CHARACTER STUDY (III)

Driving down to Santa Barbara doesn't seem to be a problem. I put on one of my cheaper suits, a silk overcoat with white slacks and jumped into the open driver side door of my newly purchased Eventador and hit the road. Not far along the way, I get a call from my football idol. "Fudge?" I ask incredulously we talk for a bit, not while driving of course; that would be irresponsible, and I find out he really wanted to go to Lithuania as well! So I told him to call up De'voin and EEEEEEEE and ask them to meet us over in New York Harbor. After ending our conversation I notice Daniel Rucker putting along the highway as fast as his silly electric car could take him, and to make him feel better, attached a tow cable to the front of his car so he could keep up. On arrival, Ashley, Bianca and Lisa were all examining the monkey exhibit and we swiftly decide to depart, if only Ashley could find her keys to her Navigator...

CHARACTER STUDY (II)

To be honest we all agreed we were going to Lithuania. Nothing else in regards to our story was produced because we were boot camping like good children. However a day after the boot camp, we decided we will all be heading separately to Santa Barbra to begin our journey.

CANTERBURY TALES (I)

I have noticed several things with the Canterbury tales, First of all every character has the innate quality about them to make a complete reversal of their roles in society. If I were to make a speculation, I would say that Chaucer was planning to explore the depths of humanly flaws. However it may also be him poking fun at the tasteless rigor of  "noble life". For the most part vocabulary isn't a problem, that's what the internet is for! And I would like to see the knights tale, the conflict between charecter morals of the father and son would make an interesting tale.

CHARACTER STUDY (I) (How do I story?)

A cool wind crept through the window, an excitement filled me that was unexplainable considering the hour of the morning, but deep down, I knew I would be awake the day of my departure. I quickly rolled out of bed and gathered my suitcase in hand, the time spent packing all the little essentials would not be wasted by simply forgetting my suitcase. I walk to the mirror and crouch down to look myself in my blue eyes. I looked tired. Then again its not a surprise, I spent most of the night looking forward to the wonderful land of  Lithuania. I comb back my brown hair but it falls back in place, I guess I'm ready...

Net Vibes

I have to say, I'm not feeling the vibes for the whole dashboard scene. The programs it offers is very useful, don't get me wrong, but I find it just as easy to flip through tabs or open a new tab to get to where I want to go. I will probably not be using it terribly often as well. in the time it takes for the new page to load i could do another menial task such as getting water.

vocab #6

accolade: an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgment of merit.
after obtaining the A, his accolades from his family were great.

acerbity: acidic in temper, mood, or tone.
her acerbity towards the teenage boys shenanigans was apparent in her vitriolic speech.

attrition: weakening or diminishing.
the attrition of the boxers fight was taxing on both fighters.

bromide: a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to soothe or placate.
the bromide of the wife's conversation soothed the hot headed spouse.

chauvinist: a person displaying aggressive or exaggerated patriotism./ showing or relating to excessive or prejudiced loyalty or support for a particular group or cause.
The south is known to be filled with many chauvinistic patriots.

chronic: persisting for a long time or constantly recurring (sickness).
the chronic fever she was experiencing was the bane of her life.

expound: present and explain (a theory or idea) systematically and in detail.
The physicist went into great detail expounding his theory.
 
factionalism: a group of persons forming a cohesive, usually contentious minority within a larger group (the idea of).
The factionalism of gangs in LA can be traced far back.

immaculate: perfectly clean, neat, or tidy.
the immaculate status of the boys room impressed his parents.

imprecation: a spoken curse.
the witch uttered a quick imprecation under her breath.

ineluctable: unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable.
the doctors appointment was, unfortunately, ineluctable.
 
mercurial: characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood./ having qualities of eloquence, ingenuity, or thievishness attributed to the god Mercury.
his mercurial temperment made him a decent comedian.

palliate: to make palatable or acceptable.
he added more black to palliate the Goth's preferences.

protocol: a set of rules designed for safety or control.
jimmy didn't follow protocol and thus gained a severe case of hair loss.

resplendent: attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous.
the resplendent decor of  mansion led to many weekly visitors looking to earn their way into the millionaire's heart.

stigmatize: describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval.
he meant to stigmatize his enemy's work with whole-hearted spite.

sub rosa: secrecy or covertness. being stealthy.
the sub rosa nature of the organization made it seem very occult.

vainglory: inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity.
the vainglory of the soccor player made him popular in only overly dramatic reality television.

vestige: a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists.
the vestige of Tiktaalik is seen as the paddlefish.

volition: the faculty or power of using one's will.
with boisterous volition he bolstered into the room without fear.
obsequious: obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.
the dog would have been cute if not for its overly obsequious tendencies.

beatitude: supreme blessedness.
ask the father of your fiance to gain the beatitude of their family.

bete noire: a person or thing that one particularly dislikes.
 fitting in to the high schooler cliche, my bete noire is homework.

bode: to be an omen of a particular outcome.
the black clouds do not bode well for the sailors journy.

dank: disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold.
the dank depths of the cellars is a nice place for a cask of amontillado.

ecumenical: representing a number of different Christian churches.
the ecumenical gathering at hand was very uncommon to view as the belief systems conflict greatly.

fervid: intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an excessive degree.
her fervid excitement to see the boy band made me vomit.

fetid: smelling extremely unpleasant.
the fetid smell of the bachelors fridge was an unwelcome one.

gargantuan: enormous.
the gargantuan wall surrounding China was meant to either keep invaders out, or to keep citizens in.

heyday: the period of a person's or thing's greatest success, popularity, or vigor.
back in their heyday,  many old bands had crowds in the tens of thousands.

incubus: a cause of distress or anxiety. or.. err..
an incubus to American society is avoiding war with Syria.

infrastructure: he basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.
the basic infrastructure of his plans were horrid, I'm surprised he didn't catch his errors.

Origin: the point or place where something begins, arises, or is derived.

 the origin of the graph was easy enough to find.

 inveigle: persuade (someone) to do something by means of deception or flattery.

he succeeded inveigling money out of his mother. 

kudos: praise and honor received for an achievement.
i had to give kudos to him for his stellar speech.


lagniappe: something given as a bonus or extra gift.
as a lagniappe for her victory, she was awarded 500 dollars.

prolix: (speech or writing) using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy.
the essay was prone to unnecessary prolix.

protege: a person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced or influential person.
the scholars protege had a head in the clouds.

prototype: a first, typical or preliminary model of something, esp. a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied.
the prototype for the new car ran into some fiery dead ends.

sycophant: a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.
often times, millionares are surrounded my sycophants that wish to gain a bit of change.

tautology: the saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style.
his tautology made me ashamed of even  arguing with him.

truckle: a trundle bed.
the truckles in the hotel room comfortable it the five guests.

The Charecter

A character that stands out in my memory, or mind in general was Odysseus from Homer's Odyssey. He stands out in general due to, first of all, his demonstration of a strong leader, but he was created with just enough depth to show he had faults, a hubris to which he held for his own. Curiosity was the great leaders vice, it is neither malicious nor immaculate as often times he risks his own life to sate his lust for knowledge of the previously unknown. The human element involved in his creation made him the most realistic hero i can think of while still holding onto the aspects of a hero.

Declaration of learning independance

As a student of Righetti High School, I will use the knowledge of groups, technological connections, and smart goals to help myself and my fellow students achieve their greatest potential. Too formal? I wanna make groups, like study groups, that can fit around test schedules to better prepare ourselves to get the A. With smart goals, I can plan dates and reasonable goals that knowledge has to be acquired.

Vocab #5

obsequious: obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.
the dog would have been cute if not for its overly obsequious tendencies.

beatitude: supreme blessedness.
ask the father of your fiance to gain the beatitude of their family.

bete noire: a person or thing that one particularly dislikes.
 fitting in to the high schooler cliche, my bete noire is homework.

bode: to be an omen of a particular outcome.
the black clouds do not bode well for the sailors journy.

dank: disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold.
the dank depths of the cellars is a nice place for a cask of amontillado.

ecumenical: representing a number of different Christian churches.
the ecumenical gathering at hand was very uncommon to view as the belief systems conflict greatly.

fervid: intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an excessive degree.
her fervid excitement to see the boy band made me vomit.

fetid: smelling extremely unpleasant.
the fetid smell of the bachelors fridge was an unwelcome one.

gargantuan: enormous.
the gargantuan wall surrounding China was meant to either keep invaders out, or to keep citizens in.

heyday: the period of a person's or thing's greatest success, popularity, or vigor.
back in their heyday,  many old bands had crowds in the tens of thousands.

incubus: a cause of distress or anxiety. or.. err..
an incubus to American society is avoiding war with Syria.

infrastructure: he basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.
the basic infrastructure of his plans were horrid, I'm surprised he didn't catch his errors.

Origin: the point or place where something begins, arises, or is derived.

 the origin of the graph was easy enough to find.

 inveigle: persuade (someone) to do something by means of deception or flattery.

he succeeded inveigling money out of his mother. 

kudos: praise and honor received for an achievement.
i had to give kudos to him for his stellar speech.


lagniappe: something given as a bonus or extra gift.
as a lagniappe for her victory, she was awarded 500 dollars.

prolix: (speech or writing) using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy.
the essay was prone to unnecessary prolix.

protege: a person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced or influential person.
the scholars protege had a head in the clouds.

prototype: a first, typical or preliminary model of something, esp. a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied.
the prototype for the new car ran into some fiery dead ends.

sycophant: a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.
often times, millionares are surrounded my sycophants that wish to gain a bit of change.

tautology: the saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style.
his tautology made me ashamed of even  arguing with him.

truckle: a trundle bed.
the truckles in the hotel room comfortable it the five guests.

Literary Analisys: 1984

1. In the story of 1984 a  commoner by the name of Winston Smith is a part of a Fascist, all-seeing union called Oceana (what used to be Britten and most of the United Kingdom). Through the story he is combated by mixed feelings about this regime, especially when the act of "thoughtcrime", or crime of thinking badly or maliciously of the leaders, is thrust before him time and time again. The exposition concludes when Winston finds himself trying to find clues and hints of the life before Big Brother (an omnipotent spectator over the people, the founder of the regime Oceana is currently under). What really sparks the story off in terms of action is when he meets a woman named Julia. Julia can be viewed as a manifestation of rebellion towards Big Brother, and after several years of conjugal encounters, Winston is moved to take a more intuitive approach at toppling Big Brother's umbrage. After this incident, Winston decides to take a poor gamble, and ultimately ends up in the hands of the thought police (the secret police of Oceana). The thought police are known for their utter brutality  and the rest of the story is geared mainly towards the uncovering of the human condition of pressure. The facility in which Winston is kept rips his soul from him, making him renounce all his imaginary, and real, crimes. After his condemnation of himself, he was let known he was to be executed, and his punishment was so carried.

2. The story revolves around the idea that the human spirit can be so molded, that one cannot even recognize ones-self (there was a metaphor in which Winston was aghast at his own appearance). The book also stresses that ideas cannot be changed or recreated, but rather, ones mind can be so contorted, so crushed, that they are forced to believe in something they do not believe in.

3. I had the feeling George Orwell wanted to convey a sense of moral chaos. The dark mood set by the characters set the tone to where talking of the taboos of violence and brutality were nonchalant while the talking of love and compassion were so alien from social context, it was almost seen as outlandish. In the case of violence, Winston was contemplating the murder of his old wife due to her lack of compassion, however to meet and exchange pleasantries with Julia, there was a maze of complex steps to not be monitored, hunted, and executed. Much later, Winston changes his views (post torture) to be almost like a machine, non-sentient and broken. He adored Big Brother and was cold to Julia, as he turned away from her when he sees her again.

4. Satire was bursting from the scenes, Orwell was using the sarcasm of Winston's superiors to imply Winston's inferiority. Contradicting phrases were splashed in to describe complex emotions (the ugly, knowledgeable face...). The cliche of humans acting as units instead of living beings was a common theme. The torture/interrogation scenes were lined with imagery to give cringe-invoking dialogue. Synesthsia was used in the description of nature and the dank, darkness of many living areas. Ethos was created, and crushed, and created, and crushed in a cycle of torture to shatter the soul. The allegories of change by force were incorporated. As I said earlier, metaphors were used to describe mental states. Severe indifference in the face of horror was a confusing, yet thought invoking touch. The use of omnipotence of a character other than the character made you feel like the character did, scared and nervous for himself.

