Literature Analysis #1

1. Plot Points:
Exposition- Tim O'Brien was drafted into the war in his late teens and learns to mature very quickly. He becomes very good friends with his platoon and has many good and bad times throughout their years. Tim O'Brien gets shot at war which makes ends his war years. He is now back at home and starts to write a book on his experiences. Tim O'Brien tells his and his war friends' stories about their experiences in the Vietnam War. The long term effects on all of the soldiers are revealed throughout his book that consists of each of the soldier's stories.
Rising Action: Tim O'Brien is back at war after being shot for the first time. While back at war on his first few days he is shot again. There is a new medic named Bobby Jorgenson who is very shy and nervous about being in the war. When O'Brien gets shot, it takes Jorgenson a long time to get to him and help him. This causes Tim to go into shock and then Jorgenson doesn't realize it and treats him for the wrong thing. Tim makes it out alive but is very hurt and doesn't know if he will be able to go back into the war. After only being able to lay on his stomach for months, he finally recovers but is unable to return to the bush. He will still work in the military, but cannot go into the field. His new job is preparing supplies and weapons for those who go into the field.
Conflict: Tim O'Brien suffers Post War syndrome and has a hard time adapting back to real life or a "normal" life. He is now looked at different by his Platoon because he is not with them every day. He loses the brotherhood and family-like feeling with these men because he is no longer apart of the platoon. He is also looked at as a "wimp" or weaker man because he almost never sees combat or danger. He plays cards and drinks with the others for a good portion of the day, which makes him feel even more of a low-life because he can't do brave things and be a hero.
Climax: All of the soldiers come together to stand down and stay together for a couple of days. At this time, Tim O'Brien seeks revenge towards Jorgenson for not fully caring for his wound, which led to infection. He tries to get his old Platoon members to mess with Jorgenson, but they refuse because now Jorgenson is apart of their crew. Tim O'Brien is not apart of them any more, so they take Jorgenson's side. One man, Azar, agrees to help O'Brien get revenge on him. Azar and O'Brien go to where Jorgenson is working late at night and attempt to scare him. They make noises in the brush and make items float, which frightens Jorgenson. O'Brien finds a lot of joy in this, but then wants to stop after awhile. Azar convinces him to keep going even though he doesn't want to.
Falling Action: Jorgenson realizes that O'Brien is the person messing with him and starts to walk out into the brush and find him. He continues to say out loud that he knows it is him. Once the men meet, they talk about their differences and call it even. They forgive each other and have no more problems. They are friends again and have no hatred towards each other.
Resolution: The rest of the Platoon takes O'Brien back in and accepts him as family because he made amends with Jorgenson. The men finish their get together in a happy matter with no problems amongst each other. O'Brien realizes that things happen and he will be fine living life in a different manner. He realizes to forgive and forget.

