Della Wang’s Writing Portfolio
BY XINCHEN (DELLA) WANG
2023
Preface I created this portfolio to showcase to the world the art and lives of disabled children. Each article explains the ideal world of each young artist. Every piece of art is an expression of what each child believes would make life better on Earth. All of the kids are highly imaginative and show creative ways of explaining their ideas to the world. I learned a lot from a disabled school for kids. I got the drawings in the portfolio from the school. I learned about how life for disabled kids is very difficult, but the kids there still work hard and have hope for their future. After visiting this school, I decided to write this portfolio based on the pictures they drew. All of their pictures are positive and show the best world for these kids, one in which everyone is friendly towards each other, shows empathy, and is caring and respectful. This portfolio is meant to show their ideas to the world and let other people also see the world through the eyes of these children. The children’s drawings are full of meaning and emotions; they let people see the world from their perspective. The drawings show that no matter how stressful or difficult life is, you can still be hard-working and resilient. The children are caring and helpful, just like the messages in their pictures. They inspire people to be like them, working hard and dedicated. After coming back from the school, I realized just how much these pictures meant, so I decided to write this portfolio to share these messages with the world.
This picture was drawn by a student named Yu. When Yu was young, his parents divorced, leaving him lonely in this wide world. Throughout Yu’s life, he was cared for by his loving grandma. Even though Yu had someone to take care of him, he always wished he had a stronger relationship with his parents. He drew this picture of one of his earliest memories, a trip with his father, a time he truly felt loved. A long time ago, Yu and his dad went to the ocean. He saw many things that made him happy. This picture shows a time Yu sailed across the ocean on a boat with the wind in his hair. While sailing, he saw an island with a coconut tree. He watched fish jump out of the water. He smelled the lovely fresh air. The memory of these moments makes him feel free, like the ocean is carrying his thoughts, and the wind blows his happiness up. Though Yu is sad that he is no longer living in this moment, just thinking about how he experienced this makes him happy. His picture shows that people can be as free as the fish in the ocean or the waves in the water. On the island he drew, he showed the coconut tree he and his dad sat under. He said that this memory was as sweet as the coconuts on the tree and that he cherishes it deeply. Yu drew this to show others that freedom can be found anywhere, alone on an island or in the middle of a bustling city. He shows that happy things happen in life and that people should remember those events and keep them in their hearts throughout their lives.
Tianyu grew up in a faraway city in a poor neighborhood. Desperate, his dad became a thief in order to keep his family safe. When Tianyu was very young, the police caught his dad and sent him to prison. This left Tianyu and his mother in an even worse situation, and they moved to Hangzhou last year in an attempt to start over. Tianyu’s mom would leave for many hours every day to do whatever she could to make money. Though his childhood was harsh, he worked hard at everything he did. He believed that anything could be achieved with hard work and resilience, even in the darkest times. So, Tianyu drew a jellyfish; he used the colors in his mind to paint a creature he had never seen before. He believes that everyone in this world should be like this jellyfish, kind and brave. In the depths of the oceans, harsh conditions force jellyfish to use everything they have to preserve their species. Cold waters and sparse food have caused jellyfish to adapt and be resilient to stay alive. Some even call them immortal because of their ability to transform to suit their surroundings. The jellyfish is a model for how we should be. People should work hard and keep going even when they have trouble. In Tianyu’s ideal world, everyone can adapt to their surroundings because they’re brave enough to face whatever is happening around them.
