"I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught."- Winston Churchill
Sunday, August 24, 2014
P2P
Please check out the forum that Jacob Sussex and I made for the peer to peer evaluation, and leave a suggestion. It would really be helpful for building the site if everyone signed up and let us know what they want to include or even if they don't like the idea of a forum at all, anything is appreciated. The link is here and on the sidebar of my blog.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Prologue- Chapter Ten
Prologue
A King named Scyld the Scefing was a
wealthy man who was looked up upon by the people of his town.
Nobody challenged
him, he was better than everyone else
Had a son and
named him Beowulf.
Son was looked up
to and was generous to all the people of the town.
Ship created to
hold dead body, very wealthy items,
Description of
armor and expensive weapons.
Ship sent to sea,
talk about a flood
People mourn for
the death of the child.
Chapter One
A new person came
to the thrown named Healfdean.
Was a strong
leader
Had four children Heorogar, Hrothgar, Halga, one not living
Heorogar was known for his bravery on the
battle field.
A hall was built
in his honor
Something of evil
comes from "moore land" to hurt the happiness
Cain awakens evil
creature to ruin the fun.
Vocab
March-rieve- A
disturber of the border, one who sallies from his haunt in the fen and roams
over the country nearby. This probably pagan nuisance is now furnished with
biblical credentials as a fiend or devil in good standing, so that all
Christian Englishmen might read about him. "Grendel" may mean one who
grinds and crushes.
Ettins-Giants
Chapter Two
Went to house and
found group of people mourning the death of a person
The next morning Grendel found out his
servant of 12 years was murdered
That night Grendel looked for the
person who killed his servant and was determined to get his revenge
The murder wasn't
hard to find and Grendel found who he thought killed his servant
There was another
person continuing to murder people ruthlessly
People said he
still lurked the "moorlands" but nobody said where this place was
because they were so afraid
People prayed
that they wouldn't be killed by this person but also prayed he would be
forgiven by god
Chapter Three
Grendel seen as a
hero and people thought his valor should be recognized by the king
Grendel chosen to
lead a group of 14 men (called the Geats) to sea
He and his men
found the place they were sailing to - Danes
Get off boat
armed with weapons and shields
Met by a warden
("scylding clansman") on horseback that was armed
Warden explains that his job is to
protect the people of Danes from sailors who land there
He also explains
he had never seen people come there and be so obvious that they were warriors
Warden tells them
that he is praying for them on their voyage
Chapter Four
The warrior (seafarer) leader claims he is the son of Ecgtheow who's widely known and honored by many
The warrior got wind of the "monster" that tortures and haunts the Danes and demands that he and his men attempt to defeat this "scathing", "dark ill-doer" monster
Agreeing with the plan, his men marched to the village/palace in which Hrothgar loved
Some men were assigned to gaurd the boat and escort the others to the palace, protecting the boat from their foes; "gaurd it kept o'er the man of war..."
The men can see the shimmery, glistening, gold palace from afar
The men who were assigned to gaurd the boat and also escort the other men then return to the boat where they spend their time being on the look out
Chapter Five
The men, while marching, observe the shiny, well-decorated streets and atmosphere of Heorot
The men were approached by a proud, curious warrior who stopped the men and asked what their purpose of arrival was
Beowulf, the leader of the men, and Wulfgar(the warrior described above) discuss the matters. Wulfgar directs the leader and his men to the throne of Hrothgar
Wulfgar asks Hrothgar to speak to the men
and exclaims that Beowulf appears to be a strong, firm leader; "In weeds of the warrior worthy they, methinks, of our liking, their leader most surely, a hero that hither his henchmen has led."
The warrior (seafarer) leader claims he is the son of Ecgtheow who's widely known and honored by many
The warrior got wind of the "monster" that tortures and haunts the Danes and demands that he and his men attempt to defeat this "scathing", "dark ill-doer" monster
Agreeing with the plan, his men marched to the village/palace in which Hrothgar loved
Some men were assigned to gaurd the boat and escort the others to the palace, protecting the boat from their foes; "gaurd it kept o'er the man of war..."
The men can see the shimmery, glistening, gold palace from afar
The men who were assigned to gaurd the boat and also escort the other men then return to the boat where they spend their time being on the look out
Chapter Five
The men, while marching, observe the shiny, well-decorated streets and atmosphere of Heorot
The men were approached by a proud, curious warrior who stopped the men and asked what their purpose of arrival was
Beowulf, the leader of the men, and Wulfgar(the warrior described above) discuss the matters. Wulfgar directs the leader and his men to the throne of Hrothgar
Wulfgar asks Hrothgar to speak to the men
and exclaims that Beowulf appears to be a strong, firm leader; "In weeds of the warrior worthy they, methinks, of our liking, their leader most surely, a hero that hither his henchmen has led."
