LOTF Final Journal

I have to admit I did not at all suspect they'd get rescued. It's such a violent and dark novel, I didn't expect it to have a fairly happy ending, for Ralph at least. I believe he cries at the end of the novel, when the danger is over because he knows he's safe and its all going to be over soon. He's probably just so emotional and overwhelmed he cries out of joy, relief, anger, and sadness. I despise Jack and Roger the most of all the boys on the island. I'd have to say though that I despise Jack more because he is the most belligerent and savage. I would recommend this book only to someone who appreciates and understands deep and meaningful books. It's only a good book if you understand the symbols it has otherwise it's pretty boring.

Chapter 11 Response Questions

1.    Ralph’s group decides they must call an assembly and attack Jack’s tribe in hopes of taking back Piggy’s specs.

2.    The twins are “seeing Ralph for the first time” before going to Castle Rock in that they witness for the first time him being an aggressive leader by strongly standing up for what he believes in and fighting Jack.

3.   The boys’ attempt to get back Piggy’s specs and the other boys to maintain a signal fire is bound to fail because the savages refuse to hear them out. Jack doesn’t want to work things out peacefully but instead would rather fight.

4.    I think Roger pushes the rock off the cliff to feel powerful. He wants to be superior and impress the others.

5.    The destruction of the conch is significant in that is symbolizes a final end to all attempts to being civilized.

6.    The boys want a chief because they need someone to follow and make decisions for them. They feel like a part of something and a whole when they are all under the rule of one.

7.    If you were back home and there was never a war, what would you probably be doing at the moment?

Now think, what would that Jack think of this evolved Jack?

8.       I don’t know what to do anymore. I miss home still of course. Everyone does. I loved the idea of no grownups and a whole island to ourselves when we first arrived but now things are starting to get out of hand.

       I’m with Jack’s tribe. I feel more connected and it feels good to be a part of a group with hunting and dancing and meat! It’s just some of what goes on is getting a little much. Jack isn’t himself anymore. Just the other day he bet up my good friend Wilfred and now Ralph has gone into hiding, but above it all, the beast still wanders the island…

LOTF Ch. 10 Questions

1.  Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric claim they all left early last night and missed everything that happened with Simon. They say they left right after the feast because they were tired. Samneric state they were tired, and all four boys pretend they weren't part of the dance. “Memory of the dance that none of them had attended shook all four boys convulsively. ‘We left early’” (Golding 158).

2.  Ralph has a huge guilty conscience about Simon’s death. He says it was murder and has realized how violent the group has become. “I’m frightened. Of us. I want to go home. Oh God, I want to go home” (Golding 157). Jack of the other hand doesn’t even acknowledge Simon. “It came—disguised. He may come again even though we gave him the head of our kill to eat” (Golding 160). He says it had been the beast that attacked the previous night and disguised himself as Simon. “Each savage flinched away from his individual memory. ‘No! How could we—kill—it!” (Golding 160). Although every boy subconsciously understands the crime they committed, no one will admit it and use the beast as an excuse to cover for it.

3.  Based on his order to have Wilfred beaten, Jack has become a completely ruthless dictator. He’s lost his civil ways including his morals. “‘He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up.’… ‘But didn’t he say why?’ ‘I never heard him’” (Golding 159). Jack can’t control his emotions in a civilized manner so instead uses brute forces. “The chief said we got to challenge everyone” (Golding 159). Jack is insecure about being chief and doesn’t want anyone at all to challenge his authority.

Jack is chief now as all the boys except for a few take orders from him.

Piggy: has asthma and loses glasses

Ralph: accidentally hits Eric in the face

Sam: destroys the entire hut on his own

Eric: accidentally knees Ralph in the “pills”

Jack: leads the savages to attack the hut

Roger: follows Jack to attack Ralph’s hut

Ebola Editorial Response

1.     What does Betsy McCaughey identify as a problem in her commentary?

She identifies the poor precautionary measures against Ebola in her commentary. Local hospitals and their nurses/doctors are unable to handle Ebola in her eyes.

2.     What solutions does she offer?

A solution she offers is that Ebola patients should use the nation’s four bio-containment hospitals rather than trying to use local hospitals.

