Vocab #2

Accoutrements: Additional items of dress or equipment, or other items carried or worn by a person or used for a particular activity.
     The master of the house was not to be seen without a suit, a tie, and the like accoutrements.

Apogee: The farthest or highest point, usually has a astronomy related connotation.
      The moon was at its apogee, making it more difficult to see.

Apropos: Preposition; With reference to; concerning. Adverb; used to state a speaker's belief that someone's comments or acts are unrelated to any previous discussion or situation. Adjective;
very appropriate to a particular situation.
     He was helpless to join in the unexplained mirth of his companions apropos laughter.

Bicker: Trivial chit-chat like arguments without a major central purpose.
     The young couple's bickering about drove me insane.

Coalesce: To come together or mass as a whole.
     In the time of dire need, it was said the tribes coalesced for the greater good.

Contretemps: An unexpected and unfortunate occurrence. Difference in opinions.
Due to the lack of ice cream (and discipline), there were many contretemps in the family discussions.
    
Convolution: Vague or not clear in purpose of explanation. Fermentation.
     The dialogue of the movie was so convoluted, I hardly understood anyone.

Cull: Select from a large quantity; obtain from a variety of sources.
    The choice of the attorney to cull a single opinion out of the teeming mass of voices turned out to be a poor decision.

Disparate: Things different enough as to not allow comparison.
     The comparisons of Labradors versus carbonates were disparate and futile to attempt.

Dogmatic: Inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true.
     The dogmatic way the instructor delivered information made her seem vastly experienced.

Licentious: Disregarding accepted rules or conventions, especially in grammar or literary style.
      It would be silly to describe Hawthorn's work as licentious.

Mete: Dispense or deliver justice, a punishment, or harsh treatment.
     As a super hero, he was expected to mete swift justice to the bad guy.

Noxious: Dizzying, unpleasant or dangerous.
     The noxious gas made me gag as i stepped into the sewer.

Polemic: A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.
     The polemic on politics of the country was taken with little to no notice.

Populous: Densely populated, crowded or full.
     LA is quite a populous city.

Probity: The quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency.
     The probity of the young man was astounding considering his shady background.

Repartee: Conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies.
     Many Montey Python sketches are characterized by repartee.

Supervene: Occur later than a specified or implied event or action, typically in such a way as to change the situation.
     The plan was going along smoothly until a rouge banana peel supervened.

Truncate: Having an even or square end.
     The truncate door frame made it easy to attach the main door.

Unimpeachable: Not able to be doubted, questioned, or criticized; entirely trustworthy.
     Abraham Lincoln's unimpeachable behavior gained him his nickname; Honest Abe.

Beowulf

Prologue: The Rise of the Danish Nation:

1.       The way Shield became ruler of the Danes was unusual because he was an orphan. Although he came from rags, his funeral was one to be admired. It was on a ship at sea with his most loved companions and filled with treasures. Shield is Hrothgar's grandfather.

Heorot is Attacked:

1.       The magnificent work that Hrothgar undertook was the construction of the spectacular mead hall, Herot. The monster Grendel attacked Herot, killing thirty warriors; unable to fend for themselves. The attacks lasted twelve years. The Danes did nothing and continued to suffer.

The Hero Comes to Heorot:

1.       When Beowulf hears of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel, he sails out with 14 of his bravest warriors to Herot.

2.       When the Geats arrive in Denmark they first meet a Danish watcher. The watchman asks what business they have in this specific area. Beowulf explains their intentions are not to harm the Danes, but to bring peace by slaying Grendel.

3.       The name of Hrothgar's herald is Wulgar, a messenger. He asks the Geats their business, impressed with their appearances and manners, relays the message to Hrothgar who realizes he had known Beowulf prior to this meeting. I am not surprised Hrothgar knew Beowulf so well because he was well-known across many people for his bravery and nobility.

Nakesha Willis (http://nakeshawillisrhsenglitcomp13.blogspot.com/)

4.       When Beowulf enters, he tells Hrothgar that he is ready to fight and kill Grendel to protect the kingdom. Hrothgar settled the dispute Beowulf started with the Wulfing’s by paying with old treasure.

Feast at Heorot:

1.       Unferth accuses Beowulf of being too proud, and that Beowulf cannot handle battling against Grendel. Beowulf replied back by describing his perspective of the story Unferth told. He also told about how he killed the sea beast that pulled him down to the bottom of the sea. This episode is relevant to the poem as a whole because the whole poem is about Beowulf battling in different situations. Beowulf accuse Unferth of not participating in any battle.

