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I read Flowers for Algernon in the seventh grade. The novel follows a man with a very low IQ undergoing an operation (which was only previously tested on a mouse) to raise his IQ. After undergoing the operation, the relationships he once had suddenly change. After reaching his peak IQ level, he suddenly starts to experience a decline in IQ, but also his communication skills with those around him, his once-once strong relationships, and ultimately, his demise back into his previous life, with him mourning the death of the lab mouse who underwent the same operation at the end of the novel. I remember reading this novel and finding myself intrigued in my literature class. I wanted to participate in class more because I enjoyed reading the novel. It made me realize how quickly one can go from feeling like the ruler of the world to suddenly losing everything.

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In freshman year, myself and a partner had the choice of one of several books. While everyone else busied themselves with The Handmaid's Tale, my partner and I were the only ones that chose Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me. The book, published in 2015, is written by Coates as a letter to his teenage son about his life experiences and his observations about growing up as an African-American in America. Coates, and his unique style of writing, details a lot of hardships and struggles he/someone that he knew encountered in his life. He uses symbolism and pop culture references to describe his view on the various issues. Having read this, I gained an understanding for the hardships that African-Americans face on a day-to-day basis. Of course, I could never comprehend or speak for their struggles, as I myself am not African American, but it made me realize how prevalent racism is in our society. The "letter to a teenager" style made the book feel more intimate/personal, and I felt as though Coates' message came across as much more meaningful and personal to me.

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I read The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger in American Literature II. The story is centered around Holden Caulfield, an angst-filled 16-year-old who spends a weekend in New York City trying to escape the inevitable: maturity. Salinger explores Holden's angst and alienation from others throughout the text, all while shaping Holden to be one of the most relatable characters I have ever read about. These themes, as well as the concept of maturity and moving on from the passing of a loved one, are all depicted through various symbols in the text. While my analytic skills definitely improved after reading this book, what was even more valuable to me was being able to relate to Holden. Although Holden was a bit anti-social and had an eventful weekend, his wish to hold on to youth, to avoid adulthood and to remain "pure", made me think about life in a similar light. I am one who likes to hold on to things and to cherish the peace of being young before the craziness of the adult word comes barreling towards me. In that sense, it made me think about my remaining years in high school and with my family much more frequently than I did before.

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Last year, I read William Shakespeare's most famous tragedy: Hamlet. I remember enjoying reading and following along Hamlet's plot to avenge his father's murder, with a famously tragic ending. In fact, I acted as Hamlet in our class production of Act 3. The topic that Hamlet pondered the most was of death. Although mostly fueled by his grief of his father's death, Hamlet often visualized and wondered about the mystery of death, its implications, and its consequences on the living. Not only reading the play, but also acting as Hamlet himself, it made me think about death, too. It made me wonder what the experience of death is like, and it made me develop a fear of it (or rather, its mystery and unknown nature). It definitely changed the way I think about spending my time, and how it should not be wasted and should be spent with those that I love, because I never know at any moment what will happen to me.