Masterpiece academy

Why did I ask for this?  I mean taking an AP class senior year! That’s analogous to shooting yourself in the foot on the home stretch of the race. Summer was ending. The days were growing shorter. The weather was getting colder, windier. Sitting on my surfboard I would futilely dread the bummer of the end of summer and with that the eventual due date of summer homework. Then, all of a sudden, bam. The first day of school, a whole school year in the past from now. I had my schedule which, of course, the wonderful student techs had messed up. Oh well. I remember that lunch I confronted Dr. Preston totally unsure of even taking his class. Preston convinced me in one short conversation to stay enrolled.

It’s funny how rhythmic we humans are. I mean, by the third day of school I had my classes memorized, where my friends were in the hallways, and had inadvertently planned out my whole year. What I didn’t plan out was how hard-hitting my experiences in my classes this year would be, specifically, fifth period English. I’m not gonna lie, this class hit the ground running and I literally felt like i had shot myself in the foot. Soon enough though, the class calmed down and we settled into the groove of comfortability and reasonable expectations. Now, when I say reasonable, I mean that my class totally could’ve busted whatever work we needed to, we just knew Preston was a little more understanding than most and thought we could get away with this. To be clear this wasn’t everybody on every assignment. I came thinking this was gonna be another boring English class. I was wrong. From the moment the class undertook Beowulf, I was hooked. Passions never die, but I would say that they can rest for a while. Not once since fifth grade had I been assigned to write a narrative, which was something I used to do for fun. In this class though, I “remix” the assignment anyway I to.

When we read Hamlet I was astonished how human the characters were and how real the emotions and actions or inactions were. I would have to say Pip was always the one character I was able to connect with. The utter ambition of becoming something better was something I could relate to. I can’t remember the character, but I believe in Hamlet shakespeare straight up called a character a ho and that made me tear up with laughter.

My favorite part of the course was when Dr. Preston sat down in the corner of the room and let the students become the teachers. I believe that the presentations I saw that stuck with me, were the ones that you could really tell the people presenting were passionate and totally in love with their subject.

This year we all dealt with hardships and stress, pain and loss, but I Believe that it is the overcoming of those terrible situations that strengthens us to the point where we can become the hero of our own story. So did I become a hero? I would like to think so.

Ask me no question, I'll write you a thesis

Studying the prompt helped to understand that the exam is testing on how well one can break down the subject into component parts and identify the techniques the author uses and thusly the meaning created.

In this day and age to hear that someone is striving to be normal is... well, abnormal. Sure people find enjoyment in belonging and sharing a sense of community, but to find someone who doesn't think of themselves as an extraordinary and unique member of this vast universe is arguably impossible. The un-deniability of this is taught to us in schools and even further demonstrated in advertisements, television, and, of course, art. However, what happens when a society rejects the individual and encourages the common? Aldous Huxley explores this, among many other philosophical quandaries, in  Brave New World by creating a society which attempts perfection influenced by the progression of technology and science.

The Theory Of Card Games In Literature By, Chase Hugh and Lukas Sheckherd

Card Games in Literature

In the vast selection of games that have accompanied humans in literature, it certainly does not take long before card games come to mind. One only has to consider the symbolic Beggar-My-Neighbor from Great Expectations or the famous game of bridge from The Golden Bowl to realize the relevance, if not significance, of card games in literature.

To further understand this essay, the reader must have a grasp on the necessary historical context. What are card games? How are they significant? One could argue that card games are merely a form of recreation or relaxation and, certainly, were used as so. But as to the answer of the question of the relevance of card games in literature for this must be able to be argued as well. Although centuries of evidence of card games has been referenced in literature (Annals of Egypt and Syria), that does not necessarily indicate their significance to the literary world.

Although it does not take a historian to understand the societal and rhetorical implications found in pair with card games, likewise a certain understanding and familiarity of the past to comprehend the broad and narrow ideas. It must be pointed out that the appearance of card games throughout the great collections of literature, historical documents and expository the same, has been substantial. From the emergence of the first recorded card games during the Tang Dynasty, from which only inferences of importance can be made, to references from European literature in the late 1700’s, to modern times, there has been a significant tie between literature and card games.

Looking at basic deck of cards similarities in appearance arise between the aforementioned deck and the standard bound literary object. Consider how even the basic materials used to make both cards and literature are essentially the same, a simple comparison with the same resonance as the comparisons of the corresponding chemical compounds of humans and the stars. The basic association of the similar physical commonalities between the deck and said literary object directly creates cognitive resonance between them and in the keeping and transference of knowledge and ideas, especially so in the forms of card games (which were coincidentally to be recorded and referenced in such literary objects).  

As one compares card games to literature, the reflections of society through literature and card games is hard to ignore. The reader should consider the variety of card games present and how each of these games came to being and the subsequent political, ideological, moral themes, commentaries, and perspectives that must be associated with their respective games. A society’s culture represented through the infinitely diverse literary world,  which connections to can be interpreted from all literary works, would ultimately diffuse into the not-entirely separate world of card games.  One could argue such literary works influenced the artwork and even the rules and gameplay of card games. Consider how certain events in history may have shaped Card games and literature the same (such as the game Bullshit, a game centered around distrusting what has been stated, which has become popular since the Cold War).

The entirety of this essay gives only one shred of hope us, personally, unfortunately. That the reader will undertake their obligation - no duty - to realize the relevance of card games in literature and to understand the inclination and necessity of being able to play such influential and reflective card games during English not only to enjoy ourselves, but in an attempt to understand the nature of the past and its influences on literature. As for last words, we’ve laid our hands on the table, do you call our bullshit?

New Surf Warm Up Guaranteed To Get You Those Barrels

ALL THAT DAVID COPPERFIELD KIND OF CRAP

Salinger could have meant many different things and had many different reasons to do this. The one that just grabs me by the collar and shouts in my face is that Holden and Copperfield or even Pip are very different characters in very different settings with very different morals and ideals. Salinger wants to make Holden seem distant and impersonal to the reader, He wants to make Holden seem like an outcast from the very first line and make sure Holden won't be seen as the hero of his own life, but the self-destructive, angst-ridden adolescent that Holden is. Salinger does this, yet still manages to create a real character that seems so alive and so relatable. Dickens on the other hand, breathes life into all of his characters, especially the protagonist, by doing the exact opposite of Salinger. Dickens likes to give lengthy descriptions with more detail about a character in a single paragraph than some authors do in entire novel. Dickens makes people seem like people and he does a such a good job of it that, if I didn't know any better, I would probably confuse his novels with biographies. Salinger and Dickens achieve the same thing, creating unbelievably believable characters in their works.

Poetry Remix

Math Final Questions and Answers

Math Final Questions

Click on "Solutions to review"

The answers are the multiple choice.

Kealii Mamala at Nazaré - 2015 Billabong Ride of the Year Entry - XXL Bi...

Masterpiece mentor?

I found this guy's website http://www.onceuponasaga.dk/ long story short this man is visiting every country in the world without flying. I've emailed him and am currently waiting on a reply

Hamlet (The Madman)

