Bildungsroman

Jorgensen 1

Miles Jorgensen

Dr. Preston

AP English & Literature

8 June 2015

Bildungsroman

As I entered my final year of high school I was kind of preparing myself to be lazy and passive. The whole senioritis thing was settling in and I was happy to only have four classes. That all changed quickly when I was introduced to open source learning and how the curriculum could be based around your personal interests. It got me excited to craft my own type of rules and guidelines to a class and make it my own. Having a blog was a pretty cool thing for me to design myself and make unique.

            Outside of the school aspect, senior year was exciting for many other reasons, mostly for sports. Along with the rest of my teammates, we were determined to win CIF for water polo. We practiced hard every day for hours on end all to achieve the greatest title we could imagine. I remember how I felt as the season was going on. I would have dreams about playing in CIF and I would get so nervous that I would wake up and would be unable to fall back asleep again. Water polo was pretty much the ultimate passion I had at the beginning of the year. I knew in the back of my head that it would all be over in a matter of months, but the grind and rigorous work load kept me distracted. I remember giving announcements in Mr. Nesper’s class about the games we were going to have for league so people could see how good of a team we were and how much work we put into the program. The sad thing was that not a whole lot of people would go to the games. It was mainly parents and friends or former players from the

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program. I think what made water polo such a cool sport to be a part of was the fact that it was so exclusive and different. Not a lot of people know how to play water polo or even what the sport is, and it felt like I was part of some exclusive club.

When league was over for water polo, our coaches started preparing us for the playoffs and tried to keep us calm and focused. We had just won the league title and went undefeated throughout all of league so we were feeling pretty confident and maybe even a little arrogant. Personally, I was nervous about how delicate the situation of CIF was. In my head I was thinking ‘If we lose just one game, we’re done. Like, done.’ But many of my teammates just thought, ‘Four more games until we’re CIF champs.’ I had to contain my fear and pessimism so I wouldn’t infect anyone else. As the CIF rounds went by, however, the team was doing fantastically. Our closest game was by a matter of about ten points, which is a lot for a water polo game. Finally, we made it to the championships and we we’re all healthy, focused, and ready. Just thinking about that game makes my heart race. My coach told me that I was going to get some important play time and that I had to be ready to go. I wasn’t a starter, but my coach relied heavily upon me and the rest of the nonstarters to bring high energy and strong defensive play when we got in to give the starters a break. I remember playing a good amount that game and even making some good defensive and offensive plays. The game ended in overtime and we were victorious. Everyone leaped into the pool, pushing the coaches in as well. It was one of the happiest moments in my life. Hugging all my brothers in the water, cheering and crying in joy. And to do it all in front of friends and family in the stands to have them enjoy the moment with us felt absolutely incredible. To accomplish something that great that you dedicated four years of

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your life into was too awesome for words. It was perhaps the happiest day of my life. Water polo taught me that if you put in the effort, time, work, heart, and passion, nothing can stop you. Our program was strong because we had players that were passionate about the sport and they ALL gave the effort the coaches demanded. I learned that you need to always respect your opponent and make personal sacrifices to provide for something greater.  I learned that you have to be on time, prepared, and focused if you want to be productive and make progress. Water polo taught me a lot about self-discipline and honesty as well. Throughout this year, I think that water polo has probably been the biggest thing that changed me.

            When water polo ended, I no longer had this driving passion pushing me to make personal sacrifices to give to a greater good. Then we had to film a short scene for our English class. We wanted to make it funny and creative, so we ended up spending way more time making it than was necessary, but we had a lot of fun doing it. In the midst of all the filming and editing, we some of us discovered that since we had such a passion about making this short little film, we could do more things like this for our masterpiece. So that’s what we did. Filming and acting for the videos we made was really, fun, but also time consuming. I also realized how difficult it could be to come up with some interesting or funny story line and make it all make sense in the mind of the audience. In the end, when I finished the videos with my friends, I was elated to show them to the rest of the class. I thought that if I had spent so much time and had so much fun making these videos, it would show by the content and people would enjoy it. When I presented our videos, hearing the laughs and chuckles from the class made me incredibly happy. I wasn’t entirely happy because I got to show off what I did, I was happy that people got joy from the content I provided. To know that I was the one who provided someone with the pleasurable

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feeling of laughter or happiness was a feeling I never quite felt with such intensity. It really made me realize how much of a passion I have for the things I do to make people happy. Whether it be a funny video or a funny story, I was happy to have found one of my passions through school of all things. Open source learning gave me the opportunity and encouragement to pursue and discover my passions.

