Learn2Write

Part 5: A Different Perspective

Have you imagined how life would be as someone or something else? Everyone has at some point in time written something from a different perspective. This perspective could be both living as well as non-living. The living ones mainly are animals or birds. The non-living ranges from a stationary car to a light bulb atop a high pole. Let us consider a living being’s perspective, namely a dog.

Everyone loves a dog, don’t they? Those among us who are dog owners are always trying to get into the heads of our pets and understand what they are thinking about. What is really going on in that furry little head of theirs? Those quizzical eyes are forever keeping us flummoxed about their mood and desires. Well, most of the time, they want treats; now that is easy to guess! But imagine writing about a dog being in their shoes. What if you could look inside the mind of one of those cute, cuddle-worthy canines even for an hour and collect their curious thoughts?

As a dog, we can write about our adventures, experiences and thoughts. What fun we had at the beach! What a treat the theme park was! How delicious that titbit off the dining table was! Ever imagined when dogs of all sizes and ages are feeling scared? How many of you dog lovers have your dogs cowering under your feet or curling up uncomfortably in their beds at the sound of thunder, or worse, firecrackers? What would be going through your head if you were one?

Could it be something like this?

My ever-active ears picked up on that familiar yet strange sound. He was here, again. The rumble seemed very soft but distinct. I looked over at Penny who seemed engrossed in her drawing. She didn’t seem to hear him. Then, did I imagine it? I admit I have thought about some lip-smacking gravies or biscuits that I swipe off plates when no one is looking. I even have dreams about running on the open grassland at full speed as the wind tickles my Yorkshire terrier furry ears and belly. Penny tells me numerous times that my legs often move vigorously while I sleep. But why on earth will I dream of someone scary like the rumble that is always searching for me like a predator? What did I ever do to him? I am no bigger than a rabbit in size and heart.

Then the sound came again. This time it was unmistakable. With louder explosions. Even Penny looked up from her colouring. Her eyes seemed to scan the ceiling from the right to the left. Then she looked towards where I was, and our eyes met. Her quizzical knitted brows unfurled and turned into wide arcs of realisation as she looked at me. From her eyes as wide as an open window, I knew that the look on my face must have been of pure horror. She saw it. She inhaled sharply in response and before I knew it, my legs leapt up on the bed, over the cushions and into her outstretched arms. She always knew how I felt at such times. I buried my face in the nook of her elbows as she wrapped her arms around my small body. The familiar smell from her was always a source of comfort for me. Hmmm…. butter cookies; she must have been munching on them earlier. Even I wanted one. But wait. I need my pursuer vanquished first.  

Then suddenly the monster that seemed quite far away was suddenly over our house. How did he get here so fast? The entire house shook from his thundering temper as he continued to strike the roof and tried to get in. He caused such loud sounds in anger that the entire sky echoed with it. This time I was sure he would get me. I have been elusive so far and always escaping in the nick of time, but he always seems to know where I am. In every room in the house where I hid it, he appeared, right outside the window. Even when I dug under the pillow, he seemed to find me. There was no relief from his relentless searching, I’m telling you. How did he always know where I was? But this time I was confident that Penny would save me. With her around, I always felt safe. She would tell him to go away and leave me alone.

Are you scared of thunder? What about loud crackers? Small animals are too. But how do they express that to you, the owners? Most of the time they think it is a sign of danger, so they begin shivering out of fear. Even our hands quake when we are scared, don’t they? In the above passage, do you notice the small details that make the thoughts and feelings of the dog even more distinct and feel like they could belong to an actual dog? Very playful yet sensitive to loud noises. They love to eat as well as play around. All those things are also woven into the lines without deviating from the main topic.

Can you see the numerous sensory details that have been incorporated into the paragraphs? For a topic like this where your thoughts and feelings play a key role, you must inundate the reader with as many sensory descriptions as you can. You must have also noticed that an innocent and sweet animal like a dog will not know what thunder or lightning is. For them, any loud sound will indicate some form of danger. That is why we have used personification to describe the loud thundering sound. They are scared mostly because they think they will be harmed.

Now, choose an animal and get writing about their thoughts and feelings!

We present to you a new weekly feature dedicated to showcasing budding literary talent. These commendable pieces have been handpicked on the basis of ideas and tips discussed on our blog. 

The following is a descriptive piece on an animal (Tiger). In this the young writer piques reader curiosity by delaying the introduction of his subject (the tiger) till the end of the paragraph.

The first two paragraphs contain plenty of instances of alliteration.

