Liteary Anaylsis Of Mice and Men

General:

1. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about George and Lennie, inseparable from the day they meet. George is smaller and savvy while Lennie is a gentle, simple giant. They share a dream of having a small farm that is just their won. But to do that, they need to find work. They find some as ranch hands at a small ranch. When they decide to expand their dreams to include their dreams with another ranch hand named Candy their dreams seem within reach. Yet, Lennie is constantly picked on by the bosses son Curley who has a case of small people aggression. Lennie, who is normally gentle, strongly crushes Curley's hand at the insistence from George. It hinders their plans, but they manage to keep it quiet. But Curley's wife poses an even stronger threat to Lennie. She is constantly flirting with him and Lennie can't resist. He loves stroking soft things and she lets him stoke her hair, but when she starts to get scared, Lennie is afraid she is going to make a noise and alert the other people. In the scuffle, Lennie accidentally kills her. An angry mob is after, but only George knows where he is.George finds him and tells Lennie of their plans. Right when Lennie appears most happy, George shots him in the head to give a quick, painless death to save him from the mob.

2. Theme of this novel is the power of friendship. Lennie and Goerge are quite an unusual pair, and they face many difficulties together. They are willing to do anything for one another to stay strong as friends. George feels like he is Lennie's caretaker, and it shows when he decides to be the one to kill Lennie. Harsh it may seem, but Lennie felt it was best for his friend.

3. Steinbeck's tone is diminishing  somber. George and Lennie have done everything they can to try to set up their desired future but no matter what it goes astray. The tone really shows this.

4. 

1. Setting- Being during the Great Depression, it shows how important George and Lennie's bond is.

2. Imagery- Steinbeck includes a part where Lennie sees his Mom in his own head. The imagery he uses shows how Lennie thinks at times.

3. Direct Characterization- Steinbeck wants us to know George and Lennies well, so he comes out and describes them exactly how he wants the reader to see them right away.

4. Foreshadow- Steinbeck foreshadow's Lennie's fate often through the novel.

5. Parallel Characters- Curly's Wife is shown by a puppy that Lennie likes to pet but accidentally killed because he liked it so much.
6. Parallel Events  George sees how Candy had to be the one to put his own dog out of misery. So when it came time, George made sure he did it for Lennie.
7. Character symbols- Many characters symbolized different things, Curly's wife temptation, George reason, Curley aggression, and Lennie simplicity.

Characterization:
1. Both George is described as "large and dark of face" and Lennie described as "gentle giant" right in the beginning directly. Indirectly, we learn more about them as they fulfill their character outlines by their actions, such as Lennie loving the soft puppy, or George telling Lennie to protect himself from Curley and to avoid Curley's wife, we learn more about them indirectly.
2. Steinbeck changes his diction and syntax between characters often. For Lennie it must be simple and kind. For George, it must be sharp and direct. For Curley, it must be aggressive. The list goes on.
3. The protagonists are both flat. Lennie never stops being simple and loving the simple hings, and Geoge never stops trying to help Lennie, regardless of the circumstances.
4. I met people. The story is so tragic and every character has flaws i see everyday, i really felt like i meet two men who shared a strong companionship.

Literary Analysis A Christmas Carol

General:

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a short story about Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy man who seems bent on being ill-tempered. With a strong dislike for Christmas  Scrooge is even grumpier on the Holidays, refusing a invitation to his nephews dinner. He did regretfully let his attorney, Bob Cratchit have Christmas day off, his only possible Christmas gift. On Christmas eve, he goes home and is visited by his old, and seven years dead business partner Jacob Marley who apparently has been suffering in the afterlife. He warns Scrooge to change his ways. Scrooge is then visited by three ghosts. The ghost of Christmas past shows a part of Scrooge's childhood and earlier Christmas. The ghost of Christmas present introduces us to Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit's son. Because Scrooge so underpays Bob, he can't afford medicine for his terribly ill son. The ghost of Christmas to come shows Scrooge his funeral, where only a few have showed up and only those who were given incentive to. Scrooge awakes from his dream of possible night of ghosts on Christmas day. He vows to change his ways, starting by sending a turkey to the Cratchit's and going to his nephew's.

2. The theme of this short story is very clear and simple. Don't live as Scrooge did in the beginning of the story, always ill-tempered and mean. Try to have a brighter view, and live with a little joy in your life. It will improve your life and the one's of those around you.

