Merry Christmas

just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Matthew

Glennellen's Compare/contrast essay

Glennellen’s Essay


In this essay, I am going to discuss two short stories by two brilliant authors. One of the stories is entitled “The Little Match Girl” written by Hans Christian Andersen in the 1800s. The other story is entitled “A Child Dreams of a Star” by Charles Dickens in the 1800s. He is known best for his Christmas classic, “A Christmas Carol”. Both men were born relatively around the same time, and were both very famous authors.

The story of “A Child Dreams of a Star” is about a young boy, a very caring, loyal, and positive child. He loves his family dearly, and has a special spot in his heart for his little sister. Every night, they would look out and see a bright, shining star that would come out before all other did. Unfortunately, she becomes ill, and is so weak that she can no longer look at the star anymore. Her brother would for her. She soon passes, causing much grief upon her family…especially her brother. He missed her so, but would always keep a positive mind. He loses all those who are dear to him through his life, including his mother and newborn brother. He longs to be with them, but knows that he will be soon. When he eventually grows to be an old man, he becomes tired and weak. He then ascends to Heaven to be with his family and loved ones, and all is right…at the right moment, and at the right place.

The story of “The Little Match Girl” is about a young girl, who is poor and without a mother. Her father is a cruel man, so she feels unloved and lonely…and often longs for something better. She roamed through the streets one night, with no shoes and clothed in rags. She had only owned a pair of slippers, but one she lost and one fell off her foot and was stolen by a little boy. He told her that it would make a good cradle for his own child when he was older. He said this because the shoes had been so large and way too big for her little feet. She was hungry, tired, and chilled to the bone as she continued to walk in the dark night. It was New Years Eve, and all the lights were on in every house. She could smell the roast goose in the air, making her mouth salivate. She had sold nothing that day, and new that if she were to return that night to her home, her father would surly beat her for not earning any money. She then came to a little corner between two houses, and sank down within it, huddling herself together to keep warm. She was frozen, and longing to be warmed and fed. Inside her pocket remained a little box of matches she had not sold. She took one and gave it a “scratch!” and it sputtered as it burnt. In the light of the fire, it appeared that she was next to a large iron stove. It had polished brass feet and a brass ornament. The light burnt out and she no longer saw these images. She then lit another match, and saw a table with a snowy tablecloth upon it, and on top of that, a roast goose stuffed with apples and dried plums. The goose jumped at her, with a knife and fork in its breast. Then the match went out. She lit another match, and this time found herself underneath a Christmas tree, larger and more beautifully decorated than any other she had seen before. And the light went out. She looked out and saw a star falling from the sky, and quietly said to herself, “Someone is dying”. Her old grandmother, the only one who had ever loved her, had told her when she was alive that whenever a star falls from the sky, a soul is going up to God…
She lit yet another match, and saw in the brightness, clear and shining, the figure of her grandmother. “Grandmother!” she exclaimed. “Oh, take me with you; I know you will go away when the match burns out; you will vanish like the warm stove, the roast goose, and the large, glorious Christmas tree.” She hastily lit all of her last matches in haste so that she may keep her grandmother with her. Her grandmother had never looked so beautiful. She took the little girl up in her arms, and carried her away with her, up to the Heavens, the brightness, the joy far above the earth, a place where there was no hunger, pain or cold, to be with God. In the dawn of morning, her little corpse, pale and smiling was found. She had frozen to death on the last night of the year. She sat there, in the stiffness of death, holding her little matches in her tiny hand, a bundle of which were all burnt. Some people would say, “She tried to warm herself with them”. No one ever quite knew, nor did they know what wonderful things she had seen or the glory she had entered with her grandmother, on New Years Day.

Both of these short stories have such meaning to them. They teach us not to be afraid of death, nor to look upon it as such a horrible and dreadful thing. When we die, it is the time that god meant for us to. Don’t wish to die, but do not wish not to die. Both authors made this very clear through such wonderful, meaningful short stories. The main conflicts of the stories include Man vs. Death, Man vs. God, and Man vs. nature. We can truly learn something from both stories and enjoy them thoroughly at the same time.

