What Is Project Humanity?

Project Humanity is a student based community service club that gets all of Righetti involved with the community. Our goal is to assist and support a safe and a fun environment for our community. This club just started this year. My friend, Danny Luu and I created this club with the intention of participating in projects with the community, but so far we have been creating events at Righetti that would warm the students up and get them ready for the bigger events in the community. Our goal in the upcoming spring semester is to make an impact in the community in any way that we can.

Our first major project was called "A Warrior Holiday". This project consisted of asking for donations around Righetti and then using the donations to create care packages for the kids of the Good Samaritan shelter. These care packages consisted of school supplies, hygiene products, toys, and candy.

In the video that I embedding in my blog post is a video that Miranda Nillo created for our final presentation showcase for our AP English class. Our intention was to show the collaboration with many students from Righetti and how the collaboration ended up with a great result.

On behalf of Danny, myself, and Project Humanity, thank you Miranda for creating this awesome video for us! We hope to create more memories like these in the future!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30y5VmfGv7k Click this link to watch this incredible video created by Miranda Nillo!

LIFE AFTER THIS BLOG POST

I can't believe that this is my last fall semester of my senior year! My letter consisted of how thankful I am for all of my friends and family that have always supported me. I'm also thankful for the homeless shelter event Project Humanity did. It refreshed my memory of the feeling of helping people. Every smile that was made that day brought more and more happiness to me. I'm also proud of all of my friends and peers at Righetti who supported, donated, and participated in the event. It was a great day for all of us! I'm also starting a brand new year with new goals. My number one goal is to be more focused than I already am for school. I would like to be able to say that I ended senior year with a big bang.

In Class Notes

Lit Analysis

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I am in a group with Danny Luu, Jenna Noce, and Miranda Nillo.

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.

2.The author's syntax and diction doesn't change when he focuses on the character because he uses the same type of style for his sentences and the same type of word choice for both dialogue and narration.

• "'I perceive your tongue is,' returned madame; ' and what the tongue is, I suppose the man is.' He did not take the identification as a compliment; but he made the best of it, and turned it off with a laugh. After sipping his cognac to the end, he added...". (P. 177)

3. I think the protagonist is round and dynamic because, after leaving his French royal title, he moves on to find life without being ridiculed by the social discrimination and injustices of the life in France. He then starts to build up courage to show his true identity to the people that he meets. This shows that he is a dynamic character because he starts to let go of his camouflage, his different persona to others and starts to show the real person that he is inside. When he comes back to France, he realizes that the life he left before is the same.

Sartre v. Plato Essay

Transform yourself  and your vision to something totally different. Imagine a life filled with peace and not filled with war, anger, and hatred. You can't right? Life is all about maintaining a good balance between the good and bad. If we can't maintain that balance, then everything is just going to end badly. But, if we can maintain that balance, then we can make sure that life is as smooth as it can get. Maintaining that balance must come from having an open-mind. If one is open-minded, then they are eager and motivated to make a change to set that balance to make reality better. Although, if one is close-minded, then they won't be able to make a change to set that balance or even experience true reality.

If I were to imagine, I would imagine myself as a prisoner from Plato's "Allegory". I would pretty much not know how to react to a world without evil because I would have been used to the cave and its environment. But then again, I am still shackled in this deep cave. It will take some time to adjust, but as long as I am open-minded to new ideas and ways to experience the real world, then I will be set to help make change to set a balance in my life and the life of others. If I really think about it, the fire can resemble the fiery passion  of escaping the shackles of life and pushing forward. The light from the fire can resemble the clarity of our vision for our path to escape the shackles of life. The shadows can resemble the one-sided perspective we all have unless we venture forward to find out whose owns those shadows. Plato certainly uses figurative language to prove his insight and his ideas.

In comparison with the prisoner to Garcin from "No Exit", Garcin also realizes what he has done wrong. He realizes and thinks about what is happening to the life that he left when he died. He exclaims to whoever is listening that he wants to get out of there which then makes the door of the enclosed room to swing open. Life, no matter during life or after life, makes you have an introspection evaluation on yourself to see your strengths, your weaknesses, the things you did great on, and the things you didn't do well on. This is what Garcin had. His mind constantly bombarded him with thoughts about his life before his death and what his life will become after his death. Sartre focuses more on self reflection and how it is the one way to get out.

Both characters, the prisoner and Mr. Garcin, thought about how to escape their "cave", their mental cave. Both needed to be able to figure out what to do after being shackled. The prisoner was shackled in a cave and in his mind, while Mr. Garcin was shackled in an enclosed room (Hell) and in his mind. Both Plato and Sartre focuses on the mind. They focus on the fact that it is up to ourselves to escape the shackles of life. The cave and Hell can represent their minds to because your mind isolates you from all kinds of things. It always give you one side of the perspective, but it is our responsibility to venture out and show ourselves and our minds that life isn't all about one-sided perspective. It's more about being able to see reality and experience reality by having an open-mind to new ideas, new perspectives, and new challenges that will only make us stronger.

I CAN READ

Here is my attempt on "Fox in Sox" by Dr. Seuss

It was quite a tongue twister

Fox in Sox by Dr. Seuss Reading Attempt

THANK YOU!

I am going to post my Thanksgiving post early. Thank you to all of you who have helped me this entire semester whether it be about school or not about school! Thank you to all of you who have commented on my blog and have supported me in other ways! And in advance, thank you to all of you who may be posting on my "Think Outside the Box" post and the "No Exit" question post. Thank you all again! Have a great Thanksgiving!

Thinking Outside the Box

Create a post for your blog entitled THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX in which you compare how Plato and Sartre describe the limitations of our thinking and imply solutions to the problem.  Be sure to analyze their literary techniques, especially their use of allegory and extended metaphor.

I am not quite sure yet, if what I am about to type answers the prompt. But here it goes.

Plato says that the only way out of our cave, our mind, is through intellect. We must be able to think for ourselves. We also must be able to hear what other people say, and from what other people say, we can venture out on our own way and experience it ourselves. Plato says that is the only way to reality. The cave represents our mind, and the outside world represents reality.

Through the use of the characters in the play "No Exit", Sartre describes the place where we tend to reflect on life and the place where our mind tends to bombard us with millions and millions of thoughts are one and the same. It is sort of hell-like because that is a place of isolation because hell is a place where there is no way to get out, but if we are able to think things through, then we will be able to find a way out. I am not sure if he using this as an allusion to the Biblical hell, but I think so.

Questions for Sartre's "No Exit"

1.) Think about the place you have chosen as your hell. Does it look ordinary and bourgeois, like Sartre's drawing room, or is it equipped with literal instruments of torture like Dante's Inferno? Can the mind be in hell in a beautiful place? Is there a way to find peace in a hellish physical environment? Enter Sartre's space more fully and imagine how it would feel to live there endlessly, night and day:

• My hell is just a big lake of fire that never dies. 
• No the mind cannot be in hell and in a beautiful place.
• There is no way to find peace in a hellish physical environment because you are constantly bombarded by your brain feeding things to your mind endlessly.

2.) Could hell be described as too much of anything without a break? Are variety, moderation and balance instruments we use to keep us from boiling in any inferno of excess,' whether it be cheesecake or ravenous sex?

• In our modern language, hell can be described as something that is like really cold, really difficult, really this, really that, etc. But, really, it is true, hell can be described as too much of anything without a break.
• Yes, variety, moderation, and balance are instruments we use to keep us sane, after all, we are human, and we must be able to have that balance in order to have a life that is in the middle between peaceful and insane.

