Author: Sebastian Larsson

Context of the Play:

The story revolves around an ancient greek tale of fate and free will, with its origins predating classical antiquity. The story itself had been known throughout the greek world and segmented as a story part of greek culture. It had been interpreted numerous times before Sophocles wrote it and the original story had an unknown author. Therefore it is important to take into account that this story is a development of the cultural history of Greece and the playwrights which it produced.

 

Greek Tragedy:

Greek tragedy was characterized by showing the flaws present in human reasoning and the underlying issues of Greek society. It was usually designed to teach the audience a moral lesson and evoke a sense of catharsis; a feeling of purification of the mind predominantly through pity and fear. Furthermore, it retained a certain structure, with a prologue, set of episodes, stasimon, and exodus. In the fourth century, Aristotle would procure his own rulebook for the structure and thematic elements of greek tragedy and drama.

 

Historical Context:

After the Greco-Persian wars, Greece entered a golden age of economic, political, and intellectual prosperity, culminating in the growth of the Athenian empire and the rest of the greek world. As Athens was a democracy (namely the first) it greatly encouraged the art of rhetoric and intellectual debate required to maintain its democratic system and set of ideals. Great democratic political figureheads such as Pericles would implement large-scale building programs, such as in the acropolis of Athens, aimed at portraying the prosperity and cultural superiority of their nation. These building programs created grand temples such as the Parthenon and other temples dedicated to the gods. These great architectural wonders layed the groundwork for where religious festivals and community events where to be held. Furthermore, it attracted artistic talent from around the greek world and caused resentment from their enemies. This would explain why the most famous greek playwrights, namely Aeschylus, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Sophocles themselves were all Athenians.

 

Plot:

The plot of Oedipus the king revolves around a detective who aims to find a murderer only for it to be revealed that he himself is the killer. The story begins with a reference to the plague ravaging the city of Thebes and the people consulting their king Oedipus for wisdom. He tells them he feels sorrow for his people and aims to find a way to help them. He sent for Creon, his wife’s brother to consult the oracle at Delphi for guidance. It is then revealed that in order for the plague to disappear he must kill the murderer of the past king of Thebes, King Laius. He then meets the wise man Teriasus who after a long discussion agrees to tell him the murderer of king Laius. When it is revealed to be him he remains in disbelief for the majority of the rest of the play until leading to the falling action where his wife, revealed to be his mother, kills herself and Oedipus gouges out his eyes making himself blind.

 

How have the wise fallen to such foolishness? I want to save them, all of them. I cry for my people in the blight of their struggles. Why must I fight such a battle, have the gods struck me down for being righteous? Creon should tell us the truth and all will be well, we must find the truth and nothing but the truth. How could I be the problem of my city when I myself have saved it? I have saved Thebes from the gods before and I will do it again.

 

 

How dares Teriausus accuse me of murder? I can’t be the one hunting myself, such vile misfortune could never strike a king, nonetheless a righteous leader as I.

Violence plays a very important role in Shakespeares’s, Romeo and Juliet. It is a key element of the play, which helps increase the romantic tension between Romeo and Juliet, as the stakes and consequences of their love for each other rises. The contrast between their love and the prevailing violence between the houses is very effective in creating suspense for the viewer, as one starts to wonder if their love will survive.

From the very beginning, it is hinted that the play will very much be encapsulated by violence, as two families, the Montagues and the capulets, constantly feud with one another.  In the prologue, these lines are stated, “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” It is also said that there is an ancient grudge between them, quote: “Two households, both alike in dignity.” As a viewer, we are already introduced to the idea of familial feud and strife just 4 lines into the play. Dignity, blood, and grudge are all words that help set the scene for violence and show what is to come in the play.

In act 1, Sampson says, “I strike quickly, being moved.” to which Gregory responds with “But thou art not quickly moved to strike.” They are discussing whether violence is the right or the wrong and whether control over one’s self is more valiant.   He continues by saying “A dog of the house of Montague moves me.” Gregory responds by saying that moving is to stir and that by standing one is more valiant, conveying that recklessness and violence should be controlled. Sampson responds to this by saying that a dog of the Montague house will cause him to incite violence. Gregory says that this will only show him a weak slave because only the weakest choose violence. This shows how the violence between the families is so constant that they can’t do anything but fight each other. It would seem that they have been enemies for so long that they have forgotten what it means to not be in conflict with each other.

