Exhibition

Exhibition is a time during after school where our parents come to see what our class has been doing. We exhibit our work to the school. Overall I think last night went really well. We all had a good time and it went really smooth. My group mates were very good and really answered a lot of questions that some parents asked us. We really didn't have any weaknesses. One time a parent came over to my table and asked us how pinhole cameras worked. I had to explain that light travels in a straight line which is why it appears upside down. I also had to explain that it relates to the eye in a number of ways. When I do my exhibition next time, I think that I will definitely try to keep my table clean because when I was in Ms. Golub's room, our table seemed cluttered. But overall, we all did a good job and had a good time doing it.

Character Blog

Today we had a few "exercises" that helped us learn more about our characters in our graphic novels. We got to be our characters and portray them in a "freeze-frame", and a 2 min. scene from our story. My partner and I did 300 and we did different things about our characters who were Spartans. I learned many different things about our characters, many of our characters I got to see more in-depth then in our bios. We really got to learn about the core of our characters.

In our character bios, I plan to change many things about our characters. In our character bios I need to introduce many idiosyncrasies to all my characters. For Deo, I need to make him more then just a random soldier. I need to make him a complex individual who has an uneasy relationship with his father figure Laertes. Laertes although is like a father to Deo, Laertes trained Deo to his breaking point, and beyond. This transformed Deo into the Spartan he is today. For Spiridon and Delia, they are just kind of there. So to develop them, they are going to need to have a recurring part in the story. So at the end I am thinking of having them come back and see Deo "come home". Spiridon will need to become more of a child rather then a reason for Deo. He will need to interact with other boys in parts of the story. Delia on the other hand needs to interact with Deo some time during the story wether through backflash or other means to assure the bond between them.

bios & synopsis

Persian General:
Name: Jamshid
Date of Birth: 410 B.C.
Sense of Humor: Dry
Parents: Dad was a general that has died. Mother died of Old Age.
Childhood Influence: Dad came back home injured gave him Trauma.
Skills: Leadership, good fighter, gets surprised a lot in battle.
Income: High
Ambitions: Help Xerxes win the war.

Persian Soldier:
Darsiush
Date of Birth: 405 B.C.
Parents: Parents were farmers.
Childhood Influence: Hardwork from parents.
Skills: Persistence
Income: Average.
Ambitions: Help Xerxes win the war.

We are going to make a story on the battle of Thermopylae and what had let up to it. 2 characters that we have are Jamshid and Darsiush.

Jamshid is around 5 feet and 6 inches, he was born in 510 B.C. He has dark hair, and a long beard. He is 30 years old and he is the general of a section of Xerxes army. His father was a General as well, one day when he was little his father came back home injured and weak. This experience influenced him, he didn’t want to die and he wanted to prove that he would not get injured like his father, his ambition is to help Xerxes win the war. He is tough, but is nice to his son and his wife, but he remains in control.

Darsiush is a young soldier that’s 5 feet and 8 inches. He has long hair but no beard. His wife has died of disease and his son lives at home. He is a farmer that was drafted into the war, he does not wish to fight but he has no choice now. He fights in Jamshid’s army. He wishes to go home to his son but Xerxes would not allow it.

Deo
Full name: Deo Mentis
Birth date: 507 BC
Humor: Jokester of Spartans
Birth Order: N/A
Parent occupation: Father was farmer, Mother helped father
Childhood influences: N/A
Talents / Strengths: His strength, ability with weapons
Weaknesses: Seeing family injured
Religion: Greek Polytheistic
Income: N/A
Personality: Funny except for battles when he becomes overly serious
Relationships: Spiridon – son Delia – wife Laertes – trained by
Background: Grew up on farm when at early age he trained to become Spartan
Occupation: Spartan and one of the 300
Education: Spartan warfare and training by Laertes
Ambitions: Defeat Persians
Clothes: Sparse except for Spartan shield, sword, cape, helmet, dagger, and spear
Food: Whatever is given to him
Health: Fair
Hobbies: Play with son
Pets: N/A
Possessions: Not much
Good physical trait: Strength
Poor physical trait: None
Goal: Defeat Persians
Motivation: Family
Enemies: Persians
Reactions under stress: Kill any Persians still standing

He is a strong and noble man who is our main character for this story. He is a person who everyone gets along with and likes to be around. His death is a horrible loss.

Spiridon
Full name: Spiridon Mentis
Birth date: 485 BC
Humor: Childish
Birth Order: N/A
Parent occupation: Father – Spartan Mother - Housewife
Childhood influences: Seeing father go off to war
Talents / Strengths: Taller and subtly stronger then other kids of his age
Weaknesses: Being away from family for prolonged periods of time
Religion: Greek Polytheistic
Income: N/A
Personality: Childishly brave
Relationships: Father – Deo Mother - Delia
Background: Born to parents and getting ready to join Spartans
Occupation: N/A
Education: N/A
Ambitions: To follow in father’s footsteps
Clothes: Rag diaper
Food: Meat
Health: Fair
Hobbies: Playing games with father and friends
Pets: N/A
Possessions: N/A
Good physical trait: Tall and strong
Poor physical trait: Off-balanced
Goal: Join Spartans
Motivation: Father
Enemies: N/A
Reactions under stress: Seek Parents

His point in this book is to be more of a reason for Deo to live rather then an actual character. Although he is a good son, he is just a boy.

