Reflection Towards A Greater Understanding

Essay writing requires writing skills as well as the open mindedness to improve as I progress in my writing skills.

Ideas and Content

With having the experience of writing not only the Alchemist essay, but the Julius Caesar one too, it has become clear to me as a writer that one of my strongest and yet weakest points is my ability to provide good ideas and content throughout the entire essay. In the Alchemist, I demonstrated a clear ability to provide the entire idea of my essay, within my theses statement: Santiago is beckoned by his destiny’s calling when he dreamed of treasure in Egypt, his adaptable nature, open minded views and faithful heart guiding him along the way. As the essay progressed however, I began to falter as my content became steadily less relevant to the thesis statement. I have improved since then and my Julius Caesar essay is the proof I have for my hard work and improvement strategies. For one of my main topic sentences I found a clear example of ideas and content: Throughout the play, Marc Antony will be constantly driven to avenge Caesar without mercy due to his revengeful spirit and unswayable loyalty, yet one question always remains: ‘Was Marc Antony’s goal worthy or noble of its cause?’ Still, I wish to persist with improving my ideas and content strength in my essay writing by maintaining a strong relevance towards my entire essay. I can also improve on my weakness within ideas and content by revising my writing before I publish it or revise it out-loud to give a well crafted essay with a solid A in ideas and content.

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Organization

In both of my essays, I have shown a good ability in organization throughout all of the paragraphs. However, my organization skills have shown improvement, my examples of my improvement would come from all of my thesis statements and conclusions drawn from my studies of the essay topic and application of them. To upgrade my writing to a superior form of organization, I would take action to plan out the guidelines of my essay for each paragraph thoroughly as well as check with the rubric to make sure I have included everything I needed to in the most effective and striking way possible.

Personal Growth

Yes, I have improved in my clarity and ideas/concepts involving the topic of the essay, especially from reflecting back on the Alchemist, I see a strong growth and a huge leap of learning that has been very beneficial. In my organization however, I do feel I could improve far more by staying more on topic.

SLR Reflection

In an essay, reasoning critically is vital in order to organize your paragraphs as clearly as possible and to achieve a clear understanding with your reader. Reasoning critically will obtain a guarantee of a good grade as well as a chance to use the full extent of your abilities by thinking in new and dynamic ways.

Marc Antony, A Man Of Loyalty and Deception

Marc Antony:

“I shall remember: When Caesar says, ‘do this’, it is perform’d.” (Pg: 26 Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 9-10) Marc Antony was a man known for his fierce loyalty to Caesar, as shown in this quote, he was determined and unwavering, and if he thought Caesar saw an action was just, he would agree. Just as oil fuels fire, Marc Antony was fueled by revenge and loyalty to avenge the murder of Julius Caesar, even if driving Rome to civil war seemed the best action. Throughout the play, Marc Antony will be constantly driven to avenge Caesar without mercy due to his revengeful spirit and unswayable loyalty, yet one question always remains: ‘Was Marc Antony’s goal worthy or noble of its cause?’

Antony begins as a fun loving man with a playful nature, yet when he witnesses the man he loves, Julius Caesar, assassinated by the men he called friends, he swore to revenge Caesar, as brutally as possible. This next quote is a gruesome revealer of Antony’s true character and a foresight into the future he wishes to create for revenge: “Caesars spirit, ranging for revenge, with Ate by his side… Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.” (Pg: 124 Act 3 Scene 1 Lines 270-271-273) Antony just declared civil strife on all of Italy, showing his fury at Caesars death and trigger happy belief he can properly revenge Caesar by killing all those who rose against him. Being a well known soldier, all those who were loyal to Caesar knew that Antony’s love for Caesar would lead to a just action that Caesar would have approved of, there-fore when Antony reveals his plan to wreak havoc, the people of Caesar followed like sheep. The next quote leads to Antony using his tactile side to fortify his thirst for revenge and convince all those who loved Caesar to join him:

“But I were Brutus… would ruffle your spirits…and put a tongue in every wound of Caesar that should move the stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.” (Pg: 142 Act 3 Scene 2 Lines 225-227) Antony is now ready to set fire to all of Italy as long as the people are prepared to rise up with him and let havoc and death be the answer. Antony posses a strong point towards the fact that his goal is a worthy end to Caesars death, but the nobility of killing many Romans for one mans revenge is lost in his merciless actions, especially within his tactile maneuvers to manipulate those around him. His loyalty however, is by far the strongest part of Antony’s motivation, and without it his cause would be lost.

