Vocabulary Pictures- Week 6

The obsolete computer was replaced with a sleek new laptop.

My grandmother always warned me that I would emaciate myself by not eating three meals a day. I still think this is an exaggeration but I listen anyways.

I had a paucity amount of homework, so my weekend ended up being more fun than expected.

The taut rope had no slack and was good tension for the tug-o-war simulated game.

The tenuous string was unravelling quickly as I began to be concerned that it may break.

Embezzle (verb) - to appropriate fraudulently to one's own use, as money or property entrusted to one's care.
Emaciate (verb) - To make or become extremely thin, especially as a result of starvation.
Obsolete (adjective) -no longer in general use; fallen into disuse
Obviate (verb) - to anticipate and prevent or eliminate (difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective measures; render unnecessary
Penchant (noun) -a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something
Paucity (noun) - smallness of quantity; scarcity; scantiness
Sycophant (noun) - a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.
Taut (adjective) - tightly drawn; tense; not slack.
Tenuous (adjective) - thin or slender in form, as a thread.
Tenacity (noun)- the state of being tenacious. [holding fast; characterized by keeping a firm hold (often fol. by of)]

Current Event- Amored Vehicles

URL: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/26/iraq.main/index.html

U.S. troops claim that there could have been half the number of troops killed had their vehicles been fully equipped with the armor needed to protect against roadside bombs and other attack. Since so many people are upset about the war in Iraq and how so many of our troops are dieing as a result, then we have to take credit for the fact that our army is protected to the highest possible degree. The Marine Corps is now requesting to investigate the delays.

Current Event- Ectasy

Title:Officials: Ecstasy is back, and it's laced with meth

Summary: Ectasy pills are coming back, but now they are being laced with meth. They believe that since meth is cheaper to produce, drug dealers use meth as a substitute for ecstacy. "More than 55% of ectasy samples seized in the United States last year contained meth, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, compared with 44.5 percent the previous year." Teens report that getting these pills is very easy as long as you ask the right people. Not only is drug trafficing dangerous and scary, the fact that drugs are so easy for young teens to get is concerning for brain development and mortality rate. These drugs continue to come in mostly from Canada whether it is by car, plane, or ship.

URL: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/20/meth.ecstasy/index.html

Vocabulary- Week 5

lucidity- easily understood; completely intelligible or comprehensible
conciliatory- To overcome the distrust or animosity of; appease. To regain or try to regain (friendship or goodwill) by pleasant behavior.
countermand- to revoke or cancel (a command, order, etc.).
acumen- keen insight; shrewdness.
insurrection- an act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government.
fidelity- strict observance of promises, duties, etc.
complicit- choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, esp. with others; having complicity.
steadfast- fixed in direction; steadily directed:
emancipation- The act or an instance of emancipating.
bolster- a long, often cylindrical, cushion or pillow for a bed, sofa, etc.

she took conciliatory measures to try to repair their friendship.

We had to countermand the party because of the weather.

My friend, Cisco, uses a bolster when he drives to support his back.

She was very steadfast in her decision and refused to change her mind.

The lucidity of her argument made it hard to disagree with her points of view.

Book Report- A Seperate Peace

Book Report / Novel Summary

Knowles, John. A Seperate Peace. New England. Macmillan: 1959.

Reason, Type and Setting: A Seperate Peace was one of the most powerful books i have ever read. Both the moral lessons and the style of writing are some of my favorites yet. The plot line was tense and exciting and i enjoyed reading each chapter. This adventerous and reflective narrative gives the reader insight into Gene Forrester's life as a student through some sort of military boarding school. Taking place during World War II, the setting of this novel is in New Englands, Devon school for boys.

Plot: Other than the horrible war going on outside of our country at that time, Gene has to face an even greater war in his own life. Gene's accidentally jostels a branch that Finny was standing on, causing Finny to thud into the river below. The impact from the fall shatters Finny's leg and Gene feels like some outside force caused him to do this to Finny. The two boys continue to be best friends but there is always an awkward tension in their friendship. Toward the end of the novel some of the other boys at the school begin to question the incident and whether or not Gene should be held responsible. They hold a "meeting" to come up with a verdict. Finny is very upset by this and storms out of the room. he is unstable with his bad leg and slips on the hard marble, causing him to re-break his leg. This time the break is far les extensive, but when the doctor is trying to slip the bone back into place, Finny dies during the surgery. Gene's reactions and reasoning towards these events and others are facsinating to me.