Compare and Contrast Essay: "A Child Dreams of a Star" and "The Little Match Girl"

Comparing “A Child Dreams of a Star” with “The Little Match Girl”

“A Child Dreams of a Star”, written by the famed Charles Dickens in the 1800’s, is a story of a growing boy who loses loved ones throughout his life but remains happy until his time comes. “The Little Match Girl” is a story produced by yet another famed writer, Hans Christian Anderson. It was written in the 1800’s also. The story consists of a poor girl who is dragged down deep in poverty and is not cast any help. She has visions of wonderful things and then dies and goes to a better place.
In “A Child Dreams of a Star” it is the early 1800’s. The story spreads throughout the main character’s whole life. The protagonist of the story is a positive person, despite suffering tremendous losses of loved ones throughout his entire life. He also does not fear death, but looks forward to it as a way to connect with his deceased loved ones. He dreams that every time a loved one of his dies, they go to the star that he and his sister would look at until her death, when she went to the star. He cries out to them every time, but they smile instead of taking him in, until the day of his death, when he joins them at the star. The theme of the story is that death isn’t horrible, but can be comforting and peaceful. The story may also have been written to help people overcome the fear of death.
The story “The Little Match Girl” takes place in the 1800’s. It is New Year’s Eve and bitterly cold. The main character is a lonely, poor, miserable, and young girl. She sells matches on the street to make money for her family, but has not made any on this given day. She sits to rest and warm her fingers with one of the matches she had not sold. She thinks so much warmth surrounds her that it is like being right next to an iron oven! But then the match goes out. She has a vision of a goose with a fork and knife coming towards her, ready for her to eat. But then the match goes out and it is gone. She lights another match and has a vision of sitting under a great big Christmas tree, and the lights on it are reaching higher and higher into the sky, like stars. Then she sees one fall and thinks of her dead grandmother who had told her that every time a star falls someone is dying. But once again the match goes out. Then she lights another match, only to see her grandmother, the only one who ever loved her. She quickly lit a bundle of matches so she could see her grandmother longer. Then the grandmother took the poor girl up in her arms and they flew towards the sky, and they were both with God. The child had died, frozen to death, but in a most wonderful way. The themes of this story are that death can be comforting, and to help those who are less fortunate then us, for often they go unnoticed.
There are quite a few similarities and differences in these stories, sometimes a similarity being a difference at the same time. For instance, in both stories there is a star, and in both stories the star is a large part of the story and represents death. In “The Little Match Girl” the star falls as she passes, as this quote shows: “Then she saw a star fall, leaving behind it a bright streak of fire. “Some one is dying,” thought the little girl, for her old grandmother, the only one who had ever loved her, and who was now dead, had told her that when a star falls, a soul was going up to God.” As the star fell the child was dying, unknown to her. In “ A Child Dreams of a Star” the star seems to have risen: “And one night as he lay upon his bed, his children standing round, he cried, as he had so long ago: ‘I see the star!’ They whispered one another, ‘He is dying.’ And he said, ‘I am. My age is falling from me like a garment, and I move towards the star as a child. And O, my Father, now I thank thee that it has so often opened, to receive those dear ones who await me!’” He also seems to be aware of his death, unlike “The Little Match Girl” who seems to just be dreaming things… That is another difference. For a similarity, in both stories death is represented as a positive event, warm and comforting. In the previous quote it shows this in “A Child Dreams of a Star” and in this quote from “The Little Match Girl” it also shows it: “She took the little girl in her arms, and they both flew upwards in brightness and joy far above the earth, where there was neither cold nor hunger nor pain, for they were with God.” As these quotes prove, the death of both of these characters seems to have been positive (except for the poor girl in “The Little Match Girl” being frozen and poor, but her actual “death” does not appear as a negative event).
Both of these stories have a very similar theme. The tone of “The Little Match Girl” is quite depressing in the beginning and middle, but in the end it seems a little more uplifting. “A Child Dreams of a Star” is happier to me throughout, for it does not tell of the main character’s despair as “The Little Match Girl” did (poverty, not making any money that day, being frozen to death, etc.). Both of these stories represent death as a positive event in one’s life. Overall both of these stories are very moving.

by Anna

Glennellen's description of Tinkerbell.....

