English 10 Notes
The denotation of a word is its actual dictionary definition. It is the simplest, most used, and most basic understanding of the word.
Connotation is the cultural and emotional association of a word. It is the meaning beyond the word and is more subjective and fluid. The nuances of connotation change based on usage, so the same word can have a positive or negative connotation.
Context is all of the surrounding material that helps readers understand the meaning of a word.
Abstemious (ADJ) - Eating and drinking in moderation. From latin Abstemius
Bemuse (Verb) - to cause to be bewildered; confuse.
Benighted (ADJ) - Resulting from or in a state of moral or intellectual darkness; unenlightened.
Dogmatic (ADJ) - Asserting or insisting upon ideas or principles, especially when unproven or unexamined, in an imperious or arrogant manner.
Egocentric (ADJ) - confined in attitude or interest to one’s own needs or affairs
Exacerbate (verb) - to increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate.
Gregarious (adj) - seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable.
Hedonism (noun) - pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.
Idealism (noun) - the act or practice of envisioning things in an ideal and often impractical form.
impassive (adj) - devoid of or not subject to emotion
Invincible (adj) - incapable of being overcome or defeated; unconquerable.
Lackadaisical (adj) - Characterized by a lack of effort, care, or involvement.
Maladroit (adj) - marked by a lack of adroitness; inept
Mawkish (adj) - Excessively and objectionably sentimental.
Mendacious (adj) - lying; untruthful
Mercurial (adj) - having the characteristics of eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, and theivishness attributed to the god Mercury
Munificent (adj) - very liberal in giving; generous.
negligent (adj) - given to or characterized by neglect, especially habitual neglect.
Obstinate (adj) - Stubbornly adhering to an attitude, opinion, or course of action.
Philistine (adj) - a person who is smugly indifferent or hostile to art and culture.
Plebeian (adj) - unrefined or coarse in nature or manner; common or vulgar.
Presumptuous (adj) - going beyond what is right or proper; excessively forward.
Sophomoric (adj) - exhibiting great immaturity and lack of judgment
Uproarious (adj) - loud and full; boisterous.
Verbose (adj) - Using or containing a great and usually an excessive number of words; wordy.
parallel structure is using the same grammatical form to express equal or parallel ideas. it is also called parallelism
Greek Values
Perfection - the Greeks greatly valued physical perfection in both beauty and strength. characters are often first adn foremoost defined by their physical attributes. integrity flaws are usually forgiven or overlooked when the physical characcteristics are perfect. the original greek audience of the bible would have been very interested in jesus as a perfect human man: the only man who embodeis this value fully.
Pride/Glory - the greeks also found greak pride and glory in these physical attributes and their impact. women held immense power in their beauty. men received accolades when theur feats of strength were demonstrated successfully. this recognitiion was sought after. this value constrasts the biblical value of humility.
Courage/Bravery - the greeks rewarded courage and bravery, adn emn were often tempted intodaring and dangerous exploits to be perceived as couragous.
creativity - the greeks valued creativity, including the arts, as well as plotting, cunning, and deception.
individualism - the greeks believed that praise and shame belonged to the person who had earned it. unlike some cultures where individuals rise and fall as a group, the greeks often over-promoted one person for brave deeds and were quick to cut off those with shameful deeds.
loyalty - though the greeks cleary believed that praise and shame belonged to the individual who had earned it, there was still a sense of loyalty. af first, the loyalty was primarily familial or city-state related, but it did eventually morph into cultural alligiance.
Xenia - the greeks believed that zeus had divinely established teh law, which means that you are required to give hospitality to strangers.
The ordinary world
the call to adventure/ refusal of call
meeting the mentor/crossing the threshold
tests/allies/enemies
abyss - death and rebirth
resurrection and return
master of two worlds
epithets: repeated descriptions of a character
resourceful odysseus
complicated odysseus
wily/tricky odysseus
divine athena
bright-eyed athena
poseidon, lord of earthquakes
wide-ruling agamemnon
agamemnon, son of atreus
rosy-fingered dawn
Acerbic - Sour or bitter tasting; acid
Adulation - excessive flattery or admiration
Bane - to cause harm, ruin, or death
Besmirch - to stain; sully
Bilk - to defraud, cheat, or swindle
Cajole - to persuade by flattery, gentle pleading, or insincere language
Centaur - one of a race of monsters having the head and torse of a man and the body and legs of a horse.
