The Higgins Museum If one was to compare the designs of armor that are used today, and the designs of armor used back in the Middle Ages, Greek and Roman times, we can see the similarity of self-protection. If you are curious about this transformation, then a visit to Higgins's Armory Museum should be on your 'to do' list. It is one of the most impressive collections of actual armor and artifacts, and the biggest private collection in the world! To think, something of such historical importance is right in New England, just a quick ride off the highway in Worcester, Massachusetts. The founder, John Higgins, began to find his fortune in his steel company. Later, when he gained enough money, he and his wife spent the rest of their lifetime collecting armor, weapons and information. In 1929, he built a four story building to store everything after he and his wife had been living with the armor in their house. The building itself was designed in a Gothic style. This form of architecture allows in more light, and is pointed upward because the people wanted to go to heaven. On John Higgins' death in 1961, the building was given to the public. Information in the Higgins's Museum is plentiful, from the types of armor that were used, to the designs of each type, and to the weapons used by and against the knights. There are three major categories. First, for show, second for tournaments such as jousting, and third for battle. Usually when a rich lord or king wanted to show off their wealth, they would turn to "parade" armor. This type of armor was heavily decorated, and usually was up-to-date with the latest fashion. Some went as far as engraving the metal with various stories, or pictures, like one of the Lords of Germany in the 1600's. This specific piece of armor is the most valuable in the entire Higgins Museum. It is worth nearly eighty million dollars, as well as considered priceless. Armor was also used for tournaments. Jousting was one of the most popular games in the Middle Ages. Two men on horses, covered head to toe in what was around 100 pounds of armor, would come running at each other on horses while pointing wooden sticks at one another. The players were most likely to fall off the horse, so, they needed a lot of protection. Their helmets or helms had just a sliver of visible area and if the wooden sticks, also known as polls, pierced through, the splinters from them go flying every were. And their chest plates were double plated because the wooden poll was to hit them there. Armor was mainly used for battle. Mostly the rich, or people who could afford the armor wore it. During the sixteenth century, the wealthy would wear decorative armor to battle so enemies could tell them apart from the poor peasants. Unfortunately, this tactic didn't always work as well. Since the enemies could tell the rich from the poor, if they captured the rich, they would get a higher ransom for the family. By the 1680's, there wasn't any armor worn to battle at all. In order to protects the vulnerable points of the body that the armor had not been able to cover, knights covered gaps with chain mail. Some put steel plating over the chain mail to make it extra durable and have less of a chance of penetrating to the skin. Both the chain mail and steal plating alone were weighed up to 15-30 pounds, and 40-50 pounds in the thirteenth century. Chain mail had both it's pros and cons. A good side to it would be that it last through sword slashes, and it was light weight compared it the steal armor. As everything, it had a bad side, fauchards, or spears could go right through the mail if were thrown hard enough. Steel plated armor, on the other hand, was not light weight, and spears had less of a chance of piercing through. This type of armor was easy to work in, it had joints that over lapped each other so the knight would be able to move around. Because of these handy abilities, steel plated armor was used for nearly three hundred years. Fonding just the right weapons to kill a knight was difficult. They had thick and strong armor, and rode on swift horses. Footmen had to adapt their weapons to this challenge. Then they came out with different ways to hook onto a knight and pull him down off of his horse, and techniques of keeping a weapon strong. An example of this would be when a knight needed to find a way of stabilizing or strengthening the spear, they would stick it into the ground and step on the ground that was bracing the spear. That way when the enemy knight came charging toward him, he could jump away so he wouldn't get hit. In the 15th Century, knights used cross bows, although they weren't very affective, groups of men carrying these would shoot at the same time making a shower of arrows on the enemy. Also, three pronged infantry spears were used. They were the tool that hooked onto the knight so the attacker could yank him off of their horse. Glaves were used in battle as well. They were long spears with a knife-like blade, these spears could pierce through steal armor and kill the knight, making the job of killing the knight easier. The knight on horse back used many similar weapons against others. Although it might have seemed hard to hold a spear while riding a horse, well it was. The riders had made it easier by wearing a holder under their arm so they could have the spear stay put and not have to divert as much attention to it as before. It wasn't easy to kill a knight as you may now know. All of these weapons were modified to kill the knight, one of the most important jobs of a battle-man. Armor and weapons were essential in the Medieval times. The weapons and sharp and effective, and did their job. Armor back then was like owning your very own Ferrari nowadays. You could deck it out in practically anyway.There certainly is a difference between the armor used today and the armor that was used "back in the day". Full body armor is not used, and spears and swords aren't a common as before. This information is just a mere example of what can be seen and learned a the Higgins's Museum, from the fascinating exhibits to the great tour guides. Go see for yourself! TJJO

