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Sunday, December 11, 2011

I Believe!!!!

I believe that we will be able to come to together, like these fans at Utah State University, and in doing so we can create the worlds greatest mindmap to date.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Extra Credit Lit Anal (Kite Runner)

1. Amir, the main character, has to overcome obstacles in Afganistan and Pakistan. Amir is the narrator who is looking into his past. His past was full of tragedies but also success. Amir loses some of his closest friends and family, but later becomes an author. Amir also has to save a young boy in order to atone his sins against Hassan.
2. The theme of this novel is redemption. Amir through out the story was trying to redeem himself through Baba's eyes. For example Amir thought if he could win the kite-flying tournament, so he could redeem himself.
3. The tone of The Kite Runner is tragic. One example is when Amir's friend Hassan was raped. Their friendship fell apart after this tragic incident. Another example was when Amir and his father had to leave Afganistan, they left all their friends and family back home. The last example was when his father's friend Rahim Khan died. Rahim was the one who encouraged Amir to become a writer.
4. Flashbacks were used many times in the novel. They were used to understand his past. The author also used imagery to describe certain events to make as if it was real. The book was written in 1st person which helped me understand the narrators point of view of the story. The setting also helped me understand the story better. The setting was in the Middle East. After researching the events that happend in the 80's in the Middle East. I understood the book better.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Bibliomancy

Divination by means of a book, especially the Bible, opened at random to some verse or passage, which is then interpreted.



Failed Attempt

Asyndeton

A rhetorical term for a writing style that omits conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.

Example in Lord of The Flies: The evening whispered perfume, the twilight warmed his eyes, the dancing melted her inhibitions, the second burrito grande spoiled his moment
                                                                                 Start at 1:35

Assonance

*The repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences, and together with alliteration and consonance serves as one of the building blocks of verse

  • Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
  • Hear the mellow wedding bells.
  • Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.
  • And murmuring of innumerable bees.
  • The crumbling thunder of seas.
  • That solitude which suits abstruser musings.
  • The scurrying furred small friars squeal in the dowse.
  • Hear the lark and harken to the barking of the dark fox gone to ground.
  • Dead in the middle of little Italy, little did we know that we riddled two middle men who didn't do diddily."
  • It's hot and it's monotonous.
  • Tundi tur unda.
  • With the sound, with the sound, with the sound of the ground.
  • On a proud round cloud in a white high night.
  • I never seen so many Dominican women with cinnamon tans.
  • Up in the arroyo a rare owl's nest I did spy, so I loaded up my shotgun and watched owl feathers fly.
  • Archetype

    the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.

    Here are some of Jung's classic archetypes:

    The father: Stern, powerful, controlling
    The mother: Feeding, nurturing, soothing
    The child: Birth, beginnings, salvation
    Story archetypes
    The hero: Rescuer, champion
    The maiden: Purity, desire
    The wise old man: Knowledge, guidance
    The magician: Mysterious, powerful
    The earth mother: Nature
    The witch or sorceress: Dangerous
    The trickster: Deceiving, hidden
    Animal archetypes
    The faithful dog: Unquestioning loyalty
    The enduring horse: Never giving up
    The devious cat: Self-serving

    Apostrophe

    Is an exclamatory rhetorical figure of speech, when a speaker or writer breaks off and directs speech to an imaginary person or abstract quality or idea. In dramatic works and poetry written in or translated into English, such a figure of speech is often introduced by the exclamation "O".

    *"Where, O death, thy sting? where, O death, thy victory?" 1 Corinthians 15:55, (Saint) Paul of Tarsus
    *"O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! / Thou art the ruins of the noblest man / That ever lived in the tide of times." Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1
    *"Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee! I have thee not, and yet I see thee still." Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 1

    Aphorism

    A terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation, as “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” 

    Science is organized knowledge. — Herbert Spencer
    Lost time is never found again. — Benjamin Franklin
    Greed is a permanent slavery. — Ali
    Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
    Death with dignity is better than life with humiliation. — Husayn ibn Ali

    Monday, November 28, 2011

    Anecdote

    Is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. An anecdote is always presented as based on a real incidentinvolving actual persons, whether famous or not, usually in an identifiable place. Ex:  A parable from the Bible could be called an anecdote.

    Anaphora

     The use of a word as a regular grammatical substitute for a preceding word or group of words, as the use of it and do in I know it and he does too


    Ambiguity

    doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention: to speak with ambiguity; an ambiguity of manner


                                                The Godfather

     
                                          


                                                                  

                                           American Gangster
    *It is perhaps stating the obvious to say that issues surrounding law and order have traditionally been a central theme of crime movies in general and gangster movies in particular. That is what the films are about, since the central characters operate outside the law, the narratives encompass their relationships with the agencies of law enforcement, while the plots are (generally) structured around the processes by which they are brought to justice or otherwise get their come-uppance. But running through what has been characterised as the gangster sub-genre is a series of ambiguities about the definition and enforcement of laws and social norms more generally, reflecting a fundamental ambivalence in audiences’ (and indeed society’s) stance towards the gangster-hero.

    Allegory

    Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation.


    File:013 le vite, ambrogio lorenzetti.jpg
    Ambrogio Lorenzetti

    File:Filippino Lippi 001.jpg
    Allegory of Music

    Tuesday, November 22, 2011

    Anachronism

    *something or someone that is not in correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time: The sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.

    * One thing that most people of think of when they here an anachronism is Back to the Future where modern people are able to time travel and once they get to their destination they seem out of place and lost

    * Anachronisms are also used in modern day movies, the newest example most people think of is Transformers. The machines that land in our planet are highly advanced and seem like a figment of our imagination.

    Search myself

    1)CHAD ALAN FOSTER
    Substance Possession n Iowa

    2) Chad Alan Foster
    Random Facebook person

    The Thing these two people have in common with me is that they both have the same full name I do and these are the ones that pop up most frequently.

    Thinking Outside The Box

    Plato and Satre describe our ignorance to a broader view of thinking through allegory's or analogies. By seeing the Cave as a place where we percieve our own concept of reality and the shackles are our excuse for those misguided thoughts and actions. In our own concept of hell where there is no idea for an outside world and what you get is what you get we see that we can become captive when settling for what we think is reality. Solutions to this would be to challenge ourselves and "think outside the box" so that we can enjoy every part of our life.

    Saturday, November 19, 2011

    Lit Analysis 3

    1. Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, is a play about a family called the Loman's. The main character, named Willy, is the father and a salesman who is always commuting great distances for his job. He and his oldest son, Biff, seem to not get along and are constantly argueing. The audience learns that Willy loved his son the most when he was younger and was a stud football player. Biff would have been able to play football in college, but had poor grades in school. He had an opportunity to go to summer school and fix his grades, but decided not to. This really upset Willy and permanently damaged their relationship. Willy and his other son Happy seem to have a much better relationship and get along much better. Willy's wife's name is Linda and they have been married for awhile, but Linda wants Willy to get closer places to sale since he's getting older. Willy eventually talks to his boss, but this leads to the loss of his job. Linda is worried about her husband, because she feels he is thinking of death. Willy is so devastated about losing his job, because his life as a salesman has been such a huge part of his life. He does think about death and tries to kill himself a couple times. Willy is also constantly day dreaming and this is how the reader learns more about him and his family. Toward the end of the play, Willy dies by driving and getting in a car crash. His family is very sad and the play ends with his funeral.

    2. One of the main themes in Death of a Salesman is "chasing the american dream" and throughout the story Willy believes that a hard working business man should and will live a material and comfortable life. Since he is such a strong believer in this, he ends up having serious psychological problems when he loses his job and realizes that his dream of the perfect life is over. This leads to his downfall and eventually his death.

    3. The tone in the play is mostly serious and sad. Willy reminisces about when Biff and Happy were younger and when they had a closer relationship, but those were really the only pleasant moments. The rest of the story was really serious and it was troubling that Biff and Willy had such a shaky realtionship. None of the characters seemed very happy, and Linda seemed to always be worried about Willy. It was also sad that Willy never mended his relationship with Biff and that Willy really fell apart when he lost his job.

    4.A literary technique that is used in this play is symbolism and it was demonstrated by the seeds that Willy would plant in his garden. If Willy can suceed in making the seed grow and become something, maybe he will suceed as a dad and as a salesman. Or maybe they represent something that Willy can make better by growing them into something strong, because he's not suceeding in the growth of his business or relationship with Biff. Another form of symbolism is the rubber hose, which Willy uses to try and attempt suicide. This is also ironic because the substance that he tried to kill himself with is also what he used in his home with for his and his family's health and comfort. A different element the author uses is hyperbole and Willy exagerates the american dream. His whole life is consumed by this idea and it overtakes his existence. Also Arthur Miller uses flashbacks so the audience can get background information he feels is important.

    Friday, November 18, 2011

    The Cave

    The "Allegory of the Cave" mirrors the philosophers journey. Socrates felt like he was seeing the bigger picture in the world, and when he tried to go out and tell people they killed him. The freed prisoner from the cave is a direct relation to Socrates life as a philosopher. In the cave the prisoners were wearing shackles. They saw only the shadows of workers on the back of the cave wall caused by a burning fire, and they thought that was all there was. They didn't know that the shadows were a mere reflection of something else. When one of the prisoners got free, he discovered that there was an entire world out there that he never knew. He saw the light and the sun for the first time. When he tried to go back and tell the other prisoners, they resisited. They did not want to believe that everything they saw and knew was a simple reflection of something bigger.

    Tuesday, November 15, 2011

    The main question?

    What factors influence our ethical decisions? Metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics are used in everyday ethical decisions, so what causes us to apply these meanings to our decisions?

    Friday, November 11, 2011

    11-11-11 Vetran's Day

    Let us never forget those who gave their lives to this country

    Hamlet Essay: Re-Do


    Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, is based on a young man named Hamlet who seeks to avenge his father’s death. Throughout the play, his use of per formative utterance influences the way he behaves toward other characters, and Hamlet eventually transforms from a man of words to a man of action. As a result of self-overhearing, it changed the way I behaved similar to Hamlet.

    For Hamlet nothing is simple, everything raises questions. His dilemma is not about what decisions he should take but rather whether he will be able to make any decisions at all. According to some interpretations, Hamlet makes no decisions and instead projects the image of an indecisive, inactive and passive individual, a romantic incapable of action who is sniveling and pathetic; he is nothing but a compulsive talker taking pleasure in his own words. Hamlet astonishes us with soliloquies of unequalled beauty, his emotions are of stunning force, but he does not evolve beyond them. This is why T.S. Eliot regarded Hamlet as a failure and said that it presented a character 'dominated by an emotion which is inexpressible because it exceeds the events that occur'. Why so much emotion and so little action?

    Throughout Hamlet, it clearly showed how he was more of a speaker than a doer. We read and even memorized one of his speeches (“To be or not to be”) of him talking to himself pondering on what he should do. He “talked the talk” but didn’t necessarily “walk the walk” until the very end of the play when he finally completed his task in avenging his uncle. In his spoken words, he was definite, but in his actions he displayed uncertainty and weakness. And in succeeding his long-term duty, I think Hamlet revealed that he was capable of doing something he didn’t believe he could do. I can relate to Hamlet in this speech because i occasionally will talk to myself when I am studying or even driving just because I seem to get bored and I begin to ponder my actions.

    Overall, per formative utterance plays a key role in Hamlet in that it results in self-overhearing. Throughout his soliloquies, mental actions and thoughts, his constant strategy's to himself only enabled him to precede his tasks mentally on what he wanted to do without physically taking action.

    Tuesday, November 8, 2011

    Hamlet vs. Beowulf




    Since the dawn of civilization, language has been recognized as a powerful tool to manipulate and control people. In Hamlet by Shakespeare and in Beowulf by Unknown the authors use two completely different languages to show what the main characters are thinking. In Hamlet, words serve as weapons to manipulate other people and achieve their personal goals. While in Beowulf metaphors, exaggeration, and alliteration are three devices that together allow the reader to experience this poem from a different point of view.

    “I am thy father's spirit; Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night, And for the day confin'd to wastein fires, Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature Are burnt and purg'd away.” In Act 1, Sc. 4 Hamlet has trouble depicting truth from fantasy in this scene, whether or not to believe the ghost who assumes the form of his deceased father. This causes Hamlet to constantly question himself, and his actions. This is different from Beowulf because Beowulf is a very strong man, who has a very strong mindset and will not differentiate from his plan no matter what the circumstances may be.

    “Beowulf got ready, donned his war-gear, indifferent to death; his mighty, hand-forged, fine-webbed mail, would soon meet with the menace underwater.” This quote from Beowulf is showing that through Bewoulf’s actions he proves that he is a fearless warrior who will not question his own decisions. While, in Hamlet we learn that through his use of lanuage he is a very weak individual who will not make up his mind.

    After reading these two stories about heroes, I have realized how much language can influence a character’s actions. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet is affected by his own doings. While in Beowulf, Beowulf is influenced by the actions of other characters and will not stop until he has accomplished what he has set forth to do.

    Monday, November 7, 2011

    The Major Concept

    The major concept I learned this year was how to use technology to my advantage. I think it is important to use the technology that you have available to you. When you are able to use these resources correctly you are able to discover information that once seemed foreign to you. That is why I believe technology is the most important thing I have learned this year .

    Thursday, November 3, 2011

    Video Conference with Roy Christopher

    In today's video conference we learnedmany new things about the we think of technology. Here are some on the most important facts I jotted down. Roy was an amazing person to talk with and I would like to thank him for his time spent with us, and if you would personally like to thank him follow him on twitter @roychristopher

    Sunday, October 23, 2011

    Lit Analysis: Things They Carried

    1) The Things They Carried is a story written by Tim O' Brien. The main plot of the story is the journey the main character takes when he is drafted into service for the Vietnam war. Each chapter describes a different part of his journey, and he shares the hardships that he is forced to face.

    2) I believe one of the major themes of the novel is courage. The main character is not only courageous when he charges the battle but, he is also courageous when he is able to forgive himself for the mistakes he has made in his life.

    3)The authors tone is very relaxed and easy going. It is like he is telling the story to a friend whom he trusts and respects and knows is willing to listen. His diction is not very complicated and his style is easy to read. although he writes the story in this manner, his message is very clear and important.

    4)Some literary techniques that helped me to further understand the prompt was his diction, syntax, , and characterization. His use of less compels diction helped me to understand what was going on. he simply explained everything that he needed to in a simple and organized manner. His syntax was also very clear and easy to understand. Everything the author wrote flowed very well and was easy to understand.

    Friday, October 21, 2011

    Technology Changes The Way We Think

    I've found that extensive use of internet, media and technology have made me lazy and distracted. Not only am I distracted by text messages and facebook, but also music. I have Itunes running at all times and tend to put on music which is very distracting. I zone out very easily. For example when I'm doing homework and I cannot find the answer I'll look on google instead of figuring out to do it. Technology has not only distracted the world but it has also made it lazy.

    Wednesday, October 19, 2011

    In Search Of

    This information has me thinking differently about what I see online by "puzzling the will," if satellites can control what I view online then what do I do to get a full spectrum of information? That is truly the question proposed in this video. Also, what am I not able to see? When I re-did my Shakespeare search I refined my search terms to phrases like who was William Shakespeare? Or when did Shakespeare live? Instead of broad searches this enabled me to view more credible sources instead.

    Tuesday, October 18, 2011

    Notes on Hamlet

    When we first started this Act, I was very one sided, I didn't really care about Act 3, I just wanted it to end. But, after reading this Act, I'm very interested about reading more because I really like the way Shakespeare wrote Hamlet as a character. Throughout Act 3 Hamlet is contemplating killing himself because he is great pain after his father's death, but he has decided to go after the real source of pain, Claudius. Hamlet has said he will uncover the truth of his father's murder so that the people of the kingdom will know too.

    Who was Shakespeare?

    Little is actually known for sure about the man we call William Shakespeare, although his is a name familiar to nearly every English speaking person. His birthday is a guess, and just what he looked like is a mystery. Even his identity itself is sometimes disputed. But most people today consider Shakespeare the greatest of all dramatists. His plays demonstrate a profound understanding of the nature of humanity. His skill with language and his ability to construct a story through dramatic and poetic means is unequaled.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

    http://www.ljhammond.com/essays/shak1.htm

    To Facebook or Not to Facebook

    When I first created my Facebook, I was amazed how ad free it was and how easy it was to find friends. But, now I am just bored and tired of the whole thing, and am not able to delete it because of how Zuckerberg set up the website. You are not able to delete it because to Zuckerberg you are just money in his wallet, because the more members he has the more money he makes. Once I read this article I realized that these kids that are 12 years old who created a Facebook, will never be able to delete it throughout their lives.

    Monday, October 10, 2011

    (Don't) Be Hamlet


    Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy is arguably the most famous soliloquy in the history of the theatre. Even today, 400 years after it was written, most people are vaguely familiar with the soliloquy even though they may not know the play. What gives these 34 lines such universal appeal and recognition? What about Hamlet's introspection has prompted scholars and theatergoers alike to ask questions about their own existence over the centuries? 

    In this soliloquy , Shakespeare strikes a chord with a fundamental human concern: the validity and worthiness of life. Would it not be easier for us to simply enter a never-ending sleep when we find ourselves facing the daunting problems of life than to "suffer / the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune"? However, it is perhaps because we do not know what this endless sleep entails that humans usually opt against suicide. "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil / Must give us pause." Shakespeare seems to understand this dilemma through his character Hamlet, and thus the phrase "To be, or not to be" has been immortalized; indeed, it has pervaded our culture to such a remarkable extent that it has been referenced countless times in movies, television, and the media. Popular movies such as Billy Madison quote the famous phrase, and www.tobeornottobe.com serves as an online archive of Shakespeare's works. Today, a Shakespeare stereotype is held up by the bulk of society, where they see him as the god of drama, infallible and fundamentally superior to modern playwrights. However, this attitude is not new. Even centuries ago, the "holiness" of Shakespeare's work inspired and awed audiences.


    There are a hundred characters in [Shakespeare's] plays that (if we may be allowed the expression) speak out of character. ... The head and shoulders introduce the famous soliloquy of Hamlet. He had some reason to revenge his father's death upon his uncle, but he had none to take away his own life. Nor does it appear from any other part of the play that he had any such intention. On the contrary, when he had a fair opportunity of being put to death in England he very wisely retorted the villainy of his conductors on their own heads.

    But it produces an infinitely greater effect than could be expected of an argument on suicide and death in tragedy; and this is because a large part of the audience not only knows it by heart as well as they do the Lord's Prayer, but listens to it, so to speak, as if it were a Lord's Prayer, not indeed with the profound reflections which accompany our sacred prayer, but with a sense of solemnity and awe, of which some one who does not know England can have no conception.

     Decide whether, after our present state, we are to be or not to be. That is the question which, as it shall be answered, will determine whether 'tis nobler and more suitable to the dignity of reason to.

    Wednesday, September 21, 2011

    Kafka on the Shore

    1) Kafka on the Shore is a coming-of-age story told in a magical realist style. The story concerns two men: Kafka Tamura, a fifteen-year-old boy from Tokyo running away from an emotionally abusive father; and Nakata, an older man who can communicate with cats. These two travel throughout the south of Japan in search of the mysterious entrance to a spiritual realm.
    2)The power and beauty of music as a communicative medium is a central theme of the novel. I believe that this is the theme because Kafka uses music to calm him down and speak to others. Another reason why is because the novel itself is named after a popular song in those times.
    3) The tone of this novel would have to be wisdom. For example, on page 66 it states "Man alive, how'd you get all that blood all over you? What the hell were you doing? But you don't remember a thing, do you. No wounds on you, though, that's a relief. No real pain, either-except for that throbbing in your left shoulder. So the blood's gotta be from somebody else, not you. Somebody else's blood." This shows that Kafka's conscience, "Crow" is really is inner reflection.
    4)The main literary element that I can find in this novel is magical realism, the author uses magical realism to describe how Kafka is having sexual relationships with a ghostly woman, who really turns out to be his own mother who he has been searching for the either story.