Today's Lecture

-Utopia didn't originally mean a perfect society but was supposed to connotate that perfection doesn't actually exist (supposed to associate with perfection in a good way because of dystopia)

-Dystopia wasn't coined until 350 years later by John Stewart Mill to contrast with utopia and be an imaginary bad place

-BOTH ARE IMAGINARY

-reification: every culture has it and is used to make an abstract idea something concrete 

- what does it mean for a human to mature?

- Huxley creates social classes so that possibly they know their place in this utopian society to promote order 

- Henry Ford invented assembly line, which is what they use in the factories and thus highly respect him and his philosophies  and don't tell them American history before him

Lit terms: list 6

I1. Simile: a figure of speech comparing two essentially unlike things through the use of a specific word of comparison

2. Soliloquy: an extended speech, usually in drama, delivered by a character alone on stage

3. Spiritual: a folk song, usually on a religious theme

4. Speaker: a narrator, the one speaking

5. Stereotype: cliche, a simplified, standardized conception with a special meaning and appeal for members of a group; a formula story

6. Stream of consciousness: the style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a character's thoughts, feelings, reflections, memories, and mental images as the character experiences them

7. Structure: the planned framework of a literary selection; its apparent organization

8. Style: the manner of putting thoughts into words; a characteristic way of writing or speaking

9. Subordination: the couching of less important ideas in less important structures of language

10. Surrealism: style in literature and painting that stresses the subconscious or irrational aspects of man's existence characterized by the juxtaposition of the bizarre 

11. Suspension of disbelief: suspend not believing in order to enjoy it

12. Symbol: something which stands for something else, yet has its own meaning

13. Synesthesia: the use of one sense to convey the experience of another sense

14. Synecdoche: another form of name changing where a part stands for the whole

15. Syntax: the arrangement and grammatical relations of words in a sentence 

16. Theme: main idea of the story; its message

17. Thesis: proposition for consideration, especially one to be discussed or (dis)proved; the main idea 

18. Tone: devices used to create the mood and atmosphere of a literary work; the author's perceived point of view

19. Tongue in cheek: type of humor where the speaker feigns seriousness; aka "dry"

20. Tragedy: in literature: any composition with a somber theme carried to a disastrous conclusion; a fatal event; protagonist usually is heroic but tragically flawed 

21. Understatement: the opposite of hyperbole; saying less than what you mean for emphasis 

22. Vernacular: everyday speech

23. Voice: textual features, such as diction and sentence structures, that convey a writer's or speaker's persona

24. Zeitgeist: the feeling of a particular era in history

Passionate Learning & the Future

Learning and the future are directly related. We all have the ability to shape the future, but those who are wise are usually in charge of this. People who look to the future tend to be the most practical ones and the ones who are most concerned about it. The love of learning can inspire one's vision of the future by helping them see what they want in the world. Passion is a very strong thing and once it is set free, there is no stopping it. 

Everyone has a different perception of the future and they are all molded by what they have received from life so far. Optimists tend to have a bright vision of the future while those who don't enjoy life as much tend to think negatively of it. When you love something, you are completely passionate about it. This world would be such a different place if everyone was determined to love learning. The great part is that everyone could love learning about something different since we all have varied interests and this would improve the entire process as there would be experts in every category. Interest, passion, and love are all very powerful and when they are geared towards learning, the unthinkable can happen. People will take their passion as far as it will let them and let their minds explore the creative side to what they are studying. Once people are knowledgeable, they start to put their own spin on things and thus create the future. Their love of learning can inspire innovative ways of thinking and once they start applying their visions to reality, magic happens. The love of learning can inspire such a bright and positive vision of the future. This rarely happens, however, because everyone is expected to learn the same thing at identical paces without room to explore what they are truly passionate about and let their love for it blossom. 

Side note: sorry for the lack of content, I just felt as if I was repeating myself throughout the entire thing and felt it was time to stop. 

Lit terms list 5

1. Parallelism: the principle in sentence structure that states elements of equal function should have equal form

2. Parody: an imitation of mimicking of a composition or the style of a well-known artist

3. Pathos: the ability in literature to call forth feelings of pity, compassion, and/or sadness

4. Pedantry: a display of learning for its own sake

5. Personification: a figure of speech attributing human qualities to inanimate objects objects or abstract ideas

6. Plot: a plan or scheme to accomplish a purpose 

7. Poignant: eliciting sorrow or sentiment

8. Point of view: the attitude or sentiment oral or written argumentation; in description, the physical point from which the observer views what he is describing

9. Postmodernism: literature characterized by experimentation, irony, nontrafitional forms, multiple meanings, playfulness, and a blurred boundary between real and imaginary 

10. Prose: the ordinary form of spoken and written language; language that does not have a regular rhyme pattern

11. Protagonist: the central character in a work of fiction; opposes the antagonist

12. Pun: play on words, the humorous use of a word emphasizing different meanings or applications

13. Purpose: the intended result wished by an author

14. Realism: writing about the ordinary aspects of life in a straightforward manner to reflect life as it actually is

15. Refrain: a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a poem or song; chorus

16. Requiem: any chant, dirge, hymn, or musical service for the dead

17. Resolution: point in literary work where the chief dramatic complication is resolved (denoument) 

18. Restatement: idea treated for emphasis

19. Rhetoric: use language in order to persuade

20. Rhetorical question: question suggesting its own answer or not requiring an answer; used in argument or persuasion 

21. Rising action: plot build up, caused by conflict; advancement towards climax

22. Romanticism: movement in western culture beginning in the 18th century and peaking in the 19th century as revolt against Classicism; imagination was valued over reason and fact

23. Satire: ridicules the weakness/wrong doings of individuals, groups, or humanity in general

24. Scansion: analysis of verse in terms of meter 

25. Setting: time and place in which events in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem occur

Lit Terms #4

1. interior monologue: a form of writing which represents the inner thoughts of a character; the recording of the internal, emotional experience(s) of an individual; generally the reader is given the impression of overhearing the interior monologue.

2. inversion: words out of order for emphasis
3. juxtaposition: the intentional placement of a word, phrase, sentences of a paragraph to contrast with another nearby
4. lyric: a poem having musical form and quality; a short outburst of the author's innermost thoughts and feelings
5. magic(al) realism: a genre developed in Latin America which juxtaposes the everyday with the marvelous or magical
6. metaphor: an analogy that compares two different things imaginatively
- extended: a metaphor that is as extended or developed as far as the writer wants to take it
- controlling: a metaphor that runs throughout the piece of work
- mixed: a metaphor that ineffectively blends two or more analogies
7. metonymy: literally "name changing" a device of figurative language in which the name of an attribute or associated thing is substituted for the usual name of a thing
8. mode of discourse: argument (persuasion), narration, description, and exposition
9. modernism: literary movement characterized by stylistic experimentation, rejection of tradition, interest in symbolism and psychology
10. monologue: an extended speech by a character in a play, short story, novel, or narrative poem
11. mood: the predominating atmosphere evoked by a literary piece
12. motif: a recurring feature (name, image, or phrase) in a piece of literature
13. myth: a story, often about immortals, and sometimes connected with religious rituals, that attempts to give meaning to the mysteries of the world
14. narrative: a story or description of events
15. narrator: one who narrates, or tells, a story
16. naturalism: extreme form of realism
17. novellete/novella: short story; short prose narrative, often satirical
18. omniscient point of view: knowing all things, usually the third person
19. onomatopoeia: use of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its meaning
20. oxymoron: a figure of speech in which two contradicting words or phrases are combined to produce a rhetorical effect by means of a concise paradox
21. pacing: rate of movement; tempo
22. parable: a story designed to convey some religious principle, moral lesson, or general truth
23. paradox: a statement apparently self-contradictory or absurd but really containing a possible truth; an opinion contrary to generally accepted ideas

Literature Analysis #1 Tuesday with Morrie

1. This story takes place in the early 1990’s, mainly in Morrie’s cozy home located in Massachusetts. Mitch Albom allows most of the conversations between him and Morrie take place in his home, but shares his life in the midst of his career giving us a perspective of his daily routine. Along with this, he also reminisces in the past conversations he had with Morrie during his college days. The inciting incident of this story was the diagnosing of Morrie with his disease. Without knowing Morrie’s days were numbered, Mitch would have never gone to his professor’s home and reconnected with one of the most influential people of his life. Mitch also would have never learned to appreciate the people he was surrounded with and their true importance in his life. Morrie knew that he only had a couple of months to live and his struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) would be over as soon as the disease reached his lungs. With this in mind, his death was certain and known to take place rather shortly.

2. This book’s central message is clear because it is easily conveyed through the regrets and thoughts of Mitch and Morrie. Slow down, and enjoy the short time given to us on this planet by ignoring the popular distractions influenced on people every day. People should reevaluate their lives and prioritize the things that truly matter to them at the end of the day.

3. Albom’s casual tone made the reader feel as if they were friends with both Mitch and Morrie because they were illustrated in such a realistic way. His tone was also light to function as a symbol of everybody’s acceptance of Morrie’s death. These tones combined make the reader fall in even more love with Morrie and sympathize for all of his loved ones who lost an amazing man. 

4. It was ironic that Mitch was able to exploit and teach Morrie that his friendship had such an outstanding influence on the lives of so many who conversed with him. This is an example of when the student becomes the teacher. Morrie’s prevailing death represented the end of his life, but also ironically symbolized the beginning of Mitch’s new life in which he became enlightened with Morrie’s words of wisdom. There is a great abundance of dialogue, which was key to this book. Morrie’s advice that changed Mitch’s life makes the reader respect him more. In order to understand the character’s thoughts, the reader must interpret their discussions and get a sense of how they really view the world. 

CHARACTERIZATION

1. Albom’s syntax is short and straightforward to emphasize the simplicity of Morrie. His participation in an uncomplicated life is apparent because of this easily comprehendible syntax. Albom also uses an explicit diction to complement the direct syntax accentuated throughout the story. The information presented was understandable through Albom’s reader friendly syntax and diction.

2. Morrie Schwartz is an elderly man who was the author’s favorite college professor. He was never a normal person and preached philosophical outlooks on life to Mitch a majority of their time spent together. Mitch Albom, one of Morrie’s students, was especially attached to Morrie and his quirkiness. They often enjoyed eating lunch together and talking about life in general, where Mitch would saturate Morrie with his problems and Morrie would gladly give him advice and the time of day. Mitch referred to Morrie as “Coach” and Morrie referred to Mitch as his “player”, which stressed the intimacy of their friendship. Mitch reveals himself and Morrie through indirect characterization because he includes their conversations and outings with one another.

3. After reading this book I felt like I had met a person because these characters are extremely realistic. They are not perfect and are actual people in real life. Morrie is the ideal teacher and Mitch tries to act as a sponge absorbing all of his advice, like most teachers attempt to do. Death is the harsh reality of life and Morrie’s graceful way of coming to terms with it stresses his strong moral beliefs and his existence on this planet. Mitch wrote Morrie as the gentle old man he was because he knew his true personality would capture the hearts of everybody. This makes me feel like I knew him because I was able to get insight to his thoughts and see his genuineness shine through.