AP test questions/ All of the Above

1.C
2.A
3.C
4.E
5.D
6.A-D
7.A-E
8.B
9.E
10.C
11.B-D
12.B
13.B
14.C
15.C- A
16.B
17.C
18.E
19.A
20.B
21.E
22.E
23.D-A
24.C-A
25.C
26.E
27.D
28.C
29.A
30.B
31.C-D
32.B
33.D
34.A
35.E
36.E
37.B
38.D
39.C
40.C
41.D
42.A
43.C-B
44.E
45.A
46.B
47.B
48.A
49.C
50.D
51.C
52.B
53.E
54.B
55.A
56.B
57.C
58.C-D
59.E
60.B
61.A
Sorry for the delay in posting! Like any good student I waited until I absolutely had to to transfer the answers from the hard copy to digital...

I have to admit I could have done better, most of my mistakes came from silly self doubt or quite unfortunate lack of vocabulary for a given question. However considering it was an AP test it seemed to go by fast and relatively painless. The theme to my work is that questions with a possible correct answer fools me, which is quite unfortunate.

vocab #4

accolade: an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgment of merit.
after slaying the dragon, his accolades were great.

acerbity: acidic in temper, mood, or tone.
her acerbity towards the teenage boys shenanigans was apparent in her vitriolic speech.

attrition: weakening or diminishing.
the attrition of the boxers fight was taxing on both fighters.

bromide: a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to soothe or placate.
the bromide of the wife's conversation soothed the hot headed spouse.
 
chauvinist: a person displaying aggressive or exaggerated patriotism./ showing or relating to excessive or prejudiced loyalty or support for a particular group or cause.
The south is known to be filled with many chauvinistic patriots.
 
chronic: persisting for a long time or constantly recurring (sickness).
the chronic fever she was experiencing was the bane of her life.

expound: present and explain (a theory or idea) systematically and in detail.
The physicist went into great detail expounding his theory.
 
factionalism: a group of persons forming a cohesive, usually contentious minority within a larger group (the idea of).
The factionalism of gangs in LA can be traced far back.

immaculate: perfectly clean, neat, or tidy.
the immaculate status of the boys room impressed his parents.
 
imprecation: a spoken curse.
the witch uttered a quick imprecation under her breath.
 
ineluctable: unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable.
the doctors appointment was, unfortunately, ineluctable.
 
mercurial: characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood./ having qualities of eloquence, ingenuity, or thievishness attributed to the god Mercury.
his mercurial temperment made him a decent comedian.

palliate: to make palatable or acceptable.
he added more black to palliate the Goth's preferences.

protocol: a set of rules designed for safety or control.
jimmy didn't follow protocol and thus gained a severe case of hair loss.

resplendent: attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous.
the resplendent decor of  mansion led to many weekly visitors looking to earn their way into the millionaire's heart.

stigmatize: describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval.
he meant to stigmatize his enemy's work with whole-hearted spite.

sub rosa: secrecy or covertness. being stealthy.
the sub rosa nature of the organization made it seem very occult.

vainglory: inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity.
the vainglory of the soccor player made him popular in only overly dramatic reality television.
 
vestige: a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists.
the vestige of Tiktaalik is seen as the paddlefish.

volition: the faculty or power of using one's will.
with boisterous volition he bolstered into the room without fear.

Beowulf and Friends

Jake Hoffman

Per. 3

9/8/13

Beowulf and the Tales of Heroes Past

            Heroes of any generation have some defining characteristic that make them unique to their time period and culture, as a formula for heroes this can be seen in both the epic heroes of old, like Beowulf, and the modern heroes, let’s say Cpt. America.  Both these heroes are shining examples of the time period of their creation, and as such show traits held in priority to the social expectations of their respective culture. For example, the courage and wisdom of Beowulf was characterized as a Nordic hero, while the patriotism of Cpt. America was the embodiment of pride in the time of World War Two. Both heroes were figure heads of their cultures through courage, and strength of heart and mind.

