For this final project, I chose to design and create a house in Minecraft. I chose this because I wanted to create a visual for Holden’s house in the West that he would have been living in had he actually moved out there. The visual aspect was very important to me, as I am a visual learner, and to see things helps me understand them, and I think that Holden’s loneliness and angst that he felt when he wanted to move out West was a point in the book that not many people fully understood. To create this piece, I thought about what house I wanted to build, and came up with the western forest house idea. Then, I designed and built, with some trial and error, in Minecraft, making changes and additions along the way. I really like how this house came out. I had a fun time making it, as I could be as creative and ambitious as I wished, and yet be able to make a house that looked good and was very symbolic. I also liked that because I didn’t draw the house, I could start over or get rid of things without having to get a new paper, or erase. I am very happy with my house overall, and I think that my symbolism and design worked out too. I really like the reflecting pond behind the house, as I think that was my most creative part of the house, and because it makes the house feel more unique. I also liked the trees and tall grasses surrounding the house because it gives it more of a forest vibe, and that was key for me while designing the entire structure. I disliked the open floor plan after looking at it recently, and I think I should have made more individual rooms. I disliked it because I think that even though it’s a little more realistic, more rooms would be much more visually appealing. I really enjoyed making this project, and I had the ability to work on it anywhere, which I loved. I was able to spend more time on it, and therefore get a better result. Also, the many blocks and items you can put down in Minecraft gave this project a very cool feel, as my house was nowhere near similar to any of the other houses that were presented, as I had put some of myself in it and individualized it. I think that my project overall did well in the design specs rubric. In the “Make it Beautiful” part, I think mine did very well. I loved the outside view of the house, with the moss covered cobblestone walls, and the tall trees, flowers, and grasses surrounding them. I also loved the reflecting pool and the bits of glowstone that I used as a cool-looking lighting surrounding it. In the “Make it Relevant” category, I think I also did well. I think that if you look at the house and think about the emotions Holden would be going through as he lives in this house, I think that it adds an interesting view. My explanation on the parts of the house that I submitted with the project also makes it relevant because in that, I talked about how each part of the house is connected to Holden in a certain way, for instance, the bookshelves all over represent Holden wanting to get back to reading, as he read D.B.’s works as a small child. In the “Make it Unique” category, I also think I succeeded. My house was nowhere near close to any of the other houses that were submitted, and I tried not to go for the obvious symbols in the books to include, more to represent the emotions and feelings Holden would be going through at the turbulent time in his life when he would be living in the house. I did not just add in the duck pond for no reason other than it was a symbol in the book, and the same thing goes for the hunting hat and Allie’s glove. I went for a very different approach than just trying to add in every symbol I could find in the book. In the “Make it Poignant” category, I think I did my best to represent Holden’s sheer loneliness and peacefulness while living in the house in the woods, but I think this is the one category in which I could have done a little better. I think that my house invoked an emotional response, as the explanation showed what the parts of the house meant. I do think, however, that I could have added in a few more details that would have made it more clear to the viewers the emotions that Holden was going through while in the house. All in all, I think I did a good job addressing all of the design specs, but the one thing that I think I could have done better would be in the “Make it Poignant” category. That would be making more of the objects that represent Holden’s feelings and emotions so that the viewer gets more of an emotional impact when he/she sees all of them. If I had the chance to do this project over again, and after seeing all of the other houses that my classmates made, I would make some changes. I would definitely take a look at adding more rooms in my house to make things more interesting inside. I would also consider adding more elements on the outside of the house, rather than making a square with windows. I would add maybe a bay window, or a room that is surrounded with floor to ceiling windows so that Holden can see the beauty of the outdoors. Also, I would consider making my house farther away from the others on the map, so that I could put in more trees and plants and make it seem like it’s actually in a forest. In addition, I would possibly make changes to the landscape around the house, like adding in a river, or a small pond, to give it more of a forest feel and add originality. A goal that I want to set for myself next time is that I want to wow my classmates with the sheer beauty and effort that went into the project. I liked how my project turned out, but I also think that if I made more of an environment around the house, I would have made it much more beautiful and it would have made the viewers more interested in the house in general.
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AuthorI am Andrew, a high school kid attending PVHS. I enjoy golf, track, Xbox, and skiing. I have a passion for cars. I love reading, and my favorite book is Game of Thrones. Archives
January 2017
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