Jack Phillippe
English III­ C
October 28, 2014

Sketch #1 (house)
The home. The home stands strong through the long winter, sheltering the Shields family within its sturdy walls. Deep in the lonely nights of the frontier the termites shuffle between the boards, tirelessly eating away at the home the Shields family worked so hard to create. Although many years have passed since the year the Shields family moved to Anna, Texas, the house has remained sturdy a testament to the labor it took to construct. The 1800th century home had to be created with the hands and took thousands of hours to forge. Wood had to be found, inspected, chopped, molded into shape, and finally dragged to the home. The wood beams that have been forged by the sweat of a mans hand are placed together like an intricate puzzle. Within the walls of this puzzle a woman and her many children's lives are formed. This is a mans greatest task, he forges it with his very hands an object that will stand tall and protect his family against the awe striking power of nature. A home is the common denominator amongst generations of people, it bonds the people under one roof and forges them into the people they will become. A home is essential to the creation of a family and the creation of men.

Sketch #2 (barn)
A Barn. A barn is a home for the animals, the tools, and the hay during a long and dark winter. during the summer a man would spend the long hot days working the fields and cutting wood, all in preparation for the cold days to come. But during the winter he spends much of his time inside the barn, either making repairs to old worn out tools, feeding and milking his animals, or preparing for the growing season to come. A barn is constructed much like the house, but on a much larger level. In order to connect and assemble the pieces to the barn that must be cut from giant, incredibly strong trees it takes a skilled craftsman and an entire community. The pieces of wood must be cut and shaped into perfectly fitting pieces that will later be intricately assembled. Once the foundation and pieces have been forged, a process called a barn raising will occur. A barn raising calls upon the entire community for help. While the men raise the barn using a series of ropes and pulleys, the women often times will come together and cook large meals and feed the entire community. Once the barn has been raised, and the large meal has begun to be served, a party for the community commences in celebration of the raising of the barn. In the 1800s large social gatherings were rare, so when a barn raising was announced people from all parts were sure to join. The construction of a barn though essential to winter life had a much larger profound affect on the community as a whole.

Sketch #3 (gun) I traveled, I traveled, I traveled so far. I arrived here upon these empty lands with a dream. A dream that I would settle these lands and create a home for my family. I have built a barn and a house, but I am ravaged by hunger, and brutally battered time and time again by the attacks of the Indians. I have but one advantage, over the men of the woods, the gun. I live, eat, and sleep with the gun, for without it my family and livestock would have died before we even arrived. It’s dual barrels exterminate anything that lie in front of them. Though very simple to operate it takes a true man of bravery to stand behind this cannon and fire it, for the time it takes to fire a mere shot is enough time for a single indian to shoot you through the heart ten times with his arrow. This entity of wood and iron will put you in your grave, but without it you would have been buried ages ago.

Sketch #4 (19th century life­­home, barn, and nature)
Back in the 1800’s there was a lot more “we” time and “our” time, than “my” time and
“I” time like there is today. But it’s no wonder when we live a world where we spend our whole
lives