English Honors Final

Amelioration

To make something better or to improve it

Amiably

In a friendly and nice way

Annihilate

to destroy completely

Antiquity

ancient times

Asphyxiation

suffocation

Aversion

strong dislike

Decree

An order having the force of law

Dissolution

the breaking up into parts

Dominanting

Having control or power

Edict

an official order

Elemental

primary or basic

Fissure

a crack or split

Gregarious

sociable

Implore

to beg

Indomitable

impossible to defeat

Inexorable

impossible to stop or prevent

Listlessly

without energy or interest

Luminous

giving off light or bright

Muffled

Quit sound

Obesure

not clear or hard to understand

Oracle

a person thought to be a source of wisdom or prophecy

Proclaimation

an important announcement

Prophecy

a prediction of the future

Recessed

remote; set back

Rending

violent ripping apart

Spacious

having lots of room

Stoical

indifferent to pain and pleasure

Transcend

to go beyond

Travail

Painful effort

Tumultuous

noisy and disorderly

Unconquerable

unable to be defeated

Unvoiced

voiceless

Vestibule

a small entryway within a building

Gothic (Horror) Literature

Is the combination of horror and gothic elements

-gloomy,decaying setting, supernatural,or terror.

Themes: death,decay, exploration of morality, and human nature

Magical Realism

Is the blend fantasy and magical elements with a realistic setting, often treating the extraordinary as a normal part of everyday life.

Themes:reality,perception, and the nature of existence

Modern Gothic Literature

Is the genre that builds on gothic fiction,adapting it to contemporary themes and often incompatible supernatural elements.

-horror,mystery, creating complex

Theme: Psychological horror,fears, trauma, boundaries of reality

Scary stories: fear of the unknown, transformation, death

KEEP IN MIND: Scary stories often feature situations or characters confronting the unknown, like the supernatural or the future. This can manifest as the fear of what happens after death, the anxiety about sudden transformations, or the uncertainty of the future.

Transformation

can be a physical,or psychological(mental). It can lead a characters descent into madness, or the setting shifts from being monstrous to normal or evolution of a theme can all tribute to unease.

Death

The fear of the death you may experience, or the fear of dying alone, of the unknown nature of being alive after death can lead to fear in stories. For example: Stories might explore the impact of death of characters, and the fear of the dying process, or the consequences of death for those left behind.

What does it mean "to see"?(Helen Keller)

"To see," means more than just using your eyes. It means noticing the beauty and meaning in the world around you. Many people who can see don't truly pay attention to the small wonders of life. Keller teaches us to be more aware, grateful, and thoughtful in how we experience the world.

Alienation and isolation

e. These emotions make the characters more real and relatable because many people have felt the same way at some point. Authors use these feelings to help us understand what it's like to struggle with fitting in or feeling invisible. By showing isolation, stories remind us how important connection, empathy, and belonging are in life.

Characterization

Characterization is how a writer helps us get to know a character in a story. We learn about the character through what they say, do, think, and how others treat them.

Kafkaesque (Literature from Franz Kafka)

Kafkaesque means something feels scary, strange, and unfair, like being stuck in a bad dream. It often shows people feeling confused and powerless in a world that doesn't make sense.

Modernism in literature

Modernism in literature is when writers started using new ways to tell stories. They showed how life can be confusing and hard to understand. Instead of simple endings, their stories often leave you thinking or feeling unsure. It helps us see what people really feel inside.

Figurative Langauge

language that communicates ideas beyond the ordinary, literal meanings of words.

Simile

compares two things using like or as ("Her smile was like sunshine.")

Metaphor

says one thing is another to show a strong comparison

Personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Imagery

uses words to create pictures in your mind

My introduction to Gothic literature

the author shares how reading Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" during a stormy visit to their grandmother's house sparked their love for Gothic stories. The creepy setting and deep emotions helped them see that Gothic literature is about both fear and what's hidden inside people.

The Fall of house of Usher(Edgar Allan Poe)

A man visits his sick friend Rodrick Usher, at a creepy decaying mansion. Rodrick and his twin sister Madeline are both mentally and physically unwell. after Madeline is buried alive and later reappears leading to both siblings, death in the mansion, collapsing.

Themes: madness,fear,death,and decay.

House taken Over(Julio Cortázar)

Your brother and sister live quietly in their inherited family home, until mysterious forces, slow slowly take over parts of the house. They eventually leave the house behind without fighting back.

The themes: the unknown, loss of control, and isolation,

How to tell your reading a Gothic Novel

1. it's set in a spooky castle or stately home.

2. There is probability of a ghost or a monster

3. It's set in the olden days.

4. The weather is always awful.

5. people talk funny.

6. So which Gothic novels are the best?(optional)

Where is Here? (Joyce Carol Oates)

A strange man visits a family, claiming their house used to be his home. his behavior becomes increasingly un, suddenly, revealing how the past can haunt the present.

Theme: stranger danger, memory, and the fear of the unkown.

Why do some Brains Enjoy Fear?

A science based interview explaining why some people enjoy scary experiences, like horror, movies, or haunted houses.

Beware: Do Not Read This Poem

A chilling poem about a mysterious mirror and a woman who disappears into a warning readers about the dangers of the obsession within knowing more.

The Raven(Edgar Allan Poe)

A grieving man who lost his wife Lenore is visited by a talking raven that only says, "nevermore".The bird drives him deeper into madness.

Windigo

A poetic retelling of a Native American legend about the Wendigo talking about creeping upon a child and taking him in the end.

Just Six Dots

A story of young Louis Braille,who became blind as a child invented the Braille system so blind people could read and write. He was determine, even when others doubted him. At the age of 15 he created a system of raised dot still used today .

Oedipus(Greek mythology)

Oedipus is a king who tries to save his city from a plague by finding the cause, but then learned that he unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, fulfilling the terrible prophecy when he discovered the truth. His wife,Jocasta, kills herself and he stabs his eyes with a knife and is exiled.

"A View From the Empire State Building" by Helen Keller

Helen Keller describes visiting the top of the building as a blind and deaf person in this letter. She couldn't see nor hear the view. She used her other senses in her imagination to experience it. Her guy described the scene and what she felt, and the build the building needs movement and air around her. This showed that even without sight or hearing, she could still feel the wonder and joy.

Blind(Fatima Naoot)

Blyde as a poem that explores how people can be blind and more ways than physically. The author describes a man who has sight, but cannot truly see the beauty of emotion or meaning about him. The message sent in this poem is that real blindness? It's not about eyes, but the lack of awareness, empathy or imagination.

The Blind Seer of Ambon

Is a poem a guy who is a Dutch naturalist who continues to study and recording the natural world, even after going blind, despite personal losses and hardships, he remain dedicated to knowledge and discovery. This poem honored his perspective, his perseverance, and how he saw their wisdom and outside.

On His blindess (Jose Luis Borges)

Or reflects on losing his site and how it change his life. He wants loved reading books, but blindness took that away. Mean in the darkness, believing that even without physical site, life offers purpose and quiet beauty.

Isn't Everyone a little bit Weird

This is a reading in which the author makes a point about people having their own quirks and strange habits, and how this shouldn't be viewed as a negative or abnormal thing towards others, but that is what makes us interesting and lovable, and instead of hiding our awareness, the author encourage us to embrace it and except others for theirs too.

The Metamorphosis(Franz Fafka)

Metamorphosis is about Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who wakes up when they transformed into a giant insect. He struggles with isolation, guilt, and even rejection from his own family, becoming ashamed and cruel of him. Overtime Gregory loses a sense of purpose and dies in this family moves on relieved.

Harrison Bergeron (Kurt Vonnegut)

Is a short story set in the future, where everyone is forced to be equal by wearing handicaps that limit their strength. Harrison, a gifted and rebellious teenager breaks free from his handicaps and declare himself emperor on live TV. He's quickly killed by the government showing how extreme equality can destroy individual individually and freedom.