Shreya's English Blog

  In the above poem, “The Good Life”, Smith begins by commenting on the large value society places on money. She personifies money as a “mysterious lover” to show the prominence money has on the course of one’s lives. Thinking about money causes her to become nostalgic and she thinks about her past that was riddled with hardships. Her description of her personal struggles allow readers to relate to her on a personal level as they reflect on their struggles. Smith also shows the stark contrasts between days when she has money to spare and days when she does not. With money, she describes herself “like everyone else/On roast chicken and red wine”. However, when she is recalling her past experiences, she describes her meal as “coffee and bread/hungry all the time”. Smith also likens her financial struggles to “journeying for water from a village without a well” to show the intensity of her struggle and how she did not have the appropriate resources. I think she titled her poem, “The G...

  Every day, brows sweating and mind pacing, I do a puzzle. I lay out all the pieces on the floor and get to work. At first, I identify corner pieces of the puzzle and configure them in their appropriate positions. Then, I start filling in the spaces between the corner pieces, noticing each puzzle piece and its differences from the others. One puzzle piece is labeled “precision to details” while another one is labeled “ambitious”. Not quite sure what the end result will be, I patiently continue to place the pieces in their position as I focus on deciphering the picture they construct. After 16 years of doing this puzzle, I have still not completed it - because the puzzle is me. The complexity of my puzzle stems from the fact that the pieces counteract each other to maintain homeostasis. Through my journey of contriving this complex puzzle, I came across characteristic pieces emulating my identity. Integral pieces include kindness and empathy that allow me to understand clinical pat...

 I chose the word serendipity because of the way the syllables and sounds roll off your tongue while pronouncing the word. Th first half of the word “seren” sounds really calming and peaceful while the second half of the word “dipity” sounds kind of playful. The second half of the word reminds me of “Dipppin’ Dots” and triggers memories of all the times I searched for the Dippin’ Dots stand while I was at amusement parks. Since these were pleasant and fun-filled memories, I also form positive connotations with the word serendipity.  I also really like the image that comes to mind while I think of the word, “serendipity”. I think of someone looking far beyond the horizon line at a dark night sky with many constellations. This image reminds me that life has many possibilities and paths. Another image that comes to mind when I think of the word, “serendipity”, is that of a person sitting on a cloud while experiencing peace and relaxation. The word also evokes feelings of mystery,...

  The melodious and harmonious sounds of the violin surrounded me and drew me into music. The lyrical chords transported me into a world filled with tranquility. At this point, I realized that music is like a getaway vacation, in a sense that I can relax my mind and soul after experiencing stressful situations. As I immersed myself in orchestral activities and listened to a professional string quartet, I was quelled with awe of musical elements and developed genuine passion, love and energy for my instrument. After experiencing the sensation of music and musical expression through my school orchestra, I developed greater interest in singing at my Indian classical music class.  Music is the way I express myself, tell stories and paint pictures. As I perform solos, I envision a story to bring life to my music and employ techniques to convey the story. Music is the way I connect and communicate with my audience. Music is my voice and the bridge between my sentiments, emotions, fe...