Thursday, November 22, 2012
"Ay Boo Boo, Let's See What We Got in this Picnic Basket!"
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Allegory of the Cave Sonnet
Shackles, darkness and ignorance is the cave
Murky are the shadows on the cave wall
Yearning for a truth they will turn away
The brightness will strike him only if he's brave
And so no more freedom can he then stall
In known comfort he shall no longer stay
Realization that he was a slave
He goes back to the cave to tell them all
Yet blindness clings to his eyes in the day
As he no longer belongs to the cave
The prisoners now reject those who fall
From their midst as a player in blind ways
Caged are the souls where the darkness is stern
Enlightened are the ones willing to learn.
Murky are the shadows on the cave wall
Yearning for a truth they will turn away
The brightness will strike him only if he's brave
And so no more freedom can he then stall
In known comfort he shall no longer stay
Realization that he was a slave
He goes back to the cave to tell them all
Yet blindness clings to his eyes in the day
As he no longer belongs to the cave
The prisoners now reject those who fall
From their midst as a player in blind ways
Caged are the souls where the darkness is stern
Enlightened are the ones willing to learn.
Monday, November 19, 2012
That awkward moment...
When MC Hammer is trending on Google +... NOW STOP...
...................
...................
...................
HAMMER TIME!
(now if that isn't a collaborative working group then I don't know what is..)
....
....
My, my, my MUSIC is so hard makes me say, "Oh, my Lord." Thank you for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and two hype feet. *dances in the background*
Now you can spend the rest of your day with this song stuck in your head. Consider it an early Christmas present! CAN'T TOUCH THIS!
...................
...................
...................
HAMMER TIME!
....
....
My, my, my MUSIC is so hard makes me say, "Oh, my Lord." Thank you for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and two hype feet. *dances in the background*
Now you can spend the rest of your day with this song stuck in your head. Consider it an early Christmas present! CAN'T TOUCH THIS!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Plato's Allegory of the Cave
1. The allegory of the cave represents intellectual and philosophical imprisonment.
2. The key elements in the imagery are the amount of shackles used (hands, neck, and feet) which shows how entirely binding and inescapable this imprisonment really is and then the brightness of the light outside of the cave represents this climatic enlightenment of both ideals and spirituality.
3. When one refuses to consider the possibilities outside of one's reality they are refusing to be educated and enlightened by truth.
4. That unless you "broaden your horizons" you are no more educated than a caveman. The cave represents the walls of our minds which are only as thick as we believe them to be while the shackles represent the item of choice by which we imprison ourselves by.
5. Things that shackle my mind are yellow journalism and politics. With journalism becoming more a source of entertainment than information I must infinitely question whether or not what I am being fed is constructive or toxic and politics are showing the same characteristics. Politics have always been a source of debate that intrigued me greatly but that does not mean it leaves me without questions. I mentally shackle myself to believe politics have become more of a game than a beneficial the commonwealth of society and the only way I can free myself is by finding enlightenment.
6. The freed prisoner has had the blessing of having the perspective of fiction and fact. He is able to challenge his beliefs and find that what was once real is now false, but for the cave prisoners reality is nothing more than distorted voices and shadows on the wall.
7. Lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways: When one is inexperienced in something or when one refuses to accept/learn something...or a combination of the two.
8. According to the allegory, the cave prisoners are not free when they are released from the shackles but when they accept that there is more to life than shadows on the wall. This suggests that the only way one can find intellectual freedom is when one accepts that there is more to reality than we or our neighbors can perceive.
9. I agree that there is a distinction between appearances and reality because if a person acquires intellectual freedom they are able to "read between the lines" and find deeper meanings and differences within reality.
10. Assuming that Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, two metaphysical assumptions are that what we see is what is fact therefore any and all information i see is fact because there is no distinction in appearances and reality...and second is that the only reality is no reality because each person has disassociated themselves from the consensus of reality and is now dealing with their own perception.
Here's some helpful videos and info that can help in understanding the applications of this allegory and summarize it.
The Cave Claymation
The Invention of Lying
The Matrix and The Cave
2. The key elements in the imagery are the amount of shackles used (hands, neck, and feet) which shows how entirely binding and inescapable this imprisonment really is and then the brightness of the light outside of the cave represents this climatic enlightenment of both ideals and spirituality.
3. When one refuses to consider the possibilities outside of one's reality they are refusing to be educated and enlightened by truth.
4. That unless you "broaden your horizons" you are no more educated than a caveman. The cave represents the walls of our minds which are only as thick as we believe them to be while the shackles represent the item of choice by which we imprison ourselves by.
5. Things that shackle my mind are yellow journalism and politics. With journalism becoming more a source of entertainment than information I must infinitely question whether or not what I am being fed is constructive or toxic and politics are showing the same characteristics. Politics have always been a source of debate that intrigued me greatly but that does not mean it leaves me without questions. I mentally shackle myself to believe politics have become more of a game than a beneficial the commonwealth of society and the only way I can free myself is by finding enlightenment.
