Vocabulary List #3

accolade: any award, honor, or laudatory notice 
acerbity: sourness, with roughness or astringency of taste 
attrition: a reduction or decrease in numbers, size, or strength 
bromide: a person who is platitudinous and boring 
chauvinist: a person who is aggressively and blindly patriotic, especially one devoted to military glory 
chronic: habitual
expound:  to set forth or state in detail 
factionalism: of a faction  or factions 
immaculate: free from moral blemish or impurity; pure; undefiled 
imprecation: the act of imprecating;  cursing 
ineluctable: incapable of being evaded; inescapable 
mercurial: animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted 
palliate: to relieve or lessen without curing; mitigate; alleviate 
protocol: an agreement between states 
resplendent: shining brilliantly; gleaming; splendid 
stigmatize: to mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation 
sub rosa: confidentially; secretly; privately 
vainglory: excessive elation or pride over one's own achievements,abilities, etc.; boastful vanity 
vestige: a very slight trace or amount of something 
volition:the act of willing, choosing, or resolving

Beowulf Question Answers:

Prelude

1. Shield became the ruler of the Danes despite being an orphan. He got the throne through the strength in battle. When he died he was cast out to sea on a boat filled with treasure, and everybody mourned his death. Shield is Hrothgar's great-grandfather. 

Heorot is attacked

1. Hrothgar's magnificent achievement was the hall that he had constructed, Heorot. It was attacked by Grendel with horrible results. Grendel the nightmarish beast would attack the hall every night killing the men inside, and terrorized Hrothgar's rule for twelve years. The Danes tried to offer him gold to stop, but he still continued as the Danes prayed to Pagan gods for the attacks to stop.

The Hero Comes to Heorot

1. When Beowulf hears of Grendel he decided to go try to stop him, so he sailed off with a group of warriors to help Hrothgar. 

2. When the Geats first reach Denmark they meet one of Hrothgar's guards on the coast. He questions the group of armed warriors and they say that they will help Hrothgar, so they are allowed to land.

3. Hrothgar's herald is Wulfgar who tells them that they are very brave men. He tells to same to Hrothgar, specially mentioning Beowulf's strength. Hrothgar is very happy to hear the news and trusts Beowulf to help him. Yes, it is surprising that Hrothgar knows Beowulf since they come from different cultures separated by the sea.

4. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that he will kill Grendel with his bare hands. Hrothgar settled a feud that Beowulf's dad had started.

Feast at Heorot

1. Unferth accuses Beowulf of vanity and losing to Breca in a contest. Beowulf explains that he was busy killing nine sea monsters, and declares his strength. Then he accuses Unferth of being responsible for the death on his family. This does indeed show Beowulf's arrogance and will to prove himself to others.

2. During the feast Queen Wealhtheow greeted everyone including Beowulf, and she thanked god he had come.

 The Fight with Grendel

1. Instead of arming for battle Beowulf disarms for battle, removing his armor and putting away his sword.

2. Grendel kills a man grotesquely when he enters the room then goes after Beowulf. Beowulf grabs Grendel and Grendel thrashes around trying to break free. Beowulf tore off Grendel's arm as he tried to escape. He does escape, but loses his arm, a fatal wound.

Celebration at Heorot

1. Beowulf is like Sigemund because he is a hero who saved others from a monster and he's not like Heremod because Heremod was a selfish king who never protected his people, unlike Beowulf. 

2. Hrothgar considers Beowulf as a son, and gives him a sword, a shield, a golden set of armor, and a helmet. Unferth has nothing more to say as Beowulf is clearly a hero. 

3. Finn's (leader of the Frisians) step brother (leader of the Scyldings) dies in battle, and his second in command makes truce in the war with the Frisians. With the truce the Scyldings stayed with Finn over winter, eventually killing him and leaving back with his sister Hildeburh. Using a woman to heal relations is not a good idea.

4. Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to give the throne to Beowulf. 

5. The necklace Beowulf is given, Beowulf eventually gives to his uncle Hygelac. Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to look after and care for her sons.

6. So many men remain in the beer hall because they don't know the danger to come, that Grendel's mother is soon coming to find revenge.

Another Attack

1. Grendel's mother has come to Heorot because she is angry about the death of her son. It is not for the same reason that Grendel had, she has come in anger and vengeance for her son.

2. Hrothgar is in great sorrow after Grendel's mother takes the kings advisor and close friend, Aeschere. Hrothgar offers Beowulf chests of gold and riches to slay the evil monster and free them yet again from evil.

3. The mere is like a lake, except it has water that boils and is full of sea serpents and dragons. No man has ever reached the bottom of the mere and very few have ever gone near it. It is where Grendel and his mother have their den.

Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother

1. Beowulf tells Hrothgar to respond to Grendel's mother by sending Beowulf and his men to slay her so that they can be free from the demons.

2. The warriors find the severed head of the adviser for the king, who had been killed the previous night by Grendel's Mother. This puts the soldiers into an uneasy and frightened state of mind.
3. Beowulf puts on mail and  takes the sword Hrunting into battle, which was the sword of Unferth, which he had said that he will shape glory with the sword, and not fail until death.
4. As Beowulf enters the mere, Beowulf is grabbed by Grendel's Mother and there is a fight between the two. He swings Hrunting into the side of the Mother's head, to no effect, then discards the sword to fight bare-handed. After Beowulf finds the massive sword to slay the Mother, he notices that the realm is filled with treasure and artifacts, in which would lay much riches, but Beowulf cared not.
5. The sword of Unferth is cast aside and then retrieved after the battle with Grendel's Mother because it is not strong enough to pierce her skin.
6. The Woven mail that he had put on himself before the battle had deflected the blow from the knife of Grendel's Mother. Then he got back on his feet and found the extremely large sword that would slay Grendel's Mother.

7. Beowulf decapitated Grendel’s mother with an enormous sword too large for any ordinary man that he grabbed from the hall. He chops off Grendel’s head and takes it with him as a trophy for his victory. When he does this, the sword melts from Grendel’s poison blood.

8. When Beowulf returns to the surface, only his loyal followers remained as the rest had assumed he had died fighting the beast and returned to Heorot. His men had not expected him to return and they rejoiced with joy when he did.

Further Celebration at Heorot

1. When Beowulf decides to leave, he gives Hrothgar the sword he had discovered in the hall while fighting Grendel’s mother.

2. Hrothgar has a message for Beowulf about Heremod. He tells us that Heremod is the father of Scyld and that he had died in battle while trying to defend his people, which is something that Beowulf had just succeeded in. The whole point of bringing up Heremod seems to compare and contrast Beowulf and Heremod.

3. He returns Unferth’s sword to him as he leaves, the swords name was Hrunting and it was ineffective against Grendel’s mother.

Beowulf Returns Home

1. He will be the king of Geats, receive many treasures, and make peace with other nations. It’s a very hopeful future.

2. Hygd is very young and beautiful. She is wise while Modthryth  is very evil and merciless.

3. He wants to end the feud between the Danes and Ingeld. Ingled will devoice the daughter and attack Hrothgar.  An old warrior will convince Ingeld to fight. No because hero’s are supposed to be always act with honor. 

4. He reports his adventures in a very exaggerated way. He’s honest about the story but he explains it in a way that builds himself up more. It’s not that expected because he’s supposed to a noble hero but he is concerned about glory so it makes sense.

5. Beowulf gives most of his treasure to Hygelac and Hygd and in return Hygd gives him treasure and land for himself. 

The Dragon Wakes

1. Part 2 takes place forty winters (forty years) later.  Hygelac has died and  there is now a dragon.

2. Thief has stolen his gold (cup). The man was poor and hungry. It was left there by a man from an ancient race who realized he like his ancestors would die and therefore buried the treasure.

3. The dragon just rampaged through the land trying to find the thief and destroys his throne hall.

4. He believes he has angered God. He makes a new shield to fight the dragon.  He will fight it alone. He will die.

5. He dies against the Frisians. Beowulf was able to get away but he mourned for his death. He was offered the thrown. He did not out of respect for Hygelac.

6.   Heardred is killed while fighting the Swedes.  Beowulf avenges him by killing Onela, the Swedish king.

7.  Beowulf brings eleven men (he is “one of twelve”) with him to meet the dragon.

8.  Hygelac’s oldest brother Herebeald was killed by a relative (Haethcyn).  An arrow missed its target and him Herebeald, killing him.  King Hrethel was devastated.  There is a lengthy portion detailing his lamentations.  War breaks out between the Swedes and the Geats.  Beowulf avenges Hygelac’s death by defeating Daeghrefn in front of “the legions”.

Beowulf Attacks the Dragon

1.  Beowulf tells his companions to wait back while he fights the dragon.  He reasons that he is the only one among them that has any hope of killing it.

2.  The first time Beowulf faces the dragon, his shield, helmet, and sword fail him, and he is wounded.  His companions all flee the dragon, except for Wiglaf, who stays to help.  He tells the others that Beowulf chose them as his companions because he believed them to be great warriors, and that they should not abandon him now in his time of need.  He rushes in to aid Beowulf.

3. The second time Beowulf meets the dragon, the dragon bites him on the neck—leaving a mortal wound.  Wiglaf ultimately impales the dragon. 

