vocab #10

aficionado- a serious devotee of some particular music genre or musical performer
browbeat- to discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate
commensurate- able to be measured by a common standard
diaphanous- Of such fine texture as to be transparent or translucent
emolument- Payment for an office or employment
foray- A sudden raid or military advance
genre- A realistic style of painting that depicts scenes from everyday life
homily- An inspirational saying or platitude
immure- To confine within or as if within walls; imprison
insouciant- carefree or unconcerned; light-hearted
matrix- a substance, situation, or environment in which something has its origin, takes form, or is enclosed
obsequies- A funeral rite or ceremony
panache- A bunch of feathers or a plume, especially on a helmet.
persona- The role that one assumes or displays in public or society; one's public image or personality, as distinguished from the inner self
philippic- a bitter or impassioned speech of denunciation; invective
prurient- unusually or morbidly interested in sexual thoughts or practices
sacrosanct- Regarded as sacred and inviolable
systemic- Of or relating to systems or a system
tendentious- Marked by a strong implicit point of view; partisan
vicissitude- A change or variation

Literature Analysis #2

Kafka on the Shore

By: Haruki Murakami

1. "Kafka on the Shore" is a story of two men who are traveling for different reasons. Murakami structures the work using magical realism. Kafka Tamura has run away from an abusive father; while Nakata is an older man who is able to talk to cats. Both men search for the door to a spiritual realm. Murakami opens the story with information about Kafka and his background; his mother leaves the family when he is little, taking his sister with him. This event motivates the father to be emotionally abusive towards him. Questions surround this character when he wakes up one day covered in blood. Kafka searches for answers. In contrast, Nakata is in search for a lost cat. Nakata's background is unique, because he just woke up one day with this ability. By the end of "Kafka on the Shore," the two men experience different types of relationships. They enter the spiritual world, but later return to the real world to continue their lives. 

 2. I feel like the theme is desire. The desire to what you want and learn for yourself. Kafka does this throughout the whole novel repeatedly. Even with other important characters they all do what they desire to do despite the outcome or what the odds are saying against it. 

3. The author of this novel seems to me to have a sort of assertive tone as he lays out his story for the reader.

Quotes:

"From now on - no matter what - you've got to be the world's toughest fifteen-year-old. That's the only way you're going to survive."

The Boy Named Crow, p. 5

"Naturally, I have zero friends. I've built a wall around myself, never letting anybody inside and trying not to venture outside myself. Who could like somebody like that? They all keep an eye on me, from a distance. They might hate me, or even be afraid of me, but I'm just glad they don't bother me."

Chapter 1, p. 9

"What I think is this: you should give up looking for lost cats and start searching for the other half of your shadow."

Nakata tugged a few times at the bill of his hat in his hands. "To tell the truth, Nakata's had that feeling before. That my shadow is weak. Other people might not notice, but I do."

Chapter 6, p. 52

4. Literary techniques that bettered my understanding of the purpose, theme and tone were diction, syntax, symbolism, and style.

Diction: The authors word choice helped me understand the tone a lot better because he used charged adjectives, very descriptive and to the point in the writing.

“But if something did happen, it happened. Whether it's right or wrong. I accept everything that happens, and that's how I became the person I am now.” 

Syntax: The way he wrote his sentences and how they all had a purpose allowed me to enjoy the book as well as understand it.  He used long descriptive sentences.

“The journey I'm taking is inside me. Just like blood travels down veins, what I'm seeing is my inner self and what seems threatening is just the echo of the fear in my heart.” 

Symbolism: symbolism was used a lot in the novel. One major symbol that helped me understand the purpose of the novel was the crow. it symbolized Kafka's inner struggles and how hard things were going for him at this time.

Style: The authors style was unique and helped me get a feel for the writing and the meaning. The author alternates chapters with different stories every even and odd chapters. This was interesting and the two characters were so complex that it allowed me to stay completely interested in his point in the end of the novel.

tools that change the way we think

I think that the Internet/media/technology have changed the way I think in a few different ways. In a negative way, I do believe that the internet has weakened my memory. I find myself looking the same things up again and again because I don't seem to remember exactly what I had read previously. I think this is because I know that I can easily re look at the information I want because it is on the internet so I'm not as focused on letting what I read actually stick. I do, however, think that the internet has helped me in the fact that if i don't know something I do have the capability of easily discovering it on the internet. This is especially simple with my smartphone. Without my phone in my pocket constantly I would just forget about things I want to look up in a certain moment and just never try and discover the answers to some of the questions I have. This, I think is a positive about the internet for me. Media, however, is something I find myself wasting too much of my time on.

Notes on Hamlet

So far, my feelings on Hamlet are changing. In the beginning I felt bad for Hamlet and the things that had happened to him. Now, however, I am starting to feel less compassion and sympathy for him, because I believe that he only focuses on revenge now and I believe that regardless of what people do to you, killing is wrong and in killing polonious he showed no feelings what so ever.

Who was Shakespeare?

