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.

A Hero's Journey

My favorite hero would have to be Iron Man (aka Tony Stark). I love that in the beginning he starts off as a genius who uses these smarts for what most people would consider bad things. (Making weapons is not on everybody's to-do list.) Also he is a drunk and doesn't really spend his time all that well. However once he was forced to do somebody's will, while almost dying in the process, he fought back and grew into a better man. He started off low and flew to the top (literally!). From there on he did what was finally considered right- by peoples standards and not really the government's. He stopped making weapons, for others that is, and fought for the safety of everyone in the world.

Vocabulary: Fall List #4

Apostate (n): One who has abandoned one's religious faith, a political party, one's principles, or a cause

-I don’t want to become an apostate because I don’t want to lose sight of who I am.
Effusive (adj): excessive in emotional expression

 -Every dancer has to be effusive on stage to get their point across.
Impasse (n): A situation that is so difficult that no progress can be made

-We were at an impasse because nobody wanted to give into their wants.
Euphoria (n): A feeling of great happiness or well-being

-I felt extreme euphoria after my scholarship audition because I know I did well.
Lugubrious (adj): Mournful, dismal, or gloomy

-I feel like every Monday at school starts off as lugubrious.
Bravado (n): A disposition toward showy defiance or false expressions of courage

-People who express bravado should be frowned upon.
Consensus (n): An opinion or position reached by a group as a whole

-We finally reached a consensus when we decided to compromise.
Dichotomy (n): Division into two usually contradictory parts or opinions

-Our class usually becomes a dichotomy when we have sochratic seminars.
Constrict (v): To make smaller or narrower by binding or squeezing

-The snake constricted the neck of the animal it was wrapped around.
Gothic (adj): Of or relating to painting, sculpture, or other art forms prevalent in northern Europe from the 12th through the 15th century

-As of now most people think the color black represents gothic people.
Punctilio (n): A fine point of etiquette

-My grandma has a punctilio and often forces it on me.
Metamorphosis (n): A marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function

-The character, Tonks, from Harry Potter was a metamorphosis and often changed her hair color.
Raconteur (n): One who tells stories and anecdotes with skill and wit

-Raconteurs are more impressive when they add humor to their stories.
Sine qua non (n): An essential element or condition

-Facial expressions are sine qua non when you are an actor or dancer.
Quixotic (adj): Capricious; impulsive

-For me, eating chocolate every day is quixotic.
Vendetta (n): A bitter, destructive feud

-I don’t like being in vendettas with my friends.

Non sequitur (n): a statement having little or no relevance to what preceded it

-Saying you like chocolate after writing an essay about Shakespeare is non sequitur.
Mystique (n): an aura of mystery, power, and awe that surrounds a person or thing

-I hope I have a strong mystique in order to make myself more likeable.
Quagmire (n): Land with a soft muddy surface; a difficult or precarious situation; a predicament

-I was stuck in a quagmire because I couldn’t decide whether to go to dance or do my homework.
Parlous (adj): Perilous; dangerous

-I rarely ever do anything parlous because I don’t like being hurt.

Literary Analysis

I have decided to read the book Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte because it has been recommended to me by friends that have read it before. Also I am a sucker for romance novels and I would love to add another to my collection at home.