Poetry Comparison Essay

Not all poems are created alike. Many are similar, but not the same. Some are long, some are short.

Some rhyme, some don't. 

Working Together. 

The Place Where We Are Right. 

Both similar but not alike. 

Working Together. 

David Whyte. 

People coming together. 

For a common cause. 

One talking to the mass. 

Looking to make change. 

Hoping to open eyes. 

The Place Where We Are Right

Yehuda Amichia

A thousand memories. 

All coming together. 

One recollecting. 

Looking to the past. 

Back to the changing days. 

Two poems. 

Two authors. 

Not the same, but similar. 

Descriptive language. 

Similar audience. 

Tones alike. 

Never the same, but similar. 

The love song of J Alfred Prufrock

Time plays a huge role in this poem. Prufrock seems to be running out of time throughout the entire poem. Time continues to tick away until it seems that he doesn't have much time left to turn his indecisiveness into confidence. 

Elliot alludes to hamlet and the "eternal Footman". This is significant because Elliot uses Hamlet as a contrast. He's saying that Prufrock isn't royalty unlike Hamlet. Although hamlet has to make a choice it's a very different one than the one that Prufrock seems to be making. 

The very last stansa when elliot talks about waves. He uses waves to describe the features of the old man. To me it seemed to be the end of not only the poem but much of the Prufrocks hope. 

Poetry Remix

We shape our self

To fit this world

And by the world

Are shaped again.

The visible 

And the invisible

Working together 

In common cause,

To produce

The miraculous.

I am thinking of the way

The intangible air

Passed at speed

Round a shaped wing

Easily

Holds our weight.

So may we, in this life

Trust

To those elements

We have yet to see

Or imagine, 

And look for the true

Shape of our own self, 

By forming it well

To the great

Intangible about us.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gbrbUfYSt0E

Tone

The authors attitude towards the characters, subject, and audience

Poetry notes

Medium and formatting matters. 

Poetry begins with motion. 

Iambic pentameter: 5 measured feet two times. Sounds like a beating heart. 

Shakespeare honors main characters by writing their lines in iambic pentameter and insignificant characters in prose.

Hamlet Essay

"To Be or Not To Be, That is the question." The real question though, is how this quote is significant to Hamlet. "To be or not to be." It could be the most famous and classic line ever written, but many don't understand why. The soliloquy "To be or not to be" effected nearly every aspect of the play, it was the turning point of how the audience saw hamlet. 

From the beginning of the play to the point in which hamlet has his monologue in which he says "To be or not to be" the audience never sees hamlets true emotion. It isn't until this point in the play that hamlet lets his guard down and shows his true thoughts and feelings. It's the game changer for the audience, the other actors and hamlet himself. Because Hamlet portrays his feelings outwardly for the first time the audience is finally able to blatantly pick up on how he feels. Not only that, but this one line is the beginning of hamlets entire plot that he is scheming. 

This is by far the most significant quote of the play. It is not only the turning point but one of the largest pieces of insight the audience or reader gets throughout the entire play. It is the one part of the play where the tone goes from agner to sorrow. It shows Hamlets inner feelings and gives the audience a perspective as two why he is feeling so deeply towards everything. He questions his entire life with this one line and is able to open up the doors of the play to every moment that Hamlet is scheming. 

Hamlet Act 4 scene 4/5/6/7 Notes

Scene 4

Captain doesn't think that attacking Poland would be worth it 

The captain humbles Hamlet

"How all occasions do inform me and spur my dull revenge." 

Hamlet is being motivated by everybody's doubt because he finds it frustrating 

Humans are the only animals known to be able to contemplate past and future 

Hamlet thinks of how the soldier didn't question orders, he just does them. Respects that about soldiers (in context to killing Claudius because ghost told him to)

Hamlet beats himself up over waiting so long to take action on Claudius. 

Hamlet decided to not think of anything other than killing Claudius 

Scene 5

Gertrude refuses to talk to Ophelia 

Claudius' problem isn't going away 

Ophelia sings for effect

Ophelia has completely lost it. Starts talking about her father dying and is buried backward. She talks about her love for hamlet. Implies she has been traumatized by what has happened. 

Ophelia threats kind Claudius. States that she's going to tell her brother everything that happened. 

Claudius orders her to be followed and have somebody keep tabs on her. 

Claudius anticipates Laertes returns angry to cause trouble for Claudius.

Laertes and Danes come armed and angry 

Ophelia has lost her wits and love. Laertes blames hamlet. 

Scene 6

Hamlet manages to escape and hamlet has something up his sleeve that he only wants to share with Horatio in person 

Claudius is trying to get Laertes to kill hamlet in good circumstances that doesn't look like murder 

Hamlet Act 4 notes

King Claudius used Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Hamlet is seen as a threat to Claudius by Claudius

Claudius gives two options: doesn't put hamlet on trial or ship him off

The first time in play that Hamlet actually acts like a prince and doesn't take anybody's shit

Polonius soul is with King Hamlet, but his body is with King Claudius 

Hamlet is no longer just moody or nuts but is actually a threat 

Claudius states, it's not if you do wrong, its if they like you, referring to the people liking hamlet regardless of him killing Polonius. 

Claudius has arrangements in England to get Hamlet killed

Performative Utterance

Locutionary- what is being said

Illocutionary- how it is being said 

Perlocutionary- the effect it has

"Those who use Performative utterance create new facts in the world of speaking"

Act 3 Hamlet Notes

Hamlet is told to act natural and not give off any weird vibes. 

Polonius understand what hamlet is saying and respects that it is fret advice. 

Hamlet knows what he is doing and is absolutely in charge of the plan that he is putting together. He is a smart and diplomatic schemer 

Hamlet kills the wrong guy and is forced to leave in order to get to safety. 

Directly after hamlet kills Polonius (on accident) the ghost appears to remind him to spare Gertrude 

Hamlet loses his temper and self control and says it like it is for the first time. 

Has to learn how to deal with the stress and anger of killing someone and having the guilt of killing the wrong person. 

Includes female humor throughout the play in order to break the tension. 

The play proceeds

Hamlet strikes Claudius then lets him go in order to force him to deal with the guilt. 

Hamlet jokes about wiring plays for a living. 

Audience walks away from the play in denial to what is actually happening around them. 

The play is used to find out whether or not they are guilty and you do react guiltily. 

The scene ends with hamlet carrying Polonius' body off. 

Claudius tries to send Hamlet off to England escorted by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. 

Hamlet stops acting like he doesn't know that his mom and Claudius are guilty. 

Performative utterance: speach as transformative action

Act 3 Scene 1 Hamlet Notes

Claudius characterizes Hamlet as a threat  and crafty and intelligence 

Claudius is gonna spy on Ophelia and Hamlet to find out what's up

Hamlet acts geniune and kind in order to cover up his maliciousness 

Claudius finally admits to killing King Hamlet for the first time 

Hamlet doesn't completely trust Ophelia because he fears she's scheming with his parents. 

Hamlet tells Ophelia he's asinner and that having his child would be breeding a sinner but if she looks around to everybody else around he really isn't all that bad 

Hamlet confesses to Ophelia that somebody is going to die, Ophelia thinks he's referring to himself

Claudius starts realizing hamlet is a threat and now wants to get rid of him instead of keeping him close like he did at the beginning 

"To Be or Not To Be" Notes

"To Be or not to be"- to live actively and participate in life and be responsive or be lost and clueless 

Everything's happening in the mind

"Whether to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune"- taking the suffering or standing up and fighting against it. Is it nobler to deal with it, or take arms against the troubles 

"To die, to sleep, no more"- to be in denial and not deal with his problems 

Talks about dreaming to escape reality and how killing his father makes him stop and think regardless of how satisfying it would be. Not sure if hamlet can deal with the feeling after he has killed Claudius. 

"Whips and scorns"- physical and mental abuse 

"Oprossers wrong"- somebody above us working unjustly

"Contumely"- a proud person being rude to people lower than them 

Big dose of "this isn't fair" but it's human and what makes you yourself. 

"The insolence of office"- the rude upper man (govt)

"Spurns"- insults 

"Bodkin"- dagger. Actually kill himself or just not deal with it 

"Fardels bear"- gets frustrated and riled up 

As bad as this situation is, at least it's familiar "the devil you know, is better as the devil you don't know"

The big "what if" puzzles hamlet and literally confuses him. 