3.) How does Sartre create a sense of place through dialogue? Can you imagine what it feels like to stay awake all the time with the lights on with no hope of leaving a specific place? How does GARCIN react to this hell? How could you twist your daily activities around so that everyday habits become hell? Is there a pattern of circumstances that reinforces the experience of hell?

• Sartre uses specific words in the dialogue to be like key words for the readers to sense where the characters are in.
• I can't imagine what it would feel like to stay awake all the time with the lights on with no hope of leaving a specific place because usually when it is dark, my mind tends to wander and go to a place where my mind has always wanted to go. Usually this is happening when I am sleeping, or dumping my mental trash.
• Garcin thinks his newspaper caused him to go to hell because of the war that broke out due to his newspaper. He describes the place as stifling hot.
• Maybe I could just do one daily activity which would turn into a never ending hell.
• Yes, there is a pattern of circumstances that reinforces the experience of hell depending on what you think it is or what you believe it is.

Allegory of the Cave Sonnet

What's the difference between light and dark?
The light is filled with vision and insight
And the dark is not the right
The prisoners can only see
Only to some certain degree
Their eyes fool their brain
Which now they are restrained
Now they cannot embark

The only way out
Is through the intellectual route
And one must introspect
In order for real life to take effect
Life is not all about isolation
It works through self motivation and self determination

BRAIN WITH 10 LEGS

We chose A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens because Dickens is one of the most used authors in the AP test which may benefit us in the future. He is also widely known as one of the most famous fictitious novel writers. Our plan is to read about 37 pages everyday, starting tomorrow. After the section we read, we will post our view/understanding to our blog. With this, our group members will be able to learn or recommend something new when they feel is necessary. Next week, in class, we will discuss how we feel the book is going for us, and if we have a hard time understanding, we can ask our peers for some assistance. I am in a group with Danny Luu, Ian Steller, Miranda Nillo, and Eli Esparza. But, anbyone and everyone is able to join and participate!

Study Questions for Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?

• The Allegory of the Cave represents our view or take of reality. It represents how much we think we know, see, and believe as opposed to how reality truly is what we really don't know yet. The only way we know what reality truly is if we went out of the "cave" or in modern terms, our comfort zone.

2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?

• cave-the prison, our own mind
• outside world- reality, what we ought to understand and believe in
• shadows- a glimpse of what we are missing
• the fire- "the light at the end of the tunnel", our way of getting out of there

3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?

• Education cannot be forced upon. Education must be something that is enjoyed in order for us to absorb instead of being forced-fed something that we might not want at the moment. 
• Enlightenment is the only way we can use to achieve pure knowledge. If we are enlightened, then we are more motivated to become educated.

4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?

• The shackles symbolize the restriction from the outside world.
• The cave symbolizes the isolation area from the outside world.

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?

• In our own life, sometimes getting every single paperwork ready for college shackles the mind. It creates stress which then makes us think and think about this one important thing.
• Sometimes, it could be relationships with your boyfriend or girlfriend or even with family or friends.
• In my life, a long to-do list shackles my mind because I want to make sure that I squeeze in every single thing in before I head to bed. Sometimes, that means staying up late if I have to. It shackles my mind because one thing sometimes restricts me from doing another thing, especially when one of those things on my to-do list is my top priority of the day.

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?

• The freed prisoner now has the knowledge of what reality is really like because that freed prisoner can experience it while the cave prisoners are stuck in the cave with no knowledge of what is outside. They only have a perspective of the outside from whatever the freed prisoners have told them.

7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?

• Lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur when people restrict themselves from seeing and experiencing the truth and when people allow themselves to become ignorant about what  the truth really is when it is being explained to them.

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?

• The prisoners get free if they choose to listen to what the freed prisoner says and acts on it. If the prisoners take action because of what the freed prisoner said and experience the truth, then they will be freed. "The truth will set you free" really plays a role in this. Intellectual freedom is the only way to getting out of the dark, dingy cave and getting to the outside world, the light (enlightenment).

9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?

• I agree that there is a distinction between appearances and reality because in art class, my teacher always says to take multiple looks at our object that we are going to paint or draw of. The things that we see are the appearances, but the more that we look, the more we study, and the more we study, the more enlightened we are which brings us to reality.

10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?

• The two alternative metaphysical assumptions are that we have our own perspective of reality and that we will only believe our own perspective because we are living it, which would be our only way of proving the distinction between reality and appearances. But for me, I do believe there is a distinction between reality and appearances.

MindMaps

I searched "mindmaps" on Google search and I got

https://bubbl.us/

It looks easy, but I am not sure if it is free.

Also, from class, I remember learning about

http://www.mindomo.com/

We Hang Together

Here are my notes for Dr. Preston's article. http://drprestonsrhsenglitcomp13.blogspot.com/2013/11/november-12.html#more

• interdependence-"the underlying key to any strategic alliance, community partnership, or interpersonal collaboration"
• "inter-organizational relationships can be competitive, interdependent, or a combination of the two"
• "To deal with unforeseen contingencies, the partners must make decisions jointly."
• Leaders can't adopt strategies that are based on isolationism, competition, or self-interest because that would give too much power. They must adopt strategies that fits the majority's interest.
• It is for influential and helpful to work with others because we simply depend on each other for our existence and survival.
• "The distinction between fighting the absence of a valuable resource versus attracting, cultivating, and depending upon the resource itself is critical."
• "the fittest are the most adaptable, the most diverse, and the most interdependent"
• We must identify, build, and sustain strategic relationships.
• To use interdependence, we must have the qualities of collaboration and to use the tools for collaboration effectively and efficiently.
• the most effective collaborative groups must have trust and organizational culture
• we must have an organization audit in order to have a successful strategic relationship
• "lies not in the the alliances but in ourselves"
• we need other people and strategic relationships no matter what
• we must distinguish between the value of a strategic relationship and the values of a strategic relationship
• the value of a strategic relationship is the reduced costs, economy of scale, or shared investment burden
• the values of a strategic relationship are similar to the values of the participating organizations (integrity, quality speed)
• "Interdependence requires that one party do for the other and vice versa."
• the internet strategic relationships are more real and more effective than spending money on advertising
• Basically, we need each other.
• "participants in alliances need complimentary skills, experiences, and assets"
• "Creating and sustaining effective strategic partnerships requires an understanding of how interdependence works, and the human factors that influence both individual and organizational relationships.
• two ways by Friedman-
• "central direction involving the use of coercion"
• "Voluntary cooperation of individuals"

Sonnet:Big Question & Sonnet Remix

The Sonnet I thought that relates to my Big Question which is about equality for all.

Frederick Douglass
by Robert Hayden

When it is finally ours, this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful
and terrible thing, needful to man as air,
usable as earth; when it belongs at last to all,
when it is truly instinct, brain matter, diastole, systole,
reflex action; when it is finally won; when it is more
than the gaudy mumbo jumbo of politicians:
this man, this Douglass, this former slave, this Negro
beaten to his knees, exiled, visioning a world
where none is lonely, none hunted, alien,
this man, superb in love and logic, this man
shall be remembered. Oh, not with statues’ rhetoric,
not with legends and poems and wreaths of bronze alone,
but with the lives grown out of his life, the lives
fleshing his dream of the beautiful, needful thing.


Provided by http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175757

My big question

Why can't we be united, forget about our problems, forget about putting other people down, and just help others to make a better world?

Sonnet Remix

 When it is finally ours, this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful

and terrible thing, needful to man as air,

usable as earth; when it belongs at last to all,

when it is truly instinct, brain matter, diastole, systole,

reflex action; when it is finally won; when it is more

than the gaudy mumbo jumbo of politicians:

this man, this Douglass, this former slave, this Negro

beaten to his knees, exiled, visioning a world

where none is lonely, none hunted, alien,

this man, superb in love and logic, this man

shall be remembered. Oh, not with statues’ rhetoric,

not with legends and poems and wreaths of bronze alone,

but with the lives grown out of his life, the lives

fleshing his dream of the beautiful, needful thing.

SONNET ANALYSIS #1

Here is my notes from today's lecture about Sonnets. I was trying my best to write everything down.

A POETIC INQUIRY

Honestly, I am not sure which sonnet will relate to my Big Question. But, I will try my best to find one that is the closest to my Big Question as much as possible. My Big Question is about loving each other and being a united family. I will look into the link Brenna McNamara posted on the course blog to search for the right sonnet.

Hamlet Remix

I am not fully sure on how to remix my essay, but here is my attempt. I just illustrated my main points.

Think about the use of words.

Speaking to yourself isn't only normal, but it also, make things much more memorable and understandable. Sometimes it could build self-esteem and create a sense of peace with own-self.

We must self-overhear in order to keep sane, make sure what we are doing is morally right, and that our words must constitute the right action or else we will lose touch with reality. We must also let go of our anger and our grief in a way that is effective but not harmful such as talking to ourselves. We aren't insane for doing that. We are normal.

Hamlet Essay

I don't usually use the 5 paragraph essay format, but when I was typing, my essay ended up in 5 paragraphs. Sorry, that was not my intention. 

What Did I Just Say?

Think about how you use words. Even in this essay, think about how I am using words. Shakespeare used words to write the whole play of Hamlet. But, let us dive in deeper in between each word. Hamlet, the character, and every other character in this play always have something to say because the play is written in a dialogue format. But when you read closer, you notice that each word used has a special meaning. When I read, I look at how the words were used to finally get a well-rounded understanding of the play. In this play, we read that Hamlet’s father was killed by his own uncle. Throughout this whole play, Hamlet displays disgust and grief, but Hamlet keeps talking about getting revenge for his father. Hamlet speaks about plotting to kill his uncle in his soliloquies and at other times. Let’s focus more on his soliloquies because his soliloquies display performative utterances that we can analyze to get a better grasp on who and what Hamlet is.

In the play, I’ve noticed that he talks about his plot to kill his uncle. But you know what else I have noticed? I’ve noticed that he hasn’t done it yet until the very last moment before he dies. With this play, the saying “It’s easier said than done” because Hamlet keeps talking about killing his uncle, but he never does it. I have a feeling that talking about it out loud has helped Hamlet to calm down. I don’t talk about killing, but when I say my thoughts out loud, even when I’m by myself, I have a sense of calmness and assurance. If I am worried and am anxious about something, then I tend to say it out loud. Some people say that it is quite odd that I do that, but for me, it gives me a sense of calmness, assurance, and the “I can do it!” feeling. I feel it is the same thing with Hamlet. It is truly easier said than done.

Now let’s branch out to something even deeper. Why do we say things out loud that were initially in our minds? This is where we come to learn the term “self-overhearing”.  Not only does it apply in Hamlet, but it also applies to us in real life situations. For the time period that we were given to memorize “To Be or Not To Be”, I kept telling myself from day one that I need to memorize it, and I did. Every day, I list out things I need to do before I go to bed that same night. Sometimes, I’ll just list them in my head, but I’ve noticed that when I make a checklist out loud, I tend to act on it and accomplish the task. Speaking out loud not only helps you remember things and helps you memorize things, but it also starts to make things seem much more understandable than it was when you read it or say it in your head, at least with me. When saying each line out loud, I started to get a better understanding of what Hamlet was trying to say in his “To Be or not To Be” soliloquy. Saying these words out loud not only helped me to memorize this piece, but these words also helped me to understand Hamlet’s conflict about suicide and the unclear purpose of his father’s murder. Allowing to hear himself say those things in his soliloquy, he then learns of what he needs to do and what he has become.

What does all of this have to do with performative utterances? Well in class, we talked about “the locutionary force, the illocutionary force, and the percolutionary force” as stated in deBoer’s work about Performative Utterances in Hamlet. First, Hamlet uses the locutionary force when he talks about killing his uncle. Next, Hamlet uses the illocutionary force when he kills his uncle because of his obligation to from what he said before. Finally, Hamlet uses the perlocutionary force because he then does what he said he was going to do; he acted on what he said. "The central problem of the play is that people represent their feelings and their intentions in ways that are contrary to reality” as stated in deBoer’s work is right. Hamlet represented his feelings and intentions through his use of words, but in reality those feelings and intentions were not displayed outside of his persona. The problem is, life cannot always be based on the saying “it’s easier said than done” because then we won’t accomplish anything in life. If I were to base my life on that saying, then I wouldn’t be in this class today. I told myself that I will challenge myself in order to prepare myself for something huge that will greatly impact my life. Killing someone is bad, but the main point is that we must say things in life and do them in order to take those giant steps towards the true reality, the real life outside of our comfort zone. But, self-overhearing could change our thought process and our feelings because then when we self-overhear, we might realize that what we are saying should not constitute any action because it could be morally wrong.

When reading Hamlet, we see the way Hamlet talks, thinks, and acts. For the most part we see the way he talks and thinks through his soliloquies and his conversations with the other people. We see that he is disgusted by what his uncle had done to his father, and we see his grief over the loss of his father. The disgust and the grief mixed together which ultimately overwhelmed Hamlet. From being overwhelmed, Hamlet starts to plot things out loud which then helps him to calm down and think straight. Some say that Hamlet is mad, but really, we see that Hamlet is using his words to express his deep emotions about the conflict. We see that the use of self-overhearing helps him to keep sane and to function better when he hears himself speak and think out loud. My point in saying all of this is that we must speak in order to act. We must self-overhear in order to keep sane, make sure what we are doing is morally right, and that our words must constitute the right action or else we will lose touch with reality.

                

Tolls that change the way we think

I completely forgot to post this, so here it is.

Technology, such as the internet and Google, has definitely made an impact in my life and the way I think. Every day, I am connected to technology,whether it is through my iPhone or my computer. I am always connected. Even with responsibilities I have with volunteering are all connected through the internet. A lot of the things that I know how to do now all came from searching through Google on how to do them. The world, as we know it, is now switching over to the technology world. So we have to be influenced by technology in order for us to get ahead in life. My parents always keep asking me why am I always on the computer, but my answer is that life nowadays is connected to the technological world than it was back in the 50's, 60's, etc when my parents were growing up. The world has ventured on a different route than it was back then. Although, I have gotten way too dependent on my technology because I noticed that I tend to tune someone out when something doesn't go in the way that interest me. With technology, sometimes, I am able to get something that is in the way that interests me to help me move forward with just one click. In other words, technology has its positive side where it helps us in so many ways whether it be learning something new or giving us resources to prove our point, but technology has its negative side where our way of thinking and our way of knowing other things have become so dependent on technology that we tend to filter out the things that we don't want to know, hear, or understand in real, face-to-face, life.

VOCAB #9

aficionado-

1. an ardent devotee; fan, enthusiast.

• Mark was an aficionado for the Righetti Warriors because he went to every single event Righetti participated in.

browbeat-

1. to intimidate by overbearing looks or words; bully

• Jack was such a browbeat towards John because he kept blackmailing John about John's most embarrassing moment, and if John doesn't give his candy to Jack, then Jack will tell all of their classmates.

commensurate- 

1.having the same measure; of equal extent or duration.

2.corresponding in amount, magnitude, or degree: Your paycheck should be commensurate with the amount of time worked.

3.proportionate; adequate.

4.having a common measure

• Your job description should be commensurate with the responsibilities you actually have on your job.

diaphanous- 

1.very sheer and light; almost completely transparent or translucent.

2.delicately hazy.

• The new curtains were diaphanous because you could see a lot of the backyard through it.

emolument-

1. profit, salary, or fees from office or employment; compensation for services

•  A fast food employee's emolument isn't as high a the emolument of a CEO.

foray-

1.a quick raid, usually for the purpose of taking plunder: Vikings made a foray on the port.

2.a quick, sudden attack: The defenders made a foray outside the walls.

3.an initial venture: a successful foray into politics.

     verb (used without object)

4.to make a raid; pillage; maraud.

5.to invade or make one's way, as for profit or adventure

• The burglars made a foray at the jewelry store.

genre-

1. a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or the like: the genre of epic poetry; the genre of symphonic music.

2. Fine Arts.

a. paintings in which scenes of everyday life form the subject matter.

b. a realistic style of painting using such subject matter.

3.  genus; kind; sort; style.

adjective

4. Fine Arts. of or pertaining to genre.

5. of or pertaining to a distinctive literary type.

• Brave New World by Aldous Fuxley can be classified as a utopian genre.

homily-

1. a sermon, usually on a Biblical topic and usually of a nondoctrinal nature.

2.an admonitory or moralizing discourse.

3.an inspirational saying or cliché.

• The officiate made a homily at the memorial service.

immure-

1.to enclose within walls.

2.to shut in; seclude or confine.

3.to imprison.

4.to build into or entomb in a wall.

5.Obsolete . to surround with walls; fortify.

• Every single day, we are immured in the four walls we call a classroom.

insouciant-

free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; nonchalant.

• People who skip class and don't worry about their grades are insouciants.

matrix-

1.something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates, takes form, or develops: The Greco-Roman world was the matrix for Western civilization.

2.Anatomy . a formative part, as the corium beneath a nail.

3.Biology .

a.the intercellular substance of a tissue.

b.ground substance.

4.Petrology . the fine-grained portion of a rock in which coarser crystals or rock fragments are embedded.

5.fine material, as cement, in which lumps of coarser material, as of an aggregate, are embedded.

• A slate and a piece of chalk was the matrix of school.

obsequies-

1. a funeral rite or ceremony.

• The obsequies was such a great remembrance for the one who passed.

panache-

1.a grand or flamboyant manner; verve; style; flair: The actor who would play Cyrano must have panache.

2.an ornamental plume of feathers, tassels, or the like, especially one worn on a helmet or cap.

3.Architecture . the surface of a pendentive.

• The rich who stay at very expensive places have such panache.

persona-

1. a person.

2.personae, the characters in a play, novel, etc.

3.the narrator of or a character in a literary work, sometimes identified with the author.

4.(in the psychology of C. G. Jung) the mask or façade presented to satisfy the demands of the situation or the environment and not representing the inner personality of the individual; the public personality (contrasted with anima ).

5.a person's perceived or evident personality, as that of a well-known official, actor, or celebrity; personal image; public role.

• People who have multiple personalities for different people have different personas.

philippic-

1. any of the orations delivered by Demosthenes, the Athenian orator, in the 4th century b.c., against Philip, king of Macedon.

2.( lowercase ) any speech or discourse of bitter denunciation.

• John made a strong philippic against Jack, and then Jack backed off.

prurient-

1. having, inclined to have, or characterized by lascivious or lustful thoughts, desires, etc.

2. causing lasciviousness or lust.

3. having a restless desire or longing.

• Those who cheat in relationships are prurient.

sacrosanct-

1. extremely sacred or inviolable: a sacrosanct chamber in the temple.

2. not to be entered or trespassed upon: She considered her home office sacrosanct.

3. above or beyond criticism, change, or interference

• A priest and/or a nun is a sacrosanct because they must be holy in life.

systemic-

1. of or pertaining to a system.

2.Physiology, Pathology .

a.pertaining to or affecting the body as a whole.

b.pertaining to or affecting a particular body system.

3.(of a pesticide) absorbed and circulated by a plant or other organism so as to be lethal to pests that feed on it.

• The art of creating an event must involve a systemic approach so that everything will go smoothly.

tendentious-

1. having or showing a definite tendency, bias, or purpose

• If you frequently stereotype others because of their looks or actions, then you are tendentious because you have a tendency to stereotype people that they are not of just because of what you see and/or hear.

vicissitude-

1. a change or variation occurring in the course of something.

2.interchange or alternation, as of states or things.

3.vicissitudes, successive, alternating, or changing phases or conditions, as of life or fortune; ups and downs: 

4. regular change or succession of one state or thing to another.

5. change; mutation; mutability.

• From talking to someone you like, then creating a relationship with them, and then loving them in the future are all significant vicissitudes.

Thank you dictionary.com for the definitions!

The Performative Utterance in Hamlet

Here are my notes from reading Performative Utterance in Hamlet by Fredrik deBoer

• Hamlet is trapped in a cognitive paralysis due to not figuring out what is real and what is not.
• Certain language cannot describe action but can describe from being spoken.
• Three forces of performative ability of language
• the locutionary force- the ability of language to deliver a message, the force of mutual intelligibility
• the illocutionary force-what is done in being said, such as denying a request
• the perlocutionary force- what is achieved by being said
• The performative utterances in Hamlet is based on what the performative language tells us about its characters.
• Is there some "real self" revealed through self-overhearing?
• "It might be said that a man incapable of realizing the power of his own agency, but fully capable of using the spoken word, could come to learn of his agency by realizing that his speech has power to create actual change in the world."
• Characters of Shakespearean literature must present their inner selves/thoughts through speeches, soliloquies, etc.
• "the illocutionary force of having sworn has compelled him to that action"
• "Hamlet's self-loathing stems from his falling in to language and not into action."
• "The central problem of the play is that people represent their feelings and thier intentions in ways that are contrary to reality."
• "While in this context Hamlet is speaking specifically of actual, stage-bound drama, it is reasonable ot assume that he would apply his vision of convincing acting to his own performance as a man gone mad."
• "Madness is defined, generally, by precisely the kind of exaggerated or hysterical actions and movements that Hamlet associates with poor acting."
• "Hamlet's fictionalization of this structure permits him the space to engage in a favorite activity, verbal play, and in doing so his belief in the power of language can only be reinforced, as mentioned."
• Polonius symbolizes the premodern man.
• Hamlet symbolizes the modern
• Hamlet realizes that is own identity is a construct.
•  rules to comply with for utterance of being happy
• There must be an agreement that will be effective
• The circumstances must be appropriate for the agreement
• The agreement must involve all participants to render active
• Agreement is designed to cover all aspects of conflict
• The participants must complete the agreement
• What does Claudius' prayer show? 
• Claudius act of repent comes from a lack of agency.
• Hamlet uses performative power to realize his self.
• "Self-acualization and performance and agency become all one"

THOUGHTS ON HAMLET (IN PROGRESS)

When we first started the play, I felt that, maybe, the ghost who showed up is a fake. Maybe, the devil is the ghost and is posing as Hamlet's father. Maybe, the devil is trying to make Hamlet do something in spite of something that he knows not of. What if Hamlet kills Claudius, but Claudius wasn't the one who killed his father? What if Hamlet died from natural causes and not murder? These things have gone through my head until reading to the end of Act III. After Act III, now we know everything from the start of the story is all coming true. Now, I can finally put my doubts aside.

To Be or Not To Be Analysis

While memorizing Hamlet, I analyzed different parts of the soliloquy to get a better understanding so that parts will stick to my mind. Some parts a little bit fuzzy, but I am trying my best to recite the whole thing in a video that I will post here when I finally am confident enough of my video.

I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I have tried to practice on my video editing skills to put this video together. I am in a collaborative working group in which we, as a class, would have a video conference with certain people, and I must be able to record and edit the footage to create one, beautiful looking video, so here was my jab at it. I assure I did not cheat; when I get nervous, my eyes tend to move everywhere.

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

(The section above, I feel, is talking about his inner conflicts and what to do about them. I feel like he is deciding whether or not to submit to his troubles. Also, Hamlet is saying that "sleeping on it" might not have the greatest effect as working the problems out.)

That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;

(I think he is saying that we, as human beings, are vulnerable to all kinds of conflicts in life. Sometimes, those conflicts are not what we want, and if we allow it to continue, then we are pretty much letting it take over lives.)

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make

(I think Hamlet is saying that it isn't worth your life to deal with the "whips and scorns" or the troubles and negativity of life. Especially, it isn't worth to bottle up your feelings inside without showing any signs of desperation and depression.)

With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?

(This section I feel like Hamlet is talking about how some other people are not considerate of our feelings, and then that they rather have us bear our problems by ourselves than to take the time to help us in our times of need.)

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment

(In this section, I feel that Hamlet is saying that everyone will feel their conscience guilt tripping them. I feel like he is saying that after feeling the guilt, those people, who didn't help before, will now take the next opportune moment and help us resolve our problems.)

With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.--Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.

(I think Hamlet is saying that some people's conscience will keep telling them what they did wrong, but yet they still don't act on it. I'm not sure why he mentions Ophelia. But, "be all my sins remember'd", I think that this is about if he commits suicide, he still wants to be remembered.)

What I think about when I think about Act 3

I think about Hamlet's plan to get his Uncle to show signs of guilt. I also feel like maybe he is taking things too far when he plots to kill his Uncle. I mean, yes, he murdered your father, but is it really worth it to kill another person? I dont know, but thats my feeling...anyways i also think about how short tempered he was when he stabbed the curtain thinking that it was his Uncle, but then he killed an innocent man, Polonius, well maybe sort of innocent. *But, my thinking might be off so bear with me.

LITERATURE ANALYSIS #3

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).
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
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.)

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)?
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

DISCLOSURE: I was kind of disturbed when I read the book so bear with me as this is going to be a rough literature analysis. The book was alright, but I think I need to read the book again to actually get comfortable with the characters and the plot.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley focuses on this utopian society where humans are born identically from different groups of fertilization. Yet, within their group, the fertilization is the identical which reproduces identical humans. Each group is then created/taught to do one specific thing. There are five groups which are the Alpha, the Beta, the Gamma, the Delta, and the Epsilon. This all a part of the process to populate and make the World State (utopia) successful. Then the story heads on to the lives of the characters and how they are all connected somehow. The second part of the story starts out with Lenina being attracted to an Alpha male, named Bernard. But really, she is dating Henry Foster, another alpha male. Later on in the story, Lenina and Bernard head off to another part of the World State where they meet John. The story then shifts and focuses on John. Bernard, Lenina, and John head back to London where Bernard and Lenina were initially from. When they head back to London, John then sees the difference in society between London and where he was from. From seeing what the World State has become, he questions the values of the World State's rules and regulations. He questions that why does the World State allow such experimentation to happen. He asks why do they allow the newly born humans to be taught a certain way or scientifically/genetically changed to have one viewpoint in life. John doesn't want to be a part of the World State and all of its questionable actions. The end of the story takes us to see that John goes to a lighthouse where he finds his solitude. When people found out where John is, because he was popular, the people pressured him to whip himself. After being pressured, the next morning, John then commits suicide because he gave in to the World State society and the pressure of the people. 

2. The theme of this novel is that society can take over your life easily, but it is our job to make sure that we submit to their desires that may go against our belief.

3. I feel the author's tone is straightforward and distressed.

• "Halting for a moment outside the door of the Director's room, Bernard drew a deep breath and squared his shoulders, bracing himself to meet the dislike and disapproval which he was certain of finding within."
• "With a faint hum and rattle the moving racks crawled imperceptibly through the weeks and the recapitulated aeons to where, in the Decanting Room, the newly-unbottled babes uttered their first yell of horror and amazement."
• "The mother and father (grotesque obscenity) forcing the daughter to have some one she didn't want!"

4. Ten Literary Elements and Techniques

• Plot- The plot connected altogether in some way. It could be that the characters evolved from the first part of the story.
• "One egg, one embryo, one adult-normality." P.17
• Narrator- The narrator was Huxley himself because it was in the third person omniscient POV.
• Still leaning against the incubators he gave them, while the pencils scurried illegibly across the pages, a brief description of the modern fertilizing process." P.17
• Mood- The book seem to be nightmarish, like it was some nightmare that had a frightening society.
• "Bent over their instruments, three hundred Fertilizers were plunged, as the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning entered the room, in the scarcely breathing silence, the absent-minded, soliloquizing hum or whistle, of absorbed concentration. P.16
• Theme- The theme of this book was that society and technology will somehow change the way of life.
• " But a bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divide...Making ninety-six human beings grow where only one grew before. Progress." P.17
• Conflict- The conflict of this story was that John was pressured by society and was disgusted by how society has changed.
• "Drawn by the fascination of the horror of pain and, from within, impelled by that habit of cooperation, that desire for unanimity and atonement, which their conditioning had so ineradicable implanted in them, they began to mime the frenzy of his gestures, string at one another as the Savage struck at his own rebellious flesh, or at the plump incarnation of turpitude writhing in the heather at his feet." P. 230
• Imagery- The imagery of the chaos of society helps build the purpose.
• "Hungrily they gathered round, pushing and scrambling like swine about the trough." P.230
• Narrative method- With the narrator being third person omniscient POV, we get to understand the story from an all-around point of view.
• "With an infinity of precautions she opened the door a quarter of an inch; peeped through the crack; was encouraged by the view of emptiness; opened a little further; and put her whole head out' finally tiptoed in to the room; stood for a few seconds with strongly beating heart, listening, listening; then darted to the front door, opened, slipped through, slammed, ran." P.179
• Dialogue- The dialogue between the characters helps characterize the characters who are speaking.
• "'But I don't want comfort. I want God. I want poetry. I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin." (Savage)
• "'Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer, the right to have too little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakably pains of every kind.'" (Mustapha Mond) P. 215
• Gothic- The Gothic parts of this book help to show how the book is really kind of dark and ominous.
• "Moreover, she wasn't a real savage, had been hatched out of a bottle and conditioned like any one else: so couldn't have really quaint ideas." P. 142
• Motif- The motif was a Brave New World where this society becomes a whole new world.
• "In a few minutes there were dozens of them, standing in a wide circle round the lighthouse, staring ,laughing, clicking their cameras, throwing (as to an ape) peanuts, packets of sex-hormones chewing-gum, pan-glandular petits beurres... As in a nightmare, the dozens became scores, the scores hundreds. P.227

Characterization

1. The author uses both approaches to inform the reader of who John really is.

• "The Savage meanwhile wandered restlessly round the room, peering with a vague superficial inquisitiveness at the books in the shelves, at the sound-track rolls and reading machine bobbins in their numbered pigeon-holes." This is an indirect characterization that John (Savage) is curious.
• "The Savage looked at him. He had been prepared to lie, to bluster, to remain sullenly unresponsive; but, reassured by the good-humoured intelligence of the Controller's face, he decided to tell the truth, straightforwardly. 'No.' He shook his head." This is an indirect characterization of who John is again. 
• "The bell rang, and the Savage, who was impatiently hoping that Helmholtz would come that afternoon." This is a direct characterization that the Savage is impatient.
• "His movements and the expression on his face were so menacing that the nurse fell back in terror. With a great effort he checked himself and, without speaking, turned away and sat down again by the bed." This is a direct characterization that the Savage can be frightening.

2. The author's syntax and diction stay the same whether or not he focuses on the characters.

• "In the Bottling Room all was harmonious bustle and ordered activity."
• "'And the bottles come in here to be predestined in detail.'"

3. I feel the protagonist is dynamic and round because John learns about the World State in London and is affected by all of the things he discovers with society.

4.After reading the book, I felt like I've met a person who is organized and has his own beliefs about society.

• "Of the money which, on his first arrival, John had received for his perosnal expenses, most had been spent on his equipment...Looking at the tins now, he bitterly reproached himself for his weakness. Loathsome civilized stuff! He had made up his mind that he would never eat it, even if he were starving."

Our Prezi analysis of Hamlet Act 2

This is our Prezi of what we learned and how we learned for Hamlet Act 2

This is a work by Eli Esparza, Ian Steller, Miranda Nillo, Danny Luu, and myself.

Hamlet Act 2

DEAR OPHELIA

Dear O,

That is quite an anomaly and a conundrum you have there. Honestly, I would not know how to handle that, but I would say is follow what your father and your brother are saying so your problems won't proliferate because that would be the last thing you would want especially when those problems become brusque and hurt you in the future. Your father and your brother might classify you as an abomination to the family for becoming the saboteur of their plan for you. They might feel like the prince will rather lose you and commit debauchery than abdicate his throne. To expurgate these feelings from your father and your brother, you should follow them so they won't become bellicose and churlish men and won't be ready to fight. Basically, please be wise in your decision as it could lead to complications from a rapacious prince if you choose the prince.

Sincerely,

The Scholar

VOCAB #8

abase
verb (used with object), a·based, a·bas·ing.
1.to reduce or lower, as in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; humble; degrade.
2.Archaic. to lower; put or bring down

abdicate
verb (used without object)
1.to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, especially in a formal manner: The aging founder of the firm decided to abdicate.
verb (used with object)
2.to give up or renounce (authority, duties, an office, etc.), especially in a voluntary, public, or formal manner: King Edward VIII of England abdicated the throne in 1936.

abomination
noun
1.anything abominable; anything greatly disliked or abhorred.
2.intense aversion or loathing; detestation: He regarded lying with abomination.
3.a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc.: Spitting in public is an abomination.

brusque
adjective
abrupt in manner; blunt; rough: A brusque welcome greeted his unexpected return.

saboteur
noun
a person who commits or practices sabotage.

debauchery
noun, plural de·bauch·er·ies.
1.excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; intemperance.
2.Archaic. seduction from duty, allegiance, or virtue.

proliferate
verb (used without object), verb (used with object), pro·lif·er·at·ed, pro·lif·er·at·ing.
1.to grow or produce by multiplication of parts, as in budding or cell division, or by procreation.
2.to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively.

anachronism
noun
1.something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time: The sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.
2.an error in chronology in which a person, object, event, etc., is assigned a date or period other than the correct one: To assign Michelangelo to the 14th century is an anachronism.

nomenclature
noun
1.a set or system of names or terms, as those used in a particular science or art, by an individual or community, etc.
2.the names or terms comprising a set or system.

expurgate
verb (used with object), ex·pur·gat·ed, ex·pur·gat·ing.
1.to amend by removing words, passages, etc., deemed offensive or objectionable: Most children read an expurgated version of Grimms' fairy tales.
2.to purge or cleanse of moral offensiveness.

bellicose
adjective
inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious.

gauche
adjective
lacking social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness; awkward; crude; tactless: Their exquisite manners always make me feel gauche.

rapacious
adjective
1.given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed.
2.inordinately greedy; predatory; extortionate: a rapacious disposition.
3.(of animals) subsisting by the capture of living prey; predacious.

paradox
noun
1.a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
2.a self-contradictory and false proposition.
3.any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.
4.an opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion.

conundrum
noun
1.a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words, as What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper.
2.anything that puzzles.

anomaly
noun, plural a·nom·a·lies.
1.a deviation from the common rule, type, arrangement, or form. Synonyms: abnormality, exception, peculiarity.
2.someone or something that is abnormal or incongruous, or does not fit in; an anomalous person or thing: With his quiet nature, he was an anomaly in his exuberant family. Synonyms: abnormality, exception, peculiarity.
3.an odd, peculiar, or strange condition, situation, quality, etc.
4.an incongruity or inconsistency.
5.Astronomy . a quantity measured in degrees, defining the position of an orbiting body with respect to the point at which it is nearest to or farthest from its primary.

ephemeral
adjective
1.lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.
2.lasting but one day: an ephemeral flower.
noun
3.anything short-lived, as certain insects.

rancorous
adjective
full of or showing rancor.

churlish
adjective
1.like a churl; boorish; rude: churlish behavior.
2.of a churl; peasantlike.
3.niggardly; mean.
4.difficult to work or deal with, as soil.

precipitous
adjective
1.of the nature of or characterized by precipices: a precipitous wall of rock.
2.extremely or impassably steep: precipitous mountain trails.
3.precipitate.

Definition are from dictionary.com!

LITERARY FICTION & EMPATHY

 How can reading fiction help you understand others?  Use Hamlet as an example to explore your own thinking process and reactions to a character's innermost thoughts/struggles.

The different personalities, traits, and characteristics the characters in fiction help us understand others. It gives us that broad spectrum of different types of people that we may meet in the future. Reading and learning about these different types of people help us understand what other people are like. We get the opportunity to adapt to these type of people even though we haven't met them yet. Hamlet is a great example because the story contains so many different characters with different personalities, traits, and characteristics. You have Hamlet's uncle is a betrayer and a greedy man. In real life, you will meet those types of people even though you would not like to. Those type of people are real in the real world, whether we like it or not.

Hamlet: Outside of Righetti

http://aplove.blogspot.com/2007/11/ap-lit-hamlet-actscene-notes.html
I came across this website when I searched "AP classes studying Hamlet". The blog offers the whole text, and also the gist of the act at the end of the post. I left a comment on the Hamlet thread.
http://elsinoreinashmore.weebly.com/
I came across this website as well when I searched "studying Hamlet". The author, Simon McKenzie, gives us different ways into learning more about Hamlet. I do not know how to contact the author of this website.
http://www.d.umn.edu/~lmillerc/TeachingEnglishHomePage/TeachingUnits/HamletMurderLovePoisonandaPrinceExploringShakespearesHamlet-EllenBurns.htm
This university is studying about Hamlet. The website gives their students the class requirements, expectations, and agenda of how to work on Hamlet. It also gives other resources for those who are interested. I am not sure how to contact the author.
https://sites.google.com/a/wjps.org/apliterature-wjps/hamlet-by-william-shakespeare
This website gives us some resources for studying Hamlet. I emailed the author and acknowledged that their posts can help us in studying Hamlet.

