Lit Anal #5 No Exit

1. This book, or short story, is about three people that end up in hell. These people are two women, Estelle and Inez, and Garcin the male. These three people suspect of each other to be the torturer that will make them suffer but truly none of them are. As the story passes we realize that they are living hell for each other because they hate everything about each other. It seems they can not agree with anything and they just want to kill and get rid of each other. 

2 I feel that the theme of the play is kind of like karma. In the end you will end up receiving what you really deserve. These people where making others suffer in the real world so it is their time to suffer in hell is it not? Living an eternity with everything you hate about yourself and others must suck. However when you make it as so for yourself then you really can not change it.

3. The tone is depressing and at the same time philosophical. There is a lot of anger and sadness thrown around in this story but the characters also do a lot of self studying to understand what exactly they are in hell for and why they ended up with the two people they did. The depressing part of "...being a coward." and not being able to live that way is sad and at the same time it took him a lot of philosophical thinking about himself.

4. Simile : "Oh just look at her face, all scarlet like a tomato."

   

 " And presently we shall be naked, as new born babies"

Repetition:  When Garcin keeps saying over and over and asking if he is a coward. Towards the end of the play.

Imagery: "A man's drowning, choking, sinking by inches, till only his eyes are just above water."

Rhetorical question: "And what use do you suppose I have for one? Do you know who I was?"

Anaphora: "No, I wasn't joking. No mirrors, I notice. No windows. "

Characterization:

1. Direct Characterization

 Garcin tells us exactly the kind of person he is, he is a wife beater "I'm here because I treated my wife abominably." Inez doesn't hold back either and calls herself “a damned bitch." They really have no shame in stating exactly who they are.

2. Indirect characterization

You can tell this play was written in a different time because no one speaks like this "What’s the point of play-acting, trying to throw dust in each other's eyes? We're all tarred with the same brush." People will just telling you "Stop bull$hittng me and tell me why you are really here in hell?" As far as the syntax, this is a play and the entire play consists of non-stop dialogue. Syntax does not change as you change from character to character but diction obviously changes because people have different things to say. Inez will bluntly tell it as she sees it. When she was scribing herself to the others, she called herself a bitch. She saw through everyone's b.s. that they had committed crimes and weren't here by accident.
3. There is no real protagonist. All three characters in this one act are equally important in the play. I think they are static characters because they don't really change by the end of the story. The whole purpose of being placed in that room is not to learn a lesson but to suffer from one's mistakes. Not one of the three characters repented or regretted what they had done. They merely talked about committing the crime and even then it was like pulling teeth trying to get Estelle to admit to what she had done. They don't change, they merely wish they had been placed with other people.

 4. I really do feel that I actually met the characters of this play because they had really realistic characteristics about themselves. They were not some kind of magic powered fairy that could do miracles but real people. The people that sometimes we know are in our life and they have every trait that we hate about ourselves and therefor we hate them. I did feel many emotions like annoyance when I was reading this play. Overall a great read and a very interesting way  of thinking about life.

Thinking Outside the Box

Plato and Sartre

To be totally honest I am not a philosophical thinker to further examen these allegories. English and philosophical thinking in general have never really been my thing. However I think both allegories did an amazing job at extended metaphors that really gets one to think the current world we live in.

For sure I know an Inez, an Estelle, and a Garcin in my life, or at least those with similar personalities. I know what it is like to see something no one else sees and being laughed at as well. Through different characters and ideas that you would never expect you see a lot of the story taking place as if you were living it.Or even if you have not been in that situation once you understand the meaning of an allegory you can really imagine it as if it was happening in the twenty first century.

Anyways I feel both allegories really made me do a reflection on life. What it is worth and how much it means. What there really is to live for and how sometimes we waste our life away being ignorant. I feel both allegories really carried that message and really could bring out the best and worst of lies in true reflecting metaphors.

Literature Anlysis

 To Kill a Mockingbird  By: Harper Lee

GENERAL

1.To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about a girl named Scout and her story about how her brother Jem broke his arm. To explain how he broke his arm she takes us back to help us understand how it all started.  Scout's family lives in Alabama during the great depression and eventually both Scout and Jem become friends with a boy named Dill who is always interested in the spooky Radley house at the end of the street.  Eventually Dill has to leave and the year goes on, but Jem and Scout start finding what they believe to be gifts in a tree in the Radley's yard. When Dill returns the next summer he is still infatuated with the Radley house. On his last night, the children decided to sneak onto the property to get a closer look at the house.  They are shot at by Nathan Radley and while trying to escape Jem loses his pants.  When he goes back the pants are fixed and folded for him. Jem and Scout continue to find gifts in the tree until Nathan Radley plugs it up. Scout’s father Atticus defends Tom Robinson (a black man) on trial and even though the man is innocent, he is still convicted because of the racist community. He is later shot to death while trying to escape.  Bob Ewell (the man who with his daughter convicted Robinson) is furious at Atticus and vows to get revenge. He attacks Jem and Scout on their way home from a Halloween party and breaks Jem’s arm. Boo Radley steps in and saves the children and kills Bob Ewell.  Scout finally felt as though she can see Boo Radley as an actual person and believes once again in human goodness.  Boo Radley was the man leaving the presents.

