Literary Analysis #4

A Christmas Carol: by Charles Dickens


GENERAL
1. In this book Ebenezer Scrooge is living a horrible life. He's not honest with those around and doesn't quite live a happy life. So one night he is visited by three ghosts: ghost of Christmas past, present, and yet to come. On each visit they show a glimpse of what Scrooge's life was, is, and will be like. Scrooge is confounded and scared and doesn't really know what to make of it. He however looks within himself and finds the true spirit of Christmas.
2. I believe the theme of this book is to learn from your past in order to change your present and gain a better future. Scrooge had somewhat of a happy childhood, but as he grew up he became dark and aloof. He was not an honest man, and didn't associate with them either considering who his partner was. However once the ghost of Christmas yet to come showed Scrooge that he will eventually die with nobody by his side he realized what an idiot he was being by being so distant and dishonest. He changed his ways to have the hope that a brighter future would be his.
3. The tone the author used came across as comical to me. I thought it was hilarious that in the beginning of the story he was so set making sure that we knew Scrooge's partner, Marley, was dead. He even made allusions to Hamlet to make us believe, as if we wouldn't have! “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” The author made Scrooge a cold person, but he wrote in a way so that we didn't think of the whole story as dark and 'unreadable'.
4.

• allusion: referenced Hamlet in the beginning so the audience would believe Marley was dead
• analysis: obviously showed when breaking up the different Christmas' to see how Scrooge was
• analogy: when Dickens wrote that Marley was as dead as a door nail
• argumentation: Dickens was able to make the audience believe Marley was dead with truth
• denouement: wrote that Scrooge made up with his family and treated Tiny Tim as his own
• evocation: used with the ghost of Christmas past brought Scrooge to his past
• imagery: author used great details to explain each situation
• motif: a ghost, different each time but fighting for the same cause
• poignant: audience feels when it's learned that Scrooge dies alone
• suspension of disbelief: were the ghost always perceived as real?

CHARACTERIZATION
1. Direct: "External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him." & "Scrooge, referring to Marley's ghost which he believes is a hallucination from food poisoning." These quotes show that Scrooge isn't really affected by anything. He stays who he is and isn't really open to anything else.
Indirect: "Scrooge returned. 'It's enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people's. Mine occupies me constantly.'" & " "I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy." These quotes show the growth that Scrooge goes through. He begins without a care in the world besides his own of course and then how he changes for those around him and show the spirit of the holiday.
2. The author is basically always focused on who Scrooge is and what he does with his life so the syntax and diction doesn't change all that much. He used language not many of us use today, but it was easily understandable. The author's use of adjectives was very high as well because he often explained everything in great detail to really get the feel of the story.
3. Ebenezer Scrooge is definitely a round, dynamic character. There really wouldn't be much of a story without him being this way. If he had stayed the cold, cynical person he was after the journey with the ghosts, then we would know where he would end up, dead and alone. This is not how a Christmas story should be told so the author had him grow up and become a man that truly lives his life so we can picture a better future for him.
4. After reading this book I feel like I read a character. This is how I feel when I read most stories, unless I get so caught up that I find myself wanting to meet them. Scrooge turned out to be a great guy, but he is not necessarily someone I need in my life so I find myself at a distance when thinking about his character.

Thinking Outside the Box

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

I can picture my own personal hell in two ways. One being in a dark, torture chamber with fire all around because that would simply scare me like crazy. However I can also picture a room that has no doors and inside with me are people that I simply cannot stand or have wronged me in the past. (I'm a grudge-holder so being around people that have been mean to me in a way that I can't forget would be unbearable.) Honestly in my way of thinking I probably won't be able to find peace in a horrible environment. I take in what's around me and if everything around is bad and dark then in a sense I would become that way too.

2) Could hell be described as too much of anything without a break? Are variety, moderation and balance instruments we use to keep us from boiling in any inferno of excess,' whether it be cheesecake or ravenous sex?

I suppose hell can be perceived as this, but I wouldn't find my hell to be like that. Every year for the past four years I have attended dance classes ten hours per week and I love it. This being my passion could never be my hell. Now if I was stuck in school for the rest of my life this would be a different story...

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

I could never imagine not being able to sleep and find peace within the darkness because sometimes I like just being alone. Being stuck is not any way I would want to live...or not live considering these characters are dead. My activities become hell simply if I decide within myself that I'm not going to enjoy doing it. This is a dumb way to go about life. One has to look forward and see what will come so as to get past the less exciting chores without dragging them out and making them boring.

4) Compare how Plato and Sartre describe the limitations of our thinking and imply solutions to the problem. Be sure to analyze their literary techniques, especially their use of allegory and extended metaphor.

