New Semester

Some people are gonna sit here and think, "Wow we are only half way through the school year, this really sucks I wants this to be over." When all of you that say that need to get smacked in the face! The school year is almost of people! Seniors are gonna graduate and move on with their life, and us junior.. We are going to be SENIORS! So for those who want to embrace the rest of the school year and take a chance to actually learn something out of this messed up world. Let me know! Lets takes on this second semester like nothing before. Everyone says "New Year New Me." Im saying lets get our shit together and do some work! Take this next semester in your own kind of way. Take what you want to learn and do it! Learn what you want to learn, ask yourself a big question and pursue! For me.. Im going to kick this second semester in its ass! Thanks Dr. Preston for the motivation to do this! Journalism and Photography here I come.

Final Review

Key elements:
-Tone
-Mood
-Diction
-Syntax
-Allusion
-Theme
-Universal Theme
-Symbols
-Symbolism

Parts of a Plot
-Exposition
-Insiting Incident
-Rising Action
-Climax
-Falling Action
-Resolution

Characters
-indirectly
-direct
-dynamic
-static
-flat
-round

Elements
-Foreshadowing

Adopt a Poem

Where the Sidewalk Ends
by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Literature Analysis

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 novel by J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye, is a classical American novel that has touched the lives of many people.  The Novel takes place during the late 1950s. Told by a guy named Holden Caulfield, who is telling his psychiatrist the story of his latest Christmas experiences.Holden is not a troubled kid, aside from being a heavy smoker and getting expelled from four different schools.  He fails to recognize the importance of his schoolwork and does not agree with his peers on anything of any value. Holden is notorious for making extremely rash decisions. One being he makes the choice to leave his prep school, Pencey Prep, a few days before he is scheduled to leave for winter vacation. He stays in numerous places before finally going home. All the while, he attempts to "live it up" by taking girls out on dates, getting drunk , and ordering prostitutes. In the action of all of this happening Holden is only 17. Typical guy stuff, if you were living in the late 1950s. As he goes through all this stuff, he begins to wonder why he's doing what he's doing. Holden comes to a realization, "Why was he going about, living this way, when everyone and their mother knew that he shouldn't be living his life this way?"
 
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.  
 -J.D. Salinger wrote a masterpiece of a novel that adeptly defines the maturing process of human nature.  Holden goes from being an immature teenager making bad decisions to taking his actions into consideration and making himself a better person.  Salinger takes into consideration the thoughts and actions of the younger generation and pens his main protagonist as a kid that others can easily connect with and relate to.  Through Holden's actions we see the struggles of daily life of newly graduated individuals who, for the first time in their lives, no restrictions in their day-to-day lives.  The dilemmas they face can be brutal and leave them worse off than they were before, but somehow, through all the pain and suffering, that terrible event can cause the person to rethink his position on life.
 
 1. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)? 
-Salinger maintains a very simple diction when dealing with all characters.  They are all treated fairly and equally in the eyes of the author, but there is an exception, of course.  That exception is when Holden is describing his sister, Phoebe.  The syntax and diction become more kind and gentle, showing that Holden is capable of affection. 
 
 2. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain. 
-Holden Caulfield is a round character. This not being obvious in the beginning chapters, but late in the book you begin to witness another side. As he is living for a few days on his own without any supervision, he comes to realize a small part of his fate.  His lifestyle is not one for the kind of man he wants to become. After a drunken night out on the town, Holden decides to visit his kid sister, Phoebe, two days before he was supposed to be home. His sister is a understandably upset that her brother woke her up late at night, and she also scolds him for getting expelled from school again. The scene as a whole is depressing, and Holden is close to tears at the end of the night. During the last chapter, Holden and Phoebe are at this carousel and Holden is watching Phoebe as she rides the carousel. While he is watching her, he becomes emotional and begins to cry, yet doesn't budge when it begins to rain heavily. While sitting on the park bench, he comes to a strange thought "The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."
 
 3. 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.  
-The characters are so easy to relate to. Going trough all those trials with Holden makes you feel as if you are friends. The feeling of knowing everything that he is going through is really what attracts me to the book  It is not very often that I connect with a character like that.

Getting through things..

