2.23 Diction Exercise.

a) debilitating, cynicism, prone, pessimism, strenuous, loyal, stubborn, and involuntary.

b) diction: flowing, perplexed
Connotation: astonished, faithful
Sound: reposeful, unique

c) The faithful yet perplexed expression of Alain De Botton's Idealization conveys a sense of ambivalent and foreboding skepticism about love and its slanderous turmoil of emotions.

Friday Teachers In Service

A relaxing day off with the thought of doing nothing. Just what we need to make this week feel great. I think its hard to believe that we've only had one normal full week since Christmas break! Thats crazy! We always end up getting a delay or cancellation. Cancellations aren't good anymore since we have to go till mid June now though pretty much. Anyways on this Teachers in service day I didn't do much at all. I spent the time sleeping and playing video games. I did go shopping with my friend to Glenbrook and ended up buying a great pair of new nikes. They look awesome! I cant wait to wear them. Hopefully the weather isn't bad!

Jane Eyre 80-113

This section starts out with Lowood receiving a major upgrade. Since so many children had died of and or had become sick of Typhus, Lowood was under investigation. It was made quite apparent that the school was no being ran properly and that Mr. Brocklehurst was not the right man for the job. Many other children were dying. Other benefactors came in and decided to oversee the school. The conditions at the school improved greatly. The food was better, the sanitary conditions were better, and the general lifestyle of the whole school were better. Life at Lowood seemed to have progressed nicely. Jane was a student at Lowood for 6 years. At the end she became number one in the number one class. This means she was head girl, a great honor at the time. Then Jane becomes a teacher at Lowood for two years. She teaches many children and uses Miss Temple as a role model for herself. But then Jane decides she is ready for a change. One of the reasons is because Miss Temple gets married and leaves the school. She advertises in search of a job as a governess and accepts a position at a place named Thornfield. Before Jane leaves, she also meets Bessie. Bessie tells Jane of everything that happened at Lowood since she left. Georgina tried running away and getting married but failed. John fell into a life of debauchery and dissolution. We also learn that John Eyre came looking for Jane.

Overall we learn that conditions in Lowood change for the better. This is great because now this place is much better than the Reed's house. We also learn that Jane excels as a student. She became head girl, a great accomplishment. However it is a new phase of her life now and she wants some change. She will to wherever life takes her so that she will be able to have more experiences.

Jane Eyre 36-79

This section starts out 4 days after Jane talks to Mr. Brocklehurst. Jane ends up finally leaving the Reed home and traveling to a school named Lowood. Leaving The Reeds is probably one of the greatest things that has ever happened in Jane's life. She arrives to the new school on a dark and rainy day. The next day she learnds the daily routine and gets to know the place. She also meets Miss Temple, one of the few kind teachers at the school. She also meets the unpleasant Miss Scatchard. Jane makes a new friend by the name of Helen Burns. Miss Scatchard hates Helen and is constantly harassing her. On the second day of her visit, Jane learns about the hard life at the school. The pitcher that they were to wash themselves with was frozen. She saw that the girls were overworked and underfed. Jane constantly looks to Helen for some morale support. Helen is quite a unique character. She notices that Miss Scatchard dislikes her. However she is convinced she is only trying to help her in the long run. For this reasons Helen obeys by Miss Scathcard's rule as often as she can. She says that she would rather be embrace this Christian practice. We also know that Mr. Brocklehurst spends most of his time away from the school. When he returns Jane is nervous. She drops her slate infront of Mr. Brocklehurst, who becomes quite angry. He calls Jane a liar and says that she must stand on a stool to be ridiculed on for the rest of the day. Helen is there to comfort Jane by providing her smiles. Jane then explains to Miss Temple how she is framed for her lying. We also find that Helen is suffering from consumption. This is a terrible disease we know that Helen dies.

A lot of interesting things happen this chapter. Jane finally sets out for her new school. She arrives and finds that it is better than the Reeds place, but still not the best. She also makes her first real friend. She also has comfort in Miss Temple who seems to understand her. However things really take a turn for the worse when we find out that Helen dies. This is a major setback for Jane. Hopefully she will be able to cope.

Jane Eyre 1-35

This book starts out with us learning of a 10 year old girl named Jane Eyre. She is part of the Reed family, and is a very avid learner. She loves to read books of great difficulty at such an early age like The Bible and Gulliver's Travels. However Jane is in a horrible situation since Mrs. Reed will dislikes her very much. She will not allow Jane to associate herself with the other children, not that Jane would want to anyways. One of Jane's cousins, John, calls Jane out for reading. He says she is an orphan and that she should not be fit to read. He then starts a physical fight with Jane. Mrs. Reed blames Jane for the fight and says she should be looked up in the "red room". Here Jane has time to think about her life and where she is. While pondering her situation, she believes she sees the Spirit of Mr. Reed. Scared out of her mind, Jane ends up fainting. When Jane awakes she finds herself with Mr. Lloyd, the family apothecary. Bessie, a house servant fond of Jane, is also present. Jane is healing in the bed and Mr. Lloyd suggests that the Reed family should send Jane of to school. Jane is excited about his prospect since she hates life with the Reeds, who hate life with Jane. Jane also overhears a conversation about her past which indicates that her mom was Mrs. Reed's sister. Her mom was a rich individual of high class and married some normal man. Both her parents died of Typhus, and Jane was left 4with the Reeds. Later we find out that Jane will end up going to a school. However she needs to have an interview with a man named Mr. Brocklehurst first. The interview does not go as planned. Jane has a pretty experienced and educated mind, however she says she dislikes psalms. This angers Mr. Brocklehurst a lot. Mrs. Reed also calls Jane a liar. In the end they plan on having Jane enter the school.

Jane has an extremely harsh life. She is stuck with a family that hates her and will punish her for no apparent reason. Luckily a few of the housekeepers feel pity for her. Because of Mr. Lloyd's suggestion, she is now able to leave the Reed family and go to a school. Hopefully life will be better there. She might make new friends.

Saturday ACT

So today I took the ACT at Homestead. There were a lot of people there I knew. I was surprised to find that there were Freshman from Canterbury taking the same test I was. It really surprised me. Those kids are too young to be taking that test. Overall I have a good feeling about the test. I was able to finish all the sections of the test, and I thought I did pretty well on the math. I had 25 whole minutes for the last 10 questions on the math section. That really surprised me. However, in the reading, science, and English sections I finished with only a minute or two remaining. I didn't have enough time to check all my work there, so that was disappointing. This is my second time taking the test. Hopefully I can get the 30 I need to get the scholarship for IU. That should take a decent amount of stress off of me and my parents.

Close Reading #1

In Pablo Picasso's, The Blind Man's Meal, subtle colors, varied table arrangements, and scenic man asser the bitter, taunting life of a man suffering from an overbearing disease. The use of stark, cool colors indicate a world of seclusion and loneliness. This gives a sense of a disdainful, cynical mood of the painting and the man. Based on the haphazard arrangement of the elementary, unexciting utensils, one can assume that the man is lost. He seems to be lost in his own secluded yet elevated world which is not governed by the normal forces of nature. The man himself portrays a facial expression that is both foreboding and perplexed. Perhaps the scenic world which he has been unjustly trapped within burden him with an uneasy sorrow. He seems to be disheartened by the fact that his actual senses provide him with a glimpse into reality, a reality which he has lost forever. The suffering man must cope with the devious knowledge of the world in which he cannot experience completely.

Leviathan 180-217

This section of Leviathan returns back to Alek and his crew. They are just about a mile away from the Swiss border, their final destination. Once they cross the border they will be able to put away a lot of their stress. However their is one big problem. Just at the border, there is an enemy war machine. This machine is obviously staking out for Alek and his crew. The crew knows that they can't go during the day because its far too obvious. However they are able to attempt to sneak past the machine during the night hours. This is quite risky though since the Stormwalker is not meant to be driven in the darkness. However, Alek has always been trained to control it in the darkness. This training will come in handy as they decide to head out. However, when night falls they see that the enemy machine has 2 large searchlights looking for them. The searchlights are not easily avoidable since their is no specific search pattern. They decided to push their luck and continue on their way. Their progress is good and they seem to be making good time. However, they then find enemy German ground troops who spot them. This is bad, because as soon as they were spotted, the machine at the border began to roar into life. It would take a couple of minutes for the machine to start up all the way. They were able to quickly push through the German troops. The cannons of the enemy ship were pointing right at them but they did not fire. This was because their were other scout units coming up behind the Stormwalker. They chased after the Stormwalker, until one of them finally got a lucky hit. The scouts decided to retreat after that, which confused Alek and his crew. Then he realized the hit was actually a maker. The enemy ship now had a clear view of Alek and his crew. Alek then decided to risk his life and get out of the cockpit. He used a sword to take off the marker. This hit the ground, which gave the enemy the signal or thought that Alek and the Stormwalker were severely injured. This gave them the ample time and security they need to get to the Swiss border safely.

Overall this section was quite action packed. There were many sequences of suspense and action that really made the story interesting. It is also quite apparent that Alek has earned a lot more responsibility. He is viewed less as the main cargo that needs to be taken to Switzerland, and more as a part of the team that helps them survive.

Leviathan 141-180

This portion of the book switches back to Deryn and her adventures in the sky. The section starts out with her eating some food with the other middies. Apparently they haven't seen London before, and all rush to the window when they are flying over it. Deryn continued to eat and take other peoples food. However there was an exchange of words made and it became apparent that Deryn and another boy, Fitzroy, were pretty much enemies. In the midst of their debates though, they realized that the captain of the Leviathan is there. He tells them that they will be landing in London to pick up a passenger to fly to the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately this would cause the weight of the ship, which has to be as dense as the air around it, to become unbalanced. So to make room for the extra weight, some of the middies will be forced to leave the Leviathan. This brings a spirit of great competition between all the middies. Deryn feels confident she can win with her experience, yet she is still somewhat unsure. She is assigned to be one of the first few people down to help assist the passenger.

Once they are over London, Deryn sees that she is the first one to actually reach the ground. This is a good thing because she got done quicker than Fitzroy, the other middy who is responsible for running ground operations. She arrives quickly and then out of curiosity goes to the monkey cages, since they landed at the zoo. Suddenly a woman appears asking if Deryn is her assistant. At first she is wonder why this random lady would be asking her that. It turns out that the lady was Dr. Barlow, a famous scientist who helped create the Leviathan herself. She was also the passenger that needed to be taken to the Ottoman Empire. After meeting this lady, Deryn became somewhat close to her. Deryn also knew she would be a problem. Dr. Barlow was a woman and might be able to blow Deryn's secret. Not a good predicament.

In the end we find out that there is something very important with Dr. Barlow and her equipment. It seems like it is a great experiment which would be able to help Britain if they needed it in the war. Dr. Barlow makes it quite apparent that they equipment is very fragile and important. Whatever it is, it will be interesting to find out.

Leviathan 117-140

A great deal of exciting events occur in this small section of the book. We first find that Alek and his crew need to go into the city to find supplies for their walker machine. They specifically need fuel and other necessities such as food and water. They have to be extremely careful not to bring attention to Alek or themselves, or they might be discovered. They arrive at a store that looks promising. However the owner comes across as a man who is not interested in helping them. His attitude completely changes after Volger flashes a bag brimming with gold coins. The owner is then all ears and gets all of the required parts for the team. However he seems to be in a good mood and tries to throw in a toy for Alek, a replica of the Stormwalker. Alek knows about the Stormwalkers and how they operate since he has been in one for almost a month. Without thinking, Alec quickly began to criticize the small model and was comparing it to the actual thing. This would have been fine for a normal person, but considering that Alek was only 10, this was quite odd. The store owner then began to threaten the boy for his dishonesty and his misbehavior. Alek, being trained the way he is, quickly grabs for his sword....which isn't there. This looks extremely suspicious and the store owner catches on. They leave after bribing the owner and telling him that they were never there, however it probably did not work.

On their way back to the StormWalker, they hear horses in the background. Sensing the danger Alek is instructed to run for cover and to get to the Stormbringer. The rest of the crew would attempt to hold off the enemies. Alek is getting away, but then one of the soldiers sees him. Alek hides in the bushes and waits for the enemy to get close. Then using his training, he quickly surprises the man and takes his sword and his horse. He leaves the man to die there and quickly gets to the Stormbwalker, which he then uses to pick up the rest of his crew. They seem to be safe...for now atleast.

I think that Alek should have been much more careful in the way in which he acted. He gave himself and his crew away to the enemy, who will be hunting him for quite some time. Their journey will probably be much more difficult, all because one man thought Alek to be a child. I also find it crazy how Alek was able to take control of the situation with the scout on the horse. He had the element of surprise on his side, which aided him a lot. So far they seem to be safe.

Teenage Driving and Peers

According to the New York Times article about teenage driving, Teen drivers tend to take more risks when they are with their friends. They studied this by having a group of teenagers play a driving simulation game. They would have a few games where they play the game as if they are alone. Then they tell the testers that their friends are watching their next games. On the games where people thought other people were watching, the testers were ran yellow lights and crashed into other cars at a much higher rate. These finding show that peer pressure is present even if other children do not directly force a child to do something. I personally believe this is true. Most people our age are overly concerned with what others think. We go out of our way to make ourselves look cool or spectacular. This is our downfall as it leads to stupid decisions. The idea of acceptance truly drives teenagers to the brink of their destruction and sometimes too far...

Superbowl Sunday - The Great American Tradition

So how was your Superbowl weekend? Did you enjoy the night with a group of great friends or do you prefer to watch the game in a more peaceful environment, alone? What kind of snacks and food did you enjoy on this momentous day? And the most important question: Are you a fan of the the Green Bay Packers?

As I'm sure you all know, Superbowl Sunday was yesterday and the excitement was unparalleled. The day was filled with great celebrations and entertainment option. Superbowl 45 was an epic showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the underdog GreenBay Packers. The game itself was pretty close. The fate of the game pretty much depended on a play in the 4th quarter. The Steelers were down 6 and it was 4th down. If they didn't make the play, they would lose their chance at another Superbowl title. Roethlisberger threw the ball and his receiver just missed the catch. With that the Steelers had lost any hope they had left. The underdogs came out on top and the scene was amazing.

Superbowl Commercials themselves are a treat to many individuals. Many people watch only to experience the best and most humorous commercials. These are insanely expensive though with a hefty price of 2.8 million dollars for a single 30 second shot. No wonder the commercials are so great!

Leviathan 91-117

We last left Alek in a barn learning about the plans that Vlador had for him. We now rejoin him and his first lesson of using the walker. Alek starts out perfectly, easing the walker into an upright position. He begins to put one foot in front of the other. Soon he was walking. He began moving faster and faster, and soon walking became running. He was able to move quickly, but then there was a problem. The walker was going to fast and began to fall. Alek quickly gave up the controls and they were saved. It turns out that everyone falls on their first time running. We also found out that Vlador has a large amount of gold. This is apparently only a small amount that was entrusted to them in ALek's inheritance. At least we know they wont be strapped for cash. They continue on their Journey to Switzerland.

The book then shifts focus back to Deryn. She is now on the Leviathan and will be there for a while. She is enjoying it there and is learning a lot about how a ship is run. She has to do everything the middys have to do. This includes everything from reading the charts to calculating the altitude of the ship . She is getting a lot of hands on experience. The only concern she has is if she can continue to pull off being a boy. Hiding her body for showers and bathroom breaks is easy, but its a lot more difficult to act like a boy constantly. However she is learning and she will be able to fool almost anyone.

We also find that Deryn meets a boy on the Leviathan. His name is Newkirk and he is quite a character. He is pretty afraid of all the animals that the Leviathan uses to operate. He is kind of like Deryn's opposite because he always seems to rely on her for the answers. This is also somewhat ironic because it shows that the man needs a woman's help every now and then too. However, they still only let men work in the service. Either way the book is pretty interesting at the moment. Hopefully it will only get better. I can only imagine how Deryn and Alek will meet, because this meeting is inevitable.

Leviathan 51-97

We last left off with Alek having to face a french dreadnought machine. The dreadnought fired constantly and Alek and his group were getting destroyed. Luckily they were in a smaller machine. They used this to their advantage to hide in the trees. This allowed them more cover and soon the dreadnought had lost sight of them. However the dreadnought had scouts as well. These scouts went on horseback and could easily locate the machine that Alek was in. However the guns of their machine made small work of these scouts. They were finally away from danger. Alek is in this machine for what seems to be about 2 weeks. He learns from Volder that they are heading to Switzerland, where Alek will learn more about the plans his father has left behind. In the mean time Alek has learned many survival tips. He has learned how to make a fire and how to cook for the team. He also learned how to set up the cannons and move the machine itself. They are currently resting in a barn which they found. Volger and Alek are able to talk. Here Volger also begins fencing with him to make sure he hasn't forgotten. We learn that because of Alek's parents death, a war is brewing in Europe.

The story then switches over to Deryn again. She just saw the storm and so has the ground crew now. They start to reel her in but there is a mistake. The rope gets caught in a chimney, and if they don't get out the hydrogen in the Huxley will blow up. The ground crew has to give more slack for this reason. Then the wind suddenly changes and they are heading straight for a brick wall. Thinking quickly, Deryn unfastens the rope that is connecting her to the ground crew. The Huxley then goes into the air and barely misses the wall. Now though she is stuck floating in the air. They are floating in the air and 6 hours later they see another air beast. This beast is known as the Leviathan and is one of the most famous air beasts in the world. It helps Deryn in and she is now safe. She realizes she will be with the Leviathan for a few days, something she is not disappointed about. Now that she is finally safe she can enjoy more flying.

This book is sounds like it is based off of World War 1. The Leader of Austria has been assassinated and now a series of treaties will kick so that each country in Europe will be involved in a war. This is good because I can use this to foreshadow what might happen while I read. Also their are a number of references to Darwin. According to this book Darwin and his research allowed humans to use animals as machines. Scientists were able to use Darwin's ideas to change how animals work. In some instances they even combined animals together so they could work like a machine. This idea seems very unique and unheard of.

Mini break

Alright so its the second day into this snowstorm and it looks pretty bad outside. Its like a blizzard and were under a severe warning. Theres not much to do though. I can't go outside because the snow is so bad, and driving is dangerous. That leaves me stuck inside with my family, great. I guess I'll just have to pass the time with videogames, food, facebook, and reading my book.

Leviathan 17-51

We last left off with Alek being quickly whisked away to a huge machine which he was to start driving. He was told this was the beginning of his training so that he could succeed this father. However, he realizes that this might be a trap. His parents are out of the country, and its midnight. He has been taken from the house in a huge war machine. After realizing this Alek begins to resist. However, before he can do anything serious, he is knocked out by some chemicals that are pressed to his face. His vision goes black, but just before he passes out he hears Count Volger say that his parents have been killed on their trip. He later wakes up and finds himself in a room that is pretty well accommodated. He is constantly told that he is not being kidnapped, but Alek doesn't believe it. He then sees an enemy French ship that tries to kill him. He now realizes that everything Count Volger has told him about his parents is true. He has to trust them if he wants to survive.

The story then switches views here. We now are following a young girl named Deryn. Deryn is a young girl who is quite an optimistic individual. She loves to fly and loves everything about aeronautics. She used to fly with her father, but he had unexpectedly passed away. Deryn decided that she would continue her passion and try to get accepted into a flying school. Her brother was already in one, so she is staying with him until she can pass her exam. Sadly she is a women, who aren't allowed to be flying. She must dress up as a boy and act like one too. Luckily she is pretty tall and can easily look like a boy. She just needs to make sure she plays the part. She arrives at the academy for the test, and within the first few minutes half the volunteers were already gone. They were scared by the test itself. This greatly helped Deryn's confidence. She volunteered to be the first one to attempt the real test, to fly a Huxley. This is some sort of jellyfish animal that can float because bacteria in its stomach release hydrogen. As she is flying tho, the Huxley begins to freak out as there is a storm approaching. She has the choice to either ride it out and be brave, or throw down the emergency flag for assistance.

Overall the book seems quite interesting. There are some unique creatures which all for strange yet practical things to happen. For example, the Huxley seems like a great animal. It can float in the air, but it has a mind of its own. If its scared it will react in a way which could injure an individual. Also Alek is quite an interesting character. He has to trust these people hes trusted his entire life. But with his parents dead, the world he lives in is completely different. I'm also interested in the connection between Deryn and Alek.