Friday, August 24, 2007

Book 4: Once And Future King

Summary-
Agravaine and Mordred go to King Arthur to tell him of the affair between Lancelot and Guenevere. King Arthur informs them that no action will be taken until they can prove what they have told him. Agravaine and Mordred catch Lancelot in Guenevere's room thus proving the affair. Lancelot kills all of the knights with them except Mordred who he spares. Guenevere is sentence by Arthur to be burned. Lancelot saves Guenevere taking her to his castle where they were safe for six months. Lancelot and Guenevere get the Pope to create a peace treaty which would allow the Guenevere to go back to Arthur and Lancelot to be banished from England. Gawaine and Mordred convince Arthur to go to war against Lancelot to revenge the death of their brothers. While Arthur and Gawaine are away fighting Lancelot Mordred takes over England and marries Guenevere. Once Arthur hears this news he, Gawaine and Lancelot all return to England to fight Mordred. Arthur tells his story to a page in hope of his ideas living on.

Vocabulary-
Words I did not know the meaning of-
Matriarchal
Gaieties
Ardour
Vestments
Rheumaticky
Melee
Coiffure
Epaulettes
Masel
Atrophied

Words I founds interesting-
Willna- Will not
Dinna - Do not

Reaction/ Reflection-
Again I really enjoyed reading this book as well as the other three. I liked that Lancelot and Guenevere were not killed because of their affair. I like the ending with Mordred trying to take over England and then Lancelot running to help Arthur when he needed it. This to me was why I like Lancelot the best. This showed that he was a loyal person and was continuously friends with Arthur even through the hard times. I did not like Mordred for his intentions of taking over England while Arthur was still alive. I also did not like Agravaine who killed his mother. The plot was intriguing with battles, affairs and trapping. I did not particularly like the ending it to me did not seam like it made clear if they all really did die in the last battle and it did not tell how Arthur and Lancelot died, like it did in Le Mort d'Arthur. I do believe that White chose to ent the book this way because it let the reader fill in what they think will happen in the war. I thnk that this ending was hopeful. I believe this because White does not tell you if anyone dies in the war, which is hopeful to think that they may have lived through the war.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Book 3: Once and futur King

Summary-
Lancelot goes to Camelot to meet with Arthur. While there, Lancelot falls in love with the Queen, Guenevere. He is also knighted to the round table while he was there. Lancelot leaves Camelot on a quest to escape falling in love with Guenevere. Lancelot travels through the land defeating any person who challenges him to tilt. Lancelot sends all of the people he defeats to the queen. Lancelot is tricked into conceiving a child with Elaine. When Elaine brings the child to Lancelot he runs away and becomes a mad man. Lancelot is found by Elaine and stays hidden for a few years by living with Elaine and their son. Lancelot is found in his castle by his brother and brought back to Camelot. When he returns Arthur sends the knights of the round table on a quest for the holy Grail. Years go by and knights return from their quest telling Arthur their story of the quest. Lancelot returns and tells Arthur of the men who had found the Holy Grail. When Lancelot returns he is a new man, one who will not be with the queen because he has found god. Lancelot is able to keep the Queen away for many years but when the queen is taken hostage Lancelot come running to save her and there love is re-united. Shortly after this Lancelot works a miracle to save a mans life.

Vocabulary-
Words I did not know the definition of.
Stinted -
Eccentric - a person with an unusual or odd personality
Poinard - Sharp blade
Meringues -
Tempestuously -
Habergeonoly -

Interesting words
Colouring - coloring
Honour - honor
Warrabout - where about
Heid - head
Makyth - make

Reaction/ Reflection
I did not find this book from The Once And Future King as interesting to read. I did like how Lancelot came into play to stir things up a bit. I did not like all of the stories on the search for the Holy Grail. I found these stories kind of boring to read but I think that White chose to inclued a lot of detail about them because it was a turning point for many of Arthurs knights, expecialy for Lancelot. This book also had a lot of trickery, of which I found interesting. I think that the death of Arthur and Guenevere will come in the next book and that there will be chaos in Camelot. Again I liked most of the characters except, Guenevere who cheated on Arthur and Elaine who tricked Lancelot into sleeping with her twice. In the end of this book Lancelot preforms a mirical but is unable ot take pleasure form it, I believe that is because Lancelot fells that his is unworthy of praise he is getting from the mirical. Again things in the book are seen in modern day. Such as Elaine playing a trick on Lancelot to get what she wanted and Guenevere cheating on Lancelot. These two things are seen a lot in modern day even if we don't want to admit that people cheat and trick people into doing what they want it does happen. I like how T.H. White refers to Le Morte d'Arthur to show how the two stories are similar.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Book 2: Once and Future king

Summary-
The begining of this book introduces the four children of Queen Morgause and King Lot. These children strive for the attention of their mother who has gone on a hunt for a unicorn. The children hunt a unicorn and bring it back to their mother in hopes that she will spend more time with them. During this time, King Arthur is getting ready for the battle against King Lot. King Arthur beats King Lot in the battle and returns home for the wedding of King Pellinor and his Queen. The morning after the wedding Arthur and his half sister Queen Morgause conceive a son.

Vocabulary-
Words I did not know the definition of.
Nigromancer
Piseog
Pehnoncells
Peregrines
Teuton- someone (especially a German) who speaks a Germanic language
enmity- hostility: a state of deep-seated ill-will

Words I found interesting.
Maircy- Mercy
Whateffer- what ever
Axed- asked
Wan- one
Practise- Practice
Pecualiarity

Reaction / Reflection-
I still enjoyed reading this book but not as much as the first book of Once And Future King because I do not prefer to read about battles. I like how T.H. White refers to Le Morte d'Arthur and also explains things that you might not get. I still like the characters who have remained from book one and I also like the new characters that have been introduced except Queen Morgause. I do not like this character because I have a feeling that she is going to use this son against King Arthur later on in the book. The plot has continued to be intriging with battles, chasing unicorns and men dressing up like the Questing Beast. I predict that the round table will finally come together and that Lancelot will become on of the main characters that we see a lot of. Situations that I read about in the book are seen in modern day. Such as the children striving for there mothers attention and going out of their way to get that attention. Kids today still strive for their parents attention, it may be in other ways then unicorn hunting but it still happens. This treatment of the children has a hugely negative effect of the children, they were not nice to others and are starting to become rotten kids. The treatment of the sons make me happy to have two parents who care alot about me. I do feel sorry for these boys because every child should have a parent to give them attention. Another situation that is see in modern day is like Palomidies and Grummore dressing up like the Questing Beast to bring happiness to King Pellinor. Many people today again try to bring happiness to people in different ways but it is still done.

Summary of what I thought.

I personlay did not like this book. I thought that the main audience was older then a sophmore in high school. Some of what Friedman had to say I found interesting, such as the McDonalds who sends their drive thru orders to other places to be taken and then the order is sent back completed in a matter of seconds. This book has shown me that the flat world will effect me and my generation in many ways. First, the flat world will cause us to have to compete with people from all over the world for our jobs/careers. We will have to find and pursue a job that will not be outsourced or offshored, the jobs that Friedman calls untouchables. To achieve these jobs we will have to have the right knowledge, skills, ideas and the self-motovation to seize and keep these jobs. Also because of the flat world, we will have to be very flexible workers and have good people skills. We will have to fit in somebody's supply chain and have the skills to do so. We will have to be collabotators, orchestrators, synthesizers, explainers, leveragers, adaptors, personalizers and localizers. Friedman says that to be these things we will have to "learn how to learn", bring curiosity and passion to our work , play well with others and improve our right-brain skills. Those are just some ways in which the flat world effects me and my generation.

To realize my goals there are certain things I will need from my teachers and parents. First, parents in the US will have to place more value and importance in their children acquiring a serious education. They should insist on a good educational program in which I/we am learning the right skills. They will have to make education a priority over sports and social life and they will have to set high expectaions for grades. Secondly, from teachers I will need an educational system in which I will be ready for the jobs that actualy exist in my society. My teachers will have to interest me in the subject that I will be needing such as math, science and engineering. Teachers will have to reorient what they are teaching to embed the tools and concepts of colaboration into the curriculum. They will also have to transform the educational systems to produce workers for new and different jobs that will actually exist. Since I am only 15 years old I am not completly sure what job I will choose or if my future will be "untouchable". I am sure that the job I choose will be like the lemonade guy, personalized with my own little touch. From Friedmans descriptions, I have some natural skills of an explainer, therefore I will choose a future which will incorporate and build on these skills. I believe that I embrace the flat world much more then the generation before me. I have been part of a generation who have used technology and am comfortable with the technology of the flat world. I believe that the only challange to the flat world would be getting the right education to be successful in a flat world and continueing to be flexible, open minded and to learn.

Is the flat world a good thing for America?

The flat world holds positive things for America.

First, the flat world has positively effected American consumers, by allowing them to purchase cheaper goods and services. It has also allowed consumers to get those good and services online. For some this is more enjoyable, convienient and usually cheaper. It is also easier to comparison shop and read consumer reviews.

Secondly, the flat world has positively effected American producers and businesses. The flat world has allowed producers and businesses to have global markets, selling their goods and services all over the world. It has also helped their global communication become cheaper. Producers and buisnesses can now communicate with there investors all over the world cheaper. The flat world has also allowed producers and buisnesses to globally collaborate. It has also created increased collaboration and competition which drives businesses to improve.

Finally, the flat world has allowed for people to get knowledge, information, education and to stay personaly connected. First, the flat world has allowed all of these services faster and cheaper. Secondly, this has been a very good thing for Americans because it has allowed them to voice their own opinion and to view others opinions. Thirdly and most importiantly it has allowed Americans to communicate more easily. This is very importaint because many familys in American do not all live in the same area, most live in different parts of America or around the world. Familys also have children in college and the cheap communication has made it easier and cheaper for these people to communicate.

For a variety of reasons the flattening of the world is a good thing for America.

What are the potential negative consequences to a flat world?

There are some potential negative consequences to a flat world.

Potential negative consequences include, outsourcing and offshoring which move jobs out of the country. Endangering low skilled jobs of which will be offshored or outsourced. Also, if we as Americans are not inovative and do not change our work force and education we could loose our place as a world economic leadership. Another consequence to the flat world would be the business compitition for cheaper goods creating jobs with less or no benefits. A good example of this is Walmart's employment practices. They have developed the best supply chain, offer low prices and earn a higher profit in part by offering their employees limited benefits and in most cases no health insurance. The last potential negative consequence would be that now every American child/worker is competing with every Chinese, Indian, and Brazilian child/worker for their job.

These potential negative consequences to the flat world would not have been seen if Americans had rolled up their sleeves and educated the young people the correct way. Because of this Americans are starting to see these potential negative consequences of a flat world.