FINALS

What do you know about an ethnic buffet?

Vocabulary final

Vocabulary #1

1. adumbrate- Report or represent in outline; indicate faintly
2. apotheosis- The highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax.
3. ascetic- Characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
4. bauble-A small, showy trinket or decoration.
5. beguile- Charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way
6. burgeon-Begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish
7. complement- A thing that completes or brings to perfection.
8. contumacious-Stubbornly or willfully disobedient to authority.
9. curmudgeon-A bad-tempered or surly person.
10. didactic-Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.
11. disingenuous- Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.
12. exculpate-Show or declare that (someone) is not guilty of wrongdoing.
13. faux pas-An embarrassing or tactless act or remark in a social situation.
14. fulminate-Express vehement protest;Develop suddenly and severely
15. fustian-Thick, durable twilled cloth with a short nap, usually dyed in dark colors
16. hauteur-aughtiness of manner; disdainful pride.
17. inhibit-Hinder, restrain, or prevent (an action or process).
18. jeremiad-A long, mournful complaint or lamentation; a list of woes.
19. opportunist-A person who exploits circumstances to gain immediate advantage rather than being guided by principles or plans.
20. unconscionable-Not right or reasonable.                                           

21. Vocabulary #2

    
    

    
    
    

    accoutrements- additional objects to put on your person for a specific task, like equipment used as clothes. The accoutrements of a police officer are his billy club, badge and taser.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    apogee- the highest point of development of something. The apogee of the British empire was when it controlled one third of the globe.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    apropos- concerning something, pertaining to something.  Some topics in Math Analysis seemed apropos to nothing.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    bicker- to argue about trivial maters.  Siblings often bicker.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    coalesce- to come together into something.  In the virtual choir, many singers from around the globe coalesced into one group.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    contretemps- a minor unexpected or unfortunate occurrence.  Many british sitcoms deal with humorous contretemps, often under a large misfortune that is overshadowed by these trivial maters, such as Fawlty Towers and Blackadder.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    convolution- twists, and coils, or a function derived from two functions through integration. The brain is made up of many sinuous convolutions.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    cull- to pick from a large number of options or to amass from much data.  The current text of Beowulf was culled from many different fragments of texts about the epic hero.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    disparate- immensely different.  In economics, they use disparate objects to explain production possibility curves, such as robots and pizzas.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    dogmatic- laying down principles which are not proven true.  The dogmatic theologist lectured about many unproven principles like they were true.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    licentious- promiscuous, or unprincipled sexually.  In the times of Jane Austen, Lydia from pride and Prejudice would have been viewed as licentious.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    mete- to allot punishment.  Many countries say that they care for their citizens, yet they radially mete out to their people.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    noxious- harmful or poisonous.  Many noxious fumes come out of industrial buildings.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    polemic- strongly speaking out against something.  The polemic worker spoke out against his low wages.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    populous- having a large population.  In ecosystems, producers are the most populous part of the food web.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    probity- having moral principles, decency.  Pretentious people often put up a facade of probity.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    repartee- conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty remarks.  When I got to boys state, I impressed one of the counselors by starting a repartee with him.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    supervene- occur later than a specified event or action, often changing plans.  The collapse of the twin towers supervened much of what happened on September 11th, 2009.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    truncate- to shorten something by cutting of the top or end.  In elementary school, kids liked to make shorts by truncating old jeans. 

    
    

    
    

    
    

    unimpeachable- not to be doubted or questioned. The views of many experts are often viewed as unimpeachable.

    
    

    Vocabulary # 3

    apostate: a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc. 
    effusive: pouring out; overflowing. 
    impasse: a position or situation from which there is no escape 
    euphoria:  state of intense happiness and self-confidence 
    lugubrious: mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner 
    bravado: a pretentious, swaggering display of courage. 
    consensus: general agreement or concord; harmony. 
    dichotomy: division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs. 
    constrict: to draw or press in; cause to contract or shrink; compress. 
    gothic: genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance 
    punctilio: a fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure. 
    metamorphosis: any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc. 
    raconteur: a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly. 
    sine qua non: an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential 
    quixotic: impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable. 
    vendetta: any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention, or the like 
    non sequitur: a statement containing an illogical conclusion. 
    mystique: a framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs, or the like, constructed around a person or object 
    quagmire: a situation from which extrication is very difficult 
    parlous: perilous; dangerous.

