Life After This Blog Post

Well, last time I did this was sophomore year and I got the email from myself during the summer. Let's just say, it was a complete disappointment. Reading the email made me realize that I should have tried harder over junior year and part of senior year to make myself more applicable for college. I don't really want to write another one because I will be in complete disappoint again a few months later. The things I will ask myself will be, "What college did you get into?" or "Have you decided what you are going to do with your life?" By the time the email arrives, I will have found out what college I have gotten into. But then at the same time, I can ask myself if i'm okay, if i'm happy, healthy, etc. It's exciting to look back and remember when you wrote in the mail.

Essay Practice

Practice Essay Outline ->  

Beginning/Opening:

Ignorance and narrow minds are the key element in both Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Sartre’s No Exit. The prisoners in the cave were chained to only see towards the cave wall, which brought limitation to their minds. On the other hand, the three characters, Estelle, Inez, and Garcin were all at each other’s throats are they are sitting in an empty room eternally in hell.  

Body Paragraph #1:

·         Estelle in No Exit, she asks Inez and Garcin which one of them is the torturer. She seems to be very shallow about the fact she is in hell. Also, the first thing she asks is if there is a mirror, she is ignorant enough to not understand or come to a realization that she is in hell and will be tortured by Inez and Garcin. The reasons why Sartre would place Estelle into hell with Garcin and Inez was because she affects the two of them individually.

Body Paragraph #2:

·         The prisoner and Estelle are similar in the sense, they don’t really realize that they are trapped and their surrounding is “hell” even if it’s an empty room or a cave with fire. The prisoners have a narrow mind which they don’t realize because when they are enlightened with the newfound knowledge, they are able to proceed with freedom. In No Exit, Estelle is unable to escape, but she also comes to a realization that she was really in hell because of Inez and Garcin. Garcin says, “Hell is other people,” meaning the people around brings hell to you. At the end, both the prisoner and Estelle are enlightened by the understanding of their life.

Conclusion:

·         Estelle is very stubborn in a way she can’t comprehend what is going on. Similar to the prisoners in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, they were unable to understand the word outside of the cave; they believed whatever appeared on the shadow. In Estelle’s case she tries to seduce Garcin and stabs Inez repeatedly on the chest but lacks the understanding of that they are all bound in hell forever. In both Plato and Sartre’s stories, the show ignorance as a barrier and imitation to knowledge. 

I Can Read

I think I made about 10 mistakes. Stumbled on few words then corrected myself.
I read it in about 5:23 minutes. Dr Preston read it in about 4:42 minutes. So I guess I made more mistakes and read it slower. . .

Video here.

Thinking Outside of the Box

Plato uses a cave to symbolize the limitation to knowledge and the prisoners being chained and forced to look at the cave wall. On the other hand, Sartre used an empty room, placing three people in Hell. Both short stories are putting people in to a test. Plato tests the ignorance in prisoners and Sartre tests the Inez, Garcin, and Estelle in an empty room together.

The irony in “No Exit” is shown through the characters’ conversation. In the beginning, Estelle, Inez, and Garcin questioned each other who the “torturer” was. As the story develops, the audience reveals the three character’s weaknesses. Garcin is tortured by Estelle because he is called a coward. Estelle is tortured by Garcin because she wants his love, but he doesn’t give it to her. Finally, Inez tries to seduce Estelle by asking her to be her mirror, yet Estelle rejects Inez. The irony in the allegory is the cave  itself, the cave is supposed to teach the prisoners about knowledge yet they are shackled and forced to face the wall of the cave. In the “Allegory of the Cave,” it seems like they are in Hell at first, but they have a good life afterwards. In “No Exit,” it’s the opposite, Estelle, Inez, and Garcin all had good lives before, but end up all in Hell.

The characters are all flawed in both stories, in the “Allegory of the Cave,” the prisoners are ignorant and believe that there is no life outside the cave. Their knowledge is very limited which is a flaw, because their lives have revolved around the organisms that pass through the cave. In “No Exit,” Garcin ran away from the country and mistreated his wife by sleeping with other women. Estelle cheated on her husband then drowned her baby, which lead up to her husband killing himself. Inez seduced a man’s wife and kills the husband of her lover. The characters in “No Exit” are flawed because they all ran away from their problems, but running away from their problems led them to eternal Hell.

The “Allegory of the Cave,” the moral of the cave is for the prisoners to have enlightenment with knowledge when they leave the cave. The prisoners come to a realization when they are released in outside of the cave. Their knowledge becomes beyond the limitation. The allegory in “No Exit” is that the setting of the place may not be Hell, but the people around you can make it Hell. 

Questions on "No Exit"

1. Think about the place you have chosen as your hell. Does it look ordinary and bourgeois, like Sartre's drawing room, or is it equipped with literal instruments of torture like Dante's Inferno? Can the mind be in hell in a beautiful place? Is there a way to find peace in a hellish physical environment? Enter Sartre's space more fully and imagine how it would feel to live there endlessly, night and day:

-          I believe my hell would be ordinary and plain. Well, I would prefer hell to be bourgeois like Sartre’s room rather than torture like Dante’s Inferno. I think anywhere can be hell, an endless everlasting garden to a pitch black room. The only way to find peace is to sleep, or knock out. Other than that, I would probably day dream to make things better than it seems. If I was in Sartre’s space, I think I would be better off because it seems similar to an asylum than hell. Some people say being in an asylum is hell, but anything is better than being beaten or tortured.

2. Could hell be described as too much of anything without a break? Are variety, moderation and balance instruments we use to keep us from boiling in any inferno of excess?

-          Hell is anywhere that is a sense of prison, isolation, and asylum. Sartre’s hell is a different version from most versions. It’s a simple drawing room. The characters in the story do not realize they are in hell, because the images we have of hell is the like Dante’s inferno. Torture devices and flames are what represent hell in our minds.

3. How does Sartre create a sense of place through dialogue? Can you imagine what it feels like to stay awake all the time with the lights on with no hope of leaving a specific place? How does GARCIN react to this hell? How could you twist your daily activities around so that everyday habits become hell? Is there a pattern of circumstances that reinforces the experience of hell?

-          Sartre creates indirect characterizations in the dialogue for the audience to understand the emotions and personality through what the characters have to say. I can imagine to stay awake, I honestly like the light than the dark. There’s no hope, but at least I can still think about all my memories in the past. Garcin doesn’t really realize he is in hell until he confesses his sins. I will find something to do every day. Talking to people is a good time killer. I think Garcin, Estelle, and Inez is lucky to have each other, although they fight. Since, you are in hell, there’s a freedom of not doing anything forever. You may be bored on some days, but other days might be interesting in hell. 

Allegory of the Cave Sonnet

Chained prisoners forced to look on the wall of the cave
Lights flicker as living creatures pass through the dark
To look only at the wall as if they are in their grave.
The prisoners were to only see the shadows the fire spark

The ignorance in the minds of the slaves 
The unknown about the outside world or reality
They are bound to be forever in the caves 
Narrow minded men who Plato pity

One prisoner let out into the open fields
The shadows are no longer projected on the wall
A newly discovered world revealed
Where green trees and leaves fall

The new aspects of knowledge discovered 
Freedom is granted, the enlighten prisoners are no longer anchored 

A Brain with 6 Legs

Brenna, Allyson, Rachel, Melissa, Becky, and I are working together on The Great Expectations. We are probably going to use Facebook to connect with each other. We have divided up the categories to give each individual a job to do. For example, I look for difficult vocabulary then post it on to the Facebook page, where then we can post it directly to our blogs.

Plato's Allegory of Cave

1.     1.   According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?

            - The "Allegory of the Cave" represents the imaginations we create in our minds. The people in the cave are taught to believe the things we see with our eyes. Socrates uses the people who are chained be unable to see the real animal passing by. The fire projects the shadows of the creatures, using our imaginative minds, we create our own names, characterizations, and etc from what we know.

2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?

- The cave represents prisoners who are innocent, the shadows are the imagination and false realities, the sunlight represents the intellectual world and reality, the prisoner who walked out the cave represents the philosophers like Plato.

3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?

                -  The education and enlightenment are learned from the images we are given. The images set our imaginations to a reality. Plato believes people are enlightened by education, for example, in the cave, every time an unknown specie came up and projected on to the wall of the cave, the prisoners were enlightened.

4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?

                -   The cave is represented by the world of imagination. Since they are so limited with their knowledge, the cave dwells on the prisoners from being educated. The “shackles” represents the prisoners limitation and inescapable from the darkness and flickering lights.

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?

                - In society today, I believe shackles are for people who have done the wrong things, committing sins, etc. Everyday people try and do the right things, innocent people get involved with people who should be prisoners. People in shackles are meant to suffer.

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?

                -   The freed prisoner has an emotional state of being able to see what’s real and what wasn’t. The images we create in our minds are different from reality. The freed prisoner was able to taste, touch, and ultimately see the reality.

7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?

                - The prisoners that were restricted to only the views of what the shadows confusion and lack of clarity happens in two distinct ways which were that they were unable to express the shadows in to words because they didn’t understand what it was, and the confusion was how the shadow expressed on the wall of the cave.

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?

                - The prisoners were let go in to the real world, it’s basically an intellectual freedom because they were in the cave seeing shadows but when the prisoners were released, they were able to actually see what they saw on to the shadows.                 

9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?

                - Yes, there is a huge difference between appearances and reality because it may seem like something is real, such as a dream but in reality it may seem like that was real. In the cave, the prisoners were able to only see shadows, no color, texture, or anything. It’s difficult to wrap around a concept with only an imaginations and nothing else.

10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?

                - People will only believe what they see because that’s the only knowledge they have, and people would have extremely narrow and boring minds because a shadow doesn’t give you much information. 

We Hang Together

• Strategic Alliance- referred specifically to governance structures involving an imcomplete contract between separate firms, in which each partner has limited control. 
• Business today, interdependence as important.
• Strategic alliance refers to the sorts of collaborative relationships and endeavors. 
• Leaders can no longer adopt strategies that  are based off of self interest. Nor, a one size fits all approach. 
• The ability to work with others is MORE fundamental than alliances because we depend on others. 
• To achieve independence, sacrifices of teamwork and belonging to someone greater than oneself. 
• Collaboration allows us to be dependent on other's knowledge

Kill two assignments with one blogpost. 

Mindmaps... 

I'm not sure if they are the best idea, it may make sense to the creator or creators, but confusing from a person on the outside. I may be wrong, it wouldn't hurt to try. 

Hamlet Remix

A Poetic Inquiry

My big question is about the unfairness in life. We often come across people who are gifted and wonder why were not given the same talent. The sonnet I found by Dr. John Celes, related with my big question because the sonnet talks about the unfairness in life and everywhere we go. The sonnet explains that whether in Heaven or Hell, unfairness will be within a person side to side.

Sonnet: Unfairness

Unfairness lives in every heart and mind;
Unfairness thrives in every earthling’s home;
Unfairness comes from siblings too, I find;
Earthlings are like uneven teeth of comb.

Unfairness occurs ev’n amidst most beasts;
Unfairness is seen ’midst the leaves of trees
Unfairness stays whenev’r the devil feasts,
And with the Apocalypse, it will cease.

Unfairness stems from world that’s within me;
Have I been fair to God who made me man?
Unfairness fills the world ’round me truly,
But it was man who did its sparks much fan!

Unfairness came with our first parents’ sin;
God’s Judgment fair will ultimately win.

6-8-2001 

Dr John Celes

Hamlet Remix.

My version of the Hamlet remix is to make a timeline of the play with pictures or representations of the scenes. For example: the beginning when the guards see the ghost of the king. I would put this photo as a representation of King Hamlet's ghost. I am planning to use modern photos to make it a little more comical, yet cover all the details in Hamlet. :)



 This photo will obviously represent the ghost of King Hamlet.

Hamlet Essay

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a young prince is devastated by the fact his father has died and his mother married his uncle, Claudius, who killed Hamlet’s father. With his only motive, revenge, Hamlet struggles with his emotional and physical state and in conclusion many of unrelated characters die. His soliloquies represent his beliefs and feelings, yet he has trouble using those emotions to avenge his uncle. The method of performance utterance and self-overhearing involved throughout the play, Hamlet, is a way to relate to the growth in being of the title character and develop an understanding for why he does or doesn’t follow through in his decisions. “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” This quote shows that Hamlet is true to himself, he will do what he has started, which slightly contradicts the Performative Utterance article. Bloom and Austin were able to analyze Hamlet’s reactions and found a realization for Hamlet unable to communicate his emotions which results in a change of character and plot.

Hamlet’s attitude towards different characters is different from each other. For example, King Claudius and Queen Gertrude believe that Hamlet is unsettled by the death of his father, but Hamlet makes them believe that so his plan won’t be discovered. “Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue.” He confesses to his mother about the death of her husband, but she realizes that Hamlet is speaking badly of his uncle. The performance utterance article says that Hamlet is unable to express his feelings in to action, which is true. Hamlet uses a mental game to make everyone believe that Hamlet is either extremely upset or going crazy. The characters are portrayed by Hamlet’s thoughts, because he shows his real anger to only certain amount of people.  

The plot is controlled and swayed by Hamlet’s decision on his revenge.  If Hamlet was able to express and confess his love for Ophelia, instead of lying and acting as if they don’t, Ophelia could have lived. He was supposed to get revenge for his father, but Hamlet involved everyone around him. He killed Polonius with his own hand, which leads to Laertes to kill Hamlet. The hatred for Hamlet by Ophelia and Polonius’ family is because Hamlet’s actions of toying with Ophelia’s feeling which leads her to her death. Also, Hamlet involved his mother by serving a poisonous tea to King Claudius, his father (the ghost) specifically asked Hamlet not to have his mother involved, but Hamlet’s temper got Queen Gertrude killed. “Till that her garments, heavy with their drink, Pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay, to muddy death.”

Hamlet’s manipulative attitude to kill King Claudius has led many other conflicts in the way. I don’t believe that Hamlet was exactly confused or unable to express his feelings, but the evidence in the text shows that many times it would have been better if Hamlet mentioned something. The character itself shows a complex knowledge with the communication with the ghost. The performative utterance believes that Hamlet showed a difficulty in decision making, “William Shakespeare's Hamlet (1600) has often been described as a play about a man who could not make up his mind.”  I disagree, because Hamlet has achieved his goal of killing Claudius, he never had second thoughts. Also, his soliloquy about suicide just shows that he was thinking about it, but it didn’t mean he had a difficult decision between living and suicide.  

Vocabulary

Aficionado: A person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about an activity; an expert or connoisseur.

- I am an aficionado when it comes to playing golf because I have played it for so long. 

Browbeat: To intimidate someone into doing something, using abusive words; to bully or force.

- People who are browbeaten usually end up in some sort of depression or suicide. 

Commensurate: In proportion; equivalent or correspondent

-  one half is a commensurate to .5 in math. 

Diaphanous: Light, delicate, and translucent; gossamer.

- Her shirt was a diaphanous, not very appropriate for school. 

Emolument:  A salary, fee, or profit from employment.

- I earn an emolument of ten dollars a hour. 

Foray: A sudden attack into enemy territory; a raid; a venture outside one’s usual area.

- Polonius was a character that was foray by Hamlet. 

Genre: A category of artistic composition characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject; a classification.

- Dark Romanticism is a genre written in the late 1800's. 

Homily: discourse on or of a moral theme; a sermon or lecture.

- I was homily after passing notes in my English class. 

Immure: enclose or confine someone against their will; to imprison.

- police officers have immure many people everyday for using drugs. 

Insouciant: Showing a lack of concern; nonchalant; indifferent

- I felt insouciant after finding out a girl failed her test when she didn't eve study. 

Matrix: An environment or material in which something develops; a situation within which something else originates.

- I felt that the environment was going to matrix after getting non pollinating cars. 

Obsequies: Funeral rites or services.

- Obsequies make me uncomfortable because the death of people makes life depressing. 

Panache: Flamboyant confidence of style or manner; flair or zest.

- She felt panache after winning prom queen. 

Persona: The aspect of someone’s character that is perceived by others; a voice or character representing the speaker.

- When Boo from Monsters Inc says "Kitty" we often recognize her voice as a persona. 

Philippic: A bitter attack or denunciation; criticism.

- I ended up philippic after my friend yelled at my boyfriend. 

Prurient: Having an excessive interest in lustful thoughts and desires.

- I have a prurient towards this guy in  my English class. 

Sacrosanct: regarded as too valuable to be interfered with; sacred; untouchable.

- The ivory necklace sitting on the cabinet is a sacrosanct. 

Systemic: Of or relating to a system, as opposed to a particular part.

Diffusion is a systemic to photosynthesis. 

Tendentious: Favoring a particular cause or point of view that is controversial or may cause argument.

- many people believe that stem cells are a tendentious thug because humans can't act like god. 

Vicissitude: A change of prevailing situations or fortune.

- I felt vicissitude after finding several letters leading to my locker. 

Thoughts On Hamlet (IN PROGRESS)

I honestly feel like that the ghost is just Hamlet's conscience because his mother can't obviously see the King so I believe that's how he communicates with his mind. I think Claudius is after Hamlet, he might to try to kill him and make the people and the queen believe that it was for justice because Hamlet killed Polonius. Or persuade the crowd by saying how Hamlet is going crazy, although, Ophelia becomes crazy and Hamlet is possibly acting. Hamlet might leave to England for a little while, but I think Claudius will still manage to be able to kill Hamlet. 

The Performative Utterance in Hamlet Notes: 

- Many people have different opinion Hamlet's attitude, some believe that he is actually crazy, but others think it is all a play. In this article, the author believes that Hamlet is trapped and unable to communicate with his feelings, “Hamlet is trapped in a kind of cognitive paralysis, convinced of his duty and yet unable to move that duty from the mental to the real.” The author also believes that he has this power yet he can’t do anything but speak.

- The article says that Hamlet does not swear to avenge his father, but I disagree. In the play Hamlet makes it pretty clear that he will take down Claudius.

-“It could be said with only a little exaggeration that the central problem of the play is that people represent their feelings and their intentions in ways that are contrary to reality. The major way in which intention is misrepresented in Hamlet is through the act of mimesis, a subtler kind of play acting than the one undertaken by the players, and one which demands attention.” I don’t think the exaggeration of the central problems leads to Hamlet as misleading. The exaggeration and characters with flaw combined is what the play is about. 

To Be Or Not To Be. My Video.

To Be Or Not To Be Video.

What I Think About When I Think About ACT III

In Hamlet ACT III Scene I, Hamlet has his "To be or not to be" speech and I thought about the usage of the words he says. Such as "To die, to sleep" I think that Hamlet is referring to death and sleeping as the same thing. He can try to commit suicide because dying and sleeping is exactly the same type of thing. But then he sees Ophelia who is hiding, Hamlet tells her to become a nun to control herself. I believe this is all an act for Hamlet, he probably loves Ophelia. I think the play was effective, because Claudius leaves. When Hamlet killed Polonius, I thought it was dramatic, and Hamlet is in rage with himself causing him to become rational.

Literature Analysis #3

Literature Analysis: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

1. Plot: The book sets in Lady Brandon’s house in London. Where a well-known artist Basil Hallward meets Dorian Gray, who is extremely handsome, wealthy, and pompous; Basil is captured by Dorian’s beautiful face and he wanted to paint a portrait for Dorian. Dorian sees the painting, but he is disappointed because it reveals too much of his feelings for him. Lord Henry claims that the portrait is Basil’s masterpiece. Basil is worried that Lord Henry might ruin the image of Dorian because he will have a damaging influence on Dorian. By the end of their conversation, Lord Henry makes a speech about the nature of beauty and youth, Dorian takes the speech in and worries about the characteristics that fade day by dat. Dorian curses the portrait because it reminds him about the beauty he will have lost. The influence of Lord Henry increases; now Dorian falls in love with Sibyl who is a dancer, and she also falls in love with him so much that she can no longer dance. Dorian falls out of love and Sibyl kills herself. The portrait transforms and ages but Dorian doesn’t. Dorian sees the painting and kills Basils. After, he escapes from Vane and disposed Basil’s body, he looks at the hideous painting and stabs the portrait. The servants found old and ugly Dorian on the ground with a knife in his chest. The author’s purpose is to show readers about the horrors and consequences of obsession. He did this by showing that the portrait sitting in Dorian’s attic gradually ages in to a hideous man, but Dorian is yet still the same. His fear reversed yet Dorian was still feared about his lost beauty.

2. Theme: The theme of this book is the curse of obsessing. Dorian was obsessed with his image and beauty that he feared that his painting will be a forever reminder that he was once young. Wilde shows the consequences of obsessing over things that don’t matter. Dorian was extremely self-confident and proud of his image, but because of his arrogant matter, it drove him to death. Many obsession lead to death, in the book, Dorian becomes mental and stabs the portrait which lead him to death. Another theme is influences, the books shows that Lord Henry’s influences caused Dorian to become so obsessive and compulsive. Basil feared about Henry’s actions and reputation which he was right, Dorian became extremely concerned about his image.

3. Tone:  Oscar Wilde’s tone was very calm but mystifying. His use of syntax and diction made the novel much more compelling and dramatic. [Some of the things he says are quite philosophical.] ‘’Dorian Gray lifted his golden head from the pillow, and with a plaid face and tear-stained eyes looked at him, as he walked over to the deal painting-table that was set beneath the high curtained window.” “All art is quite useless.’” Also, Wilde’s tone had of deep knowledgeable quotes such as, “Life always has poppies in her hands.”

4. Literary Techniques:  Foreshadowing:

Imagery:  Wilde uses a lot of imagery to show the complex details of the story. “Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.”

Foil: The foil character in the book was Lord Henry because he swayed Dorian’s decision and made him become compulsive about his beauty. “Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Irony: What’s ironic about the book was that Dorian knew from the beginning that he was marvelous, wealthy, and handsome, yet he still believed in what Lord Henry said about beauty. Usually pompous people don’t think about what others have to say. “I am too fond of reading books to care to write them.”

Symbolism: The portrait of Dorian symbolizes the blackened souls of society. The portrait represents the opposite of society. Society always wants the beautiful handsome men and women but the portrait gradually became hideous over time.  “When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.”

Mood: The mood is suspicious throughout the story because the portrait will slowly change which gives a spine chilling effect to the book. “There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

Narrative: The book is written in third person, many of what the audience knows is what Dorian knows, there’s also a connection. “You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.”

Tragic Flaw: The tragic flaw in the book is when Dorian murders Basil and stabs the portrait and ends up killing himself because he did not realize that his actual form was stuck in the portrait. There is nothing fearful about it; it was one of the great romantic tragedies of the age.”

Allusion: An allusion that was made was the portrait is an allusion to the beautiful European portraits of men and women. “I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.”

Diction: Wilde wrote his sentences with fairly normal vocabulary, but he writes almost like Shakespeare, difficult to understand.  “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.”

5. Characterization: Direct Characterization- the author uses direct characterization by using a different character from the book explaining how Dorian is like. Dorian is an arrogant, selfish, conceded man who believes the world revolves around him. “He grew more and more enamored of his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruption of his own soul.”

Indirect Characterization- Wilde uses indirect characterization on Basil, who is very shy and doesn’t talk much throughout the book but Dorian believes its Basil’s fault for the painting. “Who could say where the fleshly impulse arbitrary definition of ordinary psychologist!”

6. Syntax: Wilde likes to keep the book overly simple, the setting and characterization was straight-forward and no use of complicated words to describe something. The author loves action because the book was full of action inside of Dorian and everyone around him. Wilde likes to be complex and almost “busy” with his storyline.

7. The protagonist is a dynamic character because Dorian Gray starts off as a normal wealthy man, but over time he becomes obsessive and psyches which he ends up killing himself. The character is also rounding because his personality is revealed over time, he starts off calm but at the end he’s very rational.

8. I did not feel like I met Dorian, I felt like I was more like watching a movie rather than meeting him. I personally wouldn’t want to meet him anyway. He seems very arrogant and easily influenced by others. “Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world's original sin. If the cave-man had known how to laugh, History would have been different.” Dorian Gray is a sinful and compulsive person and this quote explains the meaning of the painting. Also, this is my favorite quote.  J

Vocabulary #8

Abase: To behaving in a way so as to degrade or debase someone.

- She felt that her friend was abased by the way she talked to her

Abdicate: To renounce one’s throne; to resign or retire.

- Kings often abdicate and give the throne to their child. 

 

Abomination: A thing that causes disgust or hatred.

- I have an abomination for bulldogs, their wrinkly faces and drooling lips makes me hate them. 

Brusque: Abrupt in speech or manner.

 - It was an uncomfortable event, my friend was brusque at the wedding party. 

Saboteur: A person who sabotages or deliberately destroys something.

- The saboteur tried to destroy the friendship between my friend and I, but she deliberately stopped after we confronted. 

Debauchery: Excessive indulgence in immoral pleasures.

- She felt in debauchery after listening to a lecture about life after death. 

Proliferate: To multiply; increase rapidly in numbers.

- The world population is proliferated every single day. Fifteen years from now Africa will be more populated than Asia. 

 

Anachronism: Something mistakenly placed in a time where it doesn’t belong; not in it’s correct historical time.

- Humans and dinosaurs living I the same era is an anachronism. 

Nomenclature: The choosing of names for things (usually in science).

- Many of the recent elements of the periodic table is a nomenclature because scientists name their findings after themselves. 

 

Expurgate: To remove objectionable material from something

- It is hard to believe people will expurgated things from the internet and claim them as their own. 

Bellicose:  Demonstrating aggression or willingness to fight.

- I felt the he was ready to bellicose after the argument with his friend.  

Gauche: Lacking ease or grace; socially awkward

- I was in gauche because my crush was sitting next to me. 

Rapacious: Greedy; ravenous.

- My aunt is very rapacious about inheriting the money from my grandfather. 

 

Paradox: A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.

- We often use paradox without realizing, such as "call me when you receive this call"

Conundrum: A confusing and difficult problem or question.

- It's difficult to give an answer when the teacher asks a conundrum. 

Anomaly:Something that deviates from what is normal; abnormality.

- Spider-Man gets bitten by a spider which anomalies in to a super hero. 

 

Ephemeral: Lasting for a short time; fleeting.

- Life is an ephemeral matter. 

 

Rancorous: Characterized by bitterness; spiteful.

- His rancorous behavior comes from his friends influences.

Churlish: Rude in a surly way; impolite; ill-mannered.

- Rarely, flight attendances are churlish because they are often scolded if a passenger feels like they are being rude. 

Precipitous: Extremely steep; or an action done suddenly without careful consideration.

- In order to commit a crime, you must be sneaky and no precipitous or else you will be caught. 

Dear Ophelia....

Dear Ophelia,

It has seems like you have ran in to a conundrum, I didn’t mean this in a churlish way, but it looks like you need some advice from me. It seems like your father and brother has an abomination for Hamlet. Your brother gave a brusque before he left, but you can tell that he was precipitously hinting something about Hamlet. My advice to you, is to be rancorous and bellicose towards your brother and father. Hamlet may not be as bad as you believe. Life is an ephemeral matter, so do what you want to do, and it’s okay to be slightly rapacious and have debauchery for yourself. But since Hamlet does not know you well enough, don’t be gauche or use paradox to get Hamlet to like you. Remember, your father and brother disapprove of Hamlet because they believe he is a saboteur or simply an abase towards them.  If you simply think about it, Hamlet is just a prince whose father was abdicated by his uncle. You can possibly bring him flowers as an anachronism if you truly love him, hopefully from there your love and time with him can proliferate. You can surprise Hamlet if you bring him something anomaly also. Just make sure it’s not an expurgated item and a nomenclature because that is unsuitable. Anyway, use your judgment and do what you want to do. Good luck, Ophelia. 

Literary Fiction & Empathy

How can reading fiction help you understand others?  Use Hamlet as an example to explore your own thinking process and reactions to a character's innermost thoughts/struggles.

Reading helps you understand others because like the article stated, you can put yourself in to other shoes. You can feel and become emotionally attached to characters in literature books than nonfictional books because in nonfiction books characters are real, they are real human beings so readers can't feel or become attached to the characters like in literary books. In Hamlet, they are able to convey readers into their work of art. The difference is that the characters such as Bernado and Horatio were feeling scared, afraid, and ultimately curious about the haunting ghost of the King. At the same time, the audience/readers feel the same fear and curiosity as they read along. That's why reading fictional books allows people to understand others because of the characters inner thoughts and emotions. 

Other People Around the World Studying Hamlet

mssockettsenglishcourses.weebly.com/literary-theory-in-hamlet-blog.html
I emailed Ms. Sockett saying that I was interested in her blog about Hamlet. She is an English teacher who teachers many of Shakespeare's plays such as Romeo and Juliet and MacBeth. Hoping she will reply back to my email soon.

http://atgl2468.tumblr.com/
Here's a blog on Tumblr that someone created. It's a 101 study guide about Hamlet. There's discussions, quotes, and acts that have been interpreted by fellow bloggers. I can't contact the creator of the blog because I don't have a Tumblr.

http://thehamletweblog.blogspot.com/
Another blog just on Shakespeare's Hamlet. There's everything from translations to videos about Hamlet. Also, articles about Hamlet relation to modern films and books. I will email the person or people who are involved in this blog because they seem quite in depth with Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Green Eggs & Hamlet

A) How do you know Hamlet?
- My sister who previously took AP Literature and Composition read Hamlet. They told me a lot about the story line and how Disney's The Lion King is related to Shakespeare's Hamlet. I don't know much about the story itself, all I know is that a character is named Hamlet and there's a ghost in the story, too.
B) What do you know about Shakespeare?
- Shakespeare was a play writer, he wrote many plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Midnight Summer Dreams, and more.  Shakespeare was famous during his time, many riches and high class citizens would go to see his plays. Many poor and middle class as well. He targeted all the social classes so that everyone can enjoy his plays. Also, his plays are mostly tragic with a sense of humor in each play.
C) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?
- I think many students frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare," because he wrote difficult plays to understand. Freshman year, when we read Romeo and Juliet, our teacher had to explain every part that had humor in it because it was just so hard to understand what Shakespeare was going for in his play. Relating back to the humorous jokes from long ago is difficult when we are all brought up in modern times.
D) What can we do to make studying play an amazing experience we'll never forget?
- Of course, watching other students and bringing out everyone's sense of humor can make an experience that we will never forget. Except for those people who can't bring the point across, will make is difficult or unable to understand what's going on. Reading as a class and discussing will make it the most effective, but no an amazing experience.

What I Meant To Say Was...

The style and format of Chaucer's writing has proven a unique sense of creating the characters and tales of individuals. The flawed characters in the Canterbury Tales' purpose was to represent the irony and the scope of humanity in the characters to entertain the sophisticated and educated audience.

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.

If I Just Had More Time

I wish I prepared by memorizing the words in alphabetical order. I memorized by the vocabulary list, which sort of worked. I ended up only getting 57 words, which is better than I thought. Next time, I will list them alphabetically because half way through the test I wrote down the ABC's to remember any word from the list. If I had maybe ten more minutes I probably would have gotten three more to hit sixty.

Literature Analysis #2

Literature Analysis #2: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

S.

Summary:

Exposition: The story begins when a boy named Kafka Tamura runs away from home to look for his lost mother and older sister. Kafka makes a first stop to Shikoku, Japan where he finds out mysteries about his father’s death. There are traces of his mother and sister but Kafka is still unsure of where they are. The book transitions to a new character named Nakata who is older than Kafka, he was a special talent to communicate with cats. In elementary, something happened to Nakata, he suddenly became unintelligent and unable to read or talk. Since Nakata can speak to cats, people pay him to find cats. One day, he gets an offer from a woman named Koizumi looking for a cat named Goma, he finds out from other cats that Goma is with Johnnie Walker, who is supposedly Kafka’s dad. Walker kills catsand uses the souls to make a magical flute. He was going to kill Goma but they make a trade off. But Walker eats the beating heart from a random cat and Nakata becomes furious and kills him. At the mean time, Kafka wakes up in the middle of Shikoku with blood on his chest; the exact same spot where Nakata kills Walker. Kafka meets a girl named Sakura on the bus and he wish she was his sister.Also, Miss Saeki is a librarian and he wishes she was his mother, the librarian also has a ghost and Kafka falls in love with her. Climax: Nakata suddenly loses his talent to speak to cats and dies. Ending: Kafka believes that he has achieved his goal to become the strongest fifteen year old in the world by running away. At the end, Kafka goes back to his hometown and calls Sakura to thank her. The narrative is able to achieve the author’s purpose because Murakami wants two stories to collide and connect without Nakata or Kafka every meeting each other.

T.

Theme:

The theme of the book is journey, (funny that we are writing about journeys) or life is a journey. The whole point of the book is about Kafka looking for his mother and sister. Although, along the way he finds about the death of his father, Johnnie Walker, but Kafka successfully believes he has ended his journey by finding Sakura and Miss Saeki who are not really his mother and older sister.

T.

Tone:

The author's tone is puzzling and mystique (just like the story itself). Some parts of the book is genuine genius, for example, his quotes and personal reflection. Sometimes I wonder if this book is some sort of philosophy. “With a jolt of panic I remember my backpack. Where could I have left it? No way I can lose it -- everything I own's inside. But how am I going to find it in the dark?...”

L.

Literary Techniques:

a. Diction: The diction of the book is pretty basic sentence structures. Since, the idea and storyline of the book is all ready complex enough, Murakami didn’t make the book difficult to read. There’s a lot of dialogue compared to other AP books. "I try to soothe that reaction, supress it." 

b. Symbolism: I personally believe this book is influenced by the author Franz Kafka, who is a Germanic writer. He was one of the most influential writers in Europe. His books often talked about family problems and relationships. Similar to Kafka in Kafka on the Shore, whose father is dead, mother and sister are lost. "Kafka sits in a chair by the shore." 

c. Imagery: Murakami uses an intense amount of imagery throughout the entire book, he has multiple amount of times when Kafka is in his “dream world” and lives out to do things he doesn’t do in real life such as having a sexual dream with Miss Saeki, the librarian when she was younger. "Waiting for the fifteen year old Miss Saeki to return to this room." 

d. Foreshadow: The part when Nakata stabs Johnnie Walker who isn’t an actual real human being foreshadowed that Nakata was going to be punished which he was. He wasn’t able to talk to cats and suddenly died. "In Kafka on the Shore, I feel something urgent and serious."

e. Tragic Flaw: The tragic flaw in the story is that Kafka believes that his mother is Miss Saeki, but he falls in love with her younger ghost. Even after he has sexual intercourse with Miss Saeki’s younger self in another world, he is still convinced that she is his mother. "After Nakata's death, Hoshino couldn't pull himself away from the apartment."

f. Irony: It’s ironic that Kafka goes looking for his lost mother and sister, but ends up back where he started. Everything he has ever done has been within all his mind. He thought found his mother and sister and he thought he was the strongest fifteen year old, but it was all in his mind. "Farewell, Kafka Tamura," Miss Saeki says. Go back to where you came from." 

g. Characterization:  Nakata is shown as a medically challenged person. He can’t speak well or read at all due to an incident when he was younger. After his parents gave up on him, he was able to find a special talent to talk to cats. 

h. Mood: The mood of the book is very calming yet intriguing. It’s a general story about Kafka’s journey to find his mother and sister, but Murakami intensifies the story by adding Johnnie Walker eating a cat’s beating heart. (Slightly grotesque) "Open their chests with a knife, extract their still-beating hearts, and cut their heads off." 

i. Allusion: Johnnie Walker is an allusion to the myth about cats eating human’s soul while they are sleeping. Walker who eats cat’s soul contradicts the myth. Nakata who loves cats and he is able to communicate so therefore, kills Walker. "A moment later blood gushed out, wetting Jognnie Walker's hands and running down his vest." 

j. Foil: Nakata is a foil character, because Kafka and Nakata don’t know that they exist, but Nakata has connected Kafka to Walker by killing him. The connection of Kafka and Walker is within their blood, yet Kafka does not know. Nakata allows the audience to realize the connection, without Kafka actually finding out in the book. "Johnnie Walker collapsed at Nakata's feet. He was on his side, curled up like a child." (When Nakata kills Johnnie and Kafka wakes up with blood on his chest.)

Characterization.

a. Direct Characterization: Murakami showed direct characterization in Nakata’s doctor. When Murakami first introduced Nakata, he described him as a calm and sharp doctor. “Dr. Nakazawa is so big boned and dark skinned he looks more like a farm fore than a doctor.” Another character would be, Nakata, he was described briefly at first but later on added on with indirect characterization. "Nakata was always serious and well mannered, with a pleasant smile." 

b. Indirect Characterization: Murakami used actions to show the indirect characterization in Johnnie Walker. His violent act of eating cats showed him that he is an antagonist, “Johnnie Walker started whistling again. He finished cutting off Kawamura’s head and tossed the headless body into the garbage bag.” Kafka shows that he is living in a freewill, the ultimate freedom for a fifteen year old. "I could go to Hiroshima, Fukuoka, wherever, nothing is keeping me here." 

The author uses both to approach just to get more diversity and meaning in to the book. Certain characters were given direct and others indirect. My impression is the same as most audience would think in each other the characters which was unquie and intriguing. 

Syntax & Diction: The syntax and diction to characterize the story was not really used. Murakami didn’t explain all that thoroughly about how Kafka is. The author uses mostly indirect characterization to explain. The diction used explained how the characters were, but Murakami left characters like Johnnie Walkers

Static & Dynamic: Most of the characters in Kafka are static. Kafka never changes to become someone who he wasn't or he wants to change. Nakata never wanted to become normal again and continue talking to cats forever. No character in Kafka I would consider Dynamic because no one changes, everyone was the same from the beginning to the end. Kafka and Nakata were round characters because the audience fully understood them, but characters like Johnnie Walker and Miss Saeki were flat because they were side characters. Not important as Kafka or Nakata in the story line.
After reading:  I would definitely want to meet Kafka because he is so young and determinate into finding his sister and mother. That type of energy is what I would want also. He is also,imaginative and wishful which makes him a little childish, but his dreams and wishes about loving Miss Saeki and finding his mother and sister is quite interesting to hear about. Also, Miss Saeki is very influential, she has a philosophical voice within her. ““Look at the painting,”” she says quietly, “keep looking at the painting, just like I did.””

The Comparison's Tale

In class, we were given a presentation on the Lawyer, the Monk, the Cook, and the Merchant. The three different stories and characters were all different from the Wife of Bath. The most similar one was the story about the Merchant. Both of the knight and January were blind to see a woman. In the Merchant's story, January was blind and his wife cheats on him, but later on she was sorry for what she has done. The Wife of Bath's tale shows a knight who was married to an old and ugly lady, but later on he gives her what she most desired, which was the authority to have over husbands and loved ones. Then, the old lady becomes beautiful. Both of the stories have a happy ending compared to the Cook who fell off the horse and died. The style of both the Merchant and Wife of Bath were similar in a way, women had the authority. The Merchant, May cheated while her husband was used as a stool and the Wife of Bath, the old lady forced the knight to marry her for an exchange. Also, Chaucer's idea for the Merchant and the Wife of Bath were similar because they both had to do with relationship between a man and a woman. It's funny because the only difference between the two stories is that a man was unfaithful in the Wife of Bath, and a woman was unfaithful in the Merchant.

Tale of a Canterbury Tale

The Wife of Bath's Tale Prologue:

The story begins with the Wife talking about her marriages with five different husbands. She felt that a woman should have control, although many people criticized her marriages. In religion, Abraham enjoyed multiple wives and so did Jacob and Soloman. So the Wife of Bath asked, "why can't she have multiple husbands?" As the Wife begins her tale, the Pardoner stops her and asks her questions about his marriage and his newly wed wife's control. The Wife continues, she claims that three of her husbands were "good" and the two were "bad". The three were wealthy so she married them. The fourth husband was very unfortunate. He had a mistress, the Wife of Bath married him while he was still young. She tried to make him jealous, but he suddenly passed away. Her fifth husband was different because she fell him love for him and not his wealth. He was twenty and she was forty, but she could not resist him. She lied to him and got him to marry her, but unlike her other submissive husbands, he was abusive and hit her at times. He once hit her so bad she when deaf in one ear, but the Wife of Bath fought back. As they call truce, the story about her husbands ends.

The Wife of Bath's Tale:

The tale begins when a knight commits a sin by raping a woman (incubus). The king and queen believe he should be given a death sentence. On the day of his death sentence, the queen offers the knight to redeem himself. Within a year and a day the knight had to answer the queen's question which was, "what do women desire the most?" The knight sighed, he begins his journey, he asked several women, they all said, money, wealth, status, and beauty. The knight did not believe that was the answer to the queen's question so he moved along. As he was about to give up, he meets an old lady. The old lady offered him a trade off, if he followed through with what she wanted, then she will give him the answer. They agree and go back to the kingdom. The queen asks, "what do women desire the most?" The old lady answers, "women desire authority over their husband and loved ones. The queen accepted the answer. Right then, the old lady says she wants the knight to marry her. He was in shock and disgust, but since she saved his life, he agreed. The get married, but the knight lays in bed upset by the fact he is married to an old, wrinkly, and ugly lady. The lady asks him if he would rather want an ugly lady who is faithful or a beautiful lady who is unfaithful. The knight is puzzled and asked for her judgement. The old lady was given the most desired from her husband, which was the authority to choose her judgment, so she became beautiful and they lived happily ever after.

Characterization:

1.  The knight's action of raping a women shows indirect characterization because of his choice and action to do it. This shows that the knight was disrespectful and unworthy of a gentleman. " By force deprived her of her maidenhead."
2. The knight regrets his actions because he feels that he is only given a year to live due to his action. He becomes depressed and upset by the fact he had to leave and find an answer to the queen's question. "This knight with sorrow sighed, was full of woe."
3. The knight was not the brightest knight. He saw illusions and was confused for most part of his journey. "The dancers disappeared, he knew not where."
4. The knight has a childish point of view, he is very dependent on others when he is in trouble. "Dear mother," said the knight, "it is for sure that I am dead if I cannot secure.." this quote shows that the knight is weak which is ironic because he is supposed to be a savior and strong for his kingdom.
5. Ultimately, the knight was caring and thankful for everything his wife gave him, but his confusion and almost stupidity gave him what he wanted the most in the world, which was a beautiful wife. When he gave his wife what she wanted, he was given a happy ending. " a thousand kisses he began to kiss, and she obeyed in each and every way"

Chaucer's purpose:

Chaucer's purpose in telling the Wife of Bath was her status and authority she had over men. "and God be blest that I have married five, of which I have picked out the very best." In the old English times, wives were often given no authority or right. The difference was that in the Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath were able to marry five different husbands because they satisfied her need which was money and other things. Also, Chaucer made the characters seems like they were unrealistic and ironic. In the prologue, the irony of the Wife of Bath was she was abused by her fifth husband. She felt that she had all the power in the world to take control over their marriage, but once she actually fell in love, she was beaten and abused. "and with his fist he hit me in the head, and I lay on the floor the as if dead." The irony in the tale was the knight, he was shameful and not courageous which was the opposite of what a knight is supposed to be like. In the Canterbury Tale prologue, Chaucer explains that the knights were always trying to win the lady's heart and a kind gentleman, but the knight was completely different. " Dear mother, " said the knight.  I do believe Chaucer was trying to put some satire in the tales. The characters (Wife of Bath and the knight) show a flaw which makes the story more comical and unrealistic.

Character Study (III)

Miki arrives at Pacific Crest Trail at 9:00 sharp and she was surprised to see all her friends gathered up. Allyson, Melissa, Brenna, Rachel, and Becky were all serious and suspicious. To lighten up the mood I said, "hey everyone!" No one said anything, they were staring at me with a blank face. Finally, Melissa said, "I gathered up everyone to look for Lindsey's body, apparently there's a reward." It suddenly came to me that her name was Lindsey! "Sounds like fun to me," is what Miki thought. As Melissa and Becky led the way, we started the Pacific Crest Trail. A minute in to the hike, my legs were all ready about to fall off. "Can we take a break?" Allyson groaned, "I guess." Just when Miki was about to hit down, a horrifying scream came from the woods. We all quickly rushed there and surprisingly we saw two black guys and one white guy falling off the cliff. One of large muscular gangster was crying and screaming about a centipede on the cliff. The white guy was screaming for help and the other guy was confused. Rachel and Becky helped the white guy, we found out his name was Dan Smith. Miki was pretty sure, Becky found him attractive by the way she looked at Dan. On the other hand, Brenna stabbed the centipede with her knife. Miki was awfully disgusted, she wishes she had looked the other way. Everyone settled down, we learned that the two other guys were Quatro Quatro and Javaris. They always happened to be looking for Lindsey's body. Miki asked, "how did you guys know Lindsey?" They looked at each other and laughed, "we don't even know who Lindsey is." By then, Miki was so confused, Allyson tried to explain that people are after the reward. . .

Character Study (II)

Clumsy Miki trips and tumble by a cafe nearby, she notices a small run down cafe. She decided to buy a cup of coffee with two sugar cubes and a creamer before she leaves to go somewhere far away from home. The television was on, there was a picture of a missing girl on the screen. Miki froze and she drops the cup of coffee. She couldn't believe it, it was her friend. Still feeling shocked, Miki walks out the cafe and sits on a bus stop bench. "It's been four years," Miki murmurs.  Four years has passed since Miki and her group of friends that she can hardly remember graduated from high school. The memories of the friend on the television screen come across her mind. Tears rushed down, although Miki wasn't sure if they were tears from her missing friend or the scratch on her knee when she tumbled down the sidewalk. With watery eyes, Miki decides to go back home to grab some more bandaids for her first aid kit. Soon as she arrives to the door steps, a letter was placed under the "welcome" mat. Miki picks it up and opens the letter. It said, "Meet at Pacific Crest Trail, 9:00 sharp." Without any concern, she lets go of the door handle and began to hitch hike to Pacific Crest.

Character Study (I)

As Miki finishes to pack for her journey, she realizes she forgot one thing. She quickly runs over to her cabinet and grabs her favorite mint flavor lip balm to put in her bag. You can see that Miki has never been the brightest one out of the people around her, but she certainly packed well. She sharped her knife, brought a water bottle with a purifier, matches, and a first aid kit. She looks at her empty room and begins to think about how she won't be able to use the internet or shower regularly. This decision left Miki thinking for three minutes. Lastly with a big sigh, she left to begin her journey.

Canterbury Tales (I)

The prologue for Canterbury Tales was interesting in the way, many characters were involved. From the knights to the pardoner, the level of many social standing were shown. Do you think the order of what characters introduced has to do anything with the book or the meaning itself? I thought it was the social standings, from royalty to a commoner. While I was reading, I came cross fustian, I knew it was a soft linen because of our vocabulary #1. (The knight wore a fustian under his armor) I believe each character has their own story in Canterbury. They may seem to be represented stereotypical but actually the author maybe have put in a plot twist. The character I would like to read is the pardoner or the summoner. The pardoner because he seems to have no importance to society, yet Chaucer added him into his tales. The pardoner is a romantic gentlemen, but something is different from the rest. The summoner seems interesting to read because everyone in their town has a drunk, but the summoner may not be the typical "always drunk," summoner. Chaucer used interesting name choices for the summoner and the pardoner.

Netvibes Dashboard

My Netvibes dashboard is really simple. I don't really understand how it works or how to decorate it, but I love how I can access my email through the dashboard instead of typing in gmail.com every single time on the search bar. Surprisingly, I had something similar called igoogle already and it has similar widgets I can access to on a single page. Netvibes definitely has more widgets and probably more designs I have more to discover. The most helpful thing about Netvibes besides the gmail widget is the calender. I don't have a calender in my room and the one that comes with my laptop is awfully small, so I like the widget.

Vocabulary #6

Obsequious: obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.

The servant was very obsequious to the young impatient prince.

Beatitude: supreme blessedness

The girl showed beatitude when her parents showered her with expensive gifts.

Bête Noire: a person or thing that one particularly dislikes.

Snakes are my bete noire; I hate them.

Bode: be an omen of a particular outcome

Bode is like an omnious plot in a story.

Dank: disagreeably damp musty and typically cold

The dank atmosphere in the castle was chilling.

Ecumenical: representing a number of different Christian churches

The encyclopedia showed ecumenical symbols on the map.

Fervid: intensely enthusiastic or passionate

The girl showed fervid attitude towards her favorite sport team.

Fetid: smelling extremely unpleasant

Skunk sprays are extremely fetid.

Gargantuan: enormous

There was a gargantuan pile of money in the throne.

Heyday: the period of a person’s or things greatest success, popularity

The actor’s popularity decline came after his heyday in the 1980’s.

Incubus: nightmare

I had an incubus when I thought of the calculus test in my dreams.

Infrastructure: the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities

The school’s infrastucreus can be found on the web directory page.

Inveigle: persuade to do something by the means of flattery

I used inveigle to get my sister to do my homework for me.

Kudos: praise and honor received for an achievement

Massive kudos were given to the Harvard graduate.

Lagniappe: something given as a bonus or extra gift.

I was given a lagniappe after my large purchase at the store.

Prolix: of speech or writing using or containing too many words, tediously lengthy

The novice’s work was full of prolix; he should revise.

Protégé: a person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced or influential person

The apprentice had a protégé so he could learn more about techniques.

Prototype: a first, typical model of something

The first prototype set up examples for later editions.

Sycophant: a person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage.

A sycophant is similar to a kiss up student.

Tautology: the saying of the same thing twice in different words.

Synonyms is a good example of tautology.

Truckle: to submit, obediently

The dog truckled after we sprayed bitter spray at the dog to train him.

Accolade: an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgment of merit

I was given an accolade for my perfect attendance.

Acerbity: sourness or acid of taste, character, or tone

There was acerbity in his mother-in-law’s tone.

Attrition: a rubbing away or wearing down by friction

Tires have to withstand great attrition.

Bromide: a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to soothe, boring

She was a bromide while giving her presentation because of her monotone voice.

                                                  

Chauvinist: a person displaying aggressive or exaggerated patriotism

The chauvinist showed aggression towards his peers.

Chronic: marked by long duration or frequent recurrence

.     Chronic back pain makes me insomniac.

Expound: present and explain a theory or idea systematically and in detail

The professor expounded his new discovery to his passionate students.

Factionalism: a group of persons forming a cohesive

The factionalism of white male Republicans are held in the House of Representatives.

Immaculate: perfectly clean, neat, or tidy

The criminals made sure they were immaculate with their plan.

Imprecation: a spoken curse

The witch spelled an imprecation on her evil twin sister.

Ineluctable: unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable

The poor man was in an eneluctable situation; there was no way out.

Mercurial: changeable, volatile, having the quality of eloquence

I am mercurial when I give a speech about my life.

Palliate: make a disease or a symptoms less severe or unpleasant without removing the cause

The cream just palliated the rash, it didn’t fix it entirely.

Protocol: an original draft, minute, or record of a document or transaction

The protocol for the CIA is to call a number for an extraction.

Resplendent: attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous

The painting was very resplendent and attracted many viewers.

Stigmatize: describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval

I had a great stigmatize for cheating on test because it’s unfair.

Sub Rosa: happening or done in secret

The birthday surprise was sub  rosa which was done by my friends.

Vainglory: inordinate pride in oneself or one’s achievements

.Her vainglory attitude drove away her friends.

Vestige: a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists

Footprints are an example of a vestige.

Volition: the faculty or power of using one’s will

People use volition to get what they want.