Please read to page 67, then respond to the prompts / questions below.
Due:
A1/A2 Wednesday, 2/23
B4 Thursday, 2/24
1. What do you think the green flames are?
2. Who is St. Elmo? You might need to look this up.
3. What would you have rather been in; absolute calm or terrifying wind?
4. With historical hindsight, why was it wise for Mateo to stick with Magellan?
5. What was the first sign of land?
6. Why did Rodrigo and Mateo think they had landed in paradise?
7. Describe a "garroting."
8. How do Mateo and Ayso transcend language barriers?
1. I think the green flames that St. Elmo brought with him were some type of lighting which is created in storms etc. It may be something that happens only on the ocean because we don’t usually see green lighting. Mateo and his companions claimed it was St. Elmo’s protection and caused the storm disappear.
ReplyDelete2.Saint Elmo was said to be the “saint of sailors", and whenever his fire appeared in storms, it usually meant that the storm was going to pass (Torrey 47). Sailors believed that whenever they saw Saint Elmo’s fire, he was guiding them and they would be saved. He was the patron of sailors (patron- protector of one specific group or place etc.).
3. In truth, I don’t want to be in both, but if I were to choose, I think it would be terrifying wind rather than absolute calm. Partially this is because I am totally afraid of absolute calm. The wind is also terrifying, yet I would rather not spend days if I am to die. The storm will be gone after a few days at most, but the absolute calm is hard to predict when it would come back. It could take days, weeks, and even months. I really don’t want this.
4. It was wise for Mateo to stick with Magellan because in the end, the name that came down in history was Magellan’s and not Cartegena’s. We automatically know that Cartagena didn’t get to become captain of the expedition because Magellan was the captain-general until the end even though he died. Cartagena ended up in the stocks and Mateo was right to be on Magellan’s side.
5. The first sign of land was a beautiful tropical bird. No land bird would be far from land and so the sailors automatically concluded that land was near. This was a great relief to them and everyone felt hope.
6. Rodrigo and Mateo thought they had landed in paradise because when they reach Brazil, they encounter a good rainfall at last. Adding on to that, there were a lot of beautiful native women.
7. A garroting is a type of execution where the convict is to put on a metal collar. The collar gradually tightens around the person’s neck, causing the convict to suffocate to death.
8. Mateo and Ayso were able to understand each other despite the difficulties of not understanding each other’s languages by using gestures and body language. Mateo didn’t seem to mind much about not understanding what Ayso was saying and just enjoyed being with her. I don’t think they said much to each other actually because in these circumstances, language doesn’t matter much.
Zen Sugino
A2 Literature
1.I think the green flames were Mateo’s imagination. He though god had saved him, so something supernatural must have happened, in his perspective.
ReplyDelete2.St. Elmo, also known as Erasmus of Formiae, is the Saint of Sailors. He was the one that would help sailors when they were in desperate situations, like how he saved the Trinidad from sinking.
3.I would have rather been in absolute calm, because if I was in terrifying wind I would always be uptight and scared for my life. Even though absolute calm is boring, and a bit ominous, I would rather prefer that then terrifying winds.
4.Magellan purely knew what he was doing. Unlike Cartagena, Magellan actually knew where he was going and did not really care for honor and riches. He was more knowledgeable with geography and the route then anyone else on the ship, so it would be good to side with him. If Cartagena had killed Magellan, then they would have been stranded.
5.They landed in Brazil.
6.They thought they landed in paradise because they were poured down with rain when they reached the land, and were surrounded by a lot of naked women, which isn’t a custom thing to see in their culture.
7.Garroting is similar to hanging, except the victim is seated in a chair, ands and feet bonded, and they are suffocated by a metal ring that runs around their necks.
8.They transcended language barriers by teaching each other with certain relevant words, such as their names, boy, girl, and love. Mateo also drew things in his sketchbook to show Ayso things, like ship.
Enrique Lopez
ReplyDeleteA2 Literature
1. I think the green flames are the flames that the Saint Elmo takes with him when he is "summoned" by sailors. It is said in the book that they come from the heavens so most likely its some sort of light in the air. When the green flames are "summoned" it is at times when sailors are stuck in a huge storm, then the green flames protect the sailors by "destroying" the storm and clearing the skies.
