WHY THIS BOOK?

For the first literature analysis I chose to read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I had already started this book before Dr. Preston told us that we would be doing a literature analysis so I decided to use it for the assignment. I've heard a lot of really great things about this book from friends and John Green is an awesome author!

VOCABULARY #2

accoutrements: (noun) accessory items of clothing or equipment; a soldier's equipment, excluding weapons and clothing.
The route of the army's retreat was littered with the discarded accoutrements of war.

apogee: (noun) the point in the orbit of a heavenly body or satellite farthest from the earth; the farthest or highest point.
The way that she captivated her audience last night was stunning, in fact the performance is sure to be the apogee of her career.

apropos: (adj.) appropriate, opportune; (adv.) relevantly; at the right time; speaking of.
I assumed that money would be an apropos gift for him since he would be attending college in the fall.

bicker: (verb) to engage in a petty or peevish dispute; to move or run rapidly; to rush, hurry.
With my niece and nephew constantly bickering over the most trivial things, I am never able to fully concentrate on my homework.

coalesce: (verb) to blend together or fuse so as to form one body or substance.
The residents of the city coalesced into a strong group, urging the city to pay more attention to the health of the environment.

contretemps: (noun) an inopportune occurrence; an embarrassing mishap.
It seems like every high school student makes a minor contretemps into a major adversity.

convolution: (noun) a rolling or coiling together; twisting together.
Undoing the convoluted wire was nearly impossible.

cull: (verb) to pick out or select; to gather or collect.
He culled only the best people for the show.

disparate: (adj.) completely distinct or different; dissimilar.
The way she behaves at school is quite disparate from how she acts at home.

dogmatic: (adj.) certain of the truth of one's own ideas; inclined to state opinions as if they were facts; asserting opinions in an arrogant manner.
A dogmatic president probably won't be a very popular one since he/she would be unwilling to listen to the opinions of the people.

licentious: (adj.) morally or sexually unrestrained; having no regard for accepted rules or laws.
My licentious cousin was recently kicked out of his house because his parents couldn't handle him anymore.

mete: (verb) to distribute or apportion by measure; to allot.
You are not her mother, therefore it is not your job to mete out punishment.

noxious: (adj.) harmful to physical health or morals.
Ignorance is not bliss, ignorance is noxious to your life.

polemic: (noun) an aggressive attack on a specific opinion or doctrine.
The politician issued a harsh polemic against the man running against him.

populous: (adj.) full of people; densely populated; filled to capacity.
For occupying such a large area, the city wasn't very populous.

probity: (noun) complete honesty; total integrity.
It was scary talking to the police, but he complied with complete probity.

repartee: (noun) a swift, witty reply; skill in making witty replies or conversations.
The two conversed with such repartee that I could easily listen to them for hours on end.

supervene: (verb) to take place or occur as something additional or unexpected; to follow immediately after.
After the show was over, an encore supervened to the crowd's delight.

truncate: (verb) to shorten by cutting off.
Unfortunately, I had to truncate my essay to fit it all onto one page.

unimpeachable: (adj.) beyond doubt or reproach; unquestionable.
After we saw the security footage, it was unimpeachable that he was innocent.

Beowulf Questions

For this assignment, I joined a group of five other people. Allyson Brown and Melissa Steller divided the questions up among Brenna McNamara, Miki Kagawa, Rachel Shedd, themselves, and me. We organized this group through text message and then emailed our answers to the rest of the group. I think this was a very effective way of completing the assignment because I was really able to focus on my questions. If I had to do all 53 by myself, my answers probably wouldn't have been as detailed but since we all had only about 8 questions we were able to answer them thoroughly. It took me about an hour to answer my portion of the assignment. My questions were: 1, 2, 12, 13, 34, 35, 45, 46 Melissa's questions were: 3-11 Allyson's questions were 14-22 Brenna's questions were 23-33 Rachel's questions were 36-44 and Miki's questions were 47-53. This collaboration worked very well.

