THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

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 personal hell would be somewhere I can not be happy. No matter what I did, there would be no way that I could achieve happiness. My hell would be a place people are meant to be happy but I can not. I think that hell can be found even in the most beautiful place in the world. "Hell" is different for each one of us. If a person has a strong mentality, it is possible for them to endure a hellish physical environment. 

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?

I think if you have too much of something, you will eventually stop wanting it and since you can not stop having it, it will become hell.

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 creates a sense of place when the characters find that they are there to torture each other. I think that staying awake all the time with the lights on is kind of when you are trying to sleep but the lights are on or when the sun is hitting your face. Garcin is surprised by the room and feels like he needs to gain Inez' approval(?)

 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.

Plato shows that a student is limited by the way they think. If a person wanted to be intellectually free, they could be. Sartre shows the limit to our thinking lays on the information we have and whether or not we accept it. 

ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE SONNET

intellectual freedom is never easy.

in a dark cave we life most of our lives.

not being able to see the real truth can be uneasy.

scholars say ignorance are like knifes.

Intellectual freedom is not common.

most people do not value mental freedom.

people missing the world is not uncommon.

ignorance can rule the world like a demon.

how can people terminate ignorance?

the decision must come from within to stop.

intelligence has a very strong fragrance.

intelligence always makes you the top.

a mind can never be kept inside a cave.

a person who gets out of the cave is brave.

BRAIN WITH 6 LEGS

Marisol, Elisia and I decided to read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. In order to collaborate regarding our reading, we plan on discussing our readings during class and creating a Facebook group message to continue discussing our book online. We also plan to meet up at one of our houses' during the break in order to clarify any confusion and discuss our understanding of the readings. We will start reading our book on November 21 and read about 37 pages each day.

PLATO STUDY QUESTIONS

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?
the concept of reality and knowledge
2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?
prisoners= humans
shadows=appearances (what we think is right/real)
the outside: new ideas/knowledge
prisoner that escapes= teacher
3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?
it's a struggle and that if you have completely different views on something, people might be react in a negative way to you.
4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?
the cave suggests that people are cut of from knowledge and the shackles are what's keeping them restrained.
5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?
laziness and the fear of the unknown
6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?
the freed prisoner is enlightened and the cave prisoners are reluctant to go outside because they are used to being in there
7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?
when they are enclosed and can't know the truth or when they don't want to know
8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?
by going outside and learning the truth. Intellectual freedom is as essential as physical freedom
9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?
yes because what you may perceive as real might be something else.
10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?
that people just assume is real if they can see it even though it might not be true.

WE HANG TOGETHER

HAMLET REMIX---in progress--

I havent quite figured out where I'm going with this so its not perfect yet

http://prezi.com/_tiz7wsjunhq/hamlet/

SONNET ANALYSIS #1

This are my notes on sonnets

A POETIC INQUIRY

big question: Why is world peace sooooo hard to obtain? I mean, if EVERYONE took in consideration other people and stopped being selfish, world peace would not be so hard to obtain!
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? How can languge help reach world peace?

I have not changed my question. But now I am a bit more focused on the linguistics concept of it because I would like to be a translator.

Finding a sonnet was difficult. Were we supposed to choose a sonnet by Shakespeare or Petrarchan? or it didn't matter who the author was?

The sonnet that I found doesn't have a big relationship with the language component of my question but it does talk about peace.

"Lasting Peace on Earth"

The peace that’s found on earth lasts not for long, 

As leaders break their promises often; 

The peace that wars bring serves to just prolong

The rivalries, when differences soften.

Man needs the peace of mind, of heart and soul, 

Apart from peace surrounding his earth’s space; 

Progress in fields occurs when peace is goal, 

And keeps the health and wealth of human race.

The peace that wars unleash is quite futile; 

The peace that dialogues bring, much better; 

The peace that world bodies give is fragile; 

The Maker is the final peace-setter! 

The peace that man bestows on earth is short; 

The peace that God ushers, none can abort! 

PERFORMATIVE UTTERANCE + HAMLET---ESSAY

     Throughout the play, Hamlet gives a few soliloquies that allow the reader know what Hamlet thinks and feels. Throughout the play, the impact of performative utterance on Hamlet and his sense of self was seen by his actions and the way he spoke to other characters. By using locutionary force, illocutionary force, and perlocutionary force through out the play, Shakespear shows how when Hamlet speaks, his words constitute actions in their self.
     The importance of performative utterance on Hamlet is shown when he says his soliloquies. For example, when Hamlet gives his first soliloquy during act 1 scene 2, the audience knows how he feels about his mother marring his uncle. In act 1 scene 5, Hamlet learns that his father was poisoned and he uses illocutionary force to order himself to kill hi uncle to avenge his father's death. By Hamlet commanding himself to "remember and obey" his father's ghost, he is condemning his uncle to his death. When Hamlet says that he will remember his father, his speech constitutes actions because that means that he will kill Claudius.
     Austin's idea is that languae describes and does. This idea can be backed up by Hamlet's actions. For example, when Hamlet gives his soliloquies, he is describing the way he feels and he is also describing how he is going to avenge his father's death. In other words, Hamlet uses his soliloquies to give himself a push in killing Claudious. By Hamlet "motivating" himself to kill his uncle, he shows that even though he doesn't know how to kill his uncle, he is sure that he needs to kill his uncle.
     In my opinion, "self overhearing" means that someone says their feelings, what and how they feel out loud in order to help them self make decisions or to clarify their ideas and feelings.  Another use of self overhearing is that it helps to memorize. When I was memorizing To Be Or Not To Be, I read the lines out loud and after a few repetitions, I had memorized that line.
     In conclusion,  Austin's idea of language can be seen through out the play by Hamlet's actions. In the play, self-overhearing has a big impact on the plot and the characters because by over hearing himself, Hamlet was able to decide what to do in order to take revenge against his uncle.
     

