Literature Analysis #1

1. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, begins in Afghanistan with Amir, the son of a wealthy man. Amir has a best friend, Hassan, who is also his hazara, which is basically a servant. Amir is jealous of Hassan because Amir thinks his father loves Hassan more than he loves him. This jealousy effects many of Amir's later decisions. Amir enters a kite competition, and Hassan is his kite runner (hint hint). Amir wins the competition, and he sends Hassan off to retrieve the kite that he defeated in order to win. Amir follows Hassan, and finds him in an alley surrounded by three bullies. The leader, Assef, rapes Hassan, but Amir just watches and does nothing to save him. This causes Amir's guilt throughout the novel, and is the reason that Amir needs to redeem himself. After this, Amir and his father move to America. Amir gets married and his father dies a month later. Amir receives a letter from one of his father's old friends. This prompts Amir to go back to Afghanistan, where Amir finds out life-changing information. Amir redeems himself, and he goes back to America.

2. The main theme of the novel is the need of redemption. Amir needs to redeem himself after his cowardice stops him from saving Hassan. The author may have written about this because it is something many humans face every day of their lives. We are constantly berated with guilt and shame, so we need a to get rid of these feelings. Karma plays a huge role, though it is not directly addressed in the novel.

3. I chose this book because it seemed very interesting. I had not seen the movie, but had been told that it was a very good one. I kept reading this book because it was very captivating. The story grabbed my attention and I could not put it down.

4. The story was very realistic, even though it was a fictional novel. I could easily see many of the events in a news story. The novel focused largely on guilt and the decisions it influences, which is a common happening in real life. Some events in the story were a little outlandish, like Assef's return, but that didn't take away from the novel's overall realism.

5. The author's tone changes throughout the novel. In the beginning, the tone is innocent because it starts with Amir being young. Amir has not developed any problems that influence the novel.  As the novel progresses, however, the tone gets darker. A very noticeable shift in the tone is when Hassan gets raped. After Amir and Baba move to America, the tone is lighter, but quickly gets darker when he returns to Afghanistan. Overall, though, the tone is somewhat neutral, leaning towards the darker side.

6. Personification: "That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out." pg. 1
This foreshadows the entire novel because it's hinting at the past revealing itself.
Simile: "The blast echoes through the street of my father's house. Hassan slumps to the asphalt, his life of unrequited loyalty drifting from him like the wind blown kites he used to chase." pg. 219
Hassan's death makes Amir remember him.
Metaphor: "America was different. America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far." pg. 219
Amir sees America as a way to forget his sins.
Hyperbole: "…and a black glare that would drop the devil to his knees begging for mercy." pg. 13
Baba is a hard man, and Amir describes him as such.
Simile: "Baba was like a widower who remarries but can't let go of his dead wife." pg. 129
Baba misses Afghanistan.
Allusion: "I loved him in that moment, love him more than I'd loved anyone and I wanted to tell them that I was the snake in the grass." pg. 105
This is an allusion to the bible, which shows snakes as being evil, which means that Amir sees himself as evil.  Simile: "At least two dozen kites already hung in the sky, like paper sharks roaming for prey." pg. 63
This foreshadows the upcoming events, with Assef as a shark and Hassan as the prey.  Personification: "Our twin shadows dance on the rippling grass" pg. 122
Amir sees his and Hassan's shadows as equals, but he doesn't see themselves as equals Personification: “… I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering it things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.” pg. 359
This helps further develop Amir by giving a look into how he thinks.  Imagery: "Then I saw something else: a man dressed in a herringbone vest pressing the mussle of his Kalashnikov to the back of Hassan's head. The blast echoes through the street of my 
father's house. Hassan slumps to the asphalt, his life of unrequited loyalty drifting from him like the wind blown kites he used to chase" pg. 192 
This shows Amir's guilt in a way that paints a clear picture of what he is seeing. 

