Essay Reflection

My writing demonstrates appropriate ideas and content because it is always on topic and goes in chronological order. My ideas are all related to the topic as is the content i write. In my Julius Caesar essay i devote entire paragraphs to Cassius' traits. In those paragraphs i include only what my topic sentence says the paragraph is about. I also include appropriate content that may have gone off topic a little, but it would always be related to my topic sentence. I could include my writing by elaborating more and really explaining the details so everybody will understand what i am writing about. i could enhance content by explaining what happened that led up to what i am talking about. this would provide readers with some background so they understand what i writing. My writing demonstrates appropriate organization by presenting my ideas in the order that they happen, this does not confuse the reader and makes it easier for people who have not read the play easier to understand. i could improve my writing to demonstrate superior organization by making my paragraphs contain writing in order not just miscellaneous excerpts from the novel that support my claims. I noticed a significant amount of improvement because i got to design and plan my essay in peace, whereas during the Alchemist essay i was surrounded by my classmates all clamoring around shouting their ideas out and interrupting my ideas. i was unable to think up good supporting ideas for my paragraphs and worst of all i was unable to think of a good thesis statement. without a good thesis statement and supporting ideas my essay went downhill from there and turned out to be a conglomeration of ideas that did not make much sense and did not earn me a good grade. in my essay i used the SLR think creatively, i demonstrated this SLR by imagining creative ideas and communicating them effectively to my readers.

Cassius the Covetous

“Why man, he doth bestride the world like a colossus, and we petty men walk under is huge legs, and peep about to find ourselves dishonorable graves.” (Act 1 Scene 2) This quote shows that Cassius thinks Caesar’s reputation is too good and that Caesar’s reputations should be the same as the other, “petty” men. Cassius is driven to murder Caesar by his jealousy of Caesar’s reputation and his greed for Caesar’s power that in the end cost him and his friends their lives.
Avarice, acquisitiveness, avidity, covetousness, piggishness and greed are all the same thing; they are also one of the main motivating factors for Cassius. Cassius is driven by greed because he wants to be the best and in order to become the best you can not have any superiors and the only immediate superior in Cassius’ ascension to the apex of the roman republic is Caesar therefore Caesar must fall. Cassius has always felt strongly that Caesar should die and audits his opinions aloud to Brutus meanwhile trying to convince him. “Ye gods! It doth amaze me a man of such a feeble temper should so get the start of the majestic world and bear the palm alone.” (Act 1 Scene 2). This quotation means that Cassius believes he should rule Rome with Caesar. Cassius sincerely believes that Caesar does not deserve his social status and that he, Cassius, should be his equal. This motivates Cassius because it makes him furious that Caesar is at the peak of the roman republic meanwhile Cassius is only one or two rungs blow Caesar on the roman ladder of class. Cassius calls Caesar a colossus but one can assume he was using verbal irony and actually thinks of Caesar as a weak dominant despot who climbs on the roman citizens as if they are a huge ladder and when he gets to the top he alienates and becomes aloof to all the people who helped him ascend to the apex as if they had been antiquated instantly. Greed is one of the most heinous and powerful motivating factors men are influenced by. Getting everything you want honestly is very difficult and many people are incapable of doing this. Keeping an army well supplied with food, armor and weapons is a very cost consuming task that consumed Cassius’ coffers and left him penniless; however with Antony and Octavius’ armies growing larger by the day, Cassius knew he had to find a way to get money and he didn’t care if it was legitimate or not so he turned to selling favors for money. Brutus the honorable hero caught wind of Cassius’ services and said, “let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself are much condemned to have an itching palm, to sell and mart your offices for gold to undeservers.” (Act 4 Scene 3). This quote shows an honest Roman’s view of Cassius and means that even honorable men like Brutus think Cassius has an itching palm or a palm that must come into contact with coins, an itch is something you scratch compulsively because it is second nature and grazing Cassius’ palm with money is necessary in order to assuage the itch. This motivates Cassius because both Antony and Octavius have massive armies, but Cassius wants a bigger army than them, this quote shows the great lengths Cassius is willing to go to in order to conquer his enemies; however this source of revenue was ephemeral for Brutus made sure Cassius stopped selling and marting his office for money. On the other hand Cassius was not just an itching palm but looked upon Julius Caesar with jaundice and brimmed with Choler at his own insignificance.
Cassius looked upon Caesar resplendent in all his glory green with envy. Cassius knows without a doubt that Caesar does not deserve his position in the Roman Republic and greatly envies Caesar. This makes him feel murderous and violent towards Caesar. Jealousy shows in Cassius because he is constantly criticizing how Caesar is better than him and saying what is different about Caesar that made him ascend to the top of the Roman Republic? Cassius was testing Brutus about his loyalty to Caesar when Brutus tells Cassius he fears that Caesar will be chosen as a king. Cassius pounces on his opportunity and launches into a diatribe against Caesar in which he says, “I was born free as Caesar; so were you; we have both fed as well and we can both endure the winter’s cold as well as he” (Act 1 Scene 2). This quote means I was born just like Caesar, I have eaten the same food as Caesar and I am as tough as Caesar, but why am I not as powerful as Caesar? This quotation shows Cassius feels as if he has been greatly wronged by Caesar and Cassius eventually contrived to murder Caesar. Cassius states he is superior to Caesar by saying, “I, as Aenas, our great ancestor, did from the flames of Troy upon his should the old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber did I the tired Caesar. And this man is now become a god, and Cassius is a wretched creature, and must bend his body if Caesar carelessly but nod on him.” (Act 1 Scene 2). In this quote Cassius shows what he thinks of himself and what he thinks of Caesar. This quote shows exactly how Cassius thinks of himself and what he thinks of Caesar. Men all make mistakes and Cassius’ worst mistakes were: thinking he was Caesar equal and trusting Marcus Brutus’ bad judgment.
“Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference” (Voltaire). Cassius should have realized that the reason Caesar was better than he was would not be a physical quality it would be their sense of virtue, of right and wrong that made them different. Cassius cared only about the corporeal qualities in which their was little difference between him and Caesar however philosophically and tactically Caesar was superior therefore he became the ruler while Cassius became the servant. This of course would make anyone especially a philosopher like Cassius feel angry and jealous and since Cassius ponders indefinitely about how he and Caesar are physically alike these two emotions eat away at his insides until he knows without a doubt he has to kill Caesar. Cassius was a man of action just as much as he was a man of thought and contemplation, but in his envy for Caesar he did not plan well and Caesar’s downfall turned out to be his own as well. Cassius partially achieved his goal because he got Caesar out of his way but then Antony came along, made him and the conspirators an anathema to the people of Rome and repressed him until he committed suicide in the end. One can assume that Cassius would have been better off obeying Caesar instead of dead but obviously Cassius had not foreseen this and therefore this was his downfall. I believe Cassius’ goal was ignoble and unworthy. Cassius’ goal was for personal gain and his jealousy of how one man became better than he. These are selfish goals that characterize Cassius as the selfish senator that he is. This just goes to show, “Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race” (William E. Gladstone).