The plot shows the author's purpose in many ways. The author's purpose is to show how the men carry physical and mental things throughout the war that will stay with them forever. He also wants to show how the war impacts a person's life in many ways and sometimes for the worst. He shows that there are ways to cope, like in his situation writing, but in other situations, there is no way out like Norman Bowker who committed suicide. The author also shows how the men really relied on each other's friendships and connections to make it not only through the war, but also through their lives.
2. The theme of this story is the guilt and shame built up within the soldiers that is revealed and redeemed through story telling and memories. Tim O'Brien and his platoon enter the war because they want to seem brave and masculine. If they do not enter the war they will be an embarrassment within the community. Although they try and seem brave on the outside, most of the soldiers are full of fear and anxiety. When O'Brien can no longer participate in combat, he feels guilty because he cannot fight for his country, rather he is doing the simple things on base. His shame causes him to want revenge and builds a feeling of hate within himself. Through story telling he can finally come to a consensus and accept what happened in war. His storytelling also helps him to adapt back to the "normal" world and not suffer too badly from Post War Syndrome.
3. The tone of the story is guilt and remorse.
"None of it mattered. The words seemed far too complicated. All I could do was gape at the fact of the young man's body."
This shows how guilty and horrible O'Brien felt for killing the innocent man.
"In a way, I envied him- all of them. Their deep bush tans, the sores and blisters, the stories, the in-it-togetherness. I felt close to them, yes, but I also felt a new sense of separation. My fatigues were starched; I had a neat hair cut and a clean, sterile smell of the rear. They were still my buddies, at least on one level, but once you leave the boonies, the whole comrade business gets turned around. You become a civilian. You forfeit membership in the family, the blood fraternity, and no matter how hard you try, you can't pretend to be apart of it.
O'Brien shows how he wishes he could be with his platoon again in the dangerous combat.
"I wanted to do something, stop him somehow... I was trembling. I kept hugging myself, rocking, but I couldn't make it go away."
This shows how O'Brien felt guilty about torturing Jorgensen and wanted to stop, but Azar would not let him.
4.  Point of View: This helps in that O'Brien tells stories through first person point of view because he was in the story himself.
"It was something that would never go away, he said quietly, and I nodded and told him I felt the same about certain things." Page 27
Symbolism: The title of the story symbolizes the physical and mental things the soldiers carry. They carry physical objects, but also things like guilt and anxiety.
"They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing-these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight." Page 21
Imagery: This technique helped to explain the gory within the war stories.
"The rain was hard and steady. Along the perimeter there were quick bursts of gunfire. Another round hit near round, spraying up shit and water, and for a few moments he ducked down beneath the mud." Page 148
Juxtaposition: This shows the soldiers feelings towards death which happened so much.
"Sharp grey eyes, lean and narrow-wasted, and when he died it was almost beautiful, the way the sunlight came around him and lifted him and sucked him high into a tree full of moss and vines and white blossoms." Page 70
Simile: This helps to show how the stories really impacted the lives of the soldiers.
"He could pass through barbed wire and melt away like ice and creep up on you without sound or footsteps." Page 202
Metaphor:  There is an extended metaphor throughout the book that shows Tim O' Brian's connection to the war even many years after the war.
Kathleen, O'Brian's daughter, stands for the young generations that don't understand the war because they did not live in the time period, while O'Brian is still holding the war with him even though it had been over for many years. As the author, O'Brian compares himself and his daughter to show the difference between the different generations.
Irony: The irony shows how the soldiers could not give up the war even when it ended.
"Finally one of his buddies asks what happened with the nurse, why so hot for combat, and the guy says, 'All that peace, man, it felt so good it hurt. I want to hurt it back.'" Page 35
Black Humor: This shows how the soldiers accepted death so easily.
"'Easy does it,' he told me, 'just a sad wound, no problem unless your pregnant.' He ripped off the compress, applied a fresh one, and told me to clamp it in place with my fingers. 'Press hard,' he said. 'Don't worry about the baby.'" Page 190
Personification: This helps to provide clear examples of what happened at war.
"But if I could ever get the story right, how the sun seemed to gather around him and pick him up and lift him high into a tree, if I could someone recreate the fatal witness of that light, the quick glare, the obvious cause and effect, then you would believe the last thing Curt Lemon believed, which for him must've been the fatal truth." Page 84
Flashback: This is seen throughout the whole story as the author reminisces on the stories of the war. "For a long time I lay there all alone, listening to the battle, thinking I've been shot, I've been shot: all those Gene Autry movies I had seen as a kid." Page 189
Characterization:
1.  O'Brian uses both direct characterization and indirect characterization. In the beginning of the story O'Brian uses direct characterization to give background on the story like when he said, "Kiowa, a devout Baptist, carried an illustrated New Testament that had been presented to him by his father, who taught sunday school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This shows how Kiowa was a good-hearted man and also very religious. He also used direct characterization when he said, "Until he was shot, Ted Lavender carried 6 or 7 ounces of premium dope, which for him was a necessity." This shows how Lavender couldn't accept war without being on drugs. The author shows indirect characterization when he says, "He released Kiowa's boot and watched it slide away. Slowly, working his way up, he hoisted himself out of the deep mud, and then he lay still and tasted the shit in his mouth closed his eyes and listened to the rain and explosions and bubbling sounds." This shows how Bowker could not handle the pressure of the war and the horrible environment. He also uses indirect characterization when he says, "It wobbled and went down sideways period. Rat shot it in the nose period. He bent forward and whispered something, as if talking to a pet, then he shot it in the throat. All the while the baby buffalo was silent, or almost silent, just a light bubbling sound where the nose had been. It lay very still." This shows how Rat Kiley needed something to take his anger out and he chose to torture an animal, which shows how he also can't handle the pressures of war.
2. The author's diction remains the same throughout the entire story. The reason for this is because the entire story is stories or communication about the war. Therefore, there is profanity and mature words used throughout the story, such as, "Before they die, though, one of the dead guys says, 'The fuck you do that for?' and the jumper says, 'Story of my life, man,' and the other guy starts to smile but he's dead." Also, there is a lot of talk about death because in war many people die and many bad things happen. The syntax remains the same, except for when direct stories are being told. There is usually more dialogue being used in the stories when the men are talking.
3. The protagonist is Tim O'Brian. He is dynamic because in the beginning of the story he does not want to go to the war and is very scared and tries to run away from the war. After many years and being in the war, he now can't leave the war without writing about it or going back and visiting where the war was. He is now a very brave person and feels guilty that he cannot participate in combat. He wanted nothing to do with the war in the beginning of the story and now he lives only through telling his war stories and reminiscing on old times. O'Brian is a round character because he goes through so many obstacles while in the war and is forced to overcome them. He is also the main character as well as the author of the story. He reveals his feelings and true self by retelling the stories of the war, the stories he lived through and had to deal with for his whole life.
4. I feel like I met a person in this story. There was so much detail and even though some of the stories weren't true or some of the details weren't true, I feel like I really met a person who had been in war and couldn't accept the fact that the war was over and it was time to return back to a normal lifestyle. O'Brian wants to keep connected with his war years by retelling the stories to younger generations and friends, but also by writing this book. I feel that I had a very long conversation with O'Brian and he was telling me all of his sad and sometimes happy stories. These words, 'I'm young and happy. I'll never die. I'm skimming across the surface of my own history, moving fast, riding the melt beneath the blades, doing loops and spins, and when I take a high leap into the dark and come down thirty years later, I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy's life with a story,' make me feel like I just had that deep conversation. That conversation about how Tim O'Brian didn't want to give up his younger years and how he still struggles to this day of giving up that life and living a normal life.