2.       During the feast, Queen Wealhtheow attended to everyone in the banquet hall and welcomed the Geats.

The Fight with Grendel:

1.       Beowulf prepares for his fight with Grendel by disarming himself which is different because heroes are usually described to have prepared themselves to fight by arming themselves.

2.       When Grendel enters Heorot, Beowulf watches Grendel attack the vulnerable. Beowulf fights Grendel by gripping Grendel’s hand first. When Grendel tries to leave, Beowulf’s men tried to slash Grendel with their swords, but their swords didn’t do much. Grendel escapes to his lair, critically wounded. He left his shoulder and arm behind.

Lesther Villanueva (http://lvalenzuelarhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/)

Celebration at Heorot:

1.       Like Sigemund Beowulf experiences a very strong sense of valor and love of the kill and war, yet he lack the wisdom to be a general or command because he doesn’t take the time to think a plan out

2.       Hrothgar responds with joy, gratitude, and generosity. He says that Beowulf is like a son to him and gives him treasure. Unferth was proven wrong in his attempts to discredit Beowulf.

Shane Hunter (http://shunterrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/)

3.       The story is about a Danes battle against Finn, who was the king of the Frisians. The poem is quite confusing, but basically it was based on the battle of Finnsburgh, which was an absolute bloodbath between the Frisians and the Danes. The battle came to an end when Hnaef, the Danish leader, was killed during battle. The Danes called a truce and promised to live with them separately but they would follow the same rules of equality in order in sure peace among the people. Now, the Danish princess named Hildeburh married Finn, but she was still depressed due to the death of her brother, Hnaef, and her son.  After months of hardship, the Danes revolt against the Frisians and kill Finn while his wife, Hildeburh, goes back to Denmark. The wisdom of using a bride as a way to heal enmity between tribes was to show that they were connected and must keep peace within their society. There are thousands of books, poems, and movies that show arranged marriages in order to restore peace or to connect with the other culture. Family shouldn’t attack family. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t, but they may be less inclined to attack and more inclined to make amends.  

4.       When the feasting resumes, Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar to not give Beowulf the throne.

Maddie Klusendorf (http://mklusendorfrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/)

5.       Beowulf later gives the golden torque to Hygelac, in which he wears it on his death. Wealhtheow asked Beowulf to act as a friend to Hrethric and Hrothmund (Wealhtheow's daughters), to offer them protection from the darkness, to be a guidance, and to treat them kindly.

6.       So many men remained in the beer hall to sleep because the other sleeping halls were full. The men who slept in the beer hall made a mistake because Grendel's mother descended on Heorot to seek vengeance for her son’s death where Grendel's arm was located on the wall of Heorot and Aeschere (Hrothgar’s trusted adviser) was captured by her.

Another Attack:

1.       Grendel's mother came to Heorot to seek vengeance for her son's death. Grendel's reason to come to Heorot wasn't the same as his mother's reason because he only wanted to cause destruction.

2.       Hrothgar's response to Grendel's mother killing Aeschere (Hrothgar’s trusted adviser) is for Beowulf to seek out and kill Grendel’s mother.

3.       The mere is a magical swampy wood  lake in which it seems endlessly deep and it is where Grendel's mother lair is located at

Beowulf fights with Grendel’s mother:

1.       Beowulf tells Hrothgar to respond by taking care of the Geats and returning his property to Hygelac if he dies in the battle to kill Grendel's mother

Danny Luu (http://dannytbuuluu.blogspot.com/)

2.       Before Beowulf can get to the mere he and his men find the many bloodied and dead men that were killed by Grendel and his mother, including the head of Aeschere. His men and Beowulf must fight off reptiles and sea dragons that live in the mere’s water. Also he gives a speech and names Hrothgar is successor should he die, and says that Hrothgar must take all the riches to Hygelac.

3.       Beowulf prepares for the battle by putting on his chain mail and metal helmet and took Unferth’s sword for Hrunting.

4.       When Beowulf enters the lake it takes him a long time to find the Grendel cave, but the Grendel mom knew that he was in the lake and tried to attack him. However the chain mail held and the Grendel mom was thwarted, so she just pulled his body into the cave. When Beowulf gets to the cave he is attacked by sea monsters. (Some more.) What was curious about the cave is that there was no water in it, and a fire going. That makes sense….

