In this paper I will be covering the parts of prose, drama, and poetry that I learned about in my 7^th grade english and literature course.

The first portion of prose is the plot. The plot is the outline of the story which is comprised of the exposition, rising action, the climax, the falling action, and finally the conclusion. The exposition is the starting portion of the story. The rising action is the kick off of the story. The climax is the highest point in the story and is the most important. The falling action is where the story starts to calm down. The conclusion is the end where most things are resolved.

Setting is where the story takes place. It can also be a fictional place that isn’t even in the real world. It sets the mood in the story and is a critical part in how the story flows. The setting can change depending on how the author likes to order the chapters.

That leads us into the author’s style. Author’s style is the type of genre that the author likes to use. It can be fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, history, and many other genres. The type of story that an author likes to write depends on how much they want or can write, depending on how much time, energy, or stamina they may have. An author may choose to write a novel, short story, a even a series within their genre. Particular genres and stories are classically paired with certain characters which can define what the author will write about.

This is when character development comes in. It can take shape in the way the character grows up, or even the way they form relationships with friends or family. It can show how they’ve grown in personality, strength, or smarts. If you look at any book usually you can tell how a character has grown. How a character grows can shape the theme of the story, which usually depends on the genre. For example, in a mystery there will probably be a detective or a criminal.

The second part of the semester was about drama. Drama is a play can be performed for theatre, radio, or television. Satire can also be a part of drama. Satire is the art of making someone or something look ridiculous, raising laughter in order to embarrass, humble, or discredit its targets. “Drama” comes from the greek word “deed” or “act”, which is derived from “I do”. There is a classical image of two masks that is associated with drama, and represents the traditional generic division between comedy and tragedy. History records that the first drama of the time was established in Rome by a guild of writers that had been working in Rome. In re-working the Greek original dramas, the Romans abolished the role of the chorus making the music just instrumental. The Roman comedies of that time that have survived come from two dramatists. One was Plautus, the more popular of the two Roman dramatists, who wrote between 205 and 184 BC. Twenty of his comedies are still surviving, to this day! He was admired for the wit of his dialogue and his use of a variety of poetic meters.

Like drama, poetry was also very much valued in its time. Most written poems are formatted in verse, a series or stack of lines on a page, which follow the poetic structures. For this reason, verse has also become a synonym for poetry. Some poetry types are unique to particular cultures and genres and respond to characteristics of the language in which the poet writes. Readers accustomed to identifying poetry with Donte, Goeth, Mickiewics, or Rumi, may think of it as written in lines based on rhyme and regular meter. There are, however, traditions, such as Biblical poetry and alliterative verse, that has other rhythm and euphony. Other traditions, such a Sornali poetry, rely on complex systems of alliteration and structure that have been described as comparable to ancient Greek and medieval European oral verse. Much modern poetry reflects a critique of poetic tradition, testing the principal of euphony itself, or altogether forgoing rhyme or set rhythm. In first person poems, the lyrics are spoken by “I”, a character who may be termed the speaker, distinct from the poet who is the narrator unless the writer of the poem is talking as themself. Poetry uses forms and conventions to suggest different interpretations of words, or to evoke emotive responses through ambiguity, symbolism, irony and other stylistic elements of poetic diction. Connections previously not perceived between words can become kindred forms of resonance between individual verses, in their patterns of rhyme or rhythm.

This is my summary of my literature and english course. I love to read many forms of literature, and I really loved how much this class dived into the details of stories and how they can be shaped.

The Atlantic Slave Trade was a major social and cultural development in Europe and the new World from the 16^th to 19^th centuries.

