Shambhavi's Shells

     With this being the first 12 AP blog, I think introducing myself and talking about the origins of my name would be a better way to start the school year.      So the name Shambhavi (Shum-ba-vee). Having a unique name already distinguishes me from others. My name usually isn't something that people are able to pronounce correctly the first time. Instead, I'll get a few mispronounced versions of my name before the right pronunciation.      As a child, my appreciation for my name was much lower than it is now. I wasn't used to being the only unique name in between other Toms, Sallys, and Jims. In third grade, I chose to go by SGS which is my initials rather than my full name, which I wasn't able to continue for more than a week because of my teacher. Growing up my parents told me how my name was chosen, but the weight and significance of the name took longer for me to understand.      Shambhavi: the name of a...

      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 ...

     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 vie...

      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 Indeb...

    As a three year old, I was fueled by creativity. There are many incidents of my creativity at work, but this story still remains as one of the most memorable. Although I don't remember this story, my mom and aunt always bring it up when reminiscing about me as a toddler. From what I've heard, three year old me directed my own photoshoot with myself as the model.      During a trip to India, my aunt decided to take pictures of me out in my grandparent's garden. My aunt had the idea of making me do different toddler poses to show off how adorable she thought I was. My aunt dressed me in a tank top with a skirt and a flower hairpin to accentuate my cuteness.   Now what my aunt didn't know is that had a different plan in mind. After ripping out the flower hairpin from my hair, I proceeded to stand next to the flowers in the garden and have a concept photoshoot. This concept photoshoot came from the inspiration I had in mind: "the sad woman with fl...

       Picture this, you are getting married soon and your significant other chooses to get married in Las Vegas, the mystical, wonderful city that's always on the move. Time is everything here, especially for marriages. You are told your marriage will be cheap, quick, and easy, taking place in a drive through.       Now picture this, your significant other wants to have a grand Indian wedding where not only your distant relatives but also more than half the city's population will show up. Your marriage won't take a day, not even two days, it'll take place over 3 days and maybe one more for the reception. The wedding venue that will be booked will most likely cost only a couple (around one hundred thousand dollars) of dollars without food or entertainment provided.     What do you pick? Would you rather spend the precious time of getting married in a few minutes or a few days? That was my exact reaction to the drive through Las Vega...

       Feel free to read in an Australian National Geographic voice:)     On my adventures through the world, I came across an unusual herd of sheep. These sheep came in many different colors, sizes, and shapes. These sheep seemed to converse in many different ways, especially those of different color who only communicated with sheep of similar color.      These sheep live in an unusual way. They go by their daily lives seemingly mocking other sheep that appear different from the rest. Whether it be the color of their wool or their facial features, all sheep seem to prefer the portion of sheep with white wool.     Now it's not like the white wooled sheep are any different from the rest. Maybe their wool is considered cleaner than the others, but that's just ridiculous! How could these sheep segregate themselves based on something as minute as the color of their wool! They're all sheep anyways! It's not like there's a ...