CREATIVE HISTORIANS & JULIUS CAESAR
The focus of this unit was on history and how to use writing to make it come alive. Specifically, we studied Julius Caesar and that time period in Rome's History. The main question of these studies was Julius Caesar: Hero or Tyrant? To kick off the project, we divided into groups of four and chose a part of Rome to focus on. We then wrote four short stories relating to that specific part. My group wrote four stories about the Coliseum, a huge staple in Roman history. I wrote from the point of view of a gladiator.
Felix Aurelius, Gladiator:
It felt like the darkness would swallow me whole. The screams of the crowd echoed through the dark room where I sat. I couldn’t believe where I was; sentenced to the Coliseum, about to do battle with an unknown wild animal, for something I didn’t do. Then again, this was common amongst my people: the slaves. Many a slave had died an innocent in the stadium. My heart pounded in my ears. Surely I won’t survive the night, I thought. I better make my last moment count. Shakily, I stood. My breastplate rubbed against my shoulders, stiff and cold. I had no idea what lay before me once I exited this place, the room of solitude, and entered the arena. The slaps of my sandals on the cobblestones resonated through the chamber. Step by step, I walked towards my death. There was a chill in the air as I entered the holding chamber outside the arena door. Lucius stood at the door, looking at me with pity. I gazed towards the heavens and said my hundredth prayer of the day. Jupiter, save me. A harpoon rested against the stone wall, the tip gleaming in the dim light. There it was: the only thing standing between me and certain death at the hands of the nameless beast. My hands shook as I reached towards it. As my fingers closed around the smooth wood, my grip tightened. I walked up to the door and looked through the small crack at the unimaginable. Thousands of people, standing, cheering…for me. Some wanted me to die, some wanted me to live, but they were there to watch me. My mouth dried and I looked towards Lucius. He shook his head and grabbed the enormous lever that would open the door. Then, I heard it; the deep, low horn blast that signaled the game’s beginning. With one swift tug, the thick wooden doors swung open and I was hit in the face by a wave of heat. Slowly, I stepped into the sunlight. .......to read the complete story, click here.
Felix Aurelius, Gladiator:
It felt like the darkness would swallow me whole. The screams of the crowd echoed through the dark room where I sat. I couldn’t believe where I was; sentenced to the Coliseum, about to do battle with an unknown wild animal, for something I didn’t do. Then again, this was common amongst my people: the slaves. Many a slave had died an innocent in the stadium. My heart pounded in my ears. Surely I won’t survive the night, I thought. I better make my last moment count. Shakily, I stood. My breastplate rubbed against my shoulders, stiff and cold. I had no idea what lay before me once I exited this place, the room of solitude, and entered the arena. The slaps of my sandals on the cobblestones resonated through the chamber. Step by step, I walked towards my death. There was a chill in the air as I entered the holding chamber outside the arena door. Lucius stood at the door, looking at me with pity. I gazed towards the heavens and said my hundredth prayer of the day. Jupiter, save me. A harpoon rested against the stone wall, the tip gleaming in the dim light. There it was: the only thing standing between me and certain death at the hands of the nameless beast. My hands shook as I reached towards it. As my fingers closed around the smooth wood, my grip tightened. I walked up to the door and looked through the small crack at the unimaginable. Thousands of people, standing, cheering…for me. Some wanted me to die, some wanted me to live, but they were there to watch me. My mouth dried and I looked towards Lucius. He shook his head and grabbed the enormous lever that would open the door. Then, I heard it; the deep, low horn blast that signaled the game’s beginning. With one swift tug, the thick wooden doors swung open and I was hit in the face by a wave of heat. Slowly, I stepped into the sunlight. .......to read the complete story, click here.
Next, we wrote in-class essays arguing one side of whether Julius Caesar was a hero or tyrant. Here is an excerpt of my essay:
Julius Caesar ruled Rome with strength, tenacity, and the people’s best interests in mind. Gaius Julius Caesar ruled the Roman Empire from 49-44 BCE. During his reign, Caesar made some very controversial choices that historians have been arguing about for centuries. The question Julius Caesar: Hero or Tyrant?, has been a topic of debate for generations. William Shakespeare, one of the greatest playwrights of all time, even wrote a play based upon his own views of Caesar. In my own personal opinion, I believe that Julius Caesar was a hero. To me, a hero is: 1. Elected by the people as a way of supporting their country in a positive way. 2. One who listens to the people and tries to see it from their point of view. A hero tries to make sure everyone wins. 3. One who affects as many people as possible in a positive way (lifting people out of poverty); whereas a tyrant is: 1. One who strikes when a country is weak. A tyrant uses fear to establish his dominance over the weaker. 2. One who casts out those who disagree with their views or speak out against him. Tyrants are only concerned with themselves. 3. One who affects many (those who don’t support him) in a negative way. A tyrant’s main focus lies in making himself happier. Although he made some unpopular decisions, Julius Caesar was a great leader who influenced an entire civilization for the better. .......
to read the entire essay, click here.
Julius Caesar ruled Rome with strength, tenacity, and the people’s best interests in mind. Gaius Julius Caesar ruled the Roman Empire from 49-44 BCE. During his reign, Caesar made some very controversial choices that historians have been arguing about for centuries. The question Julius Caesar: Hero or Tyrant?, has been a topic of debate for generations. William Shakespeare, one of the greatest playwrights of all time, even wrote a play based upon his own views of Caesar. In my own personal opinion, I believe that Julius Caesar was a hero. To me, a hero is: 1. Elected by the people as a way of supporting their country in a positive way. 2. One who listens to the people and tries to see it from their point of view. A hero tries to make sure everyone wins. 3. One who affects as many people as possible in a positive way (lifting people out of poverty); whereas a tyrant is: 1. One who strikes when a country is weak. A tyrant uses fear to establish his dominance over the weaker. 2. One who casts out those who disagree with their views or speak out against him. Tyrants are only concerned with themselves. 3. One who affects many (those who don’t support him) in a negative way. A tyrant’s main focus lies in making himself happier. Although he made some unpopular decisions, Julius Caesar was a great leader who influenced an entire civilization for the better. .......
to read the entire essay, click here.
To finish this project, we were divided into groups of four and selected an ancient civilization. My group chose Carthage, a colony within Phoenicia. Once we had picked our civilization, we researched it extensively and then wrote four separate historical fictions that took place in or were related to our country. Each of the four stories had to be connected in some way. This is an excerpt of my story:
The Engineer: Part Four
Blueprints lay scattered across my floor, taunting me with the sting of my failure. This aqueduct system was turning in to more work than I had ever anticipated. As the only female engineer in Carthage, and by far the most successful (though you wouldn’t find any of the men admitting it), I was appointed to design a method of transporting water throughout our city. Our city had grown so large that the wells weren’t delivering enough water to sustain our crops and sufficiently support the people. Our food was dying, and Carthage was developing an unquenchable thirst. Though we were in the throes of war with our Roman neighbors across the sea, the treaty that our countries had in place allowed a diversion of some water from various colonies near Carthage.
to read the rest of my story, click here.
To read the rest of my group's stories, click these links:
The Engineer: Part Four
Blueprints lay scattered across my floor, taunting me with the sting of my failure. This aqueduct system was turning in to more work than I had ever anticipated. As the only female engineer in Carthage, and by far the most successful (though you wouldn’t find any of the men admitting it), I was appointed to design a method of transporting water throughout our city. Our city had grown so large that the wells weren’t delivering enough water to sustain our crops and sufficiently support the people. Our food was dying, and Carthage was developing an unquenchable thirst. Though we were in the throes of war with our Roman neighbors across the sea, the treaty that our countries had in place allowed a diversion of some water from various colonies near Carthage.
to read the rest of my story, click here.
To read the rest of my group's stories, click these links: