AP Lit Term: Vernacular

Vernacular- Everyday speech 

This video is a clip from comedian Dane Cook, making fun of some of the speech that is used daily.  Words like "gay" or "raped" are used in different ways, then they might have been in the past. (Sorry for the some of the language.)

Big Question

What are the factors that create a compensation model in which we pay our athletes and entertainers millions and millions but pay our public servants close to minimum wage?

Self Search

When searching online for myself, I couldn't really find anything when  I just searched Hunter Walker.  I then searched Hunter Walker basketball, and I found a couple links to some websites that had mentioned me for basketball.  I also found this picture under the images.

Thinking Outside The Box

Both Plato and Satre created a story that describe limitations to our thinking.  Plato uses a cave and shackles to show how most people's thoughts can be restrained and limited.  Most people believe in something and don't really question it or check to make sure it's correct.  What they think is reality, is actually a representation of what is actually real.  In Satre's "No Exit" he describes a room of three people who are supposed to be in a living hell.  This contradicts the normal hell, that everyone believes to be true.  Even the three people are excepting to be tortured, but their presence is torture enough.  A solution to this thinking would be questioning what is said to be true, and thinking on your own.

Literature Analysis 3

1. The protagonist of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is Jake Barnes, an American journalist living in Paris. Jake suffered a war wound that has caused him to be impotent, though the nature of his wound is never explicitly described in the novel. He is in love with Lady Brett Ashley, a twice-divorced Englishwoman. Jake plays tennis with his college friend Robert Cohn, picks up a prostitute (Georgette), and runs into Brett and Count Mippipopolous in a nightclub. Brett and Jake leave together; in a taxi she tells him she loves him, but they know they have no chance at a lasting relationship. Jake is joined by Bill Gorton, recently arrived from New York, and Brett's fiancé Mike Campbell, who arrives from Scotland. Jake and Bill travel to Spain, where they meet Robert Cohn north of Pamplona for a fishing trip. Cohn, however, leaves for Pamplona to wait for Brett and Mike. Cohn had an affair with Brett a year earlier and still feels possessive of her despite her engagement to Mike. Jake and Bill enjoy five days of tranquillity, fishing the streams near Burguete, after which they rejoin the group in Pamplona, where they begin to drink heavily. Cohn's presence is increasingly resented by the others, who taunt him with anti-semitic remarks. During the fiesta the characters drink, eat, watch the running of the bulls, attend bullfights, and bicker with each other. Jake introduces Brett to Romero at Montoya's inn; she is smitten with the 19-year-old matador and seduces him. The jealous tension between the men builds; Mike, Jake, Cohn, and Romero each love Brett. Cohn, who had been a champion boxer in college, has fistfights with Jake, Mike, and Romero, whom he injures. Despite the tension, Romero continues to perform brilliantly in the bullriding. Sober again, they leave Pamplona. Bill returns to Paris, Mike stays in Bayonne, and Jake goes to San Sebastian in northeastern Spain. As Jake is about to return to Paris he receives a telegram from Brett, who left for Madrid with Romero, asking for help. He finds her in a cheap hotel, without money, and without Romero. She announces she has decided to marry Mike. The novel ends with Jake and Brett in a taxi speaking of the things that might have been.

2. The theme of this book is love and how it can be so blind at times. Lady Brett falls in love throughtout the story with different guys also. She thinks that she is actually falling in love, when really it was just lust that she was feeling. She is blindly falling in love with these guys, when really she just has a little crush on them a girl in grade school. It does not seem like she cares about the feeling of the other men she is playing. Since Lady Brett has all those love interests she hurts the friendship that she has with Jake. For most of the book Jake feels like he is in love with Lady Brett, but she shows her true character throughout the book and Jake realizes that he isn't actually in love with her. This shows the blindess of love that was in this book.

