Thursday, September 26, 2013

CHARACTER STUDY (III)

The first football game of the season was being held there and she was exited. When she was in school, she wasn't the type of girl who would go to the games. Before the game started, she went to the cafeteria and eat a taco that many students claimmed it was the best ones. When she was in the cafeteria, she heard some people heading there. When the unexpected guest entered, she was a bit angry to see that three guys that came in were from the opposite team. . .

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

CHARACTER STUDY (II) (AP English)

All the way, Maria was trying to convince herself that this school had excelent teachers and that if she needed help in her first year as a teacher, her collegues were going to help her through it. The thing she was most exited to do was bond with her students. She wanted to be more than a teacher, she wanted to inspire and generate trust in her students.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

CANTERBURY TALES (I)

 In a post to your blog entitled CANTERBURY TALES (I), list any observations about the Prologue.  These may include questions, vocabulary, predictions, literary techniques, and quotes/elements that you found especially effective or memorable.  *Which character's story do you most want to read?

*

CHARACTER STUDY (I)

As I look around my room to double check I am taking everything I need.. When I reach for my door, I felt a thightening sensation in my through and chest. I don't know if its because I'm scared or because I'm excited that the moment I have been anticipated has come. As I close the door to my apartment, I tell myself that this school year is going to be amazing because I will get to meet new students.

NETVIBES

hmm. . .at first, creating a netvibe was a bit confusing because I did not know what to put in each collum, now I sort of feel a bit better but I still need to play around with it so I can become a bit more confortable with it. I am having trouble adding my yahoo account to it but I have my gmail, so I gues it's ok. So far, I only have my email accounts, the AP and expos blogs, the weather, and the time.

Monday, September 23, 2013

VOCAB #6

accolade: an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgement of merit


acerbity: sharp and forthright style of speaking


attrition: action or process of gradually reducing the strength or effectiveness of something through sustain attack or pressure.


bromide: a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to placate


chauvinist: a person displaying excessive or prejudiced loyalty or support for a particular cause, group , or gender.


chronic: persisting for a long time or constantly recurring.


expound: present and explain an idea or theory in detail


factionalism: relating or belonging to a faction (a small organized group within a larger one)


immaculate: a person who is perfectly clean, neat, and tidy. Perfect.


imprecation: a spoken curse


ineluctable:unable to be resisted or avoided


mercurial: person who is subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.


palliate: allay or moderate; disguise the seriousness  or gravity of an offense.


protocol: an official procedure or system of rules


resplendent: attractive and impressive though being richly colorful or sumptuous


stigmatize: described or t
Regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval


sub rosa: happening or done in secret


vainglory: inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity.


vestige: a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists


volition: the faculty or power of using one's will.

Obsequious: (adj) obedient; dutiful; fawning


2) Beatitude: (n) exalted happiness


3) Bete Noire: (n) a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads


4) Bode: (v) to be an omen of


5) Dank: (adj) unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly


6) Ecumenical: (adj) general; universal: promoting Christian unity throughout the world


7) Fervid: (adj) heated in spirit, enthusiasm; intensely hot, burning


8) Fetid: (adj) having an offensive odor; stinking


9) Gargantuan: (adj) gigantic, enormous

10) Heyday: (n) the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime


11) Incubus: (n) a nightmare


12) Infrastructure: (n) the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organisation

13) Inveigle:(v) to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk; to acquire by beguiling talk or methods


14) Kudos: (n) honor, glory, acclaim


15) Lagniappe: (n) tip, bonus, gratuity


16) Prolix: (adj) extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy


17) Protege: (n) a person under the care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare.


18) Prototype: (n) the original or model on which something is based on for formed; someone who serves to illustrate the typical qualities of something.

19) Sycophant: (n) a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite



20) Tautology: (n) needless repetition of an idea


21) Truckle: (v) to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

WHAT A CHARACTER

describe a fictional character that made an impression on you.  What was it about this character that made him/her memorable?  Can you distinguish/identify literary techniques that contributed to the overall effect?

