LITERATURE ANALYSIS 2

The Things They Carried

1. The plot of The Things They Carried is different than many stories because it tells the main story through flashbacks. These stories are also slightly non-linear, as they are just short bits of his experience in the army, backed by him narrating it from home. A Vietnam veteran reflects back on his life as a marine and how he deals with many of the psychological effects of war. The title of the book comes from the first chapter, when he discusses his situation in Vietnam and describes all of the gear he had to carry with him, but this title also has two meanings that show throughout the course of the book. While it seems to only be the real life, physical things he had to carry with him, by the end of the book you learn he also had many psychological things he carried with him. Many of his friends die, he kills a man, and he thinks about how the "enemy" must feel. His friends also had things they carried with them, including love, such as Henry Dobbins and his girlfriend back home, and each of the company's families. Many of these things are effects not openly shown in the Vietnam war, and that is the reason this book is so interesting to read. The end of the stories has Tim O'Brien reflecting on all the things he had done, and coming to terms with them to be at peace with himself, and believing that telling these stories and letting it all out can help others in the long-run. In a way, these things he carried no longer weigh on his conscious anymore because he was able to speak about them and let his feelings out.

2. I believe the main theme of the stories was that war is hell, and that many of the younger children that went into the Vietnam war suffered psychological trauma for it, but it doesn't have to ruin your life. O'Brien shows that "airing out your dirty laundry" is the best thing to do when things weigh heavily on your mind, and it's better to not carry too much with you.
3. The author's tone was very nervous, doubtful, and fearful when he was a kid in Vietnam, but was very somber and introspective when he was an adult.

EX 1: "Because the land was mined and booby-trapped, it was SOP for each man to carry a steel-centered, nylon-covered flak jacket, which weighed 6.7 pounds, but which on hot days seemed much heavier. Because you could die so quickly, each man carried at least one large compress bandage, usually in the helmet band for easy access."

EX 2: "The morning was cold and wet. They had not slept during the night, not even for a few moments, and all three of them were feeling the tension as they moved across the field toward the river. There was nothing they could do for Kiowa. Just find him and slide him aboard a chopper."

EX 3: "There was that coldness inside me. I wasn't myself. I felt hollow and dangerous."

4. Throughout the story, a lot of allusion was used to other historical events, books, and pop culture of that time. They mentioned Huckleberry Finn, Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", and many more. I think it strengthened the juxtaposition of a calm, safe life in America that they were used to and the harsh, terrible time of being in Vietnam. They were just kids, who read books, watched movies, etc.

CHARACTERIZATION
1. Many of O'Brien's friends and fellow soldiers are described through heavy indirect characterization. In the jungle, the way their normal speech changes shows their true character. One good example is Jimmy Cross, who is characterized as being someone who carries a lot of guilt with him, as seen when his friends begin to die around him and the way it weighs heavily on his conscience (such as Kiowa, mentioned earlier.) Kiowa was characterized by many of his actions during their tour. He was a moral compass for his friends, and he had a lot of opinions on life, death, and the war. In a way, his death contrasted perfectly for his character, which was unforgiving and cruel. Many of the soldiers also showed direct characterization through O'Brien's point of view. He had his own views on how these people were to him. A big example of this is how much he looked up to  Mitchell Sanders for his compassion for other soldiers and human life. On the other side of things, he shows respect for the medic's craft and not really his character. He uses both because the soldiers in Vietnam were always close, talking to each other, and many of them had skewed or broken personalities from the war. It was a good use of indirect and direct characterization to see how the narrators opinion is on the character vs. other people's interactions with him.
2. Yes, the author's syntax and diction change as he talks about other characters, because these characters were good friends of his that went through a lot with him, and some died in the process. For example, when he talks about his friends who were killed in action, he gets very sad and regretful.
3. The protagonist is dynamic because throughout his own journey through his memories he comes to bring thinga back up and forgive himself for the past. At the beginning of the book there is 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. 

hamlet essay

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" This quote seems to say the most about Hamlet than any other quote, as far as the plot itself is concerned. This has become a cliche in modern language to describe someone who is, in a way, a crazy genius. "He's got a method to his madness" means they are so committed to completing their task, it seems insane. When Polonious spoke this line, it was clear he no longer thought Hamlet was just madly in love. It gave a real sense that Hamlet was a real threat - a genius. Although even at the beginning, some readers may have thought he was mad themselves, as time goes on, both reader and characters learn that Hamlet has only given off the impression that he is insane, and that in itself just might be crazy enough to work. This quote also, in a way, plays in tandem with the entire play and it's outcome. Things are a mess all over; the king is dead, his son has "gone mad", many important people begin to die, wars were won, etc. The way Hamlet perceives this seems like pure madness, and even leads him to have many small breakdowns with himself, such as the "to be, or not to be" soliloquy, and even being crazy enough to set up the play he created. Characters talk to themselves, sleep with their brothers wives, and kill their step-father's right hand man, and much more that leads you to believe there is no peace in this castle. But at the same time, all of this madness is backed up by Hamlet's persistence to kill Claudius, driven by a ghost's wishes (yeah... madness.) Just like Claudius's method to take the throne worked, Hamlet's method to get Claudius to confess with a play worked. The madness that seems to underline the entire play is driven by a few men's determination to complete their goals, which gives the story a way to drive itself forward amidst the madness.

