This school year I’ve become more confident. By going through the Drama exploratory, I’ve been required to humiliate myself. I had to perform my appearances for the class and eventually an audience. My partner and I also had to write a script for a short scene and we’d rehearse it just about everyday after the initial writing of the script was done. Additionally, I felt that the poetry unit helped boost my confidence since I didn’t think that I could write poetry very well and I wasn’t comfortable sharing my ideas in such an artistic and figurative way. These have tested me and pushed me outside my “comfort zone”. I also feel that during this year, I’ve excelled in my group work. In our Anne Frank project, I had to work with people that weren’t exactly my friends. Additionally, we had arguments and disagreements about aspects of the project. What made it even worse was that one of group members refused to do any work. These are all valid problems that could come up in work life. Another project that took our collaborative skills to the next level was the International Teen Life Project. In the project, we had to work with students from three other schools around the world. Although we’d never met these students face to face, we still had to work with them. All of us were in groups of six and we had to communicate by ourselves to get the project done. We had to use email, instant messaging, blogs, wikispaces, and voice calls over the internet to send our ideas and feedback to other students. Because the other school were in a different time zone, it was hard to set up voice calls and instant messaging. This meant that we had to usually use email, our blogs, or the wikispace and these would take about a day to get a reply. Yet again this is another scenario that may come up in our adult lives. Finally, I felt that I learnt more about a computer program called GarageBand. During our Tempest podcast, we used this application to string together recordings and sounds to reenact the book in modern English and Shakespeare’s text. Before doing this project I didn’t really know how to use GarageBand, but instead simply clicked around and experimented. However, after getting a basic tutorial of the program and doing the project with it, I’m a much more coherent user.

In addition to demonstrating personal growth, I feel that I was also an Effective Communicator. I demonstrated my creative talents to convey ideas during the poetry unit and book. Instead of merely writing an essay to describe my ideas, I wrapped them up in inventive and descriptive layers. The reader now had to not only read the poems, but also decrypt and peel away the captivating part of it to get the core, which is what I’m trying to verbalize in the poem. During the International Teen Life Project, I demonstrated the skills of effective collaboration. I did this by working with others that I’d never met or seen. I also incorporated technology as a tool for communication since we had to use an array of new technology to talk to each other. These included mainly blogs, emails, and wikispaces. I also incorporated technology as a tool for communication in the Anne Frank project. This is because my group and I created a movie to communicate Anne’s hopeful message of peace to the world. We did this by inserting pictures, words, music, and sound effects together to fashion a movie that was appealing, but also simulated what Anne Frank when through and sent out her message.

Lastly, I feel that I was a Self-Directed Learner. When I designed the poetry book, I demonstrated competency in goal setting, time management, and organizational skills. I would set myself goals such as trying to get all the required poems done by a certain date. I also showed time management and organizational skills. This is because I planned out what I was going to do and didn’t go off task when working on the book. In addition, I didn’t misuse time or leave my book to the last minute and have to stay up all night before the due date working on it. During the scavenger hunt for the Tempest, I felt that I took creative risks in developing untried ideas. One section of the scavenger hunt was to look for objects that symbolized themes of the book such as mercy, revenge, and harmony. I did this and I also made some of the objects out of Lego. To finish, I feel that I monitored, adjusted, and documented work in progress when doing my reflective journals. The reason for this assumption is that I’d continually alter my journals to develop them. Moreover, I would save different drafts so that I could go back to a later version if I didn’t like the changes that I’d made.

In conclusion, I’ve done a lot in English this year. I’ve learnt valuable pieces of information such as the reflective process, poetry, and the ESLR’s. Although I haven’t talked about themes in this essay, we’ve also discussed many of them in class. The questions that we’ve asked and the themes could keep you pondering forever. However, I feel that the most important of everything I’ve done this year is my personal growth. This is what will shape me to the person I’ll be in the future and the skills I will possess.

“Under my burden groaned, which raised in me
An undergoing stomach to bear up
Against what should ensure.”

• Act 1, Scene 2 (Lines 592 – 600)
Ferdinand talking to Prospero:

“So they are.
My spirits, as in a dream, are all bound up.
My father’s loss, the weakness which I feel,
The wrack of all my friends, nor this man’s threats
To whom I am subdued, are but light to me,
Might I but through my prison once a day
Behold this maid. All corners else o’ th’ earth
Let liberty make use of. Space enough
Have I in such a prison.”

Two sentences I understood with my modern English translation:
• Act 1, Scene 2 (Lines 558 – 561)
Prospero talking to Ferdinand:

“I’ll manacle thy neck and feet together.
Sea water shalt thou drink. Thy food shall be
The fresh-brook mussels, withered roots, and husks
Wherein the acorn cradled. Follow.”

I’ll cuff your neck and feet together. You’ll drink sea water. Your food will be inedible fresh water mussels, dried roots, and the husks which held acorns. Follow.

• Act 1, Scene 2 (Lines 406 – 411)
Caliban talking to Prospero:

“Cursed be I that did so! All the charms
Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you,
For I am all the subjects that you have,
Which first was mine own king; and here you sty me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me
The rest o’ th’ island.”

Curse myself! May Sycorax’s magic throw toads, beetles, and bats upon you. I am the only subject that you have and you were my first king. How could keep me in this cave while you keep me away from the rest of the island.

Two questions about the plot/discussion questions:
• If Prospero is a wizard and has slaves, why doesn’t he ask them to build him a boat to sail back to Milan? Additionally, why doesn’t he use his magic or Ariel’s to teleport himself back?

• Is Prospero or Ariel stronger in the art of magic? Both have done some magic in the play, but who is better? If Prospero is more talented, then why does he require Ariel’s service? Additionally, if Ariel made a mistake in destroying the ship and leaving the survivors on the island, then Prospero may never get another chance to work his plan. Finally, if Ariel is stronger, then why is he always tolerating Prospero and still working for him?

