Literature Analysis #3

Push by Sapphire

1.  The story begins with Precious getting kicked out of her high school due to her second pregnancy by her father, which she is angered by as she believes she's done nothing wrong. Later on, Mrs. Lichenstein visits her home encouraging her to go to an alternative school, Each One Teach One, where she soon meets Ms. Rain and other classmates enrolled in the pre-G.E.D. courses. Ms. Rain becomes an inspirational figure in all of the girl's lives as they all come from dysfunctional backgrounds. Writing is key to Ms. Rain's teaching, therefore she has them start a autobiography called "Life Stories-Our Class Book." Through these writings Precious is able to write down her thoughts about her troubled life and dreams. After the birth of her second child, Precious reveals that her first daughter lives with her grandmother, revoking Precious' mom's welfare advantages. This causes an ugly dispute between Precious and her mother resulting in Precious to be abandoned, but with the help of Ms. Rain, she is able to stay in a halfway house. The new home brings independence from her past and Precious begins to think of living a "normal" life with a real boyfriend, until her mother unexpectedly reappears and reveals her father had died from aids. Shortly after, Precious is tested positive for HIV. A classmate, Rita, tells her to join support groups that help her emotionally as she tries to deal with the circumstances. Precious' whereabouts and future are left for the reader to imagine as the novel ends with Precious' writings from the alternative school.
2. Self-confidence and independence is a central theme that is conveyed through Precious' fantasies of being another person more accepted in society that alters into a fantasy of a better version of herself rather than Madonna or Janet Jackson. This change is brought on by the hope and love the Each One Teach One students and teachers have given her allowing her to discover her independence from the bondages of her mother and father's abuse to care for herself and her baby rather than live in a world surrounded by fear and cell bars.
3. The author's tone is quite "out there" I guess you could say. The main character, Precious, is the narrator of the novel who lacks any reading, writing and even speaking skills. This lack of education contributes to the tone's ignorance. Throughout the novel, Precious describes traumatizing events as if they were a mild crime like running a red light, but her childish tone up brings the emotions of sadness brought on by a lack of understanding.
4. Illeism is used throughout the novel conveying the understanding of a child stuck in a 16 year old's body. "Precious wandered what file said." (pg. 30)  Diction is exaggerated in the novel to portray the lack of education brought on by abuse and poverty. "I big, I talk, I eats, I laugh, watch TV, do what my muter says." (pg. 33) Precious also faces severalconflicts from the abuse of her mother and father to the struggle of trying to escape the bondages that weigh her down. "Then she kick me side of my face! 'Whore! Whore!' she screamin.'" (pg. 9) Epithets are also used extensively in the novel to allow the reader to understand how Precious first categorizes people based on the first impression. ".. the cornrow head said smiling." (pg. 32) The story always draws into random flashbacks to help the reader understand in "sneak peeks" the events that played out in Precious's life. "She is 12 no was 12? She is 16 now." (pg. 23) Tragedy is a main device seen by the reader as clear as day from the series of rapes to the down syndrome child to the revealing of HIV positive in the family. "I'm not happy to be HIV positive." (pg. 141) Imagery brought on by the many daydreams of Precious showed how badly she yearned to escape the life she lived for a life she knew she had no chance at. "The butter-colored nurse and a little black nurse were standing there by her bed." (pg. 17) Precious and Ms. Rain's blossomed friendship portrays irony compared to their relationship when they first met. "'The what?' the woman says raising her eyebrows and peering over the top of her glasses at Precious." (pg. 28) The tragic moodcontributes to the overall tone of the novel by creating a sympathetic aura for the readers. "I'm walking across the lobby room real real slow. Full of chicken, bread; usually that make me not want to cry remember, but I feel like crying now." (pg. 40) Stream of Consciousness is another major literary device used. The novel itself is basically a diary of Precious's life events and thoughts on every aspect of her life from her beatings to her fantasies. "I want to tell her what I always want to tell someone, that the pages, 'cept for the ones with pictures, look all the same to me .." (pg. 50)

Characterization

1. Indirect: "Precious tried to turn away from her but the butter-colored nurse from Greenwood, Mississippi held her tighter, pulling Precious' chest and shoulders into her arms." (pg. 18) "My fahver don't see me really. If he did he would know I was like a white girl, a real person, inside." (pg. 14) Direct: "I should be in the eleventh grade, getting ready to go into the twelf' grade so I can gone 'n graduate. But I'm not. I'm in the ninfe grade." (pg. 1) "But I couldn't let him, anybody, know, page 122 look like page 152, 22, 3, 6, 5-all the pages look alike to me. 'N I really do want to learn." (pg. 5)The author uses both approaches to convey the character through direct describing words and support their statements through their actions.

1. The author's syntax and diction alternate between each page break. Precious speaks of herself in an illeism stance or in first person while another section could be told by an outside third person perspective. The author uses different perspectives to portray the same plot but through different understandings.
2. Precious is more of a dynamic and round character in the sense that she alters from a person changed by her circumstances into a character who takes hold of the reigns of her future. In the beginning of the novel, Precious lives her life with one goal: surviving. Because of the lack of love, encouragement and education in her life, she is forced to believe any other life for her is impossible to achieve. When she attends the Each One Teach One alternative school, she finds herself surrounded by people just like her who learn to lean on one another to fill in the missing gaps of hope and love they lack in their lives. At the end of the novel, Precious finds herself with a new sense of independence and self-confidence. Although she discovers she's positive for HIV, she reacts to the situation differently by continuing to live her life and care for her child.
3. I placed the novel down feeling like I've met Precious Jones on a more personal level than she'd ever give off if she were a real person I'd met. The novel's choice of literary devices and diction placed me inside the head of a poverty, abuse stricken child who has no sense of what is right or wrong, but is ironically innocent in her own unique way. This innocence wouldn't have been understandable if it weren't for the insight into her thoughts through this novel. "'What's your daddy's name?' 'Carl Kenwood Jones, born in the Bronx.' She say, 'What's the baby's father's name?' I say, 'Carl Kenwood Jones, born in the same Bronx.' She quiet quiet. Say, ' Shame, thas a shame. Twelve years old, twelve years old,' she say over n' over like she crazy (or in some shock or something). She look at me, butter skin, light eyes-I know boyz lover her. She say, 'Was you ever, I mean did you ever get to be a chile?' Thas a stupid question, did I ever get be a chile? I am a chile. I'm confused, tired." (pg.12-13)

