Vocabulary # 2

accoutrements- additional items of dress

- My boyfriend bought me accoutrements to go with my outfit.

apogee- point in orbit that is furthest from center, furthest point

- When I am at the end of the book, I am at the apogee.

apropos- with reference to

- Many book have apropos to the bible. 

bicker- to argue  about petty matters

-My sister and I bickered back and forth, before deciding on where to eat.

coalesce- to come together to form a whole

-The puzzle pieces coalesced.

contretemps- an unfortunate event

- The death of your grandma and your dog was a contretemps.

convolution- a form or shape that is folded or coiled 

- The snake was all convoluted, and ready to attack

cull- select from a large quantity 

- I culled the chocolate pocket at the doughnut shop

disparate- essentially different in kind

- She was quite disparate from the other girls her age. 

dogmatic- insistently opinionated

- People can be fairly dogmatic in their views on politics.

licentious- promiscuous 

- Tiger Woods is quite licentious.

mete- to dispense or a lot punishment 

- The police must mete those who speed.

noxious- harmful, poisonous, unpleasant 

- Battery acid if ingested is noxious.

polemic- a verbal or written attack

- My boss and I had a huge polemic. 

populous- containing many inhabitants

- New York is very populous, because it is so huge. 

probity- having strong morals and values

- The girl could not leave the man she hit with her car in the street, because she had probity.

repartee- a conversation with lots of banter

- Politicians often have repartee during their conversations.

supervene- to occur later than originally planned

- We had to supervene our lunch plans.

truncate- to cut short

- I am running late so we will have to truncate this conversation.

unimpeachable- not able to be doubted

- My fathers statements are unimpeachable. 

Beowulf questions

Prologue

1. What was unusual about Sheilds rise to power was that he started off with nothing, he had to build his way to the top. His grandson Hrothgar was born into wealth that brought him to the top. Danes buried Sheild at sea with his most treasured items, when he died.

Herot is attacked

1. Hrothgar created the Heorot. Grendel attacked it. This caused the death of thirty men. The attacks happened for twelve years. The people of Danes were frightened. Many of them left town, leaving Hrothgar to fen for himself.

The hero comes to Herot

1. When Beowulf here's about the problems in Danes he immediately demanded a boat, so he could go slay Grendel.

2. Upon his arrival Beowulf and his army are met by a guard who questions their motive in coming there. Beowulf explains he is there to help, so the guard decides to let him pass.

3. Wulfgar is the Herald.Herald also questions his motives for being there. After a brief discussion Wulfgar tells Hrothgar he must let them help. Hrothgar is happy to see Beowulf, because he knows his father, and had heard stories of Beowulfs triumphs. I was at first surprised that he knew Hrothgar, because it is not necessarily as noble of an act as if he did not know him.

4. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that is confident  he will win this battle. Hrothgar fought with Beowulf's father, who often protected him.

Feast and Herot 

1. Unferth says that he does not believe Beowulf can win, because he once lost a battle in the ocean. Beowulf is insulted. He talks about what a long hard battle it was. He accuses Unferth of being weak.This is relevent, because it gives readers a sense of Beowulf's inflated ego.

2. The Queen is overjoyed that there is hope that the monster may be defeated. She is happy to have the guests.

The fight Grendel

1. What was different about Beowulf's preparations was that he did not do a whole lot of planning. He simply waited weaponless, for the monster to come to him.

2. When Grendel enters the army pretends to be asleep. He kills one man. When he goes to attack Beowulf he surprises the monster by grabbing his claw with great force. They have a loud fight. Beowulf pulls off Grendles arm. He gets away leaving it behind

Celebration at Heorot

1. Beowulf is like Sigemund in that he has not suffered many defeats. He is like Heremod, because he is more worried about his own life than anyone else's.

2. Hrothgar is happy to fulfill Beowulfs deed. He promises he will be given glory. Unferth was just happy that he was saved. He said nothing.

3. Fin is someone who was trying to end a war by marrying a woman. He was unsuccessful, and was killed at the end of the story. This suggests that this is not a good tactic for ending fueds.

4. Hrothgar is asked not to allow Beowulf to be king.

5. He gives the necklace to his uncle who dies in battle. Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to protect her kids.

6. The men sleep there, because after a night of celebration of the monsters defeat they believe it's safe. This is a mistake, because Grendel's mom comes yearning for revenge and kills them.

Another attack

1. Grendel's mom came to avenge her sons death. Grendel on the other had came, because he enjoyed killing.

2. Hrothgar responded by begging Beowulf to help again. He was devastated by the loss of his friend Aeshere to this viscious attack.

3. A gross, swampy lake inhabited by Grendel and his mom.

Beowulf fights Grendel's mom

1. Beowulf tells Hrothgar to prepare for war.

2. Hrothgar finds the head of his beloved friend, before Beowulf enters the mere. This causes him to want to fight the monster even more.

3. Beowulf puts on his new armor(a gift from Hrothgar), and talks about his will to prepare for battle. Unferth gives him a sword to use.

4. Beowulf is dragged by Grendel's mom down into her lair. Upon entering he notices that a dead Grendel is laying in it.

5. Beowulf breaks the sword when he tries to kill Grendel's mother with it.

6. Beowulf escapes Grendel's mother and her knife, because his armor protects him.

7. He kills Grendel's mom using a sword he finds in the lair. He takes Grendel's head back with him. The sword melts in the bloody water.

8. Beowulf happily returns to the surface. The men did not expect his return after seeing all the blood in the water. They gloomily returned home.

Further Celebration at Herot

1. Beowulf gives Heothgar what's left of the sword, and the severed head.

2. Hrothgar warns him not to be an egotistical leader. He talks about how Heremod was banished for being a bad leader, and later murder.

3. Beowulf returns Unferth's sword to him.

Beowulf Renturns Home

1. Hrothgar predicts Beowulf will continue to win battles for a while longer.

2. Hygd is Hygelac's wife. She is unlike Modthryth, because she is not a very violent ruler.

3. Hrothgar wants to marry Ingeld to end conflicts. Beowulf disagrees, because he thinks this may make things worse between Danes and Heathobards. This shows a more practical side of Beowulf.

4. Beowulf did not lie about the way the battles went when he talked about them. He is reports them clearly and proudly.

5. Beowulf gave away most of the treasures he earned. He gave most of it to Hygd and Hygelac.

The Dragon Wakes

1. This takes place 50 years later. Hygelac and Heardred have both died. A fire breathing dragon is the newest threat to those Beowulf loves.

2. The dragon is mad, because a man tried to steal from him. The man wanted to give it to his master to gain his freedom. An old lord left the treasure there.

3. He burned nearly every home in Geats while searching for the man.

4. Beowulf just assumes that his home has been burnt down based on all the homes that have been. He ordered a new Sheild so it wouldn't burn up. He plans on hurting the dragon as much as possible. He also excepts that this will be how he dies.

5. Hygelac was killed during a battle. He is offered a position as king. He refuses saying that Heardred should be king.

6. Heardred is murdered by Orleanna. Beowulf plans to kill him.

7. 11 men go with Beowulf to fight the dragon. He also brought the man who stole from the dragon.

8. Herebald was killed by an arrow while hunting. Swedes and Geats kept fighting. Beowulf avenged the dead by killing Dayraven.

Beowulf attacks the Dragon

1. Beowulf tells his army to wait outside for him so he can fight the dragon alone.

2. During the battle it is clear that Beowulf has clearly underestimated the dragons strength. His army tries to leave. Everyone but Wiglaf. He tries to help Beowulf who is struggling to survive.

3. They both try to kill the dragon Beowulf is badly injured. It is clear he will die, but in the end they defeat the dragon. Wiglaf stabs the dragon. 

4. Beowulf asks Wiglaf to take over for him. He wants him to protect those he cares about. Upon seeing the gold he asks to see it. He asks to be burned at the Headland, and that it be named Beowulf's Barrow.

Beowulf's Funeral

1. They try and fail to save Beowulf. Wiglaf says that he wishes the would have died, because they are so in honorable. He expects Geats will fall apart. 

2. The messenger announces Beowulfs death. Ogentheow threatens Geats. Hygelac saves them by killing Ogentheow. The final image was the dragon.

3. Wiglaf tells the crowd that they owe Beowulf a proper burial, because they were to blame for his death. 

4. Wiglaf's men kill the dragon by pushing him into the ocean. 

5. Beowulf's men mourned him and buried him with gifts during the funeral.

6. The Geats describe him as a kind person. This is strange for a person like this, because he did so much killing in his life time. It's also a great honor, because is show that he achieved his goal to die a hero.

 

The right to your opinion

Vocabulary #1

I posted this earlier, but I had to change the title. Please don't mark this late, because it was complete on time. 

Adumbrate- report or represent in outline

Apotheosis- to raise to a high standard

Ascetic- austere in appearance, manner, or attitude

Bauble- a showy ornament or trinket

Beguile- to charm or entice deceptively

Burgeon- to flourish or grow

Complement- to bring to perfection

Contumacious- stubbornly disobedient to authority

Curmudgeon- a person with a bad temper

Didactic- to convey information

Disingenuous- not sincere

Exculpate- to declare some one is guilty of something 

Faux pas- a tactless act

Fulminate- express vehement protest

Fustian- high flown writing and speech

Hauteur- an arrogant manner

Inhibit- to prevent or prohibit

Jeremiad- a work announcing a prophecy of doom

Opportunist- one who takes advantage of opportunities

Unconscionable- not reasonable 

reflections on week one

1. The only factor that I could think of that might effect how i do in this class might be that I have never used a blogger before, so I may struggle a little at first.
2. Last summer I took a trip to Uganda. While there I learned so much about a culture I could have never understood here. I learned what poverty really means.  In fundraising I learned how to save money. I went with a great group of students in our district. We came together to try to make a change there. Instead, I think I can say Uganda changed each of us in our own way. It gave me a greater appreciation for all that I have. This includes my education. 

