Quote of the Day Sept. 30

A thing is mighty big when time and distance cannot shrink it.   -Zora Neale Hurston

Hamlet Learning Communities

I have to go with Ubi for the sources.  I can't find many so I went to his links and have to agree with his choices.

All three sources can be used to improve our understanding of Hamlet as well as post questions and recieve answers.

http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/discuss/students-studying-hamlet-55205
http://shakespearean-headcanon.tumblr.com/
http://shakespeare.nuvvo.com/discussions

Quote of the Day Sept. 29

The human mind always makes progress, but it is a progress in spirals.   -Madame de Stael

Quote of the Day Sept. 28

Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.   -William Butler Yeats

Vocab Sentences

Aberration- The insane assylum was full of people suffering from aberration
Ad hoc- The cake was the ad hoc for the birthday
Bane- The grime reaper is a visual for the word bane
Bathos- The student's persuasive essay had a bathos writing style
Cantankerous- The cantankerous animal was put in a cage
Casuistry- The teacher led us on a casuistry that confused the whole class
De facto- De facto children if orphanages may not ever get a childhood they deserve
Depredation- The raiders took a depredation on the razed city
Empathy- The charity worker had much empathy for the homeless man
Harbinger- A vulture is usually the harbinger of death
Hedonism- Some say that religion is hedonism
Lackkluster- The rocks were very lackluster
Malcontent- Many people have a malcontent atitude with our government right now
Mellifluous- The sweet sound of a harp is mellifluous
Nepotism- The king has a nepotistic attitude when picking the next to rule
Pander- Dr. Preston is NOT a pander
Peccadillo- Many people have commited many peccadillos
Piece de resistance- The Mona Lisa is the piece de resistance of the Louvre
Remand- The murder was remanded till a judge could see him
Syndrome- The man showed signs of a syndrome

Pre-Will Questions

1) I know nothing of Hamlet or Melancholy Dane.
2) Shakespear was a great poet.  He lived in the 1500s/1600s era.  He wrote 3 different general types of poems: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies.
3) Many students frown of Shakespeare and his work because it is difficult to understand and makes them have to think.  I, for one, am not fond of Shakespeare myself but I will read his works.
4)Reenact the play!  I don't know :|  I'm no help

Quote of the Day Sept. 27

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.   -William James

Quote of the Day Sept. 26

Do all things with love.   -Og Mandino

Quote of the Day Sept. 25

Beauty awakens the soul to act.   -Dante Alighieri

Lit Analysis Moby Dick (2nd try)

Due to people not being able to read the first post, I decided to post it again.

Literary Analysis: Moby Dick

1)      Ishmael is a sailor with the heart of a whaler.  He has sailed several trips on seas but has never as a whaler.  He makes his way to New Bedford, Massachusetts where he finds a whaler’s in.  In the inn, he meets a cannibal named Queequeg (and soon agrees to go whaling with him).  The two take a ferry to Nantucket and find a ship called the Pequod as their whaling ship.  They set sail on a Christmas day and soon learn that the ship is sailed by Captain Ahab.  It is crewed by many people of many different origins.  Ahab says that the purpose of this whaling trip is to catch the dreaded Moby Dick and take vengeance for the whale’s previous attacks.  On their journey, they sail past the Cape of Good Hope and meet several other whaling ships.  As the Pequod gets closer to where Moby Dick is supposed to be, Ahab’s insanity level begins to jump and raise.  Finally a sighting of the whale, the whale escapes.  The next day, the whale is harpooned but escapes yet again.  The third day, Moby Dick rams the Pequod and sinks the ship.  All the whaleboats and men are caught in the vortex of the sinking ship and are sucked into the sea.  Ishmael is the only survivor being that he was far enough away from the whirlpool.  He is picked up in another ship and they sail off, the legend of Captain Ahab to live on.

2)      The biggest theme in Moby Dick is Fate.  The whole book is based around it, Ishmael meeting Queequeg, finding the Pequod in the harbor, meeting all those whaling ships while sailing in the massive oceans, even just finding Moby Dick.  All of it was part of a larger plan.  The story is just a description of what fate is.

3)      The author’s tone is tragic.  Several moments in the novel are what anybody would receive as a tragic event. 

