Below you will find some of my writing assignments. Beware, it is a long list.
v Quarter 4 below v
More of this project can be found under the Projects and World Geography tabs.
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Giovanna Garzoni Present News Article - for Renaissance Faire project
You may not think of Giovanna Garzoni when you think of still lifes. Perhaps instead, Van Gogh or Cévanne. Although she is not one of the most influential or famous botanical artists, she was one of the firsts and her contributions are underrated.
Garzoni’s still lifes were unique at the time and still unique today. She had an ability to create perfectly proportioned objects such as apples or lemons, yet so realistically that it looks like a photograph.
Compare her art to one of Vincent Van Gogh’s still lifes. Both artists have such distinct styles, it’s extremely difficult to compare them. What’s similar? They’re both fruit. That’s about it. The stroke sizes, the mediums used, the overall artistic individuality, all make them different artists.
Today, although Giovanna Garzoni is no longer living, many artists still pursue the still life technique. For example, Sharon Core and Oli Gerscht. When you think of still lifes, you probably think of bowls of fruit or vases with flowers, botanical subjects. But do you think of photography? These artists do, as they take advantage of modern technologies and capture still lifes with a camera rather than a paintbrush.
Sharon Core's still life photographs are whimsical, often containing unique flowers of different colors and shapes. The photographs are busy and filled to the brim with individual flowers of different kinds. The viewer’s eyes often gravitate to the most striking object, such as the fuzzy white flower towards the top or the blue-rimmed daisies. The textures make the photograph seem like a realistic painting. Her paintings symbolized beauty and death, showing the clipped flowers at their peak before they shrivel up and die.
Oli Gerscht, on the other hand, depicted flowers in a very different manner. As he lives in Israel, his chaotic photographs of flowers exploding represent the violence of his homeland compared to other, more peaceful countries (other still lifes). He used extremely fast cameras in order to show the passing of time and the simple destruction of beauty.
Giovanna Garzoni’s influence on these artists may seem difficult to recognize, but compare them to this description of her artistic style from the book Still Lifes: Giovanna Garzoni, “But how much charm there is in the matching of colours and objects, the red cherries with delicate carnations, the bright blue bindweed with pale plums, the brown figs and simple jasmine, as well as in the attentive observation of other small details! For example, the cracked bowls, nibbled or wilting leaves, the strange bases, earth more than rock, on which the wobbly recipients stand and which are almost artistic signatures”(10). Notice that many of these features can be found in still lifes today, even if the method used to capture them is different.
The next time you go to an art gallery, look for still lifes. Think of Giovanna Garzoni’s influence and remember that no matter how famous someone might be, no matter the size of the influence, everyone influences something in the future.
Reflection
I included this in my ePortfolio because I thought it sounded like a real news article. This is connected to the Renaissance Faire project, located under the Projects tab. Discovering modern still life artists was very interesting; today, they cover a lot more than bowls of fruit!
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Giovanna Garzoni Biography - for Renaissance Faire project
When you see a bowl of fruit, what’s the first idea that comes into your head? Is it to grab an apple, or is it to grab a paintbrush? If your first thought is to paint it, then you think like Giovanna Garzoni, a revolutionary female artist of the Renaissance.
Giovanna Garzoni was born in the year 1600 in the town Ascoli Piceno. Her family members include her parents, Giacomo Garzoni and Isabetta Gaia, her brother Mattio, her grandfather Nicola, her uncle Vincenzo, and her uncle Pietro Gaia, who was an artist as well. She is believed to have come from a long line of Venetian painters, but it is not confirmed information. Her childhood education is unknown, but coming from a wealthy family makes it likely that she was well-educated.
At the time, she was one of the few, rare women who opted to receive an education and travel throughout Europe instead of settling down and starting a family. Garzoni was often called the Chaste Giovanna due to her vow to remain a virgin[1]. She originally had planned to become a nun, but she found a love of art that allowed her to still maintain her beliefs.
Her career started when she received a commission from chemist Giovanni Vorvino to paint a herbarium. She then painted Saint Andrew for a prestigious Venetian church. From there, she went to the calligraphy school Giatomo Rogni. One of Garzoni's earliest works, a 1625 calligraphy book, includes capital letters illuminated with fruits, flowers, birds, and insects[2].
