Lion Heart

                                       A Metaphoric Essay Describing Myself as a Lion

                                                               By Jennifer Carroll

                                                                  English Class

                                                               Pine Point School

                                                                 October 4, 2010

    The definition of a lion, according to Webster is, "a large, usually tawny-yellow cat, Panthera leo,    native to Africa and southern Asia, having a tufted tail and, in the male, a large mane." This blandly informative statement captures nothing more than a quick sketch of the creature. It does not tell of the calculating amber eyes, the strong muscles beneath the tawny-yellow fur, or of the big heart beneath it all, pumping fiercely away, full of life, pride and cunning. The same thing can be said for me, Jennifer Carroll, 14 year old girl with blond hair and a liking for candy. 

     (TS) Lions are famed hunters, ferocious fighters and often called the noblest cats in the food chain. (CM) I liken myself to these majestic creatures because they are proud, aloof animals. (CM) The videos shown of them hunting down their prey demand my attention and I love how when the hunt is over, they seem almost smug, uncaring of any other beings troubles. (SD) Their golden fur and thick tangled manes remind me of my own blond hair a lot. (CM) Whenever I see pictures of them on TV or in magazines and books, the detail that draws my eye to them has always been their spectacular flaxen fur. (CM) That has always been the same with me; people who are don't know my name and try to describe me to others always say, "She has blond hair..." first and foremost. (SD) Also, their readiness to fight for honor makes me think of myself. (CM) Lions always are prepared for battle and the smallest grievances and don't have a calm temper. (CM) Whenever I think I've been wronged my first instinct is to jump up and start swinging. (SD) Another thing that makes me think of lions when I'm glancing in a mirror is the stride and instinct. (CM) Lions walk stealthily, with a grace and arrogance that hunting demands and when I'm trying to be quiet or sneak up on someone, I find myself slipping into a similar gait. (CM) This and the fact that I have cat like intuition and tend to turn violent when upset makes me, in my eyes, similar to the King of the Jungle. (CS) Lions are wonderfully brazen and dangerous cats and the fact that I can find all these similarities between them and myself makes me almost absurdly happy.

  The second definition in Webster for lion is, "a man of great strength, courage, etc." I don't know so much about a man, but I feel that this description from Webster fits me perfectly.  One Webster definition describes the big cat, so powerful underneath the Savannah sun, while the other describes the blonde girl from Connecticut, nowhere near the sun in the winter. Both of us, while different in form, power and blood, share the same mind and soul, angry yet able to relax and be happy and fierce in the way that we would fight to the death for those we love.

Self Assesment: I would give myself a B for this essay. I really like my opening paragraph because I feel that it is descriptive and catchy. I think my closing paragraph is weak because the last chunk doesn't seem to fit well with the rest. I don't like the concluding sentence but I'm working on those to make them more interesting and complete.