Vocabulary Homework #1 (9/26/11)

McKenzie Cooke

Accel English 12

A block

Vocabulary Homework #1

Prefixes:

1.) Agri - Agribusiness

·        Noun

·        An industry engaged in the producing operations of a farm, the manufacture and distribution of farm equipment and supplies, and the processing, storage, and distribution of farm commodities.

·        Businesses occupied in farming and the trades of agriculture.

·        Synonym – farming

·        Antonym -

·        The family specialized in agribusiness, they grew, processed, and sold their own corn products.

2.) De - Demonstrate

·        Verb

·        To illustrate or explain, especially with many examples, the value or efficiency of a product or object

·        To prove or make clear with reasoning or evidence

·        Synonym – reveal

·        Antonym – disprove

·        Billy Mayes was the face for Oxy Clean products and demonstrated their uses on television commercials.

3.) Gyr - Gyrate

·        Verb

·        To oscillate with or as with if a circular or spiral motion

·        To revolve around a point of axis

·        Synonym – rotate

·        Antonym –

·        The earth gyrates on its axis and revolves around the sun at the same time.

4.) Ply - Plywood

·        Noun

·        A material used for various building purposes, consisting usually of an odd number of veneers glued over each other, usually at right angles.

·        A type of wood that can be found in 4 by 8 foot sheets, at a number of different levels of thickness

·        Synonym – plyboard

·        Antonym –

·        Many parts of the new house were constructed from plywood, including the sub floors, walls, and roof.

5.) Therm - Thermostat

·        Noun

·        A device that functions to establish and maintain a desired temperature automatically or signals a change in temperature for a manual adjustment.

·        A mechanism that regulates a specific temperature in a room or area.

·        Synonym – thermoregulator

·        Antonym –

·        We had to turn up the thermostat in our house because of the sudden drop in temperature outside.

6.) Uni - Unite

·        Verb

·        To join, combine, or incorporate so as to form a single whole unit.

·        To cause to adhere, or to exhibit in union.

·        Synonym – join

·        Antonym – divide, separate

·        The whole student body was united in the lecture hall for an important announcement from the school principal.

Vocabulary:

1.) Alleviate

·        Verb

·        To make easier to endure

·        To lessen

·        Synonym – ease

·        Antonym – aggravate

·        The man had to have a back operation, and his doctor would prescribe him strong medicine to alleviate all of his pain.

2.) Annihilate

·        Verb

·        To destroy the collective existence or main body of; to destroy completely

·        To wipe out or cancel the effect of

·        Synonym – abolish

·        Antonym – preserve

·        The battle was a complete massacre; all members of our troop were annihilated.

3.) Discord

·        Noun

·        Lack of harmony between persons or things

·        Disagreement; difference in opinion

·        Synonym – controversy

·        Antonym – agreement

·        The two men got into a discord because there was a lot of controversy over their different views of religion.

4.) Chastise

·        Verb

·        To discipline, especially by corporal punishment.

·        To criticize severely

·        Synonym – punish

·        Antonym – comfort

·        The coach thinks that severely chastising his players for their mistakes will make them better players.

5.) Eschew

·        Noun

·        Having nothing to do with; to abandon

·        To abstain or keep away from

·        Synonym – avoid

·        Antonym – embrace

·        Her parents eschew telling her stories from their past because they are afraid that she will make the same mistakes they did.

6.) Credence

·        Noun

·        Belief as to the truth of something

·        A mental acceptance as true or real

·        Synonym – certainty

·        Antonym – distrust

·        The group of girls were not able to recognize the news as rumor, and gave credence to the gossip, spreading it around the school.

7.) Loquacious

·        Adjective

·        Characterized by excessive talk; chattering or babbling

·        Talking or tending to talk much or freely

·        Synonym – chatty

·        Antonym – quiet, on-talkative

·        The candidate was very loquacious, and his talkative personality caused him to lose the election because he always babbled off topic when giving a speech.

8.) Culpable

·        Adjective

·        Meriting condemnation of blame especially as wrong or harmful

·        Deserving blame or censure; blameworthy

·        Synonym – guilt, liable

·        Antonym – innocent

·        The driver of the stolen vehicle was culpable although there were two other people present with him when the crime took place.

9.) Panacea

·        Noun

·        A remedy for all ills or difficulties one may encounter

·        The answer or solution to all problems

·        Synonym – remedy

·        Antonym – problem

·        My grandmother seems to think that her remedy of soaking a sunburned body in concentrated tea is a panacea for burns.

