Stephanie Trinidad

            What would be considered the greatest battle in the history of the Civil War would also be one that many of the soldiers who survived it would never forget. Even as it’s taught to students in the 21 st century and studied by historians what happened on the battlefield at Gettysburg would change the course of the Civil War. The battle and its aftermath were witnessed by not only the soldiers who fought on the fields of Gettysburg but also by the people of the town as well as the countless civilian nurses and doctors who traveled to the front lines to heal the wounded. Many soldiers and civilians recorded their experiences at Gettysburg as to attest of their existence at the battle and the significance of the experience they gained while on the battlefield. Union Soldier Elisha Hunt Rhodes knew that all the troops would be needed in this upcoming battle saying “The troops that have been stationed here have been ord...

         Junot Díaz’s first full length novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is critically one of the most praised novels of the new millennia but it’s also one giant pop culture reference. The book has over two hundred references to pop culture, history, writers, and novels from multiple genres that span several decades. The biggest references are towards J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings which parallels much of the novel. Though the novel isn’t so much about the life and untimely death of the title character but more about a family history that goes back three generations the backgrounds themselves are filled with references to different times in the lives of this family. Under all of the historical knowledge about dictators and comic book characters there’s also a reference to a curse that many of the characters believe has plagued the family since the early twentieth century. The references to popular culture in the...

When a family decides to move to another country the parents do so in hopes that their children would be able to attain an education that would lead them to a better life than the one they left behind in their home country. Parents would often put the entire future in the hands of their children once they’ve entered their new home while they worked to keep the family fed and clothed throughout the years. This was an option for many families who entered Britain during the late 1950’s but for many of the children coming along with their parents they would have to face new challenges. Now in a new country where everyone spoke a different language went to the same schools and lived completely different lives from the ones they once had. Some children were too young to remember the difference while others were forced to quickly learn and assimilate to a new world. Their arrival at their new school was met with difficulties and hardships some would work hard to gain their newfound liv...