A Fault In Our Stars

The statement, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings," is about the way that the people should live their lives. In Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, this statement is relating to somebody stepping in to do the right thing rather than to just let a man with power keep going on with his plan that may hurt many people. In the play, Cassius is speaking with his friend, Brutus, and trying to that for the well being of the people that Julius Caesar must be stopped. Brutus is aware of Caesar's intentions, but he can't decide whether to do what is best for the people or to stand up to Caesar even though he has more power. Cassius reminds Brutus that Caesar is just a man, not a god, and that they are no less than Caesar. This phrase has been interpreted to mean that fate is not what drives men to their decisions and actions, but rather the human condition. John Greene changes the quote to, "A Fault In Our Stars." He changed the quote to relate better to the story that he was writing.

Thanatopsis

1. Thanatos means death and opsis means the sight of death. This goes with the poem well because the poem mentions a lot of death.
2. A shroud is the cloth that a corpse is laid in during a burial. A narrow house is the grave. A pall is a cloth that you spread over the coffin. A sepulcher is a tomb or grave. These words go with the poem well because they are all about death.
3. I think that this poem about death. Throughout the whole poem the main theme is death. It talks about all the things that relate to death, all the materials that you need at a funeral.
4. The poem begins by talking a lot about death as it mentions all things about deaths and what occurs but it then shifts to a poem about life in my opinion. It mixes the two in the poem. The poem could be taken in context as a poem about death or about life. The poem shifted around line 25 as it brings a more spirited vibe. It begins vague but then goes deep into nature.
5. Elegy is a poem that reflects on death. An elegy must shift from one emotion to comforting
6. If i were viewing this poem as a painting it would look like half a page that is dark and gloomy while the other side is filled with beautiful bright images.
7. It is a historical piece because it describes how people viewed life and death with nature back in that time. It is a romantic poem because the author had lots of feeling and it was not like most traditional poems. It shows signs of calvinism by describing ultimate destruction

Short Stories

1. a)  Yes, this speech would persuade me to join the Confederation.  During this time, Colonists were overtaking the land on which the Native Americans were living.  I feel that if the tribes joined together, it would be more difficult for the Colonists to overthrow the Indians.

2. a) The lords plant the Tree of Great Peace to commemorate their meeting.

b) The roots of this plant symbolize peace, strength, and the unity of the nations.

3. a) To open a council meeting, the lords will express gratitude to their cousin lords and thank the earth, the things of the earth, and the creator.

b) The decree suggests that the Iroquois appreciate all that their creator has given to them. Not only this, but they have a deep respect and appreciation of one another.

4. a) Dekanawidah uses the images of deer antlers, a tree, and an eagle.

b) The Iroquois are are in touch with nature and they use rich symbolism to make their constitution. The detailed references to nature all provide further evidence of the Iroquois’ intimate relationship to their surroundings.

5. a)  A lord must be deliberate in his actions and guard himself against anger, giving offensive, or being overly critical. a lord must be honorable, be filled with peace, and yearn for the welfare of the people he leads.

b) The qualities mentioned by the Iroquois constitution would be positive traits for leaders of any time period. Unfortunately, leaders in the modern world do not always possess patience, calmness, tenderness, or selflessness. Many modern leaders are motivated by greed and narcissism and tend to place their concerns and agendas above those of the people they should be serving.    

6. a) I do agree with and support the ideas presented in the Iroquois constitution.  I agree that the constitution should be focused on the people of the confederacy. In order for a society to prosper, it must have leaders who are determined to promote the welfare of their people. The constitution encourages respect of one another and appreciation of the earth and the things that fill it.  I believe that if today’s society were to take on the basic fundamentals of the Iroquois Constitution, we too could prosper. We would have a new respect for one another and for our planet. This is why I support the Iroquois constitution.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Peyton Durham

Nick Loftin

1.) Edwards believes that his congregation has lots of sinners.  He gives this speech to scare them into changing their ways.

2.) If you do God's will and everything right then you will be granted the ability to go to heaven. 

3.)Abate in the paragraph means to obtain God's wrath by making him angry, or to extend his anger.

4.)He is telling them how close they are to messing up just enough to anger God enough to condemn you to hell.

