Category: Opinion
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The Life of a Showgirl – An Album Review
A review of Taylor Swift’s most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl. This article examines five songs and discusses the meaning of their lyrics and how they compare to Swift’s previous work.
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College Admissions and the Limits of Fairness: A Look at SFFA v. Harvard
Every high school student has probably wondered how college applications are reviewed. Does race still matter in admissions? In 2023, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, a case that challenged Harvard University’s use of race in admission decisions, made its way to the Supreme Court. In the end, the Court decided in a 6-3 decision…
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The Rise of the AI Girlfriend
Over the past year, AI companionship apps have quietly become one of the fastest-growing trends among teens. Apps like Character.AI, Replika, and Nomi allow users to create digital companions who are always available, always “supportive”, and always “say the right thing”. For many teens, especially those who feel stressed, lonely, or unheard, this seems harmless,…
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Opinion: the Merits and Drawbacks of Historical Musicals
Have you been keeping up with Broadway, West End, and local productions in Seattle? Over the past few years, I have noticed a trend of what I call historical theater, theater about historical events or people. It seems that every other musical involves a long-dead queen, king, or president, and I wanted to explore why.…
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Why Even Try? – A Junior’s Dilemma in the AI Era
I wrote this article the week I found out my AP Lang essay was going to be taken off the grade book because too many students used ChatGPT. I was confused, angry, irritated, and mostly, exhausted, questioning if this was going to be my reality for the rest of my academic career and beyond. Putting…
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The Only Initiative that Passed – Why?
Ballot Initiative 2066 did what no other ballot measure in Washington state could, it passed. Even then, I-2066 barely passed, only winning 51.7% of the vote. So, what made this initiative stand out to Washington voters? Why was it the only initiative capable of being passed “yes” by a small majority? I wanted to find…
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Bilingualism: The Importance of Language in Modern-Day Society
Ever thought of using Google Translate to translate that last Spanish writing assignment instead of actually writing it in Spanish yourself? It’s probably easier, but will that choice allow you to truly live a longer and more satisfying life? Probably not. Let me explain. Bilingualism, “fluency in or the use of two languages,” as defined…
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The Land Is Inhospitable, But We Are Not: An Analysis of Mitski’s Incredible Lyricism
“It’s this love I’ve created in me, that I’ve built in me, that I’ve held on to – and it’s mine for as long as I want it, for as long as I don’t give it up, or let the world take it away from me. … On September 15, 2023, singer-songwriter Mitsuki Miyawaki —…
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Pandemic Nostalgia
Well, ladies and gentlemen, enough time has now passed from the pandemic that it’s common to find kids that do not even remember it. The truth is the pandemic was a stressful time for everyone, filled with a lot of pain. It is rare to hear someone say they would want to do it all…
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The Butterfly Lovers: Truly the Chinese Romeo and Juliet?
Before Hollywood was churning out movies faster than the speed of light, forbidden romance was already a popular trope for centuries, manifesting in many different ways. And today, we’re going to be examining two stories from centuries ago that follow the very familiar forbidden lovers trope that we’ve really grown to love today: Shakespeare’s Romeo…