Prologue
1. It was unusual how Shield became ruler of the Danes because he was orphan, found as an infant who rose to extreme power and became a praised leader. At his funeral, he was very much honored and mourned. He is carried to shore and put on a ship by his companions, like he had requested. He was cast off into the ocean along with his many treasures. Hrothgar is Shield’s great great grandson (Shield’s son is Beow, Beow’s son is Halfdane, Halfdane’s son is Hrothgar)

Heorot is Attacked

1. Hrothgar’s magnificent work was the creation of a grand hall called the Heorot where parties and feasts were held. Heorot was attacked by a fierce monster named Grendel. Grendel attacked the hall at night and killed 30 men. For 12 years no one went in Heorot because every night Grendel would kill anyone he saw so the people stayed as far away as possible. The Danes lived in great fear of this monster.

The Hero Comes to Heorot Courtesy of Melissa

1. When Beowulf hears of Hrothgar's problems with Grendel, he and his fellow Geats set sail to Denmark to promise Hrothgar that he will slay Grendel once and for all.

2. When the Geats first arrive in Denmark they meet a Danish watcher patrolling along the cliffs. He happens to be Hrothgar's lieutenant who demands to know who they are and what they are doing there. The Geats respond that they have come to meet with Hrothgar and they they intended to rid the Danes of their beast, Grendel. The lieutenant believes them and takes them to Herot.

3. Hrothgar's herald is Wulfgar of the Wendla tribe. When he first sees the Geats he stops them and asks them why they carry so much armor. He them implies that they are there for adventure rather self gain because they seem brave. Wulfgar goes to Hrothgar and tells him not to refuse their help because their leader Beowulf seems strong and worthy. Hrothgar speaks of knowing Beowulf's father and encourages Wulfgar to go get the Geats right away. I'm not surprised that Beowulf and Hrothgar know each other so well because Beowulf wouldn't otherwise risk his life and the life of others for someone he didn't know.

4. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that he is basically very experienced and planned to take Grendel on with no weapons. He also told Hrothgar not to refuse him. Hrothgar paid off Beowulf's father's feuds during a waring period for the Geats.

Feast at Heorot Courtesy of Melissa

 1. Unferth jealously claims that Beowulf couldn't beat Grendel and brings up a time in the past when Beowulf lost in a swimming competition to Breca.  Beowulf tells Unferth that he is drunk and claims the true story that he was separated from Breca and pulled underwater by a sea monster that he later killed.  This shows how confident and competitive Beowulf is throughout the story.  Beowulf then accuses Unferth that if he was really as brave as he said he was, Grendel would have never come to Herlot.

2. She hands out mead goblets first to Hrothgar and then to the rest of the men.  She thanks God for Beowulf and then takes her seat next to Hrothgar.

The Fight With Grendel Courtesy of Melissa

 1. The difference with Beowulf is that he is getting rid of his armor. He plans to take care of Grendel with his bare hands 

2. When Grendel enters Herot he immediately goes to his business of eating sleeping soldiers. When he gets to Beowulf, he isn't asleep and Beowulf immediately latches onto him. Grendel tries to flee but Beowulf's grip is too strong. Grendel barely escapes and leaves behind his arm.

Celebration at Heorot Courtesy of Melissa, Allyson, and me

 1. "A Danish scop recites the story of Sigemund, a great hero who slays a horrible dragon. The dragon is a keeper of a treasure chest that Sigemund wins by slaying the dragon. The treasure won by Sigemund resembles the gold rewards earned by Beowulf from the ring-giver, King Hrothgar. This Norse myth is obviously recited at Beowulf’s celebration to compare both Sigemund’s and Beowulf's heroic acts. (...) Heremod is known as an evil Danish king who turns against his own people. This is clearly a symbol of the reverse of Beowulf’s characteristics. By comparing and contrasting Beowulf to two different kings, the narrator is indicating that Beowulf will be king later in the epic."(http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projs2003a/Johane,Heidi&Yee/)

2. Hrothgar responds to Beowulf’s deed by celebrating him. He announces Beowulf as his son and says that he will never be forgotten. He gives Beowulf numerous gifts including a sword. Unferth doesn’t have much to say to Beowulf unlike the first time they spoke. He is more humbled now that Beowulf has saved the Danes.