2. I believe that the theme of the novel is Human Goodness. The book goes against all of the stereotypes that were in place during the great depression and shows that there is good in everyone no matter what their color of skin is or how different they are. It really emphasizes to not judge the book by its cover especially in times where everyone else seems to be doing it that way.

3.The author’s tone is innocent. It’s told in a way that could only be done through the eyes of a child. 

 "I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks."

 “Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.”

 (Talking to Jem about Dill) “Yeah. Don’t say anything about it yet, but we’re gonna get married as soon as we’re big enough. He asked me last summer.”

4. Symbols: The Mocking bird was the biggest one and represented innocence. Therefore to kill a mocking bird is to kill innocence. 

 “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

Imagery: The imagery that Lee uses throughout the book paints a vivid picture in your head about how Scout sees the people in her life.

 “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived."

Setting: The setting itself explains a lot. A small town in the south during the great depression is the only place where a story like this could take place.

 “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square.”

 “The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it - whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.”

CHARACTERIZATION

1. "The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold my head up in town, I couldn't 

represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do

something again." (75) Atticus 

This is an example of indirect characterization to Atticus and how he can’t stand up for himself and is somewhat of a coward.

"Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty." (89) Narration 

This explains to us that Atticus is an older man and therefor we get a sort of picture as to what he looks like.

2. Being as the narration is being told in a "child's" point of view it is not very dynamic. The narrator keeps that ideas on the people pretty innocent and simple. The emotions are all very blunt because of the fact that it is supposed to be a child's narration.

3.Jem who is one of the main characters is a dynamic character in To Kill A Mockingbird because he changes throughout the book. For example, at the beginning of the book, Scout and Jem are best of friends. In the first summer that Dill came they played together every day. Later, in the middle of the book, Jem starts to mature and stray from Scout. Scout describes the way he acted towards her, “Jem was twelve. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody,” (Lee 115). She goes on to say she cannot understand why he has changed so much. He starts to impose rules on her and tells her to be more of a woman. Scout thought about how just a month ago they were having fun and wrestling like two boys. Later Jem changes again, but this time he starts to become best friends with Scout again. For instance, Scout gets laughed at when she messes up the play, but Jem comforts her and tells her it is okay (227). For these reasons, Jem is a dynamic character.

4. I just felt that I had read a character in the end of the book. Not that it is a bad thing or anything I just kind of felt the emotions half way. Usually when the narrator is a more philosophical person or more mature that is  when I actually feel like I met the person. However since this story was told in a childs perspective I just felt the innocence the whole time and no real connection. True there was some very mature scenes in the book but I feel if the narration would have been different then my whole outlook on the story would have changed. 

Blog Views.

WOW OVER 1,000. I know that is not that many compared to others but wow am I happy! At the same time it is kind of a motivation to put my best thinking into the information that is going on my blog. If people are actually looking at my work then I should probably make it good material right?! WAH! So excited! haha(:

Allegory of the Cave Sonnet

In the cave they live lost in the shadows,

Torn from reality to live in chains

And the dim fire from behind them glows

By looking they break loose and feel the pains

An enlightenment he will then receive

Blinded by the light he cowers in fear

Realizing all his life he's been deceived

No more distortion it all becomes clear

He wishes to share the knowledge he gained

But the others ridicule his knowledge

Until people see the light all is stained

Without truth their lives stay over the edge

The freedom the people fear yet long for

Showing in life we should all strive for more

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

1.Allegory of the cave represents that the “reality” we believed in can the something that we create in our own imagination. We must free ourselves and getting out of the cave and coming to see real things with our own eyes. It can be “painful” to destroy all we believed before and establish the new thinking.  However, like the prisoner who suffers from the bright light when he first get out the cave. Eventually, he will get used to the light/brightness and be thankful to whoever brought him out of the “dark” cave and enter the world with “light”.

2.Prison house(cave)—world of imagination

Prisoner---people who is ignorant/innocent.

Shadow/Darkness—imagination/false realities

Sun/Light---intellectual world and reality

The prisoner who walked out the cave ---Philosophers

3. Plato believes that education is the process of learning spiritual knowledge;

and that everyone is given the power to learn within their soul. However, the process of enlightenment can be different from people to people. Education should a spiritual enlightenment. Plato suggests about the ideal world; it that there is equality among people. And all the knowledge/truth should be known by every citizen. As a philosopher, they have the responsibility go into the dark cave and enlighten the ignorant prisoners who still live under the shadow.

4.The “cave” represents the world of illusion/imagination. The prisoners who are impounded in the world with limit vision. The “reality” they believe is based on their imagination. The “shackles” are the restriction that confined the people who lives in the cave to walk out. I think it represents fear of the unknowing world with light. If they can’t break the shackles, they will ever have the chance to explores the outside world.

5.In society today , I think the suspicion/distrust shackle people’s mind. People can’t trust each others because they are afraid of close friends/family’s betrayal. Personally, it is hard for to trust some random people I meet online. You don’t like if they are telling the truth or lying for some purposes. The suspicion tends to restrict the free flow of information and knowledge. In addition, the egotism can be a shackle for people’s mind.

