Friday, December 12, 2008

Friendship

Julius Caesar, a play written by William Shakespeare, does not show very good friendship. The saying "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer" applies undoubtedly to the play.

Within the play, Brutus was persuaded, quite easily actually, to help in the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. Brutus was a beloved friend of Caesar's, yet he did not care to kill his friend. Brutus believed that the murder of Caesar was the best course of action he could take in protecting his country. He believed that Caesar had become too ambitious. Brutus became full of guilt from what he had done though. Brutus could finally withstand his conscience no more, and he killed himself.

Cassius was different though. He would be kind to people, but later he would begin to tare them down. Cassius did not care much for friendship, he just wanted power.

Julius Caesar was all too trustworthy of his 'friends'. He believed that all the other politicians were his friends, but they conspired against him and killed him. Caesar thought that he had loyal trustworthy friends, but he did not look close enough to tell that they were all frauds.

In the end, people do not need to decide so quickly who their friends are that they do not truly see them. A 'friend' could quickly turn around and stab them in the back.

Life as a Sophmore...So Far

When the school year first began, I was not sure if being in high school was so great. Ever since the first day of school, I have been assigned excessive amounts of homework each night. The homework is not very difficult, but the amount assigned is a little overboard. Some of my classes have turned out to be quite difficult as well. I struggle everyday to receive good grades in Chemistry, but the tests are extremely hard.

Not all high school life is dreadful though. The amount of extracurricular activities and clubs have doubled since my three years in junior high. I joined many clubs, six to be exact. I like the fact that the club meetings are during lunch. The lunch time meetings provide more time to discuss projects that are happening within each club. Some of my classes may have turned out difficult, but others are unthinkably easy. My Spanish class and my geometry class are two classes that I never dread going to. I have very good teachers for all of my classes which makes even the difficult classes seem easier.

All in all, high school is not as fun as everybody says, nor is it as difficult. I was lucky to receive great teachers who will always help me, and my friends are even greater.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Mark Antony

My English class has recently started reading Julius Caesar, a play written by William Shakespeare. In Julius Caesar, Mark Antony shows great leadership skills.

Within scene two of act three, Mark Antony speaks out to the people. Being able to speak out about Caesar's death, Mark Antony quickly calmed the ravenous crowd and grabbed their attention. Mark Antony was able to influence his fellow countrymen to follow him and to listen to him.

Mark Antony, being extremely influential, can be compared to the presidential candidates of our time. The Presidential candidates speak about ideas that could improve the country. The candidates tell their ideas for strengthening the country, and the most influential candidate wins the votes and gets elected.