Sunday, August 30, 2009

speak discussion questions 3

1. She skips school because she got in a fight with her mom and that causes her to miss the bus. After that she thinks to herself "why even go to school?".

2. Being a child is a little better than being a teenager because you dont have as many responsibilities. plus you have more protection. But its also better to be older becasue you get more freedoms than you had as a kid. people take you more seriously(sometimes) and you get to have some good times. But its aslo hard being a teenager becasue adults dont take you very serioulsy becasue they still think of us as kids and your teenage years are some of the hardest years in your life.

3. In the scarlet letter the main character had to wear an A on her at all times. well in the story melinda has to go everywhere with a big imagonary sign that says "im the one who called the cops at the party of the year, hate me."

4. Heather tells melinda that maybe when she gets out of this "life sucks" phase that they could be friends again. Heather has high standards for melinda and since she doesn't fit those standards heather ends the friendship between them. Melinda takes it hard becasue heather was her one true friend in the whole world.

5. Valentines day was one of the worst for melinda becasue the only encounter she's had with another guy was the rape.

6. Because she thinks they should really be teaching them more about love and betrayal rather than reproduction becasue its those two things that they should teach you but dont about relationships and sex and things like that.

7. She freaks out because andy is in there so she goes back into her rabbit senses and sits still hoping he wont see her.

8. She looks at him like he's the only person who isn't afraid to truely express himself. yes i doo agree with that statement. When you hide certain things inside you so that you can be something else the things you hide slowly start to die off and you become more like what you pretend to be.

9. Mr. Freeman may mean that if you surround yourself in what isn't you or what you aren't that you'll never see who you are. you have to walk alone, walk by yourself to realize what path you might take by your own choice and not someone elses. This means without your own understanding of yourself you are nothing and you mean nothing unless you know you meaning..or something..i dont know...its probably ture and a soul is your core being the thing inside that described you and your personality and your life.

10. Everything is like that. playing an instrument, playing a sport, or in school. To get better at something you look at what your doing wrong and try to change or fix that mistake. You never get better unless you fix you mistakes so learn what you dont do right.

11.Melinda's survival techniques are that she just imagines heather after 2 kids and 70 pounds.

speak discussion questions 1

. Melinda's first day was, to her, was apperenly a long boring day of analyzing school and everything about it. what the teachers are like, what the students are like, how the kids in high school group themselves into clans or 'cliques' and how people are going to treat her after what she did last summer. Her fears were more intense for her and not for others because she had called the cops at a really dig party during the summer and they came and crashed it. What she means when she says 'i am Outcast' is how she didn;t feel that she belonged there and that she felt alone.

2. The word 'clans' is just another way of saying 'a group of people that protet themselves and only associate with the other people in the group'. people get put into clans or cliques at school so that they can feel like they fit in. and also its a good thing to surround yourself with pople that resect you and make you feel better about yourself. We sometimes dont like people that are especially good at certain thing becasue of jealousy. it is not really fair on their part becasue we need to support them but instead we let our emotions take hold and we look at them like they should not have the gift of talent and that we should.

3.

4. Melinda's description of her teaches are not about their names or their teaching methods but their their physical characteristics. Her descriptions represent their look or how they act or how they look when they act.

5. Mr. freeman's teaching method is like a classic laid back art teacher kind of teacher. he wants you to express you feelings through art and he will teach you how if you dont know. yes i think i have had teachers like him before, i cant say exatly who but i do remeber having a teacher or two in the past like that.

6.Communication in Melinda's family seems pretty poor. they never seem to talk to anyone. and if they do need to talk they write their thoughts down on a sheet of paper so that someone will see it eventually. If i were a parent i would be communicate with my kids like how any other person would. with verbal conversation, but since i dont want my kids to grow up hating me like i did with mine, ill just give them some space and thy'll understand and will give me space when i need it so there isn't any fighting.

7. The interaction between heather and melinda is more of a not so much good friend interaction but more like a...i have no one else and you are nice interaction. I would say they are friends but not good ones and it seems as though melinda doesn't even really like heather. The thing that brings them together would be the fact that they are both outcasts, have no friends, and are somewhat kinda shy-ish.

8. Yes I think everyone is someone else on the outside than they are one the inside. Some people make it so difficult to see what kind of person they are inside but others are exatly the same..maybe. some people, like me, tend to show exaltly who they are on the inside on the outside but people try so hard that they miss the big picture. i wear black because i think its a cool color and that it makes me feel alittle more like the way i am, i dont like to show emoton becasue i know that at times showing emotion is a sign of weakness. but i will show you a happy side if you catch me in the right mood. you see everyone has a side that they dont show and i think its 100 percent true. mostly becasue of how we want others to see us or how we want to fit in to the crowds at school or just because of past experiences that have caused us to become inverted.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

warning signs of abusive relationships (not finished)

Some of the warning signs of abusive relationships are:
1)They are jealous or possessive towards you (Jealousy is a primary symptom of abusive relationships).
2)Tries to control you by being very bossy or demanding.
3)Tries to isolate you by demanding you to cut off all social contacts and friendships.
4)Is violent and loses his or her temper quickly.
5)pressures you sexually, demand sexual activities you are not comfortable with.
6)abuses drugs and/ or drugs
7)claims you are responsible for his or her emotional state.
8)blames you when he or she mistreats you.
9)has a history of bad relatonships.
10) constantly accuses you of cheating.

Monday, August 24, 2009

speak questions

1. Analyze Melinda's reaction to the first day if high schooland why her fears seem more intense than that of others. Analyze why she says, "I am Outcast."
-No one talks to her and her bestfriend no longer talks to her. She doesn't have anyone to hangout with. When people pass her in the hall, they bump into her on purpose and knock her books down. They also push her down the bleachers.

2. Examine the meanings of the "clans" and the prevalence of high school cliques. Why do we sometimes not like people who are really good at things, like sports, music, art, or school? Is it fair? Are adults like this?
-We sometimes don't people because they are good at something because we are jealious. It is fair sometimes because the people work for the prize. But then it sometimes isn't fair because they a lot of the time rub it in our faces. Yes, adults are like this because they see what other people get and they get jealious.

3. Discuss the "first ten lies they tell you in high school." Compare with your first day. So you think Melinda's assumption that they are "lies" is valid?
- Yes, a lot of her lies ar true because they say that they are there to help you and they are always available and they make your schedule with your needs in mind. My first day of high school was a little nerve racking because i was scared and would hope that i would remember everywhere to go and what to do.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Saturday, August 22, 2009

speak vocabulary

Obscene – offensive to morality or decency, repulsive

The construction worker used obscene language when he hit his thumb with a hammer.

Abstinence – denying self any form of indulgence, appetite, or craving.

Many Catholics practice abstinence from various foods, pastimes, or indulgences as part of the season of Lent.
Savant – a person of learning; especially: one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (i.e. science, literature)

The young man was considered a savant because he was a mathematical genius at an early age.

Thespian – dramatic actor

The international Thespian Society is an honorary organization for high-school and middle-school theatre students
fascism – a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as the Fascists) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a government headed by a dictatorial leader.

Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933, and quickly established a totalitarian and fascist dictatorship.

predator – one that preys, destroys, or devours

To human predators, you are prey, and they have no conscience about harming or killing others.
indoctrination– instruct, with doctrines, theories, beliefs. Can also be brainwashing.

Cult leaders often indoctrinate their followers with beliefs that give the leaders a place of power over them.

morphing – a special-effects process used in film or video production in which persons or objects seem to change shape, form, etc., in a smooth way, created in a digital environment.

The movie, Willow (1988), introduced the technique of morphing and transformed a goat into a woman.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - PTSD is an anxiety disorder that occurs in the aftermath of a traumatic event. Examples are combat, rape and natural disaster. PTSD is diagnosed six months after the traumatic event. Three major symptoms are: heightened startle response, easily scared, and irritability.
potpourri- a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent.