            Overall I think I’ve changed the most over this year in the way that I judge other people and behave around other people. I’ve always been very congenial and confident when I talk to other people, but before this year I wasn’t really close with them. I was mostly superficial whenever I talked to some people and I didn’t see the importance of really getting to know someone that at first glance you might not have really cared for. Especially recently, Ive gotten to know so many more of my peers on a much more personal level and it feels good to know that I’ve changed into a deeper, more dimensional figure to my friends. I’m probably still shaping the person I am, but I’m happy with the path I’m taking currently. As I change, I think my deeper passions will stay with me, but perhaps the less important interests and behaviors will be altered. I’m looking forward to becoming what I will be.

Sonnet Analysis

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

This is a Shakespearian sonnet because of its satirical styling and structure. Shakespeare pokes fun at typical love poems by writing one that actually points out the flaws and negative qualities of the one he loves. The shift occurs at the end where after he just insults this girl for the whole poem he turns it around and says that he still loves her despite all her flaws. 

Act II Questions

2.1

1.The opening gives a sense of forboding, things are not as they should be. The discussion serves to have Banquo acknowledge the weird sisters rather than claim they are a hallucination.
2. Macbeth is extremely stressed about having to Duncan and he is attempting to talk himself into committing the deed. He talks about it as if he is in a haze, a dream and he continues by making it a reality and committing the deed.

2.2

1. Lady Mac's state of mind is kind of heartless because of the focus she is putting into the task at hand. She has drugged the guards that stand at Duncan's chambers and put daggers in their hands to frame them as the murderers of Duncan. Lady Mac is assuming that Macbeth is in the act of killing Duncan and she didn't do it herself because she didn't want the guards to wake up and see her. 
2. Macbeth has done the dirty deed of killing Duncan. Macbeth has a moment of self reflection as he looks at his bloodstained hands holding the dagger. He guiltily comments about his actions and worries that Donalbain heard the ruckus. Lady Mac replies by saying Macbeth shouldn't be so childish and scared. The problem that arises is that Macbeth thinks he heard a voice say that he would be killed for what he did. Lady Mac tries to calm him down and rationalize the situation. 

2.3

2.3 1) The porter, in the third scene of act ii, is drunk and is pretending to be the Porter of the gate to hell. In the play, Macbeth has the trait of equivocation, where he manipulates his listener by circumlocution and the expectations of the other person without actually committing. For example, he does this when Lady Macbeth asks him to kill King Duncan.
2) The thematic function of Lennox describing the night as unruly was because that night was when King Duncan was killed by Macbeth. It was "unruly" not only for King Duncan but also for Macbeth because the guilt and fear of getting caught will always make him say and do things that might be suspicious, dark, and unruly. The scene is necessary to show Macbeth's transformation from the character before the murder vs. the character after the murder. This also connects back to what the witches had said earlier in the play: Fair is foul and foul is fair.
3) Macduff reports that the king has been murdered. Lady Macbeth appears to be horrified that this act could take place on his household. Macbeth is in encaged and kills the chamberlains. Malcolm and Donalbain decide to flee Malcolm and will go to England and Donalbain will go to Ireland. They're fleeing because they fear they will be murdered.

2.4

1. The function of the dialogue between Old Man and Ross is to discuss the strange happenings that have been occurring such as how an owl killed a falcon, the horses went wild and are one another, and several other things.  This wicked behavior symbolizes and foreshadows the promotion of Macbeth to the thrown. 

2. Macduff tells us from the castle that Macbeth has been made king by his fellow lords and that he will travel to Scone to receive the promotion and get crowned. He tells us that Malcolm and Donalbain are suspected of the murder of Duncan. They are suspected because they fled the scene. 

