A Picture is Worth 1000 Words: College Winners
1st Place
Brandon Lisenby
Georgia Southwestern State University
Frog King
The fall season has always been easy on the people of the kingdom of Carn. Temperatures were
cool, crops were plentiful, and there was also some festival for entertainment. It was an especially good
time for the king of this fair land, who was always happy to see his people at ease. He always made sure
to drop by and visit with the citizens, without whom his kingdom would be nothing. It was because of
their constant labor and kind hearts that made his kingdom as mighty as it was.
The king himself was as magnificent and powerful as his kingdom was. Young and strong, he was
willing to help those around him, and was generous with his vast riches. The king was constantly in the
company of his loyal servant, and would never go anyplace without him. But he was foolhardy, and
never refused a bet or contest. This flaw would eventually lead to the fall of himself and his kingdom.
If there is one week that the citizens of Carn know of, it is the week of the harvest festival. The
crops are harvested, everything is salted, pickled, or jarred, and the weather is not quite cold enough for
fires. Before the cold winter work started, the king deemed that a celebration is in order, as a reward for
his citizens’ hard work. All of the excess food from the harvest is prepared, the traders and performers
come to town, the citizens break out their instruments, and the revelry begins.
The king would never be caught dead out of the celebration that he had prepared for his loyal
citizens. He was right in the middle of the fray, talking and frolicking just as everyone else, with his everpresent servant in tow. It was there that he was approached by a strange old woman who he had never
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met before. “Step forward and be known, madam, for you are amongst friends in this kingdom. What
have you come for, other than fine wine and finer people” so said the king.
“I thank you, for I have travelled a long way, from a land where winter is everlasting and no
plant dares to pierce the ground. I come to you with a challenge, the reward for which is immortality for
you and your kingdom. All you have to do is take this stone and fling it over the walls of your kingdom
while standing in the town square,” was the response that he received.
“This woman is more than she seems, my lord. You shouldn’t bet the stability of your entire
kingdom for one silly bet,” cried his servant, but his warnings fell on deaf ears.
The king, never one to refuse a challenge of any caliber, took up the stone, and with a mighty
heave, flung it as far as the strength in his body was allowed. Though the throw was truly gargantuan,
the stone came to rest just inside of the battlements of his kingdom.
“One more chance! One more and I will provide you with a year’s worth of journeyman’s pay
and rations. One more chance to gift my kingdom with the power to live through the ages,” cried the
king, for he cared very much for his people. The woman at first refused, as that was not part of the
challenge, and would not be a fair contest. The king would not be refused for this challenge, though, and
though his faithful servant gave many more objections, offered the woman more and more wages and
food for just one more chance at the strange bid. After emptying a vast majority of the town treasury
and giving all of the preserved food for the winter, the woman finally gave in, and allowed the king to
take up the stone again. The king put all of his body and spirit into his second and last throw, and lo, the
stone sailed far beyond the walls of his kingdom. Respecting her promise, the old woman gave the king a
potion, saying, “Drink, and your kingdom will be made immortal.” So, as the king drank a long draught,
the walls and houses of his kingdom began to fade to green.
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As the king finished with his concoction, he realized that he was much smaller, and he was alone
in a dense forest. His body was tiny, covered in green skin, with two forked fingers on each hand, each
fork bearing a suction pad for gripping. He had become a frog, and his kingdom a forest. The only
remnant left of his former life and kingdom left was his banquet table, at which the old woman sat. He
hopped upon the table, questioning the reason for this strange metamorphosis. The woman, bearing
her winnings, explained that the she had tricked the king into surrendering his riches, and she had not
lied about his reward. His kingdom will live forever, for nature is everlasting. She also revealed that she
had banished all of the kingdom’s citizens from the forest, as they were not fit to live in a kingdom of
flora. With the king, though, she made an exception, for what is the point of a kingdom without a king to
rule it. He was doomed to ponder and grieve over his exiled subjects, especially his loyal servant, who
had warned him of his fate from the beginning of this strange bet, for eternity. Thus, the king of the
kingdom of Carn became the Frog King of the forest kingdom.
