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A Small & Passing Thing
Every day people face wars. Wars that tear our countries, our stability, our minds, our hearts, our relationships, our identities. In many cases, these wars are hidden — kept under the folds of guilt and fear. Hidden wars leave us with acute feelings of alienation and despair. We’re left in the dark, ill-equipped and uncertain…
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Education: Learning How to Think, Not What to Think
Education is a gift that many take for granted. Some view it as a necessity to survive or succeed in life. Others view it as a means to attach their self-worth to or establish superiority among their peers. These motivations connect to how students learn in school. In schools today, more emphasis is placed on…
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On Quiet Beauty
The faint call of a bird whispers to me as I sit at my desk. Drained mentally and physically from deadlines and studies, eyes strained, I pause to listen. Silence steadies my breath. I look out my window as the evening light bathes the front yard in a soft, golden glow. The bird trills again,…
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Poetry, the Music of the Heart
Poetry is the emblem of human emotion. It expresses what mouths cannot; it touches what actions cannot penetrate. As a unique form of art, poetry gestures to a deeper meaning that transcends what we see or read at first glance. In other words, poetry is the heart’s mouthpiece. The deep longings, the dreams, the fears…
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A Soldier of Hope
I’m a bit of a contradiction when it comes to hope. At times, I have my head in the clouds, lovely dreams fluttering across my mind of life ahead. At other times, life seems too unpredictable and my dreams too light to even breathe the word “hope.” I have felt hopeless, dear reader. I know…
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Measuring Stars & Statues: An Analysis of PIRANESI
When Susanna Clarke released her debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell in 2004, it enchanted readers worldwide, winning Time’s Best Novel of the Year and the Hugo Award for Best Novel. An 800+ word tome, the story follows two magicians in the Napoleonic era on a quest to bring magic back into England. Armed…