Act I Questions

I-1

1) Beginning the play with a dialogue between the witches sets the mood to be dark, evil, and mysterious. This foreshadows the plot, theme, and mood for the future of the story in the same manner. In comparison of Shakespeare's other plays, Macbeth requires more ambiguity and the syntax and diction used needs to be more bleak. For example, Hamlet highlighted the themes of betrayal and complexity of relationships and power. Even though, the theme falls in the same ballpark with Macbeth, the gloominess of the plot of Macbeth overpowers that of Hamlet. In the beginning of the play, the witches were going to meet Macbeth at the "ere of sunset." Line 10 was "Paddock calls" and line 11 was "Anon." The phrase paddock class means a toad, which symbolizes transformation. The word anon means soon or shortly. The "toad" and it's transformation could metaphorically be compared to Macbeth and his evolving and transforming to be a completely different person or even having a transformation in his status and power. The witch's response as anon signifies how Macbeth will shortly have a transformation - to be declared a thane. 

I-2

1. The bloody seargent indirectly characterizes Macbeth by glorifying his actions towards Macdonwald. Macdonwald is a rebel who was executed. He tried to attack them. Macbeth executed macdonwald with his sword. This did not end the fight with the rebels, the Norwegians are still attacking.
2. The traitor was the Thane of Cawdor, as we learn from Ross. Duncan says that its a relief the thane of cawdor was executed and that Macbeth now owns his previous title.

I-3

1. The witches speech gives a first look at Macbeth and his wife without saying who they are. Indirect characterization of the two. Similar to Hamlet where he gives a mini synopsis early in the story. "Weird" in Shakespeare's day meant future seers not weird as we know it, prophecy and destiny. Shakespeare means that Macbeth's wife has him by the balls. They  cast a spell to control his destiny.
2. Macbeth says something very similar to what the witches said at the beginning of the play. This could be him falling into the destiny the witches set up. Dried, chapped fingers, gender ambiguity, hairy, old, they have literal beards. The witches tell Macbeth that he will thane of Candor and eventually King, right then he finds out he is thane of Cawdor. Banquo asked the witch why they had nothing for him, they told him he is lesser but greater than Macbeth. We knew he was thane before he was thane.
3. Banquo says the witches were a figment of their imagination that they lie or that they are hallucinating. Macbeth learns that he is thane of Cawdor from Ross and Angus. During lines 114-156 he was going over his plan in his head and how everything had just happened to him. He acts very happy and shows no incredulity at being thane. Macbeth's aside shows him rationalizing what happened to him and he begins to think that he is going to be King soon. Macbeth tells Banquo that he is happy and excited and nothing more he explains his behavior by saying he is confused.

I-4

1.Cawdor was executed after openly confessing his treason and pleading for mercy. Malcolm tried to stick up for the thane, but the king responds by basically saying that you can't trust a man according to his face. He doesn't believe the thane was truly repentant.

2.The king greets them by saying that he can never repay them enough for their good deeds, but announces he will leave all his estate and names his son, Malcolm, prince of Cumberland. He then proposes that they go to Macbeth's castle at Inverness. Macbeth tells himself that the only way to be king is to get rid of Malcolm, and even though he'll be appalled at his action, he must do it.

I-5

1. Macbeth was honest with his wife when he informs her of his new title as "Thane of Cawdor." He refers to the witches as "weird sisters" probably because he doesn't want her know that he is associated with the "evil servants."

Lady Macbeth responds by saying that she thinks Macbeth is playng things off as if everything is fine. By saying "but be the serpent under't", she describes him as someone that lies to make everything appear under control. This doesn't really match the characterization of Macbeth so far in the story which implies that there is something the audience doesn't know about him. 

2. The wife was confident about the guests visit. She also seemed prepared and a little cocky about the way her and her husband would handle it.

3. Lady Macbeth. Yes she wants to kill Duncan. No, he isn't sure whether he wants to follow through with Lady Macbeths orders or not. She tells him not to let Duncan see tomorrow. 

4. The question appears to answer itself. 

I-6

1. The opening speeches (1.6.1-10) describe how the surroundings of the castle are "pleasant" and the air is sweet-maybe even too sweet. From the outside, the castle appears to be paradise.
Lady Macbeth's welcome is formal. Her language is totally different from her language in the previous scene which shows how fake and dishonest her welcome was.