Most slaves were captured in West Africa and then transported to the new world. Many Africans were brought to the new world in this way that they actually represented the largest immigrant population to the new world until late in the 18^th century. The Portuguese were the first to capture slaves in Africa and force them into hard labor in the New World. The Portuguese colonies in South America needed many laborers to produce the commodity crops they were known for: sugar, coffee, cotton, and tobacco were common crops grown with slave labor. The Atlantic Slave Trade is divided into two eras, the First and Second Atlantic systems. The First Atlantic System involved enslaved Africans being transported by Portuguese traders, mostly to the Portuguese colonies. This started in 1502 and continued until 1580. The second Atlantic System includes the rest of the slave trade from 1580 to the 19^th century. Slave traders included Portuguese, Kusch, French, and English captains at this time. Most slaves were transported to the Caribbean Islands at this time, where each country had several territories. The Atlantic Slave Trade abused the lives of approximately 10,000,000 slaves while it was in operation. Over half the slaves were captured and traded in the 18^th century, with England as the largest shipper of slaves. England eventually abolished the slave trade, long before the American colonies, but not before much damage had been done. The Atlantic Slave Trade transported slaves by the Triangular Trade Route, making profits at each stop. Goods were brought from Europe to Africa, then slaves would be transported to the new world, and finally a shipment of crops would return to Europe. Sir John Hawkins, Francis Drake’s mentor, was among the first to pioneer this route. While much of the blame for the slave trade rests on the European captains and new world famers, the Africans themselves are also at fault. Many Africans would sell the captives of local wars into slavery to the Europeans. Since they were not part of the war it was considered acceptable to do away with the captives. However, there were plenty of Kings who refused to participate in the slave trade, feeling that it was not right. So they fought it and won.

Slaves were much better treated in Africa than they were in America at this time, though it progressively changed through the years.

Today I will be summarizing the life of George Whitefield.

Whitefield was born in Lancaster, England in 1714. His parents were rather poor innkeepers, and George did not have the means by which to attend college. As a result he paid for his college by being a servitor at Oxford. It was at Oxford he later found the Methodist Church. Whitefield was initiated into the legalistic style of Christianity during his time at Oxford, but the lack of exercise felt very unnatural to him. After crying out to God in a prayer one day, he finally had a conversation experience, which was a live debate on the Methodist practice of Christianity. After this Whitefield visited the American colonies as a parish priest. While there he saw an orphanage in great need and decided that working for the orphanage, along with preaching, would be his life’s work. He returned to England to raise funds and continued preaching. Whitefield visited the colonies a total of seven times, and eventually died and was buried there. He was not assigned to a single church, but rather worked as a traveling priest. Some people thought his voice could be heard for five miles, allowing him to preach to thousands of people at once without amplification. Whitfield was loved by most, but he still had some haters that occasionally started riots.

Whitfield died in 1770 and is remembered for being the greatest man of the Great Awakening.

King Arthur had called on all his knights the morning of March 1st and said, “I will be needing my lost spear this weekend and so I will be sending one of you out to find it.” “This bold knight must go to Penelope’s Lake for I lost it there, you must leave today.” Then Arthur stood from his seat at the Round Table and walked around it until he stood behind Sir Kay. He said, “YOU WILL TAKE THIS QUEST!” Sir Kay then stood and humbly said, “Thank you my lord I will leave this evening.” Then Arthur dismissed the Round Table and Sir Kay went to prepare for the journey.

Sir Kay went to his sleeping quarters, donned his best suit of golden armor and ordered his servants to pack him three days worth of food. Then he saddled up his horse, packed his food, and rode into the sunset. The next morning he reached Penelope Lake. It shimmered in the morning sun like a blue opal. Sir Kay then hopped off his horse and walked to the dock. Suddenly there was a portal glowing in front of him, then he stepped through the mysterious portal.

He woke in an underwater city. He was quite surprised but almost immediately started walking to the nearest house. He knocked on the door and stood back. The creature that was occupying that house opened the door. It was none other than a mermaid! She looked quite surprised to see him but cooly said, “Yes?” Sir Kay said earnestly, “Do you happen to know where the king of this land lives?” The mermaid responded, “It’s just over that little hill there, I live quite close to the castle.” She then shut the door rather rudely. Sir Kay was more than a little ruffled, but he kept his anger to himself. He started to move through the water again but noticed something was off. He looked down and saw a bare muscular chest that faded into blueish-green scales that ended with a wide tail. He reached up and touched his ears and realized they were pointed like all the other sea folk. He had turned into a merman!

