67. At a crucial point in his career, the African-American writer James Baldwin withdrew to a secluded spot in the Swiss Alps. “There,” he later wrote, “in that absolute alabaster landscape, armed with two Bessie Smith records and a typewriter, I began to try to recreate the life that I had first known as a child and from which I had spent so many years in flight … It was Bessie Smith, through her tone and her cadence, who helped me to dig back to the way I myself must have spoken…and to remember the things I had heard and seen and felt. I had buried them very deep.” Inevitable, certain things—songs, household objects, familiar smells—bring us instantly back to some past moment in our lives. Start an essay by describing one such thing and see where it takes you. (University of Chicago)
The sunlight shone the room brightly through the windows. Sitting in a corner and looking at the paintings hung on the walls, I recall the day this room was as bright by the sunlight as it is now.
"Everyone, please sign in and start working on your studies!"
The teacher in charge of the study hall informed us students. Having no clue on the second day of school, I emulated the other students forming a line in front of the sign-in sheet. A tall, decent-looking student stood right in front of me, blocking my view from everything but him. Cautiously glancing at him, I noticed that he is a Korean. He carried a huge bag which seemed medium in size due to his height. He had dark brownish-black hair and wore glasses that made him look smart. The way he communicated with others showed that he is a well-mannered person. My eyes could not move away from the sight of his smile, ultimately fostering my tongue to slip out a word in Korean before my mind realized: "Hey"
He slowly turned and looked at me, right into my eyes. His eyes were pitch black like a black hole in space.
"Yeah?" He asked.
His low, deep voice gave me a shudder. 'A very nice voice to sing the base of any song,' I thought.
"What's your name?" I asked him with a smile on my face. It was probably the first time ever in my life to start such a random conversation with a question before I introduced myself. I looked at his face carefully, mollified inside at the fact that I was beginning to feel shy. But to my surprise, he smiled. And that was the biggest smile I've seen on his face past five minutes with sunlight pouring on his head and filling up the room brightly and warmly....
"Tell me yours first"
....The sunlight that is pouring into this very room at present.
The sunlight shone the room brightly through the windows. Sitting in a corner and looking at the paintings hung on the walls, I recall the day this room was as bright by the sunlight as it is now.
"Everyone, please sign in and start working on your studies!"
The teacher in charge of the study hall informed us students. Having no clue on the second day of school, I emulated the other students forming a line in front of the sign-in sheet. A tall, decent-looking student stood right in front of me, blocking my view from everything but him. Cautiously glancing at him, I noticed that he is a Korean. He carried a huge bag which seemed medium in size due to his height. He had dark brownish-black hair and wore glasses that made him look smart. The way he communicated with others showed that he is a well-mannered person. My eyes could not move away from the sight of his smile, ultimately fostering my tongue to slip out a word in Korean before my mind realized: "Hey"
He slowly turned and looked at me, right into my eyes. His eyes were pitch black like a black hole in space.
"Yeah?" He asked.
His low, deep voice gave me a shudder. 'A very nice voice to sing the base of any song,' I thought.
"What's your name?" I asked him with a smile on my face. It was probably the first time ever in my life to start such a random conversation with a question before I introduced myself. I looked at his face carefully, mollified inside at the fact that I was beginning to feel shy. But to my surprise, he smiled. And that was the biggest smile I've seen on his face past five minutes with sunlight pouring on his head and filling up the room brightly and warmly....
"Tell me yours first"
....The sunlight that is pouring into this very room at present.
Oooo, very mysterious! It's great!
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