I am also interested in examining the poem “Merry- Go-Round,” by Langston Hughes. The historical setting of the poem is America in the early fifties during segregation. At this time, Jim Crow laws separated Blacks from Whites. Under these laws, African Americans were forced to use separate facilities, attend different institutions, and sit separately from whites on public transportation. In this poem, a young black child questions where to sit on the merry-go-round, because there is no back of a merry-go-round. This reveals the young child was an oppressed African-American living in America before the Civil Rights Movement. This would be a great text to use for identity, because Black identity during segregation is the essence of the poem. I would love to put this text in comic format.

The other text I would be interested in examining would be Oprah Winfrey’s eulogy to Rosa Parks.  In this eulogy, Oprah explained the identity of Parks. She describes Rosa’s strong character and kind heart. Oprah said that her brave actions against segregation allowed African Americans to regain a piece of their own humanity. It would be interesting to take this text, and use it to make a poem about the life and influence of Rosa Parks. I can also make a cartoon, starting with her early anti-segregation actions, and ending with her death. This would be an interesting text to use.

*In the event that the words cannot be seen, I decided to type each box*

1.) It was a hot July day on Montauk Beach in Long Island, New York. The sand burned my toes as my mom applied sunscreen to my fair skin.

2.) Six years old, and with my new Little Mermaid bathing suit, I was eager to jump into the ocean. My older cousins took me down to the water.

3.) They held my hands and told me to stay where the water hit my legs, but I quickly grew bored of this rule.

4.) Having taken four swim lessons, I thought I could swim on my own. I broke away from my cousins and dove into the depths of the ocean.

5.) All of a sudden, a huge wave crashed over me. It twisted my 40 pound body, and pushed me under the water. I was running out of air when the lifeguard ran into the water and saved me. He pulled me quickly back to shore.

6.) After he hit my back, I could finally breathe again. I began to cry. It was then that I realized the threat of the ocean, and the fact that I was not invincible.

Why Did I draw My Story This Way?

I decided to break my story up into 6 boxes. The first four boxes served as the exposition. They were of equal size. The climax of my story was given a large rectangular box. I thought that the turning point should be in a big box, so that readers would know that it is important. The closing box is small, but centered on the page. I decided to make it that way, so that the reader knew it was the central lesson of the story. My comic has a lot of dialogue within it. Dialogue between the characters helps the reader gain a greater understanding of what’s happening. Although I am not a good artist, my stick figures represent the characters well. In the final box, I thought that showing the character’s tears would help readers understand her fear.

It was another day on the job in Montauk, New York.  This record breaking July heat wave brought locals and tourists to our beach. I could feel my skin burning in the hot summer sun. As I sat up on my lifeguard stand, I looked out upon a sea of tremendous responsibility. Nearly 100 heads bobbed up and down in the water, and I was singularly responsible for all of their lives. As my eyes continued to monitor the sea from left to right, I quickly caught sight of a girl in a Little Mermaid bathing suit.  I saw her holding her cousin’s hand as she jumped over the waves. All of a sudden, she broke away from her cousins, and dove into the depths of the water. She was swimming by herself, but seemed to be struggling. As she paddled, her family on the shore screamed for her to get out of the water. All of a sudden, a huge wave crashed right upon the girl’s head. I could see her body circulating in the crashing wave. She kicked her legs around, but was unable to pull her body out of the sea. As soon as I saw she was in distress, I blew my whistle. The people on the shore silenced, and focused on my every move. Jumping off the lifeguard stand, I sprinted into the water, and grabbed the young girl. I carried her back to the shore, where her family was anxiously awaiting her return. As soon as she regained the ability to breathe, she began to cry. It was at that moment, she learned the threat of the ocean. Her mother thanked me, and gave me a hug. I had saved her daughter’s life.

I read texts closely; I like to search for greater meaning behind the simple sentences. It never surprises me that I can read a book two or three times, and understand the story differently each time. As a writer, I would describe my self as straightforward and obvious; I like to describe situations and people exactly how they are. My favorite books are all true stories, or fictitious pieces that could easily happen in real life. I like to write about simple timeless issues that are of importance to everyone. I enjoy using creative adjectives and descriptions in my writing. I would describe my writing style as direct and simple. When it comes to reading, I like to take my time and absorb every piece of text. My biggest frustration with writing is starting papers, sometimes I experience awful writers block.