3. Ernest Hemingway seems to have more then one tone during the novel. He is stern during parts and can be compassionate at other times. When Robert and Romero fight, the author uses a tone of anger, so the audience learns something about the characters. It shows how Robert is quick to snap to violence and shows Hemmingway having a stern tone. There are plenty of examples of a compassionate tone, because the theme of the book is love. The author has to use compassion as a tone when the lovers interact, like Jake and Lady Brett.

4. One literary element that Ernest Hemingway uses is irony. It is ironic that by the time that Jake gets over Lady Brett, that is when she feels like she might have feelings for him. She says that they should have spent more time together, and he answers it with very little emotion. Another literary techinque that the author uses is flashbacks and that's used by going back to protray some of the experiences Jake had in WW1. There are aslo symbols that are used, like how fishing in the river was so peaceful. Also, Hemingway used hyperbole by emphaszing how easy it is for Lady Brett to fall in love.  

Big Question

Why is it that in our country we have no problem paying our althetes and entertainers millions and millions of dollars but we pay our teachers, law enforcement officers, and even our president no where near that in comparison?

Hamlet Essay

From Austin's theory of performativity, performative utterance can be broken down into three forces, the locutionary force, the illocutionary force and the perlocutionary force. The locutionary can be defined as what the meaning of the words are, for example in Hamlet when the ghost of King Hamlet appears and tells Hamlet that Claudius was the one who killed him. After receiving this information, Hamlet felt like he had to avenge his father and throughout the story that was his goal. The illocutionary force is the function behind the statement, as demonstrated in Hamlet when the king tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet. He does this so he can hopefully get information from them, but also to reassure his power as King. The perlocutionary force is what is achieved by being said. At the end of the story Laertes tells Hamlet that the King tried to poison him and killed his mother, and because of this Hamlet kills the King on the spot. Hamlet uses speech to display his inner thoughts, so that the audience knows what he is thinking and feeling during the play.

According to Harold Bloom's theory, the way Hamlet speaks constitutes action in itself because Hamlet overhears himself speaking and in doing so gains knowledge, The insight that he gains is important because this helps him make decisions throughout the story. In Hamlet's soliloquy, “To be or not to be,” he shuffles back and forth with the choice of either killing his uncle Claudius or committing suicide. There is action in this because Hamlet is showing the audience how he feels and what choices he has. Even thought Hamlet uses soliloquy's more than the other characters, the rest of Shakespeare's characters also use speech to present their inner thoughts. The King uses speech often and lets us know that he plans on killing Hamlet. Since he said what was on his mind, this gave the audience information that not every character in the play had. Hamlet had no idea Claudius was trying to kill him, until he found that note when he was being sent to England. It also provides foreshadowing for the plot, because we know whats going to happen, but the characters don't know what the other characters are thinking.

Since learning about “self-overhearing” I have noticed the times when I actually do “self-overhear.” It's usually after I just got into an argument when I will look back and say “oh I should have said this.” Also when I second guess myself on a quiz, I can see myself going over a question in an attempt to pick the right answer. When I reflect on my experience it creates a sense of memory, because the more I look back on something, the easier it is to remember that event. When I look back, it creates a sense of expectation for a couple of reasons. One reason is because I see what I've done well, so if I fail to do what I know I can accomplish, then I am not meeting my expectations I have for myself. Also I have seen what I've done poorly in the past and expect to not make those same decisions, but rather make choices that will end with success.

“Self-overhearing” is apparent with Hamlet as well as the decision making process that people use every day. Hamlet says his thoughts out loud so that the audience knows what going on, but most people keep their thoughts to themselves. In a sense when we “self-overhear” we are communicating to ourselves, so it is silly to suggest that we all don't talk to ourselves at one time or another.. It can be beneficial going over the different options in our heads before making a decision, because this can help provide the best choice. In some ways, I suppose we can all learn from Hamlet's methods.

Hamlet vs Epic Heroes

When comparing Hamlets use of language to Epic Heroes, like Beowulf, there isn't much in common.  Hamlet uses speech in a completely different way, then Beowulf would.  Shakespeare would have their characters reveal their inner thoughts, so that the audience would know what they were thinking, but the rest of the characters in the play wouldn't.  Beowulf wouldn't break out into these soliloquy's pouring out everything that he felt, he would act on his feelings, instead of contemplating what he should do.   The author of Beowulf would use literary techniques, like metaphors, symbolism and alliterations.  

In the play Hamlet, we find out at the beginning that the king had just been killed.  When we are introduced to the main character, Hamlet he is depressed, confused and vindictive.  Hamlet figures out that his father had been killed by his uncle and now has a decision to make.  Throughout the play Hamlet struggles with this decision of either getting revenge or taking his own life.  In his soliloquy, "To Be or Not To Be," he is questioning just that.  It does seem that Hamlet is inexperienced in killing situations, it sounds like he does now a lot about other situations.  He questions why people would put up with their life if its not going the why that they want it to, and he thinks its because people are unsure what lies ahead after death.  By his speech, the audience can tell that he is well educated and has many levels to him.  

In the poem of Beowulf,  the epic hero Beowulf is in a completely different situation then Hamlet.  Beowulf is supposed to be the hero and protect the people of his land.  His actions are based on judgments he makes on the spot.  Beowulf contained very few flaws and was a courageous warrior.  Unlike Hamlet, Beowulf wouldn't think about his decisions so immensely.  

Hamlet and Beowulf were two different types of stories, so that's a reason why the language was different.  In order to keep the plot moving, Hamlet had to rely on his inner thoughts and feelings.  The language in Beowulf described his actions and that's what kept the plot going.  They both had different situations that they had to deal with.  Both Hamlet and Beowulf have their own unique style, and that's what makes them classic readings.  

To Be or Not To Be...

From this class I've learned that some obstacles I may find impossible, are actually fairly easy to accomplish.  By memorizing the "To Be or Not To Be" soliloquy, I now know that I am able to push myself to a different level.  Here is a video of actor Ethan Hawke, walking through Blockbuster saying this soliloquy.  Now, as I walk through video stores or other interesting locales, I often break out in soliloquy.



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Roy Christopher's Conference Highlights

The main points of Roy Christopher's  conference was how the effectiveness of technology depends on how it's being used. Also how older generations don't really trust the younger generation with all the technology upgrades.  He had some very interesting points and made the conversation fun to be apart of.  I liked when he brought up that hip-hop is the blueprint of the 21st century.  That might be entirely true, but I would like to think so.  I also thought it was interesting when he brought up the point about old computers.  With old computers, years ago, you had to program it in order for it to work.  Now modern computers are already programmed and most people don't even think about programming their computer. He said it all goes down to "Program or be Programmed."  This is his view on the options that people have with technology.  It's makes you think about the decisions you will make while using these innovations in the future. 

Literature Analysis 2

1. The Namesake  by Jhumpa Lahiri describes the struggles and hardships of a Bengali who immigrate to the United States to form a life from everything they are accustomed to.  The story begins as Ashoke and Ashima leave Calcutta, India and settle in Central Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Through a series of errors, their son's nickname, Gogol, becomes his official birth name, an event which will shape many aspects of his life.  Gogol has to deal with the problems of immigration and being an Indian kid growing up in America.

2.  There are a couple themes in this novel one is idenity.  The American born  Gogol wants an American life. He changes his name to fight for that and rebels against his culture.  The other theme was pressure because Gogol and Sonia feel pressure from their parents to marry Indian people.

3. The tone of The Namesake is very serious and throughout the story the author is trying to compare two different cultures.  The main character Gogol reflects on his life and tells us all the difficult decisions he had to make growing up, but that's what shaped him as an adult.

4. Jhumpa Lahiri uses imagery, by having Gogol describe his memories and painting a vivid picture of his loving parents who tried to lead him down the right way in life.  The author also uses flashbacks when the main character talks about his memories throughout the story.  Personification is used because Gogol voice is compared to that of a Husky. Another literary technique that is used is foreshadowing, because Gogol says that he lived most of his life outside his homeland, just like me.  The last technique was irony and the author used that to describe Gogol's life.  Calcutta, India and settle in Central Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Through a series of errors, their son's nickname, Gogol, becomes his official birth name, an event which will shape many aspects of his life.  Gogol has to deal with the problems of immigration and being an Indian kid growing up in America.

Tools That Change the Way We Think."

The extensive use of Internet/media/technology makes it easier for me to get information.  It's quick and efficient,  to just go on Google to look up whatever I want to research.  I can't really imagine how long it must have taken people to do things like research papers, when they didn't have these sources.  It must have taken a long time, but they were probably learning more going through all the information.  Now since it is so fast and easy, I might not learn as much.  Also from what I learned about the filter bubbles, I really am not learning everything when I do a search on Google. They are blocking me off from the other side, which can really be beneficial in learning the facts.  I also don't really need to remember much because anything I won't to know takes about 5 minutes, at the most, to figure out. When there was no extensive use in Internet and these other sources, people had to remember more information to save them the time of looking it up again.  All of the use of the Internet just makes me feel I don't need to learn much,  and depend on these other sources when I need to know something. 

Hunter Walker
Period 3

In Search of

From the video I learned what a filter bubble is and how little control I have over my searches on Google. I always thought I was the one in control when really I'm not.  I also thought when people searched the same key words on Google they would get the same results as everyone else.  When really no two people will get the same results unless those people are almost identical.  This makes me think about other information that is out there on the topic I'm researching.  I wonder what the other side of the story may be and if I'm actually getting the correct information.  Some questions that I have are what information have I been missing out on and which facts should I use from these search engines?  To improve my searches I can use different key words, that I might not usually use.  I can also use different search engines and see what different ideas I get.  When re-doing a search on Shakespeare, instead of just going to Google and typing who was Shakespeare, I took a couple extra steps. I used two different search engines, Ask and Bing, these websites gave me close to the same information I got from Google. I then used a couple different key words, like why is Shakespeare so mysterious. This lead to some different results, and helped me learn that I will have to search most topics in different ways. I can't just use the one sided information I get from Google, and that's why watching this video was important. 

Notes on Hamlet

At the beginning of the play it seemed that Hamlet was a little upset about his fathers recent passing, and that was understandable.  As the play goes on it seems like he is a little unstable and can't deal with the decision of what he should about his father's death.  The ghost tells Hamlet that his uncle was the one who killed him and he has to decide whether murder of suicide is the route that he should go.  I feel that Hamlet is going a little crazy and not acting like he normally does.  I predict that Hamlet will go through with killing his uncle, then after that I'm not sure whats going to happen.  He might either commit suicide or have to deal with the consequences of killing the king.

Who was Shakespeare

Before I even searched anything, I knew that Shakespeare is the man responsible for writing some of the most famous plays of all time.  I also knew that he wrote Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, but that's about all I really knew about him.  With some research, I found that he still is really a mystery and there aren't really any hard facts about him.  Things like his birthday, what he looked like, and even his identity is some what of a guess.  Also in the reading we had the other night, I thought it was interesting that some people believe that there's no way Shakespeare could have written those plays.  With no evidence they are questioning someone who is considered to be the greatest of all dramatists.  I feel that Shakespeare is thought of as a great writer by most students, but not to many want to get assigned something that deals with him.  Most students, are just turned off by the thought of having to read something by him, and they really don't give him much of a chance.  Over the years I've learned how to interpret Shakespeare's meanings a lot more then I could when I started studying his works.  I am able to translate his writing easier, but I still struggle with some of the extra meanings that Shakespeare intended his audience to get.


When searching I typed in Who was Shakespeare into Google and clicked on the link from PBS.

To Facebook or Not to Facebook

Before I actually got a Facebook, I never understood what the big deal was about it.  Then I got one and my initial responses to Facebook was that it was an extra way for me to communicate to my close friends and friends I might not see every day.  At first I felt like it was a necessity and I was some what addicted.  Over time I started using it less and less, because it started to feel like it was just the same thing repeating.  I use Facebook for entertainment reasons, but other people use it for different reasons.  It is shocking to see how many 12 year olds are actually on Facebook.  It doesn't seem very safe, because some of them might not know what is appropriate and inappropriate to post online.  I see a danger in sexual predators lurking on their pages and getting information that could potentially be dangerous to that little kid.  If the people operating Facebook don't change the privacy, then I feel that parents should monitor what their kids are doing online.

"(Don't) Be Hamlet"

In the soliloquy by Hamlet, he is debating the decision of suicide and whether or not he should go through with it. He feels that the reason why people will put up with the struggle of life sometimes, because people are scared of what will happen after death. Also Hamlet is frustrated with his own weaknesses and for not getting revenge of his father. Even though he might be mad at himself for not taking his Uncles life, he seems more interested in the idea of taking his own life.

Hamlet can also be portrayed as going insane, but it also seems some what understandable for him to be acting this way. His father had just been killed and his mother had married that man that killed his father. Now everyone was trying to get him to get over it and act like nothing had happened. He has the thoughts that he wants to escape, but doesn't know what to except once he does.

Suicide is something that is on everyones mind, but most people won't act on those feelings. Hamlet expressed these emotions during a tough time he was having. I hope that Hamlet doesn't act on this ideas and faces his problems.

Literature Analysis

Death of a Salesman

1. Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, is a play about a family called the Loman's.  The main character, named Willy, is the father and a salesman who is always commuting great distances for his job. He and his oldest son, Biff, seem to not get along and are constantly argueing.  The audience learns that Willy loved his son the most when he was younger and was a stud football player.  Biff would have been able to play football in college, but had poor grades in school.  He had an opportunity to go to summer school and fix his grades, but decided not to.  This really upset Willy and permanently damaged their relationship.  Willy and his other son Happy seem to have a much better relationship and get along much better.  Willy's wife's name is Linda and they have been married for awhile, but Linda wants Willy to get closer places to sale since he's getting older.  Willy eventually talks to his boss, but this leads to the loss of his job. Linda is worried about her husband, because she feels he is thinking of death. Willy is so devastated about losing his job, because his life as a salesman has been such a huge part of his life.  He does think about death and tries to kill himself a couple times.  Willy is also constantly day dreaming and this is how the reader learns more about him and his family.  Toward the end of the play, Willy dies by driving and getting in a car crash.  His family is very sad and the play ends with his funeral.

2. One of the main themes in Death of a Salesman is "chasing the american dream" and throughout the story Willy believes that a hard working business man should and will live a material and comfortable life.  Since he is such a strong believer in this, he ends up having serious psychological problems when he loses his job and realizes that  his dream of the perfect life is over. This leads to his downfall and eventually his death.

3. The tone in the play is mostly serious and sad. Willy reminisces about when Biff and Happy were younger and when they had a closer relationship, but those were really the only pleasant moments.  The rest of the story was really serious and it was troubling that Biff and Willy had such a shaky realtionship.  None of the characters seemed very happy, and Linda seemed to always be worried about Willy. It was also sad that Willy never mended his relationship with Biff and that Willy really fell apart when he lost his job.

4.A literary technique that is used in this play is symbolism and it was demonstrated by the seeds that Willy would plant in his garden.  If Willy can suceed in making the seed grow and become something, maybe he will suceed as a dad and as a salesman. Or maybe they represent something that Willy can make better by growing them into something strong, because he's not suceeding in the growth of his business or relationship with Biff.  Another form of symbolism is the rubber hose, which Willy uses to try and attempt suicide.  This is also ironic because the substance that he tried to kill himself with is also what he used in his home with for his and his family's health and comfort.  A different element the author uses is hyperbole and Willy exagerates the american dream.  His whole life is consumed by this idea and it overtakes his existence.  Also Arthur Miller uses flashbacks so the audience can get background information he feels is important.