Yeah you know it.
So here is my schedule for my last semester of senior year. pretty much the best schedule ever. i'll probably be in school a lot. here it is:
1 - Options
2 - Sociology & Sport
3 - Pre-Calc
4 - Poetry
5 - Crisis (buuuuut hopefully options, if mr. oulette decides to be cool)
6 - AP Lit
7 - Music Theory/Gym
8 - Options
SOOOOOOO much different from first semester. It is like the best schedule, its everything i want, its everything i need. I'll actually probably enjoy coming to school somewhat. I dropped Anatomy because that class was doing nothing for me. I never had fun, i always wished i wasn't there, so i think it was a good choice. i also dropped music appreciation (which i can't really name 1 thing that i have learned in a whole half a year) and honors jazz band. I don't want to dis mr. umstead, but fer-face was a million times better. I feel like we're moving really slow in that class, and maybe i'll still play at the concerts or something. plus i still have music theory, the only class that i felt, from the beginning of the year, was worth staying in. and i get to take poetry! i have heard from so many people how good a class it is, and erica has gotten me into it, and ms. I is such an awesome person, i am so pumped. plus micah and liz are in my class, and we are a cool partner threesome. Yesssssssss so excited. It sucks though cause i have no classes with john anymore. haha every class i dropped was the ones with him in it. but we'll still hang out i'm sure, we're too cool not to. and i might still have crisis too.
text in between cuts! yeah!
Also my birthday was this weekend. Nothing really exciting happened because of the stupid blizzard of 2005. Its weird though, when i was born, there was a huge blizzard too, 18 long years ago. i wonder if it means something? The family party was cancelled, and postponed till next weekend. I didn't get much, my mom decided because my big present got caught up in the mail that she would suprise me next weekend, at the par-tay. anyone is invited. Erica got me DMB central park concert, which i love watching over and over again. also a note that made me smile (and made my note drawer). Krissie burned me the cds i wanted, and now i have STD's all over my hands. haahaha. and mamastaubs and papastaubs got me a gift certificate to B&N, probably my favorite store ever. But it was a good birthday and i'm glad to be 18 even though i don't feel like it. i got a scratch ticket and broke even, then i got another one and won a dollar! i'm on a role! no porn yet, but i will keep it updated, mainly for petey's purposes.
also if anyone has a beaver hat, or a fake forked beard, please let me know if i can borrow it for a presentation. thanks.
the following is added on for elena. yeah.
Benjamin Sherman
AP - Literature - 6
January 18, 2005
The Canterbury Tales - The Knight’s Tale
Study Guide
Part I
1. Hippolyta’s younger sister is Emily. She is the domesticated queen of Theseus.
2. Theseus brings home the widow’s husband’s bones for proper burial. I cannot think of any literary selections. It states that the red image of Mars is on Theseus’ broad white banner. It gleamed so much that all the fields around glistened. This just means that Mars is the symbol of his victory. He is the god of war, and when he wins his wars, he is victorious.
3. The two men of Thebes who are taken captive are named Arcite and Palamon. They are selected to be prisoners of Athens because they are descendents of the king of Creon. The circumstances of their imprisonment are that they are locked in a tower forever. The most prominent example of the tower as an important setting in medieval romances is in the movie Shrek. It is sort of a parody of that kind of thing, but the main character, named Shrek, saves a damsel in distress from a tower. Also you can look at Rapunzel, where she is in a high tower and the only way to get out is to let her hair down. The promises that they make to each other are basically ones of loyalty. They will never betray one another, and they would never choose love over the other.
4. Her appearance is described as “lovelier to look at than the lily is upon its green stalk, and fresher than May when its spring flowers (for her complexion vied with the color of roses; I do not know which of the two was fairer”. Palamon was the first of the two cousins to see Emily. Arcite’s reaction is that he thinks that Palamon is sick. He asks, “What ails you? You are so pale and deathlike to look at.” Then he looks out the window, and falls in love too. The quality of Emily that Arcite emphasizes is her beauty. He says that it is deathlike to him. Palamon becomes angry at Arcite because Arcite swears his love to Emily, and he is mad because he saw her first. The code of medieval chivalry that leads to the cousin’s conflict is that all is fair in love and war. The comic or tragic futility that they realize is that neither of them can ever have her because they are locked in the tower
5. The reason that Arcite is sad and feels that Palamon is the victor because he is never allowed to go back to Athens so he can never see Emily again. Palamon is still allowed to see Emily ever day. Arcite’s release increases the grief of Palamon because now he has to suffer alone. The weakness of both of the cousins is love. They fall head over heels and other things just don’t matter. They made loyal promises to each other and those are broken. The strength of both of them is that they are able to work together very well. When they were separated, however, they lost this strength.
