Accoutrements: accessory item of clothing or equipment
The accoutrements on the car aided in finding the restaurant.
Apogee: point of orbit of an object, furthest or highest point
Britney Spears reached her apogee in the 90s.
Apropos: at an opportune time
Darla’s arrival would not be described as apropos, she found herself in the middle of the couple’s fight.
Bicker: petulant quarrelling
The siblings were constantly bickering over meaningless things.
Coalesce: to grow together
The roots of the two trees coalesced and intertwined as time went on.
Contretemps: an embarrassing occurrence or situation
It seems that teenagers or prone to contretemps when at school.
Convolution: complication in design
The convolution in the outline caused confusion later on.
Cull: select from group, choose
She culled the best recipes in her mother’s cookbook to post on her blog.
Disparate: made of up of different, dissimilar elements
The disparateness of Carl’s outfit did not go over well at dinner.
Dogmatic: expression of opinions as if they were fact
Lara’s dogmatic insistence on the benefits of wellfare caused her to get into many arguments.
Licentious: lacking legal, moral restraint
His licentious behavior caused many of his coworkers to be uncomfortable.
Mete: to allot
The banker’s job in Monopoly is to mete out money.
Noxious: harmful to human beings
Gas masks are used to combat noxious fumes.
Polemic: aggressive attack on beliefs of another
The documentary was a polemic on George Bush’s political career.
Populous: densely populated
The populous city housed all walks of life.
Probity: uprightness
Sarah’s probity was admired by her peers.
Repartee: quick and witty reply
The student’s repartee surprised the arrogant teacher.
Supervene: to follow or an unlooked result
No one suspected that the aftershock that supervened the earthquake would cause so much damage.
Truncate: to cut short
The host truncated the nominees acceptance speech after two minutes.
Unimpeachable: reliable beyond a doubt, unquestionable
The evidence was labeled unimpeachable because it proved the suspect’s guiltiness so clearly.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Beowulf Comprehension Questions
I split up the questions with a group of 5 including myself. Meghan Martella was responsilble for the first eleven questions, Taylor Duguran for 11-21, Zach Roy for 34-45, and Bailey Wineman for the last two sections. As you can see I completed questions 22-33.
Beowulf Fights Grendel’s Mother (lines 1383-1650, pg.63-68)
3 In preparation for his battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf dresses in his new armor he was given by Hrothgar. Beowulf brings with him a sword borrowed from Unferth.
4. When Beowulf enters the mere Grendel’s mother reaches out and pulls him under with her claws. She pulls him far enough down so that other sea monsters will not interfere with their fight.
5. When Beowulf uses the sword it is unable to cut Grendel’s mother and she remains unscathed.
6. Beowulf is protected from Grendel’s Mother largely due to his armor. To combat her attacks he uses his bare hands to break free.
7. In battle, Beowulf sees the sword of Eoten’s and uses it to slay Grendel’s mother. He then proceeds to cut off her head and a bring it back with him. The sword is melted because of the monster’s blood.
8. The men had been mourning before Beowulf returned because they thought he had failed below. The men rejoiced at the sight of their hero.
Further Celebration at Heorot (lines 1651-1798, pg. 68-71)
1. Beowulf gives Hrothgar the hilt of his sword as a symbol of his victory.
2. Hrothgar praises Beowulf but tells him that in order to be successful he needs to be a fair ruler and give wealth to the worthy. He tells the story of Heremod who was a cruel ruler who soon lost the support of his followers. The king was murdered by his people. Hrothgar urges Beowulf to not follow in his footsteps.
3. Beowulf returns Unfeth’s sword, Hrunting.
Beowulf Returns Home (lines 1799-2199, pgs. 71-79)
1. Hrothgar predicts Beowulf will remain a hero and rule the people.
2. Hygd is a queen who differs from Modthryth because she does not kill her people for simply looking at her.
Beowulf Fights Grendel’s Mother (lines 1383-1650, pg.63-68)
3 In preparation for his battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf dresses in his new armor he was given by Hrothgar. Beowulf brings with him a sword borrowed from Unferth.
4. When Beowulf enters the mere Grendel’s mother reaches out and pulls him under with her claws. She pulls him far enough down so that other sea monsters will not interfere with their fight.
5. When Beowulf uses the sword it is unable to cut Grendel’s mother and she remains unscathed.
6. Beowulf is protected from Grendel’s Mother largely due to his armor. To combat her attacks he uses his bare hands to break free.
7. In battle, Beowulf sees the sword of Eoten’s and uses it to slay Grendel’s mother. He then proceeds to cut off her head and a bring it back with him. The sword is melted because of the monster’s blood.
8. The men had been mourning before Beowulf returned because they thought he had failed below. The men rejoiced at the sight of their hero.
Further Celebration at Heorot (lines 1651-1798, pg. 68-71)
1. Beowulf gives Hrothgar the hilt of his sword as a symbol of his victory.
2. Hrothgar praises Beowulf but tells him that in order to be successful he needs to be a fair ruler and give wealth to the worthy. He tells the story of Heremod who was a cruel ruler who soon lost the support of his followers. The king was murdered by his people. Hrothgar urges Beowulf to not follow in his footsteps.
3. Beowulf returns Unfeth’s sword, Hrunting.
Beowulf Returns Home (lines 1799-2199, pgs. 71-79)
1. Hrothgar predicts Beowulf will remain a hero and rule the people.
2. Hygd is a queen who differs from Modthryth because she does not kill her people for simply looking at her.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Beowulf Reading Notes
Prologue- Chapter 10
Wrath of Grendel
- Originally in Old English, passed down orally
- Blend of fiction and non fiction, elements of both
- Beowulf son of great king Scyld
- Grendel monster who eats the sleeping men
- Beowulf wants to prove his strength and bravery
- exiled, understood by no one
- longs to be in Rome
- hates people surrounding him
- feels hopeless, lost cause
Wrath of Grendel
- celebration at Herot, Grendel the monster waits outside
- snatches 30 men, Herot deserts
- hears of Grendel and heads towards kind
- call themselves the Geats, men who follow Higlac
- Beowulf wins using bare hands
- Beowulf vows to kill Grendel's mother in underwater lair
- weapons are useless at first, uses sword on wall to defeat her
- returns home and grows old as king, dragon invades
- Sword breaks, men flee
- Wiglaf helps Beowulf kill dragon
- dying Beowulf asks for Dragon's treasure
- Beowulf buried with treasure, denounced Geats bitter over death
- The Spoils and Farewell
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
My Opinion Isn't (A) Right
"Right to Your Opinion”
Socratic Seminar
- Declaring that you have a right to your opinion is a fallacy and irrelevant in an argument
- People only willing to accept that their opinions are wrong are in cases like not seeing an oncoming car (when in danger)
- We do not have the right we think we do, cannot do anything we want to our bodies because could potentially harm others
- The words entitled and rights are thrown around and not taken very seriously anymore
Socratic Seminar
- Our world embodies interdependence: everyone is dependent on everyone else
- Drunk drivers have laws not to protect only them but others
- Rights: create obligation for someone else to listen and respect and take into consideration what you are saying
- Limbic: emotional parts of brain (defensive, angry), the terrible twos
- Schema: way of thinking that makes things the most economically pleasing, efficiently causes us to look at things certain ways
- We don’t have right to opinion because of the definition of right
- Allowed to have our own opinions but others are not obligated to respect them
Monday, August 19, 2013
Reflections on Week 1
1. I believe I have many beneficial factors that will affect my performance in this class. Over the summer I purchased an iphone so now I have access to the internet wherever I go which will allow me to view my blog on the move. In addition, I am familiar with many of my class members which means collaborating and communicating will be very easy. However, one major element I am worried about is my schedule. I need to find a way to balance this class, soccer, volunteering, and my job,
2. My best learning experience is a little unorthodox…. Junior year I came home around eleven due to a CIF championship soccer game and I begged my mom to let me stay home from school the next day. She replied that my the lackluster effort I had been putting into my work did not deserve such a vacation. She then proceeded to tell me that I was allowed to stay home the next day but I would have to be grounded that following weekend. Due to my exhaustion and love for sleep I decided to sacrifice my weekend and stay home. That Friday, Saturday and Sunday I dedicated to becoming a person “worthy” of a vacation, I vowed to become someone people look at and respect not label as mediocre. I learned that going through the motions was bullshit and then I needed to start putting in effort and getting the most out of opportunities but in front of me. I can proudly say I finished the year with a room that stayed clean, solid grades that did not just scrape by, and a positive determined new outlook.
