Cha Cha and Me

Karl Wichman
Ms. Peifer
10IB hour 4
January 29, 2009

My cat Cha Cha is a crazy little guy. We got him from the humane society back in November on an impulse buy. After seeing his little face it was hard to say no (he was still a kitten). When we first held him we thought it was pretty funny how he would play with your ears or your pull strings on your sweatshirt, not knowing the "best" parts were yet to come. We brought him home promptly and for the next few weeks he was rather laid back. He had gotten a basic cat cold at the humane society so he wasn't feeling quite up to snuff. We kept him in his own room so the other two cats didn't get the same illness. A few weeks past and we were soon letting Cha Cha roam the house to his content. For a few nights we would keep him in a room with either my Mom and Dad, my sister, or myself. My night with Cha Cha was... interesting. It started fine, he was cuddled up at my lap and i turned off the light. At least 2 hours later, i was woken by a small fury animal clawing at my mouth. Needless to say, i was quite startled, i sat up and push the little cat back down to my lap. However, this was not the end of his antics. Strangely enough he made a sport out of waiting for me to breathe out and then pounce on my hand. The pain was pretty unbearable. His tiny claws were incredible sharp. Without a second thought, i threw him out of my room.

I felt so bad about throwing him out the nights he spent with me so i would try and entertain him with kitty toys and strings. He was so in love with these, that he turned almost every object in the house into a toy. This is where things got bad. With only my dad home during the day, Cha Cha would take advantage of the time to cause as much destruction as was physically possible for such a little cat. He would knock papers off tables, steal my tissues, roll around the pens i use for school, and even take paritcular care to liberate any objects from tables and counters for the dog to have her way with. We have yet to find a cure for his bad behavior, primarily because when you try to be mad, he'll look at you with his wide eyes and little face with the innocence of a small child. Even though you know, it'll always start back up the next time your gone.

Beowulf LRJ (#3)

In the battle with the fire breathing dragon, there is and entirely new perspective on the values that can be found in all the other sections. One value that is clearly shown that does not have as much of a presence in the other sections is the value of upholding reputation and responsibility. Beowulf, as king of the Thanes, knows it must be his duty to rid the land of the enemy dragon. Holding true to his name and fighting for his responsibility, he shows he is willing to give his life for his people's well being and peace. Beowulf boldly states "I ventured many battles in my youth; now, old, I will seek another,try again for glorious deeds, if that avenger will come out." (Breeden, ep. 10). Beowulf is not willing to retire or die peacefully without accomplishing more for his people to remember him by. Another value that appears in the other sections of the story is the value of trophies or rewards. The dragon that Beowulf does battle with is guarding a horde of treasure and one of Beowulf's primary goals is to bring wealth and prosperity to his people. The treasure liberated would be Beowulf's last trophies or physical heirlooms as a monument of his heroism. Beowulf in his dying moments wishes to see the treasure as proof of his own deed and as reassurance of his greatness. "Be in haste so that I may see the ancient treasure,may examine the curious gems, so that I may more cheerfully give up my life and country." (Breeden, ep 12)

This section of the story differs extensively from the other sections. The primary difference being the change in tone and focus of the diction. In the sections with Beowulf battling Grendel and then Grendel's mother, the wording focuses the most on the pain and suffering of the terrible enemy; giving the reader a much more satisfied feeling and a more awe inspired view of Beowulf. However, in the last section of Beowulf, Beowulf knows he is departing for his last battle and the story foreshadows the death of the mighty warrior. "The brave king, gold-friend of the Geats, sat down on the headland and talked with his companions. He was sad, restless, and ready to die. That fate was near which the old man would greet. He would seek his reward, life from body parted; not for long would the soul of the prince stay wrapped in flesh."(Breeden, ep. 10). The feeling of almost hopelessness and loss is evident in the writing of Beowulf's feelings. He knows what will happen and he embraces the loss of his life.

In the end, Beowulf dies a hero's death. Speaking memorable and meaningfull last words, as well as dying after defeating an incredible enemy and saving his people, Beowulfs death is unforgettably heroic. Upon using the last of his strength to stab the mighty dragon, Beowulf cannot go on. He does not fight this because he has brought riches and prosperity to all of the ones he ruled. He has also lived a very long life filled with acheivement and praise as the king. As a true hero, he has nothing to regret in dying in battle to save many lives. Beowulf shows he is greatfull for his death and that he has accepted it. "I thank the Wonder-King, the Ruler of All, that I could win this for my people before my death-day. I have traded my old life for the people's needs. I cannot remain."(Breeden, ep. 12). He sees his death as a necessary one for the well being of his people, and in that sacrafice, he shows the true character of a legendary hero.