"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all"- killing Claudius is morally wrong but justifiable 

He thinks about the action so long that he's close to talking himself out of it. 

At the end Ophelia's presence is used to bring him back to reality and being observed by somebody else changes his way of thinking 

"Orisons"- prayers 

Both acknowledge the right and wrong and now this is no right and wrong morality. 

Nymph- a young spiritual women 

"Be all my sins remembered"- he isn't swayed from his task. He still plans to avenge his fathers death and follow through with killing Claudius. 

Hamlet Rap Whole Class Collaboration

Ghost why you disruptin'? We didn't do nothin'

My dad just died, slice me up some revenge pie.

You come without a voice, but we ain't got no choice.

We need Hanlet here before you disappear. 

Gertrude is a hoe and everybody knows. 

Her new husband blows, and he ain't your average Joe caus he Rollin' in that dough

You'll never be my father so don't f*ck*n bother. 

You give Denmark a bad name, stop putting us to shame. 

I met up with a ghost in which my fathers soul was host. 

I was warned twice but the truth I had to entice

You ripped my family apart by stoping my fathers heart

So now I'll act insane even if it puts my name to shame. 

I know what I'm doing but you're just misconstruing. 

You think I want the throne, but I'm just in the love zone. 

She thinks my frame of mind is t so aligned, 

That's only cause he's blind to what I've been assigned. 

My parents wanna know the truth so they went back to my youth. 

The paid my two fiends to see what's wrong with my head. 

They think I'm senseless but soon they'll be defenseless.

I know this comes off tough but it's all just really fluff. 

I need more real emotion so his legacy receives notion.

Disgrace has put my thoughts to sleep but I know that talk is cheap

The one thing left to do is prove that he is liable with hard evidence that will be undeniable. 

Hamlet Act 2 Scene 1 Notes

Setting: room in Polonius' house

Polonius wants to know what other people from Denmark are in Paris to try to find information on his son. 

Polonius sends Reynaldo to get dirt on his son 

"By indirections find directions out."

Interpretation:

Ophelia really does love Hamlet

Hamlets just acting like a nut

Ophelia is just lying

Hamlet is actually nuts from the pressure

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 5 notes

Ghost is in this state of purgatory and confirms that he is Hamlets father. Ghost states "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." Ghost also reveals that it was Claudius that killed him with poison in order to take the throne and also seduced the queen prior to hamlets death. Ghost wants hamlet to kill his uncle, but leave his mom to god and her own guilt. 

Hamlet suspected Claudius and as soon as his fathers ghost confirms that Claudius killed him, hamlet knows that in turn hamlet must kill Claudius. Every day hamlet doesn't kill Claudius he looks down on himself more and more.

Hamlet ducks away from anybody's question regarding anything that the ghost said to him. 

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

"The time is out of joint: O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right!"

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 4 Notes

Celebrating that Claudius took the throne

Hamlet thinks that this celebration makes them all look bad, even their good attributes look negative due to the excessive drinking and partying 

Claudius raised suspicion by celebrating because he should still be mourning his uncles death. Instead, it seems that this was made all about him. 

Hamlet recognizes his fathers ghost because it so closely resembles his father and begs the ghost to inform him as to why he is still there. 

Horatio thinks that the ghost will wrongly influence Hamlet.

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

LITERARY FICTION AND EMPATHY

I think that reading fiction can help people understand human nature immensely. Not only, does it fuel your imagine, it often gives an insight into how people think. Although it is fiction, people often base a lot of fictional characters off of real thoughts and actions. Because of this, it makes it very easy to use what you read in fictional stories to help you understand why people do certain things in our everyday lives. 

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 2 Notes

Hamlet Senior recently died "the memory is still green"

Hamlets widow remarries to new King Claudius (Hamlet seniors brother) and becames queen again

Cognitive dissonance: grief and marriage, happiness at funeral

Hamlet: "A little more than kin, and less than kind." (Sarcastic remark that's mumbled)

Hamlet never loses his cool in court and if he does mentally, it doesn't show. 

Hamlet stands up to his mom about his dislike towards her marrying Claudius (his uncle) in a very diplomatic way

Claudius completely disregards Hamlets arguement and claims that he wants to be in grieving and that it's a terrible thing to do. Claudius takes Hamlets mourning his fathers death personally and insults him in public. 

No direct or indirect characterization used. Hamlet himself gives audience the insight into himself through the use ofte monologues. (First time ever done in literature)

He's angry and doesn't want to be where he's at, questioning "why". 

Hamlet goes on and speaks directly about his family. Sees his father as above the gods, and his mother as a traitor with no loyalty to his father because she married her fathers brother. 

Horatio informs Hamlet that they had seen his fathers ghost the night before, hamlet says he will stay up the next night with them and try to speak to his father 

3 hamlets: the one that spoke diplomatically in public with his mom, the one that poured his heart out during his monologue, and the one that questioned straightforwardly about his fathers ghost. Hamlet can be who he needs to be, when he needs to be, can change character depending on what he needs or wants 

LITERARY ANALYSIS #2

The Kite Runner

1. Exposition: when Hosseini first introduces the main characters and provides details about the setting and relationships between the characters. This emphasizes the tension between Amir and Hassan. 

Rising Action: begins with the telephone call from Rahim Khan asking Amir to return to Afghanistan to rescue Sohrab and continues throughout his journey to the orphanage 

Climax: when he finally defeats Assef with the help of Sohrab and his slingshot

Falling Action: when Amir has to find a way to get Sohrab into the United States and has to obtain a humanitarian visa. Sohrab struggles with living in America until Amir flies a kite with him and he finally begins to smile. 

The plot supports the authors purpose because it walks through how Amir was able to forgive himself for his past by facing it and replacing it with better deeds. 

2. The theme of The Kite Runner is self forgiveness. Throughout the entire novel the author focuses on the one bad deed that Amir commuted. From the beginning when he sets up the friendship to the middle when he portrays the fall out, to the end of the novel when Amir is finally able to make up for his mistake, the author focuses on how what Amir hid as a child effected his whole life. Thus, the entire novel is based on Amir working to forgive himself. 

3. The author's tone throughout The Kite Runner was very remorseful and full of self pity. As soon as the reader finds out about what happened in Amir's childhood, the entire tone of the novel shifts from light and heartfelt, to all of the self pity that Amir had. Throughout the entire novel, Amir is trying to reconcile what he caused as a child and that sets the tone for the entire novel. 

4. Allusion: Amir states after placing watch under Hassan's bed "I loved him in the moment, loved him more than Id loved anyone and I wanted to tell them that I was the snake in the grass." Biblical allusion because Amir deceives his father. (Chapter 9, page 105)

Motif: "The Pomegranate Tree." It is seen in both the beginning and the end of the novel and is symbolic of the relationship once shared between Amir and Hassan "Amir and Hassan, Sultans of Kabul...Those words made it formal: the tree was ours."

Foreshadowing: used when Hassan tells Amir about the dream he had "it was warm and sunny, the lake was clear like a mirror but no one was swimming... 'I'll show you all'" (Beginning of Chapter 7)

Repetition: Using the word 'never mind repetitively "Never mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle with no hands..." (Page 24)

Syntax: "Sometimes, my entire childhood seems like one long lazy summer with Hassan... yank it back every time it took flight." (Page 25-26)

Direct Characterization: "I can still see his tiny... Or perhaps he had grown tired and careless." (Pg 3)

CHARACTERIZATION

1. Direct Characterization:  "I can still see his tiny... Or perhaps he had grown tired and careless." (Pg 3) and  "...even in birth, Hassan was true to his nature: He was incapable of hurting anyone." (Pg 10)

Indirect Characterization: Displayed when Rahim informs Amir that Hassan is Amir's step brother. It shows how complex of a man Amir is. 

2. The authors syntax and diction only changes slightly when he focuses on a character. It doesn't change depending on each individual character, but more so that the syntax and diction change depending on what the character is doing. For example. The authors syntax changes during the scene of Hassan getting raped in the beginning of the novel. 

3. The protagonist is a static round character. We see the protagonist grow from a boy to man, and although we are able to see this growth and know a lot about his character, the reader doesn't actually see much change within the character at all throughout the novel. 

