School of Athens

If I could be part of the painting The school of Athens I would like to be Diogenes because of his teachings about how to live life. He taught people how to use self-control and to pursue virtue though simple living. His teaching is similar to the Buddhist teaching which is my religion. We believe in taking the middle path in achieving self-control, virtuous lifestyle and simple living. The middle path is the way of living with enough worldly things but not too much and not too little. A good example of not living the middle path would be if you gave most of your money away to help others and suffered yourself as a result. This would be wrong and considered a sin in Buddhism. It would also be the same as buying everything you wanted and not content with what you had. This would also be a sin.

How Art Mirror Society

You can see many things in art. You can see architecture, important events, the artists, mood/feelings and society itself. All of this would be from the artist’s perspective. What he sees, thinks and feels. Artists from tribes use art to show us their culture and festivals. Artists from the Renaissance painted the architecture that they saw which was the Roman architecture being recreated again. In time of war the paintings reflect the artist feelings and thoughts about the event that is going on. Through the eyes of the artist their paintings show society as they interpreted it. The painting 'The School of Athens' shows us all the great thinkers from different time periods in one room. On the left there are the great thinkers that believe in the spiritual world represent by Plato who is pointing up. They are the mathematicians and church officials. There believe in the hereafter. What matters is how we live on earth so we can go back to our gods when we die. The other group, which is represented by Aristotle, believes in the secular or non-religious world. This included science and astronomy. They believe in the tangible world around us. What you can see. The afterlife was not important to them. Raphael also chose to show the Roman architecture in his painting, which also reflected both groups in the designs. We could tell it Roman architecture because it has rounded arch and the column has stature to decorate them. Raphael’s art was a mirror of the society at that time. It gives us a picture of what was important and valued in the higher Renaissance.

Leonardo da Vinci

Da Vinci was a true Renaissance because he was crafting new ideas for art, science, warfare ,etc. Leonardo was an accomplished philosopher, scientist, architect, engineer, painter, designer and physiologist. This was a time when most of these areas of study and areas of new ideas came about. He became accomplished at most of them. Since he was a young boy Da Vinci was interested in nature. He want answer to all of his questions. When Da Vinci grew up he secretly dissected bodies to see the inside and draw them in this note book. Da Vinci did not go to school and since he is left handed he wrote from right to left. This is the Da Vinci code. He wrote down his ideas in his note books and many of his ideas were not tested. Some worked and some didn't. Resurrecting old ideas and creating new ones. This is why Leonardo Da Vinci was a True Renaissance man.

We can make a Difference

Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience. and inspiring his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", a manifesto of the Negro revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, "l Have a Dream", he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure. At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated. By http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html

Martin Luther King Jr. showed us that one person can make a difference. He believed that there can be peace and equal rights for all in this world. Everyone should be treated the same way. It did not matter what race you were, we are all the same. If you want to be treated nice you must start being nice and people will return the kindness. You must put yourself in others shoes to know how they feel. Empathy is important to understanding the world around us. Martin Luther King Jr. really believed that anyone can have a dream and make a dream come true.

Dream On!

Dream

Dream whispers stories in your head

Cloaked in Invisibility

He escapes in the early dawn.

In the Alchemist Santiago discover his destiny because of a dream. Coelho is saying that people can started something amazing with a dream. People just need to believe in their dream and start reaching out to it. To dream is to be free and freedom is a great feeling. I believe that everyone in this world want to have freedom. No one want to be lock up in a cold dark room never knowing when you will see daylight again. Everyone want to be free and freedom will come if you dream.

Politeness is the 'Key'

Mona Lisa By Leonardo da Vinci.

Path to Victory

“I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure.” (Coelho page 40) Santiago said this when he thinks about himself as a boy trying to achieve his destiny rather than a boy being a poor victim of a thief. In the Alchemist, Santiago the shepherd boy travelled to Africa to find his treasure that he dreamed was under the sand of the Pyramids of Egypt and the journey he takes will be to achieve his destiny. During his journey Santiago found helpful and experienced people, overcame many obstacles, found true love and understood the soul of the world. To be able to achieve his destiny, Santiago needed to have characteristics such as courage, wisdom and
determination.

Santiago’s courage was put to the test many times and he manages to pass the test each time. The first time Santiago’s courage was tested was by the tribal war happening in the desert when he was traveling to an oasis. He fears that the tribal war could have killed him and he would not be able to achieve his destiny. The second time was when he told Fatima how he feels and to accept her feeling about him. This task took lots of courage.


Telling Fatima about his feelings is a critical part of his destiny. Love is the energy that improves the world and therefore love needs to be a part of what he does. The third time is when he first met the alchemist. Santiago said “It is I who dared to do so,” he repeated, and he lowered his head to receive a blow from the sword. (Coelho 105) It takes courage to be able to stand in fount of a sword knowing you might die and standing up for what you believe in. The alchemist was testing Santiago and is waiting to see if he is fit to be his apprentice or not. Santiago passed the test and the alchemist said he would help him reach the Pyramids. Santiago has to reach the pyramids to be able to find his treasure but because the tribal war was going on he could not cross the desert. It is true that Santiago needed courage to achieve his destiny but he also needs to know how to read omens so that he can see his path and to be able to do this Santiago needed wisdom.

Santiago learns from many people and things such as, the alchemist, Melchizedek the King of Salem, the desert, the camel driver, the Englishmen and his own heart. Santiago learns to follow his destiny from Melchizedek who told him to pursue his destiny and he gave Santiago the Urim and Thummim. After Santiago dream about his treasure he did not want to leave his sheep to follow his destiny and he needed Melchizedek to show him how importance it is for him to achieve his destiny. The two stone Urim and Thummim will help Santiago read omens when it is hard to tell the right path. At the oasis Santiago learns to believe in his love and to trust that Fatima will wait for him. Fatima said to Santiago “before this, I always looked to the desert with longing,” “Now it will be with hope. My father went away, but he returned to my mother, and he had always come back since then.” (Coelho page 117) At first Santiago did not want to leave the oasis for fear that when he was away Fatima will not wait for him and marry some other man, but he trust in his love and continued his journey. Lastly, he learns how to listen to his heart and to follow it to be able to achieve his destiny. To be able to achieve his destiny Santiago must find his inner self and he can do that by talking with his heart. His heart will seem to be unhappy at times but in the end it just wants him to be happy and Santiago learns this and how to understand his heart. People’s hearts are the direct link to the soul of the world and by understanding his heart Santiago understands the soul of the world. Wisdom will help him on his journey but wisdom alone will not take him to the end of his journey, to achieve his destiny. Santiago need determination.

Santiago is determined to go on with his destiny. Santiago needs this because without it his destiny would be difficult to accomplish. He could give up any time he wished, but he did not. When Santiago had enough money to buy more sheep he could have gave up and returned to Spain but he didn’t give up and continued on his journey to achieve his destiny. He saved a great deal of money at the crystal merchant shop and rather than continuing to make money or go back to Andalusia, he chose to stay with his destiny. “I am proud of you the crystal merchant said. You brought a new feeling into my crystal shop. You know that I am not going to Mecca, just as you know that you’re not going to buy your sheep.” The same event happen when Santiago got his fifty pieces of gold from the tribal chieftains. Santiago could have stayed at the oasis with Fatima but he chose to finish his destiny. After the omens told Santiago that an army would attack the oasis, Santiago told the tribal chieftains about what will happen. The tribal chieftains said, “if what you said is true for every one man in the army killed you will get a piece of gold, however, if at least one bullet is not fired, one will be used on you.” Santiago risked his life to save the oasis and in return he got fifty pieces of gold. Santiago determination made him reach the pyramid but underneath where the omens told him to dig was just sand and no treasure. Then some thief found Santiago and asked him what he was doing and not waiting for an answer they beat him up and took his gold. Santiago’s money has been taken twice and now it was taken again but this didn’t stop Santiago because the attacker said that his dream show him that there is treasure in Andalusia where Santiago started his journey. This made Santiago determined to go back to Andalusia and dig for his treasure. Santiago determination is the key to his success.

Santiago found out that the treasure he has been searching for is right where he begins his journey. On his quest for the treasure Santiago found much more. He found true love and self- discovery. The courage he found gave him strength to overcome any obstacle in his future. His wisdom allowed him to understand the omens and the path to victory will always be clear. His determination will make him go on even if the path is rough. He will be victorious.

At this point in my life I do not know many things. When asked what my destiny is I did not have a clue. I have a tough time deciding what I will eat for lunch, what I am going to do on the weekend or what I am going to do with my free time. What I do know is that the person I think I want to be in order to find my destiny will need the have the characteristic of being polite. This is an important personal characteristic in my culture. To be polite is to talk nice and always keep a smile on your face. I have learned that people try to help you more if you are polite. I have been taught to be polite since the day I was born. Like Santiago, I think that I need some help if I want to achieve my destiny. So, to get help I will be polite and people will likely help me on my quest. That why politeness is my key to finding my destiny.