Tools That Change the Way We Think

"Back in 2004, I asked [Google founders] Page and Brin what they saw as the future of Google search. 'It will be included in people's brains,' said Page. 'When you think about something and don't really know much about it, you will automatically get information.'

'That's true,' said Brin. 'Ultimately I view Google as a way to augment your brain with the knowledge of the world. Right now you go into your computer and type a phrase, but you can imagine that it could be easier in the future, that you can have just devices you talk into, or you can have computers that pay attention to what's going on around them and suggest useful information.'

'Somebody introduces themselves to you, and your watch goes to your web page,' said Page. 'Or if you met this person two years ago, this is what they said to you... Eventually you'll have the implant, where if you think about a fact, it will just tell you the answer."

-From In the Plex by Steven Levy (p.67)

How does use of the Internet, media, and/or technology change the way you think?

What I find myself doing whenever I search something on the internet is getting the answer off of a website and then forgetting that information the next day. I do believe that the internet has weakened my memory. I find myself looking the same things up again and again because I don't seem to remember exactly what I had read previously. I think this is because I know that I can easily go back and look at the information I want because it is on the internet so I'm not as focused on letting what I read actually sink in. We may not realize it but technology has a huge impact on our lives.

Vocabulary #9

1. Aficionado (n)- an ardent devotee; fan, enthusiast

- Susie's dad is a sports car aficionado.

2.Browbeat (v)- to intimidate with overbearing looks or words; bullying
- The older kids browbeat the younger boy.

3. Commensurate (adj)- having the same measure; equal extent or duration
- My friend and I worked out at the same commensurate.

4. Diaphanous (adj)- very sheer or light; almost transparent
- The dress was diaphanous.

 
5. Emolument (n)- profit, salaries, or fees from office or employment 
- The bake sale was successful as it brought in a lot of emolument. 


6. Foray (n)- a quick sudden attack
- The foray on Pearl Harbor surprised everyone.





7. Genre (n)- a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, or technique
- I love to watch different genres of movies.
 

8. Homily (n)- a sermon; an inspiring saying or cliche
- That homily is commonly used in Church .  
 
9. Immure (v)- to imprison; to shut-in
- They immured the prisoner in the cell.


10. Insouciant (adj)- free from worry; carefree; nonchalant
- His insouciant attitude showed that he was not worried about getting caught with the answers.


11. Matrix (n)- a point when something else originates, develops, or takes form
- The matrix of the rock was when the crystals formed. 


12. Obsequies (n)- a funeral rite, or ceremony
- It is hard for me to go to obsequies because everyone is very sad. 


13. Panache (n)- a grand manner; style; flair
- My always boss walked around with a proper panache. 


14. Persona (n)- the characters in a play
- His favorite persona from the play was Tom. 


15. Philippic (n)- any speech of bitter denunciation
- No one was surprised from her philippic at the interview. 


16. Prurient (adj)- having lustful thoughts or desires
- She felt uncomfortable by the boys prurient glances. 




17. Sacrosanct (adj)- extremely sacred
- The sacrosanct family bible is very important to my family. 



18. Systemic (adj)- of or pertaining to a system
- The cows disease became systemic as all cows were affected. 


19. Tendentious (adj)- having or showing a definite tendency, bias, or propose
- During the game of darts, he won with his tendentious throws.







20. Vicissitude (n)- a change or variation occurring in the course of something
- He went through a vicissitude when his mother passed. 

The Performative Utterance in Hamlet

Hamlet never really repeated that he was going to avenge his fathers death but that he would never forget it as of course it was his father.  We can tell Hamlet really wants revenge and will do anything to seek it. The central problem of the play is that people represent their feeling and their intentions in ways that are contrary to reality.

Thoughts on Hamlet (In Progress)

I will be honest when we first started reading Hamlet I was not intrigued at all. I never really was into the whole Shakespeare plays. I was always confused when I read about Shakespeare and I never really liked it. When we first started reading Hamlet I thought "Oh great, Shakespeare." but as we got into it more it is really interesting and I enjoy it. It really shocked me how Hamlet had no emotion when he stabbed Polonious and just walked off dragging his body with him. I was really shocked with Act III. I was not expecting that sudden turn of events. From here, I see things going about the same way since the plot twist.