4. After reading the book I definitely walked away feeling like I not only personally knew a single character, but that I actually felt like I had connected to all of the characters. As well as feeling that I knew the characters by the end of the book, I also realized that I was opened to an entirely new culture that I hadn't been familiar with prior to reading The Kite Runner. 

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 1 Notes

Always read scenes first, able to visualize on your own, then if you still don't understand, watch videos.

Setting: Outside, on a platform in front of the castle of Elsinore in Denmark at midnight 

Read iambic petameter by punctuation, not by line

Speak of how they've seen a ghost, Horatio doesn't believe the others. 

The ghost enters, and the men question it. The ghost ends up being the dead king. 

King hamlet is killed by fortinbras' son, because he killed fortinbras the elder. 

Son fortinbras is rallying an army to attack Hamlet jr

Kings ghost appears to resolve some unfinished business. 

Alludes to Julius Ceaser and that type of writing 

They suggest that they tell young Hamlet and see if the ghost will talk to his son. 

Vocabulary #6

Abase: behave in a way so as to belittle or degrade (someone). "I watched my colleagues abasing themselves before the board of trustees"

Abdicate: (of a monarch) renounce one's throne. "1918 Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated asrman emperor"

Abomination: a thing that causes disgust or hatred. "this bill is an abomination to all mankind"

Brusque: abrupt or offhand in speech or manner. "she could be brusque and impatient"

Saboteur: a person who engages in sabotage.

Debauchery: excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures

Proliferate: increase rapidly in numbers; multiply. "the science fiction magazines that proliferated in the 1920s"

Anachronism: a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement

Nomenclature: the devising or choosing of names for things, especially in a science or other discipline.

Expurgate: remove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable from (a book or account). "the expurgated Arabian Nights"

Bellicose: demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight. "a group of bellicose patriots"

Gauche: lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated and socially awkward.

Rapacious: aggressively greedy or grasping."rapacious landlords"

Paradox: a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.

"a potentially serious conflict between quantum mechanics and the general theory of relativity known as the information paradox"

Conundrum: a confusing and difficult problem or question. "one of the most difficult conundrums for the experts"

Anomaly: something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected. "there are a number of anomalies in the present system"

Aphemeral: lasting for a very short time. "fashions are ephemeral"

Rancorous: characterized by bitterness or resentment. "sixteen miserable months of rancorous disputes"

Churlish: rude in a mean-spirited and surly way. "it seems churlish to complain"

Precipitous: dangerously high or steep. "the precipitous cliffs of the North Atlantic coast"

An Unphotographed Moment

Three girls sitting on the ledge of a rock formation on top of a mountain overlooking the landscape and watching the sun set as the fog rolled in. All absorbed in the silence and beauty surrounding us wondering if this moment would be the last of its kind. Reminiscing on the moments that had been made, and mourning the memories that would never be made.

Unphotographable

Shopping and Crying

My mind first shot to a woman finding her perfect wedding dress and having it bring her to tears. 

Everything is a remix notes

Remix: to combine older, already existing materials to create something new

In old times creativity was only a creation of the divine, now it is seen as a heightened accomplishment. 

Many claim their creations as their own in which they created from within out of nowhere. Largely uninfluenced. 

Lightbulb is our biggest symbol for creativity, when really it's usually an incoherent mess, not one moment of insight. 

We actually create using three elements; domain knowledge (copying), transformation (creating variations), combinations (merging together).

Original ideas are now considered property. 

Pre will

A) I don't know much about Hamlet. I'm pretty unfamiliar with it. 

B) He wrote Romeo and Juliet and Julius Ceaser. He lived in old England. He uses a lot of puns and literary techniques like iambic petameter. He writes in old English which makes it hard to understand. 

C) So many people frown at Shakespeare because we find it hard to understand due to the fact that it's written in old English and played it's style. 

D) To make Shakespeare easier to study we could work on translating it to today's vocabulary. 

THE POINT OF CANTERBURY TALES IS

Display a time period from the point of view of different people. 

Vocabulary 5

Shenanigan: A playful or mischievous act; a prank. "The young children were being very mischievous"

Ricochet: to bounce or skip with or as if with a glancing rebound "when playing racquetball, the ball ricochets off the wall."

Schism: a split or division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by differences in opinion or belief. "The government schism was the worst the country has ever seen."

Eschew: deliberately avoid using; abstain from.

"he appealed to the crowd to eschew violence"

Plethora: a large or excessive amount of (something).

"a plethora of committees and subcommittees"

Ebullient: cheerful and full of energy.

"she sounded ebullient and happy"

Garrulous: excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.

"Polonius is portrayed as a foolish, garrulous old man"

Harangue: lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner. "the kind of guy who harangued total strangers about PCB levels in white."

Interdependence: a reciprocal relation between interdependent entities

Capricious: given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior. "a capricious and often brutal administration"

Loquacious: tending to talk a great deal; talkative

Ephemeral: lasting for a very short time. "fashions are ephemeral"

Inchoate: just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary.

"a still inchoate democracy"

Juxtapose: place or deal with close together for contrasting effect.

"black-and-white photos of slums were starkly juxtaposed with images."

Perspicacious: having a ready insight into and understanding of things. "it offers quite a few facts to the perspicacious reporter"

Codswallop: Brit nonsense

Mungo: cloth made from recycled woven or felted material.

Sesquipedalian: characterized by long words; long-winded. "the sesquipedalian prose of scientific journals"

Wonky: crooked; off-center; askew.

"you have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth"

Diphthong: a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another

Character Study 3

Move in day- just two high school best friends, terrified of moving away from their families into a dorm room together. One young blue eyed girl with fear in her eyes clinging to another with an equal amount of fear. The only thing they were both sure of, was that together, they could make it through the next four years of college. The first few months went as normally as anybody's first few months of college could be. It wasn't until a foggy Tuesday morning that their college experience became a little less than normal. As the duo strolled to their first class together they discussed wether or not to go home to see their families the next weekend. They were in the middle of a heated debate over it as they walked into class, only to come to find that there were no desks, chairs, computers or professors, only 30 other equally as confused college freshman and a projection of a rather  intriguing statement. "You have one consequence free month, do what you will with it. Your clock starts now." The pair took a single side step towards each other as the nerves struck. Still, two months later, the only thing that they were sure of was that together, they would make it through, and sticking together is exactly what they decided to do. Luckily they came prepared to class. Between the two of them they had; two laptops, two cell phones, their passports (which they both carried 24/7), a single journal with an array of pens, two notebooks, two credit cards, and a single common dream. Knowing that they had a single consequence free month to do whatever they please with, they started off their ticking clock with a phone call home. They both resorted to leaving messages. Messages that stated nothing more than "We're okay and we'll see you in a month." With that being said and done, once the nerves and fear had passed they headed to the airport to embark on the journey of their dreams. As the two stared wide-eyed at the huge constantly changing board of flights, they realized that their common dream wasnt to go anywhere in particular, but to just go somewhere, as long as they were together. And this was how their journey together continued after high school but before the rest of their lives. To this day they give a special thanks to their anonymous professor that changed the course of their lives forever. 

MY DASHBOARD

Call me old fashioned but these are my organizational dashboards and that's how I like it. 

I highly suggest this approach to organization. 

*I felt this was best described through pictures. 

Canterbury Tales 2 What a Character

The author uses both direct and indirect characterization throughout the tale. An example of indirect characterization was when the author shows that the knight is a leader when he takes on the roll to tell the first story. An example of direct characterization is when the narrator states "...with wonderful agility and strength." Chaucer uses direct characterization but relies on indirect  to characterize the knight's personality. 

Chaucer displays a large and diverse range of attitude towards life. The tales are satirical and comical. Another tone is also very admiring towards the knight. 

Humor: The plot thickens through the use of irony when the good knight dies. He was given his freedom to go off on his own and pursue anything, yet he comes back for a girl which ultimately leads him to death. 

*Collaborated with Haley Stowe/Kestler, Stephanie Villalovos, Megan Stevens, Tia Jones, and Bridgit McLaughlin

Phonar Lecture Notes

Phonar is about establishing habits because habits define us and having good habits prevents us from being slaves. 

Discusses the difference between a photograph and an image. 

     -A photograph is bound by experience. An image is bound by evidence. 