TOOLS THAT CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK

"Back in 2004, I asked [Google founders] Page and Brin what they saw as the future of Google search. 'It will be included in people's brains,' said Page. 'When you think about something and don't really know much about it, you will automatically get information.'

'That's true,' said Brin. 'Ultimately I view Google as a way to augment your brain with the knowledge of the world. Right now you go into your computer and type a phrase, but you can imagine that it could be easier in the future, that you can have just devices you talk into, or you can have computers that pay attention to what's going on around them and suggest useful information.'

'Somebody introduces themselves to you, and your watch goes to your web page,' said Page. 'Or if you met this person two years ago, this is what they said to you... Eventually you'll have the implant, where if you think about a fact, it will just tell you the answer."

-From In the Plex by Steven Levy (p.67)

 How does use of the Internet, media, and/or technology change the way you think? Focus on your memory, your ability to concentrate, your sense of time and priorities, and the subjects/topics that interest you most. If you find "thinking about your thinking" difficult to assess, try the following strategies: compare yourself with older people who did most of their formal learning before smart phones and 2.0 existed; compare yourself with contemporaries who don't use those tools much today; read up on what education leaders and thinkers have to say about generational differences in thinking (and remember to cite your sources).

I think that the Internet has changed the way I think by enabling me to get information that I would probably never know. (even with filter bubbles) However, I think that in a way, it has made me less responsible and kind of unorganized. For example, if I have a homework assignment that I can use the Internet to help me with it, I would do that assignment last because I have Internet in my phone so I can do it during school. Also, I think that in a way I took a step forward and two steps back ever since I started to rely on the Internet so much.

FILTER BUBBLES

a)What new information did you learn from the video?
-everyone sees something different when they search for the same thing and that the Internet doesn't really open doors for you, it just leads you to a place you will feel comfortable.
b)How does this information make you think differently about what you see online?
-there is more to what is being presented to me
c)What questions does this video raise about the Internet in general?
-how can I get all the different points of view that are out there?
d)How can you improve the effectiveness of your searches?
-by focusing on a different point of view

THOUGHTS ON HAMLET (IN PROGRESS)

-I think that the reason why Gertrude can't see the ghost is because the ghost represents Hamlet conscience. But if that were true, how come the guards were able to see it? I'm still working in that.
-Dr. Preston said that he interpreted as the ghost only presenting himself to people who are pure(?)...that kind of makes sense because Gertrude has little/no morals.
-I think that since Hamlet didn't care that he killed Polonious, he is not going to care who he has to kill in order to get revenge.

The Performative Utterance in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

performative: relating to or denoting an utterance by means of which the speaker performs a particular act.
utterance: spoken word, statement or vocal sound; the action of saying or expressing something aloud.

Hamet's struggle is in doing what his brain is telling him to do. And not in whether or not he should kill himself.

WHAT I THINK WHEN I THINK OF ACT |||

SCENE |
-I think it's kind of funny that nobody knows why Hamlet is so upset...gee, I wonder why, it's not like anybody he loved was murdered by his uncle (Claudius) and his mom (Gertrude) get married as soon as she could. Oh wait! that's what's going on.
-I understand why Rosencrantz and Guildenstern would want to tell Hamlet's uncle and mom about his emotional state but couldn't they just say "Your mom and uncle are worried about you. What's going on?"
-Why does Claudius want to spy on Hamlet and Ophelia? creepy. There's a thing called privacy.
-When Hamlet says, "and thus conscience makes cowards of us all", is he talking about the way Claudius reacted?
-Hamlet was an a**hole telling Ophelia to go to a convent so she could give birth to sinner.
-Polonius is kind of annoying because he is dumb

SCENE ||
- I'm impressed with Hamlet's intelligence in creating a play that shows whats going on in his life.
-If I were Claudius I would get the hint that Hamlet knows the truth.
-Does Horatio know about Claudius killing Hamlet Sn? How does he know? What does he think?

SCENE |||
-Claudius is right in being worried about Hamlet's actions.
-Claudius is an evil step dad, he just sends Hamlet to England...
-Does Claudius love Gertrude?
-Hamlet shows his trust for revenge when he is willing to wait to kill his uncle

SCENE IV
-Gertrude is a bad mother in agreeing with Polonius (I think)
-what is wrong with Gertrude that she didn't react to Hamlet killing Polonius?
-Did Gertrude helped Claudius Kill Hamlet sn? Does she suspect anything?