Lit Circle Activity: Pages 39-88

McKenzie Cooke

Accel English 12

A block

Lit Circle Jobs 2.0 – Job #6  

 

1.) O’Brien’s decision to enter the war (pg 59-61)

            At the end of the chapter “On the Rainy River,” a section where Tim O’Brien flees home after being drafted into the Vietnam War, Tim makes the decision to enter the war. It is not the fact that O’Brien is going to war that I have a problem with, but it is his reasoning behind going that I oppose. I strongly disagree with why O’Brien decided to enter the war. He ended up going for all of the wrong reasons. Although O’Brien claimed to agree with parts of the war, it was clear that it seemed wrong to him overall. O’Brien thinks he is too good to fight in the war, and wanted to find an easy way out.  He ran away from home so that he can get away and figure things out, and because he resented the people of his town for expecting him to fight when they know nothing about the war itself. He ends up letting them win when he heads to Vietnam anyway.

            I think O’Brien is a coward for entering the war out of embarrassment. I do not think that one should risk their own life for the sake of quieting down their neighbors’ gossiping. O’Brien should have resisted his draft duty because he did not want to actually fight in the war. He should not have gone back on his beliefs on the behalf of others. I think that this stupid decision helps to show what kind of a person O’Brien was when he was young and innocent; submissive, cowardly, and easily influenced by other people. Soldiers are brave, and I can’t picture a man who acts this thoughtless ever living up to standards like that.

2.) Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk’s peculiar friendship (pg 65-66)

            One chapter, the two men fight over Jensen’s missing jackknife, which Strunk stole. The next, the two men befriend each other. They even set up an official document stating that each one of them would be by the others’ side to put them out of their misery if they were to be seriously wounded in the midst of becoming close. I completely agree with this reliance Jensen and Strunk had in each other. I cannot even imagine how alone a soldier feels while away at war. They are away from their families and taken out of their homes and stationed in places extremely unfamiliar. Eventually, I think a soldier could go insane due to how completely alone they feel. Finding friends and forming bonds with fellow soldiers is one of the easiest ways a soldier can stay sane while they witness all of the evils that war brings forth. Jensen and Strunk made the right choice in becoming friends because they could lean on and trust each other. Enough “enemies” already surrounded them. The two men’s friendship must have developed a great deal, for it peaked when Strunk’s leg got blown off and Jensen did not kill him. Their original silly agreement stated that Jensen had to, but he instead did what his friend asked him to do and he just let Strunk be. This shows that their relationship was a real, positive thing.

3.) A true war story is never moral (pg 68, 71)

            I don’t believe a true war story could ever be moral for war is not “moral” in itself. Tim O’Brien says that “It [a true war story] does not instruct, nor encourage virture, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing things men have always done.” I agree with Tim O’Brien because I don’t think I have ever really felt uplifted after hearing a war story. Men and women who serve in wars are exposed to things no person should want to see. Although they are fighting for the name of their countries, they cannot help but witness the obscenities and evils war contains.

            Tim O’Brien also states “Send guys to war, they come home talking dirty,” which I agree with as well. I would expect nothing more from soldiers at war who witness negativity and ruthlessness day in and day out. As war changes them for the worst, most of their characteristics and outlooks on life that were once normal begin to transform. True war stories are always so dissipated that they become hard to believe by those who are not soldiers themselves, and who have not been subject to the utter brutality of war. Tim O’Brien’s views on the immorality of a true war story are very correct, which shows his ability to still comprehend the reality of war.

4.) Adjectives of war (p 80)

            O’Brien generalizes war as hell, mystery, terror, adventure, courage, discovery, holiness, pity, despair, longing, and love. He calls it nasty, fun, thrilling, and drudgery. He says it makes you a man, and also makes you dead. I do not agree that war can be all of these things. Some of these adjectives even seem positive. Maybe the fact that I have never experienced war leads me to my disagreement, but I could never bring myself to believing someone’s words that said war could be beautiful and harmonious at times.

            I would describe seeing a scene of “great sheets of metal-fire streaming down from gunship” as tragic, not astonishing. Even though O’Brien justifies himself by saying that while you could hate the view, but your eyes couldn’t, I still disagree with him. I cannot picture my eyes being filled with the horrors of battle, and I cannot picture seeing this battle as serene or beautiful.

5.) Proximity to death brings a corresponding proximity to life (p 81)

            Generalizing about war being similar to generalizing about peace seems like a controversial idea. After hearing Tim O’Brien compare war and peace, however, I am a believer in this concept. I have had a few minor “near-death experiences” where I have seen my life flash before my eyes, never mind having incidents like these happen to me every day. I know that after every one of them I have appreciated my life even more than I did before it. So, it is plausible to me that after a battle, one would feel tremendously alive.

            I cannot imagine surviving a combat and not being thankful for my life – and for all things living in general. O’Brien says, “You’re never more alive than when you’re almost dead.” I have never been seriously close to death, gripping to life, like majority of soldiers have at once point or another, yet I understand the way O’Brien describes the realization of what is really valuable to you at that point and what things are not. In the end, soldiers are just happy to have survived another day.