Character: Gene represents a certain honesty that many people are too frightened to admit to. Although Gene himself has troubles facing his problems as much as anyone else may, Gene's charactersitcs made him easy for me to relate to. There seems to be a small evil in everyone that seems to be so good, such as Gene. Gene was aiming to be valedvictorian and he was a strong student and for the most part he obeyed the rules, unless under Finny's instruction. Finny on the other hand, seeming to be more of a rebel, he was always honest with himself and others so he never had any secret animosity toward anyone because he was truly honest. Gene was very able of being honest with himself, it was expressing his realizations with others that he had issues with. I think a lot of people could relate to that. By the end of the novel Gene comes to peace with himself and around that same time the war is beggining to come to and end. I think the author also refers to the war metophorically to the war that Gene is fighting within himself.

Evaluation: I throughly enjoyed this novel and would certianly read it agian. It kept my interest with an exciting plot line and unique characters. I learned more about human nature as a whole and I also learned about the way different people had viewed the war at that time. Through reading this novel I was able to come to certain realisation in my own mind about how i treat my family and friends. I was then given the opportunity to change how I approach different people and situations. The main values expressed in this story actually relate to some things i have been dealing with in my life so it was captivating to see things form a different perspective. I would absolutely recommend this book to others for the author's style, educational value and ethical insight.

Because this book is set during World War II it has a lot of historical value. I think the author may have written the book as his own reflection of war time. what ever the reason the book was written, it still expresses a raw side of a few young boys and for that matter teenagers. Any person could realte to these kids and I believe everyone could learn from some of their actions and mistakes.

Author, Context and Trivia: Some other writings by John Knowles includes; Morning in Antibes, Indian Summer, Ballin, Spreading Fires, A Vein of Riches, A Peace Breaks Out, and A Stolen Past. A Seperate Peace is his most famous work by far. I would be interested in reading more from Knowles because i really did enjoy his stlye in this novle and hope it is dupilacted in his others. I have read other World War II books, such as Slaughter House Five, and both were very well written books. I enjoy reading historical novels and plan on explanding on my current knowledge.

Documentary Reflection

The PBS documentary that my group and I watched together was a simple narrative. The techinique they used was mostly pictures and qoutes and few interviews. I personally enjoyed the style of the movie. We watched a total of four hours of information and because the civil war was the first photographed war i believe that is why the producers chose to use so many of the pictures rather than focusing on the interviews. Also, because the war was so long ago most of the information they can give is soley fact. Unlike with more recent wars when there are surviors, the civil war obviously doesnt have any surviors so it is difficult to have any commentary.

Current Event- Al Qaeda Recruits

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/14/iraq.main/index.html

In Iraq, Al Qaeda has been recruiting women to become sucicide bombers. Not just any women though, these are women taken from certain hospitals where they have already been diagnosed with terminal dieseases or depression. Not only is it concerning to have people completely willing to kill others by killing themselves. The fact that these women are also under the mindset that they are going to be dieing already, they can easily be persuaded into sucide bombing and following the Al Qaeda group. This seems like a horribile and difficult method to be stopping. hopefully this won't continue to be used as a method of retaliation.

Autobiography Draft

I have always seen everyone around me as another story. Another interesting and exciting puzzle has built them; like legos stacking up on each other. I ask myself why they always look so happy or why they always look so serious, I wonder how they got that scar on there elbow and I think about why they picked out that outfit. I never have been bored when someone tells me about their life. Their raw, uncensored, life. I have so much more respect for people I learn more about because it gives me the opportunity to see them for who they are, and i feel honored that they trust me enough to expose their inner puzzle. My puzzle happens to be missing more pieces then it has already put together. Some of the pieces are in the wrong places and others seem like they are in the wrong place, but only I know that they are right. Adversity in my life has consistently helped sculpted me physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have noticed that every event that has occurred in my life has built my future.
I have embraced the fact that I am at high risk for breast cancer because of my hereditary background. Both my grandmother’s had breast cancer and one had died from it. I have also had many aunts with cancer as well. I think the scariest experience that I had to deal with was when my own mother was diagnosed when I was only 7 years old. My family had moved from New York to San Diego right before the nightmare began. She was stage 3-B and extremely ill. At the time it was difficult for me to understand the magnitude of the situation. All I could grasp was that for some reason I was scared, I was terrified, I had no conscious idea that she could actually die, but I knew something was wrong. As her healing process began my life became more hectic then it had ever been, little did I know that this was only the beginning to a life full of open-ended questions, confusing schedules, and difficult problems to solve. Although my mom survived cancer, the seriousness of the situation is something we have never forgotten. I will never forget the day when she passed out at dinner and everyone began running around me and there was so much chaos I couldn’t even understand what was going on. The ambulance came and I was sent to my room all I remember was sitting on my bed and trying not to cry even though my eyes were filling with tears. When my mother was announced to be “healed” but still at high risk, she made a promise to our family that if in 10 years the cancer did not return and she remained healthy, then we would all go to Africa on a safari. I am proud to say that this summer I will be embarking on a safari with my mom and my step dad. I never look at my mother’s experience as a horrible thing that has happened to me, her or our family; instead I see it as an opportunity I was given to see how strong she could be and I was given a chance to learn more about myself.
My mother is undoubtedly one of my heroes, and definitely my idol, but my father has also been through a lot that I have also been able to grow from. When my mom was diagnosed, she felt like it would be better for her peace of mind to get a divorce. I was very young and her illness was hard enough for me to handle, but I didn’t understand why my family was falling apart too. It has always been so difficult for me to deal with anyone around me being unhappy and I have taken it upon myself to make sure I can fix or at least assist with any problems they may have. I think this trait was partially acquired from my parents divorce. My dad was always sad and upset and I would take pleasure in knowing that I would make him feel better. My mom needed me there to talk to her while she was in the hospital and her, my brother, and I would go for walks through the halls with mom’s IV lines in tow. It brings tears to my eyes just to think in depth about all the pain everyone was going through during that time. The experience has definitely shaped us all. I know that I personally found that seeing and being very much apart of everything that was going on really helped me build a solid foundation for myself. I did rely very much on my parents to help me through certain situations I was too young to understand but while my mom was in the hospital and my dad was dealing with divorce and other problems he had, I was on my own to cope with my emotions.
Ideas: having to be the mediator for my family problems, helping my family through my brother’s problems, …..
I have truly been through so many things that have shaped my personality and have continued to make me appreciate everything in my life that I am so lucky to have. Instead of taking my experiences and using them as excuses to be pessimistic and ungrateful, I see all of my life circumstances as reasons to grow and inspiration to do the best I can to reach my full potential.

Vocabulary Pictures

Renovate (v)-- to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again; repair.
After we renovated our old home, the new rooms looked beautiful and modern, but we couldn't stay at home for a long time.

Eloquence (n)-- The practice or art of using language with fluency and aptness.
The eloquent girl glided down the staircase into the ball room, she was the envy of every woman and the desire of every man.

Disseminate (v)- to scatter or spread widely, as though sowing seed; promulgate extensively; broadcast; disperse.
We quickly began to disseminate once the boy in the corner began to count down from one hundred we wanted to be hidden before the inevitable "ready or not, here I come!"

Austere (adj)- severe in manner or appearance; uncompromising; strict; forbidding.
My babysitter was the most austere woman I had ever met. She was so strict and it was abselutely impossible for us to enjoy it when she was here.

Relapse (n) and (v)- to fall or slip back into a former state, practice, etc.
Her overwhelming over achievments began to relapse as outside influences began to put a stress on her and resulted in poorer grades and behavior.

American Popular Music- Song Reflection

Song: Blowin' in the Wind

Written by: Bob Dylan or Robert Allen Zimmerman

Genre: Folk Music

Why: This song is an example of protest song written in the 60's though the song has no stated or obvious correlations to any particular events which kept it's message timeless and remaining relevant even through the 21st century. 

When: Released in 1963

Meaning: This soong can be interpiratred many different ways, but the overlying motif is Dylan's hope for peace and understanding.  The main message of the song can be seen as literal as, how many times do we have to make mistakes in order to know we need to fix something or change what we ar doing.  A perfect example of this would be in the line:

"How many times must the cannon balls fly before they are forever banned?"

Simply said, this line suggests that it is time for us to put down our weapons and realise sometimes the pain and suffering we cause isnt worth what we are fighting for.  The line:

"How many seas must a white dove sail before she sleeps in the sand?" 

The dove, of course, symbolic of peace and purity is sailing over the seas an empty wasteland where she can not land because there is no place for her, the sea being symbloic of our mindset.  The sand that she longs to rest in after her long pointless journey, can symbolize the time when when even the most pure and genuine and innocent idea will give up on at certain point if they are constantly being ignored.  There can be other interpritations for just these two lines and this is just two of many important ideas expressed within the lyric.  

Structure: A,B,C,B,D,B,E,E,F,G,H,G,I,J,J,K,L,K,L,M,L,N,N.

Number of Stanzas: three

Strophic format using the hooks:

"Yes, 'n' how many..." and "the answer my friend is blowin' in the wind."

Historical Context: This Song was written during the Vietnam War. 

Primary context: In the album The freewheelin' Bob Dylan and recorded in Columbia Studios, New York.  Composed and written by Bob Dylan; produced by John H. Hammond and Tom Wilson.  Originally written in two verses and was first performed in Gerde's Folk City.

Secondary context: this song could aslo be related to any wars in history from before the song was written to after.  We could even ask ourselves these questions about the Iraq war and even on a more personal scale, our own lives.  

What does the song tell us about people and society?: The moral concepts of the song are questioning human ethics and show Dylan's loss of faith in our ability to see when "enough is enough". 

Historical influences:  Influenced by the wars during that time and directly before. because of the songs ability to be compatible with most "bad" situations, especially wars, many people continue to turn to this song for its beautiful lyrics and important meaning. 

What is a song?:   A song is a statement which consists of lyrics and a tune and is directly affected by the context in which it was created.  Usually uses hooks and either a strophic, through-composed or verse-chorus structure. 

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How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Book Report- Little Women

Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. New York. Random House Value Publishing, Inc.: 1987.

Reason, Type and Setting: I selected this novel because it is a classic and I would to be well versed in a variety of novels important to our American Culture. This is a novel about four young girls growing up into their personalities and learning more about themselves everyday. With a little drama, romance and some sad times this is an all around feel good story. Taking place in America these girls and their mother are struggling to survive until their father comes home from the war.

Plot: All the girls are very individual and have complex characteristics. They have all been raised to be as selfless as they can and yet they still remain as unique as ever. The girls wish to fall in love and to stay true to the things they believe in. Beth one of the younger sisters falls ill and dies and all the sisters and family and friends miss her and her ability to make everyone happy. Jo constantly fights the stereotype of a woman and takes pleasure in “boyish” activities. Meg is a beautiful and slightly vain young woman but she learns to be more selfless and she respects everyone she is associated with. Beth is a peacemaker who is a musician as well. She brings everyone happiness through her actions and when she dies all the girls are devastated. Amy is the youngest and she strives to be as mature and sophisticated as she can. She grows up to be a gorgeous woman and the desire of many wealthy men. But Amy soon realizes that she cannot marry for money, despite how much her family may need it, she needs to fall in love.

Character: Josephine is the tom boy of the family. Often described that her only beauty was her hair, she was lanky and thin and introduced to the reader at the age of 15. She is also compared to a colt, in her features and spirit. She always longs to be free from her social chains and to run around galloping about with the boys. She would do anything for her mother and sisters but she is still very stubborn. If she isn’t wishing to be outside playing in the dirt then she would be reading or doing housework. She didn’t spend time worrying about trivial things like her wardrobe. Jo is the most drastically different from her sisters so her character was the more interesting to follow. She falls in love with an older man who is a professor at the school she is teaching at. She writes stories for the paper and with the money she earns she takes care of her mother and her sick sister Beth. Jo grows into a mature young woman but will always remain a free spirit like in her youth.

Evaluation: I did enjoy the story and it was fun to learn in such depth about the sisters’ different personalities. They were integral and spent much of their life doing things for others despite how little they themselves had to offer. Their qualities were admirable and genuine. Many people fiscally have so much more to offer than this small family, yet we tend to not care at all about other peoples problems but our own. We could all learn al lot from these little women and follow their example. I would recommend this novel to someone who is interested in opening up their minds to something bigger than themselves.

I think that even though this book takes places decades ago, we can still relate the timeless morals to our lives today. In school and at home we talk about how we want to help others and we may send a check here or there to some organization and that’s all. This poor family found ways to go out and find people who needed them and offered them everything they could. They realized how fortunate they were and there was no harm at all in providing for others what they themselves take so much for granted. How hard would it be for us to give up one lazy afternoon to helping someone who really needed it?

If I were one of these girls in their situation I would do the best I could to respond to life the way they did. They never knew if they would see their father again but they had a caring mother who would do anything for them and the cold really look up to her as an ideal role model. I enjoyed the end of the novel but I would have liked to know what happened to Amy’s daughter Beth who was ill. Other than that I think it would have been easy for me to act as selfless as the sisters, at least that is what I would hope.

Author, Context and Trivia: Louisa May Alcott also wrote the novels: A Garland for Girls, An Old-fashioned Girl, Behind A Mask or, A Woman's Power, Eight Cousins, Flower Fables, Hospital Sketches, Jack and Jill, Jo's Boys, Little Men, Little Women, Pauline's Passion and Punishment, Rose in Bloom, The Mysterious Key And What It Opened, Under the Lilacs, Work: A Story of Experience. She is most famous for Little Women, and she based the character Jo off of herself. Her life had many of the same experiences as the girls in Little Women. I haven’t read her other books but I have read Pride and Prejudice and there are some similar ideas and circumstances that overlap in both of these novels. I will keep an open mind when it comes to reading more novels of this type.

Vocab Week 3

1. Disseminate (v)- to scatter or spread widely, as though sowing seed; promulgate extensively; broadcast; disperse.
2. Eloquence (n)- the practice or art of using language with fluency and aptness.
3. Austere (adj)- severe in manner or appearance; uncompromising; strict; forbidding.
4. Baleful (adj)- full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious.
5. Bigot (n)- a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.
6. Relapse (n) and (v)- to fall or slip back into a former state, practice, etc.
7. Repudiate (v)- to reject as having no authority or binding force
8. Resilience (n)- the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.
9. Sanguine (adj)- cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident.
10. Renovate (v)- to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again; repair.

Current Event- Shooter

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Police continue to search for a gunman who shot and killed five women Saturday morning at a suburban Chicago strip mall, a Tinley Park police spokesman said.

Greg Zanis puts up five crosses and leaves flowers as police search for the alleged killer of five women.

Police are saying the man's motive was robbery.

About 50 area police officers are involved in the search for the man and the weapon, Sgt. T.J. Grady said Sunday.

The town that had only one reported murder between 1999 and 2006 is taking the horrific incident particularly hard, The Associated Press reported.

Calling the killings a "sad commentary on our society," Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki announced that flags at the city's east property would remain lowered for the next five days -- one for each victim.

The women were found shot in a back room of a Lane Bryant store. Police identified them Sunday as: Connie R. Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor, Illinois; Sarah T. Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest, Illinois; Carrie H. Chiuso, 33, of Frankfort, Illinois; Rhoda McFarland, 42, of Joliet, Illinois; and Jennifer L. Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Indiana.

The Will County coroner determined each died from gunshot wounds, Tinley Park Police Chief Mike O'Connell said.

"Our emotions are raw. And we are still in shock," Szafranski's family said in a statement, according to AP. "Sarah was loved by all who knew her and we are counting on that love to sustain us while we mourn."

Chiuso was a social worker at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, where she graduated in 1993, the AP reported.

"Carrie was deeply loved by faculty and staff," school spokesman Dave Thieman said in a statement. "She had a real touch with students. The entire H-F family is deeply saddened."

Cindy Sorenson brought red roses to Lane Bryant on Sunday. She didn't know the victims but is a store manager at a nearby mall in Tinley Park. She said she couldn't stop thinking about the women who lost their lives, the AP reported.

"Your job is your home," 34-year-old Sorenson said, a tear rolling down her cheek. "You spend so much time in a store and you never think anything like this will happen."

The parent company of Lane Bryant, Charming Shoppes, Inc., said in a statement that the five women were the store manager and four customers.

The company said its Chicago-area Lane Bryant stores would remain closed Sunday, "in mourning of lives lost."

O'Connell said the company was offering a $50,000 reward for information "leading to the arrest and conviction of person or persons responsible."

Cook County Crimestoppers is also offering a $1,000 reward, he said.

Grady said Saturday it was unclear whether the gunman took any money. He also said the 911 call reporting the shooting came in at 10:44 a.m.

Police have not said what type of gun was used, and Grady said Sunday he did not know how many shots were fired.

A witness who saw the gunman leave the front of the store described him as an African-American man, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing between 230 and 260 pounds, Grady said. He was wearing a waist-length black winter coat, a black cap and dark jeans.

Authorities believe there was only one offender, Grady said.

Police appealed to the public for help, saying anyone with information could contact police at (708) 444-5394.

Authorities were downloading surveillance video from businesses within a mile and a half of the Lane Bryant store, Grady said. O'Connell said the Lane Bryant store did not have surveillance cameras.

Tinley Park is about 28 miles southwest of Chicago and has about 57,000 residents, according to the city's Web site.

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These small town random shooting continues to keep citizens scared and worried. Not only is it concerning that innocent people are suffering in situations like this, either directly and indirectly but for no reason other than a selfish robbery. The man shooting didnt take mercy on the fact that these were five young women. It's a horrible idea to think about but i think it is important for situations like this to be brought to people's attention so they are aware of what is happening in our country and do whatever, if anything, is possible to stop it.