Literary Analysis #2: Fahrenheit 451

General
1. Fahrenheit 451 is a book about a man named Guy Montag and is set in a future American society. Guy is a firefighter who's job is, ironically, to start fires rather than put them out. He is supposed to set fire to any house that may have books in it. He lives a rather empty life. He is married to a woman he soon realizes that he has no love for and she feels the same. She even tries to kill herself. Then one day a girl named Clarisse starts to talk to him and makes him question his life and how he is living. He is called to start a fire, but while at the house he reads from one of the books and he decides to take it with him. He remembers a man that he had met in the park named Faber and meets with him to discuss the book. He becomes enthralled with books, but he is betrayed by Mildred and a mechanical hound is set on him, but he gets away and lives with a group that shares his love of books.
2. I feel that the theme of Fahrenheit 451 is that knowledge is power. It shows that knowledge and and education through books is a vital tool to society. Books can bring immense pleasure and we as people can learn so much from them. It shows that people have a right as a person in society to learn and not to be happy with their ignorance.
3. The tone has a certain intensity to it. All the characters are extreme and are on the edge of being realistic. The events are usually blown out of proportion and apocalyptic. The author is very descriptive and uses vivid descriptions. Big events usually happen on the biggest scales.
4. Imagery- Somewhat going along with analysis, Bradbury was always very descriptive and used very vivid words to describe.
Contrast- The author contrasts the personalities of Guy and Mildred
Foreshadowing- Mildred's attitude is when Guy shows her the book is a foreshadowing of things to come
Motif- The idea that knowledge is important shows up a lot.

Symbolism- There are many things that are used to symbolize insects

Irony- Mildred is looking for the book and keeps adjusting Guy's pillow and it's under there. 

Metaphor- Many things, such as Mildred's earpiece, are compared to insects. 

Characterization.
1. "I'm antisocial, they say." Clarisse says this and shows her outgoing, unorthodox, but cheerful side.
"We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal." This is Captain Beatty telling us about the motive behind the government making everyone illiterate and ignorant, as to not offend the naturally inept people to be exposed to the naturally bright individuals. This characterizes the motives of nearly every character.

2. Not really. It only changes when a character is interacting with different characters. The characters act differently around different characters which causes the syntax and diction to change.

3. Guy is a dynamic character. He starts off the book burning houses and being totally submissive and ok with world he is living in. His encounter with Clarisse changes all that and questions who he is and who he wants to be. He eventually ends up changing who he is and challenging himself to be a better person.
He is probably a round character. Guy has many different qualities that distinguish himself.

4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
Yes I did. Guy was the only character like I felt could be a real person though. All the other characters were missing something that could make them truly believable. Him being a dynamic and round character helped give the impression that I had indeed met an actual person.

Technology Use and How It Affects Thinking

Extensive Internet/media/technology use has definitely changed the way I think. I'm always looking for the quick answer. And usually it's just a couple of clicks away. It's probably deteriorated most of the things listed in the question. Focusing in general has gone down, it also changes my priorities because this technology is right at my fingertips. And why not take advantage of that technology if it's right in front of me? I feel like formal learning and open source learning have their pros and cons just like most things do. Before answers didn't come so easy, people probably had better focus, better social skills, had a better sense of their priorities, etc. But open source learning has given us the chance to collaborate with people all around with world. This is huge in the sense that we can different ideas, opinions, etc that we may have never encountered. The world is indeed a small world now. Technology has taken over our lives and it will be interesting to see where it takes us. 

Notes on Hamlet

Hamlet is a lot smarter than people give him credit for. But he is still blinded by his wanting to get revenge on his uncle. From what I had heard before the play I really thought he was crazy, but it turns out to be all an act. I have come to the conclusion that he is the smartest character in the play from this. He plans to use his faked madness to help get his revenge. I doubt that he really is crazy, seeing that two other characters have also seen his father's ghost. I used to think that Hamlet was a wimp, but he is now showing resolve. I truly believe that he will carry out his revenge and take Claudius' life. I expect the plot to thicken in the next act. I truly believe trouble will come from his fake madness and more people will end up dead. Such is the nature of tragedies.

Vocabulary List 9

Abortive: failing to produce the intended result
Bruit: spread a report or rumor widely
Contumelious: scornful and insulting behavior
Dictum: a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source; a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle
Ensconce: establish or settle
Iconoclastic: characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions
In medias res: a narrative that begins somewhere in the middle of a story rather than the beginning
Internecine: destructive to both sides in a conflict
Maladroit: ineffective or bungling; clumsy
Maudlin: self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness
Modulate: exert a modifying or controlling influence on
Portentous: of or like a portent; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner
Prescience: the power to foresee the future
Quid pro quo: a favor or advantage granted in return for something
Salubrious: health-giving, healthy; pleasant, not run-down
Saturnalia: the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December; an occasion of wild revelry
Touchstone: a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized
Traumatic: emotionally disturbing or distressing; relating to or causing psychological trauma
Vitiate: spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of; destroy or impair the legal validity of.
Waggish: humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner

Who was Shakespeare?