I glanced through the bushes while walking in the mysterious woods. There sat upon its nest a beautiful dove, but what really caught my attention was the extraordinary creature that sat on her knees on the dove’s back…
It was a wee, magnificent creature that appeared to be, in fact, a fairy. She was pocket-sized, and sat gracefully upon her knees, observing her surroundings. Her tiny, delicate frame glowed and she wore a strapless, little green silk dress that had sharp little ridges at the bottom. Her elegant, golden hair was pulled on top of her head in a carefree, wind-blown up-do, looking like a cute messy bun. What kept her hair in place was a thin green ribbon that danced in the wind. On her dainty feet, she wore little jade colored, elf-like shoes, with small, white, fuzzy, puff balls on the tips.
Though her body was no bigger than my index finger, her blooming, enticing beauty overtook me…her face was gentle and sweet, yet alluring. Her eyes shone like dazzling clear blue crystals. Her lips were the color of rosy pink, neither too thin nor too full for perfection. Her skin, a pale, milky, smooth tone, glowed in the sunlight, casting off a radiant reflection.
Her dainty, tender fingers were spread apart against the dove’s feathery back, helping her keep her balance.
Graceful, soft wings spread across her back. They were just the right size for her little nymph figure. They were a light tint of pink, but clear so that you could see through them. Every now and then they would twitch happily, making me long to touch them.
This fascinating beauty, this little pixie, that was right before my eyes, happened to look my way. She didn’t fly away, but instead flashed her adorable, mischievous smile at me. It captured me in an irresistible way. Her wings now fluttered even more happily, and she let out her little tinker giggle. In an instant, she flew away on her little, elegant wings, a small yellowish gold glow circling her and leaving a trail of pixie dust as she fluttered by.
And I knew at that very moment that she was, without a doubt, the greatest fairy of them all…Tinkerbell.

~Glennellen

Luna's description of a lion...

I looked through the binoculars in my turn, and could not supress a shiver of wonder. I had seen a wonderful, terrible lion. It loped silently toward our tour vehicle, staring at us with its mesmerizing yellow eyes. The lion's fur was an orange-gold, with a more orange mane. I was sufficiently close to see his wet black nose and whitish snout. He was just padding next to our car, his ears perked. He didn't seem to want to harm us. The lion shook his head and his mane rippled in the breeze. His soulful eyes met mine, and I was transfixed in the deep pools of yellow-gold. He appeared to lose interest in the tour bus, but I knew this was not so. His long, sinuous body slunk off into the distance leaving me shaken.
~Luna

Becca's description....

As I entered the earth's outer space, I saw a small creature. It was in resembalance of an owl with its pointed ears. It was small and very round like a butterball. Its nose was comparable to a beak but rounded on the bottom. It swayed to and fro not staying at one place. Its eyes were as black as coal outlined in white. I watched it as it disappeared into the dark outer space.
~Becca

Amy's description of a tarsier...

I see him in my palm, a small tarsier listening to the sounds around him. His long, delicate fingers and his immense eyes looking at me, questioning what I am. His compact figure, soft and timid. His small, subtle nose smelling the air around him, trying to figure out his surroundings. He clings to my palm with a firm, but nervous grip, trusting, but uncertain of my intentions.
~Amy

Anna's description of a baby giraffe....

As the sand dries upon my face, I catch a glimpse of a lanky, Saharan animal. The juvenille leaf-eater scrumbles in the sand, with his protective mother at his side. The leggy sprog extends his graceful neck for a taste of foliage. His neck may be elegant, but he clambers awkwardly. He is innocent and accident-prone, pure yet ungainly. He is young and spotted, his ears look extensive compared to his wee profile. As our shabby jeep rolls along, I lose sight of this awe-inspiring young creature. It will, however, be inscribed in my memory for decades to come.
~Anna

Matthew's description of a gryphon....

As I gazed into my imagination, my breath was stolen away. For I saw before me a beautiful, shining myth. It was a majestic creature, with head, wings, and front claws of an eagle, and back paws, tail, mane and body of a lion. Its noble eyes gazed at me, and made me wonder what it thought, as it jumped and started to fly, its large, stunning body turning away from me. I watched the gryphon until I could no longer see it, or the sun's light reflecting off its grand, legendary body. I then woke up from my daydream.
~Matthew

Description of a puppy by Karleigh...

As I sat down on the hard wooden park bench, I saw this darling little Yorkie tumble through the dewy grass. It dashed at me, but not in an agressive way, but in the most beautiful play-like way. This beautiful little girl had to be the most loveable mammal that one ever saw. It had no meat on its bones, you could obviously see no one claimed to be a loving owner to this adorable puppy. It acted as a shy little thing, but was the most tender hearted mongrel. It danced around as it seemed to be saying, "Come play with me, come on." It had the most glass-like eyes. They almost looked teary. Its ears were flapping in the wind. I took in consideration to take this poor little puppy and give him the most loving home he could ever have.
~Karleigh

Description of a sea horse by Meghan...

Diving in the depths of the sea, I found a leaf-like sea dragon. Just swaying there, with its glowing seaweed-like arms branching out from its curved body. Just floating there in the darkness of the sea, with its long nose. His yellow eyes look out from his white sploched face, as he glances at me. I will forever remember this moment.
~Meghan

Ari's description of a tree frog...