I-7

1. "If it were done when 'tis done then 'twere well." If it were done when it was done it was done well. (Meaning if he completed the death quickly and efficiently and with no complications then he did the job well.) Macbeth is determined to kill the king and be done with him but in lines 1-12 he is fearful of how the "inventor" will judge his actions. He's violating the hospitality of his kinship and responsibilities as a host towards his guest by trying to kill his guest instead of protecting them. The motivation that Macbeth attributes to himself in lines 25-28 is the attribute of an Arabic heaven-like God. He will be seen as a "God" and that is his source of motivation to get the job done. 

2. In lines 28-30 she is complaining about him leaving the chamber because it was  almost time for dinner. Macbeth responds to her complaining by saying did he ask for me? And lady Macbeth says don't you know he did? The positions are lady Macbeth is ready for the King to be killed while Macbeth is still hesitant and on the fence about it. Macbeth convinced Lady Macbeth by explaining that he is an respected person and doesn't want to lose his honor while Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth by convincing him to gain the power and kill the king. The stronger person in the scene is Lady Macbeth because  she's more verbally confident in her argument while convincing Macbeth to kill the King. 
(In collaboration with period 4)

Macbeth Character Map

work cited: Macbeth: Character Map | CliffsNotes
I know it's cliffsnotes, but hey its something, right? Right? Guys..?

YOU'RE ALWAYS A WOMAN TO ME

When Macbeth speaks to Lady Mac, you can tell in his tone and choice of words that he is talking to an authoritative figure. In the letter he writes, he leaves out certain information and highlights other things as to only mention everything that is going well for him. Later on in Act I, Macbeth turns into Lady's little servant. From the audience's point of view, Lady Macbeth is a cruel, power starved maniac trying to manipulate her husband into killing the king. That's another thing worth mentioning-that these two are married. Its is really easy to forget that as you read the dialogue between these two. You can't help but feel sorry for Macbeth for being forced into doing something he obviously  doesn't want as much as the person nudging him to do it. I think Macbeth will eventually grow a backbone and somehow fight back against his maniacal wife.

Act I Notes

Questions 1.5

1. Macbeth was honest with his wife when he informs her of his new title as "Thane of Cawdor." He refers to the witches as "weird sisters" probably because he doesn't want her know that he is associated with the "evil servants."

Lady Macbeth responds by saying that she thinks Macbeth is playng things off as if everything is fine. By saying "but be the serpent under't", she describes him as someone that lies to make everything appear under control. This doesn't really match the characterization of Macbeth so far in the story which implies that there is something the audience doesn't know about him. 

2. The wife was confident about the guests visit. She also seemed prepared and a little cocky about the way her and her husband would handle it.

3. Lady Macbeth. Yes she wants to kill Duncan. No, he isn't sure whether he wants to follow through with Lady Macbeths orders or not. She tells him not to let Duncan see tomorrow. 

4. The question appears to answer itself. 

BLOG FEEDBACK

Just really give me a piece of your mind. Don't hold back.

Ozymandias Analysis

I just had to choose Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley. If anyone reading this is an avid Breaking Bad fan, you know why.

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Title:

The title "Ozymandias" is a reference to an ancient Egyptian pharaoh named Ramesses II. Ramesss II was and is considered one of the most powerful rulers of the Egyptian empire's history. He won great wars and conquered vast territories, building cities, temples, and grand monuments. So to bring it back to the poem, the title of "Ozymandias" provokes a thought of great power and strength which gives some words a higher volume and others a deeper meaning.

Paraphrase:

"...Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive..."

So to sum this up it basically says that halfway buried in the sand there is a visage which is a face. This face has a upset and stern look and we know it is a face made out of some sort of stone or metal (not real flesh) because it mentions a sculptor that made it. This sculptor must have done a good job because the face expresses the proper "passions" that were harbored by the model per se.