3. The author's tone varies through the story, but for the majority, besides characters talking, it denounces Scrooge's ways, showing his his being angry all the time is clearly wrong.

4. 

1. Diction- Dickens use words to give the feelings his characters have more meaning, such as Scrooge's "humbug."

2. Foreshadow- Dickens slowly makes it more clear that Scrooge's ways are leading him to a shallow and lonely grave.

3. Staves- Dicken's splits his short story into five chapters he calls Staves, and each one has a distinct main message about Scrooge  We learn how he is in two, how he was in one, how he will be in another, and we have his respite in the last one.

4. Direct Characterization  Dickens wants no doubt about how mean Scrooge is, so he doesn't beat the bush when describing him.

5. Contrasting Characters  To bring out more of Scrooge's ill-temper, Dickens has Bob Cratchit, who enjoys the Holidays and is very optimistic, to contrast to Scrooge.

6. Dynamic Character- Scrooge goes under a huge  attitude adjustment, helping to show Dicken's theme.

7. Mood- Dicken's makes the reader really dislike Scrooge at the beginning making his transformation even more memorable. 

8. Tone- Dicken's denounces Scrooge's ways often, to show his wrongs.

9. Parallel Character- Jacob Marley was similar to Scrooge, his business partner, and serves as a comparison as to what could happen to Scrooge.

10. Imagery- Dickens has ghosts a reality, and they show Scrooge what he was doing and how he was wrong.

Characterization:

1. Scrooge is directly described be several people, including people on the street and his nephew. We also learn about Scrooge from how much he hates the happiest time of the year and how he treats his employee, Bob Cratchit. It paints a clear image of Scrooge in the reader's head.

2. When Dicken's changes between character's his diction and syntax do change. Mainly from Scrooge's grumpy words and humbugs to a more cheerful words of a another. Another great shift is when Jacob Marley is warning Scrooge of his fate, using omniscient words.

3. Scrooge is possibly one of the most famous Dynamic characters to ever be written in literature. His great transformation from interminably ill-tempered to  joyous about life in a single night is quite famous, and really demonstrates Dicken's theme.

4. I felt like I might a person. Reading about Scrooge, I saw how he was slowly feeling guilty about his actions more and more with each ghost. When he changed his ways, I felt glad for him. He was very realistic.  

Thinking Outside the Box

                Plato, in his work "Allegory of the Cave", and Sartre, in his play "No Exit" both took a deep look at how are minds work and what it is that really controls or limits the power of our minds and will.I feel that Plato and Sartre differed in what they thought limited the mind, at least what they wrote in their respective pieces  In Plato' "Allegory of the Cave" the thing limiting people was the cave and their chains. These symbolized two things, the cave was their unusual environment that limited their minds by diminishing what they saw, as did their chains, which represented things that would also prevent them from thinking about things other than what was right in front of them because it hurts to move against the chain and see something else. This is how Plato saw the mind limited. Sartre, in his work, "No Exit", saw it differently. The major factor that was limiting the characters thinking was their deeper desires. They could not pursue any course of thought without satisfy their inner needs first. There are many examples. Estelle cannot remain quiet when she needs to because she is so concerned with her appearance and must find a way to see herself. Inez can't remain quiet either because she has some odd desire to bask in Estelle's beauty, and feels moved to stare at her. Garcin cannot proceed to make love to Estelle because he is to concerned with the people who think he is a coward and feels the need to find a way to change that thought in their heads, so that he is not a coward. These are a few examples of desire limiting peoples thoughts in the play.
               Plato's solution to his limits was that it required someone of strong will to fight against and break the chains, and only then could they see the reality of things and free their minds. Sartre solution was a bit more subtle, but it also required strong will.If either of the characters could have accepted that their desires would not be meet or fulfilled, they could have been able to stop tormenting themselves with their impulsive need for gratification. The pusillanimity between the two solutions here is a strong will. A will to break away, or the will to  endure, both are solutions of high merit from excellent thinkers themselves.