            Cultures revolve around symbols of honor and superiority, the strength of Beowulf helped him become legend because his inhuman strength allowed him the opportunity to disarm Grendel, or so to speak. “Then farther he hied; for the hardy hero with hand he grasped, felt for the foe with fiendish claw, for the hero reclining, -- who clutched it boldly, prompt to answer, propped on his arm.” However it does not mean his power is used for misdeeds, rather the story is told in such a light as to show that He was no more human than us, an ethological effect also used by Stan Lee in the creation of the Capitan. Stan Lee made the comic book hero an average Joe to show that the hero could be just like you.

Heroes also present a precognitive type of knowledge system in older epics. It seems as if Beowulf knew his fate before the events unfolded. This occurred in many accounts such as the final assault on the dragon when Beowulf told his companion of his death, and the prediction of slaying Grendel with his bare hands. While it may seem cocky to boast about your achievements in current times, it was seen as a resume in the time of the old tribes.  It would be a massive faux pas to give the boasting characteristics to the symbol of America during the war, so Capitan America was given more subtle implications of greatness, a sort of trust that the readers would understand His credentials. Furthermore Capitan America, as a comic book, has no chance of allowing the imagery created in Beowulf (however hard to understand).

All in all, heroes generally stay the same, only minute changes occur to fit the era that they were created in. If a society wants a genius, they make one, while if a society wants strength beyond measure, they call in the spandex.

Vocab #3

Apostate: a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle.
 In interviews, it isnt uncommon to ask an apostate for their opinion to support a change in views.

Effusive: expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.
The man was effusive after I gave him a gallon of gas to get home.

Impasse: a situation in which no progress is possible, esp. because of disagreement; a deadlock.
My parents and I were at an impasse as to my ability to drive.

Euphoria: recognized as a mental and emotional condition in which a person experiences intense feelings of well-being, elation, happiness, excitement, and joy.
My euphoria was short lived as the joy of the initial bite of the churro quickly went away.

Lugubrious: looking or sounding sad and dismal.
The lugubrious manner in which the girl was walking was quite depressing.

Bravado: with gusto and bravery, referring to a way of acting.
George bust into the room with utter conceited bravado.

Consensus: general agreement.
The town meeting had come to a consensus.

Dichotomy: a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.
The dichotomy of the cat and the car continued until dawn.

Constrict: to restrain or bind movement or action.
The octopus constricts its prey with its multiple tentacles.

Gothic: dark imagery, a genera of literature described by dark scenarios.
The Gothic feel of Frankenstein is most apparent in the stormy scenes. 

Punctilio: showing great attention to detail or correct behavior.
Daniel is known for his punctilio lifestyle.

Metamorphosis: massive change, the act of completely changing an appearance or structure.
After the metamorphosis of my hairstyle, hardly anyone could recognize me.

Raconteur: one who tells stories and anecdotes with skill and wit.
My family is known for having pretty good raconteurs. 

Sine qua non: Sine qua non refers to an indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient.
The dish was missing a certain sine qua non which made it unpalatable.

Quixotic: exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.
 the need for a hovercraft was completely quixotic.

Vendetta: a blood feud in which the family of a murdered person seeks vengeance on the murderer or the murderer's family.
The Capulets had a vendetta for the Montegues and visa versa.

Non sequitur: in formal logic, is an argument in which its conclusion does not follow from its
premises.
The tendancy for my essays to end in a non sequitur sentence is very bad.

Mystique: an aura of heightened value, interest, or meaning surrounding something, arising from attitudes and beliefs that impute special power or mystery.
The mystique nature of cats in Egyptian mythology led to cat based gods and creatures.

Quagmire: a soft boggy area of land that gives way underfoot.
Be careful in your journey through the swamp, you don't want to sink into the quagmire.

Parlous: full of danger or uncertainty; precarious.
The parlous nature of caves make me claustrophobic.

Update spree! Essays i have just gotten motivated to scan and upload.

Why This Book?

As a part of paranoia/shock culture literature, I like to see how others view rather extreme circumstances. It makes it an easier read due to its being a more common version of English, with the additional bonus of creating a twisted atmosphere that keeps you into the story in a sort of "well what the heck" way.

 This is 1984 By George Orwell.