     -We no longer tell the pictures of our stories, the pictures tell the story of us. 

"If you want to change the world, describe it differently."

 Ex: Canterbury Tales, the written language didn't match the spoken language because they were trying to portray a higher class. 

  Chaucer becomes known as the writer       of the English language

Talks about how Harvard students make a huge difference by collaborating. 

"New media is in terms of the older media."

     -Our definition and understanding of a picture has changed immensely over time. 

Vocabulary #4

Obsequious: obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree "they were served by obsequious waiters"

Beatitude: supreme blessedness 

Bête noire: a person or thing that one particularly dislikes "great uncle Edward was my fathers bête noire"

Bode: be an omen of a particular outcome "their argument did not bode well for the future"

Dank: disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold "the dank basement"

Ecumenical: representing a number of different Christian churches "the local churches are sponsoring an ecumenical service on the green"

Fervid: intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an extensive degree "a letter of fervid thanks" 

Gargantuan: enormous "a gargantuan appetite"

Heyday: the period of a person's or thing's greatest success, popularity, or vigor "the paper has lost millions of readers since its heyday in 1964"

Incubus: a cause of distress or anxiety. "debt is a big incubus in developing countries"

Infrastructure: the basic physical and organization needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

Inveigle: persuade to do something by means of deception or flattery. "we cannot inveigle him into putting pen to paper"

Kudos: praise and honor received for an achievement.

Lagniappe: something given as a bonus or extra gift.

Prolix: using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy. "he found the narrative too prolix and discursive"

Protege: a person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced or influential person.

"he was an aide and protégé of the former Tennessee senator"

Prototype: a first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied.

"the firm is testing a prototype of the weapon"

Sycophant: a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.

Tautology: the saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style "avoid such tautology as "let's all work together, everyone, as a team" by saying simply "let's work together"

Truckle: a small barrel-shaped cheese, especially cheddar.

 

Masterpiece Post 1

For my masterpiece I am looking into contacting Marine Mammal Research Center in San Louis. I'm not completely sure what I want to do with that yet but I'm still planning. 

My Declaration to Learning

Lets keep this short and sweet. I vow to continue learning and gaining knowledge from this day forward, despite any obstacles that stand in my way as long as there are no direct mental or emotional strains on my health. I vow to continue learning, from not only text books and professors, but also from the people around me, the experiences I have, and the world I come face to face with. 

Literary Analysis #1: The Heart of Darkness

1. The exposition of The Heart of Darkness occurs on the first two pages when the author introduces Marlow sitting calmly on a boat in the London Sea. The Rising Action occurs quite a bit later when while in Africa Marlow overhears people on the ship discussing how the Europeans are breaking down mentally. The climax occurs when Marlow discovers that Kurtz has completely abandoned European morals and norms of behavior. As Marlow and the reader begin to form a picture of Kurtz, it becomes apparent that his madness is only relative, and often hard to define. The Falling Action takes places after Marlow runs into Kurtz so ill in the Congo that he dies. Because Marlow had such a close bond with Kurtz he becomes obsessed with him after death. Finally, the denouement takes place when Marlow tells Kurtz widow about his passing and the knowledge of the evil and manses that was left with Kurt'z presence. Joseph Conrad wrote The Heart of Darkness in order to expose the immoral operations happening all the time in our world. He wanted to expose the ugliness on the planet and that's exactly what his narrative does. Conrad presented an alarming but truthful story that reflected what he saw in society and that divulged the darkness that we hold in our hearts. 

2. Two themes that can be taken from The Heart of Darkness are 'Madness as a Result of Imperialism' and 'The Absurdity of Evil'. Madness is closely linked to Imperialism throughout this book by using Kurtz' character as an example of this madness. Throughout the novel, no matter where Marlow goes, he is either faced with the evil in the government or the evil in his good friend Kurtz. 

3. "The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the takin it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much." "The man is capable of anything." "Like a running blaze on a plain, like a flash of lightening in the clouds. We live in the flicker." All three of these excerpts display a common tone. Joseph Conrad, although hostile, also displayed a time of great curiosity and faith as well. 

4. 1) Imagery- "The sun set; the dusk fell on the stream, and the lights fell on the stream."

    2) Personification- "Flames glided in river."

    3) Simile- "Swept and ungarnished staircase, as arid as a desert."

    4) Symbolism- "The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds...seemed to lead into a heart of an immense darkness."

     5) Allusion- "The snake had charmed me."

     6) Diction- "The other explained...with the ivory."

     7) Allegory- "Into the heart of darkness."

     8) Narrative Style Writing- Author talks as if he's speaking to another person, not just telling a story. 

Characterization 

1. Direct Characterization: the narrator is the one that describes Marlow and his manners as he is telling the story and Marlow describes the people that he meets during the journey. Marlow uses direct characterization so that the readers can capture the moment and picture the characters in their minds. One powerful example in the book was when he described the field workers. 

Indirect Characterization: I found if interesting that only the Europeans had dialogue, but in the long run, this just ended up adding to the book. The author views the Africans as unequal to the Europeans, therefor they did not receive a voice throughout the book. By doing this, the author also gave the Africans a "savage" portrayal. 

2. "He looked like a harlequin. His clothes had been made of some stuff that was brown holland probably, but it was covered in patches all over, with bright patches, blue, red, and yellow- patches on the front, patches on the back, patches on the elbows, on knees; colored binding around his jacket, scarlet edging at the bottom of his trousers; and the sunshine made him look extremely gay and wonderfully neat withal, because you could see how beautifully all of this patching had been done." They authors syntax and diction change when describing a person because he tends to use more colorful and creative words to paint a picture of the character he's describing. He uses colors to add emphasis on certain characteristics such as the patches. 

3. Darkness is hugely important in the transformation of Marlow. He goes to Africa and comes out a different, changed man. I believe he does not get trapped in the darkness like Kurtz does but he does witness it. People can't go into something like that and come out indifferent and unchanged, and that is the point that the author is trying to make. The relationship Marlow and Kurtz had can be seen as dynamic because at first he is indifferent towards the man, then somewhat obsessed, then he is disgusted with Kurtz, and finally at the end he comes to admire him. Marlow was a round character because we got to see many different sides of who he was. He gave us a more sympathetic side when he befriends the ship helper and also when he gives a biscuit to the slave. But on the opposite end, we're also showed a hint of sexism when he explains that women should know darkness and probably couldn't handle it. 

4. I did feel like I had met a person because the author structures the point of view in such a way that allows a reader to do so.  He has Marlow telling the story but and unknown listener is not the reader, but a narrator that acts as a bridge. His makes the reader feel as if Marlow is talking directly to them, and just writing in a book. 

*Failed to post last night, somebody brought it to my attention this morning. 

The New Big Question

Why?

*Collaborated with Tia Jones

Vocabulary #3

Accolade: an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgement of merit. "The ultimate official accolade of a visit by the president."

Acerbity: being sharp and forthright "his wit was full of acerbity."

Attrition: the action or process of gradually reducing the strength or effectiveness of someone or something through sustained attack or pressure "The council is trying to wear down the opposition by attrition."

Bromide: a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to soothe or placate "feel-good bromides create the illusion of problem solving"

Chauvinist: showing or relating to excessive or prejudiced loyalty or support for a particular group or cause. "A chauvinist slur"

Chronic: persisting for a long time or constantly reoccurring "I have chronic bronchitis."

Expound: present and explain systematically and in detail "He was expounding a powerful argument."

Factionalism: self interested partisan "factional interests had obstructed justice."

Immaculate: perfectly clean, near, or tidy "The groom wore an immaculate white suit."

Imprecation: a spoken curse "She hurled her imprecations at anyone who might be listening." 

Ineluctable: unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable "The ineluctable facts of history."

Mercurial: subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind "his mercurial temperament."

Palliate: to make less severe or unpleasant without removing the cause "The treatment works by palliative symptoms."

Protocol: the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions "Protocol forbids the prince from making any public statement in his defense."

Resplendent: attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous "She was resplendent in a sea-green grass."

Stigmatize: to describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval "the institution was stigmatized as a last resort for the destitute."

Sub rosa: happening or done in secret "The committee operate sub rosa."

Vainglory: inordinate pride in I self or ones achievements; excessive vanity.