Prufrock Seminar Notes

-He was going through the stages of his life

-Talked about what he learned to do and what he had done in the end

-He feels lonely (crab under the sea)

-Self conscious, always feel like there's something wrong with his appearance

-He's searching for love

-He's super indecisive, like Hamlet

-To Prufrock, every choice to him is complicated

-But Hamlet followed through with his battles, Prufrock didn't

-He thinks he's different than everyone else, he wants someone there to listen

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

This poem goes back and forth, constantly pointing out that J. Alfred Prufrock simply can't make up his mind. He is very indecisive about things and I can completely relate because lately with college applications and everything, I feel like my peers and I have been pretty indecisive as well. Time plays a roll in this play because he knows he has to do something, yet he keeps putting it off. He knows time is running out and it seems like he's scared or self conscious of doing what he's talking about. He seems to be focusing a lot on the "now" of life instead of the future or past. There's an allusion to Hamlet in this poem. T.S. Eliot added this to prove how Prufrock is so indecisive. Almost everyone knows the story of Hamlet and how he was so indecisive, going back and forth whether to kill Claudius or not. J. Alfred Prufrock has the same mindset as Hamlet and by alluding Hamlet to this poem, it gives you a single mindset of the way Prufrock is thinking. For example, Prufrock didn't know whether to eat a peach or to part his hair. Eliot uses a variety of figurative language in this poem. One that stands out to me is the imagery. Eliot uses the key word "yellow" at the beginning of several stanzas. He talks about yellow fog and yellow smoke more than once throughout the poem. For one, yellow isn't a color of happiness. For two, fog and smoke isn't any sort of happy either. This usage of imagery sets up an understanding for the reader that J. Alfred Prufrock isn't very happy. He's actually quite self conscious and is hard on himself when he really shouldn't be. 

Poetry Remix

"Working Together"
- David Whyte

We shape our self

To fit this world

And by the world

Are shaped again.

The visible 

And the invisible

Working together 

In common cause,

To produce

The miraculous.

I am thinking of the way

The intangible air

Passed at speed

Round a shaped wing

Easily

Holds our weight.

So may we, in this life

Trust

To those elements

We have yet to see

Or imagine, 

And look for the true

Shape of our own self, 

By forming it well

To the great

Intangible about us.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gbrbUfYSt0E

Poem Questions

Working Together
by David Whyte

We shape our self
to fit this world

and by the world
are shaped again.

The visible
and the invisible

working together
in common cause,

to produce 
the miraculous.

I am thinking of the way
the intangible air

passed at speed
round a shaped wing

easily
holds our weight.

So may we, in this life
trust

to those elements
we have yet to see

or imagine,
and look for the true

shape of our own self,
by forming it well

to the great 
intangibles about us.

• What is the significance of the title? The title is "Working Together". It presents to us that by coming together and forming that everything will soon be good again. 
• What is the tone of the poem? The tone of the poem is soothing. Whyte provides to us that, yes, we all do have problems and try to fit in with all this other crazy stuff, but he also knows we can fix it all by coming together. 
• What is your mood as you read it? As i read this, it makes me feel hopeful. To me, it's a little inspiring because it lets me know that I'm certainly not alone and will one day find certain content. 
• Is there a Shift?  Where?  From what to what? There is a shift from the line "So may we in this life trust". Before Whyte was just talking about the problem but now he's talking about how to confront it and find a solution. 
• What is the theme of the poem? The theme of the poem is coalition. David Whyte makes it a point that the best way to solve a problem is by working together. By coming together and forming ways to maintain an obstacle you may receive the best results. 

Hamlet Essay

   The quote "To be or not to be" in the middle of Young Hamlet's soliloquoy in the play Hamlet has a very strong meaning. It questions many of the thousands of things that are constantly floating around in Hamlet's mind. This excerpt immediately allows you to identify and connect the theme of the whole play: madness. Hamlet puts on an act to make people think he's crazy and manipulates them into admitting the things they've done. This soliloquoy, in my opinion, is a epitome of the entire play and its understanding. 

   Throughout the "To be or not to be" Hamlet is questioning the meaning to life. With constantly asking questions like; Who are we? Who am i? What makes me noble? In this speech, he lists all of the stuff we have to deal with when being present. The whole big question is whether he should live or not live. By presenting questions like these, Shakespeare allows the audience to connect to the story and even get a better understanding of the entire story because Shakespeare is describing us, even 600 years later. Shakespeare simply  presents to us that times have changed and people haven't. 

  Contemplating whether he should take it or fight it, Hamlet suffers with his innerself. Does he do the noble thing for his father and kill Claudius, or does he just leave the situation completely and kill himself? He knows that once the deed is done that there's no going back. He also knows that we watch people do bad things and get rewarded while people are doing good things and bad things happen to them. None of this makes sense to Hamlet at all. He's at a hiatus and with all this pressure, he's not even sure if he can live anymore. The whole thought process of contemplating something that is morally justifiable makes him feel like a coward. A lot of us feel like this in many situations in life as well. Being able to relate to the story gives it a bold meaning and helps the reader's understanding. 

