The Decision of an Empress

Richard Duke Of Gloucester And The Lady Anne 

Walking in the funeral procession for my father, King Henry, I feel deeply bitter. But I cannot express my feeling to anyone since I have to take over the task of winning the war. My kingdom is a place abundant in natural resources; people live a blessed life without any war in their entire lives. However, right after my father’s death, the kingdoms in the north planned to start a war against us in order to expand their territory. Their armies are stronger mine and also have more experiences. How can I win the war? Prince of another kingdom, Richard, who is notorious for his cruelty and scheming, approaches toward me. He and his retinue wear blood red with adornments, while other people are all in black. He says he is willing to assist me in winning the war as long as I promise to marry him. This request sounds ridiculous to me. I tactfully refuse him. He wants me to consider again, and then he leaves.

After the funeral, my mind races for other strategies to win the war. I am worried my people will hurt, my land will be incomplete, my kingdom will no longer be a fertile place. I wish I could rule the kingdom successfully just like my father. I wavered, what if Richard was right? Would marrying him be the best solution? At that moment, my servant gives me a letter in reply from my uncle, the king of the country far from mine. In the letter, uncle said he and his army are on the way toward here.

They arrive three days later, just before the war started. Soldiers and I fight together for our kingdom. We trust each other. Death didn’t threaten us at that time. Eventually, we won the war together.

I have a sigh of relief. I can rule my kingdom by myself, and I don’t have to marry someone that I hate.

Going back to the road that my father’s funeral was held; I can still remember those scenes of that day.

Now, I am empress. This is the start of my ruling. I believe I can rule the kingdom as well as my father did, and bring my kingdom to another glorious era.

More Adult Than Children

In Rawling’s “A Mother in Manville” and Wall’s The Glass Castle, both main characters, Jerry and Jeannette, were more adult than children. Jerry was an orphan and even though Jeannette had a mother, she didn’t get good care from her parents. There are three qualities that Jerry and Jeannette possess that make them adult－independence, braveness, and thoughtfulness.

First, they both took care of themselves and sometimes even others. Jerry took the milk twice daily to the baby cottage. He also took good care of the narrator and her dog, Pat. He was very good at taking care of others since he had to take care of himself and younger children in the orphanage. Jeanette’s mother did not pay attention to her so she had to meet her basic needs by herself. She cooked for herself and shared food with her dog. She already knew how to cook hot dogs at the age of three even though the full water pan was too heavy for her to hold and the process she used to fill the pot was time consuming. She cooked methodically making it clear that she did so often.

Secondly,  both Jerry and Jeannette faced the world bravely. Jerry once broke the ax handle, but he refused to take the money from the narrator. He wanted to pay for it by himself even though he only had a little money. He stood back of his own carelessness, and took the responsibility without hesitatation. Jeannette was burned seriously while she was cooking hot dogs when she was three. We all realize that third degree burns are excrutiatingly  painful. However, she suffered the pain and  she never cried, instead remaining calm. Besides, after being checked by doctors, she was told that she would be fine. She answered, “I know, but if I’m not, that’s okay, too.” They both showed their unwaveringly brave attitude towards life.

Last but not least, another characteristic they shared was thoughtfulness. Jerry did for narrator the unnecessary but gracious things. He dug a deep hole in the rough walk to the cabin, in order to prevent the narrator from stumbling on  a stone. He also kept some wood in a cubbyhole, allowing the narrator to always have dry wood. Jeannette once tumbled out of the car while her father was driving and rolled several yards. Her parents did not even notice and took some time to return for her. She was wounded and couldn’t help but burst into tears. She thought her parents were going to leave her alone. However, when her parents came back for her she didn’t blame them at all, instead she was able to understand her parents' feelings. She was thoughtful.

The main characters in both stories, Jerry and Jeannette, were independent, brave and thoughtful. They showed their personality clearly, and were more adult than children. This conclusion could be stronger with simply another sentence or two.

