Yet another journal entry

Whether or not something is interesting is completely up to the individual. Your likes and dislikes have complete control on whether or not you think something is interesting or not. But what I have seen over the few years that I have been alive is that comprehension also plays a large role in interest and enjoyment. After all, how can you enjoy something that you don't understand? For me something that i found super interesting was a show called Madoka I found myself completely infatuated with the show although for a majority of the first part i was completely and utterly lost.  But it was different for my friend who was also watching it at the same time as me but as soon as first set of credits came on she gave up on the show. It was confusing because of a whole time travel deal and there being different timelines within the episode but that is often very difficult to follow, so i can understand the reason for the confusion

Literature Analysis #1

Sophie's World

Jostien Garrder

Plot: The story begins with 14 year old Sophie Amundsen one day returning from school. She arrives home and checks her mail per usual, however this time she gets a envelope from an unknown sender. Upon examination of the contents of the letter she finds a sliver of paper that read,"who are you?" Sophie considers the question and answers it as best she can considering the questions' lack of apparent origin. Within the next few days Sophie continues to receive envelopes and it's soon revealed that the envelopes are given to her by her unknown sender in an attempt to teach her philosophy and have her think as such through teaching Sophie about the history of philosophy and several philosophers. The unknown sender then reveals himself to be a man by the name of Alberto Knox. Whilst all of this occurs Sophie also receives a post card from the father of a girl by the name of Hilde Knag wishing his daughter a happy birthday. Sophie then begins to connect the dots and feels that Hilde and the philosophy teachings are somehow connected.

Theme: Throughout the story there are several different themes but they all fall into the category of philosophy. For example one of the themes was that one needs to experience the good and the bad in order to see the difference between one or the other, this is so that you can truly appreciate how good something is by looking at its polar opposite. Another running theme throughout the book is free will because it hints at something that is later discovered in the book but it also explains how if fate were real then you could not do anything at all and you would be fine because no matter what you do you are going to somehow do what you were "destined" to do.

Why?: I chose to read this book because you(ostini) said that it was a book about philosophy, a subject that just so happens to be one of my keen interest. At first when I began to read I didn't like it very much at all because of the way that the book was written but as time goes on i got used to it. What kept me reading, I think, was when Alberto begins to ask Sophie all sort of questions about Philosophy and seeing the way that she personally thought about the matter.

Realistic/connections?: I wouldn't really classify this book as being realistic at all really. there were some things that were possible to occur in the real world but for the most part the book is/seems fictional. The book was also conveniently about philosophy, this allowed me to make several different connections to the book because it allowed me to answer the questions that were asked of Sophie, along with her.

Tone: The story for the most part was told in third person. I think that this made the author sound generally cold but the author also definitely provided clear insight into the mind of Sophie Amundsen. "She tried to think extra hard about
being alive so as to forget that she would not be alive forever. But it was impossible.
As soon as she concentrated on being alive now, the thought of dying also came into
her mind." I think that the tone i enjoyed the most was when the author spoke as the philosopher because he seemed much more charismatic that way "I must add that from now on I will no longer be able to deliver the letters
personally. It would be much too risky in the long run. In the future, letters will be
delivered by my little messenger." Whenever Sophie's mom showed up the tone changed to being more negative and it reminded me of stereotypical bad parent, "“Is he the one who told you about the rabbit and the top hat?” her mother asked.
Sophie nodded.
“He—he doesn’t do drugs, does he?”  "

Literary Devices:
1: Allusion: The author makes constant references to various myths of the past when he talks about the history of specific philosophers. " He therefore
assumed that everything was built up of tiny invisible blocks, each of which
was eternal and immutable. Democritus called these smallest units atoms."
2:Hyperbole " They are also unbreakable She couldn’t ever remember having seen a
broken Lego block"
3: Metaphor: ". Actually, we are the
white rabbit being pulled out of the hat. The only difference between us and
the white rabbit is that the rabbit does not realize it is taking part in a magic
trick"
4:Symbolism: There are several instances in which the author seems to unnecessarily note the color of things but as it turns out that's symbolism. "Sophie let herself quickly into the red house."
5: Situational Irony: " Could it be the messenger? Her heart
started beating faster. It sounded like a panting animal was coming.
The next moment a big Labrador pushed its way into the den."
6:Sensory Detail:" Although it was almost dark outside, she could make out the shape of a human
figure. It was a man, and Sophie thought he looked quite old. He was certainly not her
age! "
7:Imagery: "The girl in the mirror did not react with as much as a twitch. Whatever Sophie
did, she did exactly the same. Sophie tried to beat her reflection to it with a lightning
movement but the other girl was just as fast. "

Characterization: I think that Sophie Amundsen was a round character because she adapted to what was going on with her surrounding situations accordingly. The prime example being the fact that Sophie was able to adapt her thinking to that of a philosopher and to be equally matched to the likes of Alberto.
When initially reading the book it was more like I was simply reading a character above everything else. But as the story began to progress it became much easier to identify with Sophie and by the end of the book i felt like i had personally met her and Alberto.

