Literature Analysis #2

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

1) Direct Characterization: 

- "Phoebe is so beautiful, so sweet." (Page  93) 
Caroline makes a direct characterization about Phoebe when she is describing her to David. 

- "'He's beautiful, my son.'" (Page 25) 
Nora, David's wife, made a direct characterization when she stated that Paul was a beautiful baby boy.

Indirect Characterization:

-"'Don't you see?' He asked, his voice soft. 'This poor child will most likely have a serious heart defect. A fatal one. I'm trying to spare us all a terrible grief.'" (Page 28) 
In this indirect characterization of David, people can pick up a sense of cruelness and selfishness because he is giving away his daughter because of a birth defect.

- "She felt in her pocket for her keys, then picked up the box with Phoebe in it." (Page 39) 
When Caroline decided to raise Phoebe herself instead of turning her into the institution, readers can tell she is a kind-hearted person.

Direct characterization tells the reader exactly what the character is like. Indirect characterization is when the reader gets to know the character through their actions. Kim Edwards uses both of these characterizations because together, they give a broader characterization of each character. Instead of just being told what each character is like, readers can make their own generalizations through the actions of the characters. I personally had a better understanding of each character and, therefore, had a long lasting impression. I think that through indirect characterizations, I was able to remember each character better because I was able to characterize them myself. 

2) Kim Edwards changed her syntax when she focused on a character. She never really changed her diction as she kept it pretty similar throughout the whole entire book. When she focused on a character she tended to use a variety of sentences such as complex sentences and short, choppy one worded sentences. "Cold. Dismissive. Patronizing. Paul was crying harder." (Chapter III, Page 57) This is an example of Edwards using short, choppy sentences as she described a scene about Paul. By using short sentences such as these, she was able to really emphasize on each word and set the mood for the scene. "Caroline was so immersed in this dream that when Dr. Henry opened his eyes she smile at him, openly and freely, as she had never done before with anyone." (Page 36) This is an example of Edwards using complex sentences. She tended to do this a lot with Caroline and I believe she did this so the readers can really get to know her and sympathize with her. 

3) I think the protagonist of the book, David, was a dynamic and round character. David was dynamic because throughout the novel he evolved greatly. At the beginning of the book he was a loving and happy husband. After he lied to his wife, however, he became withdrawn from his family and depressed. David was a round character because he was told as a full character, not just a filler. The readers were able to get a picture of his looks and personality all throughout the book. He was not just somebody who played a little role to the book because he was the main character and the story revolved around him and his decisions. 

4) After reading this book I felt like I had actually met these people. The way Edwards wrote, I felt like I could really feel the emotions that David and his wife were going through. "'My darling,' he began. His voice broke, and the words he had rehearsed so carefully were gone. He closed his eyes, and when he could speak again more words came, unplanned. 'Oh, my love,' he said. 'I am so sorry. Our little daughter died as she was born.'" (Page 29) The scenes from the beginning of the book were the most intense. David contemplated lying to his wife about the death of their daughter. All the emotions he went through making this decision and the emotions that went along with carrying out this lie, were so well written that I could feel each one as I read through the scenes.

Character Study (III)

Micaela's car started beeping halfway from their destination notifying her that she needed to get gas. It was surprising that she heard it over Haley's singing from the backseat. Throughout the whole drive Haley insisted on listening to her Justin Bieber music. Since nobody else was fans of his, Haley had to listen to it through her headphones. Once they found a gas station, Micaela filled up the tank. Everyone decided that they wanted to go grab some food from the mini market except for Haley. After everybody purchased their food, they made their way back to the car. Haley, however, was no longer in the car. Instead, she was talking with two strange guys. All of a sudden, as Micaela and her friends started making their way to Haley, Haley was pushed into the large black car next to them. Screaming, the girls ran over towards the black car to help Haley but the guys were too fast. In seconds, the guys started the car and drove off carrying Haley with them.

Character Study (II)

Pulling into the Starbucks parking lot, Micaela immediately spotted her friends Caroline, Haley, Patsy, and Kayla. After greeting each other and putting all their suitcases into Micaela's car, they hurried off to order their drinks. Micaela ordered her usual venti frappuccino as she would need all the energy she could get for the long drive to Disneyland. Her and her friends have been planning this trip for months and were all super excited to get on the road. Once the car top was down and the music was blasting through the speakers, Micaela started the car and they were off!

