Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Character Study III

As I looked around the room and back to myself I wondered where everyone was going in life and what they wanted to do. I didn't want to judge anyone but it was hard to silence out the clothes and personalities of everyone around me. That's when I heard the infamous whiteboard screech. "Class this is only going to be about a fifteen minute class. I will give you the assignment and give you the semester to finish it. This is the only class that is granted with the privilege of being a semester class, so please make the best our of it." I felt my eyes widening to the size of softballs and my hands began to slip from each other's grip as my nerves took over. I only had a few months to design an experiment that had "social enrichment". "What does that even mean?!" I whispered under my breath as I slumped out of class. There were no rules or guidelines and all I had was the faint remembrance of what I had done for my senior masterpiece in high school, but I needed something bigger. I immediately regretted coming to college and I questioned what I was doing with my life and where I wanted to go. I didn't even know what this had to do with anything if I wanted to go into medicine other than the fact that it was social. Cry, laugh, blank, excited, done. I saw all the emotions I felt in the different faces of the people around me. I realized that I had no idea what their names were or their favorite color or even why they were taking this class. I had to learn through looking and as if slapped in the face, my motivation hit me. I would travel to the place of peace atop a mountain of silence to "find" my voice; the Monk Temple of Him. But I had no idea what I was getting into or what I would discover.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Canterbury Tales II

Character Study I

Just breath, just think about how you actually got into a school, this school isn't too big, no worries you got this. My words of encourage to myself weren't of much help as I entered the gargantuan colosseum of a classroom. I felt like I should have dressed up for the occasion and my grey t-shirt with blue jeans ,that had that one little rip in the knee for memories sake, and converse didn't really do the trick. I pushed my brown long brown hair behind my ear and marveled at the essence of what I got myself into. The "classroom" wouldn't even be classified as a classroom, that's how big it was and as I chose my seat of death I looked around. I saw the groups of people forming right before me as if in a movie. The goths, the populars, the geeks, the drama clubers, and the jocks all divided up the massive colosseum and made it seem smaller somehow. I was so amazed and popped in my headphones to give this delicate moment an epic theme song. People unconsciously walked to the beat and it led me right into the perfect seat, right in the middle, front of the classroom, in the center of all the "cliques." After all, I still wanted to make a good impression and I wouldn't let the reoccurring images of high school hinder that. I looked around and literally grouped everyone into what I saw them as and I didn't bother them with introducing myself. I was eager to start and end; this class was just another chapter in the book.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Phonar14 Video

- phonar is about habits,trying the establish a habit from a start
- habits are passed on from some bigger source
- only think of this when you think of outside the system, it breaks down
- thinking through doing
- enforce habits you already have and develop new ones
- why did he ask where photographers place their pics?
- solution to problem became a system and forget how to think for yourself
- a picture is fixed in time yet it ages because it doesn't change and everything around it does
- What is a photograph: two D, mono and multi chrome, bounded by frame, fixed in time(ages), dated,
- difference between image and photograph: (snap chat gets it) photograph is the memory and experience rather than the actual photo
- confusion with photography: who actually is a photography because it gets lost in time with everyone having a camera
- Photographers keep their photos keep their pictures online or on Facebook social media
- shape?: square, rectangle, circular, we crop them in order to ship around and make it easier
- mode of delivery shapes the mode of information: info is photography and image making, mode of delivery business model was flawed
- we travel looking in a rear view mirror
- "if you want to change the world you have to start describing it differently"
-  NONLINEAR decentralized media: online and offline
- everyone is a photography because they have the ability to supply photos
- perspective makes someone different than another photographer and makes them more experienced or of higher value?
- what is your story?
- transmedia: story told on multiple platforms, huge fan-base, story into film into fan-base into fan-fiction into stories made of those characters into other pieces and have to go through all the stories to see the whole picture
- what does linear mean? literal?
- when trusted you can tell your story
- connected leads to platforms and change you into something greater than a supplier
- learn how to use the craft of something fixed in time because it is valuable and people will pay for it
- the images that are fixed in time and capture a moment are the most valuable ones
- different perspectives and need to realize that in photography and both sides of the story
- think of ourselves as trusted collaborators and more than just suppliers
Connections to Canterbury Tales 
-is that it is a story that incorporates many stories and as readers we need to read all the stories to understand the big picture
- the journey is a collaboration of many people and as readers we need to develop a community to understand their community
- we will see stories from the perspective of one individual but we need to keep in mind the other side and that the story being told is biased and edited(corrupt for the competition)
- how does it relate to where we keep out photos and who is considered a photographer?
- Linear story?

