Alchemist and Julius Caesar

Ideas and Content
My writing contains appropriate ideas and content because I choose quotations and ideas that relate to the topic I'm writing about. I try to make the ideas flow so there are not random ideas being thrown out from everywhere and I always try to stay on topic and not travel off the reservation. There is always room for improvement and I need to start to dig deeper into the topic because sometimes my expanations can be a bit bland. In my Alchemist essay I don't think I added enough detail when talking about my quotations or explaining why I chose the different traits which was basically the whole essay. I need to start finding quotations that add a better understanding for people who wouln not necissarily know what I'm talking about.

Organization
I always try to use the right organization but I sometimes have trouble. In my Julius Caesar essay I tried to introduce the quotation before I wrote it down and try to connect it afterwards to try to make more sense. I had trouble with this in my Alchemist essay, also because I lacked details it made it more difficult. If I added more supporting details it would make the organization of the text easier because I would have more to work with and it would make it easier to understand.

Persomal Growth
I do see improvement in my Julius Caesar essay. There seems to be a lot more meat on the paragraphs because I know I had more details in this essay. I did't enjoy reading 'The Alchemist' as much as I enjoyed 'Julius Caesar' and I think I actually was able to understand it better as well because there weren't so many hidden meanings. I found the Julius Caesar unit very interesting and I think that had a huge role on my improvement and undestanding of the subject.

SLR's
I think when writing an essay you really have to think creatively. You have to be crative with the quotes you chose, the order of them, and you need to be craftey with the words you use to describe them and the topic. Also, it's difficult just to start creating the base for the essay so I think that also takes a lot of thought and creativity as well.

Did the End Justify the Means?

“Shall Rome stand under one man’s awe? What, Rome? My ancestors did from the streets of Rome the Tarquin drive, when he was call’d a king…Am I entreated to speak and strike?”(Act 2 Scene 1, 52-56) Brutus was battling inside about what he should do. He loved Caesar yet he believed he would become a tyrant. Brutus believed Caesar was ambitious and was leading Rome in the wrong direction, so because of his honor and his love for the Roman people, Brutus became a conspirator, which led to the death of Caesar.

Honor is what Brutus loves and he would do anything to keep it. Because Brutus’s ancestors fought for the Roman republic, Brutus believed it was his duty to keep it that way and to keep his family’s honor. Cassius is able to manipulate Brutus so that he would join the conspiracy because he knew how much Brutus loved his honor. “Believe me for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor, that you may believe.”(Act 3 Scene 2, 14-15) Brutus believed that he was a very honorable man, and he thought that killing Caesar would make him more honorable, for Caesar was becoming ambitious. After the conspirators kill Caesar Brutus tells the people that he did it for them and he says that he should listen to him because he is honorable. Throughout the play Brutus talks about his honor, and it is usually his excuse for doing some things. “For let the gods so speed me as I love the name honor more than I fear death.”(Act 1 Scene 2, 87-88) This took place when Brutus was speaking to Cassius after Caesar’s return to Rome. Brutus would rather die with honor than live without it. Because of this Brutus was willing to kill Caesar in order to keep his honor. Because Brutus loved his honor so much, he thought killing Caesar was the best way to keep it and keep the Roman people safe.

Caesar was becoming a Tyrant, that is what Brutus believed, and he believed that the people would loose all rights under Caesar’s hand. Brutus’s ancestors fought for the people’s freedom and rights, they fought for the republic so he wanted to make sure that these rights were not taken away from them. In the speech Brutus gave at Caesar’s funeral, he wanted the people to know what he thought would have happened. “ Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men?”(Act 3 Scene 2, 20-23) Brutus told the people that he killed Caesar for them, and if he had not, Caesar would have taken away their freedom. Brutus wanted the people to be free and thought Caesar did not so he knew killing Caesar was the only way to help the people. When Brutus was talking to Cassius at the beginning of the play he said, “What is it that you would impart to me? If it be aught toward the general good…” (Act 1 Scene 2, 83-84) Brutus listened to what Cassius had to say because he wanted to help the people, make sure the people had rights. Brutus loved the people of Rome and wanted them to have their freedom but he believed Caesar would not let it be so.

Brutus could not decide whether or not killing Caesar was the best idea but he soon decided that it was best for him and his honor, and for the people of Rome and their freedom. Brutus wanted to keep Rome a republic because that meant he would not become just another slave under the rule of Caesar, which meant he could still have honor. The Roman people believe in Brutus as well as Caesar, but because he believed Caesar was becoming ambitious, Brutus knew he needed to help the Roman people. Brutus somewhat succeeded because he killed Caesar, the only problem was that he could not convince the people that he did the right thing. Brutus’s goal was noble because he was only trying to help, the one thing he should have thought of was a different way he could have helped, that did not result in death.

Lost Boys Collage

Think Creatively

While making our collages we really had to think about the images and words we used in order to get a better emotional response that would make people want to help. In the top right corner of my collage I have the word 'saved' placed in a sun showing that there was and is hope, a light at the end of the tunnel. I liked this because it shows that people can still help. Even though some of the 'Lost Boys' had the chance at a new life, they were not the only ones who needed help.

Reason Critically

Some of the images I used I think show the struggles the boys faced and some of the words show how they felt. There is one image of the boys walking, looking exhausted and this was definitely significant becauseit was a long, hard journey for them and many boys died along the way. The word 'small' was also used to show how they felt helpless and alone, small, as if no one saw them.

Communicate Effectively

My collage creates awareness of the situation of the 'Lost Boys' because it shows the troubles that they faced and how they felt and it also shows how some of them were able to go to school and graduate so I think that it does show the whole story. Also, my six word memoir tells what happened to the villages just in much shorter words.

Live Ethically

I think my collage is powerfull and even though it's made up of pictures and words, together I think that it's very strong and would make people want to take action. My collage shows only some of the problems that were faced and some of the good things that have happened over the past few years and if an audience knew it was only pieces of the story I think that they would want to make a difference and help the people that are in need.

The "Lost Boys" in The "New World"

In the documentary film, "the Lost Boys of Sudan," a large group of the boys are chosen to travel to the United States for a better education and life. When they arrive in the States they live in different cities. Peter was one of the boys, he first lived in Houston, Texas but latter realized that he was having trouble trying to get an educationso and moved to Kansas City. While in Kansas city he went to high school. Something that I found quite disturbing was the way that people saw the boys. Most of the American people that they met just assumed that, because they were from a different country, they were stupid, and they didn't understand. When Peter was going to graduate from high school he went to the counselling office because he needed to take a test in order to get into a four year college, the man was shocked that Peter had made it into the Honor Society and had already written his essay. The man didn't know what to say, Peter had done well, he was shocked. When Peter was still in Houston with some of the other boys they were talking about what they thought of the country so far and came to the conclusion that in order to fit in they needed to leave their culture in Africa. Also, they realized that some people were actually frightened of them because of their skin color. There were also other very racial comments made to them, one of the boys had a jod at a supermarket and had the job of collecting all of the carts from the parking lot because the manager said that because they were from Africa, and were used to the heat, that they could work outside all day. The boys faced many descriminations when they came to the United States just because of their skin color and where they were from but they were still able to succeed in the end.

Julius Caesar

The streets of Rome are packed with people awaiting the return of the mighty Caesar who has defeated the great Pompey. Two tribunes, Marullus and Flavius are trying to get the people off the streets and telling them they should be working, not celebrating.

Act 1, Scene 1

(33-76)

Marullus: Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home? What tributaries follow him to Rome, to grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels? You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things! O you hard hearts, You cruel men of Rome, knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft have you climb'd up to walls and battlements, to towers and windows, yea, to chimney-tops, your infants in your arms, and there have sat the livelong day, with patiant expectation, to see the great Pompey pass the streets of Rome: and when you saw his chariot but appear, have you noy made a universal shout, that Tiber trembled underneath her banks to hear the replication of your sounds made in her concave shores? And do you now put on your best attire? And do you now cull out a holiday? And do you now strew flowers in his way, that comes in triumphover Pompey's blood? Be gone! Run to your houses, fall upon your knees, pray to the gods to intermit the plague that needs must light on this ingratitude.

Flavius: Go, go, good country men, and for this fault assemble all the poor men of your sort; draw them to Tiber banks, and weep your tears into the channel, till the lowest stream do kiss the most exalted shores of all.

(Exeunt all the Commeners)

See where their baset mettle be not mov'd; they vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness. Go you down that way towards the Capitol; This way will I. Disrobe the images, if you find them deck'd with ceremonies.

Marullus: May we do so? You know it is the Feast of Lupercal.

Flavius: It is no matter; let no images be hung with Caesar's trophies. I'll about and drive the vulgar from the streets; so do you too, where you perceive them thick. These growing feathers plucked from Caesar's wing will make him fly an ordinary pitch, who else would soar above the view of men and keep us all in servile fearfulness.

Erin and I chose this peice because it shows how the different people veiw Caesar. It shows how the people of Rome quickly decided that they wanted Caesar as their leader instead of Pompey because Caesar defeated Pompey. Also, we learn how the represenatives of the people, or the tribunes feel about Caesar, they believe that Caesar would become a tyrant and the people would become slaves. What is very interesting though is how the tribunes veiw the people. They don't like them, they think they are idiots who don't think for themselves, they are like sheeps, thay only follow, this we find latter to be true.