They seem to tell us that we only know what we see, and that instead of this we must look beyond to find truth. (This reminds me of Lion King 1 1/2 when Rafiki tells Timon to look beyond what he see's in order to find his dream home and happiness.) They explain that we have to break out of our shells and really take a look at life in order to grow and gain knowledge.

Literature Analysis #3

Les Misérables

Allegory of the Cave Sonnet

The prisoners lived in darkness,
Unable to see the truth.
They accept the shadows in front of them,
Not looking for true meaning.
One changes his gaze,
And finds his way out.
Outside he is confused,
But the light soon speaks to him.
He learns of life,
And the way it should be lived.
To his people he returns,
To explain his new knowledge,
But they push him away,
So instead of things being clear, they’re gray.

---Apparently I did this wrong because it doesn't rhyme or is in iambic pentameter. I don't remember Preston saying this, but just so you're aware, I know.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

Abby Kuhlman and I collaborated to answer these questions.

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?
The allegory of the cave deals with the relationship between ignorance and enlightenment and charts the path to becoming a philosopher: one with a greater understanding of the world around him. The prisoners in the cave know only of the tip of the iceberg while the philosopher can see everything below the surface as well. There is more to everything that we perceive and this will only be apparent if you exit the cave.

2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?
The cave itself, prisoners, light/darkness, and the shadows.

3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?
The path to becoming enlightened can be painful to someone who has lived with such a narrow view of the world. The influx of new information will be immense and almost inconceivable and this causes us to turn from it and try to seek what we had once known as true (when you feel blinded by the light so you look away to the darkness). Eventually we become accustomed to the light and realize that the shadows on the walls (our narrow-mindedness) were far different than from what actually made them.

4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?
The shackles and cave suggest that the prisoners are being forced into their ignorance. also, that if they were given the choice, the prisoners would turn and go to to the light. however they are prevented of doing so by the shackles.

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?
The media which provides a biased and distorted view of the truth. They force us to believe one thing when in reality the truth is something completely different.

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?
Well it seems that the freed prisoner learns of a new sense of reality when he was released. He saw what was true and actually in front of him, not merely shadows on a wall. However the cave prisoners cannot be called ignorant because they don't know any better. All their lives they knew of the strange beings that appeared in front of them and were never given the opportunity to explore.

7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?
Lack of clarity and confusion occurred when the prisoners only saw the shadows and were unable to see what the actual object was. They couldn't look beyond and therefore couldn't learn to see the true meaning behind what they saw. This gave them no way of understanding.

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?
Cave prisoners become free when they are released to the outside world. They learn the true nature of things and adapt to the reality that comes. This then leads to their intellectual freedom because knowledge is finally being gained. No longer would they be sitting staring at images on walls and not knowing how they were actually being produced.

9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Appearances are never true to reality, they are mirages we create to fit in and conform to a society that demands a certain picturesque image. It is why we always say never judge a book by its cover: the outer self does not always match up with the inner.

10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?
I think that an alternate would be if reality was to be based off of our intuition. Therefore what we think, how we act, and what we want can all be related together with what our lifestyle is like. Also assumptions can be made and lead us toward different paths, but it's still our decision to be who we are and continue learning the unknown.

Reciting 'Sonnet 43'

Reciting 'To Be or Not To Be'

The Big Question

Honestly why do people care what other people think of them?

Vocabulary List #11

Affinity- relationship by marriage
---I hope that their is an affinity in my future.
Bilious- of a peevish ill nature disposition
---Draco acted bilious whenever faced with difficulties.
Cognate- of the same nature
---I am cognate as my friend Abby because we're basically twins.
Corollary- a proposition inferred immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof
--- I had a corollary about how she got hurt based on the fact that she was a dancer.
Cul-de-sac- a dead end
---The cul-de-sacs are fun palces to go to because it's like you have your own little village.
Derring-do- a daring action
---I rarely follow through with derring-do's because I get scared really easily.
Divination- the practice that seeks to foretell future events
---If divination was a real subject, I would love to take a class and see the future.
Elixir- A substance capable of prolonging life indefinitely
---There was a man in Harry Potter that drank the elixir of life to live to be over 500.
Folderol- a useless accessory
---Scarves are my favorite accessory whereas bracelets are folderols.
Gamut- an entire range or series
---The gamut of the Percy Jackson books is amazing and really enjoyable.
Hoi polloi- the general populace
---The hoi polloi of Righetti is of Hispanic decent.
Ineffable- incapable of being expressed in words
---I believe most emotions are ineffable and actions rather explain them.
Lucubration- to study by night
---I often follow the idea of lucubration so as to pass my school tests.
Mnemonic- intended to assist memory
---I make mnemonics to remember voabulary easier to remember.
Obloquy- abusive language
---I never speak with obloquy, especially to my parents.
Parameter- an independent variable used to express the coordinates of variable point and functions of them
---The parameter helped me find what I was looking for.
Pundit- a learned man
---I hope my future husband is pundit so that he has some chivalry.
Risible- provoking laughter
---The TV show 'Ridiculousness' is often risible.
Symptomatic- having the characteristics of a certain disease but arising of a different cause
---My body aching was symptomatic from having the flu.
Volte-face- a reversal in policy
---Righetti should have a volte-face when it comes to the dress code because it's never enforced and some people just look ridiculous and inappropriate.

