4/18/07 Plato

1. What is your reaction to the ending of the section? What is good and/or bad about the type of society outlined by Socrates?

In my opinion I believe that him restricting the arts, will cause and have a bad effect on the men. The reason I think this is because with him restricting the arts it cuts off the creative minds of the men, which will then cause a delay in all creativity. If this continues the men will start to realize day by day that they don't have to listen to the restrictions and will soon vanish off on there own journey.

The Republic 3/26/07

Short Paragraph – Personal Reflection: Before reading the selection from Plato write at least one full paragraph on this question: Why do you think Plato (or anyone else) would want to censor Hesiod? Remember that Hesiod was the poet who wrote about the fight between the gods and the titans.


It also could be that Plato thinks Hesiod is mis-representing the gods in some horrible way.


What are Homer and Hesiod guilty of?

Mis-representing the nature of gods

What are the two main characteristics of “god” and what are the laws/principles of story telling based on those characteristics?

God is the cause of all things good

Compare what you wrote in your personal reflection above (#1) with what Plato wrote. How close were you to what Plato wrote?

Correct on how Plato wanted Hesiod and Homer censored.

The Republic 3/20

1) In your opinion, how can acting “right” (i.e. justly) help or harm the achievement of happiness? In your answer you need to first establish, in true Socratic fashion, what you mean by "right" (justice) and what you mean by happiness. What do you think Socrates would say about what you wrote and/or what do you think Thrasymachus would say?

The point in a person's life with no regrets, no worries, and complete freedom to do and say what they wish while surrounded by those they like. Acting right can directly affect your happiness as far as regrets, worries, and freedom.

The Republic 3/19

1)Notice that our reading on Thrasymachus is divided into two parts. The first part is entitled – “First Statement and Criticisms”. In this first part, what are Socrates’ main argument(s) against the idea that justice is whatever the strong (i.e. the government) says it is?

Generally, politicians and leaders are always making decisions for their best interest, thus meaning what is in their best interest is the law, and anything else is against the law.

2)In the second part – “Second Statement and Final Refutation” – what are Thrasymahcus’ two main points and what are Socrates’ two main points in response?

Thrasymachus' two main points are that 'justice is the interest of the stronger party' and that 'injustice is the interest and profit of oneself'.

3)In your opinion, is it ever right to harm somebody? Why or why not? What would Socrates and/or Thrasymachus say in response to your answer?

It is absolutely never right to harm another person. On the point of how wise men fight with their words, he might differ slightly.

Class Work 3/16/07

A) In your opinion, is Polemarchus definition of justice, derived from the poet Simonedes, an improvement from his father’s definition?

He revered both which gets me confused, but if I were to choose one now I would lean towards Simonedes side and the reason why is because he derived him.

B) What is Simonides definition of justice? Has Polemarchus interpreted him correctly?

Simonides states that Justice is to help your friends and also hurt your enemies around you. In my eyes I believe Polemarchus did interpret him the right way.

C) What problem does Socrates see in the phrase, “helping one’s friends and harming ones enemies”? Why is this not an accurate definition of justice?

He notices that man isn't always correct, and that a man bases his decisions on what he likes and what he dislikes. This is not an accurate defition of justice because a friend might not be actually good and a enemy might not be actually bad, so it doesn't depend on the person it depends on your opinion and your thoughts.

D) What lesson do you think Socrates/Plato is trying to prove by having Polemarchus give in to Socrates when his father (Cephalus) would not?

I dont think there is actually a meaning in this, but it might cause a arguement or a situation between the father and the son.

E) Whose argument do you find more convincing, Polemarchus or Socrates? Why? (This should be a longer response, short paragraph, about 5 sentences).

Polemarchus is wrong states Socrates, But Socrates himself does not have an arguement if you were to think real hard about it, he doesn't put together one. He just tries to prove that Polemarchus is wrong in all ways.

"Simile Of The Cave"

1.Compare and contrast what Socrates says in “The Simile of the Cave” with Fahrenheit 451. How are characters like Mildred similar to characters in “Simile of the Cave”?

2.

Those prisoners who are just chained up and don't question anything. In F451, the society was controlled socially by the government, and brainwashed into believing that whatever the government said was real, and there was no need to question it because there wasn't any room for it to be wrong. A mind that does not question will never discover anything of use.

Illiad Reading 3/1

1. What does Patroclus propose to Achilles and what is Achilles’ response? Why does Achilles grant Patroclus’ request?

Patroclus ask Achilles to fight. Achilles told him that he can fight but he has to wear his armor so the troyens can think its Achilles so mothing will happen to him.

2. On p. 413 line 35 (approximately), Patroclus tells Achilles that Achilles is “cursed in [his] own courage.” What does Patroclus mean by that and do you agree with him?

What Patroclus ment was that the way that Achilles is acting is thw thing to his downfall.

3. Either ask questions about the text or write down vocab words from the text with definitions.

Why does Achilles let Patroclus go to battle?

Illiad Book 16: pp. 412-421 (1-333)

What does Patroclus propose to Achilles and what is Achilles’ response? Why does Achilles grant Patroclus’ request?
Patroclus states that Achilles send him to the battle of troy, radther than Achilles himself going.

On p. 413 line 35 (approximately), Patroclus tells Achilles that Achilles is “cursed in [his] own courage.” What does Patroclus mean by that and do you agree with him?
Meaning Achilles is confident in himself and that he is the best.

Either ask questions about the text or write down vocab words from the text with definitions.
None

Illiad Book Part 9: pp. 266-276 (521-869)

Write a question you have about the text, either an interpretive question that you have an opinion on, or something that you don't understand. You don't need to write the answer.
Why does Achilles ignore the peoples cry for help in the battle?

What was your opinion of Achilles before reading Book 9? Does it change after reading Book 9? Explain why or why not.

The same

Same as yesterday - Make a list of the persuasive strategy used by these characters


Who is speaking?
Ajax
What does that person say and to whom does he say it?
He is speaking to Achilles, talking him into helping the Achaeans
What persuasive strategy is it?
Appeal to Reason
Why is it an example of that strategy?
Because he is trying to tell Achilles that he is being a stubborn fool for not helping them out.

Who is speaking?
Achilles
What does that person say and to whom does he say it?
He is speaking to the men who Agamemnon sent to reason with him
What persuasive strategy is it?
Appeal to Emotion
Why is it an example of that strategy?
He states Agamemnon is not worth enough to have Achilles battle the fights and that Agamemnon should fight himself

Illiad Assignment: Book 9, pp. 251-266 (1-522)

1. Write a question. It can be an interpretive question that you have an opinion on or something about the text that you don't understand. You do not need to write the answer.
My question is that Why does Achilles state that Agamemnon is selfish over pride, does he not realize that he is too?

2. What was your opinion of Agamemnon before reading this section? Does your opinion of him change after reading it? Why or why not? Aone paragraph reply is fine, minimum of 6 solid setneces, but you are encouraged to write more.
My first thoughts of Agamemnon was that he's a greedy, selfish king who shows no respect to one another. But after reading Book 9, he has actually changed. Agamemnon himself, the selfish king. Has another side to him. A caring side. He had said a big thing to Achille's the ruthless man. Once Agamemnon realized he had said such things he had tried to mend with it, but Achille's chose himself not to accept it all. He took things in a bad way. Now looking at Agamemnon and Achilles comparrison, I believe they are both changing alot. For instance Agamemnon now has a caring side all of a sudden. And for Achilles he suddenly has his selfish side, And with him being selfish. That sent the Achaeans to the road of death.

Who is speaking?

Achilles

What does that person say and to whom does he say it?

Odysseus

What persuasive strategy is it?

Reason

Why is it an example of that strategy?

Achilles talking to the people, stating he cannot take back what he said because that would hurt his honor.

Who is speaking?

Nestor

What does that person say and to whom does he say it?

Agamemnon & Achilles

What persuasive strategy is it?

Reason

Why is it an example of that strategy?

Trying to tell them about there arguement and how it will end the Achaeans

Who is speaking?