McKenzie Cooke

Accel English 12

A block

The Things They Carried: Pages 1-38

Assignment #1

1.) Lt. Jimmy Cross and his men brought a few items with them as they journeyed through the jungles of Vietnam. They brought items that would be useful to them against the elements, and items that could be used to keep themselves sane and in control. These physical items included bug spray to repel mosquitoes, and thick ponchos for the rain that doubled as sleeping surfaces. Also, one of the men brought marijuana and pills so that he would feel better and stay calm. If I set out to travel into the jungle, I would be sure to bring a knife. A knife is a physical item that can be used for many different jobs in a jungle setting.

A knife is the most logical tangible item one could bring on an expedition. A knife brings forth many opportunities to accomplish tasks in the jungle that one would probably not be able to accomplish with a different tool. For example, knives can cut branches and materials to clear a path, or build a fire for warmth and for cooking. With a knife you would have protection from wild animals and people, and you could use it to sharpen spears or other hunting tools. You could kill an animal for food, clean it out, and cook it all because of one tool.

Knives don’t have any deep significance to me at all. However, I know that they are probably one of the most practical tools to bring into the jungle. I would like to travel with the comfort of knowing I could catch food if I needed it. I would also feel a lot safer to know that I could protect myself against a number of different creatures that live in the jungle. It would be important for me to have a knife in order to feel safe and more prepared for whatever obstacles I may come across.

2.) Aside from the physical items Lt. Cross and his crew carried, like pocketknives, compasses, and extra food, they also carried items that are considered intangible. These items included letters and sweet memories. An intangible item I would bring with me into the jungle would be the smell of home. Almost every house has a certain subtle scent, and I would want to be sure that I wouldn’t ever forget the way home smelled to me.

Just the smell of home would bring so many memories to me. By remembering the way home smells, I think I’d be able to picture what being back at home felt like. I could use this to reminisce on good times with family and friends and bring these memories everywhere I went. I could also imagine how comfy my bed would feel in my own room while I was lying on a hard ground trying to catch some sort of sleep. I think that by just remembering the scent of home, I would have more drive to continue on in my trek through the jungle.

            Assignment #2

                        Love (27-30): Although the chapter “Love” was short, it was a little more light-hearted than the previous chapter. In the chapter, Lt. Cross and Tim O’Brien get together and look back on the time they spent in the war. The two men talk of their sad times, and then switch over to the happier times. They drink and laugh about silly things like Henry and his girlfriend’s pantyhose, and Cross even shows Tim a picture of Martha when she becomes the conversation topic. This reminded me of being a senior. It seems like an unconnected comparison, but I remember talking with my friends this past summer of all of the memories we have had. We spoke of fights, of fun times, of old crushes, and could not believe all that we had been through together up until this point in our lives. Cross and Tim O’Brien reminiscing about the war reminded me a lot of looking back at old memories with my friends - minus the gin.

At the end of the chapter Tim tells Lt. Cross that he would like to write a story about “some of this.” Jimmy Cross goes along with this plan and jokes about wanting Tim to make him out as a really good guy in case Martha were to ever read it. I like the way the writer hints at the fact that we are actually reading Tim’s book already. The reader now knows that The Things They Carried is probably the story that Tim had been planning to write in this chapter. He is the narrator of the book, so we can assume that this is his point-of-view of what happened in the time he spent in Vietnam, as well as the things he did and thought about after the war was over.

Spin (31-38): This chapter gives Tim O’Brien’s memories about how the war was not all violence and terror. He shares random thoughts of sweet moments that occurred within his time served. On page 32, I like the way the writer used the metaphor “On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could put fancy spin on it, you could make it dance.” I like this because ping-pong and war are two things I would never imagine comparing. However, when you analyze this metaphor in the sense that you can potentially turn anything, even parts of a brutal war, into something less awful, the comparison seems to fit. The author used the metaphor to show that he and his men made some happy memories while in Vietnam, just as one could make an ordinary ping-pong ball move in a special and rewarding way.

Tim O’Brien talks about how he is now a 43-year-old writer and that the war has been over for many years. He narrates that the bad stuff never stops happening. He says it plays over and over in his head. I pictured in my head how insane it would make me to see these bad things without having any control over it. I cannot compare anything I have been through to what a soldier goes through in war, but I know that when something negative happens in my life I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t imagine the things some veterans have lived through, and probably re-live daily. Upon reading this all I could picture was one of the most heinous scenes from a war movie like “The Gladiator” being rewound and played repetitively.