3. The singer sings the story of Finn during the feast. Basically, in the story Finn, Lord of the Frisians, marries Hildeburgh, a Dane, to end a feud between the two tribes. The idea was to use the bride to ensure that the families wouldn’t feud anymore but obviously this was a bad idea. The Frisians killed Hildeburgh’s brother when he came to visit her. Finn was also eventually killed out of revenge.

4. Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to give the throne to Beowulf, but to trust in his biological son’s abilities to rule as king. She believes that the throne should stay in the bloodline.

5. It is foreshadowed that Beowulf gives the necklace to his uncle Hygelac, who wears it until he dies in battle. She also asks Beowulf to guide and protect her children, but not to take the throne from them when Hrothgar dies.

6. So many men remain in the beer hall to sleep because they believe it is as safe as it once was now that Grendel is dead. This is a mistake because Grendel’s mother comes to the hall for revenge for her son. She takes one of Hrothgar’s esteemed men and the arm of Grendel back to her cave.

Another Attack Courtesy of Allyson 

1. Grendel’s mother has come to Heorot to revenge the death of her son. She is melancholy and wants the men to pay for what they did. This motive for coming to Heorot is different from Grendel’s because Grendel only terrorized Heorot for the thrill of killing men and to stop the constant merrymaking in the hall he kept hearing about. He wasn’t seeking revenge for anything.

2. Hrothgar’s response is to go to Beowulf for help. Grendel’s mother killed one of his dearest friends and advisers, Aeschere. He wants Beowulf to kill Grendel’s mother as he killed Grendel.

3. The mere is a lake surrounded by a dark forest where Grendel and Grendel’s mother supposedly live in an underwater cave. It is described as a place where a hunted animal would rather die next to the water than go into to it to survive.

Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother Courtesy of Allyson and Brenna

1. Beowulf tells Hrothgar to respond as though a blood feud has been started; he should not feel sorrow, but he should be revengeful. Killing Grendel’s mother is the only way, Beowulf says, to truly avenge Aeschere.

2. Before Beowulf enters the mere, he and his men kill a sea monster in the water, and then Hrothgar and his men find Aeschere’s severed head on the shore. This solidifies Hrothgar’s motive for Beowulf to kill Grendel’s mother.

3. Beowulf prepares for battle with Grendel’s mother by putting on his new armor from Hrothgar. During the process, Unferth, the man who originally doubted Beowulf’s abilities, gives Beowulf his sword, Hrunting, to fight with.

4. When Beowulf enters the mere, Grendel’s mother grabs him and pulls him down as other monsters are trying to attack him; however, he is unharmed because of his armor. It’s surprising where Grendel and his mother live because it takes half a day to arrive there.

5. The sword Beowulf borrowed from Unferth breaks as he strikes Grendel’s mother.

6. Beowulf’s armor saves him from the knife wound Grendel’s mother was trying to inflict on him; he then was able to use his strength to throw Grendel’s mother off of himself.

7. Beowulf uses the sword of Eotens (forged by giants long ago) and cuts the mother’s throat. Seeking vengeance for those killed by Grendel, Beowulf brings his decapitated head home. But, his sword melts from the mother’s acidic blood; only the hilt is left.

8. Beowulf safely swims back to the surface and none of his men are there because they doubted his ability to beat Grendel’s mother.

Further Celebration at Heorot Courtesy of Brenna

1. Beowulf gives Hrothgar the hilt of his sword, as well as Grendel’s head.

2. Hrothgar praises Beowulf but also warms him of how to be a fair ruler; the consequence of not being fair was told by Hrothgar in the context of a story. Heremod (the worst king because of his betrayals and murders) was banished and exiled; eventually the tables turned and he was betrayed and killed.

3. Beowulf gives Unferth his sword, Hrunting, back.

Beowulf Returns Home Courtesy of Brenna  and me

1. Hrothgar predicts a future in which Beowulf will come back to protect the Danes once again.

2. Hyd is the Queen of the Geatlands (young and wise), however, unlike Modthryth, she won’t kill and torture her people for simply looking at her.

