Descriptive Essay Assingment

I just wrote a Descriptive Essay for an English Composition assignment.  The assignment was to write at least on paragraph or 10 sentences off a picture.  Below is the Descriptive Essay!  Let me know what you think!

Memorial Day: Remembering America’s Veterans

A young member of the Firebirds Young Marines, Private First Class Kevynn Brand solemnly salutes on Memorial Day after putting a colorful American flag on a fallen soldier’s grave in the plains of Phoenix, Arizona.

On Memorial Day we remember the veterans who gave their lives for our freedom. 

Originally known as Decoration Day during the Civil War, Memorial Day is now a Federal holiday which lands on the last Monday in May.  Today, Americans all over the world remember our fallen heroes by getting together for BBQs, visiting veterans’ cemeteries, and spending time with family and relatives.  Most importantly stories are passed down each Memorial Day from generation to generation so that we might all remember America’s Veterans!

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Photography Author: Jack Kurtz/ Zuma Press

Link: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/05/25/memorial-day-tributes-around-the-world/#scouts-place-flags-on-veterans-graves

Posted By: Shiloh

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Longfellow in 1868 by Julia Margaret Cameron

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in 1807 in Portland Maine (back then part of Massachusetts) and died in 1864 at 75 years old.  He was an American poet and educator who's works included: "Paul Revere's Ride", "The Song of Hiawatha", "The Courtship of Miles Standish", "Evangeline", and many other titles. 

His very first major poems were collected together in 1839 and printed in "Voices of the Night" and once again in 1841, "Ballads and Other Poems".

Longfellow was a very popular poet in his day and wrote mostly lyric poems which are known for their legend and musicality.

Today, you can still read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poetry~ such as "Paul Revere's Ride" or "The Courtship of Miles Standish".

Posted By: Shiloh

What Was the "Bay Psalm Book"?

Picture From Wikipedia

Also known as the "Psalter", the "Bay Psalm Book" was the first book to be printed in North America and was first translated from Hebrew and then  in 1640, published in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The title page of the first edition of 1640:


The Whole Booke of Psalmes
Faithfully
TRANSLATED into ENGLISH
Metre.
Whereunto is prefixed a discourse
declaring not only the lawfullnes, but also
the necessity of the heavenly Ordinance
of singing Scripture Psalmes in
the Churches of God.
Cambridge, Mass. Stephen Day
Imprinted, 1640--
For over a century "The Bay Psalm Book" was used by families as well as churches.  Today you can still purchase America's very first book.

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Posted By: Shiloh

John Winthrop's City upon a Hill, 1630

Engraving showing Winthrop's arrival at Salem

Now the onely way to avoyde this shipwracke and to provide for our posterity is to followe the Counsell of Micah, to doe Justly, to love mercy, to walke humbly with our God, for this end, wee must be knitt together in this worke as one man, wee must entertaine each other in brotherly Affeccion, wee must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities, for the supply of others necessities, wee must uphold a familiar Commerce together in all meekenes, gentlenes, patience and liberallity, wee must delight in eache other, make others Condicions our owne rejoyce together, mourne together, labour, and suffer together, allwayes haveing before our eyes our Commission and Community in the worke, our Community as members of the same body, soe shall wee keepe the unitie of the spirit in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our God and delight to dwell among us, as his owne people and will commaund a blessing upon us in all our wayes, soe that wee shall see much more of his wisdome power goodnes and truthe then formerly wee have beene acquainted with, wee shall finde that the God of Israell is among us, when tenn of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies, when hee shall make us a prayse and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantacions: the lord make it like that of New England: for wee must Consider that wee shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the eies of all people are uppon us; soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our god in this worke wee have undertaken and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us, wee shall be made a story and a byword through the world, wee shall open the mouthes of enemies to speake evill of the wayes of god and all professours for Gods sake; wee shall shame the faces of many of gods worthy servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into Cursses upon us till wee be consumed out of the good land whether wee are going: And to shutt upp this discourse with that exhortacion of Moses that faithfull servant of the Lord in his last farewell to Israell Deut. 30. Beloved there is now sett before us life, and good, deathe and evill in that wee are Commaunded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another to walke in his wayes and to keepe his Commaundements and his Ordinance, and his lawes, and the Articles of our Covenant with him that wee may live and be multiplyed, and that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whether wee goe to possesse it: But if our heartes shall turne away soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced and worshipp other Gods our pleasures, and proffitts, and serve them, it is propounded unto us this day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good Land whether wee passe over this vast Sea to possesse it;

Therefore lett us choose life,

that wee, and our Seede,

may live; by obeyeing his

voyce, and cleaveing to him,

for hee is our life, and

our prosperity.

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This is part of the "The Arbella  Covenant" that I was studying today.  It is a sermon by: John Winthrop titled, "A Model of Christian Charity", but more commonly known as "City Upon a Hill". 

Read the entire sermon here.

Posted By: ~Shiloh~