5.       The sword Beowulf borrowed proves useless and the steel doesn’t pierce Grendel’s mother at all. The magical sword’s spell in broken.

6.       Beowulf’s “net-of-chain” or chain mail saved him from dying because it deflected Grendel’s knife. And then he notices a pile of swords and stuff in the cave and pops up and grabs and sword to fight with.

Maddison Hill (http://mhillrhsenglitcomp13.blogspot.com/)

7.       Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother by cutting her throat with the sword of Eotens. Her blood melts the sword, so only the hilt is left. Beowulf takes Grendel’s head with him from her house.

8.       All of his men are gone because they didn’t believe he could kill Grendel’s mother.

Further celebration at Heorot:

1.       The hilt of the sword and Grendel’s head

2.       Hrothgar tells Beowulf a story about a horrible king names Heremod who was banished, exiled, and eventually killed. Hrothgar tells this story to teach Beowulf not to be a bad king too

3.       His sword, Hrunting.

Kelsey Robertson (http://krobertsonrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/)

Beowulf Returns Home:

1.       Hrothgar predicts Beowulf will rule his people with a bloody fist. Very forcefully that is. But also he insinuates he has earned it and Hrothgar supports him fully.

2.       Queen Hygd was the opposite of Modthryth. While Modthryth was a violent queen, Hygd was virtuous and kind to her people.

3.       Beowulf plans to marry out his daughter to a conflicting neighbor as it were to create a temporary peace at least. He expects it to be settled until prosperity can be re-established, then fighting will break out. This shows Beowulf to be a cunning and almost pessimistic leader despite his inhuman strength.

4.       Beowulf played off the fact he killed Grendel as if it were nothing, He reports accurately, but diplomatically enough not to seem like he was boasting of his feats.

5.       To appease old tradition, He gave the treasure to his leader, and in return, Hygelac gave Beowulf his "boar standard, a suit of armor, and a sword belonging to Hrothgar's brother." My personal interpretation of this is Hygelac gave Beowulf his deepest honor and loyalty.

The Dragon Wakes:

1.       Heardred and Hygelac both fell in the 50 years after Beowulf's conference with Hrothgar.

2.       The Dragon was angry that his pillaged treasure was re-pillaged by a tribe. The lone man stealing the cup to make amends with his lord led the tribe to the barrow where an ancient tribe held their considerable wealth.

3.       In the first day, the dragon killed and burnt down the countryside of the Geats.

4.       Beowulf heard of the burnt countryside and ordered a new iron shield to be made to withstand the flames, he believes he will fight the dragon the same way he fought Grendel, but his age gave him weakness and will die.

5.       Hygelac died from neighboring tribe invasions, Beowulf seeks revenge on them, but declines the honor of ruling his people. When he is home he finds out how the dragon got angry and sought to find him.

6.       Heardred was killed by the dragon (?) and Beowulf sought revenge by blood by killing the dragon.

7.       Thirteen men, including one who knew the whereabouts of the barrow, accompanied him.

8.       Heardred gets killed by the Swedish king's men over a century old feud. As retaliation, Beowulf kills Onela, a Swedish noble responsible for his death. SO MUCH DEATH. Beowulf killed everyone who killed his kinsman. The Swedes and the Geats were in a state of feud after the kill-fest.

Jacob Hoffman (http://aplit2013-2014.blogspot.com/)

  

Beowulf Attacks the Dragon:

1.       Beowulf tells his companions to wait on top of the dragon’s den, and observe the battle instead of fighting in it.

2.       On his first battle with the dragon, Beowulf just counters the dragon’s attacks, until Beowulf strikes the dragon, barely wounding the dragon while the dragon burns Beowulf.  All of his companions flee to a nearby forest, but one, which is his kinsman Wiglaf.  Wiglaf tells of how Beowulf helped his family as Wiglaf grew up.  Wiglaf goes down to help Beowulf, by means of encouragement and help in the battle.

3.       The second time Beowulf meets the dragon, Beowulf’s sword fails again, and the dragon attacks twice, the second time, fatally biting Beowulf.  Wiglaf kills the dragon with the rage left from the attack on his king.

4.       Beowulf asks Wiglaf to bring him the dragon’s treasure.  When Beowulf sees the gold, He thanks God for letting him die rich, and tells Wiglaf to be king.  Beowulf wants to be buried in a tall tower so that he can be remembered by everybody who sees “Beowulf’s Tower.”

Beowulf's Funeral:

1.       When the companions return, they see Wiglaf trying to revive Beowulf.  Wiglaf scolds the company for not standing by the great Beowulf in his last battle, and he predicts that the Geats will be terrorized by rival clans once again.

2.       The messenger tells the city of Beowulf’s death, and begins to predict things that will happen due to the death of their king.  Overnight, Ongentheow’s army verbally terrorized the Geats, and the next morning, Hygelac returns with a Geat army.  Ongentheow killed a man named Wulf, whose brother, Eofor, ended up killing Ongentheow to avenge his brother’s death.  The messenger tells the Geats to put the gold on Beowulf’s funeral pyre as to melt with his burning body.  The final image of the messengers’ speech is the freshly slain dragon, from Beowulf’s last stand.

3.       Wiglaf tell the crowd that comes to see the dragon and Beowulf? Wiglaf tells the crowd that it is bad to sacrifice yourself on your own will, and warns that doing this will hurt many.

4.       The dragon is left alone, but its hoard is taken by the Geats to use in Beowulf’s funeral pyre.

5.       While Beowulf and all of the treasure from the burrow burn on the pyre, a woman sings a song about the fall of the Geats, and the Geats build a tower over Beowulf’s pyre over the next ten days.

6.       “Said he was kindest of kings under heaven,

Gentlest of men, most winning of manner,

Friendliest to folk-troops and fondest of honor.”

In these lines, the Geats talk of Beowulf’s kindness, friendliness and gentleness.  These are odd words to describe military heroes, at least by today’s standards, because today, military men are portrayed as manly men who do not show much emotion, just stoically save people

Daniel Rucker (http://druckersrhsenglitcomp13.blogspot.com/)

My opinion isnt a right

In the most recent (and should be noted as the first) Socratic Seminar, I was too focused in the conversation to write, or too distracted I should say. So instead I'll relay what I remember:

In the seminar we spoke about the justification of changing someones opinion, this got off track of the original work to an extent, but none the less it was a scholarly experience as the speaking body was split into a mutual agreement. We figured that under dire conditions it was expected, while if they were about to make a faux pas, it was recommended as to spare the receiving party from embarrassment.

Further topics were in interpreting the ease or even the possibility of changing ones opinion. As an opener a topic was thrown out it was suggested one cannot truly change their opinion, because even if it seems like they do, there is always a shadow of a doubt in regards to the new idea that keeps the old ideas alive. (what i like to think as "told you so" moments).

Vocabulary #1

Adumbrate: Indicate, or outline faintly.
 I had difficulty understanding his light adumbration.

Apotheosis: The glorification of a subject to a divine level. (think poisonwood)
 His vigorous apotheosis on the greatest flavor of ice cream was quite unnecessary.

 Ascetic: Practicing strict self denial as a measure of discipline.
Her ascetic tendency to refuse sweets was admirable considering her sweet tooth.

Bauble: A sort of trinket or material object of little emotional value (trifle).
Bits and baubles were used to beguile the belligerent boy into a calm demeanor.

Beguile: To deceive someone in an enchanting, or charming manner.
See the sentence above.

Burgeon: To grow or increase quickly (has a connotation to plants).
The eager little seedling kept a burgeoning pace of growth.

Complement: Something that agrees with something of like aspects.
That color really complements your eyes.

Contumacious: Stubbornly resilient to authority.
the rebels were contumacious in the face of the jury.

Curmudgeon: Bad tempered or agitated (that old curmudgeon).
The crotchety old curmudgeon yelled at the loud kids.

Didactic: Designed to relay information or to teach.
The didactic nature of books led them to be a primary tool for knowledge.

Disingenuous: Not serious. Sarcastic usually in the way of mocking ignorance. (like me)
The guide's disingenuous response to the foreigners questions contributed to the lack of a tip.

Exculpate: To declare someone of a fault or malicious error.
The attournies exculpation of the defendant shocked the jury into a favorable vote.

Faux Pas: Socially awkward, usually in a sense of customs being violated (ugly American).
The bikini clad woman didnt realize her faux pas as she strolled the Arabic beaches.

Fulminate: Showing explosive protest or response. (the act of symptoms showing up suddenly)
The man walked into the feminist meeting brandishing a sexist comment and hoping for afulminative responce
Fustian: High flown or broad type of speech-writing. (gibberish)
The politicians fustian speech was a red herring to the fact of his own ignorance.