6. The perspective that the prisoners have is none because all those shadows are allusions that truly distort all reality of shape and size from objects. The freed prisoner has a far greater understanding of perspective because he actually gets to see the objects from nearby and judge as to their actual size and attributes from close. never seen it.

7. The prisoners were restricted to only the views of what the shadows presented therefore lack of clarity and confusion can occur at the same time when one refuses to look beyond what is before them essentially...lack of clarity and intellectual confusion occurs when people are either hidebound or stupid or a combination of both.

8.Cave prisoners get free when they are released into the real world. This in a way releases them to be intellectually free. It really demonstrated the prisoners getting to know reality. They feel that all the images they see and the shadows they have live by are reality and really and truly they know nothing. Not even light because they have never seen it. The beginning stage of seeing the light I think is the beginning stage to their intellectual freedom.

9. There is definitely a difference between appearances and reality. If you translate that to the modern day I think as a teenager we can compare it to the way girls act and the way they look. They might pack on makeup and make themselves look completely beautiful but sometimes they are the meanest people you will ever meet. There are always different worlds people would like to live in and I feel that because of this conclusion it is safe to say that reality and appearance can be very confusing and misleading but they are two different things that definitely exist.

10.  Assuming that Socrates's assumption that there is a difference between reality and appearance, two metaphysical assumptions that can be made is that reality is self-deceptive and therefore reality does not exist because of the discriminatory ideals between each persons reality.

All Nighters.......

So this is my two cents for this all nighter study session with Sam. Now every one always talks about how pulling all nighters and cramming sessions are completely horrible and you should never do them, but come on you are talking about teenagers here. The one who reigns over our souls is the great and almighty power of procrastination. Yes this has been a long time to stay awake and completely unhealthy but I feel this is one of the few times I can place YOLO appropriately in my school work. Being as we both might regret this by tomorrow when we are taking the test I feel that for now this is really helping us review. Apart from giving us more hours in the day I feel it really helps us prepare for the future. Those college days when we need to pull these all nighters left and right. AP class would not be complete with the full imitation of a college experience now would it? haha

Lit Anal: The Kite Runner

Refreshing Sophomore year time! haha(:

 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is about Amir and his struggle to cope with things that happened when he was a boy and his attempts to make them right.  He grew up in Afghanistan with his friend and servant, Hassan.  Amir and Hassan did everything together and Hassan would protect Amir at all costs if it ever came down to it.  That winter, Amir wins the kite fighting tournament and Hassan runs to collect the kite only to be raped by a few other boys.  Slowly Amir and Hassan drift apart and Hassan and his father leave.  Amir and his father flee Kabul when it is invaded by the Soviets and move to California. Here, Amir meets and marries Soraya and they try and fail to have a baby.  Amir goes Pakistan where he learns that Hassan has been killed, but has a son, Sohrab, in an orphanage.  He rescues Sohrab but gets badly hurt in the process. After he recovers, Amir and Soraya try to bring Sohrab back to the U.S. to live with them. Sohrab tries to kill himself and fails. He becomes severely withdrawn and only smiles when he wins a kite battle back in the U.S. And Amir runs the kite for him.

 The theme of this novel is really all about redemption. “There is a way to be good again,” is one of the quotes that seems to haunt Amir throughout the book and what drives him to try to fix everything that happens.  He regrets everything that happened between himself and Hassan and wants to do everything he can to try and make it right.

 The authors tone throughout most of the book is very tragic. While there are uplifting and happy parts, the main tone is one of despair and loss.

 “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.”

 “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.”

 “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”

Symbolism - 

 The pomegranate tree - The pomegranate tree serves as a symbol of Hassan and Amir’s friendship.  As long as Hassan and Amir’s friendship is strong, the tree blooms, and produces fruit, and is healthy.  But as soon as the boys start to drift apart, the tree withers and dies.

"Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul." "Those words made it formal: the tree was ours."

Irony - 

 Amir wants to be like his father and make his father proud, but instead he ends up possessing the traits of his father that are unwanted.  He, like his father, betrays his best friend.  Amir constantly has to deal with the unintended consequences of his actions that he took when he was a child and almost every action has a negative consequence.

“My body was broken—just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later—but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed.”

Foreshadowing - 

 A lot of the major things that take place in Afghanistan, reoccur when Amir is grown up.   He has to deal with the rape of Hassan’s son, realizing that he betrayed his best friend just  like his father did, and the most well known foreshadowing; Amir running Sohrab’s kite  for him.

“For you, a thousand times over.”

CHARACTERIZATION

Hassan's Indirect and Direct characterization

"...even in birth, Hassan was true to his nature: He was incapable of hurting anyone." (p. 10)

This is one line through which Amir indirectly characterizes Hassan as a person. We see through the chapters that Hassan is a very loyal person and could never hurt anyone. Proving to us that this statement is true.

One Direct characterization is in Chapter 1 where we are told that Hassan is harelipped and it is something directly on his character.

Being as one of the characters is the narrator of the story he doesn't really change his tone. He keeps his tone very mono tone due to the story being told in one point of view only.

