Essay #18

Jade
Mr. Salsich
English 9
4/19/11

Opening Paragraph
TS- Different kinds of strength
     CM- Physical, mental, etc.
     CM- Depends on the person
CS- Comes from experience

Body Paragraph
TS- In book, different characters have different strengths
     SD- Cassius is mentally strong
          CM- While talking with Casca, made clear that he was not phased by the storm
          CM- Did not show fear when he presented himself to the Gods
     SD- Brutus is morally strong
         CM- Even though he was convinced to conspire against  Caesar, he still holds his beliefs strong.
         CM- He accepts that they must kill Caesar, but he refuses to kill him savagely
     SD- Portia is strong in her heart
          CM- She is continuously hurt by her husbands lack of trust in her
          CM- The pain she has from her husbands lack of faith in her has made her strong enough to face him
CS- The characters have unique strengths because they are unique people


Closing Paragraph
TS- Strength comes in different forms
     CM- What we endure in day to day life makes us stronger in different ways
     CM- For some, sticking to what they believe in makes them stronger, for others surviving pain makes them stronger.

There are many different kinds of strength in our world that one can attain, all having one thing in common. Whether it be physical, mental, or otherwise, strength is something we earn. With this being said, the strengths that one can have depends solely on that person and what they have endured during their life. Their experiences and hardships shape and mold them to have their own strengths, ones that will help them survive throughout their lifetime. 

In the book Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, different characters display their strengths in a number of ways. For example, Cassius is mentally strong. While talking with Casca, he made it clear that he was not phased by the onslaught of the storm, however brutal and catastrophic, meaning he was not afraid of the wraith of the Gods. Because of this he did not show fear when he presented himself to the Gods. Brutus, on the other hand, is morally strong. Even though he was convinced to conspire against Caesar, he refuses to loose his beliefs in the violence that is ahead. Although he wishes he could remove Caesars spirit, but leave him be, he accepts that he must be killed. However, he refuses to kill him savagely, for that would make him no better. Finally, Portia is strong in her heart. She is continuously hurt by her husbands lack of trust in her, and feels as if she is no more than his trophy wife. The pain she has endured has made her stronger, giving her the courage to finally face him. It is these unique strengths that make all the characters memorable, as the strengths we have make us incomparable to each other.

Strength comes in many different forms. What we must endure in our day to day lives makes us all stronger in unrivaled ways. For some, it is their dedication to what they believe in makes them stronger. For others it is their survival of pain that keeps them going. There are a thousand different ways to interpret strength, and a thousand different ways to be strong, but all lead back to the individual person, and what they have had to endure.


Self Assessment
One thing I am trying to work on in my writing is the clarity of some of the sentences. I find that if one sentence is unclear, then the ones that follow will also be unclear. One strong point I see in this piece of writing is how specific my examples of strong characters are in the body paragraph. However, I feel that a weak point would be my opening and closing paragraphs, for they are very vague. For this essay I would give myself a B.