Filter bubbles ( took me a while to make into not just a comment but a blog post sorry)

A)I actually feel I learned a lot from this video. I learned more about the tactics companies use to get us to want their product.
B) I feel like filtration bubbles are causing me to only be able to see the world from one perspective. I personally do not feel that is a good way to live life.
c)This video makes me wonder how the new algorithms that are invented in the future will change our experience with the internet.
D) The best way to fix this problem is tor try to expand your searches to accommodate the views of those around you. Try to see things from others perspective, and learn about it online.

Vocab #9

aficionado- and ardent devotee; fan

- I have watched football for years. Some might even call me an aficionado.

browbeat- to intimidate; bully

- You can't browbeat me into doing your homework!

commensurate- having the same measure; of equal extent or duration

- Your height should commensurate with the amount of coffee you drink.

diaphanous- very sheer and light

- My sheets are to diaphanous, so I get cold at night.

emolument- profit; salary

- I made a very small emolument working at Mcdonalds

foray- a quick raid or attack

- The foray surprised us all, and lead to many deaths.

genre- a class or category of artistic endeavor 

- Scream goes in the Horror film genre.

homily- a sermon usually on a biblical topic

- The preacher gave his homily on friendships and not being judgemental.

immure- to enclose within walls 

- I immured my dog in the bathroom, so he wouldn't have an accident on the floor.

insouciant- free from concern or worry

- I felt very insouciant once I finished my homework.

matrix- something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates, takes form, or develops

- The first scene Hamlet is the matrix from which the story starts.

obsequies- a funeral rite or ceremony

- The obsequies was very depressing, but what funeral is fun.

panache- a flamboyant manner

- The panache with which he presented made it interesting.

persona- the personality a person projects

- His persona was quiet and coy, but in reality he is loud.

philippic- a speech or discourse

- The philippic inspired me to reach for my dreams. 

prurient- having lustful thoughts 

- Teenage boys are prurient.

sacrosanct- extremely sacred

- In my house chocolate is sacrosanct.

systemic- of or pertaining to a system

- When people get in trouble with the law, their trial is systemic.

tendentious- biased

- Since I have five dogs I am tendentious towards them when they are compared to cats.

vicissitude- a change or variation 

- The entire basis of evolution was vicissitude.

Tools that change the way we think

Social networking expands the limits of thought. It changes the way we look at the world. We can learn about places we've never been, meet people we may have never met, and learn things that change us. The only disconcerting part is that we have become so dependent on these new waves of technology that we would be lost without them. I start my day with an alarm on my phone, and end it with a quick stroll through my Instagram. It makes me wonder how people managed before the creation of these devices and networks. Whenever I talk to my parents about things like this they are sure to mention none of this  even existed when they were my age. It's scary to think that all of this technology could expand or collapse within a few years. My generation is so used to the stead-fast growth of the technological boom, that I don't know what we would do if manufacturing companies just some how ran out of ideas one day. Ghandi himself once said ‘While my body on itself is nothing but a meticulous machinery How can I dismiss it? My spinning wheel or even this toothpick, for that matter, is a machine. I hate not the machines, but this growing passion for machines. I hate the passion for the machines which work upon diminishing man power. Some talk about machine which could spare man power when thousands of people are thrown jobless on the streets. Yes, I want the human toil and time to be spared not just for a sect of people but for the humanity. I want the wealth to be accumulated not just in few hands but for all the people in the world. Today machines favor putting handful of people on top thousands.’ Technology is taking the place of human relationships. Our codependency is driving us to ruin relationships and attach ourselves, instead to computer screens and iPods. I definitely appreciate that it is the way of the future, but we also need to realize the effect it is having on our lives.

I got this quote off http://ajithanmotherearth.blogspot.com/2012/07/gandhi-on-technology.html?m=1

The Performative Utterances of Hamlet

• I think the main point of this peice was to point out that Hamlet did not seem to be able to translate what the plans he had for vengeance were into actions.(if that makes sense)

• Hamlet seems to be easily fooling those around him, because of his well thought out plans.

•" a promise has been made in the world" Hamlet makes a binding promise to his father when he first sees his ghost.

•motifs- drama and playacting

• The entire play has an emphasis on emotional context.

• The play uses a lot of mimises. This is mimitation. Hamlet mimics a man driven mad by love.

• At the end Hamlet has a moment of self- actualization.

