
[https://youtu.be/_t-wOKR0xpo](https://youtu.be/_t-wOKR0xpo)

fullscreen for the best results!

Object Detection on Satellite Data For Placement of Water Harvesting Units in East Africa

Senior Honors Independent Study Recording


# Building an Interactive Timeline for My Tanzania Project

One of the most exciting aspects of sharing my work on the Tanzania project is showcasing its progress over the years. To make it engaging, I created a dynamic, interactive timeline using **React**, **Next.js**, and the _react-vertical-timeline-component_ library.

In this post, I’ll walk you through how this timeline works, including its structure, dynamic data handling, and the visual elements that bring it to life.

---

## Why a Timeline?

Timelines are a powerful way to present sequential events. For my Tanzania project, the timeline highlights:
* Fundraising efforts.
* Deployment of rainwater harvesting units.
* Community engagement milestones.
* The integration of technology and satellite imagery into the project.

The goal was to make the timeline not just informative but also visually appealing and interactive.

---

## Key Technologies

To build this timeline, I used:
* **Next.js:** A React framework for server-side rendering and static site generation.
* **react-vertical-timeline-component:** A library specifically designed for creating vertical timelines.
* **react-icons:** A library for adding icons to represent different milestones.

---

## Step-by-Step Breakdown

### 1. Organizing Data with a timelineEvents File

The timeline’s data is stored in a separate timelineEvents.js file. This keeps the content modular and easy to update.

Here’s an example of one timeline event:

```js
const timelineEvents = [
    {
        date: 'Dec 2020',
        title: 'First Fundraising Effort',
        description: 'Raised $20K through phone calls, emails, and outreach for the first rainwater harvesting unit.',
        icon: 'FaHandsHelping', // Icon name as a string
    },
    // More events...
];


export default timelineEvents;
```

Each event includes:
* date: The date of the milestone.
* title: A brief title for the event.
* description: Detailed information about the milestone.
* icon: A string that maps to a React icon.

---

### 2. Dynamic Rendering in Tanzania.js

The timeline component (Tanzania.js) dynamically maps over the timelineEvents data to render the timeline.

Mapping Icons Dynamically

Icons are dynamically assigned based on the icon string in each event. A iconMap object maps the string to actual React components:

```js
import { FaHandsHelping, FaGlobe, FaChartLine, FaSchool, FaWater } from 'react-icons/fa';

const iconMap = {
    FaHandsHelping: <FaHandsHelping />,
    FaGlobe: <FaGlobe />,
    FaChartLine: <FaChartLine />,
    FaSchool: <FaSchool />,
    FaWater: <FaWater />,
};
```

When rendering the timeline, the icon property of each event is used to fetch the corresponding icon from iconMap:

```js
<VerticalTimelineElement
    key={index}
    date={event.date}
    icon={iconMap[event.icon]} // Dynamically map icon
>
    <h3>{event.title}</h3>
    <p>{event.description}</p>
</VerticalTimelineElement>
```

---

### 3. Visual Design with react-vertical-timeline-component

The timeline leverages the default styles of the react-vertical-timeline-component library. Each timeline element uses:
* VerticalTimelineElement: To represent a milestone.
* iconStyle: To style the icon for each event.

For example:

```js
<VerticalTimelineElement
    date="Dec 2020"
    iconStyle={{ background: '#0070f3', color: '#fff' }}
    icon={<FaHandsHelping />}
>
    <h3>First Fundraising Effort</h3>
    <p>Raised $20K through phone calls and emails.</p>
</VerticalTimelineElement>
```

The result is a clean, professional look with:
* Circular icons for each milestone.
* Dates aligned on the left.
* Event descriptions and titles on the right.

---

### 4. Custom Styling

To make the timeline visually consistent with the rest of the site, I customized the default styles.

Example Customization

```css
.vertical-timeline-element-content {
    box-shadow: 0px 3px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
    border-radius: 10px;
}

.vertical-timeline-element-content h3 {
    font-size: 1.2rem;
    color: #333;
}
```

This ensures that each event looks polished while maintaining consistency with the site’s overall design.

---

### 5. Adding a Responsive Footer

Finally, I added a simple footer to wrap up the timeline:

```js
<footer style={{ textAlign: 'center', padding: '2rem 0' }}>
    Roshan Taneja &copy; all rights reserved.
</footer>
```

---

## Final Result

The final timeline dynamically renders all milestones, each with its own icon and description. The interactive design and polished layout make it a perfect way to showcase the progress of my Tanzania project.