Did Shakespeare write Hamlet as crazy? Well, no he didn’t, Shakespeare is a brilliant playwright. The plays Shakespeare has written are so good because he makes them so believable. Most people would tell you they think Hamlet is crazy, but when you really look at the play and analyze all the evidence and take into account Hamlet is a very young man you start to see just who Hamlet really is: a mastermind. Think back to when Hamlet made the guards swear Hamlet straight up tells them “I’m going to be acting weird; don’t you think you understand what I’m doing.” So from the beginning Hamlet is sure what he’s going to do. One of the recurring themes in Hamlet is drama and theatre. After taking a closer look Hamlet is a great actor being able to fill any role that he needs to this coupled with how quick witted he is makes him such a strong adversary. Hamlet just needed to set up the groundwork for his plan. Making it seem as though Hamlet were crazy gives him the protection he needs to carry out his plan. Hamlet’s plan played out exactly as he wanted. One reason you may think Hamlet is crazy is because of how hard on himself he is. This could be a good reason for someone to be crazy, but think about it; Hamlet’s dad just died, and his mother married his uncle who killed his father, and to top it all off the ghost of his father just told him to go kill his uncle. Wouldn’t any normal person going through this understandably have some major internal conflicts you certainly wouldn’t think they were crazy? And that brings us to the ghost of Hamlet’s father. If Hamlets not crazy then why didn’t Gertrude see the ghost? Putting aside the possibility that Gertrude could’ve straight up lied to Hamlet about not seeing the ghost, for which she has motive for, the ghost could’ve simply not chosen not to be seen by her or it could’ve even been a metaphor for Hamlet’s conscience, but the fact that the guards saw the ghost themselves dismisses the idea that the ghost is anything, but real. Hamlet talks to himself a lot and he speaks of really deep philosophical questions. Hamlet also talks about how weak he thinks he is because he just thinks and talks about his duty instead of just finally doing it. This increases Hamlet’s inability to perform the actual physical action of killing Claudius. Everyone has a temper and everyone eventually snaps. Hamlet is no exception; after killing Polonius Hamlets goes off on Gertrude. Hamlet’s too good of a tactician to give away the status of his sanity at this point in the play. Doesn’t it make more sense that he snapped because he killed a (kind of) innocent man and is racked with guilt, taking his frustrations out on the nearest person? This is the only scene where Hamlet is really mad (in the sense of feeling anger because his frustrations). Hamlet isn’t crazy; Hamlet’s just crazy good at what he does.

With all the craziness going on right now I think we all need a pep talk.... enjoy

Unphotographable Moment

It was a cool night; they wrapped their clothes around themselves as they sat on the bench overlooking the park. The sounds of cars merging onto the freeway were present, but neither took notice. For a hours they just sat there quietly remembering all of the fun and all of the other things they had shared together. Then She said "Its time I have to go." So they both walked quietly out of the park and quietly out of each others' lives forever.

vocab

abase - verb cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of

abdicate - verb give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
They abdicated their jobs today
abomination - noun an action that is vicious or vile; an action that arouses disgust or abhorrence; a person who is loathsome or disgusting; hate coupled with disgust
That was an abomination
brusque - adj. marked by rude or peremptory shortness
my dog is brusque
saboteur - noun someone who commits sabotage or deliberately causes wrecks; a member of a clandestine subversive organization who tries to help a potential invader
The person was a saboteur 
debauchery - noun a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity
He missed out on the panty raid debauchery 
proliferate - verb cause to grow or increase rapidly; grow rapidly
America has proliferated in the last 100 years
anachronism - noun an artifact that belongs to another time; a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs to another age; something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred
This bowl is an anachronism
nomenclature - noun a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline
the nomenclature of chemical compounds
expurgate - verb edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
Many top secret files are expurgated
bellicose - adj. having or showing a ready disposition to fight
He took a bellicose stance
gauche - adj. lacking social polish
My gauche brother is annoying especially in public
rapacious - adj. excessively greedy and grasping; devouring or craving food in great quantities; living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey
The world is full of rapacious people
paradox - noun (logic) a statement that contradicts itself
This sentence is a paradox
conundrum - noun a difficult problem
When I'm tied everything is a conundum
anomaly - noun (astronomy) position of a planet as defined by its angular distance from its perihelion (as observed from the sun); a person who is unusual; deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule
What a strange anomaly
ephemeral - adj. lasting a very short time; noun anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form
I could make so man jokes using this word in ephemerally
rancorous - adj. showing deep-seated resentment
After the rancor was killed in Star Wars its owners became rancorous
churlish - adj. having a bad disposition; surly; rude and boorish
My sister is always so churlish
precipitous - adj. characterized by precipices; extremely steep;done with very great haste and without due deliberation
The Ap classes were very precipitous with their homework over this weekend

THE POINT OF CANTERBURY TALES IS

To break the rules of standard writing in the culture of which it was produced. Chaucer does two things that makes this a good argument. One being his use of middle English redefining literature and two the way he coalesced all of the characters that would never interact with any of the others into one story just because he could.