3. I'm excited to learn to be a better writer in this class. I definitely would not consider it to be one of my strong suits. I hope that learning this will help me in college, and some day in my career.

exam notes

The questions on this test that i had the most trouble with were the questions that followed the first poem. I think this is because I had trouble comprehending the poem, and the meaning behind it. I also had trouble remembering some of the vocab in the test. I took notes on the words I struggled with the most to keep in my binder. Overall, although I did struggle with some of the questions I feel like over time I will get better.

Essay #2

                                                             Montaigne vs. Austen

                               

                         There are many vast differences in the writing techniques of Michel De Montaigne and Jane Austen. Austen had very well organized thoughts that were displayed clearly through out her novel. Where as Montaigne had writing that was more along the lines of his stream of consciousness. Their similarities lie in the fact that they both used their writing to touch on subjects that were important to them.“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 quote by David Foster Wallace definitely describes how no matter how hard you try its impossible to describe in words what's on your mind. Montaigne was a good example of this.

 

                         Austen used her organized style of writing to portray what social classes were like during the eighteenth  century in England. It was easier for readers to understand her writing styles. She was able to get her thoughts across fairly easily. This may contradict the meaning behind Wallace's quote. She focused on describing the characters and settings in her book as vividly as possible.

 

                        Montaigne rarely develops his characters at all. He instead moves from topic to topic, discussing each one in a different essay. His thoughts never flow in any type of order. It almost seems as if he just chooses a random subject such as liars or doctors, and writes about his opinions on said topic. His essays were all nonfiction, and mainly opinion based. Montaigne is the very essence of the meaning behind Wallace's quote.

                            In conclusion, these two writers were very different in their styles and techinques. They both had their own ways of getting their points across to readers. Austen was organized, while Montaigne had a jumble of ideas. These two styles were in my opinion both successful in getting their points across.  

 

                            

Poetry assignment #1

1. This commercial borrows the poem The Laughing Hear by Charles Bukowski

2. The use of this poem by a corporation is ironic, because the entire poem is about being your own person and not " letting your life be clubbed into dank submission" when the commercial itself is trying to convince you to consume their product. This contradicts the poem itself. If a person were to purchase this item it could be considered a form of submission. 

3. The spirit of this poem does not reflect the author, because this poem is about freedom and Bukowski had a reputation for being involved in Nazi activity. This however has not been proven. He was also known as a drunk who did not take care of himself or his own life. This is another contradiction.

4. My main source for this research was the internet. I typed in a few lines from the poem to find the author. Then I googled the author to learn more about his previous works, and what kind of person he was.

Essay 1

                                 The Tragedy of Loneliness

                           The novel Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingslover is a tale of a woman finding her place in a life she never could have imagined for herself. Through many trials and tribulations, Orleanna Price (one of the main characters) learns to adjust to the ways of the natives in a small village in the Congo. Being able to get to know these natives and learn to be more flexible under harsh circumstances, is definitely a benefit of her time in the Congo. Where as the end of her marriage and the loss of her youngest daughter, Ruth May, could be considered reasons why this exile had unfortunate consequences.

                            What Orleanna gained from her time in Africa goes far beyond a good story to tell her grandchildren. She learned to respect herself enough to stand up for what she believed was right. Readers were first shown this side of her, when she finally decided it was time to get up out of bed and find a way to get her children back to the United states. Going against her husband's wishes was, at the beginning of the book, a perfidy that she would never even think to commit. After seeing the women of her village take on all the tasks that they do on a daily basis, she begins to realize that she is capable of way more than she gives herself credit for. Bringing her to the realization that she can make it in the world without her husband.

                           When Orleanna was brought to Africa, she was isolated from her friends, family, and the easy life that she was accustomed to. As the story progresses, even though she is in closer quarters with her family, she finds herself further from her family than ever. Her husband, who she once had a deep respect for, seems to be changing. She is finding it harder and harder to connect with him, because he is involvolved in his beliefs and making everyone else believe him. With her daughters each becoming their own women and finding their place in the world, Orleanna seems to have lost hers.

                          In conclusion, there are numerous ways isolation can affect people. In this paricular case, it caused Orleanna to change the way she thought, in order to adapt to her environment. With the loss of much of her family to Africa, she is left with a new perspective of the world she lives in. She now knows what it is like to feel truly alone.  

the big question

Why are people so judgemental of each other, when we all have flaws that make us equal?  If people spent more time bettering themselves, instead of debasing others, would the world be a better and more prosperous place?