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Canterbury Tales I

Bede
-writing about English history and most illiterate during period
-five languages and four nations within Britain: English, British, Scots, and Picts
   -have unity in study of god and faith
-Picts aligned with the Scots
-Nice weather and seasons
-Isle seen as area of no poison and water can cure it
-Lush in food
-migrants inhabited Britain
-Fighting and controversy between Danes and English

Canterbury Tales Prologue
-a story of stories with the bigger story being the pilgrimage to Canterbury (like Frankenstein and framework novel)
-each major form of medieval lit told through each character that relates to his or her personalities
-created heroic couplet(pair of rhyming lines with five stressed syllables each.)
-character division:
aristocracy: the knight, squire, prioress(high ranking nun who is elegant and delicate), nun's priest, second nun, canon's yeoman(servant), monk, friar
upper class: merchant, man of law(lawyer), clerk, franklin(wealthy land owner)
middle class: the cook, shipman, physician, wife of bath(woman who had 5 husbands)
virtuous lower class: parson(poor preacher who is model of what is is to be humble and respectable)
degraded lower class: manciple(steward for law school), miller, reeve(estate manager), summoner(calls people to trial), pardoner(seller of religious artifacts)
Prologue:
-describes knight as someone who has honor and was at battle when no other was able to be so. someone who lives up to his name
-squire was knight's son and he was too a respectale man who was young but did his job
-describes the attire of the yeoman and its boldness
-prioress had manners, delicate, simple, kind, compassionate, elegant
-monk was scared of being lazy but he was an active monk who was ironically fat
-friar knew many people in town, happy while taking on the burdens and sins of others in confession, he was the best beggar(literally?), had a natural gift for begging or for being a friar?
-merchant was in debt but was good at hiding it and chaucer respected him for that but didn't take the time to learn name
-student was focused on reading booksa nd had a blank stare but yet had punctual speach and ot strsight to the point and was respectful
-lawyer knew his job and knew knowledge
-seems like the lower class he explains the less he expalins their appearance and more on what they    do
-franklin/landowener was happy and focused on pleasure, gave his house for the poeple to take food, model for his job
-Guild members/carpenters wise
-cook was god at his job bit had an ulcer on his knee, what does that have to do with anything?
-skipper knew the seas
-doctor kne everything that had to do with medicine sowas good at job but had a greed/love for gold, he ws not superfluous in diet, sand it breifly states that he did not read the Bible that much because during that time science and religion clashed and it was either one explained life or the other bit not both
-women with five husbands was partly deaf(said it was a shame but why?), worthy woman of her life, well traveled, and wise, trustworthy due to long life
-parson although porr was rich in thought, learned, found good in the small, patient/good man although looked upon as the "poor" class
-Shepard/other priest? did his job and was dedicated, he was a good man
-plowman honest, faithful man who had belief in christ,
-miller tough man, describe as having red hair and a wart like a witch(bad connotations), master at stealing,
-Manciple was good at law and was good at showing others what to do
-reeve was old and feared for his knowledge, was wealthy but people beneath him were afraid of him but he was the lowest class?
-summoner was gross looking with pimples and boils, people afraid so he drank a lot, kind man, not witty,
-Pardoner described with bad connotation words such as rat, wax, bulging eyes, goat voice, well read in church and faith, wanted to appease the crowd and win them over so he sang to make friends
-author turns back to himself and is apologizing in advance for any words doings he recited because he is just trying to tell a true story and nothing more
-The Host was a kind and stately man, gave advise on how to go about going to Canterbury, told them what to do
-proposes the people tell 2 stories to Canterbury and 2 back and the one that has most good morality and general pleasure shall be given a free supper paid by all the others people, Host will be the judge
-the people would be ruled by this judge who made up all the rules(representative of society back then?)

