Hamlet on Revenge

In Act 1 scene 5 of Hamlet, the ghost commands Hamlet to "[r]evenge his foul and most unnatural murder" (1.5.29). Hamlet is quite indecisive and does not know what to do. In my opinion, I feel that taking revenge is very damaging to one's emotional well-being. It can have a tremendous negative affect on the person and can also influence future actions that they decide to take in life. It soon can becomes a domino effect by feeling things such as revenge is acceptable.  Fighting fire with fire only causes more flames and chaos. In some incidences, revenge may seem like the best option but there is another path of forgiveness which people rarely think about. The path of forgiveness can be the most difficult path to take however it is better in the long run. By forgiving, one is letting go of all the grudges on ones chest. It makes one feel content by letting go whereas revenge will continue to ignite the fire in oneself and will allow one to bottle up all the anger and it will also bring a wave of unexpected emotions. Avenging is to punish a wrongdoing with intent of seeing justice done whereas revenge is more personal, less about justice being done and more conflict based. I think Hamlet should avenge rather than take revenge because his uncle needs to be punished so that he could realize his mistake. By murdering his uncle, there would be no use since he would not feel guilty or regretful about it. I feel that avenging is better than revenge because justice is seen and the person who did the wrong doing is punished.

              
         Never take personal revenge instead avenge, it punishes the wrongdoing and  justice is given to victims.

Advice to My Grade 8 Self

Dear Grade 8 self,

Coming from an elementary school of only five hundred students and only knowing a few people can be quite intimidating when starting high school, with over twelve hundred hundred students. With so many kids, it's impossible for everyone to like you. Don't change who you are in order to fit in or to impress people. Find true friends that will like you for you, and not the person people want you to be. Also, do not be afraid to ask for help. There are so many kind and supportive teachers who are willing to help you. It's okay to not know the answer to something but instead of obsessing over it, take initiative and ask for help. Try to get involved with school activities and clubs as much as possible. It will help you to meet new people and will allow you to be part of the various events happening at school. Balancing school work and other things can get chaotic along the way. Use a planner to plan and make room for all your extra-curricular, clubs, school work and personal life. Make a realistic schedule that will help you to stay on task. Most importantly, stop being so conscious of what other people think. Don't let fears and doubts take over your life. Just be content and confident with who you are and be comfortable in your own skin. Be yourself.

Sincerely, 
your Grade 12 self

Giving advice to one's younger self

Inquiry Question : Reflect and Re-examine

My inquiry question : How does the impact of travel and new cultures shape one's identity?

I learned a variety of new things from the researching process of my project particularly from a video I found on Craig Kielburger's travelling experience to third world countries. He went to South Asia to learn about child poverty and how children are treated there. From that short video, it visually showed me the impacts of travel. That event in his life shaped who he has become, a humanitarian and an activist. He is the co-founder of the very large charity, Free The Children and also the Me to We enterprise. The video was an eye opening experience to all of the things out there when one travels. We  easily take the smallest things to granted however in some countries where there's nothing, they put great value on the smallest things. Travel and new cultures can really enhance your outlook on life and broaden your horizons. The challenge I faced was not finding that one perfect answer since this question was quite open ended and it varied person to person. Next time I would spend time on watching a handful of videos because the one that I saw and used for my presentation was very good and it taught me more than even some websites. I feel that travel and cultures has also shaped my life by giving me an identity. Travelling to different places is an eye opener which has taught me the value of where I live. As for my identity, I have become more open to change and open minded in learning new things such as languages, or about cultural beliefs. I would like to continue to explore more in depth of how different cultures can specifically change ones identity.From this I have become interested in religion, if I had to develop a new question it would have to be how do different religions and define us and how do they help us to come together as one?

An example of someone who was impacted by travelling is Craig Kielburger.
He wanted to "free the children" who were working in poor circumstances, that is
why he became an activist to aid children and to create global awareness about child labour.

This is a link to a video of Craig Kielburger's life changing adventures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afClM91uQFU

Prezi Link of  Inquiry Project:
https://prezi.com/6u9eg4ey3xoa/how-does-the-affect-of-travel-and-new-cultures-shape-ones-i/

GATTACA

GATTACA is a very unique film where it displays both elements of a dystopian society and a utopian society. It represents elements of a dystopian society because everyone is not genetically engineered which causes the degenerates to rebel or to go against in what they are in order to succeed. The society is teribbly unfair for the degenerates who have to do labor jobs due to the fact that there genes and such are not modified to ensure the "perfect" person. Whereas the "perfect" people have all the benefits of the society and can pursue anything they would like due to their high level of physical fitness, strength, and mentality. GATTACA can also be considered a reperesentation of a utopian society since an ideal society is also visible in the movie which are genetically modified people. They have the all the advantages and live the perfect lifestyles.  Both the elements are evidently present in the society as the central character try's to overcome stereotypes and restrictions that are placed on him by his society to a apart of the utopian lifestyle. Its a unique society where some parts are ruined and some parts to it are ideal.

   

Gattaca displays both a utopian and dystopian society as both elements are represented in the movie.

A trailer of the movie "Gattaca":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZppWok6SX88