Confusion about Celebration at Heorot ?'s

Hey,
So I was just going through some questions in the packet that I didn't really understand questions 3 and 4 in the Celebration at Heorot section... what does it mean by retainers?

Class Notes 9/25/09

1. Fusion between two seperate religons: Pagan nad Christian
yr. 500- "Comforatably pagan"-happy, no religious riverlry

Missionary Activity- Rome sent out missionarys to Anglo-Saxon's, they had no probem with it
-Strage balance between the two religons, slowly christianity took over

2. Beowulf- set in the time of equal balanced religons (Pagan/Christian)

Grendel-clain's clan (son of/decendent of evil)
Adam + Eve
Cain + Abel-Cain killed his brother Abel in the first testement ( the first murder ever)
In Beoulf the old testement is mostly referenced (God, Great flood)
1600's- King James bible, the most popular edition of the bible

3. WYRD- (pronounced wierd)- A. essential pagan concept
B. warrior culture
C. life not up to you, there is a plan (fate)
D. Warrior can inflence wyrd, wyrd can change his mind
E. a warriors action influence fate
F. very obident to the notion of honor (go to war and fight)

4. WERGILD- A. revenge/vengence, get even, an eye for an eye
B.Solution to this problem- "man price", you are worth money
C. you can pay off dept from killing or exile, if you cant pay walk away

5. Honor travels down (heretitary)
King-warlord/gangleader, conquer people, rule by violence
Thane-noble inservice to lord, loyal to king, but still recipricol
*Responsibility of leadership not just about taking/keeping it, it's loyalty-fight for your king

6. Mead Hall- Herorot, the center of town, later turned into castles

7. Kenning- a fanciful mtaphor to stand in place of an otherwise common word

EX: sword/warbiter, king/ring-giver
* The king would reward a warrior who fought in battle with a thick glod armband ring, if they did something bigger the reward would be greater, the best/biggeset reward is land

Sophia Meyers- i really have no idea who's turn it is for notes anymore but here are mine

Class 9/25/09

Hey. So no one put notes up for class on Friday so I am assuming that there wasn't any notes, but I was wondering if someone could tell me what we did in class on Friday cause I wasn't there.
Thanks
Kiera

Notes 9/21/09

The Toulmin sentence:
Because (grounds), therefore, or so (qualifier)(claim), since (warrant), because, or on account of (backing), unless (reservation)

Ex: Because of the new cell phone law, in most cases, no one should call while driving
(grounds) (qualifier) (claim)
since it is good to obey the law because if the law is broken it means a heavy fine unless
(warrant) (backing)
there is an emergency.
(reservation)

Write a Toulmin Sentence using
-Claim: people should wear seat belts
-support: there is a high rate of serious injury in accidents when seat belts are not worn
-warrant: serious injury should be avoided
-backing: serious injury is costly, painful, and dangerous
-qualifier: typically
-reservation: Seat belts should not be worn in cases where they may be dangerous, like on small children
-rebuttal: There is a high rate of serious injury when seat belts are worn.

(My sentence)
Because of vehicle accidents, typically, people should wear seat belts since serious injury should be avoided because serious injury is costly, painful, and dangerous and even though there is a high rate when seat belts are worn such as when a car goes underwater or bursts into flames, having a device to cut the seatbelt is better than not wearing a seatbelt at all.
(counterargument[claim])

Ex:
-claim: Sweetened soft drinks should be removed from the school's vending machines
-support: we're seeing increased obesity among teens in our school
-warrant: sweetened soft drinks lead to fat teens
-backing: obesity leads to heart disease and health problems
-qualifier: upon administrative approval
-reservation: sweetened foods should be available for people who need it in an emergency like diabetes
-rebuttal: teens should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own health and ,ake their own decisions

-Because of sweetened soft drinks making teens obese, upon administrative approval, sweetened drinks should be removed from the school's vending machines and should only be available for emergencies such as diabetics. Even though teens should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own health and make their won decisions, the school should provide a healthy way to choose to live.