McKenzie Cooke

Accel. English 12

A block

Bean trees have no place in England

(The Bean Trees, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time)

            The brisk air and frost-covered ground foreshadow that change is near. It is the end of fall in Tucson, Arizona, and winter is sharply creeping in through the hard ground. This change in weather brings a negativity that overcomes most people, especially Taylor. Even little Turtle seems depressed because all of the crops are frozen, and she can no longer watch the beans grow out in Mattie’s garden. Taylor decides that she, herself, needs change as well. Taylor knows that she makes very little money, but thinks she has saved enough to allow her and Turtle to go away for the remainder of the winter and surround themselves with new, positive experiences. She is aware that there are many Indian reservations where they can stay due to her Cherokee head rights, but instead, Taylor wants to go somewhere completely different from anywhere she has ever been. She and Turtle pack up their belongings and head to England.

            Taylor and Turtle arrive in London, England and it feels like an entirely different world. There is such busyness at the train station that Turtle holds tight to her mother’s hand. Among the craziness of rush hour at the station, the two accidentally board the wrong train. Rather than heading toward their hotel, they are headed to a small town called Swindon. Also on the bus from London to Swindon is Christopher Boone. He is headed from his mother’s house to his father’s for a short visit, and startles Taylor when she sees him crawling on the floor down the train car aisle. He is making moaning sounds as if he is in pain, and he is getting closer, so Taylor decides to confront him. Taylor has grown to be very tolerant of other people and their differences, so she approaches Christopher quietly and respectfully. “Excuse me, sir,” Taylor says. It looks as if she is talking to the floor because that is where Christopher is, now practically under her feet. His only response is more groaning. Taylor starts to repeat herself, assuming the boy did not hear her, but is interrupted by Turtle, who is shrieking and pointing under the seat across from them. “Mouse, mom! A mouse!” she screams excitedly. Christopher stands up and runs to the critter, scooping it up and putting it into his pocket.

            “What is going on?” Taylor demands. Christopher is threatened by her tone, but decides that he will answer because even though the lady is a stranger, strangers who are women and have kids are generally safe to speak with.

“I had to find Toby,” he replies. The train begins to slow down.

“Is Toby that mouse?” Taylor asks him.

“No. Toby is a rat. He is my pet.”

“That is very interesting,” Taylor says slowly. “I am Taylor Greer, and this is my daughter, Turtle.”

Christopher does not know whether to believe Taylor or not because this name seems ridiculous and he knows humans tell lies.

“Her name is Turtle?” he questions.

“Her name is April, but I call her Turtle because she used to have a grip as strong as a Turtle’s back when she was a baby. Turtle is her nickname, but it has a deep meaning.”

Christopher is confused by this comparison because humans are not like turtles at all.

            “What’s your name? Are you lost?” Taylor asked again.

Christopher hesitated from answering this time because he remembered almost being caught by a policeman on this same train car. Number three, the first real prime number greater than zero. He looks away from Taylor’s eyes and answers, “I am Christopher. I am not lost. I am headed to visit Father in Swindon.”

            Taylor panics immediately at the name of this town she has never heard of, and she stares straight up at the blinking sign telling the trains’ passengers that they have now reached their destination. Taylor and Turtle exit the train, hand in hand, after Christopher at the Swindon rail station. When Taylor catches her first glimpse of Christopher’s father, Ed Boone, who is waiting there for his son, her heart drops. She has never been the type of girl to have love at all for a man, never mind at first sight. The feelings seem mutual as their eyes meet. Christopher’s father ends up inviting Taylor and Turtle back to his home to help them get everything worked out. Taylor is both grateful and anxious, and rents a taxi to follow Ed and Christopher home because Christopher did his groaning and would not let her or Turtle into his father’s car. At the Boone residence, Taylor and Ed talk for what seems like hours on end, sipping coffee at the table while Turtle slept on the parlor couch and Christopher read his spacecraft book. Instead of making phone calls home and working out a way back to their London hotel as planned, Taylor stays. She spends the night, and the night turned into three more weeks. Taylor loves how easy it is for her to talk to Ed, and he enjoys the way the two understand each other completely. In just a month or so, they had formed a bond so strong that their time spent together made them begin to feel like a small family; a thing that Ed and Taylor had both missed very much.

            Taylor Greer finds herself so in love with Christopher’s father that she cannot imagine leaving him. Although Taylor is closer to Christopher’s age than his father’s, she is not bothered by it. She even finds herself starting to see Christopher as another one of her children, and is extremely pleased that he has begun to trust her. Christopher doesn’t mind having Taylor and Turtle around as long as they do not touch his special food box, touch him, or wear yellow and brown. He even lets Turtle help him feed Toby, and watched Taylor plant new flowers in the garden in the backyard, which he likes very much. Taylor was debating permanently moving to Swindon when she saw a black bird picking at the new garden plants, ripping them directly out of the ground. She knows that, like these newly sprouted plants, her roots do not belong in England. She is nostalgic for her past, her house in Tucson, and she misses all of her friends. It is time for Taylor to return home and end this chapter in her life. She packs her things and calls a taxi once again, leaving Ed with only a good-bye kiss.