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.