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).
The protagonist of this book is Antonio Marez. The setting is Guadalupe, New Mexico. His father, Gabriel Marez, a "vaquero" (cowboy), would like to see his son grow up and follow in the same path that he did, but Antonio's mother, Maria Luna (a devout catholic and daughter of farmers), would like Antonio to become a priest. When Ultima, comes to stay with the family, she teaches Antonio about the earth around him and the basics of her craft.  After watching Tenorio shoot Ultima's owl, her spiritual guardian, Ultima herself begins to die. She asks Antonio to bury her owl, and he does so in honor of Ultima. In the end we see how Antonio looses his innocence and becomes a grown up.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
A theme can be to be yourself and not let other people decide for you. (self-discovery?)

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
The tone is one of comprehension.
 "I had been afraid of the awful presence of the river, which was the soul of the river, but through her (Ultima) I learned that my spirit shared in the spirit of all things"

"I could not lie. I knew he would find the lie in my eyes if I did. But maybe there were other gods? Why had the power God failed to cure my uncle?"

"The sun was good. The men of the llano were men of the sun. The men of the farms along the river were men of the moon. But we were all children of the white sun."

"There are so many dreams to be fulfilled, but Ultima says a mans destiny must unfold itself like a flower, with only the sun and the earth and water making it blossom, and no one else meddling in it."

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.)
Symbolism: Golden carp, Ultimas owl, Virgen de Guadalupe, the last name "Luna"
Diction: Anaya uses phrases and sayings that have spanaish words on it.
Direct Characterization: the way that Ultima is described
Indirect Characterization: the actions that Ultima does and the way people react to her.
Metaphor: the way Anaya says that the Lunas are people of the land and the Marez come from the sun.
Synesthesia: They way Antonio described the way the soil felt.
Aphorism: The way that Antonio's brothers acted when they come back from the earth.
motif: loss of innocence

GREEN EGGS AND HAMLET

a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane"?

I know that the phrase "to be or not to be" comes from a soliloquy that Hamlet says. Also that he is struggling with his feelings after his father died and his mom married his uncle (his dad's brother).

b) What do you know about Shakespeare?

I Know that he is the author of Romeo and Juliet, he wrote tragic dramas, and that his works are hard to understand.

c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?

Because Shakespeare has a bad reputation with students. When they hear his name, students connotate him with difficult to read plays that are boring. (is it just me?)

d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?

We can have disscusions to make sure we can understand the text and we can find the way to relate the play with our lifes.

LITERARY FICTION & EMPATHY (AP English)

."..after reading literary fiction, as opposed to popular fiction or serious nonfiction, people performed better on tests measuring empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence — skills that come in especially handy when you are trying to read someone’s body language or gauge what they might be thinking...The researchers say the reason is that literary fiction often leaves more to the imagination, encouraging readers to make inferences about characters and be sensitive to emotional nuance and complexity."

*This part of the article made me think about what I learned in my child developmental psychology. I learned that the female brain has a better connection between the two lopes, making them better at recognizing emotions. I think that since the number of women tested is unknown, there is a possibility that the reason that people were better at identifying emotions is because they were women.

*Since the expository class I'm taking focuses on nonfiction...should the curriculum be changed?

*When I read fiction or nonfiction, I feel sympathy towards the character regardless of the genre of the book.

*In the article it says, "Maybe popular fiction is a way of dealing more with one’s own self, maybe, with one’s own wants, desires, needs.” Does this mean that people who enjoy popular nonfiction are selfish and/or egocentric?

LITERATURE ANALYSIS 2

Title: LUNA Author: Julie Anne Peters

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).

This book is about a transgender guy named Liam who calls him(her)self Luna. The exposition of the story

is portrayed as a series of flashbacks. The narrator of the story is Luna/Liam's sister. This book gives the reader an insight on the struggle that Liam and Regan go through in order for one another to discover who they really are.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.

A theme of this novel is acceptance. This theme is present through out the whole novel because Luna wants to be accepted by society and specially his(her) father.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

A. Lucid (easily understood: "Her eyes found me and she smiled. An aura framed her, a glow."

B. wry: "Pretty. A word for girls. The way handsome described boys. Liam was right; people did use boy and language. They expected different behaviors. When kids acted out of role,' as Liam put it, they were labeled tomboys or Sissies. "

C. Didactic (inclined to teach): "This isn't a good-bye. It's hello. I think of it as a new beginning because that's what it is for me. A rebirth."

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. analogy: The butterfly in the cover is a metaphor between Liam and the "transition" he wants to experience.  "I want to be free. I want to transition."

2. Internal Conflict: "'no one will ever know the person I am inside. The true me. The girl, the women. All they see is this...this nothing.'....'Liam.' He let out a short laugh. 'Who's that? A caricature I've created. A puppet, a mime, a cartoon character. I'm this male macho version of a son that Dad has in his head.'"

