Hamlet Questions

a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane"?
I honestly do not know much about Hamlet only that other than Romeo and Juliet, I hear this title when people make reference to Shakespeare.

b) What do you know about Shakespeare?
He was an incredible play writer and poet. He is an important factor of English literature.

c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?

His writing is associated with his complicated, hard to understand writing. Students perhaps can't get over the exterior of it all and really focus on the deep analysis.

d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?

 Keeping an open mind and a willingness to learn it. Also the mind set that if we don't get it we ask questions and find the answer.

Characterization of "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad

CHARACTERIZATION 

1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?

Direct Characterization

The narrator is the one that describes Marlow and his manners when hes telling the story and Marlow describes the people he meet during his journey. Marlow uses direct characterization so the listeners ( and the readers) can capture the moment in their own minds and picture the characters with the physical description that Marlow gives. One example that was very powerful for me was when he described the dying slave workers just because you get this heart wrenching picture of the native Africans.

Indirect Characterization

It interested me how only the white Europeans had dialogue but this only added more to the huge picture. The Africans were unequal to the Europeans and the author does not give them a voice just as the Europeans didn't and so the reader gets a rounder picture with the wordless Africans. The author also might have done this to give the Africans another "savage" characteristic.

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?

"He looked like a harlequin. His clothes had been made of some stuff that was brown holland probably, but it was covered with patches all over, with bright patches, blue, red, and yellow—patches on the back, patches on the front, patches on elbows, on knees; coloured binding around his jacket, scarlet edging at the bottom of his trousers; and the sunshine made him look extremely gay and wonderfully neat withal, because you could see how beautifully all this patching had been done. A beardless, boyish face, very fair, no features to speak of, nose peeling, little blue eyes, smiles and frowns chasing each other over that open countenance like sunshine and shadow on a wind-swept plain."

The author's syntax and diction change when describing a person in the sense that he uses more creative and "colorful" words to paint the picture of the character. He points out colors to describe certain aspects and makes sure to use colors can add on to the feel of the character. For example, the quote above uses blue and twice and yellow and red. These colors aren't dark and these are the colors that usually catch the eyes attention. Blue and yellow are colors of the sky which he makes reference to when he speaks of the sunshine and his boyishness. The author knows what words and aspects to emphasize and build on but does not repeat himself.


3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.

Darkness, as it is a main theme, is important to the transformation of Marlow. He goes into the darkness (Africa) and comes out a different, experienced man. I believe he does not fall into darkness as Kurtz does but he does witness it and it does eat away at him. One can not go into a situation like that and come out indifferent and unchanged and this is what the author pointed out. It seems Marlow watched as Kurtz fell into the darkness and with his last words, learned from his experience so as to not make the same mistake. The relationship he had with Kurtz can be seen as dynamic because at first he is indifferent of the man, then somewhat obsessed, then he sees his loss his marbles and he is disgusted with him and finally he admires the man. In the end, Marlow comes out somewhat haunted by Kurtz' spirit and his last words, "The horror! The horror!

Marlow was a round character because we got to see different sides of his character. He gave us a more sympathetic side when he befriends is ship helper and when he gives a biscuit to a dying slave. I got a sense of sexism where he explains that women shouldn't know darkness and most likely can't handle it, he does not treat women badly but just sees them as much simpler and unequal beings and treats them as such.'


4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

This is an analysis of the book from the beginning to the end.

I felt like I had met a person because the author structures the point of view in a way that accomplishes this feeling. He has Marlow telling the story and the immediate listener is not the reader but a unknown narrator which acts like a bridge for the story. This makes the reader feel as if Marlow is talking to them directly in a conversation and not in a written work.

Vocab list #7

1. aberration (noun)- an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image.

2. ad hoc (adverb)- for the special purpose or end presently under consideration.

3. bane (noun)- something causes misery or death

4. bathos (noun)- a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos

5. cantankerous (adj)- stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate.

6. casuistry (noun)- moral philosophy based on the principles to resolve moral dilemmas.