·         Pg. 1383 (3 book collection version)  “… Fedallah incuriously and mildly eyed him; the clinging crew, at the other drifting end, could not succor him; more than enough was it for them to look to themselves.” (After the Moby Dick attack)

·         Pg. 1406 (3 book collection version) “…Ahab stooped to clear it; he did clear it; but the flying turn caught him round the neck, and voicelessly as Turkish mutes bowstring their victim, he was shot out of the boat, ere the crew knew he was gone.”

·         PG. 1407 (3 book collection version) “…and his imperial beak thrust upwards, and his whole ship, which, like Satan, would not sink to hell till she had dragged a living part of heaven along with her, and helmeted herself with it.”

4)      5 Literary Elements used in Moby Dick

Motif- Moby Dick (keeps the reader interested)

·         Pg. 1406 “Moby Dick seeks thee not.  It is thou, thou that madly sleekest him!”

·         Pg. 965 “a white whale. Skin your eyes for him, men”

·         Pg. 1325 “I have here two pledges that I shall yet slay Moby Dick and survive it.”

Symbol-Moby Dick (Fate)

·         Pg. 986 “…were ready to give chase to Moby Dick”

·         Pg. 1006 “…might blow Moby Dick into the devious zigzag world-circle…”

·         Pg. 1131 “…a dark story concerning Moby Dick…”

Point of View-From Ishmael

·         Pg. 827 “I had been astonished at first catching a glimpse of…”

·         Pg. 850 “We now passed the Tomahawk from one to the other…”

·         Pg. 1009 “I have personally…”

Flashback-The whole book

·         The whole book is a flashback from what I can tell and from other aids.  Ishmael is telling this story from a future time.

Dialogue-Throughout the book (keeps you interested)

·         Pg. 1065 “My wrist is sprained with ye!”

·         Pg. 1257 “Ship, old ship! My old head shakes to think of thee.”

·         Pg. 1402 “Oh! Ahab, not too late is it, even now, the third day, to desist. See!”

Characterization Questions

1.      Examples of direct characterization

·         My 2 Examples of direct characterization are the entire chapters of 26 and 27 titled “Knights and Squires.” In these two chapters, all the characters in the Inn at that moment are described in detail.

Pg. 914 “…Starbuck, a native of Nantucket, and a Quaker by descent.  He was a long, earnest man, and though born on an icy coast, seemed well adapted to endure hot latitudes…”

Pg. 918 “Stubb was the second mate.  He was a native of Cape Cod; and hence, according to local usage, was called a Cape Cod-man. A happy-go-lucky…”

            Examples of indirect characterization

·         The whole novel is indirectly characterizing Ishmael.  What he thinks, hears, and does.  He is the narrator.

2.      The author’s syntax and diction really don’t change because the whole story is based around 1 character.  There are points where it focuses on Ahab or StarBuck but even then, the syntax and diction don’t change.

3.      The Protagonist is relatively dynamic.  Over the course of the novel, Ishmael changes how he acts and feels towards certain things and people.  He emerges as a new person at the end being the only survivor of the Moby Dick attack.  He would also be considered a round character.  Ishmael brings in a lot of outside knowledge and explains stuff relatively well with it.  Just this alone makes him a round character.

4.      I feel like I didn’t really meet him as much as get inside his head.  The whole story was about what he thought about people and his knowledge about whales.  Ishmael was just a conveyer of knowledge.

·         Chapter 27 (Ishmael talking about Stubb) “Good-humored, easy, and careless, he presided over his whale-boat as if the most deadly encounter were but a dinner, and his crew all invited guests.

Vocab Definitions

Aberration- an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm

Ad hoc- for the special purpose or end presently under consideration

Bane- something causes misery or death

Bathos- triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos

Cantankerous- having a difficult  and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate

Casuistry- moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas; argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading

De facto- in fact; in reality

Depredation- an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; a destructive action

Empathy- understanding and entering into another's feeling

Harbinger- An indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadowing or presage

Hedonism- an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle

Lackluster- Lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality

Malcontent- Discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted

Mellifluous- Pleasing to the ear

Nepotism- Favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power

Pander- Someone who procures customers for whores; verb arrange for sexual partners for others; yield; give satisfaction to

Peccadillo- A petty misdeed

Piece de resistance- The most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, ect., of a series or group; special item or attraction

Remand- the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trail; verb refer to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine, in or as in a jail

Syndrome- A complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease

Quote of the Day Sept. 24

Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.   Rumi

Moby Dick Notes

Sorry about it being in a random order....Pathbrite did not want to cooperate at all...