3. External conflict: "Luna held her head high, waiting. Almost daring him to do it. seconds ticked away. Years. Then, slowly, Dad released his fist. My lungs collapsed. Luna reached for the door knob. 'Excuse me,' she said. Right in her ear, Dad said, 'If you walk out of that door, don't bother coming back.'"

4. Character vs self: "'Dad is my her. Doesn't he know that? I feel like I spend my whole life trying to prove it. "'

5. Foreshadowing: "'why did you dress at school?' I asked her. 'why did you have to do that?' She lowered her eyes. "You said it; I had to. I had to test myself. To see if I could go through with it. I needed to know that I had the self-confidence, the will to do it everyday."'

6. Flashback: "'Liam. Lia Marie. Please.' My eyes well with tears. Please."  His left hand reaches out and snags the football helmet beside him. He holds it up to me by the faceguard. Inside is a mound of pills. Blue, purple,orange, white. 'I can't do it," Liam says. 'I can't even do it. I can't do anything right. I'm wrong. All wrong."'

7. Point Of view: The point of view is by the sister of the main character. "You're such a freakshow.". ..'I Know,' she murmured in my ear. 'but you still love me, don't you?'. .. yeah, I loved her. I couldn't help it. She was my brother." (pg.3)

8. resolution: "I took a step back, then another. I turned around. I walked, walked faster. Ran. Toward the door. The Exit. The entrance. 'Good-bye, Liam'"

9. Dialogue: The whole book has dialogue..

10. symbolism: The butterfly in the cover symbolizes Luna's desire to be herself.

CHARACTERIZATION 

1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?

DIRECT:

1. "you are kind and generous, compassionate and caring." (Luna to Regan.)

2. "you are a strong and beutiful person."

INDIRECT:

1. " What would I do without you?" (Liam, Aly, and Elise to Regan.)

2. "I deliberately avoided taking classes taught by the teachers Liam had, since he was like their wunderkid.'

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?

Yes. When the author speaks about Liam, the tone is usually nostalgic because Liam in apathetic to the things that happened around him. When the author speaks about Luna, she uses words that portray confidence. 

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.

If Regan is the protagonist, she would be a dynamic and round character. Through out the book Regan understands more the struggle that Liam goes through. 

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.

After reading the book, I Feel like I know Luna as if I were here friend. I think it's because I have a friend who is a transgender and thinking of the struggles Luna went through, I can imagine what he went through. 

THE COMPARISON'S TALE

explain how at least one of the tales you learned about from other groups shared Chaucer's choices of style/theme/tone with the tale your group read.
I wasn't in class today so I have nothing to compare my tale to.

TALE OF A CANTERBURY TALE

The Cook's Tale

Perkin Reveler was an apprentice from the same town as the cook. Perkin Reveler was a short, dark man, who sold food and loved to dance. He enjoyed the tavern more than the shop. Every time there was a procession in Cheapside, he would leave the shop immediately to go dance, and not return back to the shop. Perkin Reveler was also a thief, who often stole from his master. One day Perkin Reveler's master decided to let him go due to the fact that Perkin Reveler was a bad apprentice. However, Perkin Reveler was happy to have been let go because he was now free and was able to do as he wished. Reveler then met a companion who he had a lot in common with. His companion loved to dice, kept a wife for show, and had a shop.


1. Explain the central character of the tale by analyzing five (5) examples of indirect characterization. (Maria Luna)

1. "At every wedding he would sing and hop" This characterizes Perkin as a person who is loud and that liked to have fun.
2. "He loved the tavern better than the shop" This is saying that Reveler was lazy and he would rather party thab do his job.
3. "there was no apprentice in the town who better rattled dice and threw them down than Perkin Reveler" This shows that he was a gambler.
4. "his master easily had learnt this in the shop, for that is where he often found his box completely bare." This characterizes him as a thief.
5. "Who loved dice. to revel and disport." This characteristicwas used to describe Perkin's ally but since the cook said they were the same, on can imply  that Perkin was like this too.


2. What is Chaucer's purpose in telling this character's tale? Is he satirizing society, giving the voiceless a voice, or trying to accomplish a different goal? [Support your argument with textual evidence]
Chaucer's purpose in telling this tale is to ultimately show that people aren't always what they seem to be. I believe that Chaucer is trying to demonstrate the fact that one's character is based on their characteristics. The way one acts and presents themselves is who they really are as an individual. "He love to tavern better than the shop," indicates that Reveler did not enjoy working, but only liked to have fun.

I worked in the questions with MARISOL DUARTE

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. . .