7. de facto (noun)- in the fact; in reality

8. depredation (noun)- an act of plundering

9. empathy (noun)- understanding and entering into another's feelings

10. harbinger (noun)- an indication of the approach of something

11. hedonism (noun)- an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good

12. lackluster (adj)- lacking luster or shine

13. malcontent (adj)- disconnected as toward authority

14. mellifluous (adj)- pleasing to the ear

15. nepotism (noun)- favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power

16. pander (noun)- someone who procures customers for whores

17. peccadillo (noun)- a petty misdeed.

18. piece of resistance (noun)- the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event article etc..

19. remand (noun)- the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial.

20. syndrome (noun)- a complex of concurrent things.

Lit Anal: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read.

Charley Marlow talks of when he went "freshwater sailor". He got a job as a steamboat captain very quickly and it took him some months to reach his actual steam boat. Once he arrived to pick it up they informed him that it was at the bottom of the river and that he must wait 3 more months for it to be fixed. When there, he describes the "cannibals" or "criminals" that are put to work producing ivory. He speaks of their physical state and their mental state as well. You can tell he thinks himself better than them because of his skin color but not as much as the other white characters. Kurtz, a man known for producing the most ivory from all the stations and Marlow shows interest in meeting this legend and becomes somewhat obsessed with the idea because it seems he has nothing to look forward to. Marlow gets his boat fixed and sets out with some "pilgrims" and "cannibals". They come across a hut where there is fire wood left for them and Marlow takes a old book. They are then attacked by natives from the jungle but make it out of there. They survive and finally get to Kurtz's station but find a Russian man instead who tells them that Kurtz has established himself as a god with the workers and goes on territory raids as a method of obtaining more ivory. After trying to escape back to the natives, Kurtz is moved into the steam boat where he is dying. He leaves Marlow with documents and a pamphlet on civilizing the savages. His last words are "The Horror! The Horror!" which Marlow later lies about to his Fiancee and says his last words were her name just as Europeans in Africa used to lie about what was actually happening in Africa because they knew the truth was harder for Europeans who lived in Europe to grasp.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.

The fine line between light and darkness. This is not just in a sense of color tones but black and white, good and bad, African and European. Through out the novel, you find your selves greeted with phrases like "so dark green as to be almost black. Fringed with white surf..." or "paddled by black fellows. You can see from afar the whites of their eye balls glistening." where black is described and is immediately followed by white. "It looked startling round his black neck, this bit of white thread from beyond the seas." We also see the theme when he describes his black helper and how he finds himself wondering if this cannibal actually might have humanity in him. This shows that although one is dark skinned and the other light skinned, they are both humans. Essentially, we always choose to see the differences between black and white, light and darkness and Conrad paints a picture where both are intertwined and the differences are blurred. 

3. Describe the author's tone.  Include three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

The author has a detailed tone. He doesn't describe everything in as much detail as possible but only the most important pictures and with selectively picked out words which make the work all the better.  

 “Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half effaced within the dim light, in all the attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair. Another mine on the cliff went off, followed by a slight shudder of the soil under my feet. The work was going on. The work! And this was the place where some of the helpers had withdrawn to die. "

The auother also has a candid, outspoken and open tone. He speaks of the horrors of Africa without omitting some of the more graphic descriptions and he doesn't hold back about what the white people did to the natives. 

"It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind—as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness. The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much."

 "It came in sections during the next three weeks, each section headed by a donkey carrying a white man in new clothes and tan shoes, bowing from that elevation right and left to the impressed pilgrims. A quarrelsome band of footsore sulky niggers trod on the heels of the donkey; a lot of tents, camp-stools, tin boxes, white cases, brown bales would be shot down in the courtyard, and the air of mystery would deepen a little over the muddle of the station."

4. Describe five literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthen your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone.  Include three excerpts (for each element) that will help your reader understand each one.

Metaphors are widely used by Conrad to describe many sorts of aspects in the book. The use of metaphors when describing the wilderness or the natives are some of my personal favorites. He compares the natives to phantoms and corpses in order to show that they were sure of death. He presents the wilderness in different lights and compares them to different things to show that the wild has many sides to it. 

"One, with his chin propped on his knees, stared at nothing, in an intolerable and appalling manner: his brother phantom rested its forehead, as if overcome with a great weariness; and all about others were scattered in every pose of contorted collapse, as in some picture of a massacre or a pestilence."

"A frightful clatter came out of that hulk,and the virgin forest on the other bank of the creek sent it back."

