Masterpiece Bildungsroman

       My growth in this course has been nearly nonexistent. My closed mind kept me longing for this open source learning environment to turn into a traditional classroom. It was very difficult for me to  express my opinion in the classroom because I was intimidated by the amount of knowledge that all of my classmates had. Almost everyone seemed so confident in what they were talking about. A large aspect of open source learning is trust, without it the whole system would fail. In the beginning everyone deserved the amount of trust they got. As the year went on, however, the majority of the students, including myself, forfeited a lot of that trust due to the lack of consistency in our work. A lot of students found it hard to stay motivated especially when the instructor is not always there; understanding that the absences were for good reason. 

       On a lighter side of the course, there was one moment that stands out when I think about good laughs. While doing review multiple choice questions as a class, Dr. Preston said, "Omar is going to do great on the AP test. If you're not planning on studying with him, you should rethink your plan." (I think it was something like that) Omar then immediately looked at our table group and with a straight face said, "I'm not taking the AP test." I'm not exactly sure why, but Daniel, Jordan, Miles, Emilio and I all thought that it was hysterical. That moment has stuck with me because for that one moment we were all on the same wavelength which I think is pretty cool. 

       Through this course and the completion of my masterpiece, I was able to remember why I love the outdoors and spending time alone. I've always enjoyed hiking and just being in nature, but with sports and school recently I've been too busy to experience it as much as I would have liked to. These past six month or so I have spent a lot more time joking and finding new places to explore and it has been wonderful. I am very thankful for this course because of it has helped me to find my love of nature again and remember how soothing it is to be alone. 

       A hero's journey is a hard one to complete because a hero is a highly praised character with high expectations. Many people would think that I haven't exactly overcome anything this year and that I just flew under the radar. What people don't know is that on March I began suffering from anxiety and an overload of stress which actually affected me physically. I started having trouble just sitting in class because my heart rate would suddenly rise and unwound get a shortness of breath. The stress got to the point where my hair actually started falling out and I do have a bald spot because of it. It took some time and medication but I am now at the point of getting better. My hair has almost completely stopped falling out and the loss of breath has become minimal. This is something that only my family knew about and I was mostly dealing with alone. Being able to overcome this is something that I am very proud of because it was very scary to deal with. 

       I found a mentor in each of my classmates. Every person enjoys and knows about at least one thing that they could talk about for hours. I enjoyed learning about what everyone was passionate about throughout the last few weeks. A reoccurring theme that I noticed in a few presentation was altruism: feelings and behavior that show a desire to help other people and a lack of selfishness. I saw this in Siera Betts, Stevie Wisz, Michael Hall, Hannah Hurd, Judith Lee, Sierra Sanchez, Victoria Tonascia and Melissa Sobzack's masterpieces. Siera Betts was very selfless while feeding the people who live at the Good Samaritan shelter. Stevie Wisz, when she made the goodie-bags for the ill children in the hospital as well as her plan to do something similar on a larger scale. Hannah Hurd, Judith Lee and Sierra Sanchez volunteered their time at the boys and girls club over spring break to spend time with the children and teach them some sports and games. Michael Hall took his love for riddles and brain teasers and brought the class together to see why he enjoys them so much. Melissa Sobzack and Victoria Tonascia talked to homeless people to hear what they enjoy and are in to. They listened to people who regularly wouldn't even be looked at by most people. I think all of these are awesome and inspirational. 

       It may seem as though my growth in this course was minimal but I have learned a lot in untraditional and unexpected ways. I surprised myself in how much I learned in this course by just listening to what everyone has to say. It's unusual for teens and students to be able to just state their opinion, but in this course we were even heard which is even better. 

Macbeth act 1 study questions

I-1

1) Beginning the play with a dialogue between the witches sets the mood to be dark, evil, and mysterious. This foreshadows the plot, theme, and mood for the future of the story in the same manner. In comparison of Shakespeare's other plays, Macbeth requires more ambiguity and the syntax and diction used needs to be more bleak. For example, Hamlet highlighted the themes of betrayal and complexity of relationships and power. Even though, the theme falls in the same ballpark with Macbeth, the gloominess of the plot of Macbeth overpowers that of Hamlet. In the beginning of the play, the witches were going to meet Macbeth at the "ere of sunset." Line 10 was "Paddock calls" and line 11 was "Anon." The phrase paddock class means a toad, which symbolizes transformation. The word anon means soon or shortly. The "toad" and it's transformation could metaphorically be compared to Macbeth and his evolving and transforming to be a completely different person or even having a transformation in his status and power. The witch's response as anon signifies how Macbeth will shortly have a transformation - to be declared a thane. 

I-2

1. The bloody seargent indirectly characterizes Macbeth by glorifying his actions towards Macdonwald. Macdonwald is a rebel who was executed. He tried to attack them. Macbeth executed macdonwald with his sword. This did not end the fight with the rebels, the Norwegians are still attacking.
2. The traitor was the Thane of Cawdor, as we learn from Ross. Duncan says that its a relief the thane of cawdor was executed and that Macbeth now owns his previous title.

I-3

1. The witches speech gives a first look at Macbeth and his wife without saying who they are. Indirect characterization of the two. Similar to Hamlet where he gives a mini synopsis early in the story. "Weird" in Shakespeare's day meant future seers not weird as we know it, prophecy and destiny. Shakespeare means that Macbeth's wife has him by the balls. They  cast a spell to control his destiny. 
2. Macbeth says something very similar to what the witches said at the beginning of the play. This could be him falling into the destiny the witches set up. Dried, chapped fingers, gender ambiguity, hairy, old, they have literal beards. The witches tell Macbeth that he will thane of Candor and eventually King, right then he finds out he is thane of Cawdor. Banquo asked the witch why they had nothing for him, they told him he is lesser but greater than Macbeth. We knew he was thane before he was thane.
3. Banquo says the witches were a figment of their imagination that they lie or that they are hallucinating. Macbeth learns that he is thane of Cawdor from Ross and Angus. During lines 114-156 he was going over his plan in his head and how everything had just happened to him. He acts very happy and shows no incredulity at being thane. Macbeth's aside shows him rationalizing what happened to him and he begins to think that he is going to be King soon. Macbeth tells Banquo that he is happy and excited and nothing more he explains his behavior by saying he is confused.

I-4

1.Cawdor was executed after openly confessing his treason and pleading for mercy. Malcolm tried to stick up for the thane, but the king responds by basically saying that you can't trust a man according to his face. He doesn't believe the thane was truly repentant.

2.The king greets them by saying that he can never repay them enough for their good deeds, but announces he will leave all his estate and names his son, Malcolm, prince of Cumberland. He then proposes that they go to Macbeth's castle at Inverness. Macbeth tells himself that the only way to be king is to get rid of Malcolm, and even though he'll be appalled at his action, he must do it.

I-5

1. Macbeth was honest with his wife when he informs her of his new title as "Thane of Cawdor." He refers to the witches as "weird sisters" probably because he doesn't want her know that he is associated with the "evil servants."

Lady Macbeth responds by saying that she thinks Macbeth is playng things off as if everything is fine. By saying "but be the serpent under't", she describes him as someone that lies to make everything appear under control. This doesn't really match the characterization of Macbeth so far in the story which implies that there is something the audience doesn't know about him. 

2. The wife was confident about the guests visit. She also seemed prepared and a little cocky about the way her and her husband would handle it.

3. Lady Macbeth. Yes she wants to kill Duncan. No, he isn't sure whether he wants to follow through with Lady Macbeths orders or not. She tells him not to let Duncan see tomorrow. 

4. The question appears to answer itself. 

I-6

1. The opening speeches (1.6.1-10) describe how the surroundings of the castle are "pleasant" and the air is sweet-maybe even too sweet. From the outside, the castle appears to be paradise.
Lady Macbeth's welcome is formal. Her language is totally different from her language in the previous scene which shows how fake and dishonest her welcome was.

I-7

1. "If it were done when 'tis done then 'twere well." If it were done when it was done it was done well. (Meaning if he completed the death quickly and efficiently and with no complications then he did the job well.) Macbeth is determined to kill the king and be done with him but in lines 1-12 he is fearful of how the "inventor" will judge his actions. He's violating the hospitality of his kinship and responsibilities as a host towards his guest by trying to kill his guest instead of protecting them. The motivation that Macbeth attributes to himself in lines 25-28 is the attribute of an Arabic heaven-like God. He will be seen as a "God" and that is his source of motivation to get the job done. 

2. In lines 28-30 she is complaining about him leaving the chamber because it was  almost time for dinner. Macbeth responds to her complaining by saying did he ask for me? And lady Macbeth says don't you know he did? The positions are lady Macbeth is ready for the King to be killed while Macbeth is still hesitant and on the fence about it. Macbeth convinced Lady Macbeth by explaining that he is an respected person and doesn't want to lose his honor while Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth by convincing him to gain the power and kill the king. The stronger person in the scene is Lady Macbeth because  she's more verbally confident in her argument while convincing Macbeth to kill the King. 

Masterpiece

I've decided to change my masterpiece idea a bit from what Dr. Preston and I talked about. At the time, I was seeking people's perception of awesomeness, but now I'm looking more to find people's "happy place"; the place people go to find their own peace. I've decided to keep all of the individuals I talk to anonymous and only share their gender and age. I hope that these are helpful to the people who have yet to find a special place to themselves or are searching for something new. 

Notes. Part 2

-when dickens wrote, his neighbors would call the cops because he would literally yell and scream and talk in the voice of his characters while creating them 

-"I'm not really writing lyrics, I'm taking notes at this great concert inside my head" 

-dickens was nuts in a good way because he was a creative genius 

-as students we don't get to see the real authors because we are reading to get the lit terms and whatever else out of it. Not the story 

-people 

-the person behind the story the characters you encounter and the people you collaborate with 

- 

Great expectations notes

 

-pip imagines great things will just happen for him

-children think things will happen if we just wish it 

-pip is an orphan and has a strong sense of being unwanted 

-pip questions whether he is wicked or a good person 

-he doesn't really know what normal is. He has grand expectations and many fears

-has no father 

-the names are very significant 

-the fairytale world is interrupted by the real world 

-he meets two sets of representations of fathers along the way 

-joe is about honest day's work for honest days pay 

-Jagger's knows things about people And he uses it to keep people loyal 

-Estella is not a pure person 

-magwitch has created pips expectations 

-pip comes to an understanding that so many things are recycled and if we feel open to ideas then we come back to them 

-

Hamlet the madman?

As the play begins it seems as though Hamlet is very sane and just in mourning while others are going crazy because of their reactions to the death of Hamlet Sr. Hamlet and the guards seem crazier than anyone else because they can see the ghost of Hamlet while the majority of the royal class cannot see him. As the play goes on, it seems more and more evident that Hamlet is crazy in a genius way. After his talk with the ghost, Hamlet seems less upset about his father's death and more angry towards the matter.

Anger and resentment grow inside of Hamlet as Claudius keeps a close eye on him instead of allowing Hamlet to live his own life. Further into the play Claudius realizes why Hamlet is so angry at him, not just because he is being so deceiving towards Hamlet. Hamlet knows that he wants to kill Claudius but also knows that no one will understand why unless Claudius tells the truth about killing Hamlet's father. On his quest to kill Claudius is when more people begin to think Hamlet is insane because he actually wants people to believe that which is why he is so ingenious. Without his father being murdered, Hamlet probably wouldn't have gone crazy, but it is also because of how his father died and the actions of the people around him. Hamlet is able to act crazy while around Polonius, Claudius and Ophelia but when he speaks to his mother, his emotions get the best of him and he nearly reveals his scheme to her because he is so torn between wanting to love his mother as a son should and hating her for being the traitor that she is.

Once the ghost makes a presence in Hamlet's life, everything changes. The ghost changed Hamlet's perspective on Claudius and Gertrude and many of his loyal friends'. There is a lot of truth to this because with just one conversation with the ghost, Hamlet sees that Claudius isn't the great uncle that he claims to be, Gertrude is the loyal, loving mother and wife that everyone thinks she is and Polonius is with whoever can give him a better life along with many of Hamlet's so called friends. This leads to fear and anger in Hamlet and brings nothing but negative thoughts to his head. The ghost is the main reason for Hamlet being crazy or insane.

Poem Comparison

There are so many ways to view or perceive a poem and depending on what a person has been through during their life they can see a poem as dark or gloomy while someone else sees it as happy and inspiring. Whatever anyone has gone through, there is always at least one person who knows how they feel or has gone through something similar. The two poems, "Working Together" by David Whyte and "Everything is Going to be Alright" by Derek Mahon both describe life as difficult but something that is always manageable and something that can be overcome. They highlight the idea that whenever someone feels alone they are never truly alone and they can always find someone to help them through their situation because people working together is so much more strong than one person trying to do it alone. In high school, many students see the world as being against them and there is so much holding them back and very little to look forward to, however these poems insinuate that there is something wonderful to look forward to after high school. "Working Together" starts off saying that we shape ourselves to fit the world but I think what that really means is that everyone wants to fit in with some sort of group socially and they will shape themselves to fit it. This social group is usually the world to them and by them joining the group they have a chance to shape their world as they see it. The poem ends with the author saying that when we figure ourselves out we will see that we are shaped by the things we cannot see about ourselves and our lives