   The "To be or not be" soliloquoy is a major event in the play Hamlet and sets off a bold meaning for the rest of the story. All of Hamlet's thoughts allow us to connect to the characters and by Shakespeare doing that, it helps us better understand the play. 

   

Hamlet Essay (2nd Option)

   The play Hamlet can give off many misinterpretations. Some may go on to think that the young Hamlet is crazy and insane. Some may also think that Hamlet is constantly suicidal. Although, by manipulating Shakespeare's text, it's a realization that Hamlet is neither of these things. Hamlet seems to be stuck between an inner conflict and an outer conflict. He has to make the decision to live through all this frustration with the thought of his uncle killing his father and marrying his mom, or to simply end it all by killing Claudius. Hamlet is necessarily mad, or crazy, he's just becoming more and more stressed with the pressure of his father's ghost telling him to kill Claudius. At times in the plot, Hamlet does seem insane, but morally, who wouldn't be bitter about his "uncle" murdering his father, marrying his mother, then taking over the throne? Hamlet is simply just a teenager trying to deal with the troubles of his young life.
   A frustrating situation like the one Hamlet is in is hard to go through for anybody, better yet a young teenage boy. And that's what a lot of people look passed when reading this play and suddenly framing Hamlet as crazy. All his life, Hamlet has never been introduced to such cruelty. He's been taught to do the right thing and set examples because of his hierarchy. That's why when his "uncle", Claudius, commits such an action, Hamlet is furious. In the play, both Claudius and Queen Gertrude just think Hamlet is crazy. What they don't know is that Hamlet is just putting on an "act" so later on when he fools them, they will sound like idiots after saying how stupid Hamlet was. Claudius and Gertrude later on figure that Hamlet is up to something so he is followed and spied on by his "friends". All the frustration and having to cope with the whole situation leads Hamlet into becoming bitter, not mad.
   It's tough when you can't trust the ones who you thought were always there for you. First Hamlet is stabbed in the back by his uncle, Claudius. Then, immediately after, his mother marries his father's brother. Not only has he lost his dear father, but his mom is slowly being clubbed into dank submission as well. And right when Hamlet thought he could count on his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, they betray him as well. They spy on him and report back to Claudius what Hamlet is up to. The whole situation is sickening to Hamlet and living each day like this causes him to become bitter.
   Throughout the whole play, no one knows exactly what Hamlet is thinking or feeling. Everyone just took a wild guess that he was simply crazy because all of what was going on in his life at the moment. With Hamlet's wittiness, he took this into consideration and used it as a tool to gain vengeance upon Claudius. Hamlet is constantly facing both an internal and external conflict while trying to decide if should just put up with all that's happening in his life or to kill Claudius and end the madness. Hamlet may come off insane, but he is really just bitter, and in search for an escape of the surrealness.

Act III Notes

Act III

-Hamlet kills Polonius (wrong guy) because it makes Hamlet have to get to safety and Hamlet sees the ghost right away to remind him that he has to spare Gertrude. 

-Hamlet loses his temper and self control and tries to go after his mother

-Shakespeare uses tension breakers

-Polonius is hiding behind a curtain and Hamlet kills him, thinking it's Claudius

-Claudius plans to send Hamlet to England, sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with him

-Claudius confesses to Polonius about killing King Hamlet

-Hamlet calls out his mother and treats her like she's guilty

-Polonius was eavesdropping behind the curtain

-Hamlet is now taking action instead of just "all talk"

-We create expectations with words, and we change our reality

-Hamlet wants to kill Claudius and send him to hell for punishment. 

-Hamlet loses his temper when he kills Polonius and is talking to his mother. 

-He is rude to his mom

-Gertrude goes crazy first

-Polonius is a foil for Hamlet, all about words

-Gertrude can't see the ghost

Act III Notes (scene i & scene ii)

"To Be or Not to Be" Notes

YUNG HAMLET (REMIX)

Link to video: http://tylerhollum.blogspot.com/2014/10/yung-hamlet.html?m=1

Hamlet Soliloquoy

The link:

http://tylerhollum.blogspot.com/2014/10/stolen.html?m=1

HAMLET ACT 1 SCENE 2

HAMLET ACT 1 SCENE 1

The Art of Hosting Good Conversations

I sent some emails out at around 9 last night to a professor at a small college in Washington and a teacher of a high school in Texas. I haven't yet heard of anything feedback from either. 

Vocabulary: Fall List 6 ❗️

abase - verb cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of

-The 15 year old team's loss to the 13 year olds abased them. 
abdicate - verb give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations

-After learning about his health, the president of the club abticated his position. 
abomination - noun an action that is vicious or vile; an action that arouses disgust or abhorrence; a person who is loathsome or disgusting; hate coupled with disgust

-After embarassing his family, he was considered an abomination. 
brusque - adj. marked by rude or peremptory shortness

-The kids who had already completed their tests were being brusque to the others still trying to take their tests. 
saboteur - noun someone who commits sabotage or deliberately causes wrecks; a member of a clandestine subversive organization who tries to help a potential invader

-In Tom and Jerry, Jerry is the saboteur of Tom's life. 
debauchery - noun a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity

-At bars, there's usually a lot of debaucheries. 
proliferate - verb cause to grow or increase rapidly; grow rapidly

-The disease he had caused his bones to proliferate over the rest of his body. 
anachronism - noun an artifact that belongs to another time; a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs to another age;something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred

-In Indiana Jones, Jones is always looking for some type of anachronism. 
nomenclature - noun a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline

-His mom had came up with a nomenclature to punish him. 
expurgate - verb edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate

-After writing the first draft, I went back and expurgated my essay. 
bellicose - adj. having or showing a ready disposition to fight

-After being told off for no reason at all, the man was bellicose towards the other man. 
gauche - adj. lacking social polish

-Because he was so gauche, nobody really made an effort to talk to him. 
rapacious - adj. excessively greedy and grasping; devouring or craving food in great quantities; living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey

-There are some millionares who are rapacious, then there are some who are very generuous. 
paradox - noun (logic) a statement that contradicts itself

-The author got his point across by using various situations of paradox. 
conundrum - noun a difficult problem

-Deciding what college you want to go to can be sort of a conundrum. 
anomaly - noun (astronomy) position of a planet as defined by its angular distance from its perihelion (as observed from the sun); a person who is unusual; deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule

-Many are judges as anomalies, but once you get to know them, they are actually the total opposite. 
ephemeral - adj. lasting a very short time; nounanything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form

-Their argument was ephemeral. 
rancorous - adj. showing deep-seated resentment

-After being beat in the championship, the team was rancorous towards the winning team. 
churlish - adj. having a bad disposition; surly;rude and boorish

-While watching the movie, the teenage kids were being churlish. 
precipitous - adj. characterized by precipices;extremely steep; done with very great haste and without due deliberation

-He didn't check to see if the hill was precipitous before he went down it on his skateboard. 

Phonar Assignment (Option C)

This is a picture I never took 

of a sunsetted scene with the sound of waves as a young pup jumps in the air and catches a frisbee his owner had thrown. As what seemed to be a period of mayhem and clashing in life at the moment, I sat back and took a breath of fresh air and realized that everything is just gonna be okay. 

GREEN EGGS AND HAMLET

a) All I know about Hamlet is that it's a widely-known piece of literature that everyone is always buzzing about, but I've never taken the time to read it. And also, Shakespeare wrote it. 

b) I know that Shakespeare was a writer from the olden days. Where they used to where funky-looking outfits and men wore tights. He has a lot of famous pieces of literature like Romeo and Juliet, and they are studied all over the world because of how great of a writer he is seen to be. 

c) So many students involuntarily frown automatically when they hear "Shakespeare" because a lot of teachers look at him as a God and we don't know why. His Elizabethan writing makes no sense to us at all. Other than certain little things like that, his stories tend to be pretty interesting. 

d) To make this play an amazing experience we'll never forget we can probably do a fun, colloborative project. 

THE POINT OF CANTERBURY TALES IS...

Personally, I believe Chaucer's main point in The Canterbury Tales is to incorporate a range of attitudes toward not only life, but literature as well. The stories are very satirical, but at the same time explore people's everday lives. 

Vocabulary: Fall List 5 ❗️

shenanigans - noun secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering

-None of my teachers put up with shenanigans.  
ricochet - noun a glancing rebound; 

verb spring back; spring away from an impact

-After shooting the bee-bee gun, the bee-bee ricocheted off of the fence. 
schism - noun division of a group into opposing factions; the formal separation of a church into two churches or the withdrawal of one group over doctrinal differences

-The Catholic Church is a schism of Christianity. 
eschew - verb avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of

-Sometimes it's better to eschew from people who bring drama to their lives. 
plethora - noun extreme excess

-In the War Zone, there's a plethora of students that there's hardly anywhere to sit. 
ebullient - adj. joyously unrestrained

-He had a very ebullient personality. 
garrulous - adj. full of trivial conversation

-Garrulous is practically the same thing as loquacious. 
harangue - noun a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion; verb deliver a harangue to; address forcefully

-His parents harangued him into going to that school. 
interdependence - noun a reciprocal relation between interdependent entities (objects or individuals or groups)

-The countries agreed on being allies and interdependence. 
capricious - adj. determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason; changeable

-His mind was easily capricious. 
loquacious - adj. full of trivial conversation

-The two professors had a very loquacious conversation. 
ephemeral - adj. lasting a very short time; nounanything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form

-Their relationship was ephemeral. 
inchoate - adj. only partly in existence; imperfectly formed

-His feelings are inchoate. 
juxtapose - verb place side by side

-All of the cans in the store were juxtaposed. 
perspicacious - adj. acutely insightful and wise;mentally acute or penetratingly discerning

-Since the teacher was perspicacious all the students looked up to him. 
codswallop - noun nonsensical talk or writing

-When people are tired or sleepy they talk codswallop. 
mungo - noun cloth made from recycled woven or felted material.

-Tom's are a brand that are built from mungo. 
sesquipedelian - adj characterized by long words; long-winded:

-Shakespeare's writings seem kind of sesquipedelian at times. 
wonky - adj. inclined to shake as from weakness or defect; turned or twisted toward one side

-The bolt on the bike was loose, resulting in wonky wheels. 
diphthong - noun a vowel sound that starts near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves toward the position for another

-The piece of literature contained various words that included dipthongs. 

