The Big Blue



Since the day I was born, my parents were obsessed with travel. Literally a few weeks after my birth, we shipped off to Dubai for the first year and a half of my life. We stopped for a few years to let my sister and I grow up so we could be fit for the trip of a lifetime--Seaworld. It has always been said that Seaworld is one of the best places to take your little kids. Go see the cute little dolphins and the calm gigantic whales. Usually it's a dream, but for me it was a nightmare. It was there that I discovered my fear of killer whales.

My fear is the most embarrassing thing in the world to admit, and I usually don't share it with people, but I am deathly afraid of whales! When I went to see the cute Orca show,  I was sitting way too close for comfort. The incredibly giant whale jumped on the deck and sprayed water to its fan section, and I flipped out. I ran to the very top of the stands and never looked back. As a five-year old that experience was traumatic. My mom has told me about many other things that scared me while we were there, but there is no other incident that I can remember.

The life-changing experience left me permanently scarred. For years I could never even look at a picture of a whale without wanting to cry and hurl all at the same time. This is so embarrassing considering that this was a problem until last year. I turned over a new leaf and I now can go as far as glancing at a picture of the KILLER creatures. I have gone from sheer panic to slightly nauseous, and for me that is an enormous accomplishment.

Hopefully one day I'll get back to being able to watch my favorite childhood movie--Free Willy. It is so ironic that I loved that movie until my terrible experience. If and when I overcome my post-traumatic stress disorder, I will have a Free Willy marathon. Until then, if I ever see an Orca, I will run away crying.

The Greatest Series of All-Time

The Greatest Series of All-Time

Harry Potter has made not only a major impact throughout the world, but in my life as well. Ever since I opened the first pages of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, I felt a deep connection to the series. Although it involves another world of magic, there are many themes that are relatable. The prominent themes of the series are love, courage, and death. Courage is a quality both greatly admired and shown constantly in Harry Potter.

Bravery is very important in both Harry Potter and the lives of high-schoolers around the globe. The phrase “standing up for what you believe in” has always been considered a cliché, but this fantastic series by J.K. Rowling has taught me that courage is a very admirable quality and is something I should strive for. This quality has helped shape me with fearlessness.

Another transformational theme is death. From the beginning, Harry Potter has learned to cope with death and the fact that it is impossible to avoid. After losing his parents before he could even wipe his own drool off his chin, Harry grew up in a home with his aunt and uncle who despised him and treated him worse than dirt. As the series progresses, death becomes an enemy of Harry as many people around him tragically pass away. Although it is incredibly sad, it helps make the series more realistic and relatable.

The final and most important theme of the series is love. Love helped Harry escape Lord Voldemort every time they faced eachother and helped him realize that he, as the chosen one, could defeat the Dark Lord. Another amazing example is Severus Snape. The entire series he is despised by Harry and his friends, and trust me, the feeling is mutual. In the final book however, Harry discovers that Snape had lived and died for his mother—for love. That was a very climatic moment of the series and made Snape the greatest character of the series.

Overall, the themes of Harry Potter have helped me to create a very deep connection to the greatest series of all time. Though J.K. Rowling created another world of spellbooks and werewolves, the themes make the audience realize that wizards and witches endure the same problems as muggles. I can’t imagine another series that could impact the world more than Harry Potter.

A Vindication of the Rights of Women

When I read first skimmed Mary Wollstonecraft's article, I knew that it would be very lengthy and difficult to get through. However, the subject of the article provided great interest to me, because I find the story of how women's rights developed fascinating. As I opened began the article, I discovered that it is extremely informative and very persuasive in the points it makes towards feminists and women's rights as citizens.

Wollstonecraft did an amazing job at comparing men to women and showing that they are more alike than most people think. Yes, some men are more athletically fit or stronger, but that does not automatically make them better. The comparison brought me back to the days of elementary school when boys had cooties and were never talked to because they thought they were too good for the girls. I have no idea why that thought has always stuck in my head, but if eight-year-old boys ruined my days on the playground, I can't even begin to imagine a women's life in the workforce in the 1700's. 