Monday, September 15, 2014

Vocab #4

obsequious adjectivecharacterized by or showing servile complaisanceor deference; fawning; servilely compliant or deferential; obedient; dutiful
ex) An obsequious brother is a dream of mine.
beatitude noun- supreme blessedness; exalted happiness.
ex)He would bring me great beatitude from his amazing behavior and awesome listening skills.
bete noire noun- a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded;bane; bugbear.
ex)He would be so amazing as to change the lives of bete noires and make them awesome as well with just one look!
bode verb- to be an omen of; to announce beforehand; predict.
ex)On one fateful day the quiet morning boded my wishes.
dank adjective- unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often,chilly:
ex)The dank bathroom had the mist of a shower just finished
ecumenical adjective- general; universal; promoting or fostering Christian unity throughout the world.
ex)The ecumenical aura of the house was sublime and everything seemed like a dream.
fervid adjective- heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm; burning; glowing; intensely hot.
ex)I suddenly had a weird, fervid sensation and was excited for no reason.
fetid adjective- having an offensive odor; stinking.
ex)I heard a noise from around the corner and as I walked to investigate my no so fetid, little brother was standing smiling.
gargantuan adjective- gigantic; enormous; colossal
ex)He had made me a gargantuan breakfast and played the music softly in the background for a nice ambiance.
heyday noun- the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength,success; prime; high spirits
ex)That was the heyday of my life; I was utterly shocked and had no words to explain what was happening.
incubus noun- an imaginary demon or evil spirit supposed todescend upon sleeping persons, especially onefabled to have sexual intercourse with womenduring their sleep; a nightmare; something that weighs upon or oppresses one like anightmare
ex)I thought it was an incubus and I tried to pinch myself to wake up but nothing happened so I just decided to enjoy the moment because this was something out of a book and I couldn't pass up this opportunity to bask in the glory of my new little brother.
infrastructure noun- the basic, underlying framework or features of asystem or organization
ex)On a side note, the infrastructure of this wonderful piece of work is based on my little brother Sean and my crazy imaginary world I just made up  right now. He would never do anything like this, but he does other awesome things, which I love him for.
inveigle verb- to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talkor inducements (usually followed by into); to acquire, win, or obtain by beguiling talk ormethods (usually followed by from or away)
ex)Anyways, I asked if he was trying to inveigle me from homework so I would play video games with him.
kudos noun- honor; glory; acclaim:
ex) He just kept smiling and poured me some more water and I gave him some silent kudos both for the breakfast and for his cleverness.
lagniappe noun- a gratuity or tip; an unexpected or indirect benefit
ex)I gave him a lagniappe for his wonderful service and he proceeded to clean up the dishes from the table as I sat and relaxed. 
prolix adjective- extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length;long and wordy
ex) He kinda went to prolix lengths to influence me to play video games with him, but I wasn't complaining.
protege noun- a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare
ex)He was my little protege and I would like to think that I taught him all these manners, but I guess I have to give the props to my parents even though the job was 25% them and 75% me.
prototype noun/verb- the original or model on which something is basedor formed; something analogous to another thing of a later period; someone or something that serves to illustrate the typical qualities of a class; model; exemplar
ex)When he finally left me alone to get some more surprises, I snooped in his room and found the prototype for his plan.
sycophant noun- a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.
ex) I realized that he genuinely wanted to just give me a nice day and I felt bacd for thinking he was a sycophant. 
tautology noun- an instance of such repetition.
ex)My mindless tautology was intended to say I was sorry for accusing him of something he hadn't done and I continued to thank him for the wonderful morning. 
truckle verb- to submit or yield obediently or tamely (usually followed by to)
ex)He confessed to wanting me to play video games with him and I decided to cave and truckled to his request.