2. Saint Elmo is, obviously a Saint. He is very well known for the Saint Elmo's Fire or Saint Elmo's light. The Italian name for Saint Elmo is Saint Erasmus, the patron Saint of sailors. He is known to show up in the seas at times when there is a ship(s) in a thunderstorm, and magically clear the storm away.
3. I think I would choose absolute calm , IF it means that the weather is ok and the conditions are pretty much fine then yes. But if it means roasting and burning to death without any rain then obviously terrifying winds is the thing for me. But even though if I was to roast to death at least I would die a longer death (live a longer life) in which it means I could confess to the Father and go to heaven maybe?
4.With historical hindsight I think it was wise for Mateo to stick with Magellan because Magellan is known to be the captain-general of this voyage. Through history it never said that Cartagena succeeded the killing of Magellan's. And if Cartagena had tried to kill Magellan it would have been a complete fail or just a fail.
5. The first sign of land was a colorful land bird landed on the Trinidad's quarterdeck railing. The next day Rodrigo and Mateo could smell the scent of land. Rodrigo said that it was the scent of the jungle.
6. Mateo and Rodrigo thought they landed in "paradise" because of the beautiful rains that the skies offered. Also that there were beautiful women there.
7.Garroting- it's when the prisoner is led to a post in the ground, the post has a metal collar which was fixed onto the prisoners neck, then screws would be turned to tighten the collar.
8. Both Mateo and Ayso communicated with each other by making gestures or drawing it onto something, then saying the word that represents the gesture or drawing. In the book it didn't really show that they spoke much, because they were in love, and in love, you don't need much speaking, especially if you don't know the other's language.
Janet Choi A1
ReplyDelete1. I think the green flames were some kind of illusions of the crew. “I felt an odd tingling and my ears filled with a crackling sound” (Torrey 47). Here, Mateo noted that the flames made a cracking sound, which made me think of lightning first. However, we don’t usually see green lightning often, and so I think they were illusions.
2. St. Elmo was the patron saint of sailors. He was also called Erasmus of Formiae. “’I have seen it before. It is the saint of sailors, San Elmo. While he protects us, none of us will die. It is gift from heaven’” (Torrey 47). It was believed by sailors that St. Elmo protected sailors from harsh storms.
3. I think it would be the best choice to live in a mixture of both. I think it would be boring to live in absolute calm, because nothing special or interesting would happen. However, if I live in terrifying wind, I would have to be careful and stay alarmed all the time. Therefore, if I were to choose one, I would choose to live in absolute calm rather than terrifying wind, because it is much safer.
4. It was wise for Mateo to stick with Magellan, because from historical knowledge, Magellan was the one who was praised and known by others after the journey, not Cartagena. That proves that Cartagena failed to rebel against Magellan. If Mateo stayed on Cartagena’s side, then he would have been punished with Cartagena and the other people who attempted rebelling.
5. The first sign of land was a beautiful bird. “On the sixth day of December the crew of the Trinidad burst into cheers when a brightly colored land bird settled on the quarterdeck railing” (Torrey 61). As shown above, the bird that appeared on the deck was a land-living bird. Therefore the crew was able to predict that land was close.
6. Rodrigo and Mateo thought they had landed in paradise because when they arrived in Brazil, a big rain poured on them. Rodrigo and Mateo had been suffering from heat in the last few days, and so rain was most welcome to them. Also, they found out that there were many beautiful native women in Brazil.
7. Garroting is a way of executing a prisoner or criminal by tightening a metal collar on their necks and strangling them to death.
8. Mateo and Ayso were able to transcend language barriers by using body language to communicate. Mateo drew pictures and showed them to Ayso to help her understanding. They also taught each other some simple words in their own language.
In my words, I think green flames are “green flames” in a literal way. However I think its something that doesn’t occur on land, or it doesn’t happen that easily. Maybe this is some kind of weather or something maybe to do with lightning. But we’ve never really heard of this word before so maybe it is something we have never felt or seen before.