Sonnet

Sonnet 43

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sigh

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun abd candlelight.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints--I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I chose this sonnet because it's all about love and I'm a hopeless romantic! :)

Growing My PLN

I chose the blog that I felt was the most helpful to me. It had straight-forward, simple summaries of what happened in each scene. I messaged the blog asking for any other help that they could possibly leave me with about Hamlet. I tried to act enthusiastic and I added my blog's URL. (However the blog was used some years ago so I am not sure if a response is something that may happen)

AP Hamlet PLN

http://gallagherseniorhonors.blogspot.com/2008/02/hamlet-study-guide-for-act-11-31.html
---This blog is very similar to ours and contains many viewpoints that could help us learn more about Hamlet.
http://aplove.blogspot.com/2007/11/ap-lit-hamlet-actscene-notes.html
---This blog contains very brief notes that can help us understand the simple plot line of Hamlet.
http://apenglangghs2014.blogspot.com/?m=1
---This blog has new questions and other students thoughts on certain elements of Hamlet.
http://apbridges.blogspot.com/
---This blog shows new ways to learn and understand Hamlet by making Shakespeare your own.
http://quizlet.com/subject/hamlet-ap-english/
---This website can help any student understand the way Shakespeare wrote.

Literary Analysis #2

Anna Karenina by: Leo Tolstoy

GENERAL
1. A brief summary for the plot line of Anna Karenina can either be really long or a mere sentence so I'll try for something in between. I believe it is about a choice between love or the things that are expected of you. It seems that throughout almost every marriage has gone wrong in some way or another so what does Anna decided to do? She finds someone she, for a period of time, truly loves and wants to be with despite the marriage and children she was already invested in. This era that she lived in was very different from ours: one was scorned for committing adultery, divorce was unheard of, and different social classes did not mix, even in the slightest. However Anna didn't seem to care. She fell for Vronsky and then quite literally fell to her death.
2. I believe the author's purpose of writing this story was to show that people are not perfect and that they can surprise you. This is showed in the ending of this book when Levin suddenly realizes he loves his son because of what the peasant mentioned to him, "...But whether it is faith or not-I don't know what it is-but that feeling has entered just as imperceptibly into my soul through suffering and has lodged itself there firmly." This is something Anna Karenina didn't have and the that's the reason I believe she died. She didn't believe in herself, Vronsky, or the mere goodness in people. All she saw was the heartache in herself and the sad life she was given after her affair became public. All one needs is a little faith to get through the 'dark and scary' parts of life.
3. "All happy families are like one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." This quote really spoke to me and I think it was a great way to begin the story of Anna Karenina. This is sad in a way because it is so true, there can be a million things wrong that makes a family not want to be a family and so few things to make them want to stay together. From this I think the author showed a slight darkness to him, but only a speaker of the truth. "[Vronsky] felt like a king, not because he believed that he had made an impression on Anna-he did not believe that yet-but because the impression she had made on him filled him with happiness and pride." The way the author had this come across was that Anna was everything. She was the desirable one, the one everybody stared at; women were jealous and men wanted to be her lover. Again it shows what we can only visualize as true, or at least how everyone perceived this truth. "At every step he found that he was disappointed in his former dreams and discovered new and unexpected enchantments." This is then when the author finally becomes 'light' in a way. He shows there is belief that life can be good. This shows growth in the author, but also that he really knew what he was talking about.
4.

• Zeitgeist - The author really gave you the feel of this 'victorian' era by including the clothes, how people treated one another, the social classes, etc.
• Tragedy - Anna Karenina went through so much to get to the life she wanted to live, but in the end couldn't handle the pressure and killed herself.
• Thesis - The quote I stated at the beginning of Q. #3 clearly shows a statement that is going to be challenged.
• Foreshadowing - Anna knowing the person who was killed by the train, which is eventually what led to her same demise.
• Romanticism - I think the author was fighting for this cause by having Anna do everything she wasn't supposed to do during this era.
• Pathos - I felt sad for Levin at the beginning of the story because Kitty didn't reciprocate his feelings.
• Inference - Anna 'fell' in front of the train, but it is to be clearly believed that she jumped.
• Imagery - It was very easy to picture everything going on because the author was very descriptive.
• Dogma - Shown by the author by having all the people scorn and ridicule Anna after her adultery was known by all. (It wasn't accepted at all at this time)
• Conflict - I believe the only part in the story that didn't contain conflict was when Levin finally realized his love for his son.

CHARACTERIZATION 

1.

• Direct: (1) We are told the exact looks and persona of Anna Karenina making us want to like who she is. (2) After Levin is married to Kitty it clearly states that he is happy. (He is the type of man that knows how to love and do things correctly)
• Indirect: (1) When Kitty blushes after meeting Levin. (She never says she likes him, but it becomes known through her facial expressions that she does) (2) The need Anna had to see her son. (This showed that no matter the mistakes she made, she was still committed-in a way- to her family)

I believe the author uses both to keep things interesting and not give everybody's feelings away.

2. I think the way the author says things is the same throughout the book, but the content and the deepness of what he says when focusing on a different character. Levin is a character that grows, starting as a dark person wanting everything but not knowing how to attain it, to a cheerful fellow married with a son and content with his life. Whereas Anna is the opposite. She begins all pompous and cheerful, but then is dragged down by the weight of her terrible marriage and the disrespect from the people around her.

3. The protagonist, Anna Karenina, is a dynamic and round character in a sort of backwards way. Instead of growing into the great woman she could have become she instead started out as great as she could be and then had a serious falling out. She became disheveled, bothersome, and no longer the woman that everyone looked at and wanted to be with.

4. I definitely felt like I read a character. This is nothing against the way Tolstoy wrote it, but considering the era this woman lived in, I would find it very hard to believe to have her show up in my home town. Also I didn't find her all that appealing and when that happens I tend to not want to get to know that person. "...Dolly looked thinner, but remembering that her own looks had improved and that Dolly's eyes had told her so, she sighed and began talking about herself." Anna was so self absorbed and didn't seem to have a care for anyone else.

Vocabulary List #10

Aficionado: a serious devotee
- I find myself to be an aficionado of the Percy Jackson series of books.
Browbeat: to intimidate or be bossy towards
- I dislike when people assert their authority by browbeating.
Commensurate: corresponding in size of degree
- The payment commensurates with the amount of work I did.
Diaphanous: so thin as to transmit light
- The vase was diaphanous because I could see the stems of the flowers through it.
Emolument: compensation received for employment
- I hope that when I am older that I get paid high emolument.
Foray: to steal goods; a rade
- The only place I would ever foray would be my own kitchen.
Genre: a kind of literary or artistic work
- I have found that my favorite genre to read is fantasy.
Homily: a sermon on a moral or religious topic
- I have only attended a few homilies because my family is not very religious.
Immure: to lock up or confine
- Sometimes I have to immure my dogs to the backyard because they like to run away.
Insouciant: marked by blithe unconcern
- I never act insouciant when a friend is having a bad day.
Matrix: an enclosure within which something originates
- The womb was the matrix for a baby.
Obsequies: a funeral ceremony
- At my aunt's obsequy, my cousin threw her ashes into the ocean.
Panache: distinctive and stylish elegance
- My grandma has a walker, but is so cute that she still has panache.
Persona: a personal facade that one presents to the world
- I would like to think that my persona is a happy one.
Philippic: a speech of violent denunciation
- People become scary whenever they give philippics.
Prurient: characterized by lust
- I hope that most people don't make decisions on who they want to be with when prurient.
Sacrosanct: must be kept sacred
- People often go to church because they know that it is sacrosanct.
Systemic: affecting an entire system
- I hope that I never have a disease that is systemic.
Tendentious: having a strong, controversial tendency or inclination
- Rarely do I have tendentious thoughts, but if I do I don't act on them.
Vicissitude: mutability in life or nature
- I may not be an environmentalist, but I don't plan on following the path of vicissitude either.