TALE OF A CANTERBURY TALE (In collaboration with Stevie Wisz)

The Miller's Tale

   After the Knight's Tale is appluaded, the Miller is asked to match it, or even better the Knight's Tale. The Miller goes on to say he has the most noble tale, but the Host says to let a "better" man tell it. Drunk, the Miller threatens to leave, but the host stops him and the Miller goes on.  He introduces his tale as a legend and a life of a carpenter and of his wife, and of how a clerk made a fool of the carpenter, which everyone understands to mean that the clerk slept with the carpenter’s wife. The Reeve objects to his profound story, but the Miller goes on. He finally began his story with a guy named Nicholas who studied astrology at Oxford and roomed with the carpenter, John. John's wife was Alisoun. Nicholas sleeps with Alisoun and goes on to caress her by buying gifts, etc. Since Alisoun ends up loving Nicholas, they end up scheming to spend one night together. Nicholas acts like he's ill and tells John that God has spoken to him and that there's going to be a terrible flood. Then goes on to tell John to get three tubs so they could sleep in them before the flood and escape. Once John falls asleep in the tubs, Nicholas and Alisoun run off to spend the night together. The run into Absalon who hopes for a kiss from Alisoun. Absalon persists so Alisoun gives him one kiss. Absalon goes in for another, but Alisoun puts her butt to his lips and Absalon seeks revenge for her prank. Absalon goes to the blacksmith with a hot iron and knocks on Alisoun's door, but Nicholas opens the door, farting on Absalon and he brands Nicholas's butt. Nicholas yells for water and awakes John. John, thinking the flood has come, cuts the tubs falling to the ground and breaking his arm. The noise attracts the townspeople and John tells the story of the flood. Nicholas and Alisoun tell everyone John is just ignorant and mad and lying about the flood. The townspeople laugh that all have received their dues, and the Miller merrily asks that God save the company.

1. The central character of this tale is John, the carpenter. Chaucer utilizes indirect characterization several times to introduce this character:

 "He jealously kept her as if inside a cage, for she was one both young and wild, and he had fears of being a cuckold, so advanced in years." This example demonstrates his level of protection and jealousy over his new wife, Alisoun.

 "In Oxford there once lived a rich old lout who had some guest rooms that he rented out, and carpentry was this old fellow's trade." This specific quote portrays the social/economical class John came from and also his career.

"Not educated, he had never read Cato: one like himself a man should wed, he ought to marry mindful of his state, for youth and age are often at debate." This depicts the carpenters intelligence and knowledge, it claims that he is an uneducated man who did not take age and youth into consideration before marrying.
"To cross himself the carpenter began, and said, "Help us, I pray, Saint Frideswide! This example tells the audience that John is a religious man who looks up to a saint for help/inspiration.
"It was for naught, his reasons were resisted. With such great oaths the fellow was put down, he was considered mad throughout the town; each learned man agreed with every other, saying, "The man is mad, beloved brother," and everyone just laughed at all his strife." This quote gives insight to the society's outlook on John the carpenter. No matter what he said or urged for, they all continued to make humor of him and the situation he was in and considered him as a foolish, mad man.
"This silly carpenter began to shake; he feared he was to witness verily Old Noah's flood come rolling like the sea to drown young Alison, his honey dear. He weeps and wails, he looks so sad and drear as many a sigh he heaves, a mournful sough. He goes and gets a kneading trough somehow, one tub and then another, which he then has privately transported to the inn; in privacy he hangs them as instructed." This use of indirect characterization depicts John's true love for his wife, his dedication to their relationship and love, and also his determination to keep his lovely wife safe and out of harms way.

2. This tale is the funniest that Chaucer has read, in many critics opinions. He wrote this tale because it abounds incongruity (a young, beautiful women with a rich, old man). The story is elevated to great literary heights through Chaucer's masterful use of comic incongruity and characterization, and by the incredible neatness of the tale's construction.

Phonar14 Video

Vocabulary: Fall List 4 ❗️

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

-Her daughter, being obsequious, convonced her teacher to give her another day for her due assignment. 
beatitude - noun one of the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; in Latin each saying begins with `beatus' (blessed); a state of supreme happiness

-He was in a forever beatitude after getting into a relationship. 
bete - verv to better; to mend. 

He beted the ugly situation from the day before with his sister. 

noire - adjective crime fiction featuring hard-boiled cynical characters and bleak sleazy settings. 

-The book that she was reading seemed to be bery noire. 
bode - verb indicate by signs

-He was bodes off the road after seeing 'Road Work Ahead' signs. 
dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid

-The weather in the desert is very dank. 
ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions

-The priest at the church down the road seems very ecumenical. 
fervid - adj. extremely hot; 

characterized by intense emotion

-By the sight of her tears and angered words, you could tell she was fervid about the situation. 
fetid - adj. having a heavy offensive smell

-The baby's diaper was fetid. 
gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky

-His hamburger was so gargantuan I'd never thought that he'd be able to finish it. 
heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

-The Roaring 20's can be consider a heyday moment. 
incubus - noun a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream

-His viewing of the scary movie led to many incubuses while he tried to sleep. 
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

-Our country is based on many different infrastructures in order to be successful. 
inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

-Teachers constantly inveigle us to turn in our assignments. 
kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation

-After being accepted into her first priority college, her family gave her kudos. 
lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)

-Even the most simple lagniappes can make someone's day. 
prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length

-He has a prolix sense of humor. 
protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career

-The doctor's intern is his protege. 
prototype - noun a standard or typical example

-After completing the prototype, they were granted access to design the final product. 
sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

-The girl who does stuff for others all the time is considered a sycophant. 
tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true

-Tautology can be used in many different types of literarure. 
truckle - noun a low bed to be slid under a higher bed; verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering

-A bunk bed is sort of like a truckle. 

