English Vocabulary and Etymology(Week9)

Midterm Exam

Western Literature(Week9)

Midterm exam

English Vocabulary and Etymology(Week8)

Prefix/Root/Suffix

anti-: against

antipathy (n.) an instinctive contrariety or opposition in feeling
example: I felt a strong antipathy toeard their behavior.

antisocial (adj.) unwilling or unable to associate in a normal or friendly way with other people
example: I am not antisocial, just shy.

path-: feeling

apathetic (adj.) having or showing little or no emotion
example: She is always apathetic to anything.

apathy (n.) lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting
example: I heard the story with apathy.

syn-/sym-: with, together

idiosyncrasy (n.) a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual
example: I sometimes feel confused about the idiosyncrasy of my mother.

symmetry (n.) the correspondence in size, form, and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a plane, line, or point
example: The need to incorporate a staircase prevented perfect symmetry.

Western Literature (Week8)

Aeneid

Author: Virgil

An ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues (or Bucolics), the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid.

Summary:

The Aeneid is an epic poem that tells the story of Prince Aeneas of Troy.The story starts with the fall of Troy and tells about Prince Aenas and the survivors of Troy.  It contains all their adventures on their way to Italy.  It was written as a propaganda tale to justify Rome conquering other places.

• Aeneas

Aeneas flees burning Troy, Federico Barocci, 1598.

A Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Venus (Aphrodite). The Aeneid explains that Aeneas is one of the few Trojans who were not killed or enslaved when Troy fell. Aeneas, after being commanded by the gods to flee, gathered a group, collectively known as the Aeneads, who then traveled to Italy and became progenitors of Romans.

• Dido

 The founder and first queen of Carthage (in modern-day Tunisia). In the Aeneid, Dido and Aeneas fall in love by the management of Juno and Venus, however,  the rumour of the love affair comes to King Iarbas the Gaetulian. He prays to his father, Jupiter Ammon, to help him. Jupiter sends Mercury to separate Dido and Aeneas.Dido can no longer bear to live. She has her sister Anna build her a pyre under the pretence of burning all that reminded her of Aeneas.(though, according to Aeneas, they were never officially married.)

• Pygmalion

 In the Aeneid, he is the cruel-hearted brother of Dido who secretly kills Dido's husband Sychaeus because of his lust for gold. He is most familiar from Ovid's narrative poem Metamorphoses, in which Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved. Pygmalion married the ivory sculpture changed to a woman under Aphrodite's blessing.

- Pygmalion effect
the phenomenon whereby higher expectations lead to an increase in performance. The effect is named after the Greek myth of Pygmalion, a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved.

- Musical stage play"My Fair Lady"
My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, so that she may pass as a lady. The original Broadway, London and film versions all starred Rex Harrison.






- The story of Pygmalion and Galatea

The story of Pygmalion and Galatea is found in Greek Mythology, and in the famous work "Metamorphoses", by the great Roman poet Ovid. Their love was so unique that it is difficult to define it. But from this legendary love story, one thing is clear, man can never love an inanimate object with as much passion as he loves a living, breathing being. Love gives rise to desire and without this passion any love remains unfulfilled.

Saint Christopher

St. Christopher Carrying the Christ Child,
 by Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1485)

Saint Christopher's most famous legend, which is mainly known from the West and may draw from Ancient Greek mythology, tells that he carried a child, who was unknown to him, across a river before the child revealed himself as Christ. Therefore, he is the patron saint of travelers, and small images of him are often worn around the neck, on a bracelet, carried in a pocket, or placed in vehicles by Christians.

English Vocabulary and Etymology(Week7)

Prefix/Root/Suffix

uni-: single

uniform (n.) without variations in detail
example: The laboratory is kept at a uniform temperature.

unique (adj.) existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics
example: The custom is unique to the region.

union (n.) 1.something formed by uniting two or more things; combination
                 2. a group of states or nations united into one political body
example: We are working for the union of the two countries.
                On State of the union, Powell says Obama may be biting off a bit more than he can chew.

ad-: to, toward, near

advocate (v.) to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly
example: He advocates reforming the prison system.

adjust (v.) to change (something) so that it fits, corresponds, or conforms; adapt; accommodate
example: She must learn to adjust herself to new life.

alter-: change

alteration (n.) 1. the act or process of altering
                       2. parties turning   
example: I makes some alterations in my plan.
                The first alteration of this country happened in 1995.

alternative (adj.) affording a choice of two or more things, propositions, or courses of action
example: There was no alternative route open to her.

