Process Paper
Ever since I was a diminutive child, the fascinating stories of an utterly magical land that my Aunt Jan told me have inspired me. I am learning the language, I am acquainted with their customs, and I am learning every facet, in detail, of the land’s history. This magical land is world-renowned for their manners, food, landmarks, history, art, language and fashion. This land is France (formally, the French Fifth Republic). I have always wondered what it would be like to reside in such a gorgeous nation, where human rights are placed above all other issues, and so I decided to choose the topic From Revolution to Republic: Rights and Responsibilities of the French Citizen in order to, from abroad, learn first hand how the French live their day-to-day lives.
Quite honestly, my research for this project has, ever since I was around three years of age, been ongoing. I have always read about France, looked at photographs and daydreamed what I would do and where I would go if I lived in France. When my teacher asked me if I was interested in the National History Day Competition, I proclaimed that I would join it (once I heard the annual theme, of course). I immediately put my extensive knowledge of France to use and I conducted research on the founding documents of French democracy.
Similar to my interest in France, I have always had one other interest - the internet. The internet is a magical place, full of wonderful (and highly useful, to say the least) websites and applications that make life a lot easier. The web has always been a way for me, as an individual, to express my thoughts and feelings through any media of my choice (say, for instance, my art and my poems). My teacher stumbled upon one of my websites that I created for my United States History class, and she was awestruck. She asked me to register for NHD and to create a website, and so I did.
Once I began my website, I focused on minimalistic aspects to exemplify the complex nature of the French Republic. I, contrary to popular belief, am a simplistic person, and I wanted my website to reflect that. I thought for hours, and, finally, I had a plan. Why not simplify the entire, overall theme of NHD 2014, Rights and Responsibilities in History? I, metaphorically speaking, wove my ideas into the annual theme by creating three major sections: Rights of the French Citizen, in which I included the French Constitution in its entirety, Responsibilities of the French Citizen, in which I listed the expectations of the citizens, and, finally, Learn More About the Republic, in which I included an informative slideshow of several, captioned images.
Quite honestly, my research for this project has, ever since I was around three years of age, been ongoing. I have always read about France, looked at photographs and daydreamed what I would do and where I would go if I lived in France. When my teacher asked me if I was interested in the National History Day Competition, I proclaimed that I would join it (once I heard the annual theme, of course). I immediately put my extensive knowledge of France to use and I conducted research on the founding documents of French democracy.
Similar to my interest in France, I have always had one other interest - the internet. The internet is a magical place, full of wonderful (and highly useful, to say the least) websites and applications that make life a lot easier. The web has always been a way for me, as an individual, to express my thoughts and feelings through any media of my choice (say, for instance, my art and my poems). My teacher stumbled upon one of my websites that I created for my United States History class, and she was awestruck. She asked me to register for NHD and to create a website, and so I did.
Once I began my website, I focused on minimalistic aspects to exemplify the complex nature of the French Republic. I, contrary to popular belief, am a simplistic person, and I wanted my website to reflect that. I thought for hours, and, finally, I had a plan. Why not simplify the entire, overall theme of NHD 2014, Rights and Responsibilities in History? I, metaphorically speaking, wove my ideas into the annual theme by creating three major sections: Rights of the French Citizen, in which I included the French Constitution in its entirety, Responsibilities of the French Citizen, in which I listed the expectations of the citizens, and, finally, Learn More About the Republic, in which I included an informative slideshow of several, captioned images.