Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Character Study 3
After the group meets in New York they fly to Los Angeles where they meet up with the three final cast members; Dan Smith, Tyroil Smoochie-Wallace, and Ozamataz Buckshank. The group then sets off on their journey to find the metric ball.
Character Study 2
My character Johna is a lovable ditz from Minnesota who has been chosen to compete in a reality competition show to steal the metric ball from it's hidden location by traveling all around the world, completing difficult tasks.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Canterbury Tales
-Did Chaucer go on a pilgrimage to Canterbury?
-I want to read the corrupt priest's story the most because it seems pretty scandalous compared to the other characters.
-I want to read the corrupt priest's story the most because it seems pretty scandalous compared to the other characters.
Character Study
The seemingly timid girl stood on the outs of the crowd, observing everything that was going on around her. She hoped that someone would engage her in the conversation, but was content in being alone with her thoughts as well. She wasn't very outgoing when it came to new people or unfamiliar situations, she hung back and slowly let her true self appear. Once you did get to know her though she became that girl that was always cracking jokes and going off with her sassy one-liners. She wasn't all fun and games though, she could be serious when she needed to be, reacting appropriately to the current situation going on around her. If someone was sad she wouldn't ask what was wrong she would just show that person that she was there for them and her gentle nature let them know that she was someone you could trust. Loyalty was big to her, she disliked people who were fake because she was always her genuine self with people.
Dashboard
So I made my dashboard but I have no idea how to customize it or add more than one thing you like to it, it's a work in progress.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Vocabulary #6
1.)accolade: praise or approval; a ceremonial embrace or greeting.
She received great accolade after she got a 2400 on her SAT.
2.)acerbity: sourness or bitterness of taste; harshness or severity of manner or expression.
His acerbity towards others didn't earn him many friends.
3.)attrition: the process of wearing down by friction or gradual impairment.
Many jobs were lost through attrition.
4.)bromide: a trite or commonplace remark; a tiresome or boring person; a sedative.
The bromide of the wife's conversation soothed the hot headed spouse.
5.)chauvinist: extravagantly patriotic; blindly devoted to a cause; or (noun) a person like that.
The song Blurred Lines is viewed as an example of chauvinistic behavior.
6.)chronic: continuing over a long period of time or recurring often.
The chronic illness I had, made me makes frequent stops to the hospital.
7.)expound: to explain in detail.
Various political writers expound their points of views on thousands of topics that interest the people.
8.)factionalism: party strife and intrigue.
It is important for our entire team to be unified and not have to deal with factionalism.
9.)immaculate: spotless; without blemish or fault.
Well, you don't have to keep your house looking immaculate all the time, just in case someone turns up to view.
10.)imprecation: a curse; the act of cursing.
The witch spread imprecations to those who condemned her
11.)ineluctable: not able to be avoided, changed, or overcome.
Tractor beams in science fiction stories, like Star Wars are often ineluctable
12.)mercurial: characterized by rapid and unpredictable changes of mood; fickle or inconstant.
The mercurial dancer captivated the audience with her routine.
13.)palliate: to make less serious or severe by glossing over; to relieve without actually curing, mitigate.
The Advil palliated her stomach pains temporarily, but they later returned.
14.)protocol: customs and regulations dealing with official behavior and etiquette; a type of international agreement; an official account or record.
The suspect was let go because the arresting officer had not followed protocol during the arrest.
15.)resplendent: shining or gleaming brilliantly; splendid or magnificent.
She looked resplendent in her green dress.
16.)stigmatize: to brand or mark as in some way discreditable, disgraceful, or ignominious.
The son's crime stigmatized the entire family.
17.)sub rosa: in secret; confidentially; privately.
The surprise party was sub rosa, and the birthday girl was shocked when all of her close friends jumped out at her.
18.)vainglory: excessive pride in and boastfulness about one's own accomplishments or qualities; a vain show or display.
He has a right to vainglory because he is very good at what he does.
19.)vestige: a trace or visible evidence of something that once existed but is now lost or vanished.
After my sister finishes a bag of chips, she looks at her fingers for some vestiges of food left.
20.)volition: the power to choose, will, or decide; the act of choosing, willing, or deciding.
She used her volition to make that sandwich!
21.)obsequious: obedient, dutiful; characterized by showing servile complaisance or deference.
They were served by obsequious waiters.
22.)beatitude: a state of perfect happiness or blessedness; a blessing.
Angela had a beatitude attitude, she was forgiving and kind to everyone she met.
23.)bete noire: someone or something than one especially dislikes, dreads, or avoids.
Kids who remind teachers that there is homework are the bete noire of most classrooms.
24.)bode: to be an omen of; to indicate by signs.
Austin bode news of terrible misfortunate among the Willis family and their winery.
25.)dank: unpleasantly damp or wet.
Nobody ever went into the dank cellar as it was cold and damp.