Antibullying!!!

Vocabulary fall list 3

1. Accolade (noun): an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgment of merit.
As the dancer proceeded off the stage, the accolades from the audience were astounding.
2. Acerbity (noun): sourness, with roughness or astringency of taste.
The football coaches stringent regiments led the football players to a state of acerbity towards him.
3. Attrition (noun): a reduction or decrease in numbers, size, or strength.
As the county agency experienced a budget deficit, attrition occurred amongst staff levels.
4. Bromide (noun): a trite or obvious remark.
The counselors bromide was not helpful to the patient.
5. Chauvinist (noun): a person with a prejudiced belief in his own superiority.
The male chauvinist was arrogant around women and had an err of superiority.
6. Chronic (adjective):  being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering.
The chronic pain from the spreading cancer resulted in her eventual death.
7. Expound (verb): add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing.
The author expounded to his last draft, which made the editing process much longer.
8. Factionalism (adjective): self-interested; partisan.
The congressmen's campaign speech resounded of factionalism.
9. Immaculate (adjective): completely neat and clean.
After the cleaning ladies did their monthly routine, the house was immaculate.
10. Imprecation (noun): the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult).
The terrorists imprecation resulted in humility and torture to the victim.
11. Ineluctable (adjective): impossible to avoid or evade: " inescapable conclusion".
As they traveled across the continents the ineluctable Ebola virus was hard to escape.
12. Mercurial (adjective): liable to sudden unpredictable change.
The mercurial woman was subject to illness in the matter of seconds.
13. Palliate (verb): lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of.
When the medical responders arrived at the scene, they attempted to palliate the situation.
14. Protocol (noun): forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state.
The Gala Affair was stringent with protocol throughout the evening.
15. Resplendent (adjective): having great beauty and splendor.
The evening moon was abundant with resplendent views.
16. Stigmatize (verb): to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful.
The prejudice police officer stigmatized the African American inappropriately.
17. Sub Rosa (adverb): in secret or covertly.
The men completed the mission in sub rosa.
18. Vainglory (noun): outspoken conceit.
The rap star is known to be a significant vainglory.
19. Vestige (noun): an indication that something has been present.
As the family walked into the home of the diseased family member the vestige surrounded their every thought.
20. Volition (noun): the act of making a choice.
The volition of the political party was to vote in opposition to the congressional bill.

