Vocab # 10

Aficionado- an ardent devotee; fan; enthusiast

sentence- The giants had many supporting aficionados at their stadium when they won. 

Browbeat- to intimidate by overbearing looks or words; bully 

sentence- The boys browbeat him into agreeing.

Commensurate- having the same measure; of equal extent or duration

sentence- I was hired at a position commensurate to my ability. 

Diaphanous- very sheer and light

sentence- The curtains we have are very diaphanous.

Emolument- profit, salary, or fees from office or employment; compensation for services

sentence- Tips are an emolument in addition to wages. 

Foray- a quick, sudden attack

sentence- The defenders made a foray outside the walls. 

Genre- a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique

sentence- I enjoy the genre of epic poetry.

Homily- an inspirational saying or cliche 

sentence- A homily used today is "Just do it". 

Immure- to shut in; seclude or confine

sentence- When I got in a fight with my mom  I immured myself in my room. 

Insouciant- free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; nonchalant

sentence- On the last day of school my mood was insouciant from school. 

Matrix- something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates, takes form, or develops 

sentence- The Greco-Roman world was the matrix for western civilization. 

Obsequies- a funeral rite or ceremony

sentence- You're supposed to wear black when attending obsequies. 

Panache- a grand or flamboyant manner; style; flair

sentence- The actress must have had panache in the audition.

Persona- a person's perceived or evident personality, as that of a well known official

sentence- Her persona, fashioned over three decades of self portraits. 

Philippic- any speech or discourse of bitter denunciation

sentence- During the debate the presidential candidate used a scathing philippic in his advantage. 

Prurient- having, inclined to have, or characterized by lascivious or lustful thoughts, desires

sentence- The boy had a prurient curiosity in the universe. 

Sacrosanct- not to be entered or trespassed upon

sentence- She considered her home office sacrosanct. 

Systemic- of or pertaining to a system

sentence- Systemic efficiency of the energy supply is of more concern than actual energy use. 

Tendentious- having or showing a definite tendency

sentence- In supporting a cause his reports were tendentious in helping. 

Vicissitude- a change or variation occurring in the course of something 

sentence- given the vicissitudes in life my future can change at any time. 

AP Hamlet PLN

1. h/www.theatrehistory.com/british/ghost_in_hamlet.htmlttp:/

This is a pretty elaborate essay about Hamlet. It's very long and I haven't read it all but what I have read is pretty detailed and well thought out. The author knows what he is talking about and if you want to understand Hamlet better it's a good essay to go too.

2. http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/quizzes.html

 Although it is one of those sparknote type websites as it looks like, I do find it pretty helpful in terms of getting different things out of reading of Hamlet, but I will have to do more research on it in order to see if it can really be a helpful resource.
3. http://gallagherseniorhonors.blogspot.com/2008/02/hamlet-study-guide-for-act-11-31.html
 It was a great blog because it was very similar to ours and although it was a little outdated it looked like a great place to get some different views on Hamlet.
4. http://aplove.blogspot.com/2007/11/ap-lit-hamlet-actscene-notes.html
  I liked this blog because it was pretty simple I guess and it had a general summary of what each scene was really about which could be really helpful. But of course if I needed more detail I would research another site.
5. http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/component/courses/?view=course&cid=3688
The entire course is focused on Hamlet; it spends time analyzing his character in many different ways. It looks at Hamlet as a hero, and "no approach to the tragedy is ruled out."

Literature Analysis #2

Moby Dick by, Herman Melville

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read.

Our intrepid narrator, is a former schoolteacher famously called Ishmael, he signs up as a sailor on a whaling voyage to cure a bout of depression. On his way to find a ship in Nantucket, he meets Queequeg, a heavily tattooed South Sea Island harpooner just returned from his latest whaling trip. Ishmael and Queequeg become best buds and roommates almost immediately. Together, they sign up for a voyage on the Pequod, which is just about to start on a three-year expedition to hunt sperm whales.Just when Ishmael’s curiosity about Ahab has reached a fever pitch, Ahab starts appearing on deck – and we find out that he’s missing one leg. When Starbuck asks if it was Moby Dick, the famous White Whale, that took off his leg, Ahab admits that it was and forces the entire crew to swear that they will help him hunt Moby Dick to the ends of the earth and take revenge for his injury.Ishmael takes advantage of this lull in plot advancement to give the reader lots of contemporary background information about whale biology, the whaling industry, and sea voyages.Finally, just when we think the novel’s going to end without ever seeing this famous White Whale, Ahab sights him and the chase is on. For three days, Ahab pursues Moby Dick, sending whaling boat after whaling boat after him – only to see each one wrecked by the indomitable whale. Finally, at the end of the third day, the White Whale attacks the ship itself, and the Pequod goes down with all hands. The only survivor of the destruction is Ishmael, who lives to tell the tale because he’s clinging to the coffin built for his pal Queequeg when the harpooner seemed likely to die of a fever.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.