---

## Lessons Learned

While building this timeline, I learned:
* How to separate content and logic for better maintainability.
* The power of using external libraries like react-vertical-timeline-component to save time and enhance the user experience.
* The importance of responsive design and consistent styling.

---

## What’s Next?

In the future, I plan to:
* Add filters to sort events by category (e.g., fundraising, deployments, technology).
* Include links within events to more detailed blog posts or images.

If you’re working on a project with a story to tell, I highly recommend using this approach to create a visually engaging timeline. It’s a great way to share milestones and progress with your audience.

---

Let me know if you found this post helpful or if you have any questions about implementing a similar timeline!

a tutorial (with codeblocks!) on how to build the timeline you see on the homepage

How to make a timeline in Next.js


# Before you scroll down...

Before every rainwater harvesting unit lies a story of transformation. For the Maasai community of northern Tanzania, these units represent more than just access to clean water—they symbolize health, education, and hope. Women save hours each day previously spent walking miles for water, children return to classrooms, and families thrive with improved health and opportunities for economic growth. The faces in this collage reflect the resilience, gratitude, and potential of a community empowered by sustainable solutions. Each smile and gaze tells a part of the story—a testament to the profound impact of rainwater harvesting on daily life.

108 rainwater harvesting units [77 pictures] are deployed across Losimingori, Tanzania to eliminate the need to walk 9 hrs/day to fetch water. This work is led by Roshan Taneja and Yuvraj Taneja from the [Maji Wells Foundation](https://majiwells.org/) who have helped with fund raising, deploying large community rainwater units and subsidized units, over the last 5 years.

An interactive map to display all of the units in a spatial manner is in progress.

![](./images/3/map.png "Landscape")

---

And now onto the collage!

