The School of Athens

How can art be a mirror of society?

In the fresco ‘The School of Athens’ by Raphael, includes classical architectures and artistic techniques, which reflects the Renaissance society. The most impressive architecture in this painting is the “rounded arches” which the blueprint was rediscovered by a greatest architect, Fillipo Brunelleschi during the Renaissance. Rounded arches were the great technique to support and decorate the building. They started to be used in buildings after this rediscovery. Also there were many artistic techniques used by Renaissance artists to improve their own works. One of the techniques discovered was the linear perspective, which was another discovery made by Brunelleschi. Perspective adds depth into the painting and made viewers focus on the focal point. The fresco, ‘The School of Athens’ painted by Raphael contained many classical architectures and different artistic techniques that were discovered during the Renaissance era. In the middle ages, paintings included simple backgrounds and had only few colors, but after the Renaissance era, artworks evolved. Renaissance artworks included more detailed backgrounds and displayed many varieties of colors. All of the artworks reflects the society in each era.

If I were part of the fresco ‘The School of Athens’ I would be Euclid. He was a Greek Mathematician, and many people saw him as the father of geometry. He went to Plato’s school during the Ancient Greece. After finishing school, he went to Alexandria, where he discovered and wrote his theories on geometry. In this fresco, Euclid is shown as the mathematician trying to obtain a deeper understanding about the universe by using geometry, which are shapes and lines. Same as Euclid, I have a great interest about the universe. I always thought that using telescope could help discovering ideas of universe. But I was surprised how Euclid tried to use geometry as a key to discover new ideas. This way of determination made me gain more interest in discovering the universe. I want to discover new theories and ideas that can help other people to study like Euclid did.

Courage is a Key to achieve your Destiny

Courage by Hanson Chen

Courage is what it takes to stand up to others Courage is what it takes to make your own decisions Courage is what it takes to succeed But it also takes courage to sit down and listen It also takes courage to admit a loss It will take courage to respect someone others don't Courage is needed to withstand peer pressure So what does this mean? Courage is essential in your journey through life.

Duty, Courage, Honor

Courage is important to culture and all the time. Hanson says that courage is essential in your journey through life. This means that courage is the key to achieve your destiny. Being brave is part of being courage. You would have to overcome the obstacles you pass and to challenge into a harder adventure. My destiny is to become a baseball player. Overcoming obstacles for me is to go through hard practices. I do practices to improve my throwing and my batting form. I challenge into a harder adventure by joining into a baseball team and I try hard to improve my skills. By being brave anytime, it allows you to achieve your destiny. Courage is also important for different culture. Long time ago there were wars going on. During the wars, people were being courage and sacrificed their lives to save their own country. I think their destiny was to be part of the army and after they complete their destiny, they sacrifice their lives to save other people. If people had courage, they will be brave and sacrifice their lives to save the other people's culture and time.

Love

Love

Love can deliver to the place where the person is

Draped in happiness

Love speaks the Language of the World

In The Alchemist, Coelho describes love by Santiago falling in love with Fatima. Coelho explains love when Santiago travels to the desert to achieve his destiny, and he meets Fatima. Fatima is the woman of the desert. When Santiago looked into her eyes, he notices the Language of the World. Coelho defines that love can be understood by anyone. Love can be understood by anyone because people from different countries around the world, love another person the same way. In The Alchemist, Coelho shows love in a way the readers can understand why love is the language of the world.

Being Energetic

Never Give Up

‘He spent the entire afternoon of the second day looking out over the desert, and listening to his heart The boy knew the desert sensed his fear. They spoke the same language’ (Coelho 137) This quote shows that Santiago’s curiosity allowed him to learn how to listen to his heart from the Alchemist. The boy contemplated during the passage by thinking hard, how to turn himself into the wind. Santiago a young shepherd in “The Alchemist”, his destiny was to find for the treasure that appeared in his dream. He begins his journey in Andalusia, Spain and travels towards the pyramids in Egypt where the treasure was located. Along his journey he meets a variety of people who helps him, by giving Santiago advices for achieving his destiny. The advices helped him to overcome the obstacles and finally leaded him to love. Santiago’s curiosity, open-mindedness and contemplated nature allowed him to follow his destiny.

Santiago’s curiosity allowed him to learn from the Alchemist. The Alchemist helps the boy led to the pyramids. One night during camp, Santiago and the Alchemist were talking about why Alchemists were called Alchemist. The Alchemist was explaining the reasons by relating it to the Emerald Tablet. Santiago was curious to learn about the Emerald Tablet, so the Alchemist showed a drawing of the tablet on the sand. The Alchemist explained that it is a direct passage to the Soul of the World. Which means that with the Emerald Tablet, you can communicate with gods. The Alchemist explained that by immersing yourself into the desert, it will teach the understanding of the world. But Santiago was curious to learn how to immerse him self into the desert. ‘ “Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there.” ‘ (Coelho 122) The Alchemist taught to listen to your heart to immerse into the desert. By immersing yourself, it will lead to the treasure. Santiago listening to his heart, he was able to turn himself into the wind and it helped him guided through the desert. Later on, Santiago continued his journey with the Alchemist and they met the tribesmen. The tribesmen checked their belongings. From the Alchemist’s belongings, there was a yellow glass egg and a small flask filled with liquid. Simply the Alchemist explained it was the Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life. Santiago didn’t understand what they were and he was curious to learn about it. The Alchemist taught the boy that the Philosopher’s Stone could turn any lead into gold. With the Elixir of Life, whoever drinks it, would have a healthy body and a long life. When the Alchemist showed Santiago how to turn lead into gold in the kitchen at the monastery, Santiago was curious and asked if he will learn how to do it. The Alchemist explained that it was his destiny not Santiago’s destiny; but he just wanted to show that it was possible. Santiago was a curious boy that wanted to learn whatever he heard that he didn’t understand about.

Santiago listened to advices from the variety of people with his open- mindedness. ‘ “…try to make your own decisions.” ‘ (Coelho 28) Santiago learned to make his own decisions from King Melchizedek. When King Melchizedek gave the Urim and Thummim, he told Santiago that he can make his decisions with the rocks but he preferred Santiago to make his decisions by himself. By making his own decision, it will lead to the treasure. After Santiago begins his journey, he stops at the crystal shop and starts helping the Crystal Merchant. Santiago improved the crystal shop by cleaning the bits of crystals on the floor, putting a display of a crystal at the bottom of the hill and gave out drinks in the crystal glasses to the customers who came. This was very effective for the shop. Many customers came to the shop and bought at least a crystal. After the shop was starting to get customers, Santiago decided to follow his destiny. Before Santiago left, Santiago learned that every blessing ignored becomes a curse. This means that if Santiago ignores the protection or the words of the god, he will face harm and troubles. Later on leaving the crystal shop, he continued his journey with the Alchemist. When it was time for Santiago to move ahead by him self, the Alchemist had told him that everything that happens once could never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time. This means that Santiago should never give up on his destiny until he achieves it because it can only happen once. Santiago’s open-mindedness allowed him to listen, rely and think about the advices from the variety of people he met.

Santiago’s contemplative nature allowed him to think carefully to make his own decisions. After Santiago was working for the Crystal Merchant, he had to decide to go home and buy more sheep or to achieve his destiny as King Melchizedek told him to. Santiago decides to achieve his destiny because the Maktub told the Crystal Merchant that Santiago would not buy more sheep. Santiago thought carefully what would happen and finally decided to achieve his destiny and travels to the desert. ‘When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and a silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke- the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love.’ (Coelho 88) At the desert he meets Fatima, the woman of the desert. Santiago contemplated into her eyes carefully, and he notices the Language of the World; it was love. Santiago was able to notice the Language of the World by contemplating into Fatima’s eyes. Later on, after he meets the Alchemist, they travel together. They meet with the tribesmen and they thought they were spies and didn’t let them go through. The Alchemist told them that Santiago would turn himself into the wind and blow away the campsite. Santiago had three days to learn how to become into the wind. On the first day he did nothing. But on the second day, he concentrated and contemplated how he could turn himself into the wind. He listens to his heart and asks how to turn himself into the wind. On the third day he communicated with the Soul of the World and turned himself into the wind and blew away the campsite. Santiago contemplated to make his own decisions and to think about what he learned.

As Santiago begins his journey from Andalusia, he travels towards Egypt. His heart guides him through the desert and meets with variety of people. He faces obstacles that he has to overcome but Santiago never gives up until he achieves his destiny. Later on he feels that his treasure was placed at his home, Andalusia. The curiosity, open-mindedness and contemplative nature allowed him to continue his journey. No matter what difficult stages he went through to follow his destiny, Santiago never gave up until he achieves his destiny.

Deer Running in Snow- James Anderson

Energetic

Being energetic helps me to follow and participate to my destiny. My destiny is to be a better baseball player and become a baseball player. To follow my destiny, I will be positive and active all the time. By being positive I can always stay on task and never give up. As I follow my destiny, I might meat people that will help me achieve my destiny, like Santiago had help from variety of people. Being active allows me to get a step closer to achieve my destiny. Which means I will do more practice or join a baseball team in school and be more participating. Finally, I am never going to give up on my destiny. No matter what obstacles I have to overcome, I am going to stay focused. In The Alchemist, the Alchemist told Santiago that everything that happens once, can never happen again. I think that achieving my destiny can only happen once and if I give up, it will never happen again. Energetic helps me to be focused and to never give up on achieving my destiny.