-tive: noun

preservative (n.) a chemical substance used to preserve foods or other organic materials from decomposition or fermentation
example: This food contains no artificial preservative.

representative (n.) a person or thing that represents another or others
example: I am the representative of my group.

re-: again

repeat (v.) to say or utter again (something already said)
example: He repeated the answer again.

review (v.) to look at or examine again
example: She is busy reviewing for a test.

-dict-: to say, to tell, word

contradictory (adj.) asserting the contrary or opposite
example: The prisoner's statement is contradictory to the one he'd made earlier.

dictation (n.) the act or manner of transcribing words uttered by another
example: The students wrote at their teacher's dictation.

se-: apart from

select (v.) to choose in preference to another or others
example: She selected a team for the special task.

separate (v.)  to keep apart or divide
example: He was separated from his parents when he was six.

-clude

exclude (v.) to shut or keep out; prevent the entrance of
example: The club excluded women from membership.

include (v.) to contain, as a whole does parts or any part or element
example: Mark and I are included in this team.

seclude (v.) to isolate; shut off; keep apart
example: The rich secluded themselves from contact with the poor.

-serve

preserve (v.) to keep safe from harm or injury
example: Oil preserves metal from rust.

reserve (v.) 1. to keep back or save for future use
                   2. to keep for oneself
example: We will reserve the money; we may use later.
　　　　These seats are reserved for special guests.

deserve (v.) to be worthy of, qualified for
example: They deserved to be punished.

conserve (v.) to prevent injury, decay, waste, or loss of
example: They turned the bicycle lights off to conserve the batteries.

Vocabulary

scarecrow (n.) an object, usually a figure of a person in old clothes, set up to frighten crows or other birds away from crops.
example: The scarecrow stands in the form to keep crows away.

expel (v.) to drive or force out or away
example: They expelled the journalist from their country.

rotate (v.) to cause to turn around an axis or center point; revolve
example: The earth rotates from west to east.

attorney (n.) a lawyer
example: Mr.Smith is a famous attorney.

antonym: district attorney
example: Jack is the district attorney of this case.

Western Literature(Week7)

Odyssey

Book I

• Telemachus

Odysseus' son, Telemachus, undergoes a miniature odyssey of his own. A callow 20-year-old man is afraid of challenging the suitors at the start of the poem, by the end, thanks in part to Athena's grooming, he is an assured, mature young man ready to take on the suitors.
During his short journey to learn about the father he does not know, Telemachus is the beneficiary of "xenia," the Greek term for hospitality. He repays the favor to others who need help and is a respectful traveler.  Though he has not inherited his father's gift for cunning, The Odyssey ends with the promise that Telemachus will one day make a fine ruler of Ithaca.

• Aegisthus

 The son of Thyestes and his daughter, Pelopia.While Agamemnon was at the Trojan war, Aegisthus became the lover of the king's estranged wife Clytemnestra. The couple killed Agamemnon on his return. He became king of Mycenae for seven years before he was killed in his turn by Agamemnon's son Orestes.

Book XI

• Tartarus

In the ancient Greek mythology, Tartarus is the deep abyss that is  used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans.

Example:

1. Tantalus

King Tantalus was also in Tartarus after he cut up his son Pelops, boiled him, and served him as food when he was invited to dine with the gods. He also stole the ambrosia from the Gods and told his people its secrets.

2. Sisyphus

King Sisyphus was sent to Tartarus for killing guests and travelers to his castle in violation to his hospitality, seducing his niece, and reporting one of Zeus' sexual conquests by telling the river god Asopus of the whereabouts of his daughter Aegina (who had been taken away by Zeus).

• Hercales

A  divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson (and half-brother) of Perseus. He was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity, the ancestor of royal clans who claimed to be Heracleidae  and a champion of the Olympian order against chthonic monsters.

Dactylic hexameter

A form of meter or rhythmic scheme in poetry. It is traditionally associated with the quantitative meter of classical epic poetry in both Greek and Latin and was consequently considered to be the Grand Style of classical poetry. The premier examples of its use are Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid.

