Journal #24

Final exams. They are the death of me.  I dread this part of the year as soon as school starts.  As the week gets closer and closer to happening, teachers tell you that you should start studying and preparing.  If you were smart, you would start studying when they said that.  Most people though, like me, wait until the week before.  I always tell myself that I will start preparing, but that never happens. When I do start to study, I go out or have my mom go out and buy things of note cards.  That is the way I study.  Depending on what is going on the note card, I will cut them into different sizes.  If they are just words and their definition, I cut the note card in half and then in half again.  This makes teeny-tiny note cards that do not take up much space.  So many people use whole note cards for definitions that are short, which is just a waste.  If you make the note cards smaller, you have more of them and you do not have to spend more money.  If what I studying is just lists, I will only cut the note card in half that way I do not have to scrunch everything in.  I leave the note card whole if it is a diagram or something that needs a lot of space.  Once my note cards are made, I sit down with them and first do the easy way.  This is starting with the definition or the list and having to say what the word is.  After I have mastered it backwards,I turn it around and see how much information I retained.  Forwards is usually a lot harder for me, but I keep studying them to the point where I can go through the whole stack and know every single card front and back.  The main thing that helps me during finals week is sleep! 

Journal #23

Being self-sufficient is the ability "to supply one's own or its own needs without external assistance" ("Self-sufficient"). Everyone should be self-sufficient, and if they are not, then they should work to become it.  Once you leave your parent's house, they will not be there with you at all times to cook you dinner or fold your clothes.  You have to be able to do these things on your own. I would have to say that I am pretty self-sufficient in certain categories. For example, if I were to have to live on my own, I would know how to cook different foods other than Ramen noodles and mac n cheese.  From a young age, my mom taught my siblings and I how to cook.  At first, we learned the basics like peanut butter and jelly, eggs, mac n cheese, toast, and other noodles.  We took the next step, which was making chef salad, spaghetti and meatballs, and pizza.  Now we are being taught how to cook meatloaf, lasagna, Swiss steak, chicken corn chowder, and many more things!  What I said are only a quarter of the things I have to knowledge of making.  My mom taught us how to cook so that when we have to live on our own, we will not starve.  I love food so being able to make a variety of foods is AMAZING.  Another thing that I would say I am self-sufficient in is cleaning.  My parents make my siblings and I do chores such as, cleaning the toilet, dusting shelves, unloading and reloading the dishwasher, doing laundry, etc.  It is crazy that some people are so dependent on their parents or guardians that they have never cooked themselves a meal or even done chores.  My parents wanted us to grow up knowing how to do all these things so when they were not around to help us, we could be self-sufficient.  I am very glad that I was taught how to be self-sufficient because I know I will be able to keep myself alive when I move out!

"Self-sufficient." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

Reaction to Kateb's Analysis of "Self-Reliance"

        "Self-Reliance and the Life of the Mind" is a literary criticism by George Kateb, where he analyzes Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay, "Self-Reliance."  Emerson's essay is all about life and promotes the importance of individuality in choices and decisions.  "To repeat: we must not expect anything simple when we take up Emerson on self-reliance. The point put in academic language is that democratic individuality is nothing simple. What, then, more explicitly, is self-reliance? What is reliance on oneself, what does it come to?" (Kateb).  Kateb lets the readers know that Emerson does not take this subject lightly and that he puts forth a ton of effort.  George Kateb admired Emerson for doing just this and for being an individual.  

"What is involved in Emerson's joyous science is something less like seeing all sides of a disputed issue, and more like admiring all sides in an unstoppable struggle. Emerson is eager to present the struggle" (Kateb).  Kateb tells the readers that Emerson likes to state what he thinks about a struggle.  The struggle here is living your OWN life, not following all of the trends and trying to fit in.  People can change their outward appearance and actions, but they cannot change the person inside of them.  God made us all unique and different, which is what makes the human race so interesting.  Every single person in this world just needs to realize that they are the only ones who can be the person they are.  

