Writing Reflection

Ideas and Content
In my writing, I always check to make sure my ideas and content are clear, relevant and thoughtful, and this shows more in My Alchemist essay than my Julius Caesar one. In my Alchemist essay, my ideas and content were appropriate and interesting. The ways I explained the character traits of Santiago, particularly honesty, that I thought were most important to his journey showed connections that weren't very evident in the story. I dug a bit deeper in the book for this content and still made it appropriate and thought-provoking. However, my language explaining this content in my Alchemist essay was limited, and therefore didn't show the message as well as it could. However, my Julius Caesar essay did not include much impressive ideas. I found that the ideas were repetitive and undeveloped. My idea that Antony thought the conspirators had to be killed in order to let Caesar's spirit "move on" could be more detailed and developed, and so could the rest of my content. I feel that my Alchemist essay could represent more advanced ideas than my Julius Caesar essay.

Organization
The skill I desperately need to work on and use in my writing, organization, is used more effectively in my Alchemist essay than my Julius Caesar essay. In my Alchemist essay, appropriate organization is evident because my topic and conclusion paragraph relate and agree with each other. The thesis statement is included in both, and the sentences around them are clear and concise. Superior organization in this piece could be achieved by having transition sentences that make the essay flow smoothly. In my Julius Caesar essay, my organization was acceptable. The essay was easy to read, thanks to subtle transition sentences, yet due to the lack of agreement between the first and last paragraph, I think the readers would be left confused. I think I forgot to include my thesis statement in the conclusion paragraph, due to the short time span we were allowed in which we needed to write the essay. My Alchemist essay would be a better model of organization than my Julius Caesar essay, although it is something I need to work on in my writing overall.

Personal Growth
I think that the circumstances of which each piece was written by caused my Alchemist essay to be of better writing than my Julius Caesar essay. For my the Alchemist essay, I succeeded in writing a better piece because of the relaxed time and environment I had while writing. Brainstorming and writing were spread out among classes and home, so I had a long time to develop my ideas and make them evident in my writing. In class, everyone was relaxed while typing and that helped me focused and writing at home is always a comfortable experience. In the Julius Caesar essay, though, we had less than a full class period to write our whole essay so the environment was totally different. Usually, I work hard and well under pressure, but I think I hadn't prepared enough to be totally confident about my ideas and approach to Antony's motivators. The time lengths and environments in which we were to write our essays effected my performance on them, making the Alchemist essay succeed the Julius Caesar essay.

SLR Reflection
I think the SLR "Learn Enthusiastically" is necessary to be able to construct a well-crafted essay. I always find that if I don't chose things to write about that I don't have an interest or passion for, I end up despising writing for it and as a result not developing it as much as I could. I think that this is what happened with my Julius Caesar essay, as I didn't enjoy preparing for it. In order to have a great essay, the SLR "Learn Enthusiastically" is mandatory to access.

Aiding the Lost Boys From Making Collage, Thanks to the SLR's!

by: Anonymous

Think Creatively!

There are several ways I thought creatively to form the layout of my collage. I chose to have the images form the last word of my 6 word memoir, "Help". This format was meant to be eye-catching, striking and thought provoking, all the while reminding the viewer that anyone and everyone can help the situation that these boys are in. While designing this collage, I sought to create empathy in everyone who saw it, but not just leave them hanging for ways to take action. Instead, I included logos from various great organizations that aid the Lost Boys and their homeland, Sudan. The layout of my collage demonstrates how I thought creatively in constructing it.

Reason Critically!
Thanks to my critical reasoning, my project could truly be effective in terms of helping the Lost Boys. Right at the beginning of designing my collage, I decided to make it simple, not overwhelming and crowded. This was due to my reasoning that if the pictures and text of my project were clear and concise, the viewer would spend more time processing the information and hopefully taking action than reading the text and seeing the photos. Critical reasoning has helped my project to be somewhat striking and efficient.

Communicate Effectively!
The Lost Boys' history and situation is effectively communicated in my collage. The photos in the last word of my 6 word memoir, "Help", are not in any old order. In fact, they create a sequence of the lost boys' unfortunate history. The order of the photos are this: tribal background, harsh genocide, refugee camps and finally life in America. Through these photos, the stepped migration of the Lost Boys is simply and clearly described. This makes it easier for the people looking at my poster who aren't familiar with the Dinka tribe, let alone the Lost Boys spread awareness of the sticky situation of these people. My collage effectively communicates the story of the Lost Boys which helps spread awareness of their plight.

Live Ethically!
Certain features of my collage may evoke empathy in the viewer. The photos I chose to include in my collage were picked especially to create sympathy for the Lost Boys. Particularly, in the letter "E" of the word "Help" includes very striking images. The letter is filled with photos of war in Sudan as well as boys fleeing their homes, and these subjects tend to stir up sympathy for this cause. Also, I pasted on several facts and statistics about conflict in Sudan and the Lost Boys. When I found these facts I knew I had to include them into my collage because they truly horrified me and therefore would hopefully cause someone to take action as a result. Just in case that occurred, I put the logos of several organizations that can be donated to which support the Lost Boys struggling to survive in Africa as well as the U.S.A. into the "!" at the end of my 6 word memoir. Sympathy for the Lost Boys may be caused in the viewers of my collage due to several different items it includes.

My Collage - Creating Empathy in the Viewer

Julius Caesar Essay

“O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers.” (Act 3, Scene 1) Some men have murdered his best friend, idol and role model for an invalid purpose. Antony felt passionately angry and grievous, but not without good reason. Caesar was assassinated. That was enough for Antony to turn against the conspirators and begin a war against them.

Antony set out to kill the murderers, especially Cassius and Brutus, because of his lust for revenge. The same way his beloved Caesar was slain, so he would slay the assassinators. Revenge then seeps through into his every action, causing him to start a fierce war, and also showing he would not rest until every force opposing Caesar was destroyed. Most of all, Mark Antony wanted to get revenge for the death of his dear friend. “Pardon me, Julius! Here wast thou bay’d, brave hart; Here didst thou fall; and here thy hunters stand, Sign’d in thy spoil, and crimson’d in thy lethe.” (Act 3, Scene 1) When Antony was spouting those lines he was staring at Caesars torn corpse, still caught up in the abruptness of his death. And this is the point when Antony realized, here I am, being friendly with the people who stabbed my friend to death! , and therefore planted the seed of revenge to grow the tree of war. Antony not only thought of Caesar as his buddy, but also as this great ruler who united Rome. “Thou art the ruins of the noblest man that ever lived in the tide of times.” (Act 3, Scene 1) Antony was lamenting over the death of this grand being that led Rome into power. This was yet another reason Antony sought revenge on the conspirators; to make up for the death of the leader he truly respected. Mark Antony had many reasons for starting the war, but this was one that was based on his private motivation and therefore was not as valid as the rest.

Antony felt he had to avenge Caesar’s death, but he also killed the murderers for a sense of justification. He felt that if the conspirators were destroyed, Caesar’s death would be justified and he could move on. In one way, he took it literally and believed that Caesar’s ghost could not move on unless his death was avenged and the conspirators killed. “And Caesar’s spirit, raging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war,” (Act 3, Scene 1) In this quote, Antony was explaining that the spirit of Caesar was restless and wanted to kill his murderers. Therefore, Antony thought he himself should carry out the will of this spirit, in order to justify this act. Antony also thought that Caesar would have wanted his best friend, Antony, to justify his unfair assassination. “… put a tongue In every wound of Caesar that should move The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.” Thrice in Antony’s speeches he refers to Caesars wounds as mouths that compel him to speak for Caesar. This shows that one of Antony’s motivations for the war was to speak and act for Caesar’s corpse to bring about justice. Justice is a suitable reason for a war, but that depends on what exactly Antony’s sense of justice really was.

Antony was experiencing an extreme sense of loss, and was in a very emotional state at the time. His ultimate motivators, revenge and justice, made him persevere with his act and drive out the force against his beloved Caesar. In the end of the play he did just that, and triumphed in the war. Antony totally justified and revenged for Caesar’s death, in his own perspective. But, from my point of view, it was a bad move. Why spill even more blood? If the conspirators had tried to do wrong towards Antony himself, I think he should take action, but otherwise I believe it was completely unnecessary. Revenge is not a legitimate reason to murder unless shows some harm towards one, and even though justice is a valid motive, Antony has a warped sense of it. Part of his decision to take action is not made up of reason but of pure emotion and lingering shock of the murder of Caesar, Antony’s friend and leader.

Watch Out for Peter - A Lost Boy with a Plan

Since enduring the forced migration various young Dinka boys faced in the form of genocide, these children encountered multiple struggles to journey towards the refugee camps. However, not the harsh Sudan climate, nor hungry lions could ever prepare Peter, a Lost Boy from the Dinka tribe, for his experiences in America. Everyone in the refugee camp pictured America as heaven. Little did Peter know, it would make him feel more isolated and lonely than he ever was.

From his stay at Houston, Texas, Peter encountered a number of conflicts dealing with the contrast of culture within his stepped migration. There were a variety of things on his mind when he was assimilating to this strikingly different lifestyle. He must not hold hands or show affection with another man for fear of being labeled a homosexual. He had to manage his own budget, from a boring, minimum waged job and still have enough to send back to the refugee camps in which his friends and family lived in desperate need. He had to go to high school every week and deal with the stress that came as a result. And on top of all this, he had to face the pressure that his people put on him to seek some secret thing in the US that would save his Dinka friends and family. Yet he assimilated well into the brand new culture, managed a healthy lifestyle from his hard work while sending some of his wages home, maintained excellent grades in every subject and did all this with more or less a laid back, can-do attitude.

Did Peter really manage all this because of his cruel past? Did his harsh history make him that much stronger?

Julius Caesar - Duet Performance

The passage we chose is the one where Brutus and Cassius engage in a fight. Presently, Brutus and his army are awaiting Cassius and his own army to join them so they can start the war with Antony over Rome. Brutus has just declined a request from Cassius arguing against the banishment of Lucius Pella, a man who had been taking bribes from the Sardians. Meanwhile, Brutus is outraged that Cassius’ refusal for money. Brutus was then talking with Pindarus when Cassius arrives with his own army. Both fuming at each other, they get enter a private tent before they burst out, accusing and nagging each other constantly. However, Cassius then tactically exposed his chest for Brutus to stab at and demanded that Brutus do so. Brutus, miserable from the news of Portia’s suicide, all of a sudden decided to forgive Cassius of his intense verbal attack and soon they are like brothers again, the whole argument forgotten.
This passage is significant because it shows how the conspirators are questioning Caesar’s death. It shows Brutus becoming desperate, and clinging onto any reason that assassinating Caesar was an honorable act. This passage is also significant because it shows how Cassius, thus far, has been relying on Brutus being gullible and being easily manipulated by Cassius. Therefore, if Brutus was to accept all the flattery and become the ruler of Rome, Cassius would be able to control his decisions and therefore “control Rome”. This is majorly significant because it determines if Cassius’ original plan will work, or if he had underestimated Brutus, and therefore determines the characters’ destinies and the whole course of the remaining story.

This passage is in Act 4, scene 3 and is from lines 65 to 122 and 142 to 161.


BRUTUS
You have done that you should be sorry for.
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats,
For I am arm'd so strong in honesty
That they pass by me as the idle wind,
Which I respect not. I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me:
For I can raise no money by vile means:
By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash
By any indirection: I did send
To you for gold to pay my legions,
Which you denied me: was that done like Cassius?
Should I have answer'd Caius Cassius so?
When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,
To lock such rascal counters from his friends,
Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts;
Dash him to pieces!


CASSIUS
I denied you not.


BRUTUS
You did.


CASSIUS
I did not: he was but a fool that brought
My answer back. Brutus hath riv’d my heart:
A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.


BRUTUS
I do not, till you practise them on me.


CASSIUS
You love me not.


BRUTUS
I do not like your faults.


CASSIUS
A friendly eye could never see such faults.


BRUTUS
A flatterer's would not, though they do appear
As huge as high Olympus.


CASSIUS
Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,
For Cassius is aweary of the world;
Hated by one he loves; brav’d by his brother;
Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observed,
Set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart:
Strike, as thou didst at Caesar; for, I know,
When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better
Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.


BRUTUS
Sheathe your dagger:
Be angry when you will, it shall have scope;
Do what you will, dishonour shall be humour.
O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb
That carries anger as the flint bears fire;
Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,
And straight is cold again.


CASSIUS
Hath Cassius lived
To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,
When grief, and blood ill-temper'd, vexeth him?


BRUTUS
When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd too.


CASSIUS
Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.


BRUTUS
And my heart too.


CASSIUS
O Brutus!


BRUTUS
What's the matter?


CASSIUS
Have not you love enough to bear with me,
When that rash humour which my mother gave me
Makes me forgetful?


BRUTUS
Yes, Cassius; and, from henceforth,
When you are over-earnest with your Brutus,
He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so.

BRUTUS
Lucius, a bowl of wine!


LUCIUS Exits


CASSIUS
I did not think you could have been so angry.


BRUTUS
O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.


CASSIUS
Of your philosophy you make no use,
If you give place to accidental evils.


BRUTUS
No man bears sorrow better.
Portia is dead.


CASSIUS
Ha! Portia!

BRUTUS
She is dead.


CASSIUS
How 'scaped I killing when I cross'd you so?
O insupportable and touching loss!
Upon what sickness?


BRUTUS
Impatient of my absence,
And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony
Have made themselves so strong:--for with her death
That tidings came;--with this she fell distract,
And, her attendants absent, swallow'd fire.


CASSIUS
And died so?


BRUTUS
Even so.


CASSIUS
O ye immortal gods!


enter LUCIUS, with wine and taper


BRUTUS
Speak no more of her. Give me a bowl of wine.
In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.


CASSIUS
My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge.
Fill, Lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup;
I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love.


My partner is Meagen.

The School of Athens - A Symbolic Painting

The School of Athens - Raphael

Art can reflect the culture and structure of societies, particularly The School of Athens by Raphael, by the trend of incorporating realism into the painting though its theme and subjects. The theme of the painting is the big idea of the piece and, because paintings are often planned carefully, is bound to portray something meaningful to the artist. And the things that are the most important to the artist often show what was really one the minds of people at that time period. For instance, in the painting The School of Athens you can notice an extremely prominent theme: Humanism. The artist, Raphael, enraptures a thirst and eagerness for knowledge that is displayed everywhere in the painting. This gives us a glimpse of what society was back in the Renaissance. Judging by the painting, it was mainly revolving around education and advancement. Not only the theme gives us a hint about society, but the subjects included in the painting give a great deal away as well. Again, painters normally ponder the structure and meaning of their painting before beginning the piece and therefore, if it is not a simple portrait or landscape, paint people’s body and face to convey a specific message. If there are multiple people in the painting, their interactions, shown by body language and facial expression, can tell you a lot about society. In The School of Athens, Raphael paints people learning from, debating against and simply ignore one another. Each individual illustrates a point about society in the Renaissance. Similar to the theme and the setting of the painting, these interactions mostly have to do with knowledge and understanding, as the school would not be a place of social life back then. Both the theme of and people in the painting are included in the realism of a painting to convey a society, which is used effectively in The School of Athens by Raphael.

In the painting The School of Athens by Raphael, I would be the statue of Apollo in the wall on the left side of the painting. This god is known for light, sun, truth, prophecy, archery, medicine, the arts and more. He is one of the most important Olympian Deities. This god and I both represent harmony, order and reason. The statue shows Apollo in a slightly feminine manner, which I think I portray as well. He stands on Plato's side of the painting, the side of Natural Philosophy.