The Performative Utterance in Hamlet Notes

"Hamlet is trapped in a kind of cognitive paralysis, convinced of his duty and yet unable to move that duty from the mental to the real" hamlet told by ghost, still unable to bring himself to actually, physically kill someone hamlet's soliliqueys throughout the play provide insight onto why he feels this way has trouble doing the things he says "demonstrates a disconnect between what he says and what he does" describes a convincing performance with the players

YUNG HAMLET

Without further adieu, to those of you who didn't get a chance to see it in class today and Dr. Preston, i present: YUNG HAMLET

COPYCATS (P5 HAMLET REMIX)

4th period completely stole our idea 1 day after we did it, but they had the upper hand because i was at work and was unable to put the video together... sneaky. BUT! Here's our group video from wednesday edited in a nice little montage!

DONE AND NOT DONE

So the video is totally complete at 2:35 AM, and I do not have the time left in me to upload it onto youtube now. I'll edit this post when it's up, but i'll have it on my flash drive tomorrow to show in class. it came out great! thanks to everyone who helped!

Unphotographable

Fog blankets the forest and covers it in a thick haze. The date and time is unknown. The location is unknown. The dense forest was low resolution, likely taken pre-HD. Mountains loomed in the background. Twisted metal jarred from the roots of a tree. A rustic, old shoe sits midway in the water. All of this is washed out in a white mist covering everything from the ground up.

(Music)

GREEN EGGS & HAMLET

a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane"?
I actually don't know much about Hamlet at all. I've heard the name plenty of times, but really never wondered what it was about. I know it's a Shakespeare tragedy, and had some crazy family issues. Other than that, nothing.
b) What do you know about Shakespeare?
He was an English poet who wrote a lot of plays, usually tragedy and with a lot of twists, turns, romanticisms, and deceit. Lived in the 1500's.
c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?
Years of doing generic bookwork on Shakespeare's stories, learning irrelevant dates and characters to study last minute for a test on material they won't remember in 2 weeks mostly. Honestly though, I've enjoyed both major Shakespeare projects we've had to do so far. The Romeo & Juliet project was fun because we got to make a film about it, and Byrne explained Julius Caesar in an interesting way. That said, the vocab and related homework assignments were not as interesting.
d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?
make it versatile! While making a film was fun, watching 30 some half-assed last minute Romeo & Juliets was not fun. If everyone had their own type of way to show they learned the material, it'd make it much more interesting. Just off the top of my head I could think of music (written songs or mix CDs and a paper explaining them or something), movie, live play, art, or many other things I haven't thought of. I think that would be a way to make it something everyone can participate in, and have a good time doing it.

THE POINT OF CANTERBURY TALES IS...

To get a good sense of each different class/type of person and how they interacted with each other. The way society viewed others, and how it would affect each one if they were, in a way, forced to meet and talk to each other.

Canterbury Novel?

Got a weird error when trying to place my story down. Possibly a glitch because I could have sworn I saw longer ones than mine. If that isn't the case, I guess I should be proud of that eh? Either way, I just separated it into two for now, just thought I'd share that.

