Vocab List #3

Fortuitous:

• Context: "It was fortuitous that most of the money had been locked away and that the sum taken was relatively small."
• My Guess: To be very lucky through an unfortunate event
• Dictionary Definition: Happening or produced by chance; accidental // fortunate, lucky
• My Example: John was fortuitous that the large tree fell away from the house and into the street, or else it would have split the house in half
• Connotation: Positive

Mundane:

• Context: "Kanye West has been inundated with fans asking mundane questions after he asked he followers to leave him alone so he can work on his new album."
• My Guess: Obnoxious or annoying
• Dictionary Definition: Characterized by the practical, transitory, and ordinary
• Mnemonic Device: Mund sounds like mud, which is boring and bland
• Another Example: "They decided on buttock tattoos, rather than the more mundane engagement ring, because a tattoo is permanent. You can always pawn a ring." —Mike Royko, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 1988

Opulent:

• Context: :An opulent commercial office and warehouse complex built during the excesses of the mid-2000s — before the big crash — sold Friday for substantially less than its original cost."
• My Guess: Very expensive, or of fancy quality
• Dictionary Definition: Ostentatiously rich and luxurious or lavish
• Mnemonic Device: Oprah is rich… (Op)rah and (op)ulent
• Connotation: Positive

Ostentatious:

• Context: "Ostentatiously rich and luxurious or lavish."
• My Guess: Large and eye-catching
• Dictionary Definition: Intended to attract notice and impress others
• Mnemonic Device: Ostriches are eye-catching and very well noticeable
•  Another Example: "Today, Yudashkin continues to show his opulent designs in Paris and remains inspired by the country he is proud to call home."

Reverence:

• Context: "Reverence for nature and its beauty is evident in the Morro Bay garden of David and Justine Thomas."
• My Guess: Respect towards a certain person, place, or thing
• Dictionary Definition: A feeling of profound respect for someone or something
• Mnemonic Device: A reverend was one associated to the Church in the 1800s and people looked up to them with utmost respect
• Connotation: Positive

Tenacious:

• Context: "You guys have to want it more. More importantly you guys have to play tenacious D." - Coach Wilson
• My Guess: Aggressive and overwhelming
• Dictionary Definition: Pertinacious, persistent, stubborn, or obstinate
• Another example: "The hooks on the end of final strokes indicate a tenacious mind that holds on to ideas and opinions as tight as a snapping turtle."
• My Example: She wanted a car for 18th birthday, and she became a tenacious lunatic when her parents first told her "No."

Haughty:

• Context: "The ubiquitous presence of these haughty MPs provided ready proof of the dire domestic situation in Kenya and therefore a reason why other countries must not listen to the country's pleas."
• My Guess: Overly ambitious
• Dictionary Definition: Arrogantly superior and disdainful
• Another Example: "He even persuaded the almighty Oprah to come out of acting retirement and do a comic bit poking fun of her haughty image."
• History: "1520-30; obsolete haught (spelling variant of late Middle English haute < Middle French < Latin altus high." (Dictionary.com)

Enervating:

• Context: "… like any clickbait headline on the internet, tend to disappoint rather than enervate."
• My Guess: To excite someone about an event
• Dictionary Definition: To cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken
• My Example: The ride to the beach was quite enervating due to the fact that we hit about an hour and a half of traffic on the way.
• Connotation: Negative

Demagogue:

• Context: The author of the Donald Trump article described Trump's campaign as a demagogue, and an effective one as well.
• My (First) Guess: A dictatorship of some sort
• Dictionary Definition: Appealing to the public's passion, instead of a rational argument
• Mnemonic Device: (Demo)graphics are characteristics of a certain population
• My Example: The teacher ran a demagogue in the classroom when he decided to never give his students any homework.

Conundrum:

• Context: An article titled "An alternative to the White Sox market conundrum" which went into problems they had with free agency
• My Guess: A clear problem in a specific situation
• Dictionary Definition: a confusing and difficult problem or question.
• My Example: While Batman was trying to foil the Riddler's, he was overwhelmed by the conundrum of the last riddle.
• Connotation: Negative

TOW #12 - Unbroken

God gives his toughest battles to his toughest soldiers. After my reading of Unbroken, a biography about the hardships of being lost at sea, and the brutality of being a Prisoner of War, it's apparent that Louis Zamperini was one of His strongest soldiers. Throughout the first half of the reading, Laura Hillenbrand revealed the struggles that Zamperini had to face during World War II. Once a man trying to break the world record for fastest mile time, he lost all of that when he went through 47 days lost at sea. He lost 15 pounds, and went through hell, like no other man should on this planet. But that wasn't his worst memory in the war. After 47 days, he finally reached land, just to be captured by the Japanese, and sent to a POW camp. He was abused, exploited, embarrassed, but yet his spirit never quit. He was going to survive, no matter what obstacles were thrown his way. In the biography, Hillenbrand utilized an inspirational tone when discussing his feats and struggles in order to exemplify that Louis should be idolized for not just he perseverance on the track, but even when he had nothing, Louis had something worth fighting for, his life. "To expand his lung capacity, he ran to the public pool at Redondo Beach, dove to the bottom, grabbed the drain plug, and just floated there, hanging on a little longer each time. Eventually, he could stay underwater for three minutes and forty-five seconds." (pg. 34). Louis had a goal in mind, and that was to break the world record, just like any other Olympian runner in the world. However, his training efforts were so driven, revealing not only his physical toughness, but mental toughness, which would be essentially when carrying over to his war experience. "The same attributes that had made [Louie] the boy terror of Torrance were keeping him alive in the greatest struggle of his life." (pg. 116). He had nothing. He was just a man stranded in the Pacific Ocean, and his only companions were his two crew members, and hungry great white sharks. However that didn't shake him, as revealed by the inspirational tone Hillenbrand uses to describe his actions through his toughest battle. By exemplifying his hardships, and utilizing the tone of inspiration to reveal Louis' perseverance, the audience can appreciate that even when you're struggling, or going through rough times, there is always something that makes you keep fighting. 

TOW #11 - JV Squad

Over the past year, the world has experienced endless threats from the terrorist group, ISIS, and yet it seems that only after the attack on Paris has the world began to understand the gravity of the situation. About a year ago, when the ISIS threat was beginning to become imminent, President Obama referred to the terrorist group as a JV basketball squad, and how if they put on a Lakers uniform, it doesn't make them Kobe Bryant. This statement resulted in much debate about the legitimacy of ISIS. Rick McKee, illustrator of this cartoon, has been editorial cartoonist for The Augusta Chronicle since 1998, and now has his own website where his cartoons are becoming quite popular around the nation. Through the uses of ironic humor, McKee effectively communicates his purpose that Washington needs to start addressing ISIS as a ominous threat to western civilization and focusing their attention to eliminating the problem.

Although this cartoon was originally created in August of 2014, after watching the chaos that transpired in Paris last month, the irony in McKee's cartoon is magnified to an even greater scale. With Obama focusing on his golf game, we see him brush off ISIS "the JV team" acting as if they were no big deal. The irony - the figure representing the terrorist group has shoes that are just as big as Obama himself. With the attacks on Paris, the entire world was forced to turn their attention to the conflict that ISIS proposes. It is time to stop avoiding the war on terror, and time to address and eliminate the issue that the entire western hemisphere is beginning to face.

Vocab List #2 - 12/1/15

Magnanimity:

• Context: We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them…
• My Guess: The greatness of a person
• Dictionary Definition: The virtue of being great of mind and heart. It encompasses, usually, a refusal to be petty, a willingness to face danger, and actions for noble purposes
• History: Derived from the Latin roots magna (great), and animus (mind) in term meaning literally greatly generous
• Other Example: George Washington had the magnanimity like no other, making him the obvious candidate for the first president of the United States of America

Consanguinity:

• Context: They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity
• My Guess: The unity in a specific system of government
• Dictionary Definition: Having the same ancestry or descent; related by blood.
• History: Derived from the Latin word consanguinitas meaning "blood relation"
• My Example: John Hart, the one who signed the Declaration of Independence, and are similar in consanguinity

Rectitude:

• Context: Appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People…
• My Guess: Correctness of any action
• Dictionary Definition: morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness.
• Mnemonic Device: Rechts means "right" in German, so rectitude means the rightness of something
• My Example:  When Dan stopped to help pick up the girl's books, which he accidentally knocked out of her hands, he exemplified rectitude.

Usurpation:

• Context: We have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations…
• My Guess: Wrongful actions
• Dictionary Definition: Wrongful or illegal encroachment, infringement, or seizure
• Connotation: Negative
• My Example: When John painted graffiti in the bathroom, it was considered usurpation.

Forbearance:

• Context: He was merciful as a conqueror, stern as a disciplinarian, enterprising and wary as a general; while his courage, loyalty and forbearance seem to have been almost unsullied.
• My Guess: Tolerance for something
• Dictionary Definition: The quality of someone who is patient and able to deal with a difficult person or situation without becoming angry
• Connotation: Positive
• Mnemonic Device: To bear with someone is to be patient with them, similar to forbearance

Loquacious:

• Context: Recognizing the fact she had the habit of being rather loquacious, Amy fought to hold her tongue during the meeting.
• My Guess: Talkative
• Dictionary Definition: Talkative or tending to talk freely
• My Example: Sandra was a loquacious young teenager, making it hard for her to keep a secret.
• Connotation: Negative in most cases, but can be positive.

Ubiquitous:

• Context: The first of these was an unimportant affair, probably nursed by the agents provocateurs of Fouche's ubiquitous police.
• My Guess: Having a great presence
• Dictionary Definition: Existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time; omnipresent
• History: The word ubiquitous is derived from the Latin root ubique meaning everywhere
• My Example: While driving up the mountain, the ominous fog was ubiquitous.

Aberration:

• Context: They described the outbreak of violence in the area as an aberration
• My Guess: Unusual chain of events
• Dictionary Definition: The act of departing from the right, normal, or usual course
• My Example: It was an aberration when Jimmy ordered a bacon cheeseburger, when he always would order the cheesesteak!
• Connotation: Negative

Deleterious:

• Context: The deleterious influence of high blood pressure has engaged the attention of physicians and pathologists
• My Guess: Having a negative impact
• Dictionary Definition: Causing harm or damage
• My Example: The deleterious impact of his parent's divorce was that he was always on the move from his dad's house to his mom's house, never staying at the same place for more than a couple of days.
• Mnemonic Device: When you delete something, you get rid of it

Surreptitious:

• Context: The actions of George W. Bush choking on a pretzel was surreptitious, knowing full well he would've been heckled if word got out.
• My Guess: Actions that are usually frowned upon in society
• Dictionary Definition: kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of
• Connotation: Negative
• My Example: John was cheating on his girlfriend, yet he was quite surreptitious, knowing that he would be in a load of trouble if she found out. 

TOW #10 - How Bernie Sanders Has Already Won

Bernie Sanders has already won? Looks like I've been watching a different presidential race than author, David Axelrod. Now David Axelrod is quite a known figure in the political world, one for being the Chief Strategist of President Obama's campaign for presidency, and two, he is CNN Senior Political Commentator. Clearly he knows his stuff. However, yearning for an explanation, I dove right in to the article. What I read was completely different than what I had envisioned. Instead of claiming Sanders was going to win the nomination, he revealed that by pushing Clinton in the race, due to his successful campaign, has pushed Clinton to create bolder stances and a stronger base for her campaign. Through the use of juxtaposition, Axelrod establishes the idea that Sanders has been the driving factor in making Clinton a better prepared candidate for becoming president in 2016. In 2008, Clinton made some costly mistakes in her campaign, that she has began to fix so far into her campaign in 2015. "Folks in Iowa, home of the first-in-the-nation contest, say her team is building the superior ground game she lacked in 2008. This is critical to victory in the organizationally rigorous caucuses." (para. 4). Axelrod uses the Iowans comparison of the two campaigns, to reveal how instead of Clinton being on the fence about some of the political issues, she has now solidified some of those opinions. He later reveals that Bernie Sanders' views on inequality, outsized influence of Wall Street, and gun control, have forced Clinton to embrace the issues, rather than being conservative on what she says. "Clinton did her share of Second Amendment signifying to rural whites in her failed effort to derail Obama in the last race... But this time, she has stressed her commitment to new gun safety measures. But the cautious Hillary Clinton... could have been reticent to make gun safety a central theme, had Sanders not been in the race." (Para. 10).  What Axelrod does by comparing her views on gun control from now, to when she was running in 2008, he effectively proves that through creating a strong opposition, Bernie Sanders has attributed to forming a new Hillary Clinton, who stands strongly behind her ideas, making her a better fit to become president one day. 

