13th Picture Writing Assignment

Brandon Abrams

October 11, 2012

English IV

                On a breezy, light summer day in July I pulled up to the Florida mall to go shopping. Walking into Saks, I perused the displays looking for something interesting. To my bewilderment the store was having their annual clear out sale. It was with that in mind that I navigated through every aisle.

                Strolling through the suits I fund a ZZegna charcoal window pane two piece suit 60% off. It was the perfect cut and size of 38R slim. I took that magnificent piece of tailoring with me as I looked at the jeans. New Diesel straight leg jeans lined the aisles at 70% off. Grabbing jeans left and right brought me to the neck wear, where my shopping desires reached new heights.

                I took flight towards a Zegna tie rack guarded by a sales representative.

               

Beowulf and the City

Brandon Abrams

Ms. Morrell

English III Honors

September 28, 2012

   

    Jonathan took a long sip of his black Starbucks espresso while he read that week’s edition of The Economist. He had just finished the article entitled “China and Japan’s Power Grab for the South China Sea.” He had a long day ahead of him in his office. You see, his law firm had just gotten the contract to work with Abrams Information Systems and Bomhard Technologies, Inc. to form a new company. Jonathon, being the managing partner of his firm’s mergers and acquisitions sector, knew that this would be a challenging merger due to the controversy surrounding both company’s role in an insider trading scandal that rocked the financial markets last year.

As Jonathan put on his charcoal grey suit trousers he mentally prepared himself for the day ahead. He knew that the head’s of both companies had a somewhat friendly relationship but that it was deteriorating quickly. Jonathan had to work quickly in order to ensure the merger went successfully. He picked out a white french-cuff dress shirt from his closet and fastened the buttons one by one. After completing this he tucked in his shirt and went to find cufflinks. He chose his power pair that fastened his shirt with gold squares adorned with black diamonds. After successfully putting in each cufflink he went to find a suitable tie for his endeavor. Knowing it was a power suit day he took down a Zegna red paisley and expertly tied a double windsor knot. He fastened his side-adjusters, laced up his brogues, and threw on his jacket.

While walking out the door of his 38th story apartment he puffed up his pocket square. As he walked down he left a name-displayer in the lobby to one of his new neighbors so that she could call him with her legal issues she spoke about last night. He hopped into his private VIP-carrier and set out to catch his prey on the mean streets of Manhattan. He got out of the luxury mobile he so aptly named upon purchase and strutted into Trump Tower, where the negotiations would take place.

Taking the vertical-lift up to the top floor he eyed the Donald himself. Jonathan and Mr. Trump went back a long time and frequently played golf together during the summer in the Caymans. He threw a casual salute and swaggered into the boardroom. But then, staring him down from across the table sat Nathan. Nathan, a skinny ambulance-chasing pink shirt wearing “attorney,” had never been Jonathan’s favorite compadre. Nathan was the Lex Luthor to Jonathan’s Superman and he knew it. His constant harassment of Jonathan got inside Jonathan’s head like none other could do. Nathan got up and pushed his button-concealer along his shirt, moving it into place. Jonathan motioned for a handshake but Nathan simply looked away. It was all Jonathan could do to not smack this sarcasm-spewer. They all sat down with the heads of the two companies and started negotiations.

    Negotiations pressed on for the coming weeks. Counsel on both sides were locked in disputes regarding the allocation of stock options. Nathan escalated his stickler-status and further cemented Jonathan’s image of him. The talks drained Jonathan emotionally, physically, and mentally with every decision complicated by the two side’s disputes. Jonathan collected a plethora of legal arguments from law-pages and scholarly-briefs but nothing could harm the seemingly indestructible Nathan. It was with this in mind that Jonathan realized the only way to defeat Nathan was with the power of will.

    As Jonathan prepared the next day he spoke to his latest client, the woman neighbor, and realized that the merger was taking time out of the things that really mattered in his life. He grew distant from his family and friends and wanted to get back to what really made him happy in life. As he slipped on his leather-slippers and walked downstairs a thought ran through his mind: “focus on the subsidiaries.” So as Jonathan walked into the boardroom which he once reigned king over he hammered subsidiaries in that day’s discussions.

    While Nathan was a Harvard educated people-defender he lacked the subsidiary knowledge that the Yale tutored Jonathan had. Jonathan went back and forth across a multitude of smaller companies comprised within the two major conglomerates. Eventually, Nathan was forced to concede to Jonathan’s prowess and the two companies merged.

