Final Project: Poem Remix

Everything is going to be alright. Sorry for the delay, there were a lot of difficulties. Enjoy!

Poem Remix: http://youtu.be/KpdcO2b3Sdk

Literature Analysis #1 [Carrie by Stephen King]

1. What drew you to this book?  What did you expect and/or hope to experience through reading it?
- The movie version drew me to the book. I expected to get more of a background to the story and just more details about it in general.

2. What kept you reading past the first ten pages?
- What kept me reading past the first ten pages was curiosity. I wanted to find out how they were going to do certain things they did in the movie, in the book. I was also curious of the books plot all together.

3. Describe your reading habits.
- I like to read and usually when I'm reading something I'm into, and something I enjoy, I read a lot of it in a short amount of time. It doesn't take me a long time to read. It's just difficult most times because I don't always have the time to read.


~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
- The plot of the novel is a teenage basket case who is abused by her overly religious mother who comes to find out she has telekinesis. The point of view is omniscient. We are able to see what's going on in other minor characters lives instead of the main characters life (Carrie.) I think the author wanted to make it interesting by intertwining the different storylines.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
- The theme of the novel is that karma is a bitch. All throughout her life, Carrie was bullied and finally she got revenge towards her bullies and all the people who wronged her.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
- The author's tone throughout the novel is 

5 Paragraph Essay

              In my opinion, poems, for the most part, are sad. Now I know not all poems are created alike but, the poem my group picked, Everything is Going to be Alright, stands out from the rest by far. 

              There are many differences between poems, like length, diction, tone and subject. In the poem my group and I picked, the tone is very optimistic and the diction is pretty easy to read and understand. The length of this poem is relatively short, and the subject is about being happy and grateful for things in life. 

              The poem "Summons," by Robert Francis is about, well, what I'm getting from it, a person who is depressed and needs someone to help them in their time of need. This poem is completely different from the poem I picked by not only the way it was written but what it's specifically about. "Summons," seems sad because it talks about how tired someone is and because they don't use any "happy" words. 

              "Everything is Going to be Alright," talks about being appreciative of the world and says that yeah, people die and we can't avoid death but we shouldn't worry about that. We should be happy because isn't it so awesome that the sun rises and sets EVERYDAY? The world is so cool and we should love that.

              Being content with your life and life in general is one of the best feelings ever. You're lucky if you've ever felt it in your life before. This poem is about that and is about positivity rather than focus on things that make us sad or are dreadful. I think it's so important to be happy in general; and to incorporate that feeling into a poem, which is a big change because the majority of poetry is melancholy, it's a big deal and really cool.

Intro to Poetry

1.) What is the significance of the title?
- The title gives the reader an idea of what the poem is going to be about. And in this case "Everything is Going to be Alright," just goes out and says what it's going to be about.

 2.) What is the tone of the poem?
- The tone of this poem is very optimistic and you can tell that the author is very observant. They acknowledge the fact that death is inevitable but we shouldn't worry about that and we should be happy.

3.) What is your mood as you read it?
- My mood as I read this poem is being content with everything around me. They talk about the sun and the clouds and thinking about that makes me happy and grateful for the world in general.

4.) Is there a shift? Where? From what to what?
- There is a slight shift near the beginning about death but then quickly bounces back to being happy and appreciative. It touches bases with dealing with death but then says we shouldnt worry about it.

5.) What is the theme of the poem?
- The theme of the poem, or the central message, is to be grateful and appreciative because the sun rises and sets everyday. It also means that if you do that then you will be content and happy with your life and that's a really awesome feeling. Don't worry about death or sad things, just live in the moment and enjoy life.

WATCH

This sort of has to do with Fahrenheit 451, and how dependent everyone is on technology. And I know it was a while ago but I thought I'd share. It's important to understand the meaning behind what he's saying because a lot of people my age deal with this. It's also really funny because they're both smart comedians.
Louis C.K. Hates Cell Phones: http://youtu.be/5HbYScltf1c

Immigrants of our own land

I think that this poem makes sure that people know that immigrants do not live an easy or good life. It definitely shuts down the previous view of glamourizing immigration into the United states. I think it's really important that it was written. I think it would help me learn more about it if I knew when it was written.

