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Vignette of Thomas
The room was dark, claustrophobic. Faces, flushed with awe, and voices, lilting with eagerness, undulated across the room. A man sat in the corner, hidden from view. The awful sounds, noises even fastened doors could not contain, crowded him. Like a knife, they pricked his skin. A chasm had cleaved between him and the others.…
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The Art of Reading Well
As summer dawns, I can finally look over piles of homework to see free days filled with… books. With the myriad of distractions our culture has to offer, from social media to pool parties, many question my enthusiasm for spending my summer, in simple terms, “reading dusty old books.” Unlike some of my peers, I…
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Hannah Coulter, Death, and Community
Dear friends. It’s been a little while since I typed and published a post. Life has been a hazy cloud with finals, other writing projects (submitting articles and becoming an editor at Polyphony Lit), and the continual struggles of being human. However, as I can now revel in the freedom we call “summer break,” I…
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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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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…
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The Ghost of Christmas Grief
Not many people associate Charles Dickens with the word grief. Social mobility, love, poverty, and injustice are themes that appear more often in connection with his works. However, while reading two of his literary masterpieces Great Expectations and The Chrismtas Carol this year, I found the theme of grief woven between his lines. Hidden, perhaps,…