5.) The italicized clause is there to further explain the world of misery that Edwards is talking about.

6.) Once God lets go of you and you fall to hell there is no hope.  You have no chance of making anything better.

7.) Edwards uses semicolons to continue his thoughts.  He repeats "not willingly" because without God nothing would be possible.  God is responsible for all your wrong doing and without him you would not be alive.

8.) He develops the simile by stating it, and what he is comparing God's wrath to.  The power of the imagery is used to put fear into the audience and make it easier to persuade people to better themselves. 

9.) The images describe what is going to happen to the people who are continuing to sin.  The progression of images is ultimately leading to God condemning or giving up on them. 

10.) Edwards is the ethos, he is very credible because he is very spiritually strict.  He is preaching the logos to the people in hope to try to scare them to do the right thing.  The people represent the pathos because they are the audience in which Edwards preaches to. 

11.) Edward's tone is very threatening by telling the people they will go to hell if they do not listen.  Yes, towards the end of the story his tone changes to a very encouraging tone.  He is encouraging the people to be better followers of God so they too can experience the good that God can do.

12.) Texts meant to be heard are usually very threatening, attempting to persuade the audience to do something or better themselves.  Text meant to be heard are supposed to be applied to life in order to better yourself, while text meant to be read doesn't necessarily apply to you, but the audience as a whole.

13.) Edward's text is persuasive by having a very assertive tone and giving very harsh examples of what will happen to his audience if they do not listen. 

14.) The parts in his sermon where Edwards spoke of God condemning the people to hell unless they proved to be better followers.  This most likely made these people emotional by telling them what the outcome of their lives would be if they did not do as God pleased. 

15.) This picture represents God holding his people by what Edwards refers to as their "strings".  If the people do not please God, then he will let go of their string and let them fall to their inevitable fate.

Symbolism In The Yellow Wallpaper

"The Yellow Wallpaper," is a short story that is filled with symbolism throughout the whole story. The story in general is a basic symbol of how men thought that women weren't as mentally stable and capable as men were. There are multiple specific examples of this symbolism though. For example, the color yellow. It is often linked with illness or weakness. Throughout the whole book the woman was made to feel like she was sick and not well. Her husband isolated her in the country so that she could get "better" although at the beginning of the book she was sane. The husband not taking the wallpaper down is him being oppressive and dominant over her. This is how all men thought that women should be treated during this time period. Men thought that they were incompetent and incapable of making any types of decisions. Also, when she tries to talk to John about her condition he tells her that she should not think about it. This is symbolic of woman's suffrage because if women attempted to free themselves from the inequalities then men would just oppress them and make them feel inferior. Another example, when she is peering out her window she sees the garden which is representative of the outside world and society and of all that things that woman cannot have. She is confined to her room and the windows are barred, leaving her and all women isolated from the outside world because men don't think that they can handle it. The most significant symbol is the woman inside the wallpaper. After a couple of nights in the room she begins to notice this woman inside the wallpaper and is very intrigued by her. She begins to stay up every night and watch the woman. The woman is locked inside these bars and struggles so deeply to get out. She shakes and shakes the bars but she is stilled locked inside of them. This symbolizes how all women feel because they are being confined by men when they want to be let out and freed to do whatever they want because they feel that they are just as good as men and can do everything just as good, maybe even better. One night before they are about the leave the house and move back to the city the woman decides that she is going to let the woman in the wallpaper out. It takes her hours and hours but she keeping pulling and pulling until she gets all of the wallpaper off the wall. The woman is now freed from the bars and the wallpaper. This act also makes the wife feel like she has been freed from all her restraints and when her husband gets back she doesn't listen to everything he says, she starts to be independent and say what she feels. This is the major action of the story and makes the woman free from the reign of men. This is by far the most symbolic thing in the short story.

All About Me

My name is Nicholas Loftin. I am a junior at Newton-Conover High School. I have been in this school system my whole life. I am involved in the beta club and have been on  the baseball team since freshman year. I have a sister named Channing, who is a freshman at Saint Stephens High School. I also have two dogs, Sally and Macy.  I generally do fairly well in English and excited to see how this semester goes!