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As a term-long project, you will use the Illuminated Manuscript that you created in class to write your own personal history. The purpose of writing a personal history is to inform and inspire not only yourself but anyone else who might read it. This isn’t about being the best or worst, it is about chronicling and sharing your life experiences. By writing about yourself, you also gain a better understanding of who you are and why you do what you do.
Using the following prompts, select 15 of them to write about throughout the rest of this term. Each entry must be at least one to two well-written paragraphs, not just a sentence, and include the date it was written.
What is your full name and why were you named it? Were you named after anyone? Do you have any nicknames? How do you feel about your name?
Choose a recent milestone - a birthday, a life-changing event, a major accomplishment, etc. - and document it.
What is your first memory? Describe it. Why do you think this stands out as your first memory?
Do you have any family traditions? Describe at least one, including what you think about it.
Do you have any hobbies or special talents? Describe why you enjoy it and how or when you started.
What are your future plans and why do you aspire to those goals?
Which family are you most like? Describe how.
What makes your family unique?
What makes you unique?
Send an owl to your oldest known relative and ask them to tell you a story about you when you were little or about their childhood.
Who is the oldest person you can remember in your family and what do you remember about them?
What chore do you hate doing and why?
Describe your favorite childhood pastime, toy, or game.
What was your education like before coming to Hogwarts? Which did you like better and how did it compare?
Choose a school subject to talk about - your favorite, least favorite, easiest, or hardest, and tell why it is that for you.
Who is your favorite teacher and why? (No, you don't have to say me! It's totally fine if you don't and you won't get extra credit if you do)
Write some advice to someone based on personal experience.
If you had to do something over again, what would it be and how would it be different?
Describe a time that you overcame adversity.
Who is the most influential person in your life? Why are they influential to you and how do you aspire to be like/unlike them?
What is the scariest thing that has happened to you personally?
What is the best thing that has ever happened to you?
Have you ever met anyone famous? Describe the experience.
What is your favorite place and why?
Do you have a pet? Tell a story regarding your pet or what kind of pet you would have and why if you don't have one.
What part of the world are your ancestors from? Do you ever visit there? Do you feel your ancestry has an impact on the person you are?
Choose any personal experience you would like to write about.
OOC information - You may create one post in this thread to keep your entries, which do not need to be completed in order. Please title your post with your character's name. You do not need to PM them to me, I will keep track of them in here. Please also label each entry with the prompt number you chose - either in the spoiler title or elsewhere. Didn't make an Illuminated Manuscript in class? Either pretend that your character did, or you can find blank books for your use here. This is due at the end of term, July 31st 11:59 pm EST and is worth up to 45 points. Questions? Feel free to contact me through PM/VM/Twitter/Skype.
Example:
SPOILER!!: #1
January 23, 2087
My name is Nessarose Cosette Glendower. My mother gave me my first name and my middle name after two characters in Muggle musicals because of her great love for the theater. Would I love the theater as much as I do myself without having such names? I think so, but I feel like it holds much more significance this way - like my mother passed on her passion literally and figuratively.
I am often called Nessa as a nickname as I suppose it is easier to say and there are times that I prefer my nickname depending on my mood. I do like my full name very much, however. It sounds very melodic to me and I feel like it's a good reflection of my personality - though I don't know how much like the character of Nessarose I am.
PHILOMATH ❅ not one atom, but two ♪ ♪ made of starstuff ❅ def main():
Text Cut: Entry #1 :: Q1
What is your full name and why were you named it? Were you named after anyone? Do you have any nicknames? How do you feel about your name?
My name is Benzi Chike Rider. The name the orphanage gave me is Benjamin, but when I was five my mother and I came up with Benzi and since then I've only been Benzi. I like it because it's different, and it's not some rubbish name that someone randomly came up with on a whim when they saw me.
I like Benzi because it marked the beginning of a new life. Benjamin is the kid who had no parents. Benzi is a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts, from London. Benzi has a sister called Suri and a mother called Rachel. Benzi Rider. My middle name - Chike - is a homage to my roots, and I wouldn't give it up for the world because it's important to remember where you started and how far you've come. I've come a long way from being that kid no one wanted, Benjamine Chike. I love my name.
