Post 8: "What Will Your Verse Be?"

     Robin Williams' question in Dead Poets' Society, "What will your verse be?" is an extremely deep question. It is more than just asking about a verse to a poem, it is asking about life. Poetry and life can be a mirror image of one another. My verse will be, "The Rose That Grew From Concrete." The last thing a person would imagine is a rose growing from a crack in the concrete. The petals of the rose are sure to be damaged, but its tenacity to still grow is the true blessing. When I look in the mirror, I see myself as the rose that grew from concrete. Once a person understand symbolism in this verse, they will see how powerful this verse really is.

    The source of this verse comes from the late Tupac Shakur, an American rapper. This is a poem that he wrote. In addition to him making music, he also wrote a ton of poetry. This is my verse because of its deep meaning. The rose symbolizes people, and the concrete is a representation of the struggle that people go through from their environment. It does not matter how bad our environment may be, we can still overcome all those obstacles and blossom into something better. The damaged petals on the rose are the things we endured while overcoming our harsh environment.

    No one will question why did that rose grow from the concrete; instead, they will be in amazement and ask how. In this life's journey, we must be like the rose that grew from concrete and continue to reach the sun. Any verse a person choose is only as deep and meaningful as their perspective of it. So, remember if your environment is like the concrete, you can be the rose to grow from it.

Post 7: The Theme of My Life

    Thus far, the theme of my life is information technology. No matter where I go, I will find a way to include computers and computer networking into the conversation. In my spare time, I like to play on my server that I built. If I am not playing my server, I am polishing up my python coding skills and configuring Cisco switches and routers. I have my own computer network that I am always telling people about. I even go to sleep dreaming about different things I could do with new technology. Since I have gotten into information technology, my family and friends call me Shelton from "The Big Bang Theory."

    Many things has helped shape my theme.The death of my younger sister, Ashley, has been the most inspiration that has shaped the theme of my life. Since we can no longer compete with each other, everything I do is the both of us. I know she looking down proud of me saying, "look at my big brother, he is on path for greatness." My gender has also helped shaped my theme. Sadly, the IT field is predominantly men. Being a male makes it easier to get into this field. As a male, I have more privileges because most people do not think of females when they hear information technology. People are more willing to listen to males that talk about computers than they would from a female. This has helped my theme because when I talk about computers and computer networking, people are all ears and fully engaged into what I am saying.

    Even though there are other themes of my life, information technology is the main theme. This is a theme that I wear proudly. My children are intertwined in my theme the most. Daily, I will quiz them about small aspects of computer networking, out of nowhere. Even while watching television, I will point out the computer and have a conversation about it. No piece of technology is too small, no piece of technology is too big because this is the theme of my life.

Post 6: Symbolism of Pharaoh Head Medallion

    I often wear a Pharaoh Head Medallion. The pharaoh symbolizes many things, and has a deep rich history behind it. The first thing that people think of when hearing the word pharaoh is Egypt. Egypt is famously known for the Great Pyramids.  It mainly symbolizes the concept of eternal life. It also symbolizes royal protection and great warriors. Supreme power and unwavering leadership is another form of symbolism from the pharaoh. To fully understand the symbolism, one must understand Egypt and its history. "The Pharaoh in ancient Egypt was the political and religious leader of the people and held the titles 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple.' The word 'pharaoh' is the Greek form of the Egyptian pero or per-a-a" (https://www.worldhistory.org/pharaoh/). Even though most Pharaohs were men, Hatshepsut and Cleopatra were two well-known female pharaohs. "After their deaths, many pharaohs were entombed and surrounded by riches they were meant to use in the afterlife" (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/pharaohs/). The most famous pharaoh is King Tutankhamun "King Tut."

    Unfortunately, the pharaoh's power came to an end. "Egypt experienced a civil war and remained split between two regions. This left it vulnerable to further invasions and control from the Assyrians in 671 BCE, the Persians in 525 BCE and finally the Greeks in 332 BCE" (https://www.studentsofhistory.com/the-decline-of-egypt). With these changes, the pharaohs lost their power and everything it symbolizes. After the Greeks took over Egypt, the citizens became more Arabic and less African. We can see today that most Egyptians are Arabic and not the original African race. The symbol in culture for the pharaoh has not changed for me. Their history and culture is so powerful that their failure doesn't outnumber their great accomplishments. The Pharaoh Head Medallion is of the most famous pharaoh King Tut. King Tut ruled Egypt at the age of 9 and died at age 19. I wear the Pharaoh Head Medallion because of its deep African roots. Personally, I don't believe in their religion, but I like how much power they had over Egypt and all of Africa. It also symbolizes how they were the first to use written language, using Hieroglyphs. When I wear this medallion, I feel like I am one of the ancient pharaohs of Egypt.

Post 5: Pyschology of Setting

         In Ursula K. Le Guin's story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," the settings takes place in a fantasy land called Omelas. They are a society that does not exist in reality, but only in a fantasy. They are part of the utopian society. "Yet I repeat that these were not simple folk, not dulcet shepherds, noble savages, bland utopians."  A utopian society can be describes as an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members (Wikipedia). The land is by the sea. Some of the people were described as decorous, which means, in keeping with good taste and propriety; polite and restrained.

         Even the horses were different from other societies. "Their manes were braided with streamers of silver, gold, and green." The horses were the only animal that were almost human-like with the way that they acted. The citizens of Omelas were happy. No one really smiled anymore because smiles became archaic, in other words, very old or old-fashion. The city of Omelas can only be found in a fairy tale. There were no type of technology within the city. The people in Omelas are religious people, but do not believe in having temples. Le Guin critique this society as an utopian society which allows reader to use their imagination.