Paparazzi - a freelance photographer who aggressively pursues celebrities for the purpose of taking candid photographs.

The paparazzi surrounded Lindsey Lohan when she wrecked her Mercedes and was falling out of the car because she was impaired.

synchronized- to cause to go on, move, operate, work, etc., at the same rate and exactly together: They synchronized their steps and walked together.

inspiration- an inspiring or animating action or influence: I cannot write poetry without inspiration.

expiration- a coming to an end; termination; close: the expiration of a contract.
floundering- to make clumsy attempts to move or regain one’s balance.

blathers- to talk without making sense

interim- a temporary arrangement, stopgap, make shift. The company had an interim CEO after the original one was fired for taking huge bonuses during an economic recession.

floundering- to make clumsy attempts to move or regain one’s balance.

blathers- to talk without making sense

interim- a temporary arrangement, stopgap, make shift. The company had an interim CEO after the original one was fired for taking huge bonuses during an economic recession.

Sun Shadow Mandala- Mandalas are symbolic, circular designs that represent outer (sun) and inner (shadow) dimensions of a person’s personality.

Redemption- the act or process of redeeming or the state of being redeemed.
Redeem – to buy or pay off; to recover what has been lost; to discharge in full; to deliver from sin and the consequences by means of a sacrifice offered for the sinner.

abysmal – extremely or hopelessly bad or severe: abysmal ignorance; abysmal poverty.

demure - characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved.

Infante’s Paraphrased: chillaxed in a non-Xanax sort of way.

bigoted – utterly intolerant of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own.

asphyxiated - to cause to die or lose consciousness by impairing normal breathing, as by gas or other noxious agents; choke; suffocate; smother.

conundrum – a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words. Anything that puzzles. We are in a pickle.

muse – to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject. Absorbed in thought.

After his meeting with the guidance counselor, Michael mused in class about what he wanted to do after he graduated.


classical – of or pertaining to; or characteristic of Greek and Roman antiquity.

cubism– a style of painting and sculpture developed in the early 20th century, characterized by the emphasis on formal structure – geometrical shapes.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

harrison bergeron vocabulary

1. calibrated: check, adjust, settings on instruments used for measurements
- The man calibrated the speedometer on his car.

2. consternation: sudden, alarming amazement resulting in confusion
- There was a consternation at the school when someone suddenly pulled the fire alarm.

3. cower: crouch, recoil, flinch
- The dog cower when the cat hissed at him.

4. hindrance: stopping, preventing
- The mother hindranced when she saw her daughter getting the tea pitcher out of the refridgerator.

5. luminous: radiating or reflecting light
- The fireworks were luminous on the fourth of July.

6. symmetry: equal proportions
- When the butterfly was sitting on the flower, there was a symmetry about the two together.

7. synchronizing: causing to work or operate at the same time; unison
- The birds were synchronizing when they were flying.

8. vague: unclear
- When the girl was looking out of the window, it was vague because it was foggy.

9. vigilance: watchful, alert, paying attention
- The security officer at the store was vigilance when he was watching the t.v's because he didn't want anyone to steal anything.

10.wince: to draw back or tense the body as if experiencing pain

harrison bergeron discussion questions

1. What is the theme of the story?

- The theme is that no one is allowed to be different, everyone has to be the same.

2. What do you think Harrison's rebellion reveals about his character and values?

- Harrison's rebellion shows that he isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes is right.

3. What conclusions can you draw about the society in which the characters live?

- The society in the story wants everyone to be alike and they are basically living on lockdown.

4. What do you think Vonnegut might be trying to say about today's society and the role a government can play in achieving equality amoung people? At what point does the government go too far?

- He is trying to say that we are to busy trying to be like other people that we aren't being like ourselves. The government and societyare always telling young girls and guys that if they aren't like the "famous people", or they make comments like if your not like them then you aren't a "regular."