WHAT I MEANT TO SAY WAS

WHAT I MEANT TO SAY WAS....Well there was a mishap with my midterm. No worries! This post will be updated as soon as I get my midterm back. Sorry for the inconvenience.

VOCAB #7

shenanigans
1.Usually, shenanigans.
    a.mischief; prankishness: Halloween shenanigans.
    b.deceit; trickery.
2.a mischievous or deceitful trick, practice, etc.

ricochet
noun
1.the motion of an object or a projectile in rebounding or deflecting one or more times from the surface over which it is passing or against which it hits a glancing blow.
verb (used without object)
2.to move in this way, as a projectile.

schism
noun
1.division or disunion, especially into mutually opposed parties.
2.the parties so formed.
3.Ecclesiastical .
    a.a formal division within, or separation from, a church or religious body over some doctrinal                difference.
    b.the state of a sect or body formed by such division.
    c.the offense of causing or seeking to cause such a division.

eschew
verb (used with object)
1. to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid:

plethora
noun
1.overabundance; excess: a plethora of advice and a paucity of assistance.
2.Pathology Archaic. a morbid condition due to excess of red corpuscles in the blood or increase in the quantity of blood.

ebullient
adjective
1.overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited: The award winner was in an ebullient mood at the dinner in her honor.
2.bubbling up like a boiling liquid.

garrulous
adjective
1.excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters.
2.wordy or diffuse

harangue
noun
1.a scolding or a long or intense verbal attack; diatribe.
2.a long, passionate, and vehement speech, especially one delivered before a public gathering.
3.any long, pompous speech or writing of a tediously hortatory or didactic nature; sermonizing lecture or discourse.
verb (used with object)
4.to address in a harangue.
verb (used without object)
5.to deliver a harangue.

interdependence
noun
the quality or condition of being interdependent, or mutually reliant on each other:

capricious
adjective
1.subject to, led by, or indicative of a sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change; erratic: He's such a capricious boss I never know how he'll react.
2.Obsolete . fanciful or witty.

loquacious
adjective
1.talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative; chattering; babbling; garrulous: a loquacious dinner guest.
2.characterized by excessive talk; wordy

ephemeral
adjective
1.lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.
2.lasting but one day: an ephemeral flower.
noun
3.anything short-lived, as certain insects.

inchoate
adjective
1.not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary.
2.just begun; incipient.
3.not organized; lacking order: an inchoate mass of ideas on the subject.

juxtapose
verb (used with object), jux·ta·posed, jux·ta·pos·ing.
to place close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

perspicacious
adjective
1.having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning: to exhibit perspicacious judgment.
2.Archaic. having keen vision.

codswallop
noun
nonsense; rubbish.

mungo
noun, plural mun·gos.
a low-grade wool from felted rags or waste.

sesquipedalian
adjective
1.given to using long words.
2.(of a word) containing many syllables.
noun
3.a sesquipedalian word.

wonky
adjective, won·ki·er, won·ki·est.
1.British Slang.
    a.shaky, groggy, or unsteady.
    b.unreliable; not trustworthy.
2.Slang. stupid; boring; unattractive.

diphthong
noun
1.Phonetics . an unsegmentable, gliding speech sound varying continuously in phonetic quality but held to be a single sound or phoneme and identified by its apparent beginning and ending sound, as the oi-  sound of toy  or boil.
2.a.a digraph, as the ea  of meat.
   b.a ligature, as æ.

verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
3.to diphthongize.

Credit to dictionary.com for providing the definitions.

VOCAB 7

Credit to Eli Esparza for taking the time to create the ending to our story and adding this week's vocabulary to the story.

I am glad that I left with everyone at the station because we have started on a great journey together. We have decided to go to the institute together. From there we would discover what happens next. The journey took 3 days to get there and we each took turns driving so that way there was no lost time. 

Something very strange occurred when we arrived at the institute. There was nobody at the gate to let us in. I thought it was codswallop because you would think someone would be there. The minute we go out of the car Hingle Mcringleberry, Quatro Quatro, and Sequester Migriclle M.D. were up to there usual Shenanigans. We went inside the facility and discovered again that no one was there. In the office we saw that it was filled with sand and camel drawings. It took us several hours and then the Scholar finally figured out what the drawings meant. We were to find a camel and it will show us the way. In the back or the lot there were dozens of camels there and the minute we sat on one they took off towards the ocean. The ride was Ephemeral because we did not walk that far before we stopped at the ocean. We borrowed the boat that that was there and Quatro Quatro shot a gun and the bullet Ricochet the steal frame and put a hole in the boat. We had to think fast and decided to patch it with mungo. After going for about a week with no end in sight we reached land. When we got off the boat the camels just disappeared and we learned that we have reached are destination. The scholar had announced that we had arrived in Egypt.

GREEN EGGS & HAMLET

a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane"?  b) What do you know about Shakespeare?  c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?  and d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?

a) Honestly, I am not really familiar with Hamlet. -I am looking forward to learn more about Hamlet in the future of this class.
b) I do know that Shakespeare wrote many famous works of literature that is used as part of curriculum all around the world due to its fine use of vocabulary and writing style.
c) Many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare" because they know it is time to read something that doesn't really makes sense at first because of the language, but then once the students study and analyze the text more, then they come to appreciate the theme and ideas Shakespeare was trying to make.
d) Honestly, I cannot think of a way that we can use to make studying this play an amazing experience, but I am looking forward in hearing about the different ways my colleagues will all suggest.

IF I HAD JUST MORE TIME

Honestly, if I had just more time, I would have been able to list and define more vocabulary words for my midterm today. Also, if I did have more time, I could have a clearer understanding for each word and their definitions so I would be able to clearly define them on my midterm. Also, if I had more time, I would have been able to squeeze in more studying time for the midterm, but due to have so many other assignments, I didn't have enough time. I did study for this midterm, but I always feel like I didn't have enough. Other times, if I did study, I get so nervous that I end up forgetting whatever I studied, and I would blank out when it came to the test.

Lit Analysis #2

Crime and Punishment

by 

Fyodor Dostoevsky

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).
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
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.)

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)?
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

1. The book seems to have two stories incorporated into one whole story, but the characters are related in many ways. One story is about money, greed, and crime, and the other story is about love and limitations. But, the stories come together as one because Raskolnikov has relationships with each character in some way. I feel the main focus of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoesvky is about a young man living in an apartment in St Petersburg, Russia. He is described as one who is unable to make his payments to his landlord. The story starts out with Raskolnikov, the main character, who is leaving his apartment. Upon leaving his apartment, he veers away from the apartment where his landlady lives in order to avoid being harassed for not paying his rent. Later on. he goes to an old woman, named Alyona Ivanovna, to pawn his possessions in order to get money to pay for his rent. But, as the reader reads through the book, they found out that Raskolnikov creates a plot to murder Ivanovna so that he can get the money he would need. As the story goes on, Raskolnikov goes through life experiencing events that would trigger him to remember the murder which would irritate him. He felt like almost every person that he met knew that he committed the murder. But in reality, some of those people didn't even know. Raskolnikov always felt like he was being trapped into telling the truth. At the end of the story, Raskolnikov finally confesses and turns himself in which leads to him being imprisoned. He realizes at the end that he is sorry for what he has done and that he has mental anxiety about the murders because his conscience kept reminding him of what he had done.
2. I feel the theme of this novel is that your conscience, aka "the little voice in your head", will always come back to haunt you, no matter how long has it been since you did that one thing that was morally wrong.
3. The author's tone is of a morose tone because of the experiences Raskolnikov goes through. Examples would be

A)"There, in the very corner, low down, the wallpaper was coming away and was torn in one place." P.90

 B) "Here a strange thought came into his head: perhaps all his clothes were covered with blood, perhaps there were stains all over them, and he simply did not see, did not notice them, because his reason was failing, going to pieces...his mind darkening...Suddenly he remembered that there was also blood on the purse." P.91 

C) "This sensation might be likened to the sensation of a man condemned to death who is suddenly and unexpectedly granted a pardon." P.186

4.

