English Portfolio

1. English Portfolio Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies Of Mice and Men Romeo and Juliet Greek Mythology Term 1 - January 25, 2005 Why Boys Become Vicious? The Gift of the Magi The Most Dangerous Game Jake Rucker

2. Sports Music Hobbies/Clubs It’s ALL About Me! Friends/Family Achievement

3. The GiftoftheMagi Overview Author: O. Henry - prolific American short-story writer, who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. O. Henry is known for his twists of plot, resulting from ironic or coincidental situations, and surprise endings. Plot/Conflict: On the day before Christmas, Mrs. Young is distraught that she has only been able to save pennies for a present for her beloved husband, Jim. Della decides to sell her most-prized possession, her hair, to buy a fob chain for Jim’s gold watch. Ironically, Jim has just sold his greatest treasure and source of mighty pride, the heirloom gold watch, in order to buy Della a pair of beautiful, tortoise shell, jewel-rimmed combs for her hair. Setting: Mainly in a dilapidated apartment (flat)

4. The GiftoftheMagi Analysis Theme: True Love’s gifts are not represented by money but by the sacrifices one is willing to make for another love. The greatest gift, and perhaps the wisest, is “generosity [with sacrifice] added to love.” Literary Devices: Irony: Each lover buys a gift for the other by selling their most-prized possession, only to find that their gift, which was meant for the other’s most-prized possession, is no longer useful. Simile: Della chooses the fob chain because “It was like him.” Jim and the chain are both described as quietness and great value, value by substance alone and not by ornamentation. Allusion: The Magi refer to the Wise Men who brought gifts to infant Jesus, the first Christmas presents, according to Christian tradition. Foreshadowing: The reader does not know why Jim is dazed by Della’s short hair. The author writes, “The magi brought valuable gifts, … this dark assertion will be illuminated later on.”

5. The Most Dangerous Game Overview Author: Richard Connell Setting: Privately owned Ship-Trap Island in the early 20th century (when big game hunting was a popular sport) Plot: Rainsford, a wealthy and avid hunter, falls overboard and washes up onto a jungle-covered island. He is rescued by General Zaroff, also a merciless hunter, who later engages Rainsford in a hunt to the death. Conflict: External – Rainsford must escape from Zaroff, though handicapped by having no weapon or knowledge of the treacherous jungle. Internal – Rainsford cannot give into fear while being hunted by a far superior hunter than himself.

6. The Most Dangerous Game Analysis Theme: People must experience both sides of a situation before understanding it completely and correctly. Rainsford gets a whole new perspective on hunting by becoming the hunted, not the hunter. Zaroff finds hunting humans a sport while Rainsford thinks that it is inhumane and uncivilized. Literary Devices: Foreshadowing: “Sailors have a curious dread of the place” suggests that something disastrous might happen to Rainsford. Zaroff tells Rainsford that he has “a quarry with which I can match my wits,” which hints that he hunts an advanced animal (humans). Irony: Zaroff says, “We do our best the preserve the amenities of civilization here,” but he hunts humans. Metaphor: Rainsford realizes that “the Cossack [Zaroff] was the cat; he was the mouse.”

7. Overview Author: William Golding Setting: Desolate tropical island Plot: A group of school boys from England have crash landed on an uninhabited island. Using their resources and minds, the boys attempt to survive. Conflict: Ralph and Jack, the two main leaders, compete for power over the group of boys. Jack, tired of Ralph’s rule, creates his own tribe.

8. Analysis Theme: Civilizations will deteriorate over time without order or government. The group of boys changes from a civilized, productive society through competition for power to an anarchy resulting in murder. Symbolism: • RALPHsymbolizes wise, considerate, and democratic order, while JACK represents savage anarchy. • SIMONrepresents purity, innocence, or the Christ figure. His murder by Jack’s tribe shows the decay of reason (civilization) vs. impulse. • FIRE SIGNALrepresents strength in relationships. Strong fire is peace, while weak fire is savagery. • Piggy’sGLASSESsymbolize intelligence, such as when they are used to create fire. When the glasses are broken, it signals the decline of civilization and the rise of Jack’s anarchy. • CONCHsymbolizes power at meetings. Whoever holds the conch has the right to speak.

9. Why Boys Become Vicious In his article “Why Boys Become Vicious,” William Golding argues that there are two conditions in which evil will develop and grow: Chaos and Fear. FEAR Fear brings out the worst in people. Add fear to chaos and evil flourishes. Gangs of boys bond together from their common viciousness. To Kill a Mockingbird has a good example of this vicious mob mentality. CHAOS For children chaos happens when when a home-life is unstable. Golding says children need two parents to avoid developing evil. Though Golding believes that all human beings are born with a black, or bad side, to their nature, he also believes there is a capacity for love. So Mother Nature alone is not at fault for evil acts. Personally, I think that someone is born pure, with no hatred, racism, or other vicious feelings towards another human being. With a good upbringing and surroundings, a person can prosper and thrive. When raised in a bad environment, however, a person has much lower morals and values, promoting violence and immorality. As Golding says, “If there is no one around to guide children then they go wrong.”

10. Author: John Steinbeck Setting: Salinas River Valley, Central California, during the Great Depression. Plot: Two migrant workers, George and Lennie, are drifting from job to job in California. Lennie is docile and mentally slow but physically strong. George guides and protects Lennie but also depends on him for companionship. They share a dream of someday buying their own piece of land where they can farm and raise rabbits. Conflict: Though George and Lennie are often able to get work, Lennie’s unintentional blunders get them into trouble and they are shortly forced to leave and move on to other places and jobs. The Salinas Valley ranch has a cruel boss’s son and a trouble-maker wife.

