Saint Crispin's Day Sonnet Dialogue

This is a sonnet that Kris Green and I wrote. We decided to do something different and follow the sonnet structure while making it into a dialogue. This is a hypothetical conversation between Westmoreland and the King. Obviously, this is not word-for-word what happens in the play, but we did our best to capture the essence of the speech.

W: O that we had but one ten thousand more.
K: For what need have we for that kind of man?
W: We are outnumbered, almost ten to four!
K: No matter, they are not of our brave clan.
W:  Some say it be sin to covet honour.
K: Better honour than avarice and gold.
W: Despite this, it doth make my gut feel sour.
K: Die for glory now, or wait till you're old.
W: Right, now.  Let us write a tale for the ages.
K: Our men shall bear these honourable scars,
W: It is with blood that we will ink the pages,
K:The myth shall be told in lyrics of bards
K: A tale of we few, we happy few, away
K: Fighting for glory on Saint Crispin’s Day!

W = Westmoreland
K = King


Check out the video here.

Literature Terms 1-5

Allegory: a tale in prose or verse in which characters, actions, or settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities; a story that uses symbols to make a point
And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened.

Alliteration: the repetition of similar initial sounds, usually consonants, in a group of words
Dastardly definitions and sordid sentences.

Allusion:  a reference to a person, a place, an event, or a literary work that a writer expects a reader to recognize
[see "anachronism"]

Ambiguity: something uncertain as to interpretation
"Wow, so annoyed right now..."

Anachroism:  something that shows up in the wrong place or the wrong time
Dinosaurs on a spaceship!

Spring Semester Plan 1

When making goals for this semester, I was mistaken about the point (as were some others, apparently).  While doing more work for the Collaborative Working Groups is genuinely something that I want to accomplish this semester, it is hardly the type "dream big" goal that we discussed in class.  Besides that, it wasn't very specific.  So, here's my revised goal.

A year ago, I started working on a small computer game with a group of people.  Mechanically, it wasn't terribly complicated (meaning that it is certainly feasible).  We slung around some neat ideas and laid down the groundwork for it, but school became problematic near the end of the semester and work petered off.  I'd like to finish it.  Although not all of the group is available, Justin Thompson also plans to work on it.  Funnily enough, it seems that he has a similar goal for the semester, so perhaps that is where the Accountability of this S.M.A.R.T. goal will come from.

AP Prep Post 1: Siddhartha

1.  In the novel, Siddhartha encounters several people who aid him in one way or another toward achieving enlightenment.  Can you discuss at least one important person on Siddhartha's journey who aids in his self-discovery?
(Source -- Mrs. Armstrong and Mrs. Braasch)

I don't have the answer to this one, despite having read the novel before.  Obviously, it requires some more knowledge of the characters.  I decided to include it anyway because it provides an interesting foil to our in class discussion.  The moment of Siddhartha's awakening is accompanied by the realization that he is completely alone.  Analyzing the people that used to be part of his life and why they are no longer there is a potentially enlightening (pun entirely intended) discussion.

The following questions are taken from here.  They're (AP) student made, and there's a ton of them.

What's In This For Me?

With the new year and the new semester, it is time to set some goals.  In the few years that I have made a New Year's resolution, I have been notoriously bad at following through for more than a few weeks.  The problem, I found, was associating the goal with New Year's day.  After that holiday spirit wore off and I was back at school, I was back into my daily schedule and quickly lost interest in the resolution.  So, I'll be writing goals for the year of 2013, even after it's not exactly a "new" year anymore.

I've said on other occasions that I particularly enjoyed the collaborative working groups in this course. Consequently, I have "joined" a small handful of them.  Unfortunately, I have not been nearly as active in them as I would like (which is entirely my fault).  This is not for lack of interest.  My problem is that there is a fairly wide variety of things I am interested in, so when I am confronted with the opportunity to join a relevant group, I am quick to accept.  Because of this, I can't devote as much time as I would like to them.  I am sure other members of the groups have become irked with my deadline issues.

This can be solved in two ways.  The first is to simply cut down the number of groups I participate in.  Theoretically, this should free up more time.  However, my time management (or rather, my lack of it) is probably a more significant issue.  The more responsible solution would be to stop procrastinating on things.

I'm pretty sure this has been my New Year's resolution for the past couple years, which is incredibly ironic.  Also, the fact that I am posting this at 10:00 PM on the last day of break does not bode well (but it could be worse!).  Regardless, I'll do my best to get out of such bad habits, as they are clearly detrimental.

Fall Semester Reflection

This is in response to this post.

1.  Yes, I read my colleagues' work online.  I would say I do it at least once a week, but it varies.  Generally, the more open-ended an assignment is, the more likely I am to check other blogs.  It's interesting seeing what other people think of the same topic, especially if it's a creative work like the Allegory of the Cave sonnets.  There is a huge variety of styles, and it's a good way of seeing what a good approach to the assignment is.  Reading peoples' literature analysis has helped me decide on what books I want to read myself.  That said, I don't typically check my classmates' blogs before doing my own post, unless I am totally stumped on what to write.  I like to get my ideas down as the occur "naturally".  Working together is important, but so is individualism.  The merit of collaboration comes from the summation of many individuals' own thoughts.

Literature Analysis: Slaughterhouse-Five

Unfortunately, my plot summary does not make much sense.  Due to the book's extremely non-linear nature, a straightforward summary that encompasses the book's themes is difficult.  I did my best to explain the gist of it, though.

GENERAL
1.  The plot of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut is centered around Billy Pilgrim's time-traveling escapades.  The story, told from Billy's perspective (and sometimes Vonnegut, who has placed himself in the story), skips around between short anecdotal snippets from different points in Billy's life.  These parts include his survival of the bombing of Dresden during World War II, his later years after a plane crash, and his abduction by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore.  Billy's life in the war is the the focal point of the story, but certainly not the only significant part.  Through Billy's time-bending journeys, Vonnegut shares his views on a variety of subjects (ranging from antiwar sentiments to what it means to have free will).  Told linearly, Slaughterhouse-Five is about a young man who survives a war.  He is abducted by aliens from Tralfamador, who place him in a zoo.  Tralfamadorians can see the fourth dimension, which means that they view all of time at once--rather than a single instant at a time.  When Billy returns to Earth, he tries to share the Tralfamadorian philosophy.  He is killed by somebody who swore revenge on him during the war.