Midterm Study Strategy

1. Flash cards
2.Every night study for 30min
3. Study a group during AVID tutorial
4. Make up fun ways to memorize the word.
5. A lot of repetition
6. Read through my sentences

"Pre-Will" Question

a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane"?
He is the prince of Denmark and he is depressed by his fathers death and his mothers infindellity.
b) What do you know about Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet.

 c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"? 
Students frown because the language is very complicated and the play is very long. I read that the play contains a lot of sonnets.
d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?
I think that we should maybe act out the play instead of reading it (: I think  that we should also watch some parts of the play and read other parts.

Vocabulary List #7

aberration - (noun) an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm
*After her mothers death ,the aberration took over her life; she was never the same anymore.

Ad hoc- (adverb) for the special purpose or end presently under consideration
*The ad hoc dress was perfect for the wedding.

bane - (noun) something causes misery or death
*Her mothers death caused lots of bane in her life.

bathos - (noun) triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos
*When the smart girl failed her classes she caused bathos in her family because she was always an A student.

cantankerous - (adj.) having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
*The cantankerous boy was always giving the teacher a hard time because he was so stubborn.

casuistry - (noun) moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas; argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading
*The boy used his casuistry to make the girl feel sorry for him.

de facto - (noun) in fact; in reality
*The girl was fed up with her boyfriend, de facto she broke up with him yesterday.

depredation - (noun) an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action
*The depredation caused a big drama at the school.

empathy - (noun) understanding and entering into another's feelings
*I have much empathy for everyones feelings, thats why I want to be a psychologist.

harbinger - (noun) an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage
*Every book has a harbinger because it makes the action more interesting.

hedonism - (noun) an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle
*Every American has the dream of hedonism.

lackluster - (adj.) lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality
*The old car had lackluster tires.

malcontent - (adj.) discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted
*The malcontent boy , threw up when he saw the blood.

mellifluous - (adj.) pleasing to the ear
*The mellifluous boy always knows how talk to girls.

nepotism - noun favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)
*The napotism was shown when the coach chose his son to start over all the other players even though he was not very good.

pander - (noun) someone who procures customers for whores (in England they call a pimp a ponce); verb arrange for sexual partners for others; yield (to); give satisfaction to
*The pander made lots of money of the girls.

peccadillo - (noun) a petty misdeed

piece de resistance - (noun) the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction.
*The girl was the piece de resistance for the boy because he was in love with her.

remand - (noun) the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (or the continuation of the trial); verb refer (a matter or legal case) to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
*After court , the judge remanded the criminal back to jail.

syndrome - (noun) a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease

Literary Analysis #1

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

1.       Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read.

        The story took place in Salem, Massachusetts, and in that town there is a big mystery of people doing witch craft. It all started with the little girl Betty being in a comma and no one knowing what caused it; after a nurse looked at her they came to a conclusion that she wasn’t really sick, it was more like a possession. Betty’s dad is named Parris and he believes that someone did witchcraft on his daughter because he saw a group of girls dancing in the forest with a black slave named Tituba and he believed that that’s where everything happened. The information traveled fast and a crowd gathered in Parris’s home. Parris is suspicious about Abigail because she was one of the girls dancing in the forest. Even though, the witchcraft story was true, Abigail denied it and while Parris tries to calm the crowd that has gathered in his home, Abigail talks to some of the other girls, telling them not to admit to anything. For some reason Betty starts screaming and Reverend Hale comes in to check on her because he is an expert in detecting witchcraft. Tituba confesses to communing with the devil, and she hysterically accuses various townsfolk of consorting with the devil and then all the other girls confess as well. John and Elizabeth is a married couple and they had a history with Abigail because John and Abigail had an affair and Elizabeth fired her because she was he servant. Towards the end of the story Abigail starts accusing John and Elizabeth of witchcraft because she is jealous of them. At the end no one wanted to confess that John was innocent, so they killed him and Abigail ran away with john’s money.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid clichés.

I believe that the theme of the story is honesty, because throughout the story no one knew what the true was and what was not. There was a lot of blaming and confessions, but who was telling the truth? This question kept getting brought up throughout the story and it all started with trying to figure out what was wrong with Betty.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

I think the author’s tone is sympathetic because many innocent people are being accused of witchcraft, such as John. He is also sympathetic of Parris having to see his daughter in a comma and not knowing what to do. Throughout the story he is also very serious because this is not subject to mess around with.

4. Describe five literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthen your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone. Include three excerpts (for each element) that will help your reader understand each one.

 Dramatic Irony: The reader knows more than the characters so it’s easier to understand.

·         John admitting to adultery

·         Event in the woods

·         People are falsely accused

Imagery: Create a better understanding in the readers head.

·         "sweated like a stallion" pg29

·         “She dissolves into sobs” pg19

·         “He walks in thought, deeply worried” pg127

                      Metaphor: Creates more excitement and drama (tone).

