TOOLS THAT CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK

There is no doubt that technology changes the way we think and makes significant impacts in our daily lives. As learners we need to understand and be aware that there is a big difference between dependent and interdependent. There was a time where the internet was fresh and new, codes and algorithms were being created everyday and without human intervention the world wide web could not exist. Nowadays the internet seems to be a clock that we've wound up and just count on it to keep ticking, we're not interested in a relationship with our information but rather we are parasites that can't survive without a daily dose of technology. This means that (as far as the internet is concerned) we are dead, as my colleague Mia Levy so wonderfully points out in a casual tweet. https://twitter.com/mia_levy/statuses/395377172187475968">. To be dead in the technological sense doesn't mean you've stopped breathing, but rather stopped improving. The internet isn't perfect, with filter bubbles, uneccessary censorship, and plagiarism running rampant, there is a definite need for an interdependent relationship and we need to be able to accomplish that as a society. All in all, there is nothing wrong with depending on technology, just make sure to always think for yourself, don't be lost in the web, and there is nothing wrong with reading a book or a newspaper once in a while.

VOCAB #9

aficionado (n)- expert, talented in a specific field, enthusiast
Ex: Jose Sagrero is an aficionado in the art of playing football.

browbeat (v)- to intimidate someone
Ex: When Jose is on the football field he likes to browbeat his opponents with his large muscles.

commensurate (adj)- corresponding in size or degree, in proportion
Ex: Jose's talent is in commensurate with his work ethic.

diaphanous (adj)- light or translucent (usually fabric)
Ex: Jose doesn't like when his jersey is diaphanous, it will rip easily whenever he makes a tackle.

emolument (n)- a salary or fee
Ex: Jose is angry that he doesn't receive an emolument for his efforts on the field.

foray (n)- a sudden attack
Ex: Jose is so quick and agile, some recruiters call his tackling style a foray.

genre (n)- a specific type or style of literature.
Ex: If Jose Sagrero wrote a book, chances are it would be a biography of his favorite football player (Terrell Pryor), which falls under the biographical genre.

homily (n)- a speech or sermon intended for a religious purpose
Ex: When Jose goes to church, he listens to homilies which inspires him to play better football

immure (v)- to inspire with feeling
Ex: Before each game Jose gives a very inspiring speech to the team that immures everyone in the locker room.

insouciant (adj)- showing a lack of concern
Ex: After his team lost the big game, Jose seemed insouciant, which angered his coach and teammates.

matrix (n)- an environment where something is developed
Ex: Jose Sagrero's matrix is the weight room, that is where he developed all of his strength.

obsequies (n)- a funeral
Ex: Jose is very sentimental, and when he went to his grandma's obsequies he delivered a beautiful eulogy.

panache (n)- flamboyant confidence
Ex: Referred to as the Ray Lewis of his generation, Jose shows panache whenever he steps on to the football field.

persona (n)- the aura someone carries; or alter ego
Ex: Jose's persona is larger than life, people are honored just to be tackled by him.

philippic(n)- a bitter attack
Ex: After we beat St. Joes, an angry fan attacked Jose but luckily he had the Shield to protect him from this philippic.

prurient (adj)- having an excessive interest in sexual activities
Ex: Jose is not prurient, all he can think about is football.

sacrosanct (adj)- regarded as too important to be bothered
Ex: When he is walking around campus in his game day polo, Jose is definitely sacrosanct because he is busy thinking about the game.

systemic (adj)- relating to a system
Ex: Jose is part of a team, he is the most important part, but he is still systemic.

tendentious (adj)- expressing a controversial point of view
Ex: To say Jose Sagrero is a bad football player would be a tendentious statement.

vicissitude (n)- an unpleasant change of events or fortune
Ex: If Jose quit football that would be a vicissitude for every football fan in America.