Declaration of Learning Independence

The Declaration of Learning Independence is the document that allows us students to freely express ourselves. We are all individuals and we each have our own thoughts and habits and we shouldn't be limited to one source or kind of learning. The declaration protects students of being forced into a style of learning that isn't suited to them. Some learn with visual ques, some learn with traditional classroom etiquette, and some don't even learn! We shouldn't all have to endure school and grades just because that is what society thinks we should do. Many individuals just don't have a calling for school and are great at other aspect of life. School shouldn't define how successful we become or are; it should be a place where people have a genuine love of learning and want to be there. Just on a side note, if we didn't have grades what would school be like? I think it would be an environment where the kids there are actually there for the soul purpose of furthering their education and not just to mess around or o through the motions. With less stress of what grade you get on a test or staying up late to finish an assignment, kids would actually learn, huh there's a thought kids actually learning and enjoying school. Anyways, back to the Declaration of Learning Independence I think it pretty much something that allows kids to express themselves in a way that they can learn and like to learn; it gives us freedom just as the original declaration does.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Dr. Suess Moment

So when I was in elementary school my friends and I had this saying Whenever we would rhyme something totally unexpected we would try to yell Dr Suess moment Now every time I rhyme something I secretly say that in my head It helps me remember the good times when there was no homework or drama or worries about college I was in complete bliss yet in chaos I love looking back on moments like this because it is the ones that I will remember for a life time They are the memories I hope I can make more of because they are fun to look back on and think I actually had a social life


In that whole paragraph I didn't use one period or comma or exclamation point or anything. Did you still have a tone of voice and imagine the situation. Periods are there so we can end a thought and move on to the next. What if our thought is continuous and has no end? I have a horrible habit of writing run on sentences because I get so side tracked on what I want to say and I will just transition right into another subject. I even do this while I'm speaking. I will start telling a story and then think of something else or say like a side comment that has nothing to do with anything and then I will try to remember what I was talking about before with no luck and then just stop talking. Is that bad or is that normal to have a train of thought and then think of something else because you are just too busy to be stuck on one thing for so long? What does having no punctuation even mean? When I look at a paragraph I don't straight look at the periods, I look at the whole piece. By not putting a period but indicating that there is one by starting the next sentence with a capital, does our brain see that and recognize it like when you put 2 ands together. No punctuation means a continuation

Monday, September 8, 2014

Us

So I finally had a chance to look at literally EVERYONE'S blogs tonight and all I have to say is wow. We truly have a talented and amazing group of kids and I wish I could get to know each and every individual. You guys have such amazing minds and bright futures for yourselves and I just wanted to say good job and congrats on being the amazing people that you are. I am proud of each and every student, classmate, stranger for getting this far (even if I don't quite know you I am still proud) and I know it's only the beginning but as T.S Eliot stated, "What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." and ain't that the truth! [sorry if this was a little weird but it's nice to be appreciated once in awhile so I thought I would spread the joy:)]