" the playful paw strokes of the wilderness." 

Imagery is very important in Conrad's work because his work is based on images and not on dialogue.

 "It had become a place of darkness. But there was in it one river especially, a mighty big river, that you could see on the map resembling an immense snake, with its head in the sea, its body at rest carving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in depths of the land.”

"The tidal current runs to and fro in its unceasing service, crowded with memories of men ships it had borne to the rest of home or to the battles of the sea."

“I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected together with a chain whose bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking”

Similes are also an important tool and can be found everywhere along the text. The similes help the reader imagine what the narrator saw and by using similes the reader has an easier time grasping every picture the narrator captures. 

"A lot of people, mostly black and naked, moved about like ants." 

 “A beardless, boyish face, very fair, no features to speak of, nose peeling, little blue eyes, smiles and frowns chasing each other over that open countenance like sunshine and shadow on a wind-swept plain.”

"Perhaps on some quiet night the tremor of far-off drums, sinking, swelling, a tremor vast, faint; a sound weird, appealing, suggestive, and wild—and perhaps with as profound a meaning as the sound of bells in a Christian country."

Personifications is a way that Conrad brought to life the themes and established his sense of tone. By using personification, the author helps the imagination of the reader grasp the characters of the ships or the water for example.

 "But the ships wouldn’t even look at me."

"We called at some more places with farcical names, where the merry dance of death and trade goes on in a still and earthy atmosphere as of an overheated catacomb; all along the formless coast bordered by dangerous surf, as if Nature herself had tried to ward off intruders; in and out of rivers, streams of death in life, whose banks were rotting into mud, whose waters, thickened into slime, invaded the contorted mangroves, that seemed to writhe at us in the extremity of an impotent despair."

“And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion.”

Symbolism is important to the story in that it gives the work another layer that the reader has to dig through in order to completely understand the author's piece as a whole. He uses symbolism in describing subjects that come out just once and also that stretch the length of the book. 

 "She seemed to know all about them and about me, too. An eerie feeling came over me. She seemed uncanny and fateful. Often far away there I thought of these two, guarding the door of darkness, knitting black wool as for a warm pall, one introducing, introducing continuously to the unknown, the other scrutinizing the cheery and foolish faces with unconcerned old eyes. Ave! Old knitter of black wool. Morituri te salutant. Not many of those she looked at ever saw her again—not half, by a long way."

The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.

"...a woman, draped and blindfolded, carrying a lighted torch. The background was sombre- almost black. The movement of the woman was stately, and the effect of the torchlight on the face was sinister."

Vocab #6

obsequious(adj)-Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.
It seems that obsequious people tend to get the most help from the teacher.

beatitude(noun)- supreme blessedness
My parents coming home safely from Mexico was a beatitude for my whole family.

bete noire(noun)- a person or thing that one particularly dislikes.
PETA's bete noire is mainly for people who wore animal furs.

bode(verb)-be an omen of a particular outcome
Rain Clouds bode for special occasions.

dank(adj) -disagreeable damp moist or musty.
Dank basements always seem to show up in scary movies.

ecumenical(adj)-universal.
Dogs and cats seem to be an ecumenical animal in american households.

fervid(adj)-intensly enthusiastic Or passionate.
Fervid workers are ones who love their job.

fetid(adj)-smelling extremely unpleasant.
When the women walked into the haunted house, a fetid smell surrounded her senses. 

gargantuan(adj)-enormous.
The US has a gargantuan amount of debt to pay.

 heyday(noun)- a period of a persons greatest success, Popularity or vigor. Many famous people's heydays happen once they die.

incubus(noun) a cause Of distress or anxiety. The death in her family acted as an incubus for 4 years. 

infrastructure(noun)- the basic physical and organizational structure. When the planes hit the twin towers, the whole infrastructure went down.

 inveigle(verb)- to persuade Someone by means of deseption or flattery Men often inveigle women to like them.

 kudos(noun)-praise and honor received for an achievement.
Kudos to Felicitas Ruiz for using kudos in one of her comments on Dr. Preston's Blog.

 lagniappe(noun)-something given as a bonus or extra gift.
 Trophies, awards and metals all act as lagniappes for the people who win.

