Collage Reflection

As I was working on my collage, I attempted to add different and creative elements inside. I felt if I could be able to arrange my pictures in a certain way, I could be able to send the audience a better message, and give them a better visual of the lives of the Lost Boys of Sudan. The organization of my pictures is mainly related and pointed towards my six word memoir; 'War Broke Out, But Hope Emerged'. With my images, I attempted to display those six words by amplifying the word "War" and yet send a small message with the word "Hope". I emphasized the word "War" by adding many different pictures of the civil war, as well as genocides and the lives that the Sudanese people struggled to live through. Along with that I sent a small message of "Hope" by pasting few pictures of the new opportunities they were given. As you see from left to right, my collage slowly transitions from war, to peace. Using this strategy, I attempt to show the reader what the lives of the Lost Boys were like, and the little hope they had through that time.

Most of my images resembled the devastation of War they faced, and the pain they had to go through and suffered. Around the word "War" there are different types of pictures which resemble the aftermath, or the civil war itself. A couple of pictures show genocides, and people suffering and struggling through their lives. But otherwise, I showed my understanding because I added in little pictures of Hope, symbolizing the "slimmer of hope" they had through their hard times. These pictures resemble the journey and the story they went through: Suffering the 21-year civil war, and given the new opportunity to live in America and restart their lives.

My pictures mainly show awareness for the Lost Boys' plight. Some of the pictures show the positives the Lost Boys have as well as the negatives they had to go through. In some pictures, it shows people having fun with their culture. After the 21 year civil war, most of the people wanted to move on with their lives, and leave the haunted memories of the war. A picture that resembles this is Peter entering High School. Peter arrived in America wanting to get an education and a job that would allow him to send money back to Sudan. As one of the Lost Boys, Peter also tried to escape his haunted past, and restart his life in America and make a living.

On the back of my collage, there are websites which enable readers to learn more about the people in Sudan, and perhaps aid them. Most of the sites are sites which hold a lot of information, which makes it easy for readers to research about them. I emphasized War with my pictures, because I also wanted the reader to realize that they've been through so much pain and destruction, and maybe that would drive them to help. My six word memoir shows the lives of the Lost Boys, and all the pain that they went through to get their slimmer of hope.

Peter; A Lost Boy of Sudan

26 years ago, in the area of Sudan, a civil war broke out that lasted for 21 years. During this time, 20,000 young boys had their homes destroyed, and the lives of their families threatened. Under these circumstances, none of them had any other option but to flee and to escape. These 20,000 young boys, known as the "Lost Boys", without their families, ended up in a refugee camp in Kenya.

Spending 10 years of his life in the refugee camp, a lost boy named Peter was given an opportunity to travel to the United States of America to get an education, to make a living, and to aid the rest of his people who stayed back in Sudan. Many of the people, including Peter, considered this a wonderful opportunity to travel to the land that was seen as 'Heaven on Earth'. However, as Peter arrived there, he realized that there's no such thing.

After spending his whole life living the ways of the Sudanese culture, trying to fit into the the newly experienced American culture was never easy for Peter. Many of the tasks he and the rest of the Lost Boys encountered was to manage his money, get a job, get a driver's license, speak fluent English and use technology. Among these tasks, none of them were ever experienced back in Sudan. However, one thing that made Peter different from the others was his thirst and his determination to get an education and to go to school. Annoyed and tired by his fellow Lost Boys in Houston who didn't care about education, Peter traveled to Kansas City in search for education.

As he arrived in Kansas, Peter was engulfed with work and activities that included attending school, supporting his funds with a job, completing his homework as well as attempting to send back money to those in Sudan. Amongst all this, Peter was also able to join a basketball camp, and he was also able to make friends for himself. However, some of the dilemmas Peter encountered was racism and stereotypes. The fact that he was an African American caused many people to assume that he would attack them or steal from them. His High School teacher had instantly thought that he would attend a Community College and would not need to take College Entrance Exams. Peter faced these problems alone, but that did not stop him from being determined. He came to the United States confident and determined to do well. He was dedicated to his work and to the activities he attended, and he was passionate in everything he did.

