Monday, October 29, 2012

Vocabulary #10


aficionado- A person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about an activity, subject, or pastime
browbeatIntimidate (someone), typically into doing something, with stern or abusive words
commensurate- able to be measured by a common standard
diaphanous- Of such fine texture as to be transparent or translucent
emolumentPayment for an office or employment
foray- A sudden raid or military advance
genre- A realistic style of painting that depicts scenes from everyday life
homily- An inspirational saying or platitude
immure- To confine within or as if within walls; imprison
insouciantcarefree or unconcerned; light-hearted
matrix- a substance, situation, or environment in which something has its origin, takes form, or is enclosed
obsequies- A funeral rite or ceremony
panache- A bunch of feathers or a plume, especially on a helmet.
persona- The role that one assumes or displays in public or society
philippic- a bitter or impassioned speech of denunciation; invective
prurient- unusually or morbidly interested in sexual thoughts or practices
sacrosanct- Regarded as sacred and inviolable
systemic- Of or relating to systems or a system
tendentious- Marked by a strong implicit point of view; partisan
vicissitude- A change or variation

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Literary Analysis # 2 The Awakening by Kate Chopin

GENERAL 
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same.)
- Edna starts off as the wonderful wife who fulfills the role of a proper mother. They take a vacation as a family and spend their time in Grand Isle. There she meets a man named Robert and a romance begins. They end up declaring their love in the novel and we see the two grow and fall apart. Robert seeks a marriage but couldn't find it in Edna. Edna also became intimate with another man named Alcee. That connection Alcee and she had seemed like pure lust because he awoke feelings in her that lead to other realizations but no attachment  Edna learns about her independence while being with these men and she tries to become the woman she always wanted to be. Her marriage seems to be fading away as she spends more and more time with her new persona. As her family is away she moves into her own home persueing her new lifestyle. Times goes by and her past is awaken when her friend Adele goes through a birth. Adele reminds Edna of the life she left behind and this leads Edna to think about things. Edna realized that in the end she was left alone, because Robert had walked out on her. She then decides to return where everything began and end her life there.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
- The theme revolves around marriage and Edna's involvement within her life. During their time period marriage, money and security was all society cared for. Love wasn't a favored characteristic in relationships because then they had different priorities and beliefs. Edna underwent a dramatic change that lead to her marriage's collapse. She became a wild and disobedient women as the novel progresses letting her true colors free. Her decision to start her life over with her lover helped the audience see that marriage wasn't of great importance for her.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
- The author's tone is gloomy and direct. She addresses Edna's feeling on marriage in the story but reveals that Edna isn't the caring, loving person a mother's supposed to be. The tone is shown when Edna speaks to her husband or when she reveals Edna's thoughts on marriage. It sounded like the relation they had faded away as Edna found herself and let her past fade away. 
1) "Before dinner in the evening Edna wrote a charming letter to her husband, telling him of her intention to move for a while into the little house around the block, and to give a farewell dinner before leaving, regretting that he was not there to share it.." (Chapter 26)
2) “They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow as ministering angels.” (Chapter 4)
3) "Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate." (Chapter 7)

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: “The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude.” (Chapter VI) For the first time she feels free and is reborn. 
*Dialogue: "The water must be delicious; it will not hurt you. Come." (Chapter V) He tries to convince her that she should trust in him.
*Setting: “They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow as ministering angels.” (Chapter IV) She's surrounded by the ideal mothers.
*Diction“He pleased her; his absolute devotion flattered her. She fancied they was a sympathy of thought and taste between them..” (Chapter VII) It reveals how she feels about the situation. 
*Foreshadowing: "She is not one of us; she is not like us. She might make the unfortunate blundder of taking you seriously." (Chapter VIII) Adèle Ratignolle warns Robert that Edna might take his affections seriously.
*Imagery: "A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength."  (Chapter X) It shows Edna’s rebellious side. 
*Irony: "She remembered the night she swam far out, and recalled the terror that siezed her at the fear of being unable to regain to shore. She did not look back now, but went on and on..." (Chapter XXXIX) Edna's death in the ocean.
*Forshadowing: "He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, evinced so little interest in things which concerned him, and valued so little his conversation" (Chapter 17) Shows Edna losing interest in her husband.

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)? 
- The author uses both direct and indirect characterization because it helps the reader understand who each character is and how they are. Every reader takes in a story differently and characterization helps in developing a visual image for those who need it. 
- DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION:
1) "I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself." (Chapter 16) She tells that she is in it for herself and her needs. That she wouldn't give herself up for her children. 
2) "That she was seeing with different eyes and making the acquaintance of new conditions in herself that colored and changed her environment, she did not yet suspect.(Chapter 14) Edna has changed and this is being stated by showing a new person masked behind the old Edna.

