Monday, May 19, 2025

G06 Language Arts: An Poem by Long John Silver (May 19, 2025)


 

Mine name are Long John Silver,

Was treasure I did want,

With Hawkins I did adventures,

With my crew I did bond.

Me goed to the ol’ Spy-glass,

Lookin’ for some old gold,

Me was lyin’ there in Bristol,

I would search, hot and cold. 

 

Pieces of eight me looked for,

And me loved to drink rum,

Yet my spirit abated,

And me’s voyage was done.

With Smollett, altercation,

Oh, that was a furious fight!

With Cap’n Flint on shoulder,

Me did search on day and night.

 

Now, me is home in Bristol,

With only some treasure in sight,

I remember days of olden,

Those tall trees in the night,

We’d drink some rum together,

And come the light of day,

We would continue searching,

But now, me’s haste is gone away. 

 

Oh, me realized it’s doleful,

To have everything in sight,

Because of all those seamen,

With whom me did all fight.

For it’s fine to haves what you haves,

Whether you is big or small,

I’m sorry to you seamen,

Me did fight with you all. 

Friday, May 16, 2025

G06 Language Arts: The Fall of Constantinople (May 16, 2025)

Constantinople had long been a vital part of the Roman and Byzantine empires, but the inexorable day of May 29, 1453 came when it fell to the odious Ottoman Turks. Until this day, it is part of Turkey. With the collapse of the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire came the end of Roman history. This had a profound impact on world history. 

The Ottoman invasion of Constantinople can be traced back to the rivalry between Christians and Muslims, which had existed since the Crusades. The Ottoman Turks were fugitives, escaping the profound strength of Genghis Khan and the Mongols. They settled in the Anatolian peninsula south of the Black Sea. They were named Ottomans after Osman I, their leader. Anatolia was surrounded by Muslims, and the Ottomans were obviously influenced by them, including their rivalry with Christians. 


Following the life of Christ on Earth, a missionary named Paul preached around the areas surrounding the future Ottoman Empire, especially around the Balkans. With Ottoman hatred for Christianity on the rise, they had altercations with Christian nations such as Serbia, Bulgaria, and, of course, the Byzantine Empire, which was the bulwark of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Ottomans were successful, and by 1453, only one Christian city remained in the region of Anatolia and the Balkans, which was Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire. 


In 1453, the sublime Ottoman sultan, Mehmed II (also known as Mohammed II), launched a campaign in Constantinople. The original plan was to do a naval invasion in the Golden Horn around Constantinople; however, a large underwater iron chain forced Mehmed to adapt. He rolled ships on logs and led them into battle. For 54 days, the Ottomans manifested their strength. Forced converts fought for the Ottomans, known as Janissaries. Then, on May 29, 1453, Constantine XI, the Byzantine emperor, died in battle. This marked the end of the profound altercation between the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, with the Ottomans emerging victorious. 


The results of the invasion of Constantinople were profound. First, Constantinople was rapidly converted from Christian to Muslim aesthetically (and over time, people were also converted). For example, the Hagia Sophia, a church built in the 6th century by Justinian and Theodora, was turned into a mosque, and the city was renamed to Istanbul, from the Greek word for “the city,” because Constantinople was named after a 4th century Christian emperor named Constantine. 


Second, it led to the Renaissance. Renaissance means “rebirth” in French, and it refers to the return of Roman and Greek artistic styles. It was a great time for poetry, art, and architecture. The thinkers of Constantinople moved to the West in refuge. Prominent Renaissance thinkers and artists included Cosimo de Medici, Lorenzo de Medici, and Michelangelo. 


Finally, the fall of Constantinople had consequences that continue to this day. Following the Ottoman Empire’s defeat of the Byzantines, Christians were often persecuted. In the 1800s, Slavic and Greek nationalists took much of the Ottoman Empire in stages of revolutions and wars. Ethnic and religious tensions reached a boiling point in 1912 with the outbreak of the First Balkan War. Almost all Ottoman territory in the Balkans was lost. Today, Turkey controls a small part of the Balkans only, but it still holds Istanbul. Christian-Islamic tension continues in Bosnia, populated by many Christians and Muslims, with tension peaking during the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s. It can also be found in Kosovo, an ethnically Albanian Muslim region disputed by its independent government and Christian Serbia. 


In conclusion, the fall of Constantinople had a profound impact on world history, because it ended the Roman Empire (although it could be argued that Rome collapsed in 476 A.D.), it advanced a religious conversion in the Balkans, and it led to the Renaissance, which profoundly impacted history in its own right. 


Works Cited 

Hobar, Linda Lacour. The Mystery of History: the early church and the middle ages. 2021. 

Inalcik, Halil. "Mehmed II". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mehmed-II-Ottoman-sultan. Accessed 13 May 2025. 

Thursday, May 1, 2025

G06 Language Arts: The Egyptian Old Kingdom (May 1, 2025)

                  The Egyptian Old Kingdom was a fascinating kingdom from ancient times. Its history is profuse with manifest structures and interesting rulers. It was the first kingdom out of three ancient Egyptian kingdoms. 

 

                  One fascinating thing to observe in the Egyptian Old Kingdom was the bureaucracy. The kingdom was centered around the capital of Memphis and was ruled by the Pharaoh. He took a peremptory and “central religious role, because he upheld a system that ensured the Nile brought silt-rich annual floods each year and kept the valley fertile.” (Parker 92) Under him were nomes, or local governors. 

