Character study (4)

So many of us crammed into such a small taxi could not be a good idea. I was so worried about Xmus that I had left my purse with my phone and wallet at Quatro's house. None of us knew where my cousin could be. The car was dank and disgusting. I just wanted to be sleeping in a bed somewhere else. Quatro was beginning to get on my nerves. I knew he was just trying to help us find my cousin, but his persistent babble of reasons Xmus may be gone were in no way helpful. We scoured the streets for Xmus, but he was no where to be found. Lindsey tried to comfort me by telling me it would all be okay, but something inside me was telling me it wouldn't.

Character Study (2 and 3)

As soon as I got down the street from my house I was thrilled to see that my cousin X-mus Jaxon Flaxon-Waxon was there to get me. I was leaving this house forever, and he was the only one who knew it. My parents are very controlling. Even though I was nineteen I was very rarely allowed to leave my house. Today was the day that this would all change. "Where to" ? asked X-mus questioningly. "I have a friend who said I could stay with her for a little while, and go to some party, or something." I said.

Just like that we were on our way to my friend Kylie's new dorm. When we  got there I walked swiftly, and knocked on her door. I could not have been more excited to see her. The excitement grew even more when I noticed that Kristen (a girl I was friends with in high school) was also there. There was some random man standing in the corner. "Um who is he"? I wondered out loud. " He was my taxi driver her. Isn't he cute? He's really sweet. His name is Ozmataz Buckshank." She whispered quietly. "oh okay" I said. Later another one of our friends Lindsey came. She seemed a bit frazzled, but happy to be there.

After we got all caught up, we headed out for the game. They won! Kylie told me there would be an after party. She wanted to go, because her friend Jacob would be there. I was excited, because I had heard that Quatro Quatro was throwing the party. He was a starting football player, who I had heard was pretty hot.

As soon as we arrived at the party X-mus started drinking. I didn't know what to do, because he was my ride. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back he was gone. I immediately began to pannick. What if something really bad had happened to him? After searching the party, I told my friends he was missing. We all hopped in the car to start the search for him.

Canterbury Tales (1)

 I definitely felt each and every one of the characters in the prologue were entertaining, for just being who they are. Chaucer's use of irony when bringing the characters to life is what will keep the story interesting. I don't know that I liked how each of the characters were just listed off one after another. I hope in the future parts of the story there will be more dialogue. Now that during our discussion we talked about how the cook's character will be most interesting, I can't help but find myself curious to learn more about him. He seems like he will be a very peculiar/disgusting character.

Netvibes dashboard

I just set up my dashboard. I'm not going to lie to you guys, I do not like it so far. I am not good with these types of websites. I really want to like it, because I could definitely use more organization in my life. I will keep working with it. Hopefully it will get easier with time. So far I am struggling to get all the web pages I want on it. Without the websites I want I may never use it. I just hope with time and effort it will begin to make more sense!

Character study (1)

Kendall packed quickly and heedlessly. She didn't know where she was going, but what she did know was that she could not stay there long. She grabbed some clothes, and other essential items for her journey. She did this while manouvering around the desk she had pushed up against her bedroom door. Using her desk chair, with one swift motion her window was gone. Laying a sheet over the shattered glass at the base she swiftly escaped. Leaping towards a new life.

Vocab #6

obsequious- showing servile complaisance; fawning

- The girl obsequiously  made the boy a sandwich.

beatitude- supreme blessedness or exalted happiness

- I felt such beatitude  to be able to join the military.

bete noire- this person or thing especially disliked

- The crown is the bête noir
Of the coloring utensils.

bode- to be an omen of

- My sister borrowing my shirt did not bode well for me.

dank- unpleasantly moist or humid

- Rain forests are quite dank at this time of year.

ecumenical- General or universal

-It is an ecumenically excepted fact that men die before women.

fervid- heated or vehement in spirit

- I was fervid with excitement for the upcoming concert I would be attending.

fetid- having inoffensive odor, stinking

- Anywhere near the pigpen was fetid.

gargantuan- gigantic

- The church was gargantuan and beautiful.

heyday- stage or period with greatest vigor

- Around the age of one children are at their heyday for walking.

incubus- A Demonn or evil spirit

- The mentally Ill woman claimed that and incubus had attacked her in her sleep.

infrastructure- framework

- The constructors finished building the infrastructure of the building.

inveigle- to entice or lure

- I inveigled him into cooking me dinner.

kudos- Honor or glory

- I gave him kudos for his work with the volunteer center.

lagniappe- A gratuity or a gift with purchase

- I was happy I got a lagniappe with all the thing I bought from the store.

prolix- tediously lengthy

- I wrote a Prolix report on healthy eating habits.

protege- A person under the patronage

- The artist's protégé was very talented also.

prototype- The original model based on which something is formed

- I created a prototype of the car I wish to one day make.

sycophant- A servile flatterer

- I don't mean to be a sycophant when I say that I really like your outfit and ask where it's from.

tautology- needless repetition of an idea

- I used tautology to help explain the math problem in a more clear way.

truckle- to yield  obsequiously

-  She truckled under the pressure of her math test.

accolade- and award or honor

- It was quite accolade to get to be on varsity my sophomore year.

acerbity- sourness

- Her acerbity towards Russian films was absolutely baffling to me.

attrition- a reduction or decrease in numbers

- The attrition from the amount of people at the first meeting to the amount of people at the last meeting was absolutely insane.

bromide- A platitude or trite saying

- The sun will come out tomorrow is a very bromide statement.

chauvinist- aggressively patriotic or prefers one gender over another

- He was a chauvinist who believed women belonged in the kitchen and men belonged at work.

chronic- Constant or habitual

- I have had chronic arthritis for around 20 years now.

expound- to set forth

- I want to expound on a journey that will last a lifetime.

factionalism- self interested

- Her factionalism is what led her to a very lonely life.

immaculate- extremely clean or clear from moral impurity

- Her house was immaculatly decorated.

imprecation- a curse

- The witch put andimprecation on our house so anyone who lives in it will die young. 

ineluctable- incapable of being evaded

- The ineluctable truth was that I would never be able to have children.

mercurial- changeable or fickle

- Her mercurial personality caused her to have trouble picking out an outfit every morning.

palliate- to relieve or lesson without curing

- The Neosporin will help the pain of the cut, but the cut will heal on its own with time.

protocol- customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality.

- Standard protocol for dealing with stealing from the store is to fire the person who is guilty.

resplendent- shining brilliantly

- The resplendent lights on the Christmas tree added to the feeling of winter.

stigmatize- to disgrace 

- By having an affair with a married man you have stigmatized your family's name.

sub rosa- secretly; privately

- We could have a sub rosa conversation about buying mom a birthday gift tomorrow.

vainglory- excessive pride over one's achievements

- Her vainglory over getting her athletic letter was absolutely ridiculous.

vestige- A surviving evidence

- I was hoping there might be just a vestige of pie left for me when I got home.

volition- The act of willing, choosing, or resolving

- My volition of myself to go to practice was the only thing that drove me there.

What a character

"Tris" is a girl from the Divergent series, by Veronica Roth. She has made an impression on me, because I admire her strength in the series. Teenagers in the series are forced to choose what kind of person they are when they turn a certain age. Tris is brave enough to decide that her personality is not able to be put in a category. I like that she is willing to stand up for herself, even if it makes her an outsider looking in on a life she once knew. She chooses to be her own person, instead of submitting to what others want her to be. The fact that the author wrote the story in the first person makes it easier for me to relate to Tris. The use of stream of conscious as a tactic helps readers to better understand the internal conflicts the main character struggles with. The use of these devices to describe her as a character is what made her discernable, in my mind from other characters I have read about.

Declaration of Learning Independence

All my life everyone including teachers have constantly talked about how "everyone is special in their own way." If this is true than why is it that all students are following a specific curriculum? I'm going to try not to babble on about how unimportant some of the classes I've taken now seem to be. However, the world is constantly changing. Some of the things that we are learning to do now will be of no use to us with the speed at which technology is moving. One example of this was the fact I once had to learn cursive. I don't know about you guys, but when was the last time you wrote an essay in cursive instead of typing it? I guess what I want to get out of my high school experience is different than the cookie cutter ideas that many adults have hammered into our brains. I want to learn things that will help me in the future. I want to learn what I need to know to make it through life as a person I can be proud of. I guess that's a goal. I know it's not super specific for what I want to do in the future. I have other goals for that. I'm sorry if this wasn't the assignment, but to my knowledge this assignment was to show us this class will give us the freedom to learn what's important for this course, and how it can be used in the future. 