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
- The diction does change because the author is adding emotional appeal to it. As you read about her romance with Robert the diction changes adding an atmosphere of mystic. She experiments many things with her lover thus changing the way she thinks, sees and feels the world. For every action she made her character changed as well as how she spoke or acted.  

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
- Edna is a dynamic and round character because she shows change from the beginning of the novel to the end. Every time she encounters new people her persona changes and we see her feelings change as well. The reader was able to pick this up as they saw how she treated her husband and her lover Robert.

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.
- I read a character because not everyone is as open as Edna was. She underwent a dramatic change which is understandable considering the time period, but she wasn't all there. Emotionally I saw a woman who needed to find herself and experiment the only way she could. Not everyone will see or think the way she did because putting oneself in her shoes would make you think otherwise. The ocean is where Robert and she spent some time and it's ironic how she spent her last hours there. Only a character would end there life where their grief starts not an actual person.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

tools that change the way we think

How does extensive Internet/media/technology use 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).

Internet/media/technology changes the way I think by interfering with my personal life. As I'm doing homework for classes I find myself wasting more and more time on Facebook. With only one click I can distract myself and enter a world of pure gossip. After thinking I've been on for only 5 minutes I find it's been 3 hours and I freak out because there goes another night of saying I'll cut back on "Facebook Time." My memory has been greatly affected by the technology advantage we have now and I see no point in memorizing anything if we can find it with the click of a button. Cheating also happens as internet and technology are within reach. It could be an unfair advantage to those who try without help. Older generations are and always will be wiser than our future generations. "In my generation, if something was broken we'd fix it.. not throw it away." Ironically, that is a quote I came across while being on Facebook and I tried to wonder why it was being said. Then I realized that we rely so much on internet/media/technology that we replace ANYTHING that can be replaced. Compared to older people our generation doesn't use the original encyclopedia and dictionary. Although the internet has developed an even lazier generation, I find it as a useful tool but only when the time is right.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Notes on Hamlet.

Explain how your thinking about the play has evolved from the time we began reading to the end of Act III. Has anything changed your mind about the plot or characters since the ghost showed up at midnight? Where do you see things going from here?

I expected the worse to come once Dr. Preston said we had to recite the soliloquy because I knew Hamlet was hard to understand. I thought I wasn't going to understand Hamlet but Samantha Garrison and a few others made the learning easy. I took more from the play the times we read together as a class and went over it. Little things like that were able to make a difference for myself and for others as well. I thought that Claudius was going to be the worst character ever, but as you read the text his villainous ways don't pop like they're supposed to. His tone is calmer than that of a murderer but it's still interesting seeing all the character's interact with one another. I can see things unraveling and Hamlet having another reason to kill King Claudius.

Who Was Shakespeare?


Do a quick search and see if you can piece together who Shakespeare was. What do we know about him, and what are we left to wonder? Write about how Shakespeare is perceived by students-- the name alone inspires strong feelings-- and how you have progressed in your understanding of his work over the years. What do you "get" now that you didn't before? What still causes you to struggle? 

His birthday is a guess and his identity itself is sometimes argued. Shakespeare was born in 1564, the third child and first son of John Shakespeare and his wife Mary Arden, in England. William was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1564. John Shakespeare was a landowner, a merchant, a glovemaker, and a man on a political track. In 1567 he became "high bailiff," the highest elected office in Stratford, equivalent to a mayor today. He wrote 36 plays and 154 sonnets. He married a young lady named Anne Hathaway, and lost his son Hamnet to the plague. Shakespeare died on his 52nd birthday in 1616.


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/merchant/shakespeare.html

To Facebook or Not to Facebook?


Write about your initial impressions of Facebook, the benefits and risks associated with using Facebook, and an explanation of how reading the article and discussing in class informed your thinking.
I think Facebook is a resource not just for communicating, but also for advertising. I usually post something asking my friends to comment on the blog or to say what I missed in class. It's a good way to have reminders, invite people to events or even create groups. The bad part is that it's not as private as one may think. If you post something and someone that's not supposed to see it does, then they could steal your idea or use it against you. I think the article confirmed my thoughts on privacy. I don't trust Facebook that much and I'm only using it to promote my blog, ideas and opportunities. 

Monday, October 22, 2012

Vocabulary # 9


Abortive: failing to produce the intended result

Bruit: spread a report or rumor widely

Contumelious: scornful and insulting behavior

Dictum: a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source; a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle

Ensconce: establish or settle

Iconoclastic: characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions 

In medias res: a narrative that begins somewhere in the middle of a story rather than the beginning 

Internecine: destructive to both sides in a conflict

Maladroit: ineffective or bungling; clumsy

Maudlin: self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness 

Modulate: exert a modifying or controlling influence on

Portentous: of or like a portent; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner

Prescience: the power to foresee the future

Quid pro quo: a favor or advantage granted in return for something

Salubrious: health-giving, healthy; pleasant, not run-down

Saturnalia: the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December; an occasion of wild revelry

Touchstone: a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized 

Traumatic: emotionally disturbing or distressing; relating to or causing psychological trauma

Vitiate: spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of; destroy or impair the legal validity of.

