Thursday, May 16, 2013

Derby Reportage

1.) In this story the reporter seems to be writing really fast but still capturing a good image of the race. The way it was going I didn't think that the horse was going to fall and trio the others. Overall this writer uses good vocabulary and good description of the race. Tone is exciting and the diction he uses makes you have a clear picture of the race.

2.)This article was more about one person in general Diane Crump who was the first women jockey. She fought to become a jockey and had a good career. She eventually retired and started breeding and training horses professionally.

3.) When you read all these articles and then you get to Hunter S. Thompson's you have a completely different view of journalism. He talks about the things happening, the setting, peoples expressions and other things like himself! Your never supposed to address yourself in journalism but he broke the law and did it anyway.     

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Ch. 1-2 Slaughter House Five Notes

    As the first chapter begins you can see that the author is talking about himself and is the narrator. This makes this story so much different then any other book. The story starts out about him talking about the Dresden fire bombings. They raise money and go there to re-visit the place they were held captive in during the war in hope to spark enough emotion or information to write a book. He is pretty much telling us the story of how he wrote about the war that he was in and what he had to do. Its really breaking the fourth wall and giving a different perception on the book.

    In chapter 2 Billy Pilgrim is introduced and its all about him. While in war Billy can get un-stuck in time and relive a past moment or future one. This chapter to me is even more strange then the first because the way he refers to getting un-stuck in time. I think this is partly to show the affect of war on a person and how they can feel when they're in middle of a hell hole. Being a POW like Vonnegut was could cause you to think differently or act changed because of the things they experienced. I think Billy Pilgrim is there to capture that aspect of the war 

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Short Story Remix

I don't very much like the idea of trying to recreate what one person has already done so I'm going to explain the meaning of The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald wrote this book to encompass a much larger idea then love itself even though it is a love story. He shows how in the 1920's a lot of people lost sight of what the American dream truly was. Gatsby throws all these huge parties not caring about money and in my eyes he has stopped dreaming completely. The only thing he didn't poses was Daisy and this is a direct example that money can't bring you happiness. With all the wealth that is in East Egg and West Egg the people really start to lose social connections with other people. I want to say the Fitzgerald very much wanted to be rich and that in the pursuit of happiness in life he figured out that money wasn't the key. His wife Zelda opened his eyes to this when she agreed to marry him then said no because he didn't have the money to support her. Zelda was very materialistic in my eyes and just wanted to party all the time but she had Fitzgerald's attention. This sets the central theme of the book which is to never stop dreaming and to not let your life me consumed by material things which was happening a lot during the 1920's.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Modernist Author Intro: F. Scott Fitzgerald

1.  He came up with the term "Jazz Age" and was regarded as one of the greatest American authors.

2. He was from an Irish Catholic family and he spent the first decade of his life in Buffalo, New York where he attended two catholic schools.

3. He published his first detective story in a school newspaper at the age of 13 then at 15 he went to Newman skill where he met Father Sigourney Fay who encouraged him to pursue his literary talents.

4. He eventually would make it into Prenston where he would own his writing skills by joining many writing groups and clubs.
 

Vocab List #3

Chronic - Constant or habitual. Joe seemed to have a problem of being a chronic liar.

Sentiment - an attitude, thought, or judgment prompted by feeling. Sometimes me and my friends share the same sentiment about things.

Morality  - Conformity to the rules of right conduct; moral or virtuous conduct. Sandra questioned her morality when considering to get an abortion.


Remorse - Deep and painful regret for wrongdoing; compunction. Aldous Huxley felt writer's remorse many year after writing his book "Brave New World'


Defect - A fault or imperfection. The man was enraged because his new TV set came with a defective remote controller.

Acquaintance - A person known to one, but usually not a close friend. Eric was not yet and acquaintance with Rachel, which is why he kept asking me to introduce him.


Sanity - The state of being sane; mental soundness. It was clear that after returning from war Patrick had lost a bit of his sanity.


Implication - Something implied or suggested as naturally to be inferred or understood. John asked Hailey if she was free Friday night with the implication he would like to do something with her.


Alternative - One of the things, propositions, or courses that can be chosen. To reduce pollution we should find alternative sources of fuel and energy

Savage - Uncivilized; barbaric. Cowboys believed Native American Indians were nothing but savages.


Phenomenon - Something that is impressive or extraordinary. A red tide is a natural phenomenon that kills see life.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Parlor Scene

I'm thinking about the parlor assignment even though nobody else really is and I have came uo with some ideas. I've been listening to a lot of music lately and I came across a song I hadn't heard in a while. The song is called Don't Ever F*@K!n6 Question That by Atmosphere and the last minute and thirty seconds have a high amount of meaning in it to me. Here is the verse I am thinking about using.


riding the public transit,
I study the blank stares to answer my questions of how and why I got so many
grey hairs. I take care of the nervous that runs through my extension cord,
and I reflect on that reoccurring dream where we met the Lord.
single file lines, to give her a pound one at a time but when I faced her-
I attempted to embrace her, she looked so fine,
I awoke from my sleep before her bodyguard had a chance to beat me to
submission and I still walk with my religion.
I watched the children scurry in circles around a two-way mirror,
worrying about which side of the glass projects the reflection clearer.
hear the whispers of the wind trying to get me to grin,
gassing' me up about the love that I plucked and I've been stuck within,
for every eclipse that stares at me from the other side of a paper cup of
espresso-
I light a match beneath a kettle,
and for every set of lips that become attached and equipped with that program
to seek success, I bleed my ethics out a slow drip.
I used to know a man who met a woman, don't remember where,
big beautiful eyes and light brown hair,
she was from the burbs, he was from the south side of the city,
this was back when Franklin avenue was still pretty.
two different worlds apart, but the world is just a small town-
we all know how people like to get down.
here we go, Aquarius, Pisces,
feel the flow of the fluid as I swim through it to free my soul.
bush shoved the cane without the glove numbed the pain.
the magic from up above what it does for the brain,
make the love, paint the picture, write the song, the player met a virgin
made a Virgo named him Sean.
make the love, paint the picture, write the song, the player met a virgin
made a Virgo named him Sean.
make the love, paint the picture and write that song till the break of dawn.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Change of View

When I was 11 years old I'm almost positive that I didn't have the same perspective that I have now as a 16 year old. I have 5 year mores experience in life and I know that much more about it. As you grow older your the world changes and with that so do you by seeing it. Grandparents are the perfect example to me because they have been through it all they reached their peak. I am almost positive that over my grandmas 86 years her opinions has to of changed about things. When I look at myself five years ago I feel that i truly didn't understand even half as much as I do know.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Modernist Decision

When I was looking at the list of modernists given I started from the bottom not seeing any names i know too well until I found one. I came upon the name F. Scott Fitzgerald which was an author I had actually heard of! I read The Great Gatsby last year which he wrote and I very much liked it. He always talks about the dream of having money, power, and knowledge and its always interesting to read. This is why I chose him because I love the style he has. 

http://www.online-literature.com/fitzgerald/

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

My Poem: Loves Deceit by Big Rube

I picked this poem for the parlor video because it has a lot of meaning in my eyes just like Dover Beach. I believe if this poem was being read to them in the parlor Mrs. Phelps would of still bursted into tears give me your thoughts.

“Love’s Deceit”
Pleasure turns to the pain of lessons learned from the strain of the questions burned in my brain about whether love is humane in its touch
These thoughts are like salmon swimming upstream in the tears of your deceit
Fighting a current hurt that kills more than is created by the chaos of our intertwined emotions
Chaotic because the anchor of Eros’ arrow has been plucked from the vessel of my undying infatuation
Separation not as simple as the distance between us
My mind no longer possessed by the demons that had been the overseers of my enslavement to your lies
The seeds of these lies rooted so deeply they’ve cracked the foundation of what we once shared
Allowing the faith in us I had sealed inside to gush out like a river
Ripping the image of our future together from my thoughts as violently and as brutally as if it were a child being taken from its mothers arms
I’m left surrounded in darkness but I refuse to be swallowed by it
My loneliness like night air; invisible to the eye obvious to the touch, in its cold uncomfortable ness
Yet If I could do all over again I’d do it in the same skin I’m in
To lay down and let love die, just stay down and let love lie
No, no, no, no, not I
I’ll stay around and let love fly
Even though I’ve seen its darkest form; deceit
Nothing else could tastes this warm or feel this sweet.

Vo-cab List #2

Spring Vocab #5

Brouhaha- over excited reaction to something
- There was a brouhaha at the new store opening.
Cloy- discussed or sickened
- Everyone was cloyed after getting food poisoned.
Demeanor-outward behavior
- Stealing is a demeanor.
Deference- humble submission or respect
- The students gave deference to the teacher.
Enigmatic- difficult to interpret or understand
- Sign language is enigmatic.
Definitive- conclusion
- We came up with a definitive answer.
Bumptious- proud to an irritating degree
- The straight A student was bumptious when bragging.
Choleric- bad tempered
- The teacher was choleric when the students didn't do their homework.
Bulwark- a defensive wall
- The shy girl didn't talk because she had up a bulwark.
Curtail- reduce in quantity
- When we ran out of clothes there was a huge curtail.
Adamant- refusing to be persuaded
- The girl was adamant about changing her mind.
Profligate- wasteful in use of resources
- The students were profligate with the tools the teacher gave them.
Mawkish- sentimental in a feeble or sickly way
- The couple was mawkish in the halls.
Thwart- preventing someone from accomplishing something
- The kid with no computer had a thwart.
Onus- used to refer to something that is ones duty or responsibility
- My job is my onus.
Requisite- made necessary by particular circumstances
- My job is my requisite for getting money.
Mollify- appease the anger or anxiety if someone
- My mom had to mollify my dog who got mad.
Sartorial- relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress
- Fashion these days are different from the sartorial in older days.
Presentiment- intuitive feeling about the future
- After I turned in the test I had a presentiment.
Impromptu- done without being planned , organized, or rehearsed
- A surprise is an impromptu.
Forbearance- formal patience or self control
- When teachers make me mad I have to have forbearance.
Remit- refrain from inflicting
- When two guys get in a fight girls have to remit.

Fox in Sox Video

Here is my video of me reading the book Fox in Sox. I hope you like it!

Monday, February 18, 2013

My F451

The very first time I read the book Fahrenheit 451 I really did not pay attention to the plot of the story. When I went into my sophomore year the meaning of the book became more aware to me. Ray Bradbury was simply showing how the world should turn out if we separate ourselves from emotion and cling to technology our world won't be happy. This idea came to Bradbury because of censorship during his time. Publishers wanted to change most writers words and he very much didn't like it. Bradbury came up with the idea of the universe being completely controlled with no emotion and no books because of this. If we compare what he predicted though to present day time didn't he very much guess right? Its weird to think about but we have really separated ourselves from emotion just like he predicted. 

Parlor Poetry

I think that Ray Bradbury picked the poem Dover Beach in the book Fahrenheit 451 because it has so much emotion inside of it. When Montag reads this poem Mrs. Phelps erupted into tears just from hearing these words. She experienced an emotion witch she had never felt in her life which gave her no choice but to start crying. The poem I pick for the video is also very full of emotion in my eyes. I picked a poem called Loves Deceit by Big Rube and I think it has a meaning that is equal to Dover Beach. The first time I heard this poem the thing that came to mind instantly is that i would never forget about it. 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Essay Postgame Analysis

Overall on todays essay I think that I answered the question correctly. The thing I had trouble with the most was trying to think of some elements he used besides repetition and foreshadowing. I know he used many more I just can't remember specifically where though. I would give myself a solid B+ just because I know their were a few aspects i could of captured better. The ending I thought i captured the best though because it is the best part of the book to me. 

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Vocabulary List #1

  1. Patronage- The support or encouragement of a patron
  2. Centrifuge- A spinning compartment that separates liquids.
  3. Leisure-use of free time or enjoyment.
  4. Vessel- A hollow container; a large boat
  5. Sieve-a thing used to strain solids from liquids.
  6. Cadence- A rhythmic balance such as poetry.
  7. Phonograph- A machine that reproduces sound from a disc.
  8. Saccharine- a sweet tasting synthetic compound.
  9. Dentifrice- a substance or powder used to brush teeth.
  10. Profusion-the state of being profuse;abundance
  11.  Delinquents- Young prone to commit crime.
  12. Gibbering-speaking rapidly and unclear.
  13. Insidious- Treacherous or deceitful.
  14. Strewn- scattered randomly.
  15. Praetorian- Of a high rank.
  16. Veiled-cover with a veil.
  17. Harlequin-A mute character in traditional pantomime.
  18. Toil- to work extremely hard.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

The Peeved Pedestrian

I think that Ray Bradbury was completely inspired by censorship because he knows how important it is to be able to write freely. This book shows a world with no books; no emotion just a world full of war and unhappiness. He took it to another level. he was basically saying you want to censor my book? Then why have them? People create books that may not seem appropriate to some people but who says great literature has to be appropriate? Some of the worlds most famous paintings have nude people in them and they are still considered master pieces. Bradbury knows we are the books and if you censor them you are just blocking out what a writer truly is trying to say.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

spring post: Music Literature

I feel like most people can agree that music could also be considered literature. Behind music there are so many stories that could be told about it. We define literature as writing so why couldn't a song be considered literature? It does have words? the difference between all these types of music and writing it allows you to experience different moods or emotions by the tone they give off. I very much consider music to be literature because every song can tell a story and put you in a certain mood.