Loyalty firm by his side, Antony’s actions of destruction and cold heartedness are all a result of his determination to avenge the one true man he loved, Julius Caesar at the cost of peace. At this point Antony and Octavius have gathered a huge army to cry havoc on the conspirators and all who stand steady beside them. In this quote, Antony continues to show his light on the conspirators dead without mercy, leaving the conspirators with no choice but to battle to the death; all due to one mans undying loyalty. “Villains! You gave no warning, when your vile daggers hack’d one another in the sides of Caesar… O you flatterers!” (Pg: 190 Act 5 Scene 1 Lines 39-40-44) Without hesitation, Antony stays fast to his belief that his actions are the right ones towards his urge take vengeance on those who wronged Caesar, still without nobility at this point, but with a strong sense of worthiness for all his effort to his dead friend. The final quote is when Brutus (the main conspirator) sacrifices himself for the good of Rome, dying the most honorable death he could. Antony surprisingly exposes his belief that Brutus out of all the conspirators was the only man who killed Caesar for honor, and although Antony swore to get even with all those who conspired against Caesar, he still held towards a soldier’s sense of mind and honored Brutus’ final action. “This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators save only he... Common good to all. ‘This was a man!” (Pg: 218 Act 5 Scene 5 Lines 68-71) As the play progressed, we began with Marc Antony, a man of loyalty and games, turn to a man of fierce determination and destructive force who without mercy killed anyone who loved Rome more than Caesar, yet as he witnesses Brutus at rest, he twists his cause and beliefs to honor this man, even though he stabbed Caesar, as the most noble man of all his time.

With Caesar dead, along with all those who took part in his assassination, Antony lays his revengeful spirit to rest, fulfilling his goal of avenging his best friend and most loved man in his heart successfully. Antony concludes himself as a man driven by revenge and loyalty, resulting in him to being tactile, trigger happy, merciless and the most determined soldier of Julius Caesar ever to live. His revenge and loyalty left him cold hearted, but noble nonetheless, and buries Brutus with the honor he’s always desired, just as he wished Caesar were buried too. A hint of irony lying in how Caesar and Brutus were both buried by Marc Antony, concluding the gruesome play of events from Caesars assassination to Brutus’ burial, all in front of his eyes. Antony achieved his goal in the sense that he finished off the conspirators and avenged Caesars death with all his heart, leaving his cause to be worthy, as well as noble due to his final action towards Brutus, treating him with as much respect as he would Caesar. Over all, Marc Antony completed his goal as a man of determination, loyalty and revenge, all for his love of Caesar and the strength in his heart, with worthy cause and a final act of nobility.

Raise Awareness, Raise Hope.

Imovie Of My Collage:

Think Creatively!

My collage is an example of thinking creatively within the design of the pictures, the kind of pictures and the layout of my collage's journey. The pictures I chose were in certain colours depending on what mood I wanted to create for each picture, for example, my picture of one of the Lost boys crying is in grey to give a startling and unsettling break in their conflict. The kind of pictures I chose are black and white for an older effect, and others are in colour to create a recent effect, so that the viewer knows that the conflict the Lost Boys faced wasn't only in the past but happening right now too. My collage is designed to show the journey the Lost Boys took, from their Dinka villages to their homes in America.

Reason Critically!

My collage is an example of reasoning critically within the images and text I used to clearly represent my understanding of the Lost Boy's situation and story they had. My images were mostly made with black and white colours to strengthen the emotions imbedded in the lost boys journey as well was the emotions they experienced. The text I used is placed in a clear and off-beat way to stand out and strike the viewer well.

Communicate Effectively!

My collage represents the Lost Boy's horrific journey towards freedom and a new life filled with hope and a better chance at life. The collage is a story placed in a ladder lay-out that you follow beginning at their Dinka village to their life in America. This is a journey filled with horrific sights, permanent loneliness and a rare chance at hope. This is to communicate my message of how the Lost Boys suffered to the viewer in a strong yet inspiring way.

Live Ethically!

Explain how you think your collage demonstrated empathy and might evoke an emotional response from your viewers and/or incite them to act.

My collage is strong in striking an emotional response within the viewer/reader by using my special selection of pictures and a small amount of striking words to inspire those who will learn about the story of the Lost Boy's and their struggle for survival, to help strike an inspiring fire within my viewer to donate or find other ways of helping the Lost Boy's.

Emerge The Lost Boys

As I walked in the dark star flooded night, I dreamed of resting my tired limbs in the Dinka village I called home. Suddenly a sound like an elephant stomping it's massive feet to the ground shook me out of my revere, forcing me to look up and witness startling red flashes streaking the night sky. I was immediately filled with a deep fear driving my whole body towards finding my mother and father in this nightmare, yet as I drew closer to my village, the place I called home was consumed in flames and screams of my dying tribe shrieking piercing my memory. I ran to a nearby bush, remembering my fathers words telling me that when the rebels came to destroy our tribe I was to run as far as possible until the gunshots were a distant memory. Picking myself off the ground, my feet took me across the desert in the dark of night, with no direction, only my desperation to live to guide me.

My journey across the desert of Sudan joined me with other 'Lost Boys'. They called us Lost Boys because we had no parents, but survival was all we had in mind. We walked starved, naked and un-sheltered to the merciless sun, many of my brothers simply falling to the ground never to wake again. I soon learned that safety could be found in a nearby place called Ethiopia, where the genocide against my people wouldn't reach us.

After reaching Ethiopia, I felt a sense of slight safety but it was short lived to my devastation. The rebels were after the Lost Boys seeping their trigger happy ways into Ethiopia, forcing me to fight for my life to reach safety again. The Ethiopians drove us out to cross the river Gilo, where on the other side waiting were the rebels keen on finishing the job of killing us all. Crossing the river resulted in scaring memories of drowning kids, screams lost in gunfire and crocodiles taking their share of the bloody fight for survival. I will never forget the smell of blood and sweat given to the river that day.

Barely escaping the river Gilo left me exhausted and scared. I honestly believed that god had given up on us, but my hope was revived when we Lost Boys discovered a refugee camp in Kenya, where I would be spending the next 11 years of my life in a makeshift 'village' on rationed food, Christian donations, little education and a chance to be let into America for a new life. America was all I ever wished for, my entire village believed it was the land of gold and hope, a land where we victims of Sudan could teach the Americans of our brutal life, inspiring the desire to stop and fix our never-ending conflict.

The news came with an English speaking lady who placed a single slip of paper on our notice board, leaning in to search for my name in desperate hope, I felt my whole heart lift in a burst of hope for my people: I was going to America!

The day arrived of my departure, leaving many of my village members in tears for another vain chance that we could bring an end to this devastating war. My village elder walked me towards the plane, yet stopped me to speak the words that would taunt me every day I lived in America: "Peter, you have been given a chance to live a new life, yet never forget where you came from, be proud to be of the Dinka tribe." If only I had known just how 'golden' America was going to be, I might have just turned around and refused to even board that plane.

My first few months in America proved to be the most alienated, culture shocking time of my life. Many pushing factors broke down my hope for a great life in America. I was treated with no respect, lived in a neighborhood where I was stolen from, always looked upon as a thief or gangster leaving me with little chance to even get a job with enough pay to feed myself. I had never used electricity until now, this place was completely upside-down... How was I supposed to cope? For this time, I lived in Houston, Texas, yet some part of me knew I could do better, I needed an education, but Houston wasn't going to provide it for me, I had to began anew again, all alone, in a new city.

Kansas gave me the fresh start I was searching for. I applied for a high school and even tried to make the basketball team. My fellow brother Santino was still struggling in Houston, which I did feel sorry for, but no-matter where I was, I always felt lonely. No family and little friends to relate to, America seemed like I was a poor child surrounded by rich aliens who knew more about this place than I would ever grasp. I could drive, which let me explore Kansas more, slowly becoming what the Americans called 'assimilated' into their country. I could rarely find the time to donate money back to Sudan, how could I explain to them that I had no time, or money? All they knew was that America was a place of dreams, not this alien world, I had the burning desire to tell them the truth, but my heart was in my head.

Life continued on in Kansas, improving as I became more accustomed to the culture here. I made a few friends within my school, strove for getting into college and even tried to impress the girl I liked. My differences would always stand out, apparently catching birds isn't a good way to impress a girl... but I know it's better than the war stricken country I had the chance to escape from, even if I was lonely. During the celebration of the Lost Boys migration to America, I celebrated with my Christian friends, it was fun, yet I still felt that sense of longing for the family I had left behind.

After a year in America, I was joined by hundreds of other assimilated Lost Boys to join in on a 'camping' trip in Washington to relax and enjoy our lives in America without the stress of our new lives for the first time in a very long while. Being surrounded by those who knew just what it meant and felt like to be a Lost Boy I felt a sense of bonding and understanding for all my fellow brothers around me.

When I returned to America, I continued to improve upon my life everyday, some days harder than others, but as I grow up in my new life, I know deep down inside, this is where I can do my best, for the sake of my people in Sudan and for my own benefit too.

"My Fellow Romans"

The following passage Satoko and I will be reciting to our humanities class is the moment at which Brutus and Cassius meet up in the midst of a loosing battle with Anthony and his men. Cassius instantly spills his fury to Brutus, after the two men have been struggling to keep their lives and Cassius' political choices failing to be seen as usefull to Brutus. Resulting in the two conflicting instantly, while playing strongly on Brutus' self control and Cassius' fustration. This passages signifigance lies within how the two characters have survived the war in Rome and how either men have had conflicting troubles, political choices to make and character flaws of which play a huge role in the following events the two Roman conspirators will face.

Act 4, Scene 3, Lines: 9-38
Brutus: Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm,
To sell and mart your officers for gold
To undeservers.
Cassius: I an itching palm!
You know that you are Brutus that speaks this,
Or, by the gods, this speech will be your last.
Brutus: The name of Cassius honours this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide his head.
Cassius: Chastisement!
Brutus: Remember March, the ides of March remember.
Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?
What villian touch'd his body, that did stab,
And not for justice? What, shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man of all this world
But for supporting robbers, shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
And sell the mighty space of our large honours
For so much trash as may be grasped thus?
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman
Cassius: Brutus, bait not me;
I'll not endure it. You forget yourself,
To hedge me in. I am a soldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.
Brutus: Go to! you are not, Cassius.
Cassius: I am
Brutus: I say you are not.
Cassius: Urge me no more, I shall forget myself;
Have mind upon your health; tempt me no farther.
Brutus: Away, slight man!
Cassius: Is't possible?

School Of Athens ~ Art Of The Renaissance

Art reflects society through its characters and themes included in the painting, particularly in this painting, the Renaissance has influenced this painting to be. The painting School of Athens is a piece dedicated to the whole driving force of the Renaissance period, an age where the thirst for knowledge and observation of the world consumed every man and women caught in it's grasp. This particular painting by Raphael has 2 main points of Renaissance influence. The first is architecture, as you look at the actual building in the painting, it consists of Roman and Greek architectural aspects such as columns, rounded arches, and pagan statues of Roman/Greek gods. The second is the two men in the middle, whom one is a thinker and his apprentice a scientist of observation. This divides the room into two groups, the thinkers on the left and the scientists/observers to the right. The Renaissance was an age of rebirth, this rebirth was of observation, progress, enlightenment, but most importantly, knowledge. So as you have the thinkers like Heraclitus ( a Greek thinker) and Plato (as well as many others) of both Greek and Renaissance era's, the knowledge is also being rediscovered in the Greek and Roman remains too, showing just how well the Renaissance people looked back at their own heritage as well as progressed in their own. Onto the scientists and observers of the real world, they also made impressive progress, but in realistic ideas, rather than the thinkers ideas of dreams, ideas unsupported by proper evidence and passion for the unknown out there in the world and universe around us! So art is a reflection of its society, without it, words are all that is left, but as they say, pictures are stronger than words.

If I were a person from the painting School Of Athens, I would be Athena, for her skills in war, strategy, wisdom yet passion for justice. I have always had a mind for battle, the strategies playing out to imaginary achievements or failures. Athena is a justice loving godess too, which I believe is a trait of great importance, without justice, where would we be? Even now to fight for justice is hard, and I try my best on the scales I have in my hands. I also admire Athena for her wisdom, knowing when to act in a certain way is an art I continue to find important, as well as knowing certain things to help others, such as dealing with certain probelms before or even helping with homework. I wish to be like Athena, with a passion for justice, a slight thirst for action, and a heart of wisdom and strategy.

Leonardo, A Man Of The Renaissance

Leonardo is a true Renaissance man, he was the essence of the free will and ideology the Renaissance is unique for. He was brilliant in science, realistic in art and cunning in math. He had the ability to conquer almost every task he was faced with, the Last Supper, the Angel he contributed with in Botticini’s painting the Baptist of Christ, the Mona Lisa and his numerous flying inventions and war machines. The Renaissance was an era of new knowledge, refining old ideas and becoming a less religious society without loosing faith in God. The Renaissance also took old information and refined it to their own benefit to create an advanced world of information and inventions.