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oldshrewsburyian · 2 years

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Dracula Daily: Lit Crit Case Study

I’m so excited that we’re all reading Dracula together. As we temporarily leave our friend Jonathan in Transylvania sans shaving mirror, to catch up with Nerd Queen Mina Murray, I thought I’d volunteer a little close reading walk-through of some of the stuff we’ve already seen. I do this as someone who has 1) seen a bunch of posts saying Don’t Panic Because of Problematic™ Elements and 2) taught Dracula in both literature and history classes because I’m that kind of nerd, I mean professor. Also, I thought it might be helpful to have an illustration of how you (yes, you!) can read and find multiple meanings in a text.

If anyone replies on this post with a variation on “the curtains are blue,” that person is getting blocked. Okay? Are we sitting comfortably? Good. Let’s talk about Jonathan Harker and Orientalism. Conveniently, we can do this using just evidence from Chapters 1-2; but you’ll be able to see more of this throughout the book. The brilliant Edward Saïd came up with the term Orientalism to describe taking “the basic distinction between East and West as the starting point for elaborate theories, epics, novels, social descriptions, and political accounts concerning ‘the Orient.’” As it happens, it is super easy to illustrate how Jonathan’s perceptions of his journey participate in Orientalism.

Ex. 1, as he enters Budapest: The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the East; the most western of splendid bridges over the Danube, which is here of noble width and depth, took us among the traditions of Turkish rule.

So here is Jonathan, in the city of Budapest, which got a massive makeover just five years before, in 1892, to celebrate the 1000-year anniversary of its mythical founding. The fancy imperial architecture is fresh and shiny. Also brand new (as of 1896) is Budapest’s electrified subway, the oldest in continental Europe. But to Jonathan, he’s entering “the traditions of Turkish rule,” which have been rhetorically opposed to European liberalism since at least the late sixteenth century. Before that, it’s muddier, and early modern political realities are much more complicated than that, but I’m not going to digress here on what the history of this region actually is. What’s crucial is that, despite all this complex reality (and the subway system), for Jonathan, he crosses a bridge and BAM, rhetorical departure from the West, entry into the East, which is characterized by sensuality, superstition, and despots (who can be sensual as well as tyrannical. Remind you of anyone?)

Ex. 2, the trains: It seems to me that the further east you go the more unpunctual are the trains. What ought they to be in China?

Again, we have a simple equation here. The more East you go, the less modernity and technology you have. Orientalism 101. The Count’s elaborate and generous hospitality, too, fits the stereotypes of Oriental rulers. And we’ve already talked a lot about all the peasants and their Primitive Superstitions.™ But wait!

The Eastern peasants, with their multiple local languages and their quaint costumes and their worship at roadside shrines and their reliance on physical totems like the rosary... they are right about the way the world of the novel works, and our friend Jonathan, as it happens, is wrong. If Jonathan has a hope of surviving, he had better start relinquishing some of his respectable certainties (who is more respectable than an English solicitor with vague allegiance to the Church of England?) in favor of acknowledging the messy realities of where he finds himself. And all of this is 1) pretty explicit in the text 2) very complex in terms of how it asks us, the readers, to consider how we think about categories like modernity, civilization, and superstition.

Ta-da! See? Lit crit is meant to be fun, actually. [Take a literature or history course if you can; we’re doing this sort of thing all the time.]

#dracula daily #dracula #orientalism #literary criticism

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circulars-reasoning · 23 days

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Hi, I hope this ask isn’t too invasive…

You’ve mentioned before that you’re an English teacher, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to speak a bit on how you became one (education? certifications?) and what it’s like for you teaching while living with DID.

The reason I ask is, I’m a senior in high school and I’ll be going to college in the fall. I’m really worried because I have so many alters who all want different things for my life. But in general, I’m drawn to teaching and many of my alters are okay with the idea of pursuing this as a career - especially if I can teach English, which has always been my best subject (I’m in the US).

I’m really scared about entering the adult world, and want to be as prepared as possible for this shift. Hearing from a system who followed the career path I’m considering would be really amazing!

If this ask bothers you or if you’re not comfortable answering it, I totally understand. Thank you for your time and consideration!

- Freya

Hey!!! Sorry I missed this ask -- I hardly use this blog and actually plan on deleting it soon. Just need to get around to reblogging the important posts.

But this is an important one, and I really want to respond here, in the hopes that you'll see it.

I'm an English teacher for 6th grade in the US, and I can say that, without a doubt, college was harder than being a teacher is currently. Do not let your experiences in college stop you from your goal. The professors will not be kind to you, especially if you don't know what's happening to you.

I'm going to pop this under a cut because boy howdy I am rambling.

In terms of college and working to become a teacher with DID:

Firstly, and most importantly: Scheduling. You will need to be completely on top of scheduling out your few years of college. You don't need to be perfect, mind you, but please be aware of what classes are required and when you will take them. My college fucked me over on this. The reason it's so vital is because most education programs in the US are 5 year programs -- 4 years of college, and a 5th year of one semester of a "practicum" (an unpaid internship at a school). During your practicum, you're not supposed to take any extra classes. I was taking 3 classes on top of my practicum to stay under 5 years. Don't do this. Either bite the bullet and do that extra 5th year of schooling, or plan accordingly so you don't get stuck the same way I did.

Now that that's out of the way:

DID definitely impacted my ability to study for things. It really helped having someone else holding me accountable; my partner, my roommate for 3 of my 4 years of college, really helped me out and basically did the education degree alongside me in spirit. If you can, find someone else to help you study.

That someone else should not be a fellow education major. This is because almost all of them will drop out by the time you graduate. That's a sorry truth, unfortunately. In my Junior Literature class of 6 students in my junior year, only 3 moved on with their degree; in my senior year, I was the only one who moved on. This is because college is fucking grueling, and everyone dropped out, thinking teaching would be harder (I'll get to that).

Don't try to overcome your disorder in college. Don't try to heal or recover while going through classes. Try to survive. You do not need to focus on recovery immediately, and it is a BAD idea to pile that much on your shoulders while in college and while teaching. Try to maintain and survive as best as you can. Recovery is a process and it will work on its own as you go through.

You can absolutely bullshit your way through an English degree, easy. It's not hard. Especially if you start writing about fanfiction in Lit 101 -- or at least, in my experience, that got me far. If you know you'd good at English, I would highly recommend it, esp if you're good at School English.

For your other classes, you'll likely have to do gen ed credits. Be creative and have fun. To fulfill my math credits, I took programming and "mathematical excursions" (you do fun shit with math and learn to pay for a house -- it was incredible). To fulfill science credits, I took Astronomy as a night class and got to look through a telescope during a night class for an A. It was awesome. (Well, ok, that class sucked, but you get the point).

DON'T OVERSTACK YOUR CREDITS. I wouldn't go above 18 credits per semester. I usually did around 16, and the minimum we could do was 12. Don't go minimum, but do not overstack. Again, scheduling, don't overschedule yourself.

You'll take a form of practicum each year more than likely. This will be where you go to a school and teach for a bit, and then you'll go do homework about what you taught. In your first year or two, you won't be doing almost any of the teaching; you'll shadow a mentor teacher who will show you how to do the thing. This is honestly so beneficial, but...