During my English class this past quarter, I was a Self-Directed Learner because I accepted responsibility for my own learning. Being responsible for my education and doing my work voluntarily without being asked or nagged is my personal definition of this skill. Being responsible includes self-checking my poems and self-editing each one. Equally important, this means that I am prepared for class each day by completing work such as homework. I feel that I accepted responsibility for my own learning when I went over poems I had written to make it sound better. I also spent time on each poem to make sure that it was done to my full ability. Moreover, I always had rough drafts of poems and information for my Teen Life Project whenever it was required. Although this is true, I never went above what was asked of me when it came to the Teen Life Project; I’d only do what is required. I believe that by accepting responsibility for my own learning, I am also helping myself to continually assess, evaluate, and adjust work to maintain high standards. This is because if I self-edit my work, I am changing it to improve it and make it of higher quality. Next time, I could enhance this skill by being more involved in the Teen Life Project and spending more of my spare time on it. By doing this I would have been trying to help myself learn and understand more about my Teen Life Project topic, poverty. Therefore, I did really well, but not perfectly with accepting responsibility for my own learning. I’ve done everything required of me, but not anything above that.

However, there were some aspects of the Self-Directed Learner ESLR that I didn’t demonstrate in the previous quarter. One of these is taking creative risks in developing untried ideas. This means that I attempt to do something out of the ordinary; I take a risk that may not pay off. A time when I didn’t do this was when I was working on my poetry book. Personally, I think that I didn’t really work too far outside the box. I mainly added some illustrations, photographs, and some dried plants. I could have demonstrated my creative talents to convey ideas by taking a few pictures and using Adobe Photoshop to mix them together. By doing this I could have created a new image for my book that couldn’t be taken with a camera. I could have also made some pages glow-in-the-dark and maybe make it 3-D by creating pop-ups on some pages. I could take more creative risks in the future by adding the extra features to my poetry that I described above. If I had done these, I would have taken a few creative risks. Overall, I did quite horribly on taking creative risks; I would consider it one of my weaknesses. The reason for this is I always do very common pieces of work that don’t usually catch people’s attention.

So far this year, I have also been an Academic Achiever since I continually assess, evaluate, and adjust work to maintain high standards. Revising and going over work a few times to make sure that it is the finest quality work that you can do is what this means to me. When we were writing poetry, I displayed this aspect of Academic Achiever. I would usually do a rough draft of my poem in class. Later, I’d take it home and type it up neatly. I’d also revise and edit it by changing some words to better convey meaning and rearranging some lines. Finally, I’d get someone else, my teacher, to look it over so that I can get an opinion that isn’t my own. With that last view, I made a more or less final draft. I feel that I am also monitoring, adjusting, and documenting work in progress. The reason why I feel this way is because by always reviewing your work and making it your best, you’re also adjusting it. Additionally, you’ll probably keep all your drafts, therefore learning from areas you could do better on so that you don’t have to wait till the final draft. I believe that I could have revised and corrected some of my poems further to make them better. If I had done this I would have continually assessed, evaluated, and adjusted my work to main high standards far better. On the whole, I did pretty good, but not great with this skill because I checked and tidied up my work quite a bit, but not to my full abilities.

On the other hand, I wasn’t an Academic Achiever because I didn’t access information from a variety of sources. In a more straightforward definition, this means that I accumulate information from a number of different places. I didn’t display this skill because during the poetry unit and the Teen Life Project, I only found information from the internet and other people. For instance, when I learnt about figurative language and different types of poetry, it was my teacher, Mr. R that was teaching. I didn’t refer to books or the internet at all. However, during the Teen Life project, I only looked at information on my topic, poverty, that was on the internet. I believe that if I had accessed information from a variety of sources by retrieving information from the internet, people, books, and documentaries, I would have also been a Critical Thinker. By acquiring information from various sources, I’m also processing and analyzing it. Thus, the precise aspect of Critical Thinker that I would have hit would have been gathering, analyzing, and processing information from a variety of sources. I feel that I could have retrieved knowledge from a larger array of areas. The reason for this is over the course of the whole quarter, I’d only learnt from the internet and other people. However, I could have still gotten information from books, documentaries and other places. If I had done this then I would have accessed information from a variety of sources better. In the future, I could try to use at least three or four different sources each quarter. I did satisfactory on this part of Academic Achiever because I didn’t collect information from all the places available to me, but I did get it from a few of those places.

In addition to these ESLRs I have also been an Effective Communicator. Whenever I understand and convey written, oral, and visual information using appropriate media, I’m being an Effective Communicator. Understanding the above information that is given to you by others is another way of saying this. However, just as importantly, I am also meant to successfully communicate that information to them. During the Teen Life Project, the poetry unit, and the poetry night, I did this. In the Teen Life Project my teammates and I shared written information about our topic, poverty, with each other. I also gave them a picture that I had taken of poverty. During the poetry unit and night, we worked on talking with a clear loud voice at a paced speed. In class, we’d stand on a chair in the front of the room and read one of our poems aloud. To me, this was fairly terrifying activity since I don’t enjoy public speaking. As I’d step upon the plastic chair and rise above everyone else, I felt the nerve wrecking tingle. My desire to stand normally could not be fulfilled. We had to read our poems slowly with pronunciation while projecting our voice throughout the room. Having to stand up so high with my classmates eyes glued to me was just as dreadful as having to present a project and I found the whole thing quite intimidating. Additionally, I listened to many of the poems written by my peers and tried to comprehend them. I’d try to decrypt the literal meaning hidden behind the many figurative layers. By doing this I was conveying and understand oral messages. If I performed this skill, I am also demonstrating the skills of effective collaboration. This is because understanding and conveying different messages is crucial in group activities. To perfect this skill, I could try to get some visual information and understand what it’s trying to say since I haven’t done that yet. All in all, I think that I did fairly well on this since I performed most of the skills listed above, but all of them.

Although I have been an acceptable Effective Communicator, I wasn’t a perfect one because I didn’t fully demonstrate the skills of effective collaboration. This is saying that when I work in groups, I balance my contribution of ideas with the amount of time I sit back and listen to others. Additionally, this means that I should take the lead sometimes while giving others a turn as well. I didn’t really do this when we were working on our Teen Life Project. My opinions and ideas were rarely given; most of the time, I just left it up to others. All I did was what was asked of me and I didn’t really take any initiative. I think that if I had displayed this skill I would have also demonstrated the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. This is part of being an Academic Achiever. The reason for this is that by participating well in group activities I am working collaboratively, which is a part of both skills. In the long run, I feel that to grow in the skill of demonstrating effective collaboration, I could set a target to take control a bit more and give more of my ideas and opinions. In general, I did quite poorly on this aspect of being an Effective Communicator. The reason for this assumption is that I handed out ideas like a stingy inventor when performing group activities.

