Hannah Aster, Author at Shortform Books

Weather in Literature: Rain Is Never Just Rain

Why is weather so important in literature? Why is rain the most commonly used weather symbol and what does it mean? The setting of a story informs the mood, the attitude of the characters, and the presentation of the themes. One of the most important elements of the setting is the weather. In literature, weather plays many roles such as a plot device, a way to set the atmosphere, a symbol for cleansing or misery, and much more. Keep reading to learn what different types of weather symbolize in literature.

Barack Obama’s Political Career Before Presidency

What did Barack Obama’s political career look like before he became president? Why did Barack switch from a legal career to politics? Barack Obama was working full-time at a law firm until an Illinois state senator encouraged him to run for office. This was a difficult career change to make because he and Michelle had two young children and a career in politics would mean big life changes. Keep reading to learn about the beginning of Barack Obama’s political career and the impact it had on his family.

Why Do We Get Sick? Our Bodies Make Compromises

Why hasn’t evolution prevented sickness and disease? How can Darwinian medicine explain why we get sick? The reason we still get sickness and disease despite evolution is that the body must make careful compromises. Sometimes, the thing that causes a disease is or was helpful to us at some point in time. Continue reading to learn why we get sick despite evolutionary advances.

Bad Evolutionary Designs That Cause Problems

Why do humans share one input for both breathing and eating? Why do we still have an appendix? And why are our retinas inside out? The answer to all these questions is simple: bad evolutionary designs. Over time, evolution makes slow changes to our bodies, but it does not erase the old designs, leaving us with bad or useless traits. Keep reading to learn more about human evolutionary legacies.

How to Overcome the Desire for Immediate Gratification

How can the desire for immediate gratification lead to procrastination? Is it possible to overcome your aroused-state desires to pursue long-term goals? Procrastination stems from your aroused-state desires for immediate gratification. This can lead to the abandonment of long-term goals, such as pushing off your diet to have a slice of cake. However, these tendencies can be overcome. Keep reading to learn how to overcome your desire for immediate gratification.

Symbolism of Seasons in Literature: Explained

Why are seasons so important in literature? What do the different seasons represent? Seasons can symbolically enhance a reader’s sense of themes and characters. Over time, seasons have been used so frequently as symbols that each season now has ingrained meanings. Keep reading to find out what each season means symbolically in literature.

Michelle Obama: Career Changes Over the Years

Why did Michelle Obama give up her high-paying job as a corporate lawyer? How did Michelle’s relationship with Barack influence this decision? At 26, Michelle Obama was on track to become an equity partner at her corporate law firm. She was career-driven and disinterested in relationships. However, when she met the new summer associate, Barack Obama, everything changed. They started dating and Michelle started to question her career path. Keep reading to learn about Michelle Obama’s major career changes.

Evolutionary Medicine Should Be Taught in Med School

Why isn’t evolutionary medicine taught in medical school? How could understanding how our bodies came to be this way help us to accept diseases and inspire hope? Medical schools prefer to teach using science that they can test in a lab rather than evolutionary medicine. However, evolutionary medicine can explain some attributes that modern medicine cannot. Keep reading for more on evolutionary medicine.

The Evolutionary Benefits of Fear and Pain: Survival

Why and how do we learn fear? What is the difference between innate and learned fear? Pain and fear are vital functions for survival. Innate fears are the ones we are born with and learned fears are flexible and are taught to us by others or by experience. Keep reading for more about the benefits of fear and pain.

The 5 Best Michelle Obama Becoming Quotes

Looking for quotes from Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming? How can these quotes help you understand Michelle Obama’s life better? Michelle Obama’s book Becoming documents how Michelle pushed herself to become successful despite having little support at school and coming from a poor neighborhood. Michelle hopes to inspire others with her story about overcoming the odds. Continue on for quotes from Becoming.