Literature Analysis #1

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
-The original plot of 'The Jungle' was the trials and tribulations of immigrants trying to make it in this country in the early 20th century. It follows a young Lithuanian man and his family's trials and tribulations. But it was Sinclair's expose on the meat industry that really riled people up. People wouldn't eat meat for years after this book was printed. It's why we have the FDA today; it was formed because of this book.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
-I believe the theme is about Sinclair is writing against the ideal of the "American Dream." The American Dream promises that, if you work hard, you can build a better life for yourself and your family.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
-Sinclair's tone is that the workimg class is being victimized and the capitalists are evil. So Sinclair has a sense of hatred that is set out towards the capitalists.
  1. "Every socialist did his share, and lived upon the vision of the 'good time coming'".
  2. "No matter how poor a ma was, or how much he suffered, he could never be really unhappy while he knew of that future; even if he did not live to see it himself, his children would, and, to a Socialist, the victory of his class was his victory,"
  3. "The latter were a thousand to one in numbers, but they were ignorant and helpless, and they would remain at the mercy of their exploiters until they were organized- until they had become 'class conscious.'"

4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)
  1. Symbolism- Packingtown and the stockyards symbolize the exploitation of workers.
  2. Symbolism- The idea of the jungle symbolizes the capitalist idea of the survival of the fittest
  3. Symbolism- cans of rotten meat symbolize the disingenuous face of capitalism.
  4. Symbolism- Teta Elzbieta symbolizes the family
  5. Symbolism- Jonas symbolizes capitalism's destruction of the family
  6. Foreshadowing- the setting of Packingtown foreshadows the family's destruction
  7. Foreshadowing- the conversation with grandmother Majauszkiene about the housing swindle foreshadows their eviction
  8. Foreshadowing- Jurgis's experiences with vote-buying and crime earlier in the novel foreshadow his participation in schemes later in the novel
  9.Imagery- Sinclair deeply describes the conditions of Packingtown and how Jurgis and his family must survive in great detail so you can completely picture it.
 10. Motifs- corruption of family and tradition



CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
  Direct:
 1. "She was so young-not quite sixteen- and small for her age." pg. 2, This tells me how old she is.
 2."Jurgis could take up a two-hundred fifty pound quarter of beef and carry it into a car without a stagger, or even a thought." pg. 2, This tells me that Jurgis is strong.
  Indirect:
  1. " There was a light in her eyes and her lids trembled, and her otherwise wan little face was flushed." pg. 2, This tells me in certain situations, she becomes nervous and embarrassed.
  2. 'Tamoszius Kuszleika is his name, and he has taught himself to play the violin by practicing all night." pg. 5, This shows me that this character is very independent and seeks to learn.
  
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
-The whole story, both Sinclair's syntax and diction remains the same when focused on characters. The whole time he remains very confident with what he's writing and continues on with that evil tone the whole story. His perspective remains similar to the anonymous narrator.

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
-The protagonist of the story is Jurgis. Jurgis is a dynamic character. At the beginning of the story, he's just an innocent Lithuanian guy seeking the general freedom by coming to America. Although, once he attends a socialist meeting, he is inspired by a speaker (337). Jurgis is also a round character. Sinclair gives us many different in depth of examples of Jurgis. For example, Sinclair says, "...while Jurgis had great black eyes with beetling brows, and thick black hair that curled in waves about his ears..."  (2).

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.
-Yes, after completing this book I felt like I actually knew who Jargis and Marija were. Sinclair went so in depth about their characters and their actions that it made you feel  like it was a real life person. An example of this is the excerpt from page 2, "Ona was blue-eyed and fair, while Jurgis had great black eyes with beetling brows, and thick black hair that curled in waves about his ears- in short, they were one of those incongruous and impossible married couples with which Mother Nature so often wills to confound all prophets, before and after." This paragraph shows how in depth Sinclair is about the characters and how he makes you feel so close to them.

Family is Everything

Most people take having a family for granted. I WAS one of those kids. A lot of people my age can't even say they have one home that shares the love mine does. I am so thankful for my family that i can't stress it enough. We may not be the brightest, nicest, funniest or strongest family, but we are the richest. And that's because we our rich in love. I consider myself VERY lucky to live under the circumstances I do. We may not have it all, but we have each other. And that's all that matters. 

Vocabulary: Fall List 3 ❗️

accolade - noun a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

-My mom gave me an accolade to go to my friend's house. 
acerbity - noun a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness; a rough and bitter manner

-When eating lemons, you usually get a sense of acerbity. 
attrition - noun the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice; erosion by friction

-The sand at the beach is a sign of attrition. 
bromide - noun any of the salts of hydrobromic acid; formerly used as a sedative but now generally replaced by safer drugs; a trite or obvious remark

-I don't know how some kids get away with the bromides they reply to their parents with. 
chauvinist - noun an extreme bellicose nationalist; a person with a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his or her own kind

-Muslims, or even Christians, can be seen as chauvinists. 
chronic - adj. being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering

-Old folks seem to get chronic disorders throughout the years. 
expound - verb add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way; usually in writing

-Every week, all of our teachers expound us with work. 

factionalism - noun the existence of or conflict between groups within a larger group

-Clubs within a school result in factionalism

immaculate - adj. completely neat and clean;free from stain or blemish; without fault or error

-The bathroom floors are definitely not immaculate. 
imprecation - noun the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); a slanderous accusation

-The felon was in court due to an imprecation. 
ineluctable - adj. impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion"

-Some situations remain ineluctable and you just have to face them. 
mercurial - adj. relating to or containing or caused by mercury; relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury; relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury; liable to sudden unpredictable change

-Once you choose what college you want to attend after May 1st, your choice is mercurial. 
palliate - verb provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

-By going to physical therapy, they palliate you and get you back on track 
protocol - noun code of correct conduct; forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state; (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data

-The scientists created a protocol after the sample product. 
resplendent - adj. having great beauty and splendor

-Some see Beyonce as resplendent. 
stigmatize - verb mark with a stigma or stigmata; to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful

-The 5 year old stigmatized his older brother, accusing him of trashing his toys. 
sub - noun a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes; a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States; verb be a substitute

-The young man ordered a sub from the sandwich shop and devoured the whole thing. 
rosa - noun large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses

-He planted many rosas in his front yard to keep cats and dogs away. 
vainglory - noun outspoken conceit

-Beowulf seemed like he was surrounded with vainglory. 
vestige - noun an indication that something has been present

-The police confirmed the vestige of the criminal. 
volition - noun the act of making a choice; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention

-We all make volitions every day, whether it's where to go or how to do something. 

