Why I want to puruse English as a career/ college essay

J. White

Drumming my fingertips on the surface of the desk, I impatiently exhale as I see that after two minutes my internet Solitaire game is only 25% loaded. Irritated and bored, I click on the “Free Poetry Contest!” pop-up that flickered in the top margin of the screen. The rules were simple: write a poem and click submit. Yet for an eager eight year old with soaring thoughts of ingenuity zigzagging in each crevice of my imagination, it was nearly impossible to settle on one topic. So instead I went with the first thing I saw: a picture of my current fourth grade teacher Mrs. Rader. Filling the four minute time gap I had remaining for my game to load, I constructed a poem of six stanzas with perfect rhythm and exact rhymes. “My Teacher is a lie-detector, when a problem is a-brew, she tracks it down, learns more about it, and knows exactly what to do”. It wasn’t too shabby for a girl who recently learned how to spell teacher!
A seemingly pointless use of time, yet those four minutes cultivated an abiding desire to pursue a career in English, as I had never viewed Language Arts as a subject of stimulation. My poem was soon framed in the school principal’s office, passed around as room moms gently wiped tears from heir face, and published in The Book of Anthology. Every educator and adult urged my future career as a writer, despite my young adolescence. I began to read every book available, acquiring inspiration to write my own short stories about mythical creatures, wild animals escaping the zoo, and hot-air balloons adventures. Writing did to my imagination what exercise did for my body, as I ascertain abilities to stretch my limitations and employ all emotions. My love for literature became a passion, in which I thirsted for more knowledge on correct punctuation, sentence construction, perfect diction, and a broader vocabulary.
I evolved from a decent essayist to a talented writer, composing audacious novellas in my free time, tutoring struggling students on their thesis statements, and serving as Section Editor and Head Copy Editor of our high school newspaper. However the shallow curriculum of my AP English classes did not satisfy my ceaseless yearning to articulate my perspective, communicate my storylines, or convey my creativity. I ache to explore the vigor of English composition, I covet more knowledge of analysis and perception, I crave the wisdom that will enable my success as an imminent author. Utilizing the programs available in the College of Arts and Sciences, I expect to not only to explore the dynamism of English, but to be a triumphant asset to the course. As I continue on my eternal pursuit for complete insight on flawless grammar, impeccable sentence structure, various styles, and ideal diction, I anticipate developing my own voice as an author through the College of Arts and Sciences. In doing so, my pieces can not only be ideally assembled, but most significantly have something to say.

What is so “wonderful” about Wonderland?

Puberty is a time of change: A time where the individual does not seem to fit into the world around her or him. Alice finds herself in that exact situation of confusion and anxiety when she descends into Wonderland. She does not seem to fit into the magical and mysterious world around her; in her view, everyone is crazy and she is the only one that is right. That exact feeling Alice had while in Wonderland embodies being a teenager: You (the teenager) are right and normal, while the world is filled with lunatics that want to make you cry.

Wonderland embodies that feeling: Alice does not feel comfortable. On the contrary, she is desolate and confused. So then, why is Wonderland so wonderful if it makes Alice feel the opposite of wonderful (at times0? Wonderland is wonderful because it allows Alice to explore her inner troubles and thoughts. Although the thoughts and troubles might be overwhelming for Alice—and she at times might not know where she is going to end up—they are an essential part of “growing up.” Moreover, by facing our inner anxieties as a teenagers, our individual Wonderlands allow us to discover our own definition of the "true meaning of life."

Archetypes in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

            An interesting archetype within Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is in chapter 5 when the pigeon refers to Alice as a serpent.  If one is reading with simple interpretation it may seem at first as a literal reference to a serpent.  As she had a long flexible neck and was thought to have consumed the pigeon’s eggs.  However, if one truly looks at the book in an open fashion, it is evident that her similarities to a serpent function as ways for the reader to better understand her transcendent rebirth through archetypes.

            The archetypal meaning of serpents represents the death of the self and a transcendent rebirth.  The presence of the serpent archetype significantly enhances the meaning of the Alice’s adventures.  Whereas someone who simply reads the story with no outside connection may merely see Alice’s journey as a simple expedition from boredom, through the archetypes used, we are able to see more.  It is now evident that her self in real life has given way to her new self in her dream world.  Her dream vision isn’t simply her situation in reality but a fusion of her curiosity and inner debates.  This becomes increasingly clear when recalling Alice’s confrontation with a new social hierarchy where humans are on the bottom.  Her personality and self in reality, unknown and confused, is about to be infused with her new dream reality.  She wonders if she’s going to approach life differently when she returns back to her life.  

-Phillip J

First Blog Post Ever (for this team): Brent S

I'm Number 98 the teal and orange car

Last weekend I had a race at Irwindale Speedway and we had troubles all the way up to the race.  I qualified 10  out of 21 which is absolutely horrible compared to the normal top 3 or 4.  We finally fixed the car for the race, finding that caster was off 2 degrees, so i was much faster than the cars in front of me.  The problem with being that far back in the pack is that one is much more prone to crashing and since I was in the middle of points racing a crash would be catastrophic to my points lead. For those who don't know what points racing is basically don't do anything that will crash the car (aka don't be stupid). The whole race I forced myself to be patient as every wreck happened all around me. I was luckily able to come out unscathed. Now how does this apply to what we are learning in our English class?  In the story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice quickly learns how frustrating the animals can be. They all seem to be super sensitive to everything Alice says whether it be the Rabbit, the Caterpillar, or even the Birds. This forces her to be patient in order to learn how to act in the suitably named Wonderland.  It will be interesting to see how Alice copes with future trials and events that take place in the book.