![](./images/3/0ba719ee-e211-4039-b0bb-3727eb81c30c.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/0c2a693c-caef-4976-8d14-b4ca874a1ffb.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/0eda5bfa-e237-496c-acbc-493ced66e64e.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/1c871a61-7c75-476e-a4e9-3373c9e13cd8.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/1ca15fd8-ae5d-437a-b4ae-776ba67b3930.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/2a845937-6e83-49a4-aad3-6a37e9b6afa9.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/2b8c6aa8-ef9a-4dc2-abd9-f80fb68166f0.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/2cc0d206-b1ed-498a-b1bf-7bfb48667a11.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/2e9ba492-c999-45e3-b8ca-f8b5f1b25ad7.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/2eec21fd-6eb8-46f9-a8ab-b3aec1ed99fa.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/3a69dc1d-9c5c-4932-9fe7-704646fa4e3e.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/3b406f1f-dbf7-474d-801b-0f438fda3f33.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/3ce6bae5-0a41-45d6-b023-78a370352be6.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/4d189a2b-1c3b-4228-9da6-205738545123.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/4f996b75-ab19-49e3-8958-8424367dc2e1.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/5a387ee7-0c22-43c8-aab8-30adaf227b6d.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/5cb66456-d64a-4ff3-ba85-bc5384c23c02.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/6bb931ce-0677-46be-90a4-b6004e3e30d7.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/8c5c51cc-6c03-4ff2-b979-f83d307a6e7f.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/18d00cac-3c2f-4796-809f-78953ea61cb5.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/21eb5184-15e5-4215-9f3f-1761bea7f394.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/45a7f0c7-8bdf-46ea-bc1c-697525823919.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/47ad7355-f07d-41ba-b465-03841690b717.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/53f5c254-4e77-4381-9d40-7850995aa047.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/55cb813f-2c70-4a77-818e-bbec79ce0ade.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/57e63d19-71ed-4ffc-9138-d47df7e2a9b9.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/61af921f-4fcf-4e50-b287-d0d344ddc6d7.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/77fa31f0-b3fd-45d5-bd38-791a2d5e7cde.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/91bcfa85-1a39-4af9-b93d-00f67b4d86fe.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/91face46-ce85-466c-acf9-ffc1dd5baff5.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/277a21c5-d3c5-4c33-83ce-7edad2eb5b2a.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/585c1ec6-794d-4826-921f-b6f0e65db8e8.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/662a437a-6cc8-4816-bcd9-2adef4feda50.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/919a6a7d-8c03-43bd-9970-d9e077aba1b5.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/1286ceb4-20c8-4829-ab45-cdc24b7cae8f.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/2398ff4e-6f97-4ff0-8e6a-c01fbef7a67f.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/3050fc7e-3f28-486b-beec-2892d2f1bd15.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/5235a3f1-195c-4e57-94db-ea076c4a8cae.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/6817f458-bfed-4e63-bd5a-ae079a0fb775.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/7113f054-43de-4ce2-82c2-8eacb420c0c7.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/51295f20-26c6-44f0-97dc-33d52934a2e1.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/80987fe5-3065-419d-a675-8b1e70430358.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/81509c3a-6905-40f4-8983-d54c1293f08c.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/745842b7-ece1-41cb-b33f-2442006d968d.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/926669f0-1d59-41aa-b7e1-6787ae5f8ea0.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/8345708c-7881-471f-8e14-cda0f57a8a41.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/16388738-0532-4bf2-9fd3-f81f19ef7369.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/47678340-d7ee-4875-af77-79a2d8b9eb24.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/a0fef346-f14e-493f-8661-a760f9c71370.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/a2dff9c5-ea55-4e0e-9701-2de1e50f53a4.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/a9e27301-16ad-4606-894c-c8c5a02fd4e5.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/a54a07e3-739b-4ba3-9b19-17e5fcbbff7a.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/a5178902-b6ef-40b6-b78d-b35d7c7612a4.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/ba87e1d1-6c26-4363-b247-7e8306da26c8.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/ba451ff2-6a02-45ff-9fe9-1593626ca9c5.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/be33f463-15fc-4be0-b476-09c351d9888c.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/c83013db-0bb6-4d16-a59d-6e22ecec1842.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/c562085d-2f39-44ae-8c16-ccf41bac58de.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/cc4525f6-ec09-467f-99ea-b914b903ad39.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/d0f33ed5-f2b7-487e-8752-02e1e971d414.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/d1b29292-4423-4020-adb9-8986a09828ea.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/d40a5700-4322-4a0f-9122-4cc44149bfed.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/dba35901-21b3-48f6-b80f-729e6c153cbd.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/dce3a67d-0e5d-4abe-bb79-db11e349aa66.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/dd582904-098c-4ca1-b6e7-692d1433997c.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/df481c8e-efe6-4921-8147-fd7a2bdae6e7.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/e1e5189d-a82c-492f-b9b7-1fad71f0f53d.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/e3a65031-6953-44ca-9b8a-fc3c430790c7.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/e7adfa0c-f209-45f1-af0b-1a97d4c7831c.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/e44444fb-68e8-40cc-9d04-a250ebca5eed.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/ed995fb3-cda5-42bd-9a6c-ebdd2265e778.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/ef6a7009-96b5-4689-b7bd-25fc12869d73.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/f26eb8be-88b2-41fe-8cc0-e0ea4daec732.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/f53d3f1d-dbbf-4390-b9ef-7373cf71a8e8.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/f3476465-397d-4e53-9574-fa26d0d126aa.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/faad8c4a-de6c-4d8f-a98d-f5a1628e77a6.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/fc845312-0f0c-447d-a9a6-bdc815ebfb9b.jpg "Landscape")
![](./images/3/fcfaf735-44a4-4321-b9b1-f89a11c8884f.jpg "Landscape")


A collage of 100 faces, impacted by rainwater harvesting

Faces of Rainwater Harvesting


# Unveiling the Maasai Water Project: Mapping Homes from Space!

Hey there! 👋 Are you ready to dive into a project that’s combining satellites, AI, and some real-world problem-solving? Buckle up, because we’re about to journey to Tanzania, where we're working to bring water solutions to the Maasai community in an incredibly innovative way.

## The Big Problem

Imagine walking for hours – every single day – just to get water. That’s the reality for the Maasai community in northern Tanzania. Despite having rainy seasons, the lack of easy access to water means people are spending their days trekking instead of working, learning, or just… well, relaxing! And here’s the kicker: we know there’s enough rainfall; we just need to capture and store it better.

So, how do we help fix this? Enter **satellite imagery and machine learning**! We’re using these fancy tools to create a map of where Maasai families live (called “Bomas”) over a huge area. With this map, we can plan where to place water-harvesting units so that everyone gets easier access.

## Mapping Homes from Space 🌍✨

Our project’s secret weapon? Satellite images. These images are like ultra-zoomed-out photos of the earth, showing us landscapes, buildings, and in our case, the Maasai Bomas. Think of a Boma like a little village, with a unique shape – usually a cluster of huts with an outer ring made of bushes. It’s cool, but it’s also a bit tricky for a computer to spot! 

