Liana Mora

Professor Heohne

Fairy Tales and Rewritings

12 September 2019

English Brushstrokes

Throughout high school, I have always been one to arrive late to English class. I was never a fan of the subject much less of those who taught it. I was forced to read books for class assignments and from time to time I did read, however, not for enjoyment, but because it was my responsibility. Regardless of my dislike towards the subject I somehow made my way into the class top percentile and was moved into advanced placement classes which the moment I had the chance I transferred out from. My eternal fight against English had finally come to an end once I was enrolled in Ms. Kaplan’s Art of the Narrative class.

I had made it to my senior year of high school and senioritis had hit before I even walked past the prison looking gates that enclosed the school. The first day I was placed in a class that I had already taken, therefore, needed a schedule change. Some of my friends were in Kaplans first period class and suggested to transfer into it. It had not come to my attention to ask what the class was about, but which friends were in the class. As I filled out the transfer request sheet I thought, Okay so who’s in that class? William, Eva, and Daniela? No way! I’m transferring in! The second day of school I walked into class and found tables of brand-new crafting tools which turned out to be my sole companions for the rest of the year. We started with an “All About Me” page in our sketchbook which was pretty exciting. Then one day out of nowhere I walked into class late and found everyone reading a lengthy article in a room where you could hear a pin drop and that is where my fantasy had come to an end.

Kaplan had an interesting way of managing her class which I will always admire. Her assignments and projects followed a similar style. First, she would present a reading or topic for context then, assigned us a very broad prompt that was up for interpretation. We responded to her prompt with art utilizing any type of materials available and attached a final essay, the order in which we got it done was up to us as long as it was ready for a class presentation. With assignments I have always preferred to do the fun parts first which in this case was the art piece. I discovered my personality through experimentation; my patience with mosaic art, my adaptability when something went wrong, how dramatic I can get when something went extremely wrong, and even how discreet I can get to hide my work from Kaplan so she’ll only see the result. Creating art before the essay helped me express myself without really noticing. Pressing my brush against the smooth canvas magically formed thesis statements without even noticing. Having side by side my final art piece and my blank essay paper I read within those brush strokes and suddenly all the pieces fit together in one moment of inspiration and I endlessly wrote.

Kaplan made me take a different perspective on literacy while sitting through her class presentations. I realized that literature meanings might be a solid idea, however, responding to the readings through artform provided us the liberty to express ourselves. Art is a universal language and utilizing it side by side with writing allowed me to create metaphors that helped me connect all my ideas into one concrete foundation. This class has influenced my reaction to literature to the extent that I now look forward to class. Of course, there might be days where I go to my old self, but this new side of me seeks ways to incorporate verbal creativity and is fully present during classes to catch those moments where a metaphor can be mentally incorporated.

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