How Technology Changes the Way I Think

"Back in 2004, I asked [Google founders] Page and Brin what they saw as the future of Google search. 'It will be included in people's brains,' said Page. 'When you think about something and don't really know much about it, you will automatically get information.'
'That's true,' said Brin. 'Ultimately I view Google as a way to augment your brain with the knowledge of the world. Right now you go into your computer and type a phrase, but you can imagine that it could be easier in the future, that you can have just devices you talk into, or you can have computers that pay attention to what's going on around them and suggest useful information.'
'Somebody introduces themselves to you, and your watch goes to your web page,' said Page. 'Or if you met this person two years ago, this is what they said to you... Eventually you'll have the implant, where if you think about a fact, it will just tell you the answer."
---From In the Plex by Steven Levy (p.67)

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

The first thought that comes to mind is that either we're becoming robots or are using our technology as robots to do the things we would rather not. I am not saying this is bad in a sense, but that things have changed a lot in just a mere ten years. When I was seven I watched movies on VCR's, my mother had a flip phone from Cingular that rarely had service, and we actually sometimes used books for references. Now things are different, easier in fact, but maybe not in so little words better. Now don't get me wrong, I love my iphone and how I can search the internet from almost anywhere and that I can watch movies from Netflix on it, but it almost brings the fun out of life. I miss the days where going on a bike ride was the best things any kid could do. So my thinking is at a loss on this subject. I love the technology, but also just miss the way things were.

Notes on Hamlet

When we first started the play I saw Hamlet as the 'poor boy' who lost his father and watched his mother marry a horrible replacement father. However things have changed since then. Hamlet no longer looks like a lost puppy. He took it upon himself to kill Polonius and felt no remorse. How can anyone sane be like that? Also a friend was able to convince me that Gertrude married Claudius because she was doing what she thought was best for her son. She wanted him to still be in line for the throne and in order to do that Hamlet must stay in his father's family. From this point on I see Hamlet's ruse of crazy morphing into actual crazy. All he is focused on right now is revenge and there is only so far you can go before it's to late to come back.

Who Was Shakespeare?

Little is known about Shakespeare. His date of birth is a mystery and even what he looked like is something not really known. However we may not know who we was but we know what he did and what he still moves people with. He is one of the greatest drama play-writers as of yet. Most students don't see him this way, but instead shudder at the thought of any of his writings. Why? It don't make no sense! However I have found that reading it aloud and collaborating with others, it makes his plays have much more meaning to them (and I actually can understand what he was talking about!) Shakespeare seemed to write in a backwards language, but actually he is very literal. The reader must keep their pace slow enough to let it sink in and then the meaning will follow after. The struggles come from the words that Shakespeare made up. I don't have an examples, but I know that throughout his plays he created new words to fit his writing style.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/merchant/shakespeare.html

To Facebook or Not to Facebook?

I have always thought of Facebook as a place to reconnect with past friends and make a way to stay in touch with those you see everyday. I found that this may be true, however we are being used at the same time. They use our personal information we put on our page. Also not only do my 'friends' see my page, but completely random strangers do as well because there is nothing blocking them from it. Reading this article shows how dangerous Facebook could be for younger kids and even for us teenagers. I suppose Mark Zuckerburg is only doing this to make money, but it would be nice if he cared. This isn't going to stop me from using it, but I know now to be a lot more careful of what I put on the internet.

Vocabulary List #9 (Picture Dictionary Harry Potter Style)

Abortive: failing to produce the intended result

Bruit: spread a report or rumor widely

Contumelious: scornful and insulting behavior

Dictum: a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source; a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle

Ensconce: establish or settle

 

Iconoclastic: characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions 

In medias res: a narrative that begins somewhere in the middle of a story rather than the beginning 

 

Internecine: destructive to both sides in a conflict

 

Maladroit: ineffective or bungling; clumsy

Maudlin: self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness 

Modulate: exert a modifying or controlling influence on

Portentous: of or like a portent; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner

Prescience: the power to foresee the future

 

Quid pro quo: a favor or advantage granted in return for something

Salubrious: health-giving, healthy; pleasant, not run-down

Saturnalia: the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December; an occasion of wild revelry

Touchstone: a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized 

Traumatic: emotionally disturbing or distressing; relating to or causing psychological trauma

Vitiate: spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of; destroy or impair the legal validity of

 

Waggish: humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner

Hamlet Remix Act 3

This is a link to Abby Kuhlman's blog and to our analysis on whether Hamlet is truly sane or insane.
akuhlmanrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com

(If link not working, please copy and paste on your search engine to get to her blog)

The Vocabulary Midterm

I have to say that I did a lot better then I expected considering I misplaced the first two vocabulary lists and didn't have all that much time to study during the week due to my dance classes and other homework assignments. My score reflected the fact that i knew them though. From this, it implies that I studied hard the first time around and committed the words to my brain. Next time around though I will definitely put more effort into knowing every single word and its definition. Flash cards and study time with friends for me!

