You might be wondering why I am talking about ants. In Humanities Core, one of our assignments is to pick an animal in the Medieval Bestiary and analyze the multimodality of the depiction of that animal, or basically, how that animal is represented through both text and image. The Medieval Bestiary is a medieval "book of beasts" that is essentially a series of entries of real and mythical animals. It was written primarily for Christians to learn about the nature of God from the natural world through the study of animals. A typical entry includes an etymology (origin) of an animal's name, a description of the characteristics of that animal, and lastly, the moral relevance to humans. Within the Medieval Bestiary, animals are vehicles that carry an underlying figurative meaning, or moral relevance, which is called the tenor. Animals are usually identified as Christ figures, figures of sin, or figures of virtue.

Specifically, in the MS Bodley 764 translated by Richard Barber, the entry for ants starts out with the typical etymology of the ant's name. Ants, also known as formica, get their name from mica, which means grain. This makes sense, because ants are often associated with collecting food, or specifically, grain (as depicted in the Bug's Life opening scene). The bestiary then moves on to describe the ant's characteristics, indicating that the ant is a "very shrewd creature" because of its ability to think ahead and prepare for the harsh winter season during the summer. Three habits that ants have are marching in order, dividing the store of grain in two, and distinguishing between wheat (which is good) and barley (which is bad). The bestiary entry then provides an interpretation of these habits that relates to human morals. The first habit of collecting food an orderly manner serves as a reminder for men to diligently collect in the present in order to receive rewards in the future. The second habit of dividing the grain into two teaches humans the importance of separation in regards to the Bible's Old and New Testaments, and the carnal and spiritual. Similarly, the third habit of distinguishing between wheat and barley points to the ability to discern truth (wheat) from heresy (barley).

This image accompanies the text in ant entry of the Bodleian Bestiary. Upon first glance, it looks very simplistic. The colors are natural, with the ants colored black (which is what you would typically expect) and the landscape is brown and green. Even the border is simplistic with a simple brown rectangular frame. All of the colors are of an "earthy" tone, which feels natural and grounded, portraying the ants as humble and trustworthy. This positive characterization of the ants reinforces the positive attributes of discipline and discernment that were established in the text.

Additionally, the focus of the image is not on the ants, and they seem to almost blend into the background. Rather than focusing on the individual ant and its appearance, the image presents a group ants in their natural habitat, hard at work collecting their food. The ants are arranged in an orderly fashion along the path, illustrating the habit of ants marching in order. They seem to work together and follow in each others' tracks.

The most unexpected aspect of the image is probably the landscape, which is fluid and curved. This terrain has a lot of twists and turns, indicating that life is not straightforward and simple. It is easy to get lost in the midst of true and false teachings or in seasons of hardship without preparation. However, people with characteristics like ants (hard work, preparedness, good judgment) will be able to navigate through and thrive, especially in community.

Prior to creating this website for Humanities Core, I had worked on websites before as Webmaster for the Taiwan Psychology Network and as Technology Chair for the California Scholarship Federation chapter at my high school. However, I had never worked on a website that was for me, with my personal thoughts and opinions.

I tend to be a pretty private person, and if you know me, you'll know that rarely ever post on social media. With social media, it feels as if I am portraying an idealized and unauthentic version of myself for approval from people I barely know. With this website project, I am also sharing part of myself with a large, unknown audience, yet there is a sense of anonymity as I can hide behind words and images. Even then, there is also a feeling of genuine expression where I am able to share in a way that others can get to know me better in terms of my personality, experiences, and beliefs.

After writing my first activity, I was surprised to find that my voice in writing portrayed my personality to the extent that it did. In addition, I noticed that I spent a large portion of my time working on the visual aspect of my website, putting together a coherent, visually appealing aesthetic. I am drawn to the design process and am excited to further experiment with using images, colors, and fonts to enhance my writing. I feel that I am able to express myself more freely in this multimodal format than through just speech or pictures, and I hope to further develop my sense of self as I experiment in this new platform of online academic and creative writing.