Vocabulary

carbon copy (n.) a copy of an email or other electronic document that is sent to one or more people in addition to the primary addressee  Abbreviation: c.c.
example: As the Brazilian-born son of German immigrants, Franco says he was too much of a carbon copy of Benedict.

xerox copy (n.) a copy made by a xerographic printer
example: I have a xerox copy of this book.

mourning (n.) the act or feelings of one who mourns; grief
example: The Shiite mourning month of Muharram begins on December 18.

lamentation (n.)  expression of sorrow
example: There was lamentation throughout the land at the news of the defeat.

lament (v.) to feel or express sorrow or regret for
example: She lamented to us about her wretched lot.

ransom (n.) the redemption of a prisoner, slave, or kidnapped person, of captured goods, ect.,for a price
            (v.) to redeem from captivity, bondage, detention, etc., by paying a demanded price
example: They held the travellers for rasom.
                They rasomed the kidnapped child with 10, 000 dollars.

anachronistic (adj.) pertaining to or containing an anachronism.
example: His views are anachronistic and absurd.

treaty (n.) a formal agreement between two or more states in reference to peace, alliance, commerce, or other international relations
example: This treaty is benefical to each other.

English Vocabulary and Etymology(Week6)

Prefix/Root/Suffix

pro-: many,much,in favor of

proliferation (n.) a rapid and often excessive spread or increase
example: The proliferation of disease made people scared.

equ-/equi-: balance

equivocate (v.) to use ambiguous or unclear expression to mislead someone
example: He equivocated to hide the truth of this crash.

equable (adj.) free from many changes or variations
example: When she got into the trouble, she kept herself equable.

-eum/-ium: a place for

museum (n.) a building or place where works of art, scientific specimens, or other objects of permanent value are kept and displayed
example: I went to the museum with my family last weekend.

aquarium (n.) a building or institution in which fish or other aquatic animals or plants are kept for exhibit, study
example: There are various fishes in the aquarium.

ten-: to hold

tentative (v.) provisional or experimental; conjectural
example: This is just a tentative plan.

tenure (n.) the holding or possessing of anything
example: The man is angry that his house is not under his tenure.

-tem-:time

temporal (n.) enduring for a time only; temporary; transitory
example: I miss the temporal meeting with my friend.

contemporary (adj.) of the present time; modern
example: My grandfather doesn't like the contemporary music.

pri-/pre-: major, begining

prime (adj.) first or highest in rank or importance
example: This businessman's prime goal is be successful.

principle (n.) an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct
example: Teacher's principle is "Don't eat food in class!"

president (n.) the chief officer of a college, university, society, corporation
example: The president of France visited our country last week.

Vocabulary

epidemic (n.) a diaease spreading from person to person
example: Many people in this town died from this epidemic.

tuberculosis (n.) an infectious disease that may affect almost any tissue of the body, especially the lungs
example: The woman contracted tuberculosis.

delegate (n.) a person designated to act for or represent another or others
              (v.) to send or appoint (a person) as deputy or representative
example: He is the delegate of this political party.

succinct (adj.) expressed in few words
example: He described this event with succinct sentence.

pseudonym (n.) pen name
pseud-fake
nym-name
example: My pseudonym is "bluestar."

nominee (n.) candidate
example: This nominee won the election.

Thomas Paine 

an English-American political activist, philosopher, political theorist and revolutionary. One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, he authored the two most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and he inspired the rebels in 1776 to declare independence from Britain.

Western Literature(Week6)

The Odyssey( book I)

The narrator calls upon the Muse to help him tell the story of Odysseus. We pick up ten years after the fall of Troy in the Trojan War (the subject of The Iliad). In trying to return home, Odysseus and his shipmates had numerous adventures, but now Odysseus has been left alone on the island of Ogygia for the last eight years, captive of the beautiful goddess Calypso. We are told that Poseidon, god of the sea, will make Odysseus' journey home to Ithaca even more difficult (he is angry that Odysseus has blinded his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus), and trouble awaits the conquering hero back in Ithaca, too.
In the hall of Zeus on Mount Olympos, all the gods but Poseidon gather and listen as Zeus reflects upon the moral failings of mortal men. He brings up the example of Aigisthos, who killed Agamemnon and stole his wife, though the gods warned him that Agamemnon's son, Orestes, would someday retaliate - which he justly did. Athena speaks on behalf of Odysseus, pleading with Zeus to free him from Calypso's grasp. He agrees, and the god Hermes will be sent to Calypso to ask her to free Odysseus.

• the Muse

In Greek mythology are the goddesses of the inspiration of literature, science, and the arts.