·         "the magistrate sits in your heart that judges you" pg55

·         "Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small!" pg65

·         "we burn a hot fire here, it melts down all concealment" pg81

Symbolism: Represents witchcraft

·         The doll

·         People seeing them “fly”

·         Betty being in a comma

·         The dancing in the forest

Foreshadowing: know what to expect before it happens

·         The dancing in the forest

·         Mary tells John that Elizabeth’s name was said in the courtroom

·         When everyone came to see the scandal with Betty, right away I knew that it was going to be a big deal in the town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



vocabulary list #6

Obsequious:

characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning

obedient; dutiful.

- The courts strive for judicial review that is deferential but not so obsequious as to be meaningless.

beatitude:supreme blessedness; exalted happiness
-When my son was born I was beatituded by just being able to finally feel his little hands.
bete noire:person or thing especially disliked or dreaded
-Josh became bete noire after starting rumors about everyone in the class.
bode:to be an omen of; portend
-The rain doesn't bode well for a hike in the mountains.
dank:unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly:
- After my morning walk my hair was dank because all the fog and mist.
alecumenic:general; universal.
-When asked if she looked fat in the dress, I stayed as ecumenical as possible to avoid hurting her feelings.
fervid:heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm, etc or glowing
-The fervid girl was excited to start her senior year.
fetid:having an offensive odor; stinking
-After the football game, all the fetid players went to the showers-where they belonged.
gargantuan:gigantic; enormous; colossal
-The gargantuan basketball player made dunks look easy.
heyday:the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success,etc.; prime
-After looking at my Grandma's senior pictures, I can see why she was elected "most attractive" in her heyday.
incubus:an imaginary demon or evil spirit supposed to descend uponsleeping persons, especially one fabled to have sexualintercourse with women during their sleep (nightmare)
-I was not able to sleep because of the incubus.
infrastructure:the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization.
-The infrastructure of a government consists of the president, congress, and the governor.
inveigle:to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk orinducements (usually followed by into )
-I tried to inveigle my dad into buying me more clothes.
kudos:honor; glory; acclaim
-Kudos to all the soldiers at war.
Lagniappe: a small gift given with a purchase to a customer, by way of complimentor for good measure; bonus(gratitude)
-Not only did I get the gifts I wanted but she also took me to dinner; what a great lagniappe.
prolix:extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long andwordy.
-Essays of Montaigne became difficult to read as his prolix writing led me to different concepts.
protege:a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someoneinterested in his or her career or welfare
-I received an A on the lab with the help of my protege partner, the professor.
prototype:the original or model on which something is based or formed
- My little sister is a prototype of me because she always tries to dress and act like me.
sycophant:a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite
-Because she wanted an A, the sycophant flattered the teacher every opportunity she had.
tautology:needless repetition of an idea, especially in words other thanthose of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman.”
-It's going to rain today or It's not, its a tautology.
truckle:to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely (usually followed by to )
-When you're having doubts, don't truckle to walk away.

2011 AP ESSAY RUBRIC NOTES

Notes on Reading

Vocabulary Fall List #5

 

acumen (noun)- keen insight.
With incredible acumen in business, the entrepreneur made lots of money.

adjudicate (verb)- to settle or determine.
The judge adjudicated the punishment for the criminal.


anachronism (noun)- something or someone that is not in its correct historical time.
The reference to cars in a movie based in the 1800's is considered an anachronism.

apocryphal (adj)- of doubtful authorship or authenticity.
The defendant presented the judge with apocryphal evidence.

disparity (noun)- inequality
There has  always been disparity of ethnicities within this society.


dissimulate (verb)- to disguise or conceal under a false appearance.
The police couldn't find the fugitive because he was dissimulated within a crowd of people.

empirical (adj)- derived from or guided by experience or experiment
Decision making should be empirical.

flamboyant (adj)- strikingly bold or brilliant; show
His idea was flamboyant, the outcome was great.

fulsome (adj)- offensive to good taste, especially as being excessive;overdone or gross:
Having entered the ball, Stephanie realized that her dress might have been a little fulsome compared to the flamboyant attire everyone else had on.

immolate (verb)- to sacrifice One must immolate sleep, time and energy to obtain success.

imperceptible (adj)- very slight, gradual, or subtle.
Erosion of rock with the flow of water is imperceptible.

lackey (noun)- a servile follower
Every evil villain seems to have a equally evil lackey that supports him.

liaison (noun)- a person who initiates and maintains such a contact or connection.
The politician acted as a liaison in order to have a consensus between two other politicians.

monolithic (adj)- consisting of one piece; solid or unbroken
Sculptures from Rome are monolithic because they consist of just one solid rock.


mot juste (noun)- the exact, appropriate word
Dismal is mot juste to describe the man's appearance.

nihilism (noun)- total rejection of established laws and institutions. Nihilism can be a dangerous concept because of its rejection of laws.

patrician (noun)- a person of noble or high rank; aristocrat. Patricians were regarded as more important because of their higher ranking in society.


propitiate (verb)- to make favorably inclined; appease; conciliate.
The father predictable propitiated his daughter in order for her to get a job.

sic (verb)-to incite to attack
An owner ordered his dog to sic the robber that intruded into their home.

sublimate(adj)-to make nobler or purer
The sublimated water still tasted like dirt.

