LEMONS

This whole piece focuses on the fact that, in the 1700s, British ships were required to provide a lemon juice ration to seamen to guard against diseases caused by vitamin C deficiency. The steering wheel is lemon-shaped to represent the point above. Inside the steering wheel, I have drawn the formula for citric acid, which gives lemons their sour taste. I have drawn the compound in such a way so that the oxygen atoms become the handles of the wheel.

Lemons are very rich in vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid). The molecular formula has been drawn on the man and I tried to rearrange it C-shaped. As an antioxidant, this vitamin provides protection from free radicals, helps to minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, brightens and promotes an even skin tone. As collagen production is reduced, the skin tends to sag. While ageing is inevitable, daily use of vitamin C helps to slow it down; I would like to say the man in the drawing looks quite young and well-kept.

I read a fun fact about lemons: they used to be so rare that kings used to present them to each other and wealthy Victorians grew lemon trees in their homes as a sign of prestige. This would mean that whoever owned lemons has, automatically, a lot of power. My first thought was drawing a crown on the man's head; but, in my opinion, crowns are overdone. The second thing that popped up in my head is a wreath of laurel. There was a significant person in history who used to wear it a lot: Julius Caeser. This figure stuck to my head through the ages and to this date I still remember most of his story (especially his death).

Some background information- The Roman general Julius Caeser wore a wreath of laurel on the head to show that he was a powerful and strong leader. Just as the ancient Greeks (who awarded wreaths to victors in both athletic competitions and for military prowess) and the Etruscans (who gave kings thin wreaths) before them, the ancient Roman associated the laurel wreath with victory and success. They saw it as a badge of honour and was only given to a selected few who had achieved something extraordinary. The laurel wreath was normally worn only on the day of the triumph, but when Caeser was appointed dictator in 44 BC, he was wearing it again. Caeser was made 'dictator for life'. Caeser would no longer need the Senate or even the Roman citizens to stay in power. He was murdered by his own senators at a meeting a hall next to Pompey's Theatre. The conspiracy against Caeser encompassed as many as sixty noblemen, including Caeser's own adopted son, Brutus.

Some say that the wreath suited Caeser especially well with the green leaves hiding his balding head. The laurel wreath was not Roman's only badge of honour. They used many types of wreaths produced by different plants to reward their heroes. Today, the term 'laureato' is used in Italy to refer to any student who has graduated and, right after the graduation ceremony, the student receives a laurel wreath to wear for the rest of the day...Although I'm in England, I'm definitely going to do that!

From all of this, I deduced that I could bend rules and create a wreath of lemon leaves. Another thing occurred to me; deficiency of vitamin C can lead to scurvy, a disease that causes loss of teeth. It was a hard decision for me to paint the wreath at the man's mouth level (therefore at teeth level, which is what vitamin C strengthens/gives 'power') because the wreath would have looked so much better on his head or around his neck.

Reference for the website used for research: https://www.compoundchem.com/2014/03/03/sourness-scurvy-the-chemistry-of-a-lemon/