Character Study (I)

The second her alarm started blasting out music, Micaela groaned and reached for the snooze button stopping when she realized what day it was. Looking over at her calendar to confirm her suspicions, she jumped out of bed and hurried off to get ready. Today was the day she would be embarking on a journey she has been counting down the days until. Once Micaela triple checked her list and made sure she packed absolutely everything she might need in her suitcase, she rushed downstairs. After devouring her breakfast, she grabbed her suitcase and said a quick goodbye to her family. Not being able to hold in her excitement, Micaela smiled to herself as she wondered what great adventures awaits.

Canterbury Tales

I am really excited to read the rest of Canterbury Tales. I think it will be very interesting to learn more about all the diverse characters. I'm looking forward to seeing how the characters get along with one another and how their social classes may create tension or conflicts. The character I am most excited to read about is the monk. He is described as not your average monk as he admits he doesn't live a traditional religious life and he tends to roll his eyes a lot which shows he is an impatient person. I really like Geoffrey Chaucer's writing style. He writes in a very comical tone that makes reading these stories very fun and entertaining.

Netvibes Dashboard

I just finished setting up my dashboard and I don't think I will be using this in the long run. I like the idea of having everything in one spot, but I already have all of this on my phone. I don't use my laptop a lot for things like checking the weather, my email, and making notes. I am constantly using my phone and I already have all the things I use frequently organized on the home screen of my iphone. In conclusion, I will try out my dashboard and see how things go, but, honestly, I already like the routine I have with my phone and don't plan on changing it anytime soon.

Vocabulary #6

1) Obsequious: (adj) obedient; dutiful; fawning
- The obsequious maid always did what she was told.

2) Beatitude: (n) exalted happiness
- His beatitude was shown when he started crying tears of joy.

3) Bete Noire: (n) a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads
- The quiz was the bete noire of the class as nobody wanted to take it.

4) Bode: (v) to be an omen of
-The news bodes evil days for Robert.

5) Dank: (adj) unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly
- The dank cellar was very unpopular due to its humidity.

6) Ecumenical: (adj) general; universal: promoting Christian unity throughout the world
- The ecumenical organization preached about Christianity.

7) Fervid: (adj) heated in spirit, enthusiasm; intensely hot, burning
- The cheerleaders' fervid attitude really got the crowd cheering.

8) Fetid: (adj) having an offensive odor; stinking
- The fetid cat was in desperate need of a bath.

9) Gargantuan: (adj) gigantic, enormous
- The gargantuan statue was as tall as the building.

10) Heyday: (n) the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime
- The team reached their heyday when they won the championships. 

11) Incubus: (n) a nightmare
- The little girls each had an incubus after they watched the scary movie.

12) Infrastructure: (n) the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organisation
- After they created the infrastructure, they were able to start building the newly designed system.

13) Inveigle:(v) to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk; to acquire by beguiling talk or methods
- He inveigled the girl into doing his homework. 

14) Kudos: (n) honor, glory, acclaim
- He received kudos the judges after winning the spelling bee. 

15) Lagniappe: (n) tip, bonus, gratuity 
- The waitress received a lagniappe from her table for her cheerful attitude.

16) Prolix: (adj) extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy
- Her prolix speech took the entire period!

17) Protege: (n) a person under the care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare.
-He was a protege as he was under the care of his son who was interested in his welfare.

18) Prototype: (n) the original or model on which something is based on for formed; someone who serves to illustrate the typical qualities of something 

- She is the prototype of a perfect student as she always does her homework and gets A's on tests.

19) Sycophant: (n) a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite

- He was a sycophant as he praised everybody for attention.

20) Tautology: (n) needless repetition of an idea

- It's a tautology when the teacher says to stop talking over and over again. 

21) Truckle: (v) to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely

- Don't truckle to unreasonable demands. 

22) Accolade- (n) any award, honor, or laudatory notice

- She received an accolade when she won the spelling bee.

