Writing About Painting: The Mill

           The famous artist Rembrandt was born in Amsterdam, Holland, in 1606. He spent the rest of his life there, painting the people and scenery surrounding him. He often depicted his family members, and he was best known for his realistic portraits of people. He completed more self-portraits over the course of his life than any other artist in history. Some of his works feature windmills, which were abundant in Holland in his time period. Most of Rembrandt's models wore dark, grim clothing. So, sometimes for fun, Rembrandt would dress flamboyantly in bright colors and jewels, and then paint himself. When his first wife Saskia died, Rembrandt hired a woman named Hendrickje to take care of his only son, Titus. She and Rembrandt soon fell in love and later they had a daughter, Cornelia. Rembrandt often incorporated religion into his pieces. He painted many Bible scenes. Rembrandt did not save the fortune he accumulated from his paintings. Instead he bought antiques and random items and used them in his works. Rembrandt died in 1669, at age 63.

  

             I think this painting is amazing because it takes a simple, ugly day and spins it into a beautiful landscape. I love the way the windmill glows like the sun is setting across the river, even when the sun isn't shown in the painting. Rembrandt painted very realistic details, like the reflection of the trees in the water. Something that I noticed about this painting is that the people at the bottom are really not the focus of the image. It's almost as if they're hiding. They're an afterthought in the shadow of the mill.



Wait for the Day to Dawn

As the sky blanket billows down
On top, blends gray and brown
Spread your potluck on the ground
And wait for the sky to sob.

As the river ripples clear
Filled with sorrow, built with tears
Welcome friends to share a cheer
And wait for the news to ring.

As the wind hums its tune
Silent cry of weathering dune
Stay awhile, don't leave so soon
Just wait for the mill to whistle.


           This is the poem I wrote about Rembrandt's piece The Mill. In each stanza I tried to express the natural beauty in the poem, but also to observe the people and their interactions. The way I look at the painting, there's a family living in Amsterdam. The father is taking a turn on his boat while his son watches on the banks. The mother and baby girl lie down on a blanket at the edge of the water, and the grandfather stands back to admire the land from a little farther away. I think that this painting can be related to those special family days where you just enjoy being together. It might be different all over the world, but you can always find peace somewhere. I think that The Mill is the depiction of that place for Rembrandt. His escape. What's yours?


 Venezia, Mike. 'Rembrandt.' Pages 3,4,6,9,17,18,22,26,27,28,29,30. 

Pointy-Eared Love

            Can a man with almost no emotion love?  This question is put to the test in Star Trek, by Alan Dean Foster. The book is  a novel based off of the recent Star Trek movie. I myself being a huge Trekkie, I'm giving this book another shot (I abandoned it halfway through last year.) Since I've seen the movie so many times, I didn't need a refresher on the plotline, so I'm able to jump right in where I left off, some 150 pages in.
           Spock: big character, Vulcan (alien race), no (apparent) emotion. Uhura: marginally less important, human, bursting with personality. They say opposites attract. Is this a match made in heaven? Vulcans experience, in fact, emotion but it is very deep within them and hard to reach. I don't know if Uhura and Spock's budding relationship, which she kicked off with a kiss in the turbolift (a kind of cordless elevator) can withstand the lack of emotional response from Spock to Uhura. On the other end of the spectrum, Uhura might be supplying an overload of emotional demand he might not be able to deal with.
         However, there are also advantages to a relationship between Spock and Uhura. Spock, for instance, would not likely be offended by any quirks of Uhura's. Also, Spock comes from a race built on logic (and pointy ears), so Uhura would be ensured total faithfulness from Spock, because the opposite is, well, illogical.
         Do you think this intergalactic, interracial couple will survive? Please leave your opinion below! Thanks for reading.

Where's Crouch?

Where's old Barty?
Where's Crouch to be found?
He was last seen
Amock, on the grounds

Where's old Barty?
Bartemius, where?
He was in need of a washing
(And so was his hair.)

Where's old Barty?
Harry'd like to know
He stunned young Krum
After that, where'd he go?

We can't find old Barty
Crouch's gone down
Got everyone looking, but
Not one sight, not one sound.

           This is an odd little poem I wrote about how Bartemius Crouch went missing in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire   by J.K. Rowling. Barty was a Ministry official (Ministry of Magic) that Harry found stumbling madly through the Hogwarts forest, deranged. Harry was with Viktor Krum when it happened, a Bulgarian 17 year old wizard. Harry ran to fetch Dumbledore, but when they got back, Krum was unconscious and Crouch was no where to be found. Where's old Barty?
            The first paragraph is supposed to be somewhat ironic because Crouch, in sanity, was a very strict and law-abiding wizard. The thought of him not appearing composed at anytime would seem ridiculous to those who knew his character. The second paragraph is an elaboration on the first, about how it's preposterous that Crouch would turn up disheveled--and yet he did.
            The third and fourth paragraphs contemplate where Crouch could have gone, and how. After he stunned Krum, he seemed to evaporate without any evidence of where he might have headed. Was he kidnapped? Did he flee, and if so, how did he do it quickly enough to evade detection?

Harry VS. Ron: Overexposed VS. Overshadowed

       Everybody in the world has baggage to carry. Whether it's emotional, medical, mental, or physical, nobody is 100% comfortable with themselves. Some problems may seem more diffucult to some people. But is it even possible to measure how heavy a person's pack is?
           I'm halfway into Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling. At one point, Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend, becomes angry at him because he thinks Harry was  lying about entering the Triwizard Tournament (a dangerous magical competition) which he didn't. Hermione Granger, Harry's other friend, explained that she thought Ron was really jealous of Harry's attention. So I decided to analyze the difference between the two of them, and see who really had it worse.
           Ron has six siblings, as opposed to Harry's none. He also has two parents....and Harry? Nil. In the family view of life, I think Ron has it better. He will never be lonely, and when he needs support, he has countless sources and an abundance if love. Harry has no one, apart from his wanton aunt, uncle and cousin. He has nobody to lean on or to guide him when he needs advice.
          Financially, Harry wins the game easily. His parents left him a fortune when they died. He will always have access to whatever he needs. Ron's family is poor, and his possessions are cheap or secondhand. I think that Ron feels inferior to Harry in someways, and embarrassed by his family's economic condition, which Harry has never had the misfortune of feeling.
          In terms of individuality, the friends might be tied.  Being so famous because of something he can't remember puts pressure on Harry Potter to succeed. Everywhere he goes, there's publicity, and many times he wishes to escape it and be treated like a normal kid. Ron, however, has no one to please, no expectations to fulfill, no nosy cameras and reporters, because everybody looks at him as just another of the Weasley boys, all of whom have already formed their reputations.  But maybe this is why Ron may not try his  hardest in school, because he feels there's no point if he's always overshadowed by his own kin.
          Now that the score is tallied...I am forced to conclude that there IS no conclusion. Nobody can place a ribbon on the most unfortunate person. We all have different challenges to face. HOW we face them is the real judge of our character, not pity. But what do you say, reader? Do you think it is possible to weigh misfortune? Please leave your comments below. I'm anxious to hear what you have to say, and thanks for reading!