    Abrams-Bomhard Systems was now official and Jonathan had won the war. He was proclaimed Forbes's “Top Negotiator Under 30” and left Nathan criticized by his peers. Moving forward, Nathan had to take a job at a local firm and was later fired due to professional misconduct. Nathan also lost his arm in a car accident and, having already been mortally wounded by his defeat to Jonathan, checked into a personal-care home. Jonathan, on the contrary, achieved massive rewards from his Executive partner and brought honor to his family. It was clear, from that point forward, that Jonathan was the top dog when it came to company mergers.

side-adjusters = belt

name-displayer = business card

VIP-carrier = limo

vertical-lift = elevator

ambulance-chasing = personal injury law

button-concealer = tie

sarcasm-spewer = jerk

law-pages = textbooks

scholarly-briefs = journals

leather-slippers = loafers

people-defender = attorney

personal-care = nursing home

Beowulf Komishibai Script

Beowulf Script

Brandon, Erin, and Drake

Board 1: Beowulf begins to prepare himself for his appearance in the Mead Hall, where massive celebrations take place. Beowulf dons his helmet and sword to present himself as a true hero to the people.

Board 2: Beowulf has the swagger of a monster slayer and catches everyone’s attention. He brags to the crowd about his expeditions and they respond with cheers and applause. They also shower him with luxurious gifts and food.

Board 3: Sitting in the corner, Unferth scowls at Beowulf in disgust. He calls him out, saying that he is not a true hero. Questioning all of the attention he gets from his fan base. Unferth believes that Beowulf is not as strong as he claims to be because he cannot even win a swimming race.

Board 4: Unferth begins to reflect upon Beowulf’s previous failure against another warrior in a swimming match. He says that he must be an imposter because he will never be able to win a battle.

Board 5: Then from across the room Beowulf responds by correcting Unferth’s accusations. He says that Unferth cannot judge him when he himself has never even fought in a battle.

Board 6: Beowulf begins to explain to everyone what actually happened that day. Saying that he was neck and neck with the other man when suddenly…

Board 7: a giant sea monster attacked him. The other man got a huge lead as Beowulf fought off the beast, trying to survive. By the time he finished the beat down on the monster, he believed he could still win the race.

Board 8: However fate was not on Beowulf’s side because soon after, another monster attacked him. He defeated this one just as easily and continued racing.

Board 9: But then there was another monster…

Board 10: and another…

Board 11: and another…

Board 12: In fact, Beowulf had to fight nine monsters on the way to the finish line. He arrived an entire day late and ended up losing the race. However he was the warrior all the wiser because he had fought 9 monsters in the name of his lord.

Common App Essay- Long Original

Brandon Abrams

Common Application Essay

                When most people think of attorneys they think of Law and Orderesque men clad in three piece suits and formulating a case that prosecutes the criminal all under an hour. The common perception of attorneys has always been arguing so I guess growing up with an attorney dad just ingrained the art of the argument into me. As I grew older I learned that the argument wasn’t just for the sake of coming off as superior to your opponent, nor was it to see who could yell the loudest at each other. Simply, arguing, or more civilly “aggressive persuasion,” was all about getting your point across and your opponent to accept your claims. This upbringing in quarrelling eventually pushed me in the direction of competitive speech and debate as I entered my Junior year, and ultimately shaped my perception of the World around me and my own personal beliefs. Through this activity I have been able to value other people’s viewpoints even if I don’t personally agree with them, as well as interpret the world away from just stark black and white but rather as an infinite amount of shades of gray.

                Coming into my Junior year there were several things I wanted to do differently. I had just gotten out of Public high school and I knew I hadn’t nearly excelled to any of my ability. I always had an interest in debate so I signed up for the class. My initial experiences in the class opened my world up to things bigger than myself as I realized there was an activity where the best and brightest from all of the World competed against each other and had a profound impact on their surroundings. Always being competitive, I signed up for all of that year’s tournaments. I entered into an event called “Extemporaneous Speaking” where you are given three questions and must prepare a seven minute speech, given without notes, utilizing a cache of files you have meticulously comprised during the course of the season. At the onset I didn’t think that there could have been anything harder. The first few speeches I gave shakingly rolled of my tongue as I tried to keep from tapping my feet in order to vent my nervousness. Although the event, and the challenges it brought, tested every facet of my body and mind I was hooked and knew that I wanted to do this as much as possible. Moving on through the course of the season I rose through the ranks of my, the most competitive, debate districts in the country. Each speech made me a more aware global citizen while giving me the tools to succeed in school and afterwards. The research that went into every speech made me more aware of my surroundings and as I competed on the national circuit I became exposed to a wide variety of people from the World over. The people I met, the diversity I was exposed to, and the set of skills, the most important being the art of communication, I learnt all have made a better and more prepared person for college.

