Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Vocabulary 9

Aficionado: n. devotee
An art aficionado, Jennings loved Judy Pfaff out of all the sculptors she had studied.

Browbeat: v. intimidate by overbearing looks or words
The senior browbeat the freshmen into picking up the cones after practice.

Commensurate: adj. same measure or equal extent of duration, proportionate
Hailey’s bag of Halloween candy was not as commensurate to Lily’s.

Diaphanous: adj. very sheer and light, delicately hazy
The dress was very diaphanous when it was in the sunlight.

Emolument: n. profit, salary, or fees from office or employment, earnings, stipend, pay
Her boss gave Annie her emolument for the month.

Foray: n. a quick raid, a quick sudden attack, an initial venture
The Danes made a foray against Poland.

Genre: n. class or category
Hamlet falls into the genre of tragedy.

Homily: n. a sermon (Biblical topic and of an non-doctrinal nature), a moralizing discourse, inspirational saying or cliché
The homily the speaker told inspired the gym full of students.

Immure: v. to enclose within walls, to shut in, to imprison
The prison guards immured the convict into his cell.

Insouciant: adj. free from concern, carefree, nonchalant
The woman was insouciant throughout her life.

Matrix: n. something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates, develops, or forms
Our class will be the matrix for the next open source learning classes to come.

Obsequies: n. a funeral rite or ceremony
The obsequies that were in her will were very religious.

Panache: n. a grand manner, a flamboyant style
The man’s outfit was panache.

Persona: n. a person, the mask or façade presented to satisfy the demands of the situation or the environment and not representing the inner personality or the individual, a person’s perceived personality
Her persona represented a mean girl even if she was actually nice.

Philippic: n. any of the orations delivered by Demosthenes, the Athenian orator, speech or discourse of bitter denunciation
The man had a philippic with his wife.

Prurient: adj. having or characterized by lustful thoughts or desires
The man’s prurient dreams about another woman caused him to leave his wife.

Sacrosanct: adj. extremely sacred or inviolable, not to be entered or trespassed upon
The classroom was sacrosanct during lunchtime.

Systemic: adj. of or pertaining to a system
The systemic environment let wildlife grow.

Tendentious: adj. having or showing a definite tendency, bias, or purpose
The tendentious article was propaganda for the candidate.

Vicissitude: n. a change or variation occurring in the course of something, interchange as of states or things
The vicissitude of the man’s cooking throughout his life changed as he went to becoming a vegan.



Tools That Change the Way We Think

The internet has changed my life in so many ways.  I mean I have become a better cook, I know what is going on in the world, and I even can gain art inspiration from it.  But all joking aside, I think that we see how that there are so many possibilities in the world when we look at the internet.  I can think about how easy my homework is going to be because I have good sources that will aid me in my classes.  Life is so much more efficient.  I don't have to go to a library to do my research reports.  I can spend time focusing on things that I actually love doing like cooking or painting.  With more efficient tools, we start to become more efficient with our time so we can do the things we actually take interest in. But it does have downfalls.  We have become more impatient if a process is longer or takes more effort.  A slow computer or phone is now one of the greatest irritations we have because we want results now.

Filter Bubbles

a.  I learned that the internet personalizes the stories we read or click on by past stories we have clicked on.  Google, Facebook, Netflix, and even Yahoo news is doing this!
b.  The internet is such an important tool but as it has become more and more personalized, I don't see how it is more of a tool but a toy.  I use my computer as a tool.  I have it for the purpose of homework and essays or any research I have to do.  That is its main purpose.  But as I see the internet become personalized to me, although it is a cool idea, I am more and more weary of search results now.
c.  I believe this video is raising the awareness that personalization isn't always a good thing.  We need to know true news in the world rather than the gossip that is going on with the real housewifes or who Taylor Swift's next boyfriend is.  We need to know the good, the bad, and the ugly, and unfortunately, we aren't getting any of the bad or the ugly unless we search for it ourselves.
d.  To improve my internet searches, I will be much more specific in how I look for things.  I will try to search the good and the bad.  I personally don't go onto any of the sites that were mentioned but I'm sure there are more out there!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