• Penelope's weaving

In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus. She devised tricks to delay her suitors, one of which is to pretend to be weaving a burial shroud for Odysseus's elderly father Laertes and claiming that she will choose a suitor when she has finished. Every night for three years, she undoes part of the shroud, until Melantho, one of twelve unfaithful serving women, discovers her chicanery and reveals it to the suitors.

• Calypso

A nymph in Greek mythology, who lived on the island of Ogygia, where she detained Odysseus for several years. She is generally said to be the daughter of Atlas the Titan.

• Ithaca(The rocky Ithaca)

Since antiquity, Ithaca has been identified as the home of the mythological hero Odysseus.

• Cyclops Polyphemus

 The giant son of Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclopes described in Odyssey. In the Odyssey, Odysseus blinded Polyhemus. Polyphemus prays to his father, Poseidon, for revenge and casts huge rocks towards the ship, which Odysseus barely escapes.

• Siren

In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous yet beautiful creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.

Cassandra 

Cassandra is also known as Alexandra or Kassandra, was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. A common version of her story is that Apollo gave her the power of prophecy in order to seduce her, but when she refused, he spat into her mouth cursing her never to be believed.

 Clytemnestra

In the Greek mythology, Clytemnestra is the wife of Agamemnon.She killed her husband because he sacrificed their daughter- Iphigenia for the goddess of Hunt-Artemis to allow his ships to sail to Troy.

# Electra complex--- a male cjild's uncinscious desire for the exclusive love of his father.

The tale: Electra, the daughter of Agamemnon, and her brother Orestes plotted revenge against their mother Clytemnestra and stepfather Aegisthus for the murder of their father, Agamemnon.

# Oedipus complex--- a male child's unconscious desire for the exclusive love of his mother.

Tiresias

 A priest of Zeus, and as a young man he encountered two snakes mating and hit them with a stick. He was then transformed into a woman. As a woman, Tiresias became a priestess of Hera, married and had children, including Manto. After seven years as a woman, Tiresias again found mating snakes, struck them with her staff, and became a man once more.When Zeus and Hera asked him which of sex he chose, he chose "woman"that Zeus guessed, Hera struck him blind.Since Zeus could not undo what she had done, he gave him the gift of prophecy.

 The story of Argus peacock

Hera almost caught Zeus with a mistress named Io, a fate avoided by Zeus turning Io into a beautiful white heifer. However, Hera demanded that Zeus give her the heifer as a present.
Once Io was given to Hera, she placed her in the charge of Argus to keep her separated from Zeus. Zeus then commanded Hermes to kill Argus, which he did by lulling all one hundred eyes to sleep. In Ovid's interpolation, when Hera learned of Argus' death, she took his eyes and placed them in the plumage of the peacock, accounting for the eye pattern in its tail.





English Vocabulary and Etymology(Week5)

R.I.P = Rest In Peace

a short epitaph or idiomatic expression wishing eternal rest and peace to someone who has died.

Prefix/Root /Suffix

tri-:three

triplet (n.) one of three children or offspring born at the same birth.
example: Helen is a triplet.

-ate:verb

advocate (v.) support or urge by argument
example: He advoctes refirming the school system.

accumulate (v.) to gather or collect, often in gradual degrees; heap up
example:Dust had accumulated on my bookshelf. 

pro-:many,much,in favor of

protagonist (n.) the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work
example: Tina is the protagonist of this drama.

proponent (n.) a person who puts forward a proposition or proposal
example: I am the proponent of Gender Equity.

op-/ob-:against

opponent (n.) a person who is on an opposing side in a game, contest, controversy
example: He easily deafted his opponent in the game.

obstacle (n.) something that obstructs or hinders progress
example: Her parents' opposition is an obstacle to her marriage.

re-:again

revise (v.) to alter something already written or printed, in order to make corrections, improve, or update
example: She revises mistakes of her homework. 

repeat (v.) to say or utter again (something already said)
example: The teacher asked him to repeat what he had said.

-spect-: to look

prospect (v.) an apparent probability of advancement, success, profit, etc.
example: Mrs. Smith said that her daughter's prospect were ruined.

inspect (v.) to look carefully at or over; view closely and critically
example: They inspected the roof for leaks.

Rip van Winkle 

a short story by American author Washington Irving published in 1819 as well as the name of the story's fictional protagonist. Written while Irving was living in Birmingham, England, it was part of a collection entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Although the story is set in New York's Catskill Mountains, Irving later admitted, "When I wrote the story, I had never been on the Catskills."

*henpecked(a.) person who is afriad of his wife