Pre- Will Questions

a) What do you know about Hamlet, the "Melancholy Dane" ?
-- I have not read anything from Hamlet. I for sure has heard about him and knows he has written literature. The definition of "melancholy" is having to do with something sad or gloomy. So I would want to assume that the story is not going to be in such a upbeat mood.

b) What do you know about Shakespeare?
-- Shakespeare was an amazing writer. He wrote poems and discovered new styles of writing poems. His literature was in the romantic period.

c) Why do so many students involuntarily frown when they hear the name "Shakespeare"?
-- Students are not even aware exactly what Shakespeare offers in his literature. They just know that it is going to be a lot of reading and has to deal with romanticism.

d) What can we do to make studying this play an amazing experience we'll never forget?
-- My summer entering freshman year I went to Cal Poly, part of the Upward Bound summer program were we would take classes like English, math and science that will help us prepare for the up coming school year. Well in my freshman English class we read Romeo and Juliet. Our teacher wanted to make it fun for us so we would read the scenes and then we would draw them out on a paper, share how we would imagine the scene and then we would head outside and try and act out the scenes. I enjoyed acting the scenes out because i got us moving and not just sitting down at a desk and just reading/ discussing the reading. We got to be active and creative. Which attracts many people.

Vocab list # 7

1. aberration (noun)- an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image
-My mother panicked when there was an aberration getting in the way.

2. ad hoc (adverb)- for the special purpose or end presently under consideration
-The rules of the dance class were ad hoc.

3. bane (noun)- something causes misery or death
-Drugs and alcohol were bane in my cousin's life.

4. bathos  (noun)- a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos
-If all the reading homework was not due my Monday then it was a real bathos for completing it all the day before

5. cantankerous (adj)- stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate.
-Rosa is so cantankerous when her blood level is low.

6. casuistry (noun)- moral philosophy based on the principles to resolve moral dilemmas.
-I am not convinced of such casuistry because I am not convinced that apples are better than grapes.

7. de facto (noun)- in the fact; in reality
-De facto is that green is a much more brighter color then blue.

8. depredation (noun)- an act of plundering ; (usually plural) a destructive action
-Each farm was matched with a similar farm with out wolf depredation.

9. empathy (noun)- understanding and entering into another's feelings
-My dad felt some empathy for my sister after her break-up.

10. harbinger (noun)- an indication of the approach of something or someone (verb) foreshadow or presage
-Harbinger of things to come.

11. hedonism (noun)- an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good
-There are limits in a doctrine of pure hedonism.

12. lackluster (adj)- lacking luster or shine
-My ring lackluster's which means I have to go get it cleaned.

13. malcontent (adj)- disconnected as toward authority; (noun) a person who is disconnected or disgusted
-The child malcontent with his father after the argument.

14. mellifluous (adj)- pleasing to the ear
-The sweet music was mellifluous to the baby's ear.

15. nepotism (noun)- favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power
-My dad has nepotism towards my baby sister.

16. pander (noun)- someone who procures customers for whores (verb) arrange for sexual partners for others
-The pander was loosing business and needed new costumers.

17. peccadillo (noun)- a petty misdeed
-My aunt didn't feel anything towards my baby cousins peccadillo.

18. piece of resistance (noun)- the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event article etc. ; special item or attraction.
-My award was the piece of resistance of my whole ceremony.

19. remand (noun)- the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (verb) refer to another committee or authority or court for decision
-The guilty man had to be remanded after new evidence was found.

20. syndrome (noun)- a complex of concurrent things;
-The new born baby was diagnose with down syndrome.

Literature Analysis Q & A's 1-4
 Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya

1- The story is about a little boy named Antonio Marez. The setting is Guadalupe, New Mexico around the 1940's. During WWII. Antonio is the third child following his two older brothers who are away at war. The towns curandera, Ultima, moves in with the family with the mothers beliefs that Antonio will value the ideas of  her ways and the Catholic ways. Antonio falls in love with the type of person Ultima is and how she helps heals people from evil or any illnesses. He enjoys all the time he can spend with her. Antonio's parents are pressuring him to follow either in his fathers footsteps, to become a vaquero, or a priest which is what his mother wants him to be. There is some evil that is going through the town because the town drunk is a crazy and his three daughters are believed to associate themselves with witchcraft, so they have brought evil upon they're family. It is believed that the sisters have placed a cursed on Antonio's uncle and it is up to Ultima and Antonio to help replenish him from the curse. Antonio is offered plenty of information and different belief paths of life. He feels pressured whether to follow His mothers or his fathers, friends, and he basically is just finding himself and what he wants to personally believe in. He is molding his life and his beliefs, does not want to follow or feed off the beliefs of others. In the end Antonio is left with so much knowledge to continue the ways of a curandero and he can be there for the people just like Ultima was there for everyone who asked for her help.

