A Hero's Journey

A Hero's Journey

The song in this is Glitter & Gold by Rebecca Ferguson
Some of the phrasing can be a bit awkward because of the limit on how much you could write, but you get the gist of it.

ENG4U Module 8: The Alchemist and Mandalas

For Santiago's Mandala, I chose to represent all the characters he met on his way. Although this was a personal journey for Santiago, it wouldn't have been so enlightening had it not been for the important people he met, such as Melchizedek, Fatima, and of course, The Alchemist.
Clockwise from top left: Melchizedek, The Shopkeeper, The Englishman, Fatima, The Alchemist and The Coptic Monk.

For my Mandala, I also chose to represent the most important people in my life. Relationships, friendships and family is all extremely important to me.

Clockwise from top left: My mother, my father, a self-portrait of my sister, boxes of nerds to represent my self-proclaimed nerd of a best friend, Celine, my other best friend Alex at Zombie Walk (the first time we met) and a drawing a friend did to represent my relationship with my boyfriend, Nathan.

The Day I Met Death

The following poem is a response to Emily Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop For Death. It ties in with her idea that death is a journey and we all will eventually meet him. I explore the thought of the journey to death, reflecting on your life and finally meeting death. 

I chose the road less traveled

Dark and shrouded in mystery

It eventually will unravel 

And show all my history

My adventure starts

With swing sets and slides

And papers showing that I was smart

And how I went against the tides

As I walked I saw

A couple holding hands

Kissing in pure awe

And laughing in the sands

I met him for the first time

As he lead my father away

I screamed that it's a crime

But he walked on without delay

I passed by a bride

Giggling in delight

As the knot is tied

And she embraces her shining knight

I came upon a house

Familiar to the eye

Children playing with your spouse

I couldn't help but to cry

And now the path is ending
I've seen all there is to see

I finally saw him waiting

Underneath a tree

He greets me with a smile

And lead me through a door

Those I lost stand single file

And greeted me once more

"Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home." ~ Anna Quindlen

     With books, it’s not about the ending of the story. It’s never about if the boy gets the girl, or if good triumphs over evil. What entices a reader is how the boy gets the girl and how good vanquishes evil. A reader relishes in the journey, and doesn’t want to just skip to the end. However, when you do get to the end you have this satisfying feeling. You know these characters, you’ve gone on this adventure w ith them, and now can share their victories.

      A good book can consume you into an entirely different world. They can transport you to other lands, make you befriend the characters and accept a foreign place into your heart. A good book becomes another home for you. This concept, the idea that a book is the journey and the destination is essential in good literature. A book is like a road trip, rather than a trip to the mall. When you go to the mall, you don’t care for the journey; you just want to get there. With a road trip, it’s all about the experiences you have on the way there – whatever your destination is, it’s just a bonus.
   
     When I read a book, I want to lose myself in another world for a couple of hours. I want to meet new people and let them take me on this escapade. I want to learn about them, what they think, why they do things and what happens to them. I want to become a part of the story myself. A good piece of literature will make you feel more at home than anything else, all while exciting you. We all love finding out the ending to a story – but what is the point if you don’t hear the story first?