Vocabulary #7

Aberration - An optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm

Ad hoc - For the special purpose or end presently under consideration

Bane - Something causes misery or death

Bathos - Triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos

Cantankerous - Having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate

Casuistry - Moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas; argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading

De facto - In fact; in reality

Depredation - An act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; a destructive action

Empathy - Understanding and entering into another's feelings

Harbinger - an indication of the approach of something or someone; foreshadow or presage of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle

Lackluster - lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality

Malcontent - discontented as toward authority; a person who is discontented or disgusted

Mellifluous - pleasing to the ear

Nepotism - favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power 

Pander - to gives satisfaction to

Peccadillo - a petty misdeed

Piece de resistance - the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc. of a series or group; special item or attraction

Remand - the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial; refer to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine

Syndrome - a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease

Literature Analysis: The Crucible

1. The Crucible is a playwright that is based on the Salem Witch trials. A bunch of nonsensical girls in Danforth try a few spells and other forbidden things with a black servant. They soon get found out, but deny it all. They then proceed to act like they've been cursed and possessed by witches, all in order to stay out of trouble and to also gain things they wanted. The Puritan community is scared by the girls' actions, and many innocent women accused of being witches are sent to jail. The proctors are targeted by the lead girl, Abigail Williams, because she wanted to be with John Proctor. Ultimately John himself is sent to the gallows, and a year later the witch trials had caused lots of trouble, and came to an end.

2. I picked up two themes from this book. One big one is how quickly people can succumb to fear. When a few people started becoming afraid of the Devil and witches in their community, all the citizens began to panic, and started to think irrationally. The effect of this widespread panic was the death sentence of many innocent women accused of being witches. Another theme would have to be the way they treated the people they charged. Many of the women sent to death by the trials were women (and a few men) who didn't really fit into the community that well. They were known for odd things here and there, but not something that would've made them a witch before the girls started with the accusations.

3. Since this was originally a playwright, the author provided different tones for each person that was talking in different situations, since 85% of the book was dialogue. Yet a common thing between all character's voices and the bit of narration was how solemn it sounded, and sometimes even fearful. The story took place in a time of panic and fear.
"Mrs. Putnam, softly:Aye. Her voice breaks; she looks up at him. Silence." - Act One, pg. 39
"Hale: Believe me, Mr. Nurse, if Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing's left to stop the whole green world from burning." - Act Two, pg. 71
"Mary Warren, hysterically, pointing at Proctor, fearful of him: My name, he want my name. 'I'll murder you,' he says, 'if my wife hangs! We must go and overthrow the court he says!'" - Act Three, pg. 119

4. There is dramatic irony used in this story. Most of the time I knew what the girls were really up to, while the other characters did not. Arthur Miller is also very descriptive with some of his character's dialogue. The dialogue itself can be considered a literary element, since he uses it to provide indirect characterization of his characters. There is conflict between the innocent accused (Proctors, others) and the "possessed" girls and the juries and judges of the trials.

Vocabulary #6

Beatitude - Supreme blessedness
She was known to have the gift of beatitude, and she could do no wrong.
Bete noire - A detested person (disliked or avoided)
Our local bete noire frequented around the bar, but no one could even stand the sight of him there.
Bode - Be an omen of a particular outcome
The angry stares we were getting did not bode well for the competition coming up.
Dank - Disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold
All of the children were scared of the dank, dark tunnel that was located near the park.
Ecumenical - General, universal
The ecumenical agreement from all of the countries is that the tyrant must be terminated.
Fervid - Intensely enthusiastic or passionate
Her ex-boyfriend continued to pursue her, with plenty of fervid attempts on winning her heart again.
Fetid - Smelling extremely unpleasant
The remains of a dead bird left a fetid scent that lasted for about 2 weeks.
Gargantuan - Of great mass
Our jaws dropped as we saw the gargantuan middle blocker on the opposing women's volleyball team.
Heyday - The period of a person's or thing's greatest success or popularity
My dad always likes to reminisce on his heyday, calling those years the "best 4 years of his life."
Incubus - A cause of distress or anxiety like a nightmare
His incubus seemed to be the angry bullies that always tormented him during the day.
Infrastructure - The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation
The dorm room's infrastructure was flawed, with not enough dorms and bathrooms to comply with the residents.
Inveigle - Persuade (someone) to do something by means of deception or flattery
My friend always managed to inveigle herself into any man's heart, always praising how handsome and strong he was.