26.)ecumenical: worldwide or universal in influence or application.
The bible is a ecumenical symbol of religion.
27.)fervid: burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated.
He was fervid when it came to football and put more effort and time than most people could ever do.
28.)fetid: having an unpleasant or offensive odor.
The horrifying smell came from the fetid pool of chemical waste produced by the nuclear plantation.
29.)gargantuan: of immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous, prodigious.
The gargantuan crowd filled up the whole entire street.
30.)heyday: the period of greatest power, vigor, success, or influence; the prime years
The soccer team had a heyday when they won the championship.
31.)incubus: a demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare.
The incubus in her life was overwhelming her.
32.)infrastructure: a basic foundation or framework; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installations.
Jadeveon Clowney has never publicly announced his position on Obama's stance on infrastructure
33.)inveigle: to entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain or acquire by artifice.
During the interview the lady inveigle to her best ability, which evidently got her the job.
34.)kudos: the acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement.
I gave him kudos for doing that, it took a lot of guts.
35.)lagniappe: an extra or unexpected gift or gratuity.
The worker earned a lagniappe for their extra labor.
36.)prolix: long-winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way.
I expect Kobe Bryant's Hall-of-Fame speech to be prolix.
37.)protege: someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage of an influential person; someone under the jurisdiction of a foreign country or government.
I was the man's protege; I learned everything I needed to know about business from him.
38.)prototype: an original pattern or model; a primitive or ancestral form.
My prototype of a hands-free cell phone did not turn out very well.
39.)sycophant: someone who attempts to win favors or advance him or herself by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer, defamer.
People always remembered him as the sycophant, the loyal sidekick to Bill.
40.)tautology: needless repetition of an idea by using different but equivalent words; a redundancy.
Her tautologies began to annoy me as I edited her essay.
41.)truckle: to yield or submit tamely or submissively.
My mother always told me not to truckle when I was put under pressure to do something I didn’t want to do.
She received great accolade after she got a 2400 on her SAT.
2.)acerbity: sourness or bitterness of taste; harshness or severity of manner or expression.
His acerbity towards others didn't earn him many friends.
3.)attrition: the process of wearing down by friction or gradual impairment.
Many jobs were lost through attrition.
4.)bromide: a trite or commonplace remark; a tiresome or boring person; a sedative.
The bromide of the wife's conversation soothed the hot headed spouse.
5.)chauvinist: extravagantly patriotic; blindly devoted to a cause; or (noun) a person like that.
The song Blurred Lines is viewed as an example of chauvinistic behavior.
6.)chronic: continuing over a long period of time or recurring often.
The chronic illness I had, made me makes frequent stops to the hospital.
7.)expound: to explain in detail.
Various political writers expound their points of views on thousands of topics that interest the people.
8.)factionalism: party strife and intrigue.
It is important for our entire team to be unified and not have to deal with factionalism.
9.)immaculate: spotless; without blemish or fault.
Well, you don't have to keep your house looking immaculate all the time, just in case someone turns up to view.
10.)imprecation: a curse; the act of cursing.
The witch spread imprecations to those who condemned her
11.)ineluctable: not able to be avoided, changed, or overcome.
Tractor beams in science fiction stories, like Star Wars are often ineluctable
12.)mercurial: characterized by rapid and unpredictable changes of mood; fickle or inconstant.
The mercurial dancer captivated the audience with her routine.
13.)palliate: to make less serious or severe by glossing over; to relieve without actually curing, mitigate.
The Advil palliated her stomach pains temporarily, but they later returned.
14.)protocol: customs and regulations dealing with official behavior and etiquette; a type of international agreement; an official account or record.
The suspect was let go because the arresting officer had not followed protocol during the arrest.
15.)resplendent: shining or gleaming brilliantly; splendid or magnificent.
She looked resplendent in her green dress.
16.)stigmatize: to brand or mark as in some way discreditable, disgraceful, or ignominious.
The son's crime stigmatized the entire family.
17.)sub rosa: in secret; confidentially; privately.
The surprise party was sub rosa, and the birthday girl was shocked when all of her close friends jumped out at her.
18.)vainglory: excessive pride in and boastfulness about one's own accomplishments or qualities; a vain show or display.
He has a right to vainglory because he is very good at what he does.
19.)vestige: a trace or visible evidence of something that once existed but is now lost or vanished.
After my sister finishes a bag of chips, she looks at her fingers for some vestiges of food left.
20.)volition: the power to choose, will, or decide; the act of choosing, willing, or deciding.
She used her volition to make that sandwich!
21.)obsequious: obedient, dutiful; characterized by showing servile complaisance or deference.
They were served by obsequious waiters.
22.)beatitude: a state of perfect happiness or blessedness; a blessing.
Angela had a beatitude attitude, she was forgiving and kind to everyone she met.
