50 Successful Harvard Application Essays

A
NUMITA 
D
AS
I am a messenger.
I scan the expanse before me. Three hundred eighth graders stare at me expectantly. The
headmasters of Boston Latin School wait patiently from their canvases on the walls. Rows of
lightbulbs shine faithfully from the ceiling, illuminating the hall. I lower my chin, glancing
momentarily at the wooden floors, and close my eyes. When I look up, I see multitudes of men
prostrated across the ground in worship. I hear thousands of voices echoing the praises of God. I have
become Elie Wiesel in the concentration camp of Buna, and I speak my thoughts aloud.
“Why, but why, should I bless him? In every fiber I rebelled.”
I see the heavy billows of smoke from incinerators. I watch in horror as men become ravenous
beasts for a morsel of food. An irrepressible anger surges in my own fibers—anger at God, who is
unmoved by the suffering of humankind. Yet on this Rosh Hashanah, men continue to chant the
Kaddish in His honor. People still wish one another a “Happy New Year” in the confines of this prison
camp. I realize that man has emerged the stronger. Man has triumphed.
In my lifetime of only seventeen years, I have already undergone nearly twenty transformations
like this one. I have been Susan B. Anthony, Anne Frank, and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose among
others since I started Public Declamation in eighth grade. As a declaimer, five times a year, I select
and memorize a piece to present to an audience of hundreds of students, but there is more to
declamation than memorizing and reciting. Declamation is a process of internalizing—of learning
and understanding.
I can read 
Night
. I can read it to my mother. I could probably even memorize it and recite it to
myself in front of a mirror. But when I declaim 
Night,
something happens to me. I experience a
profound metamorphosis—a gut-level identification with Elie Wiesel beyond the text. I am changed.
His emotions become my own emotions, his thoughts my own. His strength becomes the source of
my own strength. I am Elie Wiesel.
As I walk off the stage that day having declaimed an excerpt from 
Night
, I remember the day that I
learned from Susan B. Anthony to assert my beliefs and never let anyone deny me my rights. I
remember the day I learned from Anne Frank to see the bright side of situations and to appreciate the
small pleasures taken for granted in life. I remember the day I learned from Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose what it means to be devoted to one’s country. And I realize that it is my duty to share these
messages, to preserve them and to remember them—I am not only a declaimer. I am a messenger.
REVIEW

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Anumita’s essay describes how the act of declaiming transcends mere memorization and delivery and
puts her in the shoes of the original speaker. In doing so Anumita in turn puts the reader into her
shoes and brings her experience to life with vivid imagery and simple but elegant prose. Anumita
transitions seamlessly from an illustration of declaiming to its effects on her and how it has informed
her life philosophy—the essay flows smoothly from one paragraph to the next and maintains the
reader ’s interest throughout. By choosing to relate the impact of a broad experience—in this case,
declamation—through several examples rather than focusing on a single, defining moment, Anumita
more effectively illustrates the ways in which declamation has changed her and allows the reader to
accompany her on the journey of her development.
This essay is strong in almost every respect. It is extremely well organized: The intriguing
introduction is followed by a brief but necessary orienting explanation, after which Anumita
discusses in more detail the uniqueness of declamation and the correspondingly unique impact it has
had on her. Each section fits perfectly into the essay as a whole, which is concise and eloquently
written. It reads almost like a speech in and of itself, adding yet another dimension to what is already a
wonderfully powerful narrative. A particularly impressive feature of this essay is its ability to be
striking but not overpowering: The abrupt switch from an ordinary school hall to a concentration
camp in the introduction is somehow captivating rather than confusing. Overall, this is an incredibly
well-written essay that provides insight into not only the significance of declamation but also
Anumita’s personality and her gift for storytelling.
—Christina M. Teodorescu

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