St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's day this year was so much fun! I got to spend it with my three favorite people- my best friends. Last year on St.patrick's day all of my friends got to go to the St. Patrick's day parade, but I couldn't go because I had a softball game. So this year I was very excited to attend it with them, and I was not disappointed. I also saw a ton of other people I knew, as expected. I also saw one of the contestants form last year's season of my all time favorite TV show,  "Big Brother." She was on one of the floats and I ran after her, screaming her name and saying "Cassi, I love you!" She gave me a ton of beads, which was completely amazing. It was the highlight of my day. Although parades are fun, they do come with their drawbacks. Like the TRAFFIC. It was absolutely the worst traffic I have ever been in. We were at a dead stop on the interstate at one point for at least 30 minutes; it was awful. But besides that, it was a pretty great day!

Wedding plans

My sister is getting married on March 24- 16 days, 14 hours, 33 minutes, and 45 seconds from now (I have a countdown.) Just about everything is ready for the wedding, except for little things, like the shoes my sister will wear or the jewelry that the bridesmaids will wear. So yesterday I met my mom and sister for last minute shopping details, and it turned into quite the shopping trip- not only for wedding things. I have a serious weakness for shopping, and my mom is even worse. So when you put the two of us together in a mall, nothing good is to come of it. Anyway I'm getting very excited for my sister's wedding. I am the maid of honor so I get to actually be in the wedding. I can't wait! That is pretty much what has been consuming my life lately- wedding plans, wedding plans, and more wedding plans.

Richard Cory Final Essay

Lisa Burris

McElveen

English II

March 2, 2012       

The Story of Richard Cory

          E.A. Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” portrays a man who is envied by others in Tilbury Town.  He is looked at with wide eyes; eyes that belonged to those wishing for qualities like his, yearning for a similar lifestyle. However much like in today’s time, along with fame and fortune comes obstacles: solitude, confinement, and ostracism. Factors that can control their victim and steer them towards a certain fate, an unfortunate fate that Richard Cory fell into. Richard Cory’s intimidation toward others and the tendency that people have to fear the unknown is what brought him to his lonely life and sudden death. 

         Richard Cory’s intimidation toward others is illustrated in many ways. “Whenever Richard Cory went downtown we people looked at him,” plays a key role in making Mr. Cory feel like an outsider. He was never spoken to; just watched. He had no communication with the outside world. The townspeople could never have expected that he desired their company; royalty should not desire the company of ordinary people, it was not normal. Despite Mr. Cory’s attempts at conversation, he remained unanswered: “And he was always human when he talked; but still he fluttered pulses when he said, ‘Good morning,’ and he glittered when he walked.” He was the nicest man that could not get anyone to speak to him; not one person that he could share things with. His intimidation is what caused him to be utterly alone.

         Mr.Cory’s intimidation brings fear to the town; fear of the unknown. “Whenever Richard Cory went down town, we people on the pavement looked at him,” explains the distance that the town keeps from Richard Cory. Though not always a literal distance, they are never there with him in spirit, always watching him from a ways away. This is caused by their fear of the unknown; the fear of the superior, royalty; in this case, Richard Cory. 

          In the town of Tilbury, when everyone only lives to pass the time until death, the people have limits. Everyone in the town is missing something, which is a key factor in their misery. When everyone wants to die, it is only a matter of time before one reaches his breaking point. The criticality of whatever they are lacking determines the time left before one parishes. One can physically yearn for food and riches and be stable, but when he lacks something as important as a companion, it becomes unbearable to the point that death is the only resort. “So on we worked and waited for the light, and went without the meat and cursed the bread, and Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet in his head.” Being poor, one physically has something to work towards; being royalty, one already has everything he could ever possibly need. 

         The story of Richard Cory goes to show that royalty and money does not lead to happiness. Richard Cory’s life was ended due to his intimidation toward others; not purposeful, but caused by his royalty and riches. If not so intimidating and mysterious, Richard Cory would not have gone home to put a bullet in his head on that warm summer night. 

Tea Cake analysis

Upon taking one's first bite of a Tea Cake, a faint, but delightful sweetness is detected. At first the cake is light and fluffy, but as the flavor really sinks in one can taste a kick- something like cinnamon. This is much like Janie and Tea Cake in "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Tea Cake's light and genuine personality is what invites her in to fall in love with him. But the "kick" hits her, the self-crushing cinnamon flavor. "Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place," (page 122). Sweet and inviting at first, and a self crushing love once to the core.

Dance, dance, dance

All week long, I have been having mandatory dance classes every day. We have a competition coming up next weekend, and we're cramming last minute practice sessions in to perfect our dances. I am so excited for our dance competition, and I really think we are going to do well. I think we are for sure going to get a first place for one of our numbers, and I'm crossing my fingers for a first for the other dance. On top of dance, I also have mounds of homework adding up all week. This week has been crazy hectic- I don't know if my teachers are just being cruel or what, but they sure did not try and transition us back into the swing of school after our week off from school. My first day back- BAM, they hit me hard with work. I even have a Math essay due tomorrow- a Math essay. Who writes essays for Math? I have to write it about the history of the calculator. I am not looking forward to doing that tonight, along with all of my other homework. Besides all of my work, I am really getting excited for next weekend. Two weekends from that, I have my sister's wedding. I cannot explain how excited I am for that! It is going to be such a fun night. I am the maid of honor, so I get to actually be in the wedding. I have never been in a wedding before and I am really excited. I have a busy month coming up!

Wordly Wise Lesson 7 Parts I & 2 put together

Castigate

“Parisians castigate ‘ignorant’ plans for Hotel Lambert.” (theguardian)

-Paris natives berate all ignorant plans for their new hotel; they don’t even consider them, they completely rule them out and they sharply criticize them.

Colloquial 

“Classes offered at Colloquial Metaphor University.” (CollegeHumor)

• The college is characterized by informal language; the people there use many slang sayings and metaphors. 

Epitaph

“Who's a Hero Now?”(New York Times) : F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the epitaph to this whole sad affair: "Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy. " Bill Freeland Sunnyside, N.Y.

• Scott Fitzgerald wrote the letters engraved on one’s tombstone in memory of a life diseased in this sad affair.

Exodus

“Exodus students: starting the journey.” (exodusinternational.org)

-Exodusinternational.org is a website to help individuals who are about to embark on a serious journey, or an exodus, of accepting their sexuality.

Inter

“Internment of San Francisco Japanese” (The virtual museum of the city of San Franscisco)

-This article describes the deaths and interment of several Japanese in San Fransisco, or the placement of their bodies in their graves. 

Lacerate

“Waitress Lacerates Patron at Hugo's, Alleges Sexual Harassment” (StamfordPatch)

-The waitress at Hugo’s lacerates out alcohol, she breaks it out so quickly to serve to people which leads to sexual harassment. 

Largesse 

“The Privatization of Foreign Aid: Reassessing National Largesse” (Foreign Affairs)

-There was a national gift given; in this case it was a gift of foreign aid.

Obituary

The New York Times: Obituaries. Davy Jones, Monkees Singer, Dies at 66” (The New York Times)

• The New York Times contained an obituary for Davy Jones; a notice of his death in newspaper form.

Omnivorous 

“Making the transition from omnivorous to vegetarianism” (ezine articles)

-In this article, a vegetarian, former omnivore, gives advice to fellow omnivores wishing to change their animal and vegetable diet to a strictly vegetable diet.

Permeate

“Business Clarity should Permeate your business” (business-management.com)

-In this article, a man gives advice on how to permeate, or make your business spread out and become more known and popular.

Rendition

“UK investigations into torture and redition- a guide” (the guardian)

-This article details a series of investigations, seeking to get to the bottom of claims that British officials were involved in a rendition, in this case the performance of abuse to detainees.

Resurgence

“Resilience Thinking: an article for the latest ‘Resurgence’” (transitionculture.org)

-In this article, resilience is offered to others in response to the latest resurgence, or a rising or revival.

Stereotype

“Stereotyping that hurts; stereotyping that helps” (Psych Central)

• In this article, a psychiotrist aims to teach others about the dangers and helps of stereotyping, or the act of making judgements that ignore individual differences in a group of people.

Stipend

“CA students’ stipends to rise with new rule” (The times of India)

• In this article, an Indian clerk tries to rise his regular or fixed amount of pay, or stipend, under the Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Subservient

“Burgerking Subservient Chicken” (Snopes.com)

-This article makes a claim that fast food chain burgerking is behind a “subservient chicken” internet promotion, which would mean burgerking was serving or acting in a subordinate manner.

Claims for "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

"In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie discovers life is a crapshoot. "
 This claim is very weak; first of all it uses the word "crapshoot." I do not think this is a strong, let alone appropriate, claim for this book. I would definitely consider rewording the claim if the person is trying to prove that Janie does not live a good life. However it was me, I would change the claim altogether because I do not believe it is a good claim for the book. Janie's life is not a "crapshoot," because in the end, she seems happy, alone or not.

"In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston proves that the satisfaction of freedom may result from loss."
  This is a very strong claim about Their Eyes Were Watching God. There will be a plentiful amount of textual support from the book to back it up. Through her three marriages gone wrong, Janie ends up happy in the end, alone. Her freedom and independence are what end up making her happy in the end, and her freedom most definitely results from loss- the loss of three husbands, to be exact. It should be a very easy claim to provide support for.

"Their Eyes Were Watching God is a great example of the trials and tribulations of love."
Also another strong claim, however I would refrain from using the word "great" and aim for a more sophisticated word. Throughout the book, Janie journies through the marriages of three different men, all the while getting to know herself better and learning what she does and doesn't like/love. It takes trials of the first two marriages for her to finally find her true love in Tea Cake, however Tea Cake himself ends up to be somewhat of a trial because in the end she ups up happy and alone. There should be a large amount of textual support to back up this claim.