The Lottery

I would name the story "The Unlucky Lottery" because the winner of lottery did not want to win. Since Mrs. Hutchison got the black dot she didn't win anything but she loss, and the rest of the town's people won.

I felt that "winning" the lottery was not a good thing for a few reasons. One reason was because when the two kids didn't win they were happy and smiling, another was that when Mrs. Hutchinson got the black dot she was reluctant to show it, and finally Mrs. Hutchinson was screaming that it wasn't fair so I figured that it was something horrible happening to her.

When I didn't receive the end of the story I was held in suspense about what was going to happen so I asked questions about what's happening. I felt nervous at first because I wasn't sure what it was and also because I had the black dot which I thought at the time was something bad. I thought that it was the end of the story and maybe some explanation about it as well. I followed the instructions written on the paper because not having the ending left me in suspense during the day and I began creating the ending in my head so I waited to see if I was right. I waited because even though I didn't enjoy the feeling of suspense to much I waited until 5:00 p.m. I even almost opened it.

The black box confused be at the beggening of the day when we first came in because I didn't know what we were going to use it for and once we we read the story i knew it was for the lottery. I was happy once I drew a card with no black spot. Since Mrs. Hutchinson didn't react well to the black spot i could tell it was a bad thing.

I was really shocked at what I read because I didn't think that the stones had any significance and that the death was so brutal for Mrs. Hutchinson. I felt shocked and a very sorry for Mrs. Hutchinson because she did nothing wrong but only drew the wrong slip of paper and she had to die for it.

My predictions were no where near correct because I predicted that Mrs. Hutchinson would have to do something for the town, like harvesting corn or maybe even get banished, but nothing like being killed. I felt very confused and when I read the end of the story because it was no where near what I thought it would be. I was held asking questions about the story and about what was happening at the time, even why would the author write a story like this.

I think if the part where the town people pick up the stones wasn't in the ending I would have made a better guess about what would happen in the end. If I read that they picked up the stones before the void I would have thought that something horrible would happen to Mrs. Hutchinson.

The author left these voids in the story to create tension in the audience so that they would be asking questions about what happens and finish reading the book. She also created these voids so that the audience will ask questions and be in suspense and then they will want answers so they keep reading.

Since I didn't get any title or author information I could make no connections to what might happen and since I had no ending I asked questions about what the ending would be and what happens. The text clues gave me ideas about what would happen but there was no way to know for sure so I was questioning what would end up happening in the end and the mystery paper made me think about what was inside and once I guessed that it was the ending I asked myself again what's the ending going to be? The delayed ending created a lot of suspense in me because I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen and why that Mrs. Hutchinson reacted as she did.

Void Blog Post

Part 1

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

I think by putting the silence right before listing what each student should develop would create a lot of tension in the audience. I believe that this place would be appropriate because when you add a void it keeps the audience curious about what their children will be learning and developing at ISKL. This also keeps people listening and paying attention because what there child would learn is a very important part of how they choose schools. This would make the audience very nervous and anxious about the school's curriculum so they wait for the answer listening intently. That is why I believe putting a silence before telling the audience what their kids will be developing and learning is the best place to put a void.

Part 2

One way that composers can create tension in a piece of music is with a pause. This would cause a lot of tension because the audience would be very confused about where the music has gone and also are curious whats coming next. The audience starts to ask questions. A composer could create the release of the tension by starting the music again answering any questions and also hooking a few more audience members to listen more intently. The composer can make emphasize by using a crescendo before the void so the listener would think that the music would keep growing but then suddenly it stops. That is one way the composers can create tension and a release through music.

Writing Reflection

Ideas and Content

My writing demonstrates appropriate ideas and content because I always stuck to a topic and I also support my claims. This was better represented in my Julius Caesar essay where I explained two of Brutus's main traits. Every time I toke a quote from the book I would explain why I had chosen it. For example “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” This shows he will sacrifice a good friend just for the freedom of the people." You can see i stated a claim and backed it up with some evidence to explain my thinking to the reader. There was also room for improvement in explaining my ideas and content. I believe i should have taken more time to plan my writing so i could back up my claim a lot better. You can see in the above quote that there is not a lot of explanation to my claim which would make the reader still confused due to the lack of explanation.

Organization

My essay demonstrates appropriate organization in a few ways. First I have an appropriate paragraph structure in both essays. I have a introduction paragraph, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. One thing I am proud about in both my paragraphs is that I have a clear and strong thesis statement. In my Caesar essay it was "Honor and patriotism, both are driving factors of Brutus that caused him to kill Caesar as he believed that it would lead to a better Rome free from tyranny." I am proud of this thesis statement because it is very clear and concise and explains what my whole paragraph was about. One thing that needs improvement are my conclusions. I always find conclusions the hardest part to write because you have to link it with the introduction. In both of my essays you can tell that my conclusions are a bit rushed and do not wrap my paragraph up well.

Personal Growth

I improved a lot in my writing. I am very proud that I have gotten better. I believe through this year i have improved on backing up my claims a lot better. In the Alchemist essay there wasn't a lot of explanation about my claims. I simply stated my claims and did not back it up with strong and well explained evidence. In the Julius Caesar essay i started to improve in backing up my claims. My goal is to be able to create a clear and well explained explanation to back up my claims.

SLR Reflection

The Slr that really reflects writing is communicate effectively. You have to communicate your thinking onto paper and back it up effectively. If you were to communicate effectively in your writing any reader would understand what you are writing about and why.

Brutus, an Honorable Man

Final Assessment Julius Caesar Essay

“As I love the name of honor more than I fear death”(1-2-89). Brutus is emphasized as a very honorable man in the play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare. Honor is what Brutus loves the most and this becomes his fatal flaw. In the play, Brutus is the main character and turns out to be the tragic hero. This quote explains how Brutus will die for honor. Brutus’s main goal in anything is to do it with honor. He is also very patriotic in what he does doing anything for the good of Rome. As the tragic hero of this play Brutus has many motivations into doing what ever he does. Honor and patriotism, both are driving factors of Brutus that caused him to kill Caesar as he believed that it would lead to a better Rome free from tyranny.

As Brutus’s main trait, honor has a big impact in every action he makes. The most honorable act in this play according to him is when they killed Caesar. Brutus and many other conspirators had believed Caesar was a very ambitious man and must be brought down. Before actually killing Caesar, Brutus being the honorable man he is still wanted to honor Caesar even when he was dead. When Brutus was planning the assassination with the other conspirators he ordered them to “kill him boldly, but not wrathfully; let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods”(2-1-172). This shows how much he respects anyone. Even the corpse of the person he has just killed. He will honor anything or anyone if it is his doing. Although Brutus’s high state of honor may be looked upon as a great trait it was also his fatal flaw. After the death of Caesar, one of Caesar’s closest friends, Mark Anthony, started a war against the Conspirators. When Brutus knew that he had lost he commanded is few living soldiers to kill him. Brutus said, “It is more worthy to leap in ourselves that tarry till they push.” (5-5-24) This shows how Brutus will rather commit suicide than be killed because it is more honorable. This goes back to when Brutus explains how he loves honor more than he fears death. So to him his death must be honorable. Through the play Brutus speaks about honor in every speech and soliloquy. To him honor is the closest thing to his heart and he will kill and even sacrifice himself just to keep honor close to his heart.

Apart from honor Brutus is also motivated to do anything for the welfare of the state of Rome. Every decision he makes involves him doing anything patriotic. It is always for the benefit of the people of Rome. His prime example of this was when he killed Caesar. Brutus was convinced by Cassius to see that Caesar might actually become a tyrant and rules the Roman Empire not as a Consul but as a King. Therefore, Brutus and the other conspirators kill Caesar to save Rome from tyranny. After the assassination Brutus explains to the other conspirators on how to go about the streets. “Lets all cry, ‘peace freedom and liberty!” Brutus becomes very patriotic. This shows how Brutus will do anything for the welfare of the people. He expresses this by killing Caesar and going out to the forum in his blood screaming “peace freedom and liberty” to show how much he loves Rome and wants them to be free from tyranny. Later on in that act Brutus speaks to all the commoners about what he has done. In his speech he addresses how “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” This shows he will sacrifice a good friend just for the freedom of the people. In conclusion, Brutus is a great patriot to the State of Rome that he would do anything just so it can be free and peaceful.

Through all of this, Brutus was expressed a man of great honor and a patriot. Through all of this he completed every action he toke with honor and in these actions there was always a hint that it was done for the people of Rome. Through this Brutus killed a dear friend and sacrificed his own life so it could achieve these traits to the very max. Therefore Caesar has made him the main character due to the fact that Brutus hardly had any bad traits and did not die for them but instead died from his greatest traits. Which made him the tragic hero. Although Brutus’s goal was to kill Caesar I don’t believe he achieved it fully because the due to the fact that Caesar spirit still was in Anthony and his men, which caused a war. I do believe Brutus’s intentions were noble and worthy but he got a bit carried away and started to create a few bad outcomes like the war, which Brutus never planned on happening.

Lost Boys Collage

Think Creatively

I incorporated many creative elements to make my collage eye catching and symbolic. I first burnt my poster paper to symbolize the hardship the Sudanese have been through. I also tried to create a format that showed the Sudanese journey from their tribes all the way to the United States. This matched up with my 6 word poem to give the viewer a better understanding of the plight that the Sudanese Refuges have experienced or experiencing now.

Reason Critically

I highlighted my understanding through text and pictures in a few ways. One way was by using trying to symbolizing their journey in order using pictures to guide your way. I also tried to highlight the main pictures and ideas by using one or two words that would summarize what i was trying to send to the viewer. For example there is a picture of many child refugees standing praying and scared, and on top of it I wrote hope to symbolize what they might be thinking.

Communicate Effectively

I tried to create awareness of the Lost Boy's plight in many ways. I used pictures as a way to give a visual perspective to their lives. Even though each picture had a different meaning they all lead to the main idea which is to show the Lost Boy's struggle everywhere they went. I also used words to create awareness. I used the words to represent their emotions when they were experiencing what I was trying to describe. This allows the viewer to understand what was going a bit better in each picture.

Live Ethically

My main goal in this project was trying to inform the viewer about Sudan and create empathy towards the Sudanese people. After learning so much about Sudan and what many of the Lost Boys have experienced I really wanted to demonstrate what I had learned. I tried to evoke an emotional response by showing the true side of Sudan. What has really happened to the Refugees and the real story that i have learned through this unit. I tried to show some depressing pictures to promote how much the Sudanese have been through. Once the viewer reads my poster, I hope it would inspire them to help and donates and help these poor people of Sudan.

Culture Shock

To many migration is considered to be nothing bad, but people in Sudan have experienced the worse migration. In the documentary "The Lost Boys" you follow a group of Sudanese boys who undergo a forced migration to a refugee camp in Kenya then to America. This is also known as stepped migration. The Sudanese were forced to move because of a civil war in Sudan. This war was started due to the unfair of share of power between the Muslim north and the Christian south. The lost boys walked all the way from Sudan to seek asylum in Kenya and Ethiopia. Through this they experienced many things. They were attacked by wildlife, starved and had to endure the hot sun of Africa. One of their most painful experiences was crossing the River Gilo between Ethiopia and Sudan. After all this they would reach refugee camps which would provide food and housing for them. A few boys who were living in these camps were selected to go to America to start a new life.

"The Lost Boys" follows two boys who were selected to go to America, Peter and Santino. They both were sent to Houston Texas to live. Both were amazed at how different Sudan and Houston were different. In the first few months Peter experienced many difficulties in adapting to the western culture. Since Peter was funded by the US government he was only able to stay at a very low cost building with many other Sudanese. Peter thought that this was unacceptable because the whole place was very messy and unhygienic. They also got robbed many times because they lived in a poor neighborhood. Peter also found it unfair how they did not have a right to be educated due to their age even though they did not know their actual age. The lost boys also found it hard to change their tradition. Some found it unjust that they could not hold hands with another man in public because they would be laughed at and be called a homosexual. Peter could not take any of this so he decided to move to Kansas to seek a better life and better treatment.

In Kansas Peter lived a better life. He still lived with Sudanese but he was a lot more integrated to the US society. Once Peter was in Kansas he toke action and was allowed to go to school. Peter started getting friends from school. He would go to their houses and talk to them. Through this his English was improving. He also tried out for basketball. He started to connect with other people through sport. Another way was by religion. Peter would attend Church with a few friends. He was also invited to a church gathering with other people. He got to socialize with others and gain new friends. Although Peter was adapting well to America you could still see that he still felt a bit out of place.

Performance Assessment Shakespeare

Context:

In this passage Marullus and Flavius are scolding the commoners for celebrating Ceaser return and Victory over Pompey.

Significance

This is the opening scene in the play. Shakespeare decides to use this as the first scene to explain the setting and conflict of the story. This is an extremely important part because this is whole start to the conflict and grabs the audience straight away. The passage shows how Rome is starting to become in turmoil since even the tribunes who are supposed to represent the people are shouting at the commoners. This starts the whole problem between the people and the conspirators.

Partner

Min Je: Flavius

Enzio : Marullus

Script:

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 patient expectation,
To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome:
And when you saw his chariot but appear,
Have you not made an 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 triumph over 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 countrymen, 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 Commoners

See whether their basest metal be not moved;
They vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness.
Go you down that way towards the Capitol;

This way will I
disrobe the images,
If you do 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 away the vulgar from the streets:
So do you too, where you perceive them thick.
These growing feathers pluck'd 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.