How can Leonardo be characterized as a true Renaissance Man?

Da Vinci was characterized as a true Renaissance man as he was considered a genius who excelled in all manners of disciplines as a philosopher, inventor, architect, engineer, scientist, mathematician, painter and sculptor. He was a master of both art and science. Moreover, he was interested in everything such as art, sculpture, architecture, technology, mathematics and science by conducting research and experiments on these areas of study. Da Vinci’s interest ranged far and wide from nature, mechanics, canals, weapons, flying machines, tanks architecture, submarines, science and others.

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?'

Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops.

Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air,

I'll rise.Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame

I rise

Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts
that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

Maya Angelou

In the poem 'Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou, the blacks are described as the inferior race. They are always being discriminated by the whites. The poet states that he will be able to achieve his dream of achieving full freedom and being set free from slavery. He is the hope of his race who will reliaze this dream given by his ancestors. The poet uses simile such as "like moons and like suns" to express that his hope to rise up is as high as the moons and the suns in the sky. He would never give up to strive for the success of helping his race to achieve a high social status in the society. He also emphasizes that the historical fact about his race being slaves would not last forever because he represents his race, the blacks convinces us that they will continue to fight for their rights to achieve their dreams that is to obtain a better social life. "I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.Leaving behind nights of terror and fearI riseInto a daybreak that's wondrously clearI rise" potrays that he will perservere and determined to overcome all kinds of oppression and difficulties in order to realize his dream.

Perseverence is the key to success

Dreams are floating in the soul of every man,
Dressed in fears,
Making people rise to challenge.

In the Alchemist, Coelho conveys an important message about one must not give up in pursuing his or her dreams in order to succeed in life. He believes that every person has a dream that they want to achieve. However, they sometimes choose not to strive in achieving their dreams as they are afraid of failures and disappointments. Hence, he proves that people would be able to realize their dreams if they follow their heart’s desire without giving up. The author speaks to all cultures and across time periods through Santiago’s heart and dreams. This is proven in “You’ve had never had dreams on

travel.”(Coelho 51) Referring to this quote, we must be like Santiago who never gives up his destiny no matter how difficult or harsh it will be. We should listen to the prompting of our heart that motivates us to achieve our dreams. We should learn how to handle problems and obstacles with great courage without any fear.

Aspiration to succeed in life.

“So that everyone will search for his treasure, find it, and then want to be better than he was in his former life.”(Coelho143) Coelho describes Santiago as a man who is aspired to pursue his destiny without giving up despite of many obstacles and difficulties which come along his way. He constantly listens to his heart as a way to guide him in finding his destiny. In the novel, Santiago leaves his home in Andalusia for a journey to find his destiny. He desires to find his treasure by pursuing his destiny so that he would not just have a recurring dream if he stays in Andalusia. As he traveled to Spain, he meets a lot of people including his mentor who helped him a lot and the woman of his life. Santiago persevered to overcoming obstacles and determined to achieve his destiny. Throughout his journey, these traits including perseverance, courage and confidence have led to his success in finding his destiny.

During his journey, Santiago persevered to show that he truly desired to achieve his dreams despite of encountering many obstacles and failures. He came across a series of different experiences that he had never encountered before. For example, he had been robbed by a thief who took all his money away. The thief promised Santiago that he would help him cross the desert by buying a camel for him. However, he just ran off with Santiago’s money. Therefore, Santiago decided to work for the crystal merchant to earn the money that he had lost so that he could return home. Nevertheless, he changed his mind and continued with his plan to pursue his dream. This incident clearly proves that Santiago has never given up in pursuing his destiny. Another incident which illustrates how he has persevered was the time when he had to leave his lover, Fatima in the midst of searching for his destiny. Santiago fell in love with Fatima the first time he met her. He was passionately in love with her and it would be a great pain for him to leave her even for a short time. However, Santiago was not easily affected by his emotions but carried on with the quest for his destiny. “The boy looked out at the horizon. There were mountains in the distance. And there were dunes, rocks and plants that insisted on living where survival seemed impossible.”(Coelho137) This quote portrays that Santiago was inspired by the scene of how the dunes, rocks and plants still persisted to survive on the desert even though it seemed to be difficult for them to do it. Similarly, Santiago also determined to reach out to his aspiration in achieving his goal to obtain the treasures in the pyramids. Thus, perseverance and determination combined which gives Santiago the strength and courage to continue his quest and to face any challenges that he may come across during the journey.

