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Thursday, September 27, 2012

"Pre-Will"

A) I don't know much about Hamlet except that it is a play.
B) Shakespeare was a writer who wrote plays.
C) I means that they have to read a long play that is confusing sometimes and is not that much fun.
D) Make it so that we are involved.

Monday, September 24, 2012

vocab #7

aberration - (noun) an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm
Ad hoc- (adverb) for the special purpose or end presently under consideration
bane - (noun) something causes misery or death
bathos - (noun) triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos
cantankerous - (adj.) having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
casuistry - (noun) moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas; argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading
de facto - (noun) in fact; in reality
depredation - (noun) an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action
empathy - (noun) understanding and entering into another's feelings
harbinger - (noun) an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage
hedonism - (noun) an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle
lackluster - (adj.) lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality
malcontent - (adj.) discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted
mellifluous - (adj.) pleasing to the ear
nepotism - noun favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)
pander - (noun) someone who procures customers for whores (in England they call a pimp a ponce); verb arrange for sexual partners for others; yield (to); give satisfaction to
peccadillo - (noun) a petty misdeed
piece de resistance - (noun) the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction. 
remand - (noun) the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (or the continuation of the trial); verb refer (a matter or legal case) to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
syndrome - (noun) a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Literature Analysis

The Good Soldier
By,
Ford, Ford Madox

1)Dowell, the main character, tells the stories of those dissolutions as well as the deaths of three characters and the madness of a fourth, in a rambling, non-chronological fashion that leaves gaps for the reader to fill.The novels opening  with its famous line, “This is the saddest story I have ever heard.” Florence and Edward had an affair under his nose for nine years without John knowing until Florence was dead. Florence’s affair with Edward leads her to commit suicide when she realizes that Edward is falling in love with his and Leonora’s young ward, Nancy Rufford, the daughter of Leonora's closest friend. Dowell runs through several of Edward’s affairs and peccadilloes, including his possibly innocent attempt to comfort a crying servant on a train; his affair with the married Maisie Maidan, the one character in the book whose heart problem was unquestionably real.Edward’s last affair is his most scandalous, as he becomes infatuated with their young ward, Nancy.Edward intends to keep his passion for Nancy chaste, but only wants Nancy to continue to love him from afar. Dowell closes the novel by telling the story of Edward’s suicide. 
2) I believe a good theme for The Good Soldier would be the difference between appearance and actual reality because throughout the whole book the reader is trying to fill in the blanks until the end where everything comes together.
3) The author has more of a confused, naive, and angry tone; the narrator's tone changes throughout the novel as he tells the story and reflects back on the events which have occurred.“I know nothing - nothing in the world - of the hearts of men. I only know that I am alone - horribly alone.” “If for nine years I have possessed a goodly apple that is rotten at the core and discover its rottenness only in nine years and six months less four days, isn't it true to say that for nine years I possessed a goodly apple?”“So I shall just imagine myself for a fortnight or so at one side of the fireplace of a country cottage, with a sympathetic soul opposite me. And I shall go on talking, in a low voice while the sea sounds in the distance and overhead the great black flood of wind polishes the bright stars.” These are all great examples of his tone.
4) Five key Literary elements or techniques that Ford Madox uses in his story are allegory, figuritive language, alliteration, irony, allusion. In using “The Good Soldier”, as an allegory, the Apostle Paul was encouraging the younger preacher to be ready for hard times, to be good at what he does, to totally commit himself to the Lord’s service. I find this ironic,“We are all so afraid, we are all so alone, we all so need from the outside the assurance of our own worthiness to exist.” The figurative language he uses in this quote just makes it stand out “There is no man who loves a woman that does not desire to come to her for the renewal of his courage, for the cutting asunder of his difficulties. And that will be the mainspring of his desire for her. We are all so afraid, we are all so alone, we all so need from the outside the assurance of our own worthiness to exist.”

Monday, September 17, 2012

Vocab #6

beatitude- Supreme blessedness
bete noire- a detested person (disliked or avoided)
bode- Be an omen of a particular outcome
dank- Disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold
ecumenical- universal

fervid- Intensely enthusiastic or passionate
fetid- Smelling extremely unpleasant
gargantuan- of great mass
heyday- The period of a person's or thing's greatest success or popularity
incubus- A cause of distress or anxiety like a nightmare
infrastructure- The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation
inveigle- Persuade (someone) to do something by means of deception or flattery
kudos- Praise and honor received for an achievement
lagniappe- Something given as a bonus or extra gift
prolix- Using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy
protege- a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
prototype- A first or preliminary model of something, esp. a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied
sycophant- A person who acts obsequiously toward someone in order to gain advantage; a servile flatterer 
tautology- The saying of the same thing twice in different words
truckle- Submit or behave obsequiously

