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Cultural Literacy
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As students begin to read more advanced literature or even as they interact with other students and adults in educated circles, there are often words and phrases that come up as the result of a shared intellectual background. Each week we will briefly discuss a new "Cultural Literacy" word or phrase. We will look at both its meaning and sometimes its origin in culture.
Week 1: dramatis Personae
dramatis personae - Cast of characters; literal translation: persons of drama. Occassionaly used at the beginning of a playscript as the title of teh list of characters. By extension the term can apply to any participant in an event.
Week 2: halcyon days
halcyon days - an expression for times of peaces and tranquility. The expression refers to a mythical bird that had the power to calm the sea when it nested on the sea during the winter solstice.
Word 3: angst
angst - fear or anxiety; usually applied to a deep and essential philosophical anxiety about the world in general or personal freedom.
Word 4: Sophists
sophists - Ancient Greek teachers accused by some of their contemporaries of being more interested in winning arguments through crafty rhetoric than pursuing the truth. By extension when you call someone a sophist you are accusing them of a persuasive, but false argument.
Word 5: Luddites
Luddites - Opponents of the introduction of labor saving machinery. The original Luddites, followers of Ned Ludd, were British Laborers in the early 19th Century who smashed a textile making machine that threatened their jobs. Modern opponents of technology are sometimes called Luddites.
Word 6: nouveau riche
nouveau riche - a pajoritive term for one who recently has become rich and who spends money conspicuously. From the French meaning newly rich.
Word 7: non sequitor
non sequitor - a thought that does not logically follow what has just been said. From the latin meaning does not follow.
Word 8: "brevity is the soul of wit"
"brevity is the soul of wit" - the idea that intelligent speech and writing should aim at using few words. The line comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Word 9: Gordian knot
Gordian knot - A complex knot tied by the Greek King Gordius. According to legend, whoever loosed the knot would rule Asia. Also according to legend Alexander the great udid the knot by cutting it in half with his sword.
Word 10: Shangri-La
Shangri-La - A fictional land of peace and perpetual youth. The setting of the book Lost Horizon by James Hilton, supposedly Shangri-La, is in the Mountains of Tibet. By extension, Shangri-La is an ideal refuge from the troubles of the world.
Word 11: fait accompli
fait accompli - French for something that has been accomplished. Something that is already known or established is said to be fait accompli.
Word 12: esprit de corps
esprit de corps - The feeling of commrodery among members of a group or organization. From the French meaning "spirit of the group."
Word 13: Troubadours
Troubadours - Travelling poet musicians who flourished in the 12th Century and wrote principally of chivalry and love. By extension, to refer
Word 14: carte blanche
cart blanche - Check back soon.
Word 15: epistolary novel
epistolary novel - Check back soon.