Author: Rachel

I believe every person has a city or a place they feel drawn to, and for me, it’s New York. Though I’ve never been, I’ve always imagined it as a city I was meant to be in. Maybe it’s the idea of a place that’s constantly alive with energy, The idea that everywhere you look there’s a story or a person chasing their own version of a dream. Maybe it’s because of the thought of walking down the street and hearing so many different languages and seeing so many stories unfold at once. Maybe it’s because it’s a place where everyone is free to be themselves, a place where no one looks twice, because they’re all too busy pursuing their own passions, whether it’s fashion, music, art, or anything else that drives them, a place where Nobody is afraid to be unique that it’s almost as if the city encourages it. When I think of New York, I can imagine myself exploring everything the city has to offer walking through the streets during rush hours, exploring the countless art galleries, going to Broadway shoes, going to beautiful restaurants, walking through Central Park during the fall where all the leaves have changed colours, and maybe even calling for a cab on a busy sidewalk, and finally coming to my apartment on the top floors where I’ll sit down at my sofa and just watch the city go by through my big windows. In the wise words of Frank Sinatra, “I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps.”

master and man personal opinion – Rachel MYP4

Master and Man is a Novella written by  Leo Tolstoy, it tells the story of a wealthy man named Vasili Andreyevich and Nikita his humble servant. In the story, both Nikita and Vasili embark on a journey amidst a snow storm and we read as they navigate through the challenges they face. I found this story to be well-written and thought it had many good points. For one I found the descriptive writing to be very detailed allowing me to picture everything that was being described in my head, especially during the snowstorm. I also found the character development of Vasili to be very well executed as he went from someone who was materialistic and shallow to his selfless act towards Nikita in the end. However, I would have liked more background on Vasilis’ past, particularly an explanation of how he became the person he is also At times, the story felt a bit slow, and I found myself getting lost occasionally. However, overall, it’s a great story that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys tales set in historical periods and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.