What is Timshel?

This student anthology is a result of the inspiration of good literature and the thrill of the creative spirit. Some pieces echo the themes of friendship and dreams found in Of Mice and Men; some paint descriptive pictures of our world's beauty as seen in Huck's drifting on the Mississippi in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ; still others reveal powerful universal messages like Our Town. The unit on the Holocaust jarred our awareness of war's brutality, but also inspired us with the courage of Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel. Martian Chronicles opened our eyes to social and environmental pollution, while Old Man and the Sea challenged our concepts of heroism and machismo. When Zora Neale Hurston describes her life as a "brown bag of miscellany," we used this same metaphor for our own lives. Even artwork by Dali and Picasso were springboards for our creativity. The result is a rich and varied array of writing.

Of course, literature is a wonderful model for student writing, but it is also a primer for life. John Steinbeck's epic East of Eden is the inspiration for this publication's title. "Timshel" is a Hebrew word meaning "Thou mayest." Steinbeck believed that each person has the opportunity to be master of his/her own life - to choose his/her own path. On June 18, 2003, Oprah Winfrey relaunched her book club, selecting East of Eden because she believed "lives can be enhanced through reading" it. We agree!

We hope as you read this ninth grade anthology that you will celebrate the fine writing and the creative spirits. Enjoy!

Shirley J. Vincent
Ninth grade English teacher

Editors: Angela Finley and Shirley J. Vincent
Contributors: ninth grade English students