Literary Analysis Lord of the Flies

General:

1. Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel about a group of boys stranded on an island at the dawn of a war sometime in the near future (future of when the book was written). The novel tells the story of the kids struggle to survive and how easily one can break down in certain situations and loss their civilized sense. The kids attempt to establish an order to survive. They elect Ralph to be there leader and have a conch be the crown, or symbol of power. Piggy, another boy, supports Ralph and his endeavors to help keep order. But soon kids decide they don't want to do things required to survive, and many just don/t. Some join Jack, another boy obsessed with the hunting aspect of survival. Fueling their violence driven crazed is the fear of beasts on the island, various strange figures causing the kids to tremble in fear at false beats.Simon, another boy, has an encounter with a supposed beast, who in Simon's hallucination calls himself lord of the flies, a devil like figure that tells Simon terrible things. As Jack and the hunters going even deeper into savagery and Ralph attempts to keep order, the beast drive the kids to act rash, and they kill several kids, including Simon and Piggy. It is not until an adult solider comes do the kids realize how far they had gone into craziness. 

2. One possible theme of Lord of the Flies is how in certain conditions how easily a civilized mind can be lost. All it took is the threat if death, no restrictions  and the fear of an unknown beast to cause several kids to become savages.

3. The author's tone is not consistent throughout the novel. It changes as the kids slip closer and closer to savagery, and becomes less civilized.  

4. 

1. Setting-Being isolated on an island is key to how the boys lose control.

2. Plot- events in the story, such as a fallen solider falling on the island and looking like a beast, really help show how the kids can think certain things, such as the existence of a beast.

3. Character actions- As the boys start to perform savage actions, it shows the reader how uncivilized they have become.

4. Mood- The author creates a feeling in the reader often, such as disgust or disappointment when the kids accidentally kill Simon. Golding is very good at getting a reaction from the reader.

5. Climax- To show how civilized thought can be completely lost, the author has a climax where several kids have truly lost, showing how savage they have become.

6. Imagery- Golding has a scene where he has Simon encounter the lord of the Flies. n order to make the lord of the Flies seem like a true devil, he writes with a lot of imagery to make him truly evil.

7. Character Representation- The characters represented other types of people in a civil world  Ralph the leader, Piggy the intellectual, Simon the good natured, and Jack the savage, power hungry.

8. Symbols- There are many symbols in the novel, including the signal fire as salvation, lord of the flies as the devil, and the conch as power.

9. Onomatopoeia- Golding uses a sung chant sand by the hunters about viciously killing their prey to show their savagery.

10. Diction- Golding has the characters use different diction's to show their aspects and qualities, the civil from the savage.

Characterization:

1. Golding uses direct characterization initially  such as when Ralph is describe as an appealing person to show he was chosen as the leader or when Piggy was describes as socially awkward to show why the kids often ostracized him. He uses indirect characterization to show characters inner self, such as how Roger abuses many kids because he has an obsession with violence or how Jack tries to dethrone Ralph because of his power hunger. Both are key.

2. Yes. When Golding is talking through a character how has embraced savagery, his syntax and diction are different then for Ralph or Piggy, civilized characters. His words become violent, and the meanings are very appalling. 

3. Ralph, my chosen protagonist, is flat. He sticks by his morals, even though he faces many situations were he could easily abandon them. He tries to help lead the survival of the kids throughout the novel. 
4. I felt like I met many different types of people. Ralph, a charismatic person. Piggy, a smart awkward friend. Jack, a power hungry savage, by the end of the novel. Golding gives each character a different role, and most enact out that role in the entire story, giving them a real feeling.

Cave Sonnet

Imagine a world, wise Plato once said

Where you were brought up in a cave instead

Paralyzed by heavy shackles and chains

Gazing one way for moving causes pain

A fire behind made shadows upon your wall

A false image of you, shackles and all

This dark world would be the one thought as true

Another reality seen by you

Then imagine you were brought to the light

Freed from the chains by help or by ones might

A world that you would struggle to accept

Possible only with  a mind adept

 What Plato wanted us to understand

How views can differ of the world at hand

Plato Study Questions

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?

2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?

3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?

4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?



