One of my biggest challenges growing up was attempting to define myself outside of my proximity to others. Growing up, this was a difficult task, particularly in my academic life. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to attend a highly selective High School located in downtown Chicago. Nearly everyone who attended was in […]
Nearly every piece of writing occupies both the authentic and the inauthentic space. On one hand, authors—whether purposefully or subconsciously—embed pieces of their own identity into their writing. Their characters, opinions, word choice, and even settings are fabricated from the experiences of the writer who lies behind the 12pt font. On the other hand, these […]
I should preface my examination of Junot Diaz’s “Wildwood” by declaring my role as an outsider. Yes, believe it or not, Eero is not a Dominican Name. I cannot speak fluent Spanish, nor can I—to my immense embarrassment—identify any key elements of Dominican history or culture. I blame our public school system, but that’s not […]
Nearly every piece of writing that truly embodies my voice was formed from the same process, a process that has become increasingly incompatible with procrastination. Procrastination was my first love. I say this only half-jokingly because I was a chronic procrastinator. For most of my life, I relied on the deadline, transforming the adage “If […]
Throughout her short story entitled “The Woman Warrior”, author Maxine Hong Kingston utilizes storytelling as a form of rebellion, rejecting the cautionary allegory passed quietly through her family about the role and restrictions of womanhood. She instead creates an alternative representation of the story, demonstrating the realistic complexity of being a woman in her Asian-American […]
In the article entitled “Letter to my Son” The author Ta-Nehisi Coates’utilizes a particularly ingenious method to communicate the harsh realities of the black body in the United States: the incorporation of a dual audience. At many points throughout the text, I was unable to recognize whether he was writing with the express purpose of […]
The New Colonists March 23. 2030. As I blew out the candles during my final birthday on earth, I silently wished that it wasn’t true. We had heard my number on the vintage television, nearly a month ago. On the first day of the third wave draft, my number was announced. I was to be […]
I belong to a community of cooks. When I close my eyes, I am instantly transported to a familiar world of spice, language, and most prominently: food. Beginning in my junior year, nearly every hour that I wasn’t in high school I spent in a stainless steel kitchen, choreographing orders like a dance, and collaborating […]
When we shake our mortal coil then will we know at last, What awaits both kings and peasants those treacherous and dull? Is it hell, or maybe a bird, that is cursed to watch time pass? For I don’t know but I don’t care for the hope of an endless lull. No, I would be […]
It is a unique feeling to watch a plate carried out of your kitchen with an order you are certain is incorrect. As the realization hits, you frantically tear after the waiter, hoping to catch him in time. In those few instances he slips through, you are overcome with a distinctive combination of guilt, searing […]