Beowulf Essay

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself," by Joseph Campbell. In earlier times, someone looked at or called a hero was someone very different than a person who is considered a hero in modern times. Heroes from the past would encounter a monomyth, or a hero's journey. On this journey the hero was called to action and supposed to fix a problem. The hero went into the situation and was supposed to find something or make something of itself. Finally, the hero was to come back and tell of its monomyth to their people. "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles," by Christopher Reeve. Modern day heroes are, in most cases, ordinary people who hold bravery that are willing to save the life or put their lives on the hands for other people. In modern times, it is much more difficult to obtain the title of a hero because a person must be willing to risk their lives, whereas in the past a hero was called to adventure or action. If a story was told of a hero from a feminist view in the old times the story would differ in many ways than if a male told the story, but if a female was to tell the story in modern time the story would not be told differently. Heroes in the past, such as Beowulf, differ from those in the present, such as a firefighter, in ways such as what the person must accomplish or how the person holds themselves.
  In the epic story Beowulf, the hero of the story is Beowulf, who steps up and solves the problems that the King has. Beowulf's calls to action throughout his journey are to fight a monstrous creature that gives the King or community problems. He shows heroism in his will to fight "naked" or without weapons against an enemy that has "magical" powers, unknown to mankind. These characteristics of the enemy and descriptions of the battles are told using hyperbole because they are often extremely exaggerated. Beowulf choses to fight Grendel because he believes that he needs to show respect and honor to the King who had done a favor for his family in the past. The honor that Beowulf holds towards the King is a common theme throughout this story. Beowulf has to face "the dragon" who has been protecting the treasure and will not let anyone pass or come near it. Beowulf is confident and his arrogance encourages him throughout his battle. When he discovers the true strength of the dragon and is soon badly injured, he must find strength to keep fighting. Wiglaf comes to help him, another sign of honor in which he respects Beowulf enough to help him when he is down while the rest of the crew runs, and Beowulf and him defeat the dragon together. Although Beowulf died and was unable to go back and tell his story, Wiglaf was able to go back and redeem his honor for him. Beowulf is considered a hero of the time for his strength in conquering and willingness to put his life on the line.
A commonly known hero of modern time is a firefighter. A firefighter is a common, everyday individual who is willing to save another person even if it means taking his own life. A hero is usually recognized from someone or a group of people that notice their heroic actions. There is a certain group of firefighters that are well know heroes. This group of firefighters faced a huge, hot fire in Arizona and spent countless days attempting to put the fire out. All the people that lived in or near the area of the fire saw those men and women as heroes because they were willing to save people and land even if it meant their life would be taken. Nineteen firefighters lost their life in this fire and they will be the most remembered heroes for their honor and fight against such a horrible fire. The story of these heroes is told in a much different way than Beowulf because the Heroes of modern time are much more realistic. In this story there would be no exaggeration, rather there would be stories of irony and personification of how the fire came to life. In modern times it is much more difficult to earn the title of a hero because many people only see realistic situations as a sign of heroism, rather than an unrealistic story being told about monsters.
  Perspective plays a major role in how a story is told and what will be or won't be included. In the past men and women held very different roles and were amongst very different statuses. If a female were to tell the story of Beowulf, the plot and details would not exaggerate as much and would not make the monsters and Beowulf as much power as if a male would be telling this story. A women's point of view in this particular story would hurt the story because the reader would lose the real understanding of Beowulf's strength. Also, women would tell the story in a much more caring, soft-natured way because that was who they personally were, whereas men had a tough, hard-headed side and could truly explain the gory of the story. If a female were to tell a story of a more modern hero, for instance the firefighters that fought the Arizona fire, the story would not be much different then if a man told it. The roles of men and women in modern society are equal and they both understand the real world in the same way. Although a female might tell the story in a more heartfelt and sympathetic view then a male would, the story would be understood the same and not have major changes. The reason for the major difference is the roles and status of women and their responsibilities in the community in the past to modern days.
   A hero can be defined as a character who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self-sacrifice. A hero is a hero, but a hero from Beowulf's time is much different then a hero from the modern firefighter's time. Although in both cases the hero was recognized by the people and the heroes wanted to help, in Beowulf, the story was much more exaggerated and unrealistic while the modern hero was a deeper and a more realistic hero. With Beowulf as the hero, he felt confident and arrogant, while the firefighters were humble and acted as if it were another simple day of their life. The reason the "hero" has changed is because of the changing of societies. Many things have changed in the world since the time of Beowulf, which transforms the reader or the peoples view of a hero. The way the story is told allows for the hero to be revealed, whether it be a female or male author. The role and definition of a hero has changed so much in one thousand years, but what will a hero be defined as in one thousand more years?

MASTERPIECE IN PROGRESS

As far as thinking about my masterpiece, I haven't spent much time doing so. Just the truth, but I do have some options as to which direction I would like to go in. One of my life time dreams is to become an attorney. Therefore, I might want to do something in terms of this topic or maybe something away from the specific attorney idea, but something with a helping hand to others. I guess my overall passion from life is to help others and for my personality becoming an attorney would fit my lifestyle while also helping others. OR I am debating on an entirely different path, which also incorporates helping others, but in a less serious manner. I have also been thinking about doing something that includes those with special needs. This is something that is very important in my life and I find very valuable. I believe that there needs to be more notice towards this type of people. So I think I can make that change. Although that may be one of my top choices, I haven't entirely thought or found out in what way I would accomplish this. So as far as getting to the fine details and really narrowing down what I want to do, I haven't accomplished this yet. I do have some choices that I strongly believe in and hope that I can make something work from these choices. I guess I better get started on thinking of how I can carry out my ideas into a powerful and life changing action. "Actions speak louder than words." It's time to get started.