Practice: Claim of fact
-Claim: students who work hard in high school do better in college
-support:
-warrant:
-backing:
-qualifier:
-reservation:
-rebuttal:

Practice: Claim of Value
-Claim: Faux news programs (e.g. "The Daily Show") are a great addition to television


Practice: Claim of Policy
-Claim: The US should (get out of/stay in) Iraq


Marc Cavalier

Notes 9/17/09

Arguments

Based on Generalization-
Common form. Whats true for a well chosen subject will likely be true for larger groups.
Ex. Claim: The dog is probably friendly.
Grounds: It's a golden retriever.
Warrant:(generalization) Most Golden Retrievers are Friendly

Analogy-
Extrapolating from one situation based on the outcome of a similar situation.
Found in Law-'case based' & 'precedent reasoning'(using an old case to define a current case)
Ex. "Life's like a box of chocolates.."
THE FALSE ANALOGY-"I can do___ well, thus I can also do___(unrelated thing) well too"

Via Sign or Clue-
The Idea that some evidence is the symptom/sign of a wider outcome.
Ex." where there's smoke there's fire"

Causal-
(the most complex of warrant forms) Event 'X' is the result of/is affected by factor 'Y'
DON'T MIX WITH CORRELATION- Just because events have a relationship doesn't always mean the relationship is causal.

Authority(ethos)-
Does person/ Text constitute an authoritative source on the issue?
The Authority's interests must be consistent with the issue, and is the issue something many authorities agree on, or just one?

Principal-
A Principle that is widely accepted and shows that a situation exists in which the principle apples.
Evaluation of principle-
Widely accepted? Accurately apples to the situation? commonly agreed on exceptions?

2ND Triad-backing,qualifier & rebuttal

The Backing-Gives more justification for the warrant(not always needed)
Ex. Claim: Use a hearing aid
Grounds: You've been having trouble hearing over 70% of people over age 65 have hearing aids
Warrant: Hearing aid help people hear better.
Backing: Hearing aids are conveniently available.

The Qualifier- States the degree of probability to be attached to the claim
Makes the argument a prediction not a definite.
Ex. of qualifier words: sometimes, maybe, might, many, few, possibly


~Adrienne

Notes 9/15/09

The Toulmin Model of Argument: The Path to Writing Better Essays

Stephen Toulim (March 25,1922-)

• British born philosopher
• Currently Henry R Luke Professor of Multiethnic and Transitional Studies at USC
• Became frustrated with the outline of essays submitted to him while teaching and invented his own form of essay writing.

Just Like Trivial Prusuit

• The Tolmin Model consists of six main points.
• claim
• grounds
• warrant
• backing
• rebuttal/reservation
• qualification

But I like Smaller Numbers

• Good, so does the Toumlin Model
• We start understanding the three ain points of the model.

The Claim

• Essentially the statement being argued-the assertion the arguer would like to make and have accepted as true by the audience
• Even though this is the point from which the writer starts to formulate the argument, it is actually the conclusion of the argument (since it is what the audience should believe at the end)
• Everything in the argument relates back to the claim, if it doesn't relate it shouldn't be in the paper.
• Answers the question "what is the author trying to prove? what is the bottom line?"
• For Example:

1. You should use a hearing aid.
2. That dog is probably friendly.
3. You should send a birthday card to Mimi.
4. It is your turn to drive.
5. It looks like its going to rain.
6. Needle exchange programs should be abolished.

But I Like Variety

• Toulmin identifies three different types of claims.

1. Claims of fact
2. Claims of judgement/value
3. Claims of policy

• No type of claim is "better" than another (although they will be used differently)

Lets Play Matching

• What kind of claims are these?

1. That dog is probably friendly. (claim of judgement/value)
2. It looks like its going to rain. (fact)
3. Needle exchange programs should be abolished. (policy)

So Then, We're Agreed

• Not quite, you don't get to win without a fight
• Most of the time our perspectives are not immidietly accepted as truths-others will challege our claims forcing us to provide support.
• this is called grounds.

The Grounds

• This is the basis of real persuasion-the evidence/opinions/facts/patterns/examples you've gathered to bolster your claim.
• Answers the question "what information does the author need to prove his points?"