Odysseus

What does that person say and to whom does he say it?

Achilles

What persuasive strategy is it?

Emotion

Why is it an example of that strategy?

He is trying to use a lot of words, in order for Achilles to feel bad and change his decision of the Achaeans

Dissagreements & Fights

One time I had told my friend a secret and he had promised he would not tell anybody. The next day, the whole entire school was blabbing about the Incident I had told my friend. After that this "person" came up to and was really mad about what I said, and started an arguement with me. This led to an arguement with my friend because he was the only one that knew, and after that next thing I knew it was school-wide.

2/22 Illiad Reflection - Book One

If you were an ancient Greek, which of the following statements would you agree with?

A) Achilles’ rage is justified and I support his decision not to fight, even if it means the Greeks might lose lots of men, or even the war itself.

Or

B) Agamemnon is the commander, as such he is in the right, and I support his decision to ask for Achilles’ war prize Briseis – even if it means that Achilles will sit out the war.

As of right now, I have some mixed feelings about this issue. Watching the movie made me lean towards Achille's side, but it seems that the text involved in the Illiad makes me think twice about it, and makes me lean towards Agamemnon's side. Achille's should leave Agamemnon alone, Not only because he is a King but it also makes him feel bad. And for Agamemnon, he seems confused on what to do about Achille's.

Illiad

Stanza 220
Achilles is just about to decide whether he should kill Agamemnon or not when Hera sent Athena down from the heavens.
Stanza 230
Achilles asks why Athena has come down—to see the truth of what Agamemnon has done?
Stanza 240
Athena tells Achilles not to kill Agamemnon because Hera loves them both and Achilles asks why.
Stanza 250
Achilles put his sword away and he ceased from killing Agamemnon.
Stanza 260
Athena goes back up to Olympus.

Illiad

Stanza 80
Achilles asks the seers why Apollo is angry with them.
Stanza 90
Calchas said he would tell Achilles the answer if he swears to protect Calchas whenever he tries to talk to the king, Agamemnon.
Stanza 100
Achilles agrees and swears by the god Apollo that he will never let a soldier or Agamemnon lay a hand on Calchas.
Stanza 110
Calchas says that Apollo is angry with Agamemnon because he burned his priest so the priest prayed to the god and Apollo answered his prayer to keep the plague going on until they carry out a task.

Rage

My rage was when I found out, we had school on presidents day. I immediately got mad and was angry. One reason was because, all my friends had that day off and they would put it in my face about how our school had that day. It made me so angry, I just couldnt handle myself.

Descriptive Writing Assignment 2/7/07

The loud hurtful sirens, the howls of the animals at night, the street lights flickering on and off, and the dreadful feeling in my stomach. It was them, all these nights had passed but today was my turn. My body heated up as if it was 100 degrees outside. That instance I felt so anxious to get away, to leave the place I call my home. Approaching closer and closer as the clocks minutes tick’ I feel worse and worse. The sweat is clinching to my face. The next thing I know, all the noise in the neighborhood went done. It was suddenly quiet, I felt as if this were all a dream. But then, as I look out my window. I see a bright colorful fire truck. It was them; they had come to burn my books, to turn them all into little pieces of ash. I had told the men, Please don’t burn my books, they did not do anything to you. The men replied, I was ordered to leave the house or they would shatter my house to the ground. Crackling and Stinging my house was in flames. I had no other choice but to quickly fall down with my home. Feeling the heat rise, and the flames begin to grow. I said to myself, I lived my life...

Fahrenheit 451 Descriptive Writing

Objectivity, Drenched, And Squealed

These words to me, All have some sort of a connection with fear. Objectivity, to me reminds me of someone talking about going on a mission, and or having an Object that's needed. Drenched, is another word. The first thing that comes to my mind when hearing this word is something pouring over someone. For example, water covered the guys body. It drenched him. And Squealed, because it has that fear effect on people. It can be used in many different ways, and it describes a lot of actions in the storyline.

2/6 - Hesiod Writing Assignment

1. What do you think this myth tells about the ancient Greeks? What values did they have? Why would a story like this develop?