23) Acerbity- (n) sourness; harshness or severity as of temper or expression

- He was full of acerbity when we harshly corrected his friend.

24) Attrition- (n) a reduction or decrease in number, size, it strength 

- Unfortunately, many jobs were lost through attrition.

25) Bromide- (n) a person who is platitudinous and boring; a trite saying

- Robert was a bromide as he never did anything exciting.

26) Chauvinist- (n) a person who is aggressively and blindly patriotic; a person who believe one gender is superior to another

- She was a female chauvinist as she believed the female team would beat the male team.

27) Chronic- (adj) constant; habitual; inveterate; having long had a disease 

- He suffers from a chronic disease that he has had all his life.

28) Expound- (v) to explain; to interpret

- The coach expounded the team strategy to the confused players.

29) Factionalism- (adj) of a faction or factions; self-interested

- There has been great factionalism between the two people as they weren't interested in what the other had to say since it had nothing to do with themselves. 

30) Immaculate- (adj) free from spot or stain; free from moral blemish; pure; free from fault

- Marissa's immaculate poem was hung up on the wall.

31) Imprecation- (n) the act of imprecations; cursing

- He started an unending imprecation when he ran into the door.

32) Ineluctable- (adj) incapable of being evaded; inescapable 

- The prison was so well guarded that it made the prisoners ineluctable. 

33) Mercurial- (adj) changeable; animated; lively

- The teacher came into class with a mercurial attitude, ready to start the day. 

34) Palliate- (v) to relieve or lessen without curing; alleviate; to try and conceal the gravity if excuses, apologies 

- The physical therapist tried to palliate the athletes sprained ankle.

35) Protocol- (n) a supplementary international agreement; the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality 

- The two states successfully came up with a protocol that wouldn't cause any violence.

36) Resplendent- (adj) shining brilliantly; gleaming; splendid

- The poster was resplendent and everyone in the school could see it.

37) Stigmatize- (v) to set some mark of disgrace; to mark with a stigma or brand.

- The crime of the husabnd stigmatized the whole family. 

38) Sub Rosa- (n) confidentially; secretly; privately

- The government meeting was held sub rosa due to the fact that nobody could know what they were talking about.

39) Vainglory- (n) excessive elation or pride over one's own achievements, abilities; boastful vanity

- Bob showed a lot of vainglory after he won the tournament.

40) Vestige- (n) a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that us no longer present or in existence

- The fossils are the only vestige we have of dinosaurs. 

41) Volition- (n) the act of willing, or choosing, or resolving; exercise of willing; a choice of decision made by the will

- Everyone who wants to participate in the competition should do so by their own volition. 

What a Character

After watching The Hunger Games movie, I decided to read the book just for fun. I found the main character Katniss Everdeen to be a very inspiring, strong girl even though she is just 16 years old. She made an impression on me when she volunteered herself as tribute so her sister wouldn't have to participate in the games. This courageous act really showed just what a selfless, loving person she is. There were many literary techniques used to contribute to this overall effect like the atmosphere. During the games there was a terrifying, chilling atmosphere that helped to show just how frightening these games can be. Katniss knew this and yet she still volunteered herself proving to be brave and valiant. Another technique was symbolism because Katniss represented the hope of the people from all around the world that despised the Capitol.

Declaration of Learning Independence

-Big Question: 

How did language begin? Who decided what each object would be named and how did it spread all over the world?

I think it will be very hard to fit my big question into my learning experience, but I will try my best. 

- SMART Goal:

My goal is to get into a four year university. I haven't quite decided which university I want to attend yet, but wherever it is I get into, I hope to earn a lot of scholarships. I would like to major in biology and become a physician assistant.

Vocabulary #5

1) Obsequious: (adj) obedient; dutiful; fawning
- The servant was obsequious because she did everything she was asked.

2) Beatitude: (n) exalted happiness
- Her beatitude was shown when she started laughing and jumping up and down.

3) Bete Noire: (n) a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads
- The test was the bete noire of the day as nobody wanted to take it.

4) Bode: (v) to be an omen of
-The news bodes evil days for him.

5) Dank: (adj) unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly
- Nobody ever went into the dank cellar as it was cold and damp.

