Actions and Words

“Don’t judge a book by its cover”. A classic saying that has been heard for generations and a phrase we have all heard time and time again. While the term and become rather cliched and has had its meaning somewhat diminished, the idea is still common and relevant to many situations in each of our daily lives. […]

Losing Touch, Gaining Touch

It’s 12am. Midnight. You’re too uncomfortable to fall asleep. Too occupied by the thoughts running through your head. You try to close your eyes, try to distance yourself from everything that has gone wrong. You open your eyes a little more than 40 seconds later because it’s all too loud. All of it is getting […]

From the Ground to the Sky

The blood of true innocence is crying from the ground. The ones who carefully pack their guns, spike their land and wait for orders to shoot, they are the robots-the puppets to the evil men. With their humanity destroyed, The only thing they have left is blood. The blood of true innocence is crying from the […]

I, Embeth Davidtz

Embeth Davidtz changed her name to a German name, Helen Hirsch. Helen Hirsch, a name in which she sought protection and life. Left in the hands of a cruel man with the name of Amon Goeth. She was caught in a love that she could not reciprocate.   “My first day here, he beat me […]

Self-Destruction

This is a reaction to the short story Glass Roses, written by Alden Nowlan. After initially reading this story I didn’t really relate to the main character or many of the themes of the story.  This is because I have never shared any similar experiences or felt any of the same emotions. Or that’s what […]

Everything That I Am

  Similar to the way in which Elie loses his faith in “Night” , there was a period in my life where I had distanced myself from religion. The following poem was written while reflecting back on such a time. It was inspired by a collection of prominent memories from the mosque (namely, remembering the […]

Glass Roses

The following personal response is a short story, initially inspired by a symbol in Alden Nowlan’s “The Glass Roses,” but built upon by Sergeant Nibley’s epilogue regarding the Holocaust, in which he presents an invigorating question: “is it possible a picture so hideous and painful can be such a beautiful portrait of human love and dignity?” […]

Unanswered Questions

The Holocaust. Something we’ve been learning in school ever since middle school. The Holocaust. The biggest Genocide in the world killing 80 % of all Jews in Nazi controlled Europe. The Holocaust. Hearing about innocent people getting their hard lives thrown away like throwing a rock into water, and watching it disappear. Hearing about babies […]

Schindler’s List: A Feminist’s POV

Charismatic, successful, and honorable—these descriptions would roll off of anyone’s tongue when asked to describe Oskar Schindler; and indubitably, throughout the film “Schindler’s List,” he has demonstrated a clear mastery of them all. But why is it that his character has always solely been defined by his successes, and nothing else? Why is it that […]