3. Like I mentioned before I am concerned with balancing this class with my schedule but beyond that I can’t say I am very scared for anything else. I am excited that we will be doing a lot of reading in this class because it is a hobby that I have unfortunately shelved (pun kind of intended). I am also excited because this is the first time I have actually gotten to see and read my peers’ work. I think it is very beneficial to be able to see their ideas and communicate and collaborate through the blog. I think this class with make a practical difference in my life because hopefully it will prepare me better for college and ultimately all writing and speaking I will do later on in life.
2. My best learning experience is a little unorthodox…. Junior year I came home around eleven due to a CIF championship soccer game and I begged my mom to let me stay home from school the next day. She replied that my the lackluster effort I had been putting into my work did not deserve such a vacation. She then proceeded to tell me that I was allowed to stay home the next day but I would have to be grounded that following weekend. Due to my exhaustion and love for sleep I decided to sacrifice my weekend and stay home. That Friday, Saturday and Sunday I dedicated to becoming a person “worthy” of a vacation, I vowed to become someone people look at and respect not label as mediocre. I learned that going through the motions was bullshit and then I needed to start putting in effort and getting the most out of opportunities but in front of me. I can proudly say I finished the year with a room that stayed clean, solid grades that did not just scrape by, and a positive determined new outlook.
3. Like I mentioned before I am concerned with balancing this class with my schedule but beyond that I can’t say I am very scared for anything else. I am excited that we will be doing a lot of reading in this class because it is a hobby that I have unfortunately shelved (pun kind of intended). I am also excited because this is the first time I have actually gotten to see and read my peers’ work. I think it is very beneficial to be able to see their ideas and communicate and collaborate through the blog. I think this class with make a practical difference in my life because hopefully it will prepare me better for college and ultimately all writing and speaking I will do later on in life.
Vocabulary #1
apotheosis: elevation to divine status
ascetic: rigorously abstinent, austere
bauble: showy, cheap ornament
beguile: influence by trickery
burgeon: grow or develop quickly
complement: something that completes or makes perfect
contumacious: stubbornly rebellious
curmudgeon: bad tempered person
didactic: instructive
disingenuous: lacking in sincerity
exculpate: free from blame
faux pas: slip in manners
fulminate: explode with loud noise
fustian: bombastic language
hauteur: fancy
inhibit: to prohibit, restrain
jeremiad: mournful complaint
opportunist: one who takes advantage of any opportunity presented
unconscionable: not guided by conscious
The adumbrative picture shed light on what the model car would look like when completed.
Some monks claim to have reached an apotheosis after attending Buddhist monasteries for long periods of time.
To some the Mormon way of life seems ascetic.
The bauble she wore around her neck make her look trashy and cheap.
Laura tried to beguile her English teacher into giving her no homework for the night.
The burgeoning garden was home to fresh flowers and squash.
Philip told everyone that his fiancé complemented or completed him.
Heather’s parents blamed her contumacious attitude on the fact that she was going through the teenage years.
Nobody wanted to take the professor’s class because word around school was that he was a curmudgeon.
Packaged furniture often comes with didactic booklets.
The mayor’s disingenuous speech left most of the crowd dissatisfied.
When the thief confessed to the crime, the previous suspected was exculpated.
Wearing your hat at the dinner table is a well known social faux pas.
The chemicals fulminated when put into the same tube.
The author’s fustian essays had superfluous words and quotes.
The actor’s hauteur was almost tangible.
The hungry travelers were full of jeremiads.
Henry was an opportunist, he stove to take advantage of everything presented to him.
