Undergraduate / SCREAM-An artwork that has unsettled me/ UVA [5]

Any help is appreciated! And please tell me if you like this.

A twisted figure seems to be escaping from the painting, ready to disappear into the railings that would never end. He is screaming on the bridge with both hands covering his ears, drowning with hopelessness and fear.

This is The Scream by Edvard Munch. When I saw this for the first time, I was not only unsettled by the ineffable agony that pours out of the rich pastel, but also enthralled by the art of impressionism that challenged my imagination.

For me, I've never seen such an artwork that makes me shiver every time I look at the blood red sky. The painting unsettles me in a way that makes me wonder about my own weaknesses and how I would portray them from an artist's perspective. Looking into the dark blue river, I'm unsettled because of the emotional connection that I have toward the painting, as if a needle has penetrated the softest spot of my heart. Captivated by this feeling, I begin to dig through the life of Edvard Munch and the unspoken secret that hides behind his most famous painting.

Never have I thought that there would be an artist who expresses his sorrows so precisely that makes me shudder while reading about his biography. His use of impressionism to indicate his melancholy makes me wonder about my own creativity, and how I would express my sorrow with my own pastel. Instantly, I pick up the paint brush to fill the papers with feelings that are only meant to be kept silent.

Undergraduate / "My American step dad"; UVA/ Decribe the world you come from [2]

Merry Christas everyone! Here is my essay. Can someone please help me with my mechanics and the structure of the essay? Also, anyone who can tell me if I've done a good job expressing myself is greatly appreciated. What do you guys think?

"Please speak English when I'm around."

This is what I hear when I chat in Chinese with my mom in front of my step dad. When I moved to the U.S four years ago, I, as a fourteen year-old girl, had to leave every memory behind to be adapted to an entirely unfamiliar world with a language that I had never spoken. Moreover, I had to share a life with my step dad who comes from an entirely different cultural background.

Charming, affable, and open-minded-I'm always amazed at his passionate personalities that have inspired me to be energetic. However, his high standards and strict rules occasionally frustrate me, as I try to ask for his approval. But when I recollect the fragmented times where I had stumbled around to do everything thoroughly and meticulously, I appreciate his high expectations which has greatly encouraged me to always reach to the top.

Looking back from where I've started, I'm shocked at how he has shaped me. I become proficient in negotiating with people that are hard to deal with, and how to patiently persuade them with my enthusiasms. It wasn't until he criticized me at being late for a gathering did I realize that I should always be credible to both myself and others. His western culture has taught me to cherish the simplest happiness in life and never take things for granted. Even though he is a little hard to deal with, I always seem to know the secrets to make him proud.

Coming from a world like this, I have learned to stand tall against every obstacle, and to embrace them with passion and courage.