vonnegut writes in a morbidly humorous tone.
ex 1/ "The most important thing I learned on Tralfamadore was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral.”
ex 2/ "So it goes.Those were vile people in both those cities, as is well known. The world was better off without them. And Lot’s wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human.
So she was turned into a pillar of salt. So it goes.
People aren’t supposed to look back. I’m certainly not going to do it anymore.
I’ve finished my war book now. The next one I write is going to be fun.
This one is a failure, and had to be, since it was written by a pillar of salt."
ex3/ "If what Billy Pilgrim learned from the Tralfamadorians is true, that we will all live forever, no matter how dead we may sometimes seem to be, I am not overjoyed. Still—if I am going to spend eternity visiting this moment and that, I’m grateful that so many of those moments are nice.”
4. Describe five literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthen your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone. Include three excerpts (for each element) that will help your reader understand each one.
1/ Hyperbole
> The ellipsis between Billy's travel to Tralfamadore and his return to Earth
3/ Juxtapose
> "roses and mustard gas"
> The phrase is used to describe an awful smell, whether it be Vonnegut's breath when he has been drinking or the smell of the "rotted and liquefied" bodies in Dresden.
>The juxtaposition of the beauty and sweetness of roses with the debilitating effects of mustard gas serves to emphasize the theme of the destructiveness of war, that war can make even the most beautiful things, like the roses, horrible and disgusting.
4/ Parody
> "The United States of America has been Balkanized, has been divided into twenty petty nations... Chicago has been hydrogen-bombed by angry Chinamen... Billy predicts his own death within an hour... At that moment, Billy's high forehead is in the cross hairs of a high-powered laser gun... In the next moment, Billy Pilgrim is dead. So it goes.">
After hearing Lazzaro tell a story about his revenge on a dog that bit him, Lazzaro tells Billy that he will eventually kill him for Roland Weary's death. Billy then recounts how he will die at Lazzaro's hand.
>Vonnegut's description of Billy's future seems to parody science fiction novels.
5/Ambiguity
> "One bird said to Billy Pilgrim, 'Poo-tee-weet?"
>Billy and the rest of the Americans were let out of the locked stable they had been staying in because the war in Europe was over. The only sound Billy could hear were the birds "talking."
> The phrase that the bird speaks, "Poo-tee-weet," is ambiguous in its meaning.
Slaughterhouse Five is mainly a story about a man named Billy Pilgrim, who is an optometrist and time traveler. The novel follows Billy as he lives the events that have happened in his life over and over again. Vonnegut makes the reader read awesome imagery of the terrors of war, "the quiet desperation of suburban life" and the breakdown of the psych through Billy's time. Just before he is captured as a prisoner Billy experiences his first time jump. When this happens he sees his whole life, past, present and future, right in front of his eyes. After the war, Billy returns from Europe back to his civilian life, but doesn't stop randomly jumping through time, witnessing his birth, his death and big events in between. He is eventually abducted by aliens who experience time in almost the same way, but Billy would rather only look at his life's better days. Ignoring his family's objections, Billy told the world about his time traveling and about his abduction, glorifying the story with a detailed version of his death.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
Time and memory: The science fiction parts of the novel have to do with time travel. Billy leaps in time, experience his life's events out of order and repeatedly. He learns on the alien world of Trafalmadore that all time happens simultaneously, but no one really dies. But it has a evil side, the bad times also live forever. Memory is one of the novel's important themes, because of their memories, Vonnegut and Billy cannot move past the Dresden massacre. Billy leaps back in time to Dresden again and again, but we read a lot about Dresden because Billy relives it in his memory multiple times.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
I think Kurt Vonnegut writes in a morbidly humorous tone.
ex 1/ "The most important thing I learned on Tralfamadore was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral.”
ex 2/ "So it goes.Those were vile people in both those cities, as is well known. The world was better off without them. And Lot’s wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human.
So she was turned into a pillar of salt. So it goes.
People aren’t supposed to look back. I’m certainly not going to do it anymore.
I’ve finished my war book now. The next one I write is going to be fun.
This one is a failure, and had to be, since it was written by a pillar of salt."
ex3/ "If what Billy Pilgrim learned from the Tralfamadorians is true, that we will all live forever, no matter how dead we may sometimes seem to be, I am not overjoyed. Still—if I am going to spend eternity visiting this moment and that, I’m grateful that so many of those moments are nice.”