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

VOCABULARY #2

accoutrements-An accessory item of equipment or dress
Most girls feel the need to add accoutrements to their everyday clothes.

apogee-the highest point in the development of something; the climax or culmination
Once I get to the apogee of a book, I can not put it down until I know what happens.

apropos-with reference to; concerning; to the purpose


bicker-argue about petty and trivial matters; to engage in petulant or peevish argument
Bickering over the best way to color is a waste of time.

coalesce-to grow together or into one body; come together and form one mass or whole
Their Patronus Charm coalesced into a beautiful flower.

contretemps-an embarrassing mischance; an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence
When I went to return a gift, I had a contemptuous encounter with the person who gave it to me.

convolution-a rolled up or coiled condition.
When the sting fell to the floor, it ended up in a convolution.

cull-select from a large quantity; obtain from a variety of sources;to choose; select; pick.
Wizards who attend Hogwarts are culled from all over the world.

disparate-essentially different in kind; dissimilar
Muggles and Wizards are disparate in their abilities.

dogmatic-asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner
When the teacher said his opinion, he said it in a dogmatic way; making everyone else who disagree with him look wrong.

licentious-promiscuous; sexually unrestrained
Behaving in a licentious way in public can have harsh remarks from adults who are conservatives.

mete-dispense or allot justice, to distribute or apportion by measure
Packets of supplies were meted to the medical interns.

noxious-morally harmful
The noxious behavior displayed at the party stooped the nuns from going inside.

polemic-a controversial argument
Gay marriage is not a polemic topic anymore because it is more accepted now.

populous-having a large population
The city was populous during the spring break.

probity-integrity and uprightness; honesty and decency; having moral values
Her probity made her parents proud.

repartee-a quick, witty reply.
When an artist gets criticized, their fans make a quick repartee.

supervene-to take place or occur as something additional
After the play, a supervene scene was acted, making the play a family favorite.

truncate-detailed explanations.
His didactic lecture was truncated by the rude students talking.

unimpeachable-above suspicion; entirely trustworthy
In order to have an unimpeachable argument, make sure you have trustworthy sources.

BEOWULF QUESTIONS

I worked on the Beowulf Questions with Marisol, Erica, Elisia, and Vanessa. We split the questions up on Facebook, all receiving either 10 or 11 questions each. The questions took me quite a while to complete because since the English version  was a bit confusing, I looked up the Spanish version. Even though the Spanish version was easier to understand, I needed to translate the words to English again.


Person 1: Erica Marquez
Questions: Prologue- The fight with Grendel  (10Q)          

[Prologue: The Rise of the Danish Nation]

1)Realize that this prologue introduces the Danes, not Beowulf or his people the Geats. What was unusual about the way Shield came to be ruler of the Danes? What was his funeral like? What relation is Hrothgar to Shield?

The unusual thing about Shield’s journey to become a ruler was that he came from humble beginning. He was not wanted by is parents. Despite all of the neglect in his early years he became a ruler. For his funeral he was put on a boat in which he had many treasures and material goods. The relation between Hrothgar and Shield is that they are family.

[Heorot is Attacked]

1)What magnificent work did Hrothgar undertake? Who attacked it, and with what result? How long did the attacks last? What was the response of the Danes?
Hrothgar built the Heorot hall. Grendel the monster attacked it and attacks/kills thirty men. The attacks last for 12 years. That is also the amount of year Danes residents are in fear.

[The Hero Comes to Heorot]

1)What does Beowulf do when he hears of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel?
Beowulf decides to take action and help. He takes 14 of his toughest men and they all sail to Danes to stop Grendel from doing more harm.
2)Whom do the Geats first meet when they arrive in Denmark? What does he do, and what do they do?
The Geats first met a guard whom questions them about their arrival and purpose to be in that town. They respond that they come to help kill Grendel.
       3)They next meet Hrothgar's herald. Who is he? What does he tell them? What does he tell Hrothgar? What does Hrothgar respond? Are you surprised that Hrothgar knows Beowulf so well?
Herald (Wiglaf) is a kind of watchman/messanger. He interrogates the Geats, and after he knows there purpose for being there he tells Hrothgar about them. Hrothgar is pleased to have them help.
4)What does Beowulf tell Hrothgar when he enters? What did Hrothgar do for Beowulf's father?
Beowulf brags about himself and say he will be able to kill Grendel very easily. Hrothgar helps Beowulf’s dad with some issues.
[Feast at Heorot]                      
1)What does Unferth accuse Beowulf of? How does Beowulf answer him? How is this episode relevant to the poem as a whole? What does Beowulf accuse Unferth of?
Unferth doubts Beowulf’s accomplishments. Beowulf says his accomplishments loud and proud. He also accuses Unferth of killing his brothers. This episode is relevant to the poem as a whole because Beowulf’s confident and honor is present. Beowulf is ready to protect his reputation through out the whole poem.
2)What is Queen Wealhtheow doing during the feasting?
She is being flirty welcoming to the Geats.
[The Fight with Grendel]
1)Heroic poetry normally has a scene in which the hero arms for battle. What is different about Beowulf's preparations for his fight with Grendel?
Beowulf is actually very nervous before the battle yet he refuses to wear armor.
2)What happens when Grendel enters Heorot? How does Beowulf fight with him? What happens when Grendel tries to leave? Does Grendel escape? What does he leave behind?
When Grendel enters Heorot the hall shakes and rings. Beowulf and Grendal fight in the hall. They battle across the floor and in every direction. When Grendal tries to escape he is powerless. He manages to escape wounded, and expected to die soon. Grendal leaves his arm, claw and shoulder behind.
Person 2: Marisol Duarte
BEOWULF AND GRENDEL
[Celebration at Heorot]