An assumption that I had that runs through Moby Dick is that Ahab's quest against the great whale is a blasphemous activity, even apart from the consequences that it has upon its crew.The idea that Ahab's quest for Moby Dick is an act of defiance toward God assuming that Ahab is omnipotent first occurs before Ahab is even introduced during Father Mapple's sermon. The lesson of the sermon, which concerns the story of Jonah and the whale, is to warn against the blasphemous idea that a ship can carry a man into regions where God does not reign.Nevertheless, a more disturbing type of blasphemy also emerges during the course of the novel in which Ahab does not merely believe himself omnipotent, but aligns himself with the devil during his quest.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

The tone in Moby-Dick is thoughtful, with a dash of humor and affection. The tone Ishmael often adopts when he’s considering scenes of whaling and sailing that are dear to his hear. We find this tone in the very first paragraph of the novel. "Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off – then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can." (1.1) But this flippant, affectionate, self-mocking humor that Melville uses when discussing the details of a seafaring life can turn into bitter sarcasm at a moment’s notice."The urbane activity with which a man receives money is really marvelous considering that we so earnestly believe money to be the root of all earthly ills, and that on no account can a monied man enter heaven. Ah! how cheerfully we consign ourselves to perdition!" (1.10)Both the gentler humor and the scathing sarcasm can disappear when Melville wants to play up the literary qualities and symbolic register of Moby-Dick.

4. Describe five literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthen your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone. Include three excerpts (for each element) that will help your reader understand each one.

Alliteration
page 53, chapter 11
"..condensed, confidential, comfortableness..."
Shows how being held close allows you to feel comfortable just like Ismael felt comfortable sitting all huddled up in his bed with his head against his knees.
Repetition
pg. 92, 3rd paragraph down
"spare"
This word is repeated to emphasize how Charity over-packs the ship and how overcautious she is. It also shows that a lot of the things on the ship are luxuries, not necessities. It gives us some insight on Charity.
Personification
"the dancing white water"
This is referring to the white waves that come crashing down while the crew is trying to catch a sperm whale. A fight is going on between the whale and the ship, making waves and causing the water to be rough an choppy. However, the water is seen as lovely and dancing because after all of the work the crew succeeds in catching the whaleSymbolism
"ball of free will dropped from my hand"
This represents Ishmael's loss of free will. the ball represents free will. it shows how, on the Pequod, everyone has the same goals and they do not think for themselves, especially in relation to catching Moby Dick.Mood
"mysterious shadows" "creeping" "dim dawn"
These words are creating a creepy and scary mood. it cause s the reader to be cautious and is foreshadowing a terrible event.

"Tools That Change The Way We Think"

How does extensive Internet/media/technology use change the way you think?

The Internet, mass media and technology as a one change my life in how I think tremendously. Although some of use might not realize it but they way technology plays a role in our life that is much different than if we didn't have it. Like when not everyone had internet and had to go to the library to find information or our ability to look up definitions so easily on our smart phones or laptops had changed how we think as a whole. We are now able to get information so easily because it is at the tip of our fingers, just a button away from find an answer. It's not like our last generation who had to ask their peers for follow up information. Now we have stuff like Yahoo answers and Facebook. Where we can go and type in what we are unsure about, press enter and wait for a responed. This generation is able to get more information faster then ever before, but dose that mean it's the right information. In order for us as an online community to learn we have to search many different time to find the right answers, because some may be true and others misleading. So in order for us to grow we need to take a little more time and read the fine print and read more opinions and facts so that we are able to end up with the correct answer in the end. So yes, technology dose help us, but we shouldn't limit ourselves to just the one answer that pops up first. We should think about the information and process it and make it into our own opinions and make it unique in your own way.

"Notes on Hamlet"

Things are always changing and happening in the play making me keep making educated guesses on what is going to happen next. I understood what is happening in the play right now. How Hamlet had a play within a play to see if Claudius really killed his father. Then when Hamlet is about to kill Claudius he doesn't because he want him to suffer an agonizing death. He doesn't kill him out of respect, the real reason why he doesn't kill him is because he want him to be in more pain and wants to make sure when he kills him he going "straight to hell". I see Hamlet coming and killing Claudius  and then reclaiming his throne and becoming king.

"Who Was Shakespeare?"

"Little is actually known for sure about the man we call William Shakespeare, although his is a name familiar to nearly every English speaking person. His birthday is a guess, and just what he looked like is a mystery. Even his identity itself is sometimes disputed. But most people today consider Shakespeare the greatest of all dramatists. His plays demonstrate a profound understanding of the nature of humanity. His skill with language and his ability to construct a story through dramatic and poetic means is unequaled."
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/merchant/shakespeare.html

"Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613.^{[5][nb 4]}His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

"To Facebook or Not to Facebook"

My initial impression of Facebook was that it was a place were you could gather different information from other people and get to know more people in your community. At first when Facebook came out I didn't care for it to much. I didn't get a Facebook until my sophomore year of high school because it didn't matter to me. My mother actually told me I need to get one so that I could be updated on different events and meeting for clubs or events I may attend. Our discussion of Facebook in class brought a new perspective to myself. I now know that  Facebook sells my information I update onto Facebook to advertising companies and there specific advertisements show up on just my page when I am logged on, not everyone gets the same advertisements on their Facebook's because everyone posts different things.