Hello? Is Anybody Out There?

On Friday, I was sent on an epic quest (well it's not all that epic and it isn't really a quest either, but bear with me here!) to find learning communities dedicated to studying Hamlet and all things Hamlet-related. I am now her to report that I have found three ad hoc (that's right, I just pulled out a vocab word! BAM!) websites that only provide information regarding Hamlet and Shakespeare. I tried reaching out to two of those websites in hope of having people who specialize in this giving us some special insight. The good news is that one of the emails actually sent, but the bad news is that the other did not because their is a problem with the email's domain. Yet this does not take away from the fact that the site is very helpful and detailed. So, without further ado, here are the websites:

1. Absolute Shakespeare
2. Art's Alive
3. Hamlet Study Guide

How much do I really know about Shakespeare and "Hamlet"?

1. All I really know about Hamlet, the Melancholy Dane, is that he comes in contact with the ghost of his father and somewhere down the line his sanity becomes just as questionable as his ability to be an active participant in the kingdom run by his uncle Claudius. I know it's not a lot, especially since I like to say I enjoy reading Shakespeare, but unfortunately I never got around to Hamlet. 
2. My knowledge of Shakespeare, thankfully, is a bit more extensive than my knowledge of Hamlet. Shakespeare was born in 1564 and is credited with creating modern English. His works have managed to transcend all the barriers of time due to their unique style and political controversy. Shakespeare, who was married to Anne Hathaway, created the Globe Theater and many of his works were played in that theater. Shakespeare wrote a variety of things, from sonnets to plays written entirely in iambic pentameter and many of them containing several political criticisms of either the queen or her court.
3. I think students frown because typically when teachers talk about Shakespeare they don't really allow too much free reign with interpretation. The best part about reading ANYTHING is that no two people would get the same interpretation. Yet when teachers bring Shakespeare up, that freedom to think and interpret the play is restricted until you can think of how the teacher would interpret it, which makes reading Shakespeare a chore rather than an experience.
4. I think the way we can read this play to make it a memorable experience is to have us read and act it out in class that way everyone is involved and we get a visual aid to help us understand the play a little better. I only recommend this because my seventh grade class did this when reading A Midsummer Night's Dream and I still remember the play and the experience as if it were yesterday. 

Vocabulary Time!

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

Ad hoc- (adverb) for the special purpose or end presently under consideration

bane - (noun) something causes misery or death

bathos - (noun) triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos

cantankerous - (adj.) having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate

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

de facto - (noun) in fact; in reality

depredation - (noun) an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action

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

harbinger - (noun) an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage

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

lackluster - (adj.) lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality

malcontent - (adj.) discontented as toward authority; (noun) a person who is discontented or disgusted

mellifluous - (adj.) pleasing to the ear

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

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

peccadillo - (noun) a petty misdeed

piece de resistance - (noun) the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction.

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

syndrome - (noun) a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease

Vocabulary Sentences!

1. The camera had a lens system comprising of two elements, used to reduce chromatic aberration.
2. After a tornado swept through the school, an ad hoc group of parents was formed to assist in the repairs.
3. Her inability to forgive and forget became the bane of her existence.
4. The actress' bathos performance resulted in terrible critical reviews.
5. The cantankerous old woman refused to agree to the changes her children wanted to make to her house so that it would be more comfortable for her.
6. Many went to him because he had a certain casuistry that other people learned a lot from.
7. Though many believed in the rumor, when her lies began to crumble in front of her the truth de facto was revealed.
8. The depredation of total war during the civil war showed how severe the tensions were between the Union and the Confederacy.
9. I was empathetic when I heard about the family's loss of their newborn child.
10. The clouds were a harbinger of the thunderstorm that was about to come.
11. Their hedonism blinded them from making rational choices that would benefit them in the long run.
12. The lackluster shine on the ring reflected how old the family heirloom really was.
13. Her malcontent with her husband's behaviour resulted in their divorce.
14. The mellifluous tone of her voice made all the boys swoon.
15. Her peers accused her of nepotism because she always chose the same friend to do the most important and favored job.
16. The man was arrested and convicted of pandering.
17. He was very ashamed of his several peccadilloes.
18. After hours of speeches and banal presentations, the piece de resistance finally arrived, the musical!
19. The defendant was remanded when new evidence in the murder case arose.
20. He faked the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome to evade active service.

Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet's Get Ready to VOOOOCAAAAAAABB!!

Beatitude: supreme blessedness or happiness

bête noire: something that is particularly disliked

bode: to be an omen of, predict or foretell

dank: unpleasantly damp and chilly

ecumenical: universal

fervid: intensely passionate

fetid: having a stale nauseating smell, as of decay

gargantuan: sometimes capital huge; enormous

heyday: the time of most power, popularity, vigor, etc; prime

incubus: something that oppresses, worries, or disturbs greatly, esp a nightmare or obsession

infrastructure:  the basic structure of an organization, system, etc

inveigle: often fall by into or an infinitive to lead (someone into a situation) or persuade (to do something) by 

cleverness or trickery

kudos: functioning as singular acclaim, glory, or prestige

lagniappe: something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus, small trinket

prolix: so long as to be boring; verbose

protégé: a person who is protected and aided by the patronage of another person

prototype: one of the first units manufactured of a product, which is tested so that the design can be changed if 

necessary before the product is manufactured commercially

sycophant: a person who uses flattery to win favor from individuals wielding influence; toady

tautology: the use of words that merely repeat elements of the meaning already conveyed

truckle: to yield weakly; give in

Vocabulary Sentences!

1. The birth of the child was a beautitude for the entire family.
2. Her actions at the gathering made her the bête noire of higher society.
3. The coming storms did not bode well for the farmer's harvest.
4. The dank, abandoned house had deteriorated so much over time that it was now in shambles.
5. The ecumenical laws within the household were seldom broken.
6. Their fervid relationship resulted in several bad decisions between the couple.
7. The boys' locker room was so fetid that no one wanted to go in it.
8. The gargantuan australian super spider is something many people would fear to come across.
9. Back in their heyday, they would sleep all day and party all night.
10. His constant fits of rage were an incubus on the household.
11. Without a strong infrastructure, our nation would be in further political turmoil.
12. The pretty woman was able to inveigle the drunken man into buying her some chocolates and a free drink.
13. The class received kudos for their exceptional scores on the exam.
14. When he returned from his travels he showed everyone all the lagniappes he had bought.
15. With all the lengthy debate in the court room and no new evidence being presented, it was fair to say most of the trial was prolix.
16. The jeweler had to appoint a protégé so that his legacy would be preserved when he passed.
17. Though they had created several prototypes in the past they were finally able to create a finished product.
18. Carl was an outcast in the office because he was considered to be a sycophant.
19. The tautology within his speech was clear and began to bore many of his listeners.
20. After hours of interrogation the man truckled to the pressure and confessed.

Literary Analysis #1

Literary Analysis:

1. My novel, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, is about a girl named Celie who writes a letter to God everyday to tell him what has happened to her, how she feels and anything else underneath the sun. Celie was sexually abused by her “father” and as a result gave birth to two of his children, but Celie would never experience the joy of raising her two children, Adam and Olivia, because shortly after their birth they were taken from her. This marked the beginning of a pattern in Celie’s life which consisted of pain, sadness, abuse, and misfortune. After being married off to yet another abusive man, which we know by the name of Mr.______, Celie meets Shug Avery, little did she know that Shug Avery would be not only her salvation from her hell of a home, but a vital player in her reunion with her dear sister Nettie, the only person Celie has ever loved, besides Shug Avery.

2. The theme of the novel was that even through tremendous strife, a person’s relationship with God should never falter. Celie suffered for decades both as a child and as a wife/mother, but, as you see in her letters, she always had faith that God had a better plan for her and that she was strong enough to endure. “Well, sometime Mr._____ git on me pretty hard. I have to talk to Old Maker. But he my husband. I shrug my shoulders. This life soon be over, I say. Heaven last all ways.” (Pg. 39-40) Celie has never had a very strong and loud voice, in fact, for most of her life she didn’t have a voice at all. Yet through her spirituality and friendship with Shug Avery, Celie is able to gain a sense of entitlement to her own life and voice. She learns that she must fight for what she wants because even though God is on her side, he cannot hand her what she deserves, she must grab it and never let go.

3. The author’s tone is very informal, sometimes depressed, but mainly serene. Each of her letters begins with “Dear God,” and then the reader see’s this outpour of emotion from Celie that the reader knows only God would be able to see. God is her confidant and when she speaks to him it is obvious to the reader that she is doing this in hopes of finding some solace with God, because if she can’t find it there, she won’t find it anywhere else. For example, in her first letter she says, “Dear God, I am fourteen year old. I am I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me.” In only three lines the reader is able to imagine and empathize with Celie’s deep confusion and fear regarding the abuse she faces at home and she is turning to God for the comfort she needs so desperately. It is because of this deep sense of vulnerability that the reader is able to connect with Celie and feel for her. Her vulnerability is perfectly portrayed when she says “But I don’t know how to fight. All I know how to do is stay alive.” Celie has never fought for herself prior to meeting Shug Avery and so the mere thought of it scared her half to death, which only further made Celie a relatable and human-like character.

4. The author used a number of literary tools in order to describe her purpose such as theme, simple syntax and diction, symbolism in the color purple, both direct and indirect characterization, simple structure, first person point of view, allusions to the bible and situational irony because Celie was able to reunite with Nettie and her children because Mr. ____ had allowed immigration to do so.

It's Vocab Time!

For the sake of making vocabulary definitions and sentences slightly more entertaining I've thrown in a few links to videos that do a pretty good job of representing the vocabulary word it's linked to. So enjoy!

acumen- keen insight.

adjudicate- to settle or determine.

anachronism- something or someone that is not in its correct historical time.

apocryphal- of doubtful authorship or authenticity.

disparity- inequality

dissimulate- to disguise or conceal under a false appearance.

empirical- derived from or guided by experience or experiment

flamboyant- strikingly bold or brilliant; showy

fulsome- offensive to good taste, especially as being excessive;overdone or gross

immolate- to sacrifice

imperceptible- very slight, gradual, or subtle.

lackey- a servile follower

liaison- a person who initiates and maintains such a contact or connection.

monolithic- consisting of one piece; solid or unbroken

mot juste- the exact, appropriate word

nihilism- total rejection of established laws and institutions.

patrician- a person of noble or high rank; aristocrat.

propitiate- to make favorably inclined; appease; conciliate.

sic- to incite to attack

sublimate- to make nobler or purer

____________________________________________________________

1. When voting for a president, people typically take the candidate's political acumen into consideration before casting their vote.
2. The couple had to adjudicate whether or not they would be able to afford living in the city in order to be closer to their jobs.
3. Though many fables and epics may be apocryphal, their core values and themes are still valid and timeless.
4. There was an obvious disparity in the number of women that were accepted into the class and the number of men that weren't accepted.
5. In order to remain incognito, he had to dissimulate his regular appearance so that he could escape the cops.
6. After several tests and experiments, the empirical data proved his hypothesis right.
7. In order to keep the crowd engaged, the presenter had a very flamboyant personality and was very interactive with her audience.
8. The critiques the artist received were too fulsome for her to feel happy with her artwork.
9. The warrior had to immolate most of his men at sea in order to win the battle for his kingdom.
10. Even though she got a haircut yesterday, the change in her appearance was imperceptible to most people and invisible to others.
11. In order to maintain good relations with other nations, liaisons are sent to make sure everyone is content.
12. The monolithic statue stood tall and proud after withstanding the earthquake.
13. Sometimes people yearn for the mot juste in situations that call for detailed descriptions.
14. After years of oppression, a nihilism finally took place in Syria.
15. Because of his display of great courage the queen decided to make him a patrician and give the hero a knighting ceremony.
16. Mayans were known to sacrifice people in hope's of propitiating the Gods.
17. A ring announcer is paid to sic two boxers against each other.
18. Queen Elizabeth chose to sublimate her name but becoming and remaining the Virgin Queen until her death.

Some more vocab tunes!

Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap

What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club

Beowulf and Godzilla...Yeah.. Talk About Awesome....

So Dr. Preston gave us (his AP English Literature Students) a little puzzle today and told us to translate the little story below. Challenge Accepted.