Characters:
The Geats- Beowolf’s clan, Beowolf born around 495
The Dantes- residents of Denmark, Scylding is Anglo Saxon
lineage
The Swedes- lived in Sweden north of Geats
Finnsburh- The Fight at Finnsburh overlaps with Beowolf
estimated time period and so studied together, example of Germanic heroic lay
describing warriors experiences in war
Grendel- monster Beowolf killed and
symbolic of when bad Cain killed good Abel (revenge), Beowolf is cause of
trouble because rebel, Grendel’s mother is constant vengeful and represents
cycle of war even when enemy seems to be defeated
Chapter
Six
Hrothgar is talking of
Beowolf and only legends have been told (like rumors in today’s world) of how
strong and great Beowolf is
They thank god (grateful) for having him send Beowolf to
relive them of Grendel and his destruction
Grateful for someone/thing that they haven’t even met yet,
they just know rumors and stories about.
Like society today when we want to ay
someone for their service but really we should just be grateful for their
service and sacrifice to be there rather than having to pay them to make
ourselves feel better about “hassling them”
Heros don’t get hassled, they just go out and do because
that’s their “job”
People get mad about Beowolf not taking the money and gold
but why should he? He did a good deed and shouldn’t it just be left to that?
Beowolf gets message that Hrothgar will accept him and his
kin in his own kingdom for Beowolf’s bravery
Beolwolf replies by giving story of his own battles and how
he came to be known as a strong man. He fought animals and his foes, many at a
time, for his people (the Geats) and to avenge them (symbol of hero)
Beowolf knows his duty, in specific to defeating Grendel, and
knows that he must use only himself and no other armor
Knowledgeable of situation and knows what needs to be done.
Doesn’t put brawn over brains
“So, from thee, thou sovran of the
Shining-Danes, Scyldings'-bulwark, a boon I seek, and, Friend-of-the-folk,
refuse it not, O Warriors'-shield, now I've wandered far, that I alone with my
liegemen here, this hardy band, may Heorot purge!” - I am not sure what he
means by I have wandered too far?
He knows he might die in battle and respects the “rules” of
battle and lets his family know that if he is to die in battle, they shouldn’t
worry about burying him properly.
Practical but still with hope that he will win the battle
with faith
Chapter
Seven
Hrothgar retells story of brother’s, Heorogar, death.
Killed by war between Wylfings and Scyldings over money and
gold
Shows destruction of materialistic world and consequences of
it
“Then was this
mead-house at morning tide dyed with gore, when the daylight broke, all the
boards of the benches blood-besprinkled, gory the hall: I had heroes the less,”
- descriptive language of how warriors died trying to defeat Grendel. Revenge
Hrothgar wants. Passionate
Sit to eat after this gruesome story, shows culture and how
they take death as a apart of life but then want revenge for wrongful deaths as
do we in today’s world
Chapter
Eight
Always refer to
seafarers to tell a rumor or story, Why?
Enferth (son of Ecglaf) questioned Beowolf’s ability to
actually fight Grendel and told of story where Beowolf and “rival” Breca swam
the seas together and then Breca got out of the sees unharmed but he worries
that Beowolf is not strong like Breca.
Questioning of strength is key in hero battle/adventure
because it makes the hero think about his/her strength and if they really can
achieve their goal
Also gives background to Beowolf and adventures
Questions that Beowolf will do anything without really
thinking about it or consequences
Beowolf reinforces that he is ready and states that he was a
child and didn’t know better but he did bring swords for protection
He stayed by Breca until the very end until it was
impossible to stay together because of the seas tearing them apart
Beowolf defeated the beast of the sea and that shows
give evidence behind why he is worthy of fighting Grendel
He supports this accusation on inadequacy and backs up his
point with evidence as seen in today’s culture with giving effective opinions
and if you want people to believe you then you give them reasons to
He proves himself time and time again which is what
a hero has to do because the people are putting their faith into him and they
want credibility
Beowulf
Notes:
Chapter Nine
Beowulf encounters evil sea
monsters that make him feel threatened. So he kills them with his sword. He
kills nine of them and they will never bother the sailors again. This is when
he was separated from Breca. Reminds me of Moby Dick in a sense.
He
fought a difficult battle and the tides ended up taking him to the land of the
Fins.
Breca was on of Beowulf’s closest kin, but he left Beowulf in
the sea where he had to fight giants on his own, but Beowulf doesn’t wish war
with him. Beowulf believes that his bad will come to him.