1.  The allegory of the cave represents the effects of how people perceive things in different situations and how others can see things we see as false as real.
2. The allegory uses shadows as an imagery to show he people who had only known the shadows thought they were the real thing.
3. This allegory suggests that we are educated by our surroundings  People in the cave learned about their world very differently then people outside the cave, and how enlightenment may not actually be wanted, even feared because people want and feel safe with what they already know.
4.  The imagery of shackles and the cave suggest that the perspective of the prisoners has been controlled or limited by their environment, or shackles, changing their reality.
5.  I feel in society today obsession with thing shackles the mind. Many people become to focused with whats cool or popular and instead of thinking about what they would actually enjoy do what someone else has established as good.
6. The freed prisoners are allowed to explore the outer realms unlike the chained prisoners, but they still prefer their initial situation. They just now know there is something else, but are unsure of it.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

Literary Analysis

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain tells the story of a young boy named Huck. Huck lives in the south along the Mississippi river and leads a rather unsual life. Abandoned by his drunk father, he lives with a widow who tries to force the mannerisms of proper society that Huck dislikes so much onto him. But when Huck's father Pap finds out that Huck is heir to a large fortune he discovered with his friend Tom, Pap comes looking for Huck to get his money. Huck then runs away from His father, fakes his death and is finally free to roam the river as he pleases. He later teams up with Jim, a run away slave he is wrongly believed to be Huck's killer. Together they travel the river trying to get Jim to freedom and getting a trouble on many occasions along the way. 2. A possible theme of this novel is the difference of things from the perspective of a child. There are many instances where Huck challenges the ideas of society with his ideas of his own because of his youth. He finds Jim to be a good man so he befriends him despite being told it would send him to hell for helping a black slave. Twain challenges the values of southern society at the time by using Huck's young age. 3. Twains tone is challenging, almost sarcastically mocking of the things he disagrees with in society. He writes with Huck seeing the wrong things in society, such as the discrimination against Jim, and makes it obvious and how wrong they are through Huck's innocent eyes. He writes with a tone that has the intent of fixing what he sees. 4. 1-Setting. Twain setting is crucial to the societal problems he feels are present. 2-tone. Twain's tone helps establish what he feels is wrong with society. 3-diction.Helps establish the characters status, black slave versus rich white folk versus river rat versus white scum. 4-syntax. Also helps establish the characters. 5-Point of View-Having the story seen through the eyes of a youth is very important to Twain's theme. 6-Symbolism. There are many symbols in this novel, such as The free river symbolizes Huck's free spirit. 7-Direct characterization. Twain often describes exacltly what character are like so the reader will know if they are good or bad.

Vocab List 11

Affinity- relationship by marriage. I am not forced to like my step-brother because it is a brother by affinity.
Bilious- of or indicative of a peevish ill nature disposition. If she didn't like you, it was obvoius to find out by her bilious diposition to ones she disliked.
Cognate- of the same nature. Algebra and geometry are cognate forms of math with slight differences.
Corollary- A proposition inferred Immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof . The student body wanted something done so the act they passed was not very well reviewed and quite a corollary.
Cul-de-sac - a pouch/ dead end. He kept his coins in a cul-de-sac.
Derring-do- a daring action. Dare devil was the master of derring-dos.
Divination- The art or practice that seeks to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge due to the interpretation of omens . The seer use divination to predict the boys death.
Elixir- A substance capable of prolonging life indefinitely. Instead of prolonging his life like he thought, the false elixir took his life.
Folderol- a useless accessory. Many girls obssess with impratical folderols. 
Gamut- an entire range or series. Every day of practice was just part of the gamut of hell week.
Hoi polloi- the General populace. Presidents campaign to win the  support of the hoi polloi. 
Ineffable- incapable of being expressed in words . The mans reaction was hysterical, you had to be there, it was ineffable.
Lucubration- to study by night. Many college students practice lucubration. 
Mnemonic- intended to assist memory. FUBAR is a rather vulgar mnemonic.
Obloquy- abusive language. The coach belittled people with obloquy.
Parameter- an independent variable used to express the coordinates of variable point and functions of them. The police officer was given certain parameters to follow.
Pundit- a learned man. A man of the world, the pundit traveled far and wide. 
Risible- provoking laughter. The risible class clown was popular among his friends, but not the teachers.
Symptomatic- having the characteristics of a certain disease but arising of a different cause. He had a symptomatic sore throat from yelling so much. 
Volte-face- a reversal in policy. We used to have an open campus but then someone instituted a volte-face and now it is closed.

Sonnet

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

AP Hamlet PLN

1. http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/
Reading some of the many explanations the author has for this play, I was able to understand what the author was saying easily which in turn helped understand that specific part of Hamlet. The whole play is up there and it all appears to be accurate (checking by comparing what I know for sure with the analysis.) It also shows a lot of the importance of the play in the world of literature and how it has remained so powerful for so long.