ＣＨＡＲＡＣＴＥＲ ＳＴＵＤＹ （ＩＩＩ）

It was like any other morning here, foggy and raining. He loved it. Tyler was sitting in the bus, music blaring through his headphones (but not loud enough for other people to look at him funny) until he saw his stop. Art Institute of Seattle. He slowly stretched and got out of the bus, eyes glued to his smartphone for the duration of his walk. Dressed in a monochrome and somewhat expensive outfit, he stepped out of the bus and into the drizzle. As he neared the door to the school, he looked over and noticed someone he recognized from his old town. Thoughts began running through his mind, memories of a life that seemed distant now. Family, friends, relationships that were strengthened by 19 years in a small California town all began to resurge. As his mind came back to him, the person was already gone. Or was she there in the first place? He wasn't sure. He walked back to the class and entered. After a day of half-eyed, half-cocked learning he finally walked out through the same door. It was only about 6pm, so might as well make a day of it, right? Friday is the day to celebrate not working, staying inside is lame. At least that's what they say. He stopped by his apartment and grabbed his skateboard. He remembered those times at the free park, blaring 100 degree weather from that California drought. As his board rolled through the wet concrete, the cold wind felt fantastic on his face. Exploring the city was a great way to pass time. The ultimate bliss, and the ultimate cop-out. An escape, and an excuse. He saw the girl again. Walking into a coffee shop this time. He was sure he saw her. He skated towards the shop until he got to the crosswalk, where the light seemed to hold for an eternity. Finally he rode across the street and entered the shop. It was pretty busy, but he didn't see her anywhere. It was so busy, but so quiet. Digital lights lit up each one of their faces. "How sad," he thought as his pocket buzzed and he quickly looked down to his phone as well. Just another Twitter follower. Probably a business trying to get him to buy product, or some mediocre mini-celebrity trying to get their name out. Looking up, he noticed the line was empty. Woops. He bought some drink that wasn't coffee, and left the coffee shop. By this time it was about 8PM. He called up a friend who lived in the area to see if he wanted to come skate. Busy. Always busy. People have stuff to do. People are productive. Tyler skated down to the park, and pulled out his phone. He started (insert newest popular app here), just wasting time under the moon. It was refreshingly cold. Someone walked over to him and sat next to him. He scooted over. So did they. After looking up to figure out why this person was intruding on his bubble, he realized who it was. An old friend from California. They talked for a little while, she said she was here visiting a cousin or something. He asked if she wanted to walk around for a little while, and they did. They walked around the city, reminiscing on that small town, and how everyone knew each other, whether they liked it or not. He remembered knowing every street. It felt boxy, but comfortable. Like a cashmere coffin. It was about 1AM and they had no idea where they were. Somewhere in mid seattle. The nightlife was nice. It seemed like everyone was yearning to continue living, and they had no time to sleep. They walked down the street a little bit longer, exchanged phone numbers, and she snagged a taxi. The city lights blurred through the rain as the cab drove off, and a busy silence was induced. His headphones went back in each ear and his skateboard dropped to the ground. He reached the apartment at about 3:30AM. After lying in bed for another 10, it was obvious that it probably wasn't time to sleep. He walked out of the apartment to the roof, and sat at the edge. It was misty, wet, and bitter cold. It felt so nice. At about 5AM he crept back to the room and passed out on his couch. The room wasn't dark. Little LEDs danced around the room, blinking and flashing. It looked a lot like the streets outside of the window. He didn't wake up until pretty late the next day, so naturally he missed class, but he learned a lot.

phonar notes

what makes a photographer?
- students say passion, phone, camera, etc
- habits, how to solve problems
- what problem is this solving?
what is a photograph?
- fixed in time, color/monochrome, bound by frame
kodak invented the first digital camera
- difference between photograph and image
- photography is dead has more results than photography is alive
- what makes a photographer? everyone has access to making images
- cell phones and cheap cameras make this available to everyone, dead but not dead
100 billion photographs on facebook
300 million every day
"we travel looking in a review mirror"
- look at past using old terms to talk about new things
- i.e desktop for windows

if you want to change the world you have to start describing it differently

-non linear story
-authority of single voice brought into question
-august sandler: street photographer, normal people (sounds a lot like Ed Templeton! :) )
-facebook is a large hub of images

VOCAB 4

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner;attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Ex- He stood there obsequiously telling the artist how great his work was, and how some of his stuff is inspired by him (and that he should check it out)
beatitude - noun - a state of supreme happiness
Ex- When it came in the mail, all he could feel was a fantastic beatitude.
bete noire - noun - a person or thing that one particularly dislikes
Ex- That man was his bete noire, the one he hated the most.
bode - verb - indicate by signs
Ex- The dark, moody weather did not bode well for Jerry's beach trip.
dank - adj. - unpleasantly cool and humid
Ex- The swamps were dank and foggy.
ecumenical - adj. - of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions
Ex- Each religion had an ecumenical principle to help each other.
fervid - adj. - extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion
Ex- The summer weather in Santa Maria has been fervid.
fetid - adj. - offensively malodorous
Ex- The rotten fruit was fetid to their noses.
gargantuan - adj. - of great mass; huge and bulky
Ex- The monster was a gargantuan one, he swung his club and it sent shockwaves down across the town.
heyday - noun - the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
Ex- Back in it's heyday, Walkmans were wanted by everyone due to their compact size and easy use.
incubus - noun - someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream
Ex- He was the incubus to this entire affair, someone who should never have been here.
infrastructure - noun the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; the basic structure or features of a system or organization
Ex- Our business infrastructure was solid, there was no way we could have went bankrupt.
inveigle - verb - influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
Ex- He didn't want to press his boss for those extra days off too hard, so he conveniently inveigled it into conversations.
kudos - noun - an expression of approval and commendation
Ex- Kudos to the people who came from nothing and made something out of themselves.
lagniappe - noun - a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)
Ex- He ordered just the shoes, but was pleasantly surprised to find a lagniappe inside with some extra goodies.
prolix - adj. - tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length
Ex- I read through the prolix paper for far too long until it finally got to the point.
protege - noun - a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
Ex- He was the musician's protege, he mentored the kid and taught him everything he knew.
prototype - noun a standard or typical example
Ex- Don't fire that gun! It's not ready! It's only a prototype!
sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
Ex-  He was the worst kind of sycophant, ratting out his friends to get favors from the king.
tautology -noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true
Ex- He continued his tautology on birds, despite us knowing all of this 3 times over.
truckle - verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
Ex- He could do nothing but truckle under the weight of the car.

