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.



  

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.

Literature Analysis #1 Great Expectations

General
1. The novel is about a boy named Pip who lost his parents and lives with his sister and her husband. Later he meets a man at the churchyard who threatens him and makes him do as he says. Out of fear Pip starts stealing for the man. Then he meets another character, Estella, who he falls madly in love with. Estella is taught to hurt boys because that's how her mother was taught. Pip still tries to win her over, but has to move to London for schooling. He received a large fortune and blew most of it while living with a friend in London. While away his sister, Mrs. Joe, passes away and he returns home for the funeral service. When he was in town he discovered that the fortune he had received came from the man in the churchyard. After all that he had gone through he still managed to unite with his love Estella in the end.
2. The theme in this novel is ambition. This is because Pip had the ambition that led him back to Estella and not giving up on trying for her. He went through a long journey with having to move and dealing with loss, but didn't lose hope.
3. The tone I felt from reading was a sense of loss and determination. Obviously if I was in his shoes I'd feel a little more sorrow due to having no family, but for him it just brings about determination. Even through his hard times he had determination to go back to Estella.
4. Allusions were used in the novel in the fact that Dicken's based the story off of his own life. Also the diction because it was written in an older era. Along with diction is the syntax for the way Dicken's categorized the journey of Pip's life. The tone was also important because it really made me in a way feel bad for Pip.
Characterization
1. Dickens used direct characterization in describing Pip by expressing everyone of his actions. He also used direct characterization when telling of how Estella is taught to deal with guys. Indirect characterization is used on Miss Havisham because she's indirectly the problem. She seems like she's helping Pip, but she's really doing things for her own benefit.
2. I didn't notice a change in diction or syntax when focusing on different characters.
3. The protagonist, Pip, definitely is dynamic. Throughout the novel he goes from fairly immature to realizing importance and becoming a man.
4. After reading the novel I came away feeling like I'd met Pip and experienced the journey with him. The author really did a good job at allowing the reader to connect to the character.