ASSIGNMENT 3/POST MODERNIST LITERATURE/GÓMEZ, CAROL

1. Which 2 readings did you choose, and why did you choose them?

- I read "Crash"(which I had read before), and "No country for old men"
The first one I chose it because I had already read it, and the second one seemed interesting for me as I had heard of the movie, which had a very good critic. It is a great story about drug, fate, crime, etc; and that keeps the reader interested in the plot. While crash is a very harsh reading and its plot is really really striking.



2. Are these readings very good or excellent examples of post-modernist literature, basing your analysis on the ppt presentations given in class? Why/Why Not?

- They are excellent examples, because there is distortion of life, the black side is shown as the reality for people like everyone, it seems there is no respect for moral and ethic thinkings. It is about realizing of what is real, but there is no certainty of it, it is a bit confusing and sarcastic.
- There is also a different look to sexuality, a little of psychosis,perversion and fetishism. Crash, also reflects modern life and its diseases; such as consumerism, life of celebrities, coldness, technology and perverted sex.

There is an explosion of feelings, sensations, horror, distortion. Definitely a denial of conventional things, theories and reality.



3. Of all the readings you did this semester, which one was your favorite? Why?

- I have to admit that despite of the morbidity that implicates expressing my preferences...I have to say that "Crash" is a very good reading. Morbidity is part of human existence, death, blood, sex, crime, accidents, money, are topics that catch everyone´s attention. I could say I am a reader with post modernist preferences.



4. Of the 3 time periods we looked at this semester (Victorian, Modernist & Post-Modernist), which did you enjoy the most? Why?

- As I said before, I choose post modernist. It is harsh, but it is also closer than bad and good things that happen in reality, it is not a prudish literature, it does not hide things or paint with beautiful colors the story. Characters are strong and have great personalities, regardless of their lack of moral or mercy.

Assignment 2/ Modernist Literature/ Gómez, Carol

1. Which 2 readings did you complete from the reading list provided (or from your own selections)?
- Seven pillars of wisdom and The Waste Land.


2. Based on these readings, compare (3 examples) and contrast (3 examples) the works you read with the themes from the ppt presentations in class on Modernist Culture and Literature.
- Modernist literature is marked by the individualism and realism of life. The study of human being through the experience of life, the psychoanalysis; all this totally opposed to the romanticism. Modernism searches answers in a world without God, where men have the strength to fight and find the answers. A critical view to the values and somehow a loss of hope.
- These books talk about men, about their capacities and strengths. Seven pillars is a story about war, about fights and enemies, cruelty and revenge in which men are the main characters and honor is their objective, they fight for their beliefs and individual purposes, where revenge is more important than values.
- the Waste Land is a poem about death, a dark story which shows the pass of people´s death as a natural process of life. It is also war mentioned as one the main themes. Eliot shows a tour of the wastes of land, he describes how people are alive but death at the same time. There is an image of a God, but an ironic God, who seems to be just looking but not helping. Life is described as a monotonous process. The realism of life reflected in words.

Everything looks like a very close perception or reflection of modernist culture in these readings.


3. Do you feel the works you read are very good or excellent representations of Modernist Literature? Why/Why Not?
- They definitely are excellent representations, because they both reflect modernist culture and literature in all its senses.



4. Would you recommend the readings to friends or family? Why/Why Not?
- Maybe to my friends, because the readings are good instances to know and learn about how men acts and how survives in this cruel world!!

Literature II/Assignment 1/Victorian literature/Gómez, Carol

1.Which 2 readings did you complete from the reading list provided (or from your own selections)?
- I read "Heart of Darkness" and "Aguirre, The Wrath of God"

2.Based on these readings, compare (3 examples) and contrast (3 examples) the works you read with themes from the ppt presentations given in class on Victorian Culture and Literature.
- According to the readings that I chose, Victorian era had lots of themes which are still present nowadays and seemed to be the same than the ones you showed in the ppt presentations. Themes such as power, secrets, mistery, money, racism, politics, all what humans are able to do to get more power every time, etc, are some of the most common examples of this time in history.
- The difference comes at the time that soemone talks about these themes. The readings I selected showed these topics in a very open way, dispite the social life and people at that time were very reluctant to talk about things that were kind of forbidden.
Poverty is also one of the most important topics, but in the stories, money was stronger. As well as politics, which is not mentioned as the main theme in the story line. But what most caught my attention, was how people can go crazy because of envy and power, till the point they don´t even care about family, friends, etc.