My 6,128 Favorite Books

   I love this whole article in general because as he goes on he uses terminology from the books and also metaphors he has gained from reading so many. The point that he made also which really intrigued me is that it shouldn't matter what the book is or article if it catches your interest read it, it can only benefit you. With all those books under his belt I bet his vocabulary is beyond ridiculous and he can see what kind of Literary Terms the author may be using and how to use them to help understand the story better. As you gain more experience with books you tend to get a feel of how they work unless your just reading a author that is completely unlike any other person. " I've read books while waiting for friends to get sprung from the drunk tank, while waiting for people to emerge from comas, while waiting for the Iceman to cometh." This is a metaphor I didn't really understand but I'm assuming its from a story he read about Iceman but I thought it was pretty cool he did this to encourage reading. He exaggerates to show his passion for reading books all the time and encourages others to give it a try! 

Thoughts On Hamlet

I was flipping through a few other profiles and their opinions Hamlet to see what they though about him now that they see who he truly is. Jasmine Beebe's write up gave me a perfect example of who Hamlet was like in a television series I also LOVE. Dexter is a undercover killer who works as a blood splatter analyst and is very blank with his emotion. Hamlet didn't know how to express the emotions he felt and ended up losing everything like Dexter. Dexter lived his life looking for his mother killer and in the end after he found him and killed him things eventually started to fall apart on him. He eventually is separated from his love and his only son to save them from himself because he believed he was too dangerous because everyone he loved died. Hamlet lost his dad and he knew who the killer was but did nothing, this in a sense was kind of a torture to himself. He didn't confront the problems when he should have. 

Tools That Change The Way We Think

   Its amazing how much our technology has increased in the past ten years and the more capabilities that we are gaining every single day. When I was young I never expected to have a phone that could get on the Internet and do all kinds of thing I just wanted one that could make a call. I couldn't rely on my smart phone when I was little but I still obtained information in some places, but it wasn't until I started using the Internet all the time and watching interesting documentaries online that I started obtaining information all the time. When I'm bored sometimes I just browse information on things I like looking at different websites to see what type of things are on there and if I would be interested in them. Technology has definitely benefited me since its made so much progress but some people on the other hand are lazy with and don't use it to their benefit. If you work with it I promise the internet and all of its intertwining connections will help you through a lot of your questions. Its there to help us improve not to take over our lives to where we only turn to it for answers. If we let this happen our society as a whole will lose intelligence and become self-reliant on technology to save them because they can't save themselves. So use this wonderful thing to help you gain knowledge not just to look up something and forget about it!  

Poetry Inquiry

SONNET 18	PARAPHRASE	.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?	Shall I compare you to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:	You are more lovely and more constant:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,	Rough winds shake the beloved buds of May
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:	And summer is far too short:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,	At times the sun is too hot,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;	Or often goes behind the clouds;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,	And everything beautiful sometime will lose its beauty,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;	By misfortune or by nature's planned out course.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade	But your youth shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;	Nor will you lose the beauty that you possess;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,	Nor will death claim you for his own,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:	Because in my eternal verse you will live forever.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,	So long as there are people on this earth,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.	So long will this poem live on, making you immortal.

I found this translation of my sonnet on this website http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18detail.html  which was very helpful for understanding the sonnet. This one of the well known sonnets and its because of how straight forward he is. He is proclaiming to her about her beauty and how her youth would never fade. He also said that now that he spoke of her beauty it would live on through the sonnet forever where it would never be forgotten. This sonnet has a powerful impact of love he has for her and the beauty she beholds through his eyes. I can't really relate a love poem to me but it really inspire me to keep my dreams youthful and always to have hope for what I want to do with my life. "so long as there are people on this earth, So long will this poem live on, make you immortal" this quote makes me want to do something that is gonna carry on when I leave this world, something that really effected the people around me.

