"‹This was the first book about Koreans that I’ve read in years – my first one (and only one before this) was “The Kite Fighters” by Linda Sue Park. “Free Food for Millionaires,” in contrast, dealt with much more mature themes, and had an intriguing focus on Korean-Americans. As a warning to those who intend to read it: The main character is initially almost insufferable; you really have to bear with the author in the …
Wow. What a book, and what a story.
First thing I have to say is this: Anne was an incredible writer. The diary starts when she's twelve and ends when she is fifteen; I'm seventeen right now, and I don't think I could write nearly as well as she does. She said she wanted to be a journalist/writer, and if given the chance, she definitely could have been one. Though I'm no expert, the sheer …
“Some things are up to us and some are not up to us.”
Wise words, Epictetus. But very hard words to follow.
As the college admissions cycle trudges on, this has become my mantra, the words I whisper to myself as I wake up, as I eat, as I sleep. Whenever I feel panicked about the various elements of the world that are out of my control, I whisper these words to calm myself down, …
A couple weeks ago, I started reading “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel. Recently, I wrote the author an email thanking him for a relatively unbiased approach on the evidence for the Biblical Jesus Christ (he didn’t respond, unfortunately), so let’s let that serve as an introduction.
I’m Brandon Lee, a senior at New Trier High School. Finding your book (The Case for Christ) in my house one day when I was feeling bored, …
I first read Brave New World in middle school, while on a dystopian reading spree, among books like 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. However, it's important to try to reread a book after some time, said Mortimer Adler, if 'you have a sneaking suspicion that there is more there than you got.' That's why I'm rereading Brave New World--because I knew in my heart of hearts that I hadn't gotten everything I could have …
The Analects is a very confusing book to analyze and understand, mostly due to its format, which is a collection of aphorisms, arranged in, at least at first glance, without any clear rhyme or reason. So, I emailed my English teacher about how I might approach reading the Analects.
Hello!
Last summer, I started reading the Analects, by Confucius. As you might know, it's in the form of a collection of 'sayings' by …
Sorry for the long delay in getting this entry in. I just started school, and I've been kinda busy, but now that I'm back in the groove, I think I can continue uploading regularly.
Today, I took a look at verses 2.17-2.21, and decided to speak on verse 2.21, which deals with the 'purposeful effort to engage in governance.'
Confucius argues that one should not need to make a purposeful effort to engage in …
A place for me to blog my essays, random thoughts, and about the books I read.
