By Seoyeon Claudia Kim ‘28 Observing our surroundings often becomes a powerful source of inspiration. David Foster Wallace’s speech to the Kenyon College graduates addresses this very idea. Unlike a conventional commencement address filled with life advice from the proverbial “wise older fish,” Wallace focuses instead on how to cope with the mundanity of everyday life. He reframes the purpose of education, something that may seem irrelevant to college graduates who would beli

By Haseung Hwang ’27 About Shohei Ohtani One of the greatest baseball players today, Shohei Ohtani has become a superstar and is recognized globally by baseball fans. Born in 1994 in Japan, he began his professional career in the Japanese league, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). After five seasons, he was posted to Major League Baseball (MLB) and signed with the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the 2018 season. Now, his popularity extends far across the United States as a signi

By Hanna Kim ‘29 The Picture of Dorian Gray, a novel written by Oscar Wilde, is classic work of literature that is often viewed as Gothic horror. The story explores concepts such as the dark side of aestheticism, the nature of morality, and the corruption of innocence. The story follows the protagonist, Dorian Gray, who is a wealthy and extraordinarily beautiful young man descending into a life of hedonism and cruelty. The book highlights the dangers of abandoning ethics for

Emily Cho '27 “Shipwreck” by Eugène Isabey ( Wikimedia Commons ) Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” captures the crucial role of collective strength in survival when faced with nature’s indifference through the four crew members, including the captain, the oiler, the cook, and the correspondent, enduring through a harsh journey on a boat to eventual reaching of the shore. Through their shared purpose and struggle, unspoken dependence, and mutual sacrifice, Crane illustrates how

By Jaesun Yang ’27 Every June, a peculiar silence falls over the bustling cities of China. The deafening roar of construction sites vanishes, and even the flight paths of major airlines are rerouted to ensure quiet skies. This nationwide stillness is for the "Gaokao," China’s grueling National College Entrance Examination. For more than 13 million candidates, this single test is not just an evaluation; it is a lifeline—a definitive moment that can illuminate their future or l

By Seoyeon (Claudia) Kim ‘28 Olivia Rodrigo is an artist who distills teenage emotions into their most condensed, unvarnished form. Her music is marked by emotional honesty and blunt lyricism. Rather than illustrating an embellished teenage dream, Olivia exposes the underlying truth. Across her discography, the idea of a ‘teenage dream’ evolves alongside her own coming of age. The growth is most evident in brutal and teenage dream — two songs that mirror one another reveal