3.     How does infection expert Sean Kaufman view the CDC’s guidelines for protective gear in treating Ebola patients?

He views the CDC’s guidelines for protective gear in treating Ebola patients as “absolutely irresponsible and dead wrong.”

4.     What point did Rep. Michael Burgess make about CDC head Thomas Frieden?

He said that CDC head Frieden was wearing a protective suit that covered him head to toe whereas in the U.S., there are parts of you.re body exposed (neck, head, wrist).

5.     Ms. McCaughey concludes her commentary by recommending: “The best Ebola strategy is to protect our local hospitals, health-care workers and patients by relying on the nation’s bio-containment facilities. That’s what they were built for.” Do you agree with her recommendation?Yes, I agree that Ebola patients should be cared for in these facilities because if you isolate the virus, it won’t spread to others like patients in local hospitals and the doctors and nurses.

Article Summary

            In the article titled "Miracle Survivor", Sandra Sobrieraj Westfall discusses a fatal plane crash whose lone survivor is a seven year old girl. Sailor Gutzler is the only member of her family to survive their family plane crash. First, Westfall points out what a happy and loving family the Gutzlers were. Next, the author informs the reader of the trip the family was planning—a routine visit to their son's Navy base. They were flying home when the plane began having engine problems and crashed in the woods of western Kentucky. Also, the author explains how Sailor bravely escaped the burning plane, leaving her dead parents, sister, and cousin, and sought out help by going through the woods in total darkness. Sailor's only major injury was a broken arm. In addition, Westfall describes each of the family members who passed away. Each was loved and will be deeply missed. Finally, Westfield concludes by writing how Sailor will be cared for by other relatives and is on her way to mental recovery; as she told someone, “She has to be strong for her mom and dad because they would want her to be strong.”

Latin Roots #8

Roots and Derivatives

1.     flu(x), fluct (flow, flowing)

2.     fort, fore (strong)

3.     frater(n), fratr (brother)

4.     fus, fund, found (pour, melt)

Word List

1.     Affluent- flowing with wealth and riches: prosperous; a flowing stream, as a tributary;

It was obvious that the girl came from an affluent family as she lived in a mansion and she drove a brand new BMW.

2.     Confluence- a coming or flowing together, as of rivers or ideas; a place of joining;

The meeting was planned to create a confluence of the best and brightest students to come up with the solution.

3.     Confound- to perplex, confuse, amaze, or bewilder;

A successful magician is able to confound his audience and leave them wondering how he did his tricks.

4.     Effusive- pouring forth in an emotional way; unrestrained or overly demonstrative

My sister’s effusive apology came off as insincere as it was overly dramatic with her constant crying.

5.     Forte- one’s special area of accomplishment or performance; one’s strong point;

My cousin’s forte in academics is definitely math as he always has the highest grade in class and it is not difficult for him.

6.     Fortify- to make stronger; to strengthen; to establish defenses;

Every army tries to fortify their soldiers to guarantee success in battle.

7.     Fortitude- strength of character; patient courage;

I have always admired my dad’s fortitude as he never gives up and always tries his best.

8.     Fraternize- to associate with or socialize in a brotherly fashion; to be friendly with;

My parents don’t want me to fraternize with my cousins because our families are constantly feuding.

9.     Fratricide- the killing of one’s own brother, someone who commits such an act;

He was found guilty of fratricide even though he denied that he had killed his own brother.

10.  Mellifluous- as if flowing honey or sweetness; like the tones of a honeyed voice;

The mellifluous music was so soothing and pleasant that it put me in a good mood.

11.  Profusion- a pouring forth, as of great numbers; plentifulness; an abundance;

The profusion of people coming out of the stadium reminded me of ants coming out of an anthill.

12.  Superfluous- (flowing) beyond what is needed; in excess of a sufficiency;

His superfluous speech made everyone lose interest and become bored with what he was saying. 

Knowledge

Knowledge is something we acquire from the time we are born. As toddlers we gain knowledge from what we are allowed or not allowed to do from our parents. Once we enter school, we gain knowledge from our teachers and through education. But knowledge is not just something we learn from books or as teens from the internet or social media. It is all around us and in everything we do and every conversation we have with our peers and the people around us. Whether it is learning a new sport or facing pressure from friends we are gaining knowledge about ourselves and our lives. If we didn’t continue to acquire knowledge as we go about our daily lives, we wouldn’t really be living.

