If I Could Choose To Be...

Antonio is a very kind, pitiful brother. He cares about Donata and supports her so much. However if I could choose to be any character, I would choose to be Antonio. Several reasons that I chose Antonio is that he cares about everything. When Donata asked about poor people, while they were talking about land animals during tutorial, other brother didn’t care about it, except Antonio. “We should all care,” (p214) than he talked about how poor people helping their noble’s jobs. Mocenigo family makes wool. Although order to make it they need a string and string need sheep’s fur. However poor people are the one who does the hard works, and without the poor people working, Nobles aren’t able to be successful. For another reason why, is that he is proud of his country. “I love Venice, Father…I hold dear the values of the Venetian Empire, and of the city of Venice, and of our own cherished family…That is the life I want, serving however I can.” (p49) he serves for Venice and he also wants to support his own country. For the last reason that I chose Antonio is because, He always helps her sister Donata. “Donatas right” (p138) “As did our sister, she asked the question, after all.” (p144) He really listens to Donata than anybody else and care about what she says. However, if I could choose a character to be, I would choose Antonio as mine.

Daughter and Father

Laura brought up an idea to Donata, whether she should ask her father about attending her brother’s tutorial. As Donata asked to her father about it, and had discussion about her needs for being educated, by this, father seems to have better understanding towards Donata then he use to be.

At first, father didn’t seem to be looking at Donata as and individual daughter. “What are you talking about daughter?” Donata’s father didn’t even call her own daughter’s name, which shows that he isn’t looking at her own character. Donata really wants to attend her brother’s tutorial, “Please let Laura and me attend the boy’s tutorial… we only want to listen. That’s all.” but her father wasn’t aware about Donata’s needs for being educated. Although, by listening to Donata’s needs and her ambitiousness towards education, made her father understand much better about Donata. “I fear for you… But a mind that can hold so many numbers needs more nourishment, or it will languish and die.” Since her father allowed Donata to attend the boy’s tutorial, she finally had part of her happiness.

However, through discussion about education between Donata and her father, Donata’s father seems to be fine with Donata’s thoughts. He isn’t perfectly clear about Donata’s thoughts and how she feels, but at least now he has better understanding towards Donata and she also became more comfortable with her father. As a result, Doanata is able to be educated, father was able to know much about Donata and they both had better relationships.

Change

In the story Holes by Louis Sachar, an overweight, unlucky kid Stanley Yelnats was wrongly convicted for stealing sneakers. He was sent to Camp Green Lake where he had to dig holes everyday. But when he found out the reason why they are digging, his life changes. At Camp Green Lake his character also starts to change as he develops friendships with the campers. He becomes more confident and hopeful.

In the beginning of this book, Stanley Yelnats was an overweight lonely kid who didn’t have any friends. He believed that his family and himself have a curse from his great-great-grandfather. Stanley was not happy about his size. He was 3 times larger than the normal kid at his school. “He was overweight and the kids at his middle school often teased him about his size. Even his teachers sometimes made cruel comments without realizing it.”(p.7) Because he was overweight, he was often teased. And because he didn’t have a lot of confidence in himself, he was not able to make any friends, this made him feel like an outcast and lonely.

Through his experience at Camp Green Lake, he had developed his character, and gained self-confidence. Having a nickname at Camp was a sign that the person is accepted as camp members. Stanley was still a loner at Camp Green Lake, and he didn’t have any nickname. “C’mon, Caveman, dinner,” said Armpit…The Lump wasn’t the Caveman. He was.”(p.47) Stanley was surprised that he got a nickname of him, because it means that he was accepted as a camp member. This makes Stanley not a loner anymore. Also, before he didn’t have any friends at his middle school, but now he finally had friends that he can trust at Camp Green Lake, called Zero. Zero couldn’t read or write, one time Zero asked Stanley for teaching him how to write and read instead of Zero digs Stanley’s holes for an hour. By this, Stanley and Zero had become a good friend.

Stanley’s character had developed through the survival with Zero, and Stanley had been changed his own feelings of himself from before. Stanley use to hate himself, but while he was at the God’s thumb with Zero. He started to trust himself. “…Before that he’d been unhappy at school, where he had no friends and bullies like Derrick Dunne picked on him. No one liked him and the truth was, he didn’t especially like himself. He liked him self now.”(p.186) Cause of making Stanley gets in to the Camp Green Lake, he had made many friends. However by this experience, Stanley finally got himself a confidence.

With his grown character for the future, probably Stanley is able to be brave and confident at his middle school. Even Derrick Dune came on Stanley he would be able to get against it. With his hopeful, helpful and kind character he could make more friends by him self. But especially, he got slim by digging holes everyday.

Oh my god! Today is a great day! It’s very sunny and I’m here at La Serenissima! Lady is riding gondola and merchant are trying to sell fruits to me. I can hear the paddling of gondola and smell the evaporation of the water. I see churches, domes, many kinds of fantastic architectures. The colorings of all buildings are wonderful that make me think this whole town is one peace of rainbow art. I can also see women chitchatting, wearing dress and high heel, but I bet that women are wearing a corset under her dress because there is no way that she can have such slander waist. I’m able to tell the classic of people there, with what they wear and how they speak. High classics people have good manners in even when they talk, but the low classics doesn’t. That makes me a low classic since I don't look like it.

Daughter of Venice

During Renaissance, people were not seen as equal for just being a women. Women didn't had much freedom to go out, or do what they wanted compare to a man. Women had to wear corset, high-heel and veil when they out to look beautiful, but those were for to make sure young ladies to behave properly. Men could go any place or wear what ever they wanted to. The most biggest difference was that women were not able to be educated even if they wanted, but Men were able to be educated, go to university and get a job to gain money for their family. Men were able to choose their fiance or wife by being a suitor, but women were not. Women had to marry who ever men their father chose. If the women didn't had chance to marry, they all have to become a nun and go to the convent, and learn how to play a instrument and also take care of their married brothers children. All these distinction made their life unfair and kick them out from freedom depends on their gender.