Vocabulary List #8

Dear Ophelia

Literary Analysis #1

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

CHARACTERIZATION

1) Direct Characterization: "Her size is small." "My care was how to endure the blow which would certainly follow the insult."
Indirect Characterization: "She had dispensed me from joining the group." "I am glad you are of no relation to mine."
All these examples show that Jane Eyre is just a little girl who is not afraid to show how she feels. I find I am similar in this way which can be bad because she fights for what she wants even though sometimes it's in the wrong way which leads to the disliking of her.
2) The diction and syntax stays the same throughout the book because we see the story through the perspective of Jane Eyre. This character is one who sticks with her beliefs and it would be very odd if the author were to change some aspect, even the writing style, because that's not how Jane Eyre is.
3) I believe Jane Eyre is a static, but round character. Even at ten years old she knows who she is and that nothing anybody says or does is going to change that. It seems that she has no love in her heart, but when she speaks of Edward Rochester there is no doubt in my mind that affections for others were always inside of her and that they just needed a reason to come out.
4) I feel like I read a character and I think that's the way it should be. Books are meant to be read and hopefully not have crazed fans that are out looking for the real Jane Eyre. "My Edward and I, then, are happy: and the more so, because those we most love are happy likewise." I think this is something that everybody someday hopes to achieve. However I have never felt this nor do many people speak like this much anymore because it's so difficult to find love. This makes her a character; one I hope that can be a person, like me, so I can have a similar happy ending.

What I Don't Know About Hamlet

1) Honestly all I really know about Hamlet was that it was a play written by Shakespeare. (I heard in a movie that he was a guy that couldn't really make up his mind about anything, but I'm not sure if this is true or not.)
2) Shakespeare was a writer from a long time ago. I know him mostly from his plays that he wrote, like The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, and that to most of us they are really confusing to read. He wrote in a way most of us don't understand. Also he used iambic pentameter, meaning each line contained ten syllables.
3) Students usually frown when they hear of Shakespeare mostly because they know it will take a lot of work to be able to understand what he is talking about. Also it seems most of his stories are sad and tragic and people don't usually like to see that happen.
4) I think we should act it out! Also going over what Shakespeare really means will help us so we can enjoy reading the story, but also actually understand what is happening.

Vocabulary List #7

Aberration - (noun) an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a state or condition markedly different from the norm
---There was an aberration in the picture making it look as though there was a ghost.
Ad hoc- (adverb) for the special purpose
---We met ad hoc so as to discuss how we were going to fundraise.
Bane - (noun) something causes misery or death
---The idea that my grandma may pass away was a great bane to my family.
Bathos - (noun) a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos
---People who use bathos should not be trusted with your feelings.
Cantankerous - (adj.) stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
---My sister always acts cantankerous when she doesn’t get enough sleep.
Casuistry - (noun) argumentation that is excessively subtle and intended to be misleading
---My sister often uses a way of casuistry so as to get her way without telling the truth.
De facto - (noun) in fact; in reality
---It would seem that de facto I am sadly not a superhero.
Depredation - (noun) an act of plundering and pillaging; a destructive action
---My mom caused a depredation when she refused to buy me chocolate.
Empathy - (noun) understanding and entering into another's feelings
---I felt empathy towards those who have lost people in their family.
Harbinger - (noun) an indication of the approach of something or someone; (verb) foreshadow or presage
---My parents harbingered that I would be smart and here I am.
Hedonism - (noun) the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle
---I follow hedonism almost every weekend because I don’t have time during the week.
Lackluster - (adj.) lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality
---The car was completely lackluster and needed a serious wax.
Malcontent - (adj.) discontented as toward authority; (noun) a person who is discontented or disgusted
---I hope that people don’t see me as a malcontent and that I basically hate the world.
Mellifluous - (adj.) pleasing to the ear
---Whenever someone tells me I look pretty it’s mellifluous.
Nepotism – (noun) favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)
---My dance teacher showed nepotism when choosing me for the job rather than the more qualified.
Pander - (noun) someone who procures customers for whores; (verb) arrange for sexual partners for others
---A person who has no life would become a pander so as to make money easily.
Peccadillo - (noun) a petty misdeed
---I committed a peccadillo when I ate my sister’s reeses without her permission
Piece de resistance - (noun) the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction.
---The piece de resistance in the dance world is to be a principal ballerina.
Remand - (noun) the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial
---Let’s hope that the court only remands guilty people.
Syndrome - (noun) a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease
---Many suffer from downs Syndrome which we hope we can avoid in the future.