Opinion Article

Happiness Doesn't Have a Price             

            Almost everyone aspires to become rich in their lifetime because they believe money equates to happiness. People believe that with money you can attain a perfect life and no worries in the world. However, I believe that acquiring money doesn’t guarantee you happiness. Money can’t buy you real love, your health or cure mental illness. True happiness does not have a price tag.

            Money can definitely relieve the stress of working and finding a way to pay your bills, but it also brings on new stresses and less joy. Have you ever noticed that many wealthy individuals have issues? A multitude of celebrities have alcohol and drug addictions because they’re unhappy. Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes are both unstable, former actresses. They went off the deep end in the middle of their supposedly perfect lives. They have more money than they need but still rely on drugs to supply their happiness and relieve them of any stress rather than finding happiness elsewhere.

            Some people who have lost all hope of finding happiness commit suicide even though they may be wealthy. Robin Williams, for example, was found dead in his house after hanging himself. Williams was battling depression, anxiety and the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. He and others who committed suicide must have believed there was no possible light in the dark tunnel they thought was their life. Money couldn’t help them there.

            Although wealth may bring joy here and there, in the end it’s just you. Happiness stems out of friends, family, and good memories. Money can buy materialistic things which can be fun for a while but serve as short-term happiness. The things you can’t buy, friendship, health, and love are priceless for a reason. Everyone can have a fair chance at finding happiness despite how much money they have. Happiness is something you must attain on your own without money because money will never be able to buy you authentic happiness.

Literature Analysis #3: The Joy Luck Club

            A Chinese child’s goal in life is to make their mother and father proud and to bring honor to their family. For Jing-Mei Woo, this meant fulfilling her mother Suyuan Woo’s legacy which was to find her long lost twin daughters that she was forced to abandon in China years ago. She died before she could accomplish her goal, leaving Jing-Mei to finish where she left off. Although the journey was emotionally difficult, the legacy was eventually fulfilled; it began with Suyuan and ended with Jing-Mei.

            Suyuan lived happily with her family in China but all that happiness was shattered when the Japanese began bombing the town. Because she had a forewarning, Suyuan managed to escape carrying a few possessions: two trunks, a few bags of food, and her twin daughters. She dropped the trunks after a while. Next, she left the bags. She was sick and dying but she couldn’t bring it upon herself to see her daughters die with her so she left them on the side of the road in hopes that someone kind-hearted would find them. She left a note and walked further down the road until she fainted. When she awoke she was in a new place and her daughters were not there. A few years after going to America, she returned to China to search for her daughters and wrote letters to old friends inquiring about the twins and if they have seen them. But the twins had just disappeared.

            Three months after Suyuan’s death, the Joy Luck Club came in contact with the twins. The twins had written a letter explaining they wanted their mother to come visit them and told her of their lives. They had be

en cared for by a religious couple and were recognized by Suyuan’s old friend. The Joy Luck Club decided to write a letter back and signed it with Suyuan’s name. It wasn’t until both letters had been received and sent, that Jing-Mei was made aware about her sisters communication. The women in the Joy Luck Club told Jing-Mei she must deliver the news of their mother’s death in person but after many nights of contemplating, she had Lindo write a letter informing them of Suyuan’s death.

            Prior to her arrival in Shanghai, China, Jing-Mei was anxious about meeting her sisters. She was going to see her sisters for the first time ever. As soon as she stepped off the plane, Jing-Mei spots them. The three of them run towards each other and embrace in a hug as Jing-Mei’s fathers captures the moment in a picture.

            Suyuan translates to “long cherished wish”. Jing translates to “pure essence”; mei translates to “younger sister”. Before meeting her sisters, Jing-Mei believed she was supposed to be the essence of the twins and that was her mother’s wish. However seeing the twins for the first time she knew they were family and that the past could be forgiven. Jing-Mei realized that this was truly her mother’s long cherished wish and now Suyuan’s legacy had been fulfilled.