I let out a gasp, for a croaker had hopped upon my shoulder. I quickly recovered from my surprise, and slowly turned to observe this being. It was of the slimy sort, its webbed toes felt gelatinous against my skin. Its lime-like skin was oozing with the slime, the yellow of his underside was like a sunflower, its red toes like cherries in Shirley Temples. This amphibian's adorable red eyes were so innocent, it was too weighty for me, I closed my eyes for a few seconds. Then I opened them to find a juicy grasshopper in my buddy's mouth. He had a ferocious appetite that forced me to think about how empty my stomach was. Regretfully, I placed the amusing creature on a stout tree and strolled off to my humble abode to get a marvelous feast from the refrigerator.
~Ari

Emily's description of a toddler....

As I sit watching Bean play with his trains I sense the joy that comes from such an insignificant thing. His sapphire eyes filled with uncontainable excitement. His silk hair dancing across his small forehead as he crawls around the floor, pushing his trains, bringing them to life in his eyes. His brightly colored cheeks growing pinker and pinker by the moment, as laughter spills from the depths of his tiny being. He clutches a train in his tiny, pudgy hand, and extends it to me to examine what he finds so interesting. I play along so as not to extinguish his passion for them. He is talking constantly, and though I don't know what he says, you can hear the enthusiasm rising in each word. I want to feel this way for the rest of my life, so I take out my camera, press the button, and capture this moment forever.
~Emily

The giant squid from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Today in class we wrote a descriptive paragraph of an animal, creature, or mythical beast based on the description of the cuttlefish from Jules Vernes' 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We focused on using specific, descriptive nouns, adjectives and verbs, along with a specific vantage point of the narrator in relation to the object being described. I think the students did an excellent job. Please enjoy reading the student's descriptions above.

Imitation of St. Augustine...

This week we did an imitation of a description of God from Augustine's The Confessions. Our class instead described Aslan, the Christ figure in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe...

Here is the original, St. Augustine description....
What, therefore, is my God? What, I ask, but the Lord God? "For whom is Lord but the Lord himself, or who is God besides our God?" Most high, most excellent, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful and most just; most secret and most truly present; most beautiful and most strong; stable, yet not supported; unchangeable, yet changing all things; never new, never old; making all things new, yet bringing old age upon the proud, and they know it not; always working, ever at rest; gathering, yet needing nothing; sustaining, pervading, and protecting; creating, nourishing and developing; seeking, yet possessing all things; Thou dost love, but without passion; art jealous, yet free from care; dost repent without remorse; art angry, yet remainest serene. Thou changest thy ways, leaving thy plans unchanged; thou recoverest what thou hast never really lost. Thou art never in need but still thou dost rejoice at thy gains; art never greedy, yet demandest dividends.

~~Please post your descriptions in the comments section of this post~~Thanks!

Ari's Happy Lady

~ Happy Lady ~

This woman seems to enjoy her life and all those who surround her. Her smooth unlined face portrays she is a carefree spirit who hardly ever worries. Her nonchalant attitude shows that she is at peace with the world and most likely her fears. She wears an unusual coconut hat, revealing she isn't afraid to act silly; and she is comfortable being herself. Her cheeks show her strength and how she uses it. The strength in her cheeks signal to all around not to mess with her. Her eyes are like brownies fresh out of the oven, dark-brown, warm, sparkling with happiness. The spring-glow of her radiant face gives her the look of someone who is tranquil. The lady's enormous smile gives all who are down, a warm feeling on the inside.

Anna's Descriptive Writing Essay

Description of a Person I Have Named LEO

  Her face has calmness to it, along with a question of why her picture is being taken.  The lines of her face are prominent, yet at the same time very smoothed.  She seems to have very deep thoughts, but does not know how to express them correctly.  Her luscious lips have a half-smile on them, but only to one side.  Her mouth seems mellow, but also gives you the sense that she just might know something about yourself and the world you don’t.  Her nose is small and delicate, expressing how she was as a child; though she is still a young woman.  Her eyes, which I would picture to be beautiful, are hidden behind large circular glasses, as though they are in hiding, afraid of what the world might think.  Her glasses give her a certain confidence, however strange and awkward that might sound.  The eyes are the windows to the soul, and therefore if they are covered, she can’t be hurt, at least not the way that she sees it.  Her brows give her an even-tempered look… not too vertical making her have a look of surprise, but not too narrow and shallow that they make her look angry or confused.  Her hair expresses a very free-spirited side of her, in a sense that if her hair would not be quite so curly and buoyant you may not know her as being a free spirit.  Her face has an overall understanding over her surroundings, yet a lingering question of if there is more she hasn’t seen; And if so, a yearning to see it.

