I Have Not Yet Begun To Fight | Paul Bare Humanities Capstone
Paul Bare’s senior Humanities capstone covered the perspective of John Paul Jones on the Battle of Farmborough Head during the American Revolution. Bare chose this subject as he has always enjoyed studying ships and naval combat. Bare has enjoyed the preparation process as he studied a topic which he has a curiosity for. Bare mentions that his Humanities major has been an excellent choice for him as it has shown him a full picture of the world and taught him how to operate within the world.
Bare says, “I can see how things connect in ways that I never would have imagined them connecting. I would also say that Humanities has strengthened my ability to write in ways that I wouldn’t have expected.” Bare has recognized his newfound strength in writing and intends to educate others about history by creating novels and literature.
Bare’s capstone process has been one which he believes has taught him much. He has enjoyed the research aspect of the capstone process and the creative mind it took to write out his script and lay out the events in a way that is enjoyable to read. Bare has also improved his communication skills and developed a love for writing. This has caused him to realize his potential for using writing in his career.
Bare said, “I’ve always been creative in my imagination, but I’ve never actually been motivated to put pen to paper and write those stories out. This process of creating a narrative and researching all the facts about the period and event has shown me that I can see myself doing this as a career after graduation.” He also shares that the process has taught him the importance of relying on God and balancing such a heavy schedule. He reflects that through it all, God has helped him to persevere.
While there were many satisfying aspects to creating a capstone, Bare reflects that it also came with its share of struggles. One of the most difficult aspects, according to Bare, was his memorization of fifteen pages. He adds that much of the writing includes odd phrasing and it made the memorization much more difficult.
Bare advises future capstone students, “It is never too early to start thinking about your capstone. The sooner you plan out what your capstone might be, the better for your sanity. Make sure that what you choose to do your capstone on is something that you are interested in or enjoy because it makes the workload easier. As with any big project, being prepared ahead of time can make or break the success and ease of such a project and choosing a topic in which one is interested will also make the process much easier.”
Of his time spent at Maranatha, Bare reflects, “I believe that my experience at Maranatha has changed me for the better. There were certain aspects about myself that I either knew I needed to change or wanted to change, and the school provided great opportunities to grow in those areas. I think that the biggest area that I have grown while here is my speaking ability. When I first came to school you couldn’t have paid me to get up and talk in front of a room full of people.”
Bare presented his fifteen-page capstone project, which he wrote and memorized, on April 22, 2021.