Posts by Eden Meirow:
What is truth? Do people have free will? Can we know we exist? Questions like these are what philosophers think and write about. As a philosophy student, it’s your job to learn from the great philosophers and write about their responses—and yours—to life’s...
2018.2.5 / by Eden Meirow
Fahrenheit 451 is a favorite book for teachers to assign—and a favorite for students to read. It’s a classic dystopian novel written in the ‘50s and set in the 24th century. Even though it’s not quite the 24th century yet, Ray Bradbury did get a few things...
2018.1.29 / by Eden Meirow
Tell me about yourself. Whether you hear these words as you introduce yourself to a new group of people or read them on an essay assignment, they can be intimidating. In general, we’re taught not to brag, but how can you write about yourself without at least...
2018.1.8 / by Eden Meirow
One time, in the ninth grade, we were reading The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe. We were discussing what Poe meant by what he wrote, specifically about the symbolism of the short story. A boy in the class asked why Poe just didn’t say what he meant instead...
2017.12.18 / by Eden Meirow
You’ve been toiling away the entire term, and now it all comes down to this—the term paper. In many classes, term papers take the place of a final exam and can determine a whole letter grade (and sometimes more). No pressure, right? While writing a term paper...
2017.11.27 / by Eden Meirow
When you’re reading for pleasure, you can take your time and enjoy it, much like watching a movie. You don’t have to think about deeper meanings, symbolism, or the characters unless you want to. But then there’s reading for school. When your teacher gives...
2017.11.20 / by Eden Meirow
You’ve spent quite a bit of time in your English classes writing argumentative essays. You’ve even gotten pretty good at writing on the topics your instructor assigns. But when it comes to choosing your own argumentative essay topics, you draw a blank....
2017.11.1 / by Eden Meirow
There are tons of scary stories—ones filled with ghosts or vampires or zombies. But in my opinion, there’s nothing scarier than the stories that show what the world could be like if left in the hands of the wrong people. One of the books that demonstrate this...
2017.10.30 / by Eden Meirow
Great Depression-era novels typically have an element of… well… depression. To Kill a Mockingbird isn’t any different. What is different is the fact that [spoiler alert] it ends on a slightly uplifting note. The story is centered around Scout—the narrator—and...
2017.10.9 / by Eden Meirow
Beowulf is one of those stories that most teachers assign but few students really understand. It’s so old that no one even knows who wrote it. But within the verses lies a great, action-packed adventure filled with terrible monsters, a dashing hero, and terrible...
2017.9.20 / by Eden Meirow
I know what you’re thinking. Another Shakespeare play to analyze? I get it. Shakespeare can be hard to read. But here’s the thing… Shakespeare wrote some of the most well-known and most replicated plays. Ever. The themes he uses can be found throughout literature...
2017.8.23 / by Eden Meirow
“All the world’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players.” Don’t worry, you didn’t miss a line while you were reading. This particular quote is from one of Shakespeare’s other plays, As You Like It. However, it perfectly sums up The Taming...
2017.8.21 / by Eden Meirow
Who says all good books have to be happy ones? The Grapes of Wrath certainly proves this is just not the case. It takes place during the Great Depression, so you know right away that it’s not going to be a particularly uplifting story. But just because the story...
2017.7.19 / by Eden Meirow
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to just aimlessly wander the country, enjoying the journey instead of worrying about the destination? If so, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road might be the perfect book for you. Many people say that this is a book that changes...
2017.7.12 / by Eden Meirow
Have you ever heard that immersion is the best way to learn a language? The same can be said of literature. The more you read, the more you learn about how stories, poems, and plays are structured, what makes them so enthralling, and how to analyze them. Just like...
2017.7.10 / by Eden Meirow
Shakespeare is one of those authors who is hard to escape if you’re in any English or literature program long enough. While Shakespeare wrote a lot of plays, they fall roughly into two categories: comedies and tragedies. And when he wrote tragedies, he went all...
2017.6.7 / by Eden Meirow
It’s the bottom of the ninth, a.k.a. you’re running out of time to start writing your Catcher in the Rye essay, but you still have a chance to make it amazing. The bases are loaded—you’ve read the book and annotated, highlighted, or taken notes about all...
2017.5.24 / by Eden Meirow
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is one of those books that has the power to really captivate readers. Even if you don’t like the promiscuity or John’s undoing, you have to admit that there’s something really enthralling about the whole thing. Unfortunately,...
2017.4.10 / by Eden Meirow
Every year millions of high school students apply for college. And every year, at least one of those colleges requires a leadership essay. While you may have never served as a manager, fought against injustice, or led a rebellion, you have at least some inklings...
2017.3.15 / by Eden Meirow
Do you remember when Brangelina first happened? Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were both pretty good on their own, but when they got together, they became an instant Hollywood power couple. In the world of literature and essay-writing, the Brangelina of essays is...
2017.3.1 / by Eden Meirow
Are you the type of person to passively read your assigned text only because you have to? Or do you dive right into it and react with the same intensity any self-proclaimed Star Wars nerd would react to this climactic scene? No matter which category you fall into,...
2017.2.15 / by Eden Meirow