Emi B

The Predator of the Sea 

Emilia Brenes

Yarmouth High School, Grade 10

I chose Eugenie Clark because she believed that there was more to sharks than meets the eye and was brave enough to be around them. She also became an ichthyologist even though it was considered unorthodox for a woman to be more than a secretary during her lifetime, which was in the mid-1900s. She was really inspired by a particular naturalist called “ Willam Beebe” and wanted to be like him. Her mother did not want her to be a scientist and said to her “Maybe you should be a secretary instead,” but she said no. She went to college and studied sharks and then became an ichthyologist. Eugenie showed us that sharks are not all bad and she discovered that some sharks can breathe even when they are not moving. I really love how she was brave enough to go against these odds to learn about her passion.

I want to learn more about animals and become a biologist and she gave me more inspiration to be one. I love all animals, including the ones under the sea, and because she loves sharks, I found a connection between her and me. I think the most important thing she did was go to college to become an Ichthyologist. As I said, women of her era were often not highly educated and often  did small jobs. She also did more research on sharks to understand sharks more and some of the information may have lessened people's fear. 

In my artwork, I included her doing her research with a shark. Above them, is a look into the future where people use her information on sharks so we can teach more about them. It also shows that the people really love sharks. I also painted a sinking phone to represent that she did not become a secretary and did not listen to the people trying to stop her. It also had the female sign attached  to the phone because women were usually secretaries. I included the shark because she researched sharks and I also had her writing in a book because she took notes about sharks. I put a shark around the people because they are admiring the sharks. The camera is just the color of a camera and the star eyes are just the star eyes because the person finds it interesting. I admire that she did not stop and kept persevering towards her dream. The shark is there because she loved learning about sharks. 

For the part placed in the future, I used a marine-dark blue for the background because it is supposed to represent the walls of an aquarium. I used the color red for the flipper shoes because red means passion and she was passionate about her job. I used blueish, blackish, grayish color for the suit because it is the color of the suit in real life. I used a lot of shades of blue because blue symbolizes perseverance and she persevered to learn about sharks and did not let anyone stop her, not even her mother. I used gray and white for the sharks because most sharks are gray and white. I used red for the phone because some phones back then were red and also it was an old phone. I used yellow for the scuba mask because yellow symbolizes optimism. I used brown for her hair because she has brown hair. I used a darkish gray for the eye of the shark because that is the color of a shark eye. The star eyes are  red because of excitement. The notebook that she is writing in is red because it symbolizes passion. The people are a lighter blueish grayish color because it sticks out of the blue in the background.

 Learning about Eugenie Clark changed my outlook on life because now I feel like I am not the only one who finds interest in creatures that people fear. It also taught me to keep going towards my dream and never give up. Eugenie Clark taught me those things. She showed me that there is still hope for humanity. I will present this painting at the memorial library to show the community. I will do this with my classmates.