23.)bete noire: someone or something than one especially dislikes, dreads, or avoids.
Kids who remind teachers that there is homework are the bete noire of most classrooms.
24.)bode: to be an omen of; to indicate by signs.
Austin bode news of terrible misfortunate among the Willis family and their winery.
25.)dank: unpleasantly damp or wet.
Nobody ever went into the dank cellar as it was cold and damp.
26.)ecumenical: worldwide or universal in influence or application.
The bible is a ecumenical symbol of religion.
27.)fervid: burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated.
He was fervid when it came to football and put more effort and time than most people could ever do.
28.)fetid: having an unpleasant or offensive odor.
The horrifying smell came from the fetid pool of chemical waste produced by the nuclear plantation.
29.)gargantuan: of immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous, prodigious.
The gargantuan crowd filled up the whole entire street.
30.)heyday: the period of greatest power, vigor, success, or influence; the prime years
The soccer team had a heyday when they won the championship.
31.)incubus: a demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare.
The incubus in her life was overwhelming her.
32.)infrastructure: a basic foundation or framework; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installations.
Jadeveon Clowney has never publicly announced his position on Obama's stance on infrastructure
33.)inveigle: to entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain or acquire by artifice.
During the interview the lady inveigle to her best ability, which evidently got her the job.
34.)kudos: the acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement.
I gave him kudos for doing that, it took a lot of guts.
35.)lagniappe: an extra or unexpected gift or gratuity.
The worker earned a lagniappe for their extra labor.
36.)prolix: long-winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way.
I expect Kobe Bryant's Hall-of-Fame speech to be prolix.
37.)protege: someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage of an influential person; someone under the jurisdiction of a foreign country or government.
I was the man's protege; I learned everything I needed to know about business from him.
38.)prototype: an original pattern or model; a primitive or ancestral form.
My prototype of a hands-free cell phone did not turn out very well.
39.)sycophant: someone who attempts to win favors or advance him or herself by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer, defamer.
People always remembered him as the sycophant, the loyal sidekick to Bill.
40.)tautology: needless repetition of an idea by using different but equivalent words; a redundancy.
Her tautologies began to annoy me as I edited her essay.
41.)truckle: to yield or submit tamely or submissively.
My mother always told me not to truckle when I was put under pressure to do something I didn’t want to do.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
What A Character
The fictional character that popped into my head as soon as I read the question would have to be Annemarie Wilcox from the novel Shug and although it's not exactly an impressive read that character definitely struck a chord with me. Annemarie is a very real and honest depiction of a pre-teen which was what I was when I read Shug for the first time. Annemarie struggles with the want to be older while still holding onto her childhood and throughout the novel tries to find a balance between the two. I have revisited this book probably a hundred times because even though I know what's going to happen I get caught up in the story and find myself back in the same mindset that I was in when I first read it. Annemarie has a lot of qualities that make her interesting like her imperfections which include overreacting and occasionally acting immaturely which we all deal with from time to time. Something that I really enjoy about her character is her resilience, things don't go the way she plans or thinks but she takes that head on and faces the new challenges. She's brave and fearless without being your typical hero.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Vocabulary #5
1.)obsequious: obedient, dutiful; characterized by showing servile complaisance or deference.
The obsequious teammate was always repeating the coach's instructions right after the coach gave them.
2.)beatitude: a state of perfect happiness or blessedness; a blessing.
Finding out I had all A's on my report card gave me a feeling of beatitude.
3.)bete noire: someone or something than one especially dislikes, dreads, or avoids.
The boy was such a bete noire that the girl changed her routes in the hallways to avoid him.
4.)bode: to be an omen of; to indicate by signs.
The rainstorm seemed not to bode well for the team playing a game.
5.)dank: unpleasantly damp or wet.
The cave was dank due to the recent rainstorm.
6.)ecumenical: worldwide or universal in influence or application.
Celebrities have an ecumenical affect on the general public.
7.)fervid: burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated.
The plaintiff was fervid because of the allegations made that day.
8.)fetid: having an unpleasant or offensive odor.
My kneepads become quite fetid if I don't wash them often.
9.)gargantuan: of immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous, prodigious.
Despite her gargantuan height the middle blocker had no skills to back it up whatsoever.
10.)heyday: the period of greatest power, vigor, success, or influence; the prime years
High school is most people's heyday.
11.)incubus: a demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare.
My mother woke up from an incubus where she was falling of the side of a mountain.
12.)infrastructure: a basic foundation or framework; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installations.
In order to have a stable building the infrastructure has to be rock solid.
13.)inveigle: to entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain or acquire by artifice.
Teenage boys are known to inveigle girls into dating them.
14.)kudos: the acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement.
After my great hit my teammates and coach gave me kudos.
15.)lagniappe: an extra or unexpected gift or gratuity.
