Essay Reflection

In my writing I demonstrate appropriate ideas and content through my quotes and explanations. For example, in my Alchemist essay, I put the quote “‘an army is coming’ said the boy, ‘I had a vision’” and then went on to explain the context and the significance of this quote. In my essay, where I put this quote I was using it as an example of why Santiago was an honest character. I think that to improve my writing I could have been more elaborate with my reasoning and covered more of the context for the quotes to further express my ideas in my writing. Throughout my essay, you can tell that I have appropriate organization because the format of my paragraphs is the same in each because I have the opening statement, quote, explanation, quote, explanation, sentence that leads to next paragraph. To demonstrate superior organization in my writing I think I could have been more specific with my ideas and really just kept it to one point. I think that I should have been more concise in what I was saying, and in some points I think I repeated myself a bit and to improve that I should have just said it, and not dwelled on it. I think I did improve with my essay from Alchemist to Julius Caesar because in Julius Caesar I felt like I was more detailed with what I said and I covered the criteria better. I think it showed, because in the Alchemist I had to re-do the essay to get a B, and in the Julius Caesar essay I got a B on the first time round. (: For my essay I think I used reason critically. I choose this because while constructing my Julius Caesar essay, I knew that we had to write it in class and not at home so I knew that I had to work on it at home in order to do better in class. So at home I wrote out what I thought was a good essay, and then I wrote notes on the planning sheet so that I knew what I was going to write about for the paragraphs. Also with both essays, I planned a lot and I had to reason critically to find the best quotes to support my main ideas in my essays.

JC Essay

Influenced, shaped and killed by Love


“Honor, for his Valor; and death, for his ambition.” Page 130. Brutus is one of the main characters in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. This quote signifies the strength of Brutus’ beliefs. Brutus has a very passionate and undying love for Rome. He is motivated to keep Rome the beautiful city he believes it is and he is not willing to let Caesar destroy it. Brutus is a patriotic, honorable man who believes that Caesar is going to ruin his beloved city of Rome. Brutus conspires against Caesar because he is convinced it is the honorable thing to do for his city.

As the novel progresses, we see that one of Brutus’ main motivators for his actions is honor. Brutus is motivated to protect Rome from the rumors he hears of Caesars ambition getting in the way of the Roman democracy, and Caesar wanting to become king. Believing that he is doing the ethical by the people of Rome and Rome itself, Brutus conspires against Caesar, and plans to take him down before Caesar can take down Rome. “Lets kill him boldly, but not wrathfully; lets carve him as a dish fit for the gods, not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds.” Page 74. In this quote, Brutus is in a meeting with the conspirators and is trying to convince them that, because they are doing the honorable thing by Rome and it’s people, they should do the honorable thing by Caesar as well. In his speech Brutus shows that he believes they are doing the right thing by Rome and are preventing -along with healing- the city from destruction. To further prove that Brutus is motivated by honor, he goes on to say, “Believe me, for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor, to that you may believe.” Page 128. In this quote, Brutus and the conspirators have slain Caesar, and are explaining to the people of Rome, their reasons for the murder of Caesar. This quote means that Brutus is trying to explain to the people, that they have to have faith in his honor, because he did it for honor. In his speech, Brutus truly stresses honor over and over to drive home his main motivation.

Along with honor, Brutus’ patriotism took a big part in his motivation for killing Caesar. Brutus’ deep and passionate love for Rome wouldn’t let anything come in the way of that. It is clearly proven that Brutus is motivated by patriotism when he says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” Page 128. This quote is also from Brutus’ speech when he is explaining to the commoners why he killed Caesar. This quote shows that Brutus’ patriotism and love for Rome, over-rode his love for Caesar and that this lead to Caesars death. Brutus’ patriotism is further acknowledged when he says whilst confessing to the people of Rome, “As I slew my best lover for the good of Rome.” Page 130. Another justification of Brutus’ patriotism is when at the end of the murder; Brutus tells the conspirators to bath their hands in Caesars blood and walk around Rome showing the people that they have done the righteous thing by their city. The author exaggerates Brutus’ patriotism to such a degree that he is willing to murder one of his best friends for his city’s protection.

In conclusion Brutus’ actions were heavily shaped by his motivation. Honor and Patriotism created the outcome of Caesars death. These traits can be seen as noble and worthy, but Brutus took them to such a degree that in the end, he created a tragedy. He may have achieved his goal of taking down Caesar, but he was not noble or worthy about it. Caesars death turned out to be a catastrophe to the people of Rome and ended up in a war leaving almost all the conspirators dead.

Influenced, shaped and killed by Love

“Honor, for his Valor; and death, for his ambition.” Page 130. Brutus is one of the main characters in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. This quote signifies the strength of Brutus’ beliefs. Brutus has a very passionate and undying love for Rome. He is motivated to keep Rome the beautiful city he believes it is and he is not willing to let Caesar destroy it. Brutus is a patriotic, honorable man who believes that Caesar is going to ruin his beloved city of Rome. Brutus conspires against Caesar because he is convinced it is the honorable thing to do for his city.

As the novel progresses, we see that one of Brutus’ main motivators for his actions is honor. Brutus is motivated to protect Rome from the rumors he hears of Caesars ambition getting in the way of the Roman democracy, and Caesar wanting to become king. Believing that he is doing the ethical by the people of Rome and Rome itself, Brutus conspires against Caesar, and plans to take him down before Caesar can take down Rome. “Lets kill him boldly, but not wrathfully; lets carve him as a dish fit for the gods, not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds.” Page 74. In this quote, Brutus is in a meeting with the conspirators and is trying to convince them that, because they are doing the honorable thing by Rome and it’s people, they should do the honorable thing by Caesar as well. In his speech Brutus shows that he believes they are doing the right thing by Rome and are preventing -along with healing- the city from destruction. To further prove that Brutus is motivated by honor, he goes on to say, “Believe me, for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor, to that you may believe.” Page 128. In this quote, Brutus and the conspirators have slain Caesar, and are explaining to the people of Rome, their reasons for the murder of Caesar. This quote means that Brutus is trying to explain to the people, that they have to have faith in his honor, because he did it for honor. In his speech, Brutus truly stresses honor over and over to drive home his main motivation.

Along with honor, Brutus’ patriotism took a big part in his motivation for killing Caesar. Brutus’ deep and passionate love for Rome wouldn’t let anything come in the way of that. It is clearly proven that Brutus is motivated by patriotism when he says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” Page 128. This quote is also from Brutus’ speech when he is explaining to the commoners why he killed Caesar. This quote shows that Brutus’ patriotism and love for Rome, over-rode his love for Caesar and that this lead to Caesars death. Brutus’ patriotism is further acknowledged when he says whilst confessing to the people of Rome, “As I slew my best lover for the good of Rome.” Page 130. Another justification of Brutus’ patriotism is when at the end of the murder; Brutus tells the conspirators to bath their hands in Caesars blood and walk around Rome showing the people that they have done the righteous thing by their city. The author exaggerates Brutus’ patriotism to such a degree that he is willing to murder one of his best friends for his city’s protection.

In conclusion Brutus’ actions were heavily shaped by his motivation. Honor and Patriotism created the outcome of Caesars death. These traits can be seen as noble and worthy, but Brutus took them to such a degree that in the end, he created a tragedy. He may have achieved his goal of taking down Caesar, but he was not noble or worthy about it. Caesars death turned out to be a catastrophe to the people of Rome and ended up in a war leaving almost all the conspirators dead.

Collage reflection.

-Think Creatively! Identify and discuss some of the creative elements of your collage.
-> In my collage, I thought creativley with the layout and the design of my work. For my 6 word memoir I used string to outline and I used different colours, sizes and different fonts. For the theme in my collage, I think that I had a creative design because I had the bottom of the collage being the worst, and the top of the collage as the best of the 'lost boys' plight. I think this was creative, because as another element I had every bit of the 6 word memoir outlining the different sections of their journey.

-Reason Critically! How did you use the images and text that you selected to highlight your understanding of the Lost Boy’s situation?
-> I used my images to suit the theme of my collage, and the sections of the 'lost boys' journey. For instance, at the top of the collage, I have the part of my 6 word memoir 'hope rising' and I chose pictures of the 'lost boys' in America to represent their new life and how it got better.

-Communicate Effectively! Explain how your collage creates awareness for the Lost Boys’ plight.
->In my collage, I think I communicated by showing the stages of the boys stepped migration along with some of the things they went through by putting in my 6 word memoir and through the theme I created.


-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.
->In my collage, I put an organization for helping the lost boys to rebuild Sudan. I think that the pictures I put on evoke empathy because there are alot of sad pictures that truley demonstrate the despair and the trauma that they went through. I also think that the writing I put in may envoke people to act for the organization that I added.

Peter - One of Sudans "lost boys"

"It was terrible. People shouting, screaming: 'Run, swim, go, go!' Where was my friend? He was taken by the river. Nobody was anybody's friend. How can you be a friend when people are shooting at you and the river is going whoosh — and you have to go in that river? The bang, bang and the whoosh, whoosh made my mind go dead and I don't remember who was there, who dies, what happened." http://www.pbs.org/pov/lostboysofsudan/photo_gallery_photogallery.php?photo=3#gallery-top

When Peter's home village in Sudan raged with war threataning the lives of not only himself, but his family and his loved ones aswell, he had no other option but to escape. Along with 20,000 other Sudanese boys (known as the lost boys) Peter wound up in a refugee camp in Kenya.

Spending 9 years of his life there, Peter and some other boys got the chance to go to America to make a living, get an education, and help their family back in Kenya. Peter thought he was going to be on heavan on earth, have all the opurtunities he never thought he would have, he thought he was going to live the dream. When he got to America, he realised there is no Heavan on earth.

Trying to get settled in America was hard for Peter. People looked at him differently, and he wasn't used to it. He noticed that men couldn't touch other men in America or they would be called homo-sexuals. In Kenya, and in the dinka culture, it was normal for the men to show affection towards one another, so for peter to adjust was difficult. Trying to adjust, Peter wore different clothes to fit in with the "black americans", he ate all of the fast food and he didn't show affection to his friends in public. Peter was strugling with money also, he got paid minimum weige, and some of the other people wouldn't pay their rent, and Peter found himself having to pay for them. Driving was something that Peter was never taught in his refugee camp, and when he had to take a driving test and failed he was very dissapointed.

A few months into his stay at Houston, Peter called a friend in Kansas and talked to him about what life was like for him, because he was struggling in Houston. His friend in Kansas really liked it there, and invited Peter to come and stay. Peter decided to go, leaving his heart-broken best friend Santiago behind. Once he got in Kansas, Peter got a birth cetificat and enrolled in one of the high schools. Being very different to the people at school and in his neighbourhood, Peter tried to join in by trying out for the basketball team, and attending religious gatherings he didn't follow.

Life in general was hard for Peter, being in a different land, trying to make it in a different society. Even though he did the best he could, he was always missing his friends and family back home, always had people staring at him, and always being different.

Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 72-107

Saskia and I are doing this part of the script because it is a very important time for Caesar. It shows a lot of characterization in Caesar's private and public self and it is the time where he decides to go to the Capitol rather than staying home on the Ides of March after Culpurnia's dream. This is a very important change because his decision here leads to his own death. In this scene, Caesar has decided to stay home rather than going to the Capitol to be crowned king because his beloved wife Culpurnia has a horrid dream of Caesar's death and begged him to stay home, however Decius flattered Caesar into believing the dream was nothing of the sort. Caesar was easily flattered, and he thought Culpurnia was being ridiculous and he made the decision that ended his life. I will be playing the role of Decuis, with Saskia playing Caesar.