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.