The letter F

I'm not going to write about something that will absolutely enlighten you, or the amazing encounter I had with Elvis Presley last weekend. I'm going to talk about something many of you classmates may have long ago abandoned.
Over winter break I managed to finally speak in pig Latin- the Spanish adaptation. When I was in elementary, many kids, especially my cousins, spoke in the cryptic English version, which, no matter how many times they attempted to explain to me I was never able to decipher; like the cliché story of the outcast child in the playground, I often felt lonely,and depressed. No, I lied , I wasn't that dramatic.
I did however, wish I could twist my words into the confusing sound to what these children referred to as pig Latin. Only now do I realize that this long wait would pay off because like I said before, I can now speak Spanish pig Latin.
We don't refer to it with that term, so please don't take what I have shown you today to ask your Spanish-speaking amigos and ask them about Latin de Cochino. It is commonly named Efeefe, Efe Efe, Efenefe, etc. While it sounds much more complicated than its English relative, it is actually quite simple, and I must admit it sounds much more fluid. The trick is to place the letter f after every vowel, and then placing the same vowel after the f. Here's an example:

Aung Oo no entiende la diferencia entre el aplauso y el trono de los dedos.
Aung Oo nofo efentifiefendefe lafa dififeferefencifiafa efentrefe efel afaplafaufusofo y efel trofonofo defe lofos defedofos.
Aung Oo does not understand the difference between clapping and snapping fingers.

If you would like me to say a sentence in efeefe so you can hear what it sounds like I would be glad to show you.
I fully understand that many of you will probably not be nearly as interested in this as I am, seeing as many of you don't know what in the world I am talking about. If you can remember a time however, when the simplicity of switching around the letters in a language gave so many people a smile, or when you could find entertainment in building things with Legos simply to take them apart again, or when there was no such thing as worries about money, politics, or school, then maybe, you can see why I can write so much about the letter f.

Sundiata

Roberto Sande Carmona
10 IB English
Period 5 Ms. Peifer

Similarities and Differences of Sundiata in Comparison to Other Hero Tales

Through the stories of heroes and their journeys we often find archetypes that transcend authors and works of writing. Each different epic however includes certain variations taken by influences on the author like: his/her culture, upbringing, time period, etc.
In Sundiata, the audience can clearly see the similar virtues, morals and feelings commonly strewn in these stories. After the protagonist and his mother are run out, she says the following to Sundiata, "...you must take up the challenge . Better death than shame! Never forget that, my son," (Sundiata Part XI). This brief excerpt shows the importance of valor, pride, and honor Sogolon wants to instill in the hero. Like in various others of the tales, some sort of adviser or mentor ensures that the hero hold a righteous character. This also maintains the character as the heroic protagonist, describing him as being capable of holding his pride high.
The reader could also find alterations from the other epics, more prominently the beginnings of the legend. For the other stories, the paladin is revered to be glorious from their beginning, or is at least introduced as already a magnificent being.
Sundiata however begins as a more than humble human being. He is described as somewhat lame, and slow for his age. His mother's rivals relish in this, as described in this passage:

The infant Sundiata had a slow and difficult childhood. At the age of three he still crawled, dragging himself along the ground like a crocodile crawling on a sandbank. He had none of the beauty of his father: a head so big that he seemed unable to support it, large eyes which stared widely whenever anyone entered his mother's house. He did little other than sit in the middle of the house, except when he was hungry and he would drag himself out to rummage about in search of food among the calabashes waiting to be washed. He seemed to be always in a bad mood and scared other children away. He spoke little and his serious little face never relaxed into a smile.( Part VIII)

The imagery and similes used in this paragraph provide quite a vivid exploit of the young hero. Whereas in the other stories only short references were made to the faults of the protagonists, this description goes on to further present Sundiata as a failed foreseeing. This allowed the audience to connect with the character while providing a less unfathomable picture to the likeness of Achilles, Odysseus and other epic persona. It sets the basis for the humble-to-super human origins of Sundiata and emphasizes his achievements to an even greater extent.

Inferno Commentary

Roberto Sande Carmona
10 IB English Hour 5
Ms.Peifer
9th of January, 2009

Gold and silver are the gods you adore!/In what are you different from the idolator,/save that he worships one, and you a score?/Ah Constantine, what evil marked the hour-/ not of your conversion, but of the fee/ the first rich Father took from you in dower!/And as I sang him this tune, he began to twitch/and kick both feet out wildly, as if in rage/ or gnawed by conscience-little matter which./And I think indeed, it pleased my Guide:his look/ was all approval as he stood beside me/ intent upon each word of truth I spoke./ He approached, and with both arms he lifted me,/ and when he had gathered me against his breast,/remounted the rocky path out of the valley...(Alighieri Chapter 19, 106-120)

This passage is crucial to the reader's understanding of the Inferno's main characters and overarching theme. The focal point of this excerpt is Dante's harshness towards the corrupt man and Virgil's response: "I [Dante] think indeed, it pleased my Guide:his look/ was all approval as he stood beside me/ intent upon each word of truth I spoke, " (115-117). Throughout Dante's trip through Hell, he makes a perfect representation of how one will naturally feel pity for many of the people in the Inferno, however this is wrong according to Virgil, and according to God's judgment. Hence, when Dante scolds the Pope his guide is satisfied, and gives Dante praise. This supports the theme of God's omnipotent power to judge over everybody, and that feeling pity for the ones in Hell is an insult to his wisdom.

The most effective writing in this passage is simply the tone Dante takes when he scorns Nicholas III. Because Dante rarely lashes out to the people in Hell, so in this manner he sparks the audience's interest. His vivid description of the Pope's reaction-although not lengthy-also provides the reader with a fast interpretation of how Dante regarded him(as a wretch who deserved every insult he was thrown).
The rhyme scheme is well executed to emphasize the language as well, particularly in the first three lines: "Gold and silver are the gods you adore!/In what are you different from the idolator,/save that he worships one, and you a score?" ( 106- 108). The comparison he makes of the Pope with an idolator and the rhyme scheme to back up his point are the basis of his demeaning of the Pope.

This quote is essentially a summary of what Dante had to learn through his voyage. There were several examples where he felt pity for the condemned and these instances were the only times when Virgil expressed anger to his student. Virgil made it clear that for Dante to take the information he needed from his lesson, he had to understand that these people had to be looked upon as a disgrace and scorned; for Dante to feel any sort of clemency was dictating God's judgment as incorrect, and this was the path to damnation.
Since this was one scenario in which Dante properly responded to the doomed souls, it is a decisive part of his work and stands for his eventual path to eternal Heaven.

Works Cited

• Alighieri, Dante.Inferno. Trans. John Ciardi. New York: Signet Classics, 2001.