Delia
Full name: Delia Mentis
Birth date: 500 BC
Humor: Dry
Birth Order: N/A
Parent occupation: Father – Farmer Mother – Helped father
Childhood influences: N/A
Talents / Strengths: Helping anyone who needs help
Weaknesses: Family
Religion: Greek Polytheistic
Income: N/A
Personality: Kind and forgiving
Relationships: Deo – Husband Spiridon - Son
Background: Grew up on farm and was married to Deo at age 15
Occupation: Housewife
Education: N/A
Ambitions: See husband come home safe
Clothes: Gown / Dress
Food: Millet
Health: Fair
Hobbies: N/A
Pets: N/A
Possessions: N/A
Good physical trait: Thin good health
Poor physical trait: Frail
Goal: Have husband come home
Motivation: Family
Enemies: N/A
Reactions under stress: Talk it out

She is a kind and wise mother to Spiridon. She is also another reason for Deo to return alive. She represents Deo's other side of his war, family. She wants nothing more then Deo.

Laertes:
Full name: Laertes Vardakas
Birth date: 517 BC
Humor: Dry
Birth Order: N/A
Parent occupation: Father – Spartan Mother - Housewife
Childhood influences: N/A
Talents / Strengths: Strength
Weaknesses: N/A
Religion: Greek Polytheistic
Income: N/A
Personality: Quiet but ferocious killer
Relationships: Trained Deo
Background: Father pushed him hard in Spartan training
Occupation: Spartan and one of the 300
Education: Spartan Training
Ambitions: Defy odds and defeat Persians
Clothes: Sparse except for Spartan shield, sword, cape, helmet, dagger, and spear
Food: Meat
Health: Fair (on the down)
Hobbies: N/A
Pets: N/A
Possessions: N/A
Good physical trait: Strength
Poor physical trait: Willingness to help other Spartans
Goal: Kill Persians
Motivation: War
Enemies: Persians
Reactions under stress: Kill any Persians fueled by adrenaline

He is a wonderful person, and it is with great regret that he has to die. He is strong and a kind, wise person, although he is strict, he acts as a second father to Deo.

Synopsis
Exposition:
At the beginning Deo is standing before Leonidas with the other 298 spartans while Leonidas is talking to dictators/ priests on how he is “merely taking a stroll with his body guards”. Later he starts walking to Thermopylae when he talks to reader introducing his wife and son. Also he talks to Laertes and they introduce the conflict with the Persians.
Rising Action:
Deo finally gets to Thermopylae where they surprise attack Persian scouts. Later with the dead bodies, the 300 build a wall of the deceased. The Persian general Jamshid goes over to Darius and tells him that the great exalted Xerxes has requested his help in his conquest to rule the world. Darius has no choice even though it is a question. He is sad yet anxious to go and fight the insubordinate Greeks.
Climax:
2 days and 2 nights of battling take up this part of the story. As the Persian’s army quickly approaches the Spartan phalanx, Leonidas gives his soldiers a pep talk including: “Tonight we dine in hell!”. So there are split frames between Jamshid, Darius, Laertes, and Deo showing them fighting and killing the opposite forces. So that night Deo and Laertes nurse their wounds. Deo starts talking about about his past to the reader. He talks about how Laertes trained him. He also talks about Spartan history and how he made love to his wife for good luck. The next day the immortals come and really join the fight. In this scene Laertes kills Darius who is killed by Jamshid, who is killed by an avenging Deo.
Falling Action:
That night he talks to Leonidas who reassures him that he is fighting for a noble cause. Deo then turns to the reader and talks about the Greek Persian history. The next day under a volley of arrows only protected by their shields, Deo talks again to the reader about how he is ready to give his last breath and stand for Sparta. He shakes off the arrows and gathers with the few Spartans left and makes almost a “bubble” of shields while Leonidas is talking to one of Xerxes generals when suddenly Deo runs out, jumps off of Leonidas’s back, and stabs the general. Then Leonidas is hit by an arrow but still throws his spear at Xerxes. And the spear scathes Xerxes’s shoulder piercing skin and drawing blood. Then Deo is shot in the leg, shoulder and finally in the back. Deo dies.

Persepolis

Persepolis is a book by Marjane Satrapi about herself as a little girl growing up in Iran. It takes place shortly after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. During this book, many different events happen to Marji and Iran.

In the beginning in 1980 she becomes separated from her friends who were boys because of the cultural revolution. Their school was not a secular school. The Shah's father was picked to be a Shah and became a puppet of the west. They had to be clandestine about controlling the Shah. Cyrus the Great ruled over the ancient world. On Black Friday many people who were demonstrating were massacred. Many of these people were proletarians. After the Shah was exiled that only Egypt welcomed him into their country. Later political prisoners were freed but later murdered. The U.S. Embassy was occupied by extremist fundamentalist students. After that, the Iran Iraq started. Young boys were being drafted in the Iraq army, becoming martyrs and dieing. But Iran had a reservoir of potential soldiers waiting. The Iranian government decadently denied peace with Iraq many times. Also to smuggle things into Iran because of an embargo, Marji's parents had to not be veritable and discreetly get things into Iran. But finally they send her to France to further her education.

Marjane Satrapi matures throughout this book from age 9 to 14. She goes through many struggles which shapes her as a person as well as the book as a whole. She starts off the book as a 9 year old who seems kind of cocky not realizing the seriousness of the time. As the book progresses, you can easily see that she matures and comes to an understanding of how the world is in her own time period. She then comes to realize that the Iran-Iraq war could easily take her life at any time. She smokes a cigarette thus ending her childhood officially. The country though loses their economy because when war happens the economy plummets. Her family also has to toughen up to get through hard times in Iran. Otherwise they would crumble under the pressure of the war and their government's crisis.

After she heads to Vienna I think many interesting things happen to her. I think that when she first got there, she saw a person waiting by the incoming airline terminal holding a sign that said, "Marjane Satrapi" on it. She went over to it and they took her to a boarding school. There she learned many things and found herself liking art more then her other subjects. She then moved to Strasbourg where she enhanced her ability to sketch and draw. She became head of her class and passed illustration with flying colors. She studied here for many years before she moved to Paris in 1997. There, she much discrimination from the French. But within a few months she made many new friends and started to fit in. One night, she was talking to one of her best and most trusted friends. "So I know you lived in Tehran for many years." "Yes, I had many... interesting experiences there" "But I only know where you lived, I would love to learn about your past and what happened to you..." Thus spawned an idea to create an autobiography about her life. This was my idea of what happened to Marjane Satrapi after she left Tehran for Vienna after the book Persepolis ended up to writing it.

Seminar Reflection - lowering the voting age

I think I did really well in today's seminar. I asked many questions that contributed to the conversation. I was sometimes inhibited from talking because so many people had such strong opinions on this topic. Next time I feel I need to contribute more of my ideas to the conversation instead of asking as many questions.
I agree with some of the authors views but disagree with most. I think that some 16 year olds should be able to vote but others should not. I think that there should not be a test because some 16 year olds cannot take test as good as others while they are prepared to vote. I think that there should be another way of deciding who should vote.
I think that Zac brought up the idea that the 16 year olds when they vote really what they vote on won't affect them as much as 18-100 year olds. They do not need to pay taxes or really worry about healthcare. I agree with Zac and the 16 year olds would really only vote on raising minimum wage. If you have any other ideas on what they would vote on, please drop me a comment and correct me!

Year of the youth vote / SAT 7

I definetly think that this year is one of the if not the most important year to vote. I think that this vote will either make or break the U.S.A. Therefore I think that suffrage should be given to 16 year olds. I feel that the U.S.A at the end of this election will start to be progressive. Whether the constituents are liberal or conservative this will be the year of the youth vote.
The main coalition of voters may be young but they still are incumbent as voters. They will still be able to vote on referendums. I say they are a coalition because I think that some 16 year olds are banning together to vote regardless of political views.
This presidential race has definetly been interesting because the old cabinet wasn't the best. They're evangelic which lead to many vetos that could have helped this nation. I will definetly be paying close attention to this presidential race.

Election Reflection

Yesterday in class, we had a mock election. I had to represent Mitt romney on National Security. When I was researching about him, I found that he had many of the same views I did. Although I did not agree with him on gay marriage. I feel that it is their right. I am interested to find out why he dropped out of the race, and why he believes what he does. I found that he could have probably been a good president. But John McCain pulled away in the delegate race and Romney suspended his election.
At the end of the class, we found that my group Mitt Romney had won in the primary in our class. I am glad my group won because I feel that we worked really hard and researched a lot. In the debate, I was against Imani and Derek. I felt that we all had similar views on National Security. This was what is called a "soldier surge" which means that we send around 100,000 troops to "get the job done". We each had good points, but we were all different in ways. John McCain wanted to focus entirely on Iraq. And Mike Huckabee wanted to raise the gross domestic product (GDP) spending to 6% instead of 4% that Mitt Romney wanted to spend. Overall, I think that this election and project really opened my eyes to elections and the potential presidents of today. I had a good time debating for Mitt Romney, and for my group... I... I... I... I... am Mitt Romney!!!!