New-Year Writing Contest

Rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you/who’s blog you find this on. 
• If you have a blog, list down the rules in a post, if not, contact/email the creator (contact page).
• Add the logo of this post that is:

• Last date for submission is 1st February 2022, winners will be announced on 5th February 2022.
• Link back to the original post and the post of the one who nominated you.
• Word limit ranges to 1000 words.
• Inappropriate content shall be disqualified.
• You can submit only one entry.
• Nominate at least 5 people to participate in this contest.

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Today, I’ll be sharing an essay written by me when I was 10. (I’m 12 now)

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Were Our Forefathers Happier Than Us?’

Write-Up by 11 year old Dhriti

Our forefathers did not have any cures for treating diseases so they lost a lot of loved ones. But nowadays, we have doctors and medical professionals who help us from diseases like the way the vaccination for COVID-19 has been created.

We have technology and gadgets which takes us away from experiencing life outside technology. Our forefathers had a lot of fun in life as they played many outdoor games and met people in real life, not virtually.

In the days of the pandemic, we have started realizing now that we should have spent more time with friends and family. We regret not using the time we had, to explore, travel and have fun.

Our forefathers were happier than us because they breathed clean air. Nowadays, there is a lot of pollution which harms the ozone layer.

But it is wrong to think only negative of technology. Thanks to technology, we get to study virtually and keep in touch with our teachers and classmates, something that was not there in the old days.

An advantage for us is, thanks to history, we can understand our forefather’s mistakes and learn from them. Understanding what our forefathers went through helps us see patterns that might otherwise be invisible in the present.

We all have our own opinions on this. My viewpoint is that our forefathers were happier than us.

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Nominees:

• Betty @ The box of Wonder
• Prashansa @ Reader’s Alcove
• Anushka @ Anushka Stories
• Rajonya @ Princess World
• Poorwa @ Poorwa’s blog
• Evin @ A Curly Sue’s Ramblings
• Aamy @ Aamy’s Imaginations
• Rabhya @ Rab’s Bookish Planet

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Anyway. I realised something. I found this from Quora

In the first book, Professor Snape meets Harry in his class for the first time. This scene plays out:

“Potter!” said Snape suddenly. “What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”

Powdered root of what to an infusion of what? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione’s hand had shot into the air.

“I don’t know, sir,” said Harry.

Snape’s lips curled into a sneer.

“Tut, tut — fame clearly isn’t everything.”

Some time ago I was quite shocked to find out there was a deeper meaning in the words, more specifically, the names of the ingredients Snape was using.

One of the many things J.K Rowling did well in her HP books was the use of subtle foreshadowing.

At that point in time when Snape first picked on Harry in class, Harry did not know anything about Snape and his mother; he did not know that he loved her very much, that he was completely heartbroken when she died and that he begged Dumbledore to protect Lily – and all these things readers learned at the end of the last book.

Harry thought Snape was just picking on him, but as I said there was a deeper meaning to his words.

Snape said,

“What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”

“Asphodel” is a flower, and not just any old flower, it is a member of the Lily family.

Many asphodels are popular garden plants, which grow in well-drained soils with abundant natural light. Now placed in the family Asphodelaceae, the genus was formerly included in the lily family (Liliaceae).

Harry’s mother’s name was Lily. Coincidence? No.

Asphodel also means my regrets follow you to the grave.

Now to “wormwood”.

Wormwood means something that is bitter, and it is often associated with regret or bitterness.

something bitter or grievous

So, what can be made of that? He was just saying “bitter Lily”?

That was Snape’s way of telling Harry that he was bitterly sorrowful and regretful of his mother’s (Lily’s) untimely death.