Character+&+Journal+Entries+Linette

__November 21st, 2011__

Name: Dimitri Chevalier Age: 17 Gender: Male Occupation: Farmer, carries heavy objects, and blacksmith

Social Class: Noble class

Financial situation: In good shape, both parents have high social statuses and a lot of financial support, therefore Xavier has a lot of financial support and on top of that, he works full hours as a black smith to earn more money to use on his own.

Appearance: Good-looking and has brown hair. He has dark eyebrows and always has charcoal smudged around himself. He is about 6 feet and has a well built figure. He has a bunch of scars due to his job in blacksmithing. He has broad shoulders and wears casual clothes though he is fairly rich.

Location ( [|__Map of France__], [|__Map of Paris__] __Must be in the Paris region.__ Habitual locations: (where are you found most of the time?) He is found in Paris, the capital city. You can find him most often in the most popular and well paid blacksmith area in Paris. He lives with his parents in a relatively rich house near Paris, known as Neuilly sur Seine.

Daily routine: (typical day for you): He wakes up at about 7 am and heads to get breakfast. After having breakfast by himself he goes to his blacksmith shop and starts working for 8 hours. After that he goes to pick up his fiance and takes her to his house to eat dinner. He then drops her off at her house, he goes home,manages financial matters with his parents. He then goes to sleep. Sometimes he stops by rich gift shops to pick up presents for his fiance.

Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: He may appear as an apathetic and emotionless man to many people due to his lack of facial expression, but once a person really gets to know him, they come to realize he is extremely expressive but only lets his true colors be seen by the people that actually care. His fiance surely knows the genuine him while the others only receive his surface personality.

Past/individual-family history: Used to have an older brother but is not present at the moment because he is participating in military training. He has his parents at home. His grandfather used to be one of the richest men in France and gave most of his money to Xavier’s parents.

Family: (spouse? siblings?...) He has his mom, Amélie Chevalier and his father, Xavier Chevalier. His brother which is not present at the moment is named Évrard Chevalier.

Social relations with your own and other classes (people you deal with or know about in the class, AND your opinions and feelings about them): He is very well known by those in the nobility class because he does a lot of favors like making weapons for the men and lifting objects for the women. He is know as a convenient and handy man. He doesn’t interact much with the low social classes because his parents don’t allow him to. He thinks this is unfair so his motive for working as a blacksmith is to interact a little more with the less fortunate and establish better relations between the high social class and the low social class.

Religion: Christian/Catholic

Education: He is very well educated because his parents believe that men should be very well educated in order to be successful in life. He has a lot of knowledge, and therefore while he works as a blacksmith with the less fortunate that can’t afford education, he offers a little of his knowledge each day. He teaches them anything they wish they would have learned.

Languages you speak: English and French, with a little bit of Spanish.

Main privileges and/or hardships: His privilege is that his parents don’t really know he is a blacksmith but they think he is helping out with the other nobles all day. He works as a blacksmith secretly to interact with the lower social classes. He faces difficulty in this because he always tries to hide from parents and make up excuses for charcoal smudges on his clothes. He is very upset that none of his parents tolerate having any type of relationship with lower social classes just because they are not as financially or socially successful.

Portrait: (find one online and paste it in)

__November 23rd, 2011__
 * Journal**

//November 3rd, 1786//

//I can feel the tension rising. Before I even entered this universe in disarray, there was a blatant line that divided all of us. Here’s how it works, the rich hang out with the rich, the intermediate hang out with the intermediate and the poor hang out with the poor. Why does social status matter anyway? Sure the natural human instinct is to appear “powerful and successful” to everyone, but maybe it’s time for a change. The third estate is really where I should belong. If I could choose a lifestyle, I’d choose to be in the third estate. I’m fed up with putting on this rich and fancy image, and I’m sick up seeing the scornful looks of the people in my class. It’s hard for me to hide everything from my parents just to go work with those of the third estate. I work as a blacksmith and obviously that’s not a highly ranked job. The point is not to get paid though, I have enough of that. I just want to know that not all nobles emphasize that firm line between the three different estates. I have this one pal, Louis-Francois Cartier, and he is still a little boy. He is a bright kid, really clever but he is of the third estate. Maybe if he was a noble, he’d be some successful figure. All I can think is: is this how our world is supposed to be? Is this all we can possibly make of our lives? Are we that desperate for inherited financial support? Recently, we had an enlightenment and the Colonists in England’s territory, or better known as America, seem to greatly support it. They are rebelling and protesting that they, who make up their own region should be the ones to control what goes on in their area. Now I am supposed to be unsupportive of their actions, calling them uncivilized and disobedient, but on the contrary, I am supportive of their actions and I think this is the right way to go. Maybe it’s time for France to do the same! With 97% of the population being in the lower class, they have the right to have an opinion or a voice in this nation. Those of the third estate are, in fact, getting inspired from the bold actions the Americans are taking. Most of us would think that at this point in our debilitating economy that anything that would cause war should be avoided. I favor this decision in terms of debt and finance issues. However, in terms of creating a stronger nation I think taking risks at times is necessary. How do we know if France will move forward favoring those of all three estates. Moreover, Louis XVI and his queen are making huge purchases leaving our nation in debt. Is it fair for our leaders, the people we are supposed to look up to, to make such selfish decisions and not think about the welfare of the people? They are those who were elected to improve our nation but instead they are undermining France’s power. A key thing we’ve got to remember is that when a country is not improving, we must make choices that not only favor our personal interests, but also appeals to others regardless of their social status and class.//

