A Novel of Anne Boleyn 

Le Temps Viendra

May 19, 1536 "Today I die." What an opening?!  The Queen of England in her moments before the guillotine.  The author then takes us on a brief exploration our main character, and finally to our story.  A trip back in time into the body and mind of a 26year old Anne Boleyn before she became queen of England.

May 31, 1527 Anne's birthday and also the day she secretly becomes engaged to the King.  The King of England no less, King Henry VIII.  This first person narrative gives details into what it must have been like "for a woman" in the rose garden, dressed in beautiful jewels and a beautiful gown. 

Chapter 1's detail of how the character who woke up inside of Anne, feels about her sister Mary is compelling.  Her study of history paints Mary as a whore, but the tender side of Anne wants to protect her sister.  Mary was not jealous or bitter at the king’s affection for Anne.  “For all her reputation as an 'infamous whore,' I saw great tenderness and innocence in those eyes, and knew that her desire to love and to be loved had been cruelly exploited by the powerful men in her life" (p.24) Our main character's seeing through the eyes of Anne allow her to rewrite some parts of history and give a more human look at the relationships.

The Rose Garden where Anne becomes the fiancé of the great and powerful King Henry VIII also gives a more intimate look at our characters.  Anne was bold and looked the king in the eye.  She stood tall and demanded he honor her virtue by refusing to be his mistress.  How could she have known that this would fuel him to divorce his wife Katherine so that he could have her?  The Kings is described as charismatic and as having a unique and majestic presence.  This chapter draws you into their passionate love relationship between the two, and the anticipation of their wedding.   

Chapter 3 The Hunt-Anne is off on a journey on horseback with the King and his entourage.  Her first public outing with him by her side.  Still their engagement a secret.  This chapter is a time of celebration for the engagement but also has a twist of drama and coming doom.  Katherine has not yet been dethroned and has a reputation as being strong willed.

Hever Castle- June 1, 1527 The Kings is headed for London where he is to receive the information regarding his annulment to Queen Katherine.  Fear and anticipation mix inside Anne as she has nothing more to do but wait.  The chase was over.  Anne surrenders to be his in this chapter.  Swept up in her love for him, she writes him a love letter and gives him a precious jewel symbolizing her surrender to him as wife, as Queen. "This jewel would not only be a token of Anne's love, but would symbolize to Henry her surrender into his hands; the commitment of her body and soul to him" (p.70).

Relevance

Being able to find relevance in life determines how successful we become. Our education, social life, morals, and even entertainment have different levels of importance in our lives.    “Chapter 9 of the St. Martin’s Guide to Writing”, talks about choosing a topic that is related to your audience.  In addition, it says that you should be able to make connections to the things that you are writing about. When doing anything in life you will more likely to succeed if you’re passionate.  If you keep in mind the big picture of why you do the things you do, you will lead a more purposeful life.  For my second essay, I choose hunger in America. I choose that topic because I care about other people. In addition, I have allot of experience working with the homeless, hungry and drug addicted. I choose a topic that I am passionate about.  Moreover, it is something that is relevant.  There are hungry people everywhere.  My contribution to this cause matters because I can not only write about it, but I can also do something about it.

What does writing an Essay and having a tattoo have in common?

                   When writing my paper I had many different ideas. The possibilities were endless.  I could create anything I wanted, and express myself in any way. While reading over my homework assignments I stumbled upon a section that talked about mapping out your ideas on paper. Mapping out my ideas is nothing new, but I always thought it was elementary. You may recall drawing a bubble with an idea, and then drawing arrows that pointed to subcategories.

Consequently, I swallowed my pride, and decided to map my own ideas.  This is something I haven't done since elementary school.  The whole process of writing a paper became much easier. I was able to see what thoughts worked with my essay and which thoughts did not.  In addition, I was able to keep track of all my ideas without losing them. In this process I could see what tattoos and writing have in common.

              Now you’re probably wondering, what does writing an essay and having a tattoo have in common? The answer to that question is, they are both outlets of self-expression.  Tattoos can be both good and bad, offensive or inspiring. They give individuals a way to express themselves.   They can be used to remember events or people. You can share religious or social beliefs and express emotions like anger, humor, and love. I currently do not have a tattoo, but I have considered getting one. I have not found a tattoo that I want to have on my body forever. Both writing and tattoos are a permanent way of expressing yourself.  Once you say it you cannot take it back and once you tat it you cannot take it back.