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A Picture is Worth 1000 Words: College Winners
2nd Place
Carter Flynn
Georgia Southwestern State University
Porcelain Vase
The Vineyard
Adeline was by far the prettiest of the four Huntington daughters. After all, she was older, more
proper, and had a better dowry than any of her three sisters. As the heiress to the Pence Hill Estate in
Essex, England, Adeline was constantly being paraded around the town by her father, Sir Christian
Dupree Huntington. After his wife, Lady Anne of Essex, had succumbed to Eclampsia twelve years earlier
during the birth of their twin daughters, Sir Christian looked to Adeline as the leading lady in his life.
Now that she was eighteen, he was preparing for her desire to be married off into nobility.
“Addie, my darling,” Sir Christian said one morning while doting over his gorgeous firstborn,
“You are the finest girl East of London. There is no denying that. No man in this universe is deserving of
your grace and charm.”
“My precious father,” replied Adeline, “I wish to marry a gentleman. However, I do not believe
this to be too troublesome a task. With my wit and elegance, I shall marry Prince Albert.”
Prince Albert, third son of Queen Alexandra and current Earl of Sussex, planned to visit Pence
Hill Estate the following evening. Prepared to take on a wife, he had asked around for the most beautiful
woman in all of England, and discovered that she lived at Pence Hill. Upon his arrival, the four
Huntington daughters greeted him at the front door.
“Good evening,” proclaimed Prince Albert after stepping out of his coach. The four sisters
curtsied in unison while the prince carefully examined each of them. Going down the line, he began with
the twins, Rose and Daisy. The two young ladies were dreadfully nervous about meeting the prince, but
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they nevertheless managed to remain calm in his presence. He then moved onto Margaret, a tall, plainlooking female, who was two years Adeline’s junior. However, Prince Albert’s eyes were naturally drawn
to the eldest Huntington, and the couple exchanged congenial smiles. In that exquisite moment, Adeline
felt a rush of bliss through her body, a marvelous sensation that she had never experienced before.
Prince Albert’s smile had entranced her, and she knew that she wanted to be his maiden forever.
“Welcome to our Estate,” said Sir Christian in a jovial manner. This proclamation upset Prince
Albert, because it tore his attention away from the breathtaking Adeline.
“I am delighted to be here,” Prince Albert replied. “I am greatly appreciative of your family’s
kindness and hospitality.” He gave Adeline another glance before flashing her one more luxurious smile.
The butler arrived to summon the party into the dining room, where they were spoiled with the
finest meal in the land. As a gift for the prince, Sir Christian had a special wine created from the best
grapes in Pence Hill’s vineyard. “Just for you, our dear guest!” Sir Christian exclaimed, disallowing his
young daughters to take a sip.
After dinner concluded, the celebration continued into the drawing room. Desperate to steal the
prince’s heart, Adeline volunteered to give their guest a tour of the vineyard. Prince Albert obliged, and
gleefully joined Adeline outdoors. From the glorious French windows of the drawing room, the
Huntington family watched their dearest Adeline stroll into the moonlight with her beloved.
The next morning, the three younger Huntington girls were gathered in the sitting room, hard at
work creating a beautifully decorative floral arrangement. They anxiously waited for their sister to
descend the staircase into the sitting room. Approximately twenty minutes after the hour, the lovely
Adeline floated into the room, looking ever so exuberant. “Addie, you must tell us what happened last
night!” the three girls exclaimed.
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“I cannot say too much, really.” Replied Adeline, “I wanted to wait until Prince Albert awakens
to announce. However, I must tell someone.” Adeline rested herself on a pink settee, “You see, Prince
Albert has asked me to marry him!” All four of the Huntington girls cried with excitement and began
discussing the details of Adeline’s royal wedding. Yet their celebration was quickly interrupted, for a
loud wrap on the front door ensued. A moment later the butler entered the room with a visitor, Pence
Hill’s winemaker Jacque Bernard.
“Mademoiselles, I must apologize, for I have made a terrible, terrible mistake!” The four girls sat
up in their seats as they intently listened to the Frenchman. “Sir Christian had asked of me to create a
wine for Prince Albert out of the grapes from the fourth row of his vineyard. He proclaimed to me that
those grapes would be of optimum taste for the prince’s wine.”