Text Cut: Entry #2 :: Q5
Do you have any hobbies or special talents? Describe why you enjoy it and how or when you started.
I play the drums and the guitar. I've always loved drums, the way they add a depth to music, a framework to which other instruments adhere to. Drums can make or break a song, as they keep the beat which is essential to any piece of music. I've always loved percussion, even when all I had to go on were pots and pans which would drive everyone up the wall.
When I was eleven something bad happened and I grew really angry. The people who tried to help me, they said I should take up a hobby, and what better hobby than one where I can effectively release my frustrations and still fine tune a skill I have? At first I was terrible, but the more I played the more I fell in love with it and now I'm in a band.
Last year I also decided to try my hand at playing the guitar, and I found I enjoyed it almost as much as I loved playing the drums. The guitar is a better option for when I want to play calmly, without working up a sweat. I can sing too. That's how I met my friends, Noel Wallace and Hayley Diggory. We're in a band called the Wizriots. I never dreamed I would one day be in a band, but now I'd move heaven and earth before I gave it up.
Text Cut: Entry #3 :: Q20
Who is the most influential person in your life? Why are they influential to you and how do you aspire to be like/unlike them?
He died, but the most influential person in my life was my uncle, Jake Rider.
He had a crappy childhood as well. His parents kicked him out for being magical and he had to live on his own for a very long time. Then he discovered that my mother - his niece, technically he's my great uncle - was also magical and reached out to her. It was just in time too because her parents - my grandparents - also decided she wasn't worth the trouble so he took her in and raised her like a daughter.
My mother often says she owes everything to my uncle, but it's more than that. The thing about Uncle Jake is that he makes made everyone around him happy. He was really good with kids, and other than my Mum he was my favourite person. He worked hard but goofed around all the time. He was true and honest and open and hilarious. He was the best dad to my cousins. He helped me settle in London when we first came, he didn't care that I was different or that I didn't know how to behave.
He was accepting. Jake accepted everyone, no matter what. The day he died - him and his wife and two of their children, my cousins - the world lost an amazing human being. Every day I hope to make him proud. So does Mum. So does Suri. I want to be just like him when I grow up, nonjudgmental and caring and free, despite all the horrible things he had to live through.
Text Cut: Entry #4 :: Q25
Do you have a pet? Tell a story regarding your pet or what kind of pet you would have and why if you don't have one.
Unfortunately, I do have a pet. Mum has always liked animals, and has had pets almost through her entire life, since she was eleven years old. She says that they bring a certain dynamic to a home that is irreplaceable. I guess, if the animal likes you, that statement makes sense but unfortunately for me that isn't the case.
We have a kneazle and her name is Cleopatra. Mum bought her essentially for Suri who fell in love with each and every animal ever, so to stop her from bringing them all home Mum just got her a pet of her own. They named her Cleopatra for women power, though I'm not sure they knew what would be the ramifications of this decision. Cleopatra - or Cleo, as we call her - absolutely adores Suri and loves my Mum to bits but hates yours truly. Hates with a fiery unbridled passion that is inexplicable and REALLY frustating. She uses me as her scratching post and will sometimes SLEEP on my face to make Suri giggle.
She's very annoying. She'll be coming to Hogwarts next year with Suri and I'm already dreading it. Here's hoping Suri won't be a Ravenclaw and Cleo won't figure out how to get past the bronze locker.
__________________
yeah I like tеlling stories________________________
but I don't have to write them in ink_____ _____________I could still change the end
Last edited by emjay; 08-01-2015 at 01:05 PM.
Reason: graded
dream until your • dreams come true ~ Human pygmy puff
SPOILER!!: Entry1: Prompt 2
January 16, 2087
Today is my thirteenth birthday and this is a BIG milestone for me. I have waited forever for this moment. I am finally a teenager. To me, that means that I have taken the first step toward being.......I am not sure exactly what. I guess it's the first step toward being an adult, a grown up, a woman. I'm not sure what I expected to feel like, but I don't really feel any different than I did yesterday. Actually I do feel kind of different. I think I have a bit of a new attitude.
