Mom, I don't want to be a doctor by Andrew Tsang (17, Massachusetts)

I saw a place for Fakers in Hell,
Constructed wholly of filthy silicon walls,
Plagued by the sound of the knell. 
 
Right in the middle of this insanity, 
There lies a wide and deep well,
Towards the trenches lead with indignity.

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As I walked on, meeting my vision from below
Was one curvy silhouette, quickly I said: “Already
With the outline of this body, I know who that is down-low.” 
 
Therefore, I paused for her to come closer to where I stood; 
And with me, the virtuous Courier, Shakespeare, gave me the leave
To turn. So, I walked to meet the figure with a hood--
 
Upon getting closer, she, that one pitiful subject,
Thought to conceal herself
By disguising her face, but that had no effect.
 
Upon closer encounter, I saw horror: 
No features presented; emptiness overwhelmed. 
I yelled out: “Thou, the underworld wanderer,

“Surely with that outline, there can only be one with shame hurled,
The noble Kim Kardashian. Say what it is
That brought you to such a wretched world.”
 
And Kim to me: “I do not wish this to news of where I ended to spread,
But I shall tell you unwillingly; for pressing me
Is the inquisitive presence of thee and the honorable Courier Shakespeare shed
 
“From that, I know this is gods’ plan for thee to see my kind.
Thou also remind me of the livings,
Bringing me to mind,
 
“Memories of the former living.
I am here for the sin of deceiving others.
The one injecting vile filler to look youthful—misgiving.”
 
And as I contemplated on these cruel thoughts,
A demon came and lashed her with a belt
With syringe on top, seemingly out of naughts, 
 
“Get moving! This is no place to dock
For more voodoo for thy body.”
As she jumped back to the pit over the rock.
 
I looked down at the putrid pit where spirits dwelt,
Those faceless spirits, beaten to oblivion and required to
fill their bodies with fluids from the syringes on the belts.
 
From there, I saw the moonwalk dance,
The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, spotted!
Who’d woo many with one glance. 
 
His deceitful look derived from his unnatural content
Of changing the layer of him.
And such sin brought him sure torment. 
 
To my Courier who stood behind a rock’s rear
I turned and asked fearfully, “If a woman who does the body harm ends here,
Where doth the surgent go?” The virtuous Courier pointed and said, “There.”
 
We climbed over the rock with much effort,
And turned right along its crumbling bridge
To the left of that ridge. Like thus we reached the second ridge. A fort.
 
There we heard the deafening echoes of people screaming.
As I proceeded and looked down,
I saw blood streaming.
 
Inside the ridge was another pit,
Filled with spirits with white coats
Stained with blood, reeking their outfit.
 
The Courier said, without my questioning,
“See where that great one sheds,
As he advances, his face shimmering
 
“filled with tears how much of the look
of a king as he lived like one.
He is Dr. Fisher, who took
 
“The scalpel and knife
And worked on many,
Cutting their holy looks to create many a dishonest wife.
 
“Beings like him with such skills buy themselves a frightful lot in Hell.
They get strapped on while letting 
Knives cut on their torso, forever trapped in their bleeding spell.”
 
Hearing this, I trembled in fear
As I too am inspired to become a surgeon.
My youth spent adoring the movie stars with surgery glow in cheer,
 
I was determined to become one that gets to make them.
But this terrifying trip did me good. 
I decided not to violate the gifts from Them.
 
Deep in my thoughts,
I worry about my future
That leads me deeper to the walk I ought.

Is it to pursue my destiny
With this warning from Him in mind
Or to give up everything to avoid the penalty
 
To be
Or 
Not to be

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This piece is a creative creation based on Dante’s Inferno. I created a new level of hell that corresponds to “sins” only possible in the modern era. I imitated the rhyming scheme of the terza rima in the narrative. By rhyming the first with third line of each stanza, the sound is echoed; similar to the confused thoughts echoing in the traveler's mind.  I reflected upon my personal goal of becoming a plastic surgeon and incorporated that into one specific level of hell that deals with both the patients and surgeons. The description of their deceitful acts and their intentions explains why God would view it as a sin. By creating a similar level of Hell and explaining why God would view it as a sin, I demonstrate my understanding of the Inferno as the structure of the level and the reasoning are similar to the ones in the original texts. Lastly, I incorporated Shakespeare as my guide in comparison to Virgil. Like Virgil, Shakespeare has led us to a world of classics and created a lasting cultural impact on literature as an author. 

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