Quote of the Day Sept. 23

Teach me to feel another's woe, to hide the fault I see, that mercy I to others show, that mercy show to me. -Alexander Pope

Literary Analysis Book Notes

I have my notes done and I did my literary analysis but I am out of town right now and do not have access to a scanner to post them to the blog. I will tomorrow afternoon.

Literary Analysis Moby Dick

Quote of the Day Sept. 22

Patience and time do more than strength or passion.   -Jean de La Fontaine

Quote of the Day Sept. 20

I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then.   -Lewis Carroll

Vocab Definitions

Beatitude- The new born baby expressed beatitude when he was warm
Bete Noire- The bete noire of the class sat in the corner
Bode- While the mechanic worked on a car, a nut fell out of the engine. This was a bode of the upcoming 20 car pile up
Dank-Don't be clubbed into dank submission
Ecumenical-On 9/11, the churches get together in an Ecumenical fashion
Fervid-The fervid ap student did the homework right he got home
Fetid-The fetid sewage came up through the drain
Gargantuan-The gargantuan building towered over the person
Heyday-Justin Bieber's heyday is long gone
Incubus-The incubus beast attacked the knight
Infrastructure-The building's infrastructure supported the helicopter
Inveigle-The man was persuaded in a inveigle manner after receiving the candy
Kudos-Kudos to you
Lagniappe-But wait?! There's more! The basket is given as a lagniappe
Prolix-When Doctor Preston gave too much information for an object requiring one word was an example of a Prolix
Protege-The business had several proteges
Prototype-There is a show on Discover channel called Prototype This
Sycophant-The nurse was a sycophant to the patient in order to raise her pay check
Tautology-The professor was an export at tautology
Truckle-Saying that the nurse is a sycophant is just obsequious
Obsequious-The dog was overly obsequious

Quote of the Day Sept. 19

Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul.   -Thomas Merton

Quote of the Day Sept. 18

Forgotten is forgiven. -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Vocab Definitions

Beatitude-Supreme Blessedness
Bete Noire-a detested person
Bode-be an omen of a particular outcome
Dank-Disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold
 Ecumenical-Promoting or relating to unity among the world's Christian churches
Fervid-Intensely enthusiastic or passionate
Fetid-Smelling extremely unpleasant
Gargantuan-of great mass
Heyday-The period of a person's or thing's greatest success or popularity
Incubus-A cause of distress or anxiety like a nightmare
Infrastructure-The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation
Inveigle-Persuade to do something by means of deception or flattery
Kudos-Praise and honor received for an achievement
Lagniappe-Something given as a bonus or extra gift Prolix-Using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy
Protege-A person who receives support and protection from an influential parton who furthers the protege's career
Prototype-A first or preliminary model of something from which other forms are developed or copied
Sycophant-A person who acts obsequiously toward someone in order to gain advantage
Tautology-The saying of the same thing twice in different words
Truckle-Submit or behave obsequiously
Obsequious-Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree

Quote of the Day Sept. 17

A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money. -John Ruskin

Quote of the Day Sept. 16

I am no bird, and no net ensnares me, I am a free human being with an independent will. -Charlotte Bronte

Quote of the Day Sept. 15

All human beings are also dream beings. Dreaming ties all mankind together. -Jack Kerouac

Quote of the Day Sept 14

He has the most who is most content with the least. -Diogenes

Quote of the Day Sept. 13

Most folks are as happy as they make their minds to be. -Abraham Lincoln

AP Scoring Guidelines Notes

Quote of the Day Sept. 12

From a small seed a mighty trunk may grow. -Aeschylus

Textbook Reading Quiz: pg. 64-82

Reading Notes pgs. 64-82

Quote of the Day Sept. 11

Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them.   -Rabindranath Tagore

9/11

Just thought this article suited today

http://www.cracked.com/article_20009_7-bizarre-ways-you-didnt-know-911-changed-world.html