prolix(adj)-using or containing to many words.
When I was young I would write prolix papers because I thought I would look smarter.

protege(noun)- a person who is guided by or supports a more influential person.
Many famous people have their protege travel with them to make it seem as if they have many friends and are very popular. 

prototype(noun)-A first or preliminary model of something, esp. a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied.
The prototype toy was given to the children to see if they would like it. 

sycophant(noun)-a servile flatterer.
 A sycophant is evident to all the people in the class, including the teacher.

tautology(noun)-The saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style.
Tautology is a bad habit that I used when I tried making my papers look bigger.

truckle(verb)Submit or behave obsequiously
The obsequious sycophant acted truckle towards the teacher.

AP Eng Rubric Notes

I haven't quite mastered how to put them together but there they are.
rubric -
rubric2 -

Beowulf ond Godsylla Translation

Original:

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.

Translation:

Beowulf and Godzilla

Meanwhile, back at mead-hall, (a) monster lurked;
Full (of) few too many drinks, he looked for (a) fight.
Then Hreorfneorhtðhwr, son of Hrwærowþheororthwl,
Asked (the) awful jerk to step outside. Phud! Bash! Crash! Boom! The big guy
All of his bones broke, bit his nose off;
Wicked Godzilla wailed on his ass.
Monster mopped the floor with all of the men in the hall.
Beowulf in back room phonecall bamaccen was(?)
Hearing sounds of ruckus said, "What the hell?"
Grabbed his strong shield and sharp switch-blade
Stood forth to fight the grimlic foe. "Me," Godzilla said, "make the mince meat."
Hero quickly got hold with the famous half-nelson
And flying with lick Frisbee back and forth
Beowulf belly up to (the) mead-hall bar,Said, "No foe beaten me (with) fearsome kung-fu."
Ordered Coca-cola ice cold, the real thing.

Vocab List #5

acumen (noun)- keen insight.
With incredible acumen in business, the entrepreneur made good money.  

adjudicate (verb)- to settle or determine.
The separated couple adjudicated on their legal problems. 

anachronism (noun)- something or someone that is not in its correct historical time.
The reference to cars in a movie based in the 1800's  is considered an anachronism. 

apocryphal (adj)- of doubtful authorship or authenticity. 
The defendant presented the judge with apocryphal evidence.

disparity (noun)-  inequalityThere will always be disparity of wealth within this society.

dissimulate (verb)-  to disguise or conceal under a false appearance.
The police couldn't find the fugitive because he was dissimulated within a crowd of people. 

empirical (adj)-  derived from or guided by experience or experiment
Decision making should be empirical. 

flamboyant (adj)-   strikingly bold or brilliant; showy
Weddings should always be the most flamboyant party that a person puts together.

fulsome (adj)-  offensive to good taste, especially as being excessive;overdone or gross:
Having entered the ball, Stephanie realized that her dress might have been a little fulsome compared to the flamboyant attire everyone else had on.

immolate (verb)-  to sacrifice One must immolate sleep, time and energy to obtain success.

imperceptible (adj)-  very slight, gradual, or subtle.
Erosion of rock with the flow of water is imperceptible.  

lackey (noun)-  a servile follower
Every evil villain seems to have a equally evil lackey that supports him.

liaison (noun)-  a person who initiates and maintains such a contact or connection. 
The politician acted as a liaison in order to have a consensus between two other politicians.  

monolithic (adj)-  consisting of one piece; solid or unbroken
Sculptures from Rome are monolithic because they consist of just one solid rock.

mot juste (noun)-  the exact, appropriate word 
Dismal is mot juste to describe the man's appearance.

nihilism (noun)-  total rejection of established laws and institutions. Nihilism can be a dangerous concept because of its rejection of laws. 

patrician (noun)-  a person of noble or high rank; aristocrat. Patricians were regarded as more important because of their higher ranking in society.

propitiate (verb)-  to make favorably inclined; appease; conciliate.
The father predictable propitiated his daughter in order for her to get a job.

sic (verb)-to incite to attack 
An owner ordered his dog to sic the robber that intruded into their home.

sublimate(adj)-to make nobler or purer
The sublimated water still tasted like dirt.

