Spring Lit Analysis #1

TOPICS AND EVENTS

1. A. The book I decided to read was ARGO. It is the story about how the C.I.A saved the lives of six US embassy workers who escaped from the embassy in Tehran, Iran in 1979. On November 4, 1979 Iranian radicals raided the US embassy because America was keeping their shah hidden and this sparked an Iranian revolution. 6 embassy workers were able to escape and were able to hide in Tehran for a little while but they wouldn't be able to hide forever. When the US heard of the situation they had to do something, so the C.I.A came up with an idea.The agency had a crazy idea and they decided it was the best thing. Their plan was undercover agents should dress up as a Canadian film crew and say they are filming a Sci-fi movie named Argo. The lead agent, Antonio Mendez, was the "director" and he provided the escaped Americans with new Canadian identities and passports. when they were at the airport there was many close calls and they were alost caught multiple times. Right when the plane took off the guards realized who they were but they were too late and the Americans had escaped, but the rest of the hostages weren't released until January 20, 1981. To avoid further conflict, the C.I.A blamed the escape on Canada and were able to keep the secret for 20 years.
     B. Americans fight for freedom and will do anything they can to conserve their freedom.
2.The author chose to write about this topic because it was an important part of his life and he helped save many peoples lives, and that's something few people are able to do in their lifetime.
3.I chose this book because I like to learn more about our government and this was a interesting time when many lives were at risk and what they had to do to save hundreds of lives.
4.This book seemed kind of irrational and like and impossible idea but the way they went through with the plan was cool and well executed. The escaped Americans seemed like scared little kids because they were scared to go outside and scared to do anything because if they got caught they would be executed, so they are relatable to anyone in our society who is scared of something that is greater than them.

PEOPLE
1.The author didn't exactly create new characters but he had to change the name of because he is still associated with the C.I.A  and he is not allowed to say certain names for government reasons. The tone is kind of dire and seems like there is always something bad about to happen but they are able to get out of it before anything happens. It says that either they are full of luck or they just always know how to survive and make their way through the worst of things.
2.One character is the author and main character Anthony Mendez. He is a Mexican-American and a now retired C.I.A agent. He grew up and wanted to be an artist and went to school to be one. One day he saw an ad in the paper to work as an artist for the government and it ended up being for the disguise section of the C.I.A. He was calm under pressure and was able to lead his team to safely lead his men to safety and protect them get the Americans back to the US. Another character was Ken Taylor. He was the Canadian ambassador of Iran and he let the escaped embassy workers live at his house. His actions were crucial in the survival of the Americans and was the true savior in the end.
3.These characters were interesting enough to write about because they were able to save half a dozen innocent lives and lead to the eventual freedom of  hundreds more held capture.

STYLE
1.Mendez had a more journalistic style to his writing because he talks about the events and talks about how they were able to save the escapees.
2.He focuses more on action and dialogue than lengthy descriptions, because of this there is more suspense and makes for a better book overall.
3.Mendez uses a lot of dialogue to help set the mood but he hardly uses tools or at least its hard for me to spot them.
4.I think he wanted to be informative mostly and tell the story to the audience. He wanted to do this because Mendez wanted to tell us the truth and not what the government wants to tell us.
5.He uses a few articles for reference but he knew most of it because he was an agent in the C.I.A and they know everything as it is. This added to my thinking because I know he doesn't need to have a bunch of articles to prove a point because he probably knows more than most articles.

ENDURING MEMORY
The main point from the bool that will stick with me for a long time would have to be that fellow Americans will do anything to save a fellow Americans live. They will travel the world, risk their own life, and go to hell and back to know that an innocent American can be free. That's the greatest  thing not only about this book but also about this country.

Spring Vocab #4

DEFINITIONS

• Accolade-an award, honor, or laudatory notice
• Acerbity-sourness, with roughness of taste; harshness/severity
• Attrition-a reduction or decrease in numbers, size, or strength
• Bromide-a person who is boring
• Chauvinist-a person who is aggressively and blindly patriotic, especially one devoted to military glory
• Chronic-constant; habitual 
• Expound-to explain; interpret
• Factionalism-self-interested; partisan
• Immaculate-free from moral blemish or impurity; pure; undefiled
• Imprecation-a curse; malediction
• Ineluctable-incapable of being invaded; inescapable 
• Mercurial-changeable; volatile
• Palliate-to relive or lessen without curing; alleviate
• Protocol-the customs and regulations dealing with formality; etiquette
• Resplendent-shining brilliantly; gleaming
• Stigmatize-to set some mark of disgrace or infamy upon
• Sub Rosa-confidentiality; secretly; privately
• Vainglory-excessive elation or pride over one's own achievements; boastful vanity
• Vestige-a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that is no longer present or in existence     
• Volition-a choice or decision made by will  

Spring Vocab #3

DEFINITIONS

• Apostate-a person who forsakes his religion, cause, or party 
• Effusive- pouring out; overflowing
• Impasse-a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock
• Euphoria-a state of intense happiness and self confidence
• Lugubrious-mournful, dismal. gloomy especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner
• Bravado-a pretentious, swaggering display of courage
• Consensus-majority of opinion
• Dichotomy-division into 2 parts, kinds; subdivision into halves or pairs 
• Constrict-to draw or press in; cause to contract or shrink; compress
• Gothic-pertaining to middle/medieval ages 
• Punctilio-a fine point or detail as of conduct, ceremony, procedure
• Metamorphosis-a complete change of form, structure, or environment 
• Raconteur-a person skilled in telling stories
• Sine Qua Non-an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential 
• Quixotic-extravagantly chivalrous or romantic
• Vendetta-any prolonged or bitter feud, rivalry, or contention 
• Non Sequitur-a statement containing an illogical conclusion
• Mystique-an aura of mystery or mystical power surrounding a particular occupation or pursuit 
• Quagmire-anything soft or flabby
• Parlous-perilous or dangerous 

Spring Vocab #2

DEFINITIONS

• Accouterments-additional items of dress or equipment
• Apogee-the furthest or highest point; apex
• Apropos- with reference to; concerning
• Bicker-to engage in a petty quarrel; squabble
• Coalesce-to come together and form one whole  
• Contretemps-an embarrassing occurrence; mishap
• Convolution-a form of shape that is in curved lines
• Cull-to select from others
• Disparate-completely distinct or different in kind
• Dogmatic-characterized by or to the expression to opinion strangely or positively as if they were facts 
• Licentious-lacking legal or moral restraint
• Mete-to distribute by as if by measure; deal out
• Noxious-poisonous or harmful to health 
• Polemic-a controversy or argument especially one that is a refutation of or an attack upon an opinion
• Populous-containing many people or inhabitants; thickly settled 
• Repartee-a swift, witty reply
• Supervene-to follow immediately after; ensue
• Truncate-to shorten or to cut off
• Unimpeachable-beyond doubt or reproach; unquestionable

Life After...

I only have 5 months left of high school then I go on the journey of life. I have somewhat of an idea of what I want to do but it's still kind if a blur to me. I know that I'm going to go to a junior college than transfer to a university, but the real question is where am I going to go and what am I going to do? I like lots of various things but I don't want have a career in some of those things. I think working with the human body is really interesting, especially either a physical therapist or a forensic scientist. The only thing is I haven't really researched into schools that offer either of those subjects. I know that I'm going to stay in Santa Maria and go to Allan Hancock for at least one year than I was thinking about going up north and go to Gavilian college in Gilroy which is 10 minutes away from where all of my entire family lives. I know it's really close and I'm not very prepared but I know I will make a good decision and I will do the right thing.

Spring Vocab #1

DEFINITIONS
1. Adumbrate-report or represent in outline; foreshadow

2. Apotheosis-climax

3. Ascetic-the practice of self-discipline; abstinence

4. Bauble-small trinket or decoration

5. Beguile-trick; charm

6.Burgeon- begin to grow or increase rapidly

7.Complement- a thing that completes or brings to perfection

8.Contumacious-stubbornly or willingly disobedient to authority

9.Curmudgeon- bad tempered person; old person

10. Didatic- intended to teach

Lit Analysis #3

Topics and Events

1.       A. The book I read was about a young girl from Mexico and her life story all the way up to her death. The title of the book was Chicana and it went into depth about her life and what she had to go through from when she first crossed the border to her abusive marriage she was forced to into. It is kind of sad what she had to go through especially because that is my grandmother.

  B. The story Chicana is a gripping journey of a woman and the decisions she makes to survive a life filled with heartache, violence, and poverty.

2.     The authors name is Debra Burroughs and she wrote this memoir because it is her grandmother and she wanted to get the story of how she touched the hearts of us all and how one little woman could change so many people’s lives.

3.     I chose this book because the main character is my great-grandmother and I never knew all of the struggles that she went through and it completely shocked me. My mother had told me about the book and she was very upset about it and now I can understand why she was so sad and to me it should not have been published at all.

4.     Yes it’s very realistic and I personally know most of the characters and I might not have been around during these wonderful moments with my great-grandmother but I have seen how this woman has positively affected all of my family around me.

People

1.     The author didn't really create new characters that I knew of but all of the main characters had different names than their real names. She changed the names of the main characters because she revealed a lot about them but didn't want to go and say their real names because that is a little too much.

2.     A character that is very interesting to me is my great grandmother. Her name in the book is Carmen Rodriguez but her real name was Cruz Rodriguez and the memoir goes into depth about how she had a really difficult life as a child and as a young woman. She was a very sweet, innocent woman who definitely didn't deserve the life that was dealt to her. If I had to create her as a fictional character I would have probably left out some of the horrific things that were said in this book. Another character that was named Elena. She is my Aunt and her real name is Juanita, she never met her real father and her stepfather hated her and just treated her like she was another mouth to feed. She was a very strong woman and decided to move out and be safe at a very young age. If I wrote a fictional book and had to include her in it I would have created her the exactly the same.

3.     They both went through a lot of things that most people shouldn't go through or even worry about in their lifetimes. They deserved to be written about because many people would just give up and stop trying to help themselves and their kids but not these women.

Style

1.     The author used a more journalistic view and used evidence and first hand interviews instead of fiction writing tools.

2.     She focuses more on action and dialogue because she was able to talk with all of the characters and interview them firsthand.

3.     She doesn't really create a mood because she isn't a very good author and it just seemed like a very sad story. She never wrote a book before and she probably didn't know how to use tools to create a mood and a tone

4.     I think she wanted to be informative but you could tell some of the time some of the events in the book saddened her. It made her sad because it was her mother and her grandmother who she was talking about and is understandable to see why the author seemed sad at some points.

5.     She just talked to her mom and my great grandma supposedly told her everything that happened to her even though she never even told some of these things to her own daughter. There is some controversy in my family if Mrs. Burroughs told the truth about all of these things but that didn't really matter to me.

Enduring Memory

          One thing that I will remember for a long time is what my great grandfather Pablo did to his wife and my great grandma Cruz. He did things that no man should ever do to a woman and it disgusts me. Even after all he did to my grandma Cruz, he had the balls to leave her for another woman and have a whole other family with her. Another thing that really got to me was how she was able to deal with all of this and still raise 10 kids the best she could. She is one of the strongest people I had ever met or heard about and it crushes me that I never got to meet her or even talk to her. Even though I never met her she has changed my life greatly and shaped my whole family’s life. She gave us many of the opportunities that we have to this day and led us to our wonderful lives.