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Sherlock Holmes Book ReviewEnglish Writing

高一庚 綦家承

Rather than detectives novels, I like science fictions more. But I found that reading stories of Sherlock
Holmes is no less fun. When I first saw this book, I was not interested in it at all. However, it was
homework, so I had to read it whatever I think of it. I thought it was boring when I started reading it, but
when I read to the part that Sherlock Holmes was solving the mysteries one by one, the plot was really
exciting. It was mind-blowing. I never knew that a detective novel can be so interesting to read. Since
then, detective stories have been growing on me.

I can’t imagine how the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, created these stories. He must have had clear
mind and been very careful in plotting these stories, for if there were a mistake, the whole story would
make no sense. My favorite story is “The Speckled Band.” In this story, the readers can see how intelligent
Sherlock Holmes is, especially when he concludes a case by analyzing all the clues he has been collecting.
Who else could have guessed that a ventilator, a bell rope, and a bed fixed to the floor could be the cause
of a mysterious murder?

Stories of Sherlock Holmes are truly good to read, not only for the exciting plot, but also for brain
exercise. The thrilling stories do make my brain think. I think it is really good to train the brain through
reading. Thus, I highly recommend this book to everyone who wishes to work out the brains.

The Fault Is Not in Our Stars

高二辛 曾昱菱

At the beginning of the semester, in literature class, we first read a play by William Shakespeare: Julius
Caesar. I was fascinated by a quote: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves, that we
are underlings.” I felt somewhat connected to this quote even though I didn’t really know the meaning of
these sentences. Later on, I digged deeper into the meaning of the quote.

In this quote, Shakespeare referred to the word “fault” as any bad situation in life; the word “stars” as
everyone’s destiny or fate; and the word “underlings” as people’s lack of courage or being a coward. This
quote basically meant that any bad situation or any difficulty we encounter does not have to be the way it
is; it can be changed, and it’s not fate which dooms men, but we are cowards who don’t dare to make a
change.

At the very act of the play, Cassius, the key man in planning Caesar’s murder, was convincing Brutus,
a nobleman in Rome, to join his plan for murdering Caesar. Cassius, Brutus and their fellow believed that
by the time Caesar became a king, he would make himself a tyrant. Cassius was telling Brutus that this
bad situation of his becoming a tyrant is not because of the destiny, but because of their lack of bravery to
change the fate. Therefore, they should carry out the plan of killing Caesar.

I agreed a lot to the quote, and believed these lines from Shakespeare could apply to my life. I know
that there are many obstacles which I must confront as a student, and the greatest difficulty is definitely
schoolwork. As a junior, this is the busiest year of my entire high school life, as there are many exams
waiting for me. This is the bad situation. Nonetheless, instead of complaining, I should take out my pen,
open my book and start studying to make the difficulty easy. When confronting problems, I shouldn’t just
wait for teachers’ or any others' command and do nothing, like an underling, but really take some action
to change.

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