2. http://www.apstudynotes.org/english/sample-essays/character-analysis-hamlet/
The author of this essay analyzes what Hamlet was thinking when he enacted out his revenge and possible causes of his errors. An interesting view of the whole tragic situation's ending. It really drives home the point of how Hamlet was a real logically character of high intellect  but his emotions clouded his mind and he often over thought things too much.

3. http://2011apenglish.blogspot.com/2010/11/hamlet-test-monday-or-tuesday-or-both.html
This is a class blog exactly like ours, so similar I thought it was. Its interesting to see the conversation the students have and the questions the teacher posts, and will be good to see if I know the answers to them.

4.http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/hamlet/summary/hamlet_summary.htm
This site is helpful because it provides a basic summary of the plot, but still contains necessary parts of the play that should be known. A good review to make sure I understand the actual occurrences of the play, because that is something that with Shakespeare's difficult to understand way with words can be lost to someone like me.

5. http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/q-and-a/what-can-we-learn-from-hamlets-soliloguies-161143
Someone crowd sourced the answer to what can we learn from Hamlet's soliloquies  and the answers were intriguing. Hamlet's soliloquies are really important and need to be able to understand their meanings, so hearing answers from several people on their meanings is really helpful.

Literary Analysis The Jungle

The Jungle  by Upton Sinclair

General:

1. This novel follows the life of Jurgis and Ona, newly wed immigrants from Lithuania who travel to America and end up in the city of Chicago in hopes fro a better life, but sadly this is not the case. They face endless adversities and struggle continuously  These difficulties vary from Jurgis's struggles in the working world, (dangerous and unsanitary conditions, injury, and layoff) to Ona being forced to sleep with her boss. All of these challenges and more wear down on Jurgis  and his family, as they are all forced to work. Several die or leave. Jurgis visits prison several times, first for attacking Ona's boss, and comes back to Ona perishing in labor giving birth. It is too much for Jurgis, and he abandons his family. He bounces between jobs and ends up doing henchmen work for Mike Scully and makes a good living. But another visit with Ona's ex-boss has him in jail again. When he is released all his hope is gone and all his attempts at a better life have been crushed. He wanders into a rally for some sort of movement promoting the rule of the workers. Jurgis embraces the idea of these socialists, and the novel ends with the chant "Chicago will be ours!" Upton Sinclair wrote this novel to show a lot of the horrors of the under world in the industrial revolution  and who a few rose on the backs of many and what those underclass workers had to deal with.
2. The theme of this novel is that many people were treated unfairly during the industrial revolution. Sinclair subjected his main character to many of the atrocities people were experiencing to show his readers the truth of things.
3. Sinclair's tone is critical. At every corner, Jurgis is unjustly wronged and can not get a break. By having all these horrible things happen to a completely honest man and writing with a style that shows the wrongs, Sinclair's tone helps support his theme and attempt to change things.
4. 

• Symbolism- Jurgis symbolizes many of the workers and their struggles during this time period.
• Indirect characterization- Sinclair lets Jurgis's morally straight actions show he is a good man.
• Title- The novel's title suggest an extremely competitive area.
• Setting- Sincliar chose a setting where he feels will have the biggest impact on people and where he feels is heavily effected.
• Point of View- By  having Jurgis be the narrator we get to see things through and read about them in a more personal way, helping the horrors strike closer to home.
• Tone- Sinclair writes with a real critical tone, really showing all the things he finds wrong in Chicago during the industrial revolution.
• Allusion- Sinclair ends the novel with the possible solution to Jurgis's problems, and we are supposed to know that the rally he attends is a socialist rally.
• Plot- The events of the novel continue to go against Jurgis and the plot that strongly disfavors Jurgis really spells out the life of the common worker.
• Situational Irony- Every time when we Expect Jurgis to get ahead in life, he is immediately knocked right back down, whether it be losing his job, getting swindled out of some charity money he received  or getting injured he can't get ahead.

Characterization

1. I feel Sinclair uses only indirect characterizations to describe his main character Jurgis. It is told solely through Jurgis's thoughts and actions, and that is how we learn about who he is, a man who will attack someone who harmed his wife, and also a man who is not above turning to crime when things get to tough.