So, we’re training a model (basically an AI) to recognize these Bomas by showing it thousands of examples. We even had to get creative and “flip” or “rotate” the images we have to make more training data. Now, our model’s getting pretty good at saying, “Hey! That’s a Boma!” and it’s helping us map out where these homes are scattered across hundreds of miles.

## Why All the Fuss About AI?

Well, we could technically map these areas by hand, but that would take FOREVER. Plus, using AI allows us to get super precise. We’re testing out different AI techniques to see what works best. After experimenting, we’ve landed on using **TensorFlow**, which is a popular, friendly-to-beginners AI tool. Sure, it’s a bit slow, but it’s easy to work with, which is perfect for this project.

## What’s Next?

The project isn’t over yet, and we have some exciting stuff in the pipeline! Here’s what we’re planning to do next:

- **Fine-tune the Model**: While our AI can spot Bomas, there’s always room to improve. We’ll keep tweaking it to ensure we find every last village.
- **Test It Out in the Real World**: Once we have our map, we’ll work with the Maasai community to ensure our findings match reality. They’re the experts on their land, so we’ll rely on their input.
- **Deploy Water Solutions**: Based on the map, we’ll strategically place water-harvesting units, bringing water closer to home for thousands of people. Imagine the impact: kids in school instead of on water runs, women working or resting instead of hiking all day. 

## Stay Tuned for the Grand Finale!

We’re still in this journey, but each step brings us closer to a solution. We’re turning satellite data into something that will make a huge difference. This isn’t just about maps; it’s about real lives and change.

I am excited to see where we’ll go next? Us too! 🌍💧 Keep following along – there’s a lot more to come!

My progress up to date and why its so important

An update on WaTER Vision



I am working on my early college applications, which are due in less than 2 weeks (eek!) I am applying to 6 schools and feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. I have been working on my essays and applications for months, and it's hard to believe that the deadline is almost here.

I look forward to the next chapter of my life but am sad to leave high school behind. It's a bittersweet time, but I am grateful for all the opportunities that lie ahead. Wish me luck!

On other notes, school is going well. I am enjoying my classes and extracurricular activities (mainly stained glass) and trying to make the most of my senior year. I also look forward to the holidays and spending time with my family and friends. Life is busy, but I am trying to stay present and enjoy the moment.

That's all for now. I will keep you updated on my college application process and other adventures. Thanks for reading!

College Applications


# Welcome to My New Blog

Here I share thoughts about coding, life, and everything in between.

This is my first post to see if the blog works. I hope you enjoy it!

## How did I make this blog?

I used nextjs and a node package called gray-matter and react-markdown to parse the markdown files.

I also used fs and path to read the files from the public folder.

---

within your nextjs project, run the following commands:


```txt
npm install gray-matter react-markdown fs path
```


---

Then create a folder called blog in the public folder and add a markdown file with the following front matter:

heres the file structure:

```
/your-nextjs-project
    /public
    /blog
        post1.md
        post2.md
    /pages
    blog.js
    /blog
        [slug].js
    /styles
    Home.module.css
```

---

Then create a file called [slug].js in the /pages/blog folder with the following code:


```javascript
import fs from 'fs';
import path from 'path';
import matter from 'gray-matter';
import ReactMarkdown from 'react-markdown';
import styles from '../../styles/Home.module.css';  // Adjust based on your folder structure

const blogDirectory = path.join(process.cwd(), 'public', 'blog');

// Helper function to get all blog slugs
export const getStaticPaths = async () => {
    const files = fs.readdirSync(blogDirectory);

    const paths = files.map((filename) => ({
        params: {
            slug: filename.replace('.md', ''),
        },
    }));

    return {
        paths,
        fallback: false,
    };
};

// Helper function to get blog content by slug
export const getStaticProps = async ({ params }) => {
    const filePath = path.join(blogDirectory, `${params.slug}.md`);
    const fileContent = fs.readFileSync(filePath, 'utf-8');
    const { data, content } = matter(fileContent);

    return {
        props: {
            title: data.title,
            date: data.date,
            description: data.description,
            content,
        },
    };
};

export default function BlogPost({ title, date, content }) {
    return (
        <div className={styles.container}>
            <main className={styles.main}>
                <h1 className={styles.title}>{title}</h1>
                <p><small>{new Date(date).toLocaleDateString()}</small></p>
                <ReactMarkdown>{content}</ReactMarkdown>
            </main>

            <footer className={styles.footer}>
                Roshan Taneja &copy; all rights reserved.
            </footer>
        </div>
    );
}
```

