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English Name: Joy
Chinese Name: 赵赛
Year: Senior 2
Class: 127
Title: Sunflowers
QQ:
When I was young, I lived in a small village. There used to be many beautiful flowers. I like the flowers with sweet smells and bright colors. But my grandma likes a kind of common flower very much. It was called sunflowers and it has a little sweet smell. My grandma always told me, this kind of flower lives in little soil, and the more strong sunshine, the more beautiful the flowers. It is a symbol of confidence, courage, and strength. I can’t understand what she said at that time. But one time I was in a terrible mood, I thought of it suddenly. I started understanding my grandma’s words and I learned that I should smile at life.
When I faced the difficult problems in life, I always think of the sunflowers. I can imagine that they are standing in strong sunshine, singing sweet songs in the win and smiling to the sun. I think I should learn something from the sunflowers. I should keep a confident mood in my life and try my best to study or to live. My grandma planted many sunflowers around my house. When it was in bloom with light yellow, she liked watering it and then told me, “You should have a strong heart like the sunflowers. You can do everything you want to do. Don’t be afraid of difficulties. Believe in yourself. It’ll make you more mature and encouraged.”
Now, my grandma has died. I am busy with my studies. Though I have little time to see the sunflowers, I always keep it in my heart. I love the sunflowers and my grandma. I think I will remember my grandma and her sunflowers forever. I wish the sunflowers can spread all over the world, then more and more people will get confidence, strength, and courage from it. 
Comments (From American voters):
"Pace, imagery, and the underlying theme. I found myself picturing my grandmother's roses (though I love sunflowers too!)"
"I liked Sunflowers because of the strong imagery. Reading the piece made me feel like I was in a field of Sunflowers."
"All of them did a great job! I picked this one as #1 because Joy did a great job of conjuring up such vivid images with language in a relatively short space. She successfully conveyed her message and left me with the most lasting memories after reading it...of bright, joyous sunflowers as well as of her grandmother's unconditional love."
"This essay used different verb forms correctly. The ideas in the essay were organized well and were presented clearly."
"Sunflowers is my choice for top honors because this student used the language fluently and wrote what she knew. You could feel her connections through her words, for example, she said, "You should have a strong heart like the sunflowers." This statement rings true to me and I feel this student is making interesting connections to her family to understand her life. Bravo!"
This is the third place winning submission. An essay written by Joy (赵赛), a Senior 2 student from class 127.. Twenty nine American readers cast their votes for their first, second, and third favorite piece. Joy's "Sunflowers" earned 5 votes for first place, 2 for second, and 1 for third, earning it the number three spot in our competition. Congratulations Joy! Comments from the voters are at the bottom of the page.