Struggling in the Water

It was a bright sunny day in September. I went to the outdoor swimming pool at our club with my father, mother, and sister at the age of six. The swimming pool was designed in the shape of a donut. There were tall coconut trees standing in the middle of the pool with shrubs and colorful flowers beside them. Around the swimming pool, there were tall trees and wooden deck chairs. I could not swim at that time and the pool was too deep for me to stand. Therefore, I had my own colorful water wings on my both arms. I played happily with my sister and father while my mother lay on one of the deck chairs reading a book on the other side of the swimming pool. We played a lot of games, including "Rock Paper Scissors" under the water.

An Angle of that Swimming Pool 

After playing for thirty minutes, I wanted to rest with mom. When I got out of the water and stood beside the pool, my sister told me that she wanted to play with my water wings. Without hesitating, I pulled off my wings and gave them to my sister. I hopped along the swimming pool on my own, feeling joyful and couldn't wait to tell mom how fun it was to play in the pool.

Carelessly, I went too close to the pool. I felt myself flied and then fell into pool. My head went under the water. Every time I took a breath, I choked. I tried so hard to kick myself to the surface but I was not strong enough. Whenever I reached the air, I gasped and yelled for help. Quickly, I went under the water again. I could see the blue sky with water ripples and white bubbles above me.

However, I couldn't escape the water that swallowed me. In those seconds, I realized breathing is crucial to life. Just about worn out of energy, I saw my father jump into the water. He held me in his big hands and lifted me up to the poolside. I saw the tightness on his face. He scooped me up in a big towel. My parents and sister held me tightly. The warmness they gave to me caused my trembling to stop.

The struggle in water, and saved by my father. This is the experience that I will never forget.

My Secret Corner

Rocking back and forth, I feel the refreshing breeze on my face. This is my secret place on campus, - the rocking chair  in a  corner of the Saybrook College courtyard. The wooden chair is worn and weathered. I can feel the age of it when touching its rough surface. There is a blue canvas painted with black flowers that serves as an awning and prevents me from fainting in the sun. When I lift  up my cup of black tea from the drink holder beside me, my casual afternoon starts.

The tree in front of me is thick and tall enough to conceal me. Since it can still let in some sunshine through the dark and light green interwoven leaves, the sun dapples the ground. Being seven stairs above the courtyard, I can clearly see what people are doing in the courtyard while they cant not see me. They chat joyfully with bubble laughter, take photos of the remarkable architecture, or walk quickly through on their way to class. By seeing them, I feel like a spy.
When the wind starts to blow, birds fly away from the tree making a feathery music. The leaves rustle in the wind and sparkle under the sunlight. Yellow and brown dried leaves on the ground  fly and dance in the wind. The whole courtyard looks like a party held by nature.

My back rests against the wooden chair comfortably and my legs are crossed. Feeling extremely relaxed, I close my eyes and take a deep breath; I hear different tones from two species of birds twittering at the same time, creating  a harmonious duet. Suddenly, the bell rings, and my whole world moves with the solemn sound. After the bell rings, I continue to rock on my chair, undisturbed. This is my secret corner; it always leaves me relaxed and pleased.

Finally here!

On registration day, I sat in the mini van rented by my sister and felt nervous and excited at the same time. Suddenly, the Sterling Memorial Library caught my eye. It is the biggest and the most ancient library I have ever seen. " Finally here!" I said it to myself. This is the place that I looked forward to for nearly three months. 

Sterling Memorial Library and me

Rotating ladder in Saybrook College

Saybrook College, opened in 1933, is different from other colleges by its two courtyards. All the buildings are made from rock. They are so breathtaking and just like those in Harry Potter! This is the place I am going to live for these six weeks. It took a great effort for me to find the entryway of my room since the arrangement is just like a maze. When getting in the entryway, I found that the stairs are even more amazing than the outward of the architectures. It is a circular stairway. The width of it can only let one person pass. The floors are gray and mottled. The walls are dark red and I feel like I am passing the time back to 1950’s whenever I walk on these stairs. In my room, I can see the courtyard through the windows; hear the twittering from birds in the morning. I love the place where I live.

        

Saybrook College

In my first impression, the Sterling Memorial Library is a symbol for Yale. It is stately, towering, and ancient. This is the place I planed to come. Although I only have six weeks here, I believe it is long enough for me to make myself like a student with Yale temperament.