There comes a time when, even though it’s hard, you must realize that the person you are trying to save, is not your responsibility to save. You must learn to walk away. You can only give someone so many chances, and if they didn’t realize the first two, three, maybe six times what they had in front of them, chances are they are not going to realize until it’s too late and you’ve found something better. Eventually you’ll realize that your responsibility was never to save them in the first place, but to help teach them to appreciate the good, the selflessness, the love in others, and improve them for their future partners, to teach them a lesson, the hard way. Because in reality that is the only way we truly learn. and there’s nothing wrong with that. While it may be hard to just walk away from someone who you’ve invested so much time, energy, money, and emotion in, sometimes you’ve just got to close your eyes, take a deep breath, wipe your tears, and walk away. They will see you’re doing better, that you’re doing just fine without them, and they will try to drag you back, taunting your soul with the good memories, the pleasant emotions but you must not listen or give in. You left for a reason, and that reason is not all of a sudden nonexistent. You are beautiful. You are wonderful. You are strong and you will find someone who appreciates that, just like you wanted so badly for them to appreciate you. This time, you won’t even have to try and you will be the one who is saved.

What I've learned in this course so far

Prompt: "What have you learned so far in this course? (Note: You can include anything from literature, writing, technology, or your personal ideas about thinking, working, being creative, etc.)"

 This course has taught me many different things about my self and the way that I learn. It has taught me how to use the internet to help myself and how to create a page to show my thoughts. How to personalize it, and how to make it good for colleges to understand what I do and how I like to write. With learning how to write better in this class will help me prepare for all of the writing that I am going to have to do my senior year with college apps, and anything else that I am going to have to write an essay for. The blog help with that because its getting me ready for an online course that I might have to be taking later in life and how to set things up online to share with other people. Going into the second half of my junior year will be interesting. I have learned so many things so far and I cant wait to see what lies ahead. 

       I have learned how to create something in such a way that it will help the other students in my class..  For instance I am getting better at doing work on a blog instead of a piece of paper and being able to just look at the blog for homework instead of having to turn it in late or to miss and assignment. The blog is definitely a new modern way of learning and it really help to connect the students, and gives a way for all of us to work together. Getting to use this type of learning is going to help not only me but every student tremendously for when we get into our senior year or for when we get into college. It not only will get me a jump start on applying for scholarships but it helps me realize that not every school teaches the same. 

      Secondly, I like learning this new way because it gives me a sneak peak of what college could be like and I feel like it's preparing me for what a college would expect. Now days with all this technology I am going to have to know how to make a blog and use the internet more efficiently to meet the expectations of teachers. This course has given me a whole new perspective on learning. I think that taking this course is a challenge, and a privilege all in one, but I'm glad I got placed in this class. This course is defiantly preparing me for the outside world. 

          Lastly, I have learned a lot more about how to read a book and take important notes. I used to take notes that weren't  really notes. They were really long quotes pretty much and they didn't make sense. I now get a sense of what I should be writing like the main details of whatever it is we are reading. I hope that this will help me in other classes and that it will also benefit my future as I try to get into a four year college. 

      I think I have learned a lot of new skills during this course. Not only computer skills, but I have learned a lot about how to understand the material that I am given to read or write about. This course has taught me a lot and there is still more to come. 

Fahrenheit 451 Essay 1

 Prompt : "Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 as a dystopian novel, a work featuring a negative view of society in the future.  The lives of the characters are filled with entertainment but little true happiness.  Describe three features in the world of the novel that lead to such a state?  One example of a feature is the rampant use of “seashell” radios by the characters.  How could this device contribute to the unhappiness even as it seems to provide information and entertainment?  Other features may go beyond the realm of devices to that of activities, events, values, and expectations.  Pay attention to specific examples of such features as you read the novel and consider how each one plays a role in the dystopian world created by Bradbury."

 What has the world that we live in created for us? Why is it that a mane and a woman, or even a husband and wife cant even have a normal day to day conversation with each other. In Fahrenheit 451 Montage and his wife Mildred don't even sit and talk to each other about what is going on in their day and what they think is going on in their relationship. There are so many different things wrong in this society that Montage lives in which is slowly starting to become the society that we live in in todays world. Montages society is a great reflection of what is happening in time and what might happen in time.

     Many things could have led to the society that Guy Montage lives in but the major aspect was having the parlor walls. The parlor walls are what they used as a television, it was  a large canvas over multiple walls in your house. The fact that there are people that watch television more than communicate with each other anymore is very disrespectful and unnecessary. Now a days its even worse that people admit to sitting in their rooms or sitting in a room in their house and only watching TV instead of talking to someone in their family.  Montage's wife Millie would rather sit in front of the "walls" than be social or have an intellectual conversation with him,  let alone have any conversation at all. 

