Ip Project Map

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The Power of Sacrifice Project Map  Project Overview: ● My independent project explores the effects of sacrifice on the individual and the multifaceted relationship between power and sacrifice. Sacrifice is a complex concept that can be either selfless or selfish. I choose to base my Independent Project on the 2014 AP Literature prompt about sacrifice because sacrifice is a fascinating concept that has always been an important cornerstone to my life. As a Christian, I deeply value selfless sacrifice because I believe Jesus committed the ultimate sacrifice for me. Prior to reading A Raisin in the Sun​ and ​The Kite Runner​, I only viewed sacrifice as an admirable moral act in which an individual gives of themselves to help or serve another. The word sacrifice comes from two Latin roots: “sacer” meaning sacred, and “facere” meaning to make or to do. So in Latin, sacrifice meant “to make sacred” and therefore it was deeply valued in the religious lives of our ancestors. But modern day society has misconstrued sacrifice into a selfish act used to gain power by forfeiting your morals or another individual as shown throughout both pieces of literature I read for this project. My Independent Project explores the spectrum of selfless and selfish sacrifices made dating back to as early as B.C. When reading my I.P. website, visit each of the tabs at the top of my website from left to right.

Poem #1:​ ​Try​ by Colbie Caillat ● At the beginning of the song Colbie Caillat describes society's definition of beauty and the inclination of women to conform to societal standards.

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● In the song/poem, Colbie sings a litany of criteria women must meet to be seen as beautiful in a merciless society. The song characterizes society as cold and unloving that strips women of their identities and teaches them they will only be loved and can only love themselves once they “put makeup on...run the extra mile so they like you.” The song describes the plethora of unnecessary tasks- “Put your make-up on, Get your nails done, Curl your hair, Run the extra mile, Keep it slim so they like you, do they like you?” - women do because society tells them it ​is​ necessary. Women do this to feel empowered by appearing beautiful in the eyes of society and be accepted and liked by others. Consequently, women begin to lose their identity and inner self as they force themselves into being someone they aren’t. In other words, women sacrifice their genuinity and identity for to feel empowered and beautiful according to society. Consequently, women allow society to strip them of their power and control them.

Poem #2:​ ​Immigrants​ by Pat Mora ● Similarly to the poem “Try” by Colbie Caillat, the poem ​Immigrants​ by Pat Mora investigates another way individuals have their power stripped from them when they sacrifice their identity. Although, rather than focussing on women this poem focuses on immigrants to The United States of America who are forced to sacrifice their heritage and cultural to fit in and appear more American. In their desire to fit in they sacrifice their power of self and identity.

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Additional Work #1:​ Diary entry ● My first additional work is a diary entry from King Moab as he reflects on his decision to sacrifice his only son and heir to the throne to protect his kingdom. This diary entry is based on the following scripture from the Holy Bible: “When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him 700 men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.” (II Kings 3:26-27) ○ Sacrifice is a powerful thing that dates back to the beginning of time. Power requires balance and balance is reached by sacrificing something valuable to the individual. The formation of religion brought about the use of sacrifice as retribution for human sin. For King Moab to protect his current reign and therefore his power, he had to sacrifice his only son. Ironically, in a desperate attempt to protect his existing power, he sacrifices his future power because without an heir to the throne he cannot guarantee his family will remain in the monarchy. ○ A biblical example of using sacrifice to unleash power is found in II Kings 3:26-27 because it depicts the strength (stronger than 700 armed soldiers) and the undeniable power of sacrifice. The majority of religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism) are taught by their religious law the greater the sacrifice the greater the power that is released. Had this king sacrificed a sheep or goat, or even a servant,

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it would not have had this kind of dramatic result. If the sacrificial offering of the king of Moab’s son and heir to the throne had such power, how much more power does the sacrifice of God's own Son have? This question leads to my second additional work...

Additional Work #2: ​Song analysis of the hymn ​“Nothing but the Blood” ● Christians believe God offered his only son, Jesus Christ, as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death unleashed an unfathomable amount of power needed to set us free from our sins. Jesus Christ-nailed to a cross, crowned in thorns, and stripped of his clothing- sacrificed his life and took the punishment we deserved for our sins. As the great hymn, ​Nothing but the Blood​ declares, it is "nothing but the blood of Jesus” that “can wash away my sin”. The “blood of Jesus” referenced in the hymn is a metaphor that references how Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins. The 5th stanza of the hymn, “This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; This is all my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus” describes the power we, as Christians, receive from the sacrifice of the Son of God to set us free from our sins. ○ Additional scripture reference: ■ Romans 5:17 “He should receive forgiveness that is made available in Christ” (ESV) ■ Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (ESV)

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Works Cited Caillat, Colbie. “Try.” 2014. ESV: Study Bible: English Standard Version.​ Crossway Bibles, 2016. Hansberry, Lorraine. ​A Raisin in the Sun​. Edited by Robert Nemiroff, First Vintage Books ed., Vintage Books, 1994. Hosseini, Khaled. ​The Kite Runner.​ Penguin Group Inc., 2003. KJV / King James Version, New King James Version.​ T. Nelson Publishers, 1991. Lowry, Robert. “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.” 1876.