Connotations:
"Antique" is used to to describe the land that this so called traveler came from. When I first think of the word antique my mind usually imagines some old piece of useless junk I could find in my grandma's garage. The connotation of the word is to be untouched and somewhat of value for how old and rare it is. Shelley used that word instead of "old" because "antique" not only matches the tone of the poem, but uses the connotations of it to keep the poem consistent with the atmosphere.
Another word Shelley uses for its connotative value is "visage." I had to look this up and apparently visage is literally someone's face. But when you get into the deeper more intricate meaning of the word, it is more of the expression and emotion displayed. Humans have a great ability to identify faces out of almost anything. It is one our basic instincts tied to pattern recognition which is basic for survival. So to use the word "visage" we can enrich the vision in our head of what kind of expression the sculptor had formed to the face. The "...frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command..." all tells us that this sculpted face belonged to a person of great power and iron ruling. The image of a "wrinkled lip" gives off a stern and focused, yet determined authority.
The use of the word "lifeless" is also used for its connotation. It is obvious that the sand and rocks are not living, but the word "lifeless" is used this way for how still the scene is. Everything is just frozen in place, trapped in the empty desert.

Attitude:
The attitude of the author is very dark and grim. The use of words like "shattered", "cold", "lifeless", and "decay" give off a gloomy connotation. The general attitude of the poem is stern and focused. There isn't a point in the poem where you can relax and just be calm. The poem demands to be read in a fierce and almost fearful way.

Shift:
A clear shift in this poem is when the narrator mentions the pedestal and its message.

"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

The poem changes to a more frightening tone with the word of "despair" and the sharp change in tempo. The exclamation mark is used perfectly in this circumstance to show the building of volume that each word carries. Before this part of the poem we did have any sort of direct connection to the "visage" and its meaning or intensity. We could only infer based upon the expression of it what level of power it was. The function of the message Ozymandias leaves is to strike fear in the unwanted traveler and to make it be known that they should "tread lightly" for they are on legendary grounds of which this almighty king once ruled.

Title Revisited:
With the knowledge gained through further analysis of this poem, the title can somewhat carry a greater meaning. It is worth noting that towards the end of the poem, after the intense message of Ozymandias, the land beside it is described as "bare" which is almost ironic how he literally says "look on my works." Here lies a juxtaposition which exposes Ozymandias as someone who perhaps arrogantly thought of himself and his empire to be immortal. The empty desert sand certainly doesn't offer any sort of "works" to behold. While Ozymandias was great and powerful and heroic and mighty, his reign ultimately ended and so did the despair and fear he struck into his subjects.

Theme:
I think the theme of this poem could be that all power and ferocity fades with time. Time is the all powerful ongoing force that rules all. Even the King of Kings cannot defeat the insurmountable force of time. All of the once thriving and  flourishing cities, temples, and monuments built at hands of its mighty king lie in wreck and ruin with his own visage half buried in what his creation.

Breaking Bad is one of my all-time favorite shows ever. I like this poem mainly because of its ties to Breaking Bad, but after reading and analyzing it, I found a much better reason to like it. Anyway, for those of you who don't know how this relates to the show, here's the bone chilling, hair raising, heart pumping, gut wrenching, toe curling, goosebump inducing video. And if you're not a fan of the show, don't be all "Ughh Breaking Bad I don't care blah blah..." Broaden your horizons and watch a cool video. Enjoy

Huxley Essay Attempt #2

From an early age, we are socially constructed to conform to the boundaries of society. There is an external pressure that society forces on us while the instinctive inward questioning acts as the internal force pushing back. In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the character called Bernard Marx displays this clash between inward questioning and outward conformity. To showcase this conflict, Huxley utilizes the literary techniques of characterization and symbolism.

               When Bernard is first introduced to the audience, it is obvious that he is facing an imbalance of internal and external pressures. Huxley uses indirect characterization by creating the conversation between Henry Foster and Assistant Predestinator overheard by Bernard himself. Bernard listens to the conversation, disgusted by the two “talking about her as if she were a bit of meat.” Bernard’s character is defined here as he doesn’t allow his internal pressures to be noticed by the other characters. When Henry does notice Bernard and offers him soma for his “glum” look, Bernard resists to conform showing some backbone and denies Henry’s offer. Through Bernard’s decision to dismiss the offer of soma, the reader can take notice to how Bernard makes more decisions than the other characters who seem to take it whenever they please.