3. Hrothgar is hoping that by having his daughter, Freawaru, marry Ingeld, he can thus create peace between the Danes and Heathobards. However, Beowulf assumes that Hrothgar is only bringing back the feud and it’s inevitable that more conflict will arise because it’s difficult to simply to forget history. This is a different side to Beowulf because he previously wouldn’t put much thought theoretically and would result to acting on impulse rather than reason.

4. Beowulf reports that he earned glory. He doesn’t add any false details to his stories but he does report them in a way that makes him sound very brave and glorified.

5. Beowulf gives most of his gifts to Hygelac and Hygd. He gives his king weapons, armor, 4 horses and most of the other treasures he received. Beowulf gave Hygd the necklace that Wealtheow gave him. Hygelac gives Beowulf land, a sword, and a house.

The Dragon Wakes Courtesy of Rachel and Brenna

1. Fifty years later, Hygelac and Heardred have died since Beowulf received his treasure which makes Beowulf himself become the king. A dragon has awoken since then, however, and has become very angry.

2. A man stole a golden goblet from the dragon guarding the treasure, which made the dragon very angry. The dragon was to guard the treasure for an ancient civilization since they all died out. The man took the cup because he wanted to take the cup to his master in return for his freedom.

3. The dragon burns all the houses of the Geats to avenge his losing the treasure.

4. Beowulf thinks that his house was burned down because the dragon burned all of his kingdom. He calls for an iron shield to be made for the battle against the dragon because he knows that a wooden shield would do nothing against a fire breathing dragon. He planned on fighting the dragon with a sword, too, due to its poisonous breath. He doesn't plan on being a hero but rather accepting his death and not calling for any assistance.

5. Hygelec died in battle! Beowulf escapes and is offered to run the kingdom but he turns it down because he thinks that Headred should run the kingdom.

6. Headred lets exiled Swedes into his kingdom. These Swedes are Orneala's brothers, which Orneala wants to kill... And he does! He kills Headred and Eanmund in battle and Beowulf vows to avenge their deaths by killing Orneala.

7. Beowulf brings eleven men and the man who stole the goblet to confront the dragon, even though he vows to fight the dragon alone. 

8. Hygelac’s oldest brother, Herebeald, was accidentally killed with an arrow by Haethcyn while they were hunting. His father, King Hrethel, knew this was was an accident but died of grief (Herebeald was his eldest son). After Hrethel’s death, the Swedes and the Geats continued fighting which led to deaths of Haethcyn and Hygelac. Beowful avenged the death of Hygelac by killing the great Frankish warrior, Dayraven. 

Beowulf Attacks the Dragon Courtesy of Miki and me

1. Beowulf tells his companions to wait on the hill because he wants to fight the dragon and retrieve its gold alone.

2. The first time that Beowulf and the dragon fight, Beowulf feels very confident going into the fight but that quickly changes. The shield that is protecting Beowulf begins to melt. His sword breaks before it is able to do any real damage to the dragon. All of Beowulf’s companions abandon him when he is losing the fight, except Wiglaf. Wiglaf tries to make the other warriors stay and he attempts to make them feel ashamed for deserting because they all promised to be loyal to Beowulf. Wiglaf joins Beowulf in battle.

3. Wiglaf and Beowulf work together as a team to defeat the dragon. Wiglaf fights bravely and is able to stab the dragon. Beowulf is bitten in the neck by the dragon but is able to deliver one last vital wound to the dragon. The killed the dragon together but Beowulf will die from his wound.

4. Dying Beowulf asks Wiglaf to bring the gold to him before he dies. When Beowulf sees the gold, he thanks God for allowing him to get rid of the dragon. Finally, Beowulf wanted his body to be burned at the coastal headland and named it, Beowulf’s Barrow.

Beowulf's Funeral Courtesy of Miki

1. When the companions return, Wiglaf tries to bring Beowulf back to life, but it was already too late. Wiglaf yells at the companions for leaving Beowulf behind and letting him fight by himself. He expects that in the future that the Geat’s empire will be destroyed. 

2. The messenger tells the city that Beowulf has died. At the Ravenswood, the Gaets were threatened by Ongetheow and his men, but Hygelac saved the Geats from Ongentheow the next morning. Although, Ongentheow and his men retreated, Hygelac still killed Ongentheow. The messenger says the gold is cursed and those who tried to steal it will also be cursed. The final image of the messenger’s speech was the dragon.

3. Wiglaf tells the crowd that Beowulf would have been alive if he had listened to the people, but since he was a military hero they decided to give him a burial. Also, Wiglaf mentions what a brave and honorable warrior Beowulf was. 

4. Wiglaf’s men pushed the dragon off the cliff and fell in to the ocean. Everyone was rejoiced after the death of the dragon.

5. During the ten days of the funeral celebration, everyone mourns for Beowulf and place rings and jewelries around this grave. They talk about his war achievements and praised him.

6. The Geats said that Beowulf was the “kindest of kings”, the friendliest, and most honorable man. The words kindest and friendliest would not be used to describe a military hero because Beowulf killed his enemies with no regrets. Although, he was honorable which is a characteristic used for a military hero.

Beowulf Reading Notes

Prologue - Chapter 10

• Begins with story of Scyld Scefing, strong, powerful, honored, foundling (abandoned infant, unknown parents). He died with honor, son Beow gained power afterwards. Beow dies, his son takes power.
• Grendel "wrathful, reckless" monster kills 30 men, didn't like the music/festivities going on inside Heorot.
• Possible biblical allusion to story of Cain and Abel.
• Lots of family ties
• Beowulf is introduced as a true hero and leader who aspires to save Hrothgar's people. He is brave and brutal.
• Grendel relies on strength only, so Beowulf will as well.
• grim, confusing syntax

Trista by Ovid

• Ovid was born in Italy, lived in Rome, but exiled by Emperor Augustus
• Danube River, Euxine Ocean frozen over. Time is passing slowly for narrator.
• Believes that men care too much about warfare
• Regrets his mistakes, feels guilty

Far Corners of Earth by Tu Fu

• Tu Fu was a educated man, traveled through China
• He sees everyone suffering and confused but he keeps walking

The Wrath of Grendel

• Grendel, the monster, killed 30 men after the had a celebration
• Herot remained empty for 12 years because of Grendel

The Coming of Beowulf

• Beowulf= brave warrior/hero
• He and 14 brave warriors go to herot to destroy Grendel

The Battle with Grendel

• Beowulf kills Grendel
• This angers Grendel's mother so she kills Hrothgar's friends.
• Beowulf goes to find the mother

The Battle with Grendel's Mother

• After a battle in the lake, Beowulf kills Grendel's mother
• He becomes King as result of his glory
• A dragon becomes his next beast

The Last Battle

• Beowulf defeats the dragon with the help of Wiglaf 
• Beowulf is dying from a wound :( Wiglaf gathers the treasure being guarded by the dragon

The Spoils/The Farewell

• gold, gems, all in dragons lair
• The people built a monument for Beowulf.
• They considered him very deserving of praise

My Opinion Isn't a Right

REFLECTIONS ON WEEK 1

1. There aren't any factors that will affect my participation or experience in this class negatively. I am fortunate enough to have a laptop with internet access, an Iphone, and no problems with transportation. I have a pretty busy schedule after school so that might interfere when we do group work but I think I will be able to make time for all assignments and group work. I think that the blogs will allow me to participate more, and on a different level. This type of class will give me more of an opportunity to see the kind of work that my classmates are doing and it will help me build learning connections with other students.

2. An awesome learning experience that totally changed me happened when I was getting my Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification last year. It was a super intense, totally hands on course that was mentally and physically exhausting. During the course we had to participate in scenarios where students would act out different injuries (fake blood and all). Sometimes your "patient" wouldn't be able to respond so it was really difficult to figure out what you had to do to help them, there very so many different variables to consider! The class took place at Lake Cachuma with a group of about 20 other teenagers and at the end of it I felt comfortable approaching a situation and taking charge helping people who were injured. It was an amazing feeling to be able to successfully put all of the skills I learned to use. I learned so much about a totally new subject and it felt really good to feel completely comfortable with my skills. The experience taught me that hands on learning was much more beneficial than sitting through a boring lecture. I learned that muscle memory helps me remember things. I will never forget how it's supposed to feel when giving CPR after practicing so many times on the dummies (or how much arm muscle I got from doing it!). Getting out in the field and practicing really made me master the skills and feel comfortable using them. I could feel myself learning more and  more each day and I was excited to practice. Even when that practice consisted of moving students with "spine injuries" safely out of a tree. I can apply this to traditional school classes because it taught me that I need to practice hands on to really master the material. Listening to lectures in class won't be enough. I need to write out vocabulary words and make my own sentences. I need to analyze novels rather than just do the necessary reading.  I need to visit other students blog to see different perspectives. Going the extra mile will ensure that I master what I learn.

3. I'm most excited about getting more of a college learning experience. I feel like this class will be the closest think I've gotten in high school so far to a real college class. This class seems like it offers a lot of freedom and I'm excited to push myself. The more I post on my blog, the more excited I get about learning how my presence online can make a difference in my education. Blogging will be a new skill for me so I'm looking forward to learning more about it. It will definitely prepare me for college in many ways. Working with other students and forming study groups and learning from each others work will be very important in college so it's really good that we're doing that this year! I'm a little concerned about time and scheduling. This class has so much to offer and I want to take advantage of all of it but I'm afraid that I won't have the time! With other AP classes, dance, an internship, and other activities I fear that I won't be able to devote as much time as I would like to this class but I will definitely do my best. This class will also help me manage my time better.

VOCABULARY #1

adumbrate: (verb) to outline; give a faint indication of. To foreshadow, to overshadow.
The ending of the novel is already adumbrated in the first chapter.

apotheosis: (noun) the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god; the ideal example.
Her evening outfit represented the apotheosis of formal dressing.

ascetic: (noun) a person who dedicates their life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial for religious reasons; someone who leads an austerely simple life. (adj.) rigorously austere
The ascetic priest lived a very simple, disciplined life.

bauble: (noun) a showy, usually cheap, ornament; trinket
The carnival booths were filled with baubles that I certainly didn't need.

beguile: (verb) to influence by trickery, flattery; to take away from by cheating, deceiving; to pass time pleasantly
He could spin out a tale of intrigue that would beguile publishers into buying his work.

burgeon: (verb) to grow or develop quickly, flourish; to begin to grow
The small town quickly burgeoned into a rather large city.

complement: (noun) something that completes or makes perfect; full quantity; counterpart
These three crops complement each other both in the garden and at the table.

contumacious: (adj.) stubbornly perverse or rebellious
In addition, the criminal can be separately indicted for his contumacious acts.

curmudgeon: (noun) a bad tempered, difficult, cantankerous person
I knew she had a reputation as a bit of curmudgeon, so I didn't choose her as a partner.

didactic: (adj.) instructive; inclined to teach or lecture
I wanted to complete my study by interviewing a series of didactic college professors who would have some good lessons for me.

disingenuous: (adj.) lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity
I was disappointed to hear her excuse, for it was rather disingenuous.

exculpate: (verb) to clear from guilt or fault; freed from blame
Security cameras exculpate people just as well as they incriminate them.

faux pas: (noun) a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct
She seemed shy to her in laws at dinner, but really she was just trying to avoid an embarrassing faux pas.

fulminate: (verb) to explode with a loud noise; to issue denunciations
After the speech, a fulmination of opposition erupted from the audience.

fustian: (noun) a stout fabric of cotton; inflated language; (adj.) pompous or bombastic language
We watched the fustian melodrama happen at our dining room table.

hauteur: (noun) haughty manner or spirit, arrogance
His hauteur may end up hurting him in the election.

inhibit: (verb) to restrain, hinder, prohibit
The stores tough security tends to inhibit loitering.

jeremiad: (noun) a prolonged lamentation or mournful complaint
the film serves in part as a caustic jeremiad on the rampant commercialization of the art world.

opportunist: (noun) a person who practices the policy of adapting actions to effectiveness regardless of the sacrifice of ethical principles
He is a political opportunist and his actions have hurt his popularity recently.

unconscionable: (adj.) not guided by conscious; excessive
The court declared the man's actions to be unconscionable.