Before she began her botanical paintings, she began with religious or mythological subjects. It is widely believed that her love of still lifes was inspired by Jacopo Ligozzi, a botanical painter.
Overall, Giovanna Garzoni was and still is recognized as a revolutionary artist. Many of her works can be found at the Getty Museum. She was one of the first artists to paint still lifes, not to mention her being one of the only educated women at the time. Many do not know about her, but she can inspire us to do the lesser done task. Given a choice of becoming a mother or working hard, she chose working hard. It paid off for her and many later.
Reflection
I included this in my ePortfolio because I thought it was very well written. This is connected to the Renaissance Faire project, located under the Projects tab. It was very fun to research such an interesting individual and amazing artist.
Giovanna Garzoni Present News Article - for Renaissance Faire project
You may not think of Giovanna Garzoni when you think of still lifes. Perhaps instead, Van Gogh or Cévanne. Although she is not one of the most influential or famous botanical artists, she was one of the firsts and her contributions are underrated.
Garzoni’s still lifes were unique at the time and still unique today. She had an ability to create perfectly proportioned objects such as apples or lemons, yet so realistically that it looks like a photograph.
Compare her art to one of Vincent Van Gogh’s still lifes. Both artists have such distinct styles, it’s extremely difficult to compare them. What’s similar? They’re both fruit. That’s about it. The stroke sizes, the mediums used, the overall artistic individuality, all make them different artists.
Today, although Giovanna Garzoni is no longer living, many artists still pursue the still life technique. For example, Sharon Core and Oli Gerscht. When you think of still lifes, you probably think of bowls of fruit or vases with flowers, botanical subjects. But do you think of photography? These artists do, as they take advantage of modern technologies and capture still lifes with a camera rather than a paintbrush.
Sharon Core's still life photographs are whimsical, often containing unique flowers of different colors and shapes. The photographs are busy and filled to the brim with individual flowers of different kinds. The viewer’s eyes often gravitate to the most striking object, such as the fuzzy white flower towards the top or the blue-rimmed daisies. The textures make the photograph seem like a realistic painting. Her paintings symbolized beauty and death, showing the clipped flowers at their peak before they shrivel up and die.
Oli Gerscht, on the other hand, depicted flowers in a very different manner. As he lives in Israel, his chaotic photographs of flowers exploding represent the violence of his homeland compared to other, more peaceful countries (other still lifes). He used extremely fast cameras in order to show the passing of time and the simple destruction of beauty.
Giovanna Garzoni’s influence on these artists may seem difficult to recognize, but compare them to this description of her artistic style from the book Still Lifes: Giovanna Garzoni, “But how much charm there is in the matching of colours and objects, the red cherries with delicate carnations, the bright blue bindweed with pale plums, the brown figs and simple jasmine, as well as in the attentive observation of other small details! For example, the cracked bowls, nibbled or wilting leaves, the strange bases, earth more than rock, on which the wobbly recipients stand and which are almost artistic signatures”(10). Notice that many of these features can be found in still lifes today, even if the method used to capture them is different.
The next time you go to an art gallery, look for still lifes. Think of Giovanna Garzoni’s influence and remember that no matter how famous someone might be, no matter the size of the influence, everyone influences something in the future.
Reflection
I included this in my ePortfolio because I thought it sounded like a real news article. This is connected to the Renaissance Faire project, located under the Projects tab. Discovering modern still life artists was very interesting; today, they cover a lot more than bowls of fruit!
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Giovanna Garzoni Biography - for Renaissance Faire project
When you see a bowl of fruit, what’s the first idea that comes into your head? Is it to grab an apple, or is it to grab a paintbrush? If your first thought is to paint it, then you think like Giovanna Garzoni, a revolutionary female artist of the Renaissance.
Giovanna Garzoni was born in the year 1600 in the town Ascoli Piceno. Her family members include her parents, Giacomo Garzoni and Isabetta Gaia, her brother Mattio, her grandfather Nicola, her uncle Vincenzo, and her uncle Pietro Gaia, who was an artist as well. She is believed to have come from a long line of Venetian painters, but it is not confirmed information. Her childhood education is unknown, but coming from a wealthy family makes it likely that she was well-educated.
At the time, she was one of the few, rare women who opted to receive an education and travel throughout Europe instead of settling down and starting a family. Garzoni was often called the Chaste Giovanna due to her vow to remain a virgin[1]. She originally had planned to become a nun, but she found a love of art that allowed her to still maintain her beliefs.
Her career started when she received a commission from chemist Giovanni Vorvino to paint a herbarium. She then painted Saint Andrew for a prestigious Venetian church. From there, she went to the calligraphy school Giatomo Rogni. One of Garzoni's earliest works, a 1625 calligraphy book, includes capital letters illuminated with fruits, flowers, birds, and insects[2].
Before she began her botanical paintings, she began with religious or mythological subjects. It is widely believed that her love of still lifes was inspired by Jacopo Ligozzi, a botanical painter.
Overall, Giovanna Garzoni was and still is recognized as a revolutionary artist. Many of her works can be found at the Getty Museum. She was one of the first artists to paint still lifes, not to mention her being one of the only educated women at the time. Many do not know about her, but she can inspire us to do the lesser done task. Given a choice of becoming a mother or working hard, she chose working hard. It paid off for her and many later.
Reflection
I included this in my ePortfolio because I thought it was very well written. This is connected to the Renaissance Faire project, located under the Projects tab. It was very fun to research such an interesting individual and amazing artist.
v Quarter 3 below v
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Description for Silk Road Trading activity
I forgot to grab things from home, so I just grabbed random things from my binder. I grabbed a pad of sticky notes, a black pen, a purple mini binder clip, and a Hulk toy. You should trade with me because my sticky notes are helpful for reminders, my pen is helpful for writing those reminders, my purple mini binder clip is helpful for organizing those reminders, and the Hulk toy is helpful for destroying those reminders! The item of demand is the Hulk toy, if you press on his shoulder he jumps a massive 3mm and flops over onto his face! I highly suggest you trade for this bowl-cut bearing green muscular man.
Reflection
I wanted to post this because I liked the sense of humor I used. I feel like I would be a really good salesperson. Trading with my classmates was fun, although I didn't get what I wanted in the end.
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Short Story about GMO Corn being used in Renaissance Europe
WARNING: Is written in Old English. Fairly hard to understand
i watch'd the farmer water the wilt'd corn with care. he let each drop of water out one by one, cautious. surrounding me, the chaotic swarm of people chanting, "save our food!" wherefore would they not appreciate his hard work and care? doth they not wot that 'our' food is 'his' food as well? interrupting the madness, a woman stood on a pedestal. "i can help!" she shout'd. frustrat'd mutters fill'd the area as people said things such as, "why can we trust thou?", "but ye are a woman!", "just betoken us how thou can help already!" she clear'd her throat. "we art starving, right? our feudal man'r is under collapse? well, what if we decid'd to change the properties of the corn we grow in the nearby field? what if we couldst make that corn resistant to pesky insects and animals causing us to die? what if we couldst make it bigger, to fe'd more people? what if we couldst make it easier to grow, and grow more yarely? what if that was possible?" people wast staring at her, confus'd. "i hast proof!" she cri'd out. "this isn't just witchcraft! look, hither! in mine hand." she held up a massive ear of corn. "this hither ear of corn is the start of our new life. nay more suffrage. nay more starving," she said with a grin. the people cheer'd as she toss'd an ear to everyone. they all smil'd and began eating the sweet, sweet corn.
Reflection
I included this in my ePortfolio because I liked the sound of it. I like how I took a risk by writing it in Shakespearean English. This is connected to the GMO Mission Impossible project, located under the Projects tab.
Description for Silk Road Trading activity
I forgot to grab things from home, so I just grabbed random things from my binder. I grabbed a pad of sticky notes, a black pen, a purple mini binder clip, and a Hulk toy. You should trade with me because my sticky notes are helpful for reminders, my pen is helpful for writing those reminders, my purple mini binder clip is helpful for organizing those reminders, and the Hulk toy is helpful for destroying those reminders! The item of demand is the Hulk toy, if you press on his shoulder he jumps a massive 3mm and flops over onto his face! I highly suggest you trade for this bowl-cut bearing green muscular man.