4.  Beowulf tells Wiglaf to bring the dragon’s treasure to him.  Beowulf thanks God for the treasure.  Beowulf wants to be buried in tower on a high cliff by the water.  He wants sailors to see the tower and remember his name.

Beowulf’s Funeral

1. The warriors see Wiglaf trying to reviveBeowulf. Wiglaf gets mad at them for leaving Beowolf. Wiglaf expects the Geatsto be attacked and their nation destroyed.

2. The messenger announces that Beowulf is dead.Ongentheow and his men make fun of the Geats. Hygelac comes to the Geats withreinforcements. Ongentheow retreated once he saw more men. Ongentheow wascornered by Hygelac and was killed. The messenger says that the treasure iscursed. Beowulf can’t be cursed because he had never been greedy. The finalimage is of a dragon.

3. Wiglaf tells the crowd how great Beowulf was atfighting.

4. The dragon was pushed off the edge of the cliffinto the ocean because it was evil.

5. The Geats mourned and sung and everyone was sadduring the ten day burial.

6. The Geats say that Beowulf was a kind man. It isnot something you would usually call a war hero who is killing a lot of people.

AP English Test 1987: Essay 1 and 2

Essay Response Question 1:

    George Eliot's essay on leisure is describes leisure critically on the newer inventions of his time. Eliot's idea on leisure of the later 1800s became useless, in which men argued there position instead of accepting what was and going with the flow of life. His tone suggests that he is against the leisurely activities that the men he sees around him partaking in. Eliot's views are shown through a critical and satirical tone. His techniques are to show his views then describes the opposition to his views, reviewing them as flawed.
    Eliot's ideas on old leisure had seemed protective of the way man used to be when being caught with their own leisure time. His satirical tone, describing newer men being supported by "strong backs" in which they developed through hours drinking. Eliot would disagree to say that new leisure developed men who actually thought that there was use in older leisure, was actually useful. As he continues his essay, his thoughts on how lazy the men are is supported largely by the fact that they simply refuse to exercise because of their own availability in the work place due to the steam machine.
     Techniques used are comparisons between two ideas that are used as opposition, and Eliot pokes at the ideas of leisure developed in the later 1800s. His  use of words describe later men as ones who experiment with other's ideas simply to criticize and play there own hypotheses on them.
    Eliot develops all of these ideas in his essay by using satirical language, a critical tone, and comparison of two ideas in the purpose of criticizing one of them. His essay is composed of paragraphs that are split to describe the patience of the old men, and the ignorance of the newer men. Eliot simply thinks that the views of older leisure should be valued over the new.


Essay Response Question 2:

     John Steinbeck wrote his ideas of the changing world in the book The Grapes of Wrath. Throughout the story the Joad family is faced with trials as they move to the west and to California during the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck's influence for the change during this time period showed how he felt about the governments false promises and faulty services that it gave to the migrant workers of the US. His ideas build up through the story where you are introduced to the characters, who greatly enjoy their life, and then get it stripped away for purposes unknown to the family. Steinbeck continues this idea of isolationism and constant confusion as the family continues to face harder and harder trials, and ultimately how this portrayed his view of the problems during the Dust Bowl.
     Steinbeck uses the Joad family as his own guinea pigs for describing the flaws in the US government, and how it should change giving people false ideas. The family in the story sees pictures of beautiful California, where the Joads will be able to live and work for a living. It turns out that those who produced the pictures saying that work was needed also had been given the land so that they could provide a yearly produce. Workers weren't needed, profit was to be made from California, and through the government. Steinbeck shows this by having authorities take down the Joad household, and then saying that "life now-a-days" does no longer follow the rules of benevolence and hard work. The distraught Joads were symbols of the families that had lost their homes and had been lost for work.
    The author uses techniques of symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony. Steinbeck's use of symbolism of the married Joad's miscarriage shows that the hope was there, but non existent in reality. This is a symbol for the Joad's travel to California, which shows that many people looked for jobs, but very few were satisfied with their outcome. Foreshadowing was used throughout the story as people said that you will find no work, and the families still refused to accept, but the end still finished with ruin, and continued to go on, in which the family must have the will to in order to survive.
   John Steinbeck focuses on the aspects of his time by using writing techniques that reflect his thoughts directly to the pages of his book. Cultural changes were imminent, there is no changing that, but Steinbeck pointed out the hard times in order for the government to see that people were in deep need of support for work and money so that the farm industry might get jump-started again. After analyzing Steinbeck's view of his culture and the events of his time with the use of his literary techniques, there is continuity in his writing that supports the pro-migration and unhelpful government, which, according to Steinbeck, led the country into confusion.
   