As Sir Kay processed that he had turned into a merman, he traveled to the kings castle and requested to see the King, but the guard said he wasn’t available today and that he had to get a room. So Sir Kay paid for his room with a couple of gold coins and waited until morning. The next morning Sir Kay swam to the Throne Room and waited for the king. Some time later the king walked into the room and sat on his throne. He was a red haired merman with golden scales, a crown, and he was holding…… Arthur’s Spear!!!!! Sir Kay kept his temper though and thought to himself, “I will challenge him for it.” The King said, “What is troubling you, citizen of Penelope?” Then Sir Kay said, “I want to challenge you for your spear!” The King replied, “Ohhhh! You’re one of Arthur’s knights, aren’t you?”, Kay exclaimed, “YOU LITTLE SCOUNDREL! I WILL END YOU!!” Kay started to charge the King, but his guards held him back. “Tell you what?”, the King said, “I will fight you for the spear, but you must tell me how you got here.” Then Kay, realizing he was outnumbered said, “I saw a portal over the Penelope Lake.” “Hmmmmm”, the King said and turned to his guards, “One of you must have been slacking, I wonder which one of you it was? The guards looked alarmed but stood their ground. “Anyway, that is an issue for another time. Get me my armor!!” His servants scrambled away and soon the King was donned in his best armor. “Whoever draws first blood wins!”, and without warning the King charged Sir Kay. Kay had been trained well in the art of war but he had never fought as a merman, so it was a bit different. But after a bit of back and forth, he won and took the spear. “All right, off you go!”, and the King sent him back to the round table.

Arthur was waiting when Kay was sent back to his chair. He felt more like himself without a tail and pointed ears. “You’re back! In record time too! You completed the quest in only two days instead of three!!”, Arthur said jubilantly. Arthur continued, “I assume you brought my spear?” “Yes my Lord”, Sir Kay said and held the spear out with his head down. “You have done well”, Arthur said, “so I will reward you with my mansion on the shore of Penelope Lake!” “My Lord you don’t need to give your property to me!” Arthur handed him the key and said, “I insist!”

Today I will be reviewing the life of Tycho Brahe.

Brahe was a Danish nobleman and scientist. He was the imperial mathematician of Emperor Rudolf II until his death, at which time Kepler replaced him. He studied astronomy, medicine, and alchemy. Brahe was born in Sweden in 1546 to a noble family. He attended a Latin school before going to a university at the age of 12. He studied law before going into astronomy. Brahe was the last major astronomer to make observations without the aid of a telescope. He combined the Ptolemaic and Copernican systems to create his own Tychonic system. Brahe also understood that comets were outside of our atmosphere, contradicting previous beliefs. Brahe worked for the Danish King, but had a disagreement in 1597. Tycho left for Prague to work as the imperial astronomer for the Holy Roman Empire. He met and was assisted by Kepler until Tycho died in 1601.

Tycho Brahe’s work in astronomy has been influential in science to this day.

I awoke to sun streaming in from my window. I roll over with a groan. I kick off my covers and wander to my dresser. I pull up my long brown hair and select a clean pair of bell-bottoms, a t-shirt that says “Nashville”,and a jacket. I walk out of my room and say good morning to my family, my brother, my mom, and dad. Then I get to work making breakfast. I cook a sunny side up egg, and toast a piece of bread. I then put the egg on top of my toast and eat while I read the book that currently holds my attention. It is book three of the Gifting Series. After I have finished, I start on my school. I have to do a math test today and I get an A+. I used to not be good at math but I have learned to understand it better now. Then I start the lunch that me and my family are eating. Rice with saffron chicken breast. As I am making this I realize I need to do a bit of skin-care and clean my room. I am for a while running back and forth from my room to the kitchen until my mom takes over the lunch and I finish up cleaning my room. I have lunch and get ready for dance. I put on a clean leotard and tan tights, then layer on shorts, jeans, and a baggy sweater over top. When I get to my dance studio I put on my tap shoes and talk to my classmates. Once my shoes are on I go to tap class and learn more of my tap recital dance. After tap I have hiphop, which is with the same teacher! Lastly,I go to acro, which is gymnastics mixed with dance, and we finally start our recital dance! It should have already been started but my teacher is very behind. After those three classes I go home and eat some dinner. Then I take a shower. Once I take my shower I finally go to bed and wait for sleep to take me.

The story begins when Walter Raleigh founded the first English colony in North America. While Roanoke was no great success, many other colonies would begin developing along the Atlantic coast of North America. The first settlement in North America was the colony of Jamestown, in modern day Virginia. The London Company was a joint stock company established by King James I. Just like the British West India Company colonized the Caribbean, the London Company colonized the coastal United States. The first colony of the London Company was Jamestown. Late in 1606, the London Company commissioned a fleet of three ships to establish a colony. The Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, sailed to the American mainland to find a suitable location. These settlers first landed near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, but traveled inland on the James River. The settlement site for Jamestown was decided on May 24, 1607. Though there were years of hardship ahead, this would be the first English colony to survive in North America. The site remains preserved with some of the original buildings to this day. Jamestown, and many of the American settlements, was populated mostly by fortune-seekers. These men did not help in the survival of the colony, and as a result of their laziness, two thirds of the colonists died in the first year. In 1608, new colonists arrived from Germany and Poland to join the English. Captain John Smith took over the colony as its third president, and helped the colonists work together. He insisted that “if anyone would not work, neither would he eat”. John Smith had to return to England to recover from a wound he incurred in 1609. 1609-1613 was nicknamed the “Starving Time” because of the lack of food and no new supplies from England. Finally though, in 1614, the colony was able to turn its first profit. The colony had been started as an investment, and investors in England were tiring of sinking money into the settlement. John Rolfe, a surviving settler, had planted a crop of tobacco in 1610 and harvested it in 1614. Rolfe became a wealthy man, and also married the Indian princess Pocahontas.

By 1624 Jamestown finally could stand on its feet and was a stable city in what would become the state of Virginia.

This week I will be summarizing the life of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Mary Stuart became Queen of Scotland 1542 when she was 6 days old. Mary was pushed into a marriage with the king of France at an early age. She grew up in France, but after her husband, the king of France, died, she returned to Scotland. When she got there, the Scottish people were beginning the Scottish Reformation. This was inconvenient to Mary because she was Catholic, so she tried to force her Catholic religion on her people. The people rebelled and Mary was soon forced to flee. As she tried to escape she was captured by her own cousin, Elizabeth, and was held prisoner until her death in 1567. Since Mary was being held prisoner, no one but her cousin Elizabeth could rule. She was Queen from 1558 till 1603 when she died. She ruled from England but still had control over Scotland.

Mary’s defeat ushered in a new era for Protestantism in Scotland.

Today I will be talking about the most interesting worldviews, in my opinion, that I learned about this week.

First, is Theism. Theism is a belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially a god who created the world and who acts to influence events. I support Theism because I am a Christian and I believe there is one god, and that he is the creator of the universe.

Second, is Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is the belief that there is some good in every person and that divinity pervades all humanity. I believe this because I believe we are fallen angels and we were born with goodness in our hearts.

Lastly, is Humanism. Humanism declares that man is the center of all things. That man made all things possible. Unlike the previous two I think that Lord is the center of all things and that man is secondary.

In my opinion I think these worldviews were very interesting and I hope to learn more about them in the future!

This week I will be reviewing the Reformation of France.

The story begins when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenburg, in 1517. Little did he know this would start a whole movement. The Protestant Reformation started in Germany, but included nearly every major nation in Europe. Luther’s original grievance against the Catholic church was the practice of selling indulgences. Over time, the church was also called to reform in many other areas as well, some more radical than others. The printing press also played an important role in the rapid spread of information during this time. That is when the five Sola came into play. The five Sola are Latin phrases that are used to sum up the beliefs of the Protestant reformers. While they were not actually used as law by the Reformers they have since been made into a single list. Sola means “alone” in English. The five Sola are: Sola scriputra-”Scripture Made Whole”,Sola fide-”Faith Alone”, Sola gratia-”Grace Alone”, Sola Christus-”Through Crist Alone”, and Sola Deo Gloria-”To God Alone Be The Glory”. As mentioned before, the Catholic Church was none too pleased with the new Protestant movement. To bring a stop to the Reformation, the Catholic church called the council of Trent and organized a counter reformation movement. The Council of Trent convened three separate times between 1545 and 1563. The Counter-Reformation included four parts: 1. Ecclesiastical or structural reconfiguration 2. Religious orders 3. Spiritual movements 4. political dimensions. The counsel of Trent restricted any compromise with the protestants or the ideas of the Reformers.

The Reformation could not be stopped, and it changed the future of Europe as it developed.