Vocabulary #9

aficionado - noun a serious devotee of some particular music genre or musical performer; a fan of bull fighting

browbeat - verb discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate; be bossy towards

commensurate - adj. corresponding in size or degree or extent

diaphanous - adj. so thin as to transmit light

emolument - noun compensation received by virtue of holding an office or having employment (usually in the form of wages or fees)

foray - noun an initial attempt (especially outside your usual areas of competence); a sudden short 
attack; verb briefly enter enemy territory; steal goods; take as spoil

genre - noun a class of art (or artistic endeavor) having a characteristic form or technique; a kind of literary or artistic work;an expressive style of music; a style of expressing yourself in writing

homily - noun a sermon on a moral or religious topic

immure - verb lock up or confine, in or as in a jail

insouciant - adj. marked by blithe unconcern

matrix - noun mold used in the production of phonograph records, type, or other relief surface; the 

formative tissue at the base of a nail; the body substance in which tissue cells are embedded; a 

rectangular array of elements (or entries) set out by rows and columns; an enclosure within which 

something originates or develops (from the Latin for womb)

Dear Ophelia

   If you would like my opinion I would say listen to what your heart says but you still have to keep in mind what your family has to say. Your family will always be there for you usually and are some of the more trustworthy people in your life. However  if a love is strong and true enough you should act on it because you don't know if that opportunity will strike again. Listen to your families opinion but in the end make your own decision off what you feel is the right thing for you to do.

Vocabulay 8

1. abase-to reduce or lower, as in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; humble; degrade.
2. abdicate-to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, especially in a formal manner
3. abomination-a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc
4. brusque-abrupt in manner; blunt; rough
5. saboteur-a person who commits or practices sabotage.
6. debauchery-excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.
7. proliferate-increase rapidly in numbers; multiply.
8. anachronism-a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, esp. a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned.
9. nomenclature-the devising or choosing of names for things, esp. in a science or other discipline.
10. expurgate-remove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable from (a book or account).
11. bellicose-demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight.
12. gauche-lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated and socially awkward.
13. rapacious-aggressively greedy or grasping.
14. paradox-a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.
15. conundrum-a confusing and difficult problem or question.
16. anomaly-something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
17. ephemeral-lasting for a very short time.
18. rancorous-characterized by bitterness or resentment.
19. churlish-rude in a mean-spirited and surly way.
20. precipitous-dangerously high or steep. (of an action) done suddenly and without careful consideration.

Vocabulary #7

1. shenanigans-a devious trick used especially for an underhand purpose.
2. ricochet-something (such as a bullet or stone) that ricochets off a surface.
3. schism-division or disunion, especially into mutually opposed parties.
4. eschew-to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid
5. plethora-overabundance; excess
6. ebullient-overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited
7. garrulous-excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters.
8. harangue-a scolding or a long or intense verbal attack; diatribe.
9. interdependence-the quality or condition of being interdependent, or mutually reliant on each other.
10. capricious-subject to, led by, or indicative of a sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change; erratic.
11. loquacious-talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative; chattering; babbling; garrulous.
12. ephemeral-lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory.
13. inchoate-not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary.
14. juxtapose-to place close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.
15. perspicacious-having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning.
16. codswallop- nonesense; rubuish
17. mungo-a low-grade wool from felted rags or waste.
18. sesquipedelian-the use of the long words
19. wonky-shaky, groggy, or unsteady.
20. dipthong-a word with two vowels next to eachother

What I Meant To Say Was

I think I did pretty well on my vocabulary but I struggled to remember a lot of the words. On my thesis statement also I felt I was more clear then I really was. I think that Chaucer wrote the way he did to allow people to see and experience all of these different characters. He didn't direct his writing at any social class either so it was mean for everyone to learn about different personalities.

Literature Analysis: Moby Dick

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).
Moby Dick begins with the famous line, "Call me Ishmael.". The story is narrated by Ishmael, a young man with his mind set on whaling. On the way to the whaling capital he meets up with Queequeg,  a native looking man with tattoos who is a "cannibal". Although at first Ishmael is scared of Queequeg as he has a tomahawk and eats with a harpoon, he soon learns to embrace him. The two travel together to the whaling capital Nantucket and get jobs on a spooky ship called the Pequod. Decorated with whale bones, a spooky captain, and an international crew, they set out in the search for gaining wealth through killing whale's for oil. The captain of the ship, Captain Ahab, is consumed with the thought of revenge against one particular whale. A great white whale called Moby Dick ate the captains leg when the captain jumped at it to stab it in the heart. Queequeg nearly dies from illness on the boat, and a coffin is made, but he pulls through. Eventually the boat finally meets with the deadly albino whale for the final showdown. Despite several days of fighting and harpooning the whale, the whale succeeds. Ahab gets caught in a harpoon and sent to his death, and the boat is destroyed by the whale along with the crew. Ishmael alone survives, floating atop Queequeg's coffin.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
There are many themes in this book, but the one that I will focus on is sealing your own fate. Captain Ahab's fate was sealed through he unstoppable desire to get revenge on Moby Dick. He didn't heed any of the prophets warnings. In fact, the entire crew was warned to stop trying to find the great white whale. There were some thought of killing the captain, but words are just words without action. By staying the course, the characters in this book sealed their fate. 
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
The author had a very direct tone. It flows with the story. With times of action, the mood intensified, and in times of just sailing it calmed down quite a bit. There was the underlying of doom that was shown throughout the book and through the tone. "It was Moby Dick's open mouth, yawning beneath Ahab's boat, looking like a marble burial room." "Must we chase this murderous fish till he drags every last on of us to the bottom of the sea?" "He studied the currents of all four oceans and the habits of all whales in order to reach on burning goal- to find and kill Moby Dick!"
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.)
Great Illustrated Classics: Moby Dick
1. Metaphor- When discussing the prophet Fedallah (page 136) "....the reason we don't see his devil tail is because he coils it up and tucks it in his pocket."

2. Flashback (Page 84) "Seeing his men spinning about in little whirlpools of the sea, the captain grabbed a small knife with a six-inch blade and dashed at Moby Dick's heart like some wild man in a duel. That captain was Ahab."
3. Direct characterization: (Page 18) "The face was of a dark-purplish color, stuck all over with large blackish-looking squares."
 4. Onomatopoeia (Page 114): The crew shouting "Woo-hoo! Wa-hee! Kee-Hee! Koo-Loo!".
 5. Simile: (Page 114) "...his tail forty feet into the air and sank out of sight, like a swallowed-up tower."
6. Allusion: (Page 50) "Yes, but wasn't the biblical Ahab a wicked king who was killed."

 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)?


Indirect Characterization
"No, for me the way to escape the closeness of my home town of Manhatto, New York, was to go to sea as a plain seaman."
"He'd often pace the deck unsteadily. Sometimes the restless pounding of his leg upon upon the wooden deck at night would keep us awake."

Canterbury Tales

Vocabulary #6

obsequious: characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning
beatitude: supreme blessedness; exalted happiness.
bete noire:  a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads
bode: to be an omen of; portend
dank: unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly
ecumenical: general; universal.
fervid: heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm
fetid: having an offensive odor; stinking.
gargantuan: gigantic; enormous; colossal
heyday: the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime
incubus: a nightmare.
infrastructure:
inveigle: the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization.
kudos: honor; glory; acclaim
lagniappe: an unexpected or indirect benefit.
prolix: extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy.
protege: a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare.
prototype: the original or model on which something is based or formed.
sycophant: a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.
tautology: an instance of such repetition.
truckle: to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely 
 apostate: one who forsakes his/her religion, party, or cause.