2. One important theme throughout this novel is the importance of your identity. Antonio is trying to discover who he really is. But he is influenced by so much, through language barriers, vaqueros vs. priest, and his culture. He is so determined to find one solid answer to the questions he has, about who is, what his purpose in the future is. But what Ultima tries to advice him with is that whether he has so many influences around him, that he should take advantage of it all and just let it all teach him to be a better person. He doesn't need a title but he should just be the better person in cases when he is needed and just in general.

3.-The author held a very mysterious feel to the story. Was a bit eerie and left the reader in suspense.

   "The orange of the golden carp appeared at the end of the pond... Out of the corner 

of my eyes I saw Cico hold his hand over his breast as the golden carp glided by.

Then with a switch of his powerful tail the golden carp disappeared in the 

shadowy water under the thicket."

 -  He also claims how the characters need to be mindful about things that are going on. The authors tone is very humble. Especially when he explains Ultima and her ways of doing things. She is a very patient and humble lady who is very wise about life.

" The tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength

that resides in the human heart."

- There is the tone of honoring the wise. Feeling proud and thankful for what good they have done. Honoring the dead and appreciating them.

"In two days we would celebrate the mass of the dead, and after mass we would 

take her body to the cemetery of Las Pasturas, for burial."

4.- Throughout the novel the author used personification to help convey what his meaning behind the story was. And to help the reader have a better understanding of things. 

"The sun was good. The men of the llano were men of the sun. The men of the farms along the rivers

were men of the moon. But we were all children of the white sun."

"There are so many dreams to be fulfilled, but Ultima says a man's destiny must unfold itself like a flower, with only the sun and the earth and water making it blossom, and no one else meddling in it."

- Anaya uses a lot of imagery. With this element he is able to help paint a picture in the readers mind.

"Around me the moonlight glittered on the pebbles of the llano, and in the night sky a million stars sparkled. Across the river I could see the twinkling lights of the town.

"They will burn sulfur instead of holy incense. They will sing and dance around her coffin, pulling at their hair and flesh. They will slay a rooster and spread his blood on their dead sister."

- Metaphors were used through out the writing to help compare and explain in detail a picture to the readers mind. Antonio is explaining what amazing things Ultima has done for him and how much she has opened his eyes too.

"Ultima came to stay with us the summer I was almost seven. When she came the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth. The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood."

Question # 1


(1987 AP Essay)






With every new generation comes new customs, traditions, ways of living, fashion, and more enhanced tools that we use in our daily life. George Eliot claims about how "old Leisure" was a very different life style growing up too compared the new Leisure. Eliot uses personification and imagery has her stylistic devices to support her view.


Eliot uses the element of personification describing the "old" and the "new" style of leisure. An example, of the "old" is, "He was contemplative, rather stout gentlemen, of excellent digestion-of quiet perceptions,

undiseased by hypothesis: happy is his inability to know to causes of things, preferring themselves." With this she is claiming how back then in the "olden days" the people were much more less worry free about their day. "Happy is his inability to know to causes of things," is contradicting the idea of how the "old" days were. It is expressing that the people were happier even though they might have been the cause of something bad that had happened to themselves. As in the "new" or "modern" generation people are more laid back abut life and just let technology run things for them.


Imagery was a literary element that stood out a lot. Eliot expressed several examples in her writing. For instance in describing the "old" leisure she claimed,"He lives chiefly in the country: among pleasant seats and homesteads, ad was fond of sauntering be the fruit-tree wall, and scenting the apricots when they warmed by the morning sunshine of sheltering himself under the orchard boughs at noon, when the summer pears were falling." We are given painted picture of where he is living and the surroundings. The old was characterized with the beauty of nature, the calm living life style. As for the "new" more fast pace going life style; Eliot shows us how the "modern" life style is. "a vacuum for eager for amusement: prone to excursion-trains, art museums, periodical literature, and exciting novels, prone even to scientific theorising, and cursory peeps through microscopes.” Through technology we the people are learning new life styles to live by. We have been given the opportunity to enhance our lives with the power of technology to make things easier for us. This is was differentiates us from the two, "old" and "new" styles of leisure.


With this said, Eliot is proving that both generations have varied the life styles of living. Each generation that comes there will be new habits of ways of living life. "Old" leisure was described to be more connected with nature and the beauty of working hard. "New" leisure there is life of using technology to enhance our styles of living. To be able to simple things down for us. And Eliot expressed these both sides very well.

Question # 2

(1987 AP Essay)

The Crucible by Arthur Miller exemplifies social attitudes and political views that go on during the Salem trials. The social status that goes on in town are based off very religious views. The town is following the ideas of Puritans. During the Salem witch trials the towns people expressed a high factor of intolerance. This shows how the town follows the moral laws of conforming into the true religion and follow God with out sin.