Second lastly, I have been a Critical Thinker in English class since I built meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information. Expanding your understanding by using old knowledge such as experiences and previous work in addition to new information from school or research is what I believe this to mean. I used new knowledge when I was taught poetry and figurative language. Furthermore, I received new information from the internet when I was researching poverty for my Teen Life Project. However, in addition to finding new information, I did use a bit of my past work and knowledge to help me. For example, I used what I knew about poetry from elementary school and the ballads I’d written in seventh grade. I had already learnt a bit about end rhymes and haikus. I believe that by demonstrating this skill, I’m also continually assessing, evaluating, and adjusting work to maintain high standards. This is because by looking back on old work and learning to do better next time, it’s like I’m improving work that I’ve already done. Next time, to advance in this skill, I will keep my notes and pieces of work from previous classes and use them. For example, I could look over them to remind me of important information and mistakes I made in earlier years so that I learn from my past experiences. Overall, I think I did acceptable because I got new information on poetry and the information I found on the internet about poverty. However, I barely used any old information to help me out over the last quarter.

Finally, I have been an Involved Citizen since I interact respectfully with people of diverse cultures. To me this means that I don’t insult people because of their culture, and I respect everyone. Additionally, I work together with them and I treat them as I would treat any other person. I demonstrated this during our Teen Life Projects when we were working with people from a few different places around the globe. I was never ignorant of their race or culture, and I didn’t criticize or insult them just because their point of view was different from mine. In my mind they were also all equals with the same rights. By interacting respectfully with people of diverse cultures, I think that I’m also demonstrating awareness and respect for the rights of others. This is because I don’t favor some of my group members over others. Instead all are given the same freedom to do as they wish. In the future, to interact more respectfully with people of diverse cultures, I could ask others about their culture and way of living. By doing this, I would get to understand others better and what their life is like. So, instead of just treating others respectfully, I would get a sense of what it’s like to be in their shoes. Generally, I think that I did really well since I never disrespected anyone. However, I can still improve to better understand others.

Since I’ve gone through this entire process three times now, I find it much easier to comprehend. The whole idea of ESLRs and Bloom’s Taxonomy is much simpler now and not so much of a bizarre Einstein theory. While this is true, it still took me quite some time and thought to churn out this journal and look back on the past few weeks. Although this is a very tedious process, it helps me see which parts of the ESLRs I’m doing and which parts I still need to work on.

The link to the actual article is here.

Last week, the International Polar Year launched. It is a plan where scientists from up to 60 countries will study and learn about the two poles and their climate changes. An isolated island in Alaska called Shishmaref, is being destroyed by climate changes caused by global warming. Because of global warming, glaciers are melting, causing sea levels to rise. Additionally, the island of Shishmaref was built on frozen ground known as permafrost which is now softening causing their land to disintegrate like sand. The island is also coming closer to the freezing waters of the ocean. An islander guesses that the tide moves up about ten feet closer to their island each year. Two homes from this island have already fallen into the seas as their land melts and others are just balancing over the edge. The village has decided to relocate to save their lives even though it could mean giving up who they are. The temperature these days are ^-30°C whereas before it was ^-40°C with a low of about ^-60°C. Furthermore, the winters here are getting warmer and shorter with longer summers. The impact of global warming is also affected the animals who inhabit nearby areas. Icecaps that polar bears are using as homes are melting, forcing them to come further inland to find food. By coming inland, the polar bears make themselves easier targets for local hunters. An estimate suggests that up to 180 villages in Alaska are being affected by global warming and are blaming most of their problems on US energy policies and their role in adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

This event is important to the locals of Shishmaref because global warming is forcing them to find a new home since their lives could be in danger. This is because of rising sea levels and the fact that their village was built on ice which is softening because of the temperature change. Furthermore, this is important to us and the world because it’s showing us what global warming can do on a small scale. This event also proves that global warming is having deadly affects on people forcing them to flee their current homes to stay alive. If we continue on this path, this scale of global warming will be magnified to the entire world causing panic and havoc. Land masses will sink beneath the oceans leaving humans without anywhere to stay unless we find a new home or way to live. Finally, this shows that people like ourselves shouldn’t cause global warming unnecessarily since it can and most likely will become a problem in the future.

Biography
Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents divorced when she was three. Thus, she and her four year old brother were sent to stay with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Here she took a few dance classes, but after four years she and her brother were taken back into her mother’s care. During her stay back home, she confessed to her uncles that her mother’s boyfriend had abused her. When her uncles heard, they beat the man to death. After this Maya turned mute because she thought that her words had caused someone’s death. She remained this way for five years until the age of thirteen. Later on, in 1940, she spent summer with her father in Los Angeles, but was attacked by her father’s girlfriend. She then ran away and lived in a junkyard which was a home for other homeless children. She eventually called her mother and was sent a bus ticket to come back to live with her mother. Even though it had only been a month without a home, she still had a large change in the way she saw the world. When she turned sixteen, she became pregnant with a son she named Guy Johnson who also became a poet. In order to pay for her and her baby, she sang at a nightclub in San Francisco. In 1952 she married a Greek sailor named Tosh Angelos. She is still alive today and is currently 78 years old.

During her lifetime, Maya Angelou tackled many different jobs. She was an author, poet, songwriter, director, and civil rights activist in addition to many others. From 1961 to 1962 she traveled to Cairo, Egypt where she worked as an associate editor of the Arab Observer which was an English language news agency in the Middle East. She also visited Ghana from 1964 - 1966 as an editor for the African Review. Additionally, Maya wrote and read one of her poems, “On the Pulse of the Morning” at Bill Clinton’s request at his inauguration. This was only the second time a poet had been asked to read at a president’s inauguration. She also wrote the screenplay for the show Georgia, Georgia and has accomplished many other of her goals.

Alone
^{By Maya Angelou}
Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don’t believe I’m wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires
With money they can’t use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They’ve got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely
I’ll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
‘Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Analyze
I liked this poem because it talks about a topic that practically everyone understands and sends a message. It’s saying that no matter what, if you’re alone in the world, you’re not going to make it. It makes a reference to millionaires who have money they can’t use which I feel is true because if you’re by yourself, then money won’t make any difference in life. I also liked this poem because of the figurative language Maya Angelou uses. This is because she uses figurative language that I don’t often use such as end rhymes and alliteration. What I don’t like about this poem is that it repeats lines quite a bit and some sound very similar; however, I guess that’s what also makes it sound better and poetic.