6) Ecumenical: (adj) general; universal: promoting Christian unity throughout the world
- The ecumenical organization preached about Christianity.

7) Fervid: (adj) heated in spirit, enthusiasm; intensely hot, burning
- Her fervid attitude really got the crowd cheering.

8) Fetid: (adj) having an offensive odor; stinking
- The fetid dog was in great need of a bath. 

9) Gargantuan: (adj) gigantic, enormous
- The gargantuan crowd filled up the whole entire street. 

10) Heyday: (n) the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime
- The team reached their heyday when they won the championships. 

11) Incubus: (n) a nightmare
- She had an incubus after she watched that scary movie.

12) Infrastructure: (n) the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organisation
- After they created the infrastructure, they were able to start building the system.

13) Inveigle:(v) to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk; to acquire by beguiling talk or methods
- He inveigled the girl into doing his homework. 

14) Kudos: (n) honor, glory, acclaim
- He received kudos after winning the spelling bee. 

15) Lagniappe: (n) tip, bonus, gratuity 
- The waitress received a lagniappe from her table as she was a fantastic waitress. 

16) Prolix: (adj) extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy
- Her prolix essay was almost six pages long!

17) Protege: (n) a person under the care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare.
-He was a protege as he was under the care of his career.

18) Prototype: (n) the original or model on which something is based on for formed; someone who serves to illustrate the typical qualities of something 

- She is the prototype of a perfect student as she always does her homework and gets A's on tests.

19) Sycophant: (n) a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite

- He was a sycophant as he praised everybody.

20) Tautology: (n) needless repetition of an idea

- It's a tautology when the teacher says to stop talking. 

21) Truckle: (v) to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely

- Don't truckle to unreasonable demands. 

All of the Above

After I took the 1984 AP test I corrected my answers. I ended up getting a 2. I thought this test was really hard and so I wasn't surprised when I saw my score. I got a lot of the poetry questions wrong. I remember learning about poetry terms and structures but I don't remember exactly what was what when I was taking the test. I thought the questions asking about vocabulary and the overall summary of each passage were easy. I hope that when I take the upcoming AP test I will improve my score.

Literary Analysis #1 (The Lucky One)

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

1) This book was written in three different perspectives including Logan Thibault, Elizabeth "Beth" Green, and Keith Clayton. While Logan was serving for the U.S Marines, he came across a picture of a girl. This picture saved his life because when he moved to pick up the picture, he avoided a bomb that would have killed him. His marine friends all said that the picture was a good luck charm. Logan walked with his German Shepherd Zeus on a journey across the country in search for the girl in the picture. After asking multiple people he found out that the girl in the picture's name is Beth Green who owns a dog boarding/training place. Logan goes there to tell Beth about the picture but ends up not being able to and so he just applies for a job there. Keith, a very rude and impatient guy, fits into this story because he is Beth's ex-husband. He does not like the idea of Beth dating another man and having another male figure in Ben's life; his and Beth's son. We also find out that he has been scaring away all the other men that Beth has dated in the past. Logan falls in love with Beth in the middle of the story  but he still has not confronted her about the picture. Beth too begins to fall in love with Logan. The two begin to date and Ben and Zeus form a great relationship as well. Unfortunately, Keith tries everything he can to break them up. When he finds out about the real reason Logan came to town, to find Beth, he tells Beth. Beth freaks out and tells Logan that he is a stalker and she never wants to see him again. After she lets all her anger out, she lets Logan explain his reasoning and Beth ends up forgiving him. Keith is not happy about this and so he goes after Beth. Ben witnesses this happen and he runs away to his tree house. All this is happening while a storm is taking place so the tree house is not in a good condition. Keith, Logan, Beth and Zeus all run to the tree house to save Ben. Logan and Keith dive in to save him and eventually, Zeus does too. Zeus is the one who saves Ben in the end. Logan makes it out but Keith does not. There is a funeral for Keith where he is remembered as the "great father who gave up his life to save his son" and not a rude, angry guy. Logan, Beth, Ben, and Zeus all end up living happily ever after in the end. Nicholas Spark's purpose of this book was just to make a great selling book that people in love with. I feel that he fulfilled his purpose because the book was very captivating and so popular it eventually was made into a movie.