A stranger paying for a family's meal can be seen as a lagniappe.
16.)prolix: long-winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way.
Her response to the simple question was prolix which raised a red flag to her parents who asked it.
17.)protege: someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage of an influential person; someone under the jurisdiction of a foreign country or government.
Will Smith's son could be seen as his protege because he appears in almost every movie Will's in.
18.)prototype: an original pattern or model; a primitive or ancestral form.
The prototype for the first computer looks nothing like the computers we have today.
19.)sycophant: someone who attempts to win favors or advance him or herself by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer, defamer.
The captain was a real sycophant, only working on improving herself rather than improving the team.
20.)tautology: needless repetition of an idea by using different but equivalent words; a redundancy.
To make their point extremely clear the coaches used tautology to drive the idea into the team's head.
21.)truckle: to yield or submit tamely or submissively.
The quiet girl always truckled when her loud, outgoing partner suggested that they did something.
The obsequious teammate was always repeating the coach's instructions right after the coach gave them.
2.)beatitude: a state of perfect happiness or blessedness; a blessing.
Finding out I had all A's on my report card gave me a feeling of beatitude.
3.)bete noire: someone or something than one especially dislikes, dreads, or avoids.
The boy was such a bete noire that the girl changed her routes in the hallways to avoid him.
4.)bode: to be an omen of; to indicate by signs.
The rainstorm seemed not to bode well for the team playing a game.
5.)dank: unpleasantly damp or wet.
The cave was dank due to the recent rainstorm.
6.)ecumenical: worldwide or universal in influence or application.
Celebrities have an ecumenical affect on the general public.
7.)fervid: burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated.
The plaintiff was fervid because of the allegations made that day.
8.)fetid: having an unpleasant or offensive odor.
My kneepads become quite fetid if I don't wash them often.
9.)gargantuan: of immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous, prodigious.
Despite her gargantuan height the middle blocker had no skills to back it up whatsoever.
10.)heyday: the period of greatest power, vigor, success, or influence; the prime years
High school is most people's heyday.
11.)incubus: a demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare.
My mother woke up from an incubus where she was falling of the side of a mountain.
12.)infrastructure: a basic foundation or framework; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installations.
In order to have a stable building the infrastructure has to be rock solid.
13.)inveigle: to entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain or acquire by artifice.
Teenage boys are known to inveigle girls into dating them.
14.)kudos: the acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement.
After my great hit my teammates and coach gave me kudos.
15.)lagniappe: an extra or unexpected gift or gratuity.
A stranger paying for a family's meal can be seen as a lagniappe.
16.)prolix: long-winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way.
Her response to the simple question was prolix which raised a red flag to her parents who asked it.
17.)protege: someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage of an influential person; someone under the jurisdiction of a foreign country or government.
Will Smith's son could be seen as his protege because he appears in almost every movie Will's in.
18.)prototype: an original pattern or model; a primitive or ancestral form.
The prototype for the first computer looks nothing like the computers we have today.
19.)sycophant: someone who attempts to win favors or advance him or herself by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer, defamer.
The captain was a real sycophant, only working on improving herself rather than improving the team.
20.)tautology: needless repetition of an idea by using different but equivalent words; a redundancy.
To make their point extremely clear the coaches used tautology to drive the idea into the team's head.
21.)truckle: to yield or submit tamely or submissively.
The quiet girl always truckled when her loud, outgoing partner suggested that they did something.
Lit Analysis #1
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.). Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
Exposition: The story is told by Hazel Grace who is a 17 year old girl living with stage four lung cancer. We are told about Hazel's routine which includes watching reality tv, taking classes at the local community college, and attending a weekly support group which she dreads going to. Hazel meets Augustus Waters at support group one night who is there supporting his friend, Isaac, who is going blind soon. It is revealed that Augustus also had cancer, osteosarcoma, which cost him most of one of his legs. We also learn about Hazel's favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, which is about a girl with cancer that Hazel relates to.
Rising Action: Hazel and Augustus begin to spend a lot of time together and on the phone where they bond over An Imperial Affliction, which Augustus falls in love with when Hazel lends him a copy and being cancer kids. Hazel starts to see her life as more than her illness and becomes happier as they get closer. Hazel and Augustus discuss possible endings for An Imperial Affliction often because the author published the book unfinished and then disappeared from society. Augustus manages to track down the author, Peter Van Houten, through his assistant. The two begin corresponding and Van Houten agrees to tell them what happens to all the characters after if they come out to Amsterdam to visit him.
Climax: In order to travel all the way to Amsterdam Augustus uses his cancer wish to take Hazel, Hazel's mother, and himself. Hazel gets very sick before they leave, but decides to risk it and travel anyway. When they meet Van Houten they are disappointed to find out that he is an irritable old drunk who calls them "failed experiments of mutation". He continues to berate Augustus and Hazel and refuses to answer any of their questions about the book. His comments are too much for Lidewiji, his assistant, to handle so she quits and storms out. Augustus and Hazel use this tragic event to become closer, close enough for Augustus to reveal that his cancer has come back all over his body and that he doesn't have much longer to live.