To be or not to be part four

Last one! Haley Zahn

To be or not to be part 3

Another... Haley Zahn

To be or not to be part 1

Haley Zahn wanted to recite this to people for fun, so here we are at the 99 cents store...

To Be Or Not To Be...

I did this video with Haley Zahn. I did the first half while she did the second half. Enjoy!

To be or not to be part two

More reciting! Haley Zahn

What I Think About When I Think About Act III

When I read Act III I was so shocked on what had just occurred. Hamlet was having a conversation with his mother and boom! Out of no where Polonious get stabbed and killed through a curtain. It was so casual as they exited Hamlet just dragged him off stage. I was speechless for a moment when reading this. I was shocked on how Cladius reacted towards the play. He completely lashed out and ran out of the theatre. I did not think that was smart because if no one else knew he killed Hamlet's father he sure made that scene suspicious. Claudius tried to pray for forgiveness which did not work because he knew what he did was wrong on so many levels. I think this is a very interesting play and look forward to finding out what interesting things happen next.

Literary Analysis #3

1.Summary: I read the novel The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It is about a teenager named Hazel Grace who has cancer and is sent to a support group. She meets a new boy and they catch one another's eyes. Soon enough she and Augustus (the boy) become friends and talk to each other about everything. Hazel shares her favorite book called An Imperial Infliction with Augustus and together they ponder the mysterious ending. Augustus manages to somehow get through to the author and when Hazel emails him, he invites her to come to Amsterdam to discuss the ending of the book. While all this is going on Augustus and Hazels' good friend Isaac is loosing his the only eye he has left in hopes to be cancer free. In this process he also loses a girlfriend named Monica, who can't "deal" with having a blind boyfriend. Augustus still had his wish from when he had cancer and told Hazel he would use it to take her to Amsterdam to meet the author but she still had to convince her parents and doctor. After they get to Amsterdam they meet the author Peter Van Houten who is a mean drunk. He didn't answer any of the questions Hazel asked. Later Augustus tells Hazel his cancer has returned and its not looking good. When he passes on Hazel says a eulogy and sees that Peter Van Houten is there and she talks to him. He says he wrote the book because his daughter died of cancer. Hazel finds out her mother is studying to become a support group leader and is relieved that there is life for her parents after she dies. She finds a note from Augustus that he wrote before he died and it said he hopes that she is happy with the choices she made in her life, and she was. That is pretty much what happens in this novel.

2. Something about the book that jumped out at me is how the characters dealt with cancer. They were scared of course but they were more terrified of others and losing the ones they love. Hazel blamed herself for the grief her family felt. 

3. I sensed the book was very humorous but sad. John Green had a way of turning a sad serious situation into a funny scenario. You could definitely feel the pain the characters each had. An example would be:

- "And so we thought, just as any healthy person would: I gotta outlast four of these bastards."

4. Literary techniques:

- Rhetorical Question: "Why did the cast rotate?"

- Personification: "Osteosarcoma sometimes takes a limb to check you out. Then, if it likes you, if takes the rest."

There is also dialogue, simile, personification, diction, and imagery. 

CHARACTERIZATION:

1. Direct Characterization: Hazel does a pretty good job of describing all the people in the book as they are introduced. She certainly wastes no time in describing how she sees Augustus (hint: she thinks he's hot): I liked that he was a tenured professor in the Department of Slightly Crooked Smiles with a dual appointment in the Department of Having a Voice That Made my Skin Feel More Like Skin.
She also does a fine job of letting us know what other characters are like based off of little traits:
My mom was really super into celebration maximization.
Just with this one example, Hazel is able to characterize her mother as someone who tries to live life to the fullest and bring joy into it for her family.
Indirect Characterization: "We pour Scotch into a glass and then call to mind thoughts of water, and then we mix the actual Scotch with the abstracted idea of water."
"Well, I believe in true love," Isaac said. "And I love her. And she promised. She promised me always." - This got to me so much.