Literature Analysis #1

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

GENERAL

1. The book Jane Eyre starts off with Jane as a young, ten year old girl and not exactly fitting in with her “family.” She wants nothing to do with them and eventually becomes so sick that it was suggested that she be sent away to school. She couldn’t be happier…until she realized how terrible the school was. Mr. Brocklehurst uses all the school’s funds for his own family and basically abuses most of the students. Jane eventually makes a friend, but because life is cruel said friend ends up dying from an epidemic that went around school. This sickness however showed how bad Brocklehurst was at running a school so he left and other men took his place. Jane became happier and ended up continuing schooling for 6 years and then teaching for 2 more after. She then wanted more out of life so she decided to teach French to Adele at the Thornfield manor. There she falls for her master, Rochester, who in turn has the same feelings. They want to wed, but on their special day they are interrupted by a man and his sister that claim she was married to Rochester. Rochester doesn’t deny it, but simply says she has gone crazy since then. After this Jane leaves knowing that she and Rochester could never truly be together. On her own, she eventually comes across Mary, Diana, and St. John who help her survive. After Jane is told that they are all actually cousins and that her father had left a small fortune for Jane. Jane splits it equally among her cousins. St. John decides he wants to me a missionary and that he wants Jane to join him in matrimony. She refuses because she does not love him. That night she realizes she needs to be with the man she loves. She goes to him and finds his manor burned to the ground. (Rochester’s “wife’s” fault) Though Thornfield burned he made it out alive, blind but alive. Eventually Jane and Rochester get married and have children of their own.

2. I believe the theme and the message in this novel is to show that not everything in life is fair. You honestly have to work hard to make it by even on the simplest of days. Through Jane’s life we see all the hardships that she went through, the rough spots, and the sadness but she made it. She did what she had to do and made the life she wanted to live. This book contains romance, but I don’t think the story was centered around that. Instead the author wanted to show the struggle one must go through when you finally find a person you care immensely about.

3. I believe the author showed growth in the way she had Jane speak. (This may seem obvious because the story begins with Jane as a 10 year old but that’s not the point.) She was so aloof to everyone in the beginning. “I am glad you are no relation of mine,” said Jane when speaking to her aunt. This was definitely NOT how a young girl should be speaking to her elder, but she didn’t care. It showed that she’s spunky in a way which, I believe, is what makes her likable. “Even for me life had its gleams of sunshine.” In the beginning Jane was on the outs quite a bit, but this quote shows that she believes there is still something out there no matter what is thrown at you. She becomes a new person that thought about things in a different way. “I am my husband’s life as fully as he is mine.” Again Jane grew to a more open person. She let herself be close to someone and was able to change because of it. The tone used in these quotes really helped explain what Jane had to go through. She starts off rough and then gets past that struggle to enjoy what was in the present.

Vocabulary List #6

Beatitude- Supreme blessedness

---I hope to sometime reach beatitude and find inner peace.

Bete noire- Someone or something which is particularly disliked or avoided

---To most children vegetables are bete noire.

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

---My aunt boded that I would be a dancer like her, which I did.

Dank- unpleasantly damp, musty, and typically cold

---The cabin we had to stay at was incredibly dank.

Ecumenical- general; universal

---Water being essential is ecumenical.

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

---I act fervid when I get a great idea and want to pursue it.

Fetid- Smelling extremely unpleasant or having an offensive odor

---Most dancers become fetid after each class no matter how much deodorant they put on.

Gargantuan- gigantic; enormous

---Pride Rock is gargantuan and the awesome house for lions.

Heyday- The period of a person's or thing's greatest success, popularity, vigor, strength, or success

---I think my most recent heyday was during my scholarship audition when the judges began crying because they felt the emotion I expressed.

Incubus- A cause of distress or anxiety like a nightmare

---All my homework assignments are an incubus and cause me to lose sleep.

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

---Our group didn’t have an infrastructure which led to us breaking apart.

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

---The people that are able to inveigle what they want should be ashamed if their reasons are unfair.

Kudos- Praise and honor received for an achievement

---My dance teacher often says, “Kudos,” to those who excel at the dance she taught.

Lagniappe- Something given as a bonus or extra gift.

---I love getting any type of lagniappe when I know that I have earned it.

Prolix- Using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy

---Most of the time I speak in prolix because I have issues when trying to get to the point.

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

---I have a little protégé named Charlie that will follow in my steps as a dancer.

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

---They made a prototype so as to show what the product will somewhat be like.

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

---The student acted as a sycophant towards the teacher after she failed her test.

Tautology- A phrase or expression in which the same thing is said twice in different words

---The idea of tautology is good when it comes to writing because you can restate your ideas with actually being repetitious.

Truckle- to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely; a small barrel-shaped cheese

---I decided to truckle rather than make the other party upset.

