EHS Studious English
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Monday, April 16, 2012
Heart of Darkness Vocabulary
Abject
– utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating
Altruistic – unselfish and concerned for the welfare of others; caring
Ascetic
– one who leads a life of self denial; humorless, grim, sparse, simple
August
– dignified, splendid, novel, revered
Capered
– playfully leapt; jumped and frolicked, especially in a mischievous way
Cipher
– code; letters are substituted with symbols according to a key
Countenance – facial expression
Craven
– cowardly, fearful
Declivity – piece of land that slopes down at an angle
Delusion – false belief, especially in the face of strong evidence to contrary
Deplorable – unacceptable and worthy of condemnation; wretched due to poverty or
neglect
Diaphanous – transparent or insubstantial
Disinterred – dug up, exposed, unearthed
Dissipated – overindulgent in pleasure, immoral in excess; gradually faded away
Drollery – slightly odd or quirky humor
Effaced
– rubbed out; obliterated; erased; behave humbly and respectably
Evanescent – fleeting; disappearing after only a short time
Farcical – absurd, mixed-up, comically confused
Gabardine – smooth twill fabric; durable and lightweight, man-made
Gait
– manner of walking
Harlequin – comic buffoon- like character, colorful; fanciful
Hovel
– a miserable dwelling, hut or shack
Immutability – unchanging nature; not developing or evolving; stubbornly permanent
Imperturbably – without being made uneasy or irritated; calm; not agitated
Implacable – stubborn, unable to be persuaded or moved
Indissolubly – cannot be undone, broken or dissolved; permanent
Inextricable – unable to be solved, extracted, freed, or removed
Interminable – seemingly endless, long, boring, frustrating
Intrepidity – characteristic of being fearless and persistent, especially in
pursuit of object; courage
Languid
– without vigor or energy; listless and indifferent
Lugubrious – extremely mournful, sad, gloomy
Lurid
– horrifying and shocking in graphic nature
Malevolently – with malice, anger, and evil intent
Mangroves – tropical evergreen trees of tidal coasts (near river mouths)
Mephistopheles – one of 7 devils in the Faust legend, one who Faust sold his soul
Moribund – dying or nearly dead
Motley
– composed of a variety of materials or types
Pate
– skull, scalp, top of head
Pestiferous – bringing; bearing disease
Placidity – calmness, lack of agitation
Postscriptum – P.S. at the bottom of a letter; an additional note
Precarious – uncertain, unstable, dangerous, risky
Prevaricator – one who does not tell whole truth or who answers directly
Privation – lack of necessities, deprivation
Propitiatory – designed to appease and win favor
Rapacious – greedy and grasping; using unscrupulous means to gin desired end
Recrudescence – recurring nature, breaking out or becoming active again after dormant
period
Rudimentary – basic, without luxuries or sophistication
Scow
– slat bottomed vessels such as rowboats, sailboats, barges, ferries, and rafts
Sedentary – sitting idle
Sententiously – in a way that is offensive as a result of being moralizing and
condescending
Sepulcher – a vault or building used for burial of dead bodies
Somnambulist – sleepwalker, one who is out of touch with reality
Tenebrous – loosely connected
Tepid
– lukewarm, unenthusiastic
Trenchant – directly and deliberately hurtful, intending to cause pain and or
death
Truckle
– wheeled bed, often kept beneath another for convenient storage
Uncongenial – unfriendly and unwelcome
Uncouth
– ill mannered and rude
Wanton
– sexually indiscriminate; without restraint or inhibition
Worsted
– smooth woolen cloth that would be very warm; highly manufactured material
Monday, March 19, 2012
Jules Verne Journey to the Center of the Earth Essay
Journey to the Center
of the Lindenbrocks
Similarities and differences is
what drives a story and often gives it meaning. Jules Verne was a master of
differences and similarities between characters to enhance his conflicts in the
plot and displays his talents well in his novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth. The stark contrast between
Professor Otto Lindenbrock and his nephew, Axel Lindenbrock, is evident
throughout the novel, but also complimented with few similarities between the
uncle and his nephew was well. Professor Lindenbrock’s was well as Axel
Lindenbrock’s personality, optimism, and motivation will each be evaluated in
their journey to the center of the Earth.
Professor Lindenbrock’s personality
is very different from Axel’s. The professor is adventurous, and often looks to
disprove theories of many famous philosophers. On the other hand, Axel is less
adventurous and could be described as a follower. Often believing and following
the theories of famous philosophers, Axel is more pragmatic than his uncle. The
professor’s ego also rarely ever legs his admit defeat. Only on one occasion throughout
the novel does Otto Lindenbrock admit defeat: when he chose the wrong tunnel to
enter in the beginning, and his decision to cross the large body of water they
encounter later on. Axel’s ego is not as stubborn as the Professor’s, but they
still share some of the same Lindenbrock characteristics.
One of those characteristics being
their optimism. Professor Lindenbrock shows great amounts of optimism and
determination throughout their journey, and rarely accepts defeat. Like his
uncle, Axel is determined and optimistic about their journey when it is going
well. Unlike his uncle, Axel uses almost every excuse he can think of in order
to ascend back to the surface. After Axel fell and almost killed himself, he
exclaimed “…is the journey not over, then?” this way of thinking contrasts with
his uncles relentless efforts to reach the center of the Earth when he responds
“…rest today, and tomorrow we will set sail”. The professor uses the fact that
Arce Saknuesem claimed to have reached the center of the Earth as means to
continue the journey despite how long it would take if they had enough food and
water to last. Differences in optimism and determination between the two
characters rely on another factor, motivation.
The motivation of Professor Otto Lindenbrock
and Axel Lindenbrock are what drive them to overcome their perilous journey.
The professor’s motivation resides solely in his love for geology. Axel too has
a passion for geology, but it is dwarfed by the professor’s. Instead, a girl by
the name of Grauben is Axel’s motivation to complete their journey, which is
why he used every excuse to return to the surface. Unlike Axel, Professor
Lindenbrock is not distracted by the exterior world and his sole motive for
reaching the center of the Earth is for scientific gain and self satisfaction. Otto
Lindenbrock expresses this by saying, “Leave me, I tell you. I have undertaken
this expedition. I will carry it out to the end, and I will not return. Go,
Axel, go!” this displays the difference between Axel, who cannot wait to end
the journey, and the professor, who has no intention of ever abandoning his
quest.
The similarities and differences are blatantly evident between Professor Otto Lindenbrock and his nephew, Axel Lindenbrock. Although they share a lobe for geology, their personality, optimism, and determination are very different. These characteristics not only add to the plot, but also give the characters unbelievable depth for the reader to explore. While Otto and Axel Lindenbrock make amazing discoveries deep inside the Earth, the reader make equally amazing discoveries inside the Lindenbrock characters, just as Jules Verne intended.George Orwell 1984 Essay
Totalitarianism: A
Negative Utopia
The first
line of Big Brother’s slogan, “War is Peace”, is an oxymoron that describes
totalitarianism perfectly, Orwell knew that totalitarianism is kept and gained
through force, or war. His message about totalitarian government is that it is
never peaceful. Those under a totalitarian government who are not completely
compliant will be killed, much like today in China and Cuba. Orwell symbolized
this by having Winston and Julia brutally tortured after their conspiracy to
overthrow Big Brother was uncovered. Because of the escalating tensions in
1949, Orwell viewed Russia and Spain as evil countries. It was from these
countries that Orwell fanaticized the World of “Oceania”. Through war, Spain
and Russia increased their power, much like Oceana did in 1984.
The second line of Big Brother’s slogan, “Freedom is
Slavery”, is also an exact comparison to a totalitarian style government. In
“Oceania”, one must give up their rights of love, friends, and most importantly
the freedom of thought. This is an extreme example of the powers of a
totalitarian government, but to Orwell, his point must be viewed seriously.
Orwell is trying to persuade the reader that totalitarianism may look good
ideologically, but in all reality it would be a horrible place to live. Oceania
could be described as a “negative utopia”, much like how Orwell was trying to
get the public to fell about totalitarianism. Orwell wanted people to realize
that the only way to survive in a totalitarian for of government was to be a
“slave” of that government. Every “Party Member” in Oceania was a slave who
either spent their time working for the government or exercising “Two Minutes
Hate” against a conspirator named “Goldstein”. This was how Oceania controlled
its people, much like how an advanced totalitarian government would control
its.
The third
and final line in Big Brothers slogan is “Ignorance is Strength”. This is above
all the most important element of what kept a totalitarian government alive and
also what Orwell feared most. To star in power, a totalitarian government, like
Oceania, must keep its people uninformed in order to keep them under control.
This was shown in 1984 by hundreds of
things “The Party” practiced. Winston worked in “Minitrue”, which was the
information center for all of Oceania. Of course, it was controlled by the
government. Everyday Winston would receive a request to change a document of
history in order to benefit Oceania’s government. This kept the people
uninformed of the truth and easily manipulated. Orwell’s fear was that people
are easily manipulated and a corrupt government could use that to their
advantage. Orwell portrayed this by their language “NewSpeak”. NewSpeak is a
transition language introduced to Oceania in order for the government to
theoretically control the minds of the people. By removing words such as
“freedom” and “opinion”, they would fade away and the idea lost forever. This
was the primary fear Orwell expressed of totalitarian government.
The novel 1984, written by George Orwell is a
dedication to the movement to stop totalitarianism form coming to the United
States. Orwell’s message that one should never give up his or her rights for
peace or security is one that has held strong in the United States but not other
countries. The year, 1984, has come and gone; but George Orwell’s “prophetic,
nightmare vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever”.
Oedipus Rex Summer Assignment 2
Oedipus’s great achievement put him in the position to become the King of Thebes. Here is a quote from the play describing his actions is: “Whose coming to our Cadmean town released the toll we paid, of a hard Sorceress, and that, without instruction or advice of our imparting; but of Heaven it came thou art named, and known, our life's establisher." The Sorceress mentioned in the quote is the Sphinx that held the city of Thebes under siege. Oedipus is the one who soleve the sphinx’s riddle and saved Thebes. After solving the riddle of the Sphinx Oedipus was crowned king.
Shortly after solving the riddle of the Sphinx Oedipus becomes complacent and forgets the needs of his people. When Oedipus is greeted by the Priest of Zeus he then realizes how poor the condition is of his people. Although Thebes is in turmoil, Oedipus still sees himself as a great king. Oedipus speaks to the Thebians before the royal palace and says: "I myself have come hither, Oedipus, known far and wide by name." This demonstrates how Oedipus has become self-centered and complacent with new luxurious life.
After returning from his journey to Pytho, Creon informs Oedipus of how he must solve the crisis and save Thebes. Oedipus is told that Laius, the past king, was killed in vein and the only way to save Thebes is to banish the murderer from the city. As Oedipus’s pride takes over he promises he will avenge Laius by finding the murderer and banishing him, "So shall you see me, as of right, with you, venging this country and the Gods together. Why, 'tis not for my neighbors' sake, but for mine, I shall dispel this plague spot; for the man, whoever it may be, who murdered him." Oedipus now has a new sense of pride because he will save Thebes from the horrible villain that made the city fall to ruins. What Oedipus is unaware of is that his prideful search for the truth of Laius’s death will drive him to endless suffering.
As Oedipus reveals more about he is past and discovers who killed King Laius he is faced with much suffering which is the fourth stage of a tragic hero. After questioning countless people Oedipus uncovers that is was he himself that murdered his father and fulfilled the first half of the prophecy. This sends Oedipus down a deep spiral of suffering and depression. Then Oedipus would fulfill the second half of the prophecy when Oedipus slept with his own mother, Jocasta. As Jocasta figures out what evil has became on her, she commits suicide by hanging herself. If this was not enough Oedipus was then banished from Thebes and his two daughters were taken from him. Oedipus felt the true meaning of suffering at that point in his life.
The final stage of a tragic hero encounters the perception of his or her failures. Although Oedipus tried his hardest to prevent his prophecy from coming true, he failed. By leaving his parents and constantly worrying about the prophecy, Oedipus was following the path of the prophecy the whole time. Eventually Oedipus pleaded that the gods take him away from his suffering and he gouged his eyes out. During the end of the play Oedipus finally understands that he could do nothing to stop the evil prophecy form coming true. Being helpless to the will of the gods, Oedipus lived the rest of his life in the perception of sorrow.
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