Thoughts?

As I transition into the new chapter of my life and exit high school, I would have to change and learn a lot. To help me go through this smoothly, I plan on reading these 10 books in the next 10 years. Fiction      Lord of The Rings - by Peter Jackson: I have always been lured by fantasies and the worlds they describe. As I read this book about Frodo Baggins's journey to prevent Sauron from getting the hold of the One Ring,  I will enjoy the adventures of Frodo and his friends as they fight against Sauron's will.      Pride and Prejudice - by Jane Austen : As Austen follows the stories of the married couple of Elizabeth & Darcy and Jane & Bingley, she explores the various societal issues of the time. Going through their story, Austen highlights the aspects of the society that existed in late 1700s. Reading this book will help me gain insights into the historical societal views and allow me to explore important themes.      One Hu...

The play English by Sanaz Toosi   is set in an Iranian classroom where people of various backgrounds come together to learn English. This was a perfect setting for introduction of the character Marjan, who lived in the UK for 9 years before returning back to Iran. She was a very interesting individual and her belief that speaking English opens more opportunities for one has stuck with me. One of the things she said to Omid, her student, that really fascinated me was that speaking good English will become a reason for his success in future.   That point of view was hard to understand at first, but diving deep into it made me realize that it was pretty valid. Since many English speaking countries like the USA provide a lot of opportunities for a person, especially those who immigrate, being fluent in English becomes a major factor in thriving in those countries. I was surrounded by many people who believed the same when I was in India. I had heard stories of various individuals ...

  With my first glance at the title: Remember by Joy Harjo (presented in a Poetry Panel Project presentation), I thought that the poem would be about the speaker maintaining their cultural heritage. And indeed it was but what I did not expect was how powerful this poem could be. With just simple and everyday words, Harjo communicated her Native American identity, but most importantly she pushed her readers to never forget their own culture and heritage. One big fact to note is that in many Native American tribes, nature was a vital part of the culture. People admired their surrounding world and performed many religious rituals to honor this environment that gave us life. The importance of such in their culture is imperative and Harjo uses her poem to convey such. She mentions several times to remember “the moon,” “the sun’s birth,” “the earth,” “the plants, trees, animal life,” and a lot more. I found these really interesting because these hint towards her Native American identity ...

I don't remember when and where I heard this, but the one line that has always seemed very interesting to me is that "the only thing that is permanent is change." I know I sound over-dramatic here doing these philosophical talks which I essentially know nothing about, yet I have found this statement to be very true. As I get through different stages of life, I have noticed that I am expected to change a lot, and especially at this stage where I step out of my school life. These expectations come from different sources: some from me while some from my parents. What my parents say is that I need to grow up from my childhood thoughts and learn to be an adult who is very responsible, hardworking, and self-disciplined. All without guidance of others. And yes, that seems to me the most difficult part. Throughout my whole life, my parents had been on my back always correcting my actions and showing me the right path, but it won't be the same starting in August. I would have ...

BREAKING NEWS While digging down in the earth to find a place to bury his treasure, a boy from Kentucky found an unusual, yet fascinating, piece of rock. The previously unknown element of nature unfolded itself into a manuscript in an ancient language. As the scientists deciphered it, they discovered a translation: This gloriously mesmerizing stone isn't something ordinary. Formed by the collective power of 5 forces of nature - wind, earth, fire, sky, and water - the  "Wassailing"  possesses the energy to navigate anything through the vast darkness of the space.  The legends describe this universe to be filled with a liquidated serum through which all sailors must navigate by utilizing their divine powers. But as millions failed to accomplish such a task, the nature created this unique element that would be awarded to only one sailor who displayed mental and physical strength during the TRIAL OF THE QUARTZ. And that sailor would have the exclusive right to use the powers ...

I was both intrigued and surprised when I watched the video about graphing a literary story by a very influential writer. I don’t remember the writer’s name, but the way he graphed a story got stuck in my mind. He made a literary graph which showed the tension (in terms of joy and struggle) throughout the story’s timeline. Lowkey, the first thing that came to mind was to take the integral of that graph. Using the ∫ f (x) dx formula to find every little sum of that graph was what I planned to do with that function. At the time, I laughed upon my stupid idea of combining Calculus with English, but now thinking about it, it is not that stupid. Math actually has a very complex relationship with literature. Integration is basically summing up everything that has happened so far within the graphical timeline to find a meaningful value. And if you think about it, literature authors do the same thing: they build up tension, joy, excitement, and other emotions throughout their stories to convey...