Beowulf and 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back at the meadhall, Monster lurked.
Full of a few too many drinks, He was looking for a fight.
Then, Hrothgar (?), son of... his father...,
Asked the awful jerk to step outside. Thud! Bash! Crash! Boom! The big guy,
Each of his bones broken, bit his nose off;
Wicked Godzilla wailed on his ass.
Monster mopped the floor with each man in the hall.
Beowulf was in the backroom making a phone call;
He heard the sound of the ruccus and said, "What the hell?"
He grabbed his strong shield and his sharp switch-blade
Stood forth to fight the grim foe. "Me," Godzilla said, "make the mincemeat."
The quick hero got hold with his famed half-nelson
And flung him like a frisbee back to front
Beowulf belly to the meadhall's bar
Said, "No foe has beaten my fearsome kung-fu."
He ordered an ice-cold Coca-Cola, the real thing.

Beowulf and Godzilla..... Yeah.... Talk About Awesome.....

Fall Vocab List #4

apostate: a person who abandons or betrays his religion, cause, party, etc.

effusive: expressing excessive emotion in an unrestrained manner.

impasse: a position or situation from which there is no escape.

euphoria: a state of intense happiness and self-confidence.

lugubrious: mournful, dismal, or gloomy.

bravado: a pretentious display of courage.

consensus: majority of opinion

dichotomy: division into two parts

constrict: to slow or stop the natural course or to shrink

Gothic: noting or pertaining to a style of architecture, originated in France in the middle of the 12th century and existed in the western half of Europe through the middle of the 16th century, characterized by pointed arches and ribbed vaults.

punctilio: a fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure.

metamorphosis: a complete change of form, structure, or substance

raconteur: to tell

sine qua non: an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential

quixotic: extravagantly romantic; visionary, impractical

vendetta: any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention

non sequitur: an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises.

mystique: a framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs, or the like, constructed around a person or object, endowing the person or object with enhanced value or profound meaning

quagmire: a soft, boggy area of land that gives way underfoot

parlous: perilous; dangerous

Fall Vocab #4 Sentences

1. In a time of fierce racism and oppression, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas Ghandi were apostates to the government.
2. Angrily, she effusively described how Kathy was an awful person for telling the school she liked a boy.
3. After weeks of debate and discussion, the couple decided that they had reached an impasse and needed an opinion from a third-party.
4. After receiving several large doses of anesthesia and pain-killers, Sally was in a euphoric state for a few minutes after her surgery.
5. She was lugubrious after she found out her grandmother died a few days shy of her birthday.
6. In order to impress those around him, Andy displayed his bravado during the robbery down the street.
7. The class had to reach a consensus on the issue before they could pursue any further action.
8. The artist chose to reflect the dichotomy of government and religion in her sculpture.
9. Doctors had to constrict the blood flow to the patient's leg in order to keep him alive.
10. Notre Dame is a famous Gothic cathedral church in France.
11. The company banquet is the highlight of the year, therefore the company takes special care in checking that everyone is away of the punctilio.
12. Most caterpillars eventually make the metamorphosis into butterflies.
13. The outline was sine qua non to the productivity of the board meeting.
14. Her neighbor was known for his quixotic personality, primarily because of all his reckless decisions.
15. After her betrayal, she declared a vendetta against all fine eateries. 
16. When he realized he had no real response to the questions and premises, he chose to make a fallacious non sequitur in the debate.
17. Females are known to have a mystique about them because of the unique qualities, beliefs, and thoughts.
18. Caution tape circled a quagmire in order to prevent injuries to the public.
19. When rebellion outbreaks, the situation becomes far more parlous when war is put in the place of diplomacy.

It's Time by Imagine Dragons

1987 AP Exam Answers and Notes

First Literary Analysis Choice

I have chosen to read The Color Purple by Alice Walker, primarily because I've heard nothing but praise about it. It's a story that in many ways hits close to home and after watching the movie I have always felt compelled to read it. Why it took me so long to get to it is still a mystery to me (perhaps I was too lazy or just forgot) but I'm glad that I'm finally getting the chance to read it. I'm sure that the book will be greater than the film in nearly every aspect and I look forward to comparing the changes the movie made and what it left out.

The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski (Recitation)