"Society is a wave. The wave moves onward, but the water of which it is composed does not. The same particle does not rise from the valley to the ridge. Its unity is only phenomenal. The persons who make up a nation to-day, next year die, and their experience with them" (Emerson).  This statement really applies to today's world.  Society is always adjusting and moving on just like a wave in the ocean.  It talks about the particles in the wave die off as the wave moves onward, which is totally true.  The trends and fads stay with society until it decides to move on.  Once the shift takes place, the old atmosphere is left behind while the new one is developed.  This cycle just repeats itself and will continue to repeat itself in the future. 

One topic that George Kateb brings up is that Emerson seems to contradict himself at moments.  “It is well to emphasize at the start Emerson's difficulty and elusiveness. He is full of assertive sentences that may seem unconditional. Every sentence seems a declaration of faith. He seems to stand behind every utterance with his whole being, and risks his being by the completeness of his candor. His variety of declarations tempts us to say that he contradicts himself, but even if we resist the temptation, we are still not sure where he finally stands” (Kateb). This is saying that at times Emerson is hard to understand, but he ends up tying it all back together.  Everything he says, whether people believe it or not, Emerson stands behind it.  That is something that I struggle with, and I know numerous other people who share the same struggle.  It is very hard to stand behind a statement if someone does not agree with you.  If someone disagrees with what you say, it makes you think twice and possibly even makes you change what you previously stood behind.  

George Kateb’s analysis of Emerson’s vision of self-reliance was well written and structured.  The transitions between the different topics were efficient allowing the essay to flow well.  The numerous quotes added in as support helped to make it a reliable and established essay.  Kateb backed each opinion with quotes he found from various works either written by or about Emerson.  Combining countless quotes from different pieces of work added a nice touch to the criticism because it was not just Kateb writing the whole time.  We were able to see differing writing styles and opinions from what Kateb included in his work.  

Emerson, Ralph W. "Self-Reliance." Self-Reliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

Kateb, George. "Infobase Learning - Login." Infobase Learning - Login. Blooms Literary Reference Online, 2003. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.

Journal #21

"There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till" (Emerson, Self-Reliance).  

When I first read this quote, I had no idea what I was reading.  I backed up and looked at each part of the sentence.  Wherever there was punctuation, I stopped and made sense of that before moving on.  From this one sentence, I gained more knowledge on what Emerson values.  He values life and going with the flow.  Instead of trying to fit in and imitating the people around you, be yourself.  Being yourself will get you a lot farther in life than if you were to alter your behavior and looks with each new trend.  First off, if you are not afraid to let yourself go, you will have a higher confidence level.  Having confidence in yourself is one of the many keys to being successful. Not only does it affect your confidence, but you will be happy because no one can tell you that you are living YOUR life wrong.  If you were to be part of a new trend, people could tell you that you were wearing the wrong thing or acting wrong.  

The section that stuck out to me the most was , "that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion" (Emerson, Self-Reliance). This is saying that everyone needs to accept who they are as they are.  People can change their outward appearance and actions, but they cannot change the person inside of them.  God made us all unique and different, which is what makes the human race so interesting.  In today's day, fitting in is what people strive for.  Trying to fit in comes with doing things that you would not normally do.  Every single person in this world just needs to realize that they are the only ones who can be the person they are.  

Journal #22

SNOW. I am very ready for it to snow this winter! Last year, we had a mild winter with only one or two snowfalls.  That is odd because we usually have a lot more snow that that.  Where I live, we have a backyard that contains a semi-steep slope.  Behind our backyard, there is one hundred acres of woods.  On one side of the woods, there are two hills.  Well I would not say hills because they are STEEP slopes.  Every winter, my siblings and neighbors and I start out in my backyard sledding.  We also build snowmen, make snow angels, and construct snow forts for snowball fights.  One we get bored of that hill, we trek to the steeper slopes about a half mile away.  It is only a half mile, but when you are wearing full snow gear and carrying sleds behind you it can seem to go on forever.  Going there is not as bad as coming back.  When on our way there, we are full of energy and looking forward to flying down the slope and dodging trees and holes.  It takes about twelve seconds to make it to the bottom of the hill and about ten minutes to walk up it. Every year I ask my dad if he could build a ski lift just so we would not have to walk up the hill.  Of course, he responds with, "Stop being so lazy!" Walking back from sledding is always the toughest because you are so worn out and cannot feel half of your body parts.  Then you just have to think how the exercise you just got and how much fun you had.  As soon as we walk in the garage door, my mom sends down a laundry basket for all of our wet items.  If we leave anything on the floor, we get grounded from going outside, which makes us make sure we pick up EVERYTHING.  To warm up, we get hot chocolate and fresh baked cookies. I love snow. (:

