Marking Period 1

Mr. Freeman tells the students that they will be responsible for a yearlong art project in which they will portray a single object through different artistic mediums. The goal of the assigment is to imbue the object with emotion and “soul.” The students will select their object by pulling a scrap of paper from a broken globe. Melinda picks the word “tree.”

It is significant that Melinda draws the word "tree" from the globe. At first, she believes the assignment will be simple to complete, but the tree will come to be representative of Melinda and her growth. As a plant, the tree is a symbol of life and regeneration, but often needs to have diseased limbs removed to continue to survive, grow, and thrive. Melinda’s struggle to create a tree over the year will parallel her struggle to regain her strength and voice.