Reflection
I wanted to post this because I liked the sense of humor I used. I feel like I would be a really good salesperson. Trading with my classmates was fun, although I didn't get what I wanted in the end.
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Short Story about GMO Corn being used in Renaissance Europe
WARNING: Is written in Old English. Fairly hard to understand
i watch'd the farmer water the wilt'd corn with care. he let each drop of water out one by one, cautious. surrounding me, the chaotic swarm of people chanting, "save our food!" wherefore would they not appreciate his hard work and care? doth they not wot that 'our' food is 'his' food as well? interrupting the madness, a woman stood on a pedestal. "i can help!" she shout'd. frustrat'd mutters fill'd the area as people said things such as, "why can we trust thou?", "but ye are a woman!", "just betoken us how thou can help already!" she clear'd her throat. "we art starving, right? our feudal man'r is under collapse? well, what if we decid'd to change the properties of the corn we grow in the nearby field? what if we couldst make that corn resistant to pesky insects and animals causing us to die? what if we couldst make it bigger, to fe'd more people? what if we couldst make it easier to grow, and grow more yarely? what if that was possible?" people wast staring at her, confus'd. "i hast proof!" she cri'd out. "this isn't just witchcraft! look, hither! in mine hand." she held up a massive ear of corn. "this hither ear of corn is the start of our new life. nay more suffrage. nay more starving," she said with a grin. the people cheer'd as she toss'd an ear to everyone. they all smil'd and began eating the sweet, sweet corn.
Reflection
I included this in my ePortfolio because I liked the sound of it. I like how I took a risk by writing it in Shakespearean English. This is connected to the GMO Mission Impossible project, located under the Projects tab.
v Quarter 2 below v
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Cthulhu Description
I am the malevolent Cthulhu, aka The Great Dreamer or The Sleeper of R’lyeh. I am hundreds of meters tall and a combination of a dragon, man, and octopus. Peasants compare me to the hydra or the kraken, although of course I am superior. I am currently hibernating in the underwater city of R’lyeh, waiting for the cultists who worship me to summon me once again. My followers know the truth, that I am not merely a figment of H.P. Lovecraft’s imagination. He wrote the short tale “The Call of Cthulhu” in 1928, whereas I have been alive for much longer than that! He only spread the word of my existence, pretending that I am fake to prevent disbelief. The cultists know that I am real. I am more alive than ever, and I wasn’t fake from the start. Wait - my ears are filling with the chanting of a phrase coming from the surface: ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn. I must leave, for they have summoned me and I must appear!
Reflection
I wanted to post this because I liked the tone I used. I used a lot of enthusiasm and felt like I personified Cthulhu perfectly. This was a follow-up to the Creature Investigation project which you can find under the Projects tab.
Cthulhu Description
I am the malevolent Cthulhu, aka The Great Dreamer or The Sleeper of R’lyeh. I am hundreds of meters tall and a combination of a dragon, man, and octopus. Peasants compare me to the hydra or the kraken, although of course I am superior. I am currently hibernating in the underwater city of R’lyeh, waiting for the cultists who worship me to summon me once again. My followers know the truth, that I am not merely a figment of H.P. Lovecraft’s imagination. He wrote the short tale “The Call of Cthulhu” in 1928, whereas I have been alive for much longer than that! He only spread the word of my existence, pretending that I am fake to prevent disbelief. The cultists know that I am real. I am more alive than ever, and I wasn’t fake from the start. Wait - my ears are filling with the chanting of a phrase coming from the surface: ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn. I must leave, for they have summoned me and I must appear!
Reflection
I wanted to post this because I liked the tone I used. I used a lot of enthusiasm and felt like I personified Cthulhu perfectly. This was a follow-up to the Creature Investigation project which you can find under the Projects tab.
v Quarter 1 below v
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"The Arrival" - Short narrative based on "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan
I knew that things would worsen when he left. I told him that he shouldn’t leave us with the few things we have, that he should stay with our family and help us to keep food on our plate. He knew the situation he left us in. He knew that I would have to get a job to keep our daughter healthy. He knew how hard it would be to maintain a family without him. I told him that I would have to work even harder than he did to get a simple loaf of bread. He understood, but he knew that there was no going back.
