The following essays, written by students in the introductory writing subjects at MIT, were selected for publication in Angles 2020 by an editorial board of lecturers. The ten works are categorized by theme and linked below. For more information on Angles see our About Angles page. For an overview of this edition of Angles and an explanation of the thematic categories chosen for this edition, please see our Editors’ Note.
Identity and Experience
Infinity by Carl Joshua Quines
“When I was one, I learned to count to ten. In English, because my parents wanted me to speak English well, even if we lived in the Philippines.”
I AM A GHOUL (A Graphic Memoir) by Vincent Huang
“People typically don’t enjoy thinking about themselves as anything other than a human, but I do it pretty frequently.”
The World as I Knew It by Caroline Powers
“On September 7th, 2016, I met Emma Mager for the first time. I was fifteen, a high-school sophomore.”
When the Jasmine Blooms by Vainavi Mukkamala
“I tighten my fingers around the rupee bills in my hand, the sweat from my palm and the heavy humid air of the Indian monsoon season wrinkling the delicate paper.”
Chronic Misconceptions by Nicole Seman
“Is that yours? I think you might have dropped something.” The stranger behind me in line at the store sneers, contempt and disgust heavy in her tone.
Creating Community and Culture
Rave Asian by anonymous
Coffee: Grounds for Reflection by Valeria Robayo
Investigating Technology
Your Phone’s Electronic Brain by Alex Studer
“Imagine you could buy a fully functional cellphone for $12. Such a device does actually exist, ….”
E-Magic by Shashvat Srivastava
“I consider myself a wizard. Every day, I walk around with a magic wand in my pocket.”
The New Food Revolution: Lab-Made Meat by Emily DeBitetto
“You are at a restaurant and are served a basket of golden-brown chicken tenders. You cannot wait to bite into that crispy fried coating…”.
Nature’s Plan
Into Our Garden by Akila Saravanan
“Large patches of shade speckle the fertile brown-and-black soil. Small, lime green shoots sprout from seeds thrown helter-skelter by strong gusts of wind.”
How Ocean Acidification Came to Be Implicated in Coral Decline by Victor Luo
“The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, is the largest coral reef system in the world, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs….”