You are hereIlluminated Texts created using Adobe Flash
Illuminated Texts created using Adobe Flash
Illuminated Texts created by students. Some of these are created using Microsoft Power Point and you will need to be using Windows and either have Power Point or download the Power Point viewer to watch (and listen to) the presentation in your browser. In any case, you can download the Power Point file (without the music) to play on your own computer. A handful of the presentations are written using Adobe Flash and should be easily viewable on any computer (as long as you have the Flash Player - and most computers already do).
"i carry your heart" by e e cummings - An Illuminated Text in Flash
This is the second Illuminated Text that I have created using this poem. As my students transition from Power Point to Adobe Flash -- I wanted to go through the process and acquaint myself with what they were going through for myself. I chose this poem because I love it dearly- and, to me, it is an ideal candidate for a text-based animation -- the words are rich, beautiful, and multi-layered. When I was writing this Illuminated Text - it occurred to me how much these presentations are like essays or writing in general - you need to have some kind of overriding idea or thesis and each piece must support and play off of the other.
"Indian Camp" - Illuminated text by Jesus Alonso
This illuminated text on Hemingway's "Indian Camp" uses to text, to among other things, point out the journey from dark to light and back to light again. The words, in the presentation, move from darkness to light, echoing Nick's journey to the world that awaits him at the Indian Camp. It is moving and insightful. I also continue to show this Illuminated Text every year when we read the story - it never fails to impress me or my students.
Click Here to view the Flash Video Illuminated Text of "Indian Camp"
Click Here to view the Power Point Illuminated Text of "Indian Camp"
"The End of Something" an Illuminated Text by Alex Nuttal
A thoughtful and complex treatment of Ernest Hemingway's short story, "The End of Something," as presented by Alex Nuttal. Alex uses both pictures, words, and graphic shapes to represent and to explicate the sadness and the resolution of the story about the end of a lumber town and the end of a relationship. [We now have a Flash Video version of this text - click on that if you have trouble hearing or viewing the Power Point version]
A Pilgrimage to Thee: Sonnet 27, an Illuminated Text by Ariella Silverstein-Tapp and and C. Asoynec
A peaceful and contemplative examination of Shakespeare's Sonnet 27: "Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed." It is night, the moon is out, and the Moonlight Sonata plays in the background. Done by two students towards the beginning of our creation of Illuminated Text, it is, as one commentator has said, an ideal example to show students the power of what they can do to explicate the text when creating an Illuminated Text. There is now an Adobe Flash Video version of this Illuminated Text - if you have trouble viewing or hearing sound with the Power Point edition.
The Sky Tree: A Native American Story
This project explicates "The Sky Tree," a Native American story retold by Joseph Brucach It was created by Laura Neeb of McAuley High School in Cincinnati,Ohio in response to a project assigned to seniors at the end of the year. The images as well as the music beautifully illustrate and honor the spirit of the story. [There are two new versions of this incredible Illuminated Text: An Uncompressed Power Point Version (if you've had trouble viewing the other one) - and a Flash Video Version - enjoy.]
Dark Chasms: An Illuminated Text of John Gardner's Grendel by Sima Cunningham
A brilliant and insightful examination of Grendel's choices (or lack thereof) in an animated Power Point video created by Sima Cunningham. Once again, this Illuminated Text shows the power that the words from the text have (and that the pictures -- or lack thereof) in Illuminated Texts are secondary. [You can also choose to view a Flash Video version of this presentation].
No Speak English: A House on Mango Street Illuminated Text.
This Illluminated Text by David Cordova and Sid Menon tackles one idea from one chapter in Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street. That idea is really a character - the woman who comes from Mexico and cries because she doesn't want to see her children becoming culturally assimilated. [There is now a Flash Video version of this presentation as well.] It is one of the most moving moments in the book -- and it is handled with sensitivity and creativity by the students.
An Illuminated Text of Hemingway's "Soldier's Home" by Alison Moy and Lori Mai
This illuminated text was created by Alison Moy and Lori Mai. Key Points found in 'Soldier's Home" from Ernest Hemingways novel, 'In Our Time' were taken and kept in sequential order to enhance the greatness of the chapter. This illuminated text helps us envision a young soldier's thoughts about his familar, yet strange, surroundings and his new feelings towards those who were once close to him, after he comes back from war.
"House" an Illuminated Text by Norberto Rivera and Danny Chan
This project by Norberto Rivera and Danny Chan is an inspired look at pieces of the text and Esperanza's search for her perfect house. The words move perfectly to what is happening in the text and the authors masterfully combine different sections of the text to bring together a unified, powerful, vision. [There is now a Flash Video version of this Illuminated Text - so if you've had problems hearing the Power Point Version - click on that one instead.]
Click Here to View the Flash Video edition of this Illuminated Text
Click Here to View the Power Point edition of this Illuminated Text Read more »
Fevered Love - A Flash Illuminated Text on Shakespeare's Sonnet 47 by Carmen Au and Sabrina Britecevich
This Illuminated Text was created as the end product of a research project where students worked with partners and investigated one particular sonnet. The result here, for Sonnet 47, is outstanding. The students focus on Shakespeare's medical terminology and extended metaphor in their explication of his work. The music, movement, and overall effect are well-thought-out and comprehensive.
Once upon a time there was a boy
[There is so much in this incredible Illuminated Text that watching it may make you giddy - giddy with the joy of art that went into creating it; giddy with the appreciation of the artist, Monica Villegas, who created it (not to mention the original text, The History of Love, from which it was derived). Again, it is interesting to see the entire genre of Illuminated Text so influenced by one presentation - here pictures and animation are essential to the message of the Illuminated
The Iron Youth: An Illuminated Text of Erich Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front
This illuminated text takes you through the emotions and thoughts that Paul Baumer experiences during WWI. While the text tells Paul's story the changes of scenes along with their complex backgrounds and music help us picture and feel what the text is describing. [If Illuminated Texts could be given a collective standing ovation, this one would certainly deserve it. In fact, after it was shown, some of my students told me we should stop doing them as nothing could ever compare.
Different Names for Snow: An Illuminated Text of The House on Mango Street
This presentation by Mike Kenny begins with a bringing together of text about snow, clouds, and names. If you want to see what is done right in a presentation -- the first thing you'll notice, beyond the wonderful choice of related text, is the perfect choice of font to display that text. The clouds become names in a seamless and powerful series of transitions -- when two different people are talking, the font for each are different and appropriate. This is a masterful Illuminated Text.
The Butterfly: An Illuminated Text of All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
In this presentation I've taken the excerpt where Paul describes the beautiful scenery around the front. I went from there to juxtapose the butterflies in the novel with him. My goal was to portray Paul as the butterfly, and show that he too was "trapped inside the glass" like the butterflies he had once collected. [I am not embarassed to admit that this Illuminated Text moved me to tears by the end of it - and it wasn't for overwraught sentiment, but rather a deep understanding and empathy for Paul Baumer that this presentation does such a wonderful job of bringing out. The butterfly on the mirror - that goes behind glass - that becomes the reflection of Paul. The ideas, and the expression of those ideas are profound and masterful. JRS]
Grendel in Flash: A New Kind of Illuminated Text
This Illuminated Text by Courtney Hong and Emma Ocampo on John Gardner's Grendel is a watershed in many ways. For one, it is the first to use Adobe Flash, rather than Power Point -- for another it uses the text extensively, appropriately, and ultimately beautifully to tell the story of Grendel -- his alienation and his encounter with the accidental nature of life. It is a stunning accomplishment.
