Mostly Musical Musings

 Dear Ms. Jiménez,            My name is Arjun Manyem, and your poem, “Theft” is one of the most vivid, moving, and touching poems I have read in my life. It brought to light many problems that exist today, while showing a vulnerable side of yourself, full of feelings for the world.  Me and my partners found your poem for a group project, and out of the 9 poems we had to choose from, yours stood out as the clear winner. We were entranced in your vivid images, taking us from place to place as you went from a lighter subject to a heavier one.  When we started to analyze your poem, it was almost overwhelming, trying to identify all of the imagery and what it meant for the poem and for you. Another thing that stood out was your use of spanish, relating to your heritage, and making your poem all the more personal.  Although I have not experienced many of the problems you address in your poem, this work of art spoke to me in a way...

Poem the trees move as you keep looking forward nothing happens where you aren't watching there are only 2 things on your mind "Watch where you're walking", and something more something heavenly that drives you so rhythmic it seems to move you forward without having to yourself it doesn't just play, it gives you purpose to keep going forward you take a couple of turns but it keeps playing it is constant, it is captivating, it is close it's not just the music, it's the meaning, the mood, the masterful use of melodies that motivates your mind to keep moving Broken the trees move - as you keep looking forward nothing happens - where you aren't watching there are only 2  things on your mind "Watch where you're walking" and something more something heavenly       that drives you so rhythmic it seems to move you without having to yourself, it doesn't just play, it gives you purpose to keep going forward you take              ...

In many forms of media for a long time, there has been a myth that humans only use 10% of our brain's power. The implications of this idea being that once unlocked, our brains would be able to compute and work at such high levels that we would become more advanced than we have ever dreamed.  While this thought is false, the idea of a higher consciousness that humans can achieve has been speculated for centuries, whether it be through a religion suggesting a connection to a higher power in figures such as the Buddha and Hindu sages, or people implicating a higher brainpower in intellectuals such as Socrates and Pythagoras. The idea of a higher consciousness may have been debated throughout history, but I believe people can come close to achieving, if not achieving a higher level of consciousness through various means. In Siddhartha , by Herman Hesse, the title character seems to encounter many people throughout his journey that either believe in a higher consciousness and are trying...

  The Other Side of the Gun: A Glance at the Killers Arjun Manyem Troy High School 12 English AP Mrs. Liamini January 17, 2025 The Other Side of the Gun: A Glance at the Killers When you think of the worst things someone could do, what comes to your mind? I, along with most people, would probably say murder. The taking of someone’s life is one of the most unforgivable actions anyone could take. Simply removing someone’s consciousness from this earth is unfathomable to me. With that being said though, there have been too many people killed in the past. Just recently, in 2022, there were almost 25,000 reported homicides in the US according to the CDC (2024). When people think about murder, or death in general, one thing that always comes up is how the victim’s family is handling it, and for good reason. Having someone so close to you stripped away so suddenly can be one of the most traumatic experiences in anyone’s life. But on the other hand, one aspect that most people don’t pay mu...

Whether it's casting spells with Harry Potter, cooking with Walter White, or fighting aliens with the Avengers, it's easy to get sucked into the media we consume. While it's easier to do this with visual media like books or movies, music is another medium that can be so enthralling that you lose sight of reality. If a song has otherworldly psychedelic production, or if the singer hits that high note really good, you can get trapped in that moment with the artist. While these are all ways you can get lost in the music, there is a more effective way that a song can put you in its world, and that is through the lyrics. One way an artist's lyrics can pull you into the world of the song is by the use of different points of view. A masterful use of POV is the song  "Stan" , by Eminem, where throughout the song, he raps to himself from the point of view of an Eminem fanatic named Stan. Even before the lyrics, Eminem puts you in a world with his use of Dido's ...

     When someone mentions music, what do you think of? Do you think of your favorite song? Do you think of a specific artist? Do you think of what was on the radio while you were driving? Whether or not those are some things that come into your mind, I can almost guarantee that one thing that doesn't come up instantly, is comedy. Whether your view on music is its melody and lyrics, or the culture and community, "funny" isn't usually a word people use to describe it, but although it may not be known for being funny, music that uses comedy right, can bring a whole new level of enjoyment.      One example of this, is Kanye West's " The College Dropout ". His first album, released when he was 26, is often regarded as one of his best works, musically and lyrically. He was one of the first to break the barrier of hip-hop music having to be "serious" and "tough", with his carefree attitude on the album while still talking about real problem...