This week's theme: JOSE

FILTER BUBBLES

a) I learned about the concept of filter bubbles and the idea that we are isolated in a "web of one" that is controlled not by us, but rather by big businesses who are telling us what we want to see.
b) This information makes me wary of information I am reading and the accurateness of it. It makes me uncomfortable that I'm not in control of what I see.
c) Why are filter bubbles legal? It seems like it's the same thing as propaganda, just friendlier.
d) I can increase the effectiveness of my searches by using more than one search engine and comparing my results. Also by not taking things at face value and actually analyze what I am reading.

THOUGHTS ON HAMLET (IN PROGRESS)

I think the one thing that has stayed constant throughout the entire play is that this is a story of a young man coping with the death of his father and the immorality of his mother. We see him as insane or manipulative but in actuality, he just confused.

However, as the play evolves, my view of Hamlet changes. I cannot justify his actions later on in the story. I admit that he may be a manipulative, clever, and smart guy but someone who can murder someone in front of his mother and think nothing of it, is not sane.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE (Football style)

This video got caught off for some reason, this is all I have right now, Jose did it too and his worked even worse than mine. We should have more tomorrow. 

VOCAB 7

     As soon as he awoke among the sand of Egypt he immediately remembered the events that had led them to this forsaken country. He remembered the group discovering Quatro Quatro's shenanigans and finding out the evil that he committed against Xmus. He recalled to his mind the garrulous speeches Quatro gave, full of sesquipedlian. As he remembered the horrors that the group discovered he tugged at his arms that turned out to be tied to a palm tree. Quatro was pacing around with a capricious attitude that Jacob had never really seen before, but then again he almost didn't recognize this pyscopath that he once called his friend and teammate. Jacob looked with horror as Quatro ebulliently gazed at Kristen Crockett, he wasn't sure what the story was, but knowing Kristen, he was worried.
     Jacob mumbled out codswallop, he was incoherent, nearly dead, he had some wonky attempts to break free but he couldn't . The group looked at each other with fear, it might be the end for them, and it would happen in Egypt.

GREEN EGGS AND HAMLET

a) I really don't know much about Hamlet at all, I get it confused with Macbeth (which I also don't know much about), I think it's about a king who dies and leaves his son. I honestly have no background knowledge at all.
b) Shakespeare was a prolific author and poet that we really don't know that much about. He is one of the most famous literary figures of all time. He is known for inventing iamic pantameter.
c) Everyone just knows about the unorthodox way that he writes, they find it boring, and think that it's too challenging, that's the reason for the frown.
d) I know that the silly little projects we did freshmen year will probably always stick with me. But I'm not sure what to do at this point in my learning journey.

WHAT I MEANT TO SAY WAS

My thesis was almost complete, I was able to show my comprehension of the topic, however I didn't convey well why Chaucer focused on the characters and his purpose for introducing the reader to these characters. What I meant to say was: "Chaucer used specific techniques, like characterization and imagery, to introduce the reader to a set of characters for the purpose of satirizing the time period and giving the voiceless a voice."

LIT ANALYSIS #2

*I turned this in on time in hardcopy in class on Friday

Jacob Fowler

Lit Analysis #2 (Lord of the Flies by William Golding)

Characterization:

1.       The biggest form of direct characterization was Piggy’s name. We learn that his name is Piggy before we even know his real name which gives the reader a very vivid and descriptive idea of what Piggy looks like and how he would act. Another form of direct characterization is when the boys build a fort because they’re scared of Ralph and his friends. An example of indirect characterization is how Piggy really respects the conch even when the others don’t and especially when Ralph starts to doubt it, this shows his loyalty to social convention. Another form of indirect characterization is when Jack couldn’t kill the pig, this shows both the struggle between his old self and the new instincts that are arising and his inward thinking about life and death.

2.       The best example of Golding’s unique syntax is at the very beginning of the novel. He uses modernistic techniques to cause a sense of disarray in the reader’s mind. Because of this, when he introduces the characters it’s almost as if we’re climbing out of the plane wreck with them and meeting them as they would appear on that desolate island.

3.       The protagonist, Ralph, is very dynamic. He lands on the island as an arrogant British adolescent with a clear cut idea of what wrong and right is. He leaves the island fighting for his life and doing whatever it takes to stay alive and retain some semblance of power.

