S

SKILLED COMMUNICATOR
WHY IS THIS AN IMPORTANT TRAIT?
Being a skilled communicator gives me the opportunity to express my thoughts and beliefs
not only on paper but also through technology. This trait will help me communicate with my
peers and ultimately create an educational discussion through technology. Technology has
opened up a new way for students to interact and create discussions within themselves but
also with their teachers.
HOW DO YOU DEMONSTRATE THIS TRAIT IN YOUR DAILY LIFE?
I demonstrate being a skilled communicator in my daily life by expressing my thoughts with
my peers. I am able to convey my ideas clearly and in a way that people can understand
what I am saying all while using sophisticated vocabulary.
HOW DO THE SAMPLE(S) YOUVE PROVIDED SHOW THAT YOU ACTIVELY
DEMONSTRATE THIS TRAIT?
I provided an essay based on the book Demian to show that I am a skilled communicator.
This shows I am a skilled communicator by demonstrating my ability to put my ideas into a
well written essay. To write this essay I had to analyze the book and the symbols used to
create the characters. I have also showed examples of being a skilled communicator by
participating in online class discussions and not only seeing my perspective on the subject
but also the perspective of my peers. Using technology has been a great asset in the
classroom because students are allowed to research and read about different thoughts and
opinions. Being a skilled communicator had taught me how to express my thoughts and ideas
along with taking in other peoples opinions.

Amanda Maldonado
Okada
AP Lit (1)
27 September 2015

The Road to Being Yourself

In the book Demian written by Hermann Hesse we follow a boy named Emil on his
journey to self discovery, we do this by watching the different stages of life he goes through. By
including different symbolic elements in the story Hesse conveys Emil's road to self discovery.
At first Hesse uses Emil's house to symbolize the good realm in Emil's life. His house
symbolizes a safe place for him, the world around him was surrounded by sins and evil, his
house is a place where he can escape that. It also symbolizes that good and evil are intertwined
because half was good and half was bad.
During Emil's journey, Hesse adds a character named Demian. Demian symbolizes the
way that Emil thinks, he is practically Emil's brain. Demian is a very audacious character, he
doesn't care what everyone around him is thinking, he has his own ideas. Emil listens to
everything Demian has to say and takes his advice. Demian is a role model for Emil, he shows
Emil the way of life and the rights and wrongs of living. Before Emil met Demian he had a blank
mind and really didn't know anything about how the world around him functioned. When he
figures out the way of life he starts experimenting.
In Emil's experimenting stage, Hesse uses drinking to portray that Emil is going through a
different stage in his life. During this stage Emil hangs out with Alfons Beck and then starts
drinking and wondering about girls and starting his rebellious stage. This symbolizes that
everyone has a bad stage in their life and it serves as an obstacle that must be overcome.
Emil hits a point in his life where he becomes really depressed and started painting. At
first he starts painting portraits of Beatrice,then he realized that his painting resembled Demian.
His paintings got destroyed in the rain and that's when he painted his final painting which was
the sparrow hawk. The sparrow hawk was significant to the story because it followed him
throughout the story and it represents his effort to break free and become his own person.
Towards the end of the book, Hesse includes two characters that show growth in Emil's
journey. First, he included Knauer which seeks advice from Emil because he noticed features in
him. Emil however was not ready for this and didn't know how to correspond to Knauer. Then,

he included Frau Eva which showed maturity because head feelings for her, she was the love of
his life.
Finally, Demians death is a symbol is Emil's journey to self discovery because it shows
that Emil doesn't need Demian anymore. Emil has completed his journey and can now live his
life without Demian. He has prepared Emil with all the necessities he needs to survive in the
world and in the end he needs to leave so that Emil can live his life and be his own person.
In conclusion, we see that Hesse includes many different symbolic elements to lead us
on Emil's road to self discovery. With every symbol included comes a new stage in his life to
help him complete the journey. Overall we learn that people should have their own thoughts and
opinions and not follow what other people are doing.