Undergraduate / 'cruelty of human nature' Beloved by Toni Morrison - UVA SUPPLEMENT [2]

Prompt: What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?

Beloved by Toni Morrison infiltrated my life with the unsettling question of the cruelty of human nature.
Beloved is the ghost of an infuriated infant who was murdered by her own mother that forbids her first born daughter to live a life of a slave. The novel carries on through with the haunting of the past and shows the detrimental effects it has on the main characters.

While reading this book, I was tortured by the cruelty that Morrison presented. How could a mother murder her own two year old daughter but keep the two sons and her second daughter? Contrastingly, how could Beloved haunt and seek revenge in such a severe and inhumane way and strive and make her family be in the most miserable condition by starving them and constricting their social atmosphere?

It was a never ending circle of malice that was intertwined with a speck of benevolence that would unfortunately lead to more gargantuan spite. It was unsettling to read and to imagine that the present world could become the world of Beloved and Seethe (the mother).

Undergraduate / The word "yes" has the power to create and change - UVA Word Essay [2]

The word "yes" has the power to create and change. Great nations are born, new frontiers are explored and a baby takes her first steps...thus it is my favorite word.

Yes is associated with empowerment and somehow changing things around for the better. It is the connotation for acceptance, for approval, for acknowledgement, the gateway to new opportunities and the symbolization of positivity. It is pure and it is simple.

The word makes me feel as if I am wrapped in a warm fleece blanket sitting in front of a cozy fireplace. It also reminds of the sweet aroma of mom's homemade apple pie when she has replied, 'yes" to my request to satiate my craving at the family's Thanksgiving dinner.

Yes can be in the beginning, middle or the end. The magic of this word starts fresh ideas, takes on a different direction or gives a chance to reset. It injects energy and spirit. During marathons, many cheer on the runners near the finish line. They shout, yes, yes, yes, yes, and the rhythm suddenly transports the runners to edging closer to the finish line. The yes to a proposal sends the boyfriend soaring up to the sky.

I am almost certain that my life will be filled with its share of the no's. However, I strongly believe in the power of the "yes" that will empower me for each challenge in my journey.

Undergraduate / "It's the possibility that keeps me going, not the guarantee"; UVA Favorite Word [3]

"It's the possibility that keeps me going, not the guarantee." -Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
Possibility. That's what keeps me holding onto hope. That's what keeps me chasing after my dreams. That's what keeps me living.
A simple hope turns into a flame as I aspire to accomplish my goals with the mindset of possible.
As I was growing up, I was raised to be obedient, always listening and taking into heart the words of others. I grew up with the mindset of reality and expected myself to know what I was capable or incapable of. Constantly afraid of failure, I never dared to dream of the impossible; I never tried to accomplish a goal scarcely out of my reach. Abruptly, that came to a stop with a simple conversation from my father.

He was the first to recognize the timidity of my heart and the unwillingness to strive for greater accomplishments. He sat me down and explained that even the most successful people have gone through multiple failures to be where they are now. "Failure is a necessary step to become great." Those words are still engraved in my memories today and will stay there forever.

I have learned that failure isn't something that I should run away from. It is something I should run toward. Failure is what helps goals and dreams become possible. Results that I would have never thought possible became to occur as I thought I was capable of anything. In just two months of training, I had blended from a novice skater to a nationally ranked skater, third in the nation. I had excelled in my studies and had won a popular essay contest. Those simple five minutes that my father spoke had changed my mindset and therefore changed my future.

That is why my favorite word is possible. I use it to encourage others to chase their own dreams and accomplish feats deemed impossible. Possible beats impossible everytime.