For the word cloud assignment I used two different word cloud tools to generate images based off of Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Speckled Band. This was honestly my favorite Sherlock Holmes story I read as a kid and I was excited to see the story in a new light using these tools. For the first image I used Wordle to generate a word cloud.

I have to admit, I really loved using this site. Not only was it extremely easy to figure out, but I loved the way this word cloud looks. I’m a fan of a more sleek, professional style so this image really interested me. Unsurprisingly “Holmes” is the most used word in the story, but I was intrigued by the focus on titles of people rather then their names. Furthermore, clearly the room played a large role within the story. I was surprised not to see “Speckled” or “band” in larger roles within the story since not only are they the title, but they’re the main facts of the story. Overall I really enjoyed this website and I’ll definitely be using this again.

For the second image I used Tagxedo to create a second word cloud. I have to be honest, I really hated thiswebsite. It seemed incredibly outdated and unprofessional,  one example being that it featured font titles named “Avril Lavigne.”I just found it difficult to use and childish. The final image disappointed me, I feel as though it looks like something a fifth grader made in art class half-heartedly. Overall, I felt as though Tagxedo was not helpful in creating a decent word cloud that was visually appealing. For the word cloud itself, I was surprised to see the word “sister” larger in this image, as I honestly felt as though the two word clouds would give the same words higher preference. This word cloud focused much more on the scenery and setting rather than other aspects of the story. Overall, I found this activity enjoyable and interesting, and it’s something I would definitely do again in my own free time.