Answers to Decision Fatigue:

1. I think that decision fatigue is, as explained in the NYT article, a psychological occurrence that one cannot stop. But I also think that it is not so extreme to the point that we have two options to choose from (the easy way or doing nothing). I think that, as Stanford put it, it is what we tell ourselves as people. Internally it is feeding us a negative placebo when we tell ourselves that we suffer from decision fatigue. I think that it strictly applies to people who make choices that require thorough analysis of a problem. As NYT's example, judges do have to make choices for another person and think and assess the true value of one choice over the other. For Stanford's article, the students thought one way, did bad, and psychologically brought themselves down because of it. The truth is, we can only do so much, but can we control it?

2. The difference between focus in things I want to do and don't want to do is almost a 3-4 point difference. (Things I want to do being a 10 and things i don't a 6 or 7)

3. I accept the fact that we can exercise our brains so that they may be more willing to focus on subjects that we don't find as interesting. It is just the matter of getting around to training the brain to do so that is the most difficult.

4. I learned that we can tell ourselves that focusing and concentrating on being tired will make us even more tired, and if we want to grind through it, we may be able to with so much as a single thought of, "I can control myself through discipline." It works. I do it as much as I can.

Notes on Socratic Seminar: "The Right To Your Opinion"

An article by Jamie Whyte:
(can be read here: http://drprestonsrhsenglitcomp12.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-right-to-your-opinion.html)

Notes on the Seminar:

• Your opinion should always be questioned for the sake of improving your own knowledge
• Opinion is not a solid fact, it can be possibly bias of thought
• Opinion appeals primarily to bias
• When is it right to have your own opinion?
• support of opinion could possibly be more right then another
• Flexibility is available to everyone and if can be used allows you to support your opinion better
• Your opinion is to force upon others, that is to persuade into thinking similar to yourself
• Thinking of perspective and understanding through being compatible allows you to possibly find the "correct" opinion
• An opinion should be expressed in a constructive way
• Is the saying, "I've been around longer." mean that that particular person's opinion is more valuable then your own?

Feel free to comment on questions.

Reflections On Week 1

1. This class demands the time and effort to look at your blog daily. To develop a sense of what is most important in order to critically think about your own work ethic and be successful in the class. What would be more helpful would be groups of 4 or 5 students that created a single blog in order to be collectively being  exposed to each other's own work literally, and subconsciously reading comments done by other students.

2. One of the most awesome learning experiences i had in my life was the seminar at Pepperdine, YCS 2012. I was able to interact with other students to develop ideas that would be original and creative, but holding significance to the way we are collectively at this generation. I had the privilege of meeting some of the most successful people in the world and listening to them speak about their own lives and how we, as innovators and the leaders of the next generation we will be able to make our own choices and invent our own ideas as we had created earlier.

3. I think that this opportunity to be apart of something that allows us to show our work to people who may have never met us before are going to comment and critique our work. This is great for business purposes, so that we, as students, will learn how to make a professional interactions with others.

Montaigne Essay

I felt as though I had included the most significant aspects of writing for both author's that I could remember. The interruption, on the other hand, led me a little astray. I could not finish the sentence that I had began previously for about 3 mins. and by the time i was done my paragraph was left looking bland. My only regrets for the essay was the conclusion paragraph, in which i had about a minute and a half to finish toward the end of the class.

Dimidium facti qui coepit habet: sapere aude, incipe

"He who has begun is half done: dare to know!"
-Horace in Epistles
Half of the trouble is getting into the course and preparing to challenge yourself for what comes next. The rest  is to "dare" yourself to strive to be more successful and learn as much as you possibly can. The choice is yours to be hardworking and shooting for the best.

The First Assignment:

I took this course because my families expectations, as well as my own, for my education are to challenge yourself in order to experience how to be a better learner and a more disciplined student. The simple fact that this particular course will be very technologically involved is going to be a great experience for me because I am interested in all of the new things technology could do for modern day communication, and for this class!
As this course continues, I look forward to learning more about how to use technology effectively in order to draw out the information I need quickly and efficiently. As for the end result of this years upcoming class, all I have to say is that I will be able to see these skills used later in my life and going into college.
Good luck everyone!
-Will Boerger

Quote from Essays of Montaigne:

This is an interesting quote that I had found while reading:

"For my part, I shall take care, if I can, that my death discover nothing that my life has not first and openly declared."

\-Michel de Montaigne

Quote from Pride and Prejudice:

"My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever," 
- Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet

Quote from Poisonwood Bible

"Tata Jesus is bangala."
"Jesus is precious." or (when said faster) "Jesus is a poison wood tree"
- Nelson from, The Poisonwood Bible