He is my husband, a man drafted for World War II in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Leaving a mother and her daughter alone is the worst kind of punishment.
When the day came for him to leave, we ate our breakfast solemnly. Our daughter did not know that he would be leaving today. We felt like it would be harder for her to cope with the event if she knew about it before. I could see the worry in her eyes when she noticed the suitcase by the door.
We walked outside of our house. I felt that our daughter recognized that this wasn’t a normal everyday walk around the neighborhood. When we reached the train platform, we all said our goodbyes to him. He took off his hat to reveal our family’s lucky heirloom, an origami dove: a sign of hope and peace. He handed the dove to our daughter and squeezed her hand. He boarded the train and waved farewell. We watched the train roll by until it disappeared into the horizon, and that was the last time we saw him for 6 years.
Reflection
I chose this piece because it included lots of drama and emotion. My favorite line(s) were "He knew the situation he left us in. He knew that I would have to get a job to keep our daughter healthy. He knew how hard it would be to maintain a family without him." because it adds drama and repetition. I enjoyed how I made the story realistic and believable.
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Short narrative based on "I miss her" painted on brick wall image
The strong toxic smell of white paint dripping off of the walls wafted through my nose as I walked down the sidewalk, rain splashing around me. I stopped to examine the word ‘her’. I could not see the surrounding words, as I was too close to make out the sentence. My curiosity got the best of me and I crossed the street to get a better look. My eyes sifted through each word as I made out ‘I miss her”. I immediately understood the feeling of the person who wrote it, as I am ‘her’.
My boyfriend Jared broke up with me a few years ago when I announced that I had to move to England to go to my dream college. If only he knew that I was here, reading the letters of mourning he left in memory of my departure.
I moved back to my old town that day, and walking down that street I could feel that nothing had changed since I left. I finished my course and brought back my degree. That day I hoped to see Jared again.
I memorized the steps to Jared’s house years ago. Walk straight for a block, turn left, and step into his driveway. My feet seemed to move without any thought. A crack of thunder spread throughout the neighborhood. I began to speed up, dreading the storm to come.
When I arrived at Jared’s doorstep, I struggled to press the doorbell. Sure, he misses me, but it was him who broke up with me. My brain restrained but I knew what was right. I pressed the doorbell, and the ring reminded me of church bells announcing my funeral. I tried to breathe, because I knew that there were many possible ways that this could go. Jared could be ecstatic, run into my arms and tell me how much he missed me, or he could be angry, wishing I never came back. My heart pounded in my throat as I watched the door crack open. Jared peeked his head out of the door, cautious. When he recognized me, he stepped onto the porch.
For a moment, we just stared at each other, noticing how much we’ve both changed since I left. Then, the silence was parted.
“You know, ever since you left, I walk back to that wall every day and add a fresh coat of paint to the words,” he paused, “and even now that you’re standing right in front of me I miss you.”
“Every night when I went to sleep in my dorm, the photo of you reminded me of you,” I laughed, “Like it should, I suppose.”
Jared laughed and moved towards me and wrapped his arms around me. I knew at that moment, that out of all of the possible outcomes, this was the best.
Reflection
I chose this piece because I felt that it was a descriptive and beautiful story. It paints a picture in your brain of every scene. My favorite line is "'Every night when I went to sleep in my dorm, the photo of you reminded me of you,' I laughed, 'Like it should, I suppose.'" because it added humor to the otherwise serious story. This piece helped me practice making story characters come to life in order to fill the story with their emotions.
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Short narrative with the POV of a Roman civilian
I stepped down the streets of our filthy empire, coming to a pause in front of the emperor’s villa. I squatted on the floor and took out a pen and paper. I scrawled on the paper, “Salvum cibos pauperum. Roma ruit ob gratiam tui.[Save food for the poor. Rome is falling because of you.]”