And here is the code for the blog.js file:

```jsx
import fs from 'fs';
import path from 'path';
import matter from 'gray-matter';
import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import Link from 'next/link';
import styles from '../styles/Home.module.css';  // Adjust based on your folder structure
import ReactMarkdown from 'react-markdown';

// Define the blog directory
const blogDirectory = path.join(process.cwd(), 'public', 'blog');

// Helper function to get blog posts
export const getStaticProps = async () => {
    const files = fs.readdirSync(blogDirectory);

    const posts = files.map((filename) => {
        const filePath = path.join(blogDirectory, filename);
        const fileContent = fs.readFileSync(filePath, 'utf-8');
        const { data, content } = matter(fileContent);

        return {
            slug: filename.replace('.md', ''),
            title: data.title,
            date: data.date,
            description: data.description,
            content,
        };
    });

    // Sort posts by date (newest first)
    posts.sort((a, b) => new Date(b.date) - new Date(a.date));

    return {
        props: {
            posts,
        },
    };
};

export default function Blog({ posts }) {
    return (
        <div className={styles.container}>
            <main className={styles.main}>
                <h1 className={styles.title}>My Blog</h1>

                <div className={styles.grid}>
                    {posts.map((post) => (
                        <div key={post.slug} className={styles.card}>
                            <Link href={`/blog/${post.slug}`}>
                                <a>
                                    <h2>{post.title} &rarr;</h2>
                                    <p>{post.description}</p>
                                    <p><small>{new Date(post.date).toLocaleDateString()}</small></p>
                                </a>
                            </Link>
                        </div>
                    ))}
                </div>
            </main>

            <footer className={styles.footer}>
                Roshan Taneja &copy; all rights reserved.
            </footer>
        </div>
    );
}
```

to create your first blog post, create a markdown file in the /public/blog folder with the following front matter:

```txt
---
title: "My First Blog Post"
date: "2024-01-01"
description: "This is the first post in my blog."
---

# Welcome to My Blog

Here I share thoughts about coding, life, and everything in between.
```

see all of the code in action at [https://github.com/roshantaneja/roshantaneja.github.io](https://github.com/roshantaneja/roshantaneja.github.io)

This is the first post in my updated blog.

How I made this Blogging Platform

While reading “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the reader often wonders what decisions went into the production of the novel. The vague and poetic language seems almost intentional in how it weaves throughout the book. In contrast, when watching the film, however, the audience finds itself with a transparent and connected cast of characters, and the intentional mist of nuance is lost in translation. The Great Gatsby is great because of its poetic and elusive characterisation and detailed exploration of the extremities of the human condition, although lacking in Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film adaptation of the book.

“On an autumn night, 5 years before”(Fitzgerald 110), the main plot of the novel, Daisy and Gatsby, was walking down a street where the sidewalk was “white with moonlight”(110). There were “no trees”, which allowed the moon's radiance to illuminate the pavement, creating a spotlight effect for the lovers. Gatsby gazed “out of the corner of his eye”(110) and noticed “the blocks of the sidewalk formed a ladder”(110) that led to a “secret place above the trees”(110). Gatsby was tempted to climb alone and drink the sweet nectar of life, but it meant he would be alone in his ascent to greatness. In this passage, Fitzgerald's poetic language is particularly striking, as he employs vivid imagery and metaphorical language to convey the depth of Gatsby's emotions.

The ladder leading to a secret place above the trees is a metaphor for the heights of success and ambition that Gatsby aspires to be, and the “pap of life” represents the ultimate fulfilment he seeks. However, in the end, Gatsby chooses love over power, recognising that it is the only thing that truly matters. Gatsby faced a dilemma; he could kiss Daisy, the woman of his dreams, or reach for unlimited power, but he could not do both. He chose to kiss Daisy, and the moment their lips met, “ she blossomed for him like a flower, and the incarnation was complete”(110). Fitzgerald’s poetic language creates a dreamscape of romanticism and performance. This atmosphere of love attracts readers into a world of luxury and extravagance. The kiss is crucial to Gatsby’s transformation; his life would have been radically different without it. The romantic and sensual description of the kiss captures the intensity of Gatsby’s emotions and his deep desire for Daisy. It showcases the power of love to transform and inspire, even in the face of wealth and ambition. This passage also highlights the differences between the novel and the film adaptation. The book showcases the importance of the kiss and its ability to transform, but the movie leaves out the whole scene, and the audience is left to interpret the consequences of meeting Daisy and how it changed Gatsby’s life. Overall, this passage is a beautiful and evocative description of a moonlit night and the overwhelming power of love over ambition.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” characters are intentionally non-descript and elusive. Gatsby’s motivations are mysterious, and his character is difficult to discern. Nick describes his smile as “rare” and possessing a “quality of eternal reassurance”(48). This suggests that Gatsby is a man who has a certain charisma that is not common, and his smile has a powerful effect on those around him. The description also suggests that a smile can make people feel understood and accepted, further adding to Gatsby’s allure.

Another example is Daisy Buchanon. Nick describes Daisy as “sad and lovely with bright things in it”(9), a characterisation that offers little to no description of either Daisy’s character or physical appearance. The book ties in with the disillusionment of the era by avoiding easily defined descriptions of the characters. This creates a hazy cast over the faces of the characters in the readers' minds. This intentional lack of definition represents the wealthy's lack of publicity and the illusions and facades of the roaring twenties. This effect is necessary as it brings to light the falsified personalities of the wealthy; as we cannot discern their features, we resort to their actions. Fitzgerald is wholly intentional in this process. Without the faces of the characters to focus on, Fitzgerald can use their actions to show the message of corruption. However, the movie adaptation does not transfer this unease about the characters, as they are crystal clear in dialogue, environment, and stature. For example, Tom Buchanon's face is never described in the book but is incredibly distinct in the movie. Overall, the non-descript characterisation of the characters in "The Great Gatsby" is intentional and adds to the story's theme of disillusionment. By creating enigmatic characters, the book highlights that things are not always what they seem, particularly in the world of the wealthy during the roaring twenties. Unfortunately, the movie adaptation loses some of this effect by providing precise and defined visuals of the characters, diminishing their enigmatic qualities.

The Great Gatsby is a novel that explores the human condition, particularly the mind of Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald describes Gatsby's love for Daisy as something that “forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, causing his mind to never romp again like the mind of God”(110). Before he met Daisy, Gatsby’s mind was limitless, virtually unending. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s change in mindset to show what it truly means to live with the mind of a god. Gatsby's intense desire, longing for Daisy, and obsession with his social status and power are prominent themes throughout the novel. Gatsby's parties are a manifestation of this obsession, and they symbolise the excesses of the Jazz Age. The novel also shows how these themes intersect and impact the characters' lives. Gatsby's pursuit of the American Dream ultimately leads to his downfall, as he becomes entangled in illegal activities to achieve his goals.

Similarly, Daisy's obsession with wealth and status leads her to make choices that ultimately lead to tragedy. Moreover, the novel highlights the corrupt nature of the upper classes, willing to engage in immoral and illegal activities to maintain their social status and wealth. Gatsby's parties and his association with the shady characters of the underworld represent this moral decay and the era's excesses. In the film adaptation, Nick notices how wealth and power influence the decisions of the characters around him but makes no distinction of it verbally. In fact, in the movie, he unknowingly indulges in some of the practices of the wealthy.

In contrast, in the book, Nick notices they “were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated into their money” (137). In the film adaptation, Nick never achieves this conclusion; instead, he notices that since they have left, their marriage has been more assertive. As a result, the movie's audience never fully notices these direct differences in the novel. To add insult to injury, the film director, Baz Luhrmann, placed Nick as a patient at a mental institution, recounting the story. While this detail feels relatively minuscule under little scrutiny, it is more problematic than it seems. The setting in which the story is “written” is at a different time, in a different place, almost discrediting the story further. The film audience cannot be captivated by the extremes of human society in the same way that the book captured the audience. Fitzgerald's evocative prose and vivid portrayal of the Jazz Age make The Great Gatsby a timeless classic that resonates with readers even today.

In conclusion, The Great Gatsby is a novel that delves deep into the human condition, exploring themes of love, desire, wealth, power, illusion versus reality, and the dark underbelly of the American Dream. 

Overall, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is great because of its poetic and elusive characterisation and detailed exploration of the extremities of the human condition. The novel speaks to its audience about the transformative power of love, the groundbreaking capacity of the human mind, and the falsities of the early 1920s. These ideals are still appropriate today, visible in the behaviours of the uber-wealthy. Despite critiquing the “American Dream”, “The Great Gatsby” shows the reader what humanity can be capable of without limits. The novel focuses more on the downsides and immorality of the wealthy. The movie makes it such that these nuances are lost in the adaptation, making it difficult for the audience to pick up on the story's underlying themes. Perhaps, if Luhrmann could create a more emotionally disorienting interpretation of the characters, the film would have retained some of the charm and prose the novel is filled with. Alas, no solution to this problem comes to fruition at any point during the movie, but it could have been possible.

