2015/10/28

week seven

In Her Shoes is a 2005 American comedy-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Jennifer Weiner. It is directed by Curtis Hanson with an adapted screenplay by Susannah Grant and stars Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, and Shirley MacLaine. The film focuses on the relationship between two sisters and their grandmother.

In her shoes trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24_e8YBhlH8

Vocabulary :

1. xerox copy :  a copy made by a xerographic printer 影本
2. ally : To unite or connect in a personal relationship, as in friendship or marriage. 同盟
3. mourn : To feel or express grief or sorrow. 悲傷
4. nemesis : 天敵、世仇 =〉比enemy更恨
5. scar : v. To form a scar                                                                                                                             n. A mark left on the skin after a surface injury or wound has healed. 

2015/10/14

Western Literature week five

Iris - In Greek mythology, Iris is the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. She is also known as one of the goddesses of the sea and the sky. Iris links the gods to humanity. She travels with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other, and into the depths of the sea and the underworld.

Hubris - means, in a modern context, extreme pride or self-confidence; in its ancient Greek context, it typically describes violent and excessive behavior rather than an attitude. When it offends the gods of ancient Greece, it is usually punished. The adjectival form of the noun hubris is "hubristic".Hubris is usually perceived as a characteristic of an individual rather than a group, although the group the offender belongs to may suffer consequences from the wrongful act. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence, accomplishments or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power.

Fatal woman -  is a stock character of a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations.

Final Destination - is an American horror franchise based on an unproduced spec script by Jeffrey Reddick, originally written for the X-Files television series. Distributed by New Line Cinema, all five films center around a protagonist that has a premonition of a terrible accident that will kill numerous people. The protagonist and several other people manage to escape from the scene of the accident, before it happens, but are later killed in a series of bizarre accidents that frequently resemble Rube Goldberg machines in their complexity.

Poseidon - is one of the twelve Olympian deities of the pantheon in Greek mythology. His main domain is the ocean, and he is called the "God of the Sea". Additionally, he is referred to as "Earth-Shaker" due to his role in causing earthquakes, and has been called the "tamer of horses". He is usually depicted as an older male with curly hair and beard.

Eris - is the Greek goddess of chaos, strife, and discord. Her name is the equivalent of Latin Discordia, which means "discord". Eris' Greek opposite is Harmonia, whose Latin counterpart is Concordia. Homer equated her with the war-goddess Enyo, whose Roman counterpart is Bellona. The dwarf planet Eris is named after the goddess, as is the religion Discordianism.

Vocabulary：

a. para-: beside

ex:

paragraph n.= part of a piece of writing which starts on a new line and contains at least one sentence (graph means write)

paradox n.= a statement that contradicts itself (dox means opinion)

parachute n.= rescue equipment consisting of a device that fills with air and retards(減慢) your fall

parasol n.= a handheld collapsible(可折疊的) source of shade 

parallel adj.=being everywhere equidistant(距離相等的) and not intersecting(相交)

parasite n.= an animal obtains nourishment from the host (site means food)

b. dic - to say,to tell
 ex:
dictionary dictator predict

2015/10/07

Western Literature week four

印度兩大史詩：
Ramayana - The Ramayana is a Sanskrit epic poem ascribed to the Hindu sage and Sanskrit poet Valmiki. It is regarded as one of the two great works of Indian literature, along with the Mahabharata. The Ramayana also plays an important role in Hindu literature . It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife, and the ideal king. The name Ramayana is a tatpurusha compound of Rāma and ayana , translating to "Rama's Journey".

Mahabharata - The Mahabharata is an epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pandava princes. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or purusharthas . Among the principal works and stories in the Mahabharata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, an abbreviated version of the Ramayana, and the Rishyasringa, often considered as works in their own right.

Vocabulary :
a. voc-,vok-:voice

ex：advocate v.= push for something (ad- means voice)

       convoke v.= call together (con- means together)

       equivocate v.= be deliberately ambiguous to mislead or withhold information (equ- means equal)

       evoke v.= call up (e- means out)

       invoke v.= summon into action or bring into existence (in- means into)

       provoke v.= annoy,irritate or arouse (pro- means forward)

       revoke v.= cancel or withdraw (re- means back)

       vocation n.= career

       vociferous adj.= loud and noisy (fer means carry)


b. Carbon Copy ( often be abbreviated to CC) 複寫本

c. lengthy adj. 冗長的

2015/9/30

Western literature - week three

a. Story related to Helen of troy

1. Achilles heel -  In Greek mythology, when Achilles was a baby, it was foretold that he would die young. To prevent his death, his mother Thetis took Achilles to the River Styx, which was supposed to offer powers of invulnerability, and dipped his body into the water. But as Thetis held Achilles by the heel, his heel was not washed over by the water of the magical river. Achilles grew up to be a man of war who survived many great battles. But one day, a poisonous arrow shot at him was lodged in his heel, killing him shortly after.

          

           * The use of “Achilles heel” as an expression meaning''area of weakness''

                                               

                                                          

 

   2.  Persephone and the Pomegranate seeds : http://thisenchantedpixie.org/2013/09/22/the-story-of-persephone-and-the-pomegranate-seeds/

                                     

 Persephone - In Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore or Cora, is the daughter of  Zeus and the harvest goddess Demeter, and is the queen of the underworld. Homer describes her as  the formidable, venerable majestic princess of the underworld, who carries into effect the curses of  men upon the souls of the dead. Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld.  The myth of her abduction represents her function as the personification of vegetation, which shoots  forth in spring and withdraws into the earth after harvest; hence, she is also associated with spring as  well as the fertility of vegetation.


  b. Character - 

• Hades - Hades was the ancient Greek chthonic god of the underworld, which eventually took his name.Hades was often portrayed with his three-headed guard dog Cerberus and, in later mythological authors, associated with the Helm of Darkness and the bident.                                                                                   
• Zeus - Zeus was the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, who ruled as king of the gods of Mount Olympus. He was respected as an allfather who was chief of the gods and assigned the others to their roles.                                                                                                                                                       

c. Vocabulary - 

1. agriculture - agri means earth
2. river styx -  is a deity and a river that formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld (the domain often called Hades, which also is the name of its ruler).                                             

                                            



d.