After reading many articles I found this one very helpful.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/merchant/shakespeare.html

Not a lot is actually known about William Shakespeare, which leaves a lot for us to wonder about.  Some even wonder about the truth of his whole existence.  It is a common belief, however, that he is one of the greatest when it comes to dramas.
I feel like the thought of Shakespeare as a student is a little intimidating because of the language.  As I grew older in studying Shakespeare I did discover more to his personality that made his works a little less difficult and a little humorous.  I get more of the hidin jokes and puns in his work but I do still struggle with completely understanding the language.

To Facebook or not to Facebook?

I first made a Facebook my freshman year. I had to beg my parents and insure them I would be very responsible with the information I'd make availiable and the things I'd post.  I've now had a Facebook for quite some time now and after reading "why Facebook is after your kids?" I have discovered that there is a lot about Facebook that I had no clue of.  Facebook has always been praised as a place to reconect with friends you don't see often, which it is great for. Now after reading that article, however, it makes me wonder if it is really worth it to have a Facebook or not.  I'm probably not going to delete my Facebook but I will be a lot more conscious of what information I am making availiable to be taken and sold without my permission or knowledge.

Vocab Autopsy

On the vocab midterm I did better than I expected. I didn't expect to do poorly since I did put a lot of time and effort into studying the lists, I just wasn't as confident as I guess I should have been. I liked the way the test was structured because I actually did matching as studying practice so it helped a lot.

Vocabulary list #9

Abortive: failing to produce the intended result
Bruit: spread a report or rumor widely
Contumelious: scornful and insulting behavior
Dictum: a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source; a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle
Ensconce: establish or settle
Iconoclastic: characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions
In medias res: a narrative that begins somewhere in the middle of a story rather than the beginning
Internecine: destructive to both sides in a conflict
Maladroit: ineffective or bungling; clumsy
Maudlin: self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness
Modulate: exert a modifying or controlling influence on
Portentous: of or like a portent; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner
Prescience: the power to foresee the future
Quid pro quo: a favor or advantage granted in return for something
Salubrious: health-giving, healthy; pleasant, not run-down
Saturnalia: the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December; an occasion of wild revelry
Touchstone: a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized
Traumatic: emotionally disturbing or distressing; relating to or causing psychological trauma
Vitiate: spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of; destroy or impair the legal validity of.
Waggish: humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner

hamlet remix

Hamlet simplified Remix ACT III SCENE I.

 A room in the castle.

Enter KING CLAUDIUS, QUEEN GERTRUDE, POLONIUS, OPHELIA, ROSENCRANTZ, and GUILDENSTERN

KING CLAUDIUS

Did you find out what was bothering Hamlet?

ROSENCRANTZ

Not really.

GUILDENSTERN

Yeah, He won’t talk about it.

QUEEN GERTRUDE

Is he at least being nice?

ROSENCRANTZ

Yeah.

GUILDENSTERN

But you can tell it’s an act.

ROSENCRANTZ

He won’t really answer any questions.

QUEEN GERTRUDE

You couldn’t cheer him up at all?

ROSENCRANTZ

He was kinda excited about this play.

LORD POLONIUS

Yes and I think he would like you to see it.

KING CLAUDIUS

I’d like that.  Why don’t you go encourage him.

ROSENCRANTZ

Okay we will.
Exit ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN

KING CLAUDIUS

Honey you should leave now too.  We have arranged for Hamlet to run into Ophelia here so we can spy on them and see if he’s acting strangely because of her.

QUEEN GERTRUDE

Okay and I hope that, that is indeed all that’s on his mind.

OPHELIA

I hope so too.
Exit QUEEN GERTRUDE

LORD POLONIUS

Come here, pretend to read this book and look sexy.
KING CLAUDIUS

[Aside] Oo la la

LORD POLONIUS

King let’s go, he’s coming.

vocab #8

Abeyance-(N.) A state of temporary disuse or suspension.

Ambivalent- (Adj.) Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Beleaguer- (V.) Beset with difficulties

Carte blanche- (N.) Complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best.

Cataclysm- (N.) A sudden violent upheaval, esp. in a political or social context

Debauch- (V.) Destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt.
(N.) A bout of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, esp. eating and drinking

éclat- (N.) brilliant or conspicuous success

Fastidious- (Adj.) Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

Gambol- (V.) Run or jump about playfully

Imbue- (V.) Inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality: "imbued with deep piety".

Inchoate- (Adj.) Just begun and so not fully formed or developed

Lampoon- (V.) Publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule or sarcasm.
(N.) A speech or text criticizing someone or something in this way

Malleable- (Adj.) Easily influenced; pliable

Nemesis- (N.) The inescapable or implacable agent of someone's or something's downfall

Opt- (V.) Make a choice from a range of
possibilities

Philistine- (N.) A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them

Picaresque- (Adj.) Of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero

Queasy- (Adj.) Nauseated; feeling sick

Refractory- (Adj.) Stubborn or unmanageable

Savoir-faire- (N.) The ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations.

Dear Ophelia

I feel like this is a very difficult situation because you almost have to choose between your family and your love life.  However, I believe that if your family and the prince really do sincerely care about you they wouldn't make you choose one or the other.  My advice is to talk to all of them together and make sure the prince puts in a lot of effort to make himself likeable by your family and not give up because eventually if he is the right guy for you then your family will except him.