"The Performative Utterance in Hamlet"

What a very interesting idea Fredrik deBoer had!  I can look at Hamlet's character in a different way.  Hamlet says things in order to tell the audience how he thinks and for dramatic effect because it was a play intended to entertain an audience.  His actions don't always follow what he says throughout the play.  deBoer discussed how Hamlet doesn't necessarily swear that he will avenge his father's death but rather he swears to remember his father's murder.  Even though he swears to remember (technically), we can tell that Hamlet really wants revenge and is planning to seek it upon Claudius.  His words might not be completely correct with his actions but we can still understand what he means.

To Be or Not To Be... Difficulties Solved!



TO BE OR NOT TO BE...

Well I did this video on Sunday but my computer takes a while to upload so today I finally have the time to do it.  But here is proof I recited the speech on Sunday since my laptop gives the date that the video or picture was taken when I upload it.

THOUGHTS ON HAMLET (IN PROGRESS)

Coming into the play, I thought Hamlet was going to just go crazy and the story was going to be depressing and uninteresting.  But as I have read all through Act III, I have definitely changed my mind!  I now think that Hamlet is a mad genius.  He constantly says things with a double meaning that other characters never catch on to.  BRILLIANT!  I understand how betrayed he feels from his mother marrying his uncle, and his uncle killing his father for the thrown, and even Lord Polonius intervening with him and Ophelia.  Hamlet is an insanely emotional character.  When he is happy, he is in a state of euphoria.  If he is mad, he detests everything.  If he is sad, well expect lugubrious soliloquies from him. He feels everything so deeply and to an extreme.  He also however can pick up on things that others can't.  I can understand in that sense why he would be so annoyed with the idiocy that lives with.  Gertrude.  Come on.  Marrying your husband's brother two months after his death?  With very little mourning?  And your new husband doesn't look at all suspicious?  Really now?

As we continue with the play, I feel like a major struggle is going to take place between Hamlet and Claudius.  Given Claudius's previous murder method, I don't think Claudius is going to confront Hamlet but rather the other way around.  As for Gertrude, I don't think she will play a huge role.  Ophelia might come back into the play though.  Maybe she will be able to scheme with Hamlet.  Or she could go against him because after all, Hamlet did kill her father.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

IF I HAD JUST HAD MORE TIME

Well... I was absent for the midterm and had to make it up with AVID the next week.
I was kind of confused on the midterm.  I was under the impression that we had to write an essay about Chaucer as well as write as many words as we could into it.  From talking to my friends, I thought I needed to write my vocabulary words into my essay which caused me to take up a lot of time trying to find ways for them to fit into my essay...
I would have definately wrote down more vocabulary words because I knew more words and was more confident in my vocabulary than in my essay itself.
C'est La Vie.

Dear Ophelia

Dear Ophelia...
You are in a very difficult situation right now.  I understand that your father is manipulative and doesn't want you to be with Hamlet.  But sometimes we need to follow our hearts instead of our parents controlling us.  I am not saying for you to completely disregard what your father says but maybe try to talk to Hamlet to see how he truly feels about you.  He has wrote you letters proclaiming his love to you but how can you tell if he truly means them if you don't talk to him or your father won't let you respond?  You will never know!  Take the chance and try to talk to Hamlet.  Maybe, you can help him find the source of his madness, if it isn't his love for you.  And who knows, you might end up in a higher social status.  Ophelia, the Princess of Denmark... Has a nice ring to it right?
- Rachel

LITERARY FICTION AND EMPATHY

No matter what we read, we always try to look for something to relate to in a character.  Fiction shows a personal journey that we can apply morals we have learned or situations we have possibly been in.  Now granted, I haven't ever been in a vampire or werewolf love triangle but I can understand the feelings Bella has in Twilight when she wants to protect her family above all because that is how I live. I could understand her choices and make a personal connection with her.
I haven't ever been to a Hunger Games but I understand how Katniss feels when she protects her little sister.  Even if my little brother is now physically bigger than me, I would try to protect him in whatever way I can because I love him dearly and I couldn't ask for a better brother.
Even if we aren't on the same journey as a character in a fictional story, as we read, we become attached to them so we try to relate to possible elements in their journey.
In nonfiction, facts are facts.  It is hard to put emotion into nonfiction unless it is an autobiography in which case you can show your emotional state at a given time in your life.  A lot of the time, nonfictional books are dry and factual.