In the Ancient Greeks opinon, they are trying to say not all Gods are perfect. And for the Gods who worship, they were very powerful but also went through many rough times. A story of this type tells the reader, about how powerful Gods are.

Words

Muffled, Anxiety, Pulses

These words, I had got the idea from Olivia, Kit, and Austin. While looking at there descriptive writing pieces from a while back I noticed these words, And they kinda caught my mind. One word I really liked was pulses, and that's because you can use it in many different ways, And it has many different meanings to it. Which I think makes it creative and cool. Muffled, because it's a kinda quiet word. To me if I heard muffled out of no where, I would have thought about my dog. Just because it has that effect on me. And last was Anxiety. That word just appeals to my mind, and makes me think alot. I like all of these words, and there are also many more. I thought I would just point out some of my favorite descriptive writing words.

Fahrenheit 451 pp. 154-165

In these bombings, did everyone die?

1.)What does Montag mean when he says, “And when they ask us what we are doing , you can say, We’re remembering” ? Why is this quote important? How does it fit into the novel, what is Bradbury trying to say with this?

This quote is important because, it tells you what Montag is really doing. In this case he is saving books, and traveling around the world. And Bradburry states we are forgetting books and leaving them behind.

Fahrenheit 451 pp. 138-154

1Q) Write one or more questions that you have. Don't just say "I don't get it." Ask a specific question about what is happening in the story.

Why did the government leave the rebels with the books?

2Q) How has Montag changed from the beginning of the novel to this part? In writing about this you might want to notice that the environment has changed from the city to nature. Is this a coincidence or is the author trying to say something by contrasting the city to nature in relation to the ways Montag has changed.

Montag before was a type of guy who really didn't care about life and burned books for a living. Now he has matured and has been in contact with smart people. Even though he had murdered his Commanding Officer, he doesnt burn book anymore, he tries to keep them alive and useful. The author uses Montag to state that he has been ripped away from the machine, in that case is the Society.

Fahrenheit 451 pp. 126-137

1.Find a line from the story or a paragraph that you like and explain why you like it.

"You'd Better head for the river if you can, Follow along it, And if you can hit the old railroad lines going out into the country, Follow them"

I like this line from the book, it was in on page 132. The reason I liked this, was because it was very descriptive and also it was good advice..

Fahrenheit 451 pp. 110-125

1. Summarize what happens in one or two sentences.

Montag And Beatty go to a firefighting scene, where suddenly Montag figures out they're trying to burn his house down. Montag kills the hound after it injects him, And is now wanted by the state.

AND

"There was a hiss like a great mouthful of spittle banging a red-hot stove, a bubbling and frothing as if salt had been poured over a monstrous black snail to cause a terrible liquefaction and a boiling over of yellow foam."

I think this most appeals to sight.

Fahrenheit 451 pp. 91-110

1.Give a very short (1-3 sentence) summary of the two main scenes in this section. The first scence was at home in the living room and the second scene was in the fire house with Beatty.

The two main scenes in this section are, of one when Montag came to his boiling point at the house. He got pissed off because of the women explaning there opinions on the future presidents, for example the woman said they would like a cuter or good looking one instead of a president with brains. And when Montag heard that he blew up and started going off about how stupid the country is getting. Another important part was when he got eaten alive by Beatty.

2.Analyze the use of language in the reading by analzying figurative language or descriptive verbs and adjectives.

Find a sentence or two that has strong adjectives and/or verbs. Quote the book and explain why these are strong descriptive words and why they are effective. How do they appeal to the senses? What mental images do they invoke?

" It was good listening to the beetle hum, the sleepy mosquito buzz and the delicate filigree murmur of the old man's voice at first scolding him and even consoling him in the late hour of the night as he emerged from the steaming subway toward the firehouse world."

The reason I chose this passage/quote was because of all the descriptive metaphors used.

Fahrenheit 451 pp. 80-91

Faber jokingly proposes a plan of action and then starts to discuss it seriously with Montag. What is the plan of action? More importantly, why does he say it won’t work? Analyze his answer. Why won't it work?