Vestige: a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists "the last vestiges of colonialism."

Volition: the faculty or power of using ones will "without conscious volition she backed into her office"

MASTERPIECE IN PROGRESS

Although I haven't given my masterpiece much thought, I know relatively what I would like to focus on. I would love to find some way to encorporate Marine Biology into my masterpiece seeing as that is what I would like to pursue later on life. I haven't totally panned out all of the details but I found a Marine Mammal rehabilitation center in SLO that I would love to team up with and do something amazing with. 

Beowulf Essay

Joseph Campbell once stated "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." Although this is accurate in itself, so is what Christopher Reeve said when he stated that A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." These two views on heroes are relatively similar, but still very thoroughly display the historical setting in which the were written. Modern day heroes are usually ordinary people who are brave enough to put their own lives on the line in order to save those of others. Heroes from the past seemed to be a lot more mystical. They often went into a situation, succeeded, learned something from it, and then came back to their home town and taught the locals what they had learned on their journey. If a story such as Beowulf had been told from a feminist point of view when it was written, it would have changed drastically, where as in today's society, there would often be minimal changes due to the equality that is seen today.

Beowulf was seen as an epic hero in the time period that this epic was written. Beowulf shows heroism in his will to fight without weapons against an enemy never to have been encountered before. Characteristics and descriptions of the enemy are told using hyperbole seeing as they are very often exaggerated. Beowulf is confident and his arrogance plays to his strength throughout his battles. Beowulf is considered a hero of his time for his strength and willingness to give his life for others. A common hero in today's world would be a soldier because they're an everyday individual willing to save another persons life even if it means giving up their own. The stories that soldiers often tell or have told about them differ entirely from Beowulf's. A soldier's story would never be exaggerated in such a way like Beowulf is. It's much harder for a hero to be seen in today's world seeing as we rarely view heroes as people who come out of an unrealistic tale about monsters. 

Who is telling the story plays a huge role in what will or will not be included into the story itself. For example, if a female were to have told Beowulf, nothing would have been quite as exaggerated nor would there had been as much power behind Beowulf's character. If a female were to tell a heroes story in present day fashion, it wouldn't differ much from a man'a portrayal. Although a female might tell the story in a more caring and heartfelt way than a male would, the story in itself wouldnt change drastically due to the fact that today's stories tend to be more factual. 

A hero, in no matter what time period can be define as a character who, in the face of danger or weakness, display courage and self-sacrifice. Although in both time periods the hero had the same general characteristics, Beowulf was much more exaggerate and unrealistic while the modern hero was a more realistic character. The reason our definition for a hero has change is due to the changing societal views. A lot has changed since Beowulf was written and these simple changes really add up and cause writing styles to change with it. The way a story is told allows for both the characters and author to be revealed, whether they be male or female. 

Public Service Announcement.

If we never use our English book for anything else, it's great to hold together blanket forts guys. 

WILL STUDY FOR FOOD

I recently applied to a $1000 scholarship entitled Student Of The Month. To apply for it I had to submit a 500 word statement as to what my passion is, and/or what I will be using the money for. Seeing as I'm 16 and quite truthfully have no clue as to what I'm genuinely passionate about, I wrote about what I will be using the money (which quite coincidently is what I'm supposed to be writing about). College is expensive, as we all know. Putting actual tuition aside, there's also the cost of housing and a meal plan, the price of our books and transportation, as well as all of the other necessities (a laptop, bike, all of the things needed to decorate the dorm, etc.) These things are what I will end up having to pay for, a long with a plethora of other things along the way I'm sure. 

VOCABULARY #2

Accoutrements: additional items of dress or equipment "The new system will provide the country with all of the accoutrements of a more developed."

Apogee: the highest point in the development of something "The White House is considered the apogee of American achievement."

Apropos: with reference to; concerning "Apropos of nothing, she started speaking only in rhyme."

Bicker: argue about petty and trivial matters "Whenever the phone rings, the bicker over who must answer it."

Coalesce: come together and from one mass or whole "The puddles had coalesced into small streams."

Contretemps: an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence "The hotel had to deal with more than one contretemps before the end of the night."

Convolution: a coil or twist, especially one of many "Crosses are often adorned with elaborate convolutions."

Cull: select from a large quantity; obtain from a variety of sources "Anecdotes culled from Greek and Roman history."

Disparate: essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison " They inhibit disparate worlds of thought."

Dogmatic: inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true "He have his opinion without trying to be dogmatic."

Licentious: promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters 

Mete: to distribute "He denounced the maltreatment meted out to minorities."

Noxious: harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant " They we're overcome by the noxious fumes."

Polemic: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something "His polemic against the cultural relativism of the sixties."

Populous: having a large population "China is populous."

Probity: the quality of having strong moral principles "They feel that he has demonstrated little probity in this matter."

Repartee: conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies "An evening of wit and repartee."

Supervene: occur later than a specified or implied event of action, typically in such a way as to change the situation "Any plan that is made is liable to be disrupted by supervening events."

Truncate: shorten by cutting off the top or the end "To truncate the tree we chopped off the top."

Unimpeachable: not able to be doubted, questioned, or criticized "An unimpeachable witness was called into question." 

BEOWULF QUESTIONS

Judith:[Prologue] 

1. It was unusual how Shield came to be the ruler of Danes as he started off as an abandoned orphan, but soon built his power to become king. His funeral was a grand affair. He was shipped off in a boat filled with treasures and gifts. Hrothgar is Shield's great grandson.

[Heorot is Attacked]

1. The magnificent work that Hrothgar undertook was a mead hall, Heorot, dedicated to the enjoyment of him and his serving men. Grendel attacked the hall slaying many of Hrothgar's men eventually taking over the hall; it lasted for twelve years. In response, the Danes prayed at shrines wishing harm on the monster.

[The Hero Comes to Herot]

1. When Beowulf hears news of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel, he sets sail for Denmark with an army to kill the monster, Grendel.

2. The Geats first meet a Danish watchman who stops and questions them. Beowulf explains that they arrived to help the Danish get rid of Grendel.

Sierra:[The Hero Comes to Heorot] (lines 189-490, pp. 36-42)

3. Hrothgar’s herald is Wulfgar of the Wendla tribe. He first asks the Geats, why they carry so much armor, and then he infers that they are there for adventure rather than primarily self-gain, because they seem courageous. Wulfgar tells Hrothgar that he shouldn’t deny their help because Beowulf is their leader. In reply Hrothgar says he knows Beowulf’s father, and tells Wulfgar to go get the Geats. I’m not that surprised of Hrothgar and Beowulf knowing each other, because Beowulf wouldn’t put his life and lives of others in harm’s way if he didn’t know Hrothgar.

4. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that he is very skilled and experience and he plans to take on Grendel without any weapons, and for Hrothgar not to refuse him. Hrothgar paid off Beowulf’s father’s debts during a warning period for the Geats.

[Feast at Heorot] (lines 491-661, pp. 42-46)

1. Unferth’s jealousy causes him to claim that Beowulf can’t beat Grendel, and he brings up a time in the past when Beowulf lost a swimming competition to Breca. Beowulf tells Unferth that he’s drunk and the true story was that he was separated from Breca and pulled underwater by a sea monster, that he later killed. This episode shows how brave and confident Beowulf is throughout the story. Beowulf then accuses Unferth of him not being as brave as he said he was supposed to be, and if he was then Grendel would’ve never came to Herolot.

2. Queen Wealhtheow hands out mead Goblets to Hrothgar and then to the rest of the men during the feasting. Then she thanks God for Beowulf and after sits down next to Hrothgar.

Haley K: The Fight with Grendel

1. Beowulf's preparations for his battle with Grendel differ from normal heroes in poetry in that he shed his armor instead of putting more on because he planned to fight Grendel with his bare hands instead of with a sword and such.

2. When Grendel enters Heorot, he immediately begins to eat the sleeping soldiers as he did many times before. Instead of eating Beowulf, Grendel is surprised with a fight as Beowulf never fell asleep and Grendel wasn't initially able to escape Beowulf's tight grasp. Despite Beowulf's death grip, Grendel managed to escape, but not without leaving his arm behind.

Celebration of Heorot

1. Sigemund was a great hero who slayed a horrible dragon that was a keeper of a treasure chest that hr won by slaying him. The treasure won by Sigemund symbolizes the gold rewards that Beowulf earned from the ring-giver, King Hrothgar. Sigemund's story is told to celebrate Beowulf and compare both of their heroic acts. Heremod is known as an evil Danish king who turns against his own people. This clearly resembles the reverse of Beowulf’s characteristic and by comparing and contrasting Beowulf to two different kings, the narrator indicates that Beowulf will be king later in the story.

2. Hrothgar responds to Beowulf's deed by celebrating him and pronouncing him as both a son and man that will never be forgotten. Hrothgar then goes on to give Beowulf many gifts, including a sword. Since Beowulf was successful in his attempt to save the Danes, Unferth doesn't have much to say to him as he has become much more humble. 

Imanie: [Celebration at Heorot

3. The singer sings of Finn during the feasting (lines 1070-1158). 

The singer sings the story of Finn during the feast. Basically, in the story Finn, Lord of the Frisians, marries Hildeburgh, a Dane, to end a feud between the two tribes. The idea was to use the bride to ensure that the families wouldn’t feud anymore but obviously this was a bad idea. The Frisians killed Hildeburgh’s brother when he came to visit her. Finn was also eventually killed out of revenge.

4.Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to give the throne to Beowulf, but to trust in his biological son’s abilities to rule as king.  She believes that the throne should stay in the bloodline

5.It is foreshadowed that Beowulf gives the necklace to his uncle Hygelac, who wears it until he dies in battle.  She also asks Beowulf to guide and protect her children, but not to take the throne from them when Hrothgar dies.

6.  So many men remain in the beer hall to sleep because they believe it is as safe as it once was now that Grendel is dead.  This is a mistake because Grendel’s mother        comes to the hall for revenge for her son.  She takes one of Hrothgar’s esteemed men and the arm of Grendel back to her cave.

Victoria:BEOWULF AND GRENDEL'S MOTHER

1. Grendel's mother came to Heorot to take her son's claw. It was out of anger and vengeance, not exactly similar to Grendel's reason.

2. Hrothgar's response was asking Beowulf to go to her lair and kill her, too. She had killed Hrothgar's best friend.

3. The mere (her lair) was an underwater lair under a dark lake. It had an eerie feel and was described as being very dark. 

[Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother]

1. Beowulf tells Hrothgar to respond (if he should die) in a caring way for his own men that he should leave behind.

Me: 2. Beowulf sinks into the water for a few hours before he enters the mere. 

3. He prepares for the battle by telling Hrothgar what he desires just incase he dies. Beowulf takes his ring-marked blade sword.

4. When Beowulf enters the mere, Grendel's mother grabs him but his armor defended him. It's surprising that it take half a day to get down there but those monsters have each other.

5. The sword breaks while Beowulf trys to strike Grendel's mother. 

Megan: 6. Beowulf escapes because his mail protected him from the blow.

7. Beowulf notices and uses an enchanted sword hung on the wall. He escapes by drawing the unnaturally heavy sword built by giants and slicing Grendel's mothers neck with it. When she died, the cave burned with light. The sword melted so that the hilt was all that was left.

8. When Beowulf returned to the surface, he found his men waiting, but none of the Danish. It is clear that the Geats were skeptical of his return, so they were pleasantly surprised.

[Further Celebration]

1. He gives Grendel's head and sword hilt.

Liz: 6. Beowulf escapes because his mail protected him from the blow.

7. Beowulf notices and uses an enchanted sword hung on the wall. He escapes by drawing the unnaturally heavy sword built by giants and slicing Grendel's mothers neck with it. When she died, the cave burned with light. The sword melted so that the hilt was all that was left.

8. When Beowulf returned to the surface, he found his men waiting, but none of the Danish. It is clear that the Geats were skeptical of his return, so they were pleasantly surprised.

[Further Celebration]

1. He gives Grendel's head and sword hilt.

Shailynn: - Beowulf reports to Hygelac because he knows that the wedding could cause problems with the family. Beowulf expects the wedding to recreate family tension and violence and Hygelac to not like the idea. We would expect this from Beowulf because he likes to stop situations before they occur and likes to plan for the problem If it can't be fixed.

4. Beowulf reports about his own adventures as slightly exaggerated, but mostly accurate in the ways they are told.

5. What Beowulf does with the treasures he is given is he offers them to his Lord and gives it to other people also. What Hygelac gives Beowulf is land, a large house, and the sword of the Geats.

[The Dragon Wakes] (lines 2200-2509, pp. 79-86)

1.Part 2 takes place fifty years later. The king that have died in the mean while are King Hygelac and King Heardred. The danger that now exists Is a dragon. 

Haley S:The dragon awakes 2-5

2. The dragon is angry because someone stole its treasure even though the man only took the cup because he was scared by the dragon. The treasure was put there by a lord who had lost all of his friends and family. 

3. He destroyed everything as he searched for the thief. 

4. Beowulf thinks he is being punished for something he has done.  He decides to order a new shield and fight the dragon with only a few people. 

5. Hygelac died fighting a monster and after Beowulf swam through the ocean with 30 sets of armor. Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the chance to become king but he declined and decided to advise Heardred. 

Stevie:[The Dragon Wakes]

6. Heardred was killed along with his father at the shield wall fighting the Heatho-Scilfings. After Heardred's death, Beowulf was ascended to the throne. Under his reign, the feuding with the Sweden terminated when Beowulf avenged Hygelac and his sons deaths. Conscious of avenging his fellow lords, Beowulf befriended Eadgils (one that was provided shelter by Heardred but was part of his death) and assembled an army to scrutinize Onela. 

7. Beowulf was accompanied by 11 others when approaching the dragon.

8. was killed by his brother on accident. Hrethel was devastated to see his young son be sent to the heavens so early on in his life. From this devastating loss on, Hrethel grieved his sons death and gradually lost his passion, love, and care of his kingdom. War sprung up between Swede's and the Geats over waters which resulted in the death of Haethcyn, a Geat member. In revenge for Hygelac's death, Beowulf attacked the dragon with a sword, failing to harm the monster, and was blasted by the enraged dragon's fierce, powerful, and poisonous fire Breath, bitten on the neck by the dragons sharp teeth and was killed. 

[Beowulf Attacks the Dragon]

1. Beowulf tells his companions to not fight the dragon because he knows it will be his very last battle. 

Courtney:Beowulf Attacks the Dragon (Me)

2. The first time Beowulf and the Dragon fight, Beowulf enters the fight with confidence as he had defeated all of the major giants with just a sword and armor. When he throws his first blow with the sword he is frightened when the sword breaks. Beowulf's companions all leave except for one of them, Wiglaf. Wiglaf remains loyal to Beowulf because he had provided so much for them and gave them gifts even when he had done all the killing. Wiglaf could not imagine going against someone who had remained so loyal to him and his family. Wiglaf tells the others that Beowulf has provided them with good armor and weapons and that if one man falls they all fall together. He also explains that although Beowulf usually does the killing on his own, they must be there to support him when he needs it. Wiglaf calls out to Beowulf telling him that he has come to help. Wiglaf then goes to help him and the dragon blows fire, which makes his shield useless.

3. The second time Beowulf attacks the dragon, Wiglaf works with him. Beowulf is bitten in the neck and is extremely wounded. Wiglaf is able to stab the dragon and wound him very badly. Beowulf gains one last serge of energy in order to strike the dragon one last time to his death. Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon together; if one had not been there the dragon would not be dead. Beowulf dies in the fight with the dragon as he has been struck in the neck.

4. Beowulf asks Wiglaf to go and find the gold that they had just recaptured from the dragon. He wants Wiglaf to bring the gold to him before he dies. Beowulf finally sees the gold and thanks god for allowing him to defeat the dragon and provide treasure for the people. Beowulf wanted his body to be burned at the coastal headland and for it to be known as Beowulf's Barrow.

Beowulf's Funeral

1. As Wiglaf attempts to save Beowulf, the rest of the Geats return, but Beowulf is dead. Wiglaf tells the men that Beowulf had left all the treasure to them but that it was worthless because they had not stayed to fight with Beowulf. Wiglaf says that death will be better then such a life of shame to the men who had left their lord wounded on the battle field. Wiglaf expects that the Geats empire will be destroyed in the future.

 

Online Beowulf Notes

Prologue

-A King named Scyld the Scefing was a wealthy man who was looked up to by the people of his town.

-Nobody challenged him, he was better than everyone else

-Had a son and named him Beowulf.

-Son was looked up to and was gernerous to all the people of the town. 

-Ship created to hold dead body, very wealthy items, 

-Description of armor and expensive weapons.

-Ship sent to sea, talk about a flood

-Poeple mourn for the death of the child.

Chapter 1

-A new peson came to the thrown named Healfdean. 

-Was a strong leader

-Had four children Heorogar, Hrothgar, Halga, one not living 

-Heorogar was known for his bravery on the battle field.

-A hall was built in his honor 

-Creates an award called Heorot

-Talks about a banquet and a fued between father-in-law and father over wealth. 

-Something of evil comes from "moor-land" to hurt the happiness 

- Cain awakens (evil creature) to ruin the fun. 

Chapter 2 

Went to house and found group of people mourning the death of a person 

The next morning Grendel found out his servant of 12 years was murdered

That night Grendel looked for the person who killed his servant and was determined to get his revenge

The murder wasn't hard to find and Grendel found who he thought killed his servant

There was another person continuing to murder people ruthlessly 

People said he still lurked the "moorlands" but nobody said where this place was because they were so afraid 

People prayed that they wouldn't be killed by this person but also prayed he would be forgiven by god 

Chapter 3 

Grendel seen as a hero and people thought his valor should be recognized by the king 

Grendel chosen to lead a group of 14 men (called the Geats) to sea 

He and his men found the place they were sailing to - Danes 

Get off boat armed with weapons and shields 

Met by a warden (" scylding clansman") on horseback that was armed 

Warden explains that his job is to protect the people of Danes from sailors who land there

He also explains he had never seen people come there and be so obvious that they were warriors

Warden tells them that he is praying for them on their voyage 

Chapter 4:

-the warrior (seafarer) leader claims he is the son of Ecgtheow who's widely known and honored by many

-the warrior got wind of the "monster" that tortures and haunts the Danes and demands that he and his men attempt to defeat this "scathing", "dark ill-doer" monster 

-agreeing with the plan, his men marched to the village/palace in which Hrothgar loved

-some men were assigned to gaurd the boat and escort the others to the palace, protecting the boat from their foes; "gaurd it kept o'er the man of war..." 

-the men can see the shimmery, glistening, gold palace from afar

-the men who were assigned to gaurd the boat and also escort the other men then return to the boat where they spend their time being on the look out

Chapter 5:

-the men, while marching, observe the shiny, well-decorated streets and atmosphere of Heorot

-the men were approached by a proud, curious warrior who stopped the men and asked what their purpose of arrival was

-Beowulf, the leader of the men, and Wulfgar(the warrior described above) discuss the matters. Wulfgar directs the leader and his men to the throne of Hrothgar

-Wulfgar asks Hrothgar to speak to the men and exclaims that Beowulf appears to be a strong, firm leader; "In weeds of the warrior worthy they, methinks, of our liking, their leader most surely, a hero that hither his henchmen has led." 

Chapter Six 

-Hrothgar is talking of Beowolf and only legends have been told (like rumors in today’s world) of how strong and great Beowolf is

-They thank god (grateful) for having him send Beowolf to relive them of Grendel and his destruction

-Grateful for someone/thing that they haven’t even met yet, they just know rumors and stories about.

-Like society today when we want to ay someone for their service but really we should just be grateful for their service and sacrifice to be there rather than having to pay them to make ourselves feel better about “hassling them” heros don’t get hassled, they just go out and do because that’s their “job”

-People get mad about Beowolf not taking the money and gold but why should he? He did a good deed and shouldn’t it just be left to that?

-Beowolf gets message that Hrothgar will accept him and his kin in his own kingdom for Beowolf’s bravery

-Beolwolf replies by giving story of his own battles and how he came to be known as a strong man. He fought animals and his foes, many at a time, for his people (the Geats) and to avenge them (symbol of hero)

-Beowolf knows his duty, in specific to defeating Grendel, and knows that he must use only himself and no other armor knowledgeable of situation and knows what needs to be done. Doesn’t put brawn over brains

-He knows he might die in battle and respects the “rules” of battle and lets his family know that if he is to die in battle, they shouldn’t worry about burying him properly.

-Practical but still with hope that he will win the battle with faith

Chapter Seven

-Hrothgar retells story of brother’s, Heorogar, death.

-Killed by war between Wylfings and -Scyldings over money and gold

Shows destruction of materialistic world and consequences of it

-Revenge Hrothgar wants. Passionate

-Sit to eat after this gruesome story, shows culture and how they take death as a apart of life but then want revenge for wrongful deaths as do we in today’s world

Chapter 8

-Enferth questioned Beowolf’s ability to actually fight Grendel and told of story where Beowolf and “rival”        -Breca swam the seas together and then Breca got out of the sees unharmed but he worries that           -Beowolf is not strong like Breca.

-Questioning of strength is key in hero battle/adventure because it makes the hero think about his/her strength and if they really can achieve their goal

-Also gives background to Beowolf and adventures

-Questions that Beowolf will do anything without really thinking about it or consequences

-Beowolf reinforces that he is ready and states that he was a child and didn’t know better but he did bring swords for protection

-He stayed by Breca until the very end until it was impossible to stay together because of the seas tearing them apart

-Beowolf defeated the beast of the sea and that shows give evidence behind why he is worthy of fighting Grendel

-He supports this accusation on inadequacy and backs up his point with evidence as seen in today’s culture with giving effective opinions and if you want people to believe you then you give them reasons to

-He proves himself time and time again which is what a hero has to do because the people are putting their faith into him and they want credibility 

Chapter 9:

-Beowulf encounters evil sea monsters that make him feel threatened. So he kills them with his sword. He kills nine of them and they will never bother the sailors again. This is when he was separated from Breca. Reminds me of Moby Dick in a sense.

-He fought a difficult battle and the tides ended up taking him to the land of the Fins.

-Breca was on of Beowulf’s closest kin, but he left Beowulf in the sea where he had to fight giants on his own, but Beowulf doesn’t wish war with him. Beowulf believes that his bad will come to him.

-Grendel is the son of Ecglaf. Grendel was very jealous of Hrothgar so he brought him humiliation. Now Grendel would “rot in hell”. (Dante’s Inferno)

-Beowulf fears no feud with the Danish; he will fight, murder and eat with them and the next day finds out the strength of the Geats.

-Beowulf will fight with them and Hrothgar, jewel-giver, is pleased with his will to fight. The queen snickers at this but still continues to wear her gold and carried the cup of the hall.

-The queen walked around the hall, first giving the king a drink (Hrothgar), and then giving the rest a drink. She was so happy that Beowulf had committed to fight with the Geats and if he didn’t help win the battle he would die in the process.

-The queen thanked the lord for her Savior, Beowulf.

-The son of Healfdene wants to get to bed, but speaks with Beowulf before he goes. They speak of the hopeful glory for the battle the next morning. Beowulf will remain in the hall bequeathing, or giving the power over to him. Healfdene’s son would obtain the power over the hall, which was called Heorot Hall, for the night. 

Chapter 10

-Hrothgar and Wealhtheow, the queen, go to bed, but have a guard watch their room in order to prevent the monster from getting to them.     -The monster being Grendel

-Beowulf retires for the night and has a guard watch his armor, but he challenges the monster to a battle without armor or weapons. He says the gods will decide who is right.

-Everyone laid down to rest not fearing of dying or not returning home the next day. Although many people had not made it back, they had no worries.

-Metaphor of one man being different than the rest to god ruling over man-kind. Was Beowulf starting to earn the reputation of a god?

Beowulf was the only man to lie awake looking at the wandering shadow in the hall. Beowulf could only think of the upcoming battle and would not sleep.

 

Text Book Beowulf Notes (Pgs 31-60)

-Tristia had moved from her mother country, Dardanian Troy, when it was attacked by the Grecian Army.