 

                  Part of the fascinating bureaucracy were the Pharaohs, or rulers. The first Pharaoh was Menes (c. 3100s B.C.), who united Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. (Upper Egypt was actually in the south and vice versa, because of the mountainous nature of the south.) Though not a ruler of the Old Kingdom, he was nonetheless fascinating. The Old Kingdom began in 2649 B.C., with fascinating rulers leading expeditions and campaigns. The ruler Snefru (2575-2551 B.C.) led expeditions to Nubia (in Northwestern Africa). From 2323 to 2150 B.C., campaigns in Libya were launched. However, during Pepi II’s reign:

 

…central reign began to dissolve, and, within 20 years, the Old Kingdom collapsed, as famine wracked the land and officials in the provinces established their own rule. A century of uncertainty ensued, known as the First Intermediate Period (2134-2040 BCE). (Parker 92)

 

                  The most fascinating part, however, was arguably the pyramids. Pyramids were ostentatious and manifest tombs for powerful rulers. They can be traced back to Pharaoh Djoser (2630-2611 B.C.), who built a pyramid at Saqqara. Previously, rulers were buried in mud-brick box tombs known as mabastas. These mabastas were stacked on top of each other as bricks for the pyramids. One major pyramid was the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was built during Snefru’s reign and likely took around 20 years to build. In fact, it survives to this day as the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This was a very fascinating part of Egyptian history. 

 

                  In conclusion, the Egyptian Old Kingdom was fascinating, with a strong bureaucracy, great leaders, and ostentatious pyramids. Its legacy lives on today. 


Works Cited


Parker, Philip. World History. Dorling Kindersley Ltd, 2010. Accessed 30 April 2025. 


The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Nubia. Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Mar. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/Nubia. Accessed 30 April 2025.


Hobar, Linda Lacour. The Mystery of History: Creation to the Resurrection. Bright Ideas Press, 2019. Accessed 30 April 2025. 


Thursday, March 20, 2025

G06 Language Arts: The Assassination of Julius Caesar (March 19, 2025)

 The Assassination of Julius Caesar (March 19, 2025)

 

                  On March 15, 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated by Roman senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus at the Roman Senate House. This event was the result of Caesar expanding his power, as he declared himself a dictator earlier that year. His opponents believed that he was going against the founding principles of the Roman Republic, which included the principle that no kings shall rule. 

 

                  Caesar’s assassination date was called the Ides of March. (Ides referred to the full moon, coming from the Latin iduare, meaning the division of the month. In the case of March, it was on the 15th.) [1] While Caesar was on the way to the Senate House, a soothsayer said, “Beware the Ides of March.”

 

                  At the Senate House, Caesar saw the senators who were secretly planning to kill him. Brutus, the ringleader, was not always an enemy of Caesar, as he kept switching sides. In the 50s B.C., he opposed General Gaius Pompey, but supported him in the wake of Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon. Caesar won, eventually pardoning Brutus (probably due to the fact that Brutus’s mother, Servilia, was Caesar’s lover).  Brutus then joined the Senate. It was there that Caesar declared himself perpetual dictator, and Brutus redeveloped his opposition to Caesar and started a plot to assassinate him. [2] Caesar was stabbed and killed. 

 

According to the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Caesar’s last words were “Et tu, Brute?” meaning “And you, Brutus?” But that was likely invented by Shakespeare himself, as there is no historical proof he said so. [3]

 

Following Caesar’s assassination, the citizens of Rome were furious. The Second Triumvirate was formed among Octavian (Julius Caesar’s nephew), Marc Antony[4] (Caesar’s best friend), and Marcus Lepidus, with the aim of avenging Caesar. The Second Triumvirate fought Brutus and Cassius at Philippi in 42 B.C., ousting the assassins.  [5]

 

However, the Second Triumvirate soon broke up, much like Julius Caesar’s triumvirate with Pompey and Marcus Crassus. Marc Antony formed an alliance with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, and lost to Octavian at Actium in 31 B.C. In 27 B.C., Octavian was renamed Augustus and crowned Emperor. This is important because it shows how Caesar’s assassination impacted Roman history. 

  

In conclusion, Julius Caesar’s assassination changed Roman history forever. It led to the dissolution of the Roman Republic and the formation of the Roman Empire, both of which were vital parts of Roman history. Assassinations come with consequences, and those consequences are often profound and change world history forever, as seen with Caesar’s assassination and the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914 (which started World War I). Such an action could have an irreversible impact. 



[1] Ostberg, René. "Ides of March". Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ides-of-March. Accessed 19 March 2025.

[2] Badian, E.. "Marcus Junius Brutus". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Feb. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marcus-Junius-Brutus. Accessed 19 March 2025.

[3] What Were Julius Caesar’s Last Words During His Assassination? Did He Say ‘Et Tu, Brute?’” HistoryExtra, 11 Oct. 2024, www.historyextra.com/period/roman/julius-caesars-last-words-et-tu-brute. Accessed 19 March 2025.  

 

[4] Also spelled Mark Antony. 

[5] What Were Julius Caesar’s Last Words During His Assassination? Did He Say ‘Et Tu, Brute?’” HistoryExtrasupra.

G06 Language Arts: An Poem by Long John Silver (May 19, 2025)

  Mine name are Long John Silver, Was treasure I did want, With Hawkins I did adventures, With my crew I did bond. Me goed to the ol’ Spy-gl...