Latin Roots #6

Roots and Derivatives

1.corp(or): body
2.cred: to believe; to trust
3.cur(r), curs, course: to run; to flow
4.dic(t): to speak; to say

Word List

1.benediction-the invocation of a divine blessing, as at the close of a religious service, a blessing or a state of blessedness

The priest offered a sacred benediction for the poor.

2.concourse-running or flowing together; a broad public walkway or hallway; a crowd or throng

I walked halfway around the concourse before I found the restroom.

3.concurrent-occurring at the same time; meeting or acting together

Her birthday is concurrent with her graduation,.

4.corporal-related to the physical body

Corporal punishment remains common worldwide, despite it being inappropriate.

5.corpulent-very stout; fleshy and obese; fat

The corpulent cop huffed and puffed to catch up to the criminal.

6.credibility-the quality of being believable or trustworthy

Her credibility was affected as a store manager when she hired a bad employee.

7.credulity-the (naive) willingness to believe too easily without proof

The witch doctor took advantage of the credulity of the superstitious natives.

8.cursory-done in a superficial or hasty manner

The boy did a cursory job of cleaning his room.

9.dictum-an authoritative saying or maxim

One of Einstein's dictums was to make everything as simple as possible.

10.incorporate-to form into one body or functioning unit; to combine several different things into a whole

In my physical education class, my teacher will incorporate dancing as part of our exercises.

11.incredulous-not believing, skeptical, or doubt

When my mom punched the principal, I looked at her incredulous.

12.indicative-a characteristic of or very much like; suggestive

A smile is indicative as a sign of joy.

Literature Analysis #2

Kite Runner
In the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the main point is Amir searching for a way to redeem himself from the years of guilt. Amir and Hassan had a very strong relationship and grew up together. Hassan proves his loyalty to Amir by always protecting and risking his life for Amir. But will Amir do the same for Hassan? After Amir becomes the champion kite fighter. Hassan goes in search for a blue kite and retrieves it but encounters Assef. Assef rapes Hassan, while Amir is watching secretly deciding whether or not to save him. Amir's cowardice takes over him and he decides to not help him. Amir has tried to forget about this but the guilt keeps arising. Later on, Amir travels to Kabul in search of Hassan's son, Sohrab, who is an orphan. In order for Amir to take Sohrab with him, he has to fight Assef. Amir takes on the challenge because he feels he should get punished for never saving Hassan. Sohrab saves Amir by hitting Assef in the eye. Amir wins and takes Sohrab home.

 The main theme of this novel is searching for redemption. Amir's quest to redeem himself makes up the heart of the novel. Amir strives to redeem himself and prove his worth to Baba, mainly because his mother died giving birth to him and feels responsible. He redeems himself by being awarded the champion kite fighter, which makes Baba feel very proud of having Amir as a son. Another way he redeems himself is by taking on the challenge of fighting Assef. He feels guilt for not saving Hassan, therefore he feels he should get punished for it. After the fight, Amir feels psychologically healed.

 The protagonist of this novel is Amir. Amir is a dynamic character because he changes throughout the novel. For example, in the opening chapters, Hassan is the one who is constantly defending Amir. In the novel, the author stated," A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything." This quote reflects Amir's major character flaw. This flaw causes him to let Assef rape Hassan. When Amir's father dies, he is forced to endure his life alone. Towards the end, Amir learns to stand up for himself and take risks. Amir is very important because he sacrifices for Amir showing his loyalty.

One significant symbol is a kite. The kite is a symbol of Amir's happiness as well as guilt. Flying kites serves as happiness because that is Amir's passion. Also, because he was once a champion kite fighter making himself feel worthy in his father's eyes. The kite is also a symbol of guilt because Amir allows Hassan to get raped. He feels guilt because he was there watching but didn't take that step into saving Hassan.

Hassan is one of the characters I can relate to the most. Hassan was such a loyal friend and always put others before himself. Hassan really reminds me of one of my cousins for a couple of reasons. My cousin lost his mom in a car accident, but he never put himself down, he remained positive. I remember one time he blamed himself for doing something he didn't just like Hassan did in the novel.

Greek Drama Questions

1.What kind of prize is given for dancing choruses of worshippers?

The dancing choruses of worshipers began competing for a bull or a goat.

2.How many spectators would gather in the open-air theatre of Dionysos?

As many as fourteen thousand spectators gathered in the open-air theatre of Dionysos.

3.How does the mask affect the voices of the actors?

The masks were used to amplify the actor's voices.

4.Why was Antigone suspenseful to viewing audiences?

It was suspenseful because the audience knew things the characters didn't know.

5.How is the shepherd to leave the infant on the mountains?

The shepherd is ordered to leave the infant to die on a mountainside with his ankles pinned together.

6.What is the riddle the Sphinx gave to Oedipus?

The Sphinx's riddle stated," What creature goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?"

7.Who are Oedipus' kids?

Oedipus' kids are Polyneices, Eteocles, Antigone, and Ismene.

8.After Oedipus is exiled, who takes over Thebes?

After Oedipus is exiled, Creon took over as a regent.

9.What did the family do to the dead body?

The family closed the dead person's eyes and mouth and began to prepare the body for the prosthesis, the wake. Then they placed the body on the bier, a portable framework, making sure that the feet pointed toward the door, and sprinkled it with wild marjoram and other herbs, which were believed to keep the evil spirits away. At the prosthesis, women waited near the body and men entered in a formal procession with their right arms raised high in the air. The closest relative reached out and held the dead person's head with both hands, the other mourners began to beat their faces and tear their hair. They also wailed and sang.

Antigone Quick Write

If my favorite brother was to have his body deposited in the city dump as a bird and maggot meal while my jerk brother who started the fight is buried as a national hero, I would probably try to convince my uncle about my brother's innocence. I would explain to him that he stood up for our family and represented the image of honor. I would also describe his warming personality by saying he always put our family first before him, in other words he would sacrifice himself for our family. I would also start protests, so that way I could get more people to help me bury my brother and  stop my uncle from being the king. If more people demand my favorite brother to be given a proper burial, this would cause my uncle to be terrified because most people would support me and leave him without help. Lastly, I would bury my favorite brother because its not morally correct to leave someone's body out for animals to eat it. It's especially not right how my jerk brother got the proper burial when he was the one who actually started the fight. My favorite brother was the one trying to stop my jerk brother. Therefore, I would bury him either way even if the king disagrees because everyone should be treated with equality without taking in consideration their skin color, gender, and appearance.