Friday, October 28, 2011

Mark Antony's Speech about Julius Caesar

Read the following funeral speech from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. What does it say about Caesar? What was his "flaw" that is repeated constantly? Is it a flaw? How does the speaker feel about him? How does he compare to Gatsby?

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him;
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones,
So let it be with Caesar ... The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answered it ...
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,
(For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all; all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral ...
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man….
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason…. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Justin Courtney and Ariana

































(Daisy)- "Maybe it just sags, like a heavy load." -because she dont know who to choose between gatsby and tom.


(Tom)- "stinks like rotten meat"- Because he only thinks about his self when it comes to happiness.

(Gatsby)- "Or fester like a sore, and then run?"-Even though it hurts that he dont have daisy he just keeps going.

(Nick)- "Explodes"- gets uptight about daisy and gatsby's situation.

Nikki, Zandy, Jessica, Shyam and Ruby.

1.) Gatsby- Festers like a sore and then run. His dream hurts him for years and just continues to hurt like a sore and is renewed every time he looks at daisy like walking on a sore

2.) Daisey- Explode. daisy sees all her dreams explode around her, with the two men she cares about realizing about each other

3.) Tom- Stink like rotten meat. tom had what he wanted but his jealousy stinks and ruins those around him.

4.) Myrtle- Crusts and sugar over like a syrupy treat. her dreams are built on good intentions but to much of a good thing will ruin

5.) Nick- dries like a raisin in the sun. he watches his dreams shrivel up and die slowly through the whole chapter
 <--- (:

Death of the American dream. Ben D., David Sedano, Kyle Pedley, Anthony Bristow, Heidi Duarte




Gatsby- "Does it explode"
In that room in New York all of Gatsby's dreams exploded when Daisy could not say she loved him the whole time.



















Daisy-"Or does it crust over like a sugary sweet?














Tom- "Does it stink like rotten meat?"



Tom stinks like rotten meet because he is buff and strong, but you dont want to be around him because of his arrogance.







Nick- "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load"
Nick's dream is like a heavy load because he not only has to deal with his own lost dreams but also with everyone else's since he was stuck in the center of all the other character's problems.






















Myrtle- "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?"

















. Myrtle is dried up also because she was killed by a car and dried up.


Myrtle is tom's mistress, she is deciveing, crupt, and vain. Myrtle is very self absorb in her actions when she purchases a items or when speaking her lanuage used is very vulgar and she seems to not care about anyones needs but her own.

Natalie Watts, Kenneth Hill, Hunter Smith, Ben Jones, Stephanie Watson

Gatsby: Or does it explode? His whole love life is slowly dying. He has been turned down by Daisy the love of his life.












Myrtle: Does it stink like rotten meat? She is dead and once someone is dead or the meat is rotten there is no going back to change anything.













Tom: Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? The reason that tom is compared to a dried up raisin









Nick: Maybe it just sags like a heavy load?







Daisy: Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?






Conner, Quatey, Tyler, Brenden










Tom: Crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet because his dream of moving out west with Daisy hasn't happened.











Mrtyle: Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun. Myrtle was hit by a car and her dream was to move. The fact that she died, she doesn't get fullfilled.




Nick: Dries like a raisin in the sun because he watches slowly as his dreams shift away








Gatsby: I would say that Gatsby's Dream stinks like rotten meat because he knows that Tom and Daisy may yet still be in love. Daisy couldn't even say that she never loved Tom








Daisy: To have a good, happy life.


"Sugar Coated" Confused but not Disoriented























Kayla, Crystal, Deneshia, & Rachel

Daisy: "Or fester like a sore-- and run?" Her dream is to have a happy and normal life with Tom. Her dream is a sore because, she keeps trying to have that life with Tom but the love affairs with Myrtle causes her pain.

Tom: "Crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?" His dream was to move out west with Daisy and his daughter. He wants this dream but he gets caught up in sticky situations that prevent him from achieving his dream.

Myrtle: "Or does it explode?" Her dream was to move, however since she died she couldn't achieve this dream.

Gatsby: "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" His dream was to get Daisy back into his arms. As the days pass though it seems unlikely that he will win her back
.
Nick: "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load" His dream was to get a bond business. However his father only promised to give him money for a year so Tom has to look for a job to keep living and keep up his college work.

Death of the American Dream

"A Dream Deferred"
by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

Read the poem. What is the poet saying about dreams that are never fulfilled or realized? Apply this poem to the American Dreams of the characters in The Great Gatsby. Which one of these similes ("like....") applies best to each character's dream in the novel? Detail and explain why. Analyze the characters: 

1. Gatsby   2. Daisy    3. Tom     4. Myrtle    5. George Wilson   6. Nick

Individually, make a keynote for each simile in the poem for the character who you think it applies to.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Figurative Language

As a Romantic author, Fitzgerald uses amazing imagery, similes, metaphors, etc. Post a comment that leaves a direct quote from the novel that you liked. Tell us what type of figurative language the quote is and what the quote is saying.

What to look for:

* symbolism
* descriptive imagery
* metaphors
* similes
* personification
* epigram

This is required for every chapter we read.

New Vocabulary

Post a comment that gives the definition of one word you read in The Great Gatsby that you were unsure of. If you feel as if you did not come across any words you did not already know the definition of, then post a definition of a word that you think others may not know. This is required for every chapter we read.

Monday, October 3, 2011

World War I and the Lost Generation

By David Sedano, Crystal Blue, Kenneth Hill, and Stephanie Watson

*World War I
Causes:
World War One occurred from a complicated series of alliances and trust between European nations.
The two main alliances were:

  • The Dual Alliance - An alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary to protect themselves from Russia. They later made the Triple Alliance with Italy so it wouldn't take sides with Russia.
  • The Triple Entente - A pact between Russia, Britain and France to counter the increasing threat of Germany

The chain of events that led up to the Great War was begun by the murder of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, believing that they were supporting the assassins. Russia, who was the traditional ally of Serbia, stepped in to help Serbia, forcing France into war as well. As a result, Germany stepped in to help Austria-Hungary. Germany then invaded neutral Belgium to attack France, which then forced Britain into the mosh pit. Later, Italy went to the ally side as well as the U.S. jumped in.

Consequences:

  • Germany - After the war, Germany was severely crippled, economically and militarily. As a result of the peace treaty signed to end the war, Germany was not allowed to reach its full militaristic potential. Germany also lost a small portion of land to France. The loss of the war left the German people low on morale and money, giving rise to the Nazi party which would later start the Second World War
  •  Austria-Hungary - After WWI, Austria-Hungary was divided into two different nations, Hungary and Austria. However, Austria was divided even further into the nations of Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia, greatly reducing its size. Hungary, on the other hand, became independent but lost a large portion of its population after losing Transylvania to Romania, due to the treaty.
  • Russia - Once the war has ended, Russia begins to become a communist nation. The Russians also attempt to retrieve all the territories they had lost prior to the war. These included Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Belarus and Ukraine. Of these, Belarus and Ukraine were the only two they regained control over.
  • Britain/UK - the United Kingdom won vast tracks of land from the war, mainly in the Middle East due to the Ottoman Empire's later involvement in the war on Germany's side. However, the war left England struggling due to the loss of many troops, as well as the loss of money. This made it extremely difficult for Britain to govern its territories overseas, eventually leading Ireland to its independence in 1921.
  • France - As victors of the war, France won territory along the French-German border, territory that they had lost during the first years of fighting. Although they were victorious, the French land was heavily riddled with reminders of the war, as much of the fighting was done on French soil. Some territories that it gained were German colonies in Africa, as well as territories of the Ottoman Empire.
**Lost Generation
During the 1920's, Gertrude Stein coined the term "Lost Generation." This term refers to a group of author's that were "lost in the values that its members were being taught didn't fir the reality of life after the brutal war." It seemed as if World War I had destroyed the idea of good things happen to the virtuosos. These authors often wrote about and criticized American culture by giving it themes of self-exile, care-free living and unworldly separation. These "lost" authors were often characterized
 by these traits:
- Youthful Idealism
- Sought the meaning of life
- Drank a lot
- Numerous love affairs
- Many masterpieces were written
- Rejected modern American materialism
- Lived in Paris
- Made writing styles that are still used today
- Came of age during World War One
These authors often tried to live normal lives, ignoring the tragedy of the war that had just occurred.
These authors were:
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ernest Hemingway
John Dos Passos
Sherwood Anderson
Kay Boyle
Hart Crame
Ford Maddox Ford
Zelda Fitzgerald
                                                                               Video link:

Citations:
1. http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/worldwar1/a/ovww1.htm
2. http://americanhistory.about.com/od/worldwari/tp/causes-of-world-war-1.htm
3. http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/harrachmemoir.htm
4. http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW1/causes.htm
5. http://www.historywiz.com/alliance.htm
6. http://www.worldology.com/Europe/world_war_1_effect.htm
7. http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/hpolscrv/jbolhofer.html
8. http://1920sgirls.tripod.com/lostgeneration.html