Vocab Sentences

1. The man who worked his whole life for civil rights eventually got the accolade of the Nobel Peace Prize.
2. The lemon was quite acerbity.
3. The battle had lead to quite an attrition of troops, forcing the general to surrender the few remnants of his army.
4. While seeming like quite the bromide, the office accountant Tim was actually quite wild once you got to know him.
5. The chauvinist father draped his baby in the American flag and promised to himself that someday his son would protect America from terrorism.
6. The chronic itching had only worsened the man's rash.
7. The government didn't expound their budget until it was too late and they were in a financial emergency.
8. The factionalism of the Greek city-states helped birth democracy.
9. We all wish for an immaculate role model to look up too, however, to be human is to error.
10. The young curmudgeon's imprecation shocked their parents, who soon washed his mouth out with soap.
11. The impending car was ineluctable, and poor Fluffles was no more.
12. The mercurial nature of the man made him a natural born leader due to his charisma.
13. The ice could only palliate the pain of braces, not eliminate it.
14. When the kindergartener broke the sharing protocol he was swiftly punished with a time out.
15. Five resplendent ringssssssss.
16. The Holocaust stigmatized the Nazi party.
17. The suspect asked to be interviewed sub rosa, for his own safety.
18. The vainglory Beowulf ended up being his downfall.
19. The dinosaurs vestige is their fossils.
20. The act of choosing who to vote for is a volition. 

Vocabulary Fall List #3

Accolade: any award, honor, or laudatory notice
Acerbity: sourness, with roughness or astringency of taste.
Attrition: a reduction or decrease in numbers, size, or strength
Bromide: a person who is platitudinous and boring.
Chauvinist: a person who is aggressively and blindly patriotic, especially one devoted to military glory.
Chronic: constant; habitual; inveterate:
Expound: to set forth or state in detail:
Factionalism: of a faction or factions.
Immaculate: free from fault or flaw; free from errors
Imprecation: the act of imprecating; cursing.
Ineluctable: incapable of being evaded; inescapable
Mercurial: animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted.
Palliate:to relieve or lessen without curing; mitigate; alleviate.
Protocol: the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality, precedence, and etiquette.
Resplendent: shining brilliantly; gleaming; splendid
Stigmatize: to set some mark of disgrace or infamy upon
Sub rosa: confidentially; secretly; privately.
Vainglory: excessive elation or pride
Vestige: a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that is no longer present or in existence
Volition: the act of willing, choosing, or resolving

Beowulf Answers

Prelude

1. Shield became the ruler of the Danes despite being an orphan. He got the throne through the strength in battle. When he died he was cast out to sea on a boat filled with treasure, and everybody mourned his death. Shield is Hrothgar's great-grandfather. 

Heorot is attacked

1. Hrothgar's magnificent achievement was the hall that he had constructed, Heorot. It was attacked by Grendel with horrible results. Grendel the nightmarish beast would attack the hall every night killing the men inside, and terrorized Hrothgar's rule for twelve years. The Danes tried to offer him gold to stop, but he still continued as the Danes prayed to Pagan gods for the attacks to stop.

The Hero Comes to Heorot

1. When Beowulf hears of Grendel he decided to go try to stop him, so he sailed off with a group of warriors to help Hrothgar. 

2. When the Geats first reach Denmark they meet one of Hrothgar's guards on the coast. He questions the group of armed warriors and they say that they will help Hrothgar, so they are allowed to land.

3. Hrothgar's herald is Wulfgar who tells them that they are very brave men. He tells to same to Hrothgar, specially mentioning Beowulf's strength. Hrothgar is very happy to hear the news and trusts Beowulf to help him. Yes, it is surprising that Hrothgar knows Beowulf since they come from different cultures separated by the sea.

4. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that he will kill Grendel with his bare hands. Hrothgar settled a feud that Beowulf's dad had started.

Feast at Heorot

1. Unferth accuses Beowulf of vanity and losing to Breca in a contest. Beowulf explains that he was busy killing nine sea monsters, and declares his strength. Then he accuses Unferth of being responsible for the death on his family. This does indeed show Beowulf's arrogance and will to prove himself to others.