A question that I have about this poem is what is Maya Angelou talking about in her second last stanza? I think she’s telling us that mankind is suffering, but what does that have to do with the poem? Everyone is still staying together, and no one is totally alone except for the few hermits. However, because I don’t fully understand that stanza, I may have misinterpreted it.

In this poem, Maya Angelou used a few different types of figurative language. She used personification when she wrote, “Where water is not thirsty” since water can’t be thirsty. When she wrote, “Alone, all alone” she used alliteration. In that same line she used repetition by repeating the word, “alone”. Furthermore, she had some similes in the line, “Their wives run round like banshees” because it’s comparing wives of millionaires to banshees. Maya Angelou also used repetition throughout her poem with the words “nobody” and “alone”. Finally, she had end rhymes with an /a/b/a/b/ pattern. Some of these are in the lines “How to find my soul a home/And bread loaf is not stone”, “With money they can’t use/Their children sing the blues”, “I’ll tell you what I know/ The wind is gonna blow”, “Storm clouds are gathering/The race of man is suffering”.

Life in Malaysia can be extremely fun, but also a tad boring; however it is stressful at times. Usually I get up, go to school, and come back home to do homework and relax. I love spending time with my friends, and I enjoy playing the PlayStation 2. I also use the computer often and am on it for most of the day. I’ll usually chat with my friends over the phone or on an instant messenger like MSN. Life here isn’t that fun or exciting, but once the holidays come, everyone can sit back and enjoy ourselves. Living here most probably isn’t at all like living in Canada, Colombia, or the United States. Most places aren’t within walking distance, and it isn’t that safe to go around alone. Therefore, you can’t just go walk over to a friend’s house. So, to get to most places you have to take a car and be escorted by a parent which makes traveling around even harder. Additionally, it can get pretty hot here, but during the rainy season, it can rain almost everyday which helps drop the temperature.

For this Teen Life Project, an issue that I’d be interested in looking into would be global warming. The reason for this is because global warming is affecting our lives now, and will continue to play an even larger part in it during the future unless it is stopped. Furthermore, it isn’t something that can be stopped over night, and we can never repair the ozone layer so it would be best if we start now. By saving electricity and not leaving things on over night such as a computer, we can reduce the amount of electricity used. Also, people in our country could try to carpool more often when going to the same destination.

Another issue that I wouldn’t mind doing this project on is poverty. This is because there are thousands, if not millions, of children and adults who are dying every year. Many of these people die simply because they can’t get medicine, clean water, or other necessities that we can buy cheaply for them. In addition, it’s not as if those who die of poverty are any different from us. We’re both humans, so why are we sitting back and watching them suffer? There are many things that we can do to help these people such as donating to charity or buying simple medicines. In our school we have activities such as Habitat for Humanity where students from higher grades go to poorer parts of Malaysia to build a house. The materials such as bricks were bought by students in a school charity. This house is for families who can’t afford their own house. There are many other ways to help, but these are a few.

The final issue that I would like to work on is the fact   that in Malaysia, it isn’t that safe to walk around in public alone, especially at night. The main reason why it is unsafe is that there are dangerous people such as thieves and robbers. For instance, if a lady is walking alone near the streets, motorcyclists might ride up to her and snatch her handbag. Therefore, if you let go, you lose all money, credit cards, and other important materials. However, if you hold on, you could be dragged a long way on a rough road. The main point is if you have an expensive car, watch, or anything valuable, it could be stolen from you, and the person or people who stole it from you will sometimes kill or hurt you even if you give them what they want. I hope that the Malaysian government tries to do more about this because it is causing restrictions in the lives of people who live in Malaysia.

So, this is who I am and these are the issues I’d be interested in basing this project on. Hope you learnt some things about me.

General Questions

How are symbols, images, and sounds and other conventions used in visual media?
Symbols, images, sounds, and other conventions are used in visual media to increase the emotional feelings in the audience. These include making them cry, feel jubilant, or utterly irritated. Conventions are usually used together in synchronization. They will work together to express an overall mood. By using these conventions as a collection, they can create overwhelming feelings which will cause the visual part of the experience to be fully successful.

What are the ways in which image-makers carefully construct meaning?
Image-makers carefully construct meaning by using symbols, images, sounds, and other conventions in harmony. Image makers will only combine conventions of the same emotion together. For example, they won’t mix a happy picture with a sad song. Image-makers will also use text to enforce the meaning of the visual.

How are techniques used in visual media to influence or appeal to a particular audience?
Many different techniques can be used in visual media to influence or appeal to a particular audience. For instance, if you’re trying to create an eye catching movie, you’d use happy and loud music with bright pictures. Also, common symbols might be used such as the dove to show that the movie is about peace.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Knowledge – Describe the symbols, images, and sounds you used to complete your projecta
In our short presentation, we used many symbols. We used the Star of David, the Swastika, and the earth surrounded by barb wire. We also used clouds with a sun coming out and a swing with a person pushing two other people. Finally, we also used a butterfly, a meadow, and the tattoo from the concentration camp. The images that we used were of Anne’s family’s life before the war began. We also used pictures of their hiding place and the cattle cars. Finally, we used pictures of their concentration camps, the gravestone of Anne and Morgot, and a meadow. The sound effects we used were birds, screams, trains, guns, and creaks. We also used songs There She Goes by Six Pence None the Richer, Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall, and Where is the Love by Black Eyed Peas. The other convention that we used was text. We mostly used quotes from Anne’s diary that are the most meaningful and significant.

