Vocab. Words

callous - The boy's callous fingers suggested that he played the bass guitar.

capricious - The nun's capricious ideas of riding a unicycle through downtown Venice were unexpected for a woman of her occupation.

cajole - The bear proceeded to cajole the deer out from the hedges with some delicious jam.

censure - The devil's censure of "unnecessary" correspondence classes was infuriating.

caustic - The caustic girl hurt the poor one-eyed armadillo's feelings.

capitulate - The lion was forced to capitulate under the pressure of the anvil.

celestial - The celestial bodies glowed like.... well, celestial bodies.

catharsis - Unfortunately, all the paranoid man did during his catharsis was paint scenes of world annihilation via aliens.

carping - The young lady was soon devoid of friends due to her incessant carping.

catalyst - The catalyst of the breaking of the cookie jar was surely not me.

"Speech in the Virginia Convention" Questions

1.a. by having free debates, whether they like the conclusion or not

   b. He has to voice his opinion because it is of a different side than the other men's arguments and all sides should be heard. Henry says that free debates are the only way to find the truth and that each side should be represented. He doesn't want his country to fall into complete and forced control by the British. He knows that just sitting peacefully idle isn't working.

2.a. The British army and navy are growing and invading America, where they could have no possible enemies but the colonists.

   b. He can see that Britain is getting ready for war against them, and so does not believe the lies that the British are telling them.

3.a. He urges the men to listen to him and thus gives them this speech. Henry suggests that the colonials fight for their freedom, for that is the only way that they can be truly free. He tells the men that they should be prepared for war at any time, and not wait because the British could attack at any time, when they are weak and unprepared. Henry says that he will fight to the death for his freedom.

   b. peace

4.a. Some of the colonists want to fight, while others don't care, or want to be under British rule. The British want to gain control of the colonies and are waiting for the right time to strike. They want the talk of peace to continue and so distract the colonists.

   b. If the British put an end to all taxes, withdrew their soldiers, and allowed the colonies to govern themselves, perhaps Henry would have not urged the war so strongly. However, Patrick Henry doesn't sound like he would want to be anybody's "pet nation", so I don't think that any actions of the British would appease Henry's call for liberty.

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" Questions

1.a. The average person thinks that themselves and nature keep them alive, while Edwards says that it is solely God.
  b. The rock falling through the web represents the sinner's wickedness and how their sin is so heavy that if God were to drop them, they would swiftly fall into hell. The rock breaking the web is like the sinner's wickedness destroying their life and detaching them from what keeps them from falling into hell. Edwards shows them how fragile that web is and that it can collapse at any given time and that their wickedness just increases the weight of the rock. The chaff represents the sinner, being merely nothing, having no significance, and being unwanted. It is easily blown away by the wind, in this case being God.

2.a. the sun, the earth, the air

   b. Edwards uses thundering storm clouds and wind to represent God's anger. Both elements of nature are strong, wrathful, and unstoppable, commanding and altering the world around them.

3.a. Their heart must undergo a great change by the power of God and be born again, dead to sin and newly alive in God.

   b. A bow and arrow are personified and is said to be full of wrath, anger, and justice. It is a scary comparison because it is telling us that God is ready to bring about that justice and send all sinners to hell at any given whim.

4.a. He starts by saying that sinners are mere bugs and tells of how angry and hateful God is at them and then proceeds to say that there is no good reason why they're alive now.

   b. It would be useful in frightening people because it shows them that the only reason they're alive is purely because God hasn't "dropped" them yet and that they can be cast into hell at any time.

The Iroquois Constitution Questions

1.a. the Five Nations confederate lords
b. to discuss the affairs of the Five Nations and create an official constitution
oratory skills were prized by the Iroquois because that is how they communicated, within their own group and with others
2.a. to the confederate lords
Adodarhoh is the chief confederate lord of the Onondaga on whose land the council fire was
lit
b. they are not actually all related to one another I'm sure, but they see each other as part of a greater family who serves the same purpose and consider themselves as relatives
3.a. he gives them four strings of shells tied together
it symbolizes his pledge to honesty, justice, peace, and the constitution
b. a leader should be honest, peaceful, patient, and always do what is good for the people
a leader should not get angry, criticize, or have self-interest
4.a. they sit on globe thistle, use shells as a pledge, crown a lord with sacred deer antlers, compare tree roots to the four corners of direction, and metaphorically and symbolically plant a tree of peace on which sits an eagle of protection
they give thanks to the earth, water, plants, winds, thunder, sun, moon, and great Creator who lives in the heavens before beginning the council
b. the Five Nations had an amazing relationship with nature, respecting and considering it as part of everything and thanking it for the life that it gives
5.a. In my opinion, every leader should have the qualities presented in the Iroquois Constitution. Today, we have too many dishonest leaders who put themselves before the people they are supposed to be leading. In the Iroquois Constitution, every member of the council must be honest, peaceful, patient, and have the self-interest of the people in mind at all times. These attributes are a necessity if we want to be governed without chaos, lies, and war. Our leaders should also care about nature as much as the Iroquois do, maybe not worship nature, but at least care about it and put it up higher on the list of concerns.

Vocab. Words

Conundrum - Jemimah was faced with quite a conundrum in the labyrinth.
Deleterious – Unfortunately, she swallowed the deleterious poison.
Enervate – The poison slowly began to enervate Jemimah’s determination.
Hegemony – The hegemony of the goblin king was known throughout the labyrinth.
Inchoate – The inchoate effects of the poison were still detrimental to Jemimah’s health.
Juxtaposition – The juxtaposition of the two goblins resulted in a quarrel.
Legerdemain – Goblins are masters of legerdemain.
Manifold – The manifold amount of goblins frightened Jemimah.
Obfuscate – The goblin king’s poison began to obfuscate poor Jemimah.
Ribald – The ribald announcement of the goblin king told the whole of the labyrinth of Jemimah’s escape from the labyrinth.