“Monsieur Bernard, what are you getting at?” asked Adeline, confused as to why this gentleman
was in her presence.
“This morning, I was going through the vineyard when I noticed that the fourth row, the same
one I had taken the grapes from for the wine, had been….” Jacque nervously looked to the ground while
clutching his cloth cap. “I noticed, it had been laced with arsenic.”
The room fell dead silent. After a moment, the butler climbed the staircase and began fervently
knocking on Prince Albert’s door. Already breaking out into a fit of hysterics, Adeline ran outside, making
her way towards the vineyard; the same vineyard where Prince Albert had proposed only hours sooner,
little to their knowledge that he had been dreadfully poisoned. It was the vineyard where Adeline had
played with her loving father as a girl and enjoyed tea with her late mother. Upon reaching the fourth
row, Adeline discovered Monsieur Bernard’s basket, already overflowing with grapes.
Back at the house, the butler returned to the siting room with news on Prince Albert’s status.
“By some miraculous blessing of God, the prince is still alive and in perfect health.” Delighted, the
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Huntington girls escaped to give their sister the wonderful news. Yet, they were two minutes too late,
for the beautiful, soon-to-be princess Adeline had collapsed in the fourth row of the vineyard,
unresponsive to her surroundings.
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A Picture is Worth 1000 Words: College Winners
3rd Place
Fei Liu
Georgia Southwestern State University
King David
A Picture, A Country
—Analysis on The Portrait of King David
Ethiopia is a country with a long civilized history located in East Africa with numerous Christians.
Its art occupies an important position in African art. Ethiopian painting is characterized by bright colors,
two-dimensional figures, and exaggerated big eyes. The subjects of Ethiopian traditional paintings are
mainly about historical events, folktales, and Bible stories. Additionally, Ethiopian paintings are usually
drawn on stretched parchments. The Portrait of King David is a typically traditional painting based on
these features.
There is some Ethiopian language—Amharic on the upper left side of this portrait: the letters in
red, “ጻዊት”, means “David” in Amharic; the letters in black, “በበገር”, refers to the Ethiopian traditional
harp—Begena, which is exactly the one David is playing in this painting. Therefore, according to these
letters, The Portrait of King David can also be called King David and the Harp.
King David in Ethiopia
In the Bible, King David was chosen to be the king of Israel by the Lord when he was fifteen.
From then on, David began to show greatness because God was with him—he became a handsome and
agreeable person; he could play the harp and sang very well; he was strong and brave enough to beat
the Giant, Goliath. He was a good king after King Saul died, but he also made mistakes. In order to marry
the beautiful woman, Bathsheba, he sent her husband to the front of the war to let him died. Even
though David succeeded in marrying Bathsheba, he realized his sins and prayed to God a lot for
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forgiveness. Therefore, David may not be a righteous king, but he was identified as a king who tried to
listen to and follow God’s will.
King David plays an important role in Ethiopian culture. It is well-known that Christianity has a
long history in Ethiopia, and it can even date back to the fourth century in Ethiopian history. According
to 2007 Ethiopian census, 62.8% Ethiopians are Ethiopian Orthodox Christian (Habesha Adventures).
Hence, it is not surprising that Bible stories are classic topics in Ethiopian paintings.
The Combination of Ethiopian Culture and Christianity
There are two typical features on this painting showing the combination of Ethiopian culture
and Christianity. On one hand, in the Bible, King David plays the harp, which is totally different from the
instrument on this painting—Begena. Begena is an Ethiopian traditional instrument with ten strings but
David’s Begena has 12 strings, which is exactly the one on the painting. On the other hand, King David is
in biblical clothing with the Ethiopian feature: the traditional Ethiopian costume has white as the
primary color and uses other bright colors to embellish. In this painting, the white and red costume
illustrates Ethiopian traditional costume features. Furthermore, the usage of geometric patterns in
decoration is also an outstanding feature in Ethiopian as well as African art histories.
These patterns
usually take up a great part of painting in distinct colors to have a decorative effect. Like in this painting,
the yellow patterns make a strong contrast to the red background. Besides the geometric patterns,
there is a stem with leaves on David’s clothes, revealing the importance of agriculture in Ethiopia. The
meaning of these patterns may not be accurately interpreted, but it remains a beauty of mystery.