Vocab Definitions and Sentences

acumen-keen insight; the ability to judge well(noun)
adjudicate-to settle or determine(verb)
anachronism-something or someone that is not its correct historical time(noun)
apocryphal-of doubtful authorship or authenticity(adj)
disparity-inequality(noun)
dissimulate-to disguise or conceal under false appearance(verb)
empirical-derived from or guided by experience or experiment(adj)
flamboyant-strikingly bold or brilliant;showy(adj)
fulsome-offensive to good taste, especially as being excessive; overdone or gross(adj)
immolate-to sacrifice(verb)
imperceptible-very slight, gradual, or subtle(adj)
lackey-a servile follower(noun)
liaison-a person who initiates and maintains such a contact or connection(noun)
monolithic-consisting of one piece;solid or unbroken(adj)
mot juste-the exact, appropriate word(noun)
nihilism-total rejection of established laws and institutions(noun)
patrician-a person of noble or high rank; aristocrat(noun)
propitiate-to make favorably inclined; appease; conciliate(verb)
sic-to incite; to attack(verb)
sublimate-to make nobler or purer(adj)

The acumen of the old man was inhibited by the disease.
The argument was adjudicated when the teacher stepped in.
Doctor Who is the perfect example of an anachronism.
The students handed some apocryphal work today.
Eighty years ago, there was much disparity in the United States.
The ninja dissimulated into the crowd.
I was lead in an empirical manner through the jungle by a tour guide.
The flamboyant actor jumped onto stage wearing his elegant costume.
The cook added a fulsome amount of salt to the meal.
The Aztecs immolated many people in worship of their god.
The thermostat decreased in imperceptible manner throughout the day as workers kept changing it.
The cult had many lackeys.
The liaison of the group made sure that every member had something to say.
The sheet of steel was monolithic.
The teacher had some sort of mot juste.  She knew what to say and when to say it.
A psychopath has a sort of nihilism.
The President of the United States is a patrician.
The laws had a propitiate effect on the voters.
The lion was in a sicced position.
The holy water was unable to be sublimated.

Quote of the Day Sept. 10

To give and then not feel that one has given is the very best of all ways of giving.   -Max Beerbohm

Beowulf and Godsylla 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.

Here is my version.  Beware... It is just me sounding out words and trying them till they fit.

Beowulf and Godzilla

Meanwhile, back at mead-hall, (a) monster lurked; Full (of) few too many drinks, he looked for (a) fight. Then Hreoreror , son of Hrowororth, asked the awful jerk to step outside.  Thud!  Bash!  Crash!  Boom!  The big guy, All of his bones broken, bit his nose off;  Wicked Godzilla wailed on his ass.  (The) monster mopped (the) floor with all the men in the hall.  Beowulf in (the) backroom (made a) phone call back home;  Hearing (the) sound of (the) ruckus he said, "What the hell?"  Grabbing (his) strong shield and sharp switch blade, (he) stood forth to fight the grim foe.  "Me,"  Godzilla said, "Make the mince-meet."  Hero quickly got held in (the) famed half-nelson and flew him like (a) Frisbee, back and forth.  Beowulf, belly up to the mead-hall's bar, said, "No foe (has) beaten my fearsome kong-fu."  (He) ordered (a) Coca-cola, ice cold, the real thing.