To mark my crossing over to the next stage of my life, I cut my hair. It was my first real haircut and it made me feel more mature. I figure now that I'm a teenager, I have to look the part. I'm still working on acting the part, whatever that means. I wish that I could have spent the day with my family, but I will do the next best thing. I will hang out with my school family and of course there will be cake and ice cream. That is a must. Most of all, I plan to enjoy the rest of my birthday. You only turn thirteen once.
SPOILER!!: Entry 2: Prompt 1
January 20, 2087
My name is Janelle Renée Guidry. My mother chose this name for me because she had liked it for a long time. When she was younger, she met a little girl named Janelle. She thought the name was very pretty and I think she filed it away......to use at just the right time. While I was not actually named after the little girl, she was the inspiration for my name. My parents also had a thing for the letter J apparently. My brother, sister and I all have names that start with J. We are Jason, Jasmine and Janelle.
I don't have any nicknames that I will admit to in public. Since this entry is just between you and me, I will tell you the nicknames that I have been stuck with. I don't really like them, but I do answer to them. My brother and sister have done this to me and they are the only ones that are allowed to call me by these names. My unofficial nicknames are: Jan, Nelly and worst of all, Peanut (courtesy of my brother). I guess that is the price you pay for being the youngest child. I did not always like my name, but I have learned to love it. I think that it really suits me. I guess that's good because I'm pretty much stuck with it.
SPOILER!!: Entry 3: Prompt 6
February 3, 2087
I am not 100% decided on my future plans, but I figure I have a few more years before I have to make a final decision. I have narrowed down the "What do you want to be when you grow up" question to two possible answers. I would like to study magizoology because I looooove animals. I know everybody says that, right? I have had an interest in animals since I was a little girl. I was always bringing home stray critters to care for. That did not always go over well with my parents.
Even though my mother is a witch, I grew up mostly in the muggle world. I did not really have much exposure to magical creatures until I came to Hogwarts. So right now I am really fascinated by them and I want to learn all I can about these animals. I think that the best way to do that is to study magizoology. I hope to one day work with the magical animals, care for them and continue to study them.
My other possibility is to become an auror. I know that it is extremely hard to do this, but I like a challenge. I think that I could do it and having this job would be very satisfying. To know that you are protecting the community from everything and everyone dark would be cool. You would be making a big difference in the world.
SPOILER!!: Entry 4: Prompt 26
February 13, 2087
I have ancestors from several different places around the world. My father is African American and grew up in Louisiana so my recent ancestors came from Cajun country. Of course some of my distant ancestors came from Africa, some from Canada (I'm not sure where they were before that. France?) I have also been told that some of my ancestors were Native American.
My mother is French so her recent ancestors were also from France. I have heard rumors that someone long ago came from England. I'm not sure who it was though. I believe that most of my mother's family came from different parts of France and that goes back many generations.
I have visited Louisiana many times and I really like it. It's very hot there, but the food is soooo good. I live in France right now, when I'm not at Hogwarts that is, so I have gotten to know a lot about the country and the French people. I have never been to Canada or Africa, but I would like to visit both places some day.
I definitely believe that my ancestry has an impact on the person I am. I am a mixture of different races, different countries and different cultures. I think I am lucky because I kind of have the best of both worlds. Some people don't agree with that, but I think it is true. I think I am a more accepting and tolerant of people's differences because of my ancestry.
SPOILER!!: Entry 5: Prompt 20
February 20, 2087
This is a very hard question to answer. There are so many people who have been influential in my life, my parents, my brother, my professors, my friends. If had to pick only one person who has been the most influential, I would have to say my big sister Jasmine. Even though we are not close in age, we have always had a very close relationship. She has always been kind to me, always listened to me and always had time to spend with me......even if she had something more important to do. That is not why she has been the most influential person in my life though.
Jasmine has been the best role model a girl could have. She's an excellent student and has always gotten good grades. She works harder than anyone I know at everything she does. She is a leader and a good one too. Jasmine was a Prefect here at Hogwarts and I hear that she did a good job carrying out her duties. My sister is very sweet and caring. I don't know how she does it sometimes. Even when she was having some personal issues, she was still a top student and a good leader.