Grendel is the son of
Ecglaf. Grendel was very jealous of Hrothgar so he brought him humiliation. Now
Grendel would “rot in hell”. (Dante’s Inferno)
Beowulf fears no feud with the Danish; he will fight, murder
and eat with them and the next day finds out the strength of the Geats.
Beowulf will fight with them and Hrothgar, jewel-giver, is
pleased with his will to fight. The queen snickers at this but still continues
to wear her gold and carried the cup of the hall.
The queen walked around the hall, first giving the king a
drink (Hrothgar), and then giving the rest a drink. She was so happy that
Beowulf had committed to fight with the Geats and if he didn’t help win the
battle he would die in the process.
The queen thanked the lord for her Savior, Beowulf.
The son of Healfdene wants to get to bed, but speaks with
Beowulf before he goes. They speak of the hopeful glory for the battle the next
morning. Beowulf will remain in the hall bequeathing, or giving the power over
to him. Healfdene’s son would obtain the power over the hall, which was called
Heorot Hall, for the night. ( A will? In case he died in battle the next day,
Healfdene would inherit the power?)
Chapter Ten
Hrothgar and Wealhtheow, the queen, go to bed, but have a
guard watch their room in order to prevent the monster from getting to them.
The monster being Grendel. (Frankenstein was a monster to everyone)
Beowulf retires for the
night and has a guard watch his armor, but he challenges the monster to a
battle without armor or weapons. He says the gods will decide who is right.
Everyone laid down to
rest not fearing of dying or not returning home the next day. Although many
people had not made it back, they had no worries.
Metaphor of one man
being different than the rest to god ruling over man-kind. Was Beowulf starting
to earn the reputation of a god?
Beowulf was the only man to lie awake
looking at the wandering shadow in the hall. Beowulf could only think of the
upcoming battle and would not sleep.
Pg 31- 60
From Tristia Ovid, Translated by L. R.
Lind: Book 10
Tristia had moved from her mother country, Dardanian Troy, when it was attacked by the Grecian Army.
Now in the Pontus, feels like the days go by like years
Despises the common theme of death races (referring to gladiator games and/or the continuous war between the Romans and their enemies)
Feels like a barbarian not being able to communicate with people of the new land, had to use body language
Was exiled from Rome
"Injured the power of Caesar the god," in result was sent to assimilate with the Scythian race as a punishment
Believes she deserved to be exiled but not to such a city
Far Corners of Earth by Tu Fu translated by David Hinton
Describes a shift from the Chianghan mountains where clouds begin to hover over to "a new waste of highway." Gradual decline in mood.
From Beowulf
Portrays the AngloSaxon culture of eighth century Britain
Beowulf: swordwielding slayer of monsters, upholder of the right, warriorchieftain
Takes place in sixth century Scandinavia, speaks Old English
Beowulf seeks to help the Danish King Hrothgar in fighting the swampland monster, Grendel.
First of the three mortal battles
Scops often told long narrative poems by mouth in AngloSaxon England which resulted in it's change and growth
Finally written down in eleventh century
Main themes: bravery, loyalty, heroism
The Electronic Beowulf Project revived the burnt original manuscripts of Beowulf.
Epic: a long narrative poem, sometimes developed orally, that celebrates the deeds of a legendary or heroic figure
hero battles for the order of his world
story told in serious matter with sophisticated language
Legendary hero: a larger than life character whose accomplishments are celebrated in traditional tales
Vocab:
Kenning
Caesura
Reparation
Solace
Purge
Writhing
Massive
Loathsome
Tristia had moved from her mother country, Dardanian Troy, when it was attacked by the Grecian Army.
Now in the Pontus, feels like the days go by like years
Despises the common theme of death races (referring to gladiator games and/or the continuous war between the Romans and their enemies)
Feels like a barbarian not being able to communicate with people of the new land, had to use body language
Was exiled from Rome
"Injured the power of Caesar the god," in result was sent to assimilate with the Scythian race as a punishment
Believes she deserved to be exiled but not to such a city
Far Corners of Earth by Tu Fu translated by David Hinton
Describes a shift from the Chianghan mountains where clouds begin to hover over to "a new waste of highway." Gradual decline in mood.
From Beowulf
Portrays the AngloSaxon culture of eighth century Britain
Beowulf: swordwielding slayer of monsters, upholder of the right, warriorchieftain
Takes place in sixth century Scandinavia, speaks Old English
Beowulf seeks to help the Danish King Hrothgar in fighting the swampland monster, Grendel.
First of the three mortal battles
Scops often told long narrative poems by mouth in AngloSaxon England which resulted in it's change and growth
Finally written down in eleventh century
Main themes: bravery, loyalty, heroism
The Electronic Beowulf Project revived the burnt original manuscripts of Beowulf.