A Stroll Around All the Grounds

Commontypes of argumentive support

• Facts-vivid, real, identifiable, verifiable information
• Opinions- interpritations/reasoning (yours or that of an expert) of relative factual information
• Examples-for clarification and illustration of the facts. Explicitly stated, not infered.

Just the Facts Ma'am

• Obviously, factual data is a powerful argumentive weapon. Wielded against the unarmed, unprepared opponent a barrage of facts can be devastating. (Examples: detiled reports of specific events, statistics, facts)

Simple Examples

• Claim: It looks like it is going to rain.
• Grounds: The berometer is dropping.
• Claim: Needle exhange programs should be abolished.
• Grounds: Influences more drug use.
• By referencing a verifiable data source you can win your argument.

Your Opinion Matters

• You've been given conflicting information one this idea-on the one hand you've been told to express your ideas, while on the other hand you've been told to never use "I"
• Lets agree, opinions cannot exist without facts.
• Opinions are formed from facts, interpretation or misinterpretation
• Most claims involve an expression of interpretation, rather than pure fact.
• Opinions are nessacary as part of arguments grounds.
• Must select meaningful opinions (from oneself or and expert) and consider the audiences ability to distinguish them from hearsay or gossip.

Credibility

• We should trust opinions only of those who are trustworthy.

1. experts
2. authorities
3. endorsers
4. best friends
5. family
6. oneself

• Different arguments call for different sources of opinions

Emma Morton

Class Notes 9/14/09

The Toulmin Model of Argument:

The path to writing better essays.

• Simply put, since the time you started learning about formal writing, you've been working off an exceptionally basic rhetorical model, especially when it comes to your thesis.
• By now you should know that a well thought thesis is essential to the success of an essay.
• Poor essays can usually trace their failures to an inadequate thesis.

Why This Matters?

• Becoming a better writer isn't just about "plugging in" the correct bit- its about truly understanding why the mechanisms of an essay work the way they do.
• You probably don't know what exactly makes a particular thesis sentence "good" or "bad" (How or why they work or don't work)
• The Toulmin Model of Argument is a more complicated process- the thesis becomes more elaborate than the basica theses you've become used to- but mastery of this approach will enable you to write far superior essays (consistently) as well as engage in highly productive rhetorical analyses of the arguments of others.
• It can do so because it is constructed in response to the reality of argument, it denies absolutes in favor of qualifiers (not just a yes or no answer).

Lets Agree,

• On the idea that all verbal communication is persuasive to the same degree.
• Therefore everything uttered is intended to get the listener to believe as the speaker believes.
• If that is true then everything verbal can be analyzed by a model of argumentation.

Kara Schroeder

Class Notes 9/11/09

Mythic Heroic Archetype: Quest for Enlightenment

Mythic #6 (Guides)

• There is a guide or guides.
• Once the hero passes an initiatory test, the guide will be revealed.
• It will usually be a revered but unlikely person offers important advice/tools to the hero.
• Either really old or really young or neither... usually older. Many guides are also blind.
• Ex: Yoda, Gandolf, Oracle (from Matrix)
• These things will be offered ambiguously; their meaning will not be spelled out for the hero.
• Nor will the hero be warned of all the dangers ahead in order to force the use of common sense and allow the hero's group to figure it out for themselves.
• The guide will generally be suspected of having some unknown connection to the opposing forces.
• They always possess great power- but not enough to defeat the enemy, sometimes leave info out. Ex: Darth Vader being Luke's father.

#7 (Descent into Darkness)

• There is a descent into darkness (final battle) (alone)
• Can be literal or figurative darkness, but will always prey upon the fears of the hero.
• Ex: Star Wars- Dark Throne Room, where Luke is usually half lit in the scenes and Darth Vader uses Luke's fear for his sister.
• This is the hero's lowest point.
• The victory of the hero is symbolized by the return to the light, cleansed and renewed (a rebirth of sorts)
• Examples: 1) Huckleberry Finn deciding to rescue Jim. 2) Pinocchio in the belly of the whale. 3) Young Goodman Brown in the dark forest. 4) The gunfight in Highnoon, Shane, or any western. 5) Holden Caulfield coming out of the mummy crypt.
• The darkness usually represents a crisis within the hero.

#8 (Hero's New Found Wisdom)

• There is a difference in the hero after the descent.
• The hero possesses new maturity and wisdom that were not the original object of the Quest.
• The other characters will never fully understand this new knowledge, or that the original "goal" was only a symbol.
• "Good does not destroy evil, evil kills evil, or evil collapses into itself. Good must grow and change itself while evil kills itself."
• ^^ Something Mr. Lazarow said...

#9 (Wounds)

• The hero suffers from a physical wound, and is always less than 100%, usually a reminder of the pain from growing and changing, and can sometimes be a mortal wound.
• The hero may be wounder - or even killed - as part of the process of achieving the goal.
• The hero does not view their own suffering as important, when compared with the value of their new knowledge.

#10 ( Knowledge Passed On)

• The hero's knowledge is brought back to the community.
• The hero returns home, bearing the new found wisdom, in order to teach others what they have learned.
• Or, if the hero has died while achieving the quest, the hero's companions return home to carry on the legacy.
• Ex: Saving Private Ryan, Ryan comes home and shares the wisdom of those who saved him... Ex of a Heroic Death: Maximus from Gladiator.

Hope this covers everything, if anyone has any additional information feel free to comment.

-Matt Mollo

Class Notes 9/10/09

The Heroic Archeytype: Quest for Enlightenment

The Mythic Hero #1
Examples: CONTINUED

D. The Lone Ranger

After the Texas Rangers got ambushed the Lone Ranger is the only one who survives. He jeeps his identity hidden with a black mask over his eyes, making himself even more mysterious. After saving people and fighting crime he gallops off into the sunset.

E. Tormented Vampires

1. Blade- Apregnet women bittin by a vampire thus making her baby nether human nor vampire. Blade is an outcast in society with no real home

2. Angel- He ate a bunch of gypsies and one of them cursed him with a soul. Now that he feels he understands what he has done wrong. Angel doen't belong with vampires because he has a soul, unlike them, and humans shun him. This makes himobscure and without a home.

3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Buffy is a teenage girl who was born to be a slayer. Her fate gets in the way of her social life.

F. Luke Skywalker

*George Lucas desingned Luke to be a mythical archetype creature, and based all of Stars Wars on this theroy.

Orphan boy who grows up with his aunt and uncle at moisture farms in backwater world. Isolated and alone from others in society, he doesn't yet know his fate.

G. Huckleberry Finn
A mytserious mythical archetype creature bt choice. Even though he was abandond by his father he's proud to be on the lowest level of society.

The Mythic Hero 1/2 ( in between one and two)

The "Threshold Gaurdian"

*Crossing the threshold- groom carries bride, passing into a new life together. It's symbolic- seprate now together. All heros have the 'call' they need to pass through

1. Hero from outside, has no ties, providing him to act.
2. Hero withinn community must break those ties-or have them broken, sometimes in brutal fashion- before acting.
3. Something has to happen to prompt the hero into action

The Mythic Hero #2

1. A hero always has a weakness, if they didn't the story would not be very interesting
2. Hero is not invincible, but is not a fool
3. But usually possesses great common sense, street smarts, or wisdom
4. Hero may be average in intellect (thus may make mistakes)

EXAMPLES- Pinocchio/lying, Indianna Jones/snakes, Achilles' heel, Superman/kryptonite, Batman/scared psyche, Luke/ypung inexperienced

Odysseus- he has great common sense, described as quick witted, he can respond to pressure. His weakness is his foolishness, and rash sense of pride. When his plan worked blinding Cyclopes to escape out of the cave he shoted his name as they sailed away. Cyclopes reported this to his father and Poseidon prevented Odysseus from returning home.

The Mythic Hero #3

1. The path is not always clear or direct-but there is a goal
2. Hero seeking something that cannot be found, except in 'ailien territory'
3. Herp may know the goal/destination, but doesn't know how to get there or whats involved in the journey

EXAMPLES- Sam andFrodo/destroy ring, Dorothy/follow yellow brick road, Kiro/down river, Rebellio/Death Star

The Mythic Hero 34

1. Journey filled with danger, loneleness, and temptation
2. Hero is facing things they've never dealt with before
3. Burden of quest wearing down on them, and it's one the hero's sholders
4. The hero doesn't want to suffer and take the pain all the time. They are tempted to abandon the quest in order to relieve the suffering that enevitably results

The Mythic Hero #5

1. Ususally the hero is accompanied by friends/servents/disiples
2. These comprades or companions are along to offset loneliness
3. But they don't share or understand the burden that the hero carries
4. All comradesfall away by the end it's the hero's quest and his alone

Sophia Meyers
P.S I'm sorry really sorry this is a day late everybody, I had trouble getting on yesterday

Class Notes 9/9/09 - The Mythic Heroic Archetype

9/9/09

The Mythic Heroic Archetype: Quest for Enlightment
The Western Literary Tradition
English 4

* we would like to believe that human in each region are different but actually we are more similar than different

I. Archetype
A. Formed by repeated expierences in the lives of our ancestors.
- intire history of us as a species - things happen over and over again dating back to our
greatest possible grandmother

B. Inherited in the "collective unconscious" of human race
- concept or theory
- Example of unconcious mind: when you dream
-Collective unconscious(CU): you have an indivdual unconscious but humanity shares an unconcious as humanity continues the pool of the CU continues to grow.

C. Often exposed in myth, religion, dreams, and fantasies, as well as in literature

D. A character type, plot, pattern or description

E. Recours frequently in literature and folklore

F. Thought to evoke profound emotional responses in the reader because it resonates with an image already exsisting in ming
-you are the pond or the bell - the story is the rock or hammer
-means something because inside the CU which is in you-all the story did was bring it out we are all connected.

G. Karl Jung - thought of the CU theory - believed certain subconscious pyschological urges and insticts manifest themselves in fantasies and reveal their presence through symbolic motifs
-stories we tell reveal whats going on inside of us not just as indviduals but together

H. These "forms or images...occur practically all over the world as constituents of myths."
-stories don't change just the names of characters change but the stories at the core are all the same
-proof of universal model for which we work

I. As forms rise out of the unconscious mind in dreams and myths archetypes might appear as characters-princesses, knights, dragons-who help or hinder the "hero" on path to enlightenment

J. Or Many show up as archetypal images- a squence of events a certain kind of place or talismanic object
-rubby slippers, swords in stones, magic rings
-try to get inside of us resonate

K. In the stories that speak to us most deeply these elements remain remarkably constant. The activities, communications, and adventures in which the mythic hero participates the places the hero visits from the enchanted castle to the magic mountain in the darkest cavern all these appear over and over agian in myths from around the world.

II. ARCHETYPE EXAMPLES

A. Journey Quest
-point A to point B
-Life to death
-Everyones goals are centered around getting from point A to point B and trying to accomplish those goals.

B. Rite of Passage
-drivers license
*show maturity
-Conformation or Bar/Baht Mitzvah
-Turning 21 or 18
-Graduating
-One phase of exsistance to another phase
-challenges you endure to make something more
-childhood to adult hood

C. Loss of/Search for Eden
-there is paradise we lost or we are looking for it
-there is paradise we never had it we look for it

D. Grow through conflict
-suffering produces gain
-"no pain no gain"

E. Nature/Life cycle
-nature cycle -seasons
-life cycle-birth and death: mortality

F. Religion/Search for God or personal code
-bad guys viewed as good guys example-The Godfather-the family although involved in a dirty business has honor and adherence-family they have a personal code.
-strving to search for personal code

G. Reconcilliation of Opposites
-Love/hate
-heaven/hell
-allienation/redemption
-male/female
-balance the forces oposition want life to be in balance

III. ARCHETYPE
A. As we watch this conflict unfold we find the germs of meaning that can help us make sense of our own lives.
-we don't need to expierence things to learn from them. Thats why the stories continue to be told.

IV. THE MYTHIC HERO #1

A. Hero has obscure/mysterious background
-The hero is either someone from outside of community
-Or within a community but possessing a hidden difference

EXAMPLES
A. Superman
-Kal-El comes from planet Krypton and protects people of metropolis as "superman". Earths yellow sun endows him with powers far beyond those of mortal men. He lives under the assumed identity of Clark Kent mid-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet.
*outsider in alter -ego
*outsider as superman
*pretends to be a member of society but everyone wonders about this akward man.

B. Batman
-Bruce Wayne-is Gotham City billionare playboy, heir to the Wayne family fortune. Psychologically damages as a result of witnessing the murder of his parents he creates the atler-ego of the night stalking vigilante Batman-The Dark Knight
*outsider-rich not like everyone else
*outsider to law vigilante is agianst the law
*outsider-psychologically screwed up

C. Ironman
Tony Stark another genius playboy billonaire-but not quite as philanthropic as the Wayne family. (tony's fortune made through manufacturing weapons) Mortally wounded when weapons he designed are used against him, he invents a new power source to assits his damaged heart then creates an armored weapon-packed flying battle suit with which to battle evil






Kiera McGroarty
9/9/09

Welcome to the English IV Pd. 6/7 blog for 2009-2010!

Welcome, English scholars of MHS Class of 2010! It's a great pleasure to welcome you to your home on the web--your class blogsite.Ever since we first began using online bulletin boards as a way to converse about literature and writing (all the way back in the early '90's, and please don't feel the need to comment about how long ago that was, or how old you were then), it was always my intent to do the same in my classroom. I have found this format to work superbly to aid you in the work we will do. I have put this space together for the benefit of your academic pursuit--to expand your ability to converse about the texts we will be discussing. This space is essentially yours to post relevant--and presumably intelligent--comments and questions regarding our readings.

Please note the following rules:

1. ONLY students currently enrolled in MHS English IV Pd. 6/7 may post comments here. This is not a discussion board intended for the world--and each of my other classes has their own blogsites, to which they are similarly confined.

2. anyone who posts must do so with their REAL first name. Any posts found to be made using names other than real (for example, posting using another student's name) will be dealt with according to school disciplinary policy.

3. all discussion will proceed in respectful, scholarly manner.

4. to ensure that #3 is obeyed, I will personally monitor all discussions on this blog. It's not that I don't trust teenagers to behave in responsible ways. . .oh, wait--yes, it is. I don't. Don't take it personally.

5. Do not expect me to comment on every posting, even if a question has been directly asked of me by one of you. I am much more interested to see whether your fellow scholars are capable of suggesting viable answers and explanations. I reserve the right to comment when and if I deem it necessary. Frequently, I will allow a discussion thread to continue unabated, in order to bring that thread into class for further investigation.

6. From time to time, if the mood strikes me, I may make a comment or pose a question, or refer you to some additional reading I've discovered. Just because I've done that does not make you obligated to respond. . .at least, not yet.

7. Just in case you forgot--please remember: I treat you as "pre-college" rather than as "high school seniors," until you give me reason to treat you otherwise. Reconcile yourself to the gravity of that reality right now, and be prepared to handle the work that will reasonably emerge for you this year. Conduct yourself with that level of academic responsibility in mind.

8. Oh--and, yes, the blog will be a required element of your grade each marking period; that is to say, every RELEVANT, SCHOLARLY, THOUGHT-PROVOKING post or comment you make is worth points toward your end-of-marking-period blog/participation grade. (Yes, I am the ultimate arbiter of what fits those characteristics and what does not). Posts that START discussions are generally (but not always, depending on content) worth more than comments that continue discussions--but be assured that I am expecting each of your to be participating on BOTH sides, as posters and commenters. So make blogging a part of your daily online ritual (along with checking your Facebook and playing World of Warcraft). Check it frequently, and post or comment consistently. The concept of "participation" is now no longer restricted to the classroom walls!

That's all I can think of at the moment, but I also reserve the right to change/adjust/modify/ invent as we go along. (Because I can, that's why!) I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and working with you throughout this year.

Mr. LAZ