AP Reading list

I am revising my choice of book after a careful consideration. My original choice was "Nineteen Eighty-Four" to "Wuthering Heights". These two books are obviously different genres. The former is science fiction and the latter being a  love story. I'm a girl and honestly I want a love story even if the love story is tragic. "Wuthering Heights" has been used in multiple years and has been referenced nineteen times!

Vocabulary: Fall List #3 sentences

1. I purchased a letter jacket so that I can wear my accolades around, such as my golden warrior pins and varsity letter pins.
2. I thought the cheesecake would have equal mixes of sour and sweet, but the acerbity was more profound.
3. Every battle usually has an attrition of soldiers which will take its toll on the war later.
4. Characters that are static in stories tend to be bromide, while dynamic characters are usually mercurial.
5. I have two nationalities so I’m not a chauvinist in any way yet my brother loves yelling “Viva Mexico” every morning. L
6. I get chronic headaches everyday at noons, which are usually mitigated by ibuprofen.
7.  Teachers who lecture the entire class period usually expound concepts well, unless the lectures aren’t didactic.
8. Factionalism is something that happens in every society because people have different opinions in different topics.
9. I’ve never been great at grammar that is why I have a spell-checker that immaculate my essays.
10. The totem on my desk is meant to keep imprecations away from me, such as the evil curses found in the Harry Potter series.
11. Lovers are an ineluctable drug that you love to taste yet can’t taste too much without getting hurt.
12.  Characters that are static in stories tend to be bromide, while dynamic characters are usually mercurial.
13. No matter how many ibuprofens I consumed to palliate my headaches, the bulging ache at the back of my head always returned.
14. It is protocol for the president’s security to scan a room for dangers before the president enters the room.
15. My best friend is an example of a resplendent jewel that brightens my day with her bright clothes and her lovely smile.
16. The Jews were stigmatized, by the Nazis, by wearing a star of David to discriminate them from Germans.
17. The plan to terminate the president is done in sub rosa at the school library.
18. Mr. Darcy is was the embodiment of a person who is vainglory because he detested talking to the lower class and talked only to those he knew.
19. There are still vestiges of dinosaurs found all over the world today even if these remarkable creatures no longer exist.
20. My brother joined the Air Force out of his own volition therefore he has to carry out all that is required of him as an officer, such as serving for four years.

Vocabulary: Fall List #3

Vocabulary: Fall

1. Accolade: any award, honor, or privilege granted as an acknowledgement of merit. 
2. Acerbity: sourness, a sharp bitterness
3. attrition: a reduction or decrease in numbers, size, or strength; a wearing down or weakening of resistance, especially as a result of continuous pressure or harassment:.
4. Bromide: a person who is boring.
5. chauvinist :a person displaying aggressive or exaggerated patriotism.
6. Chronic: habitual, (of an illness) Persisting for a long time or constantly recurring.
7. expound: to explain in detail or the meaning of
8. factionalism: The splitting of a group into factions; Conflict between factions
9. immaculate: free from flaws or mistakes; clean
10. Imprecation: a spoken cure; cursing.
11. ineluctable: Unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable
12. mercurial: changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic; animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted.
13. palliate: to relieve or lessen without curing or removing the cause; mitigate; alleviate.
14. protocol: the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality, precedence, and etiquette.
15. resplendent: shining brilliantly; gleaming; splendid: attractive/impressive through being coloful
16. stigmatize: to set some mark of disgrace or infamy upon:
17. sub rosa: happening or done in secret; confidentially; privately.
18. vainglory: excessive elation, vanity or pride
19. vestige: a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that is no longer present or in existence; smallest amount.
20. volition:the act of willing, choosing, or resolving; using one’s will

Beowulf Questions

I answered these questions with Erika Snell and Abby Khulman. The duration was probably a few hours and we corroborated together using a singular laptop. Meaning one person would type wi]hile the other two looked up answers on each others' iPhones.

1)      The way shield was an infant who rose to become such a powerful person in society and that’s why it is unusual. At his funeral he was placed in a boat and cast off to into the ocean along with his treasures. Hrothgar is Shield’s great great grandson.

2)      Hrothgar made the hall Heorot. Grendel attacked the hall and ripped many men to pieces. The Danes are afraid of this monster. Everyday Grendel returns to kill people who are near the hall. Parties are no longer held there.

3)      Beowulf assembled an army and quickly traveled across the sea to help Hrothgar defeat Grendel.

4)      Geats first meet a nameless watcher in Denmark who was guarding/watching over the shore. This watcher questioned Beowulf. Beowulf explained his intentions of fighting and defeating the evil that was haunting the land. Also, Beowulf wanted to meet King Hrothgar.

5)      Hrothgar’s Herald is the interrogator mentioned in number 4. He goes to Hrothgar and explains the arrivals of the Geats and also that Hrothgar should let them come visit him. Hrothgar agrees and realizes that he knows Beowulf because he knows Beowulf’s father, his name is Ecgtheow.

6)      Beowulf told Hrothgar that he plans to fight Grendel in combat. Hrothgar took in Beowulf’s father and protected him after he killed a man (Hrothgar paid the family of the man that Beowulf’s father killed).

7)      Unfirth accuses Beowulf of being the man who lost a swimming contest in the open sea against a man named Bruca. Beowulf say he has the story wrong and instead he got caught by sea monsters and ended up killing 9 of them before making it to shore. Beowulf shows lack of fear in this story. Beowulf accuses Unfirth of being weak because Unfirth hasn’t fought Grendel.

8)      Queen Wealhtheows says hello and welcomes the warriors. She offers them wine and meat.

9)      Beowulf is different from other heroes because he chooses to take off his armor instead of placing a lot on.

10)  Grendel breaks down the door, rips and drinks the blood of a soldier. Grendel then proceeds to Beowulf.Beowuld uses his arms to fight off Grendel. He rips of Grendel's arm and Grendel escapes.

11)  Beowulf is like Sigemund because he was a Dragon slayer and Beowulf had just killed Grendel (a monster). He is not like Heremod because Heremond was a coward.

12)  Hrothgar claimed Beowulf as his adopted son. Unfirth no longer has anything to say like before.

13)  Finn's story is about the Danes' loss to Finn, the king of the Frisians. Both the Danes and the Frisians compromised to not fight but also to live apart from each other. A woman as bride means te two clans will be united in blood and will have to be nice to each other because you don't want to kill what is your blood.

14)  Queen Wealhtheow s wants one of her own sons to be heir to the throne and keep the lineage going. She asks Hrothgar to not give the throne to Beowulf.

15)  Beowulf is instructed to give the necklace to his uncle, Higelac. At this finalt battle, the Franks will steal it from his corpse. 

16)  The men are tired from battle and beleive Grendel to be dead, that is why they stay in the hall for the night.The men celebrated Grendel's death and drank till their hearts content. This was a mistake for Grendel's mom attacked them.

17)  Grendel’s mother came Hall Herot because she is very angry over her son's death and wants revenge. I think Grendel was just hungry and that's why he attacked people, so he had different intentions than the mom.

18)  Hrothgar is very sad because his retainer is dead. Beowulf is immediately dispatched to kill the mother. 

19)  The mere is a lake/swamp where Grendel’s mother lives and the home of numerous other monsters. She lives in an underwater cave.

20)  Beowulf believes in revenger and tells Hrothgar to either sit around and go out there and do something about it. I think Beowulf blames himself for the soldiers deaths and that's why he goes after the mother.

21)  At the mere, a bunch of monsters show themselves. The soldiers sound a horn and the monsters run away.

22)  Beowulf puts on armor, unlike the Herot Hall battle.

23)  Beowulf dives down beneath to the lair. There are other monsters but Grendel's mom protects him because she wants him all to herself. This underwater place is also like a hall.

24)  Unferth's sword proved ineffective against the beast.

25)  Beowulf chain-mail hinders any of the beasts attacks. He manages to crawl away and escape.

26)  At the surfac, Beowulfe uses his sword to behead Grendel and his mother. The sword he used to kill disntergrated. 

27)  The soldiers are surprised because he came out of a lake filled with monsters.

28)  Beowulf gives the hilt of the sword to Hrothgar.

29)  Hrothgar tells Beowulf  Heremod, because Heremond was a bad king. Heremond was greedy and lustful and therefore could not rule his people properly. He warns Beowulf to stay true to the people and work on acquiring God's forgiveness.

30)  Beowulf returns the broken sword, Hrunting, back to Unferth.

31)  Hrothgar foresees that Beowulf will return someday to rule over the Danes.

32)  Queen Modthryth is evil and Hygd is anything but evil. Quen Modthryth was so evil she imprisoned those who dared look straight into her eyes.

33)  Hrothgar fears that his daughter's marriage to Ingeld will result in a blood-feud between the Danes and the Heathobards. Beowulf never thinks through situations but he thinks through this and knows this could end bad.

34)  Beowulf tells his stories and as with any storyteller, he stretches the truth.

35)  Beowulf gives the treasures from Hrothgar to his uncle. Hygelac gave Beowulf a jeweled sword, 7,000 hides, land, a hall, and a throne of his own.

36)  Part 2 takes place 50 years later. In the meantime, King Hygelac was killed in batlle as with his successor Heardred. A dragon is also awakened.

37)  The dragon woke up because a piece of his treasure was stolen. The man was poor so he stole the goblet. The treasures were because a wealthy man left it there. The dragon claimed the treasures as his own.

38)  The dragon ravaged the land of the Geats.

39)  Beowulf is religious and thought the gods were punishing him for some wrongdoing. He orders a shield because  iron won't disintegrate by the dragon's fire. Hygelac will die.

40)  Hygelac was murdered in battle. Beowulf escaped by swimming away with his treasures. Hygd offered Beowulf the throne, and Beowulf became king of the Geats.

41)  An exiled group of Swedes murdered Heardred. Beowulf avenged Heardred’s death by killing King Onela.

42)  Eleven warriors accompanied Beowulf.

43)  Herebeald was killed in a hunting accident by his own brother, Haethcyn. King Hrethel couldn’t punish him because it was his own son. King Hrethel left with his grief. The Swedes and the Geats continued their feuding. Haethcyn was also killed in battle against the Swedes. Beowulf avenged Hygelac’s death by killing a great Frankish warrior, Dayraven.

44)  Beowulf wants to face the dragon alone so he commands his soldiers to wait outside the lair. He wants to defeat the dragon on his own.

45)  Beowulf’s sword is inadequate against the dragon so he retreats. The dragon continues to hit Beowulf with fire! His soldiers run away but Wiglaf stays. Wiglaf tries to convince the soldiers to fight. The men still run away so Wiglaf and Beowulf both fight the dragon.

46)  Beowulf is bitten by the dragon. Beowulf defeats the dragon by stabbing it in the side with his knife.

47)  Beowulf wants to see the treasure before he dies that way he dies seeing the gold.  He wants to die like a king burned in a funeral pyre.

48)  The warriors come back to watch Wiglaf attempt to revive Beowulf. Wiglaf scorns them for leaving Beowulf when he needed them most. In the future Wiglaf sees that the Geats will be attacked by their neighbors and that their nation will be destroyed.

49)  The messenger announces to the people that Beowulf has died. Ongentheow  taunt the Gaets all night. Hygelac came to the Gaets rescue with reinforcements. Ongentheow could not handle the reinforcements and retreated. He was corned by Hygelac but still retaliated and in the process Ongentheow was killed. The messenger warns that the treasure is cursed and those that try to steal it will be cursed. Beowulf won’t be cursed because he never “looked at it with greedy eyes”. The messenger final image is that of the dragon.

50)  Wiglaf gives an elegy of Beowulf. He chastised Beowulf for going in without reinforcements. 

51)  The men pushed the dragon off the cliff and into the ocean. 

52)  The burial took ten days, and the people cried throughout those days.

53)  In the elegy, Beowulf was described as "kind ane beloved", but a war hero is obviously not kind because he would have had to kill many people. He was ferocios in killing Grendel, the mother, and the dragon. 

Peer Feedback #1 essay 2

The Grapes of Wrath Social Analysis

            “There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do (The Grapes of Wrath).” People are evil to each other without a justification. In the aftermath of a huge economic downturn, people turn on survival mode and lash back at those that need help. It is inhuman how men treated the migrants who simply were trying to make a living for their family. John Steinbeck yearns for the better treatment of these migrant workers, as well as decent treatment of humanity to each other. Steinbeck utilizes symbols, such as a turtle, to convey the difficult tasks humans must do and yet there are still humans that work while others are contumacious.

            Humanity will be its own downfall. Some people are narrow-minded and have a high level of self preservation. Why is it that in a crisis that so many people suddenly flip that switch of preservation and do anything possible to survive? Steinbeck is telling this story in order to convey some of the atrocities that are committed.  The landowners of the West, specifically California, were dogged and incapable of seeing the migrants as equals. The Dust Bowl was the cause of this economic influx in which all available work load was in the west. They treated the migrants like dirt by bullying the incoming people. Police officers, who are meant to keep the peace, actually attacked people and killed one of the Joad family members. If people shared the wealth (not talking a communism) for a short time period while the crisis leveled out, maybe, just maybe, the world will be a better place. In the officers’ perspective, I wouldn’t have to live with the fact that I killed someone and that I violated what I represent to society.  Humanity has the potential to go a great way but that potential rapidly depletes when humanity chooses to save ones’ elves over others. Steinbeck wants to challenge this self preservation mechanism and open eyes to what cruelty could occur if we do not simply share a little, even if it’s for a small time a little makes all the difference.

            The turtle, in the beginning of the book, is a symbol that represents a small creature that tries and tries to cross the road. Even if it is a small creature that goes a slow pace, it is an arduous task that he is determined to complete. This turtle embodies the migrant workers because it is determine to do work in order to survive. Even if the turtle is hit by cars (migrant workers bullied by officers) it thrives on. Steinbeck uses this symbol to convey the feelings of the migrant workers and to depict their self preservation.

            Steinbeck tries to persuade the audience to give a little in order to get a lot, in The Grapes of Wrath. He wants to show, through the use of symbolism, that people will stop at nothing to survive. If humanity works together, eventually we will go back to normal and conflict can cease for now. But if some choose to exploit others, the potential to go back to the norm depletes.  Humanity can go far if it only works together to preserve and aid each other.

Peer Feedback #1 essay 1

George Eliot Concept of Leisure

            The now “leisure” will be outdated in the new “leisure”. In other words, perspectives change with each changing decade and era. Every decade has a different view because generations change and evolve to meet demands of innovation.  George Eliot’s perspective of the “Old Leisure” is different from the idea of leisure in her own time. Eliot has a sense of nostalgia towards the “Old Leisure”, while the society of her own time conveys a sense of fervor for the new and technological. Eliot utilizes imagery and personification to distinguish between the two leisures.

            Eliot lives in one time era yet dreams of another. She yearns to return to a time where life was simple and not complicated by political feuds. An agrarian lifestyle that is not tainted by the greed of men. Eliot perceives that when the “engines of the “new leisure” come rolling in, greed will follow suit as people take advantage of capitalism. She wants to live in a time where people don’t question everything and just accept anything. She yearns to stay in this time yet time always changes perspective, and people in her time have already pioneered a new perspective of leisure.

            “As the world's sole remaining super power and economic powerhouses, our nation's ability to be at the forefront of innovation and production has enabled unparalleled economic success of our nation's workforce (Leonard Boswell).” This thought process is what drove many people to diversify and become a new lesiure that meets the demands of the time. This “new leisure” is fast paced and questions the norm in order to improve. If you want to get rich, which I’m sure everyone does, you have to be an entrepreneur and be willing to take risks. People changed because of these risks and sense of competition therefore the perspective of leisure had to change as well.

            Eliot makes use of personification and imagery to convey how diverse the two leisures are. Eliot personifies both leisures by using pronouns, such as “he”. Also, each leisure does some sort of an action that distinguishes both characteristics. For example, old leisure “was a contemplative” and “he lived chiefly in the country.” Whereas new leisure is described as a person being “prone to scientific theorizing,” and “cursory peeps through microscopes.” These descriptions/actions are what a person would do and these two “people” are different indeed. One leisure is a contemporary scientist questioning life and the other is an old fashioned “gentleman” who wants life as simple as possible. Imagery is also used to convey an image of old leisure as a farmer who goes to church every Sunday and spends most of his day on his agriculture. I can also imagine new leisure as a man in a suit traveling by boat upstream using a steam engine, while reading a scientific novel for entertainment. The imagery utilized dissimilates the two leisures even more.

            Eliot reveres and yearns for the old leisure while her society moves forward and innovates with time. Eliot’s nostalgia of the old leisure is evident as she describes the simplicity of this lifestyle. Her society has developed a fast-paced and inquiry based lifestyle because of technological advances, such as the steam engine. The imagery utilized and the personification of two leisures dramatically dissimilates the two.

Today's Socratic Seminar

"Do you have the right to your own opinion?" Do I? If I do have a right to my own opinion, why do I? What have I done to deserve this right or what do I have to do to get it? Not all questions have an answer. Even if one question is answered, more questions arise from s singular answer. The best we can do is speculate an answer and have a consensus. Opinions are diverse and you can't always convince someone your opinion is right. Today's seminar was quite interesting as Patzman commenced with his opinion. I agree with Alex and Justin that not all opinions can be changed that is why we have compromises and consensus. I have the right to say out opinion and I agree with the article on the point where I don't have to listen. I will because I'm intrigued by opposition but I won't listen to you if you have given me reason to doubt/repudiate your opinion (i.e. your logic is filled with fallacies, or you fail to provide evidence). I believe everyone has a right to an opinion but it doesn't mean I have to listen to it or that it is correct.

Reflections on Week 1

         As with any AP class, I am fully committed to the tasks ahead. I am aware there might be seminars in Preston's class in which I will have to leave one or more of my other classes. This is where conflict will arise as I have all AP classes, which are equally as arduous as the next. My family is supportive of my classes and is willing to give me a ride or seminars after school, at the library, etc... But if these events are daily, then that is where my parents draw the line because I live in Los Alamos and transportation daily will become a serious problem. Friends are always a help because they, like I, want to excel and are willing to group together to accomplish that.
       I am surrounded by mostly strangers at X. I am at a leadership seminar at Occidental College. It was a year ago so I don't remember much, but I do remember the feeling I got from the speaker. The liberating feeling of speaking freely whenever he asked us a question. The feeling you get when you learned something new and yet you knew it all along, yeah that feeling. The "feeling" indicated to me that I was learning something knew.
      Technology. My brother is the techno-wiz in my family so I became dependent on him to fix my computer or give me a new program. I know I will eventually adapt to technology, but it will be a bumpy road. I also have this anticipation to learn about blogger as well as other websites that I can benefit from in the future. I want to be independent and branch out online because it is the new era. Most information is online so I want to be online to see all that I can see.

additional thoughts: austen/montaigne essay

       1) I would have finished writing my conclusion. I could also have made my third paragraph (four paragraph essay) much stronger but I really wanted to at least start my conclusion. On the AP test, you get a point if you have an introduction as well as conclusion so that's why I rushed to start my conclusion before time was up. I would also have added more examples from the book (as asked in the prompt) but I really wanted to get in comparisons as well as differences before the time alloted ran out.
       2) Nothing new occurred because the majority of my ideas were already on paper. Also, I have other AP classes to attend to that also require my attention so I had to move on. I don't like to live in regret for it hinders the future. I did what I could and I already said my peace about what I could have added if time was alloted.
       3)Doctors say your age indicates how many seconds you can pay attention. For us teenagers that are still sixteen/seventeen years old, that is still miniscule time for a brain to process thought before a small interaction  occurs. The intermittent of writing an essay in an already limited time setting can greatly hinder thought processes.