        People in the story seem to continuously speed through the days and speed through life. Even while they are driving, they can't take a second of time to look at the scenery. Clarisse said in the book, "If you showed a man a green blob he'd say that's a field of grass." This meaning that the people in this society don't really pay attention to anything but instead see the colors of what is going on around them. It's strange that anyone  would rather watch T.V or movies than talk to their family or friends or anybody around them. Going through life not knowing what is going on around you is a terrible way to go through life no matter who you are or what you do. You should never go through life just watching any type of social media or anything because its all things that we created to make people judge others, when human interaction is so necessary.

        In the book  Montage says that his wife had the sea shells in her ears all the time even when she was sleeping. How does he go through things knowing that his wife really doesn't want to face reality or pay attention to it at all? She can go through the days blocking out everything that the world has to give her and everything that is going on with her husband. The fact that she tried to kill herself and didn't even recognize that she did, shows how little she pays attention or acknowledges her own actions. 

       All in all, Montage wanted the same things that Clarisse did. He really didn't know it till the day he met her. What he wanted weren't possessions they were memories or real emotions, but instead he  wanted to look back on his life and remember things of importance. He wanted to be able to feel something in his life, but all he felt was empty. His wife, Mildred, didn't even remember where Montage and her had met. In thus showing that after Clarisse had died he wanted to search for answers about the way things were in society and why things were they way they were. 

Fahrenheit 451 Study Questions

Part 1:
1. Montage live in a society that is completely different then what you would think people would live in. He lives in a world where things are backwards and people don't act like people they act more like robots. They have gotten so used to not know what is going on that when someone tries to step outside of the norm they are frond upon and judged.
2. Clarisse wasn't afraid to question what was going on in her society. She was one of the people that would test other people and the person that influenced Montage to change. She had asked him "Are you Happy?" and that really got him to think about his society and why everyone does what they does.
3. The dog is meant to react to anyone that seem suspicious and anyone that seems to be "reading." Beatty believes and understand that Montage has been reading though so he is using the hound to get Montage to confess.
4. The woman decided to burn herself because she would rather go down with something that she loved then stay in a society that is going to judge and think she is insane for trying to learn something. She didn't want to live somewhere that if you want to learn something then you have mental problem and you should be put somewhere. This affects Montage because it shows that people can actually care about something. It makes him want to read what she had in her book to try and figure out what it is that is going through her mind and why she was the only person he knew to burn herself with her books.
5. Bradbury described the shows that she watches like that because its helps the readers to visualize the nothingness that we watch on TV. It shows that everything that is provided to us on TV is all just a blur and is made to make us pay attention but within itself really doesn't mean anything. All that we watch on TV is just customized to appeal to the common eye.
6. Mildred had told Montage that Clarisse died and that it didn't matter because he family had just moved out so it was like they were never there before. Mildred had no response to how things had happened or why they had happen just that she had died and that was the end. The society doesn't seem to care when anything happens, they barely seem to knowledge the fact that it even happened.
7. Montage gets sick because he doesn't want to face Beatty at the fire house. He is starting ti question whether he likes burning the books or wants to continue to try and steal and read more of them.
8. The fact that Montage is hiding the books and continues to steal and gather books says a lot about how he is changing. Montage wants to hid the books because he is still afraid of how Mildred will react.
 9. Beatty says that society didn't want books because it made them think, and they became angry at books.

10. I think that she actually is because she doesn't know any better. Happiness is having no worries and being in a state of appreciation for everything. I believe it is the most important goal because being rich, or having the best paying job is fine and dandy, but if you're not happy it's a life that's wasted. 

11. The main event  is when Clarisse asked Montage "Are you happy? " The old lady wanting to be burned with her books and also that Beatty could quote some books. These all show how he's changed. 

12. The ventilator grill was foreshadowing Montage's secret books. The old lady that died with her books was foreshadowing that he was going to be effected by the event. The mechanical hound is only out to get Montage and this shows something's is wrong. 

13. When the Montage talks about his wife's overdose. 

14. The mechanical hound is described as a robot. 

15. I think that Montage will kill someone because he feels so strong about books and their "rights".
Part 2 1. Mildred says that the books make her think too much. She means that it's easier to watch something rather then reading. I don't agree I like reading about things that happen as well as watching. Books you read and television you watch and don't have to think that much. 

2. Faber gave Montage his name and number for whenever Montage feels like he is going to get upset with him. This way he can communicate what is wrong and why he is acting the way he is.

