Tools That Change the Way We 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.'

The Performance Utterance in Hamlet

The Performance Utterance in Hamlet text is located here.

• The play is about a man trying to figure out what is real and what isn't
• The central problem of the play is that people's feelings are represented in a non-realistic way
• Polonius has a narrow vision of madness and that hurts him in the play
• Hamlet is a modern man while Polonius is a pre-modern man 
• Claudius is incapable of controlling his definition of himself 
• Hamlet's evolution is towards faith, closure and acceptance 

Thoughts on Hamlet (In Progress)

My thinking about the play has evolved from the time we began reading to the end of Act III dramatically. When we first began reading, I thought this would be just another boring story, but with Hamlet's father's ghost returning and Hamlet killing Polonius, how could it be boring. When I first started reading Hamlet, I thought that this kids dad just died and he will mourn and get over it. Little did I know that Hamlet would seek revenge for his fathers death and kill Polonius in the process. From here, I see things getting worse. I feel like Claudius will try and kill Hamlet and it will all just be a huge blood bath and Gertrude will have to intervene.

What I Think About When I Think Of Act III

In act III of Hamlet, a lot of things happened. I still don't understand why Hamlet didn't kill Claudius when he had the chance, because he thought he would go to heaven for repenting of his sins. To bad after Hamlet left, Claudius said his thoughts were low and he wouldn't be able to go to heaven for them. When Hamlet killed Polonius, I saw it coming. First of all, Polonius shouldn't have been eavesdropping on a personal conversation between mother and son, and second, why would he yell from behind a curtain and not show his face? I really hoped that when Hamlet's father's ghost appeared that Gertrude would see him as Hamlet does and realize he isn't as mad as people may think.

To Be Or Not To Be

http://youtu.be/ELFSRSnYI8Q

Literature Analysis #3

1) The story of Cannery Row follows the adventures of Mack and the boys, a group of unemployed men who inhabit a  fish-meal shack on the edge of a vacant lot down on the Row. Mack and the boys want to do something nice for Doc, the owner of a biological supply house on the Row. They plan to give Doc a party and spend a good deal of time getting provisions for the party while bothering Lee Chong, the local grocer. They set up in Doc's lab, and the party begins while they wait for him to return. Doc is late in getting back, and when he drives up at dawn the party is over and his place is completely trashed. A bad feeling takes over the Row for a long time after the party, and unfortunate

Dear Ophelia,

So a price says he loves you, but your father and brother hate him and they told you to stay away from him? Now that is quite a conundrum you are dealing with. Family members like to make precipitous decisions without hearing your own input, so I understand. They don't always mean to be churlish, they just want what's best for you. You must not become rancorous with them, or if so only for an ephemeral moment. The best thing to do is follow your heart and think about everything before you do it. Look at the long term effects and see if you can work things out. You don't want to lose either people, so communicate with them and hopefully they will understand.

Literary Fiction & Empathy

Reading fiction can help you understand others in many ways. The article, For Better Social Skills, Scientist Recommend A Little Chekhov, by Pam Belluck is found here. The article states, "It found that after reading literary fiction, as opposed to popular fiction or serious nonfiction, people

So My Main Point Was....

Chacuer is one of those authors that makes you want to read more and try to figure out his twisted web of stories. His style gives us insight into his purpose for writing and his intended audience, by his sense of tone, subject matter and characterization techniques.

Green Eggs and Hamlet

A) I honestly don't know anything about Hamlet, other than William Shakespeare wrote it.
B) The things I know about Shakespeare, is that he wrote a lot of plays and is very well known for writing Romeo and Juliet.
C) A lot of students frown when they hear the name Shakespeare, because his writing is written in a way that we aren't used to. We have to try and translate what he means and it involves a lot of concentration when you read his works.
D) We can all work together to try and understand the points that Shakespeare is trying to make and read Hamlet as one unit.

Vocabulary 7

We were all traveling through Candyland on our way to defeat the dragon very ebullient. Our moods were ephemeral as we neared the castle. Ice Queen Sarah who was usually loquacious was quiet. Professor A started to think that our plan was inchoate and we would fail at our mission. This capricious behavior started to make Princess Rachel feel unsure of if they should follow through with this whole plan. Connor while he was driving was still up to no good shenanigans trying to stop us from killing his dragon. Whitney was garrulous speaking in complete codswallop. Breanna on the other hand was attemting to give us a harangue that ended up coming out a little wonky. As we drove through the castle gates we all got ready to go to battle with this hellish dragon. We had a plethora of weapons. Connor was the sehsim of the group he planned to eschew the weapons. His plan completely ricocheted when we came to find that the dragon was already dead. The dragon was covered in mungo laying in the moat of the castle. Connor announced that his plant his whole time was to save the dragon and dispose of the rest of the group. Breanna laughed at him because his whole plan was juxtapose. Sarah was perspicacious to Connor because Connor really loved the dragon. Because we were all interdependent on each other for a ride out of Candyland we decided to make our trip in to a vacation and drive to Egypt to do some sightseeing.

*I could not find the meaning of dipthong or sesquipedalian.

If I Just Had More Time

If I had more time before the midterm, I would just look at all the words in general. While taking the test, my only issue was that I couldn't remember the words we had. I kept thinking some words were our vocab words when they weren't. Overall, I think that I did very well on the midterm and I wouldn't change a thing.

Literature Analysis #2

1) "The Grapes of Wrath" follows the movement of thousands of men and women during the dust bowl migration of the 1930s. This book is about an Oklahoma farm family, the Joads, who are driven off their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California.
2) The theme of the novel, is that it isn't about the destination, it is about the journey.

The Comparison's Tale

My group and I read The Wife of Bath's tale which has several similarities to the other tales we heard in class.  Chaucer writes each tale as though the person in the story is really the person writing the story.  The tone and diction used in the Wife of Bath's tale make the story sound as though a real woman is telling it.  The imagery is described so detailed and the emotions sound like the Wife of Bath is telling the story.  Another similarity that many of the stories share are the profane and graphic events that lead to each journey.  In the Wife of Bath's tale, a knight rapes a young maiden. Chaucer's stories all include profanity and sin that quickly catch the reader's attention.

Tale of A Canterbury Tale

First of all, my group decided to split our readings into sections which you can find on Amara's blog. I have section three as follows. The Wife of Bath's Tale is our Tale.

Summary:
This excerpt is all about a women telling a story about her husbands and how they are and how she acted with each. She explains that she wants what she wants and not one man satisfies her, and she always has an appetite.