Enduring memory:
Because the book was about philosophy it is difficult to pick just one of the many lessons that the subject entails. However if I must, i feel what I will remember for a long period of time is the lesson that Sophie had to learn about in the beginning of the book when Sophie realized that she had to experience the bad in order to be able to appreciate the good. Another idea was the one that you cannot really be living or being appreciative of the world around you if you don't question it. Because otherwise how are you going to come to understand it?

aud(it) (hear): Audience, auditorium, audition, audiovisual.
Avi (bird): aviation, aviculture,  aviatrix, avifauna
Bell (I) (war): Rebellion, rebel, belligerent, postbellum
Ben (e) (good, well) Benefit, benevolent, bediction, benefice, benison

antebellum a: before the war,especially the American Civil War, typical of how things were before any war
-  Jews were much happier  in antebellum poland

audit: to attend a class only as listener, not for credit: to check or examine a companys financial records; the process of making such examination
- There was an audit at burger king so i couldn't eat any food
auditory; a related to the sense of hearing
-The deaf kid was born with a lack of auditory sensory.
avian; characteristics of or pertaining to birds
-Planes dont look like avian creatures

aviary; an elaborate structure for housing birds
-kathy bought an aviary to celebrate her 5th bird

belligerency; the condition of warlike hostility; a hostile action
-The boy acted belligerency toward his mother after being dropped off at school.
benefactor; a person who gives another (financial) help: a patron
-i try not to be the benefactor because i try not to be a gold digger
beneficiary: one who receives a benefit ( of payment), as from an insurance policy
-after i was in car accident i became a beneficiary for my "pain" and "suffering."
benign; not malignant: gracious and kindly: good-natured
in the morning i look everything but benign
inaudible; unable to be heard
after the concert everything seemed in audible to me.

Latin Roots #2

Roots and Derivatives:

1. Anni/annu/enni - year

2. Aqua/aque - water

3. Arm - arm, weapon

4. Art - art, craft, skill

Word List:1. Aqua - the hue of the sea; bluish green

The aqua sea reminded me of the vast, blue sky.

2. Aquaculture - the cultivation of water plants and animals for human food

Some people enjoy aquaculture because of the pretty plants they get to see, like coral.

3. Aqueous - like of, or formed by water; watery

If ice melts in your soda, it may become more aqueous.

4. Armada - a fleet of warships

In the navy, some people will be in charge of oversea armadas.

5. Armature - equipment or clothing for battle, or any protective covering an arm like extension

When in battle, the proper armature to wear would be something light weight, but protective and you should bring a sword, gun or shield.

6. Armistice - a temporary suspension of hostilities by mutual agreement, as a truce preliminary to a peace treaty

When in an argument, people may agree on an armistice because of stress.

7. Artifact - any object  produced by the art of the human hand; simple or primitive objects from the distant past

Ancient artifacts from China may be vases or old tables from a thousand years ago.

8. Artifice - cunning ingenuity; clever or sly trickery

In some myths, there may be someone who acts like an artifice or a trickster.

9. Artisan - a person skilled at a craft, usually a handicraft

Potters and sculptors are talented types of artisans.

10. Millennium - a period of peace and great PROSPERITY; a thousand years

We live in the second millennium of the common era.

11. Perennial - year after year; throughout the years;  a plant that blooms annually

People like to have a garden of perennials because they grow yearly.

12. Superannuated - worn out or retired, from age and years of use of hard work; obsolete or outdated.

After 50 years of working or so, people may become superannuated.

Reflection on week one

I know that i certainly missed this one by a long time. But I think that in all the time that has passed, that I at least have more to compare the first week to. I wanted to start off by saying that at the moment it is WAY more complicated than i could have ever imagined on the first day of class. Although, much of it is my own fault, its difficult to believe in what I've managed to get myself involved with even now. I mean I'm not going to say that i haven't enjoyed myself but the repercussions are beginning to show themselves in my grades. as of late I've been much less focused and for the most part i already want to be done, I've come to realize that i cant handle as much as i thought i could. Or at least I just haven't been able to manage anything well at all. My emotions have played a big role in all of this because its difficult to get anything done at all when half the time you're emotionally unready. After getting way off topic, i just want to say that, i enjoyed it and im grateful for all of the things that im experiencing and have experienced.
Thank You.