Charlatan - a person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge
Covert - Not openly practiced, avowed, engaged in, accumulated, or shown
Exigency - a pressing or urgent situation
Fatuous - Foolish or silly, especially in a smug or self-satisfied way
Implacable - Impossible to placate or appease
Impugn - to attack as false or questionable, challenge in an argument
Indomitable - incapable of being overcome, subdued, or vanquished. unconquerable
Iniquity - Gross immorality or injustice; wickedness
Paucity - smallness of number, fewness
Perfidy - Deliberate breach of faith; calculated violation of trust; treachery
Prevaricate - To speak or write evasively
Prodigious - Impressively great in size, force, or extent; enormous
Propitious - Presenting favorable circumstances or showing signs or a favorable outcome
Reconnoiter - To make a preliminary examination of, usually by moving around and observing, in order to gather information, especially for military purposes.
Sanction - permission or approval that makes a course of action valid
Surreptitious - secretive, clandestine
Travail - Work, especially when arduous or involving painful effort; toil
Upbraid - To reprove sharply; reproach
In ancient greece, travel was dangerous, and no public hotels existed for travelers; therefor anyone on a journey had to rely on the hospitality of strangers. a host was expected to provide food, lodging, and clothes for a guest, while a guest would participate in a gift exchange and be respectful to his host. the greeks believed that the gods demanded hospitality, and several myths include stories of gods dressed as strangers who rewarded or punished humans based on how hospitable they were. athena does this with telemachus to test him in book 1. one of the tragedies that odysseus will encounter during his journey is that he is treated poorly in every situation where he should be able to expect hospitality
a clear pattern of hospitality established in the odyssey
a stranger asks for hospitality, and the host welcomes him into his home
the stranger is washed, fed, and given clothes if needed.
after the stranger is comfortable, he tells his story to the host
the host and guest exchange gifts
the stranger is sent on his way after a respectful stay.
Archetypes
Hero/Villain - Every protagonist needs an antagonist to cause conflict. An archetypal hero is a strong person who prevails against all odds. He or she will display courage, diligence, and sacrifice along the journey. A villain causes conflict by fighting against the hero directly or attempting to destory the hero’s loved ones or goals. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and Telemachus are heroes, while the suitors are villains. In the Bible, Jesus is the ultimate hero, defeating the great enemies, satan, sin, and death. smaller stories in the bible narrative also have heroes, although flawed ones, such as Moses, Noah, and Esther.
Outsider/Outcast - This character is banished from their community for some real or imagined crime, a rebel. In The Odyssey, Odysseus can be seen as an outcast since he has been kept from returning home by the gods. In the Bible, Moses becomes an outcast after he kills the Egyptian. Jesus is also an outcast among his own people after they refused to accept him as their messiah.
Scapegoat - An animal or human whose death, often through public ceremony, excuses some sin that has bothered the community. In The Odyssey, Odysseus’s men are scapegoats when they are killed for offending Helios; their death satisfies the god’s anger. This term is pulled from the Bible, as the people of israel would sacrifice one goat to symbolize their departure from sin.
Damsel in Distress - A motivation for the hero, this lady needs someone to rescue her, sometimes a trap. In The Odyssey, Penelope is a damsel in distress, waiting for Odysseus to rescue her.
The Temptress: Known for being beautiful, she could be the hero's downfall. In The Odyssey, Odysseus has several temptresses who could keep him from fulfilling his quest: Calypso, Circe, and the Sirens are all trying to lure him away from returning home. One example in the Bible is Delilah who famously tempted Samson into revealing the secret of his strength (see Judges 16).
The Soul Mate: The hero's one true love who is a source of comfort and motivation. The soul mate is the hero's one true love who is faithful. In The Odyssey, this is Penelope, who faithfully waits for Odysseus to return. In the Bible, the relationship between Christ and the church could fulfill this archetype. Several other examples of couples in love exist, such as Abraham and Sarah, as well as Joseph and Mary, whom he faithfully loved through a miraculous situation.
Sage/Wise Mentor: The hero needs someone to guide him or her, so the wise mentor or sage is there. A sage character is typically older and comes alongside the hero to give wise advice and help steer the hero in the right direction. In The Odyssey, Athena, disguised as Mentor, serves this role for Telemachus. In the Bible, the prophet Elijah is a wise mentor for a younger prophet, Elisha.
The Devil: This figure is not necessarily the villain, although it could be. The Devil archetype is someone or something that tempts the hero to quit or stray from his quest. In The Odyssey, this might be the sirens, whose compelling songs tempt Odysseus. It could also be Polyphemus who temps Odysseus into a prideful, vengeful rage. In the Bible, the archetype is based on the figure of Satan, who first tempts Adam and Eve to eat the fruit and disobey God.
Colors: Colors can be used to quickly share a complex idea or hint at some larger theme to the reader. Colors each have a positive and negative impact on storytelling. This can be very subtle: Characters who wear more warm colors tend to be happier or more self-assured, and cool colors might be worn by a character who is mysterious or sad.
red: might represent love, hatred, sin, or death
green: could be wealth and fertility or jealousy
blue: often associated with spiritual purity and religion but also sadness
black: most often associated with death, evil, and chaos
white: might represent something pure, innocent, new, or light
Sun/day: Sunrises often symbolize hope, new life, and new opportunities. Light and daylight are typically positive, honest, or clarifying symbols. Scenes that take place in a well-lit area are more likely to be peaceful or happy. In The Odyssey, many scenes begin with the sunrise, which brings a sense of hope that things will go better for the characters. In the Bible, there are many examples of sunlight/day being related to hope and good change. For example, Isaiah 58:10 says, "If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday" (ESV®).
Darkness/night: Sunsets often represent death or an ending. The coming of night tends to bring fear, and evil or bad events are more likely to happen. Dark areas are unknown and unsure, maybe without hope. Dark storm clouds rarely mean good news for the characters. In The Odyssey, the underworld is dark and mirky. In the Bible, darkness is equated with sin and death. Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).
water/desert: Archetypes are often found in pairs—the contrast can highlight an important idea. Water frequently symbolizes birth or spiritual rebirth, while a desert might symbolize death or spiritual barrenness. The Odyssey heavily features water, often as a way to "new life." Telemachus must set out on the water to begin his journey to manhood. Odysseus is tossed around in the water from Calypso's island to the Phaeacians, where his journey home starts again. In the Bible, believers in Christ are baptized in water to symbolize their new life. The desert is a place of wandering and temptation, such as the Israelites wandering for forty years or Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert.
Odysseus’s mother - died from missing Odysseus but relays that his family is safe, even though they are all sad
Tyro - had two sons fathered by Poseidon who both were “sturdy” and served Zeus
Antiope - Had two sons fathered by Zeus who became the first settlers for Thebes
Alcmene - Hercules’ mother; Zeus was his father.
Chlorius - Queen of Pylos who had many men fighting to marry her
Leda - had two sons fathered by Zeus who live in the underworld but are not dead
Iphemeidia - had two sons, fathered by Poseidon, who were renowned for being almost giants; they were killed by Apollo before they culd grow into men and overthrow the gods.
Phaedra - Killed by the goddess Artemis
Leodes - known as the suitor who did not like the bullying, he cannot even string the bow. after failing, he encourages them all to try and then leave if they can not meet the demands of the challenge/ Antinous mocks him.
Figures of Speech
Idioms
An idiom is a quirky phrase with a distinctive cultural meaning.
Idioms give commonality to a culture and express truths simply and memorably.
Vocabulary
Astringent - Sharp and penetrating; pungent or severe
Augury - the art, ability, or practice of auguring; divination
Calumny - A false statement maliciously made to injure another’s reputation
Choleric - Easily angered; bad-tempered
Cosset - to pamper
Denigrate - to attack the character or reputation of; speak ill of; defame
Depravity - Moral corruption or degradation
Expiate - To make amends or reparation for; atone for
Flout - to ignore or disregard in an open or defiant way
Harbinger - one that indicates or foreshadows what is to come; a forerunner
Iconoclast - one who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions
Impious - lacking reverence; not pious
Infamy - very bad reputation; notoriety
Inveterate - firmly and long established; deep-rooted
Miscreant - one who behaves badly, often breaking rules of conduct or the law
Penitent - feeling or expressing remorse for one’s misdeeds or sins; contrite
Plethora - an abundance or excess of something
Portent - an indication of something important or calamitous about to occur; an omen
Precipitous - resembling a precipice; extremely steep
Presentiment - a sense that something is about to occur; a premonition
Probity - complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness
Progenitor - a direct ancestor
Purport - to have or present the often false appearance of being or intending
Succor - assistance in time of distress; relief
Surfeit - to feed or supply to excess, satiety, or disgust; overindulge