9th Grade

A hero is a protective strong person and one who is willing to put their life on the line to protect someone or something. Sundiata is the name of the great warrior king that ruled over Mali. He was kind-hearted and fair but also brave and stern, he is one of the most textbook definitions of a hero. Sundiata started to grow into the title of a great king and truly become a hero when he left Mema with less than a full army to face off against the powerful Sorcerer King. Not only was he young, and unproven as a leader but he had never fought before. 

To begin when the five messengers sought Sundiata out and requested him to return to save Niani he was only eighteen. Barely a man he left his mother and sister with half an army, no combat experience and no knowledge of the ways of war. “Moussa Tounkara, king of Mema, gave Sundiata half of his army.” Not many people Acan do much with half of anything let alone half an army, and yet Djata was able to take on a full army with no combat experience and no leadership experience. This is one of the first implications that Djata is truly a hero, you have to be either crazy or brave if you willingly face off against a full army with half their numbers. That just goes to show how much he was driven to protect his homeland and the people in it.

Additionally also in the obstacles part of his story Djata found himself in a situation where he had to face off against the Sorcerer king's son Sosso Balla. Not only did he valiantly face him he won too. “His arm came sweeping down but at that moment a Sosso warrior came in between Djata and Sosso Balla and was sliced like a calabash. Sosso Balla did not wait and disappeared amongst the midst of his smiths.” In this quote you can see the fire that drove Djata, he would not let anyone get in the way of him completing his mission. Not only that but others saw that as well, the son of the Sorcerer King turned and fled after coming face to face with the warrior that is Djata. Djata as a rookie in battle had fully trained warriors running in fear from him. Not only was he a beacon of hope for those that he was protecting but a threat to those who dared face him. As he continued to grow as a person he would soon find the balance of a feared warrior and a beloved king.

Along with all his victories he also faced some losses. He did not win every battle that he fought as stated in the quote below. “How can I vanquish a man capable of disappearing and reappearing when and where he likes?” This was after his first interaction with the sorcerer king. He was unable to land any solid hits on him and was becoming frustrated with his lack of progress. He did not let this stop him though. He only grew more determined to figure out how to finish off the king. This shows his determination and dedication to his people.

Moreover, some may say that Sundiata isn't truly a hero because he was born into riches and royalty, therefore he would be out of touch with the poorer citizens of his kingdom. Which does complicate things because how can you be a hero when you don't even know who you are protecting? At the beginning of the book, it is said that Sundiata was spoken of with nothing but irony and scorn. In other words, his life was a living nightmare. As you can see his childhood was far from easy. Not only was he robbed of the crown, but he was also ridiculed by his stepmother and half-brother and was forced to live in a small shack with his mother and sister, he was handicapped at a young age and was unable to provide for his family in terms of hunting so he and his family had to live on the same level if not a lower one than the less fortunate citizens of his kingdom.

Despite how terrible his childhood was he was still able to prevail and despite everyone else doubting him even his mother at one point he still beat the odds and became one of the greatest kings Mali has ever seen and ever will.

Djata is a protective person because he was willing to put his life on the line to face a full army with half their numbers.  Djata is a great example of a hero. His dedication to his people, his bravery and his determination are all qualities that not only make great leaders and kings but also heroes. Djata could help our world because he would have stopped or slowed the incredible damage done to the African people due to slavery and the effects of the Berlin conference. With his might and intelligence, he would have been more than capable of turning away the first colonizers to land along the coast of Africa.

I unfortunately was unable to participate in the Newtons Rocket because I was absent. 

This is a project that resembles Newtons Cradle It is supposed to demonstrate how energy transfers through objects. Here is the video I made on it C:\Users\langston.jones\Downloads\video Tahlin B 11_30_2022 3_03_27 PM.mp4

This is my Spanish assignment where we had to create our own brands of clothing. I chose to name mine Bibbididia. No particular reason for the name but the theme of clothing was going for nice suits and expensive clothing partnered with sneakers.

Here are some of my songs from the experience, I used garage band for most of them. The theme was water and I incorporated that by using water elements. My favorite part of this project was probably my first song probably my last few songs.