MASTERPIECE IN PROGRESS

In all honesty, my masterpiece hasn't been thought about lately. Like at all. Lol. Like many of my peers, I've been caught up in all the joys of senior year. With interest in helping people and sports, I've learned more and more about the major of kinesiology, other known as sports medicine or physical therapy and those types of professions. It gained my interest because I can help athletes get back to where they were in the beginning and if not, even further and better than they were before. I hope to go on and follow through with this plan at a four year university of course. I'm hoping for Fresno State or Cal Poly SLO. I still have lots of time to think about my other masterpiece and i will do so once I find the time and become less stressed out with my surroundings. 

Beowulf Essay

   "As I can, no strength is a match for mine." Beowulf was seen as an epic hero of his time. He carried traits that people once admired and he was seen as we see Superman or Batman today. Today, heroes can be completely different from the past. Yet, they can also be similar. While Superman and Spiderman remain to differ from Beowulf, there are contemporary heroes that share the same traits as Beowulf. 

   Beowulf is all of brave, courageous, and not greedy. He demonstrates his braveness by battling Grendel, his mother and the dragon. You can spectate that he is courageous because he protects his culture and defends it 'til his death. And he is not greedy because he doesn't keep the dragon's treasure to himself, but shares it with his people. By wanting to fight Grendel with his bare hands, Beowulf is exemplified as a hero. 

   Beowulf defeating Grendel can come off as a heroic situation like a Private, or soldier, completing an amazing feat like shooting down an AH-64 Apache plan with just a rifle. However, I seem to view Beowulf as an individual similar to Martin Luther King Jr. Beowulf sought to save the Gaets from a monster, Grendel, the giant, and Martin Luther King was trying to save the African Americans from a monster as well, racism. The outcomes of the situations ended up the same while they were trying to do the same thing, protect what they were passionate for. They also share the ability to unite people to work together for a common cause. 

   Modern day heroes, like Spiderman, or Superman, or even Martin Luther King, can all differ and compare to the epic hero, Beowulf. He demonstrates his characteristics of braveness, courage and is not greedy. His traits once, and still seem to be, admired by not only people of that time, but by modern day society that reads the Beowulf story. 

WILL STUDY FOR FOOD

This scholarship is the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards. For this scholarship, you pretty much just have to be Hispanic and have a 3.0. I am in need for scholarship money to pay off my tuition, housing, and all other costs that need to be covered throughout my four college years. Every single penny counts. I hope to go straight into Fresno State after high school and continue with my interests in sports. I'm going to do this by studying Kinesiology (Sports Medicine). I'm not really sure what a good amount of $$$ total for scholarships is, but my goal is to receive around $5,000, and maybe even more if possible. 

Vocabulary: Fall List 2 ❗️

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

-The tadpole was in the apogee of becoming a frog. 
apropos - adj. of an appropriate or pertinent nature; adv. by the way; at an opportune time

-His check came at an apropos time, right before rent was due. 
bicker - noun a quarrel about petty points; verbargue over petty things

-Parents tend to bicker over the most petty things. 
coalesce - verb fuse or cause to grow together;mix together different elements

-Last week in class coalesced our class. 
contretemps - noun an awkward clash

-Some couples seen throughout the hallways are contretemps. 
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

-When pretzels are made, they are formed into a delicious convolution. 
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

-After a failed attempt to make the basketball team, the boy culled his belongings and prepared for baseball season. 
disparate - adj. including markedly dissimilar elements; fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind

-The two friends were simply disparate and that's why their relationship never worked out. 
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

-His case was dogmatic so he was proven guilty immediately. 
licentious - adj. lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained

-You can find mang licentious children in a store like Wal Mart. 
mete - noun a line that indicates a boundary

-In softball, the "foul ball" line is the mete. 
noxious - adj. injurious to physical or mental health

-Playing with a concussion can be very noxious. 
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)

-The couple seems to have a polemic relationship that doesn't seem healthy. 
populous - adj. densely populated

Big cities like LA and Santa Barbara are very populous. 
probity - noun complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles

-Some parents are very strict about their probities, it's almost like their kids are confined. 
repartee - noun adroitness and cleverness in reply

-He ended the argument with a repartee. 
supervene - verb take place as an additional or unexpected development

-The store "Vallarta" seemed to supervene its way into our town. 
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

-The nail lady truncated parts of her client's nails off. 
unimpeachable - adj. beyond doubt or reproach; completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach; free of guilt; not subject to blame

-Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it and then it remains unimpeachable. 

MY UNIVERSITY

Today was a short day and even though our period was cut to a short thirty minutes, I managed to get quite a bit done. First, I got my journal out of the way. That took about 10 minutes. After completing my journal, my group and I compared some of our Beowulf comprehension questions. We did this for the rest of the period. By doing this collaborating, it was very helpful. I got clarification on the things I wasn't so sure of in the epic and, hopefully, I can manage to answer the rest of the questions with no problem at all. 