Bethany’s unconscionable actions were almost unforgivable in the eyes of her peers.
AP Essay 1987 #2
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is the compelling story of a family’s physical and emotional journey through the unforgiving African Congo. Interlaced into the family’s journalistic encounters are political under tones of a Congolese rebellion against the unfair Belgian and American rule. In this political allegory, we see western insensitivity and blatant cruelty through Kingsolver’s bleak depiction of the average struggling Congo citizen. It is clear that Kingsolver, is disgusted by American and Belgian greed and wishes to bring justice to a situation that was kept quiet for so long. She conveys a call to action and emotional appeals to the audience through strong metaphors and symbolic personification.
Metaphors are prevalent in the text even from the very beginning. When Reverend Nathan Price arrives in the Congo he is set on converting the Congolese people to Christianity. Even though it is clear within the first few days that his forceful, offensive tactics will not heed success he fails to compromise with the Congolese. Nathan feels as though these people are so beneath him their opinions are the equivalent of a child’s and worth even less. His arrogant, demeaning attitude is a metaphorical representation of the West’s attitude toward Africa. Kingsolver employs this extended metaphor to show her audience how terrible the West treated the Congo. Later on in the novel the youngest of the Price daughters dies due to a snake bite. Ruth May’s mother, Orleanna Price, is consumed with guilt for standing by and letting her husband keep them in the dangerous Congo. This is another metaphor for the guilt the American people felt when America’s cruelty was brought to light. This metaphor serves as a reminder that although faulted, the West does recognize their offensives and regret and guilt plagues some.
Personification also plays a large role in influencing the audience. Insensitive, vain, materialistic Rachel Price personifies the West as a whole. Her selfish actions and egotistic attitude are similar to the way America and Belgium were acting. In contrast, Leah Price serves as the Congo’s representation acting unselfishly and living on a very small budget for the later part of her life. She embodies the life of a true Congolese and the audience is consumed with compassion when she depicts her struggles with Anatole. Kingsolver uses Leah’s journey as an emotional appeal to resonate feelings of empathy towards Leah and ultimately all of the Congo.
Kingsolver not only entertains an audience but also educates them about previous wrongdoings between nations. She sheds light on the injustice of the Belgian and American dealings with the Congolese and makes it clear that this type of cruelty in disgusting and unacceptable. She conveys a call to action and emotional pleas through different metaphors and extended personification.
Metaphors are prevalent in the text even from the very beginning. When Reverend Nathan Price arrives in the Congo he is set on converting the Congolese people to Christianity. Even though it is clear within the first few days that his forceful, offensive tactics will not heed success he fails to compromise with the Congolese. Nathan feels as though these people are so beneath him their opinions are the equivalent of a child’s and worth even less. His arrogant, demeaning attitude is a metaphorical representation of the West’s attitude toward Africa. Kingsolver employs this extended metaphor to show her audience how terrible the West treated the Congo. Later on in the novel the youngest of the Price daughters dies due to a snake bite. Ruth May’s mother, Orleanna Price, is consumed with guilt for standing by and letting her husband keep them in the dangerous Congo. This is another metaphor for the guilt the American people felt when America’s cruelty was brought to light. This metaphor serves as a reminder that although faulted, the West does recognize their offensives and regret and guilt plagues some.
Personification also plays a large role in influencing the audience. Insensitive, vain, materialistic Rachel Price personifies the West as a whole. Her selfish actions and egotistic attitude are similar to the way America and Belgium were acting. In contrast, Leah Price serves as the Congo’s representation acting unselfishly and living on a very small budget for the later part of her life. She embodies the life of a true Congolese and the audience is consumed with compassion when she depicts her struggles with Anatole. Kingsolver uses Leah’s journey as an emotional appeal to resonate feelings of empathy towards Leah and ultimately all of the Congo.
Kingsolver not only entertains an audience but also educates them about previous wrongdoings between nations. She sheds light on the injustice of the Belgian and American dealings with the Congolese and makes it clear that this type of cruelty in disgusting and unacceptable. She conveys a call to action and emotional pleas through different metaphors and extended personification.
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