Note the colourful vocabulary (especially verbs) used for describing the actions of a tiger.

This post is shallow (pun intended); it is all about the surface, the skin. Our object of gaze: animals, a recurring descriptive writing topic in examinations. We are going to do some serious wildlife watching this time.

Nobody can deny that the world would be a dull place without our furry friends. With a mind-boggling variety of colours, patterns and textures, they can be quite a task to describe. ‘A tiger has stripes, a snake has scales and a dear has spots’ can sound just meh. How to present the obvious in novel and engaging ways is a continuing challenge at the heart of descriptive writing. Children struggle with it, and so do adults.

In this post, we attempt to create a rich word bank for a stock of images that describe the patterns and textures of our animal friends. Keeping in mind that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, let’s get started with the first skin type.

Spotted

Many animals in the cat family – cheetah, leopard and jaguar – owe their splendid beauty to their spotted skin or fur. A quick glance at the thesaurus yields some interesting synonyms for spotted: dappled, dotted, peppered, flecked, freckled, sprinkled, speckled, mottled, bedecked etc.

Now we come to the intriguing, and somewhat tricky, part: creating a mesh of these words, together with, strokes of highly sensory language to describe the aforesaid animals:

The blanket of its hazel-coloured fur, embossed with rich black polka dots, radiated grandeur. (Cheetah)

The recesses of rosettes were royal to visualize, whether the beast stood still or was in motion. (Leopard; rosette is the flower or rose pattern characteristic of a leopard’s fur)

Pops of blue, green, golden, and turquoise were daubed in intricate patterns onto its resplendent plumage to imitate the dappled sunlight reflected among the multi-coloured leaves.’ (Peacock)

Let's move onto domestic animals.The dairy cow species – theHolstein Friesian cow – has black and white spots in unique patterns so that no two cows have spots exactly resembling each other’s.

‘Moo, moo,’ cried the timid cow, swinging its tail to and fro, as though the tail’s tip was supposed to mark places on the peculiar maps created by its mottled skin.

Snowy white speckles sparkled in the sun as the hen foraged the ground for grains and worms early out of bed.

Striped

Next, a catalogue of synonyms for striped include barred, stripy, banded, lined, striated, ribbed, streaky, streaked, grooved etc.

Let’s deploy these words to sketch a few animals.

The bright, bold black stripes grooved the amber-orangish base as the tiger attempted to camouflage itself amidst wilderness to cunningly pounce on the prey.

The faded tan streaks were a no match against the glittering twinkle of its dazzling eyes. (Tabby cat)

The striated coat of white and black lines created a picture of ink sprinkled on icy surface. (Zebra)

The charm of the homochromous auburn fur amplified with the solid black bands that barred the entire length of its trunk. (Striped hyena)

Blocks

A peek at the trusty thesaurus this time showcases checkered, cubed, slabbed, gobbets, lumps, blots, wedges etc.

Here we go with our evocative depictions:

The light bronze gobbets were like tangible squares you felt tempted to touch and press like buttons. (Giraffe)

The pitch-black blots glistened on the domed shiny red body of the beetle, appearing like diamonds lying on a silky sheet. (Ladybug)

Scaly

Have you ever wondered how sheets of scales covering the skin of a variety of reptiles often look like detachable structures that would break and fall off any moment as the animals move? These scales find interesting complements in the form of plates, flakes, peels, tiles, scutes, lamina etc.

The turtle popped out its bashful face from beneath the sturdy shield of its scutes.

The fish stopped and shed water, as though separately from each of its silvery flakes.

The devilish crocodile opened its jaw and moved quickly from side to side, making the oblong tiles of hard skin on its body more prominent to the eye.

Monochrome

 Although animals with monochromatic skin lack natural shades and colours, we can certainly use vibrant adjectives to vividly represent them. The archive of synonyms to play with entails unicoloured, piebald, pied, homochromous etc.

Let’s first paint the sketches of the adorable penguin and panda.

The pristine white front was feathery and blubbery, contrasting starkly with the deep black flippers which the penguin spread to take its flight.

The teddy bearish appearance of the cute panda was intimately related to its monochromatic fur which symbolized innocence and purity.

The horse's piebald adult coat was an exotic black, blotched with gleaming patches of white.

The white-black colossal coat of the Orca whale could underestimate the blood thirstiness with which this giant slayer of the waters chased all weaker aquatics.

The pied kingfisher heroically shook its monochromatic plumage, announcing that it was no less a competition in beauty to its colourful counterparts. 

Hope this post helps you to see animal patterns and textures in a new light now.