4. Describe five literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthen your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone. Include three excerpts (for each element) that will help your reader understand each one.
1/ Hyperbole
>
The hyperbole that Dresden resembled the moon serves to reveal
> "Dresden was like the moon now, nothing but minerals."
>The Americans and their guards come out of their shelter to see the
devastation of Dresden and Billy remarks that it looked like the surface of the
moon.
2/ Ellipsis
> "Everything is all right, and everybody has to do
exactly what he does. I learned that on Tralfamadore."
> In the hospital, Billy is telling Rumfoord about what happened in
Dresden.> The ellipsis between Billy's travel to Tralfamadore and his return to Earth
3/ Juxtapose
> "roses and mustard gas"
> The phrase is used to describe an awful smell, whether it be Vonnegut's breath when he has been drinking or the smell of the "rotted and liquefied" bodies in Dresden.
>The juxtaposition of the beauty and sweetness of roses with the debilitating effects of mustard gas serves to emphasize the theme of the destructiveness of war, that war can make even the most beautiful things, like the roses, horrible and disgusting.
4/ Parody
> "The United States of America has been Balkanized, has been divided into twenty petty nations... Chicago has been hydrogen-bombed by angry Chinamen... Billy predicts his own death within an hour... At that moment, Billy's high forehead is in the cross hairs of a high-powered laser gun... In the next moment, Billy Pilgrim is dead. So it goes.">
After hearing Lazzaro tell a story about his revenge on a dog that bit him, Lazzaro tells Billy that he will eventually kill him for Roland Weary's death. Billy then recounts how he will die at Lazzaro's hand.
>Vonnegut's description of Billy's future seems to parody science fiction novels.
5/Ambiguity
> "One bird said to Billy Pilgrim, 'Poo-tee-weet?"
>Billy and the rest of the Americans were let out of the locked stable they had been staying in because the war in Europe was over. The only sound Billy could hear were the birds "talking."
> The phrase that the bird speaks, "Poo-tee-weet," is ambiguous in its meaning.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Vocabulary List #6
beatitude- Supreme blessedness
ex/ The woman in church was full of great beatitude.
bete noire- a detested person (disliked or avoided)
ex/ Most rude and mean people are bete noire
bode- Be an omen of a particular outcome
ex/ The child was part of a bigger bode than he had ever thought.
dank- Disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold
ex/ Do not let people drive you into dank submission.
ecumenical- Promoting or relating to unity among the world's Christian churches
ex/ There is a lot of ecumenical in the world.
fervid- Intensely enthusiastic or passionate
ex/ I am very fervid when it comes to anything that has to do with Adam Levine.
fetid- Smelling extremely unpleasant
ex/ The fish market in Pike's Place was extremely fetid.
gargantuan- of great mass
ex/ The Indian ridden elephant is gargantuan
heyday- The period of a person's or thing's greatest success or popularity
ex/ Van Gough was in his prime heyday before everything started to circle the drain.
incubus- A cause of distress or anxiety like a nightmare
ex/ The mother was the incubus reason for all of the girls misfortunes and unhappiness.
infrastructure- The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation
ex/ Before I go to a false sleep for treatment I am put in a infrastructure.
inveigle- Persuade (someone) to do something by means of deception or flattery
ex/ The young lady always got what she wanted because of her amazing inveigle with the men.
kudos- Praise and honor received for an achievement
ex/ I always give Kelli kudos when she makes a really funny joke.
lagniappe- Something given as a bonus or extra gift
ex/ When I have done a great job at work i sometimes get a lagniappe.
prolix- Using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy
ex/ I have to make sure my admissions letter isn't too prolix.
protege- a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
ex/ Lots of people are others' protege.
prototype- A first or preliminary model of something, esp. a machine, from which other forms are developed
or copied
ex/ My rough draft can also be called a prototype if you'd like.
sycophant- A person who acts obsequiously toward someone in order to gain advantage; a servile flatterer
ex/ The world is full of sycophantic people.
tautology- The saying of the same thing twice in different words
ex/ My mother is annoying with her constant tautology.
truckle- Submit or behave obsequiously
ex/ Too many freshmen are truckle.
ex/ The woman in church was full of great beatitude.
bete noire- a detested person (disliked or avoided)
ex/ Most rude and mean people are bete noire
bode- Be an omen of a particular outcome
ex/ The child was part of a bigger bode than he had ever thought.
dank- Disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold
ex/ Do not let people drive you into dank submission.
ecumenical- Promoting or relating to unity among the world's Christian churches
ex/ There is a lot of ecumenical in the world.
fervid- Intensely enthusiastic or passionate
ex/ I am very fervid when it comes to anything that has to do with Adam Levine.
fetid- Smelling extremely unpleasant
ex/ The fish market in Pike's Place was extremely fetid.
gargantuan- of great mass
ex/ The Indian ridden elephant is gargantuan
heyday- The period of a person's or thing's greatest success or popularity
ex/ Van Gough was in his prime heyday before everything started to circle the drain.
incubus- A cause of distress or anxiety like a nightmare
ex/ The mother was the incubus reason for all of the girls misfortunes and unhappiness.
infrastructure- The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation
ex/ Before I go to a false sleep for treatment I am put in a infrastructure.
inveigle- Persuade (someone) to do something by means of deception or flattery
ex/ The young lady always got what she wanted because of her amazing inveigle with the men.
kudos- Praise and honor received for an achievement
ex/ I always give Kelli kudos when she makes a really funny joke.
lagniappe- Something given as a bonus or extra gift
ex/ When I have done a great job at work i sometimes get a lagniappe.
prolix- Using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy
ex/ I have to make sure my admissions letter isn't too prolix.
protege- a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
ex/ Lots of people are others' protege.
prototype- A first or preliminary model of something, esp. a machine, from which other forms are developed
or copied
ex/ My rough draft can also be called a prototype if you'd like.
sycophant- A person who acts obsequiously toward someone in order to gain advantage; a servile flatterer
ex/ The world is full of sycophantic people.
tautology- The saying of the same thing twice in different words
ex/ My mother is annoying with her constant tautology.
truckle- Submit or behave obsequiously
ex/ Too many freshmen are truckle.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Reading Notes
Reading notes:
Gilgamesh- 4000 years old
Iliad- 3000 years old
Prologue to Gilgamesh:
Gil built home for main gods, high ranking person
Anu & Ishtar, father of gods and goddess of love
takes place in Uruk
Gil is son of Lugalbanda and Lady Wildcow Ninsun
Gil is vangard and rear guard of army
2/3 god, 1/3 man. not sure how that math works
From the Iliad:
goddess Athene (as Trojan warrior) leads Hektor to Achilleus
she said to fight ruthlessly to see if they or Achilleus would die
H swore brutal battle and bargained to bring back dead to home country
Ach said no oaths between enemies.
shows honesty and knows he wouldn't honor his word
Ach fighting to avenge his countrymen H killed
H wants fair fight face to face
H threw spear and Athenes had abandoned him. knew death was fate
H wanted swift death, got speared in the neck. mercy from Ach
Ach actually avenging his partner Patroklos who H killed
Ach wants to let him sit out and be eaten
H begs to be taken hime for burning and promises treasure
Ach shows no more mercy and refuses offer. wants true revenge
H's last words were cursing but Ach didn't believe him. knew gods would take him in stride
History of English Church and People The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:
Bede (673-735) Rome had protected and supported Britain but when it withdrew, England was left isolated and prone to invasion
Monks and monasteries kept written word alive and preached it
Bede most learned scholar
father of English history
A History of the English Church and People
describes conquest of Britain by Anglo-Saxons after Romans left
wrote in Latin so all could read his work done at Jarrow
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle written by King Alfred's group of monks
sent out and minks added to chronicle
from A History of the English Church and People:
Belgic Gaul id south of English island
tells of prosperous and promising Emglish land
even shore is bountiful
Latin common medium for scriptures
Britons-original inhabitants
then Scythians came to north Isish coast (W of Britain) and found Scots
Pictish settlers rejected from settling in Ireland
sent to go to Britain, promised help to fight if they resisted
settles in north, Britons in south
king comes from lady's side as part of agreement to marry into Pictish families, if needed
Ireland more pleasant with no reptiles or snakes, immune to poison
Scots originally from Ireland, migrated to Britain
from The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:
Vikings broke up and went to Briatin
King Alfred created long ships to beat Viking raids
Danes beached at Isle of Wight
English took ships and killed their men, ruthless
tide saved Danes
Monday, September 10, 2012
Vocabulary List #5
acumen -The ability to make good judgments and quick decisions
ex/ My father is very well at being acumen.
