Shambhavi's Shells

      As we know of Mr. Faust, who makes a deal with the devil ultimately exchanging his soul for money, fame, and success, it's well known that the deal Faust made was intentional, unlike Dorian Gray.      It is true that Dorian sobs in front of his portrait wishing that he remained young while the portrait aged, but Dorian never sat in a room and made a deal face to face with the devil. Dorian's wish was granted, but he himself was unaware of what the conditions of his wish were, ultimately ruining the very innocence in him that Basil adored.     I've heard from multiple people how they can't stand Dorian Gray, but sometimes we forget that Dorian's character was built off of Lord Henry's ideals. Lord Henry chose to influence Dorian because of Dorian's beauty and innocence. With this, it is safe to say that Dorian's wish to remain young was created by Lord Henry and as Angelina noticed "Lord Henry and Basil are like the devil and angel sitting on D

     In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, we're introduced to a character known for his charming beauty, or as Basil sees him - a work of art. Our first impression of Dorian Gray is his beauty, but later we get to see his true personality. All the characters in the novel are quick to judge Dorian as "good" because of his looks, which raises the question of if we should appreciate art at its base value without any consideration for the creator.      The author himself, Oscar Wilde, warns the reader that "those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril". Was this Oscar Wilde's way of telling us that ignorance is bliss? Should we also use the same innocent lens that Basil looked through? Or should we strive to have a deeper knowledge of the things we appreciate?     To me, there is no certain answer, rather I'm compelled to raise more questions. Say the ignorance of not knowing a certain artist's personality or past brings the viewer pleasure.

      As my year of AP 11 English is coming to an end, I realized the number of people, pieces, and authors there are that supported me throughout my journey in AP 11. It's impossible for me to talk about AP 11 without giving these catalysts to my improvement my utmost gratitude.      I (ironically) am deeply indebted to Cathy Park Hong and her piece "The Indebted". Growing up being told by others that I am indebted to America for giving me opportunities made me feel like I needed to give back somehow, but you were the first author to tell me that my feelings of indebtedness should be pointed towards my ancestors, not America. After reading your piece "The Indebted", I started following you on, and as expected, you opened my eyes to the injustices, achievements, and overall lives of people of color. I learned both how deprived and successful people of color have been in America, forever changing my perspective of the country. Similar to "The Indebted",