Falling Action: Hazel spends Augustus's last days with him as he slowly slips from the boy she first met to a corpse. Augustus has Isaac and Hazel prepare eulogies to read to him at his pre-funeral, he passes away shortly after.
Resolution: Van Houten shows up at Augustus's funeral which shocks Hazel and he reveals that he had been corresponding with Augustus before he died. Hazel finds out that An Imperial Affliction was written about Van Houten's daughter who passed away from cancer years ago. Later Hazel finds out that Augustus was writing an ending for her that he mailed to Van Houten and he mailed to Hazel.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
A theme I found to be quite prominent was finding who you are and doing what makes you happy. Throughout the book Hazel begins to live a life outside of her illness and enjoy the moments that she does have because life can end so quickly.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
I found the tone of the novel to be sincere and honest, the author wrote the story and the characters realistically without sugarcoating anything.
-"There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe that time is coming soon and maybe it's millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever. There was a time before organisms experienced consciousness, and there will be a time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that's what everyone else does."
-"Sick children inevitably become arrested: You are fated to live out your days as the child you were when diagnosed, the adults, we pity this, so we pay for your treatments, for your oxygen machines. We give you food and water though you are likely to live long enough."
-"He looked up at me. It was horrible. I could hardly look at him. The Augustus Waters of the crooked smiles and unsmoked cigarettes was gone, replaced by this desperate humiliated creature sitting there beneath me."
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers.
Symbolism
-Calling the meeting spot for the support group "The Literal Heart of Jesus" which was mocked throughout the novel, but is proven to have been a place that brought people together.
Allusions
-There are allusions to Julius Caesar when they quote him and multiple allusions to An Imperial Affliction.
Irony
-Hazel was sick the entire book leading us to believe that she would die in the end and leave Augustus to be heartbroken, but he was the one to die first.
Foreshadowing
-Augustus is in pain and has trouble closing the elevator door when they're in Amsterdam which hints at the cancer that he reveals has returned.
Flashback
-Hazel remembers back to when her dad would toss her up in the air and catch her when she was young, remembering back to that frightening moment of not knowing if her dad would catch her.
Narrative
-We are able to see how great the effect Augustus had on Hazel because the story is being told through her eyes.
Personification
-The characters discuss cancer as if it was it was a character itself.
Pathos
-The tragedy experienced in the book tugs at the heart strings of the readers.
Epiphanies
-When Hazel meets Van Houten she realizes that things don't always live up to your expectations, but you have to be okay with that and do what you can to make the situation better.
Billdungsroman
-Hazel develops her character throughout the novel and becomes more than just her disease.
Exposition: The story is told by Hazel Grace who is a 17 year old girl living with stage four lung cancer. We are told about Hazel's routine which includes watching reality tv, taking classes at the local community college, and attending a weekly support group which she dreads going to. Hazel meets Augustus Waters at support group one night who is there supporting his friend, Isaac, who is going blind soon. It is revealed that Augustus also had cancer, osteosarcoma, which cost him most of one of his legs. We also learn about Hazel's favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, which is about a girl with cancer that Hazel relates to.
Rising Action: Hazel and Augustus begin to spend a lot of time together and on the phone where they bond over An Imperial Affliction, which Augustus falls in love with when Hazel lends him a copy and being cancer kids. Hazel starts to see her life as more than her illness and becomes happier as they get closer. Hazel and Augustus discuss possible endings for An Imperial Affliction often because the author published the book unfinished and then disappeared from society. Augustus manages to track down the author, Peter Van Houten, through his assistant. The two begin corresponding and Van Houten agrees to tell them what happens to all the characters after if they come out to Amsterdam to visit him.
Climax: In order to travel all the way to Amsterdam Augustus uses his cancer wish to take Hazel, Hazel's mother, and himself. Hazel gets very sick before they leave, but decides to risk it and travel anyway. When they meet Van Houten they are disappointed to find out that he is an irritable old drunk who calls them "failed experiments of mutation". He continues to berate Augustus and Hazel and refuses to answer any of their questions about the book. His comments are too much for Lidewiji, his assistant, to handle so she quits and storms out. Augustus and Hazel use this tragic event to become closer, close enough for Augustus to reveal that his cancer has come back all over his body and that he doesn't have much longer to live.
Falling Action: Hazel spends Augustus's last days with him as he slowly slips from the boy she first met to a corpse. Augustus has Isaac and Hazel prepare eulogies to read to him at his pre-funeral, he passes away shortly after.