Beowulf Translation

Meanehwæl, baccat meaddehæle, monstær lurccen;
Fulle few too many drincce, hie luccen for fyht.
Ðen Hreorfneorhtðhwr, son of Hrwærowþheororthwl,
Æsccen æwful jeork to steop outsyd. Þhud! Bashe! Crasch! Beoom! Ðe bigge gye
Eallum his bon brak, byt his nose offe;
Wicced Godsylla wæld on his asse.
Monstær moppe fleor wyþ eallum men in hælle.
Beowulf in bacceroome fonecall bamaccen wæs;
Hearen sond of ruccus sæd, "Hwæt ðe helle?"
Graben sheold strang ond swich-blæd scharp
Stond feorth to fyht ðe grimlic foe. "Me," Godsylla sæd, "mac ðe minsemete."
Heoro cwyc geten heold wiþ fæmed half-nelson
Ond flyng him lic frisbe bac to fen
Beowulf belly up to meaddehæle bar,
Sæd, "Ne foe beaten mie færsom cung-fu."
Eorderen cocca-cohla yce-coeld, ðe reol þyng.


 Meanwhile, back at the mead-hall, the monster lurked
Full (of) few too many drinks, he was looking for a fight
Then (name), son of (name) asked the awful jerk to step outside
Thud, Bash, Crash, boom, the big guy
All of his bones broke, bit his nose off;
Wicked Godzilla wailed on his a ss
Moster mopped the floor with all the men in the hall
Beowulf in the backroom making a phone call
Hearing sounds of ruckus said, "What the hell?"
Grabbed his strong shield and sharp switch blade
Stood forth to fight the grimlic foe
"Me," Godzilla said, "Make the mince-meat"
Hero ? quickly got (getting) held with the famed half-nelson
And flying him like a frisbee back and forth
Beowulf belly up to the mead-hall's bar,
said, "No foe has beaten my fearsome kung-fu."
He ordered coca-cola, ice cold, the real thing

My Hero

As soon as I found out that for homework we had to write about our hero, my mom was the first person that came to mind. My mom is one of the strongest, most courages, and most resilient person that I have ever met in my life. My mom was born on February 13th, growing up my mom was very poor, she had many sibilings and they never had a stable home. She was so poor that all she ate was beans ,breakfast, lunch ,and dinner. At the early age of 10 my mom started working cleaning houses. My mom moved to the USA when she was 18 and she finished high school. Besides all the stuggles my mom kept her head held high and was determine to reach her goals, which at the time was buying a house and finding a stable job. She could have just gave up and never followed he dreams but that was never an option. These were only a few examples of the adversities she had to face. Later on in life my mom lost he 20 year old son and a few years after she went through a divorce. This was definitely a hard time for her but with the strenght she has she managed to overcome the depression and sadness. She always kept her faith high and she always set a great example for me and my sibilings. My mother is a beautiful person inside and out and she is my hero .

Vocabulary List #4

apostate:a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc. :Babies were killed to keep them from growing up with apostate parents

effusive:unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve, pouring out; overflowing: Bill was less effusive, but obviously enjoyed his company.

impasse:a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock.: But solving the current
impasse requires a constructive contribution from the government.

euphoria:a state of intense happiness and self-confidence: She was flooded with euphoria as she went to the podium to receive her Student Research Award.

lugubrious:mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner: The lugubrious songs of lost love.

bravado:a pretentious, swaggering display of courage,brag, bluster, bombast, braggadocio:  Sometimes however, his bravado was not enough to keep him from crashing.

consensus: majority of opinion: The consensus of the group was that they should meet twice a month.

dichotomy:division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs. :There is a false dichotomy between art and science which is slowly being eroded away over they years.

constrict :to draw or press in; cause to contract or shrink; compress or to slow or stop the natural course or development of: Greed and aggressiveness constricted the nation's cultural life.

gothic:pertaining to the Middle Ages; medieval.

punctilio: a fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure or strictness: They really seem to show a readiness to stand on punctilio and ceremony.

metamorphosis:a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or witchcraft.:Step by step your metamorphosis continues until at last the transfer is complete.

raconteur:a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly. :He was an educator by trade, and long experienced, a wonderful guy and the raconteur of stories.

sine qua non: an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential: Her presence was the sine qua non of every social event.

quixotic: extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable: Their quixotic run for it climaxed in a shoot-out with police.

vendetta:any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention, or the like: His supporters say the government is waging a vendetta against him.

non sequitur: is an argument in which its conclusion does not follow from its premises.In a non sequitur, the conclusion can be either true or false, but the argument is fallacious because the conclusion does not follow from the premise. All formal fallacies are special cases of non sequitur. The term has special applicability .

mystique: a framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs, or the like, constructed around a person or object, endowing the person or object with enhanced value or profound meaning. :Fame probably doesn't have the same mystique, having grown up around it.

quagmire: an area of miry or boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; a bog.

a situation from which extrication is very difficult: a quagmire of financial indebtedness.

anything soft or flabby.

parlous: dangerous. :But government finances remained in a parlous state