1. When the Danes and Geats return from following Grendel's tracks to the mere, someone sings in Beowulf's presence, comparing him to Sigemund and saying that he was not like Heremod (lines 883-914). How is Beowulf like Sigemund? How is he not like Heremod? (Be alert for inserted stories such as this one. Beowulf contains many of them, most much more complex that this one.)
- Beowulf is like Sigemund because they are both considered heroes, who became known for their good deeds. Beowulf is not like Heremond because Beowulf does things out of kindness. Heremond, on the other hand, does things for the glory that comes with them.
2. How does Hrothgar respond to Beowulf's deed? What does he offer to do for him? What does Unferth have to say now?
- Hrothgar is extremely happy due to Beowulf's deed. Hrothgar showers Beowulf with gifts and even announces Beowulf as his son. Unferth has absolutely nothing to say and remains quiet.
3. The singer sings of Finn during the feasting (lines 1070-1158). The exact details of the Finn story are not clear, but in general, what happens? What does it suggest about the wisdom of using a woman as bride to heal enmity between tribes?
- Finn gets married with Hildeburgh in order heal the hatred between the two tribes. Using a woman as a bride can ultimately bring enemies together and unite the tribes.
4. When the feasting resumes, what does Wealhtheow ask Hrothgar not to do?
- When the feasting resumes Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar to not give the throne to Beowulf, but to their son instead.
5. Wealhtheow gives Beowulf a large, broad necklace. What later happens to it? What does Wealhtheow ask Beowulf to do?
- Beowulf gives the necklace to Hygelac. Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to help and take care of her sons.
6.  Why do so many men remain in the beer hall to sleep? Why is it a mistake?
- So many men remain in the beer hall to sleep because they believe that it's safe now that Grendel is dead. Sleeping in the hall is a mistake because Grendel's mother arrives at the hall that night seeking revenge.

BEOWULF AND GRENDEL'S MOTHER
[Another Attack]

1. Why has Grendel's mother come to Heorot? Is it the same reason Grendel had?
- Grendel's mother has come to Heorot in order to seek revenge. No, Grendel only went to the hall to kill men for no reason whatsoever, while Grendel's mother went to the hall to seek revenge on the men who ended her son's life.
2. What is Hrothgar's response? Whom has Grendel's mother killed?
- Hrothgar is devastated and asks Beowulf for help. Grendel's mother killed Aeschere, Hrothgar's very close friend.
3. What sort of place is the mere?
- The mere is where Grendel and his mother live. It's a long stretch of water under the shadow of a very large, ugly, grey rock.

BEOWULF AND THE DRAGON
[Beowulf's Funeral]

6. What did the Geats say about Beowulf in the last three lines of the poem? Are these the terms one would expect to be used to describe a military hero?
- The Geats said that Beowulf was the most kind and gentle lord in the world. No, these are not the terms one would expect to be used to describe a military hero because military heroes kill their enemies and killing is neither 'kind' nor a 'gentle' thing to do.

Person 3: Maria
[Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother] (lines 1383-1650, pp. 63-68)

1.How does Beowulf tell Hrothgar to respond?
he tells him that is better to avenge a friend than to mourn him.

2.What happens at the mere before Beowulf enters it?
the water boils

3.How does Beowulf prepare for the battle? What sword does he take with him?
he puts on his best armor and tells Hrothgar what should be done if he dies. The sword he takes belongs to Unferths, the sword's name is Hrunting

4.What happens when Beowulf enters the mere? What is surprising about where Grendel and his mother live in the mere?
When Beowulf enters the mere, creatures in the water attack him but they are unable to hurt him. The thing that was surprising was that it took Beowulf half a day to get to the mere.

5.What happens to the sword Beowulf borrowed from Unferth?
When Beowulf tries to hit Grendel's mother with Unferth's sword, the sword breaks without hurting her.

6.At one point Beowulf is on the floor, with Grendel's mother sitting on him and drawing her knife. How does Beowulf escape?
he scapes because his armor stoped the knife.

7.How does Beowulf kill Grendel's mother? What weapon does he use? What happens when she dies? What does Beowulf take with him from her home? What happens to the sword he used to kill her?
Beowulf kills GRendel's mother by cutting her neck with a sword he found in the cave that was made by gigants. When she dies, the mere is filled with light, since the light reaches the top, Beowulf's men assume that he died in battle. Beowulf takes her head to land as prove. The sword he used to kill her melted after she died.

8.What happens when Beowulf returns to the surface? Did his men expect him to return?
When Beowulf returns, he finds that his men are gone because they thought the blood in the water was his.

[Further Celebration at Heorot] (lines 1651-1798, pp. 68-71)

1.What does Beowulf give to Hrothgar?
Beowulf gives Hrothgar the head of Grendels's mom and what's left of his sword.

2.What message does Hrothgar have for Beowulf? What and why does he tell us about Heremod? Why and how did Heremod die? What lesson does Hrothgar teach with the Heremod example?
Hrothgar tells beowulf to be a fair king and not to be mislead by pride with the Heremod example.