3.Do you feel that the works you read are very good or excellent representations of Victorian Literature? Why/Why Not?
- I strongly think they are very good representations of this literature, beacuse writers wrote what they were not able to talk openly at that time. In the writings are expressed the secerts of society, the mistery of people´s lives, the power of money and politics. And also something that was a kind of taboo for people but not in the privacy of a bedroom or a brothel: sex.

4.Would you recommend the readings to friends or family? Why/Why Not?
- I wouldn't recommend them to my family, because my grandmother and mother would probably shock. But maybe a friend would enjoy reading about past times and funny stories. My boyfriend would definately love it, he is that kind of reader.

ASSIGNMENT 3/ SHAKESPEARE/ GOMEZ, CAROL

1. Define and explain, The Great Vowel Shift.
- The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place in the south of England between 1200 and 1600. The Great Vowel Shift was first studied by Otto Jespersen (1860–1943), a Danish linguist and Anglicist, who coined the term. The values of the long vowels form the main difference between the pronunciation of Middle English and Modern English, and the Great Vowel Shift is one of the historical events marking the separation of Middle and Modern English. Originally, these vowels had "continental" values much like those remaining in Italian and liturgical Latin. However, during the Great Vowel Shift, the two highest long vowels became diphthongs, and the other five underwent an increase in tongue height with one of them coming to the front.


2. Name 5 dialects of Modern English.
-American English.
-Australian English.
-British English.
-Canadian English.
-Caribbean English.

3. One of the problems with Early Modern English was a lack of uniformity in spelling. Which 2 people (1-English, 1-American) helped establish standardized spelling?
- Samuel Johnson(English) and Noah Webster (American)

4. How many countries in the world have given Modern English official status?
- About 12

5. The most recent statistics show that approximately how many people speak Modern English as a:
I. First language? II. Second Language?
- Over 508 million

6. When was Early Modern English spoken?
- From about the end of the Middle English period to 1650.

7. How are the use of Pronouns different between Early Modern & Modern English?
- In Early Modern English, there were two second-person personal pronouns: thou, the informal singular pronoun, and ye, which was both the plural pronoun and the formal singular pronoun. (Thou was already falling out of use in the Early Modern English period, but remained customary for addressing God and certain other solemn occasions, and sometimes for addressing inferiors.) Like other personal pronouns, thou and ye had different forms depending on their grammatical case; specifically, the objective form of thou was thee, its possessive forms were thy and thine, and its reflexive or emphatic form was thyself, while the objective form of ye was you, its possessive forms were your and yours, and its reflexive or emphatic forms were yourself and yourselves.

8. Which language families does Modern English belong in?
-
9. Name 4 worldwide uses for Modern English.
10. In your opinion, what was the greatest influence on the spread of Modern English around the world? Why?
11. There has been a lot of controversy over the true authorship of Shakespeare's writings. Which 3 people are also candidates as the possible authors of Shakespeare's plays?
12. Briefly explain The Oxfordian Theory.
13. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays, which according to the Folio Classification, fall into 3 categories. Name the 3 categories.
14. In which town was Shakespeare born?
15. Which famous London theatre (built by actors, for actors) is connected with Shakespeare's plays?
16. Even though Richard III is the most performed play, Hamlet is Shakespeare's most famous play. In your opinion, what does this portion of Hamlet's famous soliloquy mean:

To be or not to be, that is the question;
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to — 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub,...

17. Name 5 post-Shakespearean artists whose work was heavily influenced by the writings of William Shakespeare.
18. Which of Shakespeare's plays are included in The Wars of the Roses series?
19. Shakespeare wrote most of his works in blank verse composed in iambic pentameter. What is blank verse & iambic pentameter?
20. Name 4 actors from Shakepeare's original company.

21. What were the Wars of the Roses (1377-1485)?
22. Why was this war called the Wars of the Roses?

23. What were the names of the 2 houses which fought in this war?

24. What prompted this civil war to begin?

25. How did the war end?

26. Which Kings of England were participants in the Wars of the Roses?

Asignment 2/ Middle English/ Gomez, Carol

1. Approximately when was Middle English spoken?

- It was spoken during the Norman invasion, between 1066 and 1470.

