Why This Book?

The book I chose to read for my first literature analysis is "Of Mice and Men", by John Steinbeck. I chose this one, because a lot of my friends have read it in their old honors English classes and I wanted to see what they were talking about. I started reading it and so far it is really interesting.

Vocabulary #2

1. Accoutrements: Other items carried or worn by a person used for a special activity.

She never leaves her house without her accoutrements.

2. Apogee: The highest point in the development of something; the climax or culmination.

The White House is considered the apogee of American achievement.

[Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother] (lines 1383-1650, pp. 63-68)

My group consisted of Amara Sharp, Sarah Stevens, Rachel Nolan, Breanna Timmons, Connor Albright and myself. For the exact work divisions, you can go to Amara Sharp's blog.

[Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother] (lines 1383-1650, pp. 63-68)

1.How does Beowulf tell Hrothgar to respond?

He tells Hrothgar to respond as though a blood feud has been started. He told him that he should be revengeful and not feel sorrow.  Beowulf tells him that killing Grendel’s mother is the only way to truly avenge Aeschere.

Text Book Pgs. 31-60 Notes

Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel talks about Grendel, the monster who haunts and is an evil creature. They say this creature was to be punished forever by God and is split into a thousand forms of evil. He snatched up thirty men and brought them to his lair to slaughter. Grendel killed those when they slept but those who fled him were safe. Grendel would never king Hrothgar's throne in

Notes on Intro to Beowulf

The poem has no distinction between myth and history, although people now read it as though it were 'history with fabulous elements' or 'myth with some correspondence to fact.' Beowulf can't be described as fiction or fact. It is a narrative with people, creatures more or less human, praise, blame, lyrical moments, grim comedy and even grimmer tragedy.

My Opinion Isn't A Right

Last Friday's Socratic seminar was very interesting. We first learned that interdependence is shared authority based on each other. It has a rippled effect and we will effect others. We all discussed that out opinions are not rights and in an argument facts need to be presented to decide who is actually right. Just because saying we are entitled to our own opinion is understood as a social norm, doesn't make it an accurate statement for the argument. You have the right to possess an opinion, but it doesn't mean you are entitled to your own. Lastly we defined limbic as an emotional part of the brain and schema are routines of thinking to make our lives economical.

Vocabulary Words Week #1

1) Adumbrate: To outline; or to foreshadow 
Karla's paint style seems to adumbrate the outline of the car.

2) Apotheosis: The elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god
Some kids would consider my dad an apotheosis by the way he towers over them.

Reflections On Week 1

1. Factors that I think will affect my participation or experience in this class is access to a computer. If I am in a car traveling after a sports game or my family has taken up the computers with their work, it will be difficult to be plugged in with what's going on in the class online. Also, since I don't have a smart phone, it really limits me on internet access.

2. One of the best learning experiences I encountered was being yelled at from playing basketball. I learned how to take criticism without getting angry or fighting back. I always messed up and did something wrong and my coach yelled at me during the game in front of everyone. I learned that if I just pay attention the first time to what my coach has to say, I won't get yelled at later for doing it wrong. I knew that being yelled at was a learning experience, so that I listen better and not mess up badly again.

3. I am most concerned that I won't be creative enough or think outside of the box. I am looking forward to ending the year feeling accomplished and happy with what I have done. I think it will make a difference in my life to do everything with hard work and passion.

1987 AP Exam Notes

The AP exam was very time consuming. I wasn't able to see numbers 33-46, so I guess they weren't meant to be seen. Also, on the essays I only saw two of them, so I don't know where the third one went. It looks like a lot of the elements from this exam were taken away after it was put on the internet. I think they still used those elements in the years after 1987, so that is the reason we aren't able to see them now. Overall I did ok, but testing for long periods of time isn't my forte. I get really bored and tired of the same thing very easily. Hopefully I will get better at it by trying to focus more.

Austen/ Montaigne Essay

        "What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of at most one tiny little part of it at any given instant." This excerpt from David Foster Wallace's story "Good Old Neon", contradicts "The Complete Essays of Michel De Montaigne" in more ways than one.

Essay #1 Poisonwood

          "Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience.  It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home; its essential sadness can never be surmounted." This quote by Edward Said greatly explains the life of a women named Orleanna Price from "The Poisonwood Bible". Orleanna experienced exile with her many new homes and the breaks in between them when she married her husband Nathan, when she moved to the Congo and lastly when she dealt with the grief of her daughters passing.

Poetry #1

http://www.youtube.com/embed/KT16DcHcjRA?rel=0

1. From what poem/author does this commercial borrow (without credit)?
2. Why might the use of this poem by a corporation be considered ironic?
3. Does the poem reflect the reputation of the author? Why/why not?
4. How did you find the answers to #1 & #3? Describe your research process and your sources in detail.

1. The author of this poem is by Charles Bukowski.
2.The use of this poem by a corporation is condsidered ironic. The peom used in this commercial is a way of expressing freedom and rebellion, while society tells us to live by rules and society.