3.What does Beowulf give to Unferth as he leaves?
he give him his sword

1987 AP TEST EVALUATION

1987 essay Evaluations
Essay 1:
-gives examples of devices used to convey the author's views
-quotes the text
-the analysis is superficial
-I would give this a 4-5 because it can be understood but it does not analyze the text deeply

Essay 2:
-does not specify what change is being promoted
-gives examples of changes, but they were not included in the introductory paragraph
-does not analyze the text deeply
-the essay does not show deep understanding of the message the book was portraying
-I would give this essay a 4.
The essays I analyzed belonged to Marisol Duarte.

VOCABULARY #1 (AP English)

adumbrate -indicate faintly,report in outline, to foreshadow
 -When I read a book, I like to adumbrate the story line in order to make the book more exciting.
apotheosis - glorification to a divine level, elevation of a person to the rank of a god or the ideal example.
 - In ancient times, most kings were thought to be a type of apotheosis
ascetic -one who renounces comforts in pursuit of self-discipline, often for religious purposes.
 -Islam is seen as an ascetic religion by many people in the western culture.
bauble -a showing ornament of little value
 -Sometimes decorating in a simple way is better than using a lot of bauble things.
beguile -to influence by trickery or flattery, to charm or divert, or to take away from by cheating
 -Scammers have a beguile ability to scam people of their money.
burgeon -flourish, rapidly increase
 -If students focused during class, their grades would burgeon.
complement -completes or brings to perfection
 -When choosing their outfits, models have to complement their cloths and their shoes.
contumacious-stubbornly disobedient, rebellious or willfully disobedient
 -The bad thing of working with middle school kids is that sometimes they behave contumaciously.
curmudgeon -a bad tempered or surly person
 -Curmudgeon teachers are often not well-liked.
didactic- intended to convey instruction as well as pleasure and entertainment
 -The teacher's lecture was didactic, that's why all the students were paying attention.
disingenuous- insincere, usually by pretending one knows less than they actually do; hypocritical
 -When people are trying to make a good impression, they often make disingenuous comments.
exculpate -declare one as not guilty of wrongdoing.
 -After a very long conversation, the principal decided to exculpate the student.
faux pas-a social blunder; slip in manners, an embarrassing blunder
 -When they were at the restaurant, little David had a faux pas after he burped loudly.
fulminate -express intense (passionate) protest.
 -When the driver was given the parking ticket, he said, "This is so unfair!" in a fulminative voice.
fustian-Pompous or pretentious speech or writing
 -The scammer gave a fustian speech in order to convince people that he knew what he was doing.
hauteur-pride, haughtiness, arrogance
 -At the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy was full of hauteur.
inhibit-hinder, restrain, or prevent, to prohibit
 -When someone is kidnapped, they are inhibited of their basic rights.
jeremiad -a prolonged lamentation
 -After writing 4 essays, the teacher expected the students to be in a jeremiad state.
opportunist -one who takes advantage of opportunities often at the expense of ethics.
 -Golddiggers are a form of opportunist people.
unconscionable-not reasonable, excessive
 -To the students, suspencion was an unconscionable punishment for chewing gum.

MY OPINION ISN'T (A) RIGHT

REFLECTIONS ON WEEK 1 (AP English)

1.  Are there any factors that you think are going to affect your participation or experience in this class? Access to a computer?   Since I have access to a computer at home, turning in stuff is not going to be a problem. The problem would be finding the time to do it. I believe this is going to be the biggest problem with this course. However, I knew this class was going to be time-consuming so I guess I shouldn't complain about it now. Just go through it.
2.  an awesome  learning experience that changed you.  Throughout my school life, the best way I have learned is by doing something physical after the teacher have given a lecture. I find the lecture helpful because most of the time the key concepts are explained and when I do the activity, I understand it better.
3. What are you most [excited/concerned] about in this class? What do you look forward to in learning?  The thing that I’m most excited about in this class is learning how to present myself through the internet.  I also want to experience the freedom that this course gives me. 

1987 AP exam notes (AP English)

*Multiple Choice
-the first selection wasn't that difficult to understand if you read carefully. Like any other selection on other AP tests.
-Both poems were really hard for me to understand. I feel like if I knew the poetry terms better, I could've have gotten more questions right.
-Since the poems required me to REALLY understand the poem in order to answer the questions correctly, I had to re-read the poems again and that was time consuming. Since I was timing myself, I had to guess in the last few questions which I didn't really do well in.
*Essays
-even though I did not fully understand the first selection, I used Pathos and dialogue as the techniques Eliot used and since I am comfortable with these two, I was able to make a coherent essay in the 35 minutes the prompt said.
-For the second essay, I choose The Grapes of Wrath. I read this book last year and the details weren't that clear to me. Even though I managed to write a 4 paragraph essay on this one, I feel like I could improve it.

-for both essays I have more than enough time to finish. That’s why I feel like I did a poor job on them.