2. What were the major factors which led to the development and the spread of Middle English?

- The introduction of the printing press into England by William Caxton in the 1470s, and later by Richard Pynson; after the introduction of the Chancery Standard.

3. Match the following Old English words with their Anglo-Norman equivalent:
A. Pig / pork
B. Cow / beef
C. Wood / forest
D. Sheep / mutton
E. House / mansion
F. Worthy / honourable
G. Bold / corageous

4. Compare & contrast the structure of nouns, pronouns and verbs, between Middle English & Modern English.
- NOUNS
Middle English retains only two separate noun-ending patterns. For example, engel (angel) and nome (name). The strong -s plural form is still used in Modern English, while the weak -n form is rare (oxen, children, brethren)

-VERBS
As a general rule, the first person singular of verbs in the present tense ends in -e ("ich here" = "I hear"), the second person in -(e)st ("þou spekest" - "thou speakest"), and the third person in -eþ ("he comeþ" - "he cometh/he comes"). (þ is pronounced like the unvoiced th in "think").

In the past tense, weak verbs are formed by adding an -ed(e), -d(e) or -t(e) ending. These, without their personal endings, also form past participles, together with past-participle prefixes derived from Old English: i-, y- and sometimes bi-.

Strong verbs, by contrast, form their past tense by changing their stem vowel (e.g. binden -> bound), as in Modern English.

-PRONOUNS
MIDDLE ENGLISH:
Post-Conquest English inherits its pronouns from Old English, with the exception of the third person plural, a borrowing from Old Norse:

-Subjetc pronouns: I, thou, hit, he, sche, we, ye, he/they
-Object pronouns: me, thee, it/him, him, hire, us, you hem/them
-Possessive pronouns: mi(n), thy, his, his, hir, ure, your, hir, their

MODER ENGLISH
-Subject pronouns: I, you, it, he, she, we, you, they
-Object pronouns: me, you, it, him, her, us, you, them
-Possessive pronouns: my, your,its, his, her, our, your, their

5. How is pronunciation different between Middle English and Modern English?
- Generally, all letters in Middle English words were pronounced, not as in Modern English. In middle English the word "knight" was pronounced /knɪçt/.
- In earlier Middle English all written vowels were pronounced. Later, the final had become silent in normal speech.
- An additional rule in speech, and often in poetry as well, was that a non-final unstressed was dropped when adjacent to only a single consonant on either side if there was another short 'e' in an adjoining syllable. Thus, 'every' sounds like "evry" and 'palmeres' like "palmers".


6. What is the Chancery Standard, and how did it come into effect?

- It was a written form of English used by government bureaucracy and for other official purposes from the late 14th century. It is believed to have contributed in a significant way to the development of the English language as spoken and written today. Because of the differing dialects of English spoken and written across the country at the time, the government required a clear and unambiguous form for use in its official documents. Chancery Standard was developed to meet this need.

7. Who wrote the Canterbury Tales?
- The Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century.

8. Describe the medieval pilgrims who journeyed from Canterbury to London.
- They are 29 pilgrims who go from London to Canterbury. There are characters from all classes, upper and lower, represented. Religious characters, such as a prioress, monk and a Pardoner, travel alongside a shipman, miller, carpenter, reeve, squire, yeoman and a knight, among others.

9. Why did the pilgrims take this journey?
- To pay their respects to the tomb of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.

10. It is thought that some of the stories in The Canterbury Tales originated in Italy. What was the name of the Italian book and who wrote it?
- The name of the book is "The Decameron" and it was written by Giovanni Boccaccio.

11. The Canterbury Tales is considered an extremely important book, both in terms of English Literature & in the history of English writing. In your opinion, why is this book so important?
- It is important because it talks about people from all classes, telling diffrent stories; and that is considered as culture.
- The book was written in Middle English, language that was part of what English is today, and part of the English history.
- Also because it is thought that Chaucer took parts of other tales to write the Canterbury tales, so we could say that they are a compilation of stories.

12. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is:
a. A collection of German folk tales, similar to Grimm's Fairy Tales.
b. A collection of Japanese ghost stories, similar to Kwaidan.
c. A detailed explanation of the proper etiquette & behaviour for all knights in Medieval Europe.
d. A medieval romance poem, with Arthurian themes.
e. None of the above.
f. All of the above.