(overdue) #LITERATURE ANALYSIS #1#

1.) 1984 is a story about humanity versus oppression. Winston Smith is portrayed as the average man in this neo-futuristic dystopia of Oceana, a nation that previously named London, where the government controls everything. If you thought your government was bad, you're living in a paradise compared to this story. Constant watch from Big Brother, endless propaganda, Thought Police, and cover-ups control and suppress the inhabitants of Oceana. As the book opens you begin to understand these peoples' situation via a large poster with a man's face and the sign "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU." The entire universe of this world is laid out within the first chapter. Defying this, he takes out a diary and begins to write down his real thoughts. It's noted by his visit with the neighbor, Mrs. Parsons, that even the children are submitted into turning in adults for thought crimes. Ironically, despite his hate for The Party and all of Big Brother, he works for them, censoring the history books to fit the agenda of The Party. He constantly uses his journal as an escape from the harsh reality of his life, and his anger at the suppression he is forced under every day. After this long introduction of the world around him and his underlying festering anguish over Big Brother's thought police, he is incited by a girl who gives him a note saying "I love you." He sits with her at lunch and they plan secret meetings in the night, away from telescreens. At first they just hold hands briefly, but this blooms into them loving each other and having sex in the woods. She finally tells him her name is Julia. They return to Oceana and resume their lives. Hate Week approaches, a time where they are all taught to channel their anger and hate the enemy of the Party. Julia and Winston meet together many times in a room above Charrington's antiques shop, where they regain their humanity through love and connection. It is a solace from the cold, harsh world outside. After loving and spending time together in this room, they find out there was a hidden telescreen and troops pour in to arrest them. They're beaten, separated, and taken away. They find out Mr. Charrington was a member of the thought police all along. When Winston is taken into a cell, he is monitored and sat down in this bright empty room. He's put through physical and emotional pain as he gets beaten and brainwashed. He struggles, but finally breaks after his worst fear of rats becomes true, and a cage full of rats is placed on his head. There is no happy ending here, just more assimilation in the never ending oppression of The Party.

2.) The theme of this novel is not about heroes, or individual stories of endurance and triumph. The theme of 1984 is humanity and love versus anger and oppression. These things work together and against each other as people are turned against each other over what they think will help them.

3.) The authors tone throughout the story is overbearing, pessimistic, and almost numbing. It's meant to convey the feeling throughout the book that there is something bigger than Winston, and it's unstoppable. Three examples of this are:
1.) "Winston kept his back turned to the telescreen. It was safer, though, as he well knew, evan a back can be revealing."
2.)"There was no telescreen, but there must be hidden microphones: besides, they could be seen. It did not matter, nothing mattered."
3.)"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."

4.) In 1984 there were many different literary devices used to convey their point of a gloomy, unstoppable power-filled world. One of the main ones used throughout the book was the symbolism of BIG BROTHER. When you think of a big brother, you think of someone who would watch out and take care of you. Besides being symbolism, this is also very good irony. Irony plays a large part in this world as well. Another example of irony is the fact that a main producer of beer and cigarettes are named Victory. The Party was also personified as one person throughout the story, because of it's hivemind-esque ways. Motif was another important piece of the propaganda in the story. There were many slogans, posters, and propaganda that reoccurred throughout the story to symbolize the Party. Repetition is used by having these posters and slogans appear everywhere, and also as the torture technique used to brainwash Winston.



CHARACTERIZATION
1.)In the story there were many examples of indirect characterization as well as direct. The journal was a good example of this because you could actually get an idea of how he thought, not how he was supposed to think. Winston uses his emotions and actions to characterize himself, instead of a narrator describing who he is. His love affair is a good example of what kind of person he is as well.

2.)When the author focuses on the character, the diction and syntax get very dreary, to show the helplessness of the common man in this oppressive society. The word choice, such as saying the people live in "constant fear", and the quote "imagine a boot stamping on the face - forever" shows fear, oppression, and helplessness.

