Nonfiction and Rhetoric from

Singapore American School 

Vol. 2, No. 2 | December 2024

Choice

Multiple choice. Dealer’s choice. Word choice.

From democracy to dinner time, we are faced daily with decisions.

This issue’s theme is Choice. We invite you to explore the consequences, complexity, and power of the decisions we make—or don’t. What does it mean to choose freely? What about the choices we regret—or the ones we didn’t realize we were making?

Whether it’s a personal reckoning, a critique of societal systems that limit or expand choice, or an exploration of how culture frames decision-making, there is a wide spectrum of voices to be heard in this issue.

Painting by Rita Wu

Featured Essays

Personal Essay

Kirin Chadha The Note that Changed Everything: How a Single Choice Composed my Future

Reese Min Choosing to be Unaware

Henry Moon Playing Tenuki

Aryan Pershad Not my Choice

Stefania Sigismondi Unplayed Kets & Unused Ribbon

Minji Suk Clarity Through Uncertainty

Sammie Xie An Escape from the Peach Blossom Spring

Daniel Xu Playing for Myself

Gabriella Yeung The Chains of Decisions

Kaitlyn Zhu You Don’t Know Me, and Neither Do I

Review 

Kaavya Anuj Parasite: The most Beautifully Uncomfortable Masterpiece

Sylvia Barrios Gotor The Count of Monte Cristo: How Far are We Willing to go for Revenge

Laura Chen Breaking Silence, Reclaiming Self: A Reflection on Hunger

Gayatri Dhir Sophie’s Choice

Raynard Oei Loneliness as a Dystopia

Sabrina Pena-Sy The Emperor’s New Cope

Isabel Pineda Reflecting on Arcane’s Second Season

Kian Williams The Apprentice: Choices Behind the 47th President of America

Cultural Criticism

Brianna O’Connor The East, the West, and the Stories Hollywood Gets Wrong

Akshay Agarwal Palm Leaf Reading: Futures Written in Leaves, Chosen by Us

Opinion

Daniel Tong Choosing Change

Adam Brest The Choice at Hand: Defending Autonomy in a Post-Roe America

Eclectic

Radhika Mittal A Guide to Getting Lost: Tough Decisions for New Hikers

Billy Park A Life or Choice Decision

Devin Bush The Fallacy of Choice: Society’s Justification for the Condemmed

Emma Torjesen The Tomato Problem

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in The Spark are the views of individual student creators and are not representative of Singapore American School or its employees.