reflection based on my essays

This year, we had to read two books which are, 'The Alchemist' and 'Julius Caesar'. Based on these two books, we had to write avout the characterization of the main characters of the books. We also had to support the ideas with quotations from the books.

Ideas and Content helps to show writing to state clear and focused topics and show clear reasons. For my Alchemist Essay, it seems to shows lack of ideas and contents. I didn't show my ideas clearly and I didn't provide much evidence that could back up my ideas and the topics. Additionally, my evidence sometimes doesn't make sense. For example, 'Arabs told them to call winds in three days, the boy he didn’t know how to change into wind but he didn't give up even he could die and tried to talk to the wind by his heart and call the wind.' (Alchemist essay) It says that the Arab told them to call winds but after that line, it said that the boy didn't know how to change into wind. So, the readers might be confused about which one is right. In my Julius Caesar essay, my writing clearly show conflicts and background knowledge. I also clearly state the topic sentences. 'The character’s main conflict was that Brutus loved Caesar and he loved Romans but to make Romans live freely, he had to kill Caesar. Honor and love, these two motivators drove Brutus to decide between honor Rome and love Caesar.' (Julius Caesar essay) This shows that I state the conflict of the character well. However, still I needed to explain some of the ideas more clearly because sometimes my ideas mae confusion and difficult for the readers to understand my ideas. I also had some repetetive explaination so, I repeated some of the reasons over and over again. To improve in my problems I think I have to read my essays again and ask someone to read my essays so that I can find my errors.

My organization for Alchemist essay was quite confusing but for my Julius Caesar essay, it was fairly good. For both my essays, I started the essay with a quotation which shows interesting hook to grab my reader's attention. I also have quite good thesis statement for both of my essays. However, in my Alchemist essay, I don't really have clear topic sentences because it seems too general. 'Santiago was very intelligent.' (Alchemist essay) This seems too general and it shows nothing about Santiago. My body paragraph close with summarizing or transition sentences but it doesn't really flow well with other parts of the paragraph. In my Julius Caesar essay, I have clear thesis statement and my body paragraphs begin with fairly clear topic sentences. My body paragraphs close with summarizing or transition sentences and it flows quite well with other paragraph.

I think there are lots of growth between Alchemist essay and Julius Caesar essay. It shows how much I improved in my writing skills. The depth of the explaination became deeper and it made more sense. Also the organization of the Julius Caesar writing got better than the Alchemist essay. The quotes that I chose for the evidence fitted the topic in Julius Caesar while some of my quotes didn't fit into the topic in Alchemist essay. Addtionally, I had less grammar mistakes in my Julius Caesar essay than Alchemist essay. So, overall, I my ideas were focused on the topics and more importantly, I had exceedingly improved on writing conclusion that summarize my ideas.

SLR that represents my two essays is reason critically. When I craft essays I needed evidences to back up my opinions and I had to show the quotes that I chose are significant and my ideas make sense. Another SLR that I demonstrated in my essays was communicate effectively because writing is communication between writer and readers. Also to communicate with the reader and help the readers understand better, I had to state the evidence clearly. I might not show my reasons and ideas clearly and might not communicate really well, but I tried to do my best.

Brutus’s honor and love

“It must be by his death; and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, But for the general. He would be crown’d”- Brutus. (Act 2 scene 1, line 10~12) This quotation sets the character that he is making a decision to kill Caesar or not to kill Caesar and let him be a king. He also had to decide Caesar or Roman and conspirators. The character’s main conflict was that Brutus loved Caesar and he loved Romans but to make Romans live freely, he had to kill Caesar. Honor and love, these two motivators drove Brutus to decide between honor Rome and love Caesar. He also had to sacrifice one of them when he chose the other one.