2) I think there were multiple themes in this book that included fate, destiny, love, and trust. It was fate and destiny that brought Logan and Beth together. If Logan had never picked up that picture, he would have been dead and they would never have met and fallen in love. Love was a big theme because Logan fell in love with Beth and did everything he could to be with her and make her fall in love. There was also a love connection between Logan and Ben, Zeus and Ben, and Zeus Logan. All four of them were brought together to make one happy family in the end. Trust was another theme in the book because Logan was very, very secretive throughout the beginning of the book. Beth had to trust him and everything he said. She also had to trust him when the truth about the photo came out.

3)  The tone of the book was very mysterious in the beginning because the readers had no idea what Thibault was doing hiking with his dog all alone. Nobody knew how all three characters related to one another either. Another tone throughout the whole book was a feeling of sadness and depression. Logan had numerous flashbacks to his marine days about all the fighting and death he faced. The fact that Keith was never a good dad nor husband was another reoccurring depressing situation.

- "From a distance, Clayton continued to evaluate them. The stranger seemed unfazed by Clayton's sudden appearance, as did the dog, and there was something in the stranger's gaze that unsettled him" (Chapter 1, Page 11).

- "Thibault walked back to the highway, knowing he was closet to finding her. He wasn't there yet but he would be soon. She'd been here. He knew that" (Chapter 4, Page 50).

- "By the time reinforcements arrived, it was too late. Kevin was shot in the head and died instantly. Ten others were wounded. only a few emerged unscathed: Thibault and Victor were among them" (Chapter 6, Page 62).

4) Ten literary techniques found in the book:

- CHARACTERIZATION: Chapter 2 page 20-23 is all about Thibault's life and how he was raised as a "military brat". The readers learned that he wanted to go in the marines right after school like his father had. His father had died of a heart attack when Logan was 15 years old. Logan felt like his life started only after he started his military training.

- PARALLELISM: "He wanted someone to hunt with: he got a son who would rather read. he wanted a son who could play catch or shoot baskets; he was saddled with a clumsy son with poor vision." (Chapter 3, Page 41) This excerpt is describing how Keith wanted a different son that Ben. He wanted a son who he could play sports with and not one who wasn't athletic and a bookworm.

-COMPARISON: "Ricky chewed tobacco; And Billy smoked. Ricky liked blondes, Billy like brunettes. Ricky liked rap music, Billy favored country-western" (Chapter 4, Page 46) This describes two men that was on Logan's team.

- IMAGERY:  "A tank rolled in, fast-moving infantry in the rear. The air vibrated as the muzzle flashed the upper stories it a building collapsed, dust and glass filling the air. Everywhere Thibault heard the sounds if screaming, saw civilians fleeing the buildings into the streets" (Chapter 4, Page 49)Thibault is explaining what happened when his friends from his team died in a bombing.

-RHETORICAL QUESTION: "How many men in their current age were single? Where did single men hang out? Single men who could be drawn into conversation" (Chapter 4, Page 52) This occurred when Logan was looking for men to question the girl in his photograph about.

-SIMILE: "It was too juicy, and the news would spread like wildfire, with or without an article" (Chapter 5, Page 55) Clayton lost a camera he used to take stalker pictures of girls and was nervous about whose hands they were in at the moment.

- SARCASM: "Might as well start dressing the boy in pink and teaching him to ride sidesaddle" (Chapter 5, Page 57) Clayton is being sarcastic about his son Ben when he is reminiscing about what his life would be like with a better son.

-FORESHADOWING: (Chapter 1-2) Thibault finding the picture that saved his life and him traveling foreshadows that he is out to find the lady in the photo.

- FLASHBACK: This literary technique is shown throughout the whole book when Thibault looks back on his days in the marines.

-POINT OF VIEW: All throughout the book the story is told from 3 point of views: Thibault's, Clayton's, and Beth's.

Vocabulary #4

1) Accolade- (n) any award, honor, or laudatory notice

- She received an accolade when she won the spelling bee.

2) Acerbity- (n) sourness; harshness or severity as of temper or expression

- He was full of acerbity because he harshly corrected the student.

3) Attrition- (n) a reduction or decrease in number, size, it strength 

- Many jobs were lost through attrition.