CHARACTERIZATION 
1. Two examples of direct characterization are Hassan and Baba. Hassan is specifically described as having a cleft lip. Baba is described as proud and independent. An example of indirect characterization is Amir. Since he is the narrator, he doesn't directly describe himself. We have to find out what he is like by his actions. 

2. The author's syntax/diction stays the same throughout the entire novel. 

3. Amir is a dynamic character. In the beginning of the novel, he is jealous of Hassan. By the end of the novel, however, Amir redeems himself and becomes a new man. Amir is also a round character because he is very well developed. As a reader, I know his personality. 

4. After reading the book, I feel as if I've read a character instead of meeting a person. Though this novel is very realistic, I don't feel as if I would meet this person in real life. I think Amir is someone who will stay in the pages of a book. 

After reading The Kite Runner, I feel as if many ideas will stick with me. This is a very powerful novel with very powerful concepts. However, I feel as if the idea of social classes/racism will stick with me the most. In America, the idea of distinct social rankings don't exist. It's hard to imagine a place where you are defined by what class you lie in. For example, when Assef rapes Hassan, he says it's okay because "he's just a hazara." Hassan was not even regarded as equal to other human beings. They thought it was okay because Hassan belonged to a class that was seen as less than nothing. I find this extremely hard to believe, and I know that idea, and specifically that scene will stay with me for a long time. 

Latin Roots #3

Roots and Derivatives

1. aud(it): audience, auditorium, audition, audiovisual
2. avi: aviation, aviculture, aviatrix, avifauna 
3. bell(i): rebellion, rebel, belligerent, postbellum
4. ben(e): benefit, benevolent, benediction, benefice, benison

Defenitions and Sentences

1. antebellum: before the war, especially the American Civil War; typical of how things were done before any war
Ex: The antebellum plantations are infamous because of their use of slaves.

2. audit: to attend a class only as a listener, not for credit; to check or examine a company's financial records; the process of making such an examination

Ex: Many companies dread the time of year when an audit is required.

3. auditory: related to the sense of hearing

Ex: Auditory tests are performed during physicals to test hearing.

4.  avian: characteristic of or pertaining to birds

Ex: Not only did the creature have the avian characterstic of a beak, it had feathers as well.

5. aviary: an elaborate structure for housing birds

Ex: The aviary at the San Diego Zoo is always loud with the cries of the different species of birds.

6. avionics: the technology of (using) electronic equipment in aviation, missilery, and space flight

Ex: Humanity has come so far in avionics, that we can now send satellites to other planets.

7. bellicose: eager to fight or quarrel; hostile

Ex: Due to a day full of stress and immature people, the boy was feeling very bellicose.

8. belligerency: the condition of warlike hostility; a hostile action

Ex: During the bombing of 9/11, America was in a state of belligerency.

9. benefactor: a person who gives another (financial) help; a patron
Ex: The more benefactors the club has, the more activities they can do.

10. beneficiary: one who recieves a benefit (of payment), as from an insurance policy

Ex: After the hurricane, the beneficiary receieved a large payment from the insurance company.

11. benign: not malignant; gracious and kindly; good-natured

Ex: The goddess Athena was benign most of the time, as she helped mortal heroes.

12. inaudible: unable to be heard

Ex: Due to being inaudible during his speech, no one knew what he had said.

Myth Presentation

      My myth was "Perseus and Medusa." The main characters were Perseus, a handsome and brave young man; King Akrisios, Perseus's grandfather; Danaë, Perseus's beautiful mother; King Polydektes; and Andromeda, Perseus's beautiful wife. These characters are all human except for Perseus, who is a demigod. The story starts out in Seriphos, a beautiful kingdom ruled by King Akrisios. King Akrisios gets a prophecy saying he will be killed at the hands of his grandchild, so he locks up his daughter. Despite this, the god Zeus finds a way to impregnate her, and she gives birth to a boy named Perseus. When King Akrisios finds out, he locks the two of them in a box and sets them off to sea. They land on the beautiful island of Seriphos, where a fishermen finds them. They live happily until the king, King Polydektes, finds out about Danaë's beauty. He needs to get rid of Perseus, so he sends him off on a journey to retrieve the head of Medusa. This part, Perseus against King Polydektes, is the main conflict. Perseus sets off, and he finds help from the gods. When he arrives to the island where Medusa resides, he cuts off her head. He returns to Seriphos, only to find a woman chained to a rock. This woman is Andromeda, his soon to be wife. He saves Andromeda and returns to Seriphos, where he turns King Polydektes to stone and makes the fisherman the king. Years later, he accidentally kills his grandfather in a discus tournament. This myth attempts to explain the strength of a family and what people would do to help there families.