Glennellen's Photo

Here is Glennellen's descriptive essay:

You can tell just by looking at her face that she is curious about whatever she is observing. Beauty shines out of her, as well as kindness and sincerity. The way she stands, her fingers curled around the hood of her cloak and bending to get a closer look at something, shows great significance. There are so many details that are shown from her main features...

EYES: Interest and Curiosity

BROW: Tranquillity

HAIR: Grace and Delicateness

SMILE: Gentleness

FACE: True Beauty

She does not appear all done up, but clean and fresh. Like she is expressing her true beauty that God gave her. The jewel on her forehead can make us wonder, and yet at the same time, look in awe at how simple and yet so elegant it looks. She gives us a pure appearance...and you can tell that she would be gentle with whatever she touches or looks upon. You can see in her eyes that she is interested and pays close attention to whatever it may be that she is focused on, and her smile can also express that she is laid back and has no worries. Her brow not only shows tranquillity, but a sign of trust. Like you know that she has full understanding.

Great patience also flows over her, like she's not in a rush and feels free and that there is no hurry. She appears to be a soft-spoken girl, not someone who is loud and is easily angered.

This is what I see in this pure, beautiful girl's appearance. I do not know if any of you see the same, but I know that that is what I see in her. Feel free to tell me what you think of what I wrote and you can tell me what YOU also see, if you wish.

Descriptive Writing Tutorial

It occurred to me after class yesterday, that perhaps a tutorial in how to write a description would've been a good idea. I'll show you how I go about writing mine and you can follow along with your own portrait photo.

Good writers will touch the readers emotions, so I'll begin by listing the emotions I see in this man's face:
Wisdom
Strength
Determination
Free will
Joy

Write down the emotions you see in the face you're describing.

Next I'll connect the emotion to the feature:
Wisdom~eyes
Strength~face
Determination~brow
Free Will~hair, beard
Joy~smile

Try to connect the emotions you identified with the features on your portrait.

Now I have something to work with: specific adjectives for certain features. I need to imagine the life he lived.

Now I'll have to decide what feature to describe first. I think I'll start with his overall face, then skin and then features from top to bottom. You can begin the same way or choose your own order.

Let's begin:
A man of strength who has seen many trials and come out beyond. His dark, aged skin roughened by the weather of the years shines brightly in the sun. His brow set in determination of what he knows is right. His eyes, almost black, sparkle with the wisdom of experience. Remembering music of the past, his mouth turns upwards in a smile of joy. Refusing to grow old, his hair hangs in dreadlocks on his forehead, a nod to well fought freedom and choice. A gray, ragged beard softens his face which challenges a new generation to grow and change.

My girls would tell you my style is kind of "cheesy." You don't have to write in my style, I encourage you all to find a voice of your own, but maybe my tips will get you started.

Have fun with this assignment~paint your portrait in words!

Task 1.5 Writing in the style of Dickens

If you're writing along, change your description from task 1.1 to the style of Dickens. Here's my revision:
A joyful woman, vibrant in nature, with an open smile on her face. A woman with lines of laughter etched around face, and with a twinkle in her eyes and wisps of grayed hair neatly in place. A woman who had lived many years, and seen the joy of birth, and the pain of death, and felt the struggle of life and the strength in friends, and the pain in loving and letting go; who lifted her head and clasped her hands together and laughed and smiled as she looked up to the sky . Her life complete.

Task 1.3 Writing in the style of Geoffrey of Vinsauf

Ageless Joy
Let God shape a sphere for her face; let the wind gently blow her fragile graying locks. Let her brow, framed in smooth folds, resemble the rocking waves of the desert sand. Let her nose crinkle in laughter. Let her eyes, peering from above her laughing cheeks, sparkle with joy. Let her face look heavenward with an expression between delight and surprise. Let her mouth open wide in laughter, years younger than her self. Let her lips be thin and smooth; pink and fresh, like the first bud of the cherry blossom. Let her straight, porcelain teeth sparkle, and her breath be that of a fresh spring day. With love, let God mould her soft and rounded chin-God the creator of joy and beauty. Let the skin of her neck gently drape away from her face. Let her gentle voice set forth laughter and surround those around her. Let her shoulders curve with age, smooth, not angular, their structure small and delicate, showing her fragility. Let her hands clap together, delighting in the moment.

Task 1.1

Write a one page description of someone of interest.  I chose the woman above: