Boxing is going very well so far. At the start of the year, I got some of my friends to join and they so far enjoy it. This has been really nice as the sport is really partner based so when you know your partner well it helps the sport a lot, especially with motivation. One problem was that my initial partnership did not work out due to differences in height and also different approaches to the activity. But I switched partners with a friend and it got a lot better as this partner is closer to me in height and we also work really well together. This just showed me the importance of a good partner in this sport and I am really relieved that I talked to my friends and we changed as otherwise I think my enjoyment of the sport would have decreased. A challenge this year was that the activity moved more into kickboxing which was an area I was less confident in especially since I’m not very flexible so some of the kicks are quite difficult. But I really think I have improved a lot so far. A challenge I mentioned in my first reflection was that we had to wear masks and therefore the intensity decreased from previous years. I think the activity leaders made this a lot better as the activity went on and now when all the people in the room are vaccinated we can take out masks off which is really nice. However, that only started during the most recent session so throughout the season I have done it with a mask on. This was very annoying as the mask gets really annoying during exercise but I worked through it and eventually became accustomed to it.
Month: February 2022
- CAS
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2nd Service Reflection (end of season 2)
So far, service is going well. I got a leadership role, so I am the communications manager. I am really happy with this, and I look forward to working to help the service. Within the service, I work collaboratively quite a lot as we separate into groups in order to organise activities. In some sessions I work with my close friends in the activity, especially for reading but then we join other groups for other activities later if they need other people. The group for reading also often changes with others joining or people being absent but so far I think the whole service works well together. It works really well as it is not a huge group and I hope the group dynamic stays the same when the grade 1os leave and grade 9s join.
I have grown in the activity through learning how to present online. It was quite challenging at the start when in our the first session we read a book allowed, but we positioned it wrong, so I could not see an entire paragraph of the story. But since then we have learnt new techniques and figured out how to make it better as well as improve how we tell the story by adding small questions to ask the children in order to keep them engaged. My next step is probably to lead more different types of activity. I have done a couple of just dance-related activities as the children seem to enjoy that but I would like to lead more of those or try to come up with more ideas (though we are very limited online).
Within my communications role, I have written reflections of the services portfolio which is linked here and organised other people to write some. I also spent a session taking photos which are seen on this specific post. I look forward to doing more within this role and helping this service to function effectively.
A challenging experience with the service was the ethics of it as we try to understand the service partners. In one session we planned to have Christmas related activities but in the end, we realised that they might not celebrate Christmas so it might not be relevant to them. We canceled that but since then we have lead a lunar new year session as we thought that they probably celebrate that.
The problematisation of Antigone in Episode 2: The Agon
I find it interesting how she interacts with Ismene in both the parados and the later episodes. I feel as though Ismene brings out the worst in many of the characters around her as Creon seems crueller in contrast to her as he jumps to conclusions and calls her a snake. In addition to this, Antigone’s stubbornness and hubris appear clearer in contrast to Ismene’s caution. The way Antigone reacts to the idea of her dying with her shows her need for the spotlight and how devoted she is to the gods that she believes she will be rewarded for her actions and is blind to their impact on the world of the living as she views human law as almost inconsequential in comparison to godly law and tradition
Other people’s thoughts:
“She is so hot-headed and unbending in her resolve; so fundamentalist in her hubris and pride that she begins to bend the conventions of what constitutes a tragic hero itself. This is in part the innovation of the playwright…” (Tanisha)
“On one hand, the strong religious convictions and the drive and tunnel vision of Antigone can be seen as admirable. For someone to be that driven for a cause is interesting as she sees it as her ultimate goal. she is cold and unwelcoming, traits often looked down upon in women as they are often expected to fill the societal role of the nurturing mother or be gentle in a way. The prickly nature of Antigone makes it hard to sympathise with her especially with her complete lack of self-preservation. She seems like she wants to die and that is her only aim, thus the audience is unable to empathise with her, she doesn’t seem vulnerable nor particularly in need of saving, therefore, she is a character the audience may root for however has little to no emotional investment in.” (Maya)
“I find it interesting how Sophocles problematizes Antigone through her deeply human, flawed behaviour intertwined with her respect of the divine law” (Henah)