The town is a very religion based, giving off the impression that they only live to follow God and must live without sin. Miller gives wonderful examples of how the town reacts too the word that "witch craft" is going on throughout the town. The social attitude about when the word has been spread, the town reacts hysterically about the sinning that is going on. Miller expresses how society is so captured through religion and how society has no real privacy. The social attitudes being expressed in this play are how the towns folks live with no privacy, follow the word of God, and they are so terrified having the thought that someone upon them has sinned. Constructing your life to follow God and have no private life is the society that have formed to become. Living with practically one eye open because the town is paranoid that witch craft is going on, is not the life style to live by.

The towns political views are expressed how they follow Gods word and believe if a person has sinned then the person should go to court and be humiliated in front of the town. The town "resolves" their problems through court and hold trials to see what the conclusion of their issue is. All the people focus how everyone is sinning by lying and should be hung for their actions. Rather then trying to forgive a person, they believe in getting rid of the "problem". 

In conclusion, The Crucible holds examples of it's social attitudes that the town holds. And it's political views of solving situations that go through out the town. Their social attitudes results in paranoia and believing that the whole town is bewitched. And their style of "resolving" issues is by just getting rid of the problem. 

Vocab # 6
0. obsequious- obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.
My dog is very obsequious only when he receives a doggy treat.

1. beatitude- supreme blessedness
Knowing my brother came back home safely from his trip up north was a beatitude for my family.

2. bete noir- a person or thing that one in particularly dislikes
All the "swagger kids" are a bete noir to parents since they are hoodlums.

3. bode- be an omen of a particular outcome
The little old lady is bode to her granddaughters out come of her situation.

4. dank- unpleasantly damp or humid
The dank room had an eerie feel to it.

5. ecumenical- universal
The college pertained ecumenical to all nationalities since they believed in diversity.

6. fervid- intensely enthusiastic or passionate
My mother was so fervid about her plants once a flower bud would come out.

7.  fetid- having a immense odor; stinking
My brothers feet had an immense fetid funk to it.

8. gargantuan- gigantic; enormous
There was such a gargantuan whale on the beach that had been dead for three days.

9. heyday- the stage or period of greatest vigor; success
Most successful peoples heyday is when they're at the peak of they're job.

10. incubus- a cause of distress or anxiety.
After my grandmother passes away, my dad had to deal with the incubus of the pain.

11. infrastructure- the basic; framework
The infrastructure of the family had to be strong so the family doesn't fall apart.

12. inveigle- to entice; lure (usually followed by into)
Old creepy mean tend to inveigle young girls to get what the man wants

13. kudos- honor, glory, acclaim
Kudos to my mother for getting a promotion at her new job.

14. lagniappe- small gift given to a costumer with its purchase; bonus, compliment
I received a lagniappe after purchasing a $100 worth of make-up from Mary Kay.

15. prolix- extended in length, long and wordy,
The writer got carried away and prolix's the introduction.

16. protege- a person under the patronage, protection,
The kings son was a protege for being so gifted as a pianist.

17. prototype- the original or model of which something is based or formed
The prototype of the ship was ruined once a colleague spilled coffee on the blue prints.

18. sycophant- self seeking, fawning parasite
The sycophant of a brother that I have managed to wiggle himself into a new government job.

19. tautology- needless repetition of an idea, especially in words other than those in the immediate context
Tautology is practiced by all high school students when they want to make themselves appear bigger then what knowledge they have.

20. truckle- to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely (usually followed by to)
The obsequious dog was acting truckled towards his owner.

2011 AP Essay rubric notes

- scoring = essay as a whole ; content, style, mechanics

9-8 - range of interpretations, demonstrate consistent and control over the elements in composition in language.
       - very specific references, demonstrate good writing that is clear and sophisticated,

7-6 - reasonable analysis/ literary devices,
      - less thorough less precise in the discussion of the father/son
      -ability to express ideas clearly, make references to text, just not as highly as to a score of a 9-8 essay

5 - plausible reading in use of literary devices to develop the relationship from father to son.
   - often rely on paraphrase, literary devices may be vague, formulaic, or minimally supported by references of the text.
   - minor misinterpretations, demonstrate some control of language, essay not as well conceived or organized as the essay's pertaining the scores of 7-8

This quote by John Lennon can always put a smile on my face. :)
It reminds me that when life is hard you can always find those little things in life that bring you back to that happy state of mind. This quote also says how close of a connection there is between a mother and her child.  I know when I ever need help in something I can go to my mom and she will be gladly to help. This week started off rough for me. And I remembered this quote. It reminded me that life is beautiful and I should let the negative thoughts out and let happy thoughts in. Once your able to accept the way things turned out (can be from any trouble or hard truth that someone can not accept) then it shows that your a growing as a person and maturing. So quote the famous Bob Marley, "Don't worry, be happy". After all we only live one life. So lets make the best out of it.