Brutus was honorable to people and everyone respected him. Brutus was motivated this way because he showed honor especially to Romans. Conspirators, Brutus’s friends, needed his honor to get more people to join other conspirators to kill Caesar because people would follow Brutus and they thought Romans would understand them when Brutus was one of them. Brutus’s behavior manifests honor because his strong honor to Romans made him decide to kill Caesar because Brutus thought that Caesar could be a tyrant if Caesar become a king. Brutus showed how much his honor was and how Romans believed him as a noble Brutus. “O, he sits high in all the people’s hearts: And that which would appear offence in us His countenance, like richest alchemy, Will change to virtue and to worthiness.”-Casca (act 1 scene 3, line 156~160). This quotation means that because of his honor, he was sitting high in the people’s heart, which means people loved and respected him and he was popular amongst Romans. It also means that because of his honor, his countenance, like richest alchemy, will change to virtue and to worthiness, which means that it didn’t seem wrong when Brutus was with the conspirators. This quote shows the motivation, honor, because it motivates everyone to want Brutus and it also motivate the character itself to show honor to the public. Brutus joined the conspirators because he thought that he had to kill Caesar for Romans to live. Brutus also shows how honor he was to Romans and Caesar. “No not an oath. If not the face of men, The sufferance of our souls, the time abuse.”-Brutus (Act 2 Scene 1, line 114~115) This quote means that he respected Caesar and when he said no not an oath, it means that they didn’t need an oath because they were not murdering Caesar but sacrificing him to god. This quote show motivation, honor, because Brutus showed honor to Caesar until Caesar’s death and he thinks he is not killing Caesar because he didn’t like him but he was killing Caesar for Romans good. I think that Brutus showed honor to Romans, Caesar and his friends. He also shows respect to everyone and he thinks about Rome.

Brutus loved Romans, conspirators and Caesar but he had to choose one to kill to save two of them. Love motivated Brutus in this way because he loved Romans, conspirators and Caesar. However, he had to kill Caesar because he had to save Romans and the power of conspirators. Brutus’s behavior manifest love because he showed love to Romans when he had to kill Caesar and he showed love to Caesar when he was explaining to Romans why he had to kill Caesar. Brutus wanted to kill Caesar in sacrificing way. “Let’s kill him boldly, but not wrathfully; Let’s carved him as a dish fit for gods and not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds.”-Brutus (act 2 scene 1, line172~174.) This quote means that he loved Caesar and he wanted to show that he was sacrificing Caesar for Rome and not food for animals. This shows love because even he was killing Caesar to show Romans love, he still loved Caesar and wanted the assassination to seem sacrificing. After he assassinated Caesar, Brutus had to explain to Romans who loved Caesar. Brutus showed when he was convincing Romans to believe him. “If there be any in this assembly, any friend of Caesar’s, to him I say that Brutus’s love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: Not that I loved Caesar less, But that I loved Rome more.”-Brutus (act 3 scene 2, line 17~21) This quote means that he loved Caesar as much as Caesar loved Brutus and because Brutus loved Romans more than Caesar, he had to kill Caesar. This shows love to Caesar because he was saying that he loved Roman and Caesar. I think this paragraph shows love because he killed Caesar in respectful way and he had to rise against Caesar to protect the Romans.

Honor and love sets Brutus’s conflict that he had to choose Caesar or Roman and friends. The motivators cause Brutus to consider about honor and make him represent honor. They also cause Brutus to show love to the people around Brutus. After he made the decision to kill Caesar and decide to save Romans and conspirators, he killed Caesar. However, Brutus didn’t achieve his goal because Octavius and Antony were taking revenge to them. So, he couldn’t save conspirators and made Romans get angry with the conspirators. I think that Brutus’s goal was worthy because even he didn’t achieve it, he considered about all the people. He also killed Caesar in respectful way, which showed love, and he saved Romans and conspirators which show honor to them.

Hope, Hopeless. Peace, War. What next?

Think Creatively!
I used some techniques to make my collage look good and creative. I made a gun shape with Styrofoam to make the gun stand out because I wanted to show how the war effected Lost Boys through their life. I thought that gun is one of the thing that represent war. I also cut the map of africa in to half because I wanted to show that Sudan was split into half, North Sudan and South Sudan because of the civil war that happened in Sudan for over 20 years. I also put some lost boys who are abandoned to show sympathy and empathy from the audience.
Reason Critically!
I didn't really use text for my collage. However, I think that the picture with union and war child shows lost boys are hoping for union between North and South Sudan. War child shows that they are now suffering from war and some of the children are being genocide by the North Sudanese. As they are suffering, some of them were forced to migrate to different countries and some had to stepped migrate. South Sudanese had to suffer from these and had hard life.
Communicate Effectively!
My collage shows that how much Lost Boys are suffering from war and they are hopeless now. This shows awareness of the situation that South Sudanese are going through. This also reminds people how tragic life the Lost boys had to go through.
Live Ethically!
I think that my memoir and especially my pictures in the collage demonstrate empathy of the Lost boys because I put pictures that I much they suffered from war and what conflict they have now for people who resettled in America. I hope that my collage might evoke people's heart and mind to find more about them and help them in variety ways.

Peter, the lost boy

Lost boys of Sudan are 27,000 boys of Dinka who were displaced during Civil War. After they were displaced and migrated to Kenya, they live in refugee camps in Kenya for their whole life. They had lost their parents, homeless, lost education, no food, water or shelter and they had to new surviving skills. International Rescue Committee help the refugees to resettle in U.S. Some churches helped them by charity and the refugee thought America as a heaven. However, they go through lots of difficulties living and they realize that there isn't any heaven in Earth. The DVD that we saw was about lost boys and particularly about Peter and Santino. They both go through hard times with money, racism and culture shock.

Even people say that they have to care for people and people should be equally treated, to Peter it wasn't. People treated him differently. When he signed up for work in the supermarket, his boss told him to work outdoor under the sun because he is black and he lived in hot places so, the boss thought that "black" will work better under the sun than "white" does. School counselor has to care about students and try to block racism. However, when he went to school and signed up for education, even his counselor saw Peter as dumb. Counselor thought that he cannot speak English well and because he was a refugee, he had lack of education. The counselor also thought him just 'pity' and he didn't give Peter chance to talk to him and just decide his class. Also when Peter was about to graduate, the counselor talked to him and told him to go to the community college because the counselor thought he is not good at studying. However, Peter got all high grades and he was able to go to the big universities. Peter also wrote about him and showed to the counselor but he just acted like he was sorry for him but he wasn't. Not only this, when Peter tried to hang around with white people, they treated him like friends but actually they are just looking like caring for him because they feel pity for him. Peter also faced another problem, which is money. He had to pay for school, house rent and use money for his own. However, his relatives in Kenya refugee camps kept asking for money because they thought that Peter would live better than them in America. Another problem was that Peter thought that he was different from others and he is not suitable to fit into the group. He grew up alone without parents and he didn't have money. He also didn't get proper education. So, he thought that everyone is better than him and everyone is rich. He suddenly lost his self-esteem and he felt poor and weak.

These conflict and difficulties lead Peter to culture shock. Peter came from Kenya refugee camps which was uncivilized and he is trying to fit into civilized place, America. So, he felt a big difference between himself and others around him. For him, everything was different like food, transport, money usage, friendship and laws. He also thought that people will take care of him when he is in U.S but no one helped him and he really needed care. So, he tried to be one of the people but the "white" rejected him being with them.

JULIUS CAESAR (Duet acting)

ACT2 SCENE 2 LINE 65 ~107

DUET PARTNER-YOON JO(CAESAR)

CONTEXT OF THE PASSAGE
When Caesar just decided that he would not go to the capitol becuase Calpurina begged him and she told Caesar about her dream that she had that night. Like Decius planned with other Senates, Decius flatters Caesar to go to the capitol. Decius convinces Caesar by interpreting the dream in the opposite way that Calpurnia interpreted it.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PASSAGE
Significance of this passage is that Caesar's life or death depends on Caesar's decision of going to the capitol. So, if he didn't agree to go to the capitol and stayed at home, he would not die in the capitol. However, becuase of Decius's flattering, Caesar was convinced by him and finally agrees to go to the capitol. Than he gets betrayed by his best friend, Brutus, and got assassinate by the Senate. This also shows dramatic Irony becuase the audience know that if he goes to the capitol, he would get assassinated and not crown by other Senates bcause the audience saw what the Senates were doing to assassinate Caesar. However, Caesar, the character doesn't know that he would be assassinated and he thinks that everyone respects him and honor him that he would be crowned. When Decius flatters and Caesar decide to go to the capitol, the audience would notice that Caesar will die and the Senates would be successful in killing Caesar. This also gives tension and amkes the audience give question becuase when Caesar said he would not go to the capitol, they would think that 'Is Caesar going to be killed?'

PASSAGE
CAESAR: Shall Caesar send a lie?
Have I in conquest stretch'd mind arm so far,
To be afeard to tell greybeards the truth?
Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come.

DECIUS: Most mighty Caesar, let me know some cause,
Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so.

CAESAR: The cause is at my will: I will not come;
That is enough to satisfy the Senate.
But for your private satisfation,
Because I love you, I will let you know:
Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home.
She dreamt tonight she saw my statue,
Which like a fountain with an hundred spouts
Did run pure blood; and many lusty Romans
Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it.
And these does she apply for warnings and portents
And evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg'd that I will stay at home today.

DECIUS: This dream is all amiss interpreted;
It was a vision fair and fortunate:
Your statue sputing blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bath'd,
Signifies that from your great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall press
For tintures, stains, relics, and cognizance.
This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.

CAESAR: And this way have you well expounded it.

DECIUS: I have, when you have heard what I can say:
And know it now. The Senate have concluded
To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar.
If you shall send them word you will not come,
Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock
Apt to be render'd, for some one to say,
'Break up the Senate till another time,
When Caesar's wife shall meet with better dreams.'
If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper,
'Lo, Caesar is afraid'?
Pardon em, Caesar; for my dear dear love
To your proceeding bids me tell you this,
And reason to my love is liable.

CAESAR: How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!
I am ashamed I did yield to them.
Give me my robe, for I will go.

Power Of the Void

PART I
ISKL MISSION STATEMENT

The International School of Kuala Lumpur (silence) provides an exceptional education (silence) that challenges each student to develop the attitudes, skills, knowledge and understanding to become (silence) a highly successful, spirited, socially responsible global citizen.

I put word 'silence' to make void in school mission statement. Creating void makes people feel tensed and ask questions about it. In the statement, the tension is made by making eople asking questions. I feel that adding silence after 'The International School of Kuala Lumpur' creates best tension because it makes the listeners to ask questions like what is the mission statement?, what is the next sentence?. I also feel that adding silence after 'exceptional education' creates best tension because it also makes questions like what is the education in ISKL?. Additionally, I think that putting 'silence' after 'understanding to become' best describe tension because people will ask questions like what the students will become when they develop the attitudes, skills, knowledge and understanding? So, creating void will make people ask questions and by asking questions, it will be helpful to understand about something like the school mission statement.

PART II

There are lots of ways that composers can create tension in the music. For example, composers can create tension by creating silence after the big crescendo. Then the audience or the listeners will ask questions like what is going to happen next?, what is going on?, when is this going to start? Audience will want to hear more and feel tensed because it stopped and there is total silence. Composers can release the tension by playing the music and when the composers release it, the audience will feel calm and relieved.

Power Of the Void Story

This story created some kind of void when people were picking out papers from the box. I would call this story the lottery v.s the tradition because people who lived in the town had to do the lottery from the black box and it's traditional for the people. I thought something bad will going to happen because Mrs. Hutchinson said it's not fair when she got the paper with black dot on it. I was very curious about next story. When I got the mystery paper, I wanted to open it because I wanted to see what was in it. I thoung it was the next story because the papers that we read before didn't tell us about the conclusion. I followed the instruction and I didn't open the paper untill 5p.m because I could wait untill the time and it didn't really matter to me that when I have to open it. I didn't really understand about there culture and tradition because people are throwing rocks at the person who win the lottery and one of the family member must pick the lottery even they don't like to. When I read the end of the story, I had questions (why did they have to throw rocks at her?, what is the actual tradition?, what is the point for throwing rocks?)and I wasn't satisfied with the ending because people are throwing rocks at the person. My prediciton was kind of correct because I thought something bad will going to happen because person who won the lottery didn't really liked it. However, I didn't know that the people were going to throw rocks at the person. The author might leave these voids in the story because the author might wanted the readers to ask questions and predict what will going to happen next. No title and author information actually made me get attention to the book. No ending made me ask questions like how will it end? Text clues and foreshadowing throughout made me feel curious about the story and can predict what will be happening to the story and the characters. Mystery paper made me feel to open the paper but I could wait untill the time with my patience. Delayed ending made me feel little bit uncomfortable because I was eager to read the conclusion and see how it ends. By having these experiences I could feel what people might feel when there are void between musics, books, dialogs and many other things. Also we get to understand about power of the void deeply and have feelings about it.