Epic: a long narrative poem, sometimes developed orally, that celebrates the deeds of a legendary or heroic figure
hero battles for the order of his world
story told in serious matter with sophisticated language
Legendary hero: a larger than life character whose accomplishments are celebrated in traditional tales
Vocab:
Kenning
Caesura
Reparation
Solace
Purge
Writhing
Massive
Loathsome
Higlac was
the king of the Geats and Beowulf's feudal lord and uncle as well as a very
strong man
Higlac heard that Grendel
violently forced and demanded a boat to be fitted out for him to go see Higlac
Beowulf chose the mightiest,
bravest, and best men of the Geats he could find to accompany him on his
journey to Hrothgar (14 men total)
He knew the sea would lead
them straight to that distant, Danish shore
They sailed their boat and
arrived fully dressed in mail with the best armor and uninvited
Hrothgar's lieutenant met them
on the shore, demanding to know who they were and why they came unannounced
He asked Beowulf to
immediately explicate their reason for their visit before they take action
against them
Beowulf explained who they
were and that they were there to hunt Grendel and protect the people and their
King from the monster
The mounted officer believed their words
and that he and his men would guard their ship and protect it, saying that any
warriors who battle Grendel successfully should go home bearing their love
Once Beowulf and his men
arrived at Herot, they were called in to see the King
Beowulf arose and went to meet
Hrothgar with some of his men, ordering a few to remain behind with their
weapons
Vocab
reparation: (n.) something making up for wrong
or injury
solace: (n.) comfort; relief
mail: (n.) flexible body armor made of metal
(in this context)
Beowulf and his men arrive at Herot and
are called to see the King
Beowulf ordered some of his men to stay
with their weapons, while he took others and himself "into Hrothgar's
Presence"
Beowulf describes himself to the kind to
make him seem more favorable, by saying things like "They have seen my
strength for themselves, Have watched me ride form the darkest of war, Dripping
with my enemies' blood."
Beowulf over does it on the compliments to
the king then asks for the kings permission to "purge all evil from this
hall" (including Grendal, who Beowulf is willing to go into great battle
against) Beowulf is willing to die for his cause and exaggeratedly says
so.
The Battle with Grendel
Grendal came from the marsh and journeyed
to Herot and was met harshly with Herot being so firmly defended.
Grendal stormed through the doors quickly,
saw the young and sleepy soldiers lining the halls, grabbed one and killed him,
snapping shit and drinking the blood.
Grendal clutched Beowulf but
was suprised by his strength and attack. Grendal's first reaction was to run
but Beowulf didn't let him go.
Beowulf and Grendal battled violently.
Herot shook and trembled, it was built to only come down in fire but the battle
was a much great force.
He
was the strongest man, Beowulf was going to kill the "monster"
Beowulf's men woke up to Beowulf fighting Grendel and were
ready to fight, if needed; they were courageous, but Grendel was pretty
indestructible against them and he could easily beat them all
But, he (Grendel) was
now declining, dying, and had been defeated
His shoulder bone broke, a sign of the battle being over
Beowulf won "glory, Grendel escaped" to his den
though, to die a slow and miserable death
Beowulf was very prod, the Danes were happy and his
accomplishments were listed; he ended Hrothgar's people's problems
Beowulf hung Grendel's "arm, claw, shoulder and
all" on the rafters; it was basically a trophy of the victory and proof of
the win
The Monsters' Lair (there was a
celebration of Beowulf's victory, but Grendel's mother kills Hrothgar's best
friend and takes Grendel's claw, Beowulf hears from the king about the
underwater lair)
The king is talking the
whole time
Peasants in fields saw female and male creatures and told the
king's wise men
Grendel they named the man one, no one knows if there were
any before them or any other creatures like them
The creatures lived in a secret wolf den with rocks and a
waterfall to an underground lake (my visual interpretation of the text) It's
very dark, roots hanging from the top, no one knows how deep
The king wants Beowulf to kill the mother, Beowulf is his
only help and hope of "being saved", he will reward him with gold and
treasure for winning
The Battle with Grendel's
Mother (Beowulf decides to kill her and goes to the lake)
(Beowulf is speaking to
the men) To Hrothgar, if he(Beowulf) should die during battle, he wants
Hrothgar to be "Father and protector" of his comrades. He wants
Higlac to have the things Hrothgar gave him. To Unferth, who questioned his
bravery before the Grendel battle, he leaves his "famous old sword"
<symbolic value
He jumped into the lake without others responding
Sank for "hours" before reaching the bottom
Grendel's mother saw him, her "welcome" was trying
to kill him, but his armor was too strong to penetrate
She carried him to her home, he couldn't get out his weapon
The fight brought other monsters swimming to see...