WHAT I THINK ABOUT WHEN I THINK OF ACT III

Well... Act III is an explosion of emotions and plot!  Hamlet's play works perfectly.  He can totally see that Claudius's reaction is one of "outrage" but Hamlet can also tell that Claudius knows that Hamlet sees through him.  Gertrude really understand's Hamlet's thinking when she calls him in after the play.  She is kind of shocked at his accusations but I think she takes his side and believes him.  She wasn't expecting that Claudius was a murderer and she definitely was taken back when Hamlet called her out on her marrying her husband's brother.  In that scene, Hamlet also kills Polonius and calls him a rat.  He doesn't show remorse for his actions because in his eyes, Polonius was just as bad as Claudius.  He wished he would have killed Claudius though.  In the scene before, Hamlet doesn't kill Claudius because he his praying and he doesn't want to send the murderer to heaven.  Claudius seems like he doesn't feel bad for what he did but rather wishes it would all be forgotten.  He shows no remorse for the loss of his brother.  The first scene in the play shows that Hamlet is a total control freak when it comes to his plans for the play because he emphasizes how it needs to be done perfectly.
Sorry for the out of order scenes... Its stream-of-conscious.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Literature Analysis 3: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

1. The story is set in the future where men and women are separated as women try to repopulate the Earth.  Women are no longer allowed to read and must be covered head to toe.  People are now categorized as Eyes, Handmaids, Econowives, Commanders, the Wives of the Commanders, Guardians, Marthas, and Angels.  Eyes are secret spies from the government in various jobs in order to watch the people.  Commanders are in charge of some kind of governmental activity but no woman is allowed to ask or know.  Commanders are rich and enjoy many privileges the masses in the Colonies don't have.  (People in the Colonies actually live in waste lands filled with murder and disease.  It is the exile that people will get if they don't behave.)  Guardians are the low-class government workers that try to become upgraded to an Angel will they will be able to be issued a wife if they prove themselves worthy.  Their wife would be an Econowife, one that wouldn't have any assistance with the household and whose main purpose is to get pregnant.  The Handmaids are women assigned for two years to a Commander in hopes to get pregnant since the Commander's wife hasn't.  Handmaids are specifically used for reproduction.  If they don't have a child within three assignments, then you are exiled.  Marthas are household maids that run Commanders' homes and take care of the children, if there are any.
Offred, is a Handmaid now, but she remembers the old ways.  She had love before the takeover happened and she can't forget any of it.  She longs for the love she had but she can't get any of that in the world she lives in now.  Love is fluke though... She also remembers the freedom of being able to work and earn your own money.  She remembers dressing how she wanted.  She remembers everyone's names instead of being called the Wife of Fred or whomever they were assigned to.
The story starts with a flashback from Offred's training at the Red Center, where the Handmaids dressed in red from head to toe learn how to become fertile young woman sent to please in the name of the Lord.