3. I believe that Montage would ask Mildred "who is more imprortany me or the parlor wall?" Yet when he is asking her he is already going to have an idea about who she thinks is actually more important because by perspective she doesn't seem to have feelings for other humans.

4. The second part of the book is called The Sieve and the Sand because Montage has changed from keeping his mouth closed to wanting to share what is going on in his mind (the sieve) and to give that info to other people.(the sand)

5. Montage goes to his complex and tells him to let him in  so that he can talk ti him about the books that he has hid in his house. He wants to talk to him about what is going through his mind and what is inside of the books without actually having to read them.

6. Montage tell Faber that his wife is dying but he doesn't really mean that she is dying. He is trying to tell Faber that he thinks that his wife is empty inside. 

7. Faber thinks that the three major focus points that are missing from Montages society is: 1.quality, 2. leisure, 3.and the right to take action on quality and the thought of leisure.

8. Faber invented a radio to help him communicate with Montage. The radio was lik a modern day blue tooth and was the size of a .22 Caliber bullet shell.

9. The women said that their children were just there and that they really didn't mean anything to them. It was said that they are just a burden and sometimes hey can match what you are wearing like little accessories. 

10. Montage needed to cover up the fact that he was actually reading because it gave the women a very uneasy feeling. Montage didn't want to listen to Faber or Mildred to start of with because he wanted people to know but he gave in because he didn't want the women to feel uncomfortable until later he kicked them out.

11. Beatty said here comes a very strange beast which in all tongues is called a fool  He also throws him quotes fron books trying to confuse him. Beatty knows that he had a certain book.

Vocab Canidates

• Leisure 
• Diverted 
• Receptacle 
• Intuitively 
• Profusion
• cowardice
• refuge
• harlequin
• flinging
• praetorian
• insidious
• linguists
• arsonists

Memorization notes

• Be able to break the poem or letter apart
• Have to develop the discipline to do something while someone isnt watching you
• If you cant remember it by just looking at it learn to record it
• Learn how to have fun with what you are doing
• Find it on YouTube or online
• Figure out a way to break iy into chunks
• 
  

Vocab Canidates

• pratfall:a humiliating fall, or blunder. 
• bewilder: confused or puzzled
• titillation:to excite or arouse
• theremin:a musical instrument
• tabloids:sensational in a vulgar way, newspaper
• centrifuge:machine that separates two fluids based on density
• haltingly: to do something in a jerking, halting manner
• probing: to explore something
• stagnate: having no current flow
•  cacophony: a harsh mixture of sounds

What are we talking about?

The people on Righetti's campus have so many different conversations. The day can either start of really well for you , or you can begin the day of with a really deep conversation with you friend or hearing about drama. People on campus seem to focus so much on the drama aspect because that is what is interesting. Yea that's normal for high school students to talk about, but there is so much more that we can be talking about. We can talk about whats going on in the world, or we can talk about music, pretty much anything important. Yet we decide to talk about sex, drugs, and alcohol. I'm nit just saying that because that's what everyone says, I say that because that is actually what people talk about on campus. We have no sense of urgency on this campus and that not only comes from the students. We honestly talk about nothing.

Vocab Fall List #6

• tatters: irregularly torn pieces of cloth, paper, or other material
• merely vast:
• parlor: a sitting room in a private house.
• abrupt(ly): sudden and unexpected
• refracted: change direction when it enters at an angle
• immense: extremely large or great, especially in scale or degree
• imperceptibly: impossible to perceive
• ventilator: an appliance or aperture for ventilating a room or other space
• olfactory: of or relating to the sense of smell

Literature Analysis

Here are some questions to guide your Literature Analysis.

Reading is a relationship.  Sometimes we get to the last page and feel wistful saying goodbye.  Other times we find ourselves telling a book, "It's not you-- it's me.  I just need some time apart, see other novels, get some space... "

1. What drew you to this book?  What did you expect and/or hope to experience through reading it?
2. What kept you reading past the first ten pages?
3. Describe your reading habits

There are elements of literature that any well-read citizen is expected to know.  If we can't identify and articulate an author's main idea (a.k.a. theme), for example, we are functionally illiterate.  Sounding out words isn't reading.

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).
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)

Characters aren't people, but they often provide the most compelling connection with a text.