All the characters in this story are very dynamic characters. As they go through the struggles they now have to face a lot of their mentality changes. The characters are not the same as the story progresses and its easy to follow that they are going through difficult times and that is why they are now struggling. At the beginning of the story however seeing as Amir controls the story I think the story seemed to make the characters flat but as time passed and incidents like the rape and so on, I think the dynamics of the story really changed.

Through the whole story I felt a lot of different connections and emotions. Seeing a close friend go through a hard time, I think we have all felt something like that at one point. I think in the end I some what knew the character but at the same time I don't think it was realistic, or as realistic as it could have been. Yes there were many parts that were related to situations somewhat like I have been through but the setting and the way of thinking these characters had did not match my sense of reality. I think the biggest effect would be the geographical aspect. However I did like the emotion portrayed in this story.

Sonnet Analysis Part 1

The opening line poses a simple question which the rest of the sonnet answers. The poet compares his loved one to a summer’s day and finds him to be “more lovely and more temperate.”

The poet discovers that love and the man’s beauty are more permanent than a summer’s day because summer is tainted by occasional winds and the eventual change of season. While summer must always come to an end, the speaker’s love for the man is eternal.

RESOURCES:
Here is where I found most of this analysis. There is a further analysis on this webpage but I believe those two lines summed up the poem well at the tip.

Big Question

Now... my question always seems to become controversial and is answered mainly on a persons beliefs and morals. The Question is... Even though there is evidence that spirits live among us, why do people still question their existence?
By their I mean ghosts and by evidence I mean things like medians who exist. If you visit one I think people have become believers but some people close themselves off to that option.
That is my big question. I(:

Vocab Week #11

VOCAB REMIX IN PROCESS
Affinity- relationship by marriage
Bilious- of or indicative of a peevish ill nature disposition
Cognate- of the same nature
Corollary- A proposition inferred Immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof 
Cul-de-sac - a pouch
Derring-do- a daring action
Divination- The art or practice that seeks to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge due to the interpretation of omens 
Elixir- A substance capable of prolonging life indefinitely 
Folderol- a useless accessory 
Gamut- an entire range or series
Hoi polloi- the General populace
Ineffable- incapable of being expressed in words 
Lucubration- to study by night 
Mnemonic- intended to assist memory
Obloquy- abusive language
Parameter- an independent variable used to express the coordinates of variable point and functions of them
Pundit- a learned man 
Risible- provoking laughter
Symptomatic- having the characteristics of a certain disease but arising of a different cause 
Volte-face- a reversal in policy

Sonnet

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? 
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: 
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, 
And summer's lease hath all too short a date: 
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, 
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; 
And every fair from fair sometime declines, 
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd; 
But thy eternal summer shall not fade 
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; 
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, 
When in eternal lines to time thou growest: 
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, 
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
~ William Shakespeare

AP Hamlet PLN

So after a long search into countless pages where discussion took place here are my top five. The reason for these I have chosen is the fact that they all seemed like sources a teacher would use. Seeing as we have read through the play these resources will help every student know the break down of Hamlet. When you can fully comprehend something to the point where you can break it down and explain it to others then you have mastered the material. This is why I think these sources I have posted here will really help those of us who have yet to master Hamlet.


HERE is a full outline for teachers that are looking further into Hamlet and a teaching plan. I think you can easily take this and self apply to study habits.


Mind Map... Great to sort out your major ideas,

Look around on this blog! It's another class looking for some good resources like us!

http://shsaplit.wikispaces.com/hamlet_review_1 

Multiple Choice Test Good help for anything!

Literature Analysis #2

General:
1. The book I read is Myeko's Gift by Kay Haugaard. This story is about a girl named Myeko, the main character, who just moved to California from her native land Osaka, Japan. Myeko is terrified to be in a place she knows nothing about. As soon as she starts going to school and doing things the American way she  is alienated and alone. She doesn't have friends because everyone sees her as a stranger and the kids like to stick to the usual. However little by little the children begin speaking to Myeko and noticing that she really has some fascinating ideas and talents. As time passes Myeko becomes accepted and great friendships are made by the end of the book.
2. The theme of this book is acceptance and friendship. Myeko is a young girl who really can't do anything to change and be like every other kid in her class. However as the kids begin to accept Myeko she also starts the process of accepting her new home. At the beginning of the book (page 13) Myeko states that she feels alone because no kid speaks to her. However as time passes (page 48) the kids really begin to accept Myeko and her culture like the rice cakes and Kimono she took to school on a new years season day. Knowing that others accept you makes you comfortable in accepting yourself and those aspects of you that you have never liked.
The other theme I chose was friendship because through the gift of friendship was the only way that Myeko was aloud to be free and happy in California. Being different and not knowing anyone or anything from somewhere you now need to call home is extremely difficult. However when you find that one person who decides to show you around and is able to put all differences aside it really feels like you have the chance to fit in and not be secluded. I think friendships are a very important thing but now idea people take the to loosely and abuse them and I think this book really brings me back to that idea that friendships are something we should value no matter how big or small.
3. The author's tone if very positive and doesn't really show the depressing mood that Myeko is going through. I think this is mostly because this is for young readers. However there is a lot of respectful tones, due to Japanese culture, that are used when Myeko is speaking to any member in her family when she is at home and when she first starts making friends. The respectful tone that runs through the whole book can be seen on page fifteen where Myeko is speaking to her mother and she responds with "I am sorry, honorable parent,..." This is just one of the examples that are shown throughout the book. I think the main reason that this tone settles throughout the book is because Myeko is Japanese and like every Asian culture they are very respectful people and live by honor systems from the younger to the old.
"...she started out with her box on her wagon."(page 63) The one friend names Carol who Myeko was now very close too could not visit Myeko to celebrate the Doll Festival because she got her appendix removed. However in that quote what Myeko was carrying the dolls in the box to celebrate at the hospital with Carol because no one was home to drive her she had to find a way on her on. This shows a lot of hope in the child's heart to do the best. Throughout the book Myeko hopes she won't disappoint anyone because she really wants to make friends so doing things like carrying that box really makes you understand she is a very young soul that is trying to make everything okay.
4. The text in the book always brought me back and reminded me who Myeko was and that she wasn't an American that she was trying however to make America her home. Through the book (pages 11, 51, 105) her language of respect and cultural differences appear. Whether she is making Origami or trying to pronounce the English words correctly it really makes you understand who this little girl is and that she is different.
    Imagery is another big element used through out the book. For example on page forty six we are given a vivid picture of a Kimono. Seeing as most of are at a young age are not familiar with other cultural things we would not know what it is. However on page forty five we are told how its a "beautiful red dress with butterfly long sleeves.." It really makes you imagine how the dress looked when Myeko had it on.
    I think both the themes and tones that I mentioned in the prior questions really give this story a great flowing sequence that makes it a page turner for anyone of any age reading it. Unless they are completely against learning of other cultures of course.
     I think symbolism is another great aspect of this book. on page one hundred and forty eight the little bird that Myeko and Harriet share really becomes a representation of the lovely friendship they have developed. It was a gift and now evidence that they really can be friends and really do care for each other which is totally opposite from the beginning where Harriett really did not like Myeko.
     The last and most obvious element is setting. If this story was not in California and how Myeko has to adjust then this story would not work. I think the most important part is that she is a stranger and she really doesn't feel like she can fit in because everything is so unusual to her. Even if at the end she can adapt this new setting what makes this story what it is. '

CHARACTERIZATION
1. On the cover of the book we are given a picture of the Myeko so I think that would count as direct characterization. However as for indirect characterization I think her family all being natives from Japan you get the idea that she is very tiny with straight black and and Asian eyes. Now this might be your typical stereotype but by experience I have come realized that these are all true to the people. I think its hard to comprehend at a younger age but since I have now studied more about international cultures..especially Asian cultures I can truly say that making her a native from Japan in itself is indirect characterization.
I think the fact that Myeko is not American and America is really mixed in looks indirect characterization is used to kind of mold Myeko into the person you think she looks like. Also even though there is a picture (direct characterization) on the front cover you can still picture something completely different with the indirect characterization ideas.
2. The characters in this story are very flat I would say. Just because personally to me they are very stereotypical figures. Your typical Asian or your typical white kid. There are not really any specific examples that I can pull out of any page but through the story line you can see when you follow a character that they end up doing what you expected them to do in the end. They are all kids to though so I think that is another factor as to why they are this way.
3.I think I met myself in this book when I first came here. Although I don't have great memory I can see myself in Myeko. Coming to America when I was six from Mexico was really the scariest thing on this planet. However being little its easier to make friends and adapt just like Myeko did. I am just about a hundred percent sure that we had very similar journey's. I can't really pull out textual support because its more of a heart feeling that I ended up getting at the end when she finally calls America home. I don't know if America is my home yet but I am sure glad she found hers.




First off I want to state that this book is a 160 page book that is at around a sixth grade reading level. Seeing as I forgot to read a book I decided to read this book. I had never analyzed this book however and I think there is a deeper meaning then a child's literature book. This is why I analyzed this book which even though is intended for a younger audience is one of my favorites. Yes I procrastinated and that was part of the reason I read this book but as a more mature person I think I can properly analyze this book and make others realize meaning behind books that you would not even see when you were younger. I guess I kind of cheated on this analysis but then again it did take just the same amount of energy and thought any other analysis would have taken me. I hope that this is demonstrated through my analysis.

Tools That Change the Way We Think

The internet constantly changes my mind because I realize day by day that having that world at our fingertips can not only be a great advantage but also a dangerous thing. I think the internet has really changed the way I communicate with others and made me kind of socially awkward because I usually hide behind my computer screen and talk to someone through an email or a Facebook chat box. I think the internet is a great advantage to learning new things but it is also very distracting and can send your brain to think about a million different things in less then a minute. Its great to have others opinions and help at the push of a button but sometimes we look at the opinions and ideas that should not really affect us but since they are on the internet they really do. I think at the moment I am trying to think about to many things at the same times because that is what the internet does and it really is becoming a way of life for my generation. You have the phones, the laptops, the ipods.. and everything else with internet apps just waiting to be taken for a spin. It kind of scares me to think that maybe one day we will have internet/Google chips stuck into our brain. However just as Darwinism states it, we must continue in survival of the fittest.

Who Was Shakespeare

To me as a student Shakespeare is a man who lived many years ago that wrote many great pieces of literature. The pieces that stick out to me are Rome and Juliet, Hamlet, and Julius Ceaser. I also think Iambic Pentameter and Old English at the mention of his work or just his name. I feel that in general for students his works are kind of hard to get through and understand, just because the writing is in old English and also it is in a style of writing (iambic pentameter) that we are not used to reading in our generation.

Here  is one website I found on William Shakespeare.
Obviously you can do millions of searcher online and/or in the library but we don't know very much about this man. Back then we didn't really have the paparazzi to keep us on the latest updates of what our favorite celebrity was up to. This is why many questions have come up as to who Shakespeare was and many of those questions will never be known. We really don't know much except of his origins which were of lower class but apart from that its hard to gather any other information about him.

Over the years Shakespeare's writing has become a lot more easier for me to understand because I am a musician. Now you might ask what that has to do with old literature and Shakespeare but honestly his writing was very musical and lyrical. At least to me that is the vibe I get off of his work. Being able to feel a connection like that of a song makes me really connect and understand better which I think I really get out of the great pieces written by William Shakespeare.

To Facebook or Not to Facebook?

When I first made my Facebook account I was in freshmen year of high school. At that time my knowledge of anything in social media were very poor and I just used it because I got to chat with friends. When I was first introduced to Facebook I really could not have an opinion  because I never really cared about the advertisements and the selling of information because I did not know what that was. I think the positives of being connected on Facebook is being able to see information about friends and family members you really care about and for some reason might be far away or you may just not be close enough to ask how they are every day. Facebook allows you to be connected and on some levels get to know people better. The down fall of Facebook which I have learned over time is that your information is never safe. You risk many privacy issues because what you decide to post on Facebook can become international instantly. I think its really up to the person though. If you are really careful with the type of information you post then there is no reason why there should be a problem. In the end you can decide to put in false information or set your settings to a certain amount of privacy. I get that Facebook sells your information to be able to maintain themselves but that doesn't mean you have to go into Facebook and tell them your life story.

This is just an opinion because I have never had a problem with Facebook but I know others have.

Hamlet Remix

 I know this is not the best quality but here it is. This video is very broad and so is missing a lot of the little details of Act 3. However if you read the Act then you should understand the order. I believe this song really connects all the feelings of Hamlet and the situation together. Also most of the pictures are connected to go with the lyrics so you should listen carefully! :D Enjoy!

Hamlet + Vocab.

After Hamlet’s father died he was left in complete abeyance until his uncle took the throne. He became very ambivalent and because he hid those feelings his future is foreshadowed as beleaguered.  After his mothers remarriage to his uncle, Hamlet went into a state of mental cataclysm in which he bottled up his emotions. Not only this but Ophelia showed up in the story wishing that Hamlet would give her a carte blanche for them to for a loving relationship. Though his uncle seemed to éclat and become more powerful for others to Hamlet he was only debauching his family name by taking the crown.  When Hamlet finds out about the truth of his father’s death he wants to gambol and take revenge immediately but he must become very fastidious in order to execute this tack with no errors.

I think Hamlet’s surroundings make him a very imbued character that I don’t really get to read about these days. Usually characters in the modern day are not afraid to speak their mind and I think this is something that has changed with society. However this story is at an inchoate point where I don’t think Hamlet should be lampooned and torn down as a strong character. Although Hamlet is a very malleable character he not has his eye set to take over his nemesis and opt to make him queasy and in the end dead.  I think Hamlet is a philistine well rounded character that would make a great king if his father had not died. Although he has a refractory mouth and bottles up his feelings he will not have to speak out and become savoir faire in order to revenge his father. In the end I believe Hamlet a very picaresque play that is hard to read but a great read when you understand it!(:

                

Midterm Reflection

a) What went well?
I think overall the best thing I did was time management. I was afraid I would not have enough time and it could have been because it was only matching but I think it still went well.

 b) What didn't go well?
I don't believe my grade was the best it could be. I don't think I put in enough hours to actually study through the week so I don't think I will be to happy with my grade. However I know that's all my own fault.

c) How much of the content will stick with you?  
I think fifty to sixty percent of the content will stick with me because I sadly have not changed my vocabulary studying habits since sophomore year and that is how much stuck with me then. So I am just basing it off of that.

d) What can you learn from the experience to improve for next time?
I definitely need to work on my study habits.

Vocab. Week #8

Abeyance-(N.) A state of temporary disuse or suspension.

Ambivalent- (Adj.) Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Beleaguer- (V.) Beset with difficulties

Carte blanche- (N.) Complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best.

Cataclysm- (N.) A sudden violent upheaval, esp. in a political or social context

Debauch- (V.) Destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt.
(N.) A bout of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, esp. eating and drinking

éclat- (N.) brilliant or conspicuous success

Fastidious- (Adj.) Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

Gambol- (V.) Run or jump about playfully

Imbue- (V.) Inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality: "imbued with deep piety"

Inchoate- (Adj.) Just begun and so not fully formed or developed

Lampoon- (V.) Publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule or sarcasm.
(N.) A speech or text criticizing someone or something in this way 

Malleable- (Adj.) Easily influenced; pliable

Nemesis- (N.) The inescapable or implacable agent of someone's or something's downfall

Opt- (V.) Make a choice from a range of 
possibilities

Philistine- (N.) A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them

Picaresque- (Adj.) Of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero

Queasy- (Adj.) Nauseated; feeling sick

Refractory- (Adj.) Stubborn or unmanageable

Savoir-faire- (N.) The ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations.

Dear Ophelia

Dear O,
 I am sorry to hear this dispute has arisen. Now let us adjudicate this situation by stating that in the end it is your choice. If you are really in love with this Prince then your dad and brother should not be a bane cause to stop your love. However, know that they have your best interest in mind and they only bicker with you because they believe Hamlet to be bete noir. I think its very bravado of you to want to continue this love but maybe its just not right. Your brother and curmudgeon of a father might be de facto and might save you by telling you this. Now you say this prince loves you but are you sure he is not being disingenuous with you? Anyways I hope whatever choice you makes ends up making you have a good life. Take lots of care and if you really love your prince don't let him go.

Sincerely with Love

Dulce

What is to come in Literature: Questions.

a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane"?  
Absolutely nothing at all. The only thing I know is that Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

b) What do you know about Shakespeare?  
I know his writing was very different in his time period and that he wrote Romeo and Juliet. Also that he wrote many other great stories and wrote in Iambic Pentameter.

c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?  
I think this happens because his reading is a little harder to read. If his stories were movies then every kid would love them. However many think that since his style is different it is harder to comprehend or get through.

 d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?
Rein-act the play....or have group project on the modern take of the play like Romeo and Juliet was done with Leonardo Decaprio in it. 

Vocab List #7

Aberration - the act of departing from the right, normal, or usual course.
 Her family was the opposite from what she wanted to be so she decided to take aberration from them and become her own person.

Ad hoc- for the special purpose or end presently under consideration
Ex: The ad hoc committee disbanded after making its final report.

Bane - something causes misery or death, a person or thing that ruins or spoils:
Gambling was the bane of his existence.

Bathos - triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one
The saga of this family brings forth so much indescribable empathy and bathos.

Cantankerous - stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate(disagreeable to deal with)
The boy was always getting in trouble for not paying attention and being cantankerous.

Casuistry - 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
Ex: Alas, nothing in this barrel of casuistry holds water.

De facto - in fact; in reality, actually existing, especially when without lawful authority
 Although his title was prime minister, he was de facto president of the country.

Depredation - a destructive action; the act of preying upon or plundering; robbery; ravage(damage)
His depredation actions caused him to go to jail multiple times and have many people dislike him and his past decisions.

Empathy - understanding and entering into another's feelings
 The neighbor had empathy for the boy who’s dog died because he had his dog die two years ago.

Harbinger - a person who goes ahead and makes known the approach of another
 No one likes a harbinger person because people like to make choices for themselves.

Hedonism - an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good
But it generates a gentle buzz of pleasure that matches the lazy hedonism of late summer.

Lackluster - lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality
The wife was very unhappy with her wedding ring because it lackluster.

Malcontent - discontented as toward authority; not satisfied or content
Ex: The malcontent do not feel satisfied, and seem to be preparing for a sudden violent attack of some kind.

　
Mellifluous - pleasing to the ear
They only reason he always was so mellifluous was because he wanted to get her to like him in a romantic way instead of just a friend.

Nepotism - favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)
 She was accused of nepotism when she made her nephew an officer of the firm.

Pander - someone who procures customers for whores (a pimp); arrange for sexual partners for others; give satisfaction to
But interpretive development need not pander to the former, nor seem impoverished to the latter.

Peccadillo - a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling(insignificant) fault
 Compared to the many hells they have done this was a peccadillo act.

Piece de resistance - the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, of a series or group; special item or attraction.
She fell in love with this man and called him her piece de resistance.

Remand - the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial. Refer to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
 The chance that a given remand prisoner will end his or her life in prison is not unusually high.

Syndrome - a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder or disease
Irritable bowel syndrome may be a lifelong condition.

Literature Analysis #1

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

First of all the name of the main character is Antonio. Ultima is a curandera(healer) that uses herbs and sympathetic magic to help and cure people. She comes to live with Antonio and his family. Ever since Antonio was born his parents have argues whether he will be a Luna like his mom and follow in the steps of becoming a priest or a vaquero (cowboy) like his father. Him and Ultima get a long well and he helps her gathering plants and doing little jobs for her. Antonio is the witness of the death of a man named Lupito who was shot. He then begins to wonder about religion, sin, heaven, and hell. Gabriel (Antonio's father) and Maria (Antonio's mother) argue a lot because Gabriel does not believe in the religious ideas of Maria and he wished to live out in the llanera (prairie) but Maria prefers to live close to church. One day his brothers come back home from the war they are in but they let Gabriel down because instead of staying as a family they are ready to move out and keep exploring and they are also traumatized by the war. Through the rest of the story Antonio faces obstacles that once again make him think twice as to who he shall becomes. Him and Ultima establish a great relationship and her soul becomes an owl that takes care of him. At the very end of the story Tenorio was angry and shot the owl because he knew it was Ultima and thought she was the cause to all the bad that was going on in his life with his daughters. When the owl is shot Antonio begins the process of burying the owl as Ultimas wishes. With herbs and so on Ultima dies peacefully in the proper burial of Antonio. That is where it ends with a new Antonio full of new knowledge.

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

To me personally I think the theme that screamed at me was that no matter how much others wish to control you and the person you are to become they can not and you control who you become. Sometimes those people that try to control your future don't know about half the things that you experienced in your life time and therefore they can't have much say. I feel that in this story in particular that is a theme that is not a prominent but is consistent through out and should be noticed. You are who you wish to become no matter how much others say that you sill become something that they want you to be.

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

I feel the authors tone is very serious but very thoughtful at the same time. Also I feel the tone progresses with the main character of the story because Antonio starts off as a young innocent boy and after begging to see the real world he becomes very mature and so does the tone of the story. For example when Ultima first moves in it talks about the happy times they spend out collecting the plants for all of her remedies and how close they were becoming. After the first  killing we then notice a change as Antonio goes to reflect on his own and wonders all about life and what he should do in his future because he starts to wonder about sin and religion. The last part is towards the very end when Tenario becomes very angry with Ultima there is a lot of seriousness and very uptight writing leading up to the incident.

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.

One literary device that I found that helped me was imagery for example that Antonio had at the very beginning of the story which was a dream:

"I do not mean the beginning that was in my dreams and thestories they whispered to me about my birth, and the people of my father and mother, and my three brothers"

This really gave me an idea as to the controversial dilemmas the story would carry.

The other elements I used were the sophisticated diction Anaya(the author) used in the book. I feel that by using the actual Spanish words for some areas like curandera, el llano, and so on give you a different outlook to the story and make the setting change.

I also really like the description of the surroundings. The reason I feel this helps further my understanding of the theme is because you need to know he is not in a big city like L.A. were killing might be common but in a small town of very religious morals where killings are not aloud and you will be punished if you commit a murder. 

One last tool that really helped me to understand this story was the symbolism that was used. The use of symbolism was so great from beginning to the end it really put an emphasis on the type of story this was. It was fictional but at some points realistic. I feel the owl as a representative of Ultima was one of the best uses of symbolism in this story.

Some American Pride!! :)

Here is our tune from Thursday in class!!

Vocabulary list #6

1.Beatitude- Supreme blessedness

• After my session in the spa I was in a state of beatitude.

2.bete noire (anathema)- someone or something which is particularly disliked or avoided; an object of aversion, the bane of one’s existence.

• Doing taxes is a bete noire that haunts every young adult when they become independent.

3.Bode- Be an omen of a particular outcome; announce beforehand

• The clouds did not bode well for our picnic!

4. Dank- unpleasantly damp, musty, and typically cold

• The weather was so dank in the morning that the hairstyle I worked on for an hour fell flat in two minutes.

5. Ecumenical- general; universal; Promoting or relating to unity among the world's Christian churches

• The ecumenical prayer service preceded what is expected to be a busy day focusing on national security and economic matters.

6. Fervid- Intensely enthusiastic or passionate; heated or vehement in spirit or enthusiasm. 

• She was such a fervid supporter of the cause that she stayed outside the building day and night during the protest, for a whole week.

7.Fetid- Smelling extremely unpleasant or having an offensive odor

• After three months of being in the jungle Jerry had such a fetid smell no one would approach him until he showered.

8. Gargantuan- gigantic; enormous; colossal:

• Even after gargantuan amounts of rain the houses remained standing and in perfect condition.

9. Heyday- The period of a person's or thing's greatest success, popularity, vigor, strength, or success; an exclamation of cheerfulness, surprise, wonder

• Even after Michael Jackson's so called heyday, he was still very praised and loved throughout his whole life. 

10. Incubus- A male demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; a cause of distress or anxiety like a nightmare

• The psychiatrist concluded that the woman was hallucinating her nightly visits with an incubus.

11. Infrastructure- the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization

• The infrastructure of the building had to be reinforced three times in order to meet the earthquake safety requirements. 

12. Inveigle- to acquire, win, or obtain by beguiling talk or methods

• The guy used his charming features in order to inveigle the answers he wanted from the girl who knew them all.

13. Kudos- Praise and honor received for an achievement  

• The whole school gave her kudos after she won the international competition at the gymnastic meet that was aired worldwide.

14. Lagniappe- Something given as a bonus or extra gift.

• The Christmas gift from his boss was a great lagniappe for Bob that aloud him to buy extra Christmas gifts for his lovely kids.

15. Prolix- Using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy

• His essay became so non sequiter and prolix that after the second page I could no longer read it.

16. Protégé- a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare

• An elderly monk and his young protégé are in the temple praying and fasting.

17. Prototype- the original or model on which something is based or formed

• As soon as they realized the prototype was not working correctly they decided to not go on to mass production.

18. sycophant-A person who acts obsequiously toward someone in order to gain advantage; a servile flatterer

• The sycophant student decided to spend all his free time in class helping his teacher in order to receive an A in that class.

19. tautology- A phrase or expression in which the same thing is said twice in different words

• My brother has a tautological view on life believing that the world is either black or white.

20. truckle- to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely; A small barrel-shaped cheese

• Don't truckle to unreasonable commands.