As the story continues, you see Offred often flash back to her life and her attempted escape from the country when things started to get bad with the government.  Luke and her daughter were her world before all of this happened.  Luke wasn't her husband but rather a man who she had an affair with.  She loved Luke and Luke loved her enough to leave his wife.  They stayed together and had a baby but Luke could never divorce his wife with the new government.  So when they tried to run, their passports weren't all in order and the Guardians caught them.  Offred has no idea where Luke or her daughter is.  She finds herself dreaming of them every chance she gets.
The inciting incident is when Offred is taken to her new posting and has her first ceremony with the Commander and his wife, Serena Joy.  Serena lays behind her as she has sex with the Commander as a sign of connectedness.  There is no attachment or romance.  Everything is very detached.
The plot thickens as Offred starts breaking laws.  The Commander actually lets Offred play Scrabble with him and eventually lets her start to read, which is completely forbidden for women.  She begins to see more and more resistance within the Handmaids.  Her grocery partner, Ofglenn, tells Offred of a resistance that is called Mayday.  More and more people have began to join them, too.
 With her time running out, Serena Joy even offers that she would set up a pregnancy for Offred, implying that the Commander is sterile, which is unheard of!  She begins seeing Nick, one of their close guardians, to get her pregnant.
The Commander starts to get more and more comfortable with Offred, though.  He gives her smuggled lingerie to wear out to a club.  She has no idea what is going on.  How could he break all these laws?  As she walks into this forbidden club filled with woman in different kinds of lingerie from the time before, the Commander explains that they need a variety of women since the women wear the same long outfit everyday, he says that the woman can no longer become different women with every different outfit they put on.  He takes her to one of the rooms in the club and tries to put romance into it as he sleeps with her.  Offred feels no passion or connection to this man but fakes it because she knows the man means well.
Offred is appalled by the scandally-clad women but she recognizes one of them.  Moira was one of her friends before everything had happened.  Moira tells Offred she got to this "club" instead of being exiled to the Colonies because she was too much of a liability.  Offred learns that there is like an underground railroad for women looking to escape the country.
The climax, however, is when Serena Joy finds lipstick on a robe of hers that Offred used on the night of the club.  She can't believe that Offred would so such a thing to her but all Offred can think about is how Nick will be if Serena tells an Eye.  Offred finally found love in her disconnected world with Nick, the guardian she tried getting pregnant with.  Even after their first rendezvous, they continued to see each other to find some kind of closeness. Though Nick doesn't talk much, Offred still likes that she is able to talk to someone.
The next day, Nick opens the door to her chamber explaining that the men in the black van are from Mayday and are going to help her.  The story ends with her putting her blind faith into this men as they take her from the home.

2.  The theme of the novel is about hypocrisy in society.  Throughout the novel, you see how men preach the sanctity of marriage and the absolute power of the government but they cheat on their wives and then break all the laws they preach.  The Offred's Commander doesn't try to have a relationship with his wife but rather wanted one with Offred, someone who was dispensable.

3.  The tone of the novel is sad but has some slight humor in it.  Offred is very naive as she follows all the rules of the government but is paranoid as to not speak out against the government.  She starts to realize that the government isn't as all-powerful and all-knowing as it claims to be.
"My hands are shaking.  Why am I frightened?  I've crossed no boundaries.  I've given no trust, taken no risk, all is safe.  It's the choice that terrifies me.  A way out, a salvation." p.61
"I felt the Commander watching me as I turned the pages.  I knew I was doing something I shouldn't ahve been doing, and that he found pleasure seeing me do it.  I should have felt evil... But I didn't feel evil.. What was he going to give me next?  A girdle?" p. 158
"I'm sorry there is so much pain in this story.  I'm sorry it's in fragments, like a body caught in crossfire or pulled apart by force.  But there is nothing I can do to change it.  I've tried to put some of the good things in as well.  Flowers, for instance, because where would we be without them?" p. 267

4. Idiom-"Smells fishy, they used to say; or, I smell a rat.  Misfit as odor." p. 18  Although, all slang is forbidden, Offred still remembers and thinks in slang.
Synesthesia-"...these two men who aren't yet permitted to touch women.  They touch with their eyes instead..." p. 23  The men can't touch women or talk to women in anyway.  This shows how much they long for women but even them looking at women is somewhat frowned upon if you seem like you are being flirtatious.
Connotation- "They wore blouses with buttons down the front that suggested the possibilities of the word undone." p. 25  This shows how strict society is that women can not be undone and how frowned upon a promiscuous woman is.
Chiasmus- "Freedom to and freedom from.  In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to.  Now you are being given freedom from.  Don't underrate it." p. 24  The government installs this type of brainwashing that they are better off from how they were before but you begin to see a resistance towards the end of the book.
Anachronisms- "These bodies hanging on the Wall are time travelers.." p. 33  The people who are hung on the wall for their crimes don't fit in with the new world because they still embrace the past.  They don't fit in and rebel against the change so the government offs them since they refuse to conform.
Repetition- "But then what happens, but then what happens?" p.39  Offred constantly is worrying about what will happen if she goes agains the government.  Her inner struggle with this is constant throughout the book.
Foreshadowing- "It's French, he said.  From m'aidez.  Help me." p. 44  This becomes the codeword for the resistance.  Ofglenn had to mention it to Offred to make sure she wasn't an Eye.  Offred had to do the same for Ofglenn's replacement.
Metaphor- "We were the people who were not in the papers.  We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of the print.  It gave us more freedom.  We lived in the gaps between the stories." p. 57  Offred is talking about how her and Moira were living before the takeover.  They weren't well known and they lived day to day but they were able to live.
Allusion- "'Resettlement of the Children of Ham is continuing on schedule," says the reassuring pink face, back on the screen." p. 83  The Children of Ham are the African Americans that are not allowed in the country.  It shows the racism in the new world as well as the emphasis on Biblical teaching.
Symbolism- "What I coveted was the shears." p. 153  The shears symbolize the possibility of suicide that Offred wants.  She wishes she could kill herself in this horrible world where she has lost everything and everyone she loves.

Characterization-
1. Direct- "She was a malicious and vengeful woman, I knew that." p.162
"Her face is oval, pink, plump but not fat, her eyes roundish." p. 167
Indirect- "'You were always so stinking pious.' 'So were you,' I reply. I want to laugh, shout, hug her." p. 168
"I like the sensation, the soft cloth brushing my skin.  It's like being in a cloud." p. 171
Margaret uses both direct and indirect characterization.  To actually describe physical features she is more direct but to talk about personality she is more indirect.
I like how she characterizes women because they are realistic and strong willed.  They aren't passive even though they are in a passive world.
2. Atwood doesn't switch her syntax or diction when she describes characters or goes into characterization.
3.  Offred is a dynamic and round character.  As she tells the story, she tells you more and more like she is letting you into the world and trusting you with her secrets.  She doesn't give you all of her past at once and she even apologizes for all the sadness in the book.
4.  "I wish this story were different. I wish it were more civilized.  I wish it showed me in a better light, if not happier than at least more active, less hesitant, less distracted by trivia.  I wish it were about love or about sudden realizations important to one's life, or even about sunsets, birds, rainstorms, or snow." p. 267  I feel like I could relate to Offred at this point in the book.  I could see that the world she was living in was incredibly horrible but I could see how I would want to try to make it the best it could be. Or at least wish it to be happy... Offred did all she could with the life she was given.  I just hope that her ending turns out well since Atwood never really gave us an ending.. So in that case, I can imagine my own happy ending for her!


