Latin Roots #6

Roots and Derivatives

1.     corp (or) (body)

2.     cred (to believe, to trust)

3.     cur (r), curs, course (to run, to flow)

4.     dic(t) (to speak, to say)

Word List

    

      1. Benediction- the innovation of a divine blessing, as at the close of a religious service; a blessing or state of blessedness;

At the baptism, the baby was given a benediction.

     2.  Concourse- a running or flowing together; a broad public walkway or hallway; a crowd or throng;

My sister got lost in the concourse of people at the concert.

     3. Concurrent- occurring at the same time; meeting or acting together;

The two teachers decided to have concurrent field trips where both their classes went to see the same play.

      4. Corporal- related to the physical body;

Corporal punishment is against the law as teachers are not allowed to physically hit a student.

      5. Corpulent- very stout; fleshy obese; fat;

Contestants of the Biggest Loser begin as corpulent individuals but eventually become really fit.

      6. Credibility- the quality of being believable or trustworthy;

Because the girl returned my phone I admired her credibility.

      7. Credulity- the (naïve) willingness to believe too easily without proof;
       When the jury found the man guilty with so little evidence, it made you question their credulity.

      8. Cursory- done in a superficial or hasty manner;

Because we were short on time, the poster my group created had several cursory drawings and sloppy hand writing.

      9. Dictum- an authoritative saying or maxim;

A famous American dictum states everyone has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

      10. Incorporate- to form into one body or functioning unit; to combine several different things into a whole;

When my grandma makes her famous chocolate chip cookies, she incorporates her secret ingredient into the cookie dough.

      11. Incredulous- not believing, skeptical, or doubting

I gave my parents an incredulous look when they said we were moving.

      12. Indicative- characteristic of or very much like; suggestive;

Constant sneezing is indicative of having allergies.

Literature Analysis #2: The Road

            The Road is the story of the journey  of two people, a man and his son, trying to survive and find salvation. What once was called earth is now a post-apocalyptic world where only few live and even fewer who live civilly. Most people have resorted to cannibalism. The man’s goal is to find a better life for his son. This is his whole purpose in life and is the only thing holding him back from killing himself. The duo travels along the road, heading south for the winter in hopes of finding other “good guys”. Along the way, they often encounter “bad guys” who want to kill them. As a result, they must always be alert. All they have is a few things: a pistol, a grocery cart, a tarp, and some blankets. Because food is so scarce, they are forced to rummage through abandoned houses. The boy just wants to help others and do the right thing, so he’ll always refrain from stealing and beg to help others. On the contrary, the man just wants what’s best for his son even if that means killing someone. They continue persisting down the road, but each day the man progressively becomes sicker and sicker until he can take no more and dies. Some of his last words to his son were to continue to “carry the fire” and find the good guys. Two days later, the boys rescued by a family.

            

            The theme of the novel is love. The man and boy have such a powerful bond that motivates to keep moving forward. The author, Cormac McCarthy, chose to write about this to show that, even in the worst times, you can always have someone there to love you. Also, love can be the only thing separating you from life or death by providing you with a reason to live.

            The man is static and round; his personality and characteristics don’t change much, but he does have several major traits. He is persevering and determined, loving and selfless, and pained yet strong-willed. The man is like this throughout the entire novel. The boy is another major character and is important because he is the reason the man was still alive when he was. The man only lived for the sake of finding his son a better life and giving as much as he can.

            The man and boy’s bond for each other can be seen in everyday life. People going through tough times will be really close. My old neighbors were like this when they lost their daughter in war and then couldn’t pay for their house. It’s as if the harder things get, the stronger the bond between people becomes.

            The road itself is an extremely significant metaphor in The Road. It symbolizes the obstacles and challenges that everyone in the world has to face. Some obstacles include starvation, dehydration, hypothermia, cannibalism, sexual abuse, and theft. These are the hardships the man and boy had to overcome which shows how persistent and determined they were to be able to defeat them. The love they had for each other was their motivation. 

Greek Drama Questions

1.  What kind of prize is given for dancing choruses of worshippers?

The dancing choruses of worshipers began competing for prizes such as a bull or a goat.

2.   How many spectators would gather in the open-air theater of Dionysos?

As many as fourteen thousand spectators would gather in the open-air theater of Dionysos.

3.   How does the mask affect the voices of the actors?

The masks had exaggerated mouthpieces that amplified the actors’ voices—an ancient solution to the problem solved today by microphones.

4.  Why was Antigone suspenseful to viewing audiences?

It was suspenseful because the audience knew things the characters on stage did not know.

5.   How is the shepherd to leave the infant on the mountainside?

The shepherd was ordered to leave the infant on the mountainside with his ankles pinned together.

6.    What is the riddle the Sphinx gave to Oedipus?

The Sphinx’s riddle went like this: “What creature goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?”

7.   Who are Oedipus’ kids?

Oedipus’ kids are Polyneices, Eteocles, Antigone, and Ismene.

8.   After Oedipus is exiled, who takes over Thebes?

After Oedipus is exiled, Creon took over as regent of Thebes because Polyneices and Eteocles had killed each other in battle for the throne.

9.   What did the family do to the dead body?

     After death, the family closed the dead person’s eyes and mouth and began to prepare the body for “the wake”. The women of the house washed the body and dressed it in white or in wedding clothes. They then placed the body on a portable framework, pointing the feet toward the door and sprinkled it with wild marjoram and other herbs to keep evil spirits away. Women waited near the body and men entered in formal procession and held their right arms raised high in the air. When the closest relatives held the dead person’s head with both hands, the other mourners wailed and sang accompanied by the reed pipe.

Antigone Quick-Write

            My two brothers have killed each other, fighting over the throne. The king, also my uncle, has declared himself king and forbids the burial of my beloved brother yet buries my brother whom I hate as a national hero. My sister is too scared of my uncle to help me give the proper burial my brother deserves; however, I still plan on burying my brother even if that means doing it alone.

            I will go in the dead of night to the place where my brother lay at the city dump. Despite the fact it’s dark, I know I’m still at risk of getting caught which would lead to a confrontation by my uncle and this would surely result in my execution. But that’s a risk I willing to take. My brother wasn’t in the wrong during the fight he and my other brother had. If anything the roles should be swapped! He was so kind to everyone and had so much integrity. So when I heard my brothers killed each other, I knew he wasn’t at fault. My other brother must have had bad intentions as king so he tried stopping him thus resulting in a huge brawl. My uncle was very similar to my evil brother which why he was buried and my virtuous brother was not. But this is out of my control and the best thing I can do is give my brother the burial he deserves.

            The hours preceding nightfall, I will tell my sister that I have decided not to go against the king’s word. By lying to her, I’m doing her a favor because now she won’t have any participation in my actions and won’t get punished. Once night falls, I will walk to the dump because driving might call too much attention to myself from the noise. Also, I will bring a shovel with me. But prior to burying him, I will move his body to a different site so no one will unbury him once they find out he has been buried. I’m not going to be able to carry him too far because I can’t carry him for that long. Once I find a good location, I will begin the digging process, place him in the makeshift grave, and fill it back up. Before I leave I will say a small prayer.

            My possible execution doesn’t scare me much. I don’t care if I am killed for what I am going to do. I won’t be guilty of not giving my brother a burial; in fact, I am going to be proud of my actions and take full responsibility if I get caught. I did the right thing and that’s all that matters.