TAKE NOTES. For fucks sake, the memory part of DID fucking destroyed me in college, and notes would improve everything. Take double notes, honestly -- physical notes while in the school, and digital notes once you get home.

GET ENOUGH SLEEP. DID leads to insomnia so frequently. Start trying to keep good sleeping habits now, because it WILL get worse as college goes on. Do NOT do what I did and try to survive on 3 hours of sleep a night. It is not sustainable and you will catch every single disease these kids transfer onto people, I swear to god.

The Dean of Students will actually help. A lot. Please go to them if you're struggling. If you can't go, then send someone you trust to advocate for you. In my senior year when everything was going to shit with my mentor teacher (she was a horrible woman) and the admin at school were shitty to me (again, a horrible woman in charge), my partner went to the Dean and advocated for me. That mentor teacher was forced to retire from the school the next year, and my admin had to extend my semester by 3 days to give me a better practicum with someone who could actually do their fucking job. Do not feel scared to advocate.

Please. Please, if you remember nothing, remember this: do not listen to your coworkers in your final practicum. Don't listen to what they say about you becoming a teacher. These people are jaded assholes who, in my experience, want nothing more than to bomb the school. I wish I was kidding, but genuinely, so many of them are horrifically jaded and don't want to be there, ESPECIALLY when your practicum starts (which almost always coincides with state testing schedules). Teaching is awesome, genuinely, so long as you enjoy it.

And lastly for the college aspect: It gets easier. It really does. College was absolute hell for me up through senior year. This was because not only was I doing full coursework (ouch), but I was also starting to really understand and process bits of my trauma (yikes) and I was still with my abusers (yikes). This makes it so, so much harder, in so many ways. And I still did it. And now, here I am to live and tell the tale, and now that I am a teacher?

This shit is so much more forgiving. I have slipped up so fucking much, but as long as you do your best and mean well, your bosses will fucking adore you. They desperately need warm bodies in the room to help make sure the kids don't set fire to each other, and you are certainly going to fit the job description if you give a single shit.

Be open about some of your issues, but not all. I'm very open at work that I suffer from a disorder that leads to amnesia, but I'm careful about how I do this. "I actually have an issue that leads to a lot of forgetfulness, so if it's possible that you could send me a reminder of that meeting, I'd appreciate it." That's all I needed, and now we have a group calendar and my coworker has forgiven me numerous times for missing something.

Your mistakes as a system are completely seen as just. Normal Ass Human Mistakes. Forgot a meeting? Happens to everyone. Broke down crying in front of the kids? Shit fam, the teacher across the hallway walked out last week, you're doing remarkably just because you stayed.

The kids can fuck you up. Genuinely. They WILL trigger you. You WILL get memories of your childhood and it WILL hurt. And you will get through them with patience, time, and understanding. It'll be okay. Please, work hard on reminding yourself that these kids are not actively malicious. They do not understand your perspective.

To that note, almost every single teacher I know has a therapist. It is not a shocker to be in therapy. Most teachers need it. If you don't have one, I highly recommend getting one, if just to bitch about your coworkers with someone who will nod and say, "You deserved better than that, you're right."

Most of teaching is paperwork and meetings. Like genuinely, it's kind of ridiculous. We have meetings every Monday and Thursday, with occasional meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. It's a LOT of meetings, and everything needs documented.

Work life balance. Please have one. This is when you start working on not bringing work home.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZZES ARE OKAY. GENUINELY. I was so firmly against them as a student in college -- "that doesn't test genuine knowledge!" Neither does school. Please save yourself the hours of grading and do a few multiple choice quizzes. In some counties the system you use will autograde them.

God I could talk about this for hours on end. I'm really genuinely happy to answer so many questions about this. If you want to know anything specific, feel free to ask. I'm also over on @circular-bircular and plan to use that as my main system blog, so you can ask me more questions there if you want.

You've got this. I am absolutely rooting for you.

#Rambling lol #Teacher rant #asks #anon #armageddon comes while I'm sleeping #actually did #dissociative identity disorder

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spanishskulduggery · 1 year

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Most Essential Vocabulary #1

I decided to compile a list of some of the most basic and essential vocab for Spanish since I couldn’t totally find a lot.

These are going to be the words that you’re going to be using and seeing the most for Spanish, so it will come across as very basic for some

I decided to do this in multiple parts because there are lots of topics - so if you have suggestions on certain topics, please let me know! There probably will be words repeated for different “categories”

Pronouns

yo = I

tú = you [informal]

usted = you [formal]

nosotros = we [m+m, m+f] nosotras = we [f+f]

ustedes = you all [for Spain it’s formal, for Latin America it’s formal and informal]

vosotros = you all [m+m, m+f; informal, Spain] vosotras = you all [f+f; informal, Spain]

él = he

ella = her

elle = they [no specified gender; this is not considered “proper” Spanish, but it is used in many queer communities for someone non-binary; “proper” Spanish only really has “he” or “she” or refers to someone of unknown or unspecified gender in vague terms like alguien “someone” or una persona “a person” and conjugates them with 3rd person singular]

Question Words

qué = what que = that [connecting clauses] lo que = what, “the thing that”, that which [a stand in for a noun]

por qué = why el por qué = “the reason why”, “the motive” porque = because [connecting clauses]

cuál, cuáles = which, which ones

dónde = where donde = where [connecting clauses]

cuándo = when cuando = when [connecting clauses]

cómo = how como = as, like [connecting clauses]

cuánto/a = how much/many cuanto = so much [or en cuanto “insomuch” or “as far as”]

cuánto/a is used with countable objects

For using “how + adj/adv” you have to use a separate expression; in more literary Spanish this is cuán which is not used very much now except in some lyrics and poetry. For everyday Spanish there’s a separate word/phrase:

qué tan = how + adj/adv [Latin America] ¿Qué tan rápido es? = How fast is it? ¿Qué tan larga es la historia? = How long is the story? ¿Qué tan profundo es el océano? = How deep is the ocean?

cómo de = how + adj/adv [Spain] ¿Cómo de grande es? = How big is it? ¿Cómo de alta es la montaña? = How high is the mountain? ¿Cómo de ancho es el río? = How wide is the river?

Prepositions

Please be aware certain prepositions are used differently than others. The main ones to be very aware of are: a, de, en, por, para, and con

...By far, a is the most versatile and has the most uses, followed by de

Primarily this is just a list of things to know, but some of them require proper context to fully understand in my opinion

a = to

de = of / from

en = on / in

por = for / by, via

para = for / up to / in order to

con = with

sin = without

sobre = on, upon / about, pertaining to acerca de = about, pertaining to

hacia = toward, towards

bajo = under debajo (de) = under, underneath

encima (de) = on top of

desde = from, since

hasta = until, up to

según = according to

antes = before

después = after

tras = following, after

entre = between

enfrente (de) = in front of, facing

junto/a = together junto a = next to, beside

al lado de = next to

durante = for (a period of time) / during

mientras = while

a través de = through a lo largo de = throughout

alrededor de = around, surrounding

mediante = through, via, by means of por medio de = through, via, by means of

vía = via

versus = versus [exactly like English... because it’s Latin; the pronunciation is different obviously]

contra = against, versus/vs / against, up against [e.g. contra la pared “(up) against the wall”]