Higgins Museum Essay

Evaluation

3 --  Outstanding     2 -- Ok, but could use some improvement     1-- Needed improvement     0 --- Missing

Introduction

     3          Gave the reader background and general information about the museum ---  set the scene.

      1         Transitions to the body of the essay. (Three things that can be learned by a visit to the museum)

Body

      3         Three topics were addressed, each with its own paragraph

       2        Topics were clearly explained and used researched supporting details & vocabulary

Conclusion

       2        Restated topic --- What can be learned at the museum?

         3      Brought closure to essay (Summed up essay)

Structure

      3         Essay format followed the directions for assignment

       3        Spelling

        3       Capitalization (Used correct capitalization)

Comments: Good overall format to the essay. Excellent supporting details, but you could have used more research vocabulary to add depth to the piece. The introduction give the background, but you should have stated the topic of the body paragraphs at the end of the paragraph You have some organization issues in the first body paragraph. Deal which each sub-topic one at a time, don't jump back and forth. The conclusion brings good closure, but bring in new information not stated in the body (Never new info in a conclusion.)

The Falconer's Knot

What Artifacts represent:

• Cross- The book has a lot to do with religion, and takes place mostly in a church


• Dagger- The dagger represents all of themurders in the book


• Heart- There is romance in the book


• Paint brush- There are many artists in the books


• Falcon statue-  Silvano, one of the main charactors has a falcon


• Corn husk doll- The book takes place in the late 1300s, and I thought that thiscould represent the time, sence it is not really advanced


• Lace hankerchef- This represents the wealthy people in this book

Our grade has been doing a unit on stocks, I chose to get 10 Google stocks (goog),  10 Apple stocks (appl), and 29 Ralph Lauren Polo(rl). Our teacher gave us a $10,000 to spend. At the time when I got Apple, it was $200.51, it has gone up $35.46, that times the amout of stocks I have in Apple (10), means that I have made $354.60 over 20 Weeks. 

                Over the summer of 2004, my family went on a sailing trip around Maine and the coves. My brother and I use to ride on a diny that was tyed to theback of the sail boat, it was for going into the docks and also exploring the shore. But this one time, I was alone in the diny and riding over the waves while my brother and family were loungeing about on the deck. A speedboat had just gone by causing large waves to form. I didn't expect it but the next thing I nkew was that  I did a back flip in to the water and was watch the sail boat float away with my family on it. My frantic screaming caught my fathers attention to the problem. Quickly my grandfather some how turned the boat around, and my dad grabbed the bouy hook, and hooked it on the back strap of my lifeg jacket and houisted me up to the deck.

My air is made 100% of YOU

My love is like a barometer... I'm ALWAYS measuring HIGH pressure when I'm with you

I love you more that the NEVER ENDING amount of stars in the sky

You are MY pretty planet that I orbit, I am the moon, always facing you, spreading the LOVE

Being with you causes LOW pressure, then it rains my LOVE for YOU

Artist Statement

     The basis of my collage is from the colors and the words and feelings of joy. I was looking through magazines with home improvements in it and crafts. There were scenes like a car with a sign on the back saying, just married, and lots of flowers surrounding it. I want people to brighten up when they see it. For example if they were sad, become happy, seeing the colorful pictures and flowers. In order to create this I had to cut out many pictures that met my theme from a magazine, and then glue them onto a canvas with mod-podge. After, I put gesso onto the spaces where I wanted the words joy to be. When it dried I put yellow paint on the white gesso. I was inspired by color and lively things. Something that made my piece successful was the blending of the colors and the way the text stood out from the rest of the collage. I was glad my finished product can out the way it did because the yellow really went with the back ground colors. And I hope that by using these colors it will make people happy and better. TJJO

In the beginning of the school year, my 7th grade Social Studies class was given a project were we had to define one of the words that make up Social Studies. I was given Geography as a word to define. Geography means the studie of the Earths phyical freachers and their effect on humans.