1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

Fahrenheit 451 Wikipedia

• The title refers to the temperature that Bradbury understood to be the autoignition point of paper.
•  Clarisse McClellan, free-thinking ideals and spirit cause him to question his life and his own perceived happiness
•  Montag reveals to Mildred that over the last year he has accumulated a stash of books
•  Montag laments Mildred's suicide attempt
•  "parlor walls"
•  Montag stole a rare copy of the Bible, from the woman's house
•  Beatty orders Montag to destroy his own house, telling him that his wife and her friends were the ones who reported him
•  Bradbury was horrified by the Nazi book burnings

Dover Beach

The sea is calm tonight.

The tide is full, the moon lies fair

Upon the straits; on the French coast the light

Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,

Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.

Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!

Only, from the long line of spray

Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,

Listen! you hear the grating roar

Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,

At their return, up the high strand,

Begin, and cease, and then again begin,

With tremulous cadence slow, and bring

The eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago

Heard it on the Ægean, and it brought

Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow

Of human misery; we

Find also in the sound a thought,

Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

The Sea of Faith

Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore

Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.

But now I only hear

Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,

Retreating, to the breath

Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear

And naked shingles of the world.

Ah, love, let us be true

To one another! for the world, which seems

To lie before us like a land of dreams,

So various, so beautiful, so new,

Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,

Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;

And we are here as on a darkling plain

Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,

Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Fahrenheit 451 Vocab

minstrel 

imperceptibly

hypnotic 

bewilderment

quavery 

harlequin 

kerosene  

phoenix 

cataract 

stagnant 

cacophony 

pantomime 

bestial 

torrent 

alight 

minstrel

mausoleum

cataract 

slickers
abstractedly

Fahrenheit 451 Notes

• Epigraph : insight to main idea
• Against the norm , Defiance , Rebellion

Fahrenheit 451

• The hearth & The Salamander
• Where fires are contained
• Thinking can cause things to be difficult
• Change
• Montage is dynamic character
• Never thought about anything else
• Work at being happy like no one else has to work

Fahrenheit 451 Questions

Describe Montag at the beginning of the novel. Do you think he's a hero? Why/not?

 

I believe that Montag, the main character is a hero. Montag stumbles upon a surprise when he walked in and saw that his wife hadoverdosed on some sleeping pills. He had to run and call for help and some people helped saved her. If Montag had not called for help, his wife could have been injured or dead. She probably will not believe that her husband had saved her since she doesn't remember. Montag's kind act went unnoticed.  

Describe Bradbury's diction and syntax. Does he use formal, sophisticated terms or does his prose sound like he's in the room talking to you? Do his sentences vary in length or are they all about the same? How do Bradbury's choices create description, characters, action, and meaning?

Ray Bradbury uses many different and unique types of syntax. Some of the sentences sound as though he is speaking to me. Some of his writing is short and gets right to the point. When Ray Bradbury wants to be descriptive he makes the sentences go on for quite some time. When he describes things and places he's very descriptive with his words and his sentences are super long. When he writes dialogue it is short and says what is needed to be said. 

What's the inciting incident of the story?

A man, Montag, encounters a younger girl who changes how he sees life. She also brings things like nature and such to his mind. This causes Montag to have a whole new perspective and changes his thoughts and opinions on life and things throughout the very first part of the book. The young girl ends up dying and Montag misses her, but is still left with her remarkable personality. 

What's the significance of the Salamander?

I believe the salamander relates perhaps to the burning of all the books. Ironically enough it's said that the salamander can actually live in fire & be absolutely not affected by the flames. I also am going to say that this shows us the relativity between the books because even though the books are being burned and destroyed, what is inside the books all that knowledge and info is still preserved by people and their minds holding the knowledge. Yeah the firemen can thrash and burn the physical book, but you know they can't burn and completely destroy the knowledge that reader has already learned from reading the books previously. That is what they can't do.

Fahrenheit 451 First Impressions

Ray Bradbury, the author has a very different and special way he uses syntax. When describing things he goes into extreme detail. He lets you see an image of what he is writing to us. He is a very unique and intelligent author. After all the explaining of the setting and such, Ray Bradbury makes the dialogue short and right to the point. I think this book will be interesting because firemen don't ever "burn" books. So the twist on that makes me want to read more. . It stuck out to me because he changed the way he wrote, but still gives us the same tone he did before. He describes the scenery in such a way that you can imagine it in your own head because he used words that where very descriptive.

Vocab List 5

adroit- someone who is very skillful at doing something

amicable- having a spirit of friendliness; without serious disagreement or rancor

averse- having a feeling of distaste or strong opposition 

belligerent- war like or aggressive 

benevolent- someone or something that enjoys helping others and is warm and friendly

cursory- something done quickly with only small attention to detail

duplicity- deception or a lie

extol- to praise highly 

feasible- something doable, likely, possible

grimace- an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face, typically expressing disgust, pain, or wry amusement.

holocaust- destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, especially caused by fire or nuclear war.

impervious- not allowing fluid to pass through. 

impetus- the force or energy with which a body moves.

jeopardy- danger of loss, harm, or failure.

meticulous- showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise.

nostalgia- a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

quintessence- the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.

 retrogress- go back to an earlier state, typically a worse one.

scrutinize- examine or inspect closely and thoroughly. 

tepid- (especially of a liquid) only slightly warm; lukewarm.

Vocab List #4

melancholy-an abnormal state attributed to an excess of black bile and characterized by irascibility or depression

exemplary- extremely good and deserving to be admired and copied, serving as an example of something

peculiar- not usual or normal,not well, somewhat ill

dread- to fear greatly, to regard with awe, to feel extreme reluctance to meet or face
bough- a main branch of a tree 
pious- deeply religious, devoted to a particular religion

, falsely appearing to be good or moral

communion- a close relationship with someone or something, a group of Christians who have the same beliefs

auditor- a person authorized to examine and verify accounts, one who hears or listens, one who is a member of an audience, a person who audits a course of study
multitude- the state of being many, a great number
eloquence- discourse marked by force and persuasiveness, the art or power of using such discourse
despair - to no longer have any hope or belief that a situation will improve or change 
hoary- very old, not interesting, funny, etc., because of being used too often, not fresh or original

Class Notes

• Direct Characterization : straight up word characterization
• Indirect Characterization : reaction of characters, actions of character, dialouge
• Adverbs : describe how things are done
• Adjective: How the person was when it was done

Young Goodman Brown

•he knows its a risk, to walk with the devil but he does it any ways

      -curious 

      -human nature? 

•stubborn(adverb)

     -adverb: action

•vexed: confused/frustrated 

•minister is in charge of the "devil meeting" 

•firmament: sky, heaven

•faith! Is at the devil meet up  

•a black cloud emerges and he hears all voices including his wife's 

•a pink ribbon fluttered lightly through the sky and got caught om a branch

•fien :greedy spirit (demons)

•lurid:vivid 

•benign: good

•incantation: spell

"AHA!"

I honestly don't really know if i had an !AHA! moment this week. I understand that normally students do but I'm not quite sure if I did. If I was to have to pick and !AHA! moment it would probably be when I discovered that I can write and that I can get things done the way that I want them. That I dont need to students around me to help me do good on a test that I can do it by myself, but only chose to ask the people around me because that has been a bad habit since I was little. I'm not saying that it is bad to ask the people around you, I'm just saying that you should limit to how much you do it.

Vocab List #3

coherent- logically connected; consistent

belabor- argue or elaborate (a subject) in excessive detail.

eschew- deliberately avoid using; abstain from. 

acquisitive- excessively interested in acquiring money or material things.

emulate- to copy or imitate

banal- so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.

excoriation- to condemn, criticize thoroughly or express strong disapproval.to condemn, criticize thoroughly or express strong disapproval.

congeal- to solidify, especially by cooling, or to take shape, especially to form a satisfying whole

carping- difficult to please; critical.

substantiate- to prove a claim to be true or back up a claim with evidence.

temporize- to suit one's actions to the time,occasion, or circumstances, without reference 

largesse- money given with ease.

tenable- reasonable, or able to be sustained or maintained

insatiable- an appetite for something that cannot be satisfied

reconnaissance- preliminary research or a preliminary survey such as checking out the lay-of-the-land before taking a military action.

germane- something relevant to the topic.

ramify- to divide or spread out into branches or branchlike divisions
 intransigent- someone stubborn or unwilling to change his views.

taciturn- someone who doesn't say much

The last word goes to Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Class Notes

Diction- the words the author uses

Syntax- the way the author puts the words together

Two words that have to do with emotion- ~tone-the authors attitude in the text

~mood-the way we feel when we read the text

Theme- main message

When we read a book every author wants us to know something 

Allusion- a reference to something an author thinks we should know

                          Symbol

                               / \

                             /    \

                           /        \

   Referent.      / _____ \ us/readers

Foreshadowing: What the author wants us to think is going to happen later in the movie or the book.