Kudos - Praise and honor received for an achievement

Kudos on finally dumping that boy, Chanel!

Lagniappe - Something given as a bonus or extra gift
I was surprised at the little lagniappe my fiancee had left on my nightstand last night.
Prolix - Using a or containing too many words; tediously lengthy
At first glance, the student's essay seemed to be somewhat prolix and boring to read.
Protege - a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
The rich older man kept a strict eye on his young protege, in order to make sure he was going on the right path to his career.
Prototype - A first or preliminary model of something, esp. a machine, from which other froms are developed or copied
The prototype of the new car seemed promising, and with a few more adjustments it could turn out to be a great vehicle.

Sycophant - A person who acts obsequiously toward someone in order to gain advantage; a servile flatterer

He hadn't expected a sycophant as an assistant.

Tautology - The saying of the same thing twice in different words

Truckle - Submit or behave obsequiously

The dog truckled once his owner sprayed him with a water bottle.

Obsequious - Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree

My sister had become increasingly obsequious, always following me around, doing anything I asked her to do.

Notes on pg. 64-82

The Epic

epic - long narrative poems that celebrated adventures of legendary heros

examples of epics - Beowulf, Gilgamesh, the Iliad

Heros were role models for their times

From Gilgamesh The Prologue

"he" (gilgamesh?) built Uruk (Sumerian city)

keeping place of Anu and Ishtar (father of gods of the sky, goddess of love)

Uruk is the city of Gilgamesh, son of Lugalbanda, son of Lady of Wildcow Ninsun

2/3 god, 1/3 man - Gilgamesh

From the Iliad

Athena disguises herself as soldier

leads Hektor to Achilleus

A fight ensues between Hektor and Achilleus, beginning with him throwing a spear at Hektor, but Hektor dodges

After fighting for awhile, Hektor realizes that the gods wanted him dead

He swings at Achilleus, Achilleus sees an opportunity and stabs him in the neck

Hektor begs to be taken back to his family

Achilleus refuses, seeking only revenge and no mercy 

Hektor curses him with his last dying breath

Achilleus does not seem to be bothered

From A History of the English Church and People

Rome protected Britain, then after leaving Britain was in trouble

Monks/scholar kept history alive (Bede)

Britain known as Albion 

Bede talking about the layout of Britain

Talks of natural resources

French came to Britain, Picts tried to go to Ireland, could not because Scots were already there

From The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Vikings went to Britain?

King Alfred ordered longships to be built

Danes @ Isle of Wight

Brutal fighting 

Vocabulary #5

Acumen - keen insight, shrewdness
Ex: The boss was known for his financial acumen, and how quickly he was able to make those decisions.

Adjudicate - make a formal judgment or decision about a problem or disputed matter
Ex: The judge adjudicated that the accused criminal was not mentally sane to stand trial.

Anachronism - a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists
Ex. My grandmother is an ancachronism in a sense, always wearing clothes from her time period, looking absolutely ridiculous compared to others on the street.

Apocryphal - of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true
Ex. Her apocryphal story turned out later to be false, just as we secretly suspected.

Disparity - a great difference
Ex. There is a vast disparity in the many members of the secret club, from farmers to politicians.

Dissimulate - conceal or disguise (one's thoughts, feelings, or character)
Ex. When you want to dissimulate how you're really feeling about someone, it is helpful to act the EXACT opposite way of how you really want to act towards them.

