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Why Do We Resist Poetry?

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Why Do We Resist Poetry?  Why do we resist poetry? Like any other question, no one person can answer for all, but I can give you my answer; it's confusing. When I hear poetry I automatically think about names such as William Shakespeare, or Edgar Allan Poe, but one thing about them is that I struggle to read them. Often when I have to read their poems, I feel as if I could be reading another language. Often times there is a 'meaning' to a poem that is deeper than what is just written, and when reading something that is hard to understand, finding that meaning can become even harder. For example, I would like to use ancient Greek Poet Sophocles as an example. When reading Oedipus Rex in class earlier this year, it was one of the most difficult units for me. I struggled to understand the plot, and beyond that I struggled to uncover the true meaning of the work as a whole. If it wasn't for the pre-planned 'seed' of fate vs free will, I am not sure I would've be...

Victim or Hero? And by what means?

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  Victim or Hero? And by what means?      Is Oedipus a victim? Well, thats the question posed to the class before our big debate on Wednesday. Though that's the main question, there are several smaller questions within it; if not a victim, what is Oedipus, a hero? What makes Oedipus a victim? What makes Oedipus a hero? The answer to all these questions lies within one simple, yet incredibly cliche question: is it fate or free will? If Oedipus is a victim, then he would be considered a victim to his fate, as he was destined by the oracle to marry his mother after slaying his father. On the other hand, if he is dubbed a hero, it would be due to the actions he made with his free will.      Now, lets imagine, you wake up, only to see that you had clicked snooze one too many times, and you were running late. In a rush, you get toothpaste on your new outfit. As you rush into your car, you try to take a shortcut to make it on time, but at every traffic light ...

I am the Son of Immigrants

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      Since elementary school, I've heard all about these "college essays". They were the type of words that would float around in conversations of the adults and the older kids. When they would say "how are your college essays coming along?", it always struck me as some sort of grand project that you had to prepare your whole entire life for. I was under the impression that for a college essay, you had to write the most beautiful, life-shattering research piece that would unearth a new idea that hasn't been seen before.      In 2021, my older cousin graduated from a high school in Indiana, and was admitted to the University of Michigan. Being one of the first in our extended family to go to such a prestiguous college, naturally people wanted to know how he did it. When he explained that his essay was titled "Son of Immigrants", that's when my idea of a college essay changed. I wondered to myself, 'millions of people are sons of immigrants,...