Ethnocentrically-Induced Conflict (Brits vs. Natives)

The altercations that occurred between the British and the Aboriginals of Australia were fundamentally caused by the ethnocentrism and bias supported by the colonists. As much as it is said that the first encounter between both populations was devoid of violence, (and full of dancing and excitement) : the culture of the natives was still viewed as primitive and savage. The first impression is that they were a passive and unsophisticated race. The British, proud of their empire, and ready to acquire more land, were focalized on their ethos and quite judgmental when it came to viewing aboriginal culture. Often, in diaries and reports written by British government officials, ‘savage’ and ‘wild’ were a recurring theme when describing the mannerisms of Australia’s indigenous people, and showed the British’s revulsion when referring to another culture. This feeling of supremacy over Australia’s ethnic population led to many struggles, like when the colonists overtook the aboriginal farming grounds and devastated the yam crops in order to grow corn, a more cherished food source in their culture. A more substantial conflict stemming from the British’s ethnocentricity was the one who’s bias spurred the Stolen Generation. Haft-cast children were taken from their homes and sent to hands to be trained to be servants and to be bred like animals, with whiter races, so as to eradicate their aborigine genes. The British could not understand the Aboriginal ethos, as it was a philosophy that greatly differed from their own, and so they labeled it as subhuman and ‘primitive’ and gained this air of superiority. The aboriginals were established as ‘uncivilized’ and ‘destructive’ individuals that needed to be ‘saved from themselves’ and ultimately eliminated. Various wars were commenced, several tribes were massacred, and the Australian natives were losing both their civilization and their presence. Ethnocentricity causes a blind spot were one can neither comprehend nor appreciate another society with varying convictions, appearance or comportment. The British referred to the Aborigines as “natives”, but not as people: they were labeled, as they weren’t considered equals to the Englishmen. The British perception alienated the native culture and chastened it, and the next epochs of hostilities and violence all ensued due to the initial actions taken by the British, who refused to acknowledge variations and were blinded by their indifference. 

Brutus and Cassius's Private Exchange

For the Julius Caesar duo evaluation, my partner Anamika and I chose a passage on page 36, Act 1 Scene 2 , lines 130 – 174. The context of this passage is a private moment entertained between Cassius and Brutus, where Cassius makes an impulsive attempt to build Brutus’s resentment against Caesar up. This is in the intention to perhaps instill the thought of committing an act of rebellion within him (Brutus.)  

This passage was chosen to be performed as it represents an essential emotional and psychological turn, introduces the audience to the predominant theme of the play, foreshadows certain events and procedures as well as providing a lot of anxiety and characterization. Throughout the chosen lines, Cassius tries to infuriate Brutus by stating his opinion as well as (supposedly) many other Romans’ about who would be the better, more suited leader. Cassius refers to Caesar as a colossus, and to the people of Rome as “underlings” to this dictator. It is at this moment in time that Brutus becomes affected and commences to genuinely consider the substance in Cassius’s “persuasion.” The whole verbal exchange initiates a trail of thought that causes the audience to mentally foreshadow what will happen next. The general theme of the play is also established here. (Cassius convincing Brutus to rebel and save Rome, then there's the whole process of this, the conspirators kill Caesar and Brutus deals with the repercussions of his decisions.) This part that we are presenting also, clearly characterizes both Cassius and Brutus. The first is calculating and unscrupulous and persistent, almost Machiavellian. Brutus, on the other hand is overly pensive, naïve and patriotic, also he’s: pragmatic and contemplative and engrossed in his thoughts and current events. This passage is a fantastic amalgamation of the most significant components of this play, not to mention, this extract from the play institutes a lot of tension within the audience because of the myriad of possibilities: will Cassius manage to win over Brutus? Will Brutus realize what Cassius’s mind-frame is, or he fall for the false notes and sycophancy? What consequences will ensue if Brutus becomes a conspirator?

BRUTUS

    Another general shout!

    I do believe that these applauses are

    For some new honours that are heap'd on Caesar.

CASSIUS

    Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world

    Like a Colossus, and we petty men

    Walk under his huge legs and peep about

    To find ourselves dishonourable graves.

    Men at some time are masters of their fates:

    The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

    But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

    Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that 'Caesar'?

    Why should that name be sounded more than yours?

    Write them together, yours is as fair a name;

    Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;

    Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with 'em,

    Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Caesar.

    Now, in the names of all the gods at once,

    Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed,

    That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed!

    Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!

    When went there by an age, since the great flood,

    But it was famed with more than with one man?

    When could they say till now, that talk'd of Rome,

    That her wide walls encompass'd but one man?

    Now is it Rome indeed and room enough,

    When there is in it but one only man.

    O, you and I have heard our fathers say,

    There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd

    The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome

    As easily as a king.

BRUTUS

    That you do love me, I am nothing jealous;

    What you would work me to, I have some aim:

    How I have thought of this and of these times,

    I shall recount hereafter; for this present,

    I would not, so with love I might entreat you,

    Be any further moved. What you have said

    I will consider; what you have to say

    I will with patience hear, and find a time

    Both meet to hear and answer such high things.

    Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this:

    Brutus had rather be a villager

    Than to repute himself a son of Rome

    Under these hard conditions as this time

    Is like to lay upon us.

CASSIUS

    I am glad that my weak words

    Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus.

Learner Profiles

Im a FF profile, logic dominant. Its fairly bizarre because, even though I have a more significant access to the left side of my brain, I have quite a balanced usage of my gestalt side as well. I suppose that puts me to an advantage when doing analysis and assessing situations but sometimes messes me up on specifically logical (math) or gestalt (building) activities because I have to adjust and change the "dominant" side I utilize.

I learn best when I focus visually and deeply analyze details in information, this is because whenever Im not conscious of the specifics, it makes me feel ignorant or oblivious and almost stirs an immediate feeling of unease. I also do well when I am supplied with structured learning and data/information in a sequences, orderly manner. When things aren't organized, I lose track and get lost and dont know what to refer to and this causes for me to feel frustrated or have to rewrite the whole "lesson" in my own structured way. I do disagree with my profile a little because I don't believe showing me pictures will help me learn better in anyway, I mean: granted, I do respond to visual models but I also respond to audio and sensory models as well. I LOVE LISTS, I could make them, read them and alter them all day, because for me, when some thing is ordered I feel like I have control over it and haver a constant thing to refer to. This is why learning with our lesson, questions and activities listed is easier for me to follow because everything has a structure I appreciate.  I am emotionally expressive (physically - :P perhaps) and I love learning when I can write things down, remember them and organize them in a detailed manner. I love stress because it makes me more more efficiently and give more effort but I tend to lose my auditory skills under stress and not listen to anyone around me (which often proves to be a problem.) Im also a language lover, learning new languages is something thats a bit of a pastime, like spanish, portuguese, italian etc. This is why I love studying history and etymology in the classroom because it feels like a much more natural way of learning the signification of words.

I need to learn to work on my auditory skills because sometimes, when something tends to drag on (a movie, music video, class discussion etc.) I start having my own little conversation inside my head and thinking of other thing. Under stress, or when anxious regarding anything: I automatically lose the ability to listen to people or process anything that is said to me. Often this gets me in a reasonable amount of trouble because teachers and friends understand it as a lack of interest or want to participate.
Things that would help me learn is when I'm constantly asked questions, because I like answering things as it makes me feel like I have an opportunity to explain what I know and discuss it with other people. I also benefit from sitting at the front, reading aloud and talking about whats going on with people so that I can remain engaged the whole time. All of these things are just methods of keeping me interested on the task at hand. In the back, I would still retain all the information given but I would be more susceptible to distraction

I would like my teachers to know that as much as I will have my own little thing going on in my head, Im listening to everything and remembering every piece of information, its just that being able to think about something else helps me process things better. No matter how much it looks like I'm talking to people, laughing or looking in places not pertinent to the activity, I AM retaining all the information that is being given out. I have extremely good focus, I just need to be able to do something or engage in something else in order to properly "participate" in what is happening.  I analyze everything in my head until it makes sense and I know it inside out, its kind of an obsessive thing with me and I try my best to keep it to myself, so when you see my spaces out, or doodling, usually im writing down every little detail I feel relates to the topic. Also, when it looks like a use extensive vocabulary or words that perhaps should be simplified in order to better my writing, its an honest mistake. I read words and remember their roots and meanings and use them so, when I think of very simple things like "13 years gone by", my kind of immediately alters that to something like "the vicissitudes of 13 years." That why when I read comments about my vocabulary, or the way I structure a sentence: I feel really confused because I don't actually KNOW how to judge easy from hard. Also, on tests: questions need to be VERY specific and precise EXACTLY what it means. The questions on the Julius Caesar "pop quiz" ( the easy one) were fairly simple, but it gave me an unimaginable amount of trouble because the questions were not specific enough. For example "Did Cassius want all the power?" That is much too vague of a statement for me to deal with when there is a SPECIFIC answer. "Did Cassius organize the conspiracy in order to accumulate all the power for himself" would have been much simpler.