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Vocabulary 7

Because Miki was hiking more slowly than the rest of the group, she turned a corner and the group was gone.  Miki was lost and sat down on a rock, only to fall backwards through a wall of ivy.  She discovered a cave, which at the other end, opened up in view of a giant tree house.  Miki heard a noise in some of the trees, and Lindsey came swinging in on a vine, only to ricochet off a tree.  Miki was now involved in Lindsey’s shenanigans.  Lindsey was ebullient when she saw Miki, filled with a plethora of excitement.  She became loquaciously garrulous and asked Miki how she found her.  Then, suddenly, she burst into a harangue and started verbally attacking Miki.  Lindsey’s ephemeral happiness, then capricious attitude scared Miki.  Miki called her a dipthong, but secretly wished that they would get along and be interdependent with each other.  Lindsey’s sanity was at a point of no return; everything she muttered was undetermined codswallop, with the use of a sesquipedalian.  By the time the rest of the group arrived, they figured Miki had become wonky
            Meanwhile, the group’s inchoate plan to find Miki caused them to search along the trail for hours.  Finally, they found Miki’s water bottle by a rock and Rachel stumbled into the wall of ivy.  When they found Miki with Lindsey, the Lindsey they saw was juxtaposed to the one they knew in high school; she wore mungo clothes and her hair was messy.  When Lindsey saw the group, she tried to eschew them away from her hideout.  After talking to Lindsey and trying to see the composed and tame Lindsey they once knew, the group knew that they needed to get Lindsey back to civilization, but she refused any help from them, saying that the world was too stressful.  A schism formed in the group over whether to stay with Lindsey or leave her.  Then, perspicacious of this controversial decision, Melissa suggested that they compromise by taking turns to come visit Lindsey every so often.  Everyone in the group, besides Lindsey, agreed, and then, the group became uncertain as to what they should do next.  They didn’t see much of a need to continue hiking the Pacific Crest Trail when they had “found” Lindsey.  Then, Rebecca had an idea.  She was thinking of the times they had had in high school and remembered how they had all wanted to go to explore Egypt together.  She didn’t want this reunion to be over so she suggested this trip to the group.  After some hesitation, they seemed genuinely excited about the prospect of adventure.  They said goodbye to Lindsey, each of them promising to return, and headed back the way they had come so they could all travel to Egypt.

GREEN EGGS AND HAMLET

A.  From what I know about Hamlet is that he is a depressing and vengeful young man.  He is very hard on himself and is in a hard situation.
B.  I know that Shakespeare was an amazing playwright.  He is most famous for his dramatic plays which tend to be more humorous than his comedies.
C.  Everybody frowns when they hear Shakespeare because his plays are in old English and they are full of different interpretations.
D.  In order to make this a great learning experience, I think that it would be useful to analyze the texts but also take time to make a modern interpretation of it like we did freshman year for the Romeo and Juliet project.  Acting out a remake of the play helped me better understand it.

Vocabulary 8


Abase:  v. to reduce or lower in rank, humble, degrade
The general was abased when he was caught beating a soldier.

Abdicate: v. to renounce or relinquish a throne or claim or throne
Claudius abdicated the throne from Hamlet.

Abomination: n. anything greatly disliked
Some students believe memorization is an abomination.

Brusque: adj. abrupt in manner
Hamlet’s father’s death was very brusque.

Saboteur: n. a person who commits or practices sabotage
The saboteur is actually Claudius in the play.

Debauchery: n. excessive indulgence or in sensual pleasures
The drinking debauchery led to an insane hangover the next day.

Proliferate: v. to grow or produce by multiplication of parts as in budding or cell division
The hydra proliferates in the ocean.

Anachronism: n. something or someone who is not in their correct historical time
Hipsters are a modern day anachronism.

Nomenclature: n. a set or system of names or terms as those used in a particular science or art
Impressionists were a nomenclature given to artists in France that didn’t paint reality but rather their impression of it.

Expurgate: v. to amend by removing words or passages, deemed offensive
Children watch an expurgated version of Disney movies.

Bellicose: adj. inclined or eager to fight, aggressively hostile
Although Hamlet is bellicose, he seems to like he is the most hostile towards himself.

Gauche: adj. lacking social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness
The gauche man made a rape joke to a girl who was the result of rape herself.

Rapacious: adj. given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed
Claudius was rapacious when he married Gertrude.

Paradox: n. a statement or proposition that seems absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth
A paradox is essentially an extended oxymoron.
Conundrum: n. a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or a play on words
Most game shows involve conundrums the contests must solve.

Anomaly: n. a deviation from the common rule or form or type or arrangement
Our classroom is the anomaly of the typical high school classroom.

Ephemeral: adj. lasting a very short time, short lived
The one hit wonder singer’s career was ephemeral.

Rancorous: adj. full of or showing rancor
Hamlet is very rancorous when he finds out Claudius poisoned his father.

Churlish: adj. like a churl, boorish, rude, difficult to work with
The churlish man wasn’t taking care of his customers at the restaurant.

Precipitous: adj. of the nature of or characterized by precipices, steep
The precipitous street was a famous place to try to skateboard.