She brought him into her home which
nothing could attack them in
He attacked her but realized he couldn't
hurt her
They continue to fight, and
she draws a blade on him, her only son, but she hit his armor and he was
unharmed
He then struck her across the neck and
rejoiced at her death
He then picked up his sword and went to
find Grendel but found him dead
Beowulf then left taking
nothing but Grendels head and the jeweled sword
The Geats rejoiced when
Beowulf returned
They then gifted the Danes with Grendel's
head
Beowulf honored by Hrothgar
He
becomes king
Rules
Greatland for 50 years
Dragon
comes into kingdom when Beowulf is an old man
He decided to slay the beast
Before battle, tells his men about the royal house
Wanted to fight without any armor, then realizes the dragon
breathes fire
Believes he's the only man who can do it.
Wants to claim dragon's riches
Dragon attacked with breathe first
His
armor held up, then started to melt
First
time in life, he fought with fate against him
His sword broke in two, but got a stab into the dragon
Beowulf fell back, dragon attacked, breathed fire at him, he
suffered
Once king, now a beaten warrior
All other men fleed without helping him
Only man that stayed was Wiglaf, Wexstan's son
Wiglaf's mind was made up, he raised his shield and drew his
sword
Onela got armor
from the king.
Wexstan kept the
shining gifts for his son but was killed.
His heir, Wiglaf, inherited the
treasures. He went into war with Beowulf and was strong and courageous.
Wiglaf brought the soldiers together,
telling them Beowulf had given them the swords, it is time to defend with them.
It is better for them to suffer than to cause agony to the king. He yelled
encouragement and went into the dragons deadly flames.
Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon. The
Beowulf is wounded and is dying. He asks Wiglaf to retrieve the treasure the
dragon was protecting.
The Spoils
Wiglaf goes into
the cave. Finds lots of gold and sparkling things. He grabs as much as he can
and takes it to the dying king.
Beowulf says he gave his life for
this treasure, use it to help and lead his people.
He said he wanted
to be burned high at the waters edge so sailors could see this tower and call
it Beowulf's tower. He gave all he had to Wiglaf and said their family had been
swept away as warriors and now he was following them. Then he died.
Wiglaf is mad at
those who deserted Beowulf
The Geats burn
his body.
The Farewell
The Geats built
the tall and strong tower Beowulf requested, his ashes sealed inside. All the
treasure was left at his grave deep in the ground. Twelve men road around the
tower telling of their stories and sadness and of his greatness. They said
there was not other king worthy of such praise.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Peer to Peer
Jacob and I created a forum for the peer to peer evaluation. Please check it out and leave a suggestion. It's a work in progress so let us know what you want to see.
Thanks
http://oslap2014.boards.net/
Thanks
http://oslap2014.boards.net/
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Montaigne/ Austen Essay
It is
impossible to write exactly what you mean. No matter how many words people use
things are always implied to a certain degree. In his story “Good Old Neon”
David Foster Wallace states that everything is too interconnected and
everything in the world happens to fast for words to possibly describe. The
essays of Michel de Montaigne support this notion. Montaigne’s style with a “stream
of consciousness” approach, and heavy use of logos, supports this claim
especially when compared to Jane Austen’s style in Pride and Prejudice which utilizes third person limited and ethos.
In
Montaigne’s collection of essays, he covers a large variety of subjects. In
each essay, Montaigne uses “stream of consciousness” writing what comes to his
mind, often sidetracking way off the topic of the essay. By doing so, Montaigne
is able to cover many subjects. He does not however, cover everything about
said subject. At the end of each essay the reader still has questions about the
subject and is often left without any resolution. Compared to Pride and Prejudice, where Austen uses
third person limited, Montaigne covers more on any given subject in a literal
sense. It is however through third
person limited that Austen is able to imply more and allow readers to “read
between the lines,” thus giving a fuller picture of the subject. Because of
this, when the essays of Montaigne are compared to Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Montaigne supports
Wallace’s claim that words can’t describe everything.
Another technique
utilized by Montaigne that when compared to Pride
and Prejudice, supports Wallace’s claim, is his heavy use of logos. By
writing in a logical manner using words to try and work out what he means,
Montaigne does not answer all questions and end all arguments on the subjects
he writes about. Words just simply aren't enough. Austen’s use of ethos
throughout her novel speaks to readers and helps them understand her point.
Because of this, it is clear that emotions speak more to readers aiding in
understanding rather than logic and words which leave gaps when commenting on a
variety of subjects. Though when arguing logos and words tend to be more
persuasive than pure emotion, when trying to cover all subjects and help
readers wholly understand the matter at hand it is clear emotion wins out.