Comprehension – Discuss how these symbols, images, and sounds carefully construct meaning
We used the Star of David to show how the Jews were labeled by the Nazis. The Star of David also represents the number seven, the six points and the middle. To the Jews, the number seven had religion connections. For instance, the six days of creation plus the seven days of rest. The Jews also had seven spirits of god, and the Jewish Menorah has seven oil lamps. We used the Swastika because it shows that the Nazis were involved and civilized since they had their own symbol. The picture of the earth surrounded by barbwire shows that more or less the entire planet being involved in the war and the constriction of the Jews. We used the sun symbol to show the hope that the Jews had of returning to their normal lives. This shows hope because it shows the sun emerging from behind the clouds as if there is newfound hope. It also shows that no matter what, there will always be that one person like Anne who is always hopeful. We used the swing symbol to show the freedom that was finally returned to the Jews after the war and the peace that was restored. Furthermore, this shows the teamwork of others around the world to help the Jews in the war since the middle person is pushing the other two. The butterfly symbolizes the beauty of the world and nature. The meadow symbolizes freedom and independence. The tattoo from the concentration camps showed the Jews that they’ll never leave the camp. It also showed the Jews that they had been marked with which slaves are branded. The pictures before the war show how cheerful people were before the destruction such as the picture of Anne with all of her friends. The pictures of the train and concentration camps show what hardships had to be taken on by the Jews. An example of such a picture is the photograph of all of the Jews that have already died. The creaking of the door was used is meant to symbolize the opening of the war and the capture of the people at the secret annex. The trains and screaming sounds show the transportation used and the chaos that occurred. The bird sound shows the freedom and joy of nature. The first song is a happy song since it shows the wonderful life before the war. The second song’s lyrics tell about Anne. “And everything around her is a silver pool of light. The people who surround her feel the benefit of it.” These show Anne’s jubilant personality and how it is passed to others. The last song describes the war. “People killing people dying. Children hurtin you hear them crying. Can you practice what you preach? Would you turn the other cheek? Father Father Father help us. Send some guidance from above. Nations dropping bombs. Chemical gases filling lungs of little ones. With ongoing suffering. As the youth die young.” These lines truly show the war and what was done during those few atrocious years. Finally, the quotes that we used from the book were meant to teach people of Anne’s high spirited and positive personality.

Application – Explain how these symbols, images, and sounds will influence or appeal to your audience.
These symbols, images, and sounds should cause the audience to become sad, angry, and happy. They should be sad because of all the killing that has occurred only 67 years ago. Additionally, the pictures of the concentration camps and tattoo should remind people of all the inhumane events that have occurred. The music will also add to this effect. However, some people might be angry instead of sad. This depends on the audience since some will be sorry for the Jews whereas others might be furious with the Nazis. The audience should be happy at the beginning and towards the end. The reason for this is because at the start, it shows the terrific times that the Jews had before the war. Towards the end, it shows the freedom that was returned to the Jews after the liberation of the camps and the way everyone helped the Jews. Moreover, the sounds of birds chirping should give everyone a blissful feeling.

Analysis – Compare the symbols, images, and sounds you chose. Which are the most powerful? Why?
The Star of David shows the main victims of the war, and the Swastika shows their persecutors, which are the exact opposite. Another difference in symbols is that the usual symbol for peace is a dove, but we used a swing with people because it shows the happiness that all children have in them. Additionally, The first song is happy and shows the peaceful times before the war; however, the last song shows the war and hate between the Jews and Nazis. Finally, the pictures before and after the war have definite differences. Before everyone is playful and joyous; however, during the war, everyone is gloomy and beginning to lose hope. In terms of similarity, the swing symbol and meadow both show the freedom that the Jews are longing to receive. Furthermore, barbwire is often used to show restriction the same way that we used it. We thought that the sun symbol, tattoo, and the song Where is the Love were the most powerful. We thought that the sun symbol was a strong sign of hope since it’s a bright colored picture, and the sun coming out from under the cloud looks like newborn hope. The tattoo was an authoritative symbol because it was a label on Jews that could never be removed and showed that they were the slaves and would never leave the camp. We liked the song because those specific lines really summed up the war and what was happening in Europe at the time.

Evaluation – Summarize and grade the final product and the process to accomplish this task.
For this project, we feel that we should about a B+. This is because overall, we did a pretty good job of going through Bloom’s Taxonomy and creating our project, but we feel it could have been better. The process that was taken to accomplish this task is as follows. First, we talked about the two choices of projects and decided which one we would do as a group. Then we were all meant to find some pictures, but the amount that each person found in the end varied. We then discussed some possible symbols we could use and decided on which ones we would actually use for our project. Then we were meant to meet up over the weekend, but only Adrian and Jed did. They picked the music and arranged the slides. Adrian then completed the PowerPoint, and he and Jed met up again to work on the write-up together.

ESLRs

In our group, we were Effective Communicators because we listened respectfully and asked questions to facilitate understanding and achieve insight. For example, when we began, people were talking over others and interrupting them. Group members were also “shhh-ing” others when they talked. However, we don’t do this as much anymore and can listen and work together much better.

While doing this project we also solved problems using a variety of strategies which makes us a Critical Thinker. When we first got together, we wanted to do the short film, but none of us had iMovie or any other Mac-friendly program. So, instead of doing the memorial, we decided to use PowerPoint to create our film instead.

During this project, we demonstrated the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, making us Academic Achievers. This is because at school, we would work together to decide who would do what for homework. When we went home, everyone did some work and brought it back to school so that we could work on it together. This way, we worked by ourselves and together to get things done.

Jed and Adrian demonstrated the use of being a Self-Directed Learner since we showed competency in goal setting, time management, and organizational skills. This is because we set up times to meet up and we didn’t leave the project to last the minute. We also didn’t waste time when we were working on the project out of school.

Finally, we were all Involved Citizens because we interacted respectfully with people of diverse cultures. No one made fun of some one else in our group because they were from a different culture. Even though we were dealing with a topic that could create arguments between people of different nations, there were no quarrels everyone respected each other.

Cooperation

In our group, Adrian and Jed did most of the work. Adrian found most of the pictures, and he created the actual show by putting the pictures and music together. Additionally, Adrian did the sound effects. Jed found some of the pictures, and he came up with two symbols, and he drew all three. He and Adrian decided on the music and order of slides together. Furthermore, Jed and Adrian did the write-up together. Adrian and Jed met up twice out of school to do the project. Ah Ihn found six pictures, but only one was used since she gave it to us very late in the project, and she came up with one symbol. We invited her over to our house so that we could work together out of school, but she didn’t want to come, and since we couldn’t force her, she didn’t come. Ah Ihn didn’t really do that much in this project.

In the second quarter of school, I had to take a ten week drama exploratory, and the teacher was Mr. R, our English teacher. This class had two parts. One was writing scripts and the other was actually acting them out. For the writing part, we were put into pairs and we created a short five-minute scene together with dialogue. Our scripts went through a few drafts, and we discussed each one as a group. During the acting portion of the class, we would do appearances and rehearse our scripts. Appearances were a tool that we used to learn how body language can be applied to a performance to show how a character felt without using words. Each person in our class had to come up with an appearance for the emotions happiness, anger, sorrow, and fear. The appearance had to be statue-like, meaning we couldn’t move at all. After we had finished writing our scripts we would run through them at least once per class.