4) Bromide- (n) a person who is platitudinous and boring; a trite saying

- Mary was a bromide as she never did anything exciting.

5) Chauvinist- (n) a person who is aggressively and blindly patriotic; a person who believe one gender is superior to another

- He was a male chauvinist as he believed the male team would beat the female team.

6) Chronic- (adj) constant; habitual; inveterate; having long had a disease 

- She suffers from a chronic disease that she has had all her life.

7) Expound- (v) to explain; to interpret

- The teacher expounded the lesson again since the students didn't understand it. 

8) Factionalism- (adj) of a faction or factions; self-interested

- There has been great factionalism between the two people as they weren't interested in what the other had to say since it had nothing to do with themselves. 

9) Immaculate- (adj) free from spot or stain; free from moral blemish; pure; free from fault

- The immaculate essay was the perfect example as it had no flaws.

10) Imprecation- (n) the act of imprecations; cursing

- He started an unending imprecation when he stubbed his toe in the chair.

11) Ineluctable- (adj) incapable of being evaded; inescapable 

- The prison was so well guarded that it made the prisoners ineluctable. 

12) Mercurial- (adj) changeable; animated; lively

- She came in class with a mercurial attitude as she was always so bubbly.  

13) Palliate- (v) to relieve or lessen without curing; alleviate; to try and conceal the gravity if excuses, apologies 

- The physical therapist tried to palliate the athletes sprained ankle.

14) Protocol- (n) a supplementary international agreement; the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality 

- The two states tried to come to a protocol without causing any violence.

15) Resplendent- (adj) shining brilliantly; gleaming; splendid

- The sign was resplendent and everyone within miles could see it.

16) Stigmatize- (v) to set some mark of disgrace; to mark with a stigma or brand.

- The crime of the mother stigmatized the whole family. 

17) Sub Rosa- (n) confidentially; secretly; privately

- The meeting was held sub rosa due to the fact that nobody could know what they were talking about.

18) Vainglory- (n) excessive elation or pride over one's own achievements, abilities; boastful vanity

- He showed a lot if vainglory by bragging about his trophy. 

19) Vestige- (n) a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that us no longer present or in existence

- The fossils are the only vestige of dinosaurs. 

20) Volition- (n) the act of willing, or choosing, or resolving; exercise of willing; a choice of decision made by the will

- Everyone who wants to participate should do so by their own volition. 

Beowulf Essay

Beowulf vs. Spider-man

          A hero is a person who displays a great amount of courage and kindness, and is constantly performing admirable deeds through the goodness of his or her heart. Two people that fit this description perfectly are Beowulf and Spider-man. Beowulf is an epic hero who immediately pauses his life and sets out to save Hrothgar's people, the Danes, when he hears they are in trouble. Spider-man is a modern hero who comes across new abilities after being bitten by a spider. He uses these powers to defeat the Lizard, a monster who is a risk to innocent citizens. Though both of these heroes are from different times, they have some similarities as well as differences. 

         Both Beowulf and Spider-man risk their lives to help innocent people. Beowulf saves the Danes not once but twice. After he defeats the demon Grendel, he comes back to fight and risk his life once again when Grendel's mother seeks revenge. Later in his life, Beowulf fights a dragon and though he is not as young as he was when he defeated the demons, he courageously sets out to successfully slay the beast.  Spider-man risks his life to save the citizens of his town when an experiment goes wrong and Lizard becomes a danger to society. Before he got bitten by a spider, Spider-man use to be an ordinary teenager. He never had any training on how to fight but he didn't let this stop him from going out and protecting his city from danger. These two heroes are characterized as brave, strong men. This is shown for Beowulf during his fighting scenes as the descriptive language really let the audience see how truly tough and relentless he was. Also, before he set out to fight Grendel, he removes any armor or weapons he has on for he believes he is just as strong as Grendel and, therefore, didn't find the accouterments necessary.  