Vocab #3


accolade noun: an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgment of merit; a touch on a person's shoulders with a sword at the bestowing of a knighthood.
ex) The accolade given to Mr. Turniptruck was for his outstanding accomplishments in finding an eco friendly way to grow turnips.
acerbity noun: expressing harsh or sharp criticism in a clever way
ex) When he first started growing, Turniptruck was hounded with acerbity because his idea of developing turnips that did need water was absurd and impractical.
attrition noun: : a reduction in the number of employees or participants that occurs when people leave because they resign, retire, etc., and are not replaced; the act or process of weakening and gradually defeating an enemy through constant attacks and continued pressure over a long period of time
ex) After the harsh criticism and ludicrous mannerisms of Mr. Turniptruck, he suffered a great attrition and was straight out of luck.
bromide noun: a drug that makes a person calm; a commonplace or tiresome person; a commonplace or hackneyed statement or notion
ex) After his fail of a crop, he became a bromide and ate turnip flavored ice cream all day to keep his dream alive.
chauvinist noun: undue partiality or attachment to a group or place to which one belongs or has belonged; an attitude of superiority toward members of the opposite sex; behavior expressive of such an attitude
ex) The chauvinist of the village patronized him for being a man and blamed his failed idea on that. She was a feminist. 
chronic adjective: continuing or occurring again and again for a long time; happening or existing frequently or most of the time; always or often doing something specified
ex) Suddenly, at the peak of his failure, Mr. Turniptruck experienced a chronic drought and this was his sink or swim moment.
expound verb: to explain or state (something); to give details about (something)
ex) He proceeded to expound his ideas of how to revolutionize turnip growing.
factionalism noun: a group or clique within a larger group, party, government, organization,
ex) The UTGA (United Turnip Growers of America) was a successful faction within the village and listened to Mr. Turniptrucks methods of savior.
immaculate adjective: (especially of a person or their clothes) perfectly clean, neat, or tidy.
ex) Mr. Turniptruck took great care of his turnips and kept them in an immaculate truck where they grew from the pure love of Mr. Turniptruck. (that was his secret)
imprecation noun: a spoken curse.
ex) Mr. Turniptrucks also had another secret up his sleeve, he was a wizard had casted an imprecation over his turnips to grow.
ineluctable adjective: unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable.
ex) The results of turnip growth increased tenfold and this new grower could not be ignored. The ladies were captivated by Mr. Turniptruck’s ineluctable charm.
mercurial adjective: (of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.
ex) The village had a mercurial behavior and found a way to accept the secret wizard of a turnip grower who would save the town.
palliate verb: make (a disease or its symptoms) less severe or unpleasant without removing the cause.
ex) The drought was palliated through this new turnip growing method and life was good.
protocol noun: the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs
ex) The protocol to deal with something of this greatness had not been brought up yet and so the decision on how to reward Mr. Turniptruck had to be made.
resplendent adjective: attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous(splendid and expensive looking)
ex) The committee first decided to give him a resplendent, golden turnip trophy.
stigmatize verb: describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval.
ex) The stigma against inventive farmers was now lowered and less prejudice was passed against them and they could all grow in peace now.
sub rosa adjective/adverb: happening or done in secret.
ex) Before the growers had to do sub rosa growing in the dead of night, which was most inconvenient.
vainglory noun: inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity.
ex) Mr. Turniptruck felt excessive vainglory and was proud of his contribution to society.
vestige noun: a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists.
ex) Ironically a drought popularized turnip growth and water was now vestige and not necessary because the town LOVED turnips and ate them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
volition noun: the faculty or power of using one's will.
ex) Mr. Turniptruck, his turnips, and the town all lived happily ever after in their small town off the coast of Madagascar and Mr. Turniptruck taught the valuable lesson of volition and staying true to oneself. 

Masterpiece in Progress

With my masterpiece I have gotten together with my uncle who lives in LA. We are going to put on a one day or so for a couple weeks or months event for multiple hospitals who have cancer patients to help them see the sunshine. We plan on organizing the Dancing Heads "booth" where they come and get their heads recorded on animated dancing bodies. (if you don't know what I am talking about there is a booth at Universal or you can google dancing heads) It is a fun way to create memories and laughs together and get out to help others. I also want to organize, myself, a little week long event where I go to a hospital and put on activities or crafts for the patients to do and get to know each other and share stories. Honestly I really just want to give a smile to those who have little to spare for my masterpiece. I haven't worked out all the details but if you are interested in helping me I need as many helpers as possible so don't hesitate to ask! Or if you have suggestions or information I am more than happy to hear them

With my Big Questions, I know why Americans have different accents than our ancestors from Europe! It's because Europe was made by a motley bunch and there were many languages that came together and not just one. Each person was an individual and had a different background even though they lived in the same area. This was probably a "no duh" question but I am glad I finally can answer it, I have been strangely been wondering that for a long time.


Beowulf, Feminist Remix

X-Men was one of the first, possibly the first, comics to portray a women in power. Many women were seen as inferior and unskilled in former times. This lack of power created a revolution because when something is submissive for so long, it reacts. Unfortunately, Beowulf was written before this time and it came from a different culture with different values. Women were seen as powerful, but surreptitious. They would reel a man in and make him waver from his path setting ingrained connotations towards women in the time. Beowulf is interpreted as a serious, masculine tale of daring adventure and relentless strength and bravery, but when seen through the eyes of a woman, it is nothing but a story of how a man thought himself strong, tested his strength, and when something came along that was stronger, died. If retold, the story would show the characters' submission to the beasts and the slyness of character rather than the brute force.