Standard Spanish 101 Vocab

algo = something

nada = nothing la nada = nothingness

alguien = someone

nadie = no one

el hombre = man el caballero = gentleman / man [lit. “knight” or “horseman”] el señor = sir, gentleman / lord / Mr.

la mujer = woman [potentially “wife”] la dama = lady / woman la señora = lady / madame, Mrs. la señorita = miss, (young/unmarried) lady

alto/a = tall, high

bajo/a = short, low

gordo/a = fat

flaco/a = skinny, thin delgado/a = skinny, thin

grande = big

pequeño/a = small

inteligente = intelligent

(ser) listo/a = (to be) smart (estar) listo/a = (to be) ready

rico/a = rich

pobre = poor

guapo/a = good-looking

lindo/a = cute, good-looking bonito/a = cute, good-looking

feo/a = ugly

joven = young

viejo/a = old

menor = younger / minor

mayor = older, elder / major

justo/a = fair, just

injusto/a = unjust, unfair

fácil = easy

difícil = hard, difficult

apenas = hardly, barely a duras penas = just barely

fuerte = strong

débil = weak

veloz = quick rápido/a = fast [adj] rápido = quickly, fast [adv]

lento/a = slow [adj] lento / lentamente = slow, slowly [adv]

trabajador(a) = hard-working

perezoso/a = lazy

tonto/a = stupid, silly

ingenioso/a = ingenious, clever

bueno/a = good

bien = good, well [adv]

malo/a = bad

mal = badly, wrong [adv]

equivocado/a = wrong, incorrect

genial = wonderful, amazing

maravilloso/a = wonderful / wondrous, marvelous

pésimo/a = really bad, awful

alegre = happy

feliz = happy

triste = sad

enojado/a = angry

preocupado/a = worried

asustado/a = surprised / scared

enfermo/a = sick

mejor = better el/la mejor = the best

peor = worse el/la peor = the worst

largo/a = long

corto/a = short

vivo/a = alive, living

muerto/a = dead

presente = present, here

ausente = absent

Time - Days

Note: All days of the week and all months are masculine

lunes = Monday

martes = Tuesday

miércoles = Wednesday

jueves = Thursday

viernes = Friday

sábado = Saturday

domingo = Sunday

la semana = week

el fin de semana = weekend el finde = weekend [regional slang]

el calendario = calendar

el horario = schedule, timeframe

el día [m] = day

la fecha = date (calendar)

la cita = appointment / date (romantic)

hoy = today

ayer = yesterday anteayer = the day before yesterday

esta noche = tonight

anoche = last night

mañana = tomorrow pasado mañana = the day after tomorrow

la tarde = afternoon / evening el atardecer = evening, dusk

la mañana = morning el amanecer = morning, daybreak, sunrise

el mediodía = noon

la medianoche = midnight

la madrugada = the early morning, “wee hours of the morning” [when it’s morning but still dark]

el alba [f] = dawn la salida del sol = daybreak, sunrise

la puesta del sol = sunset ponerse el sol = for the sun to set

el crepúsculo = twilight / dusk

diario/a = daily [adj] a diario = daily, happening every day [adv] cotidiano/a = daily, everyday

temprano/a = early temprano = soon [adv]

tarde = late [adj / adv]

próximo/a = next

siguiente = following al día siguiente = the next day, the following day

anterior = previous

primer, primera / primero = first

segundo/a = second

la mitad = half [n]

medio/a = half [adj]

tercer, tercera / tercero = third el/un tercio = a third / one-third, 1/3

cuarto/a = fourth

quinto/a = fifth

sexto/a = sixth

séptimo/a = seventh

octavo/a = eighth (or “octave”)

noveno/a = ninth

décimo/a = tenth el décimo = decimal

último/a = last, latest

Time - Months

enero = January

febrero = February

marzo = March

abril = April

mayo = May

junio = June

julio = July

agosto = August

septiembre = September

octubre = October

noviembre = November

diciembre = December

el mes = month

mensual = monthly

la quincena = fortnight, two weeks

nuevo/a = new la luna nueva = new moon

lleno/a = full la luna llena = full moon

la medialuna = half moon / crescent

creciente = growing la luna creciente = crescent moon

la primavera = spring

el verano = summer

el otoño = autumn, fall

el invierno = winter

la estación = season

la fiesta = holiday [or “party”]

la Navidad = Christmas

la Nochebuena = Christmas Eve

el Año Nuevo = New Year’s

la Nochevieja = New Year’s Eve

la víspera = eve / evening [with holidays it’s used as “the day before”, or sometimes “vigil”; so la Nochevieja is also sometimes la víspera del Año Nuevo]

Día de los Reyes Magos = Three Kings Day / The Epiphany

San Valentín / el Día de San Valentín = Valentine’s Day

la Cuaresma = Lent

Miércoles de Ceniza = Ash Wednesday

el Carnaval = Carnival / Mardi Gras

la Semana Santa = Holy Week

la Pascua = Easter

el Día de (los) Muertos = Day of the Dead (el) Halloween = Halloween

el Día de Acción de Gracias = Thanksgiving [North America; sometimes just called Thanksgiving or Sangiving]

el Día de Todos (los) Santos = All Saints Day

Día de (la) Independencia = Independence Day

Other countries have their own holidays like Día de la Constitución “Constitution Day” or Día de la Revolución “Revolution Day”, or something more regional like la Tomatina in Spain, or Día de los Santos Inocentes which is “the Day of Holy Innocents” but sometimes translated as “April Fool’s Day”

This is also not counting certain religious holidays or folk holidays, which can vary from country to country

For dates in Spanish, you typically use the number + the month: el diecisiete de marzo for example reads as “the 17th of March” or “March 17th”

The ONLY exception is the 1st of every month is el primero instead of saying el uno. As an example: el primero de enero is “January 1st” or “the 1st of January”; this is done because it would be awkward to say “the one of January”

For days of the week you will see something like Viernes 13 [trece] “Friday the 13th” or Martes 13 “Tuesday the 13th” (which is the day of bad luck in Spanish)

Nature / The World

el sol = sun

la luna = moon

la estrella = star

el planeta [m] = planet

el mundo = world

el árbol = tree

la flor = flower

la hoja = leaf

la semilla = seed

el jardín = garden

el bosque = woods, forest

la selva = forest

el océano = ocean

el mar = ocean [sometimes feminine]

el río = river

el arroyo = stream

el lago = lake

el estanque = pond

la orrilla = shore

la isla = island

la ola = wave (water)

el volcán = volcano

la montaña = mountain

la sierra = mountain range [or “saw” in tools]

la piedra = stone la roca = rock

el tiempo = time / weather [or “grammatical tense”]

la hora = hour

la lluvia = rain

la nieve = snow

el granizo = hail / hailstone

el hielo = ice

el viento = wind

la ventisca = blizzard

la tormenta = storm

la nube = cloud

la niebla = fog, mist la neblina = mist, haze

el relámpago = lightning [commonly refers to “the flash of lightning” specifically]

el rayo = lightning, bolt (of lightning) [commonly “lightning” or “lightning strike”]

el trueno = thunder [refers to “the sound” specifically]

la arena = sand

el desierto = desert

el cañón = canyon

el risco = cliff

el monte = wilderness / mountain, mount

la hierba = grass / herb las malas hierbas = weeds [lit. “bad grasses”]