Beowulf LRJ (#1)

Karl Wichman
Ms. Peifer
10IB 4th hour
December 9, 2008

In this time period, there are many apparent values that are present. One of these is the values of pride. It is quite obvious that Beowulf has feels much pride and has a lot of courage and faith in his own ability. For him, failing isn't an option. "Hrothgar,the wise men among my people advised that I seek you because they know my strength--they saw me come from battles stained in the blood of my enemies, when I destroyed a family of giants,when I endured pain all night,killing water monsters,grinding them to bits,to avenge for the Geats those who asked for misery.And now I shall, alone, fight Grendel." (Breeden, ep. 3) Beowulf's confidence is very high and he knows the task at hand must be accomplished no matter what happens. Of course this value is repeated several times throughout Beowulf and is the element that makes him truly heroic.

(Note: could not find any examples of alliteration on online translation. Instead i will argue the effect of the lack of alliteration from the translator.)
In Breedens translation of Beowulf, there are no frequent uses of alliteration in the language as in the original. This inconsistency in the transition from the original language has a fairly negative effect on the effectiveness and the smoothness of the story. It causes the epic to become less poetic in general and causes it to lose its voice. Instead of hearing a voice poetically or musically recite a tale of heroism, you hear a more modern and straight forward story that has no tricks or subtleties in diction. A theme found more commonly in the modern world.

Identifying kennings in the Breeden translation of Beowulf is also a challenge. Of course changing over from old English caused a natural loss in this unique literary property. There are, however, several excellent examples of how the old English would use titles or similes to express a certain element or character. For example Grendel is labelled as "Hell's friends, God's enemy"(Breeden, ep. 3). Another excellent example is the change from the simple word joint to "bone-locks"(Breeden, ep. 3). These examples and more that have made the transfer to modern English add much more depth to the story and also helps avoid a lot of repetition. These both add immensely to the effectiveness of the story and language. Every time you hear a new name or combination of nouns, your forced to used much of your imagination.

THE THEBES TIMES (Antigone LRJ #1)

POLYNEICES BURIED? THE TRUTH UNEARTHED

Two days ago, a guard under watch of the area where the body of Polyneices was located. After falling asleep on the duty, the guard awoke to a most unsettling sight. A thin layer of dust had now covered the body of the fallen traitor. No traces of animal or weather disturbance could be seen at the site, so the guards each took a gamble and chose who would have to speak with the king. The guard located near the body at the time took the responsibility and immediately notified the King Creon. Upon interviewing the guard about his encounter with the king, he hardly spoke. From what we could gather out of the stuttering and sobbing, the king's fury knew absolutely no limits.

Just yesterday, the culprit was caught. In a determined act to save his own life, the guard waited for many hours with no rest to find the soul who had betrayed the kings orders. After hours of waiting, someone was spotted returning the dust onto the corpse. Capture of the person revealed that the criminal was none other than the kings very own niece, Antigone! A confrontation with the king proved her guilt when she denied nothing and admitted her intentions with no argument at all. Her only reason for committing such a terrible act of betrayal was loyalty and love for her brother. Her sister Ismene soon began to admit her own fault in the situation trying to share the blame with Antigone. The punishment for either is yet to be determined however with the kings current rage makes it rather obvious that before the end of the week, someone will die.

I gotta get with it...

So after the long and monotonous task of adding all the class blogs to my follow list, i realized that almost everyone is making new posts on stuff thats just goin on outside of school. I thought it was neat that the whole blog idea has turned out to be more than just another assignment. Its been adding alot of veriety and entertainment that you wouldnt normally expect from a class project. Also the ability to work on this from home and use it to see whats new with my friends makes it feel alot more personal and... well just more ME. With a pretty open ended idea like this, its going to be alot more interesting to do work.

ALIRGHT the blog is done!

This is my first blog. I have always been pretty skeptical or things like this because it seems like only one or two people would ever really care about whats written but since its an English assignment i don't really have a choice. Oh well its not that bad. So my previous experience with technology involves building and messing with computer parts and components. I do do a lot of online social networking like facebook and AIM to stay in contact with friends but I've never used a blog. I also do a lot of online gaming on my PC and Xbox so I've been in touch with lots of other people throughout the world. I've grown up with technology for most of my life since my dad has a lot of experience with computers and their hardware. Nowadays i cant imagine life without it. Technology is one of those things that i cant really go without using for very long. I always rely on it to keep me up to date with events and friends. I built my first computer in 7th or 8th grade with my dad. It was pretty expensive but the final product was reliable and effective. I still use that same computer today because its definitely the best one in our house.