Beowulf is the search for power. It's the story of man beating man who then gets beat by creature. The hackneyed idea of pure strength fixing everything and ruling the thoughts of those around. Through the culled eyes of a woman, it can be reinvented. Women were seen as sly creatures themselves who tricked men into unfaithfulness and wondering off course. For example, the mermaids in the Odyssey weaned Odysseus and his men off course and got them into trouble. This trait is something that is desirable and can be used for good. Beowulf would use his sense of surroundings and human nature to conquer those around him. Instead of tearing off Grendel's arm, he would slowly poison Grendel with the food he was eating and make him either die of the poison or abandon his harmful diet. The portrayal of mother's intuition helped shape the idea of female dominance rather than slyness. Mother Grendel exemplified the presence of love and compassion of a mother for her child. The reaction was understandable under the circumstances. From a woman's eyes, Beowulf would be told in a satirical voice to poke fun at the little appearance of women throughout the whole piece but embrace the wisdom that comes with the few roles. A feminist would twist the heroic story to emphasize the idea of "thinking on your feet" over strength to defeat the enemy.

Beowulf is a classic for good reason; it shows the values of bravery, pride, willfulness of the culture it was written from. It teaches leadership to the youth of the culture and opens a window into what life was like. It is the typical masculine tale, but has qualities of feminisim. The power and love of women is not to be toyed with are constant themes within the text. But, if told from the perspective of a women, the attributes desired would resemble the way women were looked upon, as snakes.They would reverse the rolls of man and woman to create a paradox of what was seen as masculine and what is newly seen. Women use their skills to teach and solve problems rather than aimlessly fighting to establish circulatory dominance.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Beowulf Essay

A hero is seen as anyone who can save another from life or death. An individual can be walking down the street and save a child from an oncoming car or even an animal from falling off a tree. There are so many ways to "be a hero" and the sense of the word is lost in translation. Beowulf is the exception. The heroic tale of his journey exemplifies the basis of what a hero is all about. The ancient definition of a hero had one solid meaning and now, in contemporary times, there is an ambiguous sense to the word. Beowulf was the image of a dream and a hope, which is what what made him heroic; he was something extraordinary in the ordinary giving rise to the modern sense of the word as someone or something that acts rather than hesitates.

Beowulf was willing and able to be a hero in his time whereas many of the modern heros are not willing but fully capable of performing the tasks entailed. Beowulf had honor and he strove to be the best man that he could. He wanted to repay the favor, as do most men, and his journey began through willingness and not greed. Many of contemporary heros also have this same attribute where most take on the responsibilities of saving those around them, but only after the praise a culture gives. In modern, American culture the idea of honor is lost from that of Japanese ancestry. Kamikaze soldiers were willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good of their society and this shows the absolute submission to the people. It was a privilege to die for your country and become a hero, now it is something you live through to reap out the glories of.

Beowulf embodies the zeitgeist of his time as do those of contemporary works. He showed pride, confidence, strength, and respect to those who did right towards him. In contrast, he shamed, fought, looked down upon, and culled those who had wronged him or had wronged people close to him. He fought Grendel because Grendel was horrid looking, cruel, and beastly; the characteristics that were not desired. The juxtaposition and hyperbole techniques used in Beowulf help create this image of great power beyond reality and help the sense of "tale" or a myth. Beowulf embodies the coalescing of all the attributes that make a man desirable whereas Grendel, his mother, and the dragon embody the undesirables who seem so distant from reality; they are the first villains of early literature. In accordance with this idea of culture, modern heros such as firemen, policemen, and even Spongebob Squarepants are all considered heros. They teach compassion, bravery, and skill in their given field, all of which are valued characteristics and people strive to obtain. They create a sense of fantasy in the real world and allow people to dream or look up to a model figure. Both Beowulf's and modern hero's attributes illuminate the accepted nature of the desirable while simultaneously illuminating the undesirable which are depicted as the "villains" or antagonists.