Empirical - derived from or guided by experience or experiment.
Ex. All of her empirical decisions were derived from all of the experiments she witnessed.

Flamboyant - tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness
Ex. Tammy, the most popular girl in school, was known for constant flirtatiousness and flamboyant style of clothing, which attracted looks from all the boys at school.

Fulsome - complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree
Ex. The foreigners were fulsome in their gratitude, almost embarrassingly so.

Immolate - kill or offer as a sacrifice, esp. by burning.
Ex. The lamb was to be immolated at tonight's ritual, as an offering to the gods.

Imperceptible - impossible to perceive
Ex. The new shower curtains we had hung made it imperceptible to see the person in the shower.

Lackey - a servant
Ex. We always used to treat her as our personal lackey: making her carry around our stuff, fetch us anything we wanted, and act as the scapegoat.

Liaison - communication or cooperation that facilitates a close working relationship between people or organizations
Ex. Officer Ziva David acted as liaison between the federal agency NCIS and her own father's agency Massad.

Monolithic - very large and characterless
Ex. The unimpressive, monolithic monument did not seem to have any unique story about it. It was practically purposeless.

Mot juste - the exact, appropriate word
Ex. During a heated moment, curse words just happen to be mot juste to the argument.

Nihilism - the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless; extreme skepticism, according to which nothing in the world has a real existence
Ex. I am surrounded by constant nihilism: all of the people just refuse to believe there's a purpose in life.

Patrician - belonging to or characteristic of the aristocracy
Ex. You could tell she came from royalty: the patrician style of walking, with her head high, barely looking at the people around her.

Propitiate - win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them
Ex. The goal of all the villagers was to constantly propitiate the gods. They always found some way, every day, to try and please them.

Sic - to incite to attack, or to attack
Ex. I immediately yelled to my dog "SIC 'EM GUS" after spotting the intruder.

Sublimate - divert or modify (an instinctual impulse) into a culturally higher or socially more acceptable activity
Ex. We tried to sublimate our younger brother so the popular kids would stop making fun of his weird habits, but nothing we did worked.

Beowulf and Godsylla

Meanehwæl, baccat meaddehæle, monstær lurccen;
Fulle few too many drincce, hie luccen for fyht.
Ðen Hreorfneorhtðhwr, son of Hrwærowþheororthwl,
Æsccen æwful jeork to steop outsyd. Þhud! Bashe! Crasch! Beoom! Ðe bigge gye
Eallum his bon brak, byt his nose offe;
Wicced Godsylla wæld on his asse.
Monstær moppe fleor wyþ eallum men in hælle.
Beowulf in bacceroome fonecall bamaccen wæs;
Hearen sond of ruccus sæd, "Hwæt ðe helle?"
Graben sheold strang ond swich-blæd scharp
Stond feorth to fyht ðe grimlic foe. "Me," Godsylla sæd, "mac ðe minsemete."
Heoro cwyc geten heold wiþ fæmed half-nelson
Ond flyng him lic frisbe bac to fen
Beowulf belly up to meaddehæle bar,
Sæd, "Ne foe beaten mie færsom cung-fu."
Eorderen cocca-cohla yce-coeld, ðe reol þyng.

Translation:
Okay... What. The. Heck. I could not get through this without cracking up at least ten times. :)
Meanwhile, back the mead-hall, monster lurking;
Full few too many drinks, he was looking for a fight.
Then Hreorfneorhtðhwr, son of Hrwærowþheororthwl,
Asked the awful jerk to step outside. Thud! Bash! Crash! Boom! The big guy
All of his bones broke, bit his nose off;
Wicked Godzilla wailed(?) on his ass.
Monster mopped the floor with all of the men in the hall.
Beowulf was in back room making a phone call;
Hearing sound of ruckus said, "What the hell?"
Grabbing shield strong and switch-blade sharp
Stood forth to fight the grimlic foe. "Me," Godzilla said, "make the mincemeat."
Hero quick gotten hold with famed half-nelson
And flying him like a frisbee back to fen
Beowulf belly up to the mead-hall bar,
Said, "No foe has beaten my fearsome kung-fu."
Ordering coca-cola ice-cold, the real thing.