For me, this was an extremely nerve-racking experience since I’m not at all comfortable on stage in front of an audience. This is particularly true when we have to do appearances, which can make you look very embarrassing, and actually performing a short scene. Furthermore, I’d have to say that acting isn’t one of strengths, and I’m very shy. However, after awhile I became accustomed to the torment and embarrassment that I encountered every class. Once I had adapted to this new environment though, I didn’t find it as humiliating, and I began to come out of my “comfort zone”. From here on everything was going smoothly until the day of our performance came. Before I knew it, I was panicking and couldn’t concentrate. Luckily though, the breathing exercises we had done beforehand in our “actors pose” helped me calm myself. When we ran through the show, it wasn’t nearly as frightening or embarrassing as I had imagined. Overall, I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed this class, but I did learn a lot from it, and we did have some enjoyable times. Additionally, I’ve definitely expanded my “comfort zone”, and I think that I can now perform actions that I wouldn’t have been able to do before because of the humiliation.

The Script

Emotion ~ Anger

Erica ~ Knows who Isobel’s love of her life likes but wont tell her. Eventually gets angry thinking Isobel is using her. She is outgoing and popular.

Isobel ~ Wants to know who the love of her life likes, and Erica won’t tell her. She knows that Erica knows who the love of her life likes. Eventually gets angry because Erica won’t tell her. She is shy and quiet.

Setting ~ Fitness Room

Time and Date ~ A nice sunny afternoon in a cool small fitness room, on the 26^th of July 2005.

- Isobel and Erica walking in -

Erica: He’s from out of town. He says that he and his family just move from one place to another every few months. They’re trying to find the “perfect” place to live.

Isobel: Oh, that’s too bad. He seems really nice

Erica: Yeah, but look on the bright side. We’re here doing yoga and I’ve been looking forward to this all week! (Laying down yoga mat)

Isobel: I know what you mean. I have been having such a stressful week and yoga is just what I need. (Laying down yoga mat)

- Erica’s mobile phone rings–

Erica: Hold on a sec, I think that’s my cell phone. Hello, Erica speaking. (Pause). Really? That’s great. Thanks for the update.

- Erica hangs up her mobile phone –

Isobel: What is it? What’s great?

Erica: Lilly just called me and guess what? She said that he and his family are gonna stay here. How lucky are we? So, what’s up?

Isobel: Nothing much really. I’ve just been doing school work. Oh, before we start can you just tell me who he likes and then I can stop asking you.

Erica: I am not going to tell you even if I knew. Plus, you’ve already asked him a million times. Do you like him or something?

Isobel: What, no. Don’t be silly. I just asked. I’m just curious. And, I haven’t asked that many times…

Erica: Yes you have. Remember at lunch you asked me 6 times, and each time I didn’t tell you. Then you went over to Stacie and asked her 6 times too. Let’s just forget about all this and continue with the stretching. You can lead today.

Isobel: Fine. Okay now bend down. (Hold) to the left (hold) to the right (hold) and slowly go up.- Pause -

Isobel: Erica, do you think he might like Melissa? She is really pretty and soooooo nice. What is not to like about her? Plus all the guys say she has got it going on. Whatever that means.

Erica: I don’t know. She is nice and all but not really his type. I think Jessica would go better with him.

Isobel: Jessica? Ya could be. Stacie is totally his type.

Erica: Actually you are right she does seem to be his type. He doesn’t like her though.

Isobel: Hmmmm… What is his type anyway?

Erica: Sweet… Innocent… Kind… Everything your not.

Isobel: What? I’m sweet and kind.

Erica: (slow laugh) Haha. You are totally not those things little one.

Isobel: I am so not little I have grown like 2 inches since last year! And hello, remember when I did all those after school tutoring classes for disabled students? (Stops stretching)

Erica: Yeah, whatever.

- Silence -

Erica: Hey, so how’s life? Mine is like so super fantastic!

Isobel: Nothing’s really happening, just doing homework. Have you done the “How to be popular” video yet? It’s so hard.

Erica: What? It’s probably been the easiest homework I’ve gotten all year. Just get a camera and explain how to be popular, and I already am, so it’s so simple.

Isobel: Well I have no idea how to do it. Every time I get in front of the camera I get so nervous and I can’t even think of what to…

Erica: Oh Shoot. I think a broke a nail. I hate this yoga position. It broke my nail, and I just got a manicure yesterday. It even messed up my hair. Look at it.

Isobel: Well, it doesn’t matter that much, it’s just a nail, and I’m sure you can just comb your hair.

Erica: Uh, it does so matter. My nails are so beautiful and so is my hair. Without them, I’d look just like an average person.

Isobel: So who does? ummmm. He like? Is it Jessica?

Erica: Oh my gosh! Could you stop talking about him? And, I don’t even know if he likes Jessica because I don’t know who he likes. Are you sure you aren’t interested in him, coz people who ask this many times have got to be more than curious.

Isobel: So what if I am interested? So what if I am curious? What is it to you?

Erica: Well, it’s just that I wanna know if you like him or not.

Isobel: Okay, I won’t lie to you. I do like him, but no one will tell me who he likes. No one. Not a single person.

Erica: There is a reason for every thing Isobel.

Isobel: Okay, whatever. Why can’t you just tell me who he likes so I will stop asking you and annoying you all the time. - Stop doing yoga -

Erica: I can’t. I don’t even know who he likes.

Isobel: Remember that time in eighth grade when you liked that *ugly* Spanish guy? I told you who he liked the second you asked me.

Erica: Yeah, but you were wrong. You told me that he liked me, so I totally went for him. I did stuff that I never thought that I would do to impress him, but when I finally asked him if he’d go on a date with me, he turned me down. I looked like total fool.

Isobel: sorry, but it’s the thought that counts.

Erica: Sure, but it doesn’t count as you helping me since you didn’t and I made myself look really stupid. In fact, it should actually be like a negative and you owe me on now.

Isobel: C’mon just tell me who he likes. I know that you know and you’re just keeping the information.

