Descriptive Writing
Using the Paintings of
Winslow Homer
Watson and the Shark
John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1778. National Gallery of Art, Ferdinand Lammot Belin Fund 1963.6.1
Sample Paragraph
Wenhua Tian
2007
Watson and the Shark
Watson and the Shark is a painting by John Singleton Copely. In the
foreground of the painting, one naked man is being attacked by a huge gray
shark in the cold and choppy seawater. One small overloaded rowboat is
near the naked man and the frightening shark. There are nine horrified men
in this rowboat. They are trying to rescue the naked man. One young man
takes a long spear and wants to kill the shark. Some people are reaching for
his hand, and some are throwing a rope for him to catch. In the background
of the painting, under the dark and cloudy sky, there are many ships
stopping in the stormy harbor. The whole painting makes people feel
tension and fear.
http://faculty.deanza.edu/himesgretchen/stories/storyReader$35
Background Information
• The power of a hurricane
–
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=H9VpwmtnOZc&eurl=http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&resnum=0
&q=hurricane%20destruction%20youtube%20france&um=1&i
–
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/776397/hurricane_dean_the_movie/
The Gulf Stream by Winslow Homer
The Gulf Stream by Winslow Homer, The Gulf Stream, 1899. Oil on canvas; 28 1/8 x 49 1/8 in. (71.4 x 124.8 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York,
Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe Fund, 1906 (06.1234). Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
After the Hurricane by Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer, American, 1836-1910,After the Hurricane, Bahamas, 1899, Art Institute of Chicago
Example of Paragraph
The Destructive Power of Nature
The Gulf Stream by Winslow Homer shows how destructive the
ocean can be. In this picture, a wounded (injured) man sits calmly in
the face of danger. Fierce sharks are circling around him sitting on
his damaged boat. The whole ocean shows its true powers causing
powerful waves. The boat is lying helplessly under the mercy of the
ocean.
This is a great first draft! Remember, it’s not finished, but it has great promise.
Things to Remember
• Description not Narration
– Is this narration or description?
• In about fifteen minutes after the storm, the man was exhausted, and
couldn’t believe that he came out of the ocean churned by the stubborn
wind.
• His boat is broken and he looks half dead, and since the storm has stopped
the sky looks peaceful.
• From the moment he realized he was about to be eaten by shark, he laid
motionless on top of the boat.
• In the ocean, you can see the ferocious sharks with sharp teeth waiting for
him to fall off his small and old boat.
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Avoid I statements in academic writing.
Double space your paragraph.
Use an appropriate title (see page 89 in textbook).
Verb forms/tenses (see handout)
Outlining – the Key to Unity and
Coherence
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Outline your paragraph here:
Topic Sentence: Remember a topic sentence includes the topic and
what you want to tell the reader about the topic – what is the point of your
paragraph?
Example _______ by Winslow Homer makes the view feel __________.
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Supports and details
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Support One:______________________________________________
Detail:_____________________________________________________
Support Two:_______________________________________________
Detail:_____________________________________________________
Support Three:______________________________________________
Detail:_____________________________________________________
Conclusion: Remember to refer back to the controlling idea from the
Topic Sentence.
Example: For these reasons, the viewer has a feeling of __________ after
looking at ______________ by Winslow Homer.
Unity and Coherence
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Unity – how do you create it?
– Keeping your controlling idea in mind
while you create your supports and
details.
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Coherence – how do you create it?
– Following logical pattern
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In this paragraph, discuss fully one object
before moving on to another
Using sentence types to link ideas together
Other paintings
The Gulf Stream,
Watercolor Study, 1899
Prout's Neck, Breakers, 1883