Merry Christmas and future Posting

Well Merry Christmas! I hope you and your family had a wonderful day full of presents, food and happiness.

Mine was above exceptional; I was lucky enough to receive a brand-spanking new Kindle (and in it the OED) from my Parents, The Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larsson (in movie and in book) from my Grandmother), Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace from my cousin genius Heather (whose blog is here by the way) and from my best friend Alex/AB; Tess of D'Urbervilles, Emma and Sense and Sensibilities, (and his blog is here!).

Anywhom, I will be writing a (few) new post soon, as I have finished Paul Auster's New York Trilogy, Tim Winton's Dirt Music and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Steig Larsson. I also hope to finish Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace by the end of the week. (I know I was meant to read the Lord of The Rings Trilogy and 1984 first, but come on! Leo Tolstoy!)

So have a nice long break from the festivities and keep reading :)

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley and Poignant

WORD OF THE POST: Poignant POI-yuh-nt
(1) Invoking a keen sense of sadness or regret
(2) Pungent to smell
Originates in circa 1350 and comes from Middle English Poynaunt meaning to prick.

I have truly (and finally) finished Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Yay!
It begins with Scientist Robert Walton exploring isolated and somewhat picturesque landscapes to satisfy his undesirable appetite for knowledge. However, after saving a mysterious man, who is later identified as Victor Frankenstein, he (and we as his audience) are subjected to a tale of science, abominations, nature and the consequences of playing God.
It effectively created an ominous feeling through constant foreshadowing, while also allowing you to feel a remorse for the way in which Frankenstein and his monster both conclude.
It was mostly readable, however towards the end where Frankenstein searches for his monster, I found myself lagging. Other then that, it was a exceptional story that made me question my own humanity and whether it is possible to become more holistic as a community. I particularly loved the constant visual imagery of nature, which highlights the importance of natural landscape in contrast to the sinister tone when illustrating the way in which Frankenstein misused his scientific knowledge and destroyed the order of the natural world.

Some key points to be aware of;

• Context; Shelley was writing in a time that was quite formal.
• She was strongly influenced by the Romantics of the Time; such as Lord Byron and Percy Shelley (her husband).
• She was trying to demonstrate that with ambition comes consequence, especially if that ambition goes unchecked.
• Along with the liberation of European revolutions came high ideals and a strong belief in man's influence over his environment. She attempted to depict how nature is indomitable and 'playing God' creates chaos.

I would recommend others to read this book and perhaps skip the movie. Also this will not be the last of Frankenstein for me (and you dear readers). I am to study the book for Advanced English so I'll probably post a lot more later. Lucky us.

In Other News;
I have done large vasts of study and I am beginning to feel fatigued. However I will continue.
I also got The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and 1984 and will read them after Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy.
My Advanced English Oral of the importance of relationships in fabricating a sense of belonging is really going nowhere. However I do believe one text to use would be Dirt Music by Tim Winton, and the movie The Road.
Have a lovely holiday and a Merry Merry MERRY Christmas :)
Keep reading

Well it is the Holidays, but I'm classifying it as a study break. (Ultra-Crepidarian)

WORD OF THE POST: Ultra-Crepidarian Ul-TR-ah-cr-EP-i-DARE-ee-an

(1) Someone who offers advice or criticism in matters beyond their scope.

Coined by essayist William Hazlitt in 1819 in a letter. It is derived from Latin meaning 'beyond the sole', and is an allusion to when Apelle's, a famous Greek painter, painting was criticized by a shoe maker. He answered “the cobbler should stick to his last". Apparently.

And thus the holidays begin. Unfortunately I suffer from this strange dysfunction of needing something to aim for, so I'm treating it as if it was an extended study break. There is no rest for the wicked.
I feel sorry for my friends who come to school after every break to complain of my lack of attention towards to them.
However after that small moment of being quite far from my intended subject, I will begin a strange study schedule. I am aiming for the whole 'she-bang' and wish to do roughly 4 hours on days I have no other arrangements.

Hour Alpha: Plan to consist of English Extension Two Project. For roughly two-three weeks it will consist of the monotonous Critical Article reading and note taking.
My actual Extension is a major work, and is a critical response based on "How Irish and Gaelic Literature reflected the political and social conflicts during the turn of the Century (circa 1890-1925)"
Then begins the copious amounts of writing and re-writing roughly 1000 words. I would love to finish my introduction, so I'm quite excited at the prospect of getting pen to paper (yes I'm traditional- what of it?).

Hour Beta: Society and Culture Major Work. It will be comprised of Primary Methodologies and Secondary Sources. My project is The impact of Juvenile Diabetes on relationships during Adolescence. Finally I would also like all my chapters planned, and I'm also excited for getting something down.

Hour Gamma: Based entirely on English Advance OR Extension One. For Advanced I have an oral presentation due on the second week back on The effects of relationships on belonging. I am to use As You Like It by William Shakespeare, and two other texts to decide on. Truly, I would love to choose something a little more literary, a major piece of literary art that will blow everyone away. It you have any suggestions, it would definitely help dear friends.

Hour Delta: Will be comprised of revision and study notes. Boring but a necessity- I feel last year I didn't achieve to my full extent and will not make the same mistakes. EVER!

Other then that I will continue my 10 minutes of guitar work and my reading (in which I'm progressing quite slowly, but that will probably speed up now!)
Also my dad finally brought me my first dictionary and thesaurus. I'm quite indefatigable in my studies of it and hope I can learn words that will continue to aid me.

S o if you have any suggestions for other texts, or just want to point out something useful, please comment. I would love to hear from you.
Otherwise; Keep Reading and Merry Christmas

Paroxysm, Frankenstein and a bottle of Vitamin C

WORD OF THE POST: Paroxysm Par-uh-K-siz-Um

(1) A sudden attack of violent expression, emotion or action.

(2) A sudden severe increase in the intensity of a disease.

First known use in the 15th Century. Derives from Greek 'Paroxysmos' meaning irritation.

I began 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley last week, but due a number of things (Foo Fighters Concert, sickness my friends have imposed on me, and a few essays due at school) I have not gotten far in this Gothic/ Romantic world of science versus nature.

To be honest, I struggled with it at first. I'm quite fluent in Shakespearean, and from jumping from Julius Caesar to Frankenstein was a little more intensive then I realized. However I've picked it up now, and I'm quite keen on the story line and the elegance of Mary Shelley's words. I now use Ardent as much as I can and I'm pretty sure my parents have the want to ban the word from my vocabulary.

Other then that, I've had my first online IQ test ever. I'm currently a 126, so I'm reasonably over the average. I've researched and IQ is something you can indefinitely improve; so I guess that i something to look at in the next few weeks. However there is also an EQ, and I know that I just may fail that.

Keep Reading :)

A couple of Books; and Petrichor

WORD OF THE POST: Petrichor Pet-ri-Kuhr

The pleasant loamy smell of rain on the ground; especially after a long dry spell

Derived from Greek petro (meaning rock) and ichor (a substance thought to flow through the veins of Gods). Coined in 1964 by Isabel Joy Bear and R.G Thomas in an article.

 
My first leap into the long and complex task of exploring everything I find worthwhile begins with something I find extremely joyful. Reading. With the end of 2011 at hand (and holidays from school drawing near) I hope to read as much as possible and still get my studies in. It also helps that its Christmas time, and hopefully I won't have to buy myself too many of these books (which can be quite ridiculously expensive by the way) on my meager pay.

So naming a few books that should be finished by the end of holidays (that is the 31st January for us highschoolers);
1. Frankenstein; Mary Shelley. So this not only is important for me to read for school, but I've always wanted to get around to doing it. I've been told quite a few times it is nothing like the movie, but this suits me quite well. I've never seen the movie, and much prefer the smell of aged paper then the loud and disruptive sounds of our entertainment system.

2. New York Trilogy; Paul Auster. Another book for school, hopefully this will be quite interesting, but over quickly. Nonetheless, I'm quite interested in the whole theory behind the 'anti-detective novel'.

3. Lord of the Rings; JRR Tolkien. I have never, ever read this. I've watched the movies and loved them, so I'm quite excited to fully emerge myself in the world of Middle Earth.
4. 1984 George Orwell. This has been referenced by my best friend Alex time and time again. I tried to read it once when I was 12 and now I'm going to try it again.

And if enough time;
5.War and Peace; Leo Tolstoy. -Nuff said.

So in tackling Frankenstein (starting tonight) it will be interesting to read on context and themes, and I'm actually looking forward to it. Other then that, last week of school this week and I'm getting study notes underway. Studyup.com is my savior and is actually pretty useful.
Please, if you think of anymore interesting books that you think will benefit me, don't forget to comment.
Keep Reading :)