The essays I analyzed belong to Marisol Duarte.
1987 essay Evaluations
Essay 1:
-gives examples of devices used to convey the author's views
-quotes the text
-the analysis is superficial
-I would give this a 4-5 because it can be understood but it does not analyze the text deeply

Essay 2:
-does not specify what change is being promoted
-gives examples of changes, but they were not included in the introductory paragraph
-does not analyze the text deeply
-the essay does not show deep understanding of the message the book was portraying
-I would give this essay a 4.

MONTAIGNE/AUSTEN ESSAY (AP English)

 In his story, "Good Old Neon", David Foster Wallace says, “What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of at most one tiny little part of it at any given instant.” Jane Austen, author of Pride and Prejudice supports this statement through her writing style while the Essays of Michel De Montaigne by Michel De Montaigne somewhat contradicts them.  Even though Pride and Prejudice and Essays of Michel De Montaigne both have some things in common, both of them do not support Wallace’s saying.

In his quote, Wallace is saying that the thoughts and opinions of someone are not represented in any of their works because their minds are too complex to be put down into writing. In Essays of Michel De Montaigne, the reader can read exactly what Montaigne thinks about a subject, like thumbs, liars, memorization, sorrow, fear, and cowardice because his writing is done through a first person point of view. Even though Montaigne’s thoughts are not organized in a way that is easily followed, the reader can pinpoint his ideas on a given subject.

In Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, the reader can only speculate what Austen thinks about a subject. Even though her novel has an organized structure, her thoughts are implied through the third person narration of the novel. Since Pride and Prejudice is a work of fiction, Jane Austin has the ability to presents themes that the reader can have an opinion on without stating her views directly. By writing this way, Austen supports Wallace’s saying.

Even though both works do not support Wallace’s statement, Austen and Montaigne have some similarities. The biggest similarity between them is that they show similar messages. A message that both of them portray is that “the profit of one man is the damage of another.” (Montaigne Ch. XXI) In Pride and Prejudice this is shown when Mr. Collins entailment leaves the Bennet women financially unprotected once Mr. Bennet dies.  Another common massage is that “our mind hinders itself.” (Montaigne Ch. XIV) This is showed in Pride and Prejudice when Darcy’s “mind” (prejudice) prevents Elizabeth to accept his proposal.

In the story “Good Old Neon”, David Foster Wallace says that people cannot write down their thoughts and opinions because their minds are too complex. However, The Essays of Michel De Montaigne contradicts this because in his writing, Montaigne states his opinions on diverse topics such as cowardice, thumbs, liars, memorization, sorrow, and fear. On the other hand, Pride and Prejudice supports this because the author does not state her opinion directly through the novel.

POETRY #1 (AP English)

1. From what poem/author does this commercial borrow (without credit)?
2. Why might the use of this poem by a corporation be considered ironic?
3. Does the poem reflect the reputation of the author? Why/why not?
4. How did you find the answers to #1 & #3? Describe your research process and your sources in detail.

1.  The poem used here is called “The Laughing Heart” by Charles Bukowski
2. This might be considered ironic because the poem is telling the reader that it’s their life and that no one can tell them what to do; however, the point of this ad is to get the viewers to buy their product.
3. This poem somewhat reflects the author’s reputation because he was known for writing poems that alludes to the use of sex, alcohol abuse, and violence. Even though this poem sounds hopeful and empowering, it does contain the violence factor.
4. First I saw the video and then I googled “Levis’s go forth 2011 ad” in the search result, I found the poem. Since I still didn't know  the author, I googled the poem an d ii found out who wrote it. When I found out who wrote it, I googled his biography and I found this: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/charles-bukowski  this is where I found the answer to number 3.

ESSAY #1 (AP English)

The Palestinian literary critic Edward Said wrote that "Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience.  It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home; its essential sadness can never be surmounted." He also said that exile can become a "potent, even enriching" experience. In the novel, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, a character that is both wounded and enriched from being exiled is Leah Price. At the beginning of the novel, Leah Price is always looking for an excuse or explanation for the things her father does, she is also impetuous and sometimes speaks or acts without thinking. At the beginning of the story, the reader can deduct that the exile in the Congo is not doing her any good; however, by the end of the novel, the reader can see that being in Africa has enriched her life.

In the novel, an example of how exile can alienate someone is when Leah starts to see who her father really is. At the beginning of the novel, none of the Price women wanted to be in the Congo, the only reason that Leah could possibly be happy was because her father was there. Leah idolized her father and believed that his father had a reason for being the way he was. To Leah, her father was sort of a home. As the novel went by, she began to see true colors of his father’s personality and began to despise him for it. Without her father to look up to, Leah’s “home” began to crumble.

An example that exile can be an opportunity to grow is that by the end of the novel Leah fights for the African Freedom, showing that she doesn’t only care about people close to her but for the whole country. When Leah fell in love with Anatole, they both joined the movement and even though Leah was no longer Christian, she is still the same idealistic girl that she was when she first got to the Congo.


In conclusion, in this novel, the reader can see that exile can be a hurtful experience but an opportunity to grow at the same time. When Leah first arrived at the Congo, she was an idealistic girl who viewed her father like her home because she only saw the best qualities on him. Due to her exile, by the end of the novel she saw the reality of her father. However, the exile also helped her find a cause worth fighting for, African Freedom.