Vocabulary #4

Apostate - a person who has forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.
         ex. The apostate left the church when he learned the truth of the religious practices they did.
Effusive - lacking reserve
         ex. Our guests had suspiciously effusive comments on our choice of silverware.
Impasse - a position or situation in which there is no escape, deadlock
         ex. It seemed as we had reached an impasse as we approached the huge tree trunk blocking our path.
Euphoria - a state of intense happiness and self-confidence
         ex. After her crush told her how pretty she looked, Amy was in a state of complete euphoria for the rest of the day.
Lugubrious - mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner
         ex. We had to endure the endless playlist of lugubrious break up songs all the way home.
Bravado - swaggering display of courage
         ex. The little boy showed much bravado after standing up to the neighborhood bully.
Consensus - majority of opinion, general agreement
         ex. We reached the consensus that our meetings should be moved from Monday to Friday.
Dichotomoy - division into two opposed or contradictory groups
         ex. The teacher asked the student to explain the dichotomy between malesand females.
Constrict - cause to contract or shrink, compress
         ex. Squeezing my throat, constricting air flow into my lungs, and the constant beating of my head was causing me to black out.
Gothic - a certain type of architecture that features flying buttresses, ornamental gables, etc.
         ex. We sneaked towards the ancient, gothic-style house, wary from all the stories we've heard of murderers, ghosts, and demons roaming the hallways.
Punctilio - strict attention to minute points of etiquette
         ex. They will not part with the least punctilio in their opinions and practices.
Metamorphosis - any complete change in character, appearance, circumstance, etc.
         ex. His complete change metamorphosis into this "hot jock" was quite a shock for everyone in the school.
Raconteur - a person who is skilled in relation stories interestingly
         ex. The local raconteur sat with all the village children surrounding him, each child anticipating the latest story that was to come.
Sine qua non - something essential; indispensable condition, element, or factor
         ex. The president of the prom committee was sine qua non to the setting up of the decorations, for she knew where everything was to be put.
Quixotic - exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic and impractical
         ex. As a child, my days at the playground were always taken up by the quixotic obsession of climbing the slide with my socks on.
Vendetta - any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention, etc.
         ex. An example of a vendetta would be the dealings between the Capulets and Montagues.
Non sequitur - a statement containing an illogical conclusion
         ex. Would you like fries with that?
Mystique - an aura of mystery, mystical power, or awe
         ex. The way he carried himself had a touch of mystique, as if there was something we didn't know about this man.
Quagmire (giggity.) - a situation from which extrication is very diffucult
         ex. The scientists have been stuck in this quagmire for the longest time, not finding any solution to the problem.
Parlous - perilous, dangerous
         ex. The parlous economic state in which the government found themselves was not good. Not good at all.

1987 AP Exam Multiple Choice Answers

I had these written down, just not posted. :P Sorry for the delay!

1. C
2. E
3. C
4. B
5. D
6. C
7. A
8. B
9. A
10. C
11. D
12. B
13. A
14. C
15. E
16. B
17. C
18. E
19. A
20. D
21. A
22. E
23. A
24. A
25. B
26. E
27. E
28. D
29. A
30. B
31. D
32. B
47. B
48. E
49. C
50. D
51. C
52. B
53. E
54. D
55. E
56. E
57. A
58. B
59. C
60. B
61. A

My AP Reading Choice

I decided to choose The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I was super excited when I saw that this book was on the list, because I have heard of it before but never had the chance to actually read it. I love reading about the Salem Witch Trials, whether it's actual historical fact or a slight tweak on what happened in that time period. I'm very interested in seeing how Arthur Miller wrote about this time, since I did enjoy his other book Death of a Salesman. :) Can't wait to get it crackin'.