The Montagues enter the scene. Sampson bites his thumb at them, showing he disrespects them. “Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them, which is disgrace to them if they bear it.” Abram, a “dog” of the house of Montague responds by asking, “Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?” Sampson says he indeed does. Abram repeats his question. Sampson asks Gregory if it would mean disrespect if he did so, to which George replies “No.” “No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir.” Gregory asks if he quarrels,  if he wishes to engage in conflict. Abram says he doesn’t. When Tybalt enters the scene a conflict ensues. “What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.” Tybalt appears to hate peace, and so loves violence. Here a similar idea reverberates, the idea that they can’t do anything but fight each other. They have become so sick of the violence that they have become addicted to it. The scene evolves with them fighting each other. Citizens appear to help incite the violence further, they say: “Clubs, bills, and partisans! Strike! Beat them down! Down with the Capulets! Down with the Montagues!”

Ultimately violence is used in the play to increase the tensions between the families and to create suspense for the viewer. This is then juxtaposed with the romance between Romeo and Juliet, to show their relationship as an escape from the violence and an attempt at ending the feud between the two houses.

The Necklace of Guy de Maupassant

This story is set in France in the 19th century and is about the struggles of a woman who wants to elevate her place in the hierarchy of society. She ends up borrowing a supposedly very expensive necklace in order to show it off at a party. She ends up losing it and goes into debt along with her husband in order to pay for it. The main idea of the story is that Mathilde’s greed, dishonesty, and desire for a better social position in life ultimately led her to be in a worse position than she originally was in.

 

The Telltale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe

This story follows an unnamed narrator who insists on his sanity after murdering an old man with a “vulture eye”. The murder is carefully calculated, and the murderer hides the body by cutting it into pieces and hiding it under the floorboards. This grotesque depiction of his mental state is what makes this story so interesting, as it shows the rationale of a murderer. Its theme could elude to that no matter the state of sanity in a person, one will always have guilt on their conscience as a consequence of murder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Withering of Southern Africa         

 Google Doc Link, for better image quality: Link

 

Southern Africa is suffering through its severest drought in several decades and perhaps even a century.           

 

Climate change is widely recognized in most countries and is considered a serious threat due to the fact that it will have far-reaching consequences globally for many years to come. There cannot be a better example of the horrible effects climate change will have on the future than what is currently happening to the climate of southern Africa. As early as October of 2018, horrible droughts and rising temperatures in the South of Africa have led to devastating consequences for the people and animals living there.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-drought-dayzero/south-africa-declares-drought-a-national-disaster-idUSKBN1FX1BI

 

A large drought, which has become known as the Southern Africa Drought, began in late October of 2018 and is currently one of the worst droughts to have ever been experienced there in the past three decades. This drought has occurred for over a year longer than the Australian bushfires, yet isn’t receiving nearly as much attention, especially from the media. Southern Africa is especially vulnerable to climate change and as a region has historically been susceptible to high risk of droughts and water shortages. 

 

The Southern African climate is characterized by large seasonal rainfall patterns, with the majority of the region’s rainfall being dispersed by large storms, which generally occur from early November to March. This pattern of rainfall is known as Southern Africa’s wet season, and the great amount of water usually prepares the land for the drier months of the year. 

 

What happened in late October of 2018 is that these rains never came, which were due to occur in early November. This has led to one of the greatest droughts for the region in years and originates from an El Nino event. El Nino events occur when surface waters in the central and eastern pacific ocean become significantly hotter than usual. This important change is directly tied to the atmosphere and the winds blowing across the vast expanse of the pacific ocean. 

Regions in the south of Africa are experiencing a rise in temperatures twice the Global average, according to the International Panel of Climate. Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe

have all declared the recent drought an emergency, with more than 40 million people expected to lose food security due to livestock and crop losses. 

 

 

Ngamiland, a region in Botswana, has recorded over 40,000 cattle deaths.  

(VOA news)

https://ewn.co.za/2019/01/18/drought-animal-disease-threatens-south-african-farmers

 

Among the hardest hit regions is South Africa’s Northern Cape province, where many farmers are struggling to feed their families and keep their animals alive. One farmer, Louis van der Merwe, has lost more than 400 sheep and 450 springboks in the past 2 years, in what he describes as being one of the worst droughts in his past 45 years of farming. 

 

In a horrible turn of events, some farmers have even resorted to suicide due to the amount of stress induced by the drought. Two of Louise’s fellow farmers have commited suicide.  

 

What isn’t helping is the lack of support from the local government. The Northern Cape province requires over $28 million in drought relief across the next three months in order to assist over 15,500 affected farms, according to the farmers organization Agri-SA. The amount deposited by South Africa’s government, has so far only reached a small fraction of that amount. 