David
Foster Wallace claims that there is too much happening in the world and in our
minds for words to possibly describe it all. When compared to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the essays of
Michel de Montaigne support this claim. The inability of logos and stream of
consciousness to end all arguments and answer all questions versus the ability
of ethos and third person limited to speak to readers demonstrates that words
simply can’t cover it all.
Vocabulary #1
-
Adumbrate: To report or represent in outline
o
Dr. Preston adumbrated the necessity of collaboration
in open source learning.
-
Apotheosis : the highest point in the
development of something; culmination or climax
o
For many people graduation is the apotheosis of
his or her academic career but for him, it was just the beginning.
-
Ascetic: characterized by or suggesting the
practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence
o
When cutting weight wrestlers have to be ascetic
avoiding food and drink as much as possible
-
Bauble: a shiny trinket or emblem
o
The cluttered room was filled with baubles, mementos
of her vast travels.
-
Beguile: to charm or enchant, sometimes in a
deceptive way
o
The crafty salesmen beguiled the tourists into
buying his useless baubles.
-
Burgeon: begin to grow or increase rapidly;
flourish
o
His worldly knowledge burgeoned with his
extensive travels
-
Complement: a thing that completes or brings to
perfection
o
Technology including twitter and blogger
complements open source learning.
-
Contumacious: willingly disobedient to authority
o
A lot of freshmen think they can be contumacious
because they are in high school now.
-
Curmudgeon: bad tempered person
o
Wrestlers become curmudgeons while cutting
weight screaming at everyone in sight
-
Didactic: intended to teach with moral
instruction as a motive
o
Many novels are didactic, speaking on many
social injustices in our culture.
-
Disingenuous: pretending to know as much about
something as one already does
o
The speeder tried to be disingenuous claiming
not to know what the speed limit was when he was pulled over.
-
Exculpate: to prove someone’s innocence
o
The autopsy exculpated the suspect, and he was
released from jail.
-
Faux pas: an embarrassing act in a social
situation
o
When I was little someone called the teacher “mommy”
and it was quite the faux pas.
-
Fulminate: to express protest
o
Many people in Ferguson Missouri are fulminating
against police brutality and the killing of Mike Brown.
-
Fustian: pretentious speech or writing
o
The teacher thought the student was only being
fustian on the first day, and wasn’t actually that smart.
-
Hauteur: disdainful pride
o
In Pride
and Prejudice Darcy exemplifies hauteur, refusing to dance with Elizabeth because
of her social status
-
Inhibit: hinder restrain or prevent
o
Though he wanted to help, all he did was inhibit
getting the job done quickly
-
Jeremiad: a long mournful complaint
o
The day after the test the teacher had to listen
to all the students’ jeremiads about how difficult it was.
-
Opportunist: a person who uses circumstances for
gain
o
Always the opportunist, Joey saw his chance to
participate in a project that would look good on a college application to a
college of engineering.
-
Unconscionable: unreasonable
o
His request for $40 billion was unconscionable.
1987 AP exam essay 2
Thesis: In the novel Grapes
of Wrath, Steinbeck advocates for the poor working class and calls for
programs to help them improve their living situation mainly through ethos and
logos.
Paragraph 1: ethos-
show hardship experienced by Joad’s, overall tone of sadness, shows how the
family gets split up, death throughout plot, Hoovervilles and other poor
families
Paragraph 2: logos- shear number of families, amount of help
given, costs Joad’s bear and shows how their income doesn’t support it, lack of
jobs
Conclusion: restate thesis- Through logos and ethos
Steinbeck shows the hardships experienced by the working class family during
the great depression and calls for aid programs for the poor.
Reflections on Week One
1. My schedule will affect my experience in this
class. Because I have this class sixth period I will be missing class often for
wrestling. I am trying to get it switched.
2. The
most amazing learning experience I’ve ever had was at the Hugh O’Brian Youth
Leadership Conference. The conference was at Cal Lutheran University and
collected the some of the best students in Southern California into one place.
