The Thaneshwar Testimonial

  Hello Monica, My name is Thaneshwar Ezhilan, and I am a senior at Troy High School. In my AP Lit class, we had to do an essay and a presentational project on a poem. And I chose to do your poem “Theft” as the poem’s rich and descriptive language caught my eye. This poem confused me at first because of the metaphorical use of ocean jargon and the sudden transition into a call to action against a very real issue. I realized that this poem was not just about someone complaining about themselves but using this as a means of representing the voices of people who may have undergone oppression by something. I came to the conclusion that this poem was about vocalizing the voice of people that were erased due to colonialism. The metaphorical description of the ocean worked really well when it was used to actually illustrate how their voices and events of oppression have been covered or suppressed, like the waves of an ocean. The ocean is also synonymous when referring to a deep, dark area...

Hesitantly I picked up the pencil A wave of doubt swept over me But for my grade it was essential I’d have fun now and do it later maybe The clock ticked on, but Istayed still The tasks piled on, I had no care The looming deadline became a drill Then came thrill from urgency, once I was aware Was it all worth it, maybe just for today. Broken poem: Hesitantly I picked up the pencil A wave of doubt  swept over me But for my grade  it was essential I’d have fun now. And do it later ? Maybe The clock went tick/tick/tick on,  but I stayed still The tasks piled on,  My thoughts scattered but I had no care The looming deadline  became a last-minute drill Then came the thrill from urgency,  once I was aware Was it all worth it? Maybe just for today. In my broken version of the poem, I disrupted the original structure of the poem with more lines, which create a sense of hesitancy and show somewhat of a flow of thoughts. I also added interruptions within some phra...

  Kintsugi, the art of repairing pots by blatantly showing their cracks in a different color, is representative of how we should all live our lives. Whenever I perform a task, thoughts of how I could’ve done that task better only flood my brain once I’m done with it. For example, I went to a Model UN conference a few weeks ago, but even now, every speech, negotiation, and decision replays in my mind. I kept thinking of ways I could’ve given better speeches or been more persuasive. Even though everyone’s brain works like this to an extent, the difference between me and others is that I can’t get it out of my head. It always bothers me, even after several weeks pass, if I did something as little as getting a question wrong on a test.  That’s why this year my goal is to embrace the mistakes I make, just the way Kintsugi demonstrates it. In many cases, the repaired pots have the cracks highlighted in gold, as if imperfections are worthy of celebration. Just like the pots, I don’t ...

We’ve all heard the advice to “enjoy your life when you’re young,” which hints at the excessive number of responsibilities that come with adulthood. Bittersweet emotions are embedded into our heads when we’re experiencing something like nostalgia, manipulating us into thinking that a past, carefree time was a better chapter in life. Such feelings evoke an emotion that seems to cloud our minds into thinking ignorance is where fulfillment comes from; however, it cannot always be bliss. That being said, when is ignorance a feeling of relief, and when is it an obstruction to our growth? In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, and Assassin’s Creed II, the protagonists Oedipus and Ezio Auditore are both characterized by the ignorance they faced and how their outcomes were different. The duality of ignorance is further revealed in Oedipus' and Ezio's lives before their revelations. Oedipus leads a life full of privileges and royalty since he was adopted by the Corinthian King and Queen. The tru...

Point of view, something we learn back in elementary school, can carry hidden and deep meanings within it. In The Stranger by Albert Camus, Mersault’s story is being narrated in the first person, where he’s given many decisions but chooses not to use his own mind. He agrees with everything, whether it comes to when Maman is buried, if Maman’s death was bound to happen, if Raymond was in the wrong for fighting with the guy, or if he should be pals with Raymond, and most importantly whether Raymond’s mistress deserved to be punished or not. While reading, have you thought about how weird it is to ask someone else to write you a letter that would have “a punch and also some things in it to make her sorry” to your ex? It can be reasonable to assume that through the many interactions Raymond has had with Mersault, he’s understood his character and knew he would agree to everything, even for a reason like “he couldn’t write the kind of letter it would take.”  That being said, one detai...

  It’s often said in shows or any form of entertainment that comedy is difficult to pull off. This is due to factors such as timing, relevance, surprise, etc. In The Importance of Being Earnest, I found dialogues such as “The bag is undoubtedly mine. I am delighted to have it so unexpectedly restored to me. It has been a great inconvenience being without it all these years.” to be humorous because of the sarcasm and the absurdity of the situation. From this, you can probably tell that I find satire to be very funny and entertaining.  The game Grand Theft Auto V, which depicts its setting as a mockery and parody of present-day America, is something I found very similar with our reading on Earnest in terms of storytelling with humor. For example, one of the main protagonists, Michael, is very wealthy, but he has a complicated relationship with his family, which requires him to go to ridiculous lengths to try and get accepted. Even though many of these portions are hilarious, ...