• Authors put more details into a story to at times to show you what may be seen again
• when you write fiction you create a whole new world
• love what you do
• even if you make a mistake you can continue to do what you do as long as it is your passion

Vocab List #2

intercede- intervene on behalf of another,got in the middle of something

hackneyed- lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite

approbation- approval or praise

innuendo- saying something indirectly

coalition- a combination or alliance, especially a temporary one between, persons, factions, states, etc.

elicit- to draw or bring out or forth; educe; evoke

hiatus- any gap or opening; a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, a pause from something

assuage- to make less harsh 

decadence- the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state;deterioration;

expostulate- to reason earnestly with someone against something that person intends to do or has done; remonstrate

simulate- to make a pretense of; feign

jaded- worn out or wearied, as by overwork or overuse

umbrage- to take offense  

prerogative- an exclusive right, privilege, etc., exercised by virtue of rank or office 

lurid- gruesome; horrible; revolting;shocking

transcend- to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed 

provincial- belonging or peculiar to something particular; local

petulant- moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyanc

unctuous- excessively smooth, suave, or smug

meritorious- deserving praise, reward, esteem, etc.; praiseworthy

Young Goodman Brown (Story)

Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset into the street at Salem village; but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife. And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap while she called to Goodman Brown.

(  http://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/158/ )

Young Goodman Brown

1. What do you think Hawthorne's purpose was for writing this story?

I think he wants to show how all people are capable of sinning . Due to his own personal sinning he thought everyone else wherr sinners. 

2. Hawthorne states that Brown's wife is "aptly named" Faith. After reading the story, do you agree? Does Faith's name fit her personality? Does Brown have true faith in her?

 

I think Faith's name fits her exquisitely.  Brown's "faith" was supposed to stay with her. 

3. What do you think the pink ribbons signify?

 Faith's pink ribbons represent her purity in the story. The color pink signifies her personality which is full of youth and happy and it also signifies how innocent she is. 

4. Was everything Brown witnessed real, a figment of his imagination, something conjured by evil, or a dream? Support your answer with passages from the text.

I believe that everything that Brown witnessed was real. The evil magic was put in to make Brown think he was in a dream. His veiw on people will be forever changed. 

5. Who do you think the old man really is? What textual clues tell you this?

He could possibly be the devil. He is proud of himself and what he does to the men 

6. What does the staff represent? Do you think the staff leads Brown onward or is the primary motivator Brown's own conscience/mind?

The staff represents what is the devil's staff. The journey Brown had with the staff is similar to Eve's story. They were both fooled by the temptation and led to the path of evil.

7. If Brown had not ventured into the forest, how would his life be different? If he'd stayed home, would Brown still have Faith? Would he still trust his wife and his fellow townspeople?

He would see everyone the same as he did before. He would be trusting everyone with the purity in his mind and haveing faith.

Class Notes

• Nonverbal: Doesn't include your voice
• Para-verbal: Quality of voice but not to content

Class Notes

Diction- style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words

Syntax- a system or orderly arrangement.

Monomyth- a basic pattern that its proponents argue is found in many narratives from around the world

Reflextions on the Week

1. Are there any factors that you think are going to affect your participation or experience in this class? (Access to a computer, cell phone, transportation? Family that can help or hassle? Friends that can help or hassle? Scheduling factors that can help or hassle?) 

In my opinion a hassle would have to be remembering to go onto the blog to check for homework, I usually do remember but sometimes if I cannot find something and I think oh well maybe there is no homework tonight, but there ends up being homework. That's just a personal hassle for me. I don't believe this will affect my participation though. 

2.Think of an awesome (or the best ever) learning experience (or an experience where you changed) What was it you learned?  Where were you? What happened? Who else was there? Did it teach you anything about how you learn (or pay attention... or think?) How did you know what was happening? 

  

One of the best experiences that I have ever had would have to be when I was in English last year and was actually being pushed to get work done and to ask for help. I learned that at that moment I had never been taught the way that I learn. I have begun to pay more attention on the way that I take what is going on and what is being said in class. With this information I had thought"well now what?". Well now I am doing better then I ever had before and it feels great to learn that from my sophomore English teach Mrs. Byrne.

3.What are you most [excited/concerned] about in this class? What do you look forward to in learning?  How do you think it can/will make a practical difference in your life?

One of my biggest concerns is forgetting to update my blog, sometimes you can just forget to do things out of the blue and get marked down for it. On the other hand i am excited to have a new way to learn during this course and doing some outside of the box thinking! I think this will effect my life because it's not every day that you get to do your homework on a blog, just learning how to do things on this blog has taught me so much already

Ancient Stories

1. How is the language in these texts similar to and/or different from the language you use in everyday conversation?

     The language in the "The White Buffalo Calf Woman" is different from today's language because in my opinion it is more sophisticated, mature, and accurate. The story is put in a certain way which makes the story sound more proper. The worldly way this story is assembled makes it sound aged than the stories today do. 

