Author Archives: Oscar Hernandez

As I sit here attempting to write a reflection of my thoughts on the Voices performance, I realize that I don’t really remember any of the performances that well. The only one that I have a vague recollection of is of the one which was presented by the male Asian actor. His performance seperates itself from the rest because the monologue itself was funny to begin with and it was made many times funnier by the actor himself. He had an equally funny performance the first time around back in August during another Voices performance. Aside from this actor’s performance, I am not really sure whether or not I enjoyed listening to the whole performance at the time. I should have probably written this assignment right after watching Voices because in that way I might have written something more substantial and more accurate in regards to my thoughts about the whole thing. As it stands, nothing was really memorable about the performance and so I am inclined to say that I probably did not enjoy it.

My one defining moment and the thing that shapes me the most occurred before I was even born. That event is the death of an older brother. My parents were living in Mexico in a small and poor town when they had their second child. He grew sick at 3 months old. With no doctor for miles and miles away and with no way to even come up with the money to pay for a doctor’s visit, my parents could only stand by, watch, and hope that my brother recovered. He, unfortunately, did not make it. The thing that troubles me further is that my parents were not the first and surely not the last to have to go through that. This is a common incident among families living in poverty and within poor nations. I intend on building a successful business in hopes that one day I will be able to help out families living in such places. My parents have been through a lot in life and so I hope too that my success changes my parent’s life and my own in a positive way.

Thus far, hard work has helped me get closer to this goal. I surprisingly made it through Townsend Harris High School, which is one of the toughest and most demanding schools in New York City, and so I’m confident that I am ready to tackle the challenges college will present me with. I will make the best of my four years in college, learn as much as possible, and go on to put that knowledge to good use.

The workshop featuring Colm Toibin, the author of Brooklyn, was an interesting look at an author’s train of thoughts as they work on their books. I’ve never stopped to think about the immense amount of work that goes into writing a book. While it may seem obvious that hours and hours go into writing a novel, in his speech, Colm Toibin made it seem almost as if it was an easy process. This however could just be that he is such a good writer that he makes it seem easy. For example, I found it surprising that he did not use any notes while writing Brooklyn. I also thought it was convenient that he was able to base his characters on real life people. He also based some events in his novel on his own experiences. His hardest challenge, however, was writing a story that resonated so well with the millions of immigrants who go through a similar experience of moving to a new country. Perhaps, because he is a great writer, he executed the story perfectly in that immigrants identify closely with the emotions and thoughts of Eilis. Apart from this, I found that it was great that he was able to joke around towards the end of the workshop in what otherwise up to this point had been a serious discussion. I’ve never felt passionate about wanting to meet an author but this “behind-the-scenes” look at writing Brooklyn was an interesting first and it perhaps won’t be the last for me.

My playlist

Queen – I Want It All

I am someone who has always strived to be successful. This song is about living a life with ambitions and trying to achieve your goals. It applies perfectly in defining who I am. I am motivated to be successful and my ambition stems from wanting to provide my parents with a work-free and more relaxed life. They have been working since they were five years old. Needless to say, they have had a tough life. I am driven to be successful because I want to be able to give my parents a much deserved break from work and give them a vacation which they rightfully have earned.

Nas – I can

This song has a great positive message overall and is always worth listening to. The song also reflects my belief that hard work gets you to where you want to be.

Miley Cyrus – The Climb

Not necessarily a favorite song of mine but I am someone who enjoys a wide range of music and for some reason I just like this song. I included this song because it’s a great example of how my family and I have lived our lives so far. It’s been a constant struggle and we’ve faced numerous obstacles but thus far we’ve managed to overcome them. Just to name a few, some of these obstacles include my parents moving to New York with four kids with not even a penny in their pockets. Also, learning the English language during the fourth/fifth grade was not easy for me. The song also resonates well with me because the roadway to success as I understand it as an uphill battle and no matter how hard it seems, you just have to give it your all as the song suggests.

Queen – The Show Must Go On

This one always serves as a little motivation for me when things aren’t going my way. The simple message in this beautiful song is that life is like a show and although things might not turn out the way that we planned, the show must go one.

Queen – We are the Champions

Yet another song by Queen but I feel this song also represents a part of me. As I stated before, I strive for success. It’s my belief though that on some level I have already achieved financial and personnal success. I make a large amount in earnings a month, more than I’d ever hoped for at my age. I worked extremely hard for it during my gap year between high school and college and am immensely proud of my achievement. Although the song itself is most likely about Queen themselves and how they made it to the top, another possible interpretation is that it’s a celebration of a victory and about the struggles on the way to that victory. Apart from my success, my parents in their own right achieved something great as well. They started with nothing when they first moved to New York but they now own and manage their own laundromat. This is definitely a victory and so I feel that “We Are the Champions” applies perfectly to my family.

Lupe Fiasco – Words I Never Said

I chose this song because in it Lupe Fiasco states a wide variety of views on the world that I personally share and agree with. The song raises some points about issues in modern society and they are for the most part something that I also think about often. I find myself sometimes getting angry over problems the world currently faces and someday I want to be a part of the solution to those problems. In my opinion, to make a difference in the world, you need money. Bill Gates is a prime example of someone who uses money for solutions to problems and he has helped and saved millions of lives doing so. It is my ultimate goal to build a successful business and thus have the funds to impact the world in a positive way. This song simply reminds me about some serious problems in today’s world and that someone needs to do something about it.

Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World

Though this one may be a little contradictory to my previous example, it does show another part of who I am. On one hand, it is one of my favorite songs. Also, the song, much like myself, is optimistic. I am optimistic that problems can be solved and that ultimately one day they will be fixed. It also serves as a reminder not to forget about the small things as I go through life.