Although there are many aspects that can be controlled in life, beliefs and habits cannot. Beliefs and habits develop a controversy in the story and make the reader or audience question the characters. The hero's hamartia is an example of human action. Beowulf was confident, but not arrogant. He had the skills to support his claims, but there is a thin line between what he believed was acceptable and what others did. In the end, his downfall was ironically his honor and dedication to save the people. This use of irony helps show the polemic qualities of life and how change is inevitable. Beowulf was stubborn and did not change and did the right thing, but sometimes the right thing is not always the smart thing or most desirable to do. Similarly, pride and compassion is the downfall of many heros today. Those who have the ability and willingness to protect another is vulnerable to pain. Ironically, even though these attributes are what is desired, they lead to their downfall. A firefighter could go into a burning building with the intentions of saving someone and not come out. They are still honored as a hero just as Beowulf was still honored as one after his tragic death. The forces of fate, irony, and hamartias cannot be understood or dealt with, they are things that just happen.

Beowulf called himself to action and didn't wait to be called upon. He did his duty out of love and respect rather than greed and self praise. His journey is the definition of what it means to be a hero and this is supported by the test of time. In contrast, the modern hero can be anyone who either is called upon or acts impulsively. He or she has the intent of getting praise after the deed and don't need special, innate characteristics that qualify them to be looked up upon. The journey of a hero has evolved from Beowulf's idea of static, honorable men to average people who have the willingness to act. The monomyth is something that is shared rather then exclusive to the hero and that is why Beowulf and every other ancient hero have translated into modern society; it is inclusive.


Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Will Study For Food

I need scholarship money to pay for my college expenses. I want to go to medical school and attend a UC school and I know they range from about $45,000ish, plus the expenses for medical school and extended education. I first am just focusing on getting into college and acquiring scholarships to put me through the general four years undergraduate study. A scholarship that I know of is the Marian Medical Center Scholarship that gives about 1,000 dollars I believe it was to someone who has the most volunteer hours for the hospital. They also give another one away for community service and the general community based activities and scholar achievements individuals have done. I am not sure how much I want to earn but I am hoping for at least $5,000. I don't know if that is underestimating or over estimating but I never really thought about how MUCH I wanted to earn; I just knew that I wanted to earn money.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Dude, The Epic Story of Spongebob

Oh my gosh I just realized, the Spongebob Squarepants Movie is an epic hero's journey and incorporates all the aspects of monomyth:

Separation:
call to adventure: wakes up on ordinary day, possibly going to be manager of Krusty Krab, and he must save Mr. Krabs from death and later the town from plankton's crazy obsession
refusal to call: he is mad at mr. krabs for not giving him the promotion and so first denies opportunity to save mr. krab's life
supernatural aid: Princess Mindy
crossing threshold: making krabby patty car and leaving town
belly of the whale: spongebob is actually driving a car and not crashing. He shows the willingness to drive well in the face of danger

Initiation:
the road of trials: monster trench, ice cream old lady, shell city, dennis, bubbles incident, plankton, monster at shell city, and people telling them they are babies
meeting with the goddess: Patrick loves Princess Mindy and Spongebob loves everyone
women of temptress: the love of ice cream that almost gets them both killed and unleashes the creepy old lady tongue
atonement with the father: they make it to shell city and prove to themselves that they are not babies and that they are men
apotheosis: Spongebob and Patrick literally both die and come back to life after their love and genuine heart, love tears save them. Realize that they are kids but that it's ok and they should embrace who they are and not try to be something they aren't
The ultimate boon: After both come back to life, they defeat the monster with help from the other sea creatures in the shop and get the crown to take back to the king and save mr. krabs

Return:
refusal of the return: This is a stretch because spongebob loves everyone and wants to genuinely save mr. krabs and everyone in the town from plankton
the magic flight: riding of David Hasselhoff's back and encountering Dennis
rescue from without: David Hasselhoff and the bag of winds, although wasted
crossing of the return threshold: Spongebob must figure out how to avoid plankton and save the people from his mind controls with his pride in being a kid(what he learned over the journey)
master of two worlds: Spongebob saves everyone with his awesome singing and magical guitar skills and goes into this "spiritual trance" when he plays the guitar and zaps everyone
freedom to live: After he saves everyone, Spongebob isn't expecting to be promoted because he is proud to be who he is, a kid. (fortunately he does get promoted)


Paths

Here is a a little experiment you can try:
1. Pick something super simple to draw like a circle or a number etc
2. Try to draw it as fast as you can without picking up your pencil so trace it over and over again for a couple seconds or so, like 10 seconds
3. See how many lines you make that are outside of the general shape made

