Final Project

Cooper Feltes

English 9

Mr. Salsich

May 18, 2011

Final Project:

Strength of Spirit in the World Today

In this essay, I plan to discuss the important aspects of “strength of spirit”, a topic mentioned by Shakespeare in his play, Julius Caesar. At one point, he mentions, “nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass, nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron, can be retentive to the strength of spirit". I dissect this phrase to mean that nothing can hold back the human “spirit”, an idea I shall discuss in this essay. I hope that this topic will be powerful enough to expose my most pristine writing. This topic, the “strength of spirit” will be presented in a multi-genre form. This means that, this time, there will not only be plain writing, but there will be other forms of presenting ideas. These could range from an advertisement to a recipe, and everywhere in between. I would also like the reader to seriously consider this topic before jumping right into the depths of this project. It is necessary to have a stable foundation or belief relating to this topic, before allowing my ideas to flow into your mind. Otherwise, I think, without this foundation, it would be hard to understand my beliefs about the complexity of the human spirit. Please enjoy this multi-genre project that I, from English class, bring to you.

Letter to Society:

Dear Society,

When you see a man walking down the street with plastic bags in his hand, maybe wearing old clothes, you can't help but wonder how he could be so unfortunate. For those of us who live with everything and still want more, we miss out on life, avoiding the challenges that mother nature specifically  set aside just for the human race to discover and solve. The people who aren't so privileged are the people who get to face these challenges. Those wealthy and unaware of life's purpose, which some may say is to solve nature's and society's puzzles, miss out on learning what truly makes life purposeful and meaningful: true strength of spirit--the wild animal that stops at nothing to break through barriers and to fight for what it truly believes in. Give up all that you own, if only for a day, and walk about the streets, "submit... yourself unto the perilous night," and you may find what is truly waiting for you beyond your belongings. The people that you, society, force onto the streets, always live on their reserves of hope, not the fuel of money or possessions the rest of the world chooses to live by. How they do this, live on pure strength of spirit, reaches beyond the grasp of regular citizens. The homeless wish that their way of life could be experienced by all, to grow appreciation for what the fortunate already have, and what they could lose. The realization that you are lucky would then be understood, brought out by those who have nothing.

Your citizen,

Cooper Feltes

Monologue:

I give you a body,

I give you a mind to think,

I give you every resource in the world to use, and how do you use it?

You waste the majority.

Your mind, if you only knew, has powers you have never seen. You can persuade, you can argue, you can collaborate, but the pleasure of using the gift I have given you outweighs the practicality, outweighs the potential of your spirit not only to find what it means to be a human, but what it means to be a human among other humans. You all know you can do anything you can think of. It may take time to formulate ideas, but you, you of all species, can do it. It pains me that the best thing I can offer is the attribute most never find within themselves, true strength of spirit. Your body is not only for having fun; it's about achieving a purpose-- a purpose I gave you a mind to find.

Character Bio:

Julius Caeser: Julius Caesar is considered to be one of the greatest leaders in the history of mankind. Though he may have been ruthless, his citizens respected him, and he controlled Rome with a spirit only a few can display. His strength of spirit was a key aspect to ruling Rome. In Shakespeare's play depicting the tragedy of Caeser's death, Caesar was killed from within his close circle of friends, showing that no man could defeat Caesar's powerful mind, except the people who he trusted most, namely his friend Brutus.

Brutus: Brutus, convinced by a revolutionary group that Caesar is evil, shows almost no strength of spirit, obviously overcome by the beliefs of others, while seemingly disregarding his own beliefs. Brutus, as the play and historical tales go, kills Caesar, and feels that he has done a justice to Rome. But that does not justify his lack of strength of spirit, giving into the beliefs of others so easily.

Postcard (Tale of Two Cities)

Dear Lucie,

In jail, I can see how so many people lose hope. This place is so desolate and bleak, and I have no idea how your father stayed in one piece, though he suffered most obvious trauma. The strength of spirit he had must have been tremendous. The isolation and despair I have gone through over my time in jail has shown me how to rely on hope-- that inkling of inspiration that could propel me through my last days here in prison. Your father, I have realized, was such a brave man. Extend my warmest regards towards him and our lovely daughter.