Thoughts on Hamlet (in progress)

Today in class we wrote a journal on what we think Hamlet's values might be. I

think that above all else he values loyalty. I think to truly be crazy you don't need motives to do awful things. Hamlet has done everything thus far to prove his loyalty to his father. His vengeful acts against Claudius are all just his way of saying " I know what you did to my dad, and you can't replace him." I'm not saying what Hamlet has done is right, but I don't think they are acts of a mad man. Maybe he just has no sense of right and wrong. Based on what we know about Queen Gertrude, she could be where he gets it from. His murdering Polonius may just be Shakespear's way of showing the audience what lengths Hamlet is willing to got to for revenge, and foreshadowing the deaths to come.

To be or not to be

What I think about when I think about act three

Well that escalated quickly! I could not have predicted Polonius's death. Poor Ophelia! Hamlet is single handedly destroying her life. Now I know the lengths Hamlet is prepared to go to to exact revenge. I feel like lots of secrets are about to be revealed. I don't think anyone really seemed to care about Polonius. Is this supposed to say something about what kind of person he was?

Literary analysis 3

1) Of Mice and Men is a story of a friendship that existed between two men named Lennie and George. George is not just Lennie's friend, but also his caretaker, because he is mentally ill. It is clear to readers from the beginning that Lennie has a big heart and a very loving personality. The two men work on a ranch in the story. At first Lennie tries to pretend not to be mentally ill. He accidentally murders many animals and eventually his boss Curly's wife. After this the people who own and work on the ranch want to kill Lennie, but George kills him first so he won't suffer.

2) The theme of the novel was hope. From the beginning of the story George described a dream he and Lennie shared. They both wanted to own their own home with lot's of rabbits for Lennie to play with. Without their hope for the future the work and people they had to deal with would have been insufferable.

3) The authors tone was morose. Although the men continued to dream throughout the story in the end thier dreams were crushed.
"Don't shoot him he didn't know what he was doing"
"You guys is just kidding your self, with those wild dreams"
"George steadied himself and pulled the trigger"
4)Foreshadowing- the author foreshadowed Lennie's accidental violence
"I didn't kill the mouse George, I just found it , honest"

Imagery- "both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons"

simile- he uses this to describe the characters
"for a moment he was business-like"

diction- the characters diction showed how uneducated they were
"'bout the other guys and 'bout us"

setting- this story took place on a ranch filled with wealthy white men.
"the bunk house was a long rectangular building"

foil- Lennie and George were complete opposites in everything they did, although Lennie still looked up to George as a role model
"The first man was small and quick. Behind him was a huge man with a shapeless face."

Flashback- George talks about how they lost their last job because Lennie touched a woman's dress
"they run us outa Weed"

Point of view- The fact that the story was told in the third person omniscient helped us get to know each of the characters well.
"they had walked in a single file line down the path that led to the river"

irony- Curly's wife at first appears interested in Lennie even though her husband hates him
"Hi, good-lookin"

characterization- "his arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely"

Characterization
1)" Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water"
    "George knelt beside the pool and drank" The author mainly used direct characterization so the audience could get to know the characters.

" the little man jerked down the brim of his hat"
"Her body twitched" The author did not use indirect characterization much, because he wanted the feelings of the characters to be clear.

2) The diction stays the same through out the book to signify how uneducated the men are.
"whatta ya want"

3) George was a very dynamic character. He seems burdened by his friends disability, but to readers it's clear he really loves Lennie.

4) I felt connected with the characters. I wanted to see them achieve their goals. That is why the ending was so depressing to me. I sympathized with both of the main characters.
"No Lennie. I ain't mad. I ain't never been mad, and I ain't now"

Vocab #8

abase-to reduce or lower

Ex. When I got caught stealing $.25 from the cash register, I was abased from my position as cashier.

abdicate- to renounce or relinquish (mainly power)

Ex. His death forced him to abdicate his position as king of the world.

abomination- greatly disliked or abhorred

Ex. Some people might consider a baby born out of wedlock an abomination.

brusque- abrupt in  manner or blunt

Ex. Her brusque honesty about my outfit hurt my feelings.

saboteur-A person who commits or practices sabotage

Ex. He was this saboteur who ultimately caused  my abasement from homecoming queen.

debauchery- excessive indulgence and sensual pleasure

Ex. Her debauchery is the reason that she has several STDs.

proliferate- to grow or produce by multiplication of parts

Ex. Once I had seen one and I knew it would proliferate into an army.

anachronism- belonging to a different time period

Ex. Suspenders are an anachronism.

nomenclature- A set or system of names and terms

Ex. I chose from a nomenclature of names, the perfect one for my child.

expurgate- to amend by removing words, to clense 

Ex. The nun expurgated me to rid me of my demons.

bellicose- inclined to fight, pugnacious

Ex. Because his father was so abusive he was much more bellicose than others of his age.

gauche- locking social grace, tactless

Ex. He was so gauche that he farted at the kitchen table.

