Writing Relfection

Ideas and Content

I think that my writing usually makes a lot of sense. It had a number of details that did relate to the topic of Julius Caesar. In my Julius Caesar essay, I focused on my topic of Brutus throughout the entire essay. I was able to, in a couple of areas, include relevant details about Brutus’s conflict and reasoning in the decision that he made. This helped construct my argument and further understanding of the topic. I included quotes in my important body paragraphs and introduction, which was essential to support my argument.

Organization

The organization in my Julius Caesar essay was usually good. I began with an interesting quotation about Brutus’s honor to catch the reader’s attention. I could have worked a little better on clear and concise thesis statement. I believe that it was certainly in my introduction, but that it was a little hard for the reader to identify it. There were times where I didn’t establish a context before introducing a quotation. Besides that I think that I had clear topic sentences and conclusions that introduce and summarize my ideas of the paragraph and also relate it to my argument. I think that I could improve my organization by making my thesis statement clear so that the reader can understand my argument as best as possible. Also it is important that I establish context before a quotation so that the reader can understand what is happening in the story, and also why it is important to my argument.

Personal Growth

When I compare my Julius Caesar essay to previous work I have completed, I think that I have improved as a writer. Although my grades in previous essay may have been the same or even better than this essay, I think that my ideas and content have become better in terms of detailed descriptions and support for the main idea in the essay. I think that with a more thorough preparation I was able to construct a better essay in less time than I usually would have. I think that that really shows that I have improved in the way I wanted to. I believe that my grade can become better than what I got on this essay if I put the same or better effort and make sure that I go over my ideas and be able to add in as much detail as possible.

SLR Reflection

I chose “Reason Critically” for my SLR because I spend most of my time in search for the ideas and content section of the essay. Part of my search was to look for good quotations that fit with my argument and help support it. Usually, I focus on understanding the ideas as best as I can so that I can express it in a variety of ways. I want to make sure that I include all the necessary elements about the topic that is needed to have the reader understand it.

Julius Caesar Essay

“This was the noblest Roman of them all.” (Page 218) This was a very important piece of Brutus decisions. In this play he was conflicted between his honor and his love for his friend. Honor was what chose his path. In the end, Antony said this quote, talking about Brutus after his death, which showed that he really did think that Brutus was honorable. I think that Brutus acted in the manner that he did, driven by the motivators of honor and patriotism. Brutus took his respected honor seriously enough to believe that the assassination of Julius Caesar was an act of honor and would in time benefit the Roman republic.

How far would you go to keep your honor? Brutus’s biggest virtue is honor, mainly his honor to Rome. He believes that a choice that benefits his honor for Rome is a good choice. This motivation, along with some persuasion from Cassius, changes his mind against Caesar. However, before he makes his final decision he is caught between the two choices. He feels sick and can’t sleep well, which causes Portia to worry. In the end this motivation for true honor drives him to put the final wound in Caesar’s body. When Brutus says, “ For let the gods so speed me as I love the name of honor more than I fear death,” he states that his love for his honor is much stronger than his fear for death. This shows that he is driven by the desire to stay honorable to the Roman Republic and to the Roman society. When the time came to discuss the plot, Brutus made it clear when he said, “Let’s be sacrificers, not butchers, Caius.” He wants the assassination to be clean when it happens, and wants for them to be sacrificers not butchers. This is very important to notice that Brutus doesn’t want to tear down Caesar. He just wants to keep his honor for the Roman republic that Caesar may destroy. Brutus loves the name of honor; he believes that this is a noble and honored act. However the people’s response was still unknown.

Brutus loves his honor just as much as he loves Rome. That is why he is motivated very strongly by patriotism. Brutus percepts that a republic government is what keeps Rome in balance and keeps the people happy, thus being motivated to kill Caesar. “It must be by his death and for my part I know no personal cause to spurn at him, but for the general.” This meant that he doesn’t have a real reason to fight with Caesar besides for the general good of Rome. This shows that he isn’t killing Caesar for his own personal gain but for Rome’s gain, showing his motivation from patriotism. When he makes his decision, Brutus assumes a key element, that Rome doesn’t want a king. He bases his argument on history and past experiences. After the deed is done, when Brutus goes to explain the situation, he says “Who here is so base that would be a bondman? If any, speak for him have I offended. Who is here so rude, that would not be a Roman? If any speak for him have I offended.” Here he says that this act was to protect Rome from slavery and to keep a proper government. In his explanation for the good of Rome we can see that he is clearly motivated by patriotism. By the shouts of the people he believes he has won the crowd from his patriotic speech.

In the play Brutus’s conflict was to have to kill Caesar for the good of Rome and for his honor. He was motivated by honor and patriotism to decide that the best path for Rome, not himself, was to keep a republic and remove a tyrant. These motivators caused him to think deep but not come up with the best reasons. I do not think that the end justified the means in Brutus’s case because in the end, Brutus and Cassius both die, causing Octavius and Mark Antony to win the war. Also the only reason that Brutus set out to kill Caesar was to preserve the prestigious Roman republic, which when Octavius and Antony returned was change so that Octavius would become Emperor.

"Lost Boys" Collage Reflection

Think Creatively

I believe I thought creatively about the placement of the pictures and how they invoked empathy. For example, I placed the picture of fire underneath some of the pictures of the Dinka tribe and village to show the destruction of their ethnography. Other pictures and text were purposely put together so that it would create a more meaningful collage.

Reason Critically

I chose the pictures that are on my collage mainly because I really wanted to show the pain and suffering the “Lost Boys” had to go through to get where they are in society today. Many of the pictures show great emotion of pain, despair, and hope, such as the pictures of the fire destroying the villages and the pictures of the people in the streets crying. I think that the text I used helped seize the story of the “Lost Boys” by communicating any ideas that were missed.

Communicate Effectively

I think that my collage shows the “Lost Boys” plight from the pictures of “Care”, “Save Darfur”, and “Make a Donation”. Also, the picture of the man with his head against his arm shows that people are tired of war and just want peace. Along with these, I think that with the pictures of the life most people in Sudan are facing should really create empathy for those who look at the collage. For me, it’s the pictures that show how the people of Sudan now think of their lives that make me want to at least donate some money.

Live Ethically

I think the biggest part of the collage is the emotion that you get out of it. The actions that people take have to be inspired from somewhere. I think that when people see the destruction and suffering of Sudan and what the raging civil war has done to their homes, the collage creates a really strong feeling of empathy towards the Sudanese population. Understanding the problem isn’t enough. They need help and soon. World poverty will reach a new high if destruction stays in Africa’s largest country. We need to communicate the issue in Sudan so that not only us, but people around the world can contribute to create a better world for Sudan.

A Lost Boy in America

There were thousands of boys who had fled Sudan. Their villages and cities were being captured and destroyed by the hands of war between North and South Sudan. The men were shot and killed, while the women and girls were captured and used. The boys that remained went on a notorious journey in search of a safe place for them to stay. These boys were called the Lost Boys.

When Peter (from the Dinka Tribe) found his name on the list in the refugee camp, he filled with excitement and joy. He was going to start a new life and experience new things in America. His friends assured him that he was going to a heaven; they believed that life would be good there. When they arrived in America, Peter was taken aback by the differences compared to his home town. Some of the difficulties he faced were, buying food, paying rent, finding education, making new friends, and earning money to send back home. America was new land to Peter, and he was confused about how he was going to survive living there; he had no friends, he couldn’t go to school, and the local people were very mean to him.

It took some time, but eventually Peter started to assimilate into the appearance of the local population. He started making friends and playing basketball, along with finding a temporary job that he could live off of. Even though Peter’s life was getting slightly better, his mind was unsettled. He then realized that he wasn’t here to earn money and live this life, he was supposed to be in school so that he could later go to college. He wasn’t getting schooling in Houston. He needed to find someplace new, where he could start over again. A place where he could fit in properly.

Peter decided to move north from Houston to Kansas. Once he settled in Kansas, Peter achieved his goal of going to high school. Peter found his new life in Kansas to be very difficult; school was hard, he didn’t have a job, and his family and friends are asking for money that he didn’t have. Peter then decided to take action and get a job. He started working at Wal-Mart. The manager made him work on a job outside because he was from Africa and just because he was black. Even though, Peter Nyaroli Dut decided to cope with the issues and keep moving forward he did take in the truth, America would never be a home to him, and it was never going to be a heaven. His family and friends in Africa were wrong, and this lost boy would always remain a lost boy.