Vocabulary List #5

acumen (n): Quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgment or insight
- I hope that I have acumen so that I can easily know who to trust.
adjudicate (v): To study and settle a dispute or conflict
- I don’t like being a mediator, but I will always adjudicate a fight between my friends.
anachronism (n): One that is out of its proper or chronological order, especially a person or practice that belongs to an earlier time
- President Lincoln sent an email is an anachronism.
apocryphal (adj): Erroneous; fictitious
- The idea that a dog could hold a pencil with it’s paw is apocryphal.
disparity (n): The condition or fact of being unequal, as in age, rank, or degree; difference
- There is disparity in every high school because you start as a freshman and leave as a senior.
dissimulate (v): To conceal one's true feelings or intentions
- I often dissimulate whenever I am in a bad mood.
empirical (adj): Relying on or derived from observation or experiment
- I have to be empirical when learning information during my physics labs.
flamboyant (adj): Highly elaborate; ornate
- All of our dance recitals are flamboyant and amazing to watch.
fulsome (adj): Offensively flattering or insincere
- My friend acted fulsome when she said she would help me on my homework.
immolate (v): To kill as a sacrifice
- People often used to immolate so as to please the gods.
imperceptible (adj): Impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses
- The idea behind the plot of the movie Inception is imperceptible to me.
lackey (n): A liveried male servant
- I wish I had a lackey so I force someone to do something for me.
liaison (n): An instance or a means of communication between different groups or units of an organization
- My main liaison among my friends would definitely be my cell phone.
monolithic (adj): Massive, solid, and uniform
- The asteroid heading for Earth is monolithic.
mot juste (n): Exactly the right word or expression
- I hope to use mot juste whenever speaking to adults.
nihilism (n): Rejection of all distinctions in moral or religious value and a willingness to repudiate all previous theories of morality or religious belief
- I hope not to follow nihilism because I don’t want to lose who I am.
patrician (n): A person of refined upbringing, manners, and tastes
- My grandma acts as though she is a patrician because she has amazing etiquette.
propitiate (v): To conciliate (an offended power); appease
- I hope to propitiate all those who look up to me.
sic (adj): Used to indicate that a quoted passage, especially one containing an error or unconventional spelling, has been retained in its original form or written intentionally
- I don’t like the idea of writings being sic because it usually means they are more confusing to read.
sublimate (v): To modify the natural expression of (a primitive, instinctual impulse) in a socially acceptable manner
- Someday I hope to sublimate the idea that a woman can burp in public.

Beowulf Translation

Beowulf ond Godsylla

Meanehwæl, baccat meaddehæle, monstær lurccen;
Fulle few too many drincce, hie luccen for fyht.
Ðen Hreorfneorhtðhwr, son of Hrwærowþheororthwl,
Æsccen æwful jeork to steop outsyd.
Þhud! Bashe! Crasch! Beoom! Ðe bigge gye
Eallum his bon brak, byt his nose offe;
Wicced Godsylla wæld on his asse.
Monstær moppe fleor wyþ eallum men in hælle.
Beowulf in bacceroome fonecall bamaccen wæs;
Hearen sond of ruccus sæd, "Hwæt ðe helle?"
Graben sheold strang ond swich-blæd scharp
Stond feorth to fyht ðe grimlic foe.
"Me," Godsylla sæd, "mac ðe minsemete."
Heoro cwyc geten heold wiþ fæmed half-nelson
Ond flyng him lic frisbe bac to fen
Beowulf belly up to meaddehæle bar,
Sæd, "Ne foe beaten mie færsom cung-fu."
Eorderen cocca-cohla yce-coeld, ðe reol þyng.

Meanwhile, back at the Meade hall, a monster was lurking,
Full of too many drinks, he was looking for fight.
Then Hreorfneorhtðhwr, son of Hrwærowþheororthwl,
Askined awful jerk to step outside.

Thud! Bash! Crash! Boom! The big guy
His bone broke, bite his nose off;
Wicked Godzilla wailed on his ass.
Monster mopped the floor with all the men in hall.
Beowolf in backroom was making a phonecall;
He heard sound of ruccus said, "What the hell?"
Grabbing strong shield and sharp switch blade
Stand forth to fight the grim foe.
"Me," Godzilla said, "make the mincemeat."
Hero quick getttin' hold with famed half-nelson
And flying him like frisbee back to fen
Beowulf belly up to meadhall bar,
Said, "No foe has beaten my fearsome kung-fu."
Orderin' coca-cola ice cold, the real thing.

-Felicitas Ruiz gave me permission to look at and 

use her translation. I started with that and changed 

things here and there.