rapacious- greedy

Ex. She was so rapacious that she refused to share her money no matter how much she got.

paradox- A self-contradictory statement or proposition

Ex. Her statement that she worked at Subway was a paradox, because everyone knew she worked at Jack-in-the-Box.

conundrum- A riddle often involving a pun, puzzle

Ex. I got myself into quite the conundrum when I ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere.

anomaly- A deviation from a common roll

Ex. When my brother was born with only nine fingers it was an anomaly.

ephemeral- lasting a very short time

Ex. Life is a ephemeral, we must take advantage of the opportunities we are given.

rancorous- full of or showing rancor

Ex. Hamlet is rancorous after finding out his uncle killed his dad.

churlish- rude

Ex. You should never be churlish to company.

precipitous- extremely deep

Ex. The ocean is very precipitous and large.

Dear Ophelia

Dear O,

 I would like to start by saying I'm sorry you have found yourself in this gauche situation. To have to choose between one's friends and love is quite the conundrum. I honestly think this descision is one you must make on your own. Before doing so you may want to consider the saying "blood is thicker than water." I think you may want to look inside yourself and decide which relationship is most important to you. If the relationship you have with this man of your's is simply an ephemeral debauchery, then maybe it's not the right decision to be with him. If your family is irrational and rancorous then maybe their opinion shouldn't matter in your decision. I hope this will help you in the rigorous process of hurting someone you love.

                         Sincerely,

                           Kendall

Literary fiction & empathy

In  the first soliloquy of Hamlet readers are given insight of the anger he feels for his fathers murder. This is the type of writing that helps readers to relate to the characters. Fictional writing helps us to relate to the real world, because when we feel the emotions of others we can understand why they do the things they do. Understanding is the key to life. When we understand we can empathize.

Awesome Hamlet Sites!

This is the link to a website with great descriptions of the plot and characters. I think it may be a great tool during this experience. It also analyzes theme in the play.

This is also a good one. It has historical background about the play, and it will help our understanding.

This one is also good. It has information and opinions about the play from many different authors.

I know this wasn't the assignment, but I struggled to find writers of sites like these to contact. While trying to come up with something that would be of equal value, I came up with this.

Vocab 7/ Character study

After hours of searching for X-mus, and some very weird shenanigans from Quatro I started to get cold. I asked Quatro to pull over the car. He acted really startled, and refused to pull over so I could get my jacket from the trunk. Eventually Lindsey convinced him to stop for gas. When he went in to pay, I walked to the trunk. I opened it and found the body of my cousin/ best friend. For a moment I was in shock, but of course that was emphemeral. I don't even remember what happened next. The last thing I remember was hearing Jacob's sobs after being hit in the face, and shoved back in the cab with the rest of us. I remember seeing Quatro's fist ricochet off the steering wheel in a fit of anger. His garrulous speech on the drive made it even scarier. When he realized I was the only one who hadn't been knocked out in the cab, he hit me.

I awoke on a rough gravel street, surrounded by buildings I had never seen before. I capriciously felt the inchoate bump that had formed on my head. It was then that I noticed I was surrounded by my friends, who I'm sure shared the same plethora of questions I wondered. After looking closer at my surroundings, I realized we were in Egypt....

What I meant to say was...

Although I didn't do the best job conveying the author's message in my original essay, here's what I meant to say:

Through the use of irony and imagery, Chaucer presents a clear cut idea of the problems people in our society face with  the gargantuan differences in socioeconomic classes.

Pre-will

A) I honestly know nothing about Hamlet. I know that the quote "To be, or not to be ; that is the question." Is from it. I think Hamlet was based off his son Hamnet, who died young. I obviously know it was written by Shakespeare, but that's it.

B) I know that Shakespeare was a very famous writer during his time. He wrote many plays. It is roomered that his plays were written by someone else, and he stole them. His plays are often filled with some interesting characters. 

C) I think Shakespeare's work has a negative connotation amongst students, because the style he wrote in is very convoluted. Most of the time you must read his work more than once in order to understand it.

D) I really would just like to take this book slowly. I think it will be most enjoyable if I understand it! We could maybe do a fun project that would make things more interesting.

If I just had more time

If I had more time to prepare for the midterm, I would spend more time going over my notes on Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. I feel like I did not do my essay to the best of my abilities. I might also try to memorize more vocabulary words. I did know all of the definitions, but I got nervous and forgot the words.

Literature analysis #2

1) The book I chose was "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey. It is the story of a man who goes by Broom Bromeden, and all of the characters he incounters in the mental instituition he lives in. It is about the trials and tribulations of living in such awful conditions. They live under the authority of a Nurse. She is the person who is supposed to help them live happier healthier lives, but instead she brings nothing but a lugubrious air to the institution. This book sheds light on the awful practices that took place in mental institutions not long ago. Kelsey's purpose in writing this book was to expose the torture that the mentally I'll endured during this time period, and what the long lasting effects on the patients were. I thing that Kesey achieved  his goal. I felt the pain that each of the characters struggled to survive through. It made me think about what life must have been like for some one who was mentally I'll during that time period.

2) The theme of this novel was strength. It took such strength for each of thes characters to rise up, and fight the life they were condemned to.

3) His tone was hopeful. Although it seemed to be impossible, the introduction of a new character by the name of Mcmurphy brought hope to the patients, hope for change.

" hello buddy, what's that you're playing, Pinochle"?

"I plan to do a lot of smoking."

" me and Cheif here locked horns like two greased monkeys."

4) Imagery -  this helped me to get a good idea of the characters " he's so tiny he looks like he's a mile away"

Simile- helps readers picture things " his face was handsome, and brutal like wax"

Metaphor- helps readers find comedy In the story " The machines were playing to the beat of a rhythm."

Symbolism- I don't have a specific example for this, but Mcmurphy is a symbol to the other patients of what life on the outside was like.

Irony- There was irony in the fact that the nurse who was supposed to help her patients was hurting them. " She dreams of a perfectly organized world run on wires and circuits"

Setting- without the setting of the mental hospital, there would be no story. "I open my eyes and she's down the hall and into the glass nursing station"

Personification- helped describe the ward "the walls cried and sand as the machines turned on"

Diction - the non formal diction helps us get to know the characters " what about that little fart of a doctor"?

Conflict- the main conflict was between the patients and the staff "if you act like a child you will be treated as such"

Point of view- the story being told in first person helps us know the characters thoughts and feelings " I try to avoid the electric shaver as much as possible"

Characterization

1) indirect- This helped me get a better description of the more superficial parts of the book " he couldn't make words come out right anymore"

" His iron ball shrank back into a hand"

Direct- This is my favorite. It helped me to see the inner workings of the character's mind. " I listen to them fad away, until all I can hear is a memory of the sound"

" it's getting hard to locate my bed at night"

2) The author's diction stays the same throughout the story. I think he wants to put emphasis on the fact that most of the patients were not well educated. They usually curse a lot, and speak with accents.

3) The protagonist is very dynamic. There are many levels to him. People in the ward thing he is crazy. He isn't crazy, he is just in need of help. There is much more to him than meets the eye.

4) I feel like after reading this book, I really got to know the characters. The descriptive language the author used really helped me. I loved learning more and more about the characters as the story went on. It was sad, but worth it. " I think under the circumstances of this rebellion, we should take away a privilege." I felt like I could not be rooting for the other team more in this argument. Throughout the book the author wrote so well, that I spent the entire time hoping to see the characters I had grown to love get the rights they deserved.

A comparison's tale

I think the Cook's tale could easily be compared to the Monk's. This is, because in the Monks tale he is warning readers of the threat that vainglory brings to life. While the Cook tells the story of an apprentice who who seems to be too proud to do his job. Instead he spends his evenings gambling, and not doing his job. Chaucer is trying to get his point across through the use of irony and symbolism in both tales. In the end, like all of the stories within the Monk's tale the apprentice's downfall is his inability to see past his own ego. 

Tale of a Canterbury Tale

The story I read was the Cook's. It described that he himself was a big boned jolly person, who enjoyed his job, and more importantly what he got out of it (money). Chaucer doesn't go into a ton of detail. From what readers are given it is easy to see that maybe the Cook is neglecting his kitchen, because he has found he can get away with it. Chaucer goes into great detail about the messy kitchen that the cook keeps. He also talks about the cook's new apprentice.

1) In line 4347 the author uses indirect characterization to refer to the Cook selling pies that he had reheated. This shows he is a bit sneaky/lazy

In line 4374 the author gives readers the impression that the apprentice must be good looking, because the Wenches would be lucky to have him.

In line 4386 the author uses irony to describe what a great gambler the apprentice  was, even if it was not his trade.

In line 4406 the author uses simile to compare the apprentice to bad apples, in order make readers understand why the Cook must fire him.

In line 4415 the author shows flaws in the Cook's character, by stating that now he will have to steal and embezzle alone.

2) Chaucer's purpose in telling this tale was to show that there is more depth to a person than meets the eye. He uses imagery and simile to give readers a glimpse into the real life of someone in a Cook's position. He wants readers to understand the different parts of a person, that may not always be put our there for the world to see.