2. While I was reading this novel I did not notice that the diction nor the syntax changed while John Green focused on a certain character. They were al battling something bigger and were treated equal. John Green had Hazel and Augustus fall in love because they both went through the same thing. They understood each other and that's what was important.

3. The protagonist who is Hazel is a dynamic character. Hazel seemed to be the one who went through a lot in this novel. She lost the love of her life and was slowly losing her life. She is also the round character in this novel. The flat character would be her love interest Augustus who makes her see the world in a new light.

4. After reading this book I am at a loss for words. It left me so emotional and I was definitely not prepared for it. It is amazing book and John Green had a great way of bringing these characters to life even when they were losing theirs. I felt close to them and like I personally knew them. I felt for all the characters because they all battled something bigger than them. I was speechless.

Vocabulary #8

1) Abase: (v) to lower; to put or bring down; degrade

2) Abdicate: (v) to give up a throne, right, power, claim, or responsibility 

3) Abomination: (n) anything greatly disliked; detestation 

4) Brusque: (adj) abrupt in manner; rough

5) Saboteur: (n) a person who commits or practices sabotage 

6) Debauchery: (n) excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; intemperance

7) Proliferate: (v) to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively

8) Anachronism: (n) someone or something that is not in it's correct historical or chronological time

9) Nomenclature: (n) a set or system of names or terms by an individual or community; the names or terms comprising a set or system

10) Expurgate: (v) to purge or cleanse of moral offensiveness; to amend by removing words deemed offensive

11) Bellicose: (adj) inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious

12) Gauche: (adj) lacking social grace; awkward; crude; tactless

13) Rapacious: (adj) inordinately greedy; predatory; extortionate

14) Paradox: (n) a self-contradictory and false proposition

15) Conundrum: (n) anything that puzzles; a riddle whose answer involves a pun or play on words

16) Anomaly: (n) someone or something that is abnormal or does not fit in; peculiarity; abnormality; exception 

17) Ephemeral: (adj) lasting a short time; short-lived

18) Rancorous: (adj) full of or showing rancor (hatred)

19) Churlish: (adj) boorish; rude; mean

20) Precipitous: (adj) extremely steep

Dear Ophelia

Your father and brother do want the best for you. Maybe your family just thinks that this prince is an abase which is something you really need to confront them about. Don't let them think he is an abomination. Stay true to what you believe in. A bellicose is not necessary. Try to make the conversation expurgated. Don't give up and good luck!

Literary Fiction and Empathy

I found this article to be very interesting because of the things that Albert Wendland states. Wendland says that by reading about people's lives helps you really understand where they are coming from by putting yourself in their shoes. For example, I would feel the exact way Hamlet had if my father had been murdered by his own brother. Hamlet felt frustration and anger not only at his uncle, Claudius but also his mother who quickly married Claudius, after the death of her husband. I would have never guessed that reading literary fiction would help someone gain social skills.

Hamlet Questions

1) Hamlet is about a boy who feels he had a responsiblity to avenge his fathers murder by his uncle Claudius, but Claudius is now the king and is well protected. Hamlet deals with overwhelming situations. His actions cause the deaths of Polonius, Ophelia, and the later death of his own mother. 

I found this information on www.wisegeek.org.

2) Interpreting the play is a challenge because Shakespeare's diction is not the same as today's. He uses iambic pentameter structure which when translated can mean different things due to the complexity of his sentences. I think people translate it differently and see meaning in different areas of the plot and dialogue that others don't catch.  

Vocabulary #7

1) Shenanigans: (n) mischief,  trickery

2) Ricochet: (v) to move in this way, as a projectile

3) Schism: (n) division or disunion; the parties so formed

4) Eschew: (v) to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid

5) Plethora: (n) over abundance; excess

6) Ebullient: (adj) overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited

7) Garrulous: (adj) wordy, diffuse; excessively talkative in a rambling manner

8) Harangue: (n) intense verbal attack

9) Interdependence: (n) the quality or condition of being interdependence, or mutually reliant upon each other

10) Capricious: (adj) erratic, unpredictable of change

11) Loquacious: (adj) talkative, chattering; to talk much

12) Ephemeral: (adj) lasting a short time; short-lived

13) Inchoate: (adj) not yet completed; not yet developed

14) Juxtapose: (v) to place close together for comparison and contrast

15) Perspicacious: (adj) having keen mental perception and understanding

16) Codswallop: (n) nonsense, rubbish

17) Mungo: (n) a low-grade wool from felted rags or waste

18) Sesquipedalian: (adj) containing many syllables, given to using long words

19) Wonky: (adj) unsteady, shaky, unreliable, boring

20) Diphthong: (n) a vowel sound, occupying a single syllable, during the articulation of which the tongue moves from one position to another, causing a continual change in vowel quality 

Everyone stood there shocked as the black car drove away at such an alarming speed, that the rocks on the floor started to RICHOCHET off the building. Since Haley was a jokester the group began to wonder if this could be just another one of her SHENANIGANS. This prank, however, would have involved a PLETHORA of planning so they came to the conclusion that Haley had been kidnapped. Micaela suggested that the group split up in search for Haley, but this suggestion formed a SCHISM as not everyone thought it was a good idea. If they split up, someone else might get kidnapped and everyone wanted to ESCHEW anymore kidnappings from occurring. 

Everyone was really nervous but no one was speaking which made an un-GARRULOUS car ride for a few minutes. No one was EBULLIENT because of what had just occurred. Caroline began to HARANGUE Micaela because Caroline never thought it was a good idea for Haley to stay out by the car unattended. Everyone was INTERDEPENDENCE on one another in search for Haley. It was such a CAPRICIOUS trip no one was sure of what was to come of it. 

Everyone began to become LOQUACIOUS because they were beginning to panic which was not EPHEMERAL. As the day started to go on we didn't even care that

 our vacation was INCHOATE. We then decided to JUXTAPOSE all of our belongings to see if there was anything we had that could help us get our friend back. We knew that in order to get our friend back we had to exhibit PERSPICACIOUS judgment.

Haley's cry for help was no use... Haley was kidnapped and there was no one who could get her out of this. She could only hope for the slight chance that her friends might miraculously find her. She knew she had to tell her friends her secret, but would they think that it was a bunch of COLDSWALLOP? Haley couldn't stand the MUNGO that the men wrapped her in.  She couldn't understand the SESQUIPEDALIAN words the men were using, but she knew it couldn't be good. All of a sudden Haley's head felt very WONKY, as she felt like she was going to pass out. She didn't know what was happening to her! She wondered why so many of the words the men were using were DIPHTHONGS?

Green Eggs and Hamlet

A) I do not know anything about Hamlet other than Shakespeare wrote it. 

B) Shakespeare wrote a lot of plays in the seventeenth century and they were performed in London, England. 

C) Most students frown upon hearing Shakespeare because it involves a lot of thinking to fully understand the concept. Most students don't like to take a lot of time to have to get something they want it to be pretty straight-forward. 

D) I think that acting it out would really help people understand it. We could do that or work in our groups to get other people's insight as well. 

What I Meant to Say Was

I really rushed my essay during the midterm. I was worried I didn't have a lot of time so I was switching from vocabulary to the essay. I was not really confident on my essay. Also I was worried I did not have enough vocabulary words either. My thesis was not as strong as it could have been and I really need to improve on that part of my writing. I think that I should do a pre write next time as well. I think my thesis was pretty good it just needed a little more information than I gave. 

If I Just Had More Time

If I had more time to prepare for the midterm I would have went over previous vocabulary words more than the recent ones. Also I would have went over the Canterbury Tales too. I would have looked at my notes that we took during presentations and for the open note quiz we had as well. I would have put more time into studying than I did. I think I did okay on the midterm. I know my essay was pretty rushed so it's probably not my best but I tried to write down as many vocabulary words as I remembered. To improve my performance I would probably need to pace myself more than I did because I kept going back and forth from question one to question two and I got side tracked. So that's something I would really improve on. 

