The City of Light

 Hello everyone, I’m sure you already know me. My name is DeRael Edwards and I applied last year for the Transforming Youth Through Travel Rome Scholarship. Even though I wasn’t chosen to be a part of such an amazing experience, I still have the same level of determination and I will work hard to better myself as an applicant this year. In past years, the city the scholarship focused on was Rome, but in an exciting turn of events, the cities have changed. This year, the 2014-2015 TYTT Scholarship will be in Paris, France. Just the thought of traveling to the famous “City of Light” has me surging with excitement. I am applying because this is an opportunity that few students get to experience and I’m lucky enough to attend the only school where this scholarship is offered.

            I’ve always dreamed of one day visiting Paris. My mind is overwhelmed with all the possibilities that would await me if I was awarded to go. Staring up at the Eiffel Tower, touring around the Louvre, taking breathtaking photos of the Arc de Triomphe, and tasting delicious French cuisine are all examples of what comes to my mind when I hear Paris. I am currently in the process of completing my timeline and so far I have delved deep into the rich history of France.

            The time period in particular that I enjoyed researching was the French Revolution. I loved researching the French Revolution because it was a chaotic bloodbath. The French Revolution was greatly influenced by enlightenment ideas and lasted from 1789 to the late 1790’s. The movement failed miserably in reaching its goals. During this time, King Louis XVI was an extremely greedy monarch who spent unnecessary amounts of money and nearly ran the country into bankruptcy. He taxed peasants and the poor heavily who were already upset about years of drought and rising bread prices. This sparked a widespread rebellion including rioting and looting of the homes of clergymen and landlords. In an attempt to uproot the absolute monarchy, King Louis was condemned of treason against the state and sentenced to death by guillotine. This caused the countless deaths of many people and the ascension of Napoleon Bonaparte.  If you can execute the king by guillotine, you can execute anyone by guillotine. I also find it pretty ironic that the French people traded a monarch for a monarch who had much more power than King Louis. The history of France is very interesting indeed and I can’t wait to discover more as I complete my timeline.

Wikimedia Commons: Charles Monnet

~DeRael