2. During the feast Queen Wealhtheow greeted everyone including Beowulf, and she thanked god he had come.

 The Fight with Grendel

1. Instead of arming for battle Beowulf disarms for battle, removing his armor and putting away his sword.

2. Grendel kills a man grotesquely when he enters the room then goes after Beowulf. Beowulf grabs Grendel and Grendel thrashes around trying to break free. Beowulf tore off Grendel's arm as he tried to escape. He does escape, but loses his arm, a fatal wound.

Celebration at Heorot

1. Beowulf is like Sigemund because he is a hero who saved others from a monster and he's not like Heremod because Heremod was a selfish king who never protected his people, unlike Beowulf. 

2. Hrothgar considers Beowulf as a son, and gives him a sword, a shield, a golden set of armor, and a helmet. Unferth has nothing more to say as Beowulf is clearly a hero. 

3. Finn's (leader of the Frisians) step brother (leader of the Scyldings) dies in battle, and his second in command makes truce in the war with the Frisians. With the truce the Scyldings stayed with Finn over winter, eventually killing him and leaving back with his sister Hildeburh. Using a woman to heal relations is not a good idea.

4. Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to give the throne to Beowulf. 

5. The necklace Beowulf is given, Beowulf eventually gives to his uncle Hygelac. Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to look after and care for her sons.

6. So many men remain in the beer hall because they don't know the danger to come, that Grendel's mother is soon coming to find revenge.

Another Attack

1. Grendel's mother has come to Heorot because she is angry about the death of her son. It is not for the same reason that Grendel had, she has come in anger and vengeance for her son.

2. Hrothgar is in great sorrow after Grendel's mother takes the kings advisor and close friend, Aeschere. Hrothgar offers Beowulf chests of gold and riches to slay the evil monster and free them yet again from evil.

3. The mere is like a lake, except it has water that boils and is full of sea serpents and dragons. No man has ever reached the bottom of the mere and very few have ever gone near it. It is where Grendel and his mother have their den.

Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother

1. Beowulf tells Hrothgar to respond to Grendel's mother by sending Beowulf and his men to slay her so that they can be free from the demons.

2. The warriors find the severed head of the adviser for the king, who had been killed the previous night by Grendel's Mother. This puts the soldiers into an uneasy and frightened state of mind.
3. Beowulf puts on mail and  takes the sword Hrunting into battle, which was the sword of Unferth, which he had said that he will shape glory with the sword, and not fail until death.
4. As Beowulf enters the mere, Beowulf is grabbed by Grendel's Mother and there is a fight between the two. He swings Hrunting into the side of the Mother's head, to no effect, then discards the sword to fight bare-handed. After Beowulf finds the massive sword to slay the Mother, he notices that the realm is filled with treasure and artifacts, in which would lay much riches, but Beowulf cared not.
5. The sword of Unferth is cast aside and then retrieved after the battle with Grendel's Mother because it is not strong enough to pierce her skin.
6. The Woven mail that he had put on himself before the battle had deflected the blow from the knife of Grendel's Mother. Then he got back on his feet and found the extremely large sword that would slay Grendel's Mother.

7. Beowulf decapitated Grendel’s mother with an enormous sword too large for any ordinary man that he grabbed from the hall. He chops off Grendel’s head and takes it with him as a trophy for his victory. When he does this, the sword melts from Grendel’s poison blood.

8. When Beowulf returns to the surface, only his loyal followers remained as the rest had assumed he had died fighting the beast and returned to Heorot. His men had not expected him to return and they rejoiced with joy when he did.

Further Celebration at Heorot

1. When Beowulf decides to leave, he gives Hrothgar the sword he had discovered in the hall while fighting Grendel’s mother.

2. Hrothgar has a message for Beowulf about Heremod. He tells us that Heremod is the father of Scyld and that he had died in battle while trying to defend his people, which is something that Beowulf had just succeeded in. The whole point of bringing up Heremod seems to compare and contrast Beowulf and Heremod.

3. He returns Unferth’s sword to him as he leaves, the swords name was Hrunting and it was ineffective against Grendel’s mother.

Beowulf Returns Home

1. He will be the king of Geats, receive many treasures, and make peace with other nations. It’s a very hopeful future.

2. Hygd is very young and beautiful. She is wise while Modthryth  is very evil and merciless.

3. He wants to end the feud between the Danes and Ingeld. Ingled will devoice the daughter and attack Hrothgar.  An old warrior will convince Ingeld to fight. No because hero’s are supposed to be always act with honor. 

4. He reports his adventures in a very exaggerated way. He’s honest about the story but he explains it in a way that builds himself up more. It’s not that expected because he’s supposed to a noble hero but he is concerned about glory so it makes sense.

5. Beowulf gives most of his treasure to Hygelac and Hygd and in return Hygd gives him treasure and land for himself. 

The Dragon Wakes

1. Part 2 takes place forty winters (forty years) later.  Hygelac has died and  there is now a dragon.

2. Thief has stolen his gold (cup). The man was poor and hungry. It was left there by a man from an ancient race who realized he like his ancestors would die and therefore buried the treasure.

3. The dragon just rampaged through the land trying to find the thief and destroys his throne hall.

4. He believes he has angered God. He makes a new shield to fight the dragon.  He will fight it alone. He will die.

5. He dies against the Frisians. Beowulf was able to get away but he mourned for his death. He was offered the thrown. He did not out of respect for Hygelac.

6.   Heardred is killed while fighting the Swedes.  Beowulf avenges him by killing Onela, the Swedish king.

7.  Beowulf brings eleven men (he is “one of twelve”) with him to meet the dragon.

8.  Hygelac’s oldest brother Herebeald was killed by a relative (Haethcyn).  An arrow missed its target and him Herebeald, killing him.  King Hrethel was devastated.  There is a lengthy portion detailing his lamentations.  War breaks out between the Swedes and the Geats.  Beowulf avenges Hygelac’s death by defeating Daeghrefn in front of “the legions”.

Beowulf Attacks the Dragon

1.  Beowulf tells his companions to wait back while he fights the dragon.  He reasons that he is the only one among them that has any hope of killing it.

2.  The first time Beowulf faces the dragon, his shield, helmet, and sword fail him, and he is wounded.  His companions all flee the dragon, except for Wiglaf, who stays to help.  He tells the others that Beowulf chose them as his companions because he believed them to be great warriors, and that they should not abandon him now in his time of need.  He rushes in to aid Beowulf.

3. The second time Beowulf meets the dragon, the dragon bites him on the neck—leaving a mortal wound.  Wiglaf ultimately impales the dragon. 

4.  Beowulf tells Wiglaf to bring the dragon’s treasure to him.  Beowulf thanks God for the treasure.  Beowulf wants to be buried in tower on a high cliff by the water.  He wants sailors to see the tower and remember his name.

Beowulf’s Funeral

1. The warriors see Wiglaf trying to reviveBeowulf. Wiglaf gets mad at them for leaving Beowolf. Wiglaf expects the Geatsto be attacked and their nation destroyed.

2. The messenger announces that Beowulf is dead.Ongentheow and his men make fun of the Geats. Hygelac comes to the Geats withreinforcements. Ongentheow retreated once he saw more men. Ongentheow wascornered by Hygelac and was killed. The messenger says that the treasure iscursed. Beowulf can’t be cursed because he had never been greedy. The finalimage is of a dragon.

3. Wiglaf tells the crowd how great Beowulf was atfighting.

4. The dragon was pushed off the edge of the cliffinto the ocean because it was evil.

5. The Geats mourned and sung and everyone was sadduring the ten day burial.

6. The Geats say that Beowulf was a kind man. It isnot something you would usually call a war hero who is killing a lot of people.

Peer Feedback #1

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1987 AP english essays

AP Essay 1
Essay 1 Part 2
Essay 2 Part 1
Essay 2 Part 2

Socratic Seminar

The socratric seminar we had today in class was not too eventful for myself, but interesting none the less. The conversation seemed dominated by two individuals discussing the difference of the freedom to think what you want, and the right to your own opinion. I can't blame them, as I did not add anything to the conversation. I could have changed in it a bout of words between simple language such as the subtle but important differences between right and freedom, a very important fact to note. Your thoughts should not so much seem to be an entitlement, but rather tools to use to accomplish actions. When circumstances change, the tools must change to fit the situation, and so go thoughts. They should be a liquid form of substance, not static such as solids, but not as free and hard to control as a gas is. There must be balance, as in all things.

Reflections on Week 1

1. Are there any factors that you think are going to affect your participation or experience in this class? (Access to a computer, cell phone, transportation? Family that can help or hassle? Friends that can help or hassle? Scheduling factors that can help or hassle?) 

No I don't believe I will be inhibited in any ways. School wise this will be a busy year, but there is always time to find in order to get things done. As far as technology, I am set, with the exception of a smart phone. However several friends have them and I don't believe the fact I do not have one will hassle me.

2. Think of an awesome (or the best ever) learning experience (or an experience where you changed) What was it you learned? [call it X] Where were you? What happened? Who else was there? Did it teach you anything about how you learn (or pay attention... or ?) How did you know what was happening?

My best learning experience was at the family literacy program at the library. It wasn't so much the teachings themselves, but it helped teach me I was more capable than what I thought I was. Dropped in with a family with a clear language barrier, the experience of getting to know the family and the kids was deeply enriching in the end. My nerves shook me during my first few times, but it was simple smiles I would see in both their faces and their eyes that helped me look forward to it day after day. Ryan Nguyen shared this experience with me and I'm sure he would say the same. 

3. What are you most [excited/concerned] about in this class? What do you look forward to in learning?  How do you think it can/will make a practical difference in your life?

I am most excited about the blog and the opportunities that an individual are able to create through the blog. In creating groups of peers to help pursue whatever you have true passion in life for is a great opportunity. I am looking forward to the more philosophical ways of thinking and managing of the class. If it helps me get more excited for each day, and live with just a little more passion it will be a very successful course. 

Additional thoughts: Austen/Montaigne Essay

If I was to add to my essay I would have created one more comparative paragraph to further add to my theme of Montaigne's writing of interpersonal ideas, while Austen writing of complex human relations in the society in order to their points of view across. I would have gone farther into depth of this difference in the last paragraph. Montaigne using himself to symbolize society as a whole leads to one accurate form of representation and interpretation of life very directly. He is able to avoid excess information in his messages. His self reflection of guilt in particular shows how an egregious act on the surface can be compensated in other forms in order to have a clear conscious. So to take a fault on base level would be wrong. On the other hand Austen uses her characters as tools. While it does create additional information, it creates relations lacking in Montaigne's writing. In this she is able to create such examples as Elizabeth's situation, where the author weaves a story through her love interests and how to not take these things at face value as well. Lastly I would conclude the essay with one last paragraph tying the overall theme of this together.

No specific thoughts came to me after the initial essay writing was complete, other than that it could have been more structured than it was, and that I should have been able to finish the essay.

The break was very disruptive in the thought process of the essay. We left right as I was getting to my thesis, and in the break I had lost the footing in the creation of my thesis. Therefore the thesis took much longer than intended to create, and therefore I was not able to create the length in the essay that would have been optimal. 

Assignment 1

This course is meant for me to be a completely different mental challenge than any of my other classes. Too often have days gone by where pen meets paper yet no actual information reaches the mind. Already this school year patterns have begun emerging in several other AP classes. The general formula of note taking followed by assigned questions for homework seems to be wearing down the creativity and zeal which I can only hope stay with me as I progress through education. This class presents the opportunity to go where few classes have dared to go. It is a large risk, and I understand this. The class must be lead by the students, and as a group we must prove this model to be effective, or else send a message of conformity in relation to success. I take this class as a great opportunity to help change what we view as "successful" in learning. I very much mean what I type, and hope to bring full effort into making this system the best it can be. The only thing to fear is that we fail to make full opportunity of this chance, and to fail other classes in our carelessness. We are pioneers, and we are going to have to do this right.