Green Eggs and Hamlet

a) I know hamlet is the dude that said "to be or not to be" that's about it.
b) Shakespeare was a playwright in England and is probably the most well known author of all time.
c) Students frown when they hear Shakespeare because young students don't care for Shakespearean English in a play. The stories aren't bad, but through the medium they're presented in makes students automatically uninterested.
d)To be honest I don't know, but I remember Dr. Preston talking about how the course is going to be turned into a game. Maybe incorporate that somehow.

CHARACTER STUDY 1

"Wow man," I said to my new roommate, "Time really flies huh?" The guy just kinda looked at me strangely and grunted for his reply. Time really does fly though; last year I was just starting my senior year and already over the it, but now I am at college ready to start my my new life. Sure I changed in the last year in different ways. I'm a little taller, hair's a little shorter and blonder, and a little tanner. Aside from appearance I also changed I'm a little more outspoken, still a little too confident, but definitely harder-working. The last year was senior year. The best year of highschool. I definitely had fun taking advantage of all the perks, but it was the first year i actually applied myself to doing well in school and going for the grade and the knowledge not just the latter. The one thing I really learned though was that everything is always changing especially people and I'm no exception. Well that's about all the time I have to reflect. I'm going to go catch the last hour of my.... late night study group meeting.

My Dashboard

I didn't really change anything about the Netvibes aside from the weather. I have a live feed of Dr. Preston's blog. I pretty much left all of the standard widgets.

Phonar14 notes

• ·         Think differently
• ·         Photograph vs. image
• ·         Photograph is more experience rather than evidence
• ·         Mode of delivery, shaped the perception of the mode of information
• ·         To change the world you have to describe it differently
• ·         Artisan, connected, trusted.
• ·         Photography has the power to change the world
• ·         Hubs

Masterpiece 1

Big Question #1 What is the perfect wave?
Big Question #2 Can someone see the entire world in a lifetime? Is it possible for someone to embark on a journey around the world, to meet everyone and see/experience everything during their life? How would one go about doing this unrestrained by the monetary aspects? 

I decided to combine these questions to form my masterpiece project. In one sense it could be a project similar to The Endless Summer, but I'm not sure I want it to focus so much on the surfing. I want to find meet as many people as I can and experience all of the different things the world has to offer.

Vocabulary #4

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Stop being so obsequious.
beatitude - noun one of the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; in Latin each saying begins with `beatus' (blessed); a state of supreme happiness
I've stated to feel like I'am in a beatitude
bete noire - noun a detested person
That man is bete noire of liberals.
bode - verb indicate by signs
This does not bode well.
dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid
It's quite dank in the cellar.
ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions
The new pope has quite an ecumenical outlook.
fervid - adj. extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion
Her response was quite fervid.
fetid - adj. offensively malodorous
My brother's room is pretty fetid.
gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky
Godzilla is gargantuan.
heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
The roaring twenties were the heyday of America.
incubus - noun a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream
infrastructure - noun the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; the basic structure or features of a system or organization
You're being an incubus with all of your talk of the war.
inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
It was like a game i only needed to inveigle them until they finally gave into my will comepletely.
kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation
Kudos on your Nobel prize
lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)
I bought product just for lagniappe that came with it.
prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length
I don't like that author his writing is so prolix.
protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
This is my protege, Bill.
prototype - noun a standard or typical example
This is the just prototype.
sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
I can't stand him he is such a sycophant.
tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true
Stop using tautology, I get it.
truckle - noun a low bed to be slid under a higher bed; verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
Did you see his truckle? It was pretty funny.