alto/a = tall, high la altura = height

profundo/a = deep poco profundo/a = shallow la profundidad = depth

The Human Body - Basics

el cuerpo = body

el peso = weight

la altura = height la estatura = height, stature

el hueso = bone

el órgano = organ

la sangre = blood

la vena = vein

el sudor = sweat

la cabeza = head

la cara = face

el cerebro = brain

el ojo = eye

la nariz = nose

la oreja = ear [outer]

el oído = ear [inner]

la ceja = eyebrow

la frente = forehead

el cuello = neck

la garganta = throat

la espalda = back

la columna (vertebral) = spine / spinal column el espinazo = backbone, spine

el hombro = shoulder

el brazo = arm

la mano = hand

la muñeca = wrist

el dedo = finger el pulgar = thumb el índice = index finger, pointer finger el dedo medio = middle finger el dedo anular = ring finger el meñique = pinky

el puño = fist

el nudillo = knuckle

el tronco = torso [or “trunk” for trees]

el pecho = chest

el seno = breast / bosom [in everyday speech - and vulgar speech - this is la teta “boob” or “tit”]

el estómago = stomach

la barriga = belly / gut la panza = belly

los intestinos = intestines, bowels la tripa, las tripas = “stomach” / innards, entrails

las entrañas = innards, entrails, “one’s insides”

la cintura = waist

la cadera = hip

la pierna = leg

la rodilla = knee

el tobillo = ankle

el pie = foot

el dedo de pie = toe el dedo gordo = big toe el meñique (de pie) = pinky toe [the other toes are known as el segundo dedo “second toe”, el tercer dedo “third toe”, and el cuarto dedo “fourth toe”]

el corazón = heart

el pulmón = lung

el hígado = liver

el músculo = muscle

el tejido = tissue (medical)

la uña = nail (finger/toe)

el pelo = hair (any kind)

el cabello = hair (specifically on the head)

los sentidos = the senses

la vista = eyesight, sight

el oído = hearing, sense of hearing

el olfato = smell, sense of smell

el gusto = taste, sense of taste

el tacto = touch, sense of touch

Around the House

la casa = house

el hogar = home / hearth

el apartamento = apartment

el piso = floor [el piso in Spain is typically “apartment”, most commonly translated as “flat” for British English]

el techo = ceiling / roof

el tejado = roof

la mesa = table

la silla = chair el sillón = large chair / armchair

la cama = bed

la almohada = pillow

el sofá [m] = sofa, couch

los muebles = furniture [el mueble is one piece]

el espejo = mirror

el reloj = clock / watch, stopwatch

el estante, los estantes = shelf, shelves / shelving

el gabinete = cabinet

el refrigerador / la refrigeradora = refrigerator la nevera = refrigerator

el congelador = freezer

la tarea = task, chore [commonly meaning “homework”] los deberes = chores / duties los quehaceres = chores

la puerta = door

la ventana = window

la sala = room el salón = room / large room

el cuarto = room

la habitación = bedroom el dormitorio = bedroom [lit. “dormitory” or “sleep-room”] el cuarto = bedroom, personal room

la sala de estar = living room el salón = living room [again, just “big room”] la sala = living room [again, just “room” but it’s any kind of room you might invite someone into] [some places have other words for it]

la cocina = kitchen [also “cuisine” or “cooking”]

el comedor = dining room [or “mess hall”; but any room for “eating”]

la lavandería = laundry room / laundromat

el vestíbulo = foyer, vestibule

la escalera = staircase / stairwell las escaleras = steps, stairs

el baño = bathroom [lit. “bath”] el cuarto de baño = bathroom

el inodoro = toilet bowl [sometimes el váter]

el clóset / el armario = closet / armoire, wardrobe

el garaje = garage

el sótano = basement

el ático = attic el desván = attic

el pasillo = hallway

el estudio = study

el gimnasio = gym

la biblioteca = library

la despensa = pantry / cupboard

el almacén = storeroom, storage closet [you might see this as “warehouse” for buildings; it means a “storage area” literally]

la oficina = office

la lámpara = lamp

la luz = light las luces = light

encender = to turn on (electronics) [otherwise it’s “to kindle” or “to set on fire”]

apagar = to turn off (electronics) [others it’s “to extinguish” or “snuff out (fire/candles)]

la televisión / la tele = television / TV

el teléfono = telephone, phone

el celular = cellphone [more Latin America] el móvil = mobile, cellphone [more Spain]

el tenedor = fork

el cuchillo = knife

la cuchara = spoon

el plato = plate

el tazón = bowl el bol = bowl el cuenco = bowl

el horno = oven

la estufa = stove, stovetop

el vaso = glass [for water]

la taza = cup / mug [for tea/coffee]

la copa = glass [for wine]

la vela = candle

los trastes = “the dishes” [regional, I think]

la plancha = iron (for clothes) [lit. la plancha is a metal thing you use to “press” on either food or clothes; not to be confused with el hierro “iron” the metal in English]

Basics of Clothing

la ropa = clothes, clothing

la prenda = garment, item of clothing

la ropa interior = underwear el calzón / los calzoncillos = underwear las bragas = panties, female underwear

el sostén, el sujetador = bra

los calcetines = socks

las medias = socks [las medias can also mean “stockings” or “tights”]

la camisa = shirt

la camiseta = t-shirt

los pantalones = pants, trousers

los zapatos = shoes los tacones = heels las botas = boots

el vestido = dress

la blusa = blouse

la falda = skirt

la chaqueta = jacket

el abrigo = coat, overcoat [usually a “warm coat” or sometimes “winter coat”; a coat specifically to keep you warm outside]

el cinturón = belt

la bufanda = scarf

el guante, los guantes = glove, gloves

la cartera / el monedero = wallet

las gafas / los lentes = glasses las gafas de sol = sunglasses [the older word for “glasses” is los anteojos - it comes across like “spectacles” and shows up in some textbook, but las gafas is the most common one today]

el bolso = purse [some people will use la bolsa - typically though, la bolsa is “bag” like a shopping bag or trash bag]

el bolsillo = pocket

el botón = button

el broche = clasp, fastener, button

la joyería = jewelry

el collar = necklace

el anillo = ring

el pendiente, los pendientes = earrings [regional] el aro / el arete = earring [regional]

el brazalete = bracelet [often on the arm] la pulsera = bracelet [often at the wrist where one’s “pulse” is]

el pijama / los pijamas = pajamas, PJs

el paraguas = umbrella la sombrilla = umbrella [regional]

el impermeable = raincoat [regional]

la gorra = cap [small hat]

el sombrero = hat [with a wide brim, usually all the way around]

el suéter = sweater

la sudadera = sweatshirt

los jeans = jeans los bluyines = jeans [lit. “blue jeans” but could be any color in Spanish] los vaqueros = jeans [Spain; lit. “cowboy (pants)”] [there are LOTS of regionalisms for jeans]

la seda = silk

la piel = leather / skin el cuero = leather

el algodón = cotton

la lana = wool

el terciopelo = velvet

el encaje = lace

la tela = fabric

el mezclillo = denim

Basics of Colors

Note: Some names of colors do not change for gender as they are derived from nouns - to distinguish them, I’m not including the definite articles to identify them as adjectives.

As an example, rosa “pink” comes from “rose”, so la camisa rosa “pink shirt” or el abrigo rosa “pink coat”

Note 2: When talking about colors as “the color” itself, it is always masculine; el rojo is “the color red”. This is important for distinguishing certain nouns - el naranja is “the color orange” vs. la naranja “orange (fruit)”, or el rosa “the color pink” vs. la rosa “rose (flower)”, or el turquesa “the color turquoise” vs. la turquesa “turquoise (gem)”

rojo/a = red

naranja = orange anaranjado/a = orange, orangey

amarillo/a = yellow

verde = green

azul = blue azul claro = light blue azul celeste = light blue / sky blue azul oscuro = dark blue azul marino = navy blue

añil = indigo

turquesa = turquoise

lila = light purple / lilac, lavender (color)

morado/a = dark purple

púrpura = purple

rosa = pink rosado/a = pink, rosy

marrón = brown (color) café = brown

negro/a = black

blanco/a = white

gris = gray

oro = gold dorado/a = gold, golden

plata = silver plateado/a = silvery

bronce = bronze bronceado/a = bronzed, tanned

arcoíris, arco iris = rainbow

oscuro/a = dark

claro/a = light (color)

castaño = brown (hair/eyes) [lit. “chestnut”]

caoba = mahogany, auburn (hair/eyes) [lit. “mahogany”]

#Spanish #language learning #spanish vocabulary #langblr #reference #language #languages #learning Spanish #refs #vocabulario

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smittywing · 2 months

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WIP Wednesday - Marriage 101

I thought I'd post a little more of this while I was thinking about it.

First part is here: | 1 |

Tim wore his favorite black suit - the one with the pinstripe that was just a notch shinier than the rest of the fabric - to their appointment at City Hall. It was probably too expensive a suit, given the motivation behind their...appointment. He thought of it in euphemism, because it was fake, it was pretend, but the legal ramifications were very real and this was supposed to have been a very big decision that he’d made in practically no time at all.

“Hey, um. Hey.”

Tim looked up to see Jason skid into the hallway. He straightened from his contemplative position with his elbows on his knees and stood up.

“Hey,” he said.

Jason was wearing a black suit too, and a white shirt and a red tie. He’d done something to his hair - something with product that didn’t exactly work, but it looked like he’d tried, and Tim tried to smother the grin a wave of fondness pushed up to his face.

“Do you - I mean, do we have time to talk for a sec?” Jason asked and Tim’s anticipation plummeted. Jason was going to back out.

“Yeah,” he said. “Of course.”

There was a little corridor where the bathrooms were and they ducked in there, past the marked men’s and women’s to the back wall.

“So listen,” Jason said, rubbing the back of his neck and not looking directly at Tim. “You doing this, it means, I mean - “ He stopped and took a breath. “You being willing to do this means a lot to me. But if you have, you know, ideas. About marriage. And you don’t want this to be your first, I totally understand. And you shouldn’t feel you have to. Because it’s kind of a big deal. To some people.”

“Is it a big deal to you?” Tim asked because that hadn’t really occurred to him before, that Jason might have a traditional romantic side and that he might one day have hopes of a wife and family.

It was kind of a weird thing to think about.

“Me? No. I - No,” Jason said. “I’m barely even a legal entity.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair, messing up whatever careful but ineffective work he’d done with the product. “I just don’t want to fuck things up for you. Like, if you want to date Blondie again. Or someone else. I don’t want to cramp your style.”

Tim shrugged. “I think that ship has sailed with Steph,” he confessed. “And hey, we’re already kind of family, right?”

And this would help Jason out. A lot. And it would let Tim see his face light up talking about English Lit. “So,” he concluded. “Let’s do it.”

Jason’s face split into a genuine grin - not a smirk or snarl or sneer but an actual grin. “There’s probably no favor big enough to pay you back for this,” he said.

“That’s okay,” Tim said, jamming his hands in his pockets and easing Jason back out to the main hall. “When you’re a rich and famous novelist, you can put me in one of your books. As the star,” he specified. “Not the cannon fodder.”

“I’ll give you a whole series,” Jason promised. “Tim Drake, Secret Agent.”

“I like it,” Tim said. “But please give me a better drink than a watered down martini?”

“I thought you guys were Punking me,” Dick complained when they stepped back into the main hallway.

“Would we do that?” Jason asked. Tim admired how he could sound offended, outraged, and sarcastic with four words.

“In a hot second,” Dick returned.

“Am I late?”

“For the love of little fish,” Jason muttered, good humor lost. “Did you invite the whole damn family?”

“I invited myself,” Barbara said, poking him in the chest with her finger. “It’s cute how you think you have secrets from me.” She glanced back at Tim. Tim waved. “And you,” she added. “You should know better.”

Tim shrugged. He hadn’t actually been trying to hide from her. He’d just hoped she wouldn’t sound any alarms. “Should we be expecting any more guests?” he asked.

Jason glanced back at him, realization flashing on his face and he turned quickly back to Barbara.

“I didn’t forward the info,” she said. “But I know some people are going to be pissed if they hear about this from the Gazette instead of from one of you.”

“<i>Some people</i> can just butt out,” Jason snapped and Dick looked pained.

Honestly, Tim hadn’t really thought Bruce would care too much, beyond the optics of it and he had a plan for that, and he was going to tell Steph, but later, for this very reason.

“Alfred?” Dick sounded angry for the first time and Jason went white and then red.

“I’ll talk to Alfred,” he muttered.

“What do you want us to say to Bruce?” Barbara demanded. “Did either of you think this through even a little?”

“What do you want us to say to Bruce?” Jason asked. “We’re getting married to get money for college because you’ll just want to pay and I don’t want you to?”

“Just because he’ll take it badly doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tell him,” Babs said.

“We’ll just tell him it’s a practical arrangement,” Tim offered. “For practical purposes. He should understand that.”

Jason shot Tim a look Tim couldn’t even begin to interpret and then looked back to Barbara. “Will that check the box, Barbie?” he asked.

Barbara narrowed her eyes. “I suppose.” She slapped a redweld against his chest. “Congratulations on your wedding.”

Jason frowned and unlatched the folder, peering inside. “Huh,” he said.

That was unhelpfully vague so Tim took the expandable folder from him and pulled out a handful of paperwork. Birth certificate. Social security card. Passport.

“Hey,” he said. “You’re a real boy Mr. Peterson.”

“Yeah,” Jason said. He looked back at Barbara. “Is this - ?”

“Airtight,” Barbara said with her first smile of the day. “Every piece of it. It’ll stand up to an intensive background check. Just give me a heads up if you’re joining the state bar because those people look for everything.”

“Deal,” Jason said and then, to everyone’s surprise, maybe even Jason’s, he hugged her, resting his chin on the top of her head. “Thanks, Barbara,” he whispered.

“

“Mr. Peterson and Mr. Drake?” someone called from the wooden doors. “The magistrate is ready for you.”

“That’s you,” Dick said unnecessarily.

“We know,” Tim assured him.

“Yeah,” Jason said. “C’mon, we need you two to be our witnesses.”

“You only need one witness in Gotham,” Barbara corrected.

“Yeah, well, make sure this guy doesn’t mess it up, okay?” Jason asked and then squared his shoulders. He looked at Tim and held out his hand. “C’mon,” he said. “We have to pretend like we like each other.”

“Oh yeah,” Barbara said. “This is going to be the best marriage ever.”

And so they got married. There was an awkward part where they were supposed to kiss and they both tilted their heads the same way and it was absurdly clear they had never kissed each other before, but no one said anything and they escaped with their dignity intact.

“So,” Tim said, out on the street after. “What now?”

Barbara elbowed Dick. Dick elbowed Barbara back. This escalated. Tim ignored them.

“I’ll submit my paperwork and hope for the best,” Jason said doubtfully. “And I guess in August, I start crashing at your place?”

“I wasn't sure if you needed to crash there before,” Tim said. “Or want to get your mail sent there, at least. So I made you keys.”

“I don't need keys,” Jason scoffed but took them anyway.

“Jason Peterson needs keys,” Tim countered.

“Okay, yeah,” Jason conceded. “I guess I’ll have to stop by for my mail now and then.”

“You’d better,” Tim told him. “If Gotham U sends you a ginormous envelope, you have exactly one hour to get over here and open it or I’m doing it for you.”

Jason dropped his head back and laughed. If Tim watched the ripple of his throat, well, he was married to the man. “Fair,” he allowed with a grin. “So, uh, see you around, I guess?”

“Yeah,” said Tim. “See you around.”

And that was that.

#jaytim #batbrats #tim drake #jason todd #jason todd/tim drake #red hood/red robin #red hood #red robin #jason todd's potty mouth

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wetcatspellcaster · 1 month

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While I love hearing about your fic writing, that last WIP Wendy has me curious. What is your thesis about??? How are you feeling so close to your submission deadline? What has teaching been like?

(I finished grad school 2 years ago, and remember the weight of academia acutely)

hey anon, thank you for asking (and condolences on the typo ;) )

i'm a PhD student based in a literature department, but my topic is actually... *fanfare* D&D! that's right, she's that one note, everybody!

anyway, my thesis examines D&D gameplay as reader response to fantasy literature - arguing that often, the ways people play reflects the things they wish was different in the books/media they consume. E.g. people who play/write drow or orc characters no longer tend to perpetuate the racism of the Forgotten Realms, implying they don't appreciate racism in fantasy, or people often queer their favourite characters from media and turn them into something new, etc. It basically takes theories from fan studies and fantasy literature academia, and applies them to D&D as a way of showing that D&D has always had a large role in shaping fantasy literature and what people expect from fantasy :)

as to how i feel finishing - my final deadline, due to my sick leave, is June 28th. I'm currently completing a full draft by the end of the month for my supervisors to read through and offer corrections on. Mostly... just tired? And scared, tbh. I've been funded and thus not really participating in capitalism for 3 and a half years, so I'm not exactly relishing unemployment and job hunting, and academic jobs in the UK are a depressing prospect as there's not many of them. It's also too early for me to do anything about it - the most useful thing for me to do right now is simply finish the thesis, so I don't outstay my welcome and my funding. I know I'll be fine eventually, but it's just going to suck.

Teaching is genuinely wonderful! I teach first year English Lit (basically Novel 101), which is like karma, as it's many books I didn't enjoy in my undergrad, but they are much easier to read now I'm at the skill level I'm at! If a class is chatty and invested, it's genuinely so much fun - it doesn't feel like work. But even the quiet hungover early morning classes are rewarding, bc often people get better grades in their finals than their midterms. Even if I have nothing to do with that, and they've just gotten better on their own, it's nice to see people improve and succeed :) (and know you didn't accidentally fuck em up along the way)

#asks #anons #personal tag #i actually hadn't played much D&D when i chose it as my topic but it was the perfect subject that combined all the things I wanted to study #fan cultures; fantasy; genre snobbery; issues/discourses within contemporary fantasy; diversifying and decolonising literature etc.#and i use actual play as my close reading examples so that's fun!

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crystallinejellyfish · 8 months

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What I think Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys would teach. PT 1: CORE CLASSES

pt 2: here

First, DBB is a school of villainy. They want to bump out good villains (sorry Lloyd) that are actually SMART and KNOW what they're doing.

So! I think these would be the Core Classes they would teach. (Grade 9-12)

================================================

MATH:

9- Algebra 1 & 2 | Algebra is the base of many classes, and like I said, most villains have brains.

10- Statistics & Probability | Honestly, Statistics & Probability is really useful in your day-to-day life. For villains, they would need this for basically everything.

11- Pre-Calculus & Calculus | Pre-Cal & Cal is the base of a lot of advanced classes, and in this list, there are a lot of them.

12- Engineering | Villain would USUALLY build their own things. Even then, engineering is a good skill for a villain.

ENGLISH:

9- Lit/Comp | Decoding different types of literature. OR puzzles and such.

10- Humanities | Learning the rise and falls of Empires, ancient languages, and such.

11- Rhetoric | Learning how to think critically and write efficiently to persuade. For a Villain, this is a key factor.

12- Debate | Using what you learned last year to communicate your point of view to others. In a villainy context, knowing how to win arguments is important.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

9- Government | Learning that your government is fucked up. Learning the origins, development, and structure of a government. In the context of Ninjago, whatever its government is they will learn (as well as other types of governments).

10- Sociology | Studying social, political, economic, diversity, religion, crime, etc. Basically studying society in every good and bad way.

11- Economics | Learning about the economy and policies. For A villain, this would be pretty damn important.

12- Psychology | Learning about the human mind. Manipulation 101.

SCIENCE:

9- Biology | Studying life processes and how organisms live in their environment. The only reason I put this one down is because it's a base class of other things that would be useful for a villain.

10- Chemistry | Studying atom, molecules, and their interactions. For a regular villain, this isn't really needed. But it's background information for classes.

11- Physics | Studying everything in physical existence. This Class is needed for engineering and other thing.

12- Forensic Science | Crime scene investigation and reconstruction. Learning what went wrong and how to prevent it.

================================================

All these classes are really advanced, but you have to think about the teachers in Darkley's. (Literal Skeletons) and their dumb dumbs. This could be used as an AU of some sort but honestly, I just got hooked on the idea of Darkley's Boarding School being an efficient school with actual classes that kids can learn to be villains.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago lloyd #ninjago brad #ninjago gene #ninjago sally #ninjago darkleys

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darthstitch · 2 years

Text

More Things That Never Happened in History Class

5. Professor Adam Pierson

Professor Robert Gadling and Professor Adam Pierson had a friendly "rivalry" going on.

Okay, so it was less rivalry and more bawdy Elizabethan drinking songs at the New Inn, copious amounts of beer, and amazing comic routines during each other's classes, topped off with obscure bits of historical anecdotes and trivia that frequently sent students into hysterics, but it worked.

According to the local grapevine, one of these Professors' boyfriends spent a few long moments being the "green-eyed monster" due to a misunderstanding of Shakespearean proportions. Swords and duels at dawn were apparently involved.

It was most certainly NOT the boyfriend who seemed to be the OG Victorian Goth Boy, with a hard-earned PhD in Brooding Moodily and was known all over the campus as "Murphy."

In point of fact, "Murphy" only spent about five short seconds in that deplorable state before he graced Professor Pierson with one of those heart-stealing faint smiles and said, "My sister sends her regards."

Campus history did not record Professor Pierson's reaction to this.