Santiago was truly a courageous boy as he was determined to achieve his destiny despite of facing a lot of difficulties and challenges. He had always been a strong character who was prepared to overcome dangers and hardships. Santiago was brave enough to take up the challenge of embarking on his journey to search for his destiny. It was not easy for him to make this decision if he was not brave enough to face this difficult task. Therefore, it was obviously true that he had made a right choice to pursue his destiny as he finally managed to find the treasure. Apart from this, Santiago was not afraid of risking his life to cross the desert as it had been known to be a dangerous task for him to do it. It is because once the Alchemist mentioned that ‘The desert challenges all men’. Santiago heard it from the Alchemist that most people would die when they made an attempt to cross the desert in a caravan. Nevertheless, he was not fearful to face the challenge of crossing the desert by himself no matter how difficult it would be. “Meanwhile, the boy thought about his treasure. The closer he got to the realization of his dream, the more difficult things became. It seems as if what the old king had called “beginner’s luck” were no longer functioning. In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly subjected to tests of his persistence and courage.”(Coelho85) His intuition told him that he must not give up in realizing his dreams even though situations and things became more and more difficult. Instead, Santiago was always brave to conquer any form of trials which lied ahead of him. Hence, he was a true hero in his quest for the treasures who was filled with the spirit of courage.

Santiago would not be able to realize his dream if he was not confident enough to give up his job as a shepherd and decided to pursue on his quest for treasures. In fact, it was not easy for most people to give up their current job in order to search for a dream that could not even to be achieved. However, Santiago just believed in his ability and strength that he would be able to realize his dream. With the help of Melchizedek, Santiago was motivated to press on toward the goal of succeeding in finding his destiny. The old king had encouraged him many times not to give up his dream in spite of the challenges and hardships that he had to face throughout his journey. Santiago also showed his confidence when he had to leave Fatima, the woman of his life on his quest for his destiny. It was because he was confident that he would be able to return to her safely without any misfortune as stated in ‘“I’m going away,” he said. “And I want you to know that I’m coming back.”’(Coelho116) Santiago assured Fatima with full confidence that he would definitely return to her after he fulfilled his destiny. “The boy remembered an old proverb from his country. It said that the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.”(Coelho127) This quote shows that Santiago overcame all sorts of unexpected obstacles and problems with great confidence before realizing his precious dream. Therefore, Santiago had successfully achieved his dream by possessing the quality of confidence.

Santiago followed his heart to realize his dream with much perseverance, strong courage and great confidence. He insisted on pursuing his destiny through many obstacles and failures, overcoming all impossibilities with great confidence and resolving every problem with full courage. The young shepherd successfully achieved his destiny by being persistent to work towards success, by being courageous as he as he was not afraid even he had to end up in the middle of nowhere and by being confident to achieve his dream with the encouragement of the old king. In this novel, the main speech, the author tells us that we should follow our heart to pursue our destiny in life without giving up so that we can see a bright future awaiting us.

I am also a participant who is aspired to achieve success in my own destiny. I believe we need perserverance in achieving our destiny because it will allow us to never give up in any difficult situations. Many people have their own destiny that they want to achieve in life. In my opinion, I think that perserverance is the most important trait that we must have in order to succeed in the future. Moreover, we must also focus on the goal of our destiny so that we will not be defeated by whatever obstacles and problem which lie ahead of us. We will always tell ourselves to carry on with the pursue of our destiny no matter how difficult and challenging it will be. Hence, perserverance is the key trait that will help everyone to move on further until they reach their destiny.