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Textbook Reading Notes

Pg,64

  1. Early Heroic Tales- 
  • epics long narrative poems that celebrated the adventures of legendary heroes
  • role models for ancient time civilians.
  • proper behavior
  • Gilgamesh and Iliad: Gilgamesh- 4000 yrs. old (Eastern) ; Iliad - 3000 yrs. old (Greek
Pg.65-66
  1. Gilgamesh 
  • made the journey to the end for the Earth and back but broken heart.
  • He wrote the story on stone
  • Uruk: ancient sumerian city
  • "2/3 a god, 1/3 a man"
  • "Anu And Ishtar"= Anu father of the Babylonian; Ishtar (god of love)
Pg.67-70

  1. Iliad by Homer, translated by Richmond Latttimore
  • Hektor- sun of Peleus, brutal, tall helm glittering; son of Priam, Best Trojan warrior
  • Achaians-Greeks
  • Spear
  • No agreement nor oath been reached between Hektor and Achilles
  • Achilles wins battle
Pg.72-78

  1. History of the English Church and people
  • Bede
  • Roman Empire withdrawn from Britain and taught them how to read and write and Christanity
  • Oral story telling period (fragmentary)
  • Written in Latin 
  • King Alfred's reign (AD 871-899)
  • The situation of Britain and Ireland
  • Geographic traits of Britain
  • Trade, culture, natural resources
Pg.79-82

  1. Singlo-Saxon Translated by Anne Sarage.
  • battle between Danich and Aethelwarf
  • Moon darkened
  • Alfred died; peace

Quiz

Reading quiz pp. 64-82

1.      What is an epic?
2.      What was the function of a hero in an epic?
3.      How can reading an epic four thousand years later help us understand the society in which it was written?
4.      Name three epics.   Where was each one written?  Approximately how many years ago?
5.      Where is Uruk?
6.      What does the prologue of Gilgamesh suggest about the duties of a Sumerian king?
7.      Who is Ishtar?
8.      Is Gilgamesh a man or a god?  How does this characterization compare with that of Beowulf?
9.      By what common term do we know the Achaians?
10.  What is Athena’s relationship to Zeus?
11.  Who is Hector?
12.   How does Athena help Achilles and cheat Hector?  What does this suggest about Greek culture viewed the role of the gods?
13.  What does Hector ask of Achilles, and how does Achilles respond?  How does his response compare with the attitudes/values you see demonstrated in modern leadership?
14.  Who was Bede, and what did he describe in A History of the English Church and People?
15.  Approximately 150 years after Bede’s death, a group of monks wrote The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.  What was the purpose of this work?  Why wasn’t Bede’s history enough?
16.  According to Bede, what was Britain formerly known as?
17.  What background does Bede give about scarlet dye?  What does this suggest about the lifestyle/economy/values of the country?
18.  According to Bede, how is Ireland different from Britain?
19.  What threat(s) did the Anglo-Saxons of Alfred’s time face?  How united was the response?  What were the challenges to unity under Edward; i.e., what factors made it difficult for one ruler to control the all of Britain?
20.  The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle lists the deaths of important Anglo-Saxons.  Explain how including this information creates the sense that the Anglo-Saxons are a nation.  Do you see any similarity in how America’s tragic stories are told?

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Essay Rubric Notes



9-8
-provide convincing readings
-demonstrate control of elements/references specific
-writing clear and sophisticated
(7-6)
-less thorough/less precise
-analysis convincing with father and son relationship
-ability to express ideas/references
7 better developed analysis and consistent


Question 2(George Eliot's Middle March)
-reflect quality(style, mechanics, content)
(9-8)
-persuasive analysis of Eliot's portrayal of two characters and complex relationship husband and wife
-strong for interpretation of characters/relationship
-literary devices/narrative/selesction detailed/specific references/ perspective analysis apparent in writing
-clear /organized 9 sophisticted
(7-6)
-reasonable analysis of Eliot's portrayal/develops through literary devices
-completent reading/attention to devices
-less perspective than 9-8 7/better analysi and more consistent

Question 3(Justice)
-as a whole(content, style and mechanics)
-no cause may poorly essay scored higher than 3
(9-8)
-well-focused/persuasive analysis understanding of justice/successful/search as a whole
-textual supprot/analyze character respond justice/injustice
-strong case of interpretation/literary work w/significant insight and understanding
(7-6)
-reasonable analysis of literay understanding of justice
-analyze character responds in significant for justice/injustice
-analysis less thorough/perceptive/less supportive than 9-8 7/better developed analysis and consistent command elements of effective compositiion than 6