Resolution: Van Houten shows up at Augustus's funeral which shocks Hazel and he reveals that he had been corresponding with Augustus before he died. Hazel finds out that An Imperial Affliction was written about Van Houten's daughter who passed away from cancer years ago. Later Hazel finds out that Augustus was writing an ending for her that he mailed to Van Houten and he mailed to Hazel.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
A theme I found to be quite prominent was finding who you are and doing what makes you happy. Throughout the book Hazel begins to live a life outside of her illness and enjoy the moments that she does have because life can end so quickly.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
I found the tone of the novel to be sincere and honest, the author wrote the story and the characters realistically without sugarcoating anything.
-"There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe that time is coming soon and maybe it's millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever. There was a time before organisms experienced consciousness, and there will be a time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that's what everyone else does."
-"Sick children inevitably become arrested: You are fated to live out your days as the child you were when diagnosed, the adults, we pity this, so we pay for your treatments, for your oxygen machines. We give you food and water though you are likely to live long enough."
-"He looked up at me. It was horrible. I could hardly look at him. The Augustus Waters of the crooked smiles and unsmoked cigarettes was gone, replaced by this desperate humiliated creature sitting there beneath me."
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers.
Symbolism
-Calling the meeting spot for the support group "The Literal Heart of Jesus" which was mocked throughout the novel, but is proven to have been a place that brought people together.
Allusions
-There are allusions to Julius Caesar when they quote him and multiple allusions to An Imperial Affliction.
Irony
-Hazel was sick the entire book leading us to believe that she would die in the end and leave Augustus to be heartbroken, but he was the one to die first.
Foreshadowing
-Augustus is in pain and has trouble closing the elevator door when they're in Amsterdam which hints at the cancer that he reveals has returned.
Flashback
-Hazel remembers back to when her dad would toss her up in the air and catch her when she was young, remembering back to that frightening moment of not knowing if her dad would catch her.
Narrative
-We are able to see how great the effect Augustus had on Hazel because the story is being told through her eyes.
Personification
-The characters discuss cancer as if it was it was a character itself.
Pathos
-The tragedy experienced in the book tugs at the heart strings of the readers.
Epiphanies
-When Hazel meets Van Houten she realizes that things don't always live up to your expectations, but you have to be okay with that and do what you can to make the situation better.
Billdungsroman
-Hazel develops her character throughout the novel and becomes more than just her disease.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Vocabulary #4
1.)accolade: praise or approval; a ceremonial embrace or greeting.
The girl's coach gave her some accolade in the paper after her great game.
2.)acerbity: sourness or bitterness of taste; harshness or severity of manner or expression.
The mean girls approached the new girl with acerbity.
3.)attrition: the process of wearing down by friction or gradual impairment.
There is a very low attrition, with only two people failing to complete the program over the last 25 years.
4.)bromide: a trite or commonplace remark; a tiresome or boring person; a sedative.
The substitute was quite a bromide, droning on about "back in his day".
5.)chauvinist: extravagantly patriotic; blindly devoted to a cause; or (noun) a person like that.
When the Olympics roll around a lot of chauvinists come out of hiding.
6.)chronic: continuing over a long period of time or recurring often.
The boy's chronic tardiness became a problem when his grades started slipping.
7.)expound: to explain in detail.
I needed my coach to expound the new drill we would be doing.
8.)factionalism: party strife and intrigue.
October also saw factionalism develop within the communist league.
9.)immaculate: spotless; without blemish or fault.
My room has to be immaculate before I can go to bed at night.
10.)imprecation: a curse; the act of cursing.
The bad call in the football game resulted in a lot of imprecations from the crowd.
11.)ineluctable: not able to be avoided, changed, or overcome.
College admissions are an ineluctable part of senior year.
12.)mercurial: characterized by rapid and unpredictable changes of mood; fickle or inconstant.
The assigning of homework was mercurial because the teacher was constantly changing her mind.
13.)palliate: to make less serious or severe by glossing over; to relieve without actually curing, mitigate.
The administrators wanted to palliate the issue involving their star quarterback.
14.)protocol: customs and regulations dealing with official behavior and etiquette; a type of international agreement; an official account or record.
Each employee has to meet a certain protocol.
15.)resplendent: shining or gleaming brilliantly; splendid or magnificent.
The resplendent ring looked magnificent in the sunlight.
16.)stigmatize: to brand or mark as in some way discreditable, disgraceful, or ignominious.
Stigmatized groups receive support from and learn from parents and family how to cope with hostility from society.
17.)sub rosa: in secret; confidentially; privately.
The student waited around after class to discuss her grade sub rosa.
18.)vainglory: excessive pride in and boastfulness about one's own accomplishments or qualities; a vain show or display.
There was one teammate who seemed to have a lot of vainglory.
19.)vestige: a trace or visible evidence of something that once existed but is now lost or vanished.
An old photograph is a vestige that there was a friendship between the now sworn enemies.