WILL STUDY FOR FOOD

The scholarship that I want to apply to is called the Coca - Cola Scholars Foundation. The award for this scholarship is 20,000 dollars. The qualifications for this scholarship are:
1) you must be currently a senior in high school (check)
2) a Us Citizen (Check)
3) anticipating completion of high school (check)
4) planning to pursue a degree at a US accredited institution (check)
5) carrying a minimum GPA of 3.00 at the end of your junior year (check)
The Scholarship is due October 31.
I need scholarship money to help me pay for all of my college expenses for the next few years. I not only live in a single parent home, but I also have another sibling that has been in college for three years already, which has been a financial struggle for my family. Now my mom will have two students in college. Although my brother has loans and help from our dad, it is the miscellaneous and "extra" expenses that add up. Another reason that I need this money for is because after I earn my Bachelors Degree, I want to further my education and pursue a law degree. Law School is extremely expensive and will just be adding on to what ever debt that I may have from undergraduate school. Although my mother makes a descent amount of annual income, she does not have a lot of money "hanging around" to pay for both mine and my brother's college. This is why I will apply to as many scholarships as possible and work extremely hard to get all the money that I can. My goal is to have at least half of all my college expenses paid for through scholarships. With at least half of the cost paid for, I can then use the money I have been saving and work to pay of the rest of my expenses.

Vocabulary List 2

1. Accoutrements (noun) - personal clothing, accessories, etc.
Her accoutrements were noticeable with their flash and style, matching every color she wore.
2. Apogee (noun) - the highest or most distant point, climax
The apogee of the night occurred when Stevie knelt down and proposed to his girlfriend.  
3. Apropos (adverb) - fitting; at the right time; to the purpose; opportunely.
It was apropos that the family smiled when the bride said I do and cried of joy.
4. Bicker (verb) - to engage in petulant or peevish argument; wrangle
The siblings bickered at each other over who would get the TV for the night.
5. Coalesce (verb) - to grow together or into one body
The couple was so united that they became coalesce within a short period of time.
6. Contretemps (noun) - an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence.
The performance was contretemps when the ballerina slipped and fell in front of the audience.
7. Convolution (noun) - a twisted mess that causes confusion along the way.
The project assigned by the teacher had been so convoluted that the students did not know where to start.
8. Cull (verb) - to choose; select; pick.
The teacher had to cull the best student to compete for the scholarship.
9. Disparate (adjective) - to take two very opposite things and put them together
The teenager chose to have a disparate room when she picked black and white paint for her walls.
10. Dogmatic (adjective) - of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a dogma or dogmas; doctrinal.
The candidate for governor was dogmatic in his speech regarding his promises after election.
11. Licentious (adjective) - sexually unrestrained; lascivious; libertine; lewd. More general term going against morals.
When the soldier returned home to his wife, they were licentious and captured by the moment.
12. Mete (verb) - to distribute or apportion by measure; allot; dole (usually followed by out)
The single mother of the poverty stricken family mete out food accordingly.
13. Noxious (adjective) - harmful or injurious to health or physical well-being
The noxious, drunk man continued to destroy his liver by consuming too much alcohol.
14. Polemic (noun) - a controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine, etc.
The polemic that ran for president disagreed with all of the views of the Senate.
15. Populous (adjective)- full of residents or inhabitants, as a region; heavily populated.
The populous city had many issues due to pollution and over-crowding.
16. Probity (noun) - integrity and uprightness; honesty.
The pastor of the church exhibited probity in dealing with his congregation.
17. Repartee (noun) - a quick, witty reply.
The Comic book withheld multiple repartees to the reader's thoughts.
18. Supervene (verb) -to take place or occur as something additional or extraneous
(sometimes followed by on or upon). "occur after an event in such a way so as to change it"
After the graduation, the teachers made supervene efforts with their graduating students.
19. Truncate (verb) - to shorten by cutting off a part; cut short
While reading the story, the librarian truncated the book due to lack of time.
20. Unimpeachable (adjective) - above suspicion; impossible to discredit; impeccable
The unimpeachable speaker captivated his audience with his words.