Lara

Name: Jean Pierre Age: 30 Gender: Male Occupation: Farmer Social Class: Part of 3rd Estate Financial situation: Well off farmer Appearance: Brown eyes and brown hair. Approximately 182 cm tall, medium build and has a rather stubby brown beard. Daily routine: I usually wake up before sun rise at about 4 every morning to take care of my crops. I usually finish tending the crops by 8 in the morning. Then I usually have to make breakfast for my son. The usual bread and eggs for breakfast however, at times when business is good, he has the occasional bacon. Once I finish eating breakfast and cleaning up the house, I go to the city to take care of business (for example, making sure the sales are up as well as selling our crops). Also, because I did not recieve an education, I occasionally go to the bookstore to buy a text book for my son to study so that he can have a brighter future than me. At around 5 o'clock, I return back home to make dinner for my son after a long day of maintaining the crops at home. I usually go to bed at around 8 o'clock in order to have a fresh start to the next day. Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: I am humble and diligent, however i am very defensive and devoted to what in what I believe in. Past/individual-family history: I am born and raised in France, however my parents immigrated from Germany right after they got married. Family: A son that is 12 years old called Javier. Had a wife, however she died after giving brith to Javier. Social relations with your own and other classes (people you deal with or know about in other classes, AND your opinions and feelings about them): I am against the monarchy rule as well as the division of the estates. I think that everyone living in France should have equal rights. Religion: Catholic. Education: None Style of speaking in France: Languages you speak: Only French Main privileges and/or conflicts: Because I am part of the third estate I have to pay unfair taxes to the church as well as the king. Also, I have very limited privileges as for voicing my opinion. Portrait =First Diary Entry:= Dear Diary, As usual, I woke up before the sun today. It was 4 am sharp and I went outside to check on our crops. Watering them section by section, today they look a lot nicer than last week’s did. With a good amount of water and fertilizer, the crops are greener than ever and just in time for selling season. The more I think about it, me and Javier are very well off with half an acre of land to use for profit. Not too bad, considering Julie died after Javier was born and I have no one to help me around the house or on the fields. On the other hand, Javier is a great help when it comes to chores or tending the crops. Everyday when I go to the city, Javier tends the crops and cleans the house. You know, deep inside, I think Javier knows that we both have to try our best in order to keep our family well off. Right now, we’re perfectly fine, but I’m just worried about in the future. Constantly having to pay taxes and try to get Javier the best education that he can. He is still just a growing boy, only 12 years old. I want him to have the education that I never did and get a good job so that his family doesn’t have to go through the burden of waking up before dawn and working till the body breaks down. Every time we have a good day in the city, I always go to the used bookstore down the street to buy him as many text books as I possibly can in order for him to learn it. Javier is a very smart boy, I just know it. He really does love learning and I know that he will definitely have a bright future. As long as our crops keep growing as they are and our store has a steady financial balance, Javier will have a better job in no time. Today, when I finished tending the crops, he was already up and reading the new books I bought him the other day. After making breakfast and making sure Javier knew what to do with the crops today, I went to the city to sell some of our newly ripe vegetables. The green leaves sold great as our profit for today went up. Returning back home, I made dinner for Javier and I and then we both retired to bed. Over all, today was a great day, having great crops and good business really can make your day. Sometimes, I just wish that Julie could be here to see Javier grow up, he’s so big now and if he doesn’t get a better job with the education I’m trying to give him, I know he’ll do the family business just fine. Well, it’s getting late now, time to go to bed and get ready for tomorrow. Goodnight and hope for the best tomorrow!

Sincerely, Jean Pierre


 * Diary #2: From Crisis to Revolution **

The weather has not favored us throughout these few months. After the long drought, followed by the winter hail storms and the floods, my once so beautiful green crops are now ruined and nothing more than a few weeds. I’m officially on the verge of bankruptcy and to make matters worse, tax collectors are prepared to come and collect the monthly taille and gabelle taxes. Things could not get any worse for me and Javier now, who knows what will happen in the near future. There I was, a couple months ago, thinking that we may have a bright future, but now, now, everything has changed. I’m terrified of the tax collectors, not having enough money to satisfy their needs and receive a harsh beating. The discrimination against us in the 3rd estate is just completely and utterly, stupid. Why should we have to pay the most taxes when we do all the hard work? My feelings against the monarchy just anger me! This is exactly why I have decided to join the 3rd estate party in the Estates General. While I went to participate in the Estates General, Javier has been working hard to try and save as many of our crops in order to raise a little money for the tax collector and food. However as I began to take part in the Estates General, we were still a minority, not literally of course. Us as a party had barely any say in the major debates because the 1st and 2nd estate almost always agreed with each other. Therefore, we have been asking the 1st estate to join us in our campaign to make our country a better place and create equality throughout the country. Though that did not go as well as planned, we were able to have some of the first estate join us to petition against the monarchy. After the oh-so-mighty king locked us our, we went to the nearby tennis courts to settle this once and for all. As if we would sit this one out just because he didn’t give us a place to negotiate. After all of these years of hard work, there was nothing that would stop us from making France a better place. Interestingly enough on my way over there I met this rather strange lady with her baby, I believe her name was Fera Jaka. Rather strange name if you ask me. However, she enlightened me on her tragic story of how her landlord had killed her brother after not paying taxes. After hearing this, I was enraged. How could the monarchy have such a cold heart, not caring about anyone but themselves and discriminating against us peasants and 3rd estate workers? We went on discussing both of our hatred towards of government and their selfishness. As I returned home, I found Javier, on the floor, beat up, blood spattered on the floors. My 12 year old son, just looking after the house for me and this is what he gets? Now, I hated the government more than ever, and weeks later, a punch of us peasants attacked food convoys. That’s what they get for making us pay so many taxes and get absolutely no benefit out of it. That’s what they get for beating up my son, for just not paying taxes. I will forever more fight for this country and my rights until the government sees what needs to be changed.


 * Diary #3 – The Reign of Terror **
 * Everything has changed. It seems as if only a few years ago that I had a bright future. That my son may not have to live the life that I had to, spending his entire life planting and harvesting crops. It had seemed like everything was almost perfect. But now, now, everything had changed. Everything had turned around and now, I wasn’t even sure if we would make it through the winter. Our crops were still not getting any better. There definitely were fewer weeds, but not as many green vegetables as we had. Though business is not as bad as I perceived it to be, it could always get better. But now the government is horrible. Ever since the Law of Suspects was written, everyone has gone ballistic. People that are shy and definitely innocent were thrown in prison. Everyone is accusing someone because they’re frightened to be accused themselves of being against the government, it is unbelievable. Therefore, Javier and I are trying to keep a low profile. Greeting the guards whenever they are around definitely help us get around. The worst of it all is the Mass Levy. All citizens of **** France **** have a mandatory job in helping our government’s war effort. Since I have Javier, I only have to help make weapons while Javier has a job at making bandages, sometimes he even has to make gunpowder. Can you believe it? Making such young children make such a dangerous weapon. I also promised Fera Jaka that I would help her and her baby. Since she has to make tents and help around in the hospitals, Javier watched over her child while I attended to our crops. Luckily her baby isn’t old enough to have to help out our government in their fight to declare our independence. Though I do accept the fact that our citizens joining the army, making weapons, and helping the injured, are greatly influencing our stronger army, it is just unnecessary for the young and the poor to be sacrificing their lives and time to it. However, even with all of these conflicts going on in our country, there is one definite benefit to it all. The Law of Maximum definitely helped my company rise from the ashes even just for a little bit. Our government has finally stopped the rise in food prices! Though all the hard work and harvesting, our finances aren’t as great as they used to be, but at least we have just enough money to get through each day. But the one thing I do regret is my son’s education. Just the other day Javier said to me, “Father, when will I get my next book to read? I’ve finished them all already.” But I couldn’t tell him all the deaths and tragedies the outside world was having, so I did what I thought a father should do. Lie. “Oh son, the bookstore is closed for the moment. You know I won’t buy a book for you if it isn’t worth reading!” Though I saw the disappointment on his face, I knew that it was better than telling him about the horrors around us. **