6. Not a Cat Dad

Look, Professor Gadling was NOT a pet person. He was not cruel to animals, mind you, but he was not expecting to foster the tiniest little bit of black and white fluff to ever meow at this point in time.

The problem was said Fluff came with some absolutely stellar credentials. That being from the "Cat of Dreams."

"I spent 600 years not knowing your proper name, y'know," sighed Professor Gadling. "And suddenly I get to find out you have many of them."

"And all of them quite proper, I assure you."

"Even 'Murphy'?"

A sigh. "I have been called that before, so yes."

The kitten, whose proper name was trilled by the Cat of Dreams but would therefore be known to humans as Miette, purred contentedly from her basket. Said basket now served as a paperweight for Gadling's test papers.

The rest of the class also waited for his decision with bated breath. It was their fault, the clever little bastards. They'd been the ones to find the kitten and of course, chose to make their appeal to "Murphy."

Their long-suffering professor sighed. Gadling's History 101 class would now have a feline mascot.

7. Prince of Stories

Here's the funny thing about Murphy.

Sometimes, he's just there, sitting in a dark corner, the first person in the classroom. Sometimes, the light will catch those dark blue eyes in the strangest way, like the reflection of a star.

Dressed all in black - black coat, black shirt, black pants and black boots - with the signature brooding expression on his face - he really should've been the most unapproachable person, to be honest.

Except that he isn't.

It's remarkably easy to sit next to him, for a bit of a friendly chat, while waiting for class to start. And he has stories to share, if one knows how to listen.

So many stories. They linger in your head like fragments of dreams.

The best listener in Professor Gadling's class is quiet, shy, soft-spoken little Isabel, who suddenly lit up when Murphy greeted her in her native tongue. And they spent a pleasant 30 minutes chattering away in a mix of Filipino and English which made her feel less homesick.

Professor Gadling almost didn't recognize her when he finally walked in to start the day's lesson.

8. Will vs Kit

"So as you can see, that bloody hack Will Shaxberd -- ugh, Shakespeare - stole all his best lines from Marlowe! " Professor Gadling took a breath and quoted:

“Where both deliberate, the love is slight: Who ever lov'd, that lov'd not at first sight?"

"Isn't that from 'As You Like It'?" ventured one brave soul in the classroom.

"MARLOWE RUDDY WROTE IT FIRST!"

There was the discreet crunch of popcorn. Some enterprising person produced two large buckets and it was now being passed around the classroom. Professor Gadling was too busy enjoying his rant to call it out.

And then: “‘A heart to love, and in that heart, Courage, to make’s love known’"

There is a Filipino word called "kilig" that is the only word adequate enough to describe the delightful shudders that went down the spines of every romantic-minded soul in the classroom once they heard Murphy softly declaim those lines.

"Oh, you bastard," Professor Gadling breathed. And then, went on with: "Love is not full of pity (as men say) But deaf and cruel, where he means to pray.”

“Doubt that the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move his aides, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love," Murphy responded. And of course, to add insult to injury, he crowned that with one of his rare, faint, heart-stopping smiles.

"You absolute pillock. You complete tosser." And then, the good professor growled, "O, thou art fairer than the evening air clad in the beauty of a thousand stars. Stop smirking at me, you wanker - the couch now has your name on it! I'm keeping Miette with me!"

Miette purred. Loudly.

"For where thou art, there is the world itself, And where thou art not, desolation." It was quite unfair, really, how well Murphy could deliver those lines as if it was nothing but the absolute truth, in that soft, deep voice.

"Awww!" sighed more than one person in the room.

"Are you really going to make him sleep on the couch after THAT, Professor?" Apparently, there was no shortage of courageous folk in Professor Gadling's class.

It was never absolutely clear whether Murphy did spend the night on the dreaded couch, as he was not in class the following day. However, Professor Gadling was wearing a conspicuously high turtleneck during that class, with a blush on his cheeks that didn't seem to go away during that day and he was in a ridiculously good mood. So good, that he moved the scheduled exam for the following week.

Coincidentally, everyone actually did sleep well the night before. They all had remarkably sweet, pleasant dreams.

- end -

Note: Yes, Highlander fans, Professor Adam Pierson is exactly who you think he is, including his...uh... boyfriend. 😂

Pesteng yawa ka, Morpheus, lagi na lang akong kinikilig sayo, hayup ka. 😅

#the sandman #dream of the endless #hob gadling #dream/hob #dreamling #yes i wrote more #i crack what i want #nobody tell neil #dream and the one time he made a sensible lovelife decision

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l-e-g-i-o-n-losh · 9 months

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KHSFYITESFJKHKSD ok i DO understand the point being made and how the immutability of comics canon events seems to depend largely on how much a reader liked a given plot more than anything else, but Jason is like the WORST example you could use. Yes! The fans did literally kill him it was put to PUBLIC VOTE! Writing always involves the creation of conflict but Jim Starlin did NOT make that call unilaterally the crowbar IS in the reader's hand (or at least the voter's). Especially as modern comics increasingly lean on the 4th wall and include metatext as a plot point, YES there is ABSOLUTELY a reading where the writer and audience are as much "characters" as the city of Gotham itself even if we never show on-panel.

#literally superboy prime and gwenpool personify the principle you can't pretend no one reads that way unless you yoink the pen out of THEIR #author's hands!! the conversation passed you 20 years ago dude it's industry standard now better or worse #songs that the hyades shall sing #didn't reply on twt I'm not actually trying to Argue with slott especially as an unpublished nobody but. yeah dude!#man vs author comes free w man vs god & man vs self its english lit 101 #ok actually i *might* just reply with some english lit printout defining man vs author

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sluttish-armchair · 10 months

Text

Vaporization

Syme strikes me as an autistic guy with a special interest in linguistics. I mean, Orwell gave the guy four whole pages to talk non-stop about Newspeak. When Winston asked him about the dictionary, prior to the infodump, his face “lit up.”

Seeing how the Party only wants to make people suffer all the time… Maybe the Party killed Syme — not only because he understood — but because he liked his job too much. And even if they just transferred him somewhere else, he would’ve still gotten the satisfaction of seeing the language change over time, picking out the patterns of what they’re doing; and in order to pick out the patterns, one would have to recognize that words were not always the way the Party says they were.

Enjoyment and understanding are intertwined. If you enjoy something, you begin to understand it; if you understand something, you may begin to enjoy it. That being said, who else was vaporized in the book?

Ampleforth, who is described as “a dreamy creature… with a surprising talent for juggling with rhymes and meters” also got a chance (unfortunately, in the Ministry of Love) to explain his line of work to Winston. His vaporization is attributed to not being able to find a substitute for “God” in a Kipling poem… but is that entirely the case? Let’s look at something he said about that poem:

‘It was impossible to change the line. The rhyme was ‘rod”. Do you realize that there are only twelve rhymes to ‘rod’ in the entire language? For days I had racked my brains. There WAS no other rhyme…’

‘Has it ever occurred to you,’ he said, ‘that the whole history of English poetry has been determined by the fact that the English language lacks rhymes?’

If there was no possible way to replace that rhyme, why didn’t they just erase the entire poem from history? It doesn’t make sense under any circumstances, unless it was a setup. I’ve read that abusers will often give their victims tasks that they KNOW are impossible to complete, as an excuse to punish the victim for failing to complete them.