These traits of his had allowed him to exceed and to solve many of the tasks he was given as he arrived in Houston. He was able to join a standard college, he was able to learn English, he was able to complete his homework and he achieved his goal of succeeding in education. He was able to fit into the American culture and also remained believing in his Dinka culture back home. His determination allowed him to achieve all goals, no matter how difficult they seemed to be.

Performance Assessment Passage

This passage is mainly a scene that takes place during Caesar's return to the feast of Lupercal. Cassius and Brutus are engaged in conversation, and Cassius attempts to convince Brutus to turn and side with the Conspirators against Caesar. This is a significant passage because it introduces Cassius' cunning and manipulative ways with other people. It's also significant because it shows and solidifies the Conspirators' strength, because with Brutus as their leader they're alot stronger and more organized and the chance of killing Caesar increases.

Our passage takes place in Act 1 Scene 2 lines 75-175
BRUTUS

What means this shouting? I do fear, the people
Choose Caesar for their king.

CASSIUS

Ay, do you fear it?
Then must I think you would not have it so.

BRUTUS

I would not, Cassius; yet I love him well.
But wherefore do you hold me here so long?
What is it that you would impart to me?
If it be aught toward the general good,
Set honour in one eye and death i' the other,
And I will look on both indifferently,
For let the gods so speed me as I love
The name of honour more than I fear death.

CASSIUS

I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,
As well as I do know your outward favour.
Well, honour is the subject of my story.
I cannot tell what you and other men
Think of this life; but, for my single self,
I had as lief not be as live to be
In awe of such a thing as I myself.
I was born free as Caesar; so were you:
We both have fed as well, and we can both
Endure the winter's cold as well as he:
For once, upon a raw and gusty day,
The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores,
Caesar said to me 'Darest thou, Cassius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,
And swim to yonder point?' Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in
And bade him follow; so indeed he did.
The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews, throwing it aside
And stemming it with hearts of controversy;
But ere we could arrive the point proposed,
Caesar cried 'Help me, Cassius, or I sink!'
I, as Aeneas, our great ancestor,
Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
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.
He had a fever when he was in Spain,
And when the fit was on him, I did mark
How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake;
His coward lips did from their colour fly,
And that same eye whose bend doth awe the world
Did lose his lustre: I did hear him groan:
Ay, and that tongue of his that bade the Romans
Mark him and write his speeches in their books,
Alas, it cried 'Give me some drink, Titinius,'
As a sick girl. 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.

Shout. Flourish

BRUTUS

Another general shout!
I do believe that these applauses are
For some new honours that are heap'd on Caesar.

CASSIUS

Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that 'Caesar'?
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name;
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;
Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with 'em,
Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Caesar.
Now, in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed,
That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed!
Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!
When went there by an age, since the great flood,
But it was famed with more than with one man?
When could they say till now, that talk'd of Rome,
That her wide walls encompass'd but one man?
Now is it Rome indeed and room enough,
When there is in it but one only man.
O, you and I have heard our fathers say,
There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd
The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome
As easily as a king.

BRUTUS

That you do love me, I am nothing jealous;
What you would work me to, I have some aim:
How I have thought of this and of these times,
I shall recount hereafter; for this present,
I would not, so with love I might entreat you,
Be any further moved. What you have said
I will consider; what you have to say
I will with patience hear, and find a time
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this:
Brutus had rather be a villager
Than to repute himself a son of Rome
Under these hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us.

CASSIUS

I am glad that my weak words
Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus.

BRUTUS

The games are done and Caesar is returning.

CASSIUS

As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve;
And he will, after his sour fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded worthy note to-day

Tim Challis is my partner.

The Power of the Void

1) If I could, I would name this story 'The Brutal Box', because throughout the whole story you're engulfed in a story of a lottery, and a story of a box. As I finished the story, I realized that the box was a tool that led to a brutal ending of one who had a black dot on his envelope. It creates a void because you honestly wouldn't expect a death at the end of a story of a lottery.

2) I knew there was going to be a dark ending toward the story, because the people's reactions to the black dot on the envelope hinted that it was a dark consequence. However, despite that fact, I had never expected death to be the actual result.

3) It created a deep void within me, and an urge to rip open the envelope and read it. But after a while I was able to get rid of the void, and I had the ability to wait till 5pm.

4) I honestly knew that it was the end of the story, mainly because the story was too empty to have been finished. The result of the black dot didn't end yet, which hinted me that it was the end of the story. Yes, I followed the instructions till 5pm, although it was hard at first because of the long void.

5) I thought the result of the black box and the black spot was pretty brutal. I never expected Mrs Hutchinson to get beat to death with a stone.

6) The void was released from me, after all the waiting till 5pm. I guess it was a good feeling because you get rid of all the suspense that's within you.

7) No. As I said before, I never expected death to occur. It was unbelievably surprising.

8) Honestly, the best way to get the most accurate prediction is to re-read the reactions extracted from all of the people toward the black dot. The restless reactions may or may not make you predict death as the final result.

9) It affected the story in many ways. It gave you this whole suspense within you, and made you restless to find out the end, and then the author releases you of all this suspense by giving you the end. Honestly the whole process is a fun feeling.

10) A. The fact that there's no title gives no clues of what the story is about. It creates a void and it gets you wondering what the story is about.

B. It immediately got you asking yourself questions, and thinking that the story was too empty to have been finished. It may or may not cause you to create your own ending to the story, and you open up your mind to all these possibilities.

C. This gets you to go on with the story, and to be hooked. It also causes you to see if your predictions were correct.

D. Gets you to ask questions about the end, or what lies inside the paper itself.

E. It builds all these voids and intensity, and it gets you asking questions of what's going to happen at the end, and once you finally read the ending you get an instant relief.

F. I had a restless feeling of opening the mystery paper before 5pm. It was pretty frustrating because you had to wait for so long.

How can art be a mirror of society?

The Renaissance was a time of exploration, and a time of rebirth. It was a time where many people had decided to secretly go against the Church, and study many of the world's subjects themselves. There are many art paintings and drawings that really reflect and mirror the Renaissance, and what it really was all about. In 'The School of Athens', Raphael shows and displays many people experimenting and studying subjects from books. This really has a sense of what the Renaissance was because they are exploring for new ideas, similarly to what the citizens of the Renaissance era were doing. This painting also displays many artistic techniques that were created and used during the time of the Renaissance, such as the vanishing point, the focal point, anatomical accuracy, proportion, perspective, and foreshortening. The people of the painting are also wearing robes and clothing of the Renaissance. Raphael brings the ideas and topics of the Renaissance, and fits it all within one painting; The School of Athens.

The School of Athens: Who do you think you are?

Honestly, I think hold the traits of leadership as well as logical thinking. A person who holds these common features is Plato, the man who stands as the focal point of the painting. Being a mentor to one of the most popular greek philosophers, Plato holds the trait of strong leadership and the skills of teaching. I feel like I have a similar trait because during group projects and tasks, I think I'm one of the members who attempts to manage the group and make sure that they're on task. Plato was widely known as one who wrote many dialogues for his students to learn from, and one of his dialogue subjects was logic. Plato was a person who based his thoughts on logic, and I honestly think that I also have a sense of logic when I look at things. During schoolwork I always attempt to place logic into my answers and see whether it would make sense. I feel as if me and Plato seem to be very similar, and that he represents me the best in the School of Athens.

Leonardo Da Vinci, A True Renaissance Man

The time of the Renaissance was a time of Exploration. A time where people gathered knowledge that was left by the Ancient world. Many discovered new things, including Leonardo Da Vinci. He was a creative architect and an amazing artist. As he explored the world for information he had created many items that no one would've thought of for years. Leonardo Da Vinci was a true Renaissance man because he was one who searched for information from the past and he used his knowledge to create many beneficial items during that time such as Weaponry, transportations, and paintings. The Renaissance means 'Rebirth', and Da Vinci did indeed give birth to a new world. He was a true Renaissance man.