Artistic Expression of Character by Exaggeration
Another feature of this painting is that it isn’t based on perspective in graphic art, which means
that the composition of character is out of proportion. For example, the eyes of the character are
exaggerated big. The wide, almond-shape eyes in Ethiopian painting are called “reversal gaze” by art
historians, which means not only viewers are looking at the paintings, but also the characters in the
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painting are looking at the viewers (About Ethiopian Art). Also, the foot of character is in regular size
while the hands are twice as big as the foot. Thus, it can be conjectured that the artist is good at the
realistic paintings and the reason for him to exaggerate the hands aims to emphasize the sense of
movement of the hands, showing the author's creativity. In additional, the rule, “Everything looks
smaller in a distance and looks bigger on the contrary”, is well-known. However, in this painting, the left
hand is much bigger than the right hand, which reflects that the expression of art in this painting is bold
rather than limited by the artistic rules.
In conclusion, The Portrait of King is a typical painting with Ethiopian features. Its composition is
simple but it reveals a lot of information about Ethiopia, such as the religion, the traditional instrument,
and their expression of art. Poet William Blake says, “To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a
wild flower.” Why not see a country in a picture?
Works Cited
“About Ethiopian Art”. The Next Canvas. www.thenextcanvas.com/about-ethiopian-art/.
Accessed 23 October 2016.
“Religion in Ethiopia”. Habesha Adventures: Connecting You to Ethiopian Culture.
habeshaadventures.com/ethiopia-religion.html. Accessed 23 October 2016.
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Honorable Mention
Molly Martin
Darton State College
Fisherman’s Wife
JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE POISSON
(Happy Birthday Fish)
She went down to the river. She had not been here in what seemed like eternity, but in actuality
was only twelve months ago, the longest and loneliest year of her life. The last time she was here is
when it happened. She remembered it like it was yesterday. The same questions that haunted her
everyday were occurring in her mind. ‘Why is this happening to me?’ “How could this happen?” “He was
entirely too young.” Suddenly, her mind was flooded with all the heartwarming memories. She
regressed back to better times.
It was the middle of September in the small village along the coast of France. The temperature
was about 78 degrees, but by the coast, this was the perfect weather for an outing. Janelle, who was
widowed shortly after bringing Jacques home as an infant from the village orphanage lived and breathed
for this child.
She went to wake up her only child, and started the day by reading his favorite verse from the good
book about how two fish could feed so many. Jacques was three years old now and had dark brown hair
and these bright blue eyes that seemed so full of life. These were the same eyes that she saw every
night when she closed hers.
“Honey, the weather outside is beautiful. The sun is shining down on us. Today’s a special day, a great
day! Happy third birthday, Jacques! How would you like to spend it? We can do whatever you desire!”
Janelle said to him, as she woke him up. To which he replied, “Mommy, you know exactly what I want to
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do! I want to go fishing down by the river!” Although this is not exactly what Janelle had in mind for his
birthday, she knew without a doubt that there would be no chance of changing his mind. After all, the
river was like his second home. “Just get ready baby, and we’ll go as soon as you want!” Janelle said to
him.
About ten minutes later, Jacques was outside waiting on the front porch for his mom. They only
lived a block away from the river, so the walk was not long enough to bring an abundance of supplies. In
fact, they liked fishing with their hands, rather than with poles, or anything else. So, they began the walk
to the river with their small picnic basket and of course some crackers to attract the fish.
When they got to the river, Jacques was so excited. He was running around ready to begin
fishing, but he could not get in the water to catch the fish, until they ate lunch. Janelle was setting up
their picnic area, when she heard it. The deep double splashing noise echoed within her ears as if it
would never stop. She turned and did not realize that it was the last time she would see her precious
son. It seemed like forever before she could move, and then to hear screams that were coming from
her own throat. As she ran down the banks of the river, several fisherman ran over to help.
One of the fisherman had spotted his contorted body near the rocks. Another fisherman yelled
out that the boy was hurt but still alive. Apparently the massive struggle with the largest fish they had
ever seen had caused him to injure his head on the large rocks. Janelle waded to him as he still clung to
the fish. He smiled and said “Mommy, this is a good birthday. I got the biggest fish just for you”. Then
his eyes closed forever and Janelle’s life would never be the same again. She screamed and ran with
him on her back to the nearest doctor. But it was too late-just his lifeless body; he had gone to a better
place.
