Assignment: Adjectives

[Note: Double-hit list is in effect.]

Compose an original essay of approximately 200 words describing a person. The person may be almost anyone: a relative, teacher, friend, or maybe an “enemy” who came to be a friend.
OR:
Write an original essay describing a work of art. You could choose a painting, a piece of sculpture, a building, or even a song. You might include such elements as color, texture, size, shape, (sense of) movement, details, organization or division into parts and how the parts come together to form a (harmonious) whole, mood created or evoked, your reaction or feeling toward the object, etc.

Suggested structure for a description of a person (much of it can be adapted for a description of a work of art):

1. Title. Include one, and remember that in Spanish, normally only the first letter of a title and proper names are capitalized.
2. Introductory paragraph. It might be an opening statement as to why this person is/has been important in your life or why he/she merits being written about. Or, you might present a more dynamic opening, a brief situation in which the reader gets a glimpse of the person “in action”, followed perhaps by a statement regarding the purpose of the essay.
3. The body of the essay: the description/story of the person involved. It is recommended that you do two things:
   1. Describe the person, giving details regarding his/her physical appearance, personality, and/or accomplishments. This can be in the present tense (if for example, the individual is still alive or exerting an influence on you), or in the imperfect/preterit (if he/she is dead, or you are looking at the person/situation as something in the past). Note: Try to avoid overusing the same monotonous verbs, especially ser, estar, and tener.
   2. Bring the person to life by portraying him/her in a “life” situation, series of events, or favorite recollections. If you used the present tense in the above description, you will probably need to switch to the preterit/imperfect here. However, while you are actually narrating what happened in past time, avoid switching back and forth between the resent and past tenses.
4. A conclusion of some type. This might be a summation; if so, avoid the mere repetition of what you wrote elsewhere in the essay. Or, it might look to the future: what this person —or you, because of his/her influence— might do or become. It is even possible to switch and direct the end of the essay to the person described, for example, an expression of appreciation.