- Alternative d) A medieval romance poem, with Arthurian themes.

13. Who is Sir Gawain?
- Sir Gawain is the youngest of Arthur's knights and nephew to the king.

14. What is the challenge that The Green Knight proposes to the Knights of the Round Table?
- He asks for someone in the court to strike him once with his axe, on condition that the Green Knight will return the blow one year and one day later.

15. What is the similarity between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Irish tale of Cúchulainn?
- The tale of Cùchuñainn paralels Gawain in that Cúchulainn's antagonist feints three blows with the axe before letting his target depart without injury.

16. What is the importance of the pentagram/pentangle in the poem?
- The pentangle on Gawain's shield is seen by many critics as signifying Gawain's perfection and power over evil. The poet uses a total of 46 lines to describe the meaning of the pentangle. No other symbol in the poem receives as much attention or is described in such detail. The poem describes the pentangle as a symbol of faithfulness and an "endless knot", it is described as "a sign by Solomon". Solomon, the third king of Israel, in 10th century B.C. was said to have the mark of the pentagram on his ring, which he received from the archangel Michael. The pentagram seal on this ring was said to give Solomon power over demons.

17. How are numbers used to symbolize events in the poem?
- The author gives number to the facts, the events and some other things in the poem, as virtues, to add symmetry and meaning to the poem. For example, he compares: "three kisses are exchanged between Gawain and Bertilak's wife; Gawain is tempted by her on three separate days" or "The five points of the pentangle, represent Gawain's virtues, for he is "faithful five ways and five times each"

18. What is the significance of Sir Gawain's neck wound?
- During the medieval period, the body and the soul were believed to be so intimately connected that wounds were considered an outward sign of inward sin. The neck, was believed to correlate with the part of the soul related to will, connecting the reasoning part (the head) and the courageous part (the heart). Gawain's sin resulted from using his will to separate reasoning from courage. By accepting the girdle from the lady, he employs reason to do something less than courageous—evade death in a dishonest way.

19. Which actor played The Green Knight in the film adaptation, Sword of the Valiant?
- Sean Connery.

20. In many ways this poem is, in the modern sense, a soap opera. Compare Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with a modern Chilean teleseries.
- The only connection I can see between the poem and the Chilean soap operas, is the temptation of women. It is always present it the telseries and men are always tempted.
- Chilean teleseries have lost the values they used to hae and represent in the stories. Nowadays we see more comedies or really tragic soap operas.

ASSIGNMENT 1/ BEOWULF/ GOMEZ, CAROL

1. When was Old English spoken?
- Old English was spoken and also written in parts of what are now England and Scotland, between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century.


2. Name 4 language groups which influenced the development of Old English.
- Germanic influence (vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar)
- Lantin influence (patterns of linguistic)
- Norse influence (Scandinavian words introduced during the Viking invasions and place names)
- Celtic influence (small influence)


3. In the Phonology section, name 5 phonetical differences between Old English & Modern English.
- In the chart of old English, the sound /ʒ/ is not included.
- Plosive velar sounds in old English are /k/ and /g/.
- In modern English they are /k/ and /y/.
- /g/ sound is not included in modern English.
- /ç/ sound is not included in modrn English.

4. Are there any similarites between Old English and Modern English? Name them.
- It is believed that the word order in old English was subject-verb-object, as in modern English and most Germanic languages.

5. In the Orthography section, enlarge the picture of the runic alphabet. How many letters (runes) are there in this alphabet?
- There are 34 runes in the alphabet.

6. Which epic poem was originally written in Old English?
- It was Beowulf the epic poem written in English, and one of the most important writings.

7. In the See Also section, click on: Beowulf. Appoximately when was Beowulf written?
- It dates from between the 8th to the 11th century.

8. Even though Beowulf was written in England, the story takes place in which countries?
- It takes place in Scandinavia.

9. In the poem, which 3 antagonists does Beowulf battle or fight against?
- He fights against Grendel, Grendel's mother and the dragon.

10. What happens to Beowulf at the end of the story?
- He is mortally wounded and buried in a barrow by the sea.

11. Who was the author of Beowulf?
- Beowulf is an epic poem of unknown authorship.

12. What were the titles and the dates of the two film versions of Beowulf?
- Beowulf (2007)
- Beowulf: Prince of the Geats (2008)