Vocab List #1 - 11/17/2015

Chiasmus:

• Context: One of two rhetorical devices that I will choose per week that can be found on Mr. Yost's list of devices.
• “The land was ours before we were the land’s” - Robert Frost 
• My Guess: Two ideas that cross reference each other
• Dictionary Definition: a figure of speech in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax, but reverse the order of the analogous words.
• Mnemonic device: Greek word "chi" which is written as an X, meaning criss-cross
• My Example: Do I love you because you're beautiful, or are you beautiful because I love you

Diacope: 

• Context: One of two rhetorical devices that I will choose per week that can be found on Mr. Yost's list of devices.
• We will do it, I tell you; we will do it. We give thanks to Thee, O God, we give thanks (Psalm 75:1).
• My Guess: The repetition of a clause at the beginning and end of a sentence
• Dictionary Definition: repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase: word/phrase X, . . ., word/phrase X. 
• Example in Other Context: "He was with a woman. A tall, beautiful, well-dressed woman."
• My Example: I can't believe I dunked, it was crazy, I dunked!"

Posterity:

• Context: "Endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity." (Thoreau)
• My Guess: The future of a certain thing, such as government
• Dictionary Definition: Succeeding or future generations collectively
• Connotation: Positive
• History: 1350-1400, posterity comes from the Latin word posteritās, meaning coming after

Alacrity: 

• Context: "... Furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way." (Thoreau)
• My Guess: Quickness, or efficiency
• Dictionary Definition: Cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness
• Connotation: Positive
• My Sentence: When his mom approached him about his suffering grades, he showed his alacrity by going to get extra help in STARS tutoring. 

Furtive:

• Context: "Furtive boys in pink shirts hanging about on washday after school." (Walker)
• My Guess: Exuberant, flashy
• Dictionary Definition: attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt 
• Mnemonic Device: Fur hides skin, just like furtive people try to hide being noticed
• My Sentence: The furtive girl was quick brilliant, but never raised her hand, thinking people would make fun of her high pitched voice.

Egalitarian:

• Context: Was the Constitution more based off of Egalitarian ideas, or elitist ideas? (AP Guidebook) 
• My Guess: Someone seeking equality in society
• Dictionary Definition: of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities
• Mnemonic Device: Egal is very similar to equal
• Connotation: Positive

Equivocate: 

• Context: 100 Words Every College Student Should Know website
• My Guess: Language that is hard to understand
• Dictionary Definition: use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself
• Connotation: Negative
• My Sentence: When the son got home past curfew, he had to equivocate, in order to conceal the truth about where he actually was, knowing that it would get him in trouble. 

Loquacious: 

• Context: "Donald Trump is quite the loquacious politician. He speaks his mind freely, and effectively." 
• My Guess: Expressive of his ideas without fear of backlash
• Dictionary Definition: tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
• My Sentence: When I met the new kid in school, he was very loquacious, considering he didn't know many people around him. 
• Connotation: Positive, but could be negative in different context

Provocative:

• Context: Kanye West Song
• (No one knows what it means, but it's provocative)
  No, it's not, it's gross
  (It gets the people going!)
• My Guess: Motivational
• Dictionary Definition: causing annoyance, anger, or another strong reaction, especially deliberately
• Mnemonic Device: Provocative, relates to the word provoke, which is what a provocative phrase or word does
• Sentence: Some people found Donald Trump's ideas on foreign policy, especially illegal immigrants, to be quite provocative.

Ubiquitous: 

• Context: 100 Words Every College Student Should Know website
• My Guess: A common thought between a group of people
• Dictionary Definition: present, appearing, or found everywhere.
• My Sentence: The fog that appeared in the waking hours of the day was ubiquitous, and made it difficult to see over 10 feet in front of you. 
• History: First known use was 1579, and was derived from the Latin word ubique meaning everywhere

IRB Post #2 - Unbroken

For my second IRB of the year, I've decided to stay on the course of World War II books, and have chosen Unbroken written by Laura Hillenbrand. In a biography on Louis Zamperini, we will learn about his life as a track star, along with his life as a prisoner of war in Japanese Internment Camps. Hillenbrand will go in depth on how he went from a nobody, to eventually one of the greatest runners of his time; taking us through his experience as an Olympian trying to set the world record for fastest mile time. In addition, the audience will also learn about his historic survival after being stranded for 47 days in the Pacific. I have chosen to read this biography due to the fact that I am an avid fan of WWII stories, but this one in particular stood out to me due to Louis' unique background before enlisting in the military. By reading this book, I hope to gain is to learn more about life as a WWII soldier, and to also learn the ideals of how perseverance and determination leads to the unlikely survival of a man in harsh conditions.