This is what happened to Ampleforth. He liked his job well enough to explain abstract concepts about it; and he remembered “the whole history of English poetry.” That’s not allowed. That makes Big Brother very angry. So as one final blow and humiliation to this poor guy, they told him he‘s so bad at the one skill he genuinely enjoyed, he deserved to be killed for it; forever corrupting it in his mind as the reason for his torture and death sentence. They wanted to make sure he never writes, or even thinks about poetry again without feeling horrible pain.

Winston is also described as enjoying his job to some degree; and we all know he was vaporized, being placed in a different department in the days leading up to his demise… Although he was also having sex, writing in a diary, and aspiring to overthrow the government; so I can’t necessarily attribute his capture to just one thing; because, from the Party’s point of view, there were so many things “wrong” with him. Which would explain why the other prisoners — such as Ampleforth and Parsons — were immediately taken to Room 101 after a few days of being in the Ministry of Love. Ampleforth said he was in for only three days; and Parsons couldn’t have been in there for very long either, as Winston (who worked on replacing real dead people with fake dead people) was never made aware of Parsons’ vaporization like he was Syme’s. These two men had only committed “unconscious” acts of thoughtcrime; Winston’s thoughtcrime was 100% purposeful, and much longer-lasting. Winston — and by extension, Julia — was a threat to them.

#nineteen eighty four #1984 book #death mention #abuse mention #orwell #dystopian literature #classic lit #literary analysis

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from-the-clouds · 11 months

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okay i am avoiding paperwork and infected with the professor roy brain virus so: i love literature professor kendall roy so much? econ professor might be more likely but i literally do not know a single thing about ecnomics so literature professor roy is easier to imagine for me. kendall clearly actually likes the arts and his favorite genre of music is really About wordplay and the use of language. i feel like getting away from logan is the only way he can express his enjoyment for art at all, because like, the rest of the roy family doesn't even read? roman literally made up a book rather than admit he doesn't read fiction at all, but kendall clearly has a grasp on who's who in the world of art and fashion.

but imagine professor roy having to teach a 101 english class and putting fucking Jay-Z up on the screen for a close reading (so cringey, so adorable). imagine him gifting a little book of poetry to his favorite student!!!! imagine him reading you a poem from the collection, those beautiful long lashes shielding his eyes, leaning closer and closer to you as the imagery gets more emotional and intimate................

i'm avoiding packing for a trip so let's delusionally daydream together!!

i'm totally in the same boat as you re: econ vs lit. when i first wrote a little blurb about him like a year ago i picked econ which is so boring and straightforward tbh. with more time to think on it, literature definitely makes sooooo much more sense for him - he definitely has a more artistic side, or at the very least, a side that's more interested in exploring and studying those sorts of things.

and YES, hahah, I imagine like english 101 he has to teach like once per year and it's always freshman trying to get an elective credit so no one wants to be there and neither does he. so he's always much less friendly with those students but sometimes, in order to try to convince them he's 'fun' and that he understands current cultural references he'll have them read rap lyrics as poetry and make his students interpret the meanings.

but the BOOK OF POEMS 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 god that would be so sweet and cute. i've kinda been working on a fic idea for this, and the idea stems around him sort of having a thing for you, a student who had to take one of his general electives and you get close and he ends up convincing you to change your major from something you aren't really passionate about to lit, because you actually enjoy it and you're good at understanding it. i could totally see him buying you a book of poetry that he thinks you'd enjoy because it reminds him of you, and the uncertainty you're going through. and OMG if he read it to you??? by the end of the poem he'd be reciting from memory just mumbling the words with his lips pressed against you neck and his fingers tangled in your hair 😩😩😩

#asks #writing #professor!kendall #kendall roy x reader

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angrelysimpping · 2 years

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you know what, fuck self control, what kinda English majors they'd be based on my time as an English major

Alex struggles a bit with sussing out deeper themes sometimes but damn are they good at discussing the aesthetics of the works.

Anxious Guard never clearly makes their point in argumentative essays. Takes creative writing classes but never commits to the degree itself, worries about it being a "useless" degree.

Avery is more cold and analitical in their analysis of the text than most people are. Often points out flawed relationships and acts as if one character is getting taken advantage of, it's that character's fault becuase the problems are "obvious."

Bailey gripes about the price of textbooks (don't we all?) and starts buying and selling textbooks themself as a way to make a quick buck and undercut the University. Middle of the road essays. Doesn't give a shit, just make their passing grade and moves on. Fucker is selling essays that get top marks. Has some blackmail on some of the professors.

Briar propositions the professors for better grades. Half the time doesn't even need better grades, they just want to make the professors squirm. Does the same with their fellow students, exchanging sexual favors for essays and test questions. Always focuses on the sexual aspect of any works they have to analyze.

Darryl works so hard, bless them. Often uses the University provided services to help with their essays. Studies poetry but hardly ever writes their own.

Again, Doren is in English education but they also take loads of poetry and drama classes. Works in the tutoring center. Worked for the essay revision service for a bit but didn't stay on for personal reasons.

Eden in Victorian lit, Eden in Vioctorian lit, Eden in Victorian lit!!!! It just feels right to them. Struggles with other classes but Victorian lit comes to them easy.

Harper always praises the moraly dubious and/or unreliable narriators. Just, how they're written. Not their actions, no, they would never. Don't believe them. Likes medical settings and anything thats a bit of a trippy read.

Kylar is a lil poetry major. Always writes the most sappy love poems. Turns every assignment into a love poem, somehow. All their poems have an underlying theme of obsession, and they're the only one who doesn't pick up on it.

Landry is very middle of the road. Doesn't stand out. Midling grades. 100% lifting the test answers from the professor's offices. Hangs around th campus coffee shops. Gothic lit enthusiast.

Leighton likes all those "taboo" classics and loves driving group conversations to those topics. "Helps" freshmen who have to take their English 101. Works for the university helping people write essays. Actually good at their job, even if there have been some complaintes about them acting a little inapropriately, all rumors that get brushed aside.

Niki is so fucking good with imagry, it's a little scary.

Quinn doesn't even try. They just costs by, and still make solid grades. Has been known to dominate group discussions. Often wins debates.

Relaxed Guard plays devil's advociate all the goddamn time. Doesn't even believe half the shit they say and write, just does it to see if they can pull it off.

Remy is cut and dry. Often pointedly ignores symbolism. Often hangs around the library, but it's unkown what they fuck they're doing there because they're never studying or looking for books or any of that, really.

Robin focuses on children's lit. Very good student, works hard, always starts on essays right when they get them.

Sydney is doing too much. Creative writing degree, focuses on religious symbolism and works. Works in the library. Goes to office hours. Takes on extra assignements. Regular at all campus coffee shops.

Vet Guard is that one person who always focuses on battles and wars. Picks their side on debates and will not change their opinian for anything.

Whitney bullshits their way through essays and class discussions and it fucking works. Hardly ever shows up to classes. Somehow still passing.

Wren bounces around. Mostly in the creative writing department. Chooses classes based on what they find interesting insted of focusing on getting a degree. Loves the poetry classes, tares Kylar's poems appart in group crituqe. Works in the coffee shop in the library, scribbles lil one off poems on napkins. Also writes tiny poems on the paper cups along with their number, handing them off to customers with a wink.

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