Heaven Does Not Exist On Earth

Death; Change! Has God forsaken us? Throughout their arduous adventure the lost boys of Sudan encountered death time and time again. From death change has arisen ultimately changing the lost boy’s lives some say for the better meanwhile some say for the worse. In their homeland of Sudan the lost boys faced many difficulties including military oppression from the North in the form of armed soldiers and a tank, food shortages shown by many hands reaching for a ball of maize and food thievery exemplified by a well-nourished healthy Sudanese citizen stealing the maize of a malnourished underfed indigent street urchin. Upon hearing that 4,000 lucky kids would be going to America which the other children claimed would be, “like heaven” the 4,000 children discovered that there was no such thing as heaven on Earth and even if there was it sure was not in America. Shortages of money, barriers of skin color and languages made the lost boys unable to find well paying jobs or even go to school. Racism was as common as dirt in America, there are small patches of it here and there but in some areas it is widespread meanwhile in others it is nearly non- existent. The lost boys did encounter some signs of racism as shown by the KKK logo. The lost boys were also shocked by the culture of the white people and were shocked by their ways as a Christian would be shocked by the ways of a Satanist represented by the symbol of a pentagram. Age was a difficulty for many of the lost boys because if they were judged to be older than 18 they could not go to school and would be stuck in a poverty trap for the rest of their life, whereas if they could get an education they could go on to become successful in life and rise through the social ranks one day becoming somebody; I used a picture of a lost boy working at a Wal Mart to show menial work and being stuck in a poverty trap and a picture of 2 lost boys graduating to show success.

SLR Reflection:
Think Creatively:
My collage has many creative aspects to it. My collage utilizes clan and religious symbols to tell the struggles and conflicts the lost boys faced while in America. The symbol of the notorious KKK is used to describe racism while the inverted star is the symbol of perversion and evil which may be how the lost boys felt America was like.
Reason Critically:
I showed that I understood many of the conflicts that the lost boys were going through by showing tProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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m through pictures i.e. empty wallet meant financial problems in America. I included a picture of helicopter gunner and a tank to show the civil war that lasted 21 years and tore Sudan into pieces. I also showed pictures of how the Sudanese treated each other, in the very top of my poster I have a picture of a well nourished man stealing maize from a starving boy; this is inhumane and shows why the nation is in pieces.
Communicate Effectively:
My collage shows that there are many Sudanese people starving and dying daily. The U.S has attempted to help by giving 4000 of the lost boys asylum inside of the U.S but in the U.S the boys fortunate enough to have gained asylum there still face many of the same problems they did in Sudan such as poverty and getting an education. They have also encountered additional problems such as: racism, hate, crime, and financial problems.
Live Ethically:
My collage displays empathy for the plight of the Lost Boys of Sudan because it shows all they have been through and what they continually have to deal with on a daily basis. My collage shows many of the lost boy’s problems and the viewer can observe these problems and decide what they can do to help. However a few obvious suggestions include: donating money, donating food, water, clothes and educational materials.

From Dinkaland to America

Assimilation into a new culture is always difficult for everybody. Peter Nyarol Dut was only four years old when his village was attacked by the militia of the Northern Sudanese Government He was separated from his mother and siblings but remained with his father however his father died on him a few days into their long arduous adventure to asylum. Peter demonstrated strength by pushing on and reaching a refugee camp in Ethiopia. After living at the refugee camp for 11 years Peter was fortunate enough to be arbitrarily selected to go to make a new life for himself in America. While in Africa Peter thought going to America would be like living in heaven however when Peter arrived in America he found himself feeling despondent because the first place he lived in Houston, Texas was not helping him enough so he moved to Kansas in the hopes of more help and maybe an education. When Peter arrived in Kansas he did find a more generous community and find a school he could attend; however there was still many forms of racial discrimination that made assimilation into the American society difficult. Some of these factors include language barriers stereotyping, racial discrimination, and culture shock . In Sudan the lost boys probably spoke their own languages but in America, if you don't speak English only a select group of people can understand you and you are at a disadvantage because if you cannot communicate you can not find work, make friends or buy some things. All countries have their stereotypes and in America a common stereotype of African Americans is that they are dumb and use brute force to make a living; however meanwhile Peter may play basketball, but he works hard to survive in America and is getting educated in the hopes that one day he will be able to have a better life. When Peter first enrolled in his school his counselor thought that he would be stupid and fail all his classes however Peter surprised him by receiving a letter from the National Honor Society. There are also many differences between cultures, the best example of racial discrimination is when they are talking amongst themselves, they say, "the white people think just because we are black we want to hurt them" it is true many crimes have been committed by African Americans but the Lost Boys of Sudan work hard for their living and do not resort to crime; also at Peter's part time job at Wal Mart his boss said they were from Africa so they could take the heat. Anybody can take the heat but most people would prefer to work out of it, i was flabbergasted that anybody could show such cultural ignorance. Meanwhile some people are ignorant of cultures some people, like Peter, are confused or shocked by cultures. Culture shock is a condition of disorientation affecting someone who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture or way of life or set of attitudes. In Sudan Peter religion of choice was Christianity and he thought that all Christian Churches would be the same as his, however when he arrived in America and started attending some bible meetings he found that the American way of worship was superlatively different from the African way. Peter got over this shock by tuning out a little and watching what the other children did, then by following their examples he could blend in more and become more like the people around him. Peter also realized the difference in social class between him and his friends Peter feels he is poor because all the children he hangs out with have parents who provide for them however he only has himself therefore he feels different and in this case different means poor. Peter is now a student at Green Mountain College in Vermont with a full scholarship.

Julius Caesar

1. Brutus and the conspirators are about to assassinate Caesar. All the conspirators are spread out around Caesar and are trying to get him to re-appeal the sentence that he gave to Metellus Cimber’s brother Publius Cimber meanwhile Casca is sneaking up behind Caesar.

2. This passage is important because it shows how high Caesar thinks he is. Caesar reveals a lot about himself in this passage that is why I think it is significant. This is also one of Caesar’s last self comparisons which makes the reader/ viewer feel unremorseful about his imminent and untimely death.

3. The passage is in act 3 scene 1 Lines 58- 71.

1. Brutus and the conspirators are about to assassinate Caesar. All the conspirators are spread out around Caesar and are trying to get him to re-appeal the sentence that he gave to Metellus Cimber’s brother Publius Cimber meanwhile Casca is sneaking up behind Caesar.

2. This passage is important because it shows how high Caesar thinks he is. Caesar reveals a lot about himself in this passage that is why I think it is significant. This is also one of Caesar’s last self comparisons which makes the reader/ viewer feel unremorseful about his imminent and untimely death.

3. The passage is in act 3 scene 1 Lines 58- 71.

4. I could be well moved, if I were as you:
If I could pray to move, prayers would move me:
But I am constant as the northern star,
Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.
The skies are painted with unnumber'd sparks,
They are all fire and every one doth shine,
But there's but one in all doth hold his place:
So in the world; 'tis furnish'd well with men,
And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive;
Yet in the number I do know but one
That unassailable holds on his rank,
Unshaked of motion: and that I am he,
Let me a little show it, even in this;
That I was constant Cimber should be banish'd,
And constant do remain to keep him so.

5. I am not part of a duet.

Analysing "The School of Athens"

Art can be a mirror of society because artists draw society as it is when they are living so when an artist draws a picture they are actually mirroring society. The School of Athens is a fresco started in 1510 and finished in 1511 by Raphael Sanzio da Urbino. The painting consists of a Greco Roman building filled with some of the greatest thinkers of the time such as: Plato, Aristotle, diogenes, Xenophon, Eschines, Alcibiades, Socrates, Parmenides, Xenocrates, Aristoxenes, Pythagoras, Averroës, Zeno and Epicurus. I know that the building is built using Greco Roman architecture because there are many examples of Greek and Roman architecture i.e: you can clearly see roman arches spanning the length of the painting and in between the main chamber where these loquacious philosophers are depicted and the next chamber further back you can barely make out a dome supported by columns. I know for a fact that the greeks were polytheists because they had a god for everything Ares was the god of war and Zeus was the god of the sky and thunder; there are multiple statues of greek gods and goddesses such as Hera. The nature of this painting is in my opinion a very learned congregation of people from different time period and different cities; there is lots of learning and teaching going on in this painting by some very intelligent philosophers. However in order to make these famous philosophers recognizable the artist of this painting had to use many artistic techniques, in this painting Raphael uses lines of perspective to give the painting depth and lead us to the vanishing and focal point. However just making the background seem realistic is not enough to make a masterpiece, Raphael also used foreshortening as well as light and shade to make the figures look realistic and lifelike. All artwork can be traced back to a few elements: color, value, form, line, space, shape and texture. The colors in this painting are extremely vivid especially in the togas. The difference between light and dark in this masterpiece are as clear as polished glass, they stick out like sore thumbs and make the picture "come alive". The form of the objects in this painting were very meticulously painted with unerring accuracy by Raphael. All shapes are made by lines, lines create the form in this picture. Space is another element crucial to producing a "perfect" painting, the space filled by objects is important but the negative space matters as well. There are also many shapes in this picture that make up the building, the people and also the background. It is very easy to tell if a picture was masterfully painted or not, if the picture appears to have texture or makes you think that the painting feels a certain way then the picture has been painted by a pro, if not, you decide. When i first looked at this painting one of the first things i noticed was the togas that the people in this painting were wearing; togas are a distinctive garb from ancient Rome. Like i said earlier art mirrors society because the artist paints the society as it is in the painting, thanks to this painting we have a good idea of what greece looked like in Raphael's time.

If I was part of this painting I would be Plato. Plato was a famous greek philospher and mathematician who taught many brilliant people such as Aristotle. I like to be in the foreground at the center of the piece. In this painting Plato is the focal point and he is having a heated discussion with his pupil Aristotle. Plato is a very intelligent and charismatic individual who idolized Socrates. The reason I would choose to be Plato over all the other famous philosophers in this painting is because Plato just looks like a stereotypical philosopher, Plato also bears a startling resemblance to Leonardo Da Vinci. Plato thinks on a scale above most humans, I would like to have this ability and I envy Plato's good fortune of having such a high level of intelligence. I am unlike Plato because I am not as intelligent and I do not care so much for philosophy but I feel that I am similar to Plato in my goal of understanding how things work. Unlike Plato I am not intelligent enough to answer half of my own questions. Plato is a brilliant human being who should be a role model to everybody. like Plato I enjoy publishing and sharing my ideas but most of the time my ideas are no good whereas Plato's ideas are paragons that everybody accepts as the truth.

Da Vinci

1. Da Vinci was a true renaissance man because he was one of the notable individuals who made the renaissance what it was. It is brilliant men like Da Vinci that helped us get where we are today technologically. Back in the day Da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines, tanks, canals, giant guns and bringing the simpler, more testable ones to life. Back in Da Vinci's day he could only build a few of the miracles he thought up but today, when his machines are brought to life, they actually work. Many of the models in the museum shocked me with their usefulness and many of them looked really intimidating. Da vinci did a good job of making weapons even though he was a pacifist. Da Vinci was a very secretive man and rightly so because if he hadn't been secretive he wouldn't have gotten all the credit for his work but the bad thing about his secrecy is that the world was robbed of lots of his brilliant ideas when he died because nobody understood him and he was truly one of a kind. Da Vinci was the master of making marvels and is in my opinion a true renaissance man.

Da Vinci's tank: http://images.google.com/imgresimgurl=http://henk.fox3000.com/retrokit/retro/RPT001.jpg&imgrefurl=http://henk.fox3000.com/retrokit.htm&usg=__40CLOg95mBwXn-eVCYfCFp-ZVQ0=&h=500&w=658&sz=20&hl=en&start=6&sig2=bh5q5yCmTcu5NDU9UKa9GA&tbnid=to9tSvIBXHB0tM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=138&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dda%2Bvinci%2Btank%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den&ei=rPXNSrT7MpOVkAXno538Aw