Leonard Read I Pencil Essay

As an individual who’s been drawing and painting since before she could even hold a pen – apparently, I used to spill my grandma’s tea and make shapes with it – art has always been my favorite pastime. It’s tranquil and relaxing, and mixing paints is the most satisfying experience. Thus, it’s no wonder that the activity that I’m most invested in is art.

Old school conquers new school: A personal response to “An Ode to the User-Friendly Pencil”

What lead people to that conclusion is that they don’t know what is behind the creation of a pencil.

Alexander Calder was one of the most innovative and original American artists of the twentieth century. In 1926, Calder arrived in Paris and devoted himself to a project called the Circus that occupied him for over five years. This contains characters and animals made out of wire, scraps of cloth, wood, cork, labels, bits of scrap metal and pieces of rubber. Calder transported his little theater in suitcases and performed it for his friends. During his performances, Calder invented ways to simulate the flight of birds: “These are little bits of white paper, with a hole and slight weight on each one, which flutter down several variously coiled thin steel wires which I jiggle so that they flutter down like doves…” (Alexander Calder, An

“Despite all the books I read, I am still surprised I became a writer,” writes Sherman Alexie in his article, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” published April of 1998 in the Los Angeles Times. In his essay, Alexie describes life growing up on a Spokane Indian Reservation as a boy who learned to read in a world that didn’t encourage him to. He did this with a Superman comic, using mainly assumption and his three-year-old brain’s perception of pictures. Alexie says that his love for books came from the love and adoration he felt for his father, who collected thousands of books in their house. This love, however, came with the consequence of sticking out like a sore thumb in a society that didn’t want smart Indians. He writes, “I loved those books, but I also knew that love had only one purpose. I was trying to save my life.” By reading and writing, and by encouraging young Indian students to read and write, Alexie is trying to prove to the world that there is a place for smart Indians in society.

William Penn was born and raised in England, but he is well known for what he did in the Americas. First and foremost, William Penn was a religious nonconformist and writer: he wrote numerous religious books over his lifetime. Second, Penn is responsible for the “holy experiment”: the colony of Pennsylvania. He was a Quaker advocate, and as a proprietor had the opportunity to practice the Quaker Peace testimony.

The pencil liberates my stresses and sorrows. Bare and unimpeded, my mind is able to isolate itself from anything that was happening in my life. At my art table, which is merely an escape from reality, my curiosity is able to wander. Within this room, five blank canvas's look in on me as I become a mold of my imagination. A step inside my world develops into a sea of color and exploration. The vibrancy of the walls resonates throughout. Over the years, my room has served as my oasis. It’s my escape from monotonous and mundane routines. It’s my exploration of another side of me. I observe such works of art almost as much as I create. Taking notice of my classmates’ innovations and inspired by their creativity, my paintbrush begins to alleviate stress. I strive to produce pieces others will appreciate, but often find myself to be the true admirer. My pride, in this world, is driven simply by my own curiosity to express myself. I credit this side of me as the “passion” that supplements my insane drive for success. This passion has sparked critical thinking in me as well as how I see failure. Life is a blank canvas and you can truly draw whatever you want, and if you fail, you start over and don’t make that same mistake again! Hard work takes ideas quite far, but true success is derived from ingenuity and the generation of

For many Americans, William Penn is just known as the Quaker leader who founded Pennsylvania and for his ‘Holy Experiment’. Penn’s achievements were far greater than just the founding of a colony. He had devotion and spirit and love for the Quaker sect and in turn spent his whole life trying to get others to see the good in Quakerism and create toleration for the religion. In the biography of William Penn and the Quaker Legacy, John Moretta asserts that William Penn is one of the most significant figures of American History and many of America’s principles were created in his time.

used his engineering skills to help manufacture pencils ( The Writings of Henry David Thoreau ).

The art of painting dates back to pre-historic times, the finger used as a paintbrush on the canvas of cave walls. When it comes to painting, artists have many mediums to choose from: acrylics, oils, gouache, fresco, and watercolors. Watercolors is one of the toughest mediums to achieve, its transparent streaks almost impossible to cover up and its various techniques prestigous and precise, but satisfying when accomplished. The incentive a watercolor artist has to get a taste of perfecting their talents is impecable; therefore, striving for perfection can only be accomplished with the understanding of the watercolor history, the use of the tools of the trade, the practice of techniques, and observation of former artists’ approaches.

Of course I was the only teacher that was in the building at this time. “Who else would be here on a Friday afternoon?” I thought to myself. Upon entering the room there was an eerie sense that ran through my skin. It felt as though I was not alone in the room, so I toured the entire classroom looking for clues. When I approached my co-worker’s desk, I noticed a package lying beside it. Far from a normal package, this was some type of metal box with rounded edges and a circular bulge protruding from the center on all six sides.“Maybe this fell off of the desk, I guess that concludes what the noise come from.” Something seemed off to me about this particular package though, almost like it was out of place. I misjudged the weight of this box as I picked it up, as it was a rather large box. However, the object inside the box was as light as a feather. “Now, how do I plan to open this box,” I said aloud, knowing but still unsure that someone was not in the room alongside me. The box suddenly opened as I was feeling around on it, and the metal seemed to fold out into one flat sheet. On this sheet was a pencil, not an average pencil as a mind would imagine, but a pencil. It was white, with blue lines seemingly flowing through it changing patterns every so often. I noticed a sheet of paper under this pencil, and what was written on it was astonishing to me. “What seems to be unreal to you is clear to me. Your mind is frantic, As anyone’s mind should be. Go ahead, pick it up. It will lead you to generations far ahead of your present day. But you must figure out how it works, or the secret this item contains will be concealed for eternity.” Those words played in my mind over and over until finally I decided it was time to leave. Only now the metal sheet the pencil and note were on had disappeared. Allowing little time for thinking, I grabbed my things from my

When one says “pencil,” a image of a long, round object appears in everyone’s mind that is blunt on one end and sharp on the other. The structure of this pencil can be also used for many different things including pressing small buttons such as reset buttons, getting things out of reach, and pointing things out to someone. A significant part of the pencil is, for example, the point of the pencil. Using this point, I can stab holes in something, or use it as a huge substitute needle, provided that the pencil is sharp enough. As long as one has creativity, there can be infinite possibilities when using the structure of a

In the beginnings of the automated technological boom, the scientists behind some of the world’s finest inventions drew

Your story about the young man Zachary Boland was a very interesting selection. This is a truly sad story and a completely preventable death. As a service member I know exactly what its like to not want to say something or speak up when it comes to your health or physical well-being. You don't want to let anyone down and you're afraid that if you speak up you could be medically discharged or potentially not able to move on, at least when it comes to boot camp or basic training. This a weakness that a lot of young service members share but at times no amount of pain can match the potential despite or since of failure if you are unable to complete that which you set out to do. Its admirable that the Marine Corps honored Zachary and his family

Another hallmark of the shokunin philosophy which is seen in Japanese culture is their sense of purpose with regard to work. The shokunin seeks perfection in their craft, not for personal gain or accolades, but rather to push the boundaries of the craft and make it better. A shokunin who is trained in the craft of tategu-shi, shoji screen making, Toshio Odate, is interviewed in the article The Craft of the 'Shokunin ' (Warner 1). Odate 's work is done in the customer 's home and does not require a work bench or sanding tools. Using his body to hold the pieces of wood steady, and planing tools with swift strokes to give “a greater polish to the surface,” Odate 's work is an artform on