6. The freed prisoner has had the blessing of having the perspective of fiction and fact. He is able to challenge his beliefs and find that what was once real is now false, but for the cave prisoners reality is nothing more than distorted voices and shadows on the wall.
7. Lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways: When one is inexperienced in something or when one refuses to accept/learn something...or a combination of the two.
8. According to the allegory, the cave prisoners are not free when they are released from the shackles but when they accept that there is more to life than shadows on the wall. This suggests that the only way one can find intellectual freedom is when one accepts that there is more to reality than we or our neighbors can perceive.
9. I agree that there is a distinction between appearances and reality because if a person acquires intellectual freedom they are able to "read between the lines" and find deeper meanings and differences within reality.
10. Assuming that Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, two metaphysical assumptions are that what we see is what is fact therefore any and all information i see is fact because there is no distinction in appearances and reality...and second is that the only reality is no reality because each person has disassociated themselves from the consensus of reality and is now dealing with their own perception.
Here's some helpful videos and info that can help in understanding the applications of this allegory and summarize it.
The Cave Claymation
The Invention of Lying
The Matrix and The Cave
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Don't You.. Forget About Me!!
I have officially reached 900 page views! Now I know for you page view millionaires this may seem like chump change, but why not let a girl have her fun! Indulge me and allow me to celebrate by posting this song from the
Breakfast Club.
Now for those of you who are asking yourselves what this short video had to do with me celebrating....well the answer is nothing, I just felt like sharing it, but if you truly desire a celebration video here you go, it's a little cliche but don't act like you don't love it.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
C'est la vie!!
So while studying for vocab with Dulce she said, "You're smart. You probably have all of these down." Now of course I was flattered with this comment but I had to respond honestly, "Well... I won't bomb it that's for sure, but I'll have a couple grenades here and there. Whatcha gonna do? Thug life!" Now of course I said this in a joking manner, but there is some insight in my comment. What are the real benefits of cramming all night? You get an awesome score (possibly...probably not) and then forget all the words. Well that was worth all the time and effort. WRONG!!! Whether you like it or not you'll inevitably need to learn these words, so just do your best to understand the words for tonight.. and just deal with the grenades as the come along. And if you happen you have a nuclear explosion on your exam...well...that ain't my fault. So you better get cracka lackin' and STUDY STUDY STUDY! And then when you're done you can do a victory dance!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Literary Analysis #3
- So as you might of noticed in my last LA, I have a tendency to go on and on in my summaries and essentially just tell you everything in the story so for this LA I decided that I would just let someone else tell you the gist of the story and I fill in the holes. So watch this video first and then come back so that we may continue on our epic quest that we like to call Literary Analysis #3!
- Done already? Fantastic! So here's what else you need to know in addition to what you just watched! So Jane Eyre, which is the girl in the thumbnail for the trailer, is becomes a governess (live-in teacher) at Thornfield Hall which is owned by Edward Rochester who is portrayed by Michael Fassbender in the movie. While there Jane and Mr. Rochester develop this great friendship where Mr. Rochester feels so at ease with Jane that he tells her of all his fumbles in life (except that part where he ended up marrying this lady who went insane, but we'll get to that in a little bit). So as fate would have it they inevitably fall in love and decide to get married, but there is only one issue.... He's already married to Bertha Mason, a woman he met in Spanish Town, Jamaica who went insane shortly after they were married. With this news Jane tries to preserve what little dignity she feels she has left and flees into the unknown. It is there that she meets St. John "Sinjin" Rivers who gives her a job as a teacher in a village. After establishing a bit of independence, Jane then finds out that she has not only inherited a fortune from her now deceased uncle, but that Sinjin would like her to be his wife so that they can be missionaries (she says no because she is still in love with Mr. Rochester). With this news she picks up and leaves to find Mr. Rochester and eventually does find him, but he has gone blind due to an accident at Thornfield Hall in which Bertha was let free from her room and then set the estate ablaze. So, in an effort to save Bertha, Mr. Rochester evacuated the entire estate and went back to save Bertha but she unfortunately jumped from the building and plummeted to her death leaving Rochester to tumble and fall to safety. When Jane finally sees Rochester and learns he is single she commits herself to being his wife and they live happily ever after...more or less.
- The theme of the novel is that redemption comes in unsuspecting form and is given to those who not only believe they are undeserving, but have lived long without it.
- There's a melancholic tone to this novel which makes sense because Jane's character has dealt with much adversity and heartache through the years which in some ways has made her austere, but deep within her lies a passion for something more, something meaningful. This is really reflected throughout the entire novel even when speaking about her childhood where she was neglected and physically abused and then later in her adult life where she is betrayed by Mr. Rochester and yet again when she must deny both friendship and marriage from Sinjin because her heart belongs to another.
CHARACTERIZATION:
- The two examples of direct characterization are first in describing Jane's personality and then Mr. Rochester's temperament. The two examples of indirect characterization are when the author describes Jane's childhood which then directly molds who she is as a character and then when Bronte describes the ever increasing emotional connections between Rochester and Jane. I believe the author makes the reader uses these methods to characterize the characters because it makes them easier to connect with.
- The author's diction and syntax doesn't really change through the entirety of the novel most likely because Jane is a very formal and proper character even in the most informal of situations.
- The protagonist is static because her character never really goes through this dramatic change. She remains faithful to who she is and what she believes and the only drastic change was that she fell in love, but even that didn't change who she was. Yet it is because she fell in love that she became a round character because she broke her cycle of indifference and showed something other than a cold apathy towards the world since she was so greatly spurned by it.
- In the end I felt as if I had read a character but not in a bad way. I really connected with Jane's plight and her emotions towards well...everything, but because things just seemed to fall into place for her like the inheritance and then marrying Mr. Rochester (again), it seemed a little too surreal for my taste.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Big Question?!?! ARE YOU READY??
Well... Are you? Can you handle the question I'm about to give you right now? Well ready or not here it comes! Have you ever heard of Plato's Cave which originally appeared as a dialogue in his Republic? Well for those of you who haven't I highly recommend you at least watch the video of the allegory or even buy Republic, which I happened to do today because I was so fascinated by the story. Anyways back to the question, in Plato's Cave the man returns and tells grandiose stories of the world beyond the cave but no one believes him because the prisoners' reality is only shadows and echoes. Therefore perception is reality and reality is what we see it to be, but what if we don't really know what reality is? What if the reality is really a myth? What if we are all unknowing prisoners in the cave?
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
There are just some things you can't deny..
And the talent that Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero possess is one of them. Now I know what you're thinking (well I really don't but let's pretend I'm psychic!) "what do the musical stylings of Rodrigo y Gabriela have to do with this course?" Well my dear friends, I'll tell you what this has to do with this course. 55% of communication is body language which means if you were to meet me in person and I remained stiff as board you probably wouldn't get half the stuff coming out of my mouth. So when you listen to instrumental music how are you able to interpret it? Are you just pulling the ideas out of thin air? Or are you getting your interpretations from the composer's body language? Bottom line is that this course is designed to enhance your communication skills among other things. So without further ado, I present you Rodrigo y Gabriela!
Growing My PLN
As I said before, I had already previously reached out to a website that was already in my PLN and in addition to that website I also contacted another website with hopes that they may be willing to communicate with our class as a whole and enrich our learning experience. I have yet to hear from either of the sites but will let you all know when I hear from them!
Sonnet
From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel:
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding:
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel:
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding:
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.
- William Shakespeare
Thursday, November 1, 2012
AP Hamlet PLN
1. http://msdhernandez.wikispaces.com/AP+Hamlet
2. http://deborahharris.edublogs.org/2010/04/16/ap-hamlet-essay-directions/
3. https://sites.google.com/site/esmithliteraturetheatre/AP-Summer-Assignment/ap-syllabus/ap-
hamlet
4. http://aplitandcomp.wikidot.com/hamlet
5. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamletscenes.html
6. http://libguides.mpsaz.net/content.php?pid=132411&sid=1135984
7. http://hamlethaven.com/
8. http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/literary-devices.html
9. http://www.apstudynotes.org/english/sample-essays/character-analysis-hamlet/
10. http://goshenschoolsny.org/Schools/GHS/Websites/English/Mackay/AP%20English/Essay%20Assignments/Hamlet%20essay%202010.pdf
11. http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=hamlet-quiz-ap-english-literature-composition
12. http://www.clubbennett.com/juliana/index.htm
13. http://www.rcstn.net/richard.roberts/files/hamlet_-_practice_ap_questions_only.pdf
14. https://apstudyguides.wikispaces.com/Hamlet
15. http://apenglish9.blogspot.com/2010/05/shakespeares-hamlet.html
As you all can tell I've taken a lot of time to deepen my understanding of Hamlet, but there's only so much a person can do before they've reached the bottom of their own personal bag of tricks. So instead of sitting around and just living off my interpretations and that of my peers, my teacher gave us the task of expanding our personal learning network (PLN). So as you can see above, I created a list showing the first 15 sites I came across in the order I found them, but of these 15 sites there were 5 that were particularly helpful.
The first site that gave me some paint for my blank canvas was a site that I had already visited and had contacted before, #5. Shakespeare Online does a great job of providing you with easy-to-understand summaries and plot analyses. This site is definitely a great starting point for anyone who needs a little help in understanding Hamlet, but as my english teacher says in reference to wikipedia, "It's a great place to start, but a bad place to end." So do yourself a favor and go out into the big viral world and find some more tools for your tool belt.
The second site that grabbed my attention was #7 because it offers a wide array of tools, analyses, and concepts that would be greatly beneficial in expanding how we view literature in general. They cover everything from Ophelia's death to analyzing Yorick, who was only mentioned in the play for a very short period of time. Needless to say this site was in-depth, easy to navigate and offered more than I expected from any website. Check it out!!
Third we have a site that really serves more as a worksheet but still deserves to be duly noted. #10 does a great job of questioning both your comprehension and interpretations with specific questions that can range from single details to complicated concepts within the play. So if you're looking for a place to see if you truly are understanding the material I would check this site out!
Coming in at fourth we have a site that in my opinion does a fantastic job of fitting the needs of an AP English Literature and Composition course. #14 provides you with the things all AP students search for when researching a text from class and couldn't make it any easier to understand and internalize. YET, as I said in when talking about #5, you have a big viral world out there, so don't come to this website, or any website for that matter, and look at it like a one-stop shop.
Last but certainly not least was #15 which is an actual AP English blog that provides you with journal topics and themes for you to consider and use to challenge yourself. Though the post is from 2010 I believe that the journal topics still give people a different avenue of looking at Hamlet. So sit back, grab a notebook and pen, and get crackin'! You never know when I might just give you a quiz on your Hamlet-know-how.
Consider yourself warned!
2. http://deborahharris.edublogs.org/2010/04/16/ap-hamlet-essay-directions/
3. https://sites.google.com/site/esmithliteraturetheatre/AP-Summer-Assignment/ap-syllabus/ap-
hamlet
4. http://aplitandcomp.wikidot.com/hamlet
5. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamletscenes.html
6. http://libguides.mpsaz.net/content.php?pid=132411&sid=1135984
7. http://hamlethaven.com/
8. http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/literary-devices.html
9. http://www.apstudynotes.org/english/sample-essays/character-analysis-hamlet/
10. http://goshenschoolsny.org/Schools/GHS/Websites/English/Mackay/AP%20English/Essay%20Assignments/Hamlet%20essay%202010.pdf
11. http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=hamlet-quiz-ap-english-literature-composition
12. http://www.clubbennett.com/juliana/index.htm
13. http://www.rcstn.net/richard.roberts/files/hamlet_-_practice_ap_questions_only.pdf
14. https://apstudyguides.wikispaces.com/Hamlet
15. http://apenglish9.blogspot.com/2010/05/shakespeares-hamlet.html
As you all can tell I've taken a lot of time to deepen my understanding of Hamlet, but there's only so much a person can do before they've reached the bottom of their own personal bag of tricks. So instead of sitting around and just living off my interpretations and that of my peers, my teacher gave us the task of expanding our personal learning network (PLN). So as you can see above, I created a list showing the first 15 sites I came across in the order I found them, but of these 15 sites there were 5 that were particularly helpful.
The first site that gave me some paint for my blank canvas was a site that I had already visited and had contacted before, #5. Shakespeare Online does a great job of providing you with easy-to-understand summaries and plot analyses. This site is definitely a great starting point for anyone who needs a little help in understanding Hamlet, but as my english teacher says in reference to wikipedia, "It's a great place to start, but a bad place to end." So do yourself a favor and go out into the big viral world and find some more tools for your tool belt.
The second site that grabbed my attention was #7 because it offers a wide array of tools, analyses, and concepts that would be greatly beneficial in expanding how we view literature in general. They cover everything from Ophelia's death to analyzing Yorick, who was only mentioned in the play for a very short period of time. Needless to say this site was in-depth, easy to navigate and offered more than I expected from any website. Check it out!!
Third we have a site that really serves more as a worksheet but still deserves to be duly noted. #10 does a great job of questioning both your comprehension and interpretations with specific questions that can range from single details to complicated concepts within the play. So if you're looking for a place to see if you truly are understanding the material I would check this site out!
Coming in at fourth we have a site that in my opinion does a fantastic job of fitting the needs of an AP English Literature and Composition course. #14 provides you with the things all AP students search for when researching a text from class and couldn't make it any easier to understand and internalize. YET, as I said in when talking about #5, you have a big viral world out there, so don't come to this website, or any website for that matter, and look at it like a one-stop shop.
Last but certainly not least was #15 which is an actual AP English blog that provides you with journal topics and themes for you to consider and use to challenge yourself. Though the post is from 2010 I believe that the journal topics still give people a different avenue of looking at Hamlet. So sit back, grab a notebook and pen, and get crackin'! You never know when I might just give you a quiz on your Hamlet-know-how.
Consider yourself warned!
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