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In the essay "A Piece of Chalk," G.K. Chesterton recounts a morning when he set out with bright-colored chalks and brown paper to draw on the Sussex downs. After a humorous interaction with an old woman about the purpose of brown paper, he ventures out to the countryside, reflecting on the simple yet profound joy of carrying everyday items. While attempting to draw on brown paper, he realizes he has forgotten white chalk, an essential color for his drawings. Just as he despairs, he realizes with amusement that he is surrounded by an abundance of white chalk in the chalky landscape itself. He then reflects on the importance of white as a color, both in art and morality, emphasizing that white represents something positive and vivid, rather than merely an absence of color.