2. Sinclair's syntax doesn't change throughout the novel except for when he is trying to imitate how another person would speak to someone like Jurgis. When this happens, Sinclair's syntax becomes taxing, because often the people feel like they are communicating with someone lower than them, a lowly foreigner who can't speak English or a more friendly diction when Jurgis talks to someone who sympathizes or is going through the same ordeal.

3. Jurgis is dynamic. when he arrived in Chicago, he had one goal; provide a better life for his family. Though not his fault, he was forced to abandon that goal. He eventually left his family and could only attempt to provide for himself. It is a really sad character shift.

4. I meet a person. All the troubles and horrible things I read about through Jurgis's eyes let me come away as this was a real person. Such as when he finally caught a break when a wealthy man felt sorry for him and gave him one hundred dollars. Jurgis was finally getting some luck. But when he tried to break it, he was robbed and only given ninety five cents back. My heart fell for Jurgis there.

vocab list ten

aficionado-an ardent devotee; fan, enthusiast.
browbeat-to intimidate by overbearing looks or words
commensurate-corresponding in amount, magnitude, or degree
diaphanous-

very sheer and light; almost completely transparent or translucent.

emolument-profit, salary, or fees from office or employment
foray-a quick, sudden attack:
genre-a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or the like
homily-an inspirational saying or cliché.
immure-to shut in; seclude or confine.
insouciant-free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; nonchalant.
matrix-something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates, takes form, or develops
obsequies- funeral rite or ceremony.
panache-a grand or flamboyant manner; verve; style; flair
persona-

a person's perceived or evident personality, as that of a well-known official, actor, or celebrity; personal image; public role.

philippic-any speech or discourse of bitter denunciation.
prurient-having, inclined to have, or characterized by lascivious or lustful thoughts, desires,
sacrosanct-extremely sacred or inviolable
systemic-of or pertaining to a system.
tendentious-having or showing a definite tendency, bias, or purpose
vicissitude-

a change or variation occurring in the course of something.

technology use and how it affects thinking

extensive Internet/media/technology has effected how I think, and i am not sure if it is for the better. It seems like a lot of the stuff i use has the goal of trying to make it so i do not have to think. When i search something, the computer completes it for me. Websites that i often go to come up as favorites that i didn't make, as if the computer is suggesting what i should do instead of me. When i am using technology, a lot of the time i am just in a mindless manner, barely comprehending what i see, let alone thinking much about its meaning. Lastly, i feel that generations that grew up with the use of technology have a lot less general information stored in their heads, frankly because it is stored somewhere else and easily accessible. There is no need for us to remember much cause we can find the answer easily without the knowledge, but i feel that when i talk to older people, they didn't have that privilege, forcing them to commit many more things to memory.

Vocab List # 9

Abortive: failing to produce the intended result
Bruit: spread a report or rumor widely
Contumelious: scornful and insulting behavior
Dictum: a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source; a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle
Ensconce: establish or settle
Iconoclastic: characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions 
In medias res: a narrative that begins somewhere in the middle of a story rather than the beginning 
Internecine: destructive to both sides in a conflict
Maladroit: ineffective or bungling; clumsy
Maudlin: self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness 
Modulate: exert a modifying or controlling influence on
Portentous: of or like a portent; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner
Prescience: the power to foresee the future
Quid pro quo: a favor or advantage granted in return for something
Salubrious: health-giving, healthy; pleasant, not run-down
Saturnalia: the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December; an occasion of wild revelry
Touchstone: a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized 
Traumatic: emotionally disturbing or distressing; relating to or causing psychological trauma
Vitiate: spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of; destroy or impair the legal validity of.
Waggish: humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner

Vocab list 8

Abeyance-(N.) A state of temporary disuse or suspension.

Ambivalent- (Adj.) Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Beleaguer- (V.) Beset with difficulties

Carte blanche- (N.) Complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best.

Cataclysm- (N.) A sudden violent upheaval, esp. in a political or social context

Debauch- (V.) Destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt.
(N.) A bout of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, esp. eating and drinking

éclat- (N.) brilliant or conspicuous success

Fastidious- (Adj.) Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

Gambol- (V.) Run or jump about playfully

Imbue- (V.) Inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality: "imbued with deep piety".

Inchoate- (Adj.) Just begun and so not fully formed or developed

Lampoon- (V.) Publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule or sarcasm.
(N.) A speech or text criticizing someone or something in this way

Malleable- (Adj.) Easily influenced; pliable

Nemesis- (N.) The inescapable or implacable agent of someone's or something's downfall

Opt- (V.) Make a choice from a range of
possibilities

Philistine- (N.) A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them

Picaresque- (Adj.) Of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero

Queasy- (Adj.) Nauseated; feeling sick

Refractory- (Adj.) Stubborn or unmanageable

Savoir-faire- (N.) The ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations.

I am a bit ambivalent of Hamlet right now. I'm not sure if i like it or not. I have an inchoate understanding of it at least, but shakespeare often beleaguers me wtih his writing style and its hard for me not to opt out. Finishing romeo and juliet was an eclat for me because i managed to read it fastidiously, even though this shouldn't be hard and i began to gambol when i was finally done with it.

Back to hamlet, reading it imbuesbe with queasy savior-faire because i struggle to discuss it fluently. Someone could easily lampoon me if i ever had to. Thanks to help from preston i know that in the royal family their has been a cataclysm because hamlet's father has died. His uncle has married hia mother and they arehave a refractory attitude towards hamlet. They dont like that he is stuck in a period of abeyance after the accident. Thoguh hamlet says he will be better and act like a prince, he is not malleable to their wishes. He doesnt have carte blance from his elders but acts as if he does anyway. He discovers his fathers ghost and learns the truth of his fathers death, how his uncle debuached the sanctiy of the throne by killing him with posion. He decides to take revenge on his uncle. 

Pre hamlet questions

1.  I know very little about hamlet, but i do know the lion king was based of it so i guess its a story about a child who's father was killed by his uncle and how he deals with that.
2. I know Shakespeare wrote all his plays in iambic pentameter, likes long soliloquies and monologues, and often times is very dirty.
3. Because he is very difficult to understand.
4. Maybe recreating Hamlet ourselves could make it more remember-able.  

study strategies for vocab mid term

for me flashcards have always been the way to go when it comes time to learn words or terms. lucky i have all the flashcards for all the words so far, so i got my Thursday night planned. Normally i just go through them one at time. When i have gotten a word correct a couple of times i put it in one stack. When i get a word wrong i put it in another stack, and go through that stack over and over until there are none left, and then i go through the whole thing one more time to make sure i know them all.

Vocab List 7

1. aberration - (noun) an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm 
2.Ad hoc- (adverb) for the special purpose or end presently under consideration 
3.bane - (noun) something causes misery or death The enemy warrior was the bane of the soldiers existence.
4.bathos - (noun) triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos The reminder of the fallen warriors served as a helpful bathos on veterans day.
5.cantankerous - (adj.) having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate The cantankerous elder would not take his medicine.
6.casuistry - (noun) moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas; argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading The lawyers casuistry tricked the plaintiff into accepting the outrageous offer.
7.de facto - (noun) in fact; in reality De facto hazing exsists on most high school sports teams besides the rules against it.
8.depredation - (noun) an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action The viking's acts of depredation won them many riches.
9.empathy - (noun) understanding and entering into another's feelings The shrinks empathy for his patience makes him very helpful.
10.harbinger - (noun) an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage The flag bearer of the army was seen as the harbinger of the upcoming battle.
11.hedonism - (noun) an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle The hedonistic kid refused to do any sort of labor almost always.
12.lackluster - (adj.) lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality The lackluster golden goblet was not very valuable.
13.malcontent - (adj.) discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted The malcontent solider strongly disliked his sergeant.
14.mellifluous - (adj.) pleasing to the ear The musician sold many songs because of their mellifluous melodies. 
15.nepotism - noun favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs) The players were all friends and picked by the same nepotistic coach.
16.pander - (noun) someone who procures customers for whores (in England they call a pimp a ponce); verb arrange for sexual partners for others; yield (to); give satisfaction to The man pandered some young men for his ladies to make some money.
17.peccadillo - (noun) a petty misdeed While the kid saw stealing the soda as a peccadillo, his parents thought otherwise.
18.piece de resistance - (noun) the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction. The artist had many good works, but his piece de resistance was defiantly the statue of David. 
19.remand - (noun) the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (or the continuation of the trial); verb refer (a matter or legal case) to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine, in or as in a jail The case was remanded for the supreme court.
20.syndrome - (noun) a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease The lack of attention and decrease in grades was a syndrome that the boy had taken intrests in some bad substances.