At this conference there was a variety of leadership activities along with
several guest speakers that spoke on diversity and how we judge people. The
most memorable experience was one guest speaker who was very funny but could
get very serious speaking on the social issues of our culture and the world. It
was through this rapid switch from funny to serious that I learned an important
thing about learning. There are times to joke around but when it is time to
learn jokes need to be put aside and one needs to switch gears to talk on
serious issues, which I think is an important lesson. I knew it was happening
because I remember laughing one second and the next thinking “Sh*t just got
real…”
3. I
am looking forward to the collaborative aspects through technology, and am
excited to learn how I can create a digital presence for myself to show my
talents and my work. I know it will make a practical difference in my life
because the world is becoming more and more paperless and more and more
digitized so I think it is important to establish yourself online.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Michel De Montainge
It is
impossible to write exactly what you mean. No matter how many words people use
things are always implied to a certain degree. In his story “Good Old Neon”
David Foster Wallace states that everything is too interconnected and
everything in the world happens to fast for words to possibly describe. The essays
of Michel De Montaigne support this notion. Montaigne’s style with a “stream of
consciousness” approach seems to support this claim especially when compared to
Jane Austen’s style in Pride and
Prejudice which utilizes third person limited.
1987 AP exam Free response 1
When it
comes to modern “conveniences”, people often have mixed emotions on their
usefulness. A vast majority of people see them for what they help people to do.
There are however a select few, who see modern “conveniences” as an obstruction
from “living life.” Amongst these few is George Eliot, who notes in her piece
that modern advances in terms of technology have impeded on what she views as
leisure. Through various stylistic devices Eliot shows her longing for “old
leisure,” giving a feeling of distaste towards the pace of life she is forced
to live in.
Eliot
demonstrates such a fondness for the “old leisure” that she uses the majority
of her piece describing it. “Old leisure” is something hardly anybody has time
for today; true relaxation. Eliot describes a care free man, with no worries or
responsibilities. Leisure was doing what you want to do, relaxing under a tree
or reading a newspaper. She describes leisure as what people today do only when
they take a relaxing vacation, not every day in their spare time. Leisure is
detaching oneself from the world to get the largest sense of human self
fulfilment. She notes that without all the advances of her time people could
truly be worry free, no pondering of the universe or reading the latest
philosophy, just relaxation. Getting from place to place was slow with horse
and buggy. This slow paced life is what Eliot feels has been lost. She sees it
as lost to the modern industrial era of her time. She sees that technological
advances designed to make people’s lives easier has just made people eager and
impatient, and that life its self has been thrust into overdrive with an
unnecessarily fast pace. It is because of this fast pace that Eliot misses the
old. She sees the technological progress as doing nothing but making people
eager for things they managed to live without for thousands of years. She feels
it removed people’s ability to detach themselves and truly have leisure time.
To show her
longing for the old and distaste for the new leisure, Eliot uses a variety of
stylistic devices to bring across her point. A large portion of the piece is an
anecdote, telling of a man who had the pleasure of enjoying “old leisure.” It
is through this anecdote that Eliot establishes a reminiscent tone. Throughout
the piece Eliot states many unconnected details to give examples of the
activities of those who practiced old and new leisure, going into great depth
on “old leisure,” only looking at “new leisure” with an uninterested distaste.
George
Eliot demonstrates her distaste for modern life in her piece by longingly
reflecting on “old leisure.” Eliot feels that modern technology has done
nothing but make life to fast paced and make people to eager for material
things disabling them from detaching themselves in order to truly experience leisure.
Through a variety of stylistic devices including a reminiscent tone Eliot
demonstrates her distaste for modern life by reminiscing on “old leisure.”
1987 AP Exam Multiple Choice
1. My
answer: E
Correct answer: C
I didn’t know what a façade was
2. My
answer: A
Correct answer: A
3. My
answer: C
Correct answer: C
4. My
answer: E
Correct answer: E
5. My
answer: D
Correct answer: D
6. My
answer: D
Correct answer: D
7. My
answer: E
Correct answer: E
8. My
answer: B
Correct answer: B
9. My
answer: E
Correct answer: E
I had a hard time with this one but luckily
I narrowed it down and guessed correctly
10. My
answer: C
Correct answer: C
11. My
answer: D
Correct answer: D
12. My
answer: A
Correct answer: B
She says she liked being lonesome for a
change to me that sounds like A
13. My
answer: B
Correct answer: B
14. My
answer: C
Correct answer: C
15. My
answer: E
Correct answer: A
A market place doesn’t seem figurative to
me at least not as figurative as “Expensive Black Folds”
16. My
answer: B
Correct answer: B
17. My
answer: C
Correct answer: C
18. My
answer: E
Correct answer: E
This one was difficult
19. My
answer: A
Correct answer: A
20. My
answer: B
Correct answer: B
21. My
answer: E
Correct answer: E
22. My
answer: C
Correct answer: E
What is an incorrigible breed?
23. My
answer: C
Correct answer: A
I took the lines to literally
24. My
answer: A
Correct answer: A
25. My
answer: E
Correct answer: C
Makes sense now that I look at it closer
26. My
answer: E
Correct answer: E
27. My
answer: D
Correct answer: D
28. My
answer: A
Correct answer: C
To me the analogy seems to recap his
argument
29. My
answer: C
Correct answer: A
I don’t know what versification is
30. My
answer: E
Correct answer: B
He had talked about wit earlier in the poem
so I just assumed
31. My
answer: B
Correct answer: D
It was between B and D I guessed wrong
32. My
answer: E
Correct answer: B
I was counting syllables and there was ten
in each line so I thought how Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter and that five syllables
so I thought iambic tetrameter might be ten and I didn’t even notice the fact
that two lines rhymed then the next two rhymed and so on
47. My
answer: B
Correct answer: B
48. My
answer: E
Correct answer: A
It talks about the star of eve how is that
not night time
49. My
answer: B
Correct answer: C
I’m not quite sure what myrtle is
50. My
answer: D
Correct answer: D
51. My
answer: B
Correct answer: C
It seems to me that the breeze is the
maiden and whatever the breeze caressed is the lover
52. My
answer: B
Correct answer: B
53. My
answer: D
Correct answer: E
I just guessed but now I see that E is
right
54. My
answer: D
Correct answer: B
It was between D and B I guessed wrong
55. My
answer: D
Correct answer: A
I see now that tranquil is describing “I”
or the person
56. My
answer: B
Correct answer: B
57. My
answer: C
Correct answer: C
58. My
answer: D
Correct answer: D
59. My
answer: C
Correct answer: E
The poem says “Save when with Awe” which I took
to mean privileged moment
60. My
answer: B
Correct answer: B
61. My
answer: E
Correct answer: A
I don’t know what Blank Verse is vs freeform
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
ESSAY #1
It is often
stated that in order to progress humans must undergo some form of struggle.
Whether it’s the burning feeling in your lungs after running to get in shape,
or studying and trying to learn material before a test, humans struggle in
order to improve. When Edward Said states that exile can be a “potent, even
enriching” experience he is referring to the human tendency to struggle in
order to improve. This struggle through exile can be exemplified through the
young girl Leah in the novel The
Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver, and the process of her maturing in
her exile from her homeland in the unfamiliar Congo. As Said states, Leah’s experience
with exile is both “alienating and enriching.”
In the
beginning of the novel, Leah has a very close relationship with her father,
perhaps the closest of all the Price children. She listened the ideas of
Christianity her father preached and followed them unquestioningly. While
exiled from her homeland in the US with the strong Christian following, Leah slowly
but surely opened up to the ideas of the local people seeing the “evil” in her
father and the beliefs he was trying to force upon the people. By the end of
the novel she despised her father and his ideas. This clearly demonstrates how
exile both alienates and enriches the individual. The deteriorating
relationship with her father and her home religion shows her becoming alienated
with her homeland, however it shows her accepting other ideas instead of
rigidly sticking to previous ideas thus enriching her.
So thorough
were the local ideas of the Congolese accepted by Leah, that she decided to
stay there permanently. When Leah’s mother decides to take the girls away from
the village and try to get them back to the US, she finds herself in love with
not only a man but the Congo itself, deciding never to leave. This demonstrates
complete alienation from her homeland. Her decision to remain in the Congo
reflects the “unhealable rift” referred to by Said. It is however important to
note that Said mentions that this rift is caused when one leaves their “true
home” and Leah may have found her true home in the Congo and would experience “essential
sadness” if she left the Congo. With that in mind, it is apparent that Leah’s experience
in the Congo was enriching in that she accepted ideas previously alien to her,
and may have even found her “true home.”
Leah went
through a great struggle with her experience in the Congo, a struggle that lead
her to be both alienated from her homeland and enriched as a person. Edward
Said’s noting that exile from ones homeland creates an “essential sadness” but
is an enriching experience is greatly exemplified in the novel The Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver through the growth of the
character Leah, who grew enormously from her experience and became alienated
from her homeland and home ideas.
POETRY #1
1. The
commercial “borrows” the poem “The Laughing Heart” by Charles Bukowski
2. The
use of this poem by a corporation is ironic because the poem tells the reader
to live life how they want to live it, but the corporation is trying to sell us
things basically saying “live your life how you want to live it… as long as you
wear Levi jeans”
3. I
think the poem does reflect the reputation of the author because Bukowski had a
reputation of drinking and using prostitution so he was living his life as he
wanted to live it not paying attention to social norms or the law.
4. To
find the answer to number one I googled “levis go forth poem” and found the
video along with the name of the poem. To make sure it was correct I googled
the name listed “The Laughing Heart” and found several sites that proved it was
correct. I then followed a link on one of these sites that said “Read more on
Bukowski” where I learned about his reputation and made my interpretation.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
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