Part II
1. Upon Arcite’s return to Thebes, he becomes a servant of Theseus so he can see Emily. He plans to dress up as a poor man and go to the palace and beg for work. This act of assuming a disguise displays his willingness to sacrifice himself for Emily because if he is caught, he was sentenced to pain of death if he ever returned to Athens. He is risking his life for her.
2. The knight states “And, besides, he was a prisoner forever, not simply for a year. Who could properly tell his martyrdom in English verse? Indeed, I am not the one; therefore I pass over as lightly as I may.” This comment allows Chaucer to satirize the poetic limitations of the English language in that he is saying that the intensity of Palamon’s grief cannot be put into words. The comment effects the tone of the narrative in that it emphasizes the grief of Palamon. It makes the story more intense to the reader in that words can’t even describe the emotion.
3. Palamon is angry to see his cousin because he is jealous that Arcite has been in council long and he didn’t try to free him. He is also still mad that Arcite is in love with Emily
4. When Theseus discovers Arcite and Palamon, they are having a sword fight in the woods. The circumstance that led Theseus to the place of the duel was that he was enjoying a hunting adventure. There are instances where chance and coincidence determine the. The two cousins randomly run into one another on the exact day that Palamon is released from prison. Theseus randomly decides to go on a hunting trip exactly where they coincidentally meet. Then, just before Theseus kills the men, the women of his court appear, in the middle of the woods, to beg for their pardon. In some instances, I can agree with destiny being related to fate. If the woman hadn’t showed up, they would be dead and the knight’s tale would be over. They can go together because destiny means that a person will inevitably do what he is supposed to do. Therefore, the two cousins were not meant to die on that May afternoon.
5. Palamon’s confession to Theseus before Arcite gets a chance to speak shows a lot about his character. I think that he did this because he knew that if he did, he would be portrayed to Theseus as more chivalric. It can be seen as him trying to be more chivalric in Theseus’ eyes than he was before, or more chivalric than his cousin, so that he can win the battle for Emily. Theseus’ proposed solution to the problem is that he lets the cousins live, and he decides to let them duel for Emily’s love. This situation allows for Theseus to show his chivalric characteristics because the people of Athens can respect him when he organizes this battle.
Part III:
1. Because the knight is the highest in his class, in the hierarchy of England, it is appropriate for him to speak first. Chaucer makes the knight smart and perfect in all his ways. He describes him in the prologue as perfect. As the character develops in his tale, Chaucer makes it noticeable that he is not the perfect knight that was described earlier. In this way I think that he is mocking the hierarchy of England
2. Both Palamon and Arcite arrive with impressive armies. Lycurgus, the king of Thrace, was one of Palamon’s men, and Emetreus, the king of India, was one of Arcite. Palamon prays to Venus, Emily prays to Diana, and Arcite prays to Mars. Each of these three choices, I believe, is relevant to the characteristics of each individual. It is significant that Palamon chooses Venus because he is in love. He is doing this for love, and it is fitting that he visits the goddess of love. Emily chooses Diana, the goddess of Chastity. She is innocent. She did nothing to be put in this situation, and it makes sense that she would pray to this goddess because she wants out because she doesn’t belong there in the first place. Arcite chooses the god of war. Throughout the tale, he has been the courageous one, fighting battles and such, and it is no surprise that he chooses to pray to the god of war.
Part IV:
1. The night before the battle between Palamon and Arcite, the entire city of Athens rejoices in a large festival. The people are rejoicing because of the big day the next day. It is an important day for Athens, and therefore, they must do something. I think that what they are doing is wrong. To battle to the death for a woman seems inhumane to me. I don’t think that they should be rejoicing for this either, because a man will be killed. It is portrayed to me as barbaric. These people want to see blood and death. It doesn’t seem right. It is how the people choose to live, however.
2. Theseus first tells each cousin, and the audience, the rules of the battle. They fight each other and eventually Palamon is caught under the sword of King Emetreus. He was “pulled to the stake.” Theseus announces Arcite’s victory and that he shall have Emily. Meanwhile, up in heaven, Venus was unhappy because her soldier lost. She began to cry, when her father, Saturn, calms her by saying that all will be ok. He then shakes the earth, causing Arcite’s horse to be flung on top of him. Arcite’s chest is crushed and he soon dies as a result. On his deathbed he confesses his love for Emily and says that Palamon is a true knight that would deserve her love. The irony of the conclusion was that Palamon, Emily, and Theseus mourned the death of Arcite. All three of them could have stopped it easily. I wonder if the fact that he was killed unfairly makes them mourn his death more. If Palamon had killed him, how would they feel? It doesn’t make sense that they were sad about an outcome that could have happened anyway.
1 - Options
2 - Sociology & Sport
3 - Pre-Calc
4 - Poetry
5 - Crisis (buuuuut hopefully options, if mr. oulette decides to be cool)
6 - AP Lit
7 - Music Theory/Gym
8 - Options
SOOOOOOO much different from first semester. It is like the best schedule, its everything i want, its everything i need. I'll actually probably enjoy coming to school somewhat. I dropped Anatomy because that class was doing nothing for me. I never had fun, i always wished i wasn't there, so i think it was a good choice. i also dropped music appreciation (which i can't really name 1 thing that i have learned in a whole half a year) and honors jazz band. I don't want to dis mr. umstead, but fer-face was a million times better. I feel like we're moving really slow in that class, and maybe i'll still play at the concerts or something. plus i still have music theory, the only class that i felt, from the beginning of the year, was worth staying in. and i get to take poetry! i have heard from so many people how good a class it is, and erica has gotten me into it, and ms. I is such an awesome person, i am so pumped. plus micah and liz are in my class, and we are a cool partner threesome. Yesssssssss so excited. It sucks though cause i have no classes with john anymore. haha every class i dropped was the ones with him in it. but we'll still hang out i'm sure, we're too cool not to. and i might still have crisis too.
text in between cuts! yeah!
Also my birthday was this weekend. Nothing really exciting happened because of the stupid blizzard of 2005. Its weird though, when i was born, there was a huge blizzard too, 18 long years ago. i wonder if it means something? The family party was cancelled, and postponed till next weekend. I didn't get much, my mom decided because my big present got caught up in the mail that she would suprise me next weekend, at the par-tay. anyone is invited. Erica got me DMB central park concert, which i love watching over and over again. also a note that made me smile (and made my note drawer). Krissie burned me the cds i wanted, and now i have STD's all over my hands. haahaha. and mamastaubs and papastaubs got me a gift certificate to B&N, probably my favorite store ever. But it was a good birthday and i'm glad to be 18 even though i don't feel like it. i got a scratch ticket and broke even, then i got another one and won a dollar! i'm on a role! no porn yet, but i will keep it updated, mainly for petey's purposes.
also if anyone has a beaver hat, or a fake forked beard, please let me know if i can borrow it for a presentation. thanks.
the following is added on for elena. yeah.
Benjamin Sherman
AP - Literature - 6
January 18, 2005
The Canterbury Tales - The Knight’s Tale
Study Guide
Part I
1. Hippolyta’s younger sister is Emily. She is the domesticated queen of Theseus.
2. Theseus brings home the widow’s husband’s bones for proper burial. I cannot think of any literary selections. It states that the red image of Mars is on Theseus’ broad white banner. It gleamed so much that all the fields around glistened. This just means that Mars is the symbol of his victory. He is the god of war, and when he wins his wars, he is victorious.
3. The two men of Thebes who are taken captive are named Arcite and Palamon. They are selected to be prisoners of Athens because they are descendents of the king of Creon. The circumstances of their imprisonment are that they are locked in a tower forever. The most prominent example of the tower as an important setting in medieval romances is in the movie Shrek. It is sort of a parody of that kind of thing, but the main character, named Shrek, saves a damsel in distress from a tower. Also you can look at Rapunzel, where she is in a high tower and the only way to get out is to let her hair down. The promises that they make to each other are basically ones of loyalty. They will never betray one another, and they would never choose love over the other.
4. Her appearance is described as “lovelier to look at than the lily is upon its green stalk, and fresher than May when its spring flowers (for her complexion vied with the color of roses; I do not know which of the two was fairer”. Palamon was the first of the two cousins to see Emily. Arcite’s reaction is that he thinks that Palamon is sick. He asks, “What ails you? You are so pale and deathlike to look at.” Then he looks out the window, and falls in love too. The quality of Emily that Arcite emphasizes is her beauty. He says that it is deathlike to him. Palamon becomes angry at Arcite because Arcite swears his love to Emily, and he is mad because he saw her first. The code of medieval chivalry that leads to the cousin’s conflict is that all is fair in love and war. The comic or tragic futility that they realize is that neither of them can ever have her because they are locked in the tower
5. The reason that Arcite is sad and feels that Palamon is the victor because he is never allowed to go back to Athens so he can never see Emily again. Palamon is still allowed to see Emily ever day. Arcite’s release increases the grief of Palamon because now he has to suffer alone. The weakness of both of the cousins is love. They fall head over heels and other things just don’t matter. They made loyal promises to each other and those are broken. The strength of both of them is that they are able to work together very well. When they were separated, however, they lost this strength.
Part II
1. Upon Arcite’s return to Thebes, he becomes a servant of Theseus so he can see Emily. He plans to dress up as a poor man and go to the palace and beg for work. This act of assuming a disguise displays his willingness to sacrifice himself for Emily because if he is caught, he was sentenced to pain of death if he ever returned to Athens. He is risking his life for her.
2. The knight states “And, besides, he was a prisoner forever, not simply for a year. Who could properly tell his martyrdom in English verse? Indeed, I am not the one; therefore I pass over as lightly as I may.” This comment allows Chaucer to satirize the poetic limitations of the English language in that he is saying that the intensity of Palamon’s grief cannot be put into words. The comment effects the tone of the narrative in that it emphasizes the grief of Palamon. It makes the story more intense to the reader in that words can’t even describe the emotion.
3. Palamon is angry to see his cousin because he is jealous that Arcite has been in council long and he didn’t try to free him. He is also still mad that Arcite is in love with Emily
4. When Theseus discovers Arcite and Palamon, they are having a sword fight in the woods. The circumstance that led Theseus to the place of the duel was that he was enjoying a hunting adventure. There are instances where chance and coincidence determine the. The two cousins randomly run into one another on the exact day that Palamon is released from prison. Theseus randomly decides to go on a hunting trip exactly where they coincidentally meet. Then, just before Theseus kills the men, the women of his court appear, in the middle of the woods, to beg for their pardon. In some instances, I can agree with destiny being related to fate. If the woman hadn’t showed up, they would be dead and the knight’s tale would be over. They can go together because destiny means that a person will inevitably do what he is supposed to do. Therefore, the two cousins were not meant to die on that May afternoon.
5. Palamon’s confession to Theseus before Arcite gets a chance to speak shows a lot about his character. I think that he did this because he knew that if he did, he would be portrayed to Theseus as more chivalric. It can be seen as him trying to be more chivalric in Theseus’ eyes than he was before, or more chivalric than his cousin, so that he can win the battle for Emily. Theseus’ proposed solution to the problem is that he lets the cousins live, and he decides to let them duel for Emily’s love. This situation allows for Theseus to show his chivalric characteristics because the people of Athens can respect him when he organizes this battle.
Part III:
1. Because the knight is the highest in his class, in the hierarchy of England, it is appropriate for him to speak first. Chaucer makes the knight smart and perfect in all his ways. He describes him in the prologue as perfect. As the character develops in his tale, Chaucer makes it noticeable that he is not the perfect knight that was described earlier. In this way I think that he is mocking the hierarchy of England
2. Both Palamon and Arcite arrive with impressive armies. Lycurgus, the king of Thrace, was one of Palamon’s men, and Emetreus, the king of India, was one of Arcite. Palamon prays to Venus, Emily prays to Diana, and Arcite prays to Mars. Each of these three choices, I believe, is relevant to the characteristics of each individual. It is significant that Palamon chooses Venus because he is in love. He is doing this for love, and it is fitting that he visits the goddess of love. Emily chooses Diana, the goddess of Chastity. She is innocent. She did nothing to be put in this situation, and it makes sense that she would pray to this goddess because she wants out because she doesn’t belong there in the first place. Arcite chooses the god of war. Throughout the tale, he has been the courageous one, fighting battles and such, and it is no surprise that he chooses to pray to the god of war.
Part IV:
1. The night before the battle between Palamon and Arcite, the entire city of Athens rejoices in a large festival. The people are rejoicing because of the big day the next day. It is an important day for Athens, and therefore, they must do something. I think that what they are doing is wrong. To battle to the death for a woman seems inhumane to me. I don’t think that they should be rejoicing for this either, because a man will be killed. It is portrayed to me as barbaric. These people want to see blood and death. It doesn’t seem right. It is how the people choose to live, however.
2. Theseus first tells each cousin, and the audience, the rules of the battle. They fight each other and eventually Palamon is caught under the sword of King Emetreus. He was “pulled to the stake.” Theseus announces Arcite’s victory and that he shall have Emily. Meanwhile, up in heaven, Venus was unhappy because her soldier lost. She began to cry, when her father, Saturn, calms her by saying that all will be ok. He then shakes the earth, causing Arcite’s horse to be flung on top of him. Arcite’s chest is crushed and he soon dies as a result. On his deathbed he confesses his love for Emily and says that Palamon is a true knight that would deserve her love. The irony of the conclusion was that Palamon, Emily, and Theseus mourned the death of Arcite. All three of them could have stopped it easily. I wonder if the fact that he was killed unfairly makes them mourn his death more. If Palamon had killed him, how would they feel? It doesn’t make sense that they were sad about an outcome that could have happened anyway.