Your Love,

Charles Darnay

Motivational:

I have been a workout enthusiast for at least five years, and since that first step I took towards having a stronger body, I have felt a whole lot better about myself. I find not only strength in my body, but also more emotional strength to tell the world how I feel. I have found so much self-confidence in the positive energy I receive while exercising, that It affects my performance at work, at home, and while interacting with other people. This self-confidence is definitely the biggest benefit of my new body. Not only is exercise important, but getting plenty of sleep is also a big factor in my energy level. I suggest at least eight hours of sleep with no exception. Also, never underestimate the strength of a power-nap to recharge your batteries in the middle of the day, increasing your performance and focus wherever your attention is needed. Nutrition is another big factor in staying fit and being a healthier individual, both physically and emotionally. You can never go wrong with organic fruits and vegetables, and lean or low-fat meats are your best friend. Be sure to monitor your calorie intake everyday to make sure you are keeping track of every spec of food you consume. All these changes in my life have allowed my strength of spirit to increase ten-fold compared to when I was just out of college, about thirteen years ago. I feel I can emotionally stand up for what I believe in, not to mention physically. The benefit of diligent exercise goes far beyond health benefits, it directly affects your strength of spirit, and forms you into, on the whole, a stronger, happier, and healthier person all together.

Essay Strength

English 8

Mr. Salsich

April 19, 2011

TS Power to move things out of the way

CM people/things

CM always room for more strength/ physically/ emotionally

CS strength in JC

TS strengths, significant

SD Cassius

CM age brings wisdom

CM grey hairs purchase good oppinions

SD Portia

CM standing up to Brutus

CM letting him know she's human

SD lack of strengths in brutus

CM giving into the idea to destroy his friend

CM giving into strength of others, wife, cassius

 Cooper Feltes

English 9

Mr. Salsich

April 20, 2011

The Power Within:

Power, Strength, and How We Use It.

Every person on this earth has the power to exert strength upon others, using that power to lead, to fight, or to stand up to others. Power does not just stop at moving things out of the way; it consists of having the emotional strength to tell people what’s really on your mind, and be unafraid of what they have to say back to you. No matter how much power you have mustered in your body or mind, it seems that there is always room to learn how to use it. The characters in Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, each have their own way of using their energy, sparing its use in some places, and greatly using it in others.

Each character in Julius Caesar has their own level of strength. One example is the character Cicero, experienced and cut out for the job, who is leading a conspiracy against their ruler, Caesar. Cicero, with “his gray hairs,” shows strength in leadership, one of the most notable and honorable types of power. With Cicero's age comes much wisdom, wisdom that will strengthen his group to bring down Caesar. Brutus, on the other hand, does not seem to have yet found his inner power. Brutus succumbs to the overwhelming devotion and power of others, namely Cicero and Caesar, but never lets himself unleash the power within. He gives in to the idea of killing his long-time friend and master, exposing his sparing use of strength to many others, including Porsia. Porsia, Brutus' wife, at one point in the story, stands up for her own strength like Brutus had never seen-- stabbing her leg to show her power. Porsia, before this, stood up for herself by asking Brutus if she was only needed to “talk with [him] sometimes, or “comfort [his] bed”. Brutus, after this display of raw vigor, realizes how strong she really is, and seemed to have given up some of his power. All of these characters have their own type of strength and power, using it in their own way.

The strength of the human mind and body is not used equally from person to person. Shakespeare’s character, Brutus, doesn’t seem to be able to unleash the power within. Porsia and Cicero, strong, conducted, and able, on the other hand, can very easily control this power, saving it for situations that need it most. All of these characters have their own way of using their strength, which gives each of them a special personality.

Self-Assessment:

I believe that this is an okay essay. I particularly like my use of special effects, especially the adjective appositives. One weak point I see is the repeated use of strength or power. I really hope I did not overuse these words, for this would make my essay sound totally repetitive. I really need to work on using synonyms to decrease the use of the same word.
Personal grade: A-

Cooper Feltes

English 9

Mr. Salsich

April 6^th, 2011

TS we all make millions of decisions

CM I tell myself, body reacts

CM We all have the power

CS no one/thing tells what to do

TS influences are put into place by making our own decisions

SD influence of “random situations”

CM sometimes helpless, but letting decisions flow

CM underneath your river, bad ones clog Destiny Bridge

SD other people don’t influence if you don’t let them

CM the “master of our fates” mustn’t be our decision makers

CM powerful minds keep their beliefs on a firm foundation,

 But are open to new ideas

SD making the right decisions

CM humans get better at determining their future with age

CM to figure out what’s best for them now (learning lessons)

TS playing along, going with the flow

SD “playing along” often best to do

CM though your mind screams, go with the flow

CM best way to keep the peace, not making big decisions for

yourself

SD when the time is right your power will kick in

CM TELLING PEOPLE ENOugh is enough
CM make choices for yourself
SD the followers go with the flow
CM take instruction and take it well
CM don't have the voice to say otherwise
CS leaders say whats what

TS millions of decisions
CM flow under bridge
CM influences don't decide who we are
CS finding voice= master of fate

Cooper Feltes

English 9

Mr. Salsich

April 6^th, 2011

Masters of Our Fates:

Who is Really in Control?

         Every day, the human mind makes millions of choices that all shove our bodies down a new avenue of events. These events open up opportunities for new decisions, and even more after that, all of which are made by nothing other than your brain, your mental power to disentangle what’s good for you and what should not be done. This kind of responsibility can be handled only by the human mind. The only "master of my fate" is my own brain.

        The world that we touch, and feel, and enjoy, and experience shoves infinite influences in our path, and the mind, paired with the body, is the only mechanism that can choose whether to absorb these influences, or to let them flow over our heads. Most of these influences are spur of the moment, happening on a whim. The randomness is sometimes unavoidable, but getting into the groove of choosing what's right for you allows for the decision making process to flow like a river under a stone bridge. During times of life, this river is so flooded with decisions to worry about, like school, work, or family, that, without knowledge of it ever being there, it is easy to let a terrible choice slip past . These influences, the water under our bridge, will not flow past you if you don't let them. Now, with experience, our bridge becomes a dam, blocking the bad choices from flowing to the other side, where the good choices go. If the dam is strong, then it will be very easy to keep bad influences at bay. When you give in to the bad influences, and subsequently make bad decisions, you learn from what you should not have done. With age and experience, these lessons build up to create a great decision maker, knowledgeable about right and wrong. The experience with decisions and choices influences others to follow you, for they look up to you. It is not possible, however, to be perfect.

        Going with the flow is the alternative to making decisions for yourself. Playing along is best for some people, people who prefer for others to take charge. Though their minds might scream, they keep it to themselves. For those people, so common is society, it may be the best way to keep the peace. For those who go with the flow, the power within themselves will kick in eventually. It will be a breakthrough moment when they choose to say “enough is enough and I need to be in charge of what I do”. At this point, they can finally have their own voice, not only to stand up for themselves, but to tell others what they really think. The followers are the ones who need that voice. They are the ones who take instruction, mind their own business, and who don't have a big impact on the world. The followers are the people who make few decisions, the people who are delegated, allowing others to tell them what to do, leaving their fate up to someone else, randomly, senselessly(FAST), and foolishly throwing their destiny to the voracious(FAST) crowd of the world. Leaders are these people who have found their voice.

        The millions of choices we make in one day, life changing or unnoticeable, affect the path that our life travels. That flow of decisions under our stone bridge will, once again, overflow with endless choices, some good, some bad. The influences we come across every day affect who we are, but are not the deciding factor of our lives. Only our minds, for those of us who have found our voice, can be the master of our fates.

Self-assessment:
This essay had lots of very complicated sentences, but with the help of my classmates, I was able to make them a bit more clear. I particularly enjoy the extended analogy of the stone bridge and the river, for it fits perfectly into the entire paragraph of the essay. I am afraid however, I may have, and may always have trouble getting my point across. It is hard, with such deep topics, to communicate what I am really thinking

Personal grade: B+