Vocabulary Fall List 8

ruinous- disastrous or destructive
» The tornado was very ruinous and civilians homes were trashed.
quavered- to nervously shake when talking
» While giving his speech, the speakers voice quavered and you knew he was anxious.
certitude- absolute certainty or conviction that something is the case
» When the girl was asked where she was, and being falsely accused, by her mother, she answered with certitude.
notch- an indentation on a surface
» There were several notches on the amplifier.
perspired- to sweat
» The culprit was perspiring profusely in the interrogation room.
manifested- to display a quality or feeling ny one's acts or appearance
» When Gabe was told to do an impression of the teacher, he totally manifested her personality.
latrine- a toilet or outhouse
» Shreks bathroom is a latrine.
uttered- to make a sound with one's voice
» He was hesitant at first but I finally got him to talk- and he uttered out how he wanted to break up.
parried- to ward off
» One of the pirates parried the other and then he fell off the boat.
oracle- someone who is a medium giving advice
» Once the confused lady talked to the oracle, she knew everything was going to be okay.
conscious- aware of one's surroundings
» The young boy could never to anything bad because he had a very guilty conscious.
anesthetized- to induce a loss of consciousness
» When getting his wisdom teeth out, the man has to be anesthetized.
tyranny- cruel and oppressive government
» Napoleon Bonaparte was in power with a tyranny.
folly- lack of good sense
» When it came to making important decisions, the lady knew she could trust her husband because he was dumb and folly.
dreary- lifeless and depressing
» In Fahrenheit 451, Mildreds personality is very dreary.
grotesque- repulsively ugly and distorted
» The monster in the horror movie was so grotesque that most movie goers had to leave the showing early.
reckoning- estimation or someone's opinion
» I didn't value her reckoning because I thought she was wrong.

Special Vocabulary Deal

cowardice- lack of bravery
The cowardice speaker's voice was shaking and you could tell he was nervous.
refuge- a condition of being safe
The couple resorted to taking refuge inside a coffee shop when the rain started pouring.
harlequin- a mute character or multicolored
The harlequin on Hollywood Boulevard was getting the least amount of tips.
flinging- to throw or hurl something forcefully
Since she was lazy and didn't want to get up, the girl ended up flinging the mail to her mother.
praetorian- based on having similarities to the two Roman magistrates
When recreating a traditional Roman play, the main character had to have a sense of praetorian in him.
insidious- harmful effects proceeding in a subtle way
AIDs has very insidious side effects and most result in death.
linguists- a person skilled in foreign languages
A foreign student must be gifted in some sort of linguists.
arsonists- person who commits arson, setting fire to property
In Fahrenheit 451, Montag was an arsonist because of his career.

vocabulary fall list 6

pratfall- a fall, a humiliating action

• When we were all on the trampoline, Stacy took a pratfall and everyone laughed at her.

bewilderedly- to confuse or befuddle, shock

• When she promised not to color her hair, and showed up to school with colored hair, I had a bewilderedly reaction.

titillation- a tingling feeling of excitement

• His foot rubbed up against mine on accident and it gave me a sense of titillation.

theremin- an electronic instrument which makes a high pitched noice.

• If you watch a scary movie and you hear the noise of the theremin, you know someones going to get killed.

tabloids- sensational in a lurid o vulgar way, newspaper

• I don't read the tabloids because theyre always about someone who's famous for no reason.

centrifuge- a machine that separates two fluids based on density

• The scientists used a centrifuge when they analyzed people's blood tests.

haltingly- to do something in a halting manner

• He had a suspicion about what would be down the hallway so he haltingly turned the corner very slow.

probing- to explore something

• Before entering the cave the scientists sent a robot probing around to make sure there were no surprises.

stagnant- having no current or flow

• When she was given the bad news she remained stagnant because she was used to being upset.

cacophony- a discordant of sounds

• Everyone was feeling sick and the cacophony of loud music and people yelling was not helping at all.

VOCABULARY CANDIDATES

• theremin
• noncombustible
• rationalizing
• pedestal
• incinerator
• luminescent
• tabloid
• drear
• bewilderedly
• ventilator

what are we talking about?

          I'm posting this kind of late because I was listening to what people were talking about today, Wednesday, because I forgot to listen yesterday. People on this campus were talking about (mainly) what was happening at school. One person was talking about how stressed they were about their grades. Another was just talking about where they were gonna sit during lunch. I'm sure conversations vary depending on different groups of friends and people. Mostly people don't have deep intelligent conversations because they don't have the time. Passing periods are ten minutes and lunch is only like a half an hour so people can't really strike up interactions with one another, at least not ones that matter.

vocabulary fall list 6

tatters- torn remnants.
merely- just; only
vast- a very great extent or quantity, immense
parlor- a dated way of saying a sitting room
abrupt(ly)-quickly without warning
refracted- make something change an angle with light.
immense- extremely large or great
imperceptibly- impossible to perceive
ventilator- an appliance that ventilates a room
olfactory- of or relating to sense of smell

FAHRENHEIT 451

five things that will be important:
- book burning in real life
- "suppressing dissenting ideas"
- how society changed so drastically in the near future
- dystopian (?)
- how Bradbury uses symbolism

Fahrenheit 451 Vocab 1

flue
singed
fragile
illumination
Phoenix (disc)
silvered
abruptly
ventilator
mausoleum
refracted

Vocabulary Fall List #4

Melancholy- sadness and pensive. typically with no obvious cause (depression)
~ The student had this overwhelming feeling of melancholy once she had the energy to get out of bed.
Exemplary- serving as a desirable model; representing  the best of its kind.
~ The famous couple had done so much charity work and brought in a lot of money for donations that it was safe to say their track record was exemplary.
Peculiar- strange or odd.
~ People made fun of the boys clothing because it was peculiar.
Dread- greatly feared.
~ I dread going to first period most mornings.
Bough- a main branch of a tree.
~ My buddies and I always love hanging out in the forest and we use the bough as a seat.
Pious- devoutly religious.
~ A lot of Amish people are pious.
Communion- sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.
~ The Christian church held a lot of communions last year in their church.
Auditor- a listener.
~ Secretly no one wanted to be an auditor of the man who wouldn't shut up.
Multitude- state of being numerous (large number)
~ Most musicians start out small but eventually gain a multitude of followers.
Eloquence- fluent or persuasive speaking or writing.
~ The author had a sense of eloquence in his writing which showed he was passionate.
Despair- absence of hope.
~ People who suffer from depression often experience despair, too.
Hoary- old, grayish white.
~ The 80 year old surprisingly did not have hoary skin.

Vocabulary Fall List #3

coherent- logical and consistent
~ His arguments were coherent by using facts.
belabor- to argue or elaborate in excessive detail
~ She was labeled captain obvious because she belabored the audience.
eschew- deliberately avoid using, to abstain from
~ They eschewed any sort of violence while protesting.
acquisitive- excessively interested in acquiring money or material things.
~ The woman's personality was acquisitive because she only liked men with big mansions.
emulate- match or surpass (a person or achievement) typically by imitation
~ He was trying to emulate the successful candidate and turned out to be more famous.
banal- so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.
~ The song had so much banal and was hackneyed because they played it constantly on the radio.
excoriation- harsh criticism
~ You're asking for excoriation if you pull a prank on someone.
congeal- to solidify
~ The blood had congealed into globs.
carping- difficult to please, critical
~ My mom was carping even when I had good grades.
substantiate- provide evidence to support the truth of something
~ Can you substantiate your allegations?
temporize- avoid making a decision or committing onself in order to gain time
~ He temporized for weeks but unfortunately never committed to the relationship.
largesse- generosity in bestowing money or gifts to others.
~ It was sad that she had to show largesse in order to have friends.
tenable- able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection
~ The political party was surprisingly tenable.
insatiable- impossible to satisfy
~ The critic was insatiable with anything.
reconnaissance- surveying or research
~ The aircraft was great for low-level reconnaissance.
germane- relevant to subject under consideration
~ Bringing up Stacy's mother was germane during the debate about her.
ramify-  spread or branch out
~ He finally began to ramify after he graduated out of college.
intransigent- unwilling to change or agree, stubborn
~ It's hard to have a debate with someone who is intransigent.
taciturn- reserved, saying little
~ The freshman was really taciturn because he was new and didn't have any friends.

Vocabulary Fall List 2

intercede- intervene on behalf of another
~ Their argument would have turned violent if I hadn't interceded.
hackneyed- lacking significance through having been overused
~ The picture of the couple walking on the beach was so typical and hackneyed.
approbation- approval or praise.
~ The artist had received approbation from her critics.
innuendo- an allusive remark or hint, suggestive
~ His stage presence gave off a strong innuendo.
coalition- an alliance for combined action
~ The anti-German coalition was formed at the beginning of WW2.
elicit- draw out a response, answer or fact from someone in reaction to one's own action or question
~ Her jokes were not funny but they eventually elicited laughs from the crowd.
hiatus- a pause or gap in a sequence
~ Many singers go on a hiatus to record music and make a good comeback.
assuage- to make an unpleasant feeling less intense
~ He was able to assuage bad feelings after he dumped her.
decadence- luxurious or self-indulgence
~ The use of decadence was thorough throughout the Great Gatsby.
expostulate- express strong disapproval or disagreement
~ I expostulated with him in vain.
simulate- to pretend to have or feel an emotion
~ The actor had to simulate pleasure when acting out something uncomfortable.
jaded- tired, bored or lacking enthusiasm
~ She started to feel jaded after working out at the gym for days on end.
umbrage- offense of annoyance
~ He took umbrage to his friends constant remarks.
prerogative- a right or privilege exclusive to a particular person or class
~ Owning a mansion was the prerogative of the wealthy.
lurid- vivid or shocking
~ Some lurid details are too much for the faint of heart.
transcend- to go beyond the range of limits
~ The director's visuals transcended all previous beliefs of a typical love story.
provincial- of or concerning a province of a country or empire
~ Many countries had provincial capitals.
petulant- childishly sulky or bad-tempered
~ The kid was moody and petulant.
unctuous- excessively or ingratiatingly flattering
~ He seemed unctuous and like a kiss- up to the teachers.meritorious- deserving reward or praise
~ A medal went to the person who had meritorious actions.

Fall Vocab List #1

adumbrate -to indicate or foreshadow slightly
apotheosis -the highest point in the development of something
ascetic -self discipline (religious reasons)
bauble -a small ornament
beguile -to charm or enchant someone (deceptive)
burgeon -begin to grow or increase rapidly
complement -something that completes or makes perfect or expression of praise 
contumacious -disobedient to authority 
curmudgeon -a bad tempered person 
didactic-intended to teach, having moral instruction

Ancient Stories

How is the language in these texts similar to and/or different from the language you use in everyday conversation?

- It is different from the language I use everyday because they use very descriptive diction and every word they use contains a lot of weight and they all have great meaning.

Because it began as an oral story, "White Buffalo Calf Woman" can be found in multiple text versions.  How important is it for a story to be repeated word for word?  Is meaning embellished, distorted, lost, or enhanced in the retelling?

- It is very important for a story to have almost the same language because you want the story to maintain the same value as it did when it started. If people exaggerate the story, orally, then the story can be lost and no one knows the original text word for word.

Assignment #1

What are your reasons for taking this course?
        I thought I was getting just a regular English 3 class, to be completely honest but now I'm realizing it's much more than just a "class"

What are you excited about and what makes you nervous?
       I am excited for a different kind of learning. But I'm also nervous for the same reason. It's something new and it seems awesome but hard to adjust to.

What are your goals for this course?
       I want to be smarter than I was going in.

How do you expect your knowledge and thinking to be improved by taking this course?
       I expect my knowledge to be improved a lot so that I can be prepared for life outside and after high school.

Why Richard Cory would never have surprised an open source learning network the way he surprised the narrator and readers of the poem?
       I think he never would have surprised an open source learning network because it speaks for itself, it's open. As opposed to just reading one thing with nothing else to help you. It's kind of like a kid having strict parents and a kid having really laid-back parents. The kid with the strict parents is not nearly as "used to," I guess, to the regular "shock" value in society today.