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.