ReplyDeleteSaint Elmo, also as known as Erasmus of Formiae, was a holy Christian saint who was believed to be a saint for sailors. Saint Elmo’s Fire was his sign of protection, producing electricity.
I would chose to be in absolute calm. I don’t want to be frightened throughout my whole trip when I actually am scared of having a journey in the first place. So I would have to say absolute calm is better for me rather than terrifying wind.
Generally, it was wise that Mateo sticked with Magellan because of Magellan is more mature and in a way, he has more leadership then Cartegena. Magellan is not afraid of anything, unlike Cartegena. Again, Magellan is older and at that time, people didn’t disrespect older people and especially when he was the captain of the ship. So from common knowledge, it is clear that sticking with Magellan is better.
Mateo and his crew saw the colorful bird land on the quarterdeck railing, and later on Rodrigo was surprised and said it was a “paradise”.
They thought that they landed in a paradise because of the beautiful weather, and the rainfall. I think there was a possibility that they thought it was a paradise because they could immediately trade with the native people.
Garrote is a type of execution where there is a chair and a collar attached to the chair, which eventually tightens your neck, and you suffocate in the end. This was used a lot in Spanish countries.
Ayso and Mateo was able to communicate by gestures, and Mateo drew something that he wanted to tell Ayso. But despite the fact that they didn’t know each others language, they somehow managed to still love each other and have fun.
1. I think the green flames was the God, because Rodrigo cursed God and that made him mad maybe? Otherwise there wouldn't be a reason that a green light is there. "'Today I cursed the stupidity of God and all His useless angels who sit with their wings folded, shining their golden halos while we die"(Torrey 46).
ReplyDelete2.St.Elmo is the "saint of sailors". I'm thinking him as a God or a spirit, since it says that while he protects, no one will die. And since it is said that he is a gift from heaven, it must not be a real person. "'I have seen it before. It is the saint of sailors, San Elmo. While he protects us, none of us will die. It is a gift from heaven" (Torrey 47).
3.I would rather be in terrifying wind, because absolute calm is not a thing that is going to end at some point. Although it is 'calm' , you don't know what is going to happen and that scares me a lot. Although terrifying wind IS terrifying, it has a chance to stop at some point. Not like an absolute calm.
4.It was wise because Magellan seems to be on Mateo's side, and he know things much better than Mateo does; and he can rely on him. I think from now on Magellan would be a big help for Mateo.
5.The first sign of the land is what Mateo called a "paradise". Blue seas, white sands, handsome men and beautiful girls. "On the sixth day we arrived at the Canary Islands, a paradise of blue seas and white sands. The beaches swarmed with natives--- handsome men, beautiful girls, their hair braided with flowers.." (Torrey 26)
6.Like as I said in no.5, because that "paradise" had beautiful beach, and handsome men and beautiful girls. Because Mateo never had seen such a beautiful thing, he started sketching. But Mateo wasn't feeling "paradise" because there was a beautiful girls, instead he drew a beautiful tree. "For a tree, it was impressive. But when Rodrigo saw my drawing, he laughed, asking why I did not draw a girl instead" (Torrey 26).
7.Garroting- A method of execution in Spain, in which a tightened iron collar is used to strangle or break the neck of a condemned person.
8. Although Mateo and Ayso didn't speak common languages, they were still able to communicate by body languages, or by a pantomime.
Suzu Hiroyama
Literature A1
2/22/11
1. I think that the green lights are some kind of natural reaction like lightnings happening during storms. But to Mateo, it seemed like a help from Saint Elmo and believed it especially when the storm was gone after his appearance.
ReplyDelete2. Saint Elmo was considered to be the protector for the sailors. That is probably because the lightning ( St. Elmo's fire ) appeared right before the storm goes away. So the marines' thought that it was the Saint who have saved and guided them to get our of the storm.
3. I would prefer to be in terrifying wind because there is more chance to reach land then staying at the same place and not knowing if you are going forward or not. Though it might be really scary, at least I think there is more hope. And, if I was to die, I would rather chose drowning because it would take less suffering then starvation or not getting enough water.
4. Mateo's choice was wise by sticking to Magellan because, from historical perspective, Magellan's name is known as one of the most famous explorer of that time though he wasn't able to finish his journey. On the other hand, Cartagena is not mentioned in the general history knowledge.
5. Brazil was their first sign of land that they have seen. This was told by the landing of a beautiful bird on Trinidad.
6. Rodrigo and Mateo thought they were in palace because, first of the rain that has fallen after many days without enough water. So the rain was more than needed to all these sailors. The second reason was that there were many beautiful women on land which made them exciting more than ever.
7. The garroting is an execution, the prisoner has to sit in a chair and has their hands and legs attached to it with a collar around his neck. Eventually, the collar gets tighten and finally suffocate the prisoner.
8. Both Asyo and Mateo used body languages and gestures to express themselves. Yet, it still was hard to communicate so they taught each other's languages by pointing the object with fingers or drawing in the sketchbook and expressed with easy words. This shows that language is not a problem to love and understand each other.
Kana Ikezawa
A2 Literature
1) I think that the green flames are something that happens when a storm comes at sea. It is probably a scientific reaction of some kind, but the sailors then interpreted them as the fire that Saint Elmo gave.
ReplyDelete2) Saint Elmo is the saint of the sailors who is thought to protect sailors from storms. Whenever the mysterious green flames appear, it was said that Saint Elmo was on your side, and that the storm would pass without any deaths.
3) I would rather be in terrifying wind, because at least you get to have some shelter in the ship. It also cools you down. Of course, the ride might be a bit rapid but at least you don't waste your precious drinking water in that kind of weather. I think its better to die from a storm than thirst and starvation.
4) Mateo was wise to stick with Magellan because in history today, he is known as the first person who voyaged around the world. Since he is so famous, this means he was probably intelligent and a good captain-general. I've never knew about Cartagena before I read the book, so he wasn't a good person. Also, from the text I can tell Magellan is a clever man.
5) The first sign of land was when a tropical land bird landed on the Trinidad. They had arrived in Brazil like Magellan had said.
6) Rodrigo and Mateo thought it was paradise because they were poured down with rain at last. Also, there were lots of tropical animals and colorful nature there. However, I think what they were most attracted to were the beautiful women who lived there.
7) Garroting is when someone is executed by being hanged. Usually, its not done the typical way with a rope, but with a steel collar or wire. It is supposedly the more unfriendly way to hang someone.
8) Ayso and Mateo got to know each other by gestures and facial expressions. They also expressed their curiosities through touching. They usually pointed at things and taught each other what they were called.
1) I think the green flames came from San Elmo, the saint of sailors. The green flames were supposedly a sign sent from God that He had heard the crew’s prayers and that He had sent a gift from heaven.
ReplyDelete2) Saint Elmo, also known as Saint Erasmus of Formiae, was the patron of sailors. It is said that he creates green flames in storms to clear the weather and save the people on board.
3) I would prefer to be in a terrifying storm because I generally like typhoons and rain if not for the danger aspect. I love it when I almost get blown away but I am heavy enough to stay on ground. Absolute calmness would be very boring and I would rather play in the storm and drown than starve to death.
4) Mateo was wise to stick with Magellan because Magellan was trustworthy and did not care for gain or power. If he had supported Cartagena, he probably would have been punished. We also know that Magellan is noted for his success. However, we do not hear of Cartagena’s name so we know that Magellan was not taken over by Cartagena.
5) The first sign of land was the brightly coloured bird that flew onto the railing. They thought that it was a Brazilian bird and therefore, were close to Brazil. They also smelt the fragrance of the jungle.
6) Mateo and Rodrigo thought they had landed in paradise because of the many beautiful, naked, native women. They were deprived of women because there were no women on the ship.
7) A garrotting is when metal collar, attached to a post, is fixed to a person’s neck. The metal collar slowly tightens by turning the screw on the garrotte. Their eyes bulge and their tongue blue, finally killing them.
8) Mateo and Ayso transcend the language barrier by using signs. They also taught each other a few words and he drew pictures in his sketchbook to teach words like ship.
Lisa He
ReplyDeleteA1 Literature
1. I believe these "green flames" were actually a reaction due to the previously occurring storm. Although it was probably due to the storm, Mateo and the crew/sailors saw them as "green flames" from Saint Elmo, that were there to stop the storm.
ReplyDelete2. Saint Elmo, or Erasmus of Formiae, is the patron saint of sailors. It was said that during the storm that Magellan and his crew were caught in, there was, what they called "green flames," which they thought were a sign from the Saint. Soon after these "green flames," the storm stopped.
3. I would prefer to be in absolute calm than to be caught in the terrifying wind. If caught in the terrifying wind, I would probably panic and make non-rational and sudden decisions which would probably end badly. I wouldn't like to be worried about the wind, when I'd be worrying about the entire journey to begin with.
4. I think Mateo was wise for sticking with Magellan because in the end, it was Magellan who claimed the title of the first European explorer to sail the world past the Atlantic Ocean. Because Magellan, for the most part, successfully sailed the world, he probably knew what he was doing, therefore proving that he was indeed a great captain-general. If he had sided with Cartagena, he would have ended up in trouble, or even worse, dead.
5. The first sight of land was when the ship Trinidad was visited by a tropical bird. They had thought that there was land near due to the fact that birds don't fly far into the ocean. Then, is when they found out that they has successfully arrived in Brazil.
6. They had thought they were in "paradise" because they had encountered their first rainfall in weeks. Due to the conditions on the ship, they were desperately in need of rain. Another reason, was that they were attracted to the beautiful native women of Brazil. They had thought because of this, that they were in "paradise".
7. Garotting is the act of execution by suffocation. Unlike typical methods such as hanging, the victims were seated on a chair and attached to a metal collar. They were then suffocated by the metal collar around their neck, which was slowly tightened until the death of the victim.
8. Mateo and Ayso comunicated through movements and repetition. Mateo taught Ayso by drawing, both in the sand and in his sketchbook, or teaching her words by her repeating certain words like boy, girl and love. For the most part, language was not a problem between these two because they somehow managed to comunicate, and Mateo was not bothered by the fact that not everything could be understood.
Shannen Romero Perez
A2 World Literature
1. 1. I think it’s a natural phenomenon. It is because, it occurred during the storm. I think it is the same thing as rainbow appearing after raining.c I think it is basically some aurora type thing that was green and beautiful.
ReplyDelete2. St. Elmo was the patron saint of sailor. St. Elmo’s fire was named after St. Elmo when phenomenon appeared during storms, and the sailors thought guardian deity.
3. I would rather be in absolute calm. It is because terrifying wind seems dangerous, and adventurous in a way. But absolute calm seems peace. Even though there might be nothing special, it is better than being in a dangerous situation.
4. It is because if he stick with Magellan, there is less chance of getting killed since he is respecting Magellan. Also, if he stick with Cartagena, it was stupid because people will think that you are part of him and was seeking to kill Magellan.
5. The first sign of land was when a land bird settled on the quarterdeck. The bird was very brightly colorful, they knew that it was a land bird . After that, they started smelling the feeling of land, and the jungle.
6. They felt they had landed in paradise because they felt rain which was a relief for them. Also, they see hundreds of native women. For Mateo, he had never seen a lot of women in his life.
7. Garroting is a way of punishing people by using a tightened iron collar to strangle a person’s neck. This was the way how master of Victoria was punished.
8. I think they communicated by expressing their feelings by their face and their movements. Even though they didn’t understand each other, they looked like they understand each other’s feeling very well. After that, Mateo and Ayso started teaching each other their own hobbies.
Shiori Hishinuma
B4
1. I wasn't really sure what this meant, and although I tried to look this up, I didn't have much luck. That's why I made a guess; I think it's a natural lighting, kind of like the northern lights. Mateo referred to them as 'green lights'
ReplyDelete2. St. Elmo was a sailor that was considered a patron saint. He is named after the fire on electrical discharges at the mastheads of ships, as a sign of his 'protection', and is called: "Saint Elmo's fire".
3. I think I would rather be in terrifying wind. I hate a calm atmosphere of any type, so a gust of fast wind would seem much more entertaining than being in an absolute calm weather. Even though it's better to be safe than sorry, I never seem to learn from this statement.
4. It was wise of Mateo to stick with Magellan instead of Cartegena's because we know see Magellan as one of the world's best explorers, and not Cartegena. In the end, it was Magellan's name which went down in history. It also means that Cartegena wasn't worthy as much as Magellan to have his name celebrated as a captain.
5. The first sign of land that the people on the boat saw was a colorful tropical land bird. The bird meant that, since it was a land bird, it wouldn't fly that far away from land nearby, so people realized that land wasn't that far off. Everyone was filled with encouragement to press on with the journey.
6. Rodrigo and Mateo thought that they had landed in paradise because of how things were in Brazil. There, they could have a decent rainy season, and were also amazed to see the beautiful native women of the area.
7. A "garroting" is a type of execution where the criminal subject to death has a metal collar fastened to his neck. To execute the person, the collar is tightens around the neck, just enough to suffocate and kill the person wearing the collar.
8. Mateo and Ayso transcend language barriers because they used body language and hand gestures to try to communicate to each other. In these types of circumstances, many would try to overcome language differences just so other people could understand what they are saying. This happens quite a lot, back then and even now, at times.
Rina Dishman
B4 Literature
1.The "green fire" is also know as St.Elmo's fire. I think it is just a natural occuring reaction that has something to do with electricity after big rainstorms. Unlike how Mateo thought that it was the sign of God saving them.
ReplyDelete2.St.Elmo is the patron saint of sailors. The " green fire" Mateo saw is named after him. People said he protected sailors aboard in storms with the fire.
3. I would rather have been in a terrifying wind. Personally, I hate hot wheathers with no breeze, the calm atmosphere it self terrifies me more than big waves and strong wind. Though I would prefer not to be in any of the situations, since both can take away lives.
4. As the story tells, the head of the marine Espinosa in on Magellans side. Because he holdes power over the marines, there will be more military beneficials to stay with Magallan. He is also the only one who knows where they are going so if someone like Cartagena with little experience of sailing takes over, serious problems like going the wrong route may occur.
5. The sailors knew they were close to land once they saw tropical birds flying around, and after Mateo smelt the smell of land.
6. They thought they landed in paradise, because after many weeks in calm water, and hot air, rain finally dropped on to their faces. Aside form that there were many beautiful native woman who were all naked.
7.Garroting is a method of execution often practiced in Spain. It uses a iron collar to strangle and break one's neck.
8. Mateo and Ayso understood eachother with hand gestures, and observation. Mateo often drew thigs such as ship and taught Ayso how to pronounce it, or pointed at his surroundings like waterfall and taught her.
A1 Catherine
1. I think the green flames were from San Elmo, the God that they were praying to for their mercy. The crews on board were fearing from the rough weather and when the God luckily appeared, it may have dropped a thunder or some thing that relates to weathering.
ReplyDelete2. Saint Elmo was a Christian saint who was also known to be the Erasmus of Formiae. The saint was said to be the saint of sailors,when Saint Elmo passes by and the fire or the light appears, it meant that the storm was going to go away.
3. I rather be in a absolute calm situation because if traveling in a terrifying wind, you would have to do so much work to keep the balance of the ship or maybe scoop out the water that came in from the high waves. It may be boring if it is calm and quiet but I guess it would be better than working in the cold and being frightened.
4. Mateo being on Magellan's side was a pretty smart idea because Magellan was known to be the captain-general and he knew exactly what he was doing or where he was going unlike Cartagena.
5. The first sign was when the tropical land bird landed on the Trinidad, landing on Brazil.
6. They thought it was paradise because the crews were suffering from the heat on the ship and when they got to Brazil, they got a big rain poured on them. Also, there were many beautiful woman on the land.
7.Garroting is a way of executing a prisoner where they have to sit on a chair and put a metal collar on your necks and your arms/legs which gets tightened and leads you to death.
8. Mateo and Ayso were able to communicate from body language or drawing on Mateo's sketchbook . Even thought they both didn't know each others language, I think they were still loving each other.