https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJPMRhhHyTA
Above is the link to my final project video
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Masterpiece #3
So we have decided to do a video and have started working with Lesther and Miranda from 4th period.
Shane has planned out an elaborate timeline. All three of us have conducted videos on film describing our personal expierences within this past year. We have also gathered photos that help give a better image of the work we accomplished from various social networking sites. Those photos will be incorporated throughout the video.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Macbeth essay questions
Macbeth is about various kinds of murder (among other things). Does the play distinguish between honourable and dishonourable violence? Can this very bloody play be seen as a plea for peace and human harmony?
What is the image of manhood that Macbeth presents? What questions does the play raise about the soldier as hero?
Discuss the Macbeths as a typical "political" couple similar to Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Bill and Hillary Clinton, or Barack and Michelle Obama
What is the image of manhood that Macbeth presents? What questions does the play raise about the soldier as hero?
Discuss the Macbeths as a typical "political" couple similar to Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Bill and Hillary Clinton, or Barack and Michelle Obama
Discuss the genre to which Macbeth belongs. Is it tragedy, history, or both? In what way does the play conform to the standard definitions? How does it contradict them?
Discuss Macbeth as a real character out of history and contrast the historical Macbeth with Shakespeare’s version.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Friday, April 4, 2014
TOMORROW, tomorrow,tomorrow
When assigned with a speech everybody freaks out of course but I was mildly calm about this one. For some reason there was no tension or groans associated with this speech.
Then when I viewed it and witnessed the 10 lines I memorized it almost immediately. It really only took me about 45 minutes at home to memorize it.
Then I realized on the day of recitations I would not be there so I went a day early and said it to the whole class
Turns out that the day of reciting students only had to say it to 5 of their peers and I had put myself through publicspeaking turmoil for no reason. Although I recited it with no errors and therefore I have no regrets.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Masterpiece #1
Ian, Shane, and I have decided to collaborate and showcase our work with warrior nation this past year. We thought it could be beneficial for our peers because it was a huge advancement in collaboration which has been a main focus of our class this year. We hope to showcase our ability to unite the 2500 students of righetti towards a common goal through an outlet. We are not sure how yet but leaning toward recreating our experience through a PowerPoint.
I had a previous idea for my masterpiece focusing on discovery but there was no structure to my idea, no end point. So when I was asked to join in on this project I felt like it was a better use of my time.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Read the story below.
The Last Question by Isaac Asimov © 1956
The last question was asked for the first time, half in jest, on May 21, 2061, at a time when humanity first stepped into the light. The question came about as a result of a five dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way:
Alexander Adell and Bertram Lupov were two of the faithful attendants of Multivac. As well as any human beings could, they knew what lay behind the cold, clicking, flashing face -- miles and miles of face -- of that giant computer. They had at least a vague notion of the general plan of relays and circuits that had long since grown past the point where any single human could possibly have a firm grasp of the whole.
Multivac was self-adjusting and self-correcting. It had to be, for nothing human could adjust and correct it quickly enough or even adequately enough -- so Adell and Lupov attended the monstrous giant only lightly and superficially, yet as well as any men could. They fed it data, adjusted questions to its needs and translated the answers that were issued. Certainly they, and all others like them, were fully entitled to share In the glory that was Multivac's.
For decades, Multivac had helped design the ships and plot the trajectories that enabled man to reach the Moon, Mars, and Venus, but past that, Earth's poor resources could not support the ships. Too much energy was needed for the long trips. Earth exploited its coal and uranium with increasing efficiency, but there was only so much of both.
But slowly Multivac learned enough to answer deeper questions more fundamentally, and on May 14, 2061, what had been theory, became fact.
The energy of the sun was stored, converted, and utilized directly on a planet-wide scale. All Earth turned off its burning coal, its fissioning uranium, and flipped the switch that connected all of it to a small station, one mile in diameter, circling the Earth at half the distance of the Moon. All Earth ran by invisible beams of sunpower.
Seven days had not sufficed to dim the glory of it and Adell and Lupov finally managed to escape from the public function, and to meet in quiet where no one would think of looking for them, in the deserted underground chambers, where portions of the mighty buried body of Multivac showed. Unattended, idling, sorting data with contented lazy clickings, Multivac, too, had earned its vacation and the boys appreciated that. They had no intention, originally, of disturbing it.
They had brought a bottle with them, and their only concern at the moment was to relax in the company of each other and the bottle.
"It's amazing when you think of it," said Adell. His broad face had lines of weariness in it, and he stirred his drink slowly with a glass rod, watching the cubes of ice slur clumsily about. "All the energy we can possibly ever use for free. Enough energy, if we wanted to draw on it, to melt all Earth into a big drop of impure liquid iron, and still never miss the energy so used. All the energy we could ever use, forever and forever and forever."
Lupov cocked his head sideways. He had a trick of doing that when he wanted to be contrary, and he wanted to be contrary now, partly because he had had to carry the ice and glassware. "Not forever," he said.
"Oh, hell, just about forever. Till the sun runs down, Bert."
"That's not forever."
"All right, then. Billions and billions of years. Twenty billion, maybe. Are you satisfied?"
Lupov put his fingers through his thinning hair as though to reassure himself that some was still left and sipped gently at his own drink. "Twenty billion years isn't forever."
"Will, it will last our time, won't it?"
"So would the coal and uranium."
"All right, but now we can hook up each individual spaceship to the Solar Station, and it can go to Pluto and back a million times without ever worrying about fuel. You can't do THAT on coal and uranium. Ask Multivac, if you don't believe me."
"I don't have to ask Multivac. I know that."
"Then stop running down what Multivac's done for us," said Adell, blazing up. "It did all right."
"Who says it didn't? What I say is that a sun won't last forever. That's all I'm saying. We're safe for twenty billion years, but then what?" Lupov pointed a slightly shaky finger at the other. "And don't say we'll switch to another sun."
There was silence for a while. Adell put his glass to his lips only occasionally, and Lupov's eyes slowly closed. They rested.
Then Lupov's eyes snapped open. "You're thinking we'll switch to another sun when ours is done, aren't you?"
"I'm not thinking."
"Sure you are. You're weak on logic, that's the trouble with you. You're like the guy in the story who was caught in a sudden shower and Who ran to a grove of trees and got under one. He wasn't worried, you see, because he figured when one tree got wet through, he would just get under another one."
"I get it," said Adell. "Don't shout. When the sun is done, the other stars will be gone, too."
"Darn right they will," muttered Lupov. "It all had a beginning in the original cosmic explosion, whatever that was, and it'll all have an end when all the stars run down. Some run down faster than others. Hell, the giants won't last a hundred million years. The sun will last twenty billion years and maybe the dwarfs will last a hundred billion for all the good they are. But just give us a trillion years and everything will be dark. Entropy has to increase to maximum, that's all."
"I know all about entropy," said Adell, standing on his dignity.
"The hell you do."
"I know as much as you do."
"Then you know everything's got to run down someday."
"All right. Who says they won't?"
"You did, you poor sap. You said we had all the energy we needed, forever. You said 'forever.'"
"It was Adell's turn to be contrary. "Maybe we can build things up again someday," he said.
"Never."
"Why not? Someday."
"Never."
"Ask Multivac."
"You ask Multivac. I dare you. Five dollars says it can't be done."
Adell was just drunk enough to try, just sober enough to be able to phrase the necessary symbols and operations into a question which, in words, might have corresponded to this: Will mankind one day without the net expenditure of energy be able to restore the sun to its full youthfulness even after it had died of old age?
Or maybe it could be put more simply like this: How can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?
Multivac fell dead and silent. The slow flashing of lights ceased, the distant sounds of clicking relays ended.
Then, just as the frightened technicians felt they could hold their breath no longer, there was a sudden springing to life of the teletype attached to that portion of Multivac. Five words were printed: INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER.
"No bet," whispered Lupov. They left hurriedly.
By next morning, the two, plagued with throbbing head and cottony mouth, had forgotten about the incident.
Jerrodd, Jerrodine, and Jerrodette I and II watched the starry picture in the visiplate change as the passage through hyperspace was completed in its non-time lapse. At once, the even powdering of stars gave way to the predominance of a single bright marble-disk, centered.
"That's X-23," said Jerrodd confidently. His thin hands clamped tightly behind his back and the knuckles whitened.
The little Jerrodettes, both girls, had experienced the hyperspace passage for the first time in their lives and were self-conscious over the momentary sensation of inside-outness. They buried their giggles and chased one another wildly about their mother, screaming, "We've reached X-23 -- we've reached X-23 -- we've ----"
"Quiet, children," said Jerrodine sharply. "Are you sure, Jerrodd?"
"What is there to be but sure?" asked Jerrodd, glancing up at the bulge of featureless metal just under the ceiling. It ran the length of the room, disappearing through the wall at either end. It was as long as the ship.
Jerrodd scarcely knew a thing about the thick rod of metal except that it was called a Microvac, that one asked it questions if one wished; that if one did not it still had its task of guiding the ship to a preordered destination; of feeding on energies from the various Sub-galactic Power Stations; of computing the equations for the hyperspacial jumps.
Jerrodd and his family had only to wait and live in the comfortable residence quarters of the ship.
Someone had once told Jerrodd that the "ac" at the end of "Microvac" stood for "analog computer" in ancient English, but he was on the edge of forgetting even that.
Jerrodine's eyes were moist as she watched the visiplate. "I can't help it. I feel funny about leaving Earth."
"Why for Pete's sake?" demanded Jerrodd. "We had nothing there. We'll have everything on X-23. You won't be alone. You won't be a pioneer. There are over a million people on the planet already. Good Lord, our great grandchildren will be looking for new worlds because X-23 will be overcrowded."
Then, after a reflective pause, "I tell you, it's a lucky thing the computers worked out interstellar travel the way the race is growing."
"I know, I know," said Jerrodine miserably.
Jerrodette I said promptly, "Our Microvac is the best Microvac in the world."