Hauteur: Supreme arrogance or pretentiousness. (pride and prejudice)
Joining a conversation with burning hauteur will not win you any friends.

Inhibit: To stop or slow progress. (inhibition of creativity)
The denaturing of the nerve endings inhibetid the biomechanical relay time.

Jeremiad: A story or novel pertaining to the downfall of societal standards.
One could say 1984 was a glum jeremiad with a dash of George Orwell.

Opportunist: A being who who springs at chances as they occur.
Opportunistic animals have the tendancy to eat what they can when they can.

Unconscionable: Not just or reasonable. Excessive in lawman terms.
The act of replacing the water with vinnegar wa unconsionaable and cruel to the young lady.

Reflections On Week One

1.) I think I will have trouble with my schedule, on weekends I am often out of town or away from internet access, however it wont affect my work pace as long as i can find some way of working on it. I am without a smart phone, which is a disadvantage, but I can cope. But other than that I think I am in the clear regarding time constraints.

2.) One of the funnest learning experiences I have had must have been the cheesy project Mr. Greeley had us do in the tenth grade. It was a wild mess, but I seemed to take away just as much information as in a classroom setting. I always knew what was going on, it seemed like the students had it under control, but it made me realize I wasn't cut for the boring lecture scene. I needed a more hands on experience.

3.) I am excited to finally figure out how to successfully print long documents. This and the overall cooperation in the class is what I'm looking forward too. When it comes to practicality, I wish to figure out how to better connect myself to others through media.

the odd combination

       When connections are prominent, one can safely say Montaigne skirts the borders. Montaigne's works are loosely connected and more of a stream of individual thoughts than a well planned string of connected ideas. Unlike the Essays, Pride and Prejudice has the reasonable thought process we as people are not intimidated by. While Montaigne does paint a literal picture of what is going on in his head, it is hardly an organized set of events like the story told by Austen.

        The Essays are a formidable read due to their volatile and unpredictable nature. While it does a good job in providing the views of Montaigne, it's unfortunate to say that's all it does. It seems that Montaigne is half way there in covering Mr. Wallace's quote; He has the large concept, and the small sketches, but what escapes his pieces, in my opinion, is the tie off. He goes about on his own happy thought pattern, but its just that; his thought pattern. To him it would connect but to others, it would be more difficult. This is the opposite in the case of Pride and Prejudice.

          In Pride and Prejudice, the progression of ideas were more linked to a big picture. However it is needless to say there are less big ideas than there are in the Essays. Through the story we see Elizabeth's thought process advancing, while in the Essays  Montaigne's attention can be described as... Deficit almost.

           In truth, what these two stories have nothing in common except the fact that they're so different and were created in somewhat similar eras. One is a steam of consciousness set of works while the other focuses on individuals and can hardly be argued as existential. (you might have trouble stating Montaigne's work i as well, but it is more likely).

In the light of the recent article "right to your opinion", I was left wondering, when people argue is it to find the truth? Or is it part or a deep connection to the ideas of humans craving social contact?

Poetry #1

The Laughing Heart, a poem by Charles Bukowski, was used in the Levi's Commercial with a great aura of irony. As a commercial intended to influence your life it uses a poem that tries to persuade you against going in the mold or so to speak. As I read into Mr. Bukowski I found this broke his character mold quite dramatically through a stream of internet links which eventually led me to a Wikipedia  article describing his brisk and rowdy (ish) nature.

Essay #1 (ish)

            While the literal aspects of exile embraced in the plot of The Poisonwood Bible are most prominent in regards to potent, and enriching experiences, I find my mind wanders to the social exile faced by Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Darcy was a man born in the upper hierarchy of the Victorian era, and as such was expected to stay away from all "lesser aspects" of society. So it stands to reason when Mr. Darcy found reasonable comfort and shelter among the lesser castes and their family (Elizabeth and company), only to be stripped of this companionship put him through a social exile of sorts, which I believe made him admire Elizabeth's character even more.

              This social exile experienced by Darcy led to a greater sense of free thought and independence than if he was to stay under the umbrage of Caroline and her pretentious behavior. In this sense an act of social exile changed the mindset of a young adult more than the death of a child shocked a father. Which was pathetic. And partially why the Poisonwood Bible is garbage. Disregard the past two sentences.