I stepped up to the door and slapped the paper on the window, facing inwards for him to see. I walked away calmly. The emperor’s ghastly features could be seen through the window as he read the paper. The emperor walked as fast as possible for a fat man towards the door. As he grew nearer to the steps, I sprinted down the street, unaware that the street was so long that he could see me no matter how far I ran. He opened the door and bellowed, “Statim prohibere! [Stop at once!]” The emperor’s guards came chasing towards me until I came to a screeching stop. It was a dead end. There was no way out.
The guards caught up to me, breathing heavily. “Tu sub aresto huiusmodi. Ne coneris evadere. [You’re under arrest. Do not try to escape.]” They grabbed my arms and carried me away into the dungeon.
It had been 5 hours that I sat in that dungeon since I posted the note. What an awful crime to pay for telling the truth. A guard walked to my dungeon gate and stated, “Tuus cras venturus est supplicium. [Your execution is scheduled for tomorrow.]”
Oh great. An execution for standing up for our empire. It seems that I do not need to explain why I had such an awful sleep that night.
The next morning, I woke up to guards inside my dungeon cell. They grabbed my arms and dragged me out of the dungeon. The guards led me into the main town courtyard. Just fantastic, the whole world gets to see me die? The guards let go of me and forced me onto my knees.
The executioner walked towards me with an unsheathed sword, stained crimson from previous unlawful deaths. I close my eyes and feel the silver blade press into my neck.
Reflection
I chose this piece because I felt that it described the inequality of a Roman civilian vs. an emperor or executioner. My favorite line in this short story is "The executioner walked towards me with an unsheathed sword, stained crimson from previous unlawful deaths." because it paints a picture of the scene in your mind. I also like that I wrote with Latin, then included English translations.
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Short narrative with the POV of a Roman slave
The tray descended through the air and hit the floor with a clatter. Cheese slices slid off of the platter and lay on the floor.
“Pick that up, won’t you?” the fat emperor asked, clearly frustrated. The young servant boy lifted up the tray and set it on the table. He picked the cheese up with his hand and walked to the kitchen. He closed the door behind him and shoved the cheese into his mouth. He was not given food, so often the boy would drop platters intentionally. He knew that he could sneak into the back and pretended to dispose of it and eat the food without anyone knowing.
The next day, as he began his daily routine of pretending to be clumsy, he was serving the emperor a tray of grapes. He tilted the tray and the grapes fell to the floor.
“My bad,” the boy muttered. He stepped into the kitchen holding the vine of grapes. As he held the grapes over his mouth, about to eat the first bite, a chef for the emperor entered through the back entrance. The slave boy quickly moved the vine behind his back.
“Young man, what do you have here?” the chef said with a smile. The boy blushed and held it in front of him.
“For the emperor, yes?” the man asked. The boy nodded.
“Ah, what would a nice young boy like you be doing by stealing from the emperor? If you are truly starving, you may come into the kitchen around each mealtime and I will prepare you a feast,” the chef offered.
“W-would you really do that for me?” the boy stammered, grinning from ear to ear.
“Of cour-”, the chef began, but was interrupted by the boy wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. That was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship between boy and man.
Reflection
I chose this piece because I loved the way I immortalized the story of the young slave boy. It seemed like a very believable tale during the Fall of Rome. This piece demonstrates my ability to express emotion. My favorite line is "The tray descended through the air and hit the floor with a clatter" because it shows the movement of the platter.
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Color-Symbol-Image: Mercedes ad
I like this image because not only does it describe the sides of the brain personified with words, but expressed with imagery.
List 10 words and one to describe the whole thing: Colorful-dull. Free-contained. Messy-neat. Boring-exciting. Organized-unorganized. One word to describe the whole thing is unrestrained.
I believe that the message of this image is that even though the two sides are different, they’re together. They work together and connect their talents.
Reflection
I chose this piece because I enjoyed how well I described the brain. This piece demonstrates my skill in interpreting symbolism. My favorite line is "I believe that the message of this image is that even though the two sides are different, they’re together" because the sides of the brain work together and sometimes combine their abilities.
"The Arrival" - Short narrative based on "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan
I knew that things would worsen when he left. I told him that he shouldn’t leave us with the few things we have, that he should stay with our family and help us to keep food on our plate. He knew the situation he left us in. He knew that I would have to get a job to keep our daughter healthy. He knew how hard it would be to maintain a family without him. I told him that I would have to work even harder than he did to get a simple loaf of bread. He understood, but he knew that there was no going back.
He is my husband, a man drafted for World War II in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Leaving a mother and her daughter alone is the worst kind of punishment.
When the day came for him to leave, we ate our breakfast solemnly. Our daughter did not know that he would be leaving today. We felt like it would be harder for her to cope with the event if she knew about it before. I could see the worry in her eyes when she noticed the suitcase by the door.
We walked outside of our house. I felt that our daughter recognized that this wasn’t a normal everyday walk around the neighborhood. When we reached the train platform, we all said our goodbyes to him. He took off his hat to reveal our family’s lucky heirloom, an origami dove: a sign of hope and peace. He handed the dove to our daughter and squeezed her hand. He boarded the train and waved farewell. We watched the train roll by until it disappeared into the horizon, and that was the last time we saw him for 6 years.
Reflection
I chose this piece because it included lots of drama and emotion. My favorite line(s) were "He knew the situation he left us in. He knew that I would have to get a job to keep our daughter healthy. He knew how hard it would be to maintain a family without him." because it adds drama and repetition. I enjoyed how I made the story realistic and believable.
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Short narrative based on "I miss her" painted on brick wall image
The strong toxic smell of white paint dripping off of the walls wafted through my nose as I walked down the sidewalk, rain splashing around me. I stopped to examine the word ‘her’. I could not see the surrounding words, as I was too close to make out the sentence. My curiosity got the best of me and I crossed the street to get a better look. My eyes sifted through each word as I made out ‘I miss her”. I immediately understood the feeling of the person who wrote it, as I am ‘her’.
My boyfriend Jared broke up with me a few years ago when I announced that I had to move to England to go to my dream college. If only he knew that I was here, reading the letters of mourning he left in memory of my departure.
I moved back to my old town that day, and walking down that street I could feel that nothing had changed since I left. I finished my course and brought back my degree. That day I hoped to see Jared again.
I memorized the steps to Jared’s house years ago. Walk straight for a block, turn left, and step into his driveway. My feet seemed to move without any thought. A crack of thunder spread throughout the neighborhood. I began to speed up, dreading the storm to come.
When I arrived at Jared’s doorstep, I struggled to press the doorbell. Sure, he misses me, but it was him who broke up with me. My brain restrained but I knew what was right. I pressed the doorbell, and the ring reminded me of church bells announcing my funeral. I tried to breathe, because I knew that there were many possible ways that this could go. Jared could be ecstatic, run into my arms and tell me how much he missed me, or he could be angry, wishing I never came back. My heart pounded in my throat as I watched the door crack open. Jared peeked his head out of the door, cautious. When he recognized me, he stepped onto the porch.
For a moment, we just stared at each other, noticing how much we’ve both changed since I left. Then, the silence was parted.
“You know, ever since you left, I walk back to that wall every day and add a fresh coat of paint to the words,” he paused, “and even now that you’re standing right in front of me I miss you.”
“Every night when I went to sleep in my dorm, the photo of you reminded me of you,” I laughed, “Like it should, I suppose.”
Jared laughed and moved towards me and wrapped his arms around me. I knew at that moment, that out of all of the possible outcomes, this was the best.
Reflection
I chose this piece because I felt that it was a descriptive and beautiful story. It paints a picture in your brain of every scene. My favorite line is "'Every night when I went to sleep in my dorm, the photo of you reminded me of you,' I laughed, 'Like it should, I suppose.'" because it added humor to the otherwise serious story. This piece helped me practice making story characters come to life in order to fill the story with their emotions.
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Short narrative with the POV of a Roman civilian
I stepped down the streets of our filthy empire, coming to a pause in front of the emperor’s villa. I squatted on the floor and took out a pen and paper. I scrawled on the paper, “Salvum cibos pauperum. Roma ruit ob gratiam tui.[Save food for the poor. Rome is falling because of you.]”
I stepped up to the door and slapped the paper on the window, facing inwards for him to see. I walked away calmly. The emperor’s ghastly features could be seen through the window as he read the paper. The emperor walked as fast as possible for a fat man towards the door. As he grew nearer to the steps, I sprinted down the street, unaware that the street was so long that he could see me no matter how far I ran. He opened the door and bellowed, “Statim prohibere! [Stop at once!]” The emperor’s guards came chasing towards me until I came to a screeching stop. It was a dead end. There was no way out.
The guards caught up to me, breathing heavily. “Tu sub aresto huiusmodi. Ne coneris evadere. [You’re under arrest. Do not try to escape.]” They grabbed my arms and carried me away into the dungeon.
It had been 5 hours that I sat in that dungeon since I posted the note. What an awful crime to pay for telling the truth. A guard walked to my dungeon gate and stated, “Tuus cras venturus est supplicium. [Your execution is scheduled for tomorrow.]”
Oh great. An execution for standing up for our empire. It seems that I do not need to explain why I had such an awful sleep that night.
The next morning, I woke up to guards inside my dungeon cell. They grabbed my arms and dragged me out of the dungeon. The guards led me into the main town courtyard. Just fantastic, the whole world gets to see me die? The guards let go of me and forced me onto my knees.
The executioner walked towards me with an unsheathed sword, stained crimson from previous unlawful deaths. I close my eyes and feel the silver blade press into my neck.
Reflection
I chose this piece because I felt that it described the inequality of a Roman civilian vs. an emperor or executioner. My favorite line in this short story is "The executioner walked towards me with an unsheathed sword, stained crimson from previous unlawful deaths." because it paints a picture of the scene in your mind. I also like that I wrote with Latin, then included English translations.
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Short narrative with the POV of a Roman slave
The tray descended through the air and hit the floor with a clatter. Cheese slices slid off of the platter and lay on the floor.
“Pick that up, won’t you?” the fat emperor asked, clearly frustrated. The young servant boy lifted up the tray and set it on the table. He picked the cheese up with his hand and walked to the kitchen. He closed the door behind him and shoved the cheese into his mouth. He was not given food, so often the boy would drop platters intentionally. He knew that he could sneak into the back and pretended to dispose of it and eat the food without anyone knowing.
The next day, as he began his daily routine of pretending to be clumsy, he was serving the emperor a tray of grapes. He tilted the tray and the grapes fell to the floor.
“My bad,” the boy muttered. He stepped into the kitchen holding the vine of grapes. As he held the grapes over his mouth, about to eat the first bite, a chef for the emperor entered through the back entrance. The slave boy quickly moved the vine behind his back.
“Young man, what do you have here?” the chef said with a smile. The boy blushed and held it in front of him.
“For the emperor, yes?” the man asked. The boy nodded.
“Ah, what would a nice young boy like you be doing by stealing from the emperor? If you are truly starving, you may come into the kitchen around each mealtime and I will prepare you a feast,” the chef offered.
“W-would you really do that for me?” the boy stammered, grinning from ear to ear.
“Of cour-”, the chef began, but was interrupted by the boy wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. That was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship between boy and man.
Reflection
I chose this piece because I loved the way I immortalized the story of the young slave boy. It seemed like a very believable tale during the Fall of Rome. This piece demonstrates my ability to express emotion. My favorite line is "The tray descended through the air and hit the floor with a clatter" because it shows the movement of the platter.
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Color-Symbol-Image: Mercedes ad
I like this image because not only does it describe the sides of the brain personified with words, but expressed with imagery.
List 10 words and one to describe the whole thing: Colorful-dull. Free-contained. Messy-neat. Boring-exciting. Organized-unorganized. One word to describe the whole thing is unrestrained.
I believe that the message of this image is that even though the two sides are different, they’re together. They work together and connect their talents.
Reflection
I chose this piece because I enjoyed how well I described the brain. This piece demonstrates my skill in interpreting symbolism. My favorite line is "I believe that the message of this image is that even though the two sides are different, they’re together" because the sides of the brain work together and sometimes combine their abilities.