A character that is memorable is Katniss Everdeen.  She is memorable to me because she is brave and has a strong bond with her sister, like the one ,my sister and I shared when I was younger. Direct characterization, indirect characterization and dialogue contribute to the overall effect.

Monday, September 16, 2013

VOCAB #5

1) Obsequious: (adj) obedient; dutiful; fawning


2) Beatitude: (n) exalted happiness


3) Bete Noire: (n) a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads


4) Bode: (v) to be an omen of


5) Dank: (adj) unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly


6) Ecumenical: (adj) general; universal: promoting Christian unity throughout the world


7) Fervid: (adj) heated in spirit, enthusiasm; intensely hot, burning


8) Fetid: (adj) having an offensive odor; stinking


9) Gargantuan: (adj) gigantic, enormous

10) Heyday: (n) the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime


11) Incubus: (n) a nightmare


12) Infrastructure: (n) the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organisation

13) Inveigle:(v) to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk; to acquire by beguiling talk or methods


14) Kudos: (n) honor, glory, acclaim


15) Lagniappe: (n) tip, bonus, gratuity


16) Prolix: (adj) extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy


17) Protege: (n) a person under the care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare.


18) Prototype: (n) the original or model on which something is based on for formed; someone who serves to illustrate the typical qualities of something.

19) Sycophant: (n) a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite


20) Tautology: (n) needless repetition of an idea


21) Truckle: (v) to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely

DECLARATION OF LEARNING INDEPENDENCE

I sort of copied this entry from my August 27th journal topic. I changed some things but its kind of the same.

My big question is how can world peace be achieved by using language? And  Why can't ALL humans cooperate with each other and make the Earth a better planet to live in? without any violence, corruption, or misery? This year, my goal is to become fluent in ASL or began learning a bit of Korean or Arabic. In order to do that, I am planing on making at least 20 minutes per week to learn a new sign or word.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

LITERATURE ANALYSIS #1 (AP English)

The book I read for this class is "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

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).
 Exposition: in the first chapter, the reader knows what each soldier LITERALLY carries in their backpacks. The reader also learns that all of them carry the same things. After the first chapter, the author does not follow a chronological order of events, that's why the reader can say that the climax is not a specific one. I think that the purpose of this book was to show the reader that someone can not TRULY tell a war story because "what is story-real is not always happening-real."

 2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
Themes: instincts vs what is thought of right: when the narrator gets drafted, he does not want to go to the war but is also scared of what people are going to say if he DOESN'T go.
Truth: when O'Brien reveals that, the events are not real, he explains that in order for something to be real, they have to feel real. That's why he invented all the extra events that never truly happened.

 3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
tone: melancholy/reflective. (1) “They carried their reputations. They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory and dishonor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor.” (2) “He wished he could’ve explained some of this. How he had been braver than he ever thought possible, but how he had not been so brave as he wanted to be. The distinction was important.” (Page 153)   (3) “Twenty years. A lot like yesterday, a lot like never. In a way, maybe, I’d gone under with Kiowa, and now after two decades I’d finally worked myself out. A hot afternoon, a bright August sun, and the war was over.” (Page 187)

 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:
2. foreshadow
3. symbolism
4. irony
5. diction
6 Juxtaposition
7. Imagery
8. allusions
9. flashback/flash-forward
10. narration

Monday, September 9, 2013

VOCABULARY #4

accolade: an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgement of merit


acerbity: sharp and forthright style of speaking


attrition: action or process of gradually reducing the strength or effectiveness of something through sustain attack or pressure.


bromide: a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to placate


chauvinist: a person displaying excessive or prejudiced loyalty or support for a particular cause, group , or gender.


chronic: persisting for a long time or constantly recurring.


expound: present and explain an idea or theory in detail


factionalism: relating or belonging to a faction (a small organized group within a larger one)


immaculate: a person who is perfectly clean, neat, and tidy. Perfect.


imprecation: a spoken curse


ineluctable:unable to be resisted or avoided


mercurial: person who is subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.


palliate: allay or moderate; disguise the seriousness  or gravity of an offense.


protocol: an official procedure or system of rules


resplendent: attractive and impressive though being richly colorful or sumptuous


stigmatize: described or t
Regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval


sub rosa: happening or done in secret


vainglory: inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity.


vestige: a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists


volition: the faculty or power of using one's will.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

BEOWULF ESSAY

Compare Beowulf with a modern hero, both as characters and as symbols of the times in which both were created.  Support your thesis with at least three (3) literary techniques and three (3) textual examples that strengthen and illustrate your ideas for your readers.