20.)volition: the power to choose, will, or decide; the act of choosing, willing, or deciding.
The judges had the volition on the elimination episode.
The girl's coach gave her some accolade in the paper after her great game.
2.)acerbity: sourness or bitterness of taste; harshness or severity of manner or expression.
The mean girls approached the new girl with acerbity.
3.)attrition: the process of wearing down by friction or gradual impairment.
There is a very low attrition, with only two people failing to complete the program over the last 25 years.
4.)bromide: a trite or commonplace remark; a tiresome or boring person; a sedative.
The substitute was quite a bromide, droning on about "back in his day".
5.)chauvinist: extravagantly patriotic; blindly devoted to a cause; or (noun) a person like that.
When the Olympics roll around a lot of chauvinists come out of hiding.
6.)chronic: continuing over a long period of time or recurring often.
The boy's chronic tardiness became a problem when his grades started slipping.
7.)expound: to explain in detail.
I needed my coach to expound the new drill we would be doing.
8.)factionalism: party strife and intrigue.
October also saw factionalism develop within the communist league.
9.)immaculate: spotless; without blemish or fault.
My room has to be immaculate before I can go to bed at night.
10.)imprecation: a curse; the act of cursing.
The bad call in the football game resulted in a lot of imprecations from the crowd.
11.)ineluctable: not able to be avoided, changed, or overcome.
College admissions are an ineluctable part of senior year.
12.)mercurial: characterized by rapid and unpredictable changes of mood; fickle or inconstant.
The assigning of homework was mercurial because the teacher was constantly changing her mind.
13.)palliate: to make less serious or severe by glossing over; to relieve without actually curing, mitigate.
The administrators wanted to palliate the issue involving their star quarterback.
14.)protocol: customs and regulations dealing with official behavior and etiquette; a type of international agreement; an official account or record.
Each employee has to meet a certain protocol.
15.)resplendent: shining or gleaming brilliantly; splendid or magnificent.
The resplendent ring looked magnificent in the sunlight.
16.)stigmatize: to brand or mark as in some way discreditable, disgraceful, or ignominious.
Stigmatized groups receive support from and learn from parents and family how to cope with hostility from society.
17.)sub rosa: in secret; confidentially; privately.
The student waited around after class to discuss her grade sub rosa.
18.)vainglory: excessive pride in and boastfulness about one's own accomplishments or qualities; a vain show or display.
There was one teammate who seemed to have a lot of vainglory.
19.)vestige: a trace or visible evidence of something that once existed but is now lost or vanished.
An old photograph is a vestige that there was a friendship between the now sworn enemies.
20.)volition: the power to choose, will, or decide; the act of choosing, willing, or deciding.
The judges had the volition on the elimination episode.
Beowulf Essay
There is little difference between a hero like Beowulf and a modern hero like Batman. Both characters fight evil, using their impressive skills and tools, to protect the ordinary people under duress. While these two heroes have a lot in common they also have some differences, like the drive behind their heroic actions. Beowulf acts heroically to prove his worth because in his time a man's success and status was based on his skills in battle. Batman's actions are due to the revenge for his parents deaths he seeks. The two vastly different reasons for being heroes represent the difference of today's culture and that of the past.
Another thing that the heroes have in common is a villain to bring them conflict to resolve. The villains differ greatly from each other with Grendel being a scary monster and the Joker being a regular person just like the audience. In Beowulf's time a mythical creature was a logical choice for an antagonist because the people of that time knew little about the world they lived in and the unknown scared them, hence the monster Grendel. More modern text such as Batman uses an ordinary person with a dark side to portray the villain because many criminals are just like us and the fact that any one of us can be that sinister frightens us. The styles of fighting are also different between the villains with Grendel just killing everything in sight and the Joker planning elaborate set ups and robberies. Grendel's simple approach to fighting reflects on the simplistic lifestyle that was lead by the people of the time whereas the Joker's knowledgeable and well thought out tactics reflect on the amazing advancements we are making in our time.
These two heroes do differ in a lot of areas, but they share the bravado and selflessness needed to be a hero. They are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to bring justice to their community. Even as the times and our ways of life change there will always be a hero because people need to believe in extraordinary good during these trying times.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Vocabulary #3
1.)apostate: one who forsakes his/her religion, party, or cause.
When the candidate switched his campaign slogan people saw it as apostate.
2.)bravado: a display of false or assumed courage.
The batter approached the plate with such bravado that you couldn't even tell he was nervous.
3.)consensus: a collective or general agreement of opinion, feeling, or thinking.
The team came to a consensus on what kind of jersey they wanted.
4.)constrict: to make smaller or narrower, draw together, squeeze; to stop or cause to falter.
Volleyball really constricts my homework time.
5.)dichotomy: a division into two contradictory or mutually exclusive parts; a branching or forking in an ancestral line.
Our basis for the case studies is that this division mirrors a perceived dichotomy between left-and right-brained modes of cognitive processing.
6.)effusive: highly demonstrative; unrestrained.
The child's effusive behavior was probably due to the lack of parental guidance.
7.)euphoria: a feeling of great happiness or well-being, often with no objective basis.
People who run marathons have been known to be in a state of euphoria after crossing the finish line.
8.)gothic: characterized by or emphasizing a gloomy setting and grotesque or violent events; such a literary or artistic style; a type of medieval architecture.
Old Irish castles tend to have a gothic style.
9.)impasse: a dead end; a position from which there is no escape; a problem to which there is no solution
After attempting every cure she found on the internet the girl determined that her cracked phone was impasse.
10.)lugubrious: sad, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree
The students seemed to be lugubrious after coming back to school from winter break.
11.)metamorphosis: a complete transformation, as if by magic.
The boy seemed to have had a metamorphosis when he grew six inches over the summer.
12.)mystique: an aura or attitude of mystery or veneration surrounding something or someone.
The quiet girl who seemed to know everything about everyone had a mystique about her.
13.)non sequitur: an inference or conclusion that does not follow logically from the facts or premises.
After arguing for a while the two came to a non sequitur.
14.)parlous: full of danger or risk, perilous.
The parlous climb only attracted a few risk takers.
15.)punctilio: a minute detail of conduct or procedure; an instant of time.
No mission should ever be compromised by diplomatic punctilio.
16.)quagmire: a difficult or entrapping situation; soft, soggy mud or slush.
The girl's web of white lies turned out to be a quagmire for her.
17.)quixotic: extravagantly or romantically idealistic; visionary without regard to practical considerations.
The girl was quixotic when it came to believing in love at first sight.
18.)raconteur: a person who tells stories and anecdotes with great skill.
An orator can also be a raconteur.
19.)sine qua non: an essential or indispensable element or condition.
The terms and conditions is usually seen as sine qua non.
20.)vendetta: a prolonged feud, often between two families, characterized by retaliatory acts of revenge; any act of motivated vengeance.
The Capulets and the Montagues had a serious vendetta.
When the candidate switched his campaign slogan people saw it as apostate.
2.)bravado: a display of false or assumed courage.
The batter approached the plate with such bravado that you couldn't even tell he was nervous.
3.)consensus: a collective or general agreement of opinion, feeling, or thinking.
The team came to a consensus on what kind of jersey they wanted.
4.)constrict: to make smaller or narrower, draw together, squeeze; to stop or cause to falter.
Volleyball really constricts my homework time.
5.)dichotomy: a division into two contradictory or mutually exclusive parts; a branching or forking in an ancestral line.
Our basis for the case studies is that this division mirrors a perceived dichotomy between left-and right-brained modes of cognitive processing.
6.)effusive: highly demonstrative; unrestrained.
The child's effusive behavior was probably due to the lack of parental guidance.
7.)euphoria: a feeling of great happiness or well-being, often with no objective basis.
People who run marathons have been known to be in a state of euphoria after crossing the finish line.
8.)gothic: characterized by or emphasizing a gloomy setting and grotesque or violent events; such a literary or artistic style; a type of medieval architecture.
Old Irish castles tend to have a gothic style.
9.)impasse: a dead end; a position from which there is no escape; a problem to which there is no solution
After attempting every cure she found on the internet the girl determined that her cracked phone was impasse.
10.)lugubrious: sad, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree
The students seemed to be lugubrious after coming back to school from winter break.
11.)metamorphosis: a complete transformation, as if by magic.
The boy seemed to have had a metamorphosis when he grew six inches over the summer.
12.)mystique: an aura or attitude of mystery or veneration surrounding something or someone.
The quiet girl who seemed to know everything about everyone had a mystique about her.
13.)non sequitur: an inference or conclusion that does not follow logically from the facts or premises.
After arguing for a while the two came to a non sequitur.
14.)parlous: full of danger or risk, perilous.
The parlous climb only attracted a few risk takers.
15.)punctilio: a minute detail of conduct or procedure; an instant of time.
No mission should ever be compromised by diplomatic punctilio.
16.)quagmire: a difficult or entrapping situation; soft, soggy mud or slush.
The girl's web of white lies turned out to be a quagmire for her.
17.)quixotic: extravagantly or romantically idealistic; visionary without regard to practical considerations.
The girl was quixotic when it came to believing in love at first sight.
18.)raconteur: a person who tells stories and anecdotes with great skill.
An orator can also be a raconteur.
19.)sine qua non: an essential or indispensable element or condition.
The terms and conditions is usually seen as sine qua non.
20.)vendetta: a prolonged feud, often between two families, characterized by retaliatory acts of revenge; any act of motivated vengeance.
The Capulets and the Montagues had a serious vendetta.
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