Latin Roots #7

Roots and Derivatives

1.     duc(t), duce (to lead)

2.     fed(er), fid(e) (faith, trust)

3.     fin(e) (end, limit)

4.     flect, flex (to bend)

Word List

1.     Aqueduct- a large pipe or other conduit made to bring water from a great distance;

The Romans were the first to create aqueducts, allowing freshwater to be available to the entire society.

2.     Conducive- tending to lead, help, assist, or result in;

A quiet work space is conducive to getting your homework done.

3.     Definitive- completely accurate, reliable, and authoritative; decisive or conclusive;

My mom made a final and definitive answer: we were moving.

4.     Fidelity- faithfulness to one’s promises or obligations, steadfast faithfulness; technological faithfulness;

His fidelity is questionable as he continually lies and breaks his promises.

5.     Fiduciary- an individual who holds something in trust for another; a trustee;

The bank is the fiduciary of one’s life savings.

6.     Finale- a “grand” conclusion, as of a performance; the last scene of a play;

The finale of the play included a dance number with the entire cast.

7.     Finite- limited or bordered time or by any measurement; measurable;

We had a finite amount of time to complete our assignments.

8.     Flexuous- winding in and out; bending or wavering;

The flimsy branches on the tree were flexuous in the wind.

9.     Inducement- anything used or given to persuade or motivate; an incentive;

They used a giant trophy as an inducement to win the tournament.

10.  Inflection- a slight change in tone or modulation of the voice, as in a point of emphasis;

By the inflection in her voice, we could tell she was nervous and upset.

11.  Perfidious- characteristic of one who would intentionally betray a faith or trust; treacherous;

The company my cousin works for in known for being perfidious and rips off all their customers.

12.  Traduce- to speak falsely of; slender or defame; to disgrace another’s good name; to vilify;

Teenage girls tend to traduce others by spreading false rumors about them around school.

Leopard Man

9. Tom Leppard is called “Leopard Man” because he has leopard print tattooed on his entire body and lives in the wild as a leopard would.

10. The author thinks that people with tattoos and piercings are just seeking for attention. He has these opinions because he believes they failed to attract attention in a positive way so instead so for shock value.

11. Leopard Man is different from other tattooed and pierced people in that he doesn’t live for other people’s reactions.

12. Leopard Man lives in a small cabin in the Scottish wilderness.

13. According to Feys, society fears loners because they pursue their own values without seeking others’ permission or permitting others to hamper them.

14. The “world’s most common but dangerous psychological disorder” is conformity. Feys argues that people try so hard to fit in, they suppress and destroy themselves.

15. Leopard Man is so happy because he is free from social pressures.

Diction Worksheet

1.     “I climbed over the spare spar and leaned over the rail as far as I could, to bring my eyes nearer to that mystery floating alongside.”

2.     Cadaverous- resembling a corpse in being very pale, thin, or bony;

… a wide back submerged right up to the neck in a greenish pale glow.

Elongated- unusually long in relation to its width;

But I saw at once something long and pale floating near the ladder.

Elusive- difficult to find, catch, or achieve;

…flickered in the sleeping water with the obscure, silent play of summer lightning in a night sky.

Opaque- not able to be seen through; not transparent;

The side of the ship made a cloudy belt of shadow on the shimmer of the sea.

Phosphorescent- light emitted by a substance without combustion or perceptible heat;

Before I could form a guess a faint flash of light…flickered in the sleeping water.

3.     The use of elevated language contributes to the tone by creating a more detailed image of what’s happening. Paraphrasing the passage affects the tone by taking away that imagery and creating a less suspenseful tone.

4.     Four Examples of Concrete Diction: “something elongated and pale”; “a pair of feet”; “a headless corpse”; “my gaping mouth”

5.     The author would choose do leave the characters nameless to create a mysterious mood.

6.     The denotative meaning of The Secret Sharer is someone who secretly shares something.

Word	Denotation	Connotation
Cadaverous	resembling a corpse in being very pale, thin, or bony	intimidating figure that’s skeleton like
Darkling	of or relating to growing darkness	somber
Pale	light in color or having little color	unnaturally light
Phosphorescence	light emitted by a substance without combustion or perceptible heat	a mysterious glow
Ghastly	extremely unwell	horrific
Headless	without a head	decapitated
Fishlike	quality of a fish	resembling a fish

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.