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The phrase " There will be time," is repeated many times throughout the poem. In the context of the poem we can assume that time allows put things off. "There will be time, to say, "Do I Dare, Do I dare." Prufrock just keeps telling himself he will do it someday, and that way he can hold on to his ideals that he loves. Obviously Prufrock has some serious Performative Utterance gong on. And like in Hamlet he puts things off, and precedes to beat himself up over it. But when he says that, he's not Hamlet he means that he has never taken action at all. " to swell a progress, to start a scene or two." He's articulating the diference between himself and Hamlet. Although Hamlet took a while to kill Claudius, he did take some steps to put himself in the position too. So Prufrock is putting himself below that, saying I havent done any of that. " I grow old, I grow old." Prufrock is reminded that he is growing old, however, which contradicts his, "There will be time," statement. There are a few clues that support this." They will say: How his hair is growing thin." Gives us the connotation that Prufrock is grwoing old and balding. All of this gives the sense that Prufrock will live his life as a man of dreams, but never a man of action. "Till human voices wake us and we drown." What is he waking up from? His "etherization" of inaction? and when he drowns, is that when he realizes it was too late and wallows in guilt and regret? I think so.

Working Together Remix- Mellany

Poem remix

So we couldn't figure out how to post the PowerPoint onto the blog but here are pictures of the slides 

Act 3

Scene 1

Notes

-First acknowledgement from another character of hamlet being crazy 

-"much forcing of his disposition" means he's forcing himself to act crazy 

-polonius is saying that the outward appearance of devotion sweetens over the devil himself

-by looking like you're doing the right thing you can convince people you are good 

-Claudius is feeling guilty

-hamlets friends are on Claudius's side and are trying to get information out of hamlet to report back to Claudius. 

-so if Ophelia. She is supposed to get answers from hamlet and report back to her dad 

-hamlet is taking to Ophelia but commenting on the fact that he doesn't trust her too much and is saying that beauty corrupts honesty and its purposes 

-hamlet doesn't love her anymore 

-hamlet is upset with everyone and he beat himself up and Ophelia verbally 

-he is an imperfect person but compared to everyone else he is a saint 

-hamlet said that women corrupt men 

-Ophelia is being two faced and wears makeup 

-hamlet is mad and making people think he's crazy when he really isn't so when Ophelia says he's got madness it has a duel meaning

-polonius and Claudius were listening to hamlet and Ophelia's conversation 

-Claudius says that he doesn't want anything to happen to hamlet or himself but now he wants to get rid of hamlet 

-polonius thinks that he's right and hamlet was sick over his daughter 

-polonius wants Gertrude to talk to hamlet to get him to talk and he will listen without hamlet knowing and if hamlet really isn't crazy and he is a threat then at that point Claudius could send hamlet to England 

Scene 2

-

Questions 

Act 2

Act 2 scene 1

-polonius wants Reynaldo to pretend that he knows a lot about laertes so that he can find out more 

-Reynaldo doesn't want to say something that isn't true about laertes and make people think he is worse than he is

-by indirections find directions out 

-polonius is a schemer 

Act 2 scene 2

-uncle sent out arrests for his nephew who now obeys him

-nephew still wants to go against the polish 

-hamlets dad didn't kill the king but he defeated the forces of the king 

-brevity is the soul of wit 

-though this be madness, yet there is method in it 

-hamlet is either gone crazy or acting like he has while talking to polonius about his daughter 

-hamlet was faking when speaking to polonius 

-hamlet is friends with rosencrants and guildenstern 

-for there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so 

-what a piece of work is a man 

-the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king 

-hamlet feels like a coward because he isn't able to speak up about his problems 

-the more he thinks about how he hasn't killed his uncle the more he beats himself up

-he's really harsh in himself 

-talk is cheap and its action that is required 

-I'll have these players play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle (this is considered the play within a play) 

Hamlet act 1 scenes 3,4&5

Act 1 scene 3 

-Ophelia is laertes's sister 

-laertes is warning his sister to watch out because hamlet is into her and he's intentions are not completely fair 

-Ophelia is going to listen to her brother but she is still going to do kinda what she wants 

-a family of advice givers but full of integrity 

Act 1 scene 4

-the king is having a party and drinking so the other countries think less of him and don't take him seriously 

-something is rotten in the state of Denmark 

Act 1 scene 5 

-the ghost is hamlets dad 

- he's being punished for the bad deeds he did in his life 

-Claudius killed hamlet 

-the queen knows that Claudius killed hamlet because he seduced her before 

-hamlet was sleeping in his orchard when Claudius came and poured poison in his ear 

-when hamlet died he was still in a state of sin 

-it's not for hamlet to punish his mom, he should leave her to her own guilt 

-the ghost told hamlet to get revenge 

-I have sworn't

-there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy 

-the time is out of joint: O cursed spirit, that ever I was born to set it right!

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 2

-Hamlet, the king has died recently 

-They are grieving but they need to move on

-Hamlets mom married his uncle who is now the king. 

-"a little more than kin, and less than kind." (Hamlets first statement) 

   ~created situational and dramatic irony 

   ~he meant that his uncle shouldn't call him son and he resents Claudius 

-Hamlet won't let Claudius in 

-visage is a facial expression that hamlet used to say that he wasn't showing what he was feeling 

-the outside doesn't portray what people are feeling on the inside

-calls out people who show that they are grieving for his father but may not be actually feeling any grief 

-hamlet wished that suicide wasn't a sin because he would kill himself because he's so angry because he doesn't want to watch what is happening 

-very angry with his mom 

-hamlet's mom married his uncle within a month of his father dying 

-he sees this as betrayal to him and his dad 

-he thought she would mourn longer if she really loved his dad 

- he was very quick to believe that the ghost of his dad was outside the castle 

-he asked many questions about how the ghost of his dad looked when the guards saw him

-asked only fact based questions 

-honorable and humble towards the servants 

Everything is a remix

- took something already existing and added/changed it to make it something else 

- Thomas Edison "invented the lightbulb", but it was really an improvement in electric lamps; he took an existing design and made it viable 

- copy, transform and combine 

- combinations can give you bigger products fast 

- the internet is the network of networks 

- almost every element of Star Wars is a remix of other cinematography and monomyths 

Guiding questions

THE POINT OF CANTERBURY TALES IS...

In the story "Canterbury Tales," the author Chuacer lived in a time period where he had to stay one step smarter then his audience and how the content had to be satirical. Chaucer includes many genres that give a different view on life, different characters, and all the different walks of life and they all tie in with how he felt about his time period and his experiences in life.

Vocab #3

accolade - noun a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
acerbity - noun a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness; a rough and bitter manner
attrition - noun the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice; erosion by friction
bromide - noun any of the salts of hydrobromic acid; formerly used as a sedative but now generally replaced by safer drugs; a trite or obvious remark
chauvinist - noun an extreme bellicose nationalist; a person with a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his or her own kind
chronic - adj. being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering
expound - verb add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing state
factionalism - adj. of a faction or factions; self-interested; partisan
immaculate - adj. completely neat and clean; free from stain or blemish; without fault or error
imprecation - noun the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); a slanderous accusation
ineluctable - adj. impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion"
mercurial - adj. relating to or containing or caused by mercury;relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury; relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury; liable to sudden unpredictable change
palliate - verb provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
protocol - noun code of correct conduct; forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state; (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data
resplendent - adj. having great beauty and splendor
stigmatize - verb mark with a stigma or stigmata; to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful
sub rosa - adj., adv. happening or done in secret
vainglory - noun outspoken conceit
vestige - noun an indication that something has been present
volition - noun the act of making a choice; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention

Beowulf Essay

Vocabulary #2

accoutrements - noun personal clothing, accessories, etc.; the equipment, excluding weapons and clothing, of a soldier.

apogee - noun apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth; a final climactic stage

apropos - adj. of an appropriate or pertinent nature; adv. by the way; at an opportune time

bicker - noun a quarrel about petty points; verb argue over petty things

coalesce - verb fuse or cause to grow together; mix together different elements

contretemps - noun an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence 

convolution - noun the action of coiling or twisting or winding together; a convex fold or elevation in the surface of the brain; the shape of something rotating rapidly

cull - noun the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality; verb remove something that has been rejected;look for and gather

disparate - adj. including markedly dissimilar elements;fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind

dogmatic - adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative

licentious - adj. lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained

mete - verb to distribute usually in equal amounts 

noxious - adj. injurious to physical or mental health

polemic - adj. of or involving dispute or controversy; noun a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma); a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)

populous - adj. densely populated

probity - noun complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles

repartee - noun adroitness and cleverness in reply

supervene - verb take place as an additional or unexpected development

truncate - adj. terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off; verb make shorter as if by cutting off; approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one; replace a corner by a plane (synonym: curtail)

unimpeachable - adj. beyond doubt or reproach; completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach; free of guilt; not subject. Above denial or critique ethically or morally