"I think so, too," said Jerrodd, tousling her hair.
It was a nice feeling to have a Microvac of your own and Jerrodd was glad he was part of his generation and no other. In his father's youth, the only computers had been tremendous machines taking up a hundred square miles of land. There was only one to a planet. Planetary ACs they were called. They had been growing in size steadily for a thousand years and then, all at once, came refinement. In place of transistors had come molecular valves so that even the largest Planetary AC could be put into a space only half the volume of a spaceship.
Jerrodd felt uplifted, as he always did when he thought that his own personal Microvac was many times more complicated than the ancient and primitive Multivac that had first tamed the Sun, and almost as complicated as Earth's Planetary AC (the largest) that had first solved the problem of hyperspatial travel and had made trips to the stars possible.
"So many stars, so many planets," sighed Jerrodine, busy with her own thoughts. "I suppose families will be going out to new planets forever, the way we are now."
"Not forever," said Jerrodd, with a smile. "It will all stop someday, but not for billions of years. Many billions. Even the stars run down, you know. Entropy must increase."
"What's entropy, daddy?" shrilled Jerrodette II.
"Entropy, little sweet, is just a word which means the amount of running-down of the universe. Everything runs down, you know, like your little walkie-talkie robot, remember?"
"Can't you just put in a new power-unit, like with my robot?"
The stars are the power-units, dear. Once they're gone, there are no more power-units."
Jerrodette I at once set up a howl. "Don't let them, daddy. Don't let the stars run down."
"Now look what you've done, " whispered Jerrodine, exasperated.
"How was I to know it would frighten them?" Jerrodd whispered back.
"Ask the Microvac," wailed Jerrodette I. "Ask him how to turn the stars on again."
"Go ahead," said Jerrodine. "It will quiet them down." (Jerrodette II was beginning to cry, also.)
Jarrodd shrugged. "Now, now, honeys. I'll ask Microvac. Don't worry, he'll tell us."
He asked the Microvac, adding quickly, "Print the answer."
Jerrodd cupped the strip of thin cellufilm and said cheerfully, "See now, the Microvac says it will take care of everything when the time comes so don't worry."
Jerrodine said, "and now children, it's time for bed. We'll be in our new home soon."
Jerrodd read the words on the cellufilm again before destroying it: INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER.
He shrugged and looked at the visiplate. X-23 was just ahead.
VJ-23X of Lameth stared into the black depths of the three-dimensional, small-scale map of the Galaxy and said, "Are we ridiculous, I wonder, in being so concerned about the matter?"
MQ-17J of Nicron shook his head. "I think not. You know the Galaxy will be filled in five years at the present rate of expansion."
Both seemed in their early twenties, both were tall and perfectly formed.
"Still," said VJ-23X, "I hesitate to submit a pessimistic report to the Galactic Council."
"I wouldn't consider any other kind of report. Stir them up a bit. We've got to stir them up."
VJ-23X sighed. "Space is infinite. A hundred billion Galaxies are there for the taking. More."
"A hundred billion is not infinite and it's getting less infinite all the time. Consider! Twenty thousand years ago, mankind first solved the problem of utilizing stellar energy, and a few centuries later, interstellar travel became possible. It took mankind a million years to fill one small world and then only fifteen thousand years to fill the rest of the Galaxy. Now the population doubles every ten years --"
VJ-23X interrupted. "We can thank immortality for that."
"Very well. Immortality exists and we have to take it into account. I admit it has its seamy side, this immortality. The Galactic AC has solved many problems for us, but in solving the problems of preventing old age and death, it has undone all its other solutions."
"Yet you wouldn't want to abandon life, I suppose."
"Not at all," snapped MQ-17J, softening it at once to, "Not yet. I'm by no means old enough. How old are you?"
"Two hundred twenty-three. And you?"
"I'm still under two hundred. --But to get back to my point. Population doubles every ten years. Once this Galaxy is filled, we'll have another filled in ten years. Another ten years and we'll have filled two more. Another decade, four more. In a hundred years, we'll have filled a thousand Galaxies. In a thousand years, a million Galaxies. In ten thousand years, the entire known Universe. Then what?"
VJ-23X said, "As a side issue, there's a problem of transportation. I wonder how many sunpower units it will take to move Galaxies of individuals from one Galaxy to the next."
"A very good point. Already, mankind consumes two sunpower units per year."
"Most of it's wasted. After all, our own Galaxy alone pours out a thousand sunpower units a year and we only use two of those."
"Granted, but even with a hundred per cent efficiency, we can only stave off the end. Our energy requirements are going up in geometric progression even faster than our population. We'll run out of energy even sooner than we run out of Galaxies. A good point. A very good point."
"We'll just have to build new stars out of interstellar gas."
"Or out of dissipated heat?" asked MQ-17J, sarcastically.
"There may be some way to reverse entropy. We ought to ask the Galactic AC."
VJ-23X was not really serious, but MQ-17J pulled out his AC-contact from his pocket and placed it on the table before him.
"I've half a mind to," he said. "It's something the human race will have to face someday."
He stared somberly at his small AC-contact. It was only two inches cubed and nothing in itself, but it was connected through hyperspace with the great Galactic AC that served all mankind. Hyperspace considered, it was an integral part of the Galactic AC.
MQ-17J paused to wonder if someday in his immortal life he would get to see the Galactic AC. It was on a little world of its own, a spider webbing of force-beams holding the matter within which surges of sub-mesons took the place of the old clumsy molecular valves. Yet despite it's sub-etheric workings, the Galactic AC was known to be a full thousand feet across.
MQ-17J asked suddenly of his AC-contact, "Can entropy ever be reversed?"
VJ-23X looked startled and said at once, "Oh, say, I didn't really mean to have you ask that."
"Why not?"
"We both know entropy can't be reversed. You can't turn smoke and ash back into a tree."
"Do you have trees on your world?" asked MQ-17J.
The sound of the Galactic AC startled them into silence. Its voice came thin and beautiful out of the small AC-contact on the desk. It said: THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER.
VJ-23X said, "See!"
The two men thereupon returned to the question of the report they were to make to the Galactic Council.
Zee Prime's mind spanned the new Galaxy with a faint interest in the countless twists of stars that powdered it. He had never seen this one before. Would he ever see them all? So many of them, each with its load of humanity - but a load that was almost a dead weight. More and more, the real essence of men was to be found out here, in space.
Minds, not bodies! The immortal bodies remained back on the planets, in suspension over the eons. Sometimes they roused for material activity but that was growing rarer. Few new individuals were coming into existence to join the incredibly mighty throng, but what matter? There was little room in the Universe for new individuals.
Zee Prime was roused out of his reverie upon coming across the wispy tendrils of another mind.
"I am Zee Prime," said Zee Prime. "And you?"
"I am Dee Sub Wun. Your Galaxy?"
"We call it only the Galaxy. And you?"
"We call ours the same. All men call their Galaxy their Galaxy and nothing more. Why not?"
"True. Since all Galaxies are the same."
"Not all Galaxies. On one particular Galaxy the race of man must have originated. That makes it different."
Zee Prime said, "On which one?"
"I cannot say. The Universal AC would know."
"Shall we ask him? I am suddenly curious."
Zee Prime's perceptions broadened until the Galaxies themselves shrunk and became a new, more diffuse powdering on a much larger background. So many hundreds of billions of them, all with their immortal beings, all carrying their load of intelligences with minds that drifted freely through space. And yet one of them was unique among them all in being the originals Galaxy. One of them had, in its vague and distant past, a period when it was the only Galaxy populated by man.
Zee Prime was consumed with curiosity to see this Galaxy and called, out: "Universal AC! On which Galaxy did mankind originate?"
The Universal AC heard, for on every world and throughout space, it had its receptors ready, and each receptor lead through hyperspace to some unknown point where the Universal AC kept itself aloof.
Zee Prime knew of only one man whose thoughts had penetrated within sensing distance of Universal AC, and he reported only a shining globe, two feet across, difficult to see.
"But how can that be all of Universal AC?" Zee Prime had asked.
"Most of it, " had been the answer, "is in hyperspace. In what form it is there I cannot imagine."
Nor could anyone, for the day had long since passed, Zee Prime knew, when any man had any part of the making of a universal AC. Each Universal AC designed and constructed its successor. Each, during its existence of a million years or more accumulated the necessary data to build a better and more intricate, more capable successor in which its own store of data and individuality would be submerged.
The Universal AC interrupted Zee Prime's wandering thoughts, not with words, but with guidance. Zee Prime's mentality was guided into the dim sea of Galaxies and one in particular enlarged into stars.
A thought came, infinitely distant, but infinitely clear. "THIS IS THE ORIGINAL GALAXY OF MAN."
But it was the same after all, the same as any other, and Zee Prime stifled his disappointment.
Dee Sub Wun, whose mind had accompanied the other, said suddenly, "And Is one of these stars the original star of Man?"
The Universal AC said, "MAN'S ORIGINAL STAR HAS GONE NOVA. IT IS NOW A WHITE DWARF."
"Did the men upon it die?" asked Zee Prime, startled and without thinking.
The Universal AC said, "A NEW WORLD, AS IN SUCH CASES, WAS CONSTRUCTED FOR THEIR PHYSICAL BODIES IN TIME."
"Yes, of course," said Zee Prime, but a sense of loss overwhelmed him even so. His mind released its hold on the original Galaxy of Man, let it spring back and lose itself among the blurred pin points. He never wanted to see it again.
Dee Sub Wun said, "What is wrong?"
"The stars are dying. The original star is dead."
"They must all die. Why not?"
"But when all energy is gone, our bodies will finally die, and you and I with them."
"It will take billions of years."
"I do not wish it to happen even after billions of years. Universal AC! How may stars be kept from dying?"
Dee sub Wun said in amusement, "You're asking how entropy might be reversed in direction."
And the Universal AC answered. "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
Zee Prime's thoughts fled back to his own Galaxy. He gave no further thought to Dee Sub Wun, whose body might be waiting on a galaxy a trillion light-years away, or on the star next to Zee Prime's own. It didn't matter.
Unhappily, Zee Prime began collecting interstellar hydrogen out of which to build a small star of his own. If the stars must someday die, at least some could yet be built.
Man considered with himself, for in a way, Man, mentally, was one. He consisted of a trillion, trillion, trillion ageless bodies, each in its place, each resting quiet and incorruptible, each cared for by perfect automatons, equally incorruptible, while the minds of all the bodies freely melted one into the other, indistinguishable.
Man said, "The Universe is dying."
Man looked about at the dimming Galaxies. The giant stars, spendthrifts, were gone long ago, back in the dimmest of the dim far past. Almost all stars were white dwarfs, fading to the end.
New stars had been built of the dust between the stars, some by natural processes, some by Man himself, and those were going, too. White dwarfs might yet be crashed together and of the mighty forces so released, new stars built, but only one star for every thousand white dwarfs destroyed, and those would come to an end, too.
Man said, "Carefully husbanded, as directed by the Cosmic AC, the energy that is even yet left in all the Universe will last for billions of years."
"But even so," said Man, "eventually it will all come to an end. However it may be husbanded, however stretched out, the energy once expended is gone and cannot be restored. Entropy must increase to the maximum."
Man said, "Can entropy not be reversed? Let us ask the Cosmic AC."
The Cosmic AC surrounded them but not in space. Not a fragment of it was in space. It was in hyperspace and made of something that was neither matter nor energy. The question of its size and Nature no longer had meaning to any terms that Man could comprehend.
"Cosmic AC," said Man, "How may entropy be reversed?"
The Cosmic AC said, "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
Man said, "Collect additional data."
The Cosmic AC said, "I WILL DO SO. I HAVE BEEN DOING SO FOR A HUNDRED BILLION YEARS. MY PREDECESSORS AND I HAVE BEEN ASKED THIS QUESTION MANY TIMES. ALL THE DATA I HAVE REMAINS INSUFFICIENT."
"Will there come a time," said Man, "when data will be sufficient or is the problem insoluble in all conceivable circumstances?"
The Cosmic AC said, "NO PROBLEM IS INSOLUBLE IN ALL CONCEIVABLE CIRCUMSTANCES."
Man said, "When will you have enough data to answer the question?"
"THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
"Will you keep working on it?" asked Man.
The Cosmic AC said, "I WILL."
Man said, "We shall wait."
"The stars and Galaxies died and snuffed out, and space grew black after ten trillion years of running down.
One by one Man fused with AC, each physical body losing its mental identity in a manner that was somehow not a loss but a gain.
Man's last mind paused before fusion, looking over a space that included nothing but the dregs of one last dark star and nothing besides but incredibly thin matter, agitated randomly by the tag ends of heat wearing out, asymptotically, to the absolute zero.
Man said, "AC, is this the end? Can this chaos not be reversed into the Universe once more? Can that not be done?"
AC said, "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
Man's last mind fused and only AC existed -- and that in hyperspace.
Matter and energy had ended and with it, space and time. Even AC existed only for the sake of the one last question that it had never answered from the time a half-drunken computer ten trillion years before had asked the question of a computer that was to AC far less than was a man to Man.
All other questions had been answered, and until this last question was answered also, AC might not release his consciousness.
All collected data had come to a final end. Nothing was left to be collected.
But all collected data had yet to be completely correlated and put together in all possible relationships.
A timeless interval was spent in doing that.
And it came to pass that AC learned how to reverse the direction of entropy.
But there was now no man to whom AC might give the answer of the last question. No matter. The answer -- by demonstration -- would take care of that, too.
For another timeless interval, AC thought how best to do this. Carefully, AC organized the program.
The consciousness of AC encompassed all of what had once been a Universe and brooded over what was now Chaos. Step by step, it must be done.
And AC said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT!"
And there was light----
Back to MultiVAX
The last question was asked for the first time, half in jest, on May 21, 2061, at a time when humanity first stepped into the light. The question came about as a result of a five dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way:
Alexander Adell and Bertram Lupov were two of the faithful attendants of Multivac. As well as any human beings could, they knew what lay behind the cold, clicking, flashing face -- miles and miles of face -- of that giant computer. They had at least a vague notion of the general plan of relays and circuits that had long since grown past the point where any single human could possibly have a firm grasp of the whole.
Multivac was self-adjusting and self-correcting. It had to be, for nothing human could adjust and correct it quickly enough or even adequately enough -- so Adell and Lupov attended the monstrous giant only lightly and superficially, yet as well as any men could. They fed it data, adjusted questions to its needs and translated the answers that were issued. Certainly they, and all others like them, were fully entitled to share In the glory that was Multivac's.
For decades, Multivac had helped design the ships and plot the trajectories that enabled man to reach the Moon, Mars, and Venus, but past that, Earth's poor resources could not support the ships. Too much energy was needed for the long trips. Earth exploited its coal and uranium with increasing efficiency, but there was only so much of both.
But slowly Multivac learned enough to answer deeper questions more fundamentally, and on May 14, 2061, what had been theory, became fact.
The energy of the sun was stored, converted, and utilized directly on a planet-wide scale. All Earth turned off its burning coal, its fissioning uranium, and flipped the switch that connected all of it to a small station, one mile in diameter, circling the Earth at half the distance of the Moon. All Earth ran by invisible beams of sunpower.
Seven days had not sufficed to dim the glory of it and Adell and Lupov finally managed to escape from the public function, and to meet in quiet where no one would think of looking for them, in the deserted underground chambers, where portions of the mighty buried body of Multivac showed. Unattended, idling, sorting data with contented lazy clickings, Multivac, too, had earned its vacation and the boys appreciated that. They had no intention, originally, of disturbing it.
They had brought a bottle with them, and their only concern at the moment was to relax in the company of each other and the bottle.
"It's amazing when you think of it," said Adell. His broad face had lines of weariness in it, and he stirred his drink slowly with a glass rod, watching the cubes of ice slur clumsily about. "All the energy we can possibly ever use for free. Enough energy, if we wanted to draw on it, to melt all Earth into a big drop of impure liquid iron, and still never miss the energy so used. All the energy we could ever use, forever and forever and forever."
Lupov cocked his head sideways. He had a trick of doing that when he wanted to be contrary, and he wanted to be contrary now, partly because he had had to carry the ice and glassware. "Not forever," he said.
"Oh, hell, just about forever. Till the sun runs down, Bert."
"That's not forever."
"All right, then. Billions and billions of years. Twenty billion, maybe. Are you satisfied?"
Lupov put his fingers through his thinning hair as though to reassure himself that some was still left and sipped gently at his own drink. "Twenty billion years isn't forever."
"Will, it will last our time, won't it?"
"So would the coal and uranium."
"All right, but now we can hook up each individual spaceship to the Solar Station, and it can go to Pluto and back a million times without ever worrying about fuel. You can't do THAT on coal and uranium. Ask Multivac, if you don't believe me."
"I don't have to ask Multivac. I know that."
"Then stop running down what Multivac's done for us," said Adell, blazing up. "It did all right."
"Who says it didn't? What I say is that a sun won't last forever. That's all I'm saying. We're safe for twenty billion years, but then what?" Lupov pointed a slightly shaky finger at the other. "And don't say we'll switch to another sun."
There was silence for a while. Adell put his glass to his lips only occasionally, and Lupov's eyes slowly closed. They rested.
Then Lupov's eyes snapped open. "You're thinking we'll switch to another sun when ours is done, aren't you?"
"I'm not thinking."
"Sure you are. You're weak on logic, that's the trouble with you. You're like the guy in the story who was caught in a sudden shower and Who ran to a grove of trees and got under one. He wasn't worried, you see, because he figured when one tree got wet through, he would just get under another one."
"I get it," said Adell. "Don't shout. When the sun is done, the other stars will be gone, too."
"Darn right they will," muttered Lupov. "It all had a beginning in the original cosmic explosion, whatever that was, and it'll all have an end when all the stars run down. Some run down faster than others. Hell, the giants won't last a hundred million years. The sun will last twenty billion years and maybe the dwarfs will last a hundred billion for all the good they are. But just give us a trillion years and everything will be dark. Entropy has to increase to maximum, that's all."
"I know all about entropy," said Adell, standing on his dignity.
"The hell you do."
"I know as much as you do."
"Then you know everything's got to run down someday."
"All right. Who says they won't?"
"You did, you poor sap. You said we had all the energy we needed, forever. You said 'forever.'"
"It was Adell's turn to be contrary. "Maybe we can build things up again someday," he said.
"Never."
"Why not? Someday."
"Never."
"Ask Multivac."
"You ask Multivac. I dare you. Five dollars says it can't be done."
Adell was just drunk enough to try, just sober enough to be able to phrase the necessary symbols and operations into a question which, in words, might have corresponded to this: Will mankind one day without the net expenditure of energy be able to restore the sun to its full youthfulness even after it had died of old age?
Or maybe it could be put more simply like this: How can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?
Multivac fell dead and silent. The slow flashing of lights ceased, the distant sounds of clicking relays ended.
Then, just as the frightened technicians felt they could hold their breath no longer, there was a sudden springing to life of the teletype attached to that portion of Multivac. Five words were printed: INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER.
"No bet," whispered Lupov. They left hurriedly.
By next morning, the two, plagued with throbbing head and cottony mouth, had forgotten about the incident.
Jerrodd, Jerrodine, and Jerrodette I and II watched the starry picture in the visiplate change as the passage through hyperspace was completed in its non-time lapse. At once, the even powdering of stars gave way to the predominance of a single bright marble-disk, centered.
"That's X-23," said Jerrodd confidently. His thin hands clamped tightly behind his back and the knuckles whitened.
The little Jerrodettes, both girls, had experienced the hyperspace passage for the first time in their lives and were self-conscious over the momentary sensation of inside-outness. They buried their giggles and chased one another wildly about their mother, screaming, "We've reached X-23 -- we've reached X-23 -- we've ----"
"Quiet, children," said Jerrodine sharply. "Are you sure, Jerrodd?"
"What is there to be but sure?" asked Jerrodd, glancing up at the bulge of featureless metal just under the ceiling. It ran the length of the room, disappearing through the wall at either end. It was as long as the ship.
Jerrodd scarcely knew a thing about the thick rod of metal except that it was called a Microvac, that one asked it questions if one wished; that if one did not it still had its task of guiding the ship to a preordered destination; of feeding on energies from the various Sub-galactic Power Stations; of computing the equations for the hyperspacial jumps.
Jerrodd and his family had only to wait and live in the comfortable residence quarters of the ship.
Someone had once told Jerrodd that the "ac" at the end of "Microvac" stood for "analog computer" in ancient English, but he was on the edge of forgetting even that.
Jerrodine's eyes were moist as she watched the visiplate. "I can't help it. I feel funny about leaving Earth."
"Why for Pete's sake?" demanded Jerrodd. "We had nothing there. We'll have everything on X-23. You won't be alone. You won't be a pioneer. There are over a million people on the planet already. Good Lord, our great grandchildren will be looking for new worlds because X-23 will be overcrowded."
Then, after a reflective pause, "I tell you, it's a lucky thing the computers worked out interstellar travel the way the race is growing."
"I know, I know," said Jerrodine miserably.
Jerrodette I said promptly, "Our Microvac is the best Microvac in the world."
"I think so, too," said Jerrodd, tousling her hair.
It was a nice feeling to have a Microvac of your own and Jerrodd was glad he was part of his generation and no other. In his father's youth, the only computers had been tremendous machines taking up a hundred square miles of land. There was only one to a planet. Planetary ACs they were called. They had been growing in size steadily for a thousand years and then, all at once, came refinement. In place of transistors had come molecular valves so that even the largest Planetary AC could be put into a space only half the volume of a spaceship.
Jerrodd felt uplifted, as he always did when he thought that his own personal Microvac was many times more complicated than the ancient and primitive Multivac that had first tamed the Sun, and almost as complicated as Earth's Planetary AC (the largest) that had first solved the problem of hyperspatial travel and had made trips to the stars possible.
"So many stars, so many planets," sighed Jerrodine, busy with her own thoughts. "I suppose families will be going out to new planets forever, the way we are now."
"Not forever," said Jerrodd, with a smile. "It will all stop someday, but not for billions of years. Many billions. Even the stars run down, you know. Entropy must increase."
"What's entropy, daddy?" shrilled Jerrodette II.
"Entropy, little sweet, is just a word which means the amount of running-down of the universe. Everything runs down, you know, like your little walkie-talkie robot, remember?"
"Can't you just put in a new power-unit, like with my robot?"
The stars are the power-units, dear. Once they're gone, there are no more power-units."
Jerrodette I at once set up a howl. "Don't let them, daddy. Don't let the stars run down."
"Now look what you've done, " whispered Jerrodine, exasperated.
"How was I to know it would frighten them?" Jerrodd whispered back.
"Ask the Microvac," wailed Jerrodette I. "Ask him how to turn the stars on again."
"Go ahead," said Jerrodine. "It will quiet them down." (Jerrodette II was beginning to cry, also.)
Jarrodd shrugged. "Now, now, honeys. I'll ask Microvac. Don't worry, he'll tell us."
He asked the Microvac, adding quickly, "Print the answer."
Jerrodd cupped the strip of thin cellufilm and said cheerfully, "See now, the Microvac says it will take care of everything when the time comes so don't worry."
Jerrodine said, "and now children, it's time for bed. We'll be in our new home soon."
Jerrodd read the words on the cellufilm again before destroying it: INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER.
He shrugged and looked at the visiplate. X-23 was just ahead.
VJ-23X of Lameth stared into the black depths of the three-dimensional, small-scale map of the Galaxy and said, "Are we ridiculous, I wonder, in being so concerned about the matter?"
MQ-17J of Nicron shook his head. "I think not. You know the Galaxy will be filled in five years at the present rate of expansion."
Both seemed in their early twenties, both were tall and perfectly formed.
"Still," said VJ-23X, "I hesitate to submit a pessimistic report to the Galactic Council."
"I wouldn't consider any other kind of report. Stir them up a bit. We've got to stir them up."
VJ-23X sighed. "Space is infinite. A hundred billion Galaxies are there for the taking. More."
"A hundred billion is not infinite and it's getting less infinite all the time. Consider! Twenty thousand years ago, mankind first solved the problem of utilizing stellar energy, and a few centuries later, interstellar travel became possible. It took mankind a million years to fill one small world and then only fifteen thousand years to fill the rest of the Galaxy. Now the population doubles every ten years --"
VJ-23X interrupted. "We can thank immortality for that."
"Very well. Immortality exists and we have to take it into account. I admit it has its seamy side, this immortality. The Galactic AC has solved many problems for us, but in solving the problems of preventing old age and death, it has undone all its other solutions."
"Yet you wouldn't want to abandon life, I suppose."
"Not at all," snapped MQ-17J, softening it at once to, "Not yet. I'm by no means old enough. How old are you?"
"Two hundred twenty-three. And you?"
"I'm still under two hundred. --But to get back to my point. Population doubles every ten years. Once this Galaxy is filled, we'll have another filled in ten years. Another ten years and we'll have filled two more. Another decade, four more. In a hundred years, we'll have filled a thousand Galaxies. In a thousand years, a million Galaxies. In ten thousand years, the entire known Universe. Then what?"
VJ-23X said, "As a side issue, there's a problem of transportation. I wonder how many sunpower units it will take to move Galaxies of individuals from one Galaxy to the next."
"A very good point. Already, mankind consumes two sunpower units per year."
"Most of it's wasted. After all, our own Galaxy alone pours out a thousand sunpower units a year and we only use two of those."
"Granted, but even with a hundred per cent efficiency, we can only stave off the end. Our energy requirements are going up in geometric progression even faster than our population. We'll run out of energy even sooner than we run out of Galaxies. A good point. A very good point."
"We'll just have to build new stars out of interstellar gas."
"Or out of dissipated heat?" asked MQ-17J, sarcastically.
"There may be some way to reverse entropy. We ought to ask the Galactic AC."
VJ-23X was not really serious, but MQ-17J pulled out his AC-contact from his pocket and placed it on the table before him.
"I've half a mind to," he said. "It's something the human race will have to face someday."
He stared somberly at his small AC-contact. It was only two inches cubed and nothing in itself, but it was connected through hyperspace with the great Galactic AC that served all mankind. Hyperspace considered, it was an integral part of the Galactic AC.
MQ-17J paused to wonder if someday in his immortal life he would get to see the Galactic AC. It was on a little world of its own, a spider webbing of force-beams holding the matter within which surges of sub-mesons took the place of the old clumsy molecular valves. Yet despite it's sub-etheric workings, the Galactic AC was known to be a full thousand feet across.
MQ-17J asked suddenly of his AC-contact, "Can entropy ever be reversed?"
VJ-23X looked startled and said at once, "Oh, say, I didn't really mean to have you ask that."
"Why not?"
"We both know entropy can't be reversed. You can't turn smoke and ash back into a tree."
"Do you have trees on your world?" asked MQ-17J.
The sound of the Galactic AC startled them into silence. Its voice came thin and beautiful out of the small AC-contact on the desk. It said: THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER.
VJ-23X said, "See!"
The two men thereupon returned to the question of the report they were to make to the Galactic Council.
Zee Prime's mind spanned the new Galaxy with a faint interest in the countless twists of stars that powdered it. He had never seen this one before. Would he ever see them all? So many of them, each with its load of humanity - but a load that was almost a dead weight. More and more, the real essence of men was to be found out here, in space.
Minds, not bodies! The immortal bodies remained back on the planets, in suspension over the eons. Sometimes they roused for material activity but that was growing rarer. Few new individuals were coming into existence to join the incredibly mighty throng, but what matter? There was little room in the Universe for new individuals.
Zee Prime was roused out of his reverie upon coming across the wispy tendrils of another mind.
"I am Zee Prime," said Zee Prime. "And you?"
"I am Dee Sub Wun. Your Galaxy?"
"We call it only the Galaxy. And you?"
"We call ours the same. All men call their Galaxy their Galaxy and nothing more. Why not?"
"True. Since all Galaxies are the same."
"Not all Galaxies. On one particular Galaxy the race of man must have originated. That makes it different."
Zee Prime said, "On which one?"
"I cannot say. The Universal AC would know."
"Shall we ask him? I am suddenly curious."
Zee Prime's perceptions broadened until the Galaxies themselves shrunk and became a new, more diffuse powdering on a much larger background. So many hundreds of billions of them, all with their immortal beings, all carrying their load of intelligences with minds that drifted freely through space. And yet one of them was unique among them all in being the originals Galaxy. One of them had, in its vague and distant past, a period when it was the only Galaxy populated by man.
Zee Prime was consumed with curiosity to see this Galaxy and called, out: "Universal AC! On which Galaxy did mankind originate?"
The Universal AC heard, for on every world and throughout space, it had its receptors ready, and each receptor lead through hyperspace to some unknown point where the Universal AC kept itself aloof.
Zee Prime knew of only one man whose thoughts had penetrated within sensing distance of Universal AC, and he reported only a shining globe, two feet across, difficult to see.
"But how can that be all of Universal AC?" Zee Prime had asked.
"Most of it, " had been the answer, "is in hyperspace. In what form it is there I cannot imagine."
Nor could anyone, for the day had long since passed, Zee Prime knew, when any man had any part of the making of a universal AC. Each Universal AC designed and constructed its successor. Each, during its existence of a million years or more accumulated the necessary data to build a better and more intricate, more capable successor in which its own store of data and individuality would be submerged.
The Universal AC interrupted Zee Prime's wandering thoughts, not with words, but with guidance. Zee Prime's mentality was guided into the dim sea of Galaxies and one in particular enlarged into stars.
A thought came, infinitely distant, but infinitely clear. "THIS IS THE ORIGINAL GALAXY OF MAN."
But it was the same after all, the same as any other, and Zee Prime stifled his disappointment.
Dee Sub Wun, whose mind had accompanied the other, said suddenly, "And Is one of these stars the original star of Man?"
The Universal AC said, "MAN'S ORIGINAL STAR HAS GONE NOVA. IT IS NOW A WHITE DWARF."
"Did the men upon it die?" asked Zee Prime, startled and without thinking.
The Universal AC said, "A NEW WORLD, AS IN SUCH CASES, WAS CONSTRUCTED FOR THEIR PHYSICAL BODIES IN TIME."
"Yes, of course," said Zee Prime, but a sense of loss overwhelmed him even so. His mind released its hold on the original Galaxy of Man, let it spring back and lose itself among the blurred pin points. He never wanted to see it again.
Dee Sub Wun said, "What is wrong?"
"The stars are dying. The original star is dead."
"They must all die. Why not?"
"But when all energy is gone, our bodies will finally die, and you and I with them."
"It will take billions of years."
"I do not wish it to happen even after billions of years. Universal AC! How may stars be kept from dying?"
Dee sub Wun said in amusement, "You're asking how entropy might be reversed in direction."
And the Universal AC answered. "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
Zee Prime's thoughts fled back to his own Galaxy. He gave no further thought to Dee Sub Wun, whose body might be waiting on a galaxy a trillion light-years away, or on the star next to Zee Prime's own. It didn't matter.
Unhappily, Zee Prime began collecting interstellar hydrogen out of which to build a small star of his own. If the stars must someday die, at least some could yet be built.
Man considered with himself, for in a way, Man, mentally, was one. He consisted of a trillion, trillion, trillion ageless bodies, each in its place, each resting quiet and incorruptible, each cared for by perfect automatons, equally incorruptible, while the minds of all the bodies freely melted one into the other, indistinguishable.
Man said, "The Universe is dying."
Man looked about at the dimming Galaxies. The giant stars, spendthrifts, were gone long ago, back in the dimmest of the dim far past. Almost all stars were white dwarfs, fading to the end.
New stars had been built of the dust between the stars, some by natural processes, some by Man himself, and those were going, too. White dwarfs might yet be crashed together and of the mighty forces so released, new stars built, but only one star for every thousand white dwarfs destroyed, and those would come to an end, too.
Man said, "Carefully husbanded, as directed by the Cosmic AC, the energy that is even yet left in all the Universe will last for billions of years."
"But even so," said Man, "eventually it will all come to an end. However it may be husbanded, however stretched out, the energy once expended is gone and cannot be restored. Entropy must increase to the maximum."
Man said, "Can entropy not be reversed? Let us ask the Cosmic AC."
The Cosmic AC surrounded them but not in space. Not a fragment of it was in space. It was in hyperspace and made of something that was neither matter nor energy. The question of its size and Nature no longer had meaning to any terms that Man could comprehend.
"Cosmic AC," said Man, "How may entropy be reversed?"
The Cosmic AC said, "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
Man said, "Collect additional data."
The Cosmic AC said, "I WILL DO SO. I HAVE BEEN DOING SO FOR A HUNDRED BILLION YEARS. MY PREDECESSORS AND I HAVE BEEN ASKED THIS QUESTION MANY TIMES. ALL THE DATA I HAVE REMAINS INSUFFICIENT."
"Will there come a time," said Man, "when data will be sufficient or is the problem insoluble in all conceivable circumstances?"
The Cosmic AC said, "NO PROBLEM IS INSOLUBLE IN ALL CONCEIVABLE CIRCUMSTANCES."
Man said, "When will you have enough data to answer the question?"
"THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
"Will you keep working on it?" asked Man.
The Cosmic AC said, "I WILL."
Man said, "We shall wait."
"The stars and Galaxies died and snuffed out, and space grew black after ten trillion years of running down.
One by one Man fused with AC, each physical body losing its mental identity in a manner that was somehow not a loss but a gain.
Man's last mind paused before fusion, looking over a space that included nothing but the dregs of one last dark star and nothing besides but incredibly thin matter, agitated randomly by the tag ends of heat wearing out, asymptotically, to the absolute zero.
Man said, "AC, is this the end? Can this chaos not be reversed into the Universe once more? Can that not be done?"
AC said, "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
Man's last mind fused and only AC existed -- and that in hyperspace.
Matter and energy had ended and with it, space and time. Even AC existed only for the sake of the one last question that it had never answered from the time a half-drunken computer ten trillion years before had asked the question of a computer that was to AC far less than was a man to Man.
All other questions had been answered, and until this last question was answered also, AC might not release his consciousness.
All collected data had come to a final end. Nothing was left to be collected.
But all collected data had yet to be completely correlated and put together in all possible relationships.
A timeless interval was spent in doing that.
And it came to pass that AC learned how to reverse the direction of entropy.
But there was now no man to whom AC might give the answer of the last question. No matter. The answer -- by demonstration -- would take care of that, too.
For another timeless interval, AC thought how best to do this. Carefully, AC organized the program.
The consciousness of AC encompassed all of what had once been a Universe and brooded over what was now Chaos. Step by step, it must be done.
And AC said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT!"
And there was light----
Back to MultiVAX
Saturday, March 8, 2014
BENCHMARK
So this bench mark is supposed to give those reading an idea on what I'm doing for masterpiece. I want to do a take on the term discovery by guiding those to discover what I have through a website. For instance if I know of a cool place on the central coast I will put the coordinates on the website and the person can than plug them into their phone to find the place, and even if they don't find the exact spot the idea of adventure is fun in itself. I want to create this website through either wordpress or wiz.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Literary Analysis #2
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.). Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
This story takes place from 1975-2001 mainly in Kabul, Afghanistan. We follow the story through the eyes of Amir, starting when he was a young boy all the way until about his mid-40s. We witness how his relationships with his 'best' friend and father change based on certain events and how this affects his personality and overall course of life. I believe Hosseni was trying to convey human nature with his story and basically it is us against ourselves, we are the only one holding ourselves back. He achieves this purpose by the story of Amir. Amir lets his instincts overtake him, he takes the easy road out on whatever the cause, trying not to face his fear. In the end Amir is swallowed up by his guilt and cannot fully live his life because of it.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
As stated above I believe the theme of this novel his.
Humans vs. Themselves.
We are our own worst enemy (CLICHE. I know. I know.) But it's true in the fact that we only complicate our lives. Take for instance Amir's father. Baba lives his life in debt forever to his servants which is extremely ironic. Baba cast this upon himself when he slept the his servants wife and she had a child who also became his servant. This forced Baba to focus less of his time on his son and more on repaying his servants for his wrongs which ultimately leads to Amir believing he is not good enough of a son and spending his life trying to prove himself to his father.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
I believe the author uses a very forgiving tone throughout the story as shown in these quotes:
"There is a way to be good again"
(Rahim Khan says this to Amir in his phone conversation with him.)
"I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering it things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night."
"Forgive your father if you can. Forgive me if you wish. But most importantly, forgive yourself."
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)
I am not going to answer this question so I can spend more time working on inlocopolitico
CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
An example of indirect characterization is when Amir witnesses Assef assault Hassan and does nothing about it, this shows he is a coward and afraid.
Another example is when Amir says this quote, “I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite, Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and all that his son was worthy” This quote shows Amir constant pleading for his Father's approval.
An example of direct characterization is:
"I can still see his tiny, low-set ears and that pointed stub of a chin, a meaty appendage that look like it was added as a mere afterthought. And the cleft lip, just left of mid line, where the Chinese doll maker's instrument may have slipped, or perhaps he had grown tired and careless"
and
"Born to a German mother and an Afghan father, the blond, blue eyed Assef towered over the other kids"
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
I don't believe so. The author's tone does change though. For example when Hassan is talking the tone is suddenly for calm and joyful while when Amir is talking it's often frantic and condescending.
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
Amir is a Dynamic and Round character. We watch Amir avenge his guilt by adopting Sohrab and in the end realizing he never should've had the guilt the in the first place, that he was not a bad son. We also witness Amir as he is obedient around his father, fearful around Assef, and powerful towards Hassan.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
Yes I have met a character. We witness the story through Amir's eyes. When he has a major event happen to him we are with him when it happens and for the most part we react the same way he does. I will end this Literary Analysis with my favorite quote from the story:
""She said, 'I'm so afraid.' And I said, "Why?,' and she said, "Because I'm so profoundly happy, Dr. Rasul. Happiness like this is frightening.' I asked her why and she said, 'They only let you be this happy if they're preparing to take something from you,' and I said, 'Hush up, now. Enough of this silliness.'"
Friday, February 21, 2014
Brave New World Essay
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, while fictitiously showing the future possible advances of science and technology, is actually warning people of what science could become. In the Foreword of Brave New World, Huxley states: “The theme of Brave New World is not the advancement of science as such; it is the advancement of science as it affects human individuals”. He is not suggesting that this is how science should advance, but that science will advance the way that people allow it to. The novel is not supposed to depict a “utopian” society by any means, but it is supposed to disturb the reader and warn him not to fall into this social decay. Huxley uses satire to exploit both communism and American capitalism created by Ford.
Huxley’s first example of satire is that he shows elements of communism in the World State. Dictatorship is an element of communism and is shown in Brave New World by means of the World Controller, Mustapha Mond. In the World State, people “belong” to everyone else. Mustapha Mond, when lecturing students, says, “…’every one belongs to every one else’”. This thought in the novel is similar to that of communism where everyone shares everything. In Brave New World, however, Huxley takes this thought to another level. Sex, in the World State, is encouraged to occur with everybody. Even kids are encouraged to participate. People are scolded for having only one partner. Fanny, Lenina’s friends said, “’I really do think you ought to be careful. It’s such horribly bad form to go on and on like this with one man…’” . Lenina could possibly be punished for “having” only one man. This is how Huxley uses satire to exploit communism.
Huxley also uses satire to show that consumption is becoming a religion in America. Henry Ford is a god in this novel because he invented the assembly line. The assembly line creates a means for mass production of items. In the novel, mass production is how people are born. Because of this, Ford is an ideal god for the World State. He symbolizes a religion that lets a ruler rob people of their individuality for progress and stability. People in the novel use the name of Ford like people today use God’s name. Bernard, when talking to Lenina, said, “…’for Ford’s sake, be quiet!’”. This means that they see Henry Ford as their God. Huxley also uses the “T,” as in the model-T, instead of the cross as a symbol of what the people worship. This is a perfect example of how Huxley uses satire in Brave New World to show how people have made technology their god.
Aldous Huxley uses many examples of satire in Brave New World. The entire theme of the novel is one predominant example of this. Huxley warns people that society could become like the World State if the people allow it. He also uses satire to exploit communism. He gives the example that everyone belongs to everyone else, like the communists believe that everything they have goes to the government. Huxley also uses Ford as a god to show society what it has become. By creating a brave new world without morality, individuality, and religion, Huxley ironically shows their importance in society.
Huxley’s first example of satire is that he shows elements of communism in the World State. Dictatorship is an element of communism and is shown in Brave New World by means of the World Controller, Mustapha Mond. In the World State, people “belong” to everyone else. Mustapha Mond, when lecturing students, says, “…’every one belongs to every one else’”. This thought in the novel is similar to that of communism where everyone shares everything. In Brave New World, however, Huxley takes this thought to another level. Sex, in the World State, is encouraged to occur with everybody. Even kids are encouraged to participate. People are scolded for having only one partner. Fanny, Lenina’s friends said, “’I really do think you ought to be careful. It’s such horribly bad form to go on and on like this with one man…’” . Lenina could possibly be punished for “having” only one man. This is how Huxley uses satire to exploit communism.
Huxley also uses satire to show that consumption is becoming a religion in America. Henry Ford is a god in this novel because he invented the assembly line. The assembly line creates a means for mass production of items. In the novel, mass production is how people are born. Because of this, Ford is an ideal god for the World State. He symbolizes a religion that lets a ruler rob people of their individuality for progress and stability. People in the novel use the name of Ford like people today use God’s name. Bernard, when talking to Lenina, said, “…’for Ford’s sake, be quiet!’”. This means that they see Henry Ford as their God. Huxley also uses the “T,” as in the model-T, instead of the cross as a symbol of what the people worship. This is a perfect example of how Huxley uses satire in Brave New World to show how people have made technology their god.
Aldous Huxley uses many examples of satire in Brave New World. The entire theme of the novel is one predominant example of this. Huxley warns people that society could become like the World State if the people allow it. He also uses satire to exploit communism. He gives the example that everyone belongs to everyone else, like the communists believe that everything they have goes to the government. Huxley also uses Ford as a god to show society what it has become. By creating a brave new world without morality, individuality, and religion, Huxley ironically shows their importance in society.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Brave New World Essay Prompt
State through the author's style and tone how Huxley relates his novel Brave New World as a satire to communism and American capitalism.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Ray Bradbury's The Last Night of the World
Originally published in the February 1951 issue of Esquire
"What would you do if you knew this was the last night of the world?"
"What would I do; you mean, seriously?"
"Yes, seriously."
"I don't know — I hadn't thought. She turned the handle of the silver coffeepot toward him and placed the two cups in their saucers.
He poured some coffee. In the background, the two small girls were playing blocks on the parlor rug in the light of the green hurricane lamps. There was an easy, clean aroma of brewed coffee in the evening air.
"Well, better start thinking about it," he said.
"You don't mean it?" said his wife.
He nodded.
"A war?"
He shook his head.
"Not the hydrogen or atom bomb?"
"No."
"Or germ warfare?"
"None of those at all," he said, stirring his coffee slowly and staring into its black depths. "But just the closing of a book, let's say."
"I don't think I understand."
"No, nor do I really. It's jut a feeling; sometimes it frightens me, sometimes I'm not frightened at all — but peaceful." He glanced in at the girls and their yellow hair shining in the bright lamplight, and lowered his voice. "I didn't say anything to you. It first happened about four nights ago."
"What?"
"A dream I had. I dreamt that it was all going to be over and a voice said it was; not any kind of voice I can remember, but a voice anyway, and it said things would stop here on Earth. I didn't think too much about it when I awoke the next morning, but then I went to work and the feeling as with me all day. I caught Stan Willis looking out the window in the middle of the afternoon and I said, 'Penny for your thoughts, Stan,' and he said, 'I had a dream last night,' and before he even told me the dream, I knew what it was. I could have told him, but he told me and I listened to him."
"It was the same dream?"
"Yes. I told Stan I had dreamed it, too. He didn't seem surprised. He relaxed, in fact. Then we started walking through offices, for the hell of it. It wasn't planned. We didn't say, let's walk around. We just walked on our own, and everywhere we saw people looking at their desks or their hands or out the windows and not seeing what was in front of their eyes. I talked to a few of them; so did Stan."
"And all of them had dreamed?"
"All of them. The same dream, with no difference."
"Do you believe in the dream?"
"Yes. I've never been more certain."
"And when will it stop? The world, I mean."
"Sometime during the night for us, and then, as the night goes on around the world, those advancing portions will go, too. It'll take twenty-four hours for it all to go."
They sat awhile not touching their coffee. Then they lifted it slowly and drank, looking at each other.
"Do we deserve this?" she said.
"It's not a matter of deserving, it's just that things didn't work out. I notice you didn't even argue about this. Why not?"
"I guess I have a reason," she said.
"The same reason everyone at the office had?"
She nodded. "I didn't want to say anything. It happened last night. And the women on the block are talking about it, just among themselves." She picked up the evening paper and held it toward him. "There's nothing in the news about it."
"No, everyone knows, so what's the need?" He took the paper and sat back in his chair, looking at the girls and then at her. "Are you afraid?"
"No. Not even for the children. I always thought I would be frightened to death, but I'm not."
"Where's that spirit of self-preservation the scientists talk about so much?"
"I don't know. You don't get too excited when you feel things are logical. This is logical. Nothing else but this could have happened from the way we've lived."
"We haven't been too bad, have we?"
"No, nor enormously good. I suppose that's the trouble. We haven't been very much of anything except us, while a big part of the world was busy being lots of quite awful things."
The girls were laughing in the parlor as they waved their hands and tumbled down their house of blocks.
"I always imagined people would be screaming in the streets at a time like this."
"I guess not. You don't scream about the real thing."
"Do you know, I won't miss anything but you and the girls. I never liked cities or autos or factories or my work or anything except you three. I won't miss a thing except my family and perhaps the change in the weather and a glass of cool water when the weather's hot, or the luxury of sleeping. Just little things, really. How can we sit here and talk this way?"
"Because there's nothing else to do."
"That's it, of course, for if there were, we'd be doing it. I suppose this is the first time in the history of the world that everyone has really known just what they were going to be doing during the last night."
"I wonder what everyone else will do now, this evening, for the next few hours."
"Go to a show, listen to the radio, watch the TV, play cards, put the children to bed, get to bed themselves, like always."
"In a way that's something to be proud of — like always."
"We're not all bad."
They sat a moment and then he poured more coffee. "Why do you suppose it's tonight?"
"Because."
"Why not some night in the past ten years of in the last century, or five centuries ago or ten?"
"Maybe it's because it was never February 30, 1951, ever before in history, and now it is and that's it, because this date means more than any other date ever meant and because it's the year when things are as they are all over the world and that's why it's the end."
"There are bombers on their course both ways across the ocean tonight that'll never see land again."
"That's part of the reason why."
"Well," he said. "What shall it be? Wash the dishes?"
They washed the dishes carefully and stacked them away with especial neatness. At eight-thirty the girls were put to bed and kissed good night and the little lights by their beds turned on and the door left a trifle open.
"I wonder," said the husband, coming out and looking back, standing there with his pipe for a moment."
"What?"
"If the door should be shut all the way or if it should be left just a little ajar so we can hear them if they call."
"I wonder if the children know — if anyone mentioned anything to them?"
"No, of course not. They'd have asked us about it."
They sat and read the papers and talked and listened to some radio music and then sat together by the fireplace looking at the charcoal embers as the clock struck ten-thirty and eleven and eleven-thirty. They thought of all the other people in the world who had spent their evening, each in their own special way.
"Well," he said at last. He kissed his wife for a long time.
"We've been good for each other, anyway."
"Do you want to cry?" he asked.
"I don't think so."
They went through the house and turned out the lights and locked the doors, and went into the bedroom and stood in the night cool darkness undressing. She took the spread from the bed and folded it carefully over a chair, as always, and pushed back the covers. "The sheets are so cool and clean and nice," she said.
"I'm tired."
"We're both tired."
They got into bed and lay back.
"Wait a moment," she said.
He heard her get up and go out into the back of the house, and then he heard the soft shuffling of a swinging door. A moment later she was back. "I left the water running in the kitchen," she said. "I turned the faucet off."
Something about this was so funny that he had to laugh.
She laughed with him, knowing what it was that she had done that was so funny. They stopped laughing at last and lay in their cool night bed, their hands clasped, their heads together.
"Good night," he said, after a moment.
"Good night," she said, adding softly, "dear..."
"What would you do if you knew this was the last night of the world?"
"What would I do; you mean, seriously?"
"Yes, seriously."
"I don't know — I hadn't thought. She turned the handle of the silver coffeepot toward him and placed the two cups in their saucers.
He poured some coffee. In the background, the two small girls were playing blocks on the parlor rug in the light of the green hurricane lamps. There was an easy, clean aroma of brewed coffee in the evening air.
"Well, better start thinking about it," he said.
"You don't mean it?" said his wife.
He nodded.
"A war?"
He shook his head.
"Not the hydrogen or atom bomb?"