I think another great theme Wollstonecraft addressed in her article was the fact that many men believe women are put on the earth to obey and serve them. This point is still a big issue in today's world because many men still believe women should only live to support him and his family. She made many great points throughout the article, but one of my favorites was when she discussed Eve being made out of Adam's ribs in the bible. This story is a very powerful one and I believe it symbolizes a man and a women in a committed relationship serving each other. God did not intend to make women for the sole purpose of serving men. That is absurd to think, and the way Wollstonecraft addressed that issue was incredible. 

Though there were some great points throughout the article, I also found it almost impossible to understand. I found myself having to look up almost half of the words in the article and having to reread paragraphs to even begin to understand the meaning of the long phrases. As it was written hundreds of years ago, I understand the language is complicated, but I wish that it could be modernized to make the article easier to comprehend because I believe Wollstonecraft made many beautiful points. 

I wish that I could talk to Wollstonecraft today and compare the times of women back in the 1700's to now. That would be a fascinating experience and though it is impossible, reading this article brought me the closest I could possibly be to discussing the differences in culture, not only women's rights but human rights, and women themselves. Although it was excruciatingly difficult to understand, I would argue this article is a good connection to the past of women and the history of women's rights.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

For my AP Composition book, I read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. The book was actually recommended to me by my mom, who pushed for Angelou's unique style of writing and fascinating life story, as my mom has listened to Angelou speak at a women's conference. Any story that discusses the struggle of a women and a fight to be accepted is one that I cannot resist. When I first opened the frayed pages of my copy of Angelou's famous memoir, I was slightly skeptical. Angelou was regarded as a famous poet before she published her autobiography, and I am not much of a poetry fan. I soon realized that poetry only strengthened her style of writing and added even more to the spectacular book.

The book opens in the small negro town of Stamps, Arkansas. Marguerite, Angelou's birth name, lives in an average house with her brother, Bailey, grandmother, and crippled Uncle Willie. She and Bailey, only one year apart, were sent to live with their grandmother at ages three and four, and they have grown up helping her run her store for the local workers and frequent travelers. Angelou was always the ugly duckling of the family and constantly feels neglected and ugly. She also attended church every Sunday. Her grandmother is a very religious women and always made Maya and Bailey sit in the first row. The first chapters of the book center the reader on a typical day in the life of her five-year-old self.

As Angelou ages, her parents believe it is time for her and Bailey to visit them in their homes. When she goes to visit her mother, she is raped repeatedly by her mother's boyfriend. After the tragic assault, Maya is never the same person. The book continues to show her struggle in life as her childhood was abruptly ended and she tries to survive in the "big" world.

I praise Angelou's writing because of the way she shapes simple sentences with complex thoughts. Multiple times I found myself rereading sections of the book and thinking on the different meanings of statements. "See you don't have to think about doing the right thing. If you're for the right thing, then you do it without thinking." This quote was recited to Angelou by her mother in the end of the book and shows Angelou's interesting style of writing. It also symbolizes a strong moral; do what you believe is right always and live with no regrets. This is a very powerful message. Another thing I loved about Angelou, was the number of worldly problems she seemed to work into her book. Examples were women's rights, African-American's rights, World War 2, and sexual assault. Though she was raised in the 1940's, it is crazy to see that the world is still fighting for the same rights and freedoms.

The ending of the book provides a crazy twist that leaves the reader pleasantly confused. When I finished the book, I was satisfied with the ending, but I didn't want it to end. The grand finale seemed to tie in all of the issues Maya had encountered on her journey through life and brought them together into one lesson, which I believe is the biggest thing to take away from reading this book--life for yourself. The entire book, Angelou is struggling to live for things that never satisfied her and left her crushed. Once she was able to find peace with God, she realized that He wants us to live for who we are and not what anyone else wants us to be. That is a great lesson for me especially, because I personally relate very well. I find it easy to live for the typical high school problems or sports, when I really should be focusing on myself and my relationship with God. That was an amazing experience.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is a phenomenal read and I absolutely recommend it to anyone. The lessons learned and the extremely unique style of writing makes the book impossible to put down. This book has changed the way I view life itself, and I cannot wait to see how it effects others as well.