            Besides the fact that Beowulf is an epic hero and Spider-man is a modern hero, they also have other contrasts. The biggest contrast between the two is the way that they present themselves. Beowulf presents himself as a very arrogant, cocky person. He believes he can take on anybody at anytime no matter the circumstances, and come out victorious because of his superior strength. Spider-man on the other hand relies more on intelligence than strength. This is a common difference between ancient and modern heroes as ancient heroes rely on strength and endurance while modern heroes rely on their intelligence. Another difference between Beowulf and Spider-man is that Spider-man hides his identity whereas Beowulf flaunts it. Spider-man does not want anybody to know his true identity in fear that he might bring his family into danger. Beowulf however boasts about his title and wants the whole world to know just how great and strong of a person he is.

            In conclusion, Beowulf and Spider-man are both extraordinary heroes. Beowulf stays true to his tenacious and fearless self all throughout his life. He even stayed true to himself in his old age when he slayed the dragon and ended up dying after due to his injuries from the battle. Spider-man makes an oath to himself to defeat the Lizard and he also never strays from that goal.  Though Beowulf and Spider-man come from different times, they still hold the same characteristics of a hero. 

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Will Study For Food

Honestly, I haven't done a lot of research on scholarships. I still think it's crazy that I'm already a senior in high school getting ready to apply for colleges. A website that is helpful in looking up scholarships is www.fastweb.com which I found out about at college bootcamp today. Some scholarships I found that I will most likely apply for are Imagine America High School Scholarship, $4,000 Cell Phone Donation Scholarship, and College Prowler $2,000 No Essay Scholarship. I am hoping to earn a few thousand dollars in scholarship money. I will use this money towards tuition, books, and housing. 

Vocabulary #3

1) Apostate: (n) person who abandons his religion, cause, party 

- He is known as an apostate because he  abandoned his church.

2) Effusive: (adj) extravagantly demonstrative of emotion; gushing; overflowing

- Her effusive affection for her grandson was obvious for she was hugging him constantly.

3) Impasse: (n) a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock

- The bank robbers reached an impasse when they were surrounded by cops.

4) Euphoria: (n) a state of intense happiness and self-confidence

- She was flooded with euphoria when she won the spelling bee.

5) Lugubrious: (adj) mournful, dismal, or gloomy 

- The dog's whines were lugubrious when his owners left.

6) Bravado: (n) a pretentious, swaggering display of courage

- His bravado was shown when he confidently walked up stage.

7) Consensus: (n) majority of opinion

- They reached a consensus when everybody agreed to the meeting time.

8) Dichotomy: (n) a division into two parts, kinda; contrast between two different things

- There is a dichotomy between the two kids yet they have become close friends. 

9) Constrict: (v) to draw or press in; compress

- To get the clothes in the suitcase she had to constrict them down.

10) Gothic: (adj) pertaining to a style of architecture originating in France in middle of 12th century 

- The gothic building was built to look like styles from the middle of the 12th century. 

11) Punctilio: (n) a fine point as of conduct; strictness or exactness in the observation of formalities or amenities

- The punctilio of the ceremony was the moment everyone was waiting for.

12) Metamorphosis: (n) a complete change of form, structure, or appearance as transformation 

- Metamorphosis happened when the caterpillar turned into a butterfly.

13) Raconteur: (n) a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly

- He was a raconteur because he compared the two stories interestingly. 

14) Sine qua non: (n) an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential 

- The band was the sine qua non of the party.

15) Quixotic: (adj) impulsive and often rashly unpredictable; extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; impractical 

- He acts quixotic because nobody ever knows what he is going to do next.

16) Vendetta: (n) a fued in which members of the family of a murdered  person seek to avenge the murder by killing the slayer's relatives

- The two families had a vendetta when the father of one family went to seek revenge for his son by killing the son of the other family since the mother murdered his son.

17) Non Sequitur: (n) a statement that has an illogical conclusion; an inference or conclusion that does not follow the premises 

- The statement was a non sequitur as it didn't follow the premises and was incorrect.

18) Mystique: (n) framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs constructed around a person or object; an aura of mystery surrounding a particular pursuit 

- All the unexplained phenomenons became the mystique of the haunted house. 

19) Quagmire: (n) an area of boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; soft or flabby

-  Despite the heavy rains that made a quagmire of the fields, the game still continued. 

20) Parlous: (adj) dangerous, perilous

- The mission was parlous as danger was everywhere.