3.) He is, for sure, a dynamic character. Although it is a very unusual type of change that goes on with him. When he falls in love, it seems as if he is a new man. He learns many new things and becomes more rebellious. Once he is taken away, it seems like all of those feelings are forced out of him and he does not feel a thing anymore. He even gives up Julia. In the end he is almost seemingly braindead, and in love with Big Brother. His old self "dies", and he is reborn as a loyal follower.

4.) When I finished the book I felt as if I came away knowing a new society. The characters, in my opinion, were a minor part of this book. The world, setting, and society as a whole are where this book feels very real and centered. An example of this would be the love between Julia and Winston, it is very generic and feels like it could be inserted with anyone in a world like this.

Overdue: VOCAB

accolade - noun a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinctionEx- He was a man of  many talents, and was rewarded with one of the highest accolades for it.
acerbity - noun a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness; a rough and bitter manner
Ex- As soon as he tasted the grape, he noticed it's horrible acerbity.
attrition - noun the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; 
Ex- Sea glass is rounded from years of attrition.
bromide -noun  a trite or obvious remark
Ex-He told me to "keep my chin up", what an overused bromide.
chauvinist - noun an extreme bellicose nationalist; a person with a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his or her own kind
Ex- He told her that she needed him and she was nothing without him, what a chauvinist pig.
chronic - adj. being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering
Ex- He fell pretty bad skateboarding last year, now he has chronic knee pains.
expound - verb add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; state
Ex-He expounded his screenplay by adding many needed details of setting, character, and plot.
factionalism- adj. self-interested
Ex- All he cared about was himself, he was a factionalist narcissist. 
immaculate - adj. completely neat and clean; free from stain or blemish; without fault or error 
Ex- The Supreme jacket is in immaculate condition, I think I'll buy it.
imprecation - noun the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); a slanderous accusation
Ex- An imprecation was created, and the witch cast an evil curse on the man.
ineluctable - adj. impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion"
Ex- The impending detention was ineluctable.
mercurial - liable to sudden unpredictable change
Ex- His life was always crazy and unstable, some people described it as mercurial.
palliate - verb provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
Ex- He put ice on his wounded knee to palliate the pain.
protocol - noun code of correct conduct; forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state
Ex- The officer didn't want to arrest these kids, but he had to follow protocol.
resplendent - adj. having great beauty and splendor
Ex- She was perfect. Physically and mentally resplendent.
stigmatize - verb mark with a stigma or stigmata; to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful
Ex- Without asking both sides for the facts, he stigmatized the boy for his choices.
sub rosa- happening or done in secret
Ex- Romeo and Juliet's love was sub rosa because of their wealth differences.
vainglory - noun outspoken conceit
Ex- She continually talked about how perfect she was, and everyone condemned her for her vainglory.
vestige - a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists
Ex- The battlefield was dry and hot, all that was left was scraps of clothing and blood, a vestige of the battle that had occured.
volition - noun the act of making a choice; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention
Ex- He knew what he was doing when he pressed that button, but his volition haunted him for the rest of his life.

no posts?

I've fallen pretty far behind in the last week or so, and for no good reason either. I do these usually when I get on my pc at night, get close to finishing them, and totally forget to actually post them. I am a terribly forgetful person. One thing I'm going to try focusing on is a simple and easy way to remember all of my tasks for the day, without carrying around a day planner i'll forget inside my backpack or a notepad app I'll forget to check. Hopefully the result will be good! (now to actually go and post all of these... woops)

CHARACTER STUDY (I)

He ran into his first class, already late on the first day. Layers of clothes on for the fantastic weather outside, Tyler slowed his run to a walk and quietly entered the classroom. It had taken a lot to get into The Art Institute of Seattle, and now he had to keep that up to make it worthwhile. As he sat down in the back of the room, he began to think about his journey to this place. From the very first time he got his paycheck from his first job in Santa Maria, to the time when he had everything he owned moved up to the rainy city of Seattle, Washington. He had worked hard and fought a lot of tough moments to get here, and he knew it was time to change to fit this.

Big Question (or lack thereof)

Thinking of one question that could define how I perceive this year seems pretty difficult. That said, this is subject to change i'm sure.

Big Question: What shapes creativity? How do creative people take the inspiration from their lives and create art from it? There are so many different ways to create art, what defines art?

Beowulf Essay

      Beowulf, while being the stereotypical "hero", is a lot similar and different from today's modern heroes. Many stories today try to break away from the mold of the traditional hero, such as having the protagonist be an underdog, or an anti-hero. When you strip any modern story to the bare essentials, it's just as much of a hero story as anyone else's. That anyone could also be you. A hero's journey, like the one presented in Beowulf, has a few key points that define it and characters that support it. Each character has their own background that supports their involvement in the story, and each point has it's own purpose to push these characters forward in their journey.
      The hero's journey is a long, daunting, difficult challenge. In Beowulf's case, he sought out danger, and completed his tasks that he set out to do by using his strength and willpower. He was initiated into this by the challenge of defeating Grendel, and from the get-go he went head on into defeating these monsters and winning the fights. King Hrothgar is a friend/father figure that helps him on this journey, by not only initiating him as someone to accomplish a task, but as someone to guide and reward him for this. In many modern stories, this isn't the case for how the protagonist acts. Some stories have the protagonist placed into unfathomable odds, or into a situation he does not want to be in. While these stories try to be different, ultimately they fall into the typical "hero's journey" in one way or another. It's an untold but universally used method to tell any type of story. In that way it's similar to those stories, but at the same time vastly different in content.
     We can all relate to this type of story in a way. One discussed example was this class. We were initiated into it by our own curiosity or want for a better chance at college, and Dr. Preston is our initiator. Our journey is ultimately up to us, but fate will always play it's part. The determination of the protagonist will have the most effect on the outcome of our story. We will overcome challenges, small ones such as homework and procrastination, and larger ones such as tests and college applications. These are the "monsters" beowulf faces, just reimagined into the real world.
     Beowulf serves as an important story to have not only because of the tale it tells about it's time period or moral values, but of the fact that it is a basic template to set all stories to. It shows us the guidelines of a hero's tale, one we can resonate with and use ourselves.

VOCABULARY #2#

accoutrements - noun additional items of dress or equipment, or other items carried or worn by a person or used for a particular activity.
-EX- He carried his accoutrements in his jansport backpack on the hike.

apogee - noun apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth; a final climactic stage
-EX- as the satellite hit its apogee, something went wrong and all systems went offline.

apropos - adj. of an appropriate or pertinent nature; adv. by the way; at an opportune time
-EX- It was an apropos moment to turn on the satellite's backup power source, but it wasn't working.

bicker - noun a quarrel about petty points; verb argue over petty things
-EX- Bickering emerged from the NASA headquarters over the backup power source.

coalesce - verb fuse or cause to grow together; mix together different elements
-EX- The scientists began coalescing different elements in the lab to work on finding a new power source.

contretemps - noun an awkward clash
-EX- As one of the scientists walked out of the door, he contretemps another one and they spill their chemicals. 

convolution - noun the action of coiling or twisting or winding together; a convex fold or elevation in the surface of the brain; the shape of something rotating rapidly
-EX- the liquid chemicals solidified and created a convolution of shapes and colors.

cull - noun the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality; verb remove something that has been rejected;look for and gather
-EX- The generic replaceable power grid was culled in place of this newfound energy chemical.

disparate - adj. including markedly dissimilar elements;fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
-EX- The disparate between these two power sources was immense. The chemical was vastly superior.

dogmatic - adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or -pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
-EX-  Some of the dogmatic members of NASA believed it to be unholy, and something bad would come from it, but they did it anyways.

licentious - adj. lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained
-EX- The licentious, evil boss of NASA should have listened to some of these people, because his nature would lead to the downfall of the entire business.

mete - noun a line that indicates a boundary
-EX- Once the ship crossed the mete that defined atmosphere into space, it drifted towards its target.

noxious - adj. injurious to physical or mental health
-EX- Everyone in the NASA HQ Room was noxious with excitement for this new discovery.

polemic - adj. of or involving dispute or controversy; noun a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma); a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
-EX- While most agreed it was one step ahead of the competitors, some of the more polemic workers argued just for the sake of argument.

populous - adj. densely populated
-EX- Once the launch was a success, the populous of the camera room increased three-fold.

probity - noun complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles
-EX- The lead designer of the rocket boasted with probity of his launch, that made it directly on target.

repartee - noun adroitness and cleverness in reply
-EX- When anyone dissed his rocket, he was quick with a repartee that backed up his statements.

supervene - verb take place as an additional or unexpected development
-EX- And then suddenly, his moment was supervened by something happening on the launch camera. Alien ships began flying in from every side of the earth, directly to the chemical.

truncate - adj. terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off; verb make shorter as if by cutting off; approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one; replace a corner by a plane
-EX- As the alien ships made their way into Earth's atmosphere, many lives were truncated in the wake. Buildings and families were devastated.

unimpeachable - adj. beyond doubt or reproach; completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach; free of guilt; not subject to blame
-EX- The CEO decided to take all of the security guards in the facility to his office, having them personally guard him and him only. He felt unimpeachable, but he was quickly proven wrong as the aliens, alongside his workers, climbed right over all of the security and stole the CEO after all.

