Writing Portfolio

Second Grade

1984: A Fatalist Visionary
In George Orwell's novel 1984, protagonist Winston Smith is part of a minority that feels his government is amiss in how it operates, that there is more to life than mindless obedience.
The Idiot: What If Christ Were Only a Man?
It was [Hans Holbein's 'Christ Taken Down from the Cross'] that inspired [Dostoevsky] to write a novel with a pure and innocent protagonist--compassionate, meek, truthful in everything, and completely oblivious to any concept of decorum-- in short, a Christ-like character. In his novel, The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoevsky explores the question: What if Christ were only a man?
A Prayer for Owen Meany: Grey Soup of Destiny
Owen is an intriguing character who believes he is God's instrument and is powerless to change his fate; however, Irving himself offers no concrete answer to this question: Do we control our lives or is providence our master?
The Brothers Karamazov: Denying Evidence for the Sake of Justification
Through Mitya, Dostoevsky displays the dangers of assumptions, the complexity of the world, and above all, the importance of forgiveness, understanding, and tolerance.
Cry, the Beloved Country: Fear: A Terrible Journey
In Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country, Kumalo's voyage to Johannesburg results in fear and brokenness that makes his joyous and optimistic return to Ndotsheni all the more valuable and enlightening.

The Awakening & The Story of an Hour: Evening out the Score
In Kate Chopin's body of work there is a distinct pattern of utilizing romanticism to promote feminism; to show that women searching for freedom and knowledge of self are no different than the men who seek the same.

King Lear: The Effects and Responsibilities of Power
In William Shakespeare's play King Lear, the struggles that power can bring upon a man are clearly depicted.
All Quiet on the Western Front: The Stamp of War
Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front shows the disillusionment of war--how one can easily lose all past ideals and human emotions, how one can easily forget that his enemy is human, and how one can easily fail to remember that he is still alive.

Senior Project: Corporate America vs. Middle America: The Necessity of a New American Revolution
The American government has allowed corporations to force policies of dispensation and compensation, pushing the middle class to the brink of destruction. Corporate America's persistent tax evasion leaves the average American with the remainder and assumed responsibility to pay a debt he cannot afford. Additionally, corporations have become about money even to the expense of their fellow Americans, taking jobs away from them to low-wage, overseas markets. When corporations wield their political power, their voice is louder and their money more persuasive than the average American citizen's when making policy, in effect making the American middle class' voice powerless. With all of these major issues surrounding American corporations, it becomes clear that the middle class must speak up and demand action. Unless something is done soon, the middle class faces the very real possibility of disappearing amidst the corporations and their executives. Do Americans value life, liberty and pursuit of property (happiness) for all, or only the rich?

Independent Study: The Mechanics of the Unvierse(s): A Collection of Research Papers
A collection of research papers I wrote during my junior year independent study. I wrote these papers with an audience of my peers in mind.