The poem of Beowulf is know for the knowledge that it gives the reader about the world that it was written on. During the times that Beowulf was written, bravery, loyalty, and physical strength were highly valued. In the series of Dragon Ball, bravery, loyalty, and physical strength are also valuable. Even though these three traits are valued in both works, some difference exist between them. For example, Beowulf is in some extent arrogant while Goku  is humble. Another difference is that Beowulf is ready for a fight while Goku tries to talk things through and uses his martial arts skills as a last resource.Another difference is that Beowulf tells everyone his accomplishments to show his bravery while Goku never tells anyone he got second place in the first Budokai Tenkaichi Martial Arts Tournament when he was 12 years old.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

WILL STUDY FOR FOOD

explain what you need scholarship $ for and how much you
hope/intend to earn.  If you haven't yet, this is a good time to start analyzing costs of school and
living in order to determine where to set your fundraising bar.

The money I get in scholarships will be strictly use to cover for my classes and textbook. I don't have a set quantity but the more I get, the better it will be. Since I have not decided which schools I will be applying to, I don't have a set amount of money. However, if the scholarship money is not enough, I will be getting a student loan because I don't want my parents to have to pay for MY education.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

VOCABULARY #3

Apostate: A person who has abandoned his/her religion, cause, or party
 The apostates were received badly in their colonies after changing their religion.

Effusive: Expressing feelings of gratitude or pleasure in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.
 After 5 months traveling, the family reunited with a effusive embrace.

Impasse: A situation in which no progress is possible.
Before moving forward, the people getting a divorce must get through their impasse.

Euphoria: (n.) A feeling or state of intense happiness.
The title of Enrique Iglesias' CD was Euphoria; hinting that he was happy when he made the CD.

Lugubrious: Looking or sounding sad/dismal.
When the student saw the rejection letter, he entered a lugubrious state.

Bravado: A show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate.
People who are cocky usually have a big bravado.

Consensus: General agreement.
 In order to come to a decision, the president decided to have a consensus between the representatives.

Dichotomy: A division or contrast between two opposite things.
The dichotomy of being bilingual and bi cultural is often overlooked.

Constrict: To make narrower.
Snakes are well-known for their contraction abilities

Gothic: Relating to the Middle Ages (12th-16th century).
The novel of Frankenstein has some Gothic elements to it.

Punctilio: A fine point of conduct, ceremony, or procedure.


Metamorphosis: The procedure of transformation or alteration in appearance, form, etc.
The metamorphosis of a butterfly is usually used as a metaphor to something that changes.

Raconteur: A person who tells anecdotes in an amusing way.
When the teacher told his stories from  the summer, he sort of became a raconteur.

Sine qua non: An essential condition or element.
Wanting to learn is sine qua non of coming to school.

Quixotic: Exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic, and impractical.
The idea of going outside planet earth was quixotic when Galileo was alive .

Vendetta: A prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchanges.
The gangs had a vendetta relationship with each other.

Non sequitur: A conclusion or statement that does not follow from the previous statement or argument.
Stating that you are entitled to your own opinion is a non sequitur to an argument.

Mystique: A fascinating aura or mystery or power surrounding someone or something.
The department of mysteries in the ministry of Magic has a mystique feeling to it.

Quagmire: A difficult or precarious situation; a predicament.
Before loaning money, make sure you will not be in a quagmire later on.

Parlous: Full of danger or uncertainty.
The prophecy had a parlous message.

WHY THIS BOOK

The book I will be reading is The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. I choose this book because my sister told me it was a good book and because it is in the AP reading list.