Thursday, February 10, 2011

Essay 1


Sarahi Carranza
Lauren Servais
English 100           
February 8, 2011
Photograph
            Photographs are often heavily important for many of us. They hold a lot of significance because they’re capable of capturing so much. They can capture an important moment in our life or even someone that we cherish. I found a particular picture that is truly valuable to me. It’s an image of my sister, my only sibling whom I care for and love dearly. The setting is also vital to it’s value.
            Last summer I attended a music festival in San Francisco with my sister. This was a special occasion for her because it was her first time going to any kind of live music event. The first day we arrived, we wandered around and we arrived at one of the stages in which a reggae band was playing. I, of course, had my camera and one of the pictures that I took was a picture of my sister at this very moment. The reason why I like this particular photograph so much has to do with the fact that I’ve experienced a lot alongside my sister.
            We had a fairly happy childhood; we had loving parents that were able to provide a comfortable life for us. As we grew older though, we began to have trouble at home. It wasn’t necessarily serious trouble, but it distanced us a lot from our father. It was tough for both of us. Children deserve to have a healthy relationship with their parents, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case for us. By the time I was about 12 years of age, we had altogether stopped talking to my dad.
Carranza 2
It was quite an experience for us because it was emotionally straining. Even thought it was difficult for me, it was especially hard for her to deal with the situation. Although the experience wasn’t pleasant, it brought us closer. We had to rely a lot on each other during this time because no one else could really grasp what we were going through. My mom is a great person, but frankly, she wasn’t very sympathetic in this case.
            She would just write us off and she came to the conclusion that we were at fault for the distance that had been created between my father and ourselves. She was partly correct. In any relationship, it takes more than one person for a strong bond to form. In any case, my sister and I depended on each other’s support. We would talk about the situation with one another and that strengthened our relationship.
            This is not the only reason for my emotional attachment to the photograph. My sister is very important to me, but the location is also significant. San Francisco is a city that I love. The bay area in general has appealed to me since I was very young. I have family here and because of that; I had the opportunity to visit often. Visiting up north was always something that I looked forward to as a child. I was always happy here. I got the chance to spend time with loved ones and I also took in all the beauty of the valley and of the city as well.
            Now that I live here I’m able to enjoy this environment on a daily basis. The music festival that I attended in the summer was one of the first things that I really enjoyed after moving here. Fresh out of high school, I wasn’t too sure of what it was that I was going to be doing. In the midst of all that confusion, I was able to share an

Carranza 3
unforgettable experience with someone that I admire and appreciate. My photograph is a visual recording of this. 

3 comments:

  1. Hi Sarahi,

    I think it's great that you chose to write about your sister. Family is such an important thing!

    I was really confused about the "Carranza 2" and "Carranza 3" though. I'm not sure if that is just a formating error though.

    A suggestion for your essay would be to go into more detail. Maybe talk about one event that brought you closer to your sister in more detail.

    I also really like how you were able to transition from talking about your sister to San Fransico.



    - Sara Nogueiro

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  2. I'm glad that you wrote about your sister, and I can understand your realtionship with her because I'm VERY VERY close with my sister, but I think you could add more to why your close your sister and how that relates to the event you went to with her. More about that day, or any conversations that happened during the trip there. Including how your sister and you grew stronger as sisters during your father's absence could help readers understand the bong.

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  3. Sarahi,

    Really at the end of the day all we have is our family. I too had my shares of trouble at home when I was ten or so and reading your essay brought it back to me but not in a bad way but in a way that I'm happy for my self now. I have three brothers and know how important that bond really is. A suggestion that I would give is that you have a great paper here that flows well but maybe some vivid details like sights, smells, sounds, tastes would give your essay the tiny boost it needed. Im glad things are good for you now and you got to enjoy live music. Thank you for your time Sarahi.

    -B

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