The plan was to go around the entire world, intruding other firefighters homes and planting books in there houses, the reason for this was so they can burn there own house to the ground. This didn't work because of faber coming around telling about how firefighters are rarely neccesary to keep in order. And even if they were to execute all the firefighters, the people of there society's would throw the books out, because they don't want them/books anymore

Descriptive Paragraph

I look forward to the sunny days, warm nights, cool breeze, and small delights. A perfect San Diego summer. It's three months of excitement, A chance to hang out with your friends and venture on to new joyful things. Im excited, the summer is right around the corner, and I'm eager to get it started already. But, when it comes and as the summer nights calm, and the days pass by. We have no choice but to be thankful for the summer, and wait another energetic year...

Fahrenheit 451 pp. 71-80

Why does montag write a book about people he didn't even know?

Answer at least one of the following questions: What does Montag mean when he says that books "point, one way or another, to Clarisse?"

Montag refers to the book and links a lot of stuff to Clarisse. In my opinion I believe he does that because, each significant thing connect with his life somehow, And since Clarisse has been on his mind so much, it was the first thing that came to his mind.

Something I dread, or Hate to do

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. Beep, Beep, Beep. Tuning my ears into a sound, a certain sound that hurts my ears. It makes me want to Pull a sheet of cloth over my head. Beep, Beep, Beep. This sound never stops, at an instance my body is injected with energy. I wake, I hop into the shower and leave. My mind tells me, go back to sleep. But a device in the back of my head keeps clicking. This sound makes me want to sleep..I hate having to wake up and look at the clock.. it's 7:00 already...

Fahrenheit 451 pp. 40-68

QUESTION: (From the perspective of Captain Beatty).
Is it better to be ignorant and happy OR is it better to be aware, educated and disturbed at the world?

In my opinion, being Ignorant and Happy is both good, The reason is because if you're ignorant and happy you can still have your feeling, and your thoughts about thinking or feeling good. Let the people win their contests, and Fill there mind with brilliant information, then they will feel like thinking and turn happy.

Fahrenheit 451 pp. 21-40

1)What do you find confusing? What is something you don’t understand?

I don't really get who Clarisse is, And as the author states her leaving out of the story. It makes me wonder, what was the purpose of the author including her in this book, and why does Montag always compare her to his wife.

2) Montag compares Mildred (his wife) to Clarisse and says that Clarisse seems older. In what way does Clarisse act more mature and WHY do you think she is more mature? Why does Bradbury (the author) make the contrast between the two?

I dont think that they are both exactly the same, because obviously they have grown up in different area's brought up a certain way, and life seperate lives, which I think causes the maturity level to be mixed up. The only reason I think that Clarisse seems older is because she is a young teenager doin things that most teens wouldnt do. She ponders on the past and the future, and the worlds beauty. Not just with another teen, with a 30 year old man. As for Montags wife, she is very immature. For one, trying to commit suicide. And as for the author's contrast between the two. In my opinion he is wanting to compare an older lady, who has experience with down emotions and gone through many struggles, as to the younger lady who in very inexperienced but also very intelligent for her age, and understands what is going on around her.

Fahrenheit 451 pp. 3-21

1) Ask a question that you have about what's going on in the novel. What do you find confusing?

I really don’t get this story that much, even though it’s a good book. I feel some words are really descriptive and tell a lot of things. But on the other hand you have those events that occurred in pages 3-21, that you wouldn’t imagine happening in our lifetime. Which makes me kind of wonder, what is really going on.

2) Even before Montag and his wife Mildred talk to one another we know that they are alienated (distant) from one another. How does the author convey this?

I think that the author gets his point across to the readers, in an unusual way. In my opinion he is trying to state facts about the wife overdosing herself on sleeping pills, to kill herself. I believe the reason for taking the pills was because she was depressed and not happy with her lifestyle or the people involved in it. Another way was when the author described Montag coming home from a so called “night run” and that he comes home to a blank room, which made it seem like there was no connection between each others long distance relationship.