//September 3rd, 1793//

//I’m not surprised. All of the money our country is gaining goes to the pope, who else? The church officials and the government manage all the financial issues and get all the financial benefits. Is this fair? Is this how a nation reaches success? I wish people could see things from my perspectives, then it would all be much simpler. We all know life doesn’t work that way; life is unfair and life drives you into an unfavorable road. A few years ago, those of the third estate rebelled against our ruler, Louis XVI and he attempted to flee the country, but did not succeed. We are trying to establish better relations though by forming a new constitution. Louis XVI, disapproves of this but we, as the people must prevail. Our constitution was passed and so lessened our ruler’s power. Although a new government was formed, the old issues still remained without solutions like food shortages and government debt. Many would be surprised to know my mindset because of my social standing. I’m a noble, yes, but what did I get out of this? Popularity? Recognition? Money? A bigger impact on my life? Certainly not. Last year, war broke out in France. The Prussian forces threatened to destroy Paris and I could see the looks on the face of our fellow citizens. One of my mother’s dearest friend’s daughter, Serene Laurant, also looked like she was in panic. Soon though our French forces regained their focus and reinforced our army. This was the most gruesome event that ever took place in my life and some indelible images were put in my head. This caused a chain of reactions including a reformation of the government. Two new groups formed out of this: the Jacobins, and the Girondins. The Jacobins were radicals that headed the new form of government. Recently, they made a decision to find Louis XVI and try him for treason. I don’t know where France is heading, but it certainly seems like they are heading in the wrong direction. I wanted the people to make a change in France and fight for their rights but not like this. This is a dark path that was to be avoided but was taken instead.//

//April 16th, 1794//

//I manufactured numerous swords and guns to give to all the people supporting my cause. I went out to war with all my might. I’m sorry I haven’t written during the course of the war. I fought until I just couldn’t go on anymore. The French army needed more men, and so I was “recruited” as they say when more accurately I was forced. We fought to defend our nation, but at the end did it solve the internal and more essential problems France contained? The answer is a blatant one. I wonder if anyone can tell me why everything is looking this way? Recently, I got caught disguising myself as a blacksmith interacting with the common citizens. René Bousquet, the supposedly renowned lawyer pulled his attention towards this case. He is against interacting with different social classes, especially those of the third estate. He wants to execute me or fine me with 10,000 euros. I can see fire burning in his eyes each time he realizes he can’t put a finger on me due to my social standing and renowned parents. Like I said, my parents have established close relations with those of the first estate. During this infamous reign of terror, a multitude of people are reaching an end to their lives. I was not surprised to find out that a majority of those who were executed were those of the third estate, the peasants in particular. Do you ever wonder how it would feel like to be in the third estate? No one looks at you, no one cares to learn your name and you are the main component to unjust treatment. The country is just falling apart, maybe not immediately, but gradually. As an undermined country that France already is, we should be trying to repair it. We are a powerful nation but is it guaranteed that our country will be this strong forever? I think we could start by getting rid of the discrimination and scorn among the people. Is it anyone’s fault if they are poor or spontaneously born into the third estate? Louis-Francois Cartier is a talented man that works very hard in his shop just to support his family and to earn a living. His pain and effort should bring him as much reward as the nobles receive without even doing anything. Serene Laurant is a noble but do you think she chose to be a noble? She was born into a noble family, I guarantee you. Only we, ourselves, can make the right choices, and I know we are all capable of doing so. Why not start now?//