adjudicate -Make a formal judgment or decision about a problem or disputed matter
ex/ Court judges have to have major adjudicate to do their duty.
anachronism -at the wrong place in the wrong time
ex/ A lot of the time when his friends got in trouble he was anachronism.
apocryphal -Of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true
ex/ The Mona Lisa was beautiful, and apocryphal, even though it was smaller than many think.
disparity -A great difference
ex/ Whenever I talk to my mother there is giant disparity.
dissimulate -Conceal or disguise (one's thoughts, feelings, or character)
ex/ Most men are very dissimulate, because otherwise they feel less manly.
empirical -Based on an observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic
ex/ She lost the bet because her argument was empirical.
flamboyant -Tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness
ex/ Most popular girls are flamboyant.
fulsome - flattering to an excessive degree / of large size or quantity; generous
ex/ I love to eat a fulsome amount of watermelon during the summer.
immolate -Kill or offer as a sacrifice, esp. by burning
ex/ In Narnia Aslan was a immolate.
imperceptible - impossible to perceive
ex/ He was just simply imperceptible.
lackey -A servant
ex/ He is her lackey.
liaison -A person who acts as a link to assist communication or cooperation between groups of people
ex/ The school principal acted as a liaison between the two squabbling children so they would properly apologize to each other.
monolithic -very large and characterless
ex/ I dislike when people are monolithic.
mot juste -The exact, appropriate word.
ex/ He paused so as to find the mot juste in describing his feelings for her; he wanted his letter to be perfect.
nihilism -The rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless.
ex/ The nihilist didn't think twice about tossing a Molotov cocktail through the police station window; after all, he was certain that it didn't matter, seeing as there was no real truth in any law, science, or religion.
patrician - an aristocrat or nobleman
ex/ Most knights back in the day were patricians.
propitiate -Win or regain the favor of someone by doing something that pleases them
ex/The sacrifice was made to propitiate the volcano gods.
sic -Used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands
ex/ The man told his big, growling dog to sic the intruders.
sublimate-Divert or modify into a culturally higher or socially more acceptable activity
ex/ Artists tend to sublimate their impulses and emotions into beautiful and interesting pieces of art or music.
ex/ My father is very well at being acumen.
adjudicate -Make a formal judgment or decision about a problem or disputed matter
ex/ Court judges have to have major adjudicate to do their duty.
anachronism -at the wrong place in the wrong time
ex/ A lot of the time when his friends got in trouble he was anachronism.
apocryphal -Of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true
ex/ The Mona Lisa was beautiful, and apocryphal, even though it was smaller than many think.
disparity -A great difference
ex/ Whenever I talk to my mother there is giant disparity.
dissimulate -Conceal or disguise (one's thoughts, feelings, or character)
ex/ Most men are very dissimulate, because otherwise they feel less manly.
empirical -Based on an observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic
ex/ She lost the bet because her argument was empirical.
flamboyant -Tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness
ex/ Most popular girls are flamboyant.
fulsome - flattering to an excessive degree / of large size or quantity; generous
ex/ I love to eat a fulsome amount of watermelon during the summer.
immolate -Kill or offer as a sacrifice, esp. by burning
ex/ In Narnia Aslan was a immolate.
imperceptible - impossible to perceive
ex/ He was just simply imperceptible.
lackey -A servant
ex/ He is her lackey.
liaison -A person who acts as a link to assist communication or cooperation between groups of people
ex/ The school principal acted as a liaison between the two squabbling children so they would properly apologize to each other.
monolithic -very large and characterless
ex/ I dislike when people are monolithic.
mot juste -The exact, appropriate word.
ex/ He paused so as to find the mot juste in describing his feelings for her; he wanted his letter to be perfect.
nihilism -The rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless.
ex/ The nihilist didn't think twice about tossing a Molotov cocktail through the police station window; after all, he was certain that it didn't matter, seeing as there was no real truth in any law, science, or religion.
patrician - an aristocrat or nobleman
ex/ Most knights back in the day were patricians.
propitiate -Win or regain the favor of someone by doing something that pleases them
ex/The sacrifice was made to propitiate the volcano gods.
sic -Used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands
ex/ The man told his big, growling dog to sic the intruders.
sublimate-Divert or modify into a culturally higher or socially more acceptable activity
ex/ Artists tend to sublimate their impulses and emotions into beautiful and interesting pieces of art or music.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Beowulf Post: Copied, Pasted, and Translated
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.
Beowulf and Godzilla:
Meanwhile, back at Middle Hell, the monster lurks
Feeling too many drinks, he's lookin for fight
Then Hawthorne , son of Hawthpatroleth,
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 ass.
Monster mopped the floor with all of the men in hell.
Beowulf in the back room on a phonecall with Backmacken was;
Hearing the sound of a ruccus said, "What the hell?"
Grabbed shield strong and switch-blade sharp
Stand forth to fight the gramlin monster. "I," Godzilla said, "make thee mincemeat."
He quickly got held in the famed half-nelson
And flung him like a frisbee back to hell
Beowulf belly up at Middle Hell Bar
Said, "No foe can beat my fearsome kung-fu."
He ordered Coca-Cola ice-cold, the real thing.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Hero's Journey Deconstruction: BATMAN
I have plenty of heroes that I favor, but for some reason batman is my favorite. He is an amazing super hero and I believe he is who he is for the greater good. Soon after he witnessed his parents' death, thee young Bruce Wayne made the official decision that he was going to
dedicate his complete life to fighting injustice everywhere. Wayne wanted to avenge the monster that murdered his parents and ventured out into the world intending to do so. Wayne traveled to every continent on this Earth in hopes
of finding the answers to all the questions he needed to uphold his promise to
his parents and himself. Wayne went on to college studying criminology and criminal psychology, along with mastering multiple styles
of martial arts. When Wayne went back to Gotham City, his home town,and was beaten by the people he had originally tried to protect. This made him strive to become a protector of the city, which lead him to set up a secret
headquarter, build amazing gadgets, protect Gotham City from all evil, and name himself Batman.
Some people say that batman isn't a real superhero but Spiderman and Superman are.Ex/ If you take away Batman's powers, (his gadgets,car, and such),what is he? He is attractive, a billionaire, and a damn smart man. If you take Superman's Powers away what is he? Nothing but Clark Kent, a news reporter. Well, I think I've made my point.
Some people say that batman isn't a real superhero but Spiderman and Superman are.Ex/ If you take away Batman's powers, (his gadgets,car, and such),what is he? He is attractive, a billionaire, and a damn smart man. If you take Superman's Powers away what is he? Nothing but Clark Kent, a news reporter. Well, I think I've made my point.
Vocabulary List #4
Apostate: describes someone who has left behind his religious or political beliefs or his principles
ex/ The man was currently apostate, and his family was saddened by this.
Effusive: something or someone showing unrestrained emotion or thankfulness
ex/ I cannot stop this effusive I have for my puppy, he is just so dang cute.
Impasse: something from which there is no escape or solution
ex/ I walked down the dark and daunting alley without knowing if I would come out.
Euphoria: a feeling of well-being and great happiness
ex/ Some kids threw a euphoria party last year, that made all the attendees happy.
Lugubrious: someone who looks very sad, depressed or long-in-the-face.
ex/ The student was very lugubrious after finding he had failed his English exam.
Bravado: behavior by a scared person that shows courage.
ex/ Beowulf's bravado was increasingly high by the third monster.
Consensus: an agreement made by a group
ex/ The consensus of the group was to meet once a month.
Dichotomy: a sharp division of things or ideas into two contradictory parts
ex/ The dichotomy government had a house and a senate.
Constrict: to become narrower at one place, or to make something narrower or more restrictive.
ex/ My biggest fear is my family will constrict my idea of leaving for college.
Gothic: medieval, not classical, barbarous; uncivilized
ex/ The gothic tale she is reading takes place in translyvannia with all sorts of vampires.
Punctilio: observance of petty formalities
ex/ The parents were very punctilious when throwing a party for their daughter who had turned 18.
Metamorphosis: change of form, shape, structure, or substance; transformation, as, in myths, by magic or sorcery
ex/ A caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis before turning into a miraculaous butterfly.
Raconteur: a person who tells stories or anecdotes in an amusing and clever way.
ex/ When I was little my Daddy was always the best raconteur.
Sine Qua Non: an essential condition, qualification, etc.; indispensable thing; absolute prerequisite
ex/ The boys charismatic nature became a sine qua non for the girl.
Quixotic: romantic behavior or following beliefs even though they are foolish or unreachable goals.
ex/ The quixotic little girl wanted her parents to buy her an iPhone 5!
Vendetta: lingering grudge or feeling of hatred for someone
ex/ It has never been discussed to try and be resolve, but there is a great vendetta between my friend and I.
Non Sequitur: a statement, conclusion or reply that has nothing to do with the previous statement
ex/ The idiots argument was a basic and flawed non sequitur.
Mystique: an aura of mystery or an air of secrecy surrounding something or someone that makes the person or thing seem very intriguing.
ex/ I think your age is part of the mystique
Quagmire: is soft, wet ground or a complex and difficult situation with no easy solution.
ex/ My partner and I ran upon a quagmire after he realized that he had forgotten the project at home!
Parlous: perilous; dangerous; risky
ex/ Over summer I went cliff-diving and my older cousin was with me because it was very parlous.
ex/ The man was currently apostate, and his family was saddened by this.
Effusive: something or someone showing unrestrained emotion or thankfulness
ex/ I cannot stop this effusive I have for my puppy, he is just so dang cute.
Impasse: something from which there is no escape or solution
ex/ I walked down the dark and daunting alley without knowing if I would come out.
Euphoria: a feeling of well-being and great happiness
ex/ Some kids threw a euphoria party last year, that made all the attendees happy.
Lugubrious: someone who looks very sad, depressed or long-in-the-face.
ex/ The student was very lugubrious after finding he had failed his English exam.
Bravado: behavior by a scared person that shows courage.
ex/ Beowulf's bravado was increasingly high by the third monster.
Consensus: an agreement made by a group
ex/ The consensus of the group was to meet once a month.
Dichotomy: a sharp division of things or ideas into two contradictory parts
ex/ The dichotomy government had a house and a senate.
Constrict: to become narrower at one place, or to make something narrower or more restrictive.
ex/ My biggest fear is my family will constrict my idea of leaving for college.
Gothic: medieval, not classical, barbarous; uncivilized
ex/ The gothic tale she is reading takes place in translyvannia with all sorts of vampires.
Punctilio: observance of petty formalities
ex/ The parents were very punctilious when throwing a party for their daughter who had turned 18.
Metamorphosis: change of form, shape, structure, or substance; transformation, as, in myths, by magic or sorcery
ex/ A caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis before turning into a miraculaous butterfly.
Raconteur: a person who tells stories or anecdotes in an amusing and clever way.
ex/ When I was little my Daddy was always the best raconteur.
Sine Qua Non: an essential condition, qualification, etc.; indispensable thing; absolute prerequisite
ex/ The boys charismatic nature became a sine qua non for the girl.
Quixotic: romantic behavior or following beliefs even though they are foolish or unreachable goals.
ex/ The quixotic little girl wanted her parents to buy her an iPhone 5!
Vendetta: lingering grudge or feeling of hatred for someone
ex/ It has never been discussed to try and be resolve, but there is a great vendetta between my friend and I.
Non Sequitur: a statement, conclusion or reply that has nothing to do with the previous statement
ex/ The idiots argument was a basic and flawed non sequitur.
Mystique: an aura of mystery or an air of secrecy surrounding something or someone that makes the person or thing seem very intriguing.
ex/ I think your age is part of the mystique
Quagmire: is soft, wet ground or a complex and difficult situation with no easy solution.
ex/ My partner and I ran upon a quagmire after he realized that he had forgotten the project at home!
Parlous: perilous; dangerous; risky
ex/ Over summer I went cliff-diving and my older cousin was with me because it was very parlous.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Literary Analysis Book Choice
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
I chose this book because, I read its summary and it seemed interesting enough to keep me reading.
"From Scroll to Screen" Comment
I think it's a matter of a opinion to which is better; book or e-book. I
would much rather read a real book, something i can hold in my hand and
actually turn the pages, and I love the smell of actual books.
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