Great Expectation Summary pgs. 1- 15

 Phillip Pirrip was given the nickname Pip.  Pip has become an orphan, and is living with his sister in England.     Pip goes to a cemetary to visit his parent's tombstones, and all of the sudden he is attacked by a man.  It turns out this man is an escaped convict. The man beguiles Pip into bringing him food, and to cut off his chains!
 
From the lecture notes, I learned Pip was separated from his parents at the young age of 15.  Which may have been why he wrote about an orphan, having no parents.  Dickens can depict Pip the way he felt when he was young.  Perhaps he wrote about the escaped convict because his father was in prison.

Research Paper Intro

 Déjà vu can be defined as the experience of believing a current situation has

taken place previously.  When translated from French it means, "already seen."  Déjà vu

is a common occurrence; almost every person has experienced it once or more in their

lifetime.  There is not any recorded background on déjà vu before about the beginning of

the 1800's.  One of the earliest accounts of recorded déjà vu was written by Sir Walter

Scott in 1815.  He wrote, "Why is it that some scenes awaken thoughts which belong as it

were to dreams of early and shadowy recollection, such as my old Brahmin Moonshie

would have ascribed to a state of previous existence."  Since then, people have began to

study this topic in hopes of learning more about it.

    There is a need for the study of déjà vu because it is still a mystery to us.  It has

been described (and has remained) a "symptom without a psychological function." Since

so many people share this experience, it is important for researchers and scientists to learn

more about it.  It seems as though nobody can come to a consensus about the cause and

function of this occurrence.  Its meaning and mechanisms remain unclear.  Is it an

emotional, psychological, or even spiritual manifestation? There are many theories that

attempt to answer this question.  Because we know so little about it, we cannot declare

that one is the correct, definite cause.  People are left to decide for themselves.

    The purpose of this piece is to examine all of the various possible causes and

meanings of déjà vu.  By analyzing each, we will be better equipped to decide for

ourselves the purpose of déjà vu.  Why do people have déjà vu? What triggers it? Can it

be prevented? These are all questions that people want answers to, but there may not be a

definite answer.  The purpose of this paper is to examine all the possible answers to these

questions, with the highest level of credibility possible. 

    One of the first beliefs about this experience came from a young medical doctor,

in 1870, who wrote a paper titled “The Practitioner.”  In this piece,  he wrote that he had

often had déjà vu experiences as a boy, but that these had become "more intense and more

frequent than usual" just preceding his first epileptic attack.  He mentions that the latter

had been triggered during a time of overwork, which suggests that fatigue was possibly a

trigger. He said that on two occasions an incident of déjà vu was followed the next day by

an epileptic seizure. Thus, he believed that déjà vu could be indicative of epilepsy.

    A little later, in the late 19th century, medical opinion seemed agreed that déjà vu

was a disorder of memory (a paramnesia). Around the turn of the century, the problem

was ignored, and attention shifted to the development of narrow models of memory.  This

left no room for the study of the complexities of déjà vu.

    Other theories for déjà vu include that it is a neurological disorder.  When

components in the brain don’t relay information correct, it can cause this feeling.

Something that happened two seconds ago can feel like a distant memory.  Another

theory is that this experience is caused by reincarnation.  When someone experienced

their current situation sometime in their past life, déjà vu will occur.  All theories deserve

attention, and we will examine each.

    First, we will synthesize and analyze all the possible causes of the occurrence.

Included will be quotes by doctors, writers, and peoples’ individual beliefs.  Each will

have supporting evidence, and examples.  By examining all the possible theories, it will

be revealed what triggers each, what the meaning is of each, and how to possibly prevent

it.  Perhaps some people will not be afraid of it if they know why it happens.  Ultimately,

it will be left up to each individual do decide for themselves what they believe is the

cause.

"HowStuffWorks "What Is Deja Vu?"" HowStuffWorks "Science" Web. 30 Jan. 2012. http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/extrasensory-perceptions%3C/question657.htm>.

"Déjà Vu and the Brain, Consciousness and Self." Serendip.Web. <http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1682.>

Markman, Art, Ph.D."What Is Déjà Vu? | Psychology Today." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness Find a Therapist. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/201001/what-is-d-j-vu>.

Stanton, Dawn. "Probing Question: What Causes Deja Vu?" PhysOrg.com - Science News, Technology, Physics, Nanotechnology, Space Science, Earth Science, Medicine. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.physorg.com/news185192263.html.>

Britt, Robert. "What Causes Deja Vu? | LifesLittleMysteries.com." Home | LifesLittleMysteries.com. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/260-what-causes-deja-vu.html.>

Layne, Beth. "What Causes Déjà Vu? | Beth Layne." Beth Layne | Empathic Psychic Medium. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://bethlayne.com/main/2011/11/23/what-causes-deja-vu/>

"What Causes Deja-Vu? - Inward Quest." Inward Quest - Spirituality, Law of Attraction & Mind Power Q&A Forum. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.inwardquest.com/questions/1413/what-causes-deja-vu.>

"Psychology | What-causes-deja-vu | Memory | News." Psychology | A Level Psychology | Psychology News and Resources. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://alevelpsychology.co.uk/news/memory/what-causes-deja-vu.html.>

Orbinger, LeAnn. "HowStuffWorks "More Déjà Vu Theories"" HowStuffWorks "Science" Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/extrasensory-perceptions/deja-vu4.htm.>

PNI.org | Pacific Neuropsychiatric Institute. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.pni.org/books/deja_vu_info.html.>

Literature Analysis #4: Lord of the Flies

1. Lord of the Flies is about a group of adolescent boys forced to live on an uninhabited island because their plane had crashed. At first, they are enjoying life without adults, but conflicts and struggles soon arise.  They have difficulty coming to a consensus about anything, they each seem to have different priorities.  Ralph, one of the older boys and an elected leader, is only focused on survival and escaping alive.  However, Jack, a foil to Ralph, becomes intrigued with this foreign type of living, and loses sight of their objective.  Some of the younger boys claim to have seen a "beast." This beast exists within all the boys, and begins to present itself.  As the novel progresses, Jack and Ralph become increasingly at odds, the children become barbaric, killing eachother, and all civility is lost.   It reaches the point that the boys perform a  manhunt for Ralph. Luckily, a British naval officer has reached their island just before they could kill Ralph, and will rescue them. The boys realize how savage they have become, grow ashamed, and weep.

2. The theme of the novel is civilation vs. savagery. The choice to keep order and follow rules, or act on impulses, and violently, are constantly conflicting within the boys.  The longer the boys were apart from civilization, the harder it became for them to act civil.
"Which is better--to have laws and agree, or to hunt and kill?"

3.       Golding’s tone was serious, but indifferent.  Golding never hinted that he preferred Ralph's or Jack's tactics over one another. one thing and with  He never criticized the boys for their actions, only observed and reported them. 

4. 
Symbols

- The conch: represented order and rules on the island. 

- "The Beast:" represented the savage spirit overtaking the boys.

- the sow: represented the devil

Syntax: Descriptive sentences that gave me a visual of the situation

    - "It was dark; there was taht-- that bloody dance.  There was lightning and thunder and rain. We were scared!"

- "Ralph sat on a fallen trunk, his left side to the sun. On his right were most of the choir; on his left the larger boys who had not known each other before...before him small children squatted in the grass."

- "Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for the fruit they could not reach... passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands."

Diction: colloquial, informal

- "Serves you right if something did get you, you useless lot of cry-babies!"
- "Ralph--remember what we came for. The fire. My specs."

- "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"

Foreshadowing:
- "We musn't let anything happen to Piggy, must we?"
- "Maybe there is a beast....maybe it's only us."
- "You'll get back to where you came from."

Indirect/Direct Characterization:
- "Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains. Ralph was a specialist in thought now, and could recognize thought in another."
- "The water rose farther and dressed Simon's coarse hair with brightness. The line of his cheek silvered and the turn of his shoulder became sculptured marble."
- "Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy."

 

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The meaning of this novel's title is referring to what takes place in the book.  A boy is taken from home to become an educated gentleman, instead of following in his family's footsteps and becoming a blacksmith.  His hopes of receiving his fortune by doing this are what the "great expectations" are.

A Poem Worth Loving

A friend is like a flower
A rose to be exact,
Or maybe like a brand new gate,
That never comes unlatched.
A friend is like an owl
Both beautiful and wise.
Or perhaps a friend is like a ghost,
Whose spirit never dies
A friend is like a heart that goes, strong until the end
Where would we be in this world, if we didn't have a friend

Even though this poem is short, I chose it because it is very uplifting and positive. And definitely true!