The Quest for Clarity

     The word "nostalgia" comes to mind when I think about poetry. During 5th grade, I somehow won a poetry award for writing about a burrito. I know it sounds crazy, but the ridiculous story of myself creating a burrito that comes to life and begs me to spare it and become my pet actually won me an award and got my poem published in an online book. I still remember the shock and disbelief I had because I was completely unaware that there was an award. It all happened so fast - on one day I was handing in my hard copy of my poem to my English teacher as an assignment and a few days later, I was typing up my silly burrito poem online so my teacher could send it to get published.     That was over 7 years ago, but I still remember how fun poetry was. Creativity was encouraged, rules were limited, and my imagination was working its magic. I'm don't remember clearly how I came up with the crazy burrito story of mine, but I'm almost sure my idea came from the fact th...

    Iago. Othello. Pangloss. These are just a few of the fascinating characters that have caught my interest. After all of the literature we read, I felt there were many characters that contributed to the differentiation from other narratives, opening my mind to new interpretations, such as themes that could be connected or complexities that could be narrowed down.  Over this semester, the themes of fate/free will, the philosophy of optimism vs. realism, and the complexities of human behavior were topics that I had the opportunity to explore more in depth and deepen my critical thinking.     A theme that was central to the part of Oedipus was fate vs. free will. Exploring whether the tragedy was caused by fate or free will really interested me because I came to realize at some point that Oedipus’s fate could have been preventable, even if “fate was uncontrollable.” For example, if Oedipus had chosen to refuse to kill anyone during his lifetime, how could he have...

     There are many types of villains - some rely on brute strength, others rely on fear or guilt, but only a few can compare with Iago’s unparalleled manipulation tactics and intelligence in the Shakespearean tragedy Othello. He’s not just a manipulator, he is a mind controller so skillful in his deception that even those who suspect his motives have a hard time grasping where his mind is at. Trying to understand Iago’s true intentions is like trying to catch a fish in the sea with your bare hands - his schemes always just seem to slip out of your fingers.     One of Iago’s tactics is his use of reverse psychology on his victims. Reverse psychology is when you advocate for something that is opposite from your desired outcome in order to trick others into doing what your want. Iago implements his reverse psychology tactics in Act 3 Scene 3, warning Othello, “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on; At fi...

     In our good-natured world of education, there once was an organization called CollegeBoard. Now CollegeBoard had a very special relationship with a high school scholar named James - a relationship that involved more stress, fees, and "college prep" that he could have ever dreamed of. Their relationship started on a positive note from the very beginning when James introduced himself to CollegeBoard as he was signing up for his account. CollegeBoard was really nice about the whole signing up situation, asking for his name, address, and phone number in all the correct boxes and even giving him a "remember me" box to check to ensure their long-term friendship. Unfortunately for James though, he wasn't quite high up on CollegeBoard' s "friend list" and CollegeBoard had a bit of trouble remembering James when he tried logging back in each time.  James soon realized that CollegeBoard chose to value his privacy and security so deeply that he erased hi...

I have chosen Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro for my book club, and so far I couldn't help but notice the complex relationship between two childhood friends Josie and Rick. Growing up in an isolated rural area with few people their age, their bond was inevitable. In fact, they agreed to a plan to spend the rest of their lives together. And it seemed like a very serious and legitimate plan, with their relationship built from years of shared experiences and conversations. However, the complexity of their relationship I felt was from their different expectations they set on each other, which seemed to produce unexpected challenges within their relationship. While their bond might make them appear "meant to be", many thoughts could get in the way of their efforts to pursue their relationship into something long-lasting. In Josie's perspective, it was clear that she wanted Rick to be more involved in social activities like the gathering at her house they had, stating ...

     Prompt: HMC's collaborative community is guided by our mission statement. Through an intentional interdisciplinary curriculum our students seek to build a skillset adaptable to society's needs. How has your own background influenced the types of problems you want to solve, the people you want to work with, and the impact you hope your work can have? (500 words). ***********************************************************************************     "Bruh, how am I gonna answer this prompt?", was my first reaction after reading the HMC prompt. I didn't even know where to begin. I didn't have a background! I don't know what problems I want to solve! I have no idea who I would want to work with and what my work would potentially do! And I have to write a total of 500 words!?! Believe me, it was a dreadful experience trying to think of any idea at all. The cursor on the top-left side of my document would blink second after second, each blink reminding me ...