ROOTS AND DERIVATIVES

1. act, ag, ig: to do, to move, to drive
2. ali, alter: another, other
3. am: at/ to love
4. anim: life, spirit, soul

WORD LIST

1. agenda DEF list or outline of things to be considered or done.  My agenda is all filled up for this week
2. agile DEF Marked by ready ability to move with quick easy grace. The deer was very agile as it moved through the under brush.
3. alienate DEF To make unfriendly, hostile or indifferent especially where attachment formerly existed. white people alienate minorities.
4. altercation DEF A noisy heated, angry dispute. i had an altercation with my mom about the fact that i wanted pizza rolls for dinner.
5. amiable DEF Archaic: pleasing, admirable. Leaf Coneybear is a very amiable character.
6. amorous DEF Strongly moved by love, especially sexual love. i am very amorous towards anything that looks remotely like a young Tom Cruise
7. animated DEF endowed with life or the qualities of life. All of my favorite TV Shows are animated.
8. equanimity DEF evenness of mind especially under stress. This homework assignment does not provide me equanimity.
9. inalienable DEF incapable of being alienated. white people are inalienable.
10. inanimate DEF not animate. Rocks, although very cool, are inanimate.
11. magnanimous DEF showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit. although faced with twelve hours of homework at 9:00 PM I remain magnanimous 
12. reactionary DEF relating to, marked by, or favoring reaction. rocks are not reactionary, they are rocks, but they still cool.

BOR essay B)

Renzo Pulido

8/26/14

Period 2

Defined by Order of Birth?

According to recent research on birth order, there seems to be a correlation between the order of a persons birth and certain personality traits. Those traits specifically apply to people who fall into a certain birth order category such as, oldest, middle, youngest, or only child. Personally I am an only child (sheds a single tear), and some of the traits being cold blooded and self-centered, however just because the research says it's generally true doesn't mean that it applies to all. Regardless of that, its not completely wrong either.

For example research states that on average, only children tend to procrastinate in order to relieve the burden of perfectionism. I know that i certainly have to potential to be a perfectionist, alas i am also very easily aggravated by stress. So in some rather futile attempts to relieve that stress, i procrastinate. I will quite literally put off going to my dads house because i don't really want to go at the moment. But as for school, this is a perfect example, i started on my rough draft in the middle of AP World (today)  right after i finished a test. Another thing that’s true despite the fact that its quite opposite to procrastination is being conscientious. Although i do think of procrastination fondly, i also love to do a good job on whatever i can with the limited amount of time i give to myself as a result of my procrastination. For instance, right now i could be completely illiterate and try to get this out in ten minutes, but i'm better than that. Instead, i will give myself twenty to create this english marvel.

The research also attributed mental traits that are typical of only children, for example one that really hit home for me was being critical of oneself and of others. I can't think of a time where i wasn't really critical of something that i had done, either it being a choice of mine or of some work that i had done. I feel that the reason is because i had never grown up with anyone closely, i began to compare myself to people that others looked up to for their academic excellence or their outstanding talents.i grew up thinking that i could do so much better than what i am currently doing and that really does stay true to me to this day. Additionally, the research also states that only children are also objective. When confronted with anything that is even minorly cumbersome i take myself out of the situation and try to think of what the best option is for all involved, regardless of how i feel about the situation. For example, my friends had gotten into this huge fight thing and it was getting real damn emotional so i tried my best to take what i felt out of the question so that i could see what to do logically. So as you can see several things about the research can be true about a person BUT there were a few things that just didn't apply.

Despite the fact that much of the research was accurate in some aspects does not mean that it is completely right. For example the research states that only children are self centered. This is something that is the what hope is completely wrong. Its quite the opposite actually, i am actually centered around people. I love being around people and i love to learn about people and get to know them. Its for this reason that i don't like to hold grudges, i like to know how other people are doing and to know how they're feeling. Another thing that researchers got wrong was the mentioning that only children are cold blooded. This is mostly untrue for me because i feel, so much. To top that off as well i am extremely empathetic, of course i have my own emotions but my emotions can be so easily influenced by whatever someone significant to me is feeling. Thats the reason that so many people think that i have mood swings, it may not be that but i seem to have just as much control over my emotions as someone with mood swings. But to give the gist, i feel.

For the most part, the researchers seemed to know what they were talking about, they were right about the majority of things that they said besides a few of the negatively connoted information. What i found odd about this research was the thought that so much of what has to do with who you are as a person actually has something to do with your biology. Its almost difficult to comprehend how me being an only child is in part a reason for why i am the person that i am today.