Spring Vocabulary 2

• accoutrement- personal clothing

ex. I keep my accoutrements in my closet.

• apogee- the highest or most distant point; climax

ex. The orbiting satellite is at it's apogee when it is furthest from the earth.

• apropos- the right moment, appropriate; opportune

ex. The man waited for an apropos time to ask his girlfriend to marry him.

• bicker- to engage in pointless arguments

ex. The two siblings were always bickering about the silliest things.

• coalesce- to unite or come together

ex. The small community coalesced to solve the town's financial issues.

Vocab 1 Performance Review

On today's vocabulary quiz, I earned a perfect score. What did I do? I studied over the weekend and right before the quiz. I also used a few of the words with a friend who is taking the same class.

Spring Vocabulary 1

•adumbrate- to foreshadow; to produce a faint image 

Ex. The chef got a head count to adumbrate how many steaks he will have to cook.

•apotheosis- the ideal example; climax

Ex. The student sees his master's skill as an apotheosis of martial arts.

•ascetic- the practice of self discipline, typically for religious reasons

Ex. The young man's ascetic life involves him fasting for quite a while.

•bauble- a showy ornament; trinket

Ex. The Christmas tree was decorated with baubles and ornaments.

•beguile- to charm, sometimes in a deceptive way

Ex. The woman beguiled the man into buying her a drink.

•burgeon- to grow or develop quickly

Ex. The student's skill burgeoned and he became quite talented.

•complement- something that completes or makes perfect

Ex. The engagement ring complemented the man's proposal.

•contumacious- stubbornly perverse or rebellious

Ex. The trouble maker was contumacious.

•curmudgeon- a difficult, bad-tempered person

Ex. The cranky old man is curmudgeon. 

•didactic- intended for instruction

Ex. The inspirational speaker is didactic with teaching good morals.

The Choice

Read this article: The Choice

1. What is the 'choice' referred to in the title? 

- I believe 'the choice' referred to in the title is the choice of taking the temozolomide. It actually isn't a choice for the daughter because she needs to take it in order to push through. Either her parents will have to force her to take the 'poison' or Rebecca will take it herself willingly.

2. Is it a real choice? Why/why not? What is the alternative?

-There is no choice because the medicine is mandatory for her. She will consume it one way or another. 

3. Why does the author use the word poison in the first line?
- In reality, the temozolomide actually is poisoning. It is killing more than just Rebecca's cancer cells.

4. The author's daughter wants to play with a toy that is intended for older kids. Why? Do you agree with her?

- Rebecca simply wants to live her life in the moment because she understands her current circumstances. She believes she will not make it to the age of 8. It seems as if she wants to do all the fun things possible because of the thought of the future. I agree that she should be able to play with the toy.

5. If you thought you might not live to the age of 30 what would you want to do right now?

- Honestly, I don't know.

6. Under what circumstances does it make sense to endure discomfort--or even force it on a loved one-- in service to a greater/more important cause?

- As long as optimism is kept alive and the belief that the feel of comfort will soon show up to the one enduring pain. Especially if that individual is receiving aid from the discomfort.

7. Is suffering a necessary condition of life and love?

- Even though many deal with suffering in different ways, it is necessary. 

In a metaphorical sense, one will notice the true shine of the sun after the storm ends while others have been dancing in the rain.
This condition has different affects on everyone.

8. Most readers don't share the author's circumstances, but we feel an emotional response to his words. Why?

- Though we might not share the exact situation in which Eric Meyer is in, many of us have been through similar/relatable situations. So we don't truly feel for him but we have an idea of his struggle mainly because all of us have gone through hard times.

Racial Prejudice

Francisco Ayala

Dr. Preston

Expository Reading and Writing

Racial Prejudice

It’s the 21^st century, the issue has been addressed decades ago but it is still here, racism. What is racism? Racism is a belief that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and had the right to rule others. Another way to put it? Racism is generally defined as actions, practices, or beliefs that consider the human species to be divided into races with shared traits, abilities, or qualities, such as personality, intellect, morality, or other cultural behavioral characteristics, and especially the belief that races can be ranked as inherently superior or inferior to others, or that members of different races should be treated differently. That’s just the dictionary definition, what thrives one to be racist is stronger than just the meaning itself.

To Be Or Not To Be

In the play, Hamlet knows that he has to be something.. or not.
His decisions were to either die and not be king, or kill and be the king.
Hamlet's uncle murdered Hamlet's father to take the throne and now, Hamlet was willing to kill his uncle to take back the throne.
At this time, Hamlet seems to be in a melancholy state. Suicide is in the question. Events prior to the soliloquy have not been so well for Hamlet.
Hamlet talks about dying and then dreaming after. To dream after death. He also asks what really is to come after death. This leads to him talking about the unknown; to be wary of the unknown.

It's a thought. Suicide would end the suffering. Although, if there isn't an afterlife, one would obviously be ending more than just the suffering. To end it like that, would be the weaker path.
Facing the conflict shows fortitude. It shows inner strength and what one is truly made of.
The way I see it, suicide is not the answer.
To be.

Vocabulary 7

Cursory- to go rapidly over something

ex. I studied in a cursory manner before the test.

Impetus- impulse; a moving force

ex. The waves impetus crashed on the beach hard.

Pinnacle- the peak

ex. When celebrities reach their pinnacles, they have nowhere else to go but down.

Contumely- humiliating insult

ex. The rap battle had contumely verses.

Calamity- a great misfortune

ex. The tsunami that hit Japan a couple years back was a calamity. 

Consummation- to complete 

ex. This homework assignment is consummated. 

Bereavement- a period of mourning after a loss

ex. The widow was in bereavement after her husband passed away.

Cache- a hiding place for supplies

ex. I have a cache of food in my locker.

Avarice- greed for riches

ex. Mr. Krabs is avarice.

Fortify- to protect or strengthen against attack

ex. The army fortified their barracks before the attack

Erratic- wandering; with no objective

ex.The erratic man had no motives.

Ubiquitous- existing or being everywhere

ex. The morning fog was ubiquitous in the city.

Fortitude- mental and emotional strength

ex. The man's fortitude stayed strong during his illness.

Nonchalant- casual

ex. Nobody expected the robber due to his nonchalant behavior in the bank.

Affect- to act on

ex. The cold weather affected the crops.

Effect- result; consequence 

ex. The crops were effected in a bad way.

Misappropriate- to put to a wrong use

ex. The pickaxe was used in a misappropriate manner to dig.

Pragmatic- dealing with things sensibly

ex. The court case was pragmatic.

Metacognition- thinking that enables understanding, analysis, and control

ex. The student's metacognition comes from his learning techniques which help him understand the subject.

Devoutly- religious

ex. The devoutly couple attend church every Sunday.