Nat Turner

A young boy was born on the night of October second, 1800.  Little did he know, he would grow up to be a strong leader for dozens of people.  This man was born with the gift of leading and observation.  The same man grouped about seventy other slaves together and took over their freedom, by killing their masters. Sixty whites might have died that day, though seventy blacks were freed.  The leader of it all, the man who had the courage to do it all, was Nat Turner.

Nat Turner was born into an enslaved family.  He worked originally for Samuel Turner, though after he died, he was sold to Joseph Travis.  Nat grew up sharing his mother's view of slavery. Taught to read by his master's son, Nat developed strong religious beliefs and encouraged by his parents, gradually began to believe that God had chosen him to lead his people out of slavery. Turner often listened to events that he and his family thought were signs from God telling them to runaway. 

In February of 1831 there was an eclipse.  The eclipse convinced Turner that it was a supernatural sign from God to start an insurrection. However, it wasn't until August 21st that Turner and about seven other slaves murdered Travis and his family to launch his rebellion. In all, about 60 whites were killed by slaves that Turner lead. 

Because of Turner, over a hundred innocent slaves were killed by chance that they would rebel.  While these slaves were killed, Turner was hiding, but he could only hide so long.  He lasted six weeks before he was found.  Although Turner said that he had led the rebellion, he plead not guilty once tried.  He was still convicted and sentenced to death.  Nat Turner was executed November 11th, 1831.  While he didn't gain rights for slaves in his lifetime, after his death, more rights were given to slaves.  Turner was basically the Martin Luther King Jr. of slaves.  While he didn't get African Americans rights while he was around, he started many more acts after his assassination.

While Turner led to the deaths of about 150 slaves, he still gave courage to other slaves showing them that they can break free from the tight ropes of their masters.  All the slaves needed was someone to start the rebellion and that person was Nat Turner. Nat Turner might have been born a slave, but he died a hero.

SOURCES:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p1518.html
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASturner.htm
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/insurrection
http://www.africawithin.com/bios/nat_turner.htm
http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar571180&st=nat+turner

Slavery

Author's Note:
This is a poem that shows emotions about times of slavery.  I am focusing on voice.

The selling of people

The ruins of hope

Not able to break

Or bath with nice soap

Taking loved ones

From places abandoned

Wealth is a virtue

Though can be a great sin

In the house

Or on the farm

No one thought

Of the great harm

Color is nothing

Families are something

I don't know much

But I sure no one thing

Separating families

Between hundreds of miles

Breaking relations

Breaking smiles

No more freedom

No more rights

They tried to sneak out

Late at nights

They lost their babies

Their friends, families

They were shipped out in boats

To go over seas

They got diseases

Illness and more

People took people

For some sort of "score"

They got little food

Or time to sleep

They hurt their arms

And legs and feet

Hundreds years later

Families found out

That ancestors were sold

Their family no doubt

Making them sad

Creating no good fortune

Though there is one thing

That is for certain

This never should've happened

No not one bit

Looking back on it now

It would make me sick

Dividing the country

Giving away friends

Doing this was no good

From beginning to end

North states had none

They were only in the south side

Slavery took away

From this great nation's pride

Psychology Project

Essay

Lying on a bed.  Talking to some guy who says he's a "professional".  Pouring all you emotions into him.   This is how most people imagine psychology.  The everyday person may think that a psychologist is a person that you go and talk to for a period of time every Tuesday every other week, but psychologists are also people who put time into researching our brain and how we think or feel, to come up with theories about how people live or communicate.  When we tested some common theories all of the statements and outcomes that the original psychologist discovered were true.  Different psychologists may research only one or two topics from the six major parts of psychology.  Psychologists that can discover astonishing theories such as the ones we researched, should be greatly celebrated for how much research and knowledge they have given us.

Two well know psychologists are Erik Erikson and Lawrence Kohlberg.  Kohlberg had high interest theories in moral development and Erikson had important theories in social development.  The six major parts of psychology are cognitive, behavioral, development, social, humanist, and personality.  Behavioral theories show how you act with others and how you may feel inside.  Development theories show how you can grow in maturity and conformity through out your life.  Social theories show how you communicate with others in a group or community.  Humanist theories describe basic traits that every human has.   Personality theories describe your emotions and how you are feeling.  Many psychologists have researched these topics and have found so much research you can’t even believe.

We decided to test three major theories, two that were discovered by Kohlberg or Erikson.  The first is called the bystander effect.  The bystander effect shows how people would see or here something bad going on, but they are two afraid or worried something might happen.  The show What Would You Do is all about showing circumstances applying the bystander effect.  Our second theory is called Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development.  For this theory someone would get a scenario describing someone doing something that is wrong, but for the good of someone else.   At the end, the reader asks the listener if the person should have done the wrong act, even though it would help someone else.  Our last theory was Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development.  This theory shows that the older someone might gets, the more likely you are to think about what others think or say about you.  We found that many of these tests ended up exactly how the original psychologists described.

Based upon these theories, we designed three tests to prove or disprove the original research.  Our findings in the theory of moral development and theory of psychosocial development supported the research we found on what Erikson and Kohlberg found.  The test for the bystander effect somewhat supported the research we found, because normally the natural instinct for a person when they see something bad happening is to stay away and not get in the middle.  Though in our tests about a fourth of the bystanders stood up for the victim.  Overall, our tests supported the original research we found.

Psychologists aren't therapists, they are more like scientists who study your mind to find how different people think and feel.  When the two of us tested three common theories, our results supported original research on the theory.  Different types of psychologists could research maybe one or two parts from the six major sections of psychology.  Psychologists who found major theories, like the ones we researched, are just one occupation that gives so much knowledge to the world and should be thanked immensely for the research they have given us.

 Goals

- To use a new type of technology for my next project

- To get at least a 85% on my essay for my next project

Self Reflection

On this project I think that I did better than my last project.  I think that I had a better choice for my technical part and I think that I worked really well with Kati.  Also, I think that my essay was clearer and thought out more.  Finally, I think that the two of us created a really good project.

Picasso

Author's Note:

I chose to write about Picasso because his life interested me as I got more and more research.    I am focusing on conventions.

A young boy, sitting right next to his father, is on the edge of his seat.  Watching as the riders enter the arena.  Crowd cheering and standing on their toes.  The bullfight began.  Little did observers know that the little boy would start what's known today as one of the greatest art forms ever.  That boy was Pablo Picasso. 

Pablo Picasso was inspired by anything he saw or felt.  He was a natural painter from the start and had family helping him move forward.  His father was an art teacher himself and taught Pablo.  As a teenager, Picasso went to great places to see art and to be inspired with.  He went to Barcelonan cafés, Paris, anywhere he could find art.  When he was only fourteen, he started to study at the School of Fine Art in La Coruna, Spain.  When his family moved to Barcelona, Spain, in 1896, Picasso easily gained entrance to the School of Fine Arts. A year later he was admitted as an advanced student at the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. He demonstrated his remarkable ability by completing in one day an entrance examination for which an entire month was permitted.  Everyone then noticed how truly amazing Picasso was.

Once Pablo left the school, he began to study on his own about historical and contemporary art. Between 1900 and 1903, Picasso lived in Paris, Barcelona, and France.  Picasso used many different pallets through his life, but is remembered for his Rose Period and the Blue Period.  The Rose Period consisted of pinks, beiges, reds, and other light tones.  While the Blue Period were colors such as blue, tan, and black.  He tried many other styles and forms such as realism and caricature before he started cubism. 

The art form of Cubism was created by Picasso.  Cubism changed the way people sculpted, drew, painted, and even how they wrote! In cubist artworks, objects are broken up, analyzed, and re-assembled in an abstracted form. Instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints. Often the surfaces intersect at seemingly random angles. The background and object planes interpenetrate one another to create the shallow space, this is one of cubism's distinct characteristics.

Pablo Picasso was an artistic legend and his name will probably live on forever.  He started the great form of cubism, new pallets, and several great pieces of artwork in his lifetime.  Picasso traveled through Europe for inspiration and knowledge, though had a dad who taught him too.  Through his life he was creative and inspired by many thoughts around him.  This great artist didn't make or mold, create or design, no, Pablo Picasso dreamed.