Is 'Sorry' Enough?

Although, today we think that the Australians were atrocious towards the Aboriginals, the British knew they were doing the right thing. The movie Rabbit- proof Fence sends a very abundant message and view point of both racial groups reacting to each other. Stealing half-caste children from their parents was their way of saving the Aboriginals from themselves, more use of the ethnocentric language that drives the audience who watch the movie insane with anger and annoyance. What surprised me most was the fact that the camps that the children were forced to attend lasted for years upon years, beginning a few years after the colonization of Australia to 1970. The suffering seen in the eyes of the children in the movie, especially the main characters Molly, Gracie and Daisy, stirs deep emotion in the audience making the movie more documentary like. And the fact that it is based on a true story leaves the audience shaken up. At one point in the story, a new character is introduced, a maid working for white people. This further strengthens the cruelty that the Aboriginals had to suffer. The maid is put through some kind of torture through her master for providing the girls with shelter, this act questions all morals as to how a human is supposed to treat another human. The movie and other sources that we got a chance to look at provided us with a reason as to why the Aboriginals deserve an apology. The actions of the white Australians leave them with a sense of shame and a need to apologize to the Aboriginals. But is an apology enough? All those children that were stolen, all those families that were left devastated, this information shocks me to my core. The apology that the Australians provided the Aboriginals with stabilized relations between the two groups.

Wordle: http://www.creativespirits.info/downloads/politics/stolen-generations-postcard-2.png

Rabbit Proof Fence- Is Molly really a hero?

Describe the character of Molly and discuss whether you think she is a hero or not. Give reason to support your opinion.

My definition of a hero is someone who puts others before themselves. Molly, the protagonist in the movie Rabbit Proof Fence, is the hero in this story. She takes a huge risk by running away from her Gulag (labour camp) taking her cousin and sister with her. She uses her best assets to overcome obstacles that come in her way and successfully manages to get rid of the tracker that starts following the siblings once they escape the camp. Her technique of taking the route through the river is a reflection of her intelligence. The shocking events that lead to the siblings fleeing give great meaning to their courageous decision. She exhibits selflessness, and her protectiveness towards her sister and cousin is shown when she does her best to stick with them throughout their time in the camp. Although this is a chance for Molly to survive as well, she is an evident hero because of her abrupt yet audacious decision.

Picture: http://thecia.com.au/reviews/r/images/rabbit-proof-fence-10.jpg

My Learning Profile

According to my learning profile I have a keen eye for details and I process information when I write it down. I also learn better when things are in order and there is a list I can refer to when doing work. I found this to be true because I always rely on a list in my planner when doing my homework; it helps me to be more organized. I am a visual and an auditory learner and can cope when under stress. I need to focus more on the whole picture instead of just the details and take part in art, music and freeform movement related activities. This would help me connect more with myself. I would like my teachers to know that I may not always participate in class because I am still taking in the information they are feeding to the students and it may take me time to understand everything. I also prefer knowing what we do in class before class starts and feel confident when I know what we are going to learn. I now understand the inner workings of my mind and see myself as a good learner who actually absorbs the information given to her.

How Can Da Vinci Be Characterized As a True Renaissance Man?

Leonardo Da Vinci was a true Renaissance Man because of his many talents some of which were painting, architecting, engineering and researching mathematical concepts. Leonardo was always an artistic man, he observed people and had a notebook in which he used to sketch the littlest things that would catch his eye. From then on people knew he was something else, and this sparked a new era. His career started off with paintings, his talent in that area caused him to be famous among patrons. Once he gained his fame working as a painter his interests shifted to architecture. He spent a year creating a dome for the Milan Cathedral. This caused for him to be famous outside of Florence. Engineering was his next challenge, which he proved to be good at as well. He designed machines that protected Florence from enemies and invented such machines that destroyed towers and fortification. People were impressed and Florence was kept safe. He was one of the first people to cut open a body to study its functions, his mathematical skills seeping through, rising concepts related to mathematics. There are anatomically accurate drawings of parts of the human body. Not only this, but he was also a geometry genius, an example of this is the Vitruvian Man, which is shockingly proportionate and its outer circle exactly 360°. Leonardo Da Vinci was a true Renaissance Man because he was multi talented, he painted, architected, engineered and researched mathematical concepts. He was an overall person who could overcome most challenges that came in his way.

Leonardo Da Vinci: http://www.talismancoins.com/catalog/Leonardo_self.jpg

A Dome Build On Courage.

Courage: the ability to do something in the face of fear, danger and/or disapproval

Brunelleschi had experienced failure before, he knew what it felt like when a patron rejected you but he still presented his ideas. Not only that but he had heard about the many architects who had tried and been forgotten of. Brunelleschi knew deep down that this time he will succeed, he took the courage and faced whatever came. In his case it was success and his design had been approved and he had Cosimo to support him. But this wasn’t so easy; he was discouraged and faced lots of hardships, his way of thinking often laughed at. He was ‘crazy’ in the eyes of people, but he didn’t run away from those problems, he faced them and there stood the dome with pride before the eyes of Florentines reminding them of a legend that became.

If Brunelleschi wouldn’t have stepped up, the dome might still have been left incomplete, but he took a stand and his actions and decisions changed the way people thought, they were affected by him, not always in a positive way. This caused a movement, suddenly it was architects or artists like Brunelleschi breaking out of their shell and bringing themselves up to face their city with ideas that shook the world. Brunelleschi’s courage caused many others to face challenges in their way and his courage brought not only success but also confidence, he had been accepted and had to work his hardest to complete the dome. With success came hard work which Brunelleschi brought.

Picture of Cathedral- http://sokyu.deviantart.com/art/Santa-Maria-del-Fiore-54977841?q=boost:popular+brunelleschi's+dome&qo=59

Where do ideas come from?

Anything can provoke an idea. It is part of the way our brain functions, the ideas may not always make sense or be productive but they are manufactured. How people think of the littlest things and expand them shocks me. Fire may not be an invention but people using it to cook, and use as a source of heat is a brilliant idea. What raised this idea? Was it a mistake or an experiment? The thought of the world ending is another mystery itself. Is there scientific evidence to prove this fact or is it a myth? Thinking outside the box, an expression often used by teachers is what sparks that little part of your brain that thinks. Theories are basically ideas that are thoroughly researched, but how those ideas develop and how the person who came up with the idea make most of them is beyond me. I think ideas come out of nowhere and everywhere. It is impossible to stop thinking and where that thinking takes you depends on the way you think.

Picture: http://www.corbisimages.com/Enlargement/Enlargement.aspx?id=RZ001661&tab=details&caller=search

My Favourite Short Story From This Unit

"Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl wins in my case. I loved the suspense and how the author chooses carefully what the character does now and what his or her reaction is. I found it interesting how Mary Maloney starts of being calm and collected but when Patrick Maloney breaks the news to her she cracks. The mask she was wearing tears off and she attacks. Maybe this was all planned? Maybe it was reaction on instinct? But I loved how Dahl took us off guard and how the story actually made me think about what would happen? My favorite story no doubt is "Lamb to the Slaughter".

Picture:

http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=lamb+to+the+slaughter#/d16tyh4