 

Andrea Mcdonald, a UWC elementary school teacher and wildlife conservationist, who has worked in Botswana through an NGO called the Elephant outreach program, has also realised the damaging effects of climate change whilst working there. Two thirds of the global elephant population currently seeks refuge in Botswana, mostly in the water abundant Okavango Delta region, due to the increasing scale of poaching and loss of habitat for elephants in Africa. 

In late August, 2018, 

90 elephant carcasses were found

by authorities in the Okavango delta.

 

https://theconversation.com/why-botswana-is-no-longer-a-safe-haven-for-elephants-102776

 

“Climate change is threatening their habitats.” says Andrea Mcdonald, regarding the South African drought, which has impacted Botswana for over a year. 

 

 

 

 

 

Five years ago an organisation called “Elephants Without Borders” conducted what was called the “great elephant census”. It was able to record that there were 352, 271 African savanna elephants across 18 states (not including Namibia.) A scientific report conducted on the census, which Dr. Mike Chase, the scientist who founded the organisation helped produce, showed that the elephant population had decreased by about a third. This is yet another significant sign that humans and especially animals are being increasingly negatively affected by the rapid change in the climate of the region. This raises an important question about what is being done to tackle the change. 

 

What is being done? 

 

Many countries are now working together to try and solve the crisis.

The agricultural department for South Africa says they have seen positive developments in the amount of relief provided to drought stricken areas of the country. So far the government has been able to subsidise around $14 million Rand or around $1 million USD. Although this is seen as a relief to some, this relatively miniscule amount has left many farmers angry, as the amount being provided to them as relief, isn’t near the amount required for them to survive the drought.

 

The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has himself talked about increasing the amount of relief. “Given the severity of the crisis, this amount is woefully inadequate,” Ramaphosa said. “Disaster Management is working with provinces and municipalities to see how they can reprioritize their budgets for relief and recovery.” 

 

According to NASA, the main factor attributed to global warming is the expansion of the “greenhouse gas” , a phrase commonly heard, but not necessarily understood. This warming effect occurs when, quote, “the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space.” Certain gases trap this radiating heat from escaping; gases which remain in the atmosphere for prolonged amounts of time and which don’t have physical or chemical responses to changes in temperature, are described as climate change forcers. 

 

In an assessment on human activity regarding climate change, the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a extensive group of 1,300 researchers and scientists from all over the world, under the the command of the United Nations, came to the conclusion that there is over a 95% chance that human activity over the past 50 years has warmed the planet. 

 

Below is a graph which compares the surface temperatures on earth and the sun’s energy received by earth, in watts per square meter since 1880. 

https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

 

By analysing this graph one can conclude that the current climate change cannot be explained by the change of energy coming from the sun. 

 

The devastating effects of climate change on South Africa stands a harsh reminder of what is to come to every region of the earth if nothing is done to combat it further. With global sea levels expected to rise 30 cm by 2050, and temperatures to increase by 1.5 degrees celsius from 2030 to 2052, according to a recent UN report, it is not difficult for people to be fearful of the future. 

 

Is there any hope?

 

Yes, certain positive developments are currently being made and with great promises for the future. A new US green deal was outlined in February of 2019 and is showing promising advancements in the fight against climate change. The policy aims to reduce further greenhouse gas emissions through the transformation of the American economy. In it, US representative Alexandria Cortez outlined a plan for a transition to 100% percent renewable energy, investment in infrastructure and industry, and a commitment to clean air and a sustainable environment.

 

Another positive change is that there is an increasing amount of sustainable goods, as consumers around the world are protesting for more sustainable clothing. Fashion styles and trends have been contributing to increase in climate change for a long time, but the fashion industry is now cutting down on that contribution. In 2017 an award show was established in order to demonstrate the commitment of luxury fashion houses towards sustainability. Adidas, one of the world’s largest clothes and shoe manufacturers have even pledged to only use recycled plastic by 2024. 

 

Important steps are being taken to mitigate the disastrous effects that plastic is having on the environment. Recently the launch of the “EU strategy for plastics”, which aims to revolutionise the design, consumption and production and help the EU to use resources more sustainability has seen large advancements. France and the UK have both set goals, in agreement with the Paris Agreement, to become carbon neutral by 2050. 

 

The world still has a long way to go in tackling climate change, yet recent advancements, such as the Paris climate agreements, are helping countries cooperate in the fight against climate change and realise it’s full implications on the future. As more and more countries join in against the fight against climate change, one can be hopeful that it will be enough to save the planet. One thing is for certain, climate change is a serious threat and one that will remain with us as long as we continue the extremely damaging and selfish consumption of resources that is our impasse.

