i talk to myself

          Envy is perhaps the ugliest of human emotions that many choose to hide but can reveal much about a person’s character when exposed. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, the narrator’s bitter attitude towards Zenobia involves both admiration and condescension through the use of reverential and scornful diction to illustrate how people demonize those who expose their own insecurities. Simultaneously, Sara Protasi’s “Love Your Frenemy” casts a philosophical lens on the nature of envious relationships like the one in Hawthorne’s novel and how it can be understood.      Coming from a town where socioeconomic status was controlled, the narrator’s intention to divulge Zenobia’s “true” character reveals how he needs to justify her wealth by proving her personal flaws to himself (Hawthorne). In essence, he can’t help but find reasons to attribute her apparently high socioeconomic status which he glorifies yet roots to an ingenuine character, whi...

Words, sentences, paragraphs later. Minutes, hours, weeks later. We apply to college, betting everything on the line, to get into a college. Everyone sets their own goals, and we all race each other to the finish line. What are we actually racing towards? Who knows?  If we get into a great college or an okay college or a not-so-great college, is our future determined? I think we learned from Oedipus that your future isn't sealed unless you let it be. You can bet it all or not try at all, you never know what the future holds for you. Does this mean we shouldn't try it all? Of course not. The effort you put in now does matter, but it's important for us to realize that we must not become fixated on college as if the rest of our lives depend on it. It's merely a bridge to the next step, the next milestone of our lives.  Ultimately, the greatest elements of our future are determined by the intangible, unquantifiable experiences in high school - the work ethic we build, the r...

"Was it terrible she didn't feel it was so wrong?"   A critical moment of introspection for Margie, a character in Eleanor Brown's Light of Paris, this quote illustrates a common paradigm experienced by not only the main character Madeleine but all people. As much as fight to keep our true desires at bay, ultimately, they overcome all societal expectations that we do our best to abide by. Brown's insert of Margie's story while Madeleine faces a crucial situation in which her husband proposes they get divorced signifies how Madeleine's need to please her mother is generational. From her grandmother who stays trapped in her mother's routine expectations to Madeleine who stays trapped in the idea of a perfect marriage, Brown foreshadows the growth of Madeleine in this quote - relishing the idea of a life where could paint freely and not have to maintain the shallow life of her husband and his wealthy image. Particularly standing out to me for its subtlety...