Journal of Choice

If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live anywhere but America. I would want to live somewhere nice and cold, like Canada. I don't know why, but I've always wanted to live in Canada. Actually, I'd just want to live anywhere but here. I would not want to live near family. If given the chance to move away from family, I would take it in a heartbeat. I would like to live in a small town. I just find the thought of everyone knowing everyone appealing.

Reflection on Week One

The first week of school has barely rolled past, but I already feel like I learned a lot. I learned that I hate school much more than I originally thought. I also learned that in English class, we have to write pointless journals and maintain stupid blogs. I also learned that I hate waking up early to go somewhere I hate. All in all, I feel like I learned a lot of important information this week.

Six Word Memoir

So, for my six words, I chose Tiara Lewis for fierce queen 2016 because I think it really represents me as a person. First of all, my choice of six words is really dumb, just like me. When I was trying to think of my six word memoir, I honestly thought, "What could possibly be the dumbest thing to say?" And BOOM, my memoir was born.

Reflection on How Schools Kill Creativity

In "How Schools Kill Creativity," Ken Robinson elaborates on how important creativity is and how schools kill it. Now, Robinson highlights some really great points, such as how creativity is important, and he has a really great argument that I will not disagree with, but I do have my own ideas. I agree that schools do kill creativity, but I believe it is for a good reason. Careers based on creativity, such as actors or singers, are not important in society. I think that careers in science and technology, as well as many other careers such as teaching and farming, should be the type of career that people strive for. Especially here in America, people are very selfish. Many people only think of themselves and how they can make their lives better. Careers in areas of creativity emphasize this thought. Actors and singers own millions of dollars, whilst teachers get paid peanuts. This is an extremely asinine distribution of money. I believe actors, singers, dancers, and all of the sort should be paid nothing or next to nothing. I also believe that schools think along the same lines, which is why they "kill" creativity. So, in conclusion, yes, schools do kill creativity, but the fact is, it is probably for the better of society.

Latin Roots #2

Roots and Derivatives:

1. anni, annu, ennui : year, yearly
2. aqua, aque : water, marine
3. arm : arm, weapon
4. art : art, skill, craft

Word List

1. aqua: the hue of the sea:, bluish-green                                   
I love the color aqua
2. aquaculture: the cultivation of water plants and animals for human food 
With the steady advancement of aquaculture more people will be able to be fed
3. aqueous: like, of, or formed by water; watery 
Mud is aqueous.
4. armada: a fleet of warships
The armada threatened passing ships.
5. armature: equipment or clothing for battle, or any protective covering; armlike extension
Armature is necessary when in battle.
6. armistice: a temporary suspension of hostilities by mutual agreement, as a truce preliminary to a peace treaty
Armistices are necessary when there is too much fighting going on. 
7. artifact: any object produced by the art of the human hand; simple or primitive objects from the distant past
A well-known Native American artifact is an arrowhead.
8. artifice: cunning ingenuity; clever or sly trickery
He used his artifice to sell the broken watch. 
9. artisan: a person skilled at a craft, usually a handicraft
The artisan was the best at his craft.
10. millennium: a thousand years
An opportunity like this only comes once in a millennium.
11. perennial: year after year: throughout the years
Evolution is a perennial event.
12. superannuated: worn out, or retired, from age and years of use of hard work: obsolete or outdated 
The tool became superannuated because of constant use.