11. Themes • True love comes in all forms: there does not need to be a romantic relationship in order to have an everlasting bond between two people. Lennie and George would do anything for each other, even up the the point when George had to shoot Lennie to save him from a worse fate. • Events or times, such as the Great Depression, can shape our lives and create unlikely relationships. Of Mice and Men was based during the Depression, a time of recoil and struggle. It explains why relationships were needed during this time and how having a relationship was essential for survival and advancement. Lennie and George had a symbiotic relationship: Lennie provided physical strength and George provided intelligence and guidance. Although Lennie may have been dumb, he got George work because he was extremely strong. George nurtured and protected Lennie and tried to keep him out of trouble.

12. Mythology: Poseidon FAQs • What powers does Poseidon have? In Greek mythology, Poseidon was the God of the Sea. His Roman name is Neptune. He controlled all the oceans, rivers, streams, and fountains of the world.” (Allan) His powers ranged from controlling the sea tides and weather to creating earthquakes and tsunamis. Because Poseidon had human-like qualities, the powers he had changed with his mood swings. When he was pleased and happy, he created new islands and kept calm seas. When angered, he “caused unruly springs and earthquakes, ship wrecks, and drownings.” (Sellers) Known for his dangerous temper and jealous behavior, Poseidon often argued with the other gods. He was also the god of horses. • What is Poseidon’s genealogy? Poseidon is the son of Cronus and Rhea, with siblings Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Zeus. When the universe was divided, Zeus ruled the sky, Hades ruled the underworld, and Poseidon became ruler of the sea. He is the most powerful god besides Zeus. Like Zeus, he had many affairs with different women, creating many different god-like creatures, including Triton (half-human and half-fish), Pegasus (the flying horse), Arion (a horse with two human feet), and Polyphemus (the Cyclops blinded by Ulysses/Odysseus).

13. Mythology: Poseidon FAQs (con’t) • What are the symbols of Poseidon? Poseidon is represented by his three-pronged trident or fish spear, dolphins, and a chariot made of shell drawn by winged horses, sometimes depicted as sea horses. • Why do sailors make sacrifices to Poseidon? In ancient Greek times, sailors believed that Poseidon created swells and storms of great sizes. Because these treacherous conditions could destroy a ship, sailors needed to sail with good weather. Since Poseidon controlled the ocean and therefore the trade routes, the sailors made sacrifices in order to please Poseidon to assure the crew a safe passage. This concept plays a great role in the myths about Odysseus and his long ocean voyages. • Was Poseidon involved in any Greek Wars? Poseidon was greatly involved in the Trojan War. He helped the Greeks in sending their troops to attack cities across continents and also prevented the Spartans from traveling by sea.

14. Romeo and Juliet Author: William Shakespeare Setting: The fair city of Verona, Italy, in the 15th century Plot: Two prominent families, the Montagues and Capulets, reignite an age-old feud, with servants violently battling in the streets. The children of the two families, Romeo (Montague) and Juliet (Capulet), become “star-crossed” lovers and secretly marry, even as hostilities continue to grow. When Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin, ensuing events result in the tragic suicides of both Romeo and Juliet. Conflict: Romeo and Juliet are deeply in love, though their families are mortal enemies.

15. Romeo and Juliet Notes • Shakespeare’s most famous play • A romantic tragedy based on the 1562 poem by Arthur Brooke: The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet. • Theme: Youthful love contrasted with violent hatred • Foreshadowing: • The Chorus announces in the Prologue that Romeo and Juliet are "star-cross'd." That and other frequent references to the lovers' fate makes the reader think that destiny will prevail. Fate vs Freewill (next slide) • Irony: • Juliet feigns her death in order to escape with Romeo, but Romeo, misunderstanding the act, takes his own life. • The deaths of Romeo and Juliet cause the families to end the feud but also mean that neither family has children to carry on the family line.

16. Fate vs. Free Will William Shakespeare poses the argument of fate vs. free will in his play Romeo and Juliet with fate prevailing. The Stars Symbolize Fate Chorus announces that Romeo and Juliet are bound by fate: “…a pair of star-cross’d lovers” (Prologue) Romeo anticipates the upcoming tragic chain of events: “…Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars…” (1-4) Romeo reacts to Juliet’s death: “…Is it even so? Then I defy you, stars…” (5-1) FATE– The “power” that determines the outcome of events before they occur; destiny. FREE WILL – Freedom to choose a course of action without external influence. Romeo believed that he was bound by “the yoke of inauspicious stars.” I believe that the life of a man is not predetermined, but that it is the result of the choices he/she makes. This freedom to choose is a great responsibility and also a burden because then man is responsible for the consequences of these choices.

17. Learning Victory (a sonnet by Jake Rucker) This competition set on Saturday Began a war of brains and beating strengths. Though ending with the sound of joyful play, The fight to win raged on for several lengths. When loss was for’boding, and almost sought, My team advanced with pro coaching and skills, And when the score flashed we were almost caught, Ravens of Canyon Crest delivered thrills. Fist, Double, Even, Odd, our plays devoured Their sophomores, racing freshmen, parrying blows. Above the clouds, Athena Nike cowered As basketball’s best bat’l unfolds below. Last seconds slipped and echoed his advice: To learn is better than to lose by thrice.