VOCABULARY #1#

adumbrate - verb give to understand; describe roughly or briefly or give the main points or summary of
EX: The man was in a hurry to get to work, so he adumbrated his reasons for being late when questioned by his co-worker.

apotheosis - noun the elevation of a person (as to the status of a god); model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal
EX: "Kanye West is the apotheosis of music" -Kanye West

ascetic - adj. practicing great self-denial; pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous self-discipline; noun someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline
EX: He lived an ascetic life of lies about his own true character.

bauble - noun a mock scepter carried by a court jester; cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing
EX: "Hey nice Rolex! How could you afford that?" "It's just a bauble man, I'm not rich."

beguile - verb attract; cause to be enamored; influence by slyness
EX: She beguiled the guards enough to slip right into the bank vault.

burgeon - verb grow and flourish
EX: My garden burgeoned under the sunlight.

complement - noun something added to complete or make perfect; either of two parts that mutually complete each other; a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction;number needed to make up a whole force; a complete number or quantity; one of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response; verb make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to
EX: Wow, that drkshdw shirt really complements those Rick Owens sneakers.

contumacious - adj. wilfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient
EX: The contumacious kid would never do his homework on time, and was always late for class.

curmudgeon - noun a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas
EX:Bill O'Reilly is the king of curmudgeons.

didactic - adj. instructive (especially excessively)
EX:If you follow this didactic cookbook, it will teach you every last step to cook the perfect meal.

disingenuous - adj. not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness
EX: I've had enough of your disingenuous assertions. 

exculpate - verb pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
EX: He was sweaty and nervous the entire time he was on the stand, but somehow still ended up being exculpated of robbery.

faux pas - noun an embarrassing or tactless act or remark in a social situation.
EX: I had realized as soon as the words came out of my mouth that my faux pas would ruin a few friendships there.

fulminate - noun a salt or ester of fulminic acid; verb cause to explode violently and with loud noise; come on suddenly 
and intensely; criticize severely
EX: The stereotypical volcano science project everyone made at one point fulminated into foam and bubbles.

fustian - noun a strong cotton and linen fabric with a slight nap;pompous or pretentious talk or writing
EX: He babbled on for hours about the great product he was selling, and why we should buy it instead of the cheaper made versions, but it all felt like a cheap fustian to me.

hauteur - noun overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors
EX: He shoved all of his albums in my face and told me I was a music plebeian, and all I could think was how much of a hauteur he was for it.

inhibit - verb limit the range or extent of; to put down by force or authority
EX: The weather inhibited my ability to see out of my windshield.

jeremiad - noun a long and mournful complaint
EX: Listening to his hour long jeremiad on Wal-Mart's policies was insanely boring.

opportunist - adj. taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit; noun a person who places expediency above principle
EX: You say bank robber, I say opportunist.

unconscionable - adj. greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation; lacking a conscience
EX: To think he could do something like that and feel no remorse is unconscionable. 

#REFLECTIONS ON WEEK 1#

Are there any factors that you think are going to affect your participation or experience in this class? Access to a computer? Mobile/smart phone? Transportation? Friends/family? Schedule?
- So far I don't see any factors that could affect participation besides the fact that I'd like to get out at lunch, but if I do get it changed I'll just move into 5th period and it should be fine. I have plenty access to a computer but my internet connection is pretty bad which could be a problem. I have a smartphone with the blogger app installed so that works fine. I also have my own car and license. So for the most part I'm as available for it as I am any other class.

 Think of an awesome best ever learning experience that changed you. What did you learn? Where were you? What happened? Who else was there? Did it teach you anything about how you learn (or pay attention... or remember, or think?) How did you know what was happening? 
- I'd have to say as far as schooling goes, Mrs. Byrne's AP English class was probably the first (non-elective) class I really enjoyed. But as for learning experiences in general, it's impossible to choose one moment of any time. Every single day/hour/minute we're learning more and more about ourselves and the world around us. My mind changes constantly. Life is a learning experience.

 What are you most [excited/concerned] about in this class? What do you look forward to in learning? How do you think it can/will make a practical difference in your life?
-I'm most excited about having a total change of pace in the way schooling works, as the norm gets very, very boring. The idea of using the internet for most of it is also really interesting to me, as it's usually demonized by normal classes. I'm most concerned about keeping up with some of the bigger assignments, and the AP exam. But so far it seems like a class I'd prioritize over others, so with that in mind, I guess my current schedule is the most that concerns me because when I am hired for a weekday job I'd like to get as many hours in as possible, so getting out at lunch would be great.

