The poem that I chose, Invictus by William Ernest Henley, is a poem about perseverance, shining through, and piloting your own life. In relevance to my own life I think that this poem portrays me in baseball. For the past few years I have been on teams that can't seem to win no matter how well I do (and not to brag, but I do pretty well). But I always kept my head up and was always optimistic about the future. And also, in terms of piloting my own life, I always went out and did my best and worked on my personal game as a player even if my team was not willing to.
When I present this masterpiece to the class I intend to do it in a manner in which each line sounds significant, which they are, and emphasize "stand out" words with hand gestures. Also so I don't get so nervous and because Henley is English, I shall speak in a British accent, no matter how terrible it may be.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Poetry Out Loud Blog
Part 1
1. Nineteen-Fourteen: The Soldier
2. Invictus
3. Cartoon Physics, part 1
4. The War in the Air
5. Hero
Part 2
The poem that I thought to be the best of the five was Invictus. I liked it because it is an inspirational poem. It makes you want to do something, it motivates you. The second to last line says, 'I am the master of my fate,' and even though I have heard people say this before, it never really stuck with me like it did in this particular poem. I also liked Cartoon Physics, part 1 because it revealed human imperfections in, to me, a humor manner.
I liked all of the poems listed above, but one that still annoys me is the work of Howard Nemerov and The War in the Air. I think it is well written, I just have a hard time thinking of a meaning. And for that soul reason, it is my least favorite.
I would have to choose Invictus.
I personally connected with the poem because whenever I am making a decision with something or someone I try to think to myself, 'Does this help me to better myself in any way?' just like in the poem when he states that we are all captains of our own souls. The entirety of the poem is more about perseverance, but that is a line that struck me as being personal to me.
Part 3
I think that voice and articulation will be simple for me because, when I want to I project my voice and tone very well. I also think that accuracy will be easy because I have a good memory.
The two that might be hard for me are physical presence, because I feel that I will probably just stand still, and also dramatic appropriateness because I think that as I am trying to remember my lines my speech will become bland.
Part 4
I watched the first two videos, not because I am lazy, but because they looked interesting. The first, Writ on the Steps of Puerto Rican Harlem, is well performed because of his voice and his subtle, yet engaging gestures. The second, Forgetfulness, is successful because it is probably a higher level of difficulty and he used his voice well to portray the meaning of the poem.
Part 5
Even though I hope that this doesn't happen I think I will wake up on the day of the competition, realize I didn't remember my poem, try to think of a clever way of weaseling out of class, then when that doesn't work out (because it never does), I will sit in class waiting for my name to be called to embarrass myself and think of how my sly ploy could have been easily avoided if I had just planned better and studied instead of working my thumbs. But of course this is all theoretical... And on a last note I did enjoy the POL website.
1. Nineteen-Fourteen: The Soldier
2. Invictus
3. Cartoon Physics, part 1
4. The War in the Air
5. Hero
Part 2
The poem that I thought to be the best of the five was Invictus. I liked it because it is an inspirational poem. It makes you want to do something, it motivates you. The second to last line says, 'I am the master of my fate,' and even though I have heard people say this before, it never really stuck with me like it did in this particular poem. I also liked Cartoon Physics, part 1 because it revealed human imperfections in, to me, a humor manner.
I liked all of the poems listed above, but one that still annoys me is the work of Howard Nemerov and The War in the Air. I think it is well written, I just have a hard time thinking of a meaning. And for that soul reason, it is my least favorite.
I would have to choose Invictus.
I personally connected with the poem because whenever I am making a decision with something or someone I try to think to myself, 'Does this help me to better myself in any way?' just like in the poem when he states that we are all captains of our own souls. The entirety of the poem is more about perseverance, but that is a line that struck me as being personal to me.
Part 3
I think that voice and articulation will be simple for me because, when I want to I project my voice and tone very well. I also think that accuracy will be easy because I have a good memory.
The two that might be hard for me are physical presence, because I feel that I will probably just stand still, and also dramatic appropriateness because I think that as I am trying to remember my lines my speech will become bland.
Part 4
I watched the first two videos, not because I am lazy, but because they looked interesting. The first, Writ on the Steps of Puerto Rican Harlem, is well performed because of his voice and his subtle, yet engaging gestures. The second, Forgetfulness, is successful because it is probably a higher level of difficulty and he used his voice well to portray the meaning of the poem.
Part 5
Even though I hope that this doesn't happen I think I will wake up on the day of the competition, realize I didn't remember my poem, try to think of a clever way of weaseling out of class, then when that doesn't work out (because it never does), I will sit in class waiting for my name to be called to embarrass myself and think of how my sly ploy could have been easily avoided if I had just planned better and studied instead of working my thumbs. But of course this is all theoretical... And on a last note I did enjoy the POL website.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
"The Knife" Discussion
One idea that I found interesting in our class discussion about the knife is that some one mentioned that the author focuses on his work like a religion. The idea focused around the thought that the surgeon had to take vows, be cleansed before stepping into the operating room, and he also refers to the room as a temple. The idea also involved that he had been doing his profession for so long that he might actually think that it is a religion. Another part of the idea that popped up is that He might think of himself as a god because he has the power of deciding who lives and who dies.
This idea gave me an entirely new perspective about what the author was writing about. I now believe that the entire passage was about religion. I truly believe that he thinks that he is of a higher power. I also think that this is the reason why the author starts the passage by making the reader perceive the character as a killer. Possibly he thinks of religion as both good and bad. At first he took life away and then as the story goes forth he saves lives.
This idea gave me an entirely new perspective about what the author was writing about. I now believe that the entire passage was about religion. I truly believe that he thinks that he is of a higher power. I also think that this is the reason why the author starts the passage by making the reader perceive the character as a killer. Possibly he thinks of religion as both good and bad. At first he took life away and then as the story goes forth he saves lives.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Paragraph Critique Blog
In class there were many well written five part paragraphs as well as some that were not as well put together. Some of the most common weaknesses that people had was that they weren't embedding their quotes and another that I thought was fairly common was having plot summary instead of commentary. I think what needs to improved upon is being able to blend quotes into a paragraph seamlessly. Since a lot of people gave plot summary after their quotes, it would have been better for them to move it in front of the quote and merge the two so that the quote would be embedded. Simple as that... To write good topics a writer needs to sum up their paragraph in one sentence while introducing a theme and title and author. Concrete details should be chosen to match the theme as close as possible, embedded and followed with a citation. And commentary should just be what you are thinking about the quote in terms of the topic.
I think to better my own skills I need to read my paragraph thoroughly and instead of trying to find spelling or grammatical errors I need to find things I could add, such as the citations. Also i could have added one or two more sentences about the lynch mob. Then I need to think in terms of present tense, not past tense and I think I would Ace the paragraph.
I think to better my own skills I need to read my paragraph thoroughly and instead of trying to find spelling or grammatical errors I need to find things I could add, such as the citations. Also i could have added one or two more sentences about the lynch mob. Then I need to think in terms of present tense, not past tense and I think I would Ace the paragraph.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Diction Post
This here past week me and my football team had a football game at one of them prepetory schools. The ride up to the game was pretty fun. I sat myself down with a few of my friends and we listened to some music, yelled at people out the window, and made our coach pretty mad in doing so... When we got closer to the school we could tell that this school was nothin' like ours. The first thing we saw was the ginormo basketball / volleyball gym they just put in. The whole lot was... well... big. Then we got off the bus, in the parking lot just above the field we'd be playin' on. We saw there team and I for one thought they looked pretty puny. When we all got down to field level we figured out we was wrong.
Since we had gotten stuck in traffic on the way to the game we were a little bit late. So we had to hustle to get our gear on because the refs weren't going to wait for us to start the game. We hustled, but after about five minutes our coach persuaded them referees to give us a few more minutes. On the first kickoff we returned it pretty far and I thought that the game would be easy. Then we fumbled, twice, on our first two drives. And they scored, on there first two drives. There QB had a rocket attached to his arm and there starting wide out could catch like he had sticky glue on his hands. Well long story short, we lost, by quite a bit. Too many turnovers, not good enough blocking, and to top it all off, too small of a secondary... All in all it was a fun time.
Since we had gotten stuck in traffic on the way to the game we were a little bit late. So we had to hustle to get our gear on because the refs weren't going to wait for us to start the game. We hustled, but after about five minutes our coach persuaded them referees to give us a few more minutes. On the first kickoff we returned it pretty far and I thought that the game would be easy. Then we fumbled, twice, on our first two drives. And they scored, on there first two drives. There QB had a rocket attached to his arm and there starting wide out could catch like he had sticky glue on his hands. Well long story short, we lost, by quite a bit. Too many turnovers, not good enough blocking, and to top it all off, too small of a secondary... All in all it was a fun time.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Slaughterhouse-Five
So far I am enjoying the outside reading book, Slaughterhouse-Five. I'm around page 90 in my reading and the plot is sort of beginning to straighten out. At first sometimes you couldn't even tell where they were or what they doing because the narrator was somewhat scattered. But now there is one narrator from what I can tell and his name is Billy Pilgrim. He might have a mental problem because right after a he was in a plane crash in which he was the only survivor he thinks he was abducted by aliens named Tralfamadorians. I think the book is written within a book, within a book? The setting in the book is confusing more than anything else. One character who is writing a book about Dresden, in which Pilgrim is in, skips from flashbacks to present tense to book scenes. So the time and place is always changing. I have read many war books before and not many relate to this book, but there is one that I've read, The Rifle, that relates because both skip around in the setting and both don't have one, set narrator. So far I think that I am doing a movie with Mathew Geisler and Josh Allen about the book. I think that we have to select a few parts, as opposed the whole book, to illustrate in the movie or else it might be too confusing.
Friday, September 24, 2010
My Boo Radley
I believe that the Boo Radley in my life is not a person, but a sport. I think my Boo is baseball. Baseball follows generally the same route through my life as Boo did in Scout's life. At first I was scared of baseball, yet as I grew older it played major roles in my life. I was scared at first because as I was young I got hit in the face with a pop fly. I thought that I would never play again. As I grew older and my friends started playing it more I got interested in it. Baseball taught me life lessons that nothing else that I had done taught me. It taught me friendship, teamwork, and the value of accepting others. That last one is not the easiest to learn when you are as competitive as I am. Baseball has always been there when I needed something to take my mind off school, family, and just life in general. When ever I was mad I could just pick up a ball, go to the park, and throw it as hard as I could until I forgot about it. In a way Boo Radley wasn't around like baseball is around for me and yet he is still basically the same element as baseball in my life because of how baseball is there for me and metaphorically saves me in my times of need.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Blog Intro
I am the type of English student that will try his best, be on time, for the most part, and write as much as I can think of. Usually I can't think of much, so I compensate with long sentences that drag on (that is something I need to work on this year). I am the type of student who enjoys a well written book, especially historical nonfiction or historic fiction.
People who follow my blog can expect something that came truly from my opinion, not a spin off of some one else's. And sometimes something I write might even interest them. I will enlighten the online world with my interesting views on literature and other subjects. I can offer different angles on something that was possibly overlooked by another person.
I think that the meaning of an English class is expanding the knowledge of use of our large and complex language. It strengthens our vocabulary and as well as our communication skills. I believe that is why the class is a four year requirement for college, because of the communication aspect.
People who follow my blog can expect something that came truly from my opinion, not a spin off of some one else's. And sometimes something I write might even interest them. I will enlighten the online world with my interesting views on literature and other subjects. I can offer different angles on something that was possibly overlooked by another person.
I think that the meaning of an English class is expanding the knowledge of use of our large and complex language. It strengthens our vocabulary and as well as our communication skills. I believe that is why the class is a four year requirement for college, because of the communication aspect.
Friday, September 17, 2010
assuaged (vb.): to calm or lessen in importance
"...Jem's fears of never being able to play football were assuaged...(Lee 7)."
This means Jem didn't fear not being able to play football anymore.
apothecary (n.): a person that can prescribe drugs, like a pharmacist
piety (n.): devotion to religious duties and practices
"All we had was Simon Finch, a fur trading apothecary from Cornwall whose piety was exceeded only by his stinginess (Lee 8)."
This means Simon Finch was a pharmacist who was very religious.
chattels
taciturn/tacit (adj.): almost always silent
"She married a taciturn man...(Lee 9).
This means she married a person that rarely speaks.
unsullied (adj.): brand new; untouched; unused
"Atticus' office... contained little more than a hatrack, a spittoon, a checkerboard and an unsullied Code of Alabama (Lee 9)."
This means that the book was unused and most likely unneeded.
dispatched
vapid
malevolent (adj.): evil; very bad
"Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom (Lee 13)."
This means that the phantom that lives in the house is evil.
predilection (n.): a preferred way of doing something
"The Radley's... kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb (Lee 13)."
This means that the people of Maycomb prefer the Radley's to keep to themselves.
domiciled (vb.): where you reside or live
"... an enormous and confusing tribe domiciled in the northern part of the county...(Lee 14)."
This means that the tribe lived in the northern part of the county.
sojourn (n.): a brief visit
"My sojourn in the corner was a short one (Lee 26)."
This means she didn't spend very long in the corner.
diminutive (adj,): smaller than ordinary
"He was among the most dimiutive of men...(Lee 32)."
This means he was a very small man.
fractious (adj.): mean or cross
"...she had at last seen the error of her fractious ways...(Lee 33)."
This means she had a mistake in being mean.
amiable (adj.): friendly
"He waited in amiable silence...(Lee 34)."
This means he waited happily.
auspicous (adj.): favorable
"The remainder of my schooldays were no more auspicious than the first (Lee 37)."
This means she did not like any of her schooldays more or less then her first.
benign (adj.): kind and gentle
"...she was only another lady in the neighborhood, but a relatively benign presence (Lee 46)."
This means that she was a nice lady.
obstreperous (adj.): noisy and unruly
"'It was obstreperous, disorderly, and abusive (Lee 90).'"
This means it got out of hand.
apoplectic (adj.): acting as if you were on the verge of a stroke
"...her reaction was apoplectic (Lee 104)."
This means she was very surprised in her reaction.
umbrage (n.): offense
"...but I took umbrage to Mrs. Dubose's assessment of the family' mental hygiene (Lee 106)."
This means the comment hurt her.
palliation (n.): lessening of pain
"She was a less than satisfactory source of palliation...(Lee 107)."
This means that she wouldn't help with issues.
austere (adj.): stern and severe
"His sermon was a forthright denunciation of sin, an austere declaration of the motto on the wall behind him...(Lee 124)."
This means that he strongly disapproves of sin.
formidable (adj.): impressive
"Miss Maudie's command of scripture was formidable (Lee 161)."
This means that the command was impressive.
myopic (adj): nearsightedness
"...because Sinkfield had reduced his guests to myopic drunkenness one evening...(Lee 133)."
This means his guests could barely see.
ominous (adj.): threatening or sinister
"There was a murmur among the group of men, made more ominous when Atticus moved back...(Lee 148)."
This means that Atticus brought a darkening mood with him.
countenance
elucidate (vb.): to explain
"We asked Miss Maudie to elucidate...(Lee 162)."
This means they asked her to elaborate.
solicitor (n.): a lawyer that travels to different locations to prosecute trials
"The circuit solicitor and another man...(Lee 167)."
This means that the prosecuter traveled there.
turbulent (adj.): stormy; unruly
"With his infinite capacity for calming turbulent seas...(Lee 171-172)."
This means that he can calm storms.
acrimonious (adj.): sarcastic, bitter, and nasty
"...when the debate became more acromonious then professional...(Lee 174)."
This means that the debate was less serious after a while.
impudent (adj.): disrespectful, bold, and sassy
"'Are you being impudent to me, boy (Lee 201)?'"
This means the man speaking thinks the boy is sassing him.
unmitigated (adj.): out-and-out absolute
temerity (n.): foolish or rach boldness
"'...and so a quiet, respectable, humble negro who had the unmitigated temerity...(Lee 207).'"
This means that his boldness is absolute.
ruefully (adv.): regretfully
"Jem grinned ruefully (Lee 218)."
This means he smiled with regret.
furtive (adj.): sneaky
"'Something furtive,' Aunt Alexandra said (Lee 221)."
This means she was explaining something as sneaky.
bovine (adj.): cow-like
"...the soft bovine sounds of ladies munching their dainties (Lee 235)."
This means they sounded like cows grazing when they ate.
brevity (n.): shortness
"When Miss Maudie was angry her brevity was icy (Lee 236)."
This means she seems taller when mad.
purloined
libel
mollified (adj.): soothed or calmed
"Mollified, Mayella gave Atticus a final terrified glance...(Lee 182)."
This means she was calm.
Bibliography-
"The TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Student Survival Guide." Web. 18 Sept. 2010. <http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/tkm/>.
"...Jem's fears of never being able to play football were assuaged...(Lee 7)."
This means Jem didn't fear not being able to play football anymore.
apothecary (n.): a person that can prescribe drugs, like a pharmacist
piety (n.): devotion to religious duties and practices
"All we had was Simon Finch, a fur trading apothecary from Cornwall whose piety was exceeded only by his stinginess (Lee 8)."
This means Simon Finch was a pharmacist who was very religious.
chattels
taciturn/tacit (adj.): almost always silent
"She married a taciturn man...(Lee 9).
This means she married a person that rarely speaks.
unsullied (adj.): brand new; untouched; unused
"Atticus' office... contained little more than a hatrack, a spittoon, a checkerboard and an unsullied Code of Alabama (Lee 9)."
This means that the book was unused and most likely unneeded.
dispatched
vapid
malevolent (adj.): evil; very bad
"Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom (Lee 13)."
This means that the phantom that lives in the house is evil.
predilection (n.): a preferred way of doing something
"The Radley's... kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb (Lee 13)."
This means that the people of Maycomb prefer the Radley's to keep to themselves.
domiciled (vb.): where you reside or live
"... an enormous and confusing tribe domiciled in the northern part of the county...(Lee 14)."
This means that the tribe lived in the northern part of the county.
sojourn (n.): a brief visit
"My sojourn in the corner was a short one (Lee 26)."
This means she didn't spend very long in the corner.
diminutive (adj,): smaller than ordinary
"He was among the most dimiutive of men...(Lee 32)."
This means he was a very small man.
fractious (adj.): mean or cross
"...she had at last seen the error of her fractious ways...(Lee 33)."
This means she had a mistake in being mean.
amiable (adj.): friendly
"He waited in amiable silence...(Lee 34)."
This means he waited happily.
auspicous (adj.): favorable
"The remainder of my schooldays were no more auspicious than the first (Lee 37)."
This means she did not like any of her schooldays more or less then her first.
benign (adj.): kind and gentle
"...she was only another lady in the neighborhood, but a relatively benign presence (Lee 46)."
This means that she was a nice lady.
obstreperous (adj.): noisy and unruly
"'It was obstreperous, disorderly, and abusive (Lee 90).'"
This means it got out of hand.
apoplectic (adj.): acting as if you were on the verge of a stroke
"...her reaction was apoplectic (Lee 104)."
This means she was very surprised in her reaction.
umbrage (n.): offense
"...but I took umbrage to Mrs. Dubose's assessment of the family' mental hygiene (Lee 106)."
This means the comment hurt her.
palliation (n.): lessening of pain
"She was a less than satisfactory source of palliation...(Lee 107)."
This means that she wouldn't help with issues.
austere (adj.): stern and severe
"His sermon was a forthright denunciation of sin, an austere declaration of the motto on the wall behind him...(Lee 124)."
This means that he strongly disapproves of sin.
formidable (adj.): impressive
"Miss Maudie's command of scripture was formidable (Lee 161)."
This means that the command was impressive.
myopic (adj): nearsightedness
"...because Sinkfield had reduced his guests to myopic drunkenness one evening...(Lee 133)."
This means his guests could barely see.
ominous (adj.): threatening or sinister
"There was a murmur among the group of men, made more ominous when Atticus moved back...(Lee 148)."
This means that Atticus brought a darkening mood with him.
countenance
elucidate (vb.): to explain
"We asked Miss Maudie to elucidate...(Lee 162)."
This means they asked her to elaborate.
solicitor (n.): a lawyer that travels to different locations to prosecute trials
"The circuit solicitor and another man...(Lee 167)."
This means that the prosecuter traveled there.
turbulent (adj.): stormy; unruly
"With his infinite capacity for calming turbulent seas...(Lee 171-172)."
This means that he can calm storms.
acrimonious (adj.): sarcastic, bitter, and nasty
"...when the debate became more acromonious then professional...(Lee 174)."
This means that the debate was less serious after a while.
impudent (adj.): disrespectful, bold, and sassy
"'Are you being impudent to me, boy (Lee 201)?'"
This means the man speaking thinks the boy is sassing him.
unmitigated (adj.): out-and-out absolute
temerity (n.): foolish or rach boldness
"'...and so a quiet, respectable, humble negro who had the unmitigated temerity...(Lee 207).'"
This means that his boldness is absolute.
ruefully (adv.): regretfully
"Jem grinned ruefully (Lee 218)."
This means he smiled with regret.
furtive (adj.): sneaky
"'Something furtive,' Aunt Alexandra said (Lee 221)."
This means she was explaining something as sneaky.
bovine (adj.): cow-like
"...the soft bovine sounds of ladies munching their dainties (Lee 235)."
This means they sounded like cows grazing when they ate.
brevity (n.): shortness
"When Miss Maudie was angry her brevity was icy (Lee 236)."
This means she seems taller when mad.
purloined
libel
mollified (adj.): soothed or calmed
"Mollified, Mayella gave Atticus a final terrified glance...(Lee 182)."
This means she was calm.
Bibliography-
"The TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Student Survival Guide." Web. 18 Sept. 2010. <http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/tkm/>.
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