Some people might think that having an overachieving sister would make it harder for the younger sibling. It can be hard being compated to her at times. But every day I try to live up to the standards she has set. It has never been a competition. I just want to do my best and make my sister proud of me.
SPOILER!!: Entry 6: Prompt 12
February 25, 2087
I absolutely hate washing dishes. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Even though we have a muggle dishwasher at home, it is my job to put the dishes in it and wash whatever cannot go into the dishwasher. There is something incredibly nasty about handling other people's picked over food and cruddy dishes. Even though this is my family's crud........yuck......just no.
The best spell I ever learned at Hogwarts was Scourgify! It changed my life! Now when I am finally able to do magic outside of Hogwarts, I can just use a little magic and my dishwashing problem will be solved. My mother believes in doing chores the hard way, without magic. Hopefully I will be able to convince her that I'll be much happier doing my chores with a little help form Mr. Wand.
SPOILER!!: Entry 7: Prompt 14
March 1, 2087
The history of my education is very intresting. Well it's interesting to me anyway. Even though my mother is a witch, I have always lived within the muggle world. My father is in the U.S. Navy so my family tended to move around a lot. Before coming to Hogwarts, I attended muggle schools. I went to two different muggle schools in the U.S. Then I went to two other muggle schools after I moved to France.
Hogwarts is different from all of the other schools I attended. Of course, it being a school of magic is the main difference from my old schools. Instead of doing math and reading and science, now I learn about divination and magical creatures and transfiguration. Most of the subjects are totally different, but some of them are sort of related to muggle school. Potions is kind of like science and there is some math involved in Arithmancy. History is history, but now I'm learning about magical things. Another difference is that this is the first time I've gone to a boarding school. Being away from my family was hard at first, but I've gotten used to it......I guess.
One great thing is that I'm now tied for the longest time I've been in one school. Next year will be my third year at Hogwarts and that will be new record for me. I'm looking forward to it. While it's nice to experience new places and make new friends, I kind of like being in the same place with the same people. I really love going to school here at Hogwarts and I hope that I can stay here through my seventh year.
SPOILER!!: Entry 8: Prompt 4
March 5, 2087
My family has a weird tradition. Well, it's weird to other people, but it works for us. Every year on Christmas Eve we have a special celebration. My family is made of different cultures so we kind of celebrate those on that day.
My father is from Louisiana and my mother is from France. So on Christmas Eve, we make a big pot of gumbo and some jambalaya and lots of other Louisiana food. Then my mother makes some French food. She is especially good at baking and makes the best desserts. Her pastries are soooo delicious. I know that this sounds like a very strange combination of foods, but we put them all together and eat until we are totally stuffed.
Then we all stay up until midnight and drink hot chocolate and egg nog. We open one present each as Christmas eve turns into Christmas day. All of the kids refuse to open all of their presents at night. We still like to get up in the morning and open presents like we did when we were really little. I love having Christmas with my family. It is the best and nowadays, it's one of the few times that we are all together.
SPOILER!!: Entry 9: Prompt 17
March 22, 2087
I would like to give advice to anyone who is facing a move or change of school and is feeling sad about it. I know a little something about both of those things because it has happened to me many times. Having a parent in the military pretty much means that you are guaranteed to be moving at some point.......probably more than you would like.
My advice to someone in this situation is: try not to look at it as leaving everything and everyone familiar. Look at it as a new adventure. You get to discover new places and make new friends. It doesn't have to be a totally negative thing. Make an effort to stay in touch with your old friends, but also be open to meeting new people and making new friends. You might end up with friends all over the world.
When you go to a new school, introduce yourself to your new classmates. Most importantly, be yourself. You don't have to change the way you are to try to fit in with the students. If they don't like you for you, too bad for them. They will miss out on something great. Find something to participate in at your new school that you will enjoy.
I'm always a little nervous when I go to a new place or a new school. I have found out that most people can be nice, if you give them a chance to get to know you. Try to do a little research about the new place before you move there. That way, you will have a little heads up about what it's all about. Most of all be patient. Things do get better after a while. Just hang in there and everything will be OK.
__________________
Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Salt!
Last edited by emjay; 08-01-2015 at 01:03 PM.
Reason: graded
History of Magic: Personal History 
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x2
Janelle Guidry 
