Angles / 2009

Exemplary Writing from Introductory Writing Subjects at MIT

Foreword
From the Editor
Writing from Experience
The Starting Line   by Allison Hamilos
It's the starting line, if your writing were a race. All of your fancy semicolons, less highfalutin' periods, and quiet little commas assume their positions on the starting blocks...

Third Eye   by Jessica Lin
I hardly think of it anymore when I look in the mirror, because it's so normal for me. I forget that I look different.

Newton's Third Law   by Keshav Puranmalka

Sitting there in that warm March evening, huddled in front of the TV, I colored the magnificent saffron of the Indian national flag, expressing patriotism as only a six-year-old can.


How To Be Indifferent   by Veronica Song
After all, being indifferent means having no emotions, and you can only be emotion-free if you have no opinions, morals, or deep beliefs close to your heart.


Umaer   by Amina Basha
My brother was nine years older than me and though we were far apart in age, we were never very far in distance until he left for college that misty day.


Zero Beach   by Kelechi Nwosu
We take a left off the boardwalk at Humiston Beach, and let the salt-weathered pavement brush the sand from our feet as we head down a sunlit drive.
Short Story
Popcorn   by Wenjia Zhu
It is 1965 and Yiyi is 9. She lives in a small rural town in Sichuan, a large province located in the west of China.
Writing about Contemporary Issues
Back Straight, Head Up!   by Leonie Badger
At the exact moment that an evil itch begins to take over the crevice behind my ear, a tiny but vicious red ant slowly drops its head and injects poison into my stubby little toe.


We Don't Have Time for Tea   by Jennifer de Bruijn
It all started when I blithely, yet seriously, announced that we should get a kettle for the room, so we could make tea, coffee or cocoa whenever we felt like it.


A Biosafety Level 4 Facility in Boston: A Threat of Epidemic or a Defense Against Bioterrorism?  
by Janice O'Brien
Every neighborhood has one. In my community it was a drug rehabilitation facility; one town over had a mental hospital. These are facilities that can provide needed services to society and help the community. Yet people often don't like driving past them and tend to avoid buying houses too close to them.


Writing about Science & Technology
Nuclear Waste Reduction through Advanced Reactor and Fuel Cycles  
by Kevin Fischer
Global movements against greenhouse gases have put developed countries in a difficult position, in which they are pressured to reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically.

Combating Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus  
by Oran Payne
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that poses a serious threat to millions of people throughout the world.


Coughing to Death: If The Cure Exists, Why Are People Still Dying?  
by Mahesh Vidula
Jay hated breathing. Every time he took a breath of air, the very substance that was supposed to keep his mind working and his heart beating, he coughed up a storm.


Tuberculosis: Curable, Yet Still A Major Public Health Issue  
by Mahesh Vidula
Tuberculosis causes at least 1.7 million deaths around the world per year, and currently ranks as the fourth most deadly infectious disease. An infected host spreads the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) bacteria through aerosolized droplets while coughing or sneezing.


Assignments for These Essays