Journal #20

Have you ever wondered how a tiny, lifeless egg could become a  picturesque, living butterfly?  The majority of people know the basics of the life cycle of a butterfly, it goes from a pudgy caterpillar into blossoming butterfly.  The process is called metamorphosis and to me, it is magnificent. 

"The first stage of a butterfly is the egg.
The second stage is the caterpillar, larva.
The third stage is the chrysalis, pupa.
The fourth stage is a beautiful butterfly" ("Sing").

This stanza states the four body-changing stages of metamorphosis.  It breaks down what we know into something more scientific.  We learn the names for the number and the exact stages of the development, that way we can stop saying it goes from a squishy caterpillar straight into a butterfly.  How does it become the winged creature?  I would say magic if I did not know the actual facts behind it.

"A butterfly has three main body parts.
They have a head, a thorax, and an abdomen.
A proboscis that drinks food from a straw.
Six legs, four wings, two antenna" ("Sing").

As we read this, it is almost like we are getting taught a lesson in science, going all the way back to our elementary and middle school days.  Sitting in those small, wooden desks with lids that lift up.  Ah I miss those days. In this we see a confusing word, "proboscis." A proboscis is "a protruding mouth parts of certain insects" ("Proboscis").  Amazingly enough, I had never seen this word before reading this, so I was able to enhance my vocabulary.

"Butterflies drink water and nectar.
Eating leaves when they’re growing as a caterpillar.
Spiders, ants, wasps are the predators.
Why? Because they like the taste of butterfly" ("Sing").

Now we know what butterflies eat and why caterpillars are so fat.  Caterpillars snack and snack on luscious, green leaves so that they can have enough food to live off of when they are in their hard, but cozy chrysalis.  This development and lifestyle of an angelic butterfly has many aspects and were able to be seen through this song.

"Proboscis." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

"Sing. Dance. Learn." Sing Dance Learn RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

Journal #19

Here I was sitting at my battered desk, 

A few minutes before the tragic mess. 

The ancient radio was whistly on, 

Playing an old, forgotten country song.

Out of the corner of my drowsy eye, 

I saw a winged beast hurling through the sky. 

An airplane crashed through the north tower walls. 

"Help me, help me!" were the heartbreaking calls. 

Black smoke, bright flames and ash was all I saw,

I had a horrible pain in my jaw. 

Bright, red blood dripped and ran down my pale face. 

There were hurt people all over the place. 

It was hard to see and I couldn't breathe, 

That was the moment I began to scream. 

I tried really hard to find my way out,

The ruins of a door I came about. 

Running through all the people and debris, 

I remember I'm on floor 23. 

As I try to find the only staircase, 

I'm slowly losing needed breathing space. 

I didn't know if I would be alive,

I kept telling myself "I will survive." 

The floors appeared to go on forever, 

But I wouldn't give up whatsoever. 

As I got closer to the final stair, 

Death, pain and screaming filled the dusty air. 

At last I reached the bottom after years, 

Sprinting through the doors I burst into tears. 

All around me were clouds of as and smoke. 

The thick dust and ash made me gag and choke. 

As I turned around to see what was left, 

I realized that what remained was death.  

That day many people went to Heaven, 

Due to the harrowing 9/11. 

Journal #18

As I pondered the multitude of eyes beaming at me from the magnificent creature, there came a stench from its mouth that was repungent and noxious.  It was almost like the beast had eaten skunks, onions, and rotten eggs.  The mix of appalling smells wafted from behind its toothed mouth.  The teeth were sharper than a filet knife, and as white as computer paper