Zixin’s childhood was cursed with hatred and disgust. Innocent Zixin’s life turned when his dad started doing illegal drugs. This was only the beginning, though; upon realizing that Zixin was partially deaf, his mom abandoned him. Zixin had to be taken care of by his grandparents. Abandoned and unloved, Zixin wished that he could be normal at the very least. His grandparents knew they couldn’t help Zixin’s hearing improve, so they sent him to a school for disabled students. It helped him improve his communication, and he feels his future is brighter than ever before. Zixin’s central belief is that everyone should value each other, which is why, with great imagination, he mixes his favorite food with his favorite cartoon character. This drawing shows that two good things can peacefully coexist. The food doesn’t have to be jealous that the cartoon character is getting attention, nor does the character have to envy the food for the same reason. They are each invaluable to the whole. As a society, we shouldn’t envy others’ achievements; we should be happy for them and focus on being our best selves. If our current world could be like that, valuing the good instead of drowning in hatred and jealousy, the world would be a better place. People would be comfortable asking others to help them improve instead of letting their pride get in the way. The world would put aside its differences, and people would finally truly coexist, not letting the fact that they are not the same stop them.
Xin’s parents were extremely young when she was born; her mother was under 18, so it was illegal for her to have a child. Her mother stayed with the family until Xin was about one and a half when she left to be with someone else. After Xin’s mom left, Xin’s dad no longer wanted to care for her either. He ignored her most of the time and got drunk a lot. He tried to get his parents to raise her, but they were only able to care for her for a month.In the end, Xin’s aunt was the only one who cared about her, so that’s who she stayed with. She was educated at the school for disabled students as she commonly has trouble communicating. Rather than feel bad about her lack of support, Xin’s experience made her appreciate her differences, and this picture shows that diversity is important in life. The three images in the picture, a seed, a banana, and a watermelon slice, are very different, but they’re all happy and exist together. The seed is where new life begins; when it is buried underground, it will begin its journey to fruition. After the seed is planted, the plant starts emerging. It will grow larger and larger. Then, a new plant is introduced. The banana and the watermelon are the result of this growth. They’re born from the seeds that were planted. The watermelon even offers new seeds to begin the process again. These three items are connected. The fruit depends on the seeds to grow, and the seed depends on the fruit to keep new seeds safe so the process can start again. The three images are dependent on each other. Each part is as important as the others. People on Earth should be like that, too. People shouldn’t judge each other; we should depend on and celebrate others’ impacts on our lives.
The gentle breeze blows in the air. Leaves calmly fall to the ground. Birds are singing all around. On the island of life, it is peaceful. Crabs dig into the sandy shore, Sea snails look for new homes; No need to hide in a shell that’s too small. On the shores of life, it is peaceful. This poem was written for a student named Jia. She was born in a quiet and peaceful village in the countryside. However, when Jia was young, the family could not support themselves and decided to move into the city to make money. The city was very different than what Jia’s parents expected, though they settled in regardless. Every day, his parents left to do labor, working hard for many hours, and they were barely getting paid enough to provide for the family. Jia’s parents knew he needed a school for disabled children, but they couldn’t afford it. They began to pick up extra hours and were able to enroll Jia in school. Though Jia is grateful for everything his parents did for him, he still misses the countryside, which I reflected on in this poem.
Seaweed sways in the water flow. Fish swim in schools, Content to be together. In the waters of life, it is peaceful. Far away, in a city, There are blaring sounds of honking, And the noise of raised voices. Everyone is busy, and there’s not enough space. If only the home of the humans could be peaceful.
Min used to attend a public school, but other students would laugh and jeer at him because he was partially deaf. Min’s parents were concerned with the bullying, so they enrolled him in a school for disabled children. In his picture, he shows the importance of happiness. Min’s drawing shows many fruits, all happily living together. The meaning behind the drawing is that happiness is critical to many things. We can see all of the fruits smiling, the sun is brightly shining in the clear sky, and a tree has a successful harvest with many apples. In the picture, the banana and the apple are holding hands, sharing a friendship. Friends help each other, give encouraging words, and help cheer each other up when they are sad. They can even help by doing small things like giving a pat on the back or sharing a caring smile. Min believes that happiness can significantly improve society. When everyone is encouraging and kind, people won’t have negative feelings like anger and jealousy; instead, they can live in hope and kindness.