               Another example of how Huxley uses characterization to show the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning is when Bernard is with Lenina after the fight match. Bernard watches the rushing water of the English Channel while Lenina urges him to take soma. The external pressure Lenina forces on Bernard is contested with his internal questioning. Bernard doesn’t want to conform to the social pressure because he wishes to be an individual and separate from the sex-crazed soma addicts. This external pressure proves to be more powerful than Bernard’s internal pressure to resist conformity.

               In addition to the use of characterization to show the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning, Huxley also employs symbolism. Symbolism is most evidently present in the magical drug of soma. Soma is perhaps one of the most industrial elements in Brave New World because of its versatility and lack of negative consequence. The utopian society is almost adhered together by the drug because of its widespread use and social popularity. It is most comparable to marijuana today in the way it provides joy and relaxation, that is, except for Bernard. Bernard is one of the few characters who refuses to take soma when presented because he doesn’t want the emotion of happiness to be in the form of a small tablet. The symbol of artificial happiness is what Huxley uses to show the genuineness of Bernard and his struggle between outward conformity and inward questioning. Bernard troubles himself with the idea of soma because of his inward questioning which causes him to endure the external pressures of conformity.

               Brave New World is a book about questioning social traditions and individuality. Bernard’s characterization reflects upon the work as a signal that the external pressures of outwards conformity are usually more dominant that the inward questionings. If the internal pressure and desire is the opposite of what the external pressure is, the more powerful force is usually going to be the external. Bernard is Huxley’s tool of portraying this through his use of characterization and symbolism in the story.

Tobermory Unriddled (kinda)

"If he was trying German irregular verbs on the poor beast," said Clovis, "he deserved all he got."

While the theme of this is incredibly vague and ambiguous, I suppose it could have something to do with not pushing luck??? I honestly am having a lot of trouble digging out any meaning of this story. For tone, I would say it is kind of a nonchalant bizarreness. Nobody really finds it astonishing that a cat can talk and everybody just accepts it. Also, the tone has a very dry humor sprinkled around it. Cornelius' death is almost a joke as an elephant killed him. It kind of points at a cartoon-like image of a man being squished like a pancake by a monstrous mastodon. 

Chakra Attack

If you have ever played GTA V, you know how much fun it can be cruisin' around in a quick little car, weaving through traffic. One thing you may not have know is that there are multiple radio stations you can tune into whilst you are driving. One of those stations is called "Chattershpere" and features talkshows. One of those talk shows is hosted by none other than Dr. Ray Deangelo Harris. He is a lot like Montaigne with the way he talks in total stream of thought with no censorship. Anyway, this is the audio of that station. I know it's long, but its freaking hilarious. I highly recommend you listen to it.

Masterpiece Musings

So yeah. Elmo, Lukas, Eric, and I have been writing skits that we could film to get people to laugh and poke fun at some relatable situations. That's our masterpiece. Making people laugh. I like my masterpiece because I enjoy getting a chuckle or even a "heh" out of somebody. One thing I find essential to someone with a good personality is their sense of humor. I honestly think that if a person has a smart, witty, dry, or clever sense of humor, they are a good person. It may not always be true but a good sense of humor is so special because it is almost literally like having another sense. Some people will pick up on a joke while others just kinda nod blankly and think, "Okay?" To me, it is sad that some people can be totally blind to humor but I guess that what makes it such a great personality trait to have. Anywho, making these short comical films can be hard with just a few people, so if you feel like you might want to help, don't be shy. Ask me or the other guys and we would be glad to have you help out with something. Now enjoy this gif

SEEKING MENTOR

The expert would have to teach me about how to capture an audience with curiosity. If I wanna make funny films, I need to get something that grabs the audience and gets them on board with it all in just a few seconds. The questions I would ask my mentor would be things like: How do I coordinate it all? How do I express my idea in the clearest way possible? How do I get everyone to get the joke so it doesn't go over anybody's head? Wheat or rye bread? What other ways could I portray this? This mentor would come in real handy at times.