 

By: Sebastian Larsson

 

 

 

Works Cited

Google Search, Google, www.google.com/search?q=picture+of+south+africa+drought&safe=strict&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk2OPUkMbnAhVRQH0KHaBAB6UQ_AUoAXoECAwQAw&biw=1375&bih=773#imgrc=xTFQD4dw6XH6PM.

Google Search, Google, www.google.com/search?q=south+africa+drought&safe=strict&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwid-s_50YDoAhXRbX0KHWFQDUMQ_AUoAXoECBEQAw&biw=1388&bih=772#imgrc=mlhg_Gm1mLUKpM.

Al Jazeera. “Drought-Hit South Africa Braces for Fresh Heatwave.” South Africa News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 28 Nov. 2019, www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/drought-hit-south-africa-braces-fresh-heatwave-191128103503105.html.

Associated Press. “Farmers Are Committing Suicide as Drought in Southern Africa Reaches Crisis Levels.” New York Post, New York Post, 21 Nov. 2019, nypost.com/2019/11/21/farmers-are-committing-suicide-as-drought-in-southern-africa-reaches-crisis-levels/.

“Botswana Drought Makes Wasteland of Harvests, Livestock.” Voice of America, www.voanews.com/africa/botswana-drought-makes-wasteland-harvests-livestock.

“The Causes of Climate Change.” NASA, NASA, 10 Feb. 2020, climate.nasa.gov/causes/.

Gilmore, Emily. “There Is Hope! Five Recent Developments Which Might Actually Help Fight Climate Change.” Lexology, Lexology, 27 Feb. 2019, www.lexology.com/blog/2019/02/there-is-hope-five-recent-developments-which-might-actually-help-fight-climate-change.

Harvey, Ross. “Why Botswana Is No Longer a Safe Haven for Elephants.” The Conversation, 25 Sept. 2019, theconversation.com/why-botswana-is-no-longer-a-safe-haven-for-elephants-102776.

1. • What past learning have you applied to this project?

I have applied what we learned from the various amount of speakers who came to UWC to speak to us about how to create a concise, powerful and valid article. I used the advice from speakers such as Philip McClellan about the importance of using evidence to support your writing and to make sure the article retains relevance throughout. I also utilized advice from the writer Hanna Alkaf: really make sure to build a strong and powerful connection between what’s written and the reader.

 

1. • What new learning have you gained?

I have learned more about the causes and effects of climate change and why it has been so damaging to southern Africa. I have also learned the importance of hooking in the reader, in order for them to become involved in the entire article and gain knowledge from my article. Furthermore, I would say that I have learned a substantial amount in English class, from advice given by my teacher and mentor texts provided to us in our journey.

 

1. • What new connections have you made because of the feedback given to you?

I have made the connection between the importance of showing a main idea throughout the entire article; relating back to the main theme in the article and giving the article influence on the reader. I have also made a connection between personal experience and the experience of others in order to show how they are linked and give links to the reader.

 

1. • What mark would you give yourself for effort? Which ATL was most effective?

I would give myself a 6 for effort, as I have put in a lot of time and research into the created article, shown by the word count and the amount of evidence in the article. The most effective ATL for this would be self-management, as I have been able to work independently on the article over a sustained period of time.

 

1. • What attainment mark would you give your article? Discuss the reasons why.

I think I would give the article an overall 6. This is due to that it covers a topic that is important and relevant in showing the damaging effects of climate change, and the implications it has not just on the people living there, but on everyone around the world. The article also shows the connection between people who are being directly impacted by the event and the reader, although I think I could have done a better job on this, by giving more information on Andrea Mcdonald’s story. I believe the article provides a non-opinionated perspective on the article, by giving perspectives only through the use of evidence and facts or the views of those affected. This makes sure the article remains a feature. Overall, I think I did a good job of providing knowledge in my article and centralizing it around the main theme, which is that climate change is an inevitability unless impactful changes are made for the future, for all of humanity.

Zara & Zubin

They created Octa.ai — arrobot.io

They have been to large programming talks around the world, and have started their own apps.

5th and 2nd-grade students respectively. They have both developed different hobbies and robotics are in their future investment.

She went to the US for studies, became enticed to stay there and leave for Mexico. This was all in due to that an Australian guy she went to study with wanted to go to Mexico, for their 6-month study leave. She met vast amounts of new people, most of whom are still good friends with her now. She went to Belize for a few days in the name of exploration.

Later she went back to the UK in order to complete her studies. She believes she wouldn’t be the same person if she hadn’t gone to Mexico. Time is however fixed and doesn’t allow you to think what fate will provide you, therefore she will truly never have had the same experience she would have had in Mexico, in Mexico.