For months Janelle could not go near the river, but on his next birthday she found herself
walking briskly to the river. She stayed there for hours thinking of all the good
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times shared with her only child. In memory of Jacques and his love for fish and his favorite verse, she
made a pact with herself. Each year on this date it would be her goal to try and catch the largest fish
possible. Within a few hours she began to feel his presence, and was overcome with love when she
heard it again. That deep double splash led her to catch another big fish and three smaller fish that
afternoon. Janelle immediately threw the fish on her back just as she had done with Jacques on that
fateful day long ago. She carried it to the village orphanage where one fish could feed so many. In her
mind she was thinking how Jacques would be so happy that his favorite verse was coming to life again.
Each year Janelle was amazed that the number of fish she caught on his birthday seemed to
correspond with the age her son would have been. As the years went by she began to get weary, but
once she started the trek to the orphanage her inner strength and faith allowed her to continue to
honor his memory. The children looked forward to this event which brought much happiness to
Janelle’s life. Although she had lost a son, she felt like this birthday fish ritual helped so many others at
the orphanage. In fact, the birthday fish filled the void in her heart and gave her a new purpose for
living.
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A Picture is Worth 1000 Words: College Winners
Honorable Mention
Carlen Franklin
Albany State University
Essay 1 – The Fisherman’s Wife
I went to the museum to look over the pictures, and after putting some deep thought into this process
the picture that I chose was the “ Fisherman’s Wife”. To me this is the most powerful picture in the
contest and the reason being is it showcases the strength of a woman. I am not discrediting men and
their strength, but to me this picture embodies women and how they are the driving forces for the
world, they bring children into the world and take care of them, they take over household, they work,
and they are the epitome of strength. This picture of the woman holding the fish on her back is symbolic
because it showcases that a woman can do the toughest of jobs. Women carry a plethora of hats in their
daily lives and many women do it all without any type of complaining. Even though women wear many
hats and execute a variety of tasks a lot of times they aren’t appreciated in the manner that they should
be. As a mom, kids don’t see everything that moms deal with on a daily basis, nor do they always
understand the reasoning behind the punishment their mom may give them. Its not until the child gets
older do they see all the things that moms shield from them to help better their child’s life. Women are
usually in charge of the household and have many daily tasks to be sure everyone in their household is
taken care of. The same way the lady in the picture is carrying the fish that seems to be almost her size
women carry their household with all the things they do on a daily basis and sometimes it can become a
bit overwhelming.
The strength of a woman is something that is unparalleled; women deal with so much and don’t get
all the things they deserve. It is natural for a woman to give a lot and to give her all and even in
relationships at times its not appreciated either. The lady in the picture is walking over other fish, and
that is symbolic and is intertwined with what I previously stated about a woman and everything they
have to endure. She is barefoot and walking on top of many fish so no matter what obstacle and what
pain she is enduring whether it’s a lot of pain or a small amount of pain women are still very persistent
and willing to accomplish whatever the task at hand is. Whether its not getting the promotion at a job,
or being in a great position career wise but having to take a step back to be a full time mom, or being a
single mom having to do it all on your own. Women can and will make it and push through any adversity
that life throws at them and still end up on top.
The strength of women is something that has always been around, like women are the glue that
keeps things together. We all came from a woman and that is a level of strength that is phenomenal. As
I previously stated there is so much controversy and so many issues placed on women, to know that
through it all you can still advance and ultimately end up where you want to be is an amazing thing.
Women are the backbone of so many great things in the world they keep things together. Women are
also able to do much more than household duties, women can run businesses and homes at the same
time and just have their hands in a variety of things. Women have come a long way because at one point
in time we didn’t have the social acceptance to do all the things that can be done today. This picture
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symbolizes that through it all whether it’s past events or future events we as women have come a long
way and will always overcome. We can work with our husbands doing what others perceive as “mans
work” and still have the strength to get through that, and finish whatever work we have for our
household and ourselves.
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