Modern Hero's Journey

After I was exposed to the Hero's Journey, all the movies I see and books I read are subject to my Hero's Journey analysis. Its like the Hero's Journey is a universal recipe on how to make a good story and anyone who wants to write an interesting story uses these guidelines and I just analyze how each story can be simplified into the Hero's Journey.

I decided to choose Dom Cobb from Inception. This movie, although complicated, still can be broken down into the departure, the initiation and the return.

Departure
Cobb departs from his family after being accused of killing his wife. He is forced to live on the run, away from his children. His journey starts after a business man proposes that he will clear his charges and he can finally settle down with his children. All he has to do is make the business man's competition think that making a certain business choice is the right way to go. He accepts with the incentive of seeing his children once again. His guide appears as Cobb's father-in-law who guides him to finding a skilled designer of dreams. Ellen Page, the dream designer also serves as his guide throughout the movie, helping him get over the death of his wife.

Initiation
Cobb goes through many trails, relating to his mental health about his wife and also finishing the job he has to do for the business man. He is somewhat addicted to dreaming because this is where he can spend time with his wife as if she was alive again. He fails some of the tests and is forced to improvise through out the mission. He fails to kill the projection of his wife once she starts sabotaging the plan entirely.

"...the person must confront and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life." "This is the center point of the journey." The center point for Cobb took place when he had to finally confront his wife's projection and tell himself that she is not real, and that he is not in a dream.

Cobb awakens out of all three dreams and this is where he experiences the bliss of being "crazy dead wife" free and of accomplishing the mission.

Return
Cobb returns home to his children and finally achieved what he wanted out of this adventure .like the Hero's Journey predicts, he lives happily ever after.

Vocab Fall List # 4

apostate (noun)- person who is rejects religious, political or personal beliefs. 

 My father became an apostate once he rejected his position as a Democrat.

effusive (adj)- expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner 

The grandmother gave an effusive welcome that smothered all the grandchildren. 

impasse (noun)- situation in which no progress is possible, esp. because of disagreement 

The family entered an impasse when everyone couldn't agree where to get dinner. 

euphoria (noun)- A feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness

Euphoria washed over the women when her husband proposed.

lugubrious (adj)- looking or sounding sad or dismal

Although he keeps a lugubrious look, the man is almost always content.

bravado (noun)- A bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate

His bravado seemed to attract all the ladies. 

consensus (noun)- general agreement

The family came to a consensus and decided to eat at Taco Bell.

dichotomy (noun)- division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.

The twins showed much dichotomy once their personalities started to develop.

constrict (verb)- to draw or press in

The pupil constricts as light passes into it. 

gothic (adj)- Of or relating to the Goths or their extinct East Germanic language 

The gothic charm of the place attracted many tourists. 

 
punctilio (noun)- A fine or petty point of conduct or procedure 

The plan was designed with too much punctilio and never succeeded

metamorphosis (noun)- A change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means. 

One must go through a kind of metamorphosis in their adolescent years.

raconteur (noun)- A person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way 

My uncle is a great raconteur with his stylish manner of telling anecdotes and jokes. 

sine qua non (noun) -An essential condition; a thing that is absolutely necessary

Speaking is a sine qua non to getting to know a person.

quixotic (adj)- Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical 

Women tend to be much more quixotic about love. 

vendetta (noun)- A blood feud in which the family of a murdered person seeks vengeance on the murderer or the murderer's family. 

Vendetta was the only choice the widow wanted to make after her husband's murder.

non sequitur (noun)- A conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement. 

To end in a non sequitur statement in an essay may leave the reader confused. 

mystique (noun)- A fascinating aura of mystery, awe, and power surrounding someone or something 

His mystique attracted many followers to his religion.

quagmire (noun)- An awkward, complex, or hazardous situation 

Many politicians argue that Iraq has become a quagmire and the US should no longer be involved.

parlous (adj)- Full of danger or uncertainty; precarious

The parlous jungle was always avoided by the tour guide but this time, there was no escaping it.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

As I went down the list of literary works, I wrote down the ones that had appeared the most in the AP Exam then I searched each title and read a little about each book. The one that stood out to me the most was Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad because I love books that show the happenings of history in a story. Symbolic stories which enlighten the reader on social problems of the past or present are always among my favorites so I thought I would give this one a try.