Waggish: humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner


Sunday, October 21, 2012

Hamlet Remix

Remix something from Act III of Hamlet that will help your blog's audience better understand the play and Shakespeare's techniques. Post it to your blog (and our YouTube channel if it's a vid) and invite your friends to view it.


**BEHIND THE SCENES OF ACT III **



MIDTERM Autopsy

[Post an autopsy on your vocab midterm to your blog.] 
Did you do as well as you expected/hoped?  To what do you attribute the outcome?  How can you improve for the final?


I think I did well, but I could have done better. At the start of the midterm I was confident, but I let my conscious get to me in the end. I blanked out and forgot all the last words causing me to guess. For the final, I could use the same study methods.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Tuesday's Guest Speaker: Kenn Heller

Just in case you missed it..







Tuesday, October 9, 2012 (HAMLET)

Ubi Kim and I took over the class in hopes of completing Act II Scene I of Hamlet. Our task was a success and I felt that that the majority of our class left understanding the scene. 

*In the first video, our class was reviewing Act II Scene I of Hamlet. We looked at what we understood from what was read and what we needed to get from the scene. 


In the second video, some students were confused on what was going on in Act II. Luckily, the air was cleared thanks to our brilliant classmates. 




Here is a sample of Katelyn Porraz's notes on Hamlet Act II .




Here is an example of Ashlie Pfeifer's notes on Hamlet Act II. 




Sunday, October 7, 2012

Vocabulary # 8

abeyance (noun) A state of temporary disuse or suspension

ambivalent (adjective) Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

beleaguer (verb) Beset with difficulties

carte blanche (noun) Complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best

cataclysm (noun) A large-scale and violent event in the natural world

debauch (verb) Destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt.

eclat (noun) An enthusiastic approval

fastidious (adjective) Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

gambol (verb) Run or jump about playfully

imbue (verb) Inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality

inchoate (adjective) Just begun and so not fully formed or developed

lampoon (verb) Publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule or sarcasm

malleable (adjective) Easily influenced; pliable

nemesis (noun) The inescapable or implacable agent of someone's or something's downfall

opt (verb) Make a choice from a range of possibilities

philistine (noun) A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them

picaresque (adjective) Of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the 
adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero

queasy (adjective) Nauseated; feeling sick

refractory (adjective) Stubborn or unmanageable

savoir-faire (noun) The ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations



Friday, October 5, 2012

How my first midterm went..

a) What went well?   
-The test in general went well. I knew at least 80% of the material and was confident with my answers.  
b) What didn't go well?   
-The last section of the test didn't go as planned. I suffered a set back forgetting all the words. 
c) How much of the content will stick with you?   
- I'm sure all of the content will stick with me if I refer back to my flashcards. 
d) What can you learn from the experience to improve for next time? 
- I could focus more on the word itself than the definition. All the definitions were up on the board, but I forgot what word they belonged to.

Pre-Midterm



This is how I did this morning. Hopefully I do better on the REAL midterm. I need to work on spelling the words, not just remembering them!!


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Dear Ophelia

{Write an advice column-style letter helping Ophelia; use at least 10 vocab words} Imagine you're answering a letter that says, My name is O. and I'm trapped in this weird sort of dating thing-- a prince says he loves me, but my father & brother hate him and tell me to stay away. What should I do?

I'm sorry to hear that the two men whom you look up to are trying to inhibit the feelings you have for this young Hamlet. Your father is a cantankerous fool for putting his feelings first over your own. If this young Hamlet has proposed his love and is showing empathy, then trust in him. Lets those feelings flourish and believe in the love you have towards one another. Your father and brother will try to attrition your self esteem, but don't fall for to their noxious beliefs. Dissimulate all that is good from their ears for they won't understand the meaning of young love. Your heyday will soon begin and I give kudos to those who stand by your side. Bicker with whom you must, but don't let those arguments beguile your mind. If the young Hamlet loves you like he says he does, then the situation will palliate. Do not be afraid. Hamlet will play his part as the charmer and truckle his way into your heart. Just give it some time. As for your father and brother, ignore them. If your love flourishes, if will be you wearing that wedding dress, not them.


Sincerrely

Michelle Arriaga



Monday, October 1, 2012

STUDY METHOD: DAY ONE

If you want to quiz yourself now, go on Quizlet and click Test. There you could choose how many words you'd like to get quizzed on and find out if you know the words or not. Below are images of the test I took. I started with 45, but you could do more or less. ENJOY!(: