Antigone Book Review

Sophocles's Antigone shows me how dangerous it can be to take a stand.

Antigone is definitely a book on taking a stand for what a person believes, and what they think is best. Unfortunately, for some characters in the book, even though they took a stand, they did not think of the consequences of what could happen in the end.

People definitely need to learn to think before they act, and they also need to always think of any possibilities that could happen in a situation. If they do no act in this way, situations can be very dangerous.

Personally, this was not my kind of book, but if you're the kind of person that likes poetic format, I would say go for it. I would say this because not only is Antigone the style of writing that you like, but this book teaches lessons on taking a stand and what could happen if a situation got too far.

Taking a Stand for Respect

I have yet to take a stand, but one day I would love to take a stand for respect.

Lack of respect is one of my biggest pet peeve’s, but I do not know why I have not stood up for respect yet. In a way, I am probably scared because I would not have a clue as to how people would react.

If a person did not know me then they would be surprised if I took a stand for something that I really cared about, but if somebody did know me they would be happy to see that I did take a stand.

Everywhere I look, I see disrespect.

I see a lot of disrespect towards teachers and elderly people. In probably most of my classes, at least one person has to show disrespect to one of my teachers everyday. People show disrespect towards old people by making fun of how they look, walk, or talk. I hate when I am shopping or at a restaurant and I see a person making fun of an older person. It upsets me so much because that individual may not be able to help the way they look, move, or talk.

Not only have I not taken a stand for respect, but I also have no idea what I would say or do.

If a person knew me, they would say I am very shy and quiet before they got to know me or before I got to know them. So, standing up for something is really hard for me to do in front of people that I do not know very well.

Writing this paper makes me want to try harder to overcome my shyness and to look for opportunities to speak out against disrespect.

Half of My Sophomore Year

Thinking and writing this post, I cannot believe that I am half way through my sophomore year. In just a matter of a few months, I have done so much.

I have cheered at all the football games, survived learning and performing color guard routines, and on top of all my other activities, survived all of the homework assignments and tests.

I also can't believe that I only have a matter of a few more months with my sister, Audrey, before she goes off to college. Looking back and thinking about when we were little, I do not see what I am going to do without her. My sister has helped me and is always there for me and I know that is not going to change. She has watched me do new cheers that I learned and helped me with my homework. The thing I am going to miss doing most with my sister is just goofing off and having fun whenever we can. So not only is half of my sophomore year gone, but also half of my last year with my sister at home.

Keeping busy with all my activities, I have had so much fun doing everything, even with the stress. So far, I think my sophomore year has been the most enjoying and fun in all my years of school, and I think it will continue to be.

Fate

Fate was definitely not the deciding cause of the outcome of events in Julius Caesar. Fate did not control the actions of the characters, especially Caesar and Brutus. Instead, people took over.

The outcome of the play was determined by free will because people were responsible for their actions because of the choices they made. For example, Brutus could have decided not to kill Caesar, but Brutus used his own free will to choose to kill him anyway.

They thought they were following fate, but instead, it was their own free will. Fate did not control Julius Caesar's destiny-the actions of the people were responsible for Caesar's death.

Leadership

In William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, people did not agree with Caesar but he was still their leader. Striving to be a great leader, Caesar was not respected by some people.

A few weeks ago, we had a mini cheer camp for girls grades first through second. Helping the mini cheerleaders, I saw that without leaders, people would have no idea what to do. I also saw that not all of the girls agreed with what we did. They might not have agreed with us all the time, but without our leadership, they would have had no clue what they were doing on the field and track a few Friday's ago. Seeing that they didn't show respect, we tried to be patient. This makes me think that sometimes even if you don't like your leader, they still want to help you in every way possible. Even though some people might not like cheerleaders, we try our best and I know that Julius Caesar tried hard also.

So whether or not you are a cheerleader or a ruler like Julius Caesar, it still is extremely important to respect your leaders because without them, who knows what our world would be like today.

Are You Listening?

As you probably already know from one of my earlier posts, my Pre-AP English 10 class is reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. In Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood, Covey talks about five poor listening styles: spacing out, pretend listening, selective listening, word listening, and self-centered listening.

Honestly but sadly, I find myself doing some of these styles often. Spacing out and pretend listening are probably the styles that I do the most. For example, Audrey, my older sister, has funny stories to tell me after school sometimes. I will listen for a couple of minutes and then I become so self- centered and start worrying about my self that I will start acting like I am listening. I think pretend listening is probably one of the rudest action a person can do when their friend or love one is really hurt or just want to tell a funny story. Ashamed of myself, I am striving everyday to listen better. Listening to their problems or stories, the friend or family member will always know that I am there for them.

Also, this section has really shown me the gravity of listening and that I need to start paying more attention. It has also showed me that I need to think about other people and step into their shoes every once in a while and see life from their point of view. By doing this I will become a genuine listener.

Striving To Be Proactive

For my class, Pre-AP English 10, I am reading a book called The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey, and I am really enjoying it. This book has given me a lot of great advice to help me through my teen years.

Out of all the habits that I have read so far, I really like habit one which is Be Proactive. Reading this section helped me realize how reactive I can be sometimes. My sister and I don’t fight a lot, but when we do, I can really be reactive. I make the situation worse instead of stepping back and seeing how I can be proactive.

This section, Be Proactive, has taught me to think before I say, and handle a situation in a way that will be best for others and me.