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.

The Laughing Heart- Charles Bukowski

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." 

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 

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. 

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/

My Opinion Isn't a Right

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. 

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.”

           

            

I CAN READ!!!

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

I have to admit I kind of gave up towards the end

Big Question

What is the next big thing? 

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.

Colleges

• UCLA
• UC Berkeley
• Cal Poly San Louis
• USC
• Northeastern University
• Harvard University