Nonfiction and Rhetoric from
Singapore American School
Vol. 2, No. 1 | November 2024
Virtue & Vice
In our first issue, we explore right and wrong and all that’s in between. We seek to answer life’s ethical questions: what are the boundaries between good and bad, hero and anti-hero, pure and tainted?
Drawing by Yuku Kusanagi
Featured Essays
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Devin Bush on the Virtue of Courage
I risked my 12 year old life to speak out in support of our town’s first Mosque. Heightened security, armed guards, undercover officers: safety measures designed to give me a voice.
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Sylvia Barrios on Villains in Children's Media
The rise of children’s movies demystifying the origins of classic villains can make us think that it is justifiable to act on our anger or trauma. Why, then, are we teaching kids that malice is warranted?
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Gayatri Dhir on The Virtue of Speaking Up
Despite Kamala Harris’s empowering campaign, impossible expectations for female leaders prevail: they must be strong but not threatening, authoritative but likable, passionate but controlled.
Personal Essay
Devin Bush Children Caught in the Crossfire: Protecting Muslim Youth in the Struggle for Religious Freedom Across Rural America
Radhika Mittal Reflected
Brianna O'Connor The Necessity of Murder
Review
Gabriella Yeung Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story: Delving into the Mind of an Anti-Hero
Stefania Sigismondi The Substance: A Vomit-Inducing Pleasure
Adam Brest Ambition Corrupted: My Take on The Wolf of Wall Street
Opinion
Minji Suk Anna Delvey: The Evil Yet Heroic Mastermind
Kaitlyn Zhu No Eyes Anywhere: The Vice of Virtue Signaling
Henry Moon Chokes, Clutches, Vices, and Virtues
Aryan Pershad Tempted by Intelligence
Sabrina Peña-Sy Losing My Religion: A Guide to Fighting the Catholic Church Abuse Scandals
Billy Park The Right Choice? The Gender Divide Steering Gen-Z Men Away From the Left
Gayatri Dhir Hysteria, Harris, and Me: Notes on Female Volume
Reese Min Beyond Saints and Sinners: Challenging the Moral Binary
Kian Williams The Parsi Paradox: A Closed Door to an Ancient Faith
Akshay Agarwal Mischief: Pranks May not be all Jokes
Daniel Xu Humility: The Newest Vice?
Cultural Criticism
Raynard Oei The Anatomy of Corporal Punishment
Sammie Xie A-sian not B-sian: Meritocracy in East Asian Education System
Kaavya Anuj Ambition Doesn’t Look Good on Her
Eclectic
Emma Torjesen Lords, Ladies & Lurking Little Vices
Sylvia Barrios Gotor Dressing Up in Gray: How Children are Taught to Worship Villains
Laura Chen Call of Duty: The Dilemma of Filial Piety
Kirin Chadha Self-Worth in the Age of Validation
Isabel Pineda Are Superheroes Super-Childish?
Daniel Tong Is Morality as Bleak as it Seems?
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.