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Grades level iconsGrade 9
Genre information iconMemoir
Resource type iconWriting

The Peace Tree

Lyric M., Grade 9, 826 New Orleans
A student describes how the bright sun and a calming tree bring her peace.
About the Author

LYRIC IS A POET, DANCER, AND SINGER. She likes to take care of her older brother. She likes to listen to music and visit art museums. She is introverted, open, and creative.

The Peace Tree

There is light even when you feel like you are in a dark place. The saturation around the image adds to this as well; the sky is dark but it slowly turns light so the ombre could mean that as well. When I was taking my photograph, I was outside around 3:11 p.m. on January 25, 2023, and we were taking pictures with the class. And the sun was beaming a lot. I decided to use portrait mode to capture the sun. I bent down and took the picture to capture the sun. And then I edited the picture. I played with the brightness and the contrast and the exposure.

When I first look at the picture, the first thing that catches my eye is my sun because it is the brightest thing in the picture. But when your attention is away from the sun, you can see clouds and the trees. You think of peace because trees give you air. When you think of air, you think of deep breaths and a calm mindset.

The trees are positioned at the bottom of the photo. The sun is positioned towards the right side but mostly centered. The clouds are mostly to the left. The color of the sun is a bright white. The clouds are white. The sky has an ombre effect, deepest blue then turns into a light blue. The trees are more silhouetted but in person they are dark trees.

I think it means that you can find peace in a place where there is chaos around. If you were to look around the area, it is very chaotic. There is a school and fast food restaurants. When I look at the photo, I think of calmness and a place you would envision if you were trying to calm yourself down. My mom said that when she looks at the photo, she thinks of peace. She thinks of how the sun represents brightness. Trees give you air. Deep breathing.

View Lyric’s photo here.

 

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This piece was originally published in 826 New Orleans’ A View Inside. 

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