Quote of the Day Sept. 9

Wisdom begins with wonder.   -Socrates

Quote of the Day Sept. 8

Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.   -Voltaire

Quote of the Day Sept. 7

All we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.   -Charles Kingsley

Vocab Sentences

Finally got around to these

Apostate: I may not exactly be an apostate, but I don't go to church or follow the bible
Effusive: I have an increasingly amount of effusive feelings for this person
Impasse: The mime pretended to have an impasse in his invisible box
Euphoria: The newly wed couple were in a state of euphoria for their first couple months
Lugubrious: The bum on the side on the side of the road acted in a lugubrious manner
Bravado: The POW acted in a bravado manner when he took out the guards and escaped with his fellow soldiers
Consensus: The two teachers came to a consensus on a lesson plan for their Alg. 1 classes
Dichotomy: The pie was the subject of my mom's dichotomy
Constrict: The python constricted its victim
Gothic: The Gothic era was a time of great music, architecture, and sculptures
Punctilio: My mom is very punctilio.  She makes sure all of her kids have their correct manners
Metamorphosis: I believed that Kelli Griffith has had the most metamorphosis since freshman year out of all the seniors.
Raconteur: The librarian was an amazing raconteur as long as it involved children's stories
Sine qua non: The pen is the sine qua non of the essay
Quixotic: The man was very quixotic on his date with his girlfriend
Vendetta: A vendetta was included in the epic of Beowulf
Non sequitur: The prisoner used non sequitur to get out of his sentence.
Mystique: Your personality is part of your mystique
Quagmire: The swamp was a giant quagmire
Parlous: The journey was parlous.  There were many dangerous along the path.

Quote of the Day Sept. 6

My success was not based so much on any great intelligence but on great common sense.   -Helen Gurley Brown

Quote of the Day Sept 5

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.   -Dr. Seuss

Sonic the Hedgehog

I couldn’t think of a hero that I truly follow so I drew straws on random characters and came up with Sonic the hedgehog.

Sonic isn’t a normal hedgehog, he has the power of supersonic speed.  He uses this power to fight his battles against Dr. Robotnik, a mad scientist.  Why do these battles take place? Doctor Robotnik uses his IQ of 300 to take over the world.  Sonic sees this threat and is on a mission to stop the Doctor.  Sonic uses his speed against Dr. Robotnik’s machinery.  When the two first met, they become instant archenemies and began to battle one another.  Some of the many evil inventions that Dr. Robotnik has made include the turning of animals into death machines and a space station.  Sonic has to defeat these over and over again and, for some reason, always lets the doctor go.  Even if the Doctor escapes, can’t Sonic just catch him?  He does run at supersonic speeds.  These events occur over and over again with no end in sight.  Sonic eventually wins by trapping Dr. Robotnik in limbo.

This plot shows signs of reoccurring structure and extreme bravery.  It also shows signs of ignorance (the lack of knowing how to stop Dr. Robotnik for good).

Vocab Words and Meanings Sept. 4th

Apostate: a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, ect.
Effusive: unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve
Impasse: a position or situation from which there is no escape
Euphoria: a state of intense happiness and self-confidence
Lugubrious: mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner
Bravado: a pretentious, swaggering display of courage
Consensus: General agreement or concord; harmony
Dichotomy: division into parts, kinds, ect. ; subdivision into halves or pairs
Constrict: to draw or press in; cause to contract or shrink; compress
Gothic: noting or pertaining to a style of architecture, style of painting or sculpture, or  pertaining to music
Punctilio: A fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure.
Metamorphosis: a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or witchcraft
Raconteur: a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly
sine qua non: an indispensable condition, element, or factor
Quixotic: extravagantly chivalrous or romantic
Vendetta: a private feud in which the members of the family of a murdered person seek to avenge the murder by killing the slayer or one of the slayer's relatives
Non sequitur:  logic; an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premisis
Mystique: a framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs, or the like constructed around a person or object
Quagmire: an area of miry or boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; a bog
Parlous: Perilous; dangerous

Quote of the Day Sept. 4

Friendship is the shadow of the evening, which increases with setting sun of life.   -Jean de La Fontaine

Socratic Seminar 8.21 Thoughts

The seminar started a bit late because nobody really through ideas out there for a couple minutes.  Once we got started, the conversation was good, a bit slow but good nonetheless.  The seminar was interrupted half way through with Dr. Preston's decision making fatigue experiment and that took up most of the time that we had set aside for the Socratic seminar.  Next time should be a day planned for just the Socratic seminar and nothing else. 

Quote of the Day Sept. 3

Of life's two chief prizes, beauty and truth, I found the first in a loving heart and the second in a laborer's hand.   -Khalil Gibran

Quote of the Day Sept. 2

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.   -Oscar Wilde

Quote of the Day Sept. 1

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.   -John Wooden

On the first of every month I decided to give you a couple extra random quotes

Manners are love in a cool climate.   -Quentin Crisp
Marriage is  a wonderful invention: then again, so is a bicycle repair kit.   -Billy Connolly
Every work of art is an uncommitted crime.   -Theodor Adorno