Class Assignment 1

This is the first assignment that Mr.Woon gave to us in our English 2 class. We are required to choose a vegetable then write an essay about the vegetable that we chose. The vegetable that I chose was winter melon. I went to the market and bought one. Then, I started to study the winter melon as I got back home. At first, I felt like a stupid, but as I explore the winter melon, I find it interesting. Then, I turned all my explorations on the winter melon into the essay. Throughout the assignment, I was  able to analyze and evaluate reading texts critically. This is because I used the essay which is in the english textbook as a reference. I learned a lot through this assignment. For example, I learned how to observe things and explore it. I actually spent few hours on exploring and observing the winter melon. I was glad that I was able to meet the requirements of our lecturer for this assignment, which is to explore the vegetable through our five senses and to observe it.

Below is the essay I wrote :

  I was told by my lecturer to write an essay about vegetable base on the

 observation I did on the vegetable I chose. During class, the lecturer asked

 the us to write down the vegetable that we want to observe. I wanted to write

 down those vegetables that are easy to think of, but it turns out to be winter

 melon because most of the popular vegetables are already taken by other

 classmates. Therefore, I had to use winter melon as the writing material for

 my assignment. I went to the grocery store and bought a winter melon at the

 price of RM3.50.

  When I take it back home, I gave it a wash so that the color of the skin which

 is leaf green can be clearly seen. Then, I began to settle down and start to

 observe it. First of all, it is in round shape, unlike the one that I usually think of,

 which is in oblong shape. Then I realized that winter melon has different

 shapes not just in oblong shape. It’s size is just a little bit bigger than an apple,

 which made me doubt that is it really a winter melon or is it other things.

 Therefore, I did some research about it using the Internet. I found that winter

 melon doesn’t only have different shapes, it also has different sizes. It could

 be as big as a watermelon, or even bigger than it. It could be also as small as

 an apple, just like the one that I bought it in the grocery store.

  Then I continued to observe it and found out it has a tiny little stem on top of

 it. I believed this is the spot that it is connected to its plant before it is ripped.

 As times passes when I stare at it, I began to find it looks like a mini version of

 a watermelon because it has some stripes on it, just like a watermelon. But,

 the stripes that is on the winter melon can be barely seen compared to the

 watermelon. After that, I began to starting feeling it with my hands. It has a

 smooth skin, but it is slightly rougher if compared to an apple.

  Then, I lifted it up and started to feel its weight. It wasn’t that heavy due to

 it’s small size, approximately 1 kilogram or maybe lighter. I also tried knocking

 on it with my hand lightly. It just gives me the same feel that as if I’m knocking

 on a watermelon. When I’m knocking on it, I can clearly feel the water that is

 inside it because when I do so, it slightly bounces as if there is spring inside it.

 This is the sign of having water inside it. Besides that, when I place my hand

 on the winter melon, I can feel the coldness of it and I closed my eyes and

 just spend a few moments to just enjoy the coldness. When I hold it long

 enough to let my body heat to warm up the winter melon, the warmness of it

 stopped me from enjoying it.

  Then, I started another way of observing it, which is to smell it. I expected it

 to has the same smell as the winter melon can drink I use to drink, but I was

 turned down immediately because I smelled nothing. Then, I draw near the

 winter melon to my nose and had a second attempt. This time, I closed my

 eyes and place all my concentration on my nose. Slowly, a sweet aroma

 slipped inside my nose. I could say that the fragrance is way better than any

 of the perfume that is sold in the market because I could smell our mother

 nature from it, which is better than all those artificial fragrance.

  Finally, I came to the last step of observing it, which is to taste it. This excites

 me because after all the while of looking at it, I finally get to eat it. I used a

 knife and cut it into half. As I cut it, the juice of the winter melon drips out.

 When I was going to taste the juice, all sorts of imaginations of how the taste

 could be was running through my mind. But none of those imaginations turned

 to be real when I put the juice in my mouth. It was tasteless at all. Although

 the juice was tasteless, doesn’t mean that the meat goes the same way.

 Therefore, I had a bite on it and the result was disappointing. It taste just like

 the juice. After that, I stored the half that is still edible in the refrigerator and

 finish the other half though it was tasteless.

  Throughout this assignment, I learned that observing isn’t an easy task

 because when you observe something and throughout the observation you

 find something that you’re familiar with, your mind starts to project out the

 experiences and it will affect your observation. Therefore, observing without

 being affected is not an easy task and it needs to be trained.

This is a picture of me with the winter melon.