4.       I feel like a met people, Golding didn’t just put a group of people on an island he threw a group of young boys and turned them into castaways, murderers, worshippers, yet snatched all of that away in an instant. I really dove into Jack’s character, I saw him at his lowest, his most ashamed (when he couldn’t kill the pig), his highest (when he respected Ralph and the Conch), and at the end.

Analysis:

1.       The novel is about a group of British boys, all from the same school, that crash land on a desolate island. The pilot is dead and they are left to govern themselves, this leads to chaos and anarchy. One of the main symbols throughout the story is this conch that holds power to some and is just a shell to others. By the end of the book this group of mild mannered boys have committed a murder, killed animals for food, called themselves savages, and are on the way to kill another member of the group before their charade is abruptly ended by an unnamed naval officer.

2.       The theme of this novel is the breakdown of social convention, it also is considered a commentary on modern religion with each character symbolizing a different element of Christianity and the island itself taking on the role of earth.

3.       The author’s tone was very dynamic, but throughout the entire novel it was very frantic and panicked page one is a great example when the boys land and there is just chaos and confusion. Another great example is when Jack places the glasses on the pig head and calls it the Lord of the Flies on page 145. And finally the fear and panic for Ralph as he is about to die at the end of the book gives the reader a good deal of panic and confusion. Even the resolution of a man walking on to the shore causes some confusion and leaves the reader with a lot of questions.

4.        

1.       Imagery, Golding here describes the conch (Page 179)   

2.       Diction, Golding here uses the word “giggled” instead of laughed, snorted, chuckled, or anything else to describe the twins’ immaturity (Page 62)

3.       Modernistic techniques, Golding makes the last scene so frantic that the ending becomes very surprising (Page 287)

4.       Imagery/diction, “the savage moaned again”, here Golding refers to a young boy as a savage who is in pain doesn’t cry but moans (Page 279)

5.       Personification, Golding says that Ralph’s voice “spoke for him” an impossible feat for someone’s voice, but it shows the fact that he had no control in the words coming out of his mouth. (Page 175)

6.       Repetition “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood” (numerous pages)

7.       Imagery, Golding describes Ralph’s injured eye as a slit (Page 222)

8.       Vernacular, Golding always has the characters say the word “P’rby” instead of probably to show their dialect. Also other examples of this. (numerous pages)

9.       Repetition/irony, the words “beast” and “savage” are used to describe small animals and young boys. (numerous pages)

10.   Ethos, the naval officer has a dominant authority that the boys desperately needed. (Page 288)

TALE OF A CANTERBURY TALE

Summary:
     This tale is about a sentimental cook who keeps a very dirty restaurant and enjoys being by himself more than with others.  In the prologue he has a conversation with a man named Roger who told him that it is better to stay happy then allow yourself to be upset. Basically the entire tale is about the cook dealing with his new apprentice who he eventually has to get rid of. He continually messes up and finally the cook just has to say that his work is inadequate and he is compromising the business. We find out in the last line that he has a wife for looks but his true love is his shop.

Characterization:
1. In the prologue we see indirect characterization that in line 4330 he quotes Solomon from the Bible, from that we are informed of his religious views which is reaffirmed down in line 4354 when he mentions that he continually prays.
2. Roger has to tell him to be happy and not upset in lines 4356 through 4365 which indirectly characterizes him as an angry man.
3. I sense a bit of jealousy of the new apprentice named Perkin Reveler, he goes into detail about his good looks, maybe this indirectly characterizes him as an ugly man who is jealous of the better looking Perkin.
4. The last two lines of the tale (4421-4422) say that he would rather have a shop than a wife, that directly shows that the cook cares way more about his livelihood than his family or love.
5. The cook keeps his shop dirty, but we just read that he loves his shop more than his wife, maybe (and this is definitely a stretch) he has a self destructive personality and cannot find a good way to love things.

Chaucer's Goal:
Maybe Chaucer's goal of this is to show a humble man who keeps to himself the voice he never would have, to show how much power (over his apprentice) this man really has. That he finds value in his work and there's nothing wrong in working hard and enjoying it.