Vocabulary #5

obsequious- Characterized by or showing servile deference

- Need a hotel owner was quite obsequious to our needs.

beatitude- Supreme blessedness or exalted happiness

- It was quite an accolade to have such a beatitude  in our home.

bete noire- a person or a thing that is disliked or dreaded

Jury duty is a bête noir.

bode- To be an omen of or to announce before hand

- My itchy throat boded that I was getting sick.

dank- Unpleasantly moist or humid

- Did dank weight room caused us to move our workout outside.

ecumenical- General or universal

- It is a ecumenically excepted truth that without oxygen we would die.

fervid- Burning, glowing, enthusiastic

- The fervid flame on the candle flickered wildly.

fetid- Having an offensive odor

- The old, moldy cheese was very fetid.

gargantuan- Gigantic, enormous, colossal

- The gargantuan lion seem to scare every person who went near it.

heyday- The stage or period with greatest vigor

- The heyday of jeggings seem to have only lasted a week.

incubus- a demon, evil spirit, or nightmare

- I saw incubus standing staring through my window while I was laying in bed.

infrastructure- The basic underlying framework

- The infrastructure of the house had already been created, so now all that was left was building the roof.

inveigle- To entice or Lure

- I inveigled him into helping me with my math homework.

kudos- Honor and glory

- You deserve kudos for your work with the military.

lagniappe- a gift with purchase or a tip

- I got a free hand sanitizer as a lagniappe for buying three lotions.

prolix- Long and wordy

- They prolix to essay got to be quite boring after a while.

protege- a person under protection or patronage

- My protege learned to appreciate art, because of me.

prototype- And original or model based on which something is formed

- My prototype of a hands-free cell phone did not turn out very well.

sycophant- a self-seeking servile flatterer

- The sycophant agreed with everybody at the meeting just to make things easier.

tautology- Repetition of an idea

- His tautology of his idea to expand the company became very annoying, and unnecessary.

truckle- To prevent or yield obsequiously

- Did dog truckled  to my demands that he lay down.

Literary Analysis #1

1) Running with Scissors is an autobiography about the life of Augusten Burroughs. He is a teenage boy who moved out of his mothers house, and in with her therapist. His father was an alcoholic who left him when he was very young. His mother seemed to be losing a little more of her mind every day. This is why he moved in with Dr. Finch and his family. The book is mainly about all the crazy and awful things he goes through while living there. It is also about how he discovered he was gay, and his first love interest. He met his boyfriend Bookman who was twice his age through the Finches. Bookman later disappears, after telling Augusten he loved him so much it scared him. Augusten forms an interesting bond with one of Dr. Finches daughters named Natalie. He finds her interesting and easy to talk to. She too formed a relationship with a  pedaphile who broke her heart. He bounces back and forth in time through out the book. He talks about the insane things his mom had done, and how he adjusts to living with a therapist who seemed to be the craziest one of them all.  One example the craziness in the Finch house was when Augusten and Natalie decided the wanted a moon roof in the kitchen, the just cut a hole in the ceiling, and no one seemed to care.

2) I would say the main theme in this novel is that the way you are raised has a huge effect on the way you view the world. Augusten struggles with this idea. He spends his whole life worrying that he may end up like his mom. This fear drives him to try and make sure he is his own person. It is this characteristic that makes him fit in in the Finch household.

3) I would describe the author's tone in this book as facetious. He often takes very serious matters and makes them funny. " I had nothing in common with these kids. They had moms that nibbled matchstick- thin slices of carrot. And I had a mom that ate matchsticks." 

"All the commotion had caused the roaches to reatreat deeply into the walls so Natalie hardly screamed at all."

" That's when I noticed she was also wearing a stocking cap and a green wool coat. Something in her brain had short circuited. She was now prepared for Christmas."

4) tone- This helped readers to not be bogged down by what a sad life he led. 

P.192

Motif- the common thread through out the book was mental health

" My mother was a writer but she was also crazy. And the only people who read her poems were the depressed women in the writing classes she held it her house in the summers or friends she called on the phone" p.154

Simile- this also added to the comedy in the book

"My brother had a very unique way of communicating through grunts and snorts like, one can only assume our very distant ancestors."p. 104

Imagery- This helped me to picture such crazy events happening. "I slid into the smooth brown courduroy seat" P. 105

Irony- There was a ton of irony in the fact that the person who was supposed to help his mom get better was in fact crazy himself. P. 122-123

Personification- The author often personified items in the Finch home in order to better describe what an awful state the house was in. P. 39

Symbolism- The kitchen ceiling on page 139. Was described as "crushing" the main character. I think this symbolizes how trapped Augusten felt in his situation. I think this really helped the author get his point across. It made me feel sympathy for him. He never really felt like he was in controll of his destiny

Point of view- I really loved that this story was an autobiography. The fact that it was told in the first person just makes the content seem that much more mind boggling. This helped the book to hold my interest.

Diction- The story is told in a way that makes me think that the conversations in this book actually happened the way he says they did. I could picture a teenage boy saying things like "so basically, you're giving me away to your shrink"

Pg. 138

Flashback- there were many of these all throughout the book. He never stuck to one specific time or instance. I like this, because it helps readers to understand why he reacts to certain events the way he does. Pg. 215

All of the above

I was pretty disappointed with the way I scored on this test. I didn't seem to have too much trouble with most of the short stories or essays. I think that a large amount of the ones that I got wrong were due to me not understanding the question. With some time and work with vocabulary, this problem could be fixed.

Vocabulary #4

accolade- an award or honor

-It was a great accolade to be invited to the party the most popular girl and school was having.

acerbity- Sourness, roughness, harshness

- Her acerbity towards my dog made it clear that she was not an animal person.

attrition- a reduction, or decrease in numbers

- The attrition in sales caused the business to have to shut down.

bromide- a platitude or trite saying

- He gave us a long bromide speech about why we should appreciate everything we have.

chauvinist- Someone who is aggressively patriotic, or a person who believes one gender is better than the other

- He was a complete chauvinist. He said that women should not be allowed to get jobs.

chronic- Constant, habitual, reoccurring

- I have chronic foot pain, because I don't wear supportive shoes.

expound- To set forth, or state in detail

- I do not have to expound my reasons for giving my baby up for adoption.

factionalism- Self-interest, partisan 

- Your factionalism is causing all of those who you care about to suffer.

immaculate- Spotlessly clean, or free from moral impurity

- Her house was so immaculate, that I didn't want to wear my shoes on her carpet. 

imprecation- A curse, or malediction

- The witch put an imprecation on my child, because I was mean to her.

ineluctable- Inescapable

- The uncomfortable conversation I was having seems to be ineluctable.

mercurial- Changeable, volatile, fickle

- Her mercurial attitude made it difficult for her to find a house to live in.

palliate- To relieve or lessen without curing

- The doctors palliated her cancer so she could die in peace.

protocol- Customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality

- We must follow fire drill protocol  while we are attending school.

resplendent- Shining brilliantly, Gleaming

- The resplendent Christmas tree added to the winter atmosphere.

stigmatize- To set some mark of disgrace or infamy upon

- The Scarlet letter stigmatized the girl who had committed adultery.

sub rosa- Confidently, secretly, privately

- She came to me sub rosa to talk about  her father's passing.

vainglory- Excessive pride or elation over one's achievements

- Her vainglory showed that she was not the hero we thought she was.

vestige- a surviving evidence

- I still had a vestige  of hope that somehow my lost dog would return to me.

volition- a choice or decision made by will

- The volition that we came to was that Sarah should be team captain. 