ESSAY #2#

Have you ever really tried to stop and think about how much your mind processes on a daily basis? It's impossible to do, even if you remembered everything you did today. That leaves out about 6209.12 other days full of thoughts, sights, sounds, and dreams you have still forgotten. The mind works at an insanely high speed 24/7, no matter what you're doing. As David Foster Wallace put it in his 2001 story "Good Old Neon": "What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of at most one tiny little part of it at any given instant." If you've ever felt scatterbrained or confused, you probably can understand this well. Everyone has at least felt like this once. Thoughts like these have been written and recorded many times, but one in particular is the collection of Montaigne's essays. In a stream-of-consciousness styled rant of words and sentences, Montaigne discusses every topic that can come to his mind. Sometimes these would conflict and revise each other, and sometimes his thoughts would all come together just as if he'd had it all planned out from the start. On the opposite side of the spectrum, authors like Jane Austen, author of Pride and Prejudice, has a clear and straightforward thought process to tell a complicated story. Using foreshadowing in an essay where you haven't even begun to think of the ending would not be very easy, but for someone with a mind like Austen, having a character like Darcy seem distant at the beginning and end up being the main love interest of Elizabeth is a clever and well thought out idea to include. Montaigne's techniques of writing may coincide with Foster's quote about the mind, but compared to a precise writer like Austen, their works seem like an ADHD nightmare.
The stream-of-consciousness thought process is not by any means an underground or new term. For thousands of years, people have just began to write what flows out of them. As our minds change and we teach ourselves more about what we write, these thoughts change. Montaigne's essays show this change at a time as early as the Renaissance , and with many different topics. In one of the essays, "Of Repentance", he even says himself that he may contradict himself, but he will not contradict the truth. His mind changes rapidly over the course of the essay, and may even make false his opinion from the beginning, or go off into a whole different tangent. David Foster Wallace had a similar mind, in the sense that he also wrote as the thoughts came to his mind. In comparison to Austen, it really comes down to how each person's brain works. Austen's brain works in a way that she can think of a plot and have it come together over a length of time, keep a solid theme going and have reoccurring characters. It's merely two sides of the same spectrum.

The narrow minded brain, such as Austen's, can think up a story and have everything come together neatly wrapped in a bow.  This presents a clear and understandable plot enjoyable for everyone, even enough to get a movie made about it, and can be seen as a solid and completed work of art. This also relates to a lot of pop, electronic, and alternative music. It has chord progressions that continue and expand throughout the song, but lead up to the end and have a main focal point to them. The wider, more expanded and scattered brain does not think like that. It can go on without keeping a similar theme, ranging from one topic to another, moving at 3000 miles per hour. While seeming to be more abstract, less neat and not as good at first, it can prove to be a very intriguing and thought-provoking style of writing. Some of these types of thought resonate with classic experimental rock/post-punk, hip-hop, and experimental music. Whichever writing style, whether it be Montaigne's or Austen's, can suit it's purpose and tell it's story. In the end, it's all about how your mind can follow it's path, whether it's completing an essay about Montaigne's essays versus Austen's novel, or going on a tangent about music and delving from the topic at hand.

I CAN READ

16 mistakes. 15:25 time. I tried!

1987 AP Exam

1 C
2 E /
3 B /
4 E
5 D
6 C /
7 E
8 B
9 E
10 C
11 D
12 B
13 A /
14 D /
15 A
16 B
17 C
18 E
19 A
20 B
21 A /
22 D /
23 B /
24 A
25 D /
26 E
27 E /
28 A /
29 D /
30 B
31 A /
32 E /
-
47 B
48 C /
49 E /
50 D
51 C
52 E /
53 E
54 B
55 A
56 A /
57 B /
58 D
59 E
60 B
61 B /

-20

Notes: The first story was very self explanatory, most of the questions made sense to me. I thought rollicking in the springtime would seem more like an escape from reality instead of an attitude for the future, because at first she did seem very sad and dismal about her husband's death.

The second poem was simple to begin with but got very confusing. I didn't understand some of the themes he was trying to get across.

The third poem, The Eolian Harp, had a lot of imagery and the questions were mostly simple to that. Although I thought "saddening" was more of a foreshadowing of the rest of the poem instead of the immediate physical clouds becoming darker.

poetry #1

1. From what poem/author does this commercial borrow (without credit)? 
-The poem used in the commercial is "The Laughing Heart" by Charles Buckowski
2. Why might the use of this poem by a corporation be considered ironic? 
-The use of the poem is ironic because the poem talks about freedom and independence, while at the same time trying to sell you a product and take your money from it. 
3. Does the poem reflect the reputation of the author? Why/why not? 
- The reputation of the author does reflect this poem because he wrote about the poor and common man, due to the fact that he lived in Los Angeles. To someone who constantly has to work and is under submission by bosses and others daily, the idea to just let go and be free is very inspiring. He makes poems for the people who don't get to experience many of these great things, and that is why they use their imagination and are inspired by a poem like this.
4. How did you find the answers to #1 & #3? Describe your research process and your sources in detail. 
I googled "Levi's go forth poem", which lead me to a couple search results with the name of the poem and author as the YouTube Title. As for the third question, I went to Wikipedia with his name and looked through his history and things he wrote.