THE COMPARISON'S TALE

During the presentations today I heard various tales. My group focused on The Monk's Tale. I thought this compared well with Seargent of the Law tale because the theme in both of these is tragedy. The monk told many tales of people that led sad lives. The Seargent's tale talked about how Constantine was beautiful but how she struggled a lot throughout her lifetime. These tales got right down to the point and had a set tone without much emotion. 

TALE OF A CANTERBURY TALE

My group chose the story of The Monk's Tale.

Summary: The Host demands a merry tale from the Monk who instead gives a series of tragedies that deal with a role of fortune in a man's life. The Monk describes the fortune through abbreviated tales about such people as Lucifer, Adam, Hercules, Samson, Nero, Belshazzar, Zenobia and so on. The Monk concludes his tale when the King interrupts and says he wants to hear a merry tale.

1) Indirect Characterization:
 - "As they may come back now to my remembrance, That you'll excuse me for my ignorance." This quote shows that the Monk does not remember much.

- When the Monk is humiliated or made fun of by the Host this is the reaction received, "The monk took all of this in patience", which shows violence is not in his lifestyle.

- "Let no man trust in blind prosperity; Beware by these examples true and old." The Monk does not believe people are evil but that bad things happen to them.

2) I think that Chaucer point in having the Monk tell these tales is to tell readers that fortune is a success that could take a turn for the worst at any moment, no one is perfect we all make mistakes.

Literary Analysis #2

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

1) Direct characterization:
- "'Wow" Nate said. "You look great.'" (Page 346)
Nate was Ruby's boyfriend and made a direct characterization when he stated that she looked great.
- "'Aah", he's a good kid, we joke around a lot but I really like him."' (Page 139)
Harriet, Ruby's boss makes a direct characterization about Nate by saying he is a good kid.
Indirect characterization:
- "'Because you're a minor and your mother abandoned you.'" (Page 45)
This is an example of indirect characterization because Cora, Ruby's sister had taken her in when she was abandoned by her mother because she did not want her anymore.
-"' So, you weren't living without heat and water in a filthy house?'" (Page 45)
This is an example of indirect characterization because Cora wants the best for her sister Ruby and wished she gave her a better life than her mother gave her.

Direct Characterization tells readers exactly how the character acts and is like. Indirect characterization is when a reader gets to relate to a character through their actions and story. Sarah Dessen uses both of these characterizations because it gives a bigger idea of who the characters are. Rather than being told this is the character and you can't have any other opinion, this allows you to make your own ideas of each person and to me it gives a longer lasting impression of the character and makes you more intrigued.

2) Sarah Dessen changed her syntax when she started getting more in depth with each character. You do not notice her diction change as it stays the same throughout the entire book. When she would focus on one character she would focus on how they would speak also with emotion. "' I can't,'  he said. 'There is no point. Don't you understand that?'" (Page 362) This is an example of Dessen using emotion as you can feel the anger through the novel as she described a scene with Nate.

3) The protagonist of the book is Ruby, at first she is static and flat but later evolves to be dynamic and round. Ruby at seventeen was abandoned by her mother and lived alone for two months and is certain she can take care of her self as she had done most of her life. Later she is shipped to live with her sister who she thought wanted nothing to do with  her. Ruby soon finds out what it is like to have a family again. It's what she had been missing all along.

4) Whenever I read a book I feel like I become one with the character and find a way to relate to them. I am an emotional reader and I think about a simple line from a novel for a while and interpret it in many ways. I really related to Ruby when she said she had to do things alone and was fine that way. Of course I related in a different way, like school. I didn't relate in a family way but in a way when you feel like you're doing it alone when you don't have to you just need to look and find something that could really shine a light on your path. In Ruby's case it was Cora and her husband Jaime who treated Ruby like a daughter. "'Where the hell have you been?'" (Page 223) Jaime and Cora were worried about Ruby after she came home from a day of ditching school and making them worried. Ruby accepted the fact that she did appreciate them and everything they did for her. I really enjoyed reading this book and relating to each character on a different level.