Beowulf Essay

                          Our culture shapes the way writers create their master pieces. Beowulf is the story of a man who epitomizes the idea of a hero that existed in a culture that was around many years ago. This was a culture that valued honor above all else. He is a reflection of the time period that the story was created in. Beowulf's character is strong, fast, and vengeful. For these reasons I think that he is comparable to the modern hero the Hulk.  The Hulk does not think about his actions before he does them. He instead thinks about vengeance. This was the tragic flaw that led to Beowulf's downfall.

                          The main literary devices used in the stories of these heroes are symbolism, foreshadowing, and imagery. An example of the symbolism in Beowulf is that all of the monsters in this story are big and ugly ones, who live in hidden places, with mysterious backgrounds. This symbolizes how monsters can never truly be a part of society. The Hulk is another example of a big green monster who will never be considered "normal." At many points in this story other characters said things that foreshadowed Beowulf's death by dragon. In the Hulk the fact that he must escape to a far off location when he gets angry should foreshadow that at some point, he will cause some major destruction. The author in both of these stories uses imagery to portray what great strength the main characters have.

                         The differences in these two characters definitely stem from the fact that they take place in such different time periods. The Hulk could be considered a hero, because of his strength and his struggles to control his anger. However Beowulf is a hero, because of all the good he did for his people. Even if it was for his own selfish reasons.That was the standard then. The Hulk meets our standards now. Even if he does not receive the same amount of honor.

                         In conclusion, these characters may seem very different in regards to their reasons for being considered a hero, however they have many similarities. Such as their strength and inabilities to think things through completely. In different time periods this led them down  different paths one to death and another to eternal misery as a monster.

Will study for food

College is clearly very expensive. I do not have too much money saved. The only ways I can expect to pay for it are loans, scholarships, and getting a job. I am hoping to get as many scholarships as possible. The main colleges I hope to be excepted to are Chico State and Fresno State. Fresno is roughly $27,139 a year. Chico is roughly $22,362. My main source for scholarships will be from scholarships.com and I will also be applying for the Elks scholarship.

Vocabulary #3

apostate- a person who forsakes their religion. 

Ex. She cheated on her husband she must be an apostate.

effusive- lacking reserve/ pouring out

Ex. My effusive enthusiasm showed I was happy to get the job.

impasse- a situation with no escape

Ex. We could not decide where to eat. We were at an impasse.

euphoria- intense happiness and self confidence

Ex. After winning the spelling bee I was in an euphoric state. 

lugubrious- mournful or gloomy

Ex. It was a lugubrious day for the girl who's grandpa had just passed away. bravado- a pretentious show of courage

Ex. He defeated the monster with extreme bravado.

consensus- majority of opinion

Ex. The consensus voted on Pisa for dinner.

dichotomy- division into two parts

Ex. During civil wars many countries undergo dichotomy.

constrict- to draw in or make smaller

Ex. The snake constricted its predator, crushing its bones. 

gothic- pertaining to European style during the 12th century

Ex. I am decorating my house with a gothic theme.

punctilio- a fine point or detail

Ex. We must go over the final punctilios of my wedding.

metamorphosis- a change of form or structure

Ex. The caterpillar metamorphosed into a butterfly.

raconteur- a good story teller

Ex. The raconteur told us stories about his childhood.

sine qua non- an essential element

Ex. We forgot the sine qua non for the cake.

quixotic- unpredictably extravagant 

Ex. The fact that he bought me a car on our first date was quixotic.

vendetta- a prolonged and bitter feud

Ex. The girl seem to have a vendetta against me she always kicked my leg during practice.

non sequitur- An inference with an ill logical conclusion

Ex. Her assumption that just because the boy and the girl were not in class because they were at the beach was absolutely non sequitur.

mystique- An aura of mystery or mystical power

Ex. His mystique was what first drew me to him.

quagmire- A bog or a difficult situation

Ex. When I went looking for alligators I got stuck in a quagmire.

parlous- Perilous  or dangerous

Ex. The parlous conditions mad me wish I was in the safety of my own warm bed.

The book I chose

The book I chose for my first literary analysis was Running with scissors by Augusten Burroughs. Although it is not off the AP list, It is still very interesting to read . It relates back to my big question in many different ways, regarding society. So far, it has been very interesting. I like the fact that it is an autobiography.