2. Because it began as an oral story, "White Buffalo Calf Woman" can be found in multiple text versions. How important is it for a story to be repeated word for word? Is meaning embellished, distorted, lost, or enhanced in the retelling?

     

Reading this story word for word is important because the meaning would be changed with the slightest bit of altering. If someone where to tell this story to another off the top of their head, a lot of things would be forgotten and a bit rocky. If changed the whole feel and meaning to the story would be changed.

Vocab List #1

adumbrate: report or represent in outline;indicate faintly;
foreshadow or symbolize
apotheosis: the highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax;
the elevation of someone to divine status; deification
ascetic: characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons; a person who practices severe self-discipline and abstention
bauble: a small, showy trinket or decoration; a baton formerly used as an emblem by jesters
beguile: charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way; help (time) pass pleasantly
burgeon: begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish; put forth young shoots; bud
complement: a thing that completes or brings to perfection; a number or quantity of something required to make a group complete; add to (something) in a way that enhances or improves it; make perfect
contumacious: (especially of a defendant's behavior) stubbornly or willfully disobedient to authority
curmudgeon: a bad-tempered or surly person
didactic: intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive; in the manner of a teacher, particularly so as to treat someone in a patronizing way

Realism Personified: Theme, Narrator, Voice

noun

noun: realism; noun: Platonic realism

1.

the attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly.

"the summit was marked by a new mood of realism"

synonyms:

pragmatism, practicality, common sense, levelheadedness "optimism tinged with realism"

• the view that the subject matter of politics is political power, not matters of principle.

  "political realism is the oldest approach to global politics"

2.

the quality or fact of representing a person, thing, or situation accurately or in a way that is true to life.

"the earthy realism of Raimu's characters"

synonyms:

authenticity, fidelity, verisimilitude, truthfulness, faithfulness "a degree of realism"

• (in art and literature) the movement or style of representing familiar things as they actually are.

Richard Cory

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,

We people on the pavement looked at him:

He was a gentleman from sole to crown,

Clean favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,

And he was always human when he talked;

But still he fluttered pulses when he said,

"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich yes, richer than a king

And admirably schooled in every grace:

In fine, we thought that he was everything

To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,

And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;

And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,

Went home and put a bullet through his head.

First week of School

The first week of school went on a great path. I understand that I had a lot of schedule changes, but for the most part it went quite smooth. I was not in this class to start off with but I have grown to really enjoy and like the class vibe. I really didn't see any problems withing the first week of school, but that is always known to happen during the first week of school. Well to start its the first week of school, that's when everyone is getting their classes figured out and getting to know new faces on campus.

The Big Question

My big question, something I've always wanted to know, is what is really going on in a teenagers mind? Why is it that we can sit here and ask them questions but can never really figure it out? Why do people want to judge on the way that other people think or the way that other people do things? Why is it that society wants to feel the need to find perfection when there is no such thing as something being perfect? "Why is a Raven like a writing desk?"

Assignment #1

The reason i decided to take this course is because I wanted to learn about English in a new and unique way. Deciding to take the alternative route this year is exciting, I think this will be a great way to improve computer skills and to further the way I tend to look at English and look at work that is done in class. The main reason I am looking forward to this class is because I know that I will be able to understand the material better now that I have other resources to look at other then a book that was written years ago. What better way to learn then through your peers?

What I am excited about this year is that I will be getting a chance like no other to learn new things through my computer and/or my phone instead of just from an ordinary text book. There are some parts of me that are nervous about doing this though, to allow anyone to look at what you're doing wrong in an essay or  little mistakes on a project. I am also nervous when speaking in front of a small or large grouping of people. When the opportunity presents itself I wont pass it up, but the fact of just standing in front of people you may or may not know is slightly nerve-racking. One of my goals I hope to accomplish is receiving a good grade while learning and trying something new. 

 

I expect my knowledge to improve by learning new skills, an all-around different way of viewing school, and also the fact that its not the normal way to present a class. Maybe by viewing school in this new way it can make school more intriguing causing it to be easier to consume the knowledge being taught. The reason Richard Cory never would have surprised an open source learning network is because reading it off a computer is different from hearing it out loud, where there is emotion and changes in tone. Where one thing can go from happy to heart throbbing in a matter of seconds. Reading it much different from hearing it.