August 23, 2014

So today has been one year since my cousin, Kenny, has been gone. This last year has been so crazy. I remember the exact day and time i found out he was gone. All the way down to the clothes i was wearing and what i was doing. To this day, I still trick myself into refusing that he's not gone, he's still just overseas and my family is awaiting his return from Afghanistan. Kenny has brought to me in life that no one else will be able to. He has taught me how to be strong, no matter what the situation. You no longer being here has taken a HUGE chunk out of our family and you can tell nothing will ever be the same at family gatherings cause we'll always be missing our "Godfather" hahaha. I'd do literally ANYTHING just to talk, see, or touch you one more time. We all miss you like crazy. You may only be gone for a year, but all the pain makes it feel like you've been gone for a lifetime. I don't know how I can thank you enough for not only risking for your life for our country because freedom sure in hell isn't free, but for teaching me one of the most important traits in my life; remaining strong. The greatest honor in my life is being able to call you my cousin. I'm certainly blessed. I love you, and i hope you're havin fun up there. Rest in Peace, soldier. See you on Monday for lunch. #KCA 

From Legend to History: Notes Pgs. 2-14

This Life is Your Life

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RSKeGQqSKm8

My Opinion Isn't A Right

Notes: 

• So, Jack is adding irrelevant information/throwing in other topics into the argument to make his argument sound better after being "shut down" by Jill.
• One of the main ideas of this is that we all have rights, but nothing, not even yourself, is truly free.
• While in arguments, people tend to use fallacies like "I have the right to my opinion" to blow off the relationship and surrender, without actually surrendering.
• It is irrelevant to bring anything else into the argument other than that that you are debating about.
• If  you are entitled to an opinion, your opinion is supported by various pieces of evidence.
• When people claim they have a right, question them on what duty it exposes and see if their 'right' is really a 'right'.

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge- This links to the video about how the ice bucket challenge started. So cool and inspiring!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCoKB_tU9ng

For those of you who don't know, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Reflections On Week 1

1. If anything affects my participation in this class it would be either family or my schedule. Lately I've been spending an enormous chunk of time with my family because so much has been going on. And later on in the year, I'm going to become so busy (with practices and other homework from classes). 

2. A memorable learning experience for me was sophomore year english. I learned a whole lot in Mrs. Byrne's class. She always knew how to get you involved and was never afraid to use "constructive criticism". 

3. So far, I'm liking this Open Source Learning. It's really cool that we get to type everything out on our phones and post them on a blog for a whole bunch of others to see. It's like your life on one URL. In learning, I look forward to becoming more open-minded and looking at the thought process with a whole different meaning to get that deeper side of things. 

Mission

The link below is a song that uplifts those who have cancer. It's called Mission by Lupe Fiasco. I'm sharing this because it's a powerful song that gives me a feeling of happiness and it shows that there is hope for cancer patients. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-R-_sxP5kCk

Vocabulary: Fall List 1 ❗️

Adumbrate: to produce a faint image or resemblance of; to outline or sketch.

-The famous artist adumbrated the model's sillhouette. 

Apotheosis: the elevation or exaltation of aperson to the rank of a god.

-Some teachers believe they have such high authority that students should be looking at them as an apotheosis. 

Ascetic: a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.

-A priest or minister can be a strong example of an ascetic. 

Bauble: a showy, usually cheap,ornament; trinket; gewgaw.

-Thousands of people have made baubles for their Christmas trees as younger kids. 

Beguile: to influence by trickery, flattery,etc.; mislead; delude.

-I don't know how some teens do it, but they tend to beguile their parents into letting them do what they want. 

Burgeon: to grow or develop quickly;flourish.

-Frogs tend to burgeon after they've surpassed the tadpole stage. 

Complement: something that completes or makes perfect.

-A perfect throw after a diving play really complements your effort and strategic. 

Contumacious: stubbornly perverse or rebellious; willfully and obstinately disobedient.

-Time after time, the teenager was contumacious and never listened to his parents. 

Curmudgeon: a bad-tempered, difficult,cantankerous person.

-The curmudgeon teenager would not listen to his parents and ended up getting in trouble with the law. 

Didactic: inclined to teach or lecture others too much.

-Some teachers are a little too didactic and sincere that it's hard to take them seriously. 

Disingenuous: lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; insincere.

-It was insincere of him not to RSVP

to the party, but show up. 

Exculpate: to clear from a charge of guilt or fault; free from blame; vindicate.

-The judge exculpated his offense after hearing the lawyer's argument. 

Faux pas: a slip or blunder in etiquette,manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion.

-He had a faux pas when he spilled his drink down his shirt. 

Fulminate: to explode with a loud noise;detonate.

So many fireworks fulminated on the night of the 4th of July. 

Fustian: a stout fabric of cotton and flax.

-His new bedspread was made out of a very rich fustian even though he purchased it for cheap. 

Hauteur: haughty manner or spirit;arrogance.

-His head is so big and he's so stubborn he's filled with hauteur. 

Inhibit: to restrain, hinder, arrest, or check (an action, impulse, etc.).

-The officer inhibited the criminal from his ongoing process of running away. 

Jeremiad: a prolonged lamentation or mournful complaint.

-Many people come up with these jeremiads just for attention. 

Opportunist: a person who practices opportunism, or the policy of adapting actions, decisions, etc.,to effectiveness regardless of the sacrifice of ethical principles. 

-By traveling the world at a regular basis, he turned into an opportunist and searches for the greater things in the world. 

Unconscionable: not guided by conscience;unscrupulous.

-Many persons actions seem as if they are unconscionable.