Usually Shakespeare strikes fear into the heart of students. The dread of reading old English and in iambic pentameter is a daunting task is a feeling that most students share. We haven't learned much about who Shakespeare really is. All I know is that he is an English poet who has written many famous plays. So I checked on wikipedia who really is and this what I came up with. He is an English poet and playwright who has written 38 plays, 154 sonnets and a couple of narratives. He married Anne Hathaway at age 18 and three children. He then began a successful career in London, but died at age 52. His writing is finally starting to become a little bit easier to read. I haven't learned that much about Shakespeare, rather the plays that he has written.

To Facebook or Not to Facebook

Facebook to me isn't that bad of a thing. Probably cause nothing bad has directly affected me. The only thing that is bad about it is that it is addictive. Some of the benefits of it can be that you can stay connected with friends not just in America, but abroad as well. It allows you to keep those connections. Some bad things may be that they sell your information and also that it can be addictive and take away from doing other things.

Vocabulary List #8

Abeyance-(N.) A state of temporary disuse or suspension.
Ambivalent- (Adj.) Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.
Beleaguer- (V.) Beset with difficulties
Carte blanche- (N.) Complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best.
Cataclysm- (N.) A sudden violent upheaval, esp. in a political or social context
Debauch- (V.) Destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt.
(N.) A bout of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, esp. eating and drinking
éclat- (N.) brilliant or conspicuous success
Fastidious- (Adj.) Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail
Gambol- (V.) Run or jump about playfully
Imbue- (V.) Inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality: "imbued with deep piety".
Inchoate- (Adj.) Just begun and so not fully formed or developed
Lampoon- (V.) Publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule or sarcasm.
(N.) A speech or text criticizing someone or something in this way
Malleable- (Adj.) Easily influenced; pliable
Nemesis- (N.) The inescapable or implacable agent of someone's or something's downfall
Opt- (V.) Make a choice from a range of
possibilities
Philistine- (N.) A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them
Picaresque- (Adj.) Of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero
Queasy- (Adj.) Nauseated; feeling sick
Refractory- (Adj.) Stubborn or unmanageable
Savoir-faire- (N.) The ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations.
(thanks Dulce)

Hamlet can cause people, including myself, to have ambivalent ideas what about Shakespeare is trying to say. Hamlet will beleaguer you , but you must persevere. Hamlet's father's revelation is sure to cause a cataclysm soon enough. Claudius debauched his sense of family ties when he decided to kill King Hamlet. I'm sure he considers the coup an eclat. Hamlet seems fastidious and does not see inchoate in his thinking. He considers Claudius to be his nemesis and a philistine. He will use savoir-faire and act like he doesn't know that Claudius killed his father while he plans his revenge. The knowledge of his father's murderer has imbued him with motivation to take revenge. He will opt for the approach to act insane or mad. His plan is inchoate and not fully formed yet. It is gamboling around in his mind. He felt queasy and dismayed during his first soliloquy. Hamlet is not a picaresque character, but is quite the opposite. His sanity will be put in a state of abeyance and he will act as if he had no sanity. Although acting insane he will have carte blanche and only two will know of it. You could tell by Claudius' lampoon that he was trying to embarrass Hamlet. Claudius seems like a character who is malleable and untrustworthy. I think Hamlet will be refractory in his revenge and stop no matter what the cost. 

Vocabulary Midterm Reflection

a) I thought that everything went well. I felt that I knew all of the words except for 3 or 4.
b) Everything went well except for not knowing 3 or 4 words.
c) I'm not sure. I've now studied the words twice, so that makes me feel like that it will stick with me for quite some time.
d) Studying flashcards is a good technique for me. I just need to study for just a tad longer to make sure I can answer all of the questions and not miss those 3 or 4 questions.

Dear Ophelia

Dear Ophelia,
          I empathize with you, but I fear that your brother and father are right. You must stop being cantankerous and listen to them. Things that Hamlet has done, or rather the lack of things Hamlet has done, should be a harbinger for you to stay away from him. Hamlet is a lackluster character anyways. Although what he says may be mellifluous, he is being deceitful. I beg you not to be obsequious and try to be in his favor. Your future does not bode well with me, if you continues the way you are. He may try to inveigle you to come back to him when you show no interest, but you must remain strong. You must dissimulate yourself. Try not to be too lugubrious with this letter, but I think this is the most beneficial thing for you.

Midterm Review/ Study Strategy

All I will really need to for this midterm is to make flashcards for the lists I haven't made flashcards for, and then study those flashcards until I know all the words. There's no need to study with another student  although studying with one or two may be beneficial. I'm usually pretty good with memorizing things and we have memorized them previously, so it should not be that difficult.