hongrui peng

Cleverness is the trait that most people are seeking for or pretending to have, yet the concept of cleverness is so incredibly similar to foolishness that no one has ever noticed. Cleverness is the telescope to discover and reveal the fabulous stars and other beautiful celestial bodies far from our planet, yet it narrows your sight so well that you barely notice the surrounding beauty of nature. You are unconsciously blinded by the word cleverness and inhibited from discovering the real world. Humans are not able to foresee the future, nor can they manipulate the public opinion or the merciless laws of nature in their favor, even if some of them think they can. People are so desperate to behave as if they are clever that they try to keep everything under control, not knowing the truth that sometimes you have to sacrifice, relinquish, and let go. Cleverness often ends up being foolishness, for people are always blindly seeking for wealth and power by “clever” means, ignoring their true ...

In Briar Rose  by Jane Yolen, the theme of admiration is quite obvious and notable. During the first few chapters of the story, Becca, one of the three granddaughters of Gemma’s, falls in love with the story  Sleeping Beauty and always tries to make Gemma do the storytelling about that. Gemma’s version of Sleeping Beauty , however, is largely different from the normal version. In chapter 5, Becca  invites one of her best friends Shirley come to the house and lets Gemma tell the story of Sleeping Beauty . Shirley seems to be terrified when she finds that Gemma is telling a different version because it’s weird for her. Becca, however, tries to defend her grandma: “that’s how it goes in this house...and if you don’t like it, you’re not my best friend any more.” The theme of admiration is pretty obvious here: Becca’s homage and admiration for Gemma are revealed during the first chapters. In addition, Becca’s sisters, whose names are Shana and Sylvia, do not like the story a...