5. In what ways is there tension between equality and opportunity in our country today?

- There is still tension between equality because a lot of men say that "your a girl, you can't do this", etc. But there isn't that much tension about opportunity because now it doesn't matter what race or ethnicity you are we have the same opportunities.

vocab for black cat (weird story)

1. solicit: to seek for something by earnest or respectful request, formal application, etc.
- When the policemen came to the house, they asked if they could solicit the house for anything suspicious.

2. mad: mentally disturbed; deranged; insane; demented.
- The scientist in the lab had gone mad over his new experiment.

3. succint: expressed in few words; concise; terse.
- After the lady's cat died, she was succint in what she had to say.

4. phantasm: an illusory likeness of something
- The girl had a phantasm when she saw the boy that she liked.

5. docile: easily managed or handled
- When the dad of the baby held her, he was docile with her.

6. disposition: the predominant or prevailing tendency of one's spirits; natural, mental, and emotional outlook or mood; characteristic attitude
- When the man was voting his disposition was certain about who he wanted to vote for.

7. sagacious: having or showing keen discernment, and sound judgement
- The girl had a sagacious attitude towards doing her homework.

8. paltry: lacking in importance or worth; trivial
- The woman saw her old bike sitting in the garage and realized that it was paltry to her, she hadn't used it in years.

9. gossamer: something delicate, light, or flimsy
- The birthday cake was gossamer than the other choices of cakes.

10. fidelity: faithfulness to obligations, duties, or observances
- The man at the bank got a promotion and he had great fidelity towards his new job.

11. procure: to get by special effort; obtain or acquire
- The girl was procure about getting out of class.

12. allusion: the act of alluding; indirect reference
- The woman had an allusion when she was performing her magic trick.

13. intemperance: excessive use of alcoholic drinks
- The man had an intemperance when he was at the party.

14. maltreat: to treat in a rough or cruel way; abuse
- The dog was being maltreat by his owner.

15. scruple: a moral or ethical consideration or standard that acts as a restraining force or inhibits certain actions
- The mother made a scruple because the child did something wrong.

16. malevolence: ill will; malice; hatred
- The sister had malevolence towards her brother.

17. atrocity: the quality of being extremely or shockingly wicked; cruel, or brutal
- Some people may have an atrocity towards the people at their school or their work.

18. debauch: a period of wanton self-indulgence, and excessive party which includes consumption of alcohol
- The college students had a debauch all summer.

19. sentiment: a mental feeling; feeling
- The wife had a sentimental feeling about her husband.

20. remorse: deep and painful regret for wrongdoing
- The man had remorse for the cat that cat that he killed.

black cat discussion questions (^_^)

1. Discuss the significance of the following quote: "There is something unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of man."
  • The quote is saying that dogs have a way of making you love them. No matter what you do to the dog it will still love you. It is also saying that dogs have a way of giving back in an unselfish way and the dog would do anything for its owner.

2. What is the significance of the cat's name, Pluto?

  • The significance of the cat's name, Pluto, is it is the smallest planet, it's the furthest from the sun, and has no significance.

3. Why did the narrator initially restrain himself from maltreating the cat while maltreating the other animals?

  • He didn't mistreat the cat because it was his friend and at that point he didn't really care that the cat loved him as much as he did.

4. Why does he eventually mistreat the cat?

  • He eventually mistreats the cat because he saw that the cat actually loved him and he hated everything that loved him.

5. Describe the narrator's feelings after abusing the cat. Why is that significant?

  • The narrator didn't feel bad about abusing the cat because he had no heart or conscience.

6. How does the narrator define "perverseness"? Do you agree with his definition? Do you agree that it is human nature?

  • He was killing because he knew that it was wrong to kill. People could be capable because some people have no conscience like the man in the story.

7. Discuss the significance of the following quote: "[I] hung it because I knew that it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offense; because I knew that in doing so I was committing a sin."

  • This quote is saying that he hung the cat because he knew that it loved him. He basically hated what loved him and he knew he was doing wrong but he did it anyway.