Earlier today when I was volunteering and there was a lull in activity I picked up a sticky pad and started to draw a 4 and just trace over it again and again without picking up my pencil. I was just doing this for fun and to fill the absense of anything better to do but I realized something. No matter how many lines that you make, there is still a solid shape that comes out of it. There is still an obvious 4 when I stopped tracing even though there were many lines outside of the obvious 4 shape. There are many paths to take but no matter which one you choose, they will all come together and make one path. Our choices are not independent of each other but rather dependent. When we make a choice to draw a line and it doesn't necessarily match the others we change it so it matches. There is always a bigger picture that all the choices end at, the ultimate conclusion. I don't know if I am explaining myself in a way that makes sense but I wanted to share this little cool observation.

Vocab # 2




accoutrements- noun personal clothing, accessories; the equipment, excluding weapons and clothing, of a soldier
ex) The accoutrements of Elle Woods, yes from the movie Legally Blonde, made everyone think she was a rich princess.
apogee - noun apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth; a final climactic stage
ex) Many of the students at Harvard thought that Elle would soon see her apogee!
apropos - adj. of an appropriate or pertinent nature; adv. by the way; at an opportune time
ex) Elle did not have an apropos appearance at law school because she was just worried about getting Warner back and not her education.
bicker - noun a quarrel about petty points; verb argue over petty things
ex) Her bickering skills needed a little brushing up since she was use to getting what she wanted.
coalesce - verb fuse or cause to grow together; mix together different elements
ex) While sad with the blues of her hopeless love life, Elle tried to coalesce the characteristics of her new friend from the salon, Paulette, with those of her UPS lover.
contretemps - noun an awkward clash, unfortunate occurance
ex) Her efforts failed when Paulette had a contretemps with the UPS guy and they hit heads:/
convolution - noun the action of coiling or twisting or winding together; a convex fold or elevation in the surface of the brain; the shape of something rotating rapidly
ex) Elle life suddenly became a convolution when she got stuck in the middle of a case that involved a dear friend.
cull - noun the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality; verb remove something that has been rejected;look for and gather
ex) She had to find the strength and motivation to work hard after she was deemed a cull by Warner
disparate - adj. including markedly dissimilar elements;fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
ex) Elle found that her disparate approach to law gave her an advantage over the others.
dogmatic - adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
ex) Elle's client was seen as having a dogmatic life because she "killed" her husband and Elle was the only one who believed she was innocent.
licentious - adj. lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained
ex) Her strong dedication to her morals and style attracted her teacher who surprisingly had a licentious slip and "hit up" Elle!
mete - verb to distribute equally out
ex) She could not and would not mete out her affection for a grade.
noxious - adj. injurious to physical or mental health
ex) The wicked Vivian had witnessed this slip and she believed Elle was the culprit of the noxious actions.
polemic - adj. of or involving dispute or controversy; noun a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma); a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
ex) This created a polemic because Vivian thought Elle was sleeping with the professor just to get attention and she disapproved of Elle's lack of morals.
populous - adj. densely populated
ex) The next morning at the little but populous court room, stuff went down.
probity - noun complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles
ex) Elle was determined to uphold the probity of herself and her client after the previous fiasco.
repartee - noun adroitness and cleverness in reply
ex) Elle Woods had become an expert in repartee and she exampled this skill as she hounded the witness on the stand.
supervene - verb something that happens after an event to change the future of what is to come next
ex)The case looked hopeless until Elle's beauty knowledge supervened.
truncate - adj. terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off; verb make shorter as if by cutting off; approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one; replace a corner by a plane
ex) Elle truncated the responses of the witness and practically shouted to the world that the witness could not have had a perm done and been in the shower when the murder was committed and therefore killed her father!
unimpeachable - adj. beyond doubt or reproach; completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach; free of guilt; not subject to blame
ex) In the end when Elle cleared her name with Vivian and proved her client innocent as well as proving herself by staying true to herself, she earned the unimpeachable respect of her colleagues and found the guy of her dreams and she lived happily,legally ever after!!!:)