Erica: You know what? Everything’s becoming clear now. You’re just using me. You don’t actually want to be my friend. You know that I know, and I do know. All you want is for me to tell you who the love of your life likes. Once you have that you’ll forget all about me and hang out with your other friends.

Isobel: That’s not true! You are my friend and I just want to know who he likes.

Erica: Oh yeah? Then how do you explain the fact that just last Sunday you left me waiting at the new mall they just built? You know how much I was waiting to go shopping with you there. How could you forget to come? If you had at least forgotten and stayed at home, then it wouldn’t have been so bad, but instead you’re at the opening of that stupid bookstore while I was walking around alone at the mall.

Isobel: I’m sorry. I’ve already said it thousand times. I know I should have come and I know how much you were looking forward to shopping there. Please forgive me. It was just that one time.

Erica: But the thing is you went with him! Who would wanna go with you anyway?

Isobel: Well he wanted to! So what is it to you?

Erica: Well, nothing. My point is that you’d rather spend time with him than me.

Isobel: What? That’s soooooo not true. I spend time with you. Like right now I’m here at the fitness center with you. (making eyes roll and widen)- pause look at each nothing awkwardly -

Erica: See, you are just using me to find out who he likes, but please. I just want to spend more time with him.

Isobel: What?! What did you say?

Erica: Nothing, I meant I wanna spend more time with you…. (soft) And your annoyingness

Isobel: Something strange is going on here. And its not just you!

Erica: Uuugghh! No. Nothing’s going on. I just said the wrong name that’s all. No big deal.

Isobel: You sound like you like him too. Before you were upset that I went with him to the bookstore probably coz he wasn’t spending time with you. And then you just happened to say the wrong name when you were saying you wanted to spend more time with me. You like him too don’t you?

Erica: Fine, you got me. I do like him, but that’s why I can’t tell you who he likes.

Isobel: So now you have a crush on the guy that I like, and you still won’t tell me who he likes. So what if you like him? That has nothing to do with you telling me.

Erica: Yes it does. If I tell you, then you’ll get mad at me or there’ll be some sortta conflict between us

Isobel: Wait, are you saying that he likes you?

- End -

Group Members

Anthropologist – Someone who studies the origins, physical and cultural development, behavior, biological characteristics, and social customs and beliefs of humankind.

Archeologist – Someone who studies historic or prehistoric people and their cultures. They do this by analyzing their artifacts, inscriptions, monuments, and other remains.

Economist – Someone who specializes in economics and studies economies. They also study the management of resources in a community.

Historian – Someone who studies the history of the world.

Linguist – Someone who studies languages and who can speak a few languages fluently.

Theologian – A person who studies God and God’s characteristics and relations to the universe. They also study the divine things or religious truth. This person mostly studies religious aspects and studies religious questions.

Research Notes

Step 1:
Where did the Aztecs originally live? What prompted them to relocate? Where did they end up and why? Chose an artifact, which you feel best, represents this event. Support your choice

The Aztecs originally lived in Atzlan, which is located somewhere in North West Mexico. The reason why they relocated is because the people around them thought that the Aztecs were too savage and nasty. The Aztecs finally ended up on an island in the middle of a swampy and shallow lake called Lake Texcoco. The Aztecs created chinampas, small islands used for farming, on the lake. According to legend, they ended up on this island because their leader, Tenoch, envisioned that Huitzilopochtli wanted him to take him people to a specific place. The place had to have an eagle resting on a cactus and eating a snake. The cactus had to also be growing from a rock or cave surrounded by water. In real life, it is unknown how the Aztecs got to where they were except, when they reached the Lake Texcoco area, their neighboring tribes were very strong and forced them to live on the island.

Step 2:
The Aztecs ended up in the middle of a lake and built their new capital Tenochtitlan. What were the pros and cons of settling in the middle of a lake? Describe the lay of the land and chose an image for your exhibit.

The Aztec’s land would probably have been a lake with one main island, with many chinampas (small manmade islands) around it. The chinampas would probably be fields used for farming. If you were there you’d probably also see much irrigation on all islands. On their main island, you’d find many beautiful and extravagant palaces and temples. Also, their city would be very structured, and would have canals to use as defense.

Pros:
1. The Aztecs could grow crops at all times of the year because they used irrigation.
2. They also built ‘floating gardens’ by loading soil into shallow parts of the lake and using trees to anchor the soil into place. By doing this they could use their actual land for other purposes and do farming on these manmade islands.
3. The Aztecs could move easily between the chinampas (floating gardents), since they could use canoes to travel.
4. Their canals could be used as defense systems.

Cons:
1. The Aztecs would always have to pile plants and mud from the lake to acquire more land to farm on. This would require manpower and waste time.
2. Their island was infested with snakes, probably making life harder since they could have been poisonous.

Step 3:
Which gods were worshiped? The pyramids were built for what purpose?

The Aztecs had numerous gods that they worshiped and their religion was extremely complex. The three main gods were Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, and Quetzalcoatl. Huitzilopochtli was the “Hummingbird Wizard”. He was the chief god of the Tenochca, and he was the war and sun god. Tezcatlipoca was the “Smoking Mirror”, and was the chief god of the Aztecs in general. Finally, Quetzalcoatl was the “Sovereign Plumed Serpent”, and was worshiped everywhere in Mesoamerica. Quetzalcoatl was the god of civilization, priesthood, and learning. Below these superior gods, were four others who are known as the four creating gods. They are secluded and far from the human world. Below these four, there were infinitely more gods. Of these the most important were Tlaloc (rain god), Chalchihuitlicue (god of growth), and Xipe (god associated with spring).

In addition to having so many gods in their religion, the Aztecs also built many pyramids as temples. The pyramids were used for human sacrifices and more than 20,000 people would be lost each year to this fatal ritual. Aztec emperors thought that a unique temple should be built for sacrifices, and so began the construction of sacrificial temples. Different Aztec cities would compete for the grandest sacrificial temple. When trying to create a better temple, they would build over their old one instead of destroying it. Their temples would grow in size, extravagance, and beauty with each new layer. Furthermore, a larger sacrificial area would be created at the top. These temples were similar to Egyptian pyramids, but had a flat top instead of pointed.

The Aztecs also built shrines throughout their kingdom, and each had a specific purpose and location. These would be used to worship knights and the sun god. Also, some were built to perform offerings, and some were meant to honor specific gods.

Step 4:
Who are the different members of Aztec society? What are their roles? Choose an artifact that represents the social order of Aztec society.

The three main members of Aztec society were slaves, commoners, and nobility.

The first members were the slaves. Offspring of poor and broke families could be sold; however, freedom could be bought back by slaves. Another way for slaves to gain freedom was to flee from their master, and make it to the royal palace without being detected. Those who could accomplish this were granted freedom immediately.

Then there were the commoners. This was the largest social group and was known as macehualtin to the Aztecs. This group of people are usually involved in agriculture and trades. Those who were farmers worked in families, and were allowed to keep their harvest. However, the actual land was actually owned by all the people of the neighborhood, also known as calpulli. These commoners owned their area of land for their life; however, the lowest group of commoners weren’t allowed by law to own land. These people were allowed to use land, but not own it. The few least privileged people in this group are the peasants. They are similar to the serfs of Europe. The peasants are attached to the land and owned by the nobles.

Long distance traders would often be used to serve the government as ambassadors or spies. Additionally, the best artisans, physicians, and teachers were also shown much respect.

The final major group was the nobles who were nobles by birth, priests, and people who earned a high rank. The pipiltin were the small number of families who were the few highest in the Aztec social life. They were the in the highest position of the government, army, and the priesthood. These nobles would choose one person to be their ultimate leader and was called the tlatoani. This leader would be highly respected and would rule until he died.

In the Aztec society, the most respect was given to warriors, priests, and the nobles. Since the Aztecs were so engaged in warfare, the warrior class was highly appreciated. Also, warriors would volunteer themselves for the most crucial sacrifices.

Step 5:
The Aztecs have a spoken language. What was it called? Did they use any other forms of communication? Include an example of either written or visual language of the Aztecs.

The language of the Aztecs is called Nahuatl, and comes from a large group of Indian languages. Nahuatl is a variation of a larger language group called Uto-Aztecan. In some remote areas of Mexico that still have native cultures, variations of Nahuatl are still spoken.

In addition to the Aztec language Nahuatl, the Aztecs would also communicate by writing. They had two types of writing. One used visual pictures, and the other used letters called glyphs. Aztecs would use visual pictures sometimes and make it very complicated so that it told a whole story. Sometimes they would also use pictographs to symbolize ideas or represent the sound of a syllable. In the Aztec writing that used glyphs, glyphs were used to indicate phonetic sounds. Color was very important since some of their glyphs were very similar. Without color, it would be hard to tell what a glyph meant, and a mistake could be made.

Since Aztec writing and reading was a complicated skill, the majority of the population was unable to read or write. In schools, neither writing nor reading was taught since the common people had no reason to read or write.

Step 6:
How did the Aztecs grow food and what was their main crop? Did they trade and with whom? Did they have a currency (money)? Find an image for your exhibit about making a living Aztec style.

The Aztecs grew food by creating terraces. By doing this, their crops were kept unharmed by floods. The Aztecs also used a technique called the slash and burn method. They would first cut down an area of forest and then burn it to clear the land and enrich the soil. Finally, they made chinampas, manmade islands, to use for farming on the lake. They would weave huge reed mats, and cover them with mud and plants. The chinampas would be anchored to the lake bottom by plant roots. By doing these things, they grew many crops such as corn, chili peppers, tomatoes, squash, beans, and other foods. The Aztec’s main crop was corn.

The Aztecs did trade their items. They built canals so that people and goods could be moved with ease. Their goods were traded with fellow cities in the Aztec Empire.

The Aztecs did have a form of money. They used cacao beans as their money.

Step 7:
Discuss the Impact of Spanish Contact 1519 from both the Aztec point of view and the Spanish point of view. Find an image depicting this event.

When the Spaniards first found the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, they were amazed and stunned by the beauty and elegance of the city. When they reached the city and first met the Aztecs, they were greeted warmly with many gifts. The reason for this is Cortes had arrived on the exact day that the Aztecs had predicted their god, Quetzalcoatl, would return and take back his control over the Aztecs. The Aztecs even let Cortes set up his headquarters in one of their unused buildings. After a while though, Moctezuma, the Aztec emperor, began to question the fact that Cortes was a god because of his ungodly behavior. Moctezuma then tried to get rid of Cortes and his men by giving them much gold and jewels. However, instead of leaving, Cortes became greedy and took Moctezuma hostage, and asked for a ransom of more gold and jewels. After this, Cortes had to go to the shore again to defeat an army sent by Diego Velásquez, the Spanish Governor, since Cortes had disobeyed orders. While he was out of the city, his men had killed a group of unarmed Aztec men during a religious ceremony. This caused an Aztec uprise. To try to stop of the uprise, Cortes showed the Aztecs their emperor, but he got hit with a stone on the head and died three days later. Cortes was then forced to retreat, but he lost many men. After Cortes had gotten his men back together, he rounded up the enemies of the Aztecs to help him conquer the Aztecs. When they went back to defeat the Aztecs, they blocked off the city to stop them from getting food and water. The Aztecs had also gotten the outside disease of smallpox. Because of this, the Aztecs were greatly weakened, and Cortes and his army broke into the city. He destroyed all of their buildings, and added churches to spread the Christian influence. Today, Mexico City is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan.

Step 8:
Discuss La Malinche or Dona Marina. Debate her positive/negative impact on Mexico past and present. What does the term Mestizo refer to? What influences remain today from Aztec culture of the past?

La Malinche, as she’s known to the Aztecs, or Dona Marina, as she’s called by the Europeans, was a translater. She would convert Nahuatl into Mayan, and then Jeronimo de Aguilar would convert Mayan into Spanish for Cortes. This also worked vice versa. Many Mexicans consider this woman as a traitor, even though she has helped Mexico in some ways.

Some of her positive influences on Mexica is that she saved thousands of lives by making it possible for Cortes to negotiate instead of kill. She also helped the Spaniards introduce Christianity to Mexico, and try to stop human sacrifices and cannibalism. Furthermore, she played an important role in avoiding bloodshed and creating one of the societies in Latin America.

The negative impact was that Dona Marina helped Cortes negotiate with the Tlascalans, creating a union of the two. This gave the Spaniards thousands of Indian warriors to help them fight, helping overcome the Aztecs. Also, Dona Marina’s translations helped the Spaniards create their campaign.

The term Mestizo refers to a person of mixed Latin American and European ancestry. Europeans were usually Spanish or Portuguese.