  -Now in the Pontus, feels like the days go by like years 

-Despises the common theme of death races (referring to gladiator games and/or the continuous war between the Romans and their enemies)

-Feels like a barbarian not being able to communicate with people of the new land, had to use body language

-Was exiled from Rome

-"Injured the power of Caesar the god," in result was sent to assimilate with the Scythian race as a punishment

  -Believes she deserved to be exiled but not to such a city

Far Corners of Earth by Tu Fu translated by David Hinton

-Describes a shift from the Chiang-han mountains where clouds begin to hover over to "a new waste of highway." Gradual decline in mood.

from Beowulf

-portrays the Anglo-Saxon culture of eighth century Britain

-Beowulf: sword-wielding slayer of monsters, upholder of the right, warrior-chieftain

-Takes place in sixth century Scandinavia, speaks Old English

-Beowulf seeks to help the Danish King Hrothgar in fighting the swampland monster, Grendel. 

-first of the three mortal battles

-Scops often told long narrative poems by mouth in Anglo-Saxon England which resulted in it's change and growth.           -finally written down in eleventh century

-main themes: bravery, loyalty, heroism

-The Electronic Beowulf Project revived the burnt original manuscripts of Beowulf.

- Higlac was the king of the Geats and Beowulf's feudal lord and uncle as well as a very strong man

- Higlac heard that Grendel violently forced and demanded a boat to be fitted out for him to go see Higlac

- Beowulf chose the mightiest, bravest, and best men of the Geats he could find to accompany him on his journey to Hrothgar (14 men total)

- He knew the sea would lead them straight to that distant, Danish shore

- They sailed their boat and arrived fully dressed in mail with the best armor and uninvited

- Hrothgar's lieutenant met them on the shore, demanding to know who they were and why they came unannounced

- He asked Beowulf to immediately explicate their reason for their visit before they take action against them

- Beowulf explained who they were and that they were there to hunt Grendel and protect the people and their King from the monster

- The mounted officer believed their words and that he and his men would guard their ship and protect it, saying that any warriors who battle Grendel successfully should go home bearing their love

- Once Beowulf and his men arrived at Herot, they were called in to see the King

- Beowulf arose and went to meet Hrothgar with some of his men, ordering a few to remain behind with their weapons

Beowulf and his men arrive at Herot and are called to see the King 

-Beowulf ordered some of his men to stay with their weapons, while he took others and himself "into Hrothgar's Presence"

-Beowulf describes himself to the kind to make him seem more favorable, by saying things like "They have seen my strength for themselves, Have watched me ride form the darkest of war, Dripping with my enemies' blood."

-Beowulf over does it on the compliments to the king then asks for the kings permission to "purge all evil from this hall" (including Grendal, who Beowulf is willing to go into great battle against) Beowulf is willing to die for his cause and exaggeratedly says so. 

The Battle with Grendel 

-Grendal came from the marsh and journeyed to Herot and was met harshly with Herot being so firmly defended. 

-Grendal stormed through the doors quickly, saw the young and sleepy soldiers lining the halls, grabbed one and killed him, snapping shit and drinking the blood. 

-Grendal clutched Beowulf but was suprised by his strength and attack. Grendal's first reaction was to run but Beowulf didn't let him go. 

-Beowulf and Grendal battled violently. Herot shook and trembled, it was built to only come down in fire but the battle was a much great force. 

-He was the strongest man, Beowulf was going to kill the "monster"

-Beowulf's men woke up to Beowulf fighting Grendel and were ready to fight, if needed; they were courageous, but Grendel was pretty indestructible against them and he could easily beat them all

-But, he(Grendel) was now declining, dying, and had been defeated

His shoulder bone broke, a sign of the battle being over

-Beowulf won "glory, Grendel escaped" to his den though, to die a slow and miserable death

-Beowulf was very prod, the Danes were happy and his accomplishments were listed; he ended Hrothgar's people's problems

-Beowulf hung Grendel's "arm, claw, shoulder and all" on the rafters; it was basically a trophy of the victory and proof of the win

-The king is talking the whole time

peasants in fields saw female and male creatures and told the king's wise men

-Grendel they named the man one, no one knows if there were any before them or any other creatures like them

-The creatures lived in a secret wolf den with rocks and a waterfall to an underground lake (my visual interpretation of the text) It's very dark, roots hanging from the top, no one knows how deep

-The king wants Beowulf to kill the mother, Beowulf is his only help and hope of "being saved", he will reward him with gold and treasure for winning

-(Beowulf is speaking to the men) To Hrothgar, if he(Beowulf) should die during battle, he wants Hrothgar to be "Father and protector" of his comrades. He wants Higlac to have the things Hrothgar gave him. To Unferth, who questioned his bravery before the Grendel battle, he leaves his "famous old sword" <symbolic value

-He jumped into the lake without others responding

-Sank for "hours" before reaching the bottom

-Grendel's mother saw him, her "welcome" was trying to kill him, but his armor was too strong to penetrate

-She carried him to her home, he couldn't get out his weapon

the fight brought other monsters swimming to see

-She brought him into her home which nothing could attack them in

-He attacked her but realized he couldn't hurt her

-They continue to fight, and she draws a blade on him, her only son, but she hit his armor and he was unharmed

-He then struck her across the neck and rejoiced at her death

-He then picked up his sword and went to find Grendel but found him dead

-Beowulf then left taking nothing but Grendels head and the jeweled sword

-The Geats rejoiced when Beowulf returned

-They then gifted the Danes with Grendel's head

-Beowulf honored by Hrothgar

-He becomes king

rules Greatland for 50 years

-Dragon comes into kingdom when -Beowulf is an old man

he decided to slay the beast 

before battle, tells his men about the royal house wanted to fight without any armor, then realizes the dragon breathes fire believes he's the only man who can do it. 

-wants to claim dragon's riches

dragon attacked with breathe first

his armor held up, then started to melt

-first time in life, he fought with fate against him

-his sword broke in two, but got a stab into the dragon

-Beowulf fell back, dragon attacked, breathed fire at him, he suffered

once king, now a beaten warrior 

all other men fleed without helping him

-only man that stayed was Wiglaf, Wexstan's son

-Wiglaf's mind was made up, he raised his shield and drew his sword

Onela got armor from the king. 

Wexstan kept the shining gifts for his son but was killed. 

-His heir, Wiglaf, inherited the treasures. He went into war with Beowulf and was strong and courageous. 

-Wiglaf brought the soldiers together, telling them Beowulf had given them the swords, it is time to defend with them. It is better for them to suffer than to cause agony to the king. He yelled encouragement and went into the dragons deadly flames. 

-Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon. -The Beowulf is wounded and is dying. He asks Wiglaf to retrieve the treasure the dragon was protecting.  -Wiglaf goes into the cave. Finds lots of gold and sparkling things. He grabs as much as he can and takes it to the dying king. 

-Beowulf says he gave his life for this treasure, use it to help and lead his people. 

-He said he wanted to be burned high at the waters edge so sailors could see this tower and call it Beowulf's tower. He gave all he had to Wiglaf and said their family had been swept away as warriors and now he was following them. Then he died. 

-Wiglaf is mad at those who deserted Beowulf

-The Geats burn his body. 

-The Geats built the tall and strong tower Beowulf requested, his ashes sealed inside. All the treasure was left at his grave deep in the ground.  -Twelve men road around the tower telling of their stories and sadness and of his greatness. They said there was not other king worthy of such praise. 

MY OPINION ISNT A RIGHT

Socratic Seminar Notes

-I have no right to my opinion... At all

-I can now accept that. 

-So thank you Dr. Preston for enlightening me on this wonderful learning experience. 

-Debating with you was delightful. 

From Legend to History Notes

The Conquest of Britain

- Britons and Gaels (both Celts) invaded the British isles; The Celts were farmers and hunters organized into clans 

- The next conquerors were the Romans, their rule later for more than 300 years

- Then the Angle Saxons invaded and took over most of today's England

The Coming of Christianity

- Romans accepted Christianity and the Celtic Christian Church continued to thrive after the Celts fled

Danish Invasion

- The Danish attacked the monasteries and the English were forced to accept their rule 

The Reign of the Plantagenets

-King Henry founded the royal house of Plantagenet, but argued extensively with the Church 

The Magna Carta

- The king promised not to tax land without first meeting with the barons 

- Restricted royal power 

Lancaster, Yorks, and Tudors

- The House of Lancaster replaced the Plantagenets on the throne

Decline of the Feudal System

- The social structure of England was changing; a massive labor shortage increased the value of a peasants work