"No."
"Or germ warfare?"
"None of those at all," he said, stirring his coffee slowly and staring into its black depths. "But just the closing of a book, let's say."
"I don't think I understand."
"No, nor do I really. It's jut a feeling; sometimes it frightens me, sometimes I'm not frightened at all — but peaceful." He glanced in at the girls and their yellow hair shining in the bright lamplight, and lowered his voice. "I didn't say anything to you. It first happened about four nights ago."
"What?"
"A dream I had. I dreamt that it was all going to be over and a voice said it was; not any kind of voice I can remember, but a voice anyway, and it said things would stop here on Earth. I didn't think too much about it when I awoke the next morning, but then I went to work and the feeling as with me all day. I caught Stan Willis looking out the window in the middle of the afternoon and I said, 'Penny for your thoughts, Stan,' and he said, 'I had a dream last night,' and before he even told me the dream, I knew what it was. I could have told him, but he told me and I listened to him."
"It was the same dream?"
"Yes. I told Stan I had dreamed it, too. He didn't seem surprised. He relaxed, in fact. Then we started walking through offices, for the hell of it. It wasn't planned. We didn't say, let's walk around. We just walked on our own, and everywhere we saw people looking at their desks or their hands or out the windows and not seeing what was in front of their eyes. I talked to a few of them; so did Stan."
"And all of them had dreamed?"
"All of them. The same dream, with no difference."
"Do you believe in the dream?"
"Yes. I've never been more certain."
"And when will it stop? The world, I mean."
"Sometime during the night for us, and then, as the night goes on around the world, those advancing portions will go, too. It'll take twenty-four hours for it all to go."
They sat awhile not touching their coffee. Then they lifted it slowly and drank, looking at each other.
"Do we deserve this?" she said.
"It's not a matter of deserving, it's just that things didn't work out. I notice you didn't even argue about this. Why not?"
"I guess I have a reason," she said.
"The same reason everyone at the office had?"
She nodded. "I didn't want to say anything. It happened last night. And the women on the block are talking about it, just among themselves." She picked up the evening paper and held it toward him. "There's nothing in the news about it."
"No, everyone knows, so what's the need?" He took the paper and sat back in his chair, looking at the girls and then at her. "Are you afraid?"
"No. Not even for the children. I always thought I would be frightened to death, but I'm not."
"Where's that spirit of self-preservation the scientists talk about so much?"
"I don't know. You don't get too excited when you feel things are logical. This is logical. Nothing else but this could have happened from the way we've lived."
"We haven't been too bad, have we?"
"No, nor enormously good. I suppose that's the trouble. We haven't been very much of anything except us, while a big part of the world was busy being lots of quite awful things."
The girls were laughing in the parlor as they waved their hands and tumbled down their house of blocks.
"I always imagined people would be screaming in the streets at a time like this."
"I guess not. You don't scream about the real thing."
"Do you know, I won't miss anything but you and the girls. I never liked cities or autos or factories or my work or anything except you three. I won't miss a thing except my family and perhaps the change in the weather and a glass of cool water when the weather's hot, or the luxury of sleeping. Just little things, really. How can we sit here and talk this way?"
"Because there's nothing else to do."
"That's it, of course, for if there were, we'd be doing it. I suppose this is the first time in the history of the world that everyone has really known just what they were going to be doing during the last night."
"I wonder what everyone else will do now, this evening, for the next few hours."
"Go to a show, listen to the radio, watch the TV, play cards, put the children to bed, get to bed themselves, like always."
"In a way that's something to be proud of — like always."
"We're not all bad."
They sat a moment and then he poured more coffee. "Why do you suppose it's tonight?"
"Because."
"Why not some night in the past ten years of in the last century, or five centuries ago or ten?"
"Maybe it's because it was never February 30, 1951, ever before in history, and now it is and that's it, because this date means more than any other date ever meant and because it's the year when things are as they are all over the world and that's why it's the end."
"There are bombers on their course both ways across the ocean tonight that'll never see land again."
"That's part of the reason why."
"Well," he said. "What shall it be? Wash the dishes?"
They washed the dishes carefully and stacked them away with especial neatness. At eight-thirty the girls were put to bed and kissed good night and the little lights by their beds turned on and the door left a trifle open.
"I wonder," said the husband, coming out and looking back, standing there with his pipe for a moment."
"What?"
"If the door should be shut all the way or if it should be left just a little ajar so we can hear them if they call."
"I wonder if the children know — if anyone mentioned anything to them?"
"No, of course not. They'd have asked us about it."
They sat and read the papers and talked and listened to some radio music and then sat together by the fireplace looking at the charcoal embers as the clock struck ten-thirty and eleven and eleven-thirty. They thought of all the other people in the world who had spent their evening, each in their own special way.
"Well," he said at last. He kissed his wife for a long time.
"We've been good for each other, anyway."
"Do you want to cry?" he asked.
"I don't think so."
They went through the house and turned out the lights and locked the doors, and went into the bedroom and stood in the night cool darkness undressing. She took the spread from the bed and folded it carefully over a chair, as always, and pushed back the covers. "The sheets are so cool and clean and nice," she said.
"I'm tired."
"We're both tired."
They got into bed and lay back.
"Wait a moment," she said.
He heard her get up and go out into the back of the house, and then he heard the soft shuffling of a swinging door. A moment later she was back. "I left the water running in the kitchen," she said. "I turned the faucet off."
Something about this was so funny that he had to laugh.
She laughed with him, knowing what it was that she had done that was so funny. They stopped laughing at last and lay in their cool night bed, their hands clasped, their heads together.
"Good night," he said, after a moment.
"Good night," she said, adding softly, "dear..."
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
HAFTA/WANNA
After high school I'm expecting a big difference. Santa Maria has provided me with opportunities but with not enough. I do believe high school knowledge is important but the most important lesson I learned these past four years is how to deal with others. I don't think anybody will change that much after graduation, although it will be a large reality shock for many but I think life will change for all. No longer must you associate with the same people you've been surrounded by for the past 14 years and that provides the room for a person to discover their true selves and to create new friendships and connections. I expect that leaving high school will be a good thing for me. In all honesty this last semester is a complete waste of my time, in the schooling department. Not saying it's my teacher's fault but there is simply no motivation and I'd rather spend my time doing something beneficial for my future. Only thing motivating me to get to school on time is the grades I need to maintain my college acceptance.
The Nose by Gogol
1. What does Ivan Yakovlevich do for a living?
Yakovlevich is a barber in Russia.
2. What does Ivan find in a loaf of bread?
Yakovlevich finds the nose of a previous customer, Major Kolvalev
3. How does his wife respond to Ivan's discovery?
His wife isn't very responsive to the act. She does give some say about reporting him but the action is never taken through.
4. What does Ivan set out to accomplish?
Get rid of the nose
5. When Ivan tosses the "package" in the river, for a brief moment he is happy; then he is arrested. What does this scene suggest about the role of happiness in Ivan's life/community/society?
It gives evidence to the fact that happiness is fleeting and never a constant in the community.
6. Where does the title object belong, and how does it finally get there?
Yakovlevich is a barber in Russia.
2. What does Ivan find in a loaf of bread?
Yakovlevich finds the nose of a previous customer, Major Kolvalev
3. How does his wife respond to Ivan's discovery?
His wife isn't very responsive to the act. She does give some say about reporting him but the action is never taken through.
4. What does Ivan set out to accomplish?
Get rid of the nose
5. When Ivan tosses the "package" in the river, for a brief moment he is happy; then he is arrested. What does this scene suggest about the role of happiness in Ivan's life/community/society?
It gives evidence to the fact that happiness is fleeting and never a constant in the community.
6. Where does the title object belong, and how does it finally get there?
It belongs to Major Kolvalev, eventually the police return it to him when he is sleeping
LAUNCH/DRAFT
What am I passionate about? What do I want to do?
I change my passion a lot. But right now I would have to say my passion is learning. Not being taught, but learning about things I find interest about. Especially things have to deal with Sociocultural Anthropology In the past week I've learned important facts such as Project MKUltra and Truganini. Things I never learned it school but found extremely interesting. My younger sister will constantly check the live stream of the big surfing competition while I'm watching the livestream of the Ukraine Riots. I think Documentaries and nonfiction hold much more value than reality TV or the new Twilight book.
How can I use the tools from last semester (and the Internet in general)?
The Internet is the main source of information I can draw from. For example my homepage on my computer is a random wikipedia page so every time I open my browser I learn something new. Netflix helps a lot with documenteraries.
What will I need to do in order to "feel the awesomeness with no regrets" by June?
Just passing my classes honestly. I've already acheived what I set out to do in high school. Get into my dream school and attain a scholarship, both already accomplished.
What will impress/convince others (both in my life and in my field)?
I believe the best way to gain another's support is to show your passion.
How will I move beyond 'What If' and take this from idea --> reality?
Not sure how to answer this.
Who will be the peers, public, and experts in my personal learning network?
Again not very sure. Everybody?
I change my passion a lot. But right now I would have to say my passion is learning. Not being taught, but learning about things I find interest about. Especially things have to deal with Sociocultural Anthropology In the past week I've learned important facts such as Project MKUltra and Truganini. Things I never learned it school but found extremely interesting. My younger sister will constantly check the live stream of the big surfing competition while I'm watching the livestream of the Ukraine Riots. I think Documentaries and nonfiction hold much more value than reality TV or the new Twilight book.
How can I use the tools from last semester (and the Internet in general)?
The Internet is the main source of information I can draw from. For example my homepage on my computer is a random wikipedia page so every time I open my browser I learn something new. Netflix helps a lot with documenteraries.
What will I need to do in order to "feel the awesomeness with no regrets" by June?
Just passing my classes honestly. I've already acheived what I set out to do in high school. Get into my dream school and attain a scholarship, both already accomplished.
What will impress/convince others (both in my life and in my field)?
I believe the best way to gain another's support is to show your passion.
How will I move beyond 'What If' and take this from idea --> reality?