My thoughts on The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the 2013 film adaptation by Baz Luhrmann

Really, Luhrmann?

They felt themselves drifting apart,

like icebergs in the ocean.

I wish I could do something to fix it 

but there is nothing I can do to help you.

Or me.

I wish to be in a promo-infected relationship

Where I would never stop talking about her

Struck by a love fever

Tonight let's praise the survivors of the “mutual breakup”

Where it comes from a mile away,

Unsurprising,

Unwanted nonetheless.

I wish to be in a casually obsessed relationship

Where she wants to spend every waking moment with me

And I do with her

And she goes through her phone to figure out where I am.

And I am right there with her

Tonight let's praise the recovery of a “first love breakup”

The toughest to overcome

It teaches us that the world is bigger than we thought

Things can't stay the same as they used to be.

I wish to be in a Tameless relationship

Wild and free

No rules, no restrictions.

A life of no requirements

Tonight let's praise the rebounded of the “blind side breakup”

The hardest to go through

Because just as everything seems to be going great

It all falls apart

Pray for us because the horrors of loneliness and trauma

Far outweigh the life we could be living with them.

Tonight let us praise our survivors and recovered

Praise the ones who have drifted away as slowly as the glaciers move

Or those who flew apart in a fiery ball of hot gas and profanities.

Pray for us

…Because even tomorrow will be lonesome

  

– Roshan Taneja

-

The Nightmare of Dissolution

America you lost everything and now you have nothing.

America $30 Trillion in national debt, 2022.

I can't stand my own neighborhood.

America when will you end the war of the Americans?

Go \____ yourself with your AR-15s.

I haven't had my caffeine yet don't bother me.

I can't go to school today I lost my bulletproof vest.

America when will you let us love who we want to?

When will you look at the 38 million people under the poverty line?

When will you fix our crumbling infrastructure?

When will you impeach your corrupt political figures?

I'm sick of your incredible hypocrisy.

When can I wake up one day without fearing it being my last?



America we will never be perfect for each other.

Our alarmist, catastrophic predictions of irreversible climate change

do not affect your actions

You make me want to vomit.

There must be some way to get you to change

America I refuse to give up my rights.

America stop resisting you're under arrest.

America I was a socialist from the moment I saw Bernie I'm not sorry.

America I'm putting my immigrant shoulder to the wheel



America (Recycling Alan Ginsberg)

I open the fridge

and grab a container of strawberries

and put them on a plate

and take a bite.

But instead of a refreshing burst of flavour

I am met with a hairy, fuzzy

sticky, smelly, gray lump

and I want to vomit.

Every effort I make,

Battle after battle with you,

yet you only return stronger.

I commend you for your resilience,

bravery, your ability to dig in and fight back.

What makes one want to consume indefinitely?

for it will eat away at your flooring, and

it will dissolve your leftovers. It grows in the cracks

in the walls, and on rotten roadkill. It is

always feeding.

The eternal consumer.

Yet, to be everywhere, like some god, to be

such a fundamental part

of decomposition

... of life,

it's a gift, a curse, a blessing.

so bless the mold that eats your week old

chinese takeout, or the dead trees after a forest fire.

its ability, its purpose is to bring forth new life

by recycling the dead.

---

This week I tried something different, I wrote an ode to something I hate. Mold.

It was a pretty tough experience, but I think I kinda got the feeling across while remaining positive and almost ode-like. of course, it certainly needs more work to get there.

Thank you for all the support in the last few weeks! Everyone has been super awesome, and I love talking with you guys about the latest poem!

An Ode to Fungi, bacteria and everything else moldy

An Ode to Mold

frustration lives within me,

twisting and writhing, 

begging to strike back 

at those who have wronged me. Those who 

have mocked me. For nothing makes me angrier 

…more frustrated 

than a person who steps 

on the hands of the innocent.

and reaches up

towards the stars,

looking down at all the blood on the floor,

and smiles

-

For everybody takes,

and hardly gives.

-

This feeling of anger is unending.

It makes me uneasy, but I tell myself

Its inhibiting, infuriating,

That human nature could be so cruel

So cold

-

Evil.

-

I wish to rid the world of these anomalies, abusers

And i know it will never be possible

Yet still, I shall persist.

- Roshan Taneja

The Misanthrope

Kinda got lost on this one, but i love it.

Chill Times with Mason Maywood

Just a quick school project I wanted to share.

A Walk Down University Avenue

My initials are RST,  which are in perfect, consecutive, alphabetical order.

I tend to make myself laugh a lot, which brings my parents to the border.

My friends find me quite tall,

But with them, I don’t talk at all.

I perform concerts in the shower,

Which goes well over an hour…

But I could never perform with a recorder.

I can’t play a single sport with rackets or a ball

Sports with just my body give me power

With no ball or rackets, I would never be a hoarder.

Myself in 10 Sentences

I haven't taken a shower in weeks.

I'm starting to smell like antiques.

So busy with zoom

My room has become my tomb

I should find new yoga techniques.

Zoom Bedroom - A Limerick

Seen too many screens

Perhaps a little too much

I should take a walk

---

I think that sometimes

I get way too excited

And then the fun ends

---

Fictional people

Much better than real-life dudes

I need to touch grass

---

Haikus are quite hard

Sometimes they don’t make much sense

Refrigerator

Haikus About Myself

High School is over, life has begun.

Good for us, we’ve finished it,

Here's a list of memories for you;

I enjoyed writing this, I’ll admit.

  

Remember when we watched that _Friends_ re-run?

In the basement, it was lit.

Remember who passed out first; it was you.

We slept early, for our sleep schedule was unfit.

  

Or that time when we went for that 9-mile run?

Around the whole of the City, you did commit,

Initially what pain you felt was few,

When the soreness came, you showed grit.

  

What about running in the morning to watch the rising sun?

The freezing air penetrated every jacket slit.

It would make you stronger, you knew.

But the cold would always make me lose my wit.

  

Think about all the things you have done.

All the happiness that life can emit.

If there is anything you need to undo,

Too bad, a letter to the future is a one-way transmit.

-Roshan Taneja

A letter from my graduated self from 2025 to me today

A letter from my Future Self - A Ballad

Before Covid, one could barely get students to stop squawking.

Always running in the halls, despite pleas to be walking.

But once the pandemic hit, it wasn't so swell.

The students couldn't talk all that well.

Suddenly, the teacher was the only one talking.

-Roshan Taneja

Quiet Classroom - A Limerick

Shelter in Place! Shelter in Place!

Life feels like a fever dream

Forever stuck in this lonely space.

---

Hospitals had little time to brace

As infections began to stream

Shelter in Place! Shelter in Place!

---

Toiletries disappearing at a frightening pace

The economy teetering on a balance beam

Forever stuck in this lonely space.

---

I miss my friends, I wish I could touch base

They are much closer than they seem

Shelter in Place! Shelter in Place!

---

Social connections disappearing without a trace

Eternal isolation is a recurring theme

Forever stuck in this lonely space.

---

I'm fed up with this obscure rat race

And so I scream,

Shelter in Place! Shelter in Place!

Forever stuck in this lonely space.

---

-Roshan Taneja



A villanelle about the beginning of lockdown

The Beginning - A Villanelle

I wish we could be friends, 

but there's something

about the way you lick your envelopes.

Envelopes - A Haiku

I’m spending my days in isolation,

I might have just been Tom Turna.

Struggling to get an education,

But luckily I got the Moderna.

---

Grocery shoppers in a big ol’ rush,

Toiletries like toilet paper are gone,

I can’t even find myself one toothbrush,

Feels like the world has totally withdrawn.

---

Been stuck in a chair, staring at a screen.

Mindlessly watching hours of Netflix,

Joining Zoom meetings, I simply go green.

Been months since I heard the word “Athletics.”

---

The world was on the brink of an ending

My thoughts on this are surely still pending.

---

-Roshan Taneja

My Blog

Senior Honors Independent Study Recording →

How to make a timeline in Next.js →

Faces of Rainwater Harvesting →

An update on WaTER Vision →

College Applications →

How I made this Blogging Platform →

Really, Luhrmann? →

The Nightmare of Dissolution →

America (Recycling Alan Ginsberg) →

An Ode to Mold →

The Misanthrope →

Chill Times with Mason Maywood →

A Walk Down University Avenue →

Myself in 10 Sentences →

Zoom Bedroom - A Limerick →

Haikus About Myself →

A letter from my Future Self - A Ballad →

Quiet Classroom - A Limerick →

The Beginning - A Villanelle →

Envelopes - A Haiku →

Pandemonium - A Sonnet →