Vocab list #5
1. acumen- keen insight; shrewdness.
Remarkable acumen in business matters.

2. anachronism- an error in chronology in which a person, object etc. are assigned a date or a period not in the correct one.

3. apocryphal- false; spurious
He told a apocryphal story about how the breakup happened but the truth was later revealed.

4. disparity- lack of similarity or equality
The woman was constantly reminded about the disparity of wealth.

5. dissimulate- to disguise or conceal under a false appearance

6. empirical- derived from or guided by experience or experiment


7. flamboyant- strikingly brilliant; colorful
The flamboyant colors of the Mexican dress really popped.

8. fulsome- offensive to good taste, especially as being excessive
A table filled with a heaped of fulsome greasy foods.

9. immolate- to sacrifice, destroy by fire
The brother sacrificed himself to save his mother.

10. imperceptible- very slight or gradual, or subtle
The imperceptible road was quiet steep.

11. lackey- a servile flower, toady
In danger of humiliation he sent a lackey to sit next to him.

12. liaison-the contact or connection maintained by communications between units of the armed forces or of any other organization in order to ensure concerted action,cooperation
It would have been against their principles to remark on an open liaison.

13. monolithic- consisting of one piece made by stone
The monolithic cow heard is now prone to disease.

14. mot juste- the exact appropriate word.
My mom had to find the mot juste way to not use profanity.

15. nihilism- total rejection of established laws and institutions

16. patrician- a person of very good background, education, or good refinement
Tom cruise could be cast in a role as a patrician senator.

17. propitiate- to make favorably inclined; conciliate

18. sic- used in brackets to show an error written off of the original copy

19. sublimate- divert into a culturally higher or socially more sociable activity

Beowulf  & 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.


Meanwhile, back at the hall, monster lurked,
full of to many drinks, he lurked for a fight.
Then Hrothgar son of Hrothgar,
Asked the awful jerk to step outside. Thud! Bash! Crash! Boom! The big guy.
All of his bones broke, and bit his nose off,
Wicked Godsylla fell on his ass.
Monster mopped the floor while all the men were in the hall,
Beowulf in backroom, phone call from back home
Hearing sound of ruckus said, "What the hell?"
Grabbing strong shield, switch-blade was sharp
Send forth to fight the grim like foe. "Me, Godsylla said, "Make me mince meat"
Hero getting hold quickly with half-nelson
And flying him like a frisbee back and forth.
Beowulf belly up to the mead-hall bar
Said, "No foe beating me up for some kung-fu."
Ordering ice cold coca-cola, the real thing.

Vocab List # 4

1. apostate- a person who forsakes his religion
Babies were killed to keep from growing up with apostate parents.

2. effusive- extravagantly demonstrative of emotion
Jose was effusive and very loving, he kissed me on both cheeks.

3. impasse- position or situation which there is no escape, deadlock
I couldn't impasse the moment my mother said embarrassing memories of me of when I was a child.

4. euphoria- a state of intense happiness and self-confidence
My brother was euphoric when he saw results in the community event he put together.

5. Lugubrious- mournful, or gloomy
Lugubrious songs of love.

6. bravado- a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.
During a fight, false bravado may make a foe back down.

7. consensus- majority of opinion
Our collaborative group came to a consensus about the profile layout.

8. dichotomy- division into two parts.
There is a false dichotomy between art and science, which is slowly being eroded over the years.

9. constrict- compress
The boa was constricting the bird to slowly kill it.

10. Gothic- pertaining or designing the style of painting.
Batman was very gothic and mysterious.

11. punctilio- fine point
They really seem to show a readiness to stand on punctilio and ceremony

12. metamorphosis- a profound change form from one stage to the next life history of an organism
Butterflies go through the process of metamorphosis while in a cocoon.

13. raconteur- person skilled in telling stories.
And his friends knew he was a good mimic and raconteur.

14. sine qua non- an indispensable  condition
Her presence was the sine qua non of every social event.

15. quixotic- chivalrous or romantic
It was a quixotic gesture from my boyfriend, when he bought me roses for my birthday.


16. vendetta- any prolonged; bitter feud; rivalry
His supporters say the government is waging a vendetta against himself.

17. non sequitur-  statement containing an illogical conclusion
In the debate she stated non sequitur and it cost her the debate.

18. mystique- framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs
My fathers mystique of life was worth learning about.

19. quagmire- Awkward, complex situation.
My brother is so quagmire around girls his friends feel bad for him.

20. Parlous- perilous, dangerous
The hike up the mountain was so parlous that the tourist had to sign a release form.