Not sure how to answer this.
Who will be the peers, public, and experts in my personal learning network?
Again not very sure. Everybody?
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Literary Terms #5
parallelism- a reoccurring phrase in a sentence or passage.
parody-a satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing
pathos-the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, of evoking a feeling of pity or compassion.
pedantry-the character, qualities, practices, etc., of a pedant, especially undue display of learning.
personification-giving human characteristics to inanimate objects.
plot-main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story
poignant-affecting or moving the emotions
point of view- specified or stated manner of consideration or appraisal; standpoint
postmodernism-any of a number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of established modernism, especially a movement in architecture and the decorative arts running counter to the practice and influence of the International Style and encouraging the use of elements from historical vernacular styles and often playful illusion, decoration, and complexity.
prose-the ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure
protagonist-the leading character, the good guy
pun-the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications.
purpose-the reason for which something exists
realism-interest in or concern for the actual or real, as distinguished from the abstract, speculative, etc
refrain-to abstain from an impulse to say or do something
requiem-any musical service, hymn, or dirge for the repose of the dead
resolution-a formal expression of opinion or intention made. the resolution of the conflict
restatement-to state again or in a new way
rhetoric-the art or science of all specialized literary uses of language in prose or verse, including the figures of speech.
rhetorical question-a question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion and not to elicit a reply
rising action-a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the climax
romanticism-the Romantic style or movement in literature and art, or adherence to its principles
satire-the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc
scansion-the metrical analysis of verse
setting-the locale or period in which the action of a novel, play, film, etc., takes place
Dictionary.com
parody-a satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing
pathos-the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, of evoking a feeling of pity or compassion.
pedantry-the character, qualities, practices, etc., of a pedant, especially undue display of learning.
personification-giving human characteristics to inanimate objects.
plot-main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story
poignant-affecting or moving the emotions
point of view- specified or stated manner of consideration or appraisal; standpoint
postmodernism-any of a number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of established modernism, especially a movement in architecture and the decorative arts running counter to the practice and influence of the International Style and encouraging the use of elements from historical vernacular styles and often playful illusion, decoration, and complexity.
prose-the ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure
protagonist-the leading character, the good guy
pun-the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications.
purpose-the reason for which something exists
realism-interest in or concern for the actual or real, as distinguished from the abstract, speculative, etc
refrain-to abstain from an impulse to say or do something
requiem-any musical service, hymn, or dirge for the repose of the dead
resolution-a formal expression of opinion or intention made. the resolution of the conflict
restatement-to state again or in a new way
rhetoric-the art or science of all specialized literary uses of language in prose or verse, including the figures of speech.
rhetorical question-a question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion and not to elicit a reply
rising action-a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the climax
romanticism-the Romantic style or movement in literature and art, or adherence to its principles
satire-the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc
scansion-the metrical analysis of verse
setting-the locale or period in which the action of a novel, play, film, etc., takes place
Dictionary.com
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Lit Terms 4
interior monologue- stream-of-consciousness writing that shows the inner thoughts of a character.
inversion- reversal of the usual order of words
juxtaposition-an act of placing words close together or side by side.
lyric-having the form and musical quality of a song, as distinguished from epic and dramatic poetry
magic(al) realism- a style of painting and literature where fantastic or imaginary and often unsettling images or events are depicted in realistic manner.
extended metaphor-a metaphor introduced and then further developed throughout all or part of a literary work, especially a poem
controlling metaphor- a figure of speech in which a term is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance with a check or restraint
mixed metaphor-the use in the same expression of two or more metaphors that are incongruous
metonymy- a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part
modernism-modern character, tendencies, or values; with what is modern.
monologue-a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker
mood-a state or quality of feeling at a particular time
motif-a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work
myth-a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature
narrative-a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious
narrator- a person who gives an account or tells the story of events, experiences, etc
naturalism- action arising from or based on natural instincts and desires alone
novelette/novella- a fictional prose narrative that is longer and more complex than a short story; a short novel
omniscient point of view- point of view of having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things
onomatopoeia- the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent
oxymoron- a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect
pacing- a rate of activity, progress, growth, performance, etc.
parable- a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson
paradox- a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth
Dictionary.com
inversion- reversal of the usual order of words
juxtaposition-an act of placing words close together or side by side.
lyric-having the form and musical quality of a song, as distinguished from epic and dramatic poetry
magic(al) realism- a style of painting and literature where fantastic or imaginary and often unsettling images or events are depicted in realistic manner.
extended metaphor-a metaphor introduced and then further developed throughout all or part of a literary work, especially a poem
controlling metaphor- a figure of speech in which a term is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance with a check or restraint
mixed metaphor-the use in the same expression of two or more metaphors that are incongruous
metonymy- a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part
modernism-modern character, tendencies, or values; with what is modern.
monologue-a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker
mood-a state or quality of feeling at a particular time
motif-a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work
myth-a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature
narrative-a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious
narrator- a person who gives an account or tells the story of events, experiences, etc
naturalism- action arising from or based on natural instincts and desires alone
novelette/novella- a fictional prose narrative that is longer and more complex than a short story; a short novel
omniscient point of view- point of view of having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things
onomatopoeia- the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent
oxymoron- a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect
pacing- a rate of activity, progress, growth, performance, etc.
parable- a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson
paradox- a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth
Dictionary.com
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Literary Terms #3
exposition: The setting of the story
expressionism: creating work through use of nature and it's elements
fable: Short story using animals to teach morals
fallacy: misleading argument
falling action: The series of events that occur after the climax
farce: a short play focusing on situations
figurative language: language that contains figures of speech
flashback: to recall a lifelike memory from the past
foil: to keep someone from succeeding
folk tale: A story passed on traditionally from generation to generation
foreshadowing: A technique author's use to allude to upcoming scenes
free verse: verse that does not have any pattern
genre: category which a story is placed under
gothic tale: A story usually told under the genre of gothism
hyperbole: This literary terms list is taking FOREVER.
imagery: To vividly describe setting, people, objects etc. in a story
implication: Something usually implied by the story
incongruity: does not follow set path
inference: The act of inferring
irony: To state a meaning completely opposite of what was given.
I used dictionary.com for my definitions
expressionism: creating work through use of nature and it's elements
fable: Short story using animals to teach morals
fallacy: misleading argument
falling action: The series of events that occur after the climax
farce: a short play focusing on situations
figurative language: language that contains figures of speech
flashback: to recall a lifelike memory from the past
foil: to keep someone from succeeding
folk tale: A story passed on traditionally from generation to generation
foreshadowing: A technique author's use to allude to upcoming scenes
free verse: verse that does not have any pattern
genre: category which a story is placed under
gothic tale: A story usually told under the genre of gothism
hyperbole: This literary terms list is taking FOREVER.
imagery: To vividly describe setting, people, objects etc. in a story
implication: Something usually implied by the story
incongruity: does not follow set path
inference: The act of inferring
irony: To state a meaning completely opposite of what was given.
I used dictionary.com for my definitions
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
HACKING MY EDUCATION
Funny this should be the assignment tonight since I recently watched this morning this TEDTALK about a 13 year old boy who hacked his own education.
This school year I believed Ive taken a step in the right direction. I stumbled into the world of autodidacticism in which I've started to venture out from the confines of public school system and have started to teach myself things. For instance I've been reading, a lot. In the past 3 weeks I have read seven books, everywhere from Utopian to nonfiction to philosophy. I have also been watching a lot of documentaries and although the opinions are skewed I do learn a lot of new things, I watched one the other day (A State of Mind) which completely opened my mind to a society and culture I knew very little of. Also with the recent addition of creating the website inlocopolitico I feel the obligation to keep up with current events which has turned out to be very helpful.
This school year I believed Ive taken a step in the right direction. I stumbled into the world of autodidacticism in which I've started to venture out from the confines of public school system and have started to teach myself things. For instance I've been reading, a lot. In the past 3 weeks I have read seven books, everywhere from Utopian to nonfiction to philosophy. I have also been watching a lot of documentaries and although the opinions are skewed I do learn a lot of new things, I watched one the other day (A State of Mind) which completely opened my mind to a society and culture I knew very little of. Also with the recent addition of creating the website inlocopolitico I feel the obligation to keep up with current events which has turned out to be very helpful.
Lit Terms #2
exposition: The setting of the story
expressionism: creating work through use of nature and it's elements
fable: Short story using animals to teach morals
fallacy: misleading argument
falling action: The series of events that occur after the climax
farce: a short play focusing on situations
figurative language: language that contains figures of speech
flashback: to recall a lifelike memory from the past
foil: to keep someone from succeeding
folk tale: A story passed on traditionally from generation to generation
foreshadowing: A technique author's use to allude to upcoming scenes
free verse: verse that does not have any pattern
genre: category which a story is placed under
gothic tale: A story usually told under the genre of gothism
hyperbole: This literary terms list is taking FOREVER.
imagery: To vividly describe setting, people, objects etc. in a story
implication: Something usually implied by the story
incongruity: does not follow set path
inference: The act of inferring
irony: To state a meaning completely opposite of what was given.
I used dictionary.com for my definitions
expressionism: creating work through use of nature and it's elements
fable: Short story using animals to teach morals
fallacy: misleading argument
falling action: The series of events that occur after the climax
farce: a short play focusing on situations
figurative language: language that contains figures of speech
flashback: to recall a lifelike memory from the past
foil: to keep someone from succeeding
folk tale: A story passed on traditionally from generation to generation
foreshadowing: A technique author's use to allude to upcoming scenes
free verse: verse that does not have any pattern
genre: category which a story is placed under
gothic tale: A story usually told under the genre of gothism
hyperbole: This literary terms list is taking FOREVER.
imagery: To vividly describe setting, people, objects etc. in a story
implication: Something usually implied by the story
incongruity: does not follow set path
inference: The act of inferring
irony: To state a meaning completely opposite of what was given.
I used dictionary.com for my definitions
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