• Antagonist- I feel the antagonist is Raskolnikov because he is the one that committed the murder.
• "He could not waste even one more moment. He took the axe all the way ou, swuing it with both hands, scarcely aware of himself, and almost without effort, almost mechanically, brought the butt-end down on her head...He stepped aside, letting it fall, and immediately bent down to her face; she was already dead." P.76-77
• Protagonist- The protagonist would most likely be Raskolnikov's conscience because, ultimately, it was his conscience that made him confess.
•  "'It was I who killed the official's old widow and her sister Lizaveta with an axe and robbed them." P. 531
• Dialogue- With dialogue, we get a sense that Raskolnikov is losing his mind.
• "'It's read; blood won't be so noticeable on read...Lord! Am I losing my mind?' He thought tearfully." P. 78
• Symbolism- It is pretty obvious, but I feel the ax symbolizes his anger that was inflicted by hatred and hopelessness.
• "His own strength seemed to have no part in it. But the moment he brought the axe down, stregnth was born in him." P. 76
• Gothic- There were many Gothic moments in the book, especially with the murders.
• "The blow landed directly on the skull, with the sharp edge, and immediately split the whole upper part of the forehead, almost to the crown." P. 79
• Motif- Raskolnikov's conscience keeps coming back and telling him of what he did which ultimately landed him in telling the whole truth.
• "All this tormented him, yet at the same time he somehow could not be bothered with it. Strangely, though no one might have believed it, his present, immediate fate somehow concerned him only faintly, absentmindedly. Something else, much more important and urgent-to do with himself and himself alone, but something else, some main thing- was tormenting him now.Besides, he felt a boundless moral fatigue, though his mind had worked better that morning that in all those recent days." P. 463
• Narrative- It seemed like there was two stories: one about Raskolnikov murdering and one about his loved ones trying to get together.
• "A strange thought suddenly came to him: to get up now, go over to NIkodim Fomich, and tell him all about yesterday, down to the last deatil, then go to his apartment with them and show them the things in the corner, in the hole." P.104
• "The main essence of the matter was decided in his mind and decided finally: 'This marriage will not take place as long as I live, and to the devil with Mr. Luzhin!'" This would be a second story within the original story about Raskolnikov's sister is getting married, but he doesn't approve. P.40
• Point of View- The point of view is third person omniscient because the reader gets to see everything that has happened in detail.
• This is when he is about to make his confession. "He walked out; he was reeling. His head was spinning. He could not feel his legs under him. He started down the stairs, propping himself against the wall with his right arm. It seemed to him that some caretaker with a book in his hands pushed him as he climbed past on his way up to the office, that some little mutt was barking its head off somewhere on a lower floor, and that some woman threw a rolling pin at it and shouted. He went on down the stairs and came out into the courtyard." P.530
• Monologue- Raskolnikov had many monologues where we got to see what was going through his head.
• "'So reason hasn't deserted me altogether, so there's still some understanding and memory left, since I suddenly remembered and figure it out myself!...It was just feverish weakness, a momentary delirium.'" P.91
• Setting- The setting of the story helps tie things together as well.
• "This was a very small room; there was a huge stand with icons and, against the opposite wall, a large bed, quite clean, covered with a silk patchwork quilt. Against the third wall stood a a chest  of drawers." P. 77

CHARACTERIZATION
1. The author uses both direct characterization and indirect characterization so that the readers can have a full grasp on what Raskolnikov is like if they were ever to meet him. With using these two approaches, he is able to get the readers to understand what Raskolnikov would become at the end of the book. So, he is essentially tying things together using direct and indirect characterization.

• An example of direct characterization would be "Raskolnikov was not used to crowds." (P.11) We read that Raskolnikov seems to be antisocial.
• Another example of direct characterization would be "But for some time he had been in an irritable and tense state, resembling hypochondria." (P.3) We see here that Dostoesvsky directly characterizes how Raskolnikov acts.
• An example of indirect characterization would be when Raskolnikov says, "Indeed, the shreds of fringe he had cut off his trousers were simply lying on the floor, in the middle of the room, for the first comer to see! 'What can be wrong with me!' he cried out again, like a lost man." (P.91)This is an example of indirect characterization because we can see how he evolves to what he becomes at the end of the story. We see that he starts to become paranoid.
• Another example of indirect characterization would be "Suddenly he shook all over with horror: 'My God,' he whispered in despair, 'what's wrong with me? Do you call that hidden? Is that any way to hide things?'" (P.90) We see that Raskolnikov is starting to see what a mess he is becoming because of how inattentive he is when it comes to things that happen at the spur of the moment.

2. I feel the author's syntax and diction stays constant throughout the story. Some examples are "He was in full possession of his reason, the clouding and dizziness had ceased, but his hands were still trembling." (P.77) and "He remembered that Katerina Ivanovna's funeral had been appointed for that day, and was glad not to be present at it." (P.442) From the examples, Dostoevsky writes in a consistent style.
3. There wasn't really a protagonist in the book because Raskolnikov is the main character and did an act of murder within the book, but he is dynamic because as the story goes on after the murder, he feels bad for what he has done. His conscience constantly reminds him of what has done which cause him to faint whenever the murder is brought up in conversation with other characters. Raskolnikov is round because the reader is able to get a good insight on who Raskolnikov is, what he looks like, and what he does.
4. After reading the book, I felt like I've met a person because of how detailed Raskolnikov experiences were throughout this book. I feel like I witnessed what kind of a person Raskolnikov is. An example would be, "Then he struck her again and yet again with all his strength, both times with the butt-end, both times on the crown of the head...she was already dead."

PROJECT HUMANITY

Hi everyone!

My friend (Danny Luu) and I have started a club called Project Humanity. Our goal is to become a student/community based club that will  take the steps to build a better community. Our first meeting is TOMORROW (THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013) AT ROOM 600 FOR LUNCH! Don't be late! Tomorrow we will discuss the purpose of our club and what we hope to accomplish. Also, we will be introducing our officers for the Project Humanity 2013-2014! Everyone is welcome! Come join us!!

THE COMPARISON'S TALE

To me, there seemed a difference between the tales that were presented to the class and the one my group read. The Physician's Tale wasn't even about the Physician mostly. It was about his daughter, and how his daughter was this girl whom everyone praises to be precious and sweet. The judge of the town even had an interest in her. But, the part that I read was about how Chaucer was telling the Physician that he should be very diligent in raising his daughter because when she grows up to be a women and is taken by her future husband, then he will have no governance over her. Now, the other tales that were presented in class had a consistent theme of adultery which is extremely different to the tale my group read.