bravado: a display of false or assumed courage.


consensus: a collective or general agreement of opinion, feeling, or thinking.

constrict: to make smaller or narrower, draw together, squeeze; to stop or cause to falter.


dichotomy: a division into two contradictory or mutually exclusive parts; a branching or forking in an ancestral line.


effusive: highly demonstrative; unrestrained.
euphoria: a feeling of great happiness or well-being, often with no objective basis.


gothic: characterized by or emphasizing a gloomy setting and grotesque or violent events; such a literary or artistic style; a type of medieval architecture.


impasse: a dead end; a position from which there is no escape; a problem to which there is no solution.

lugubrious: sad, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree.


metamorphosis: a complete transformation, as if by magic.


mystique: an aura or attitude of mystery or veneration surrounding something or someone.


non sequitur: an inference or conclusion that does not follow logically from the facts or premises.


parlous:  full of danger or risk, perilous.


punctilio: a minute detail of conduct or procedure; an instant of time.


quagmire: a difficult or entrapping situation; soft, soggy mud or slush.


quixotic: extravagantly or romantically idealistic; visionary without regard to practical considerations.


raconteur: a person who tells stories and anecdotes with great skill.


sine qua non: an essential or indispensable element or condition.


vendetta: a prolonged feud, often between two families, characterized by retaliatory acts of revenge; any act of motivated vengeance.

Character Study 1

   In the middle of the sub-arctic tundra Dave was searching for the key to his answers. He had been environmentalist for years and studied at Yale and Prenston to obtain multiple degrees. Searching the icy planes he looked for an answer to why so many polar bears have disappeared from this desolate place. With the attitude of a teeneager he fought for what he believed in and would never rebut an arguement if he believed he was right. This is why he never gave up on the polar bears, searching for answers day in and day out. His research was like an endless jury trial and he felt he never could find the answers to his question. The population was decreasing at a fast rate and he needed the answer to the problem. One day he stumbles apon a cave which led so deep in that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. When he reached the bottom he find a wonderland of ice filled with polar bears and bountiful supplies of food for them to survive. In love with the euforia that he was in and never answered people's questions but stayed there to enjoy what his life's research led him too.

What A Character

A character from a book that I've read that always popped out to me as a outstanding character who believed he should have the freedom to read and write what ever he feels like. In a society like his you have to be a brave soul to risk even taking a book because they are so illegal. He is the person who gets rid of these books because firefighters in their world burn books, they don't worry about house fires ever since every house was made fireproof. He see's all these authors words and doesn't see whats so bad about reading these words they wrote. He eventually steals books and realizes that without these deep meaningful works of literature it derives the society of emotions almost. In their world they don't really feel anything and are more about watching television and going out on fast drives when they're bored. Montag understands by reading the poem in his parlor to that group of women and seeing Mrs. Phelps reaction that words have a lot of meaning and can cause you to feel many emotions so firefighters were almost making the world dull. He fights for word and books and leaves to join a group that shows him even if books didn't exist they would still exist in our memory and this made me really like Guy Montag as a character.

Vocabulary # 5

obsequious: characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning
beatitude: supreme blessedness; exalted happiness.
bete noire:  a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads
bode: to be an omen of; portend
dank: unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly
ecumenical: general; universal.
fervid: heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm
fetid: having an offensive odor; stinking.
gargantuan: gigantic; enormous; colossal
heyday: the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime
incubus: a nightmare.
infrastructure:
inveigle: the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization.
kudos: honor; glory; acclaim
lagniappe: an unexpected or indirect benefit.
prolix: extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy.
protege: a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare.
prototype: the original or model on which something is based or formed.
sycophant: a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.
tautology: an instance of such repetition.
truckle: to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely

Declaration of Learning Independence

This is my Declaration of Learning Independence! I plan to use these three skills to achieve full independence when I go on my learning adventure into college. I will use my Big Questions to see what I want to learn from what I am doing at the time and how I will use it. I will use my SMART Goals to help me achieve the answers the answers to my Big Questions and to reach success. I plan to start a Collaborative Working Group of some kind that will help me be more prepared for college and provide information for others. I also plan to use my blog in the future for a resource such as promoting my profession or even using it to obtain my profession

Vocabulary # 4

apostate: one who forsakes his/her religion, party, or cause.


bravado: a display of false or assumed courage.


consensus: a collective or general agreement of opinion, feeling, or thinking.

constrict: to make smaller or narrower, draw together, squeeze; to stop or cause to falter.


dichotomy: a division into two contradictory or mutually exclusive parts; a branching or forking in an ancestral line.


effusive: highly demonstrative; unrestrained.
euphoria: a feeling of great happiness or well-being, often with no objective basis.


gothic: characterized by or emphasizing a gloomy setting and grotesque or violent events; such a literary or artistic style; a type of medieval architecture.


impasse: a dead end; a position from which there is no escape; a problem to which there is no solution.

lugubrious: sad, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree.


metamorphosis: a complete transformation, as if by magic.


mystique: an aura or attitude of mystery or veneration surrounding something or someone.


non sequitur: an inference or conclusion that does not follow logically from the facts or premises.


parlous:  full of danger or risk, perilous.


punctilio: a minute detail of conduct or procedure; an instant of time.


quagmire: a difficult or entrapping situation; soft, soggy mud or slush.


quixotic: extravagantly or romantically idealistic; visionary without regard to practical considerations.


raconteur: a person who tells stories and anecdotes with great skill.


sine qua non: an essential or indispensable element or condition.


vendetta: a prolonged feud, often between two families, characterized by retaliatory acts of revenge; any act of motivated vengeance.

Beowulf Essay

   Heroes have always existed whether it be in the past or present. Some people view these characters with extraordinary powers or abilities as role model just because most heroes prevail against evil. This is the setting of most stories but in Beowulf he goes beyond his ability and ends up facing death. When I first read the story it made no sense that this ultimate character couldn't defeat the dragon in his last battle. Modern heroes in my opinion always have the positive outcome where good beats evil in the end which makes me portray them as invincible characters. In movies like Hancock Will Smith is a god who is immortal but he doesn't quite remember that he really is but he does realize is more then human. Should heroes be so tremendously powerful like Hancock or should they eventually meet their maker like Beowulf did to prove a point?

   Beowulf was a bold and cocky type of hero who believed he could slay any creature almost like Hancock does but Hancock isn't as prideful for his god like powers. One huge literary element used in both stories is irony. Beowulf thinks he's the most heroic being and believes he can defeat the dragon and dies, Hancock ironically runs into his other half or his 'soul mate' and ends up getting weaker because their connection turns them both into normal humans. Irony is common heroes who believe they are really unstoppable just because you can't always win everything.

   Another major literary element seen in both stories is that they both seem based off myth. Beowulf was a sixth century Scandinavian warrior but the story was more based of a poem of Angelo-Saxon mythology. Hancock is more derived from Greek mythology because of a being made with two halves that separate and eventually end up finding each other. We have many stories in present time that take old Greek myths and use them in movies such as Thor who is another Greek god. Characters like these even though they are gods they still face other gods who can be equally as strong but it seems to still always go the good guys way.

   I believe that Beowulf even though he is a cocky hero and ends up getting killed he really is the better role model when you compare to modern heroes. He believes in himself and his defeat is a lesson that as a normal human you will face things that a lot more difficult then you imagine. I don't believe its smart to think you can face any feat and come out unscathed without at least a little bit of a challenge. Life can be hard sometimes and you face things that heroes might never have to in their lives. Its smart to have a positive mindset but be prepared for challenges that happen when you least expect it because you don't have super powers or even that super hero to save you, it's just you against your problem.