Brave New World Essay (so far...)

From an early age, we are socially constructed to conform to the boundaries of society. In some ways, we are conditioned to accept certain ideologies or traditions which can be difficult and even frustrating for some people, especially children. The common question of "Why?" is the usually the initial reaction a child may have when being told not to belch in public. The answer, of course, is that it is not polite, which is basically saying "society says no." An example of this situation of conformity to society's traditions while questioning them inwardly is portrayed in the character of Bernard Marx in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Throughout the novel, Huxley uses indirect characterization and something else to show this.

From the first mentioning or Bernard there is is a different sort of scent in the book. The reader can infer through indirect characterization that Bernard is a unique character for a few reasons. Through a conversation between Henry Foster and the Assistant Predestinator, eavesdropped by Bernard,we can infer some important things about Bernard. "Bernard overheard what they were saying and turned pale." In this quote, Henry begins talking about Lenina so it can be inferred that Bernard has feelings for her. What is different about Bernard however, is that he has actual feelings for someone wheras other characters will go from work to having sex to electrocuting babies for conditioning without a hint of emotion. The brave new world is an industrious, mechanical, and impassive with a character that reflects the exact opposite of that. Bernard is talked about by the other characters who find him different because of his size, mannerisms, and behavior. For example, he spend most of his time alone, he's "small" and worst of all, does not like Obstacle Golf.

Bernard is presented with the pickle of outward conformity versus inward questioning when he is with Lenina who keeps offering him soma to make him happier. This is what makes Bernard such a unique character. Rather than just instantly accept society's traditions and "take a gramme", Bernard chooses to question the idea of soma and it's artificial emotion. This battle between outward conformity and inward questioning ends with a victory for society as Bernard is finally convinced by Lenina to take the soma. The fact that Huxley has Bernard take the soma is important because he is showing that even those who question the traditions of the strange utopian brave new world will eventually conform to the social pressures constructed by society.

not quite done yet, but this is what i have so far...

Disneyland

"Go fish"

Aldous Huxley

Something pretty interesting about Huxley is all the hardships he went through. Apparently his mom died when he was only 14 years old then 3 years later he suffered from a disease that pretty much left him blind. As if things couldn't get any worse, his brother committed suicide three after that. Despite all these horrific and tragic events, he still pursued his degree in English literature. Considering how difficult life must have been to get through for him, it is really an inspiring thought to think he fought through it all to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

Lit Terms List 2

Circumlocution	noun an indirect way of expressing something; a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things
Classicism	noun a movement in literature and art during the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe that favored rationality and restraint and strict forms
Cliche	noun a trite or obvious remark
Climax	noun the decisive moment in a novel or play; arrangement of clauses in ascending order of forcefulness; the highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding; the most severe stage of a disease; the moment of most intense pleasure in sexual intercourse; verb end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
Colloquialism	noun a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
Comedy	noun light and humorous drama with a happy ending; a comic incident or series of incidents
Conflict	noun an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals); an incompatibility of dates or events; opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings; opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot); a state of opposition between persons or ideas or interests; a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war; a disagreement or argument about something important; verb go against, as of rules and laws; be in conflict
Connotation	noun an idea that is implied or suggested; what you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression
Contrast	noun the act of distinguishing by comparing differences; the range of optical density and tone on a photographic negative or print (or the extent to which adjacent areas on a television screen differ in brightness); the perceptual effect of the juxtaposition of very different colors; the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared; a conceptual separation or distinction; verb put in opposition to show or emphasize differences; to show differences when compared; be different
Denotation	noun the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to; the act of indicating or pointing out by name
Denouement	noun the final resolution of the main complication of a literary or dramatic work; the outcome of a complex sequence of events
Dialect	noun the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people
Dialectics	noun a rationale for dialectical materialism based on change through the conflict of opposing forces
Dichotomy	noun being twofold; a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses
Diction	noun the manner in which something is expressed in words; the articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audience
Didactic	adj. instructive (especially excessively)
Dogmatic	adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
Elegy	noun a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
Epic	adj. very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale); constituting or having to do with or suggestive of a literary epic; noun a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds
Epigram	noun a witty saying