                Debate will always hold a special place in my heart and mind because of the people it exposed me to. From my teammates to my competition I have the greatest amount of respect for all and can say that I have made life-long friends from both parties. Moving forward, I hope use my communication, organization, and research skills to help me through my post-high school life and impact the global community in a way that increases everyone’s understanding of their surroundings. Being elected President of Speech and Debate my Senior year meant so much more to me than just the title, it meant that I would be able to play a larger role in my teammate’s lives and help them in the debate room as well as in their outside lives. I hope that I will be able to bring these skills, as well as my passion for the art of communication, to college life and make the difference for people who think arguing is just yelling to make the best point.

FSU College Essay

Leadership and global awareness are two traits I value highly and will bring to Florida State. Looking back at my high school experiences to date I see significant growth. Coming into my freshman year at a new school, I felt isolated and unsupported. This only intensified during my sophomore year when I attempted to complete a very-intensive course schedule. However, transferring to Lake Mary Preparatory School in eleventh grade brought not only a better academic environment for me to succeed in, but also the opportunity to become a leader in a highly diverse school.

                During ninth and tenth grades I did not recognize opportunities for leadership and growth. I found them, however, when I transferred to Lake Mary Prep.  In eleventh grade I took the normal complement of coursework, made up courses from the prior year where I received personally-unsatisfying grades, and motivated myself through speech and debate. Speech and debate presented me with leadership opportunities that l had never been exposed to before, such as working with my teammates to prepare and excel in upcoming tournaments. I feel that it was because of my desire and dedication to the team that I was elected its President.  I look forward to bringing the skills I learned in speech and debate to the Florida State community.

                I also lacked a sense of global awareness during my freshman and sophomore years. I was not an effective global citizen. Lake Mary Prep provided me the opportunity to interact with students from around the world. As the founding President of the Latin club, I work with the school to promote Latin as a field of study to the school’s international students. Additionally, I actively seek out international students to participate on the Speech and Debate team. Through our team’s dedication to working together, many of the international students have proven themselves well in tournaments. I will work within the Florida State community to promote global awareness and diversity. I hope also to promote global awareness after my undergraduate studies, through ventures in business and law.

                Julius Caesar said it best in his commentaries on the Roman civil war that “experience is the teacher of all things.” My actions in high school and the decisions I made have impacted my stance on life moving forward. I recognize now my early mistakes, but it is because of them that I could grow and discover those characteristics truly important to me. My experiences, and how they have made me value leadership and global awareness, are things I will bring to Florida State.

College Essay #1

Attorney. The word immediately conjures up mental images of men clad in suits strutting across a courtroom floor, coaxing answers from witnesses, and passionately entreating their final argument before a jury and judge. This notion is centered around attorneys’ ability to argue and persuade, so growing up with an attorney father whom I idolized, I naturally became fascinated with the art of argumentation early on. As a child, I was set on always being right (much to my parents’ chagrin!), but as I grew older I learned that arguing isn’t just for the sake of establishing superiority over your opponent. Rather, arguing is about getting both opponents to understand each other’s views, and then agreeing on an optimal solution. In high school this love affair with arguing led me to competitive speech and debate, which ultimately has taught me to appreciate the diversity of others’ perspectives, even if they contradict my own.

                Coming into my junior year, I wanted to do things differently. I had just transferred schools and was looking for ways to meet people and integrate myself into my new school, so I signed up for my school’s Speech and Debate course. I instantly realized I’d found my calling, and before long I joined the debate team. I had found an activity that allowed the best and brightest students from the world over to showcase their skills of persuasion and argumentation. Always competitive, I enlisted in “Extemporaneous Speaking,” an event in which each candidate is given three questions to answer in a seven minute impromptu speech.

To my surprise, “extemp” was the hardest thing I’d ever done. The event tested every facet of my mind: my ability to organize and assess data, to formulate cohesive and logical arguments, and to articulate these complex ideas simply and convincingly. Determined to excel, I set to refining my new craft. Quickly I rose through the ranks of my debate district, one of the most competitive in the country, eventually becoming president of the Debate Club.

The benefits of debate have been immense. Beyond cultivating my leadership, self-confidence, and communication skills, debate has helped me see that there’s often no “right” answer. Rather, every situation must be considered on many different levels, from many different perspectives.

                Debate is important to me because it has helped shape my personality. It has taught me to be inquisitive, considerate, respectful, and confident. I’m certain that the skills and traits that I’ve gained from the experience will help me tremendously in the future. I want to bring my passion for the art of debate to college life in order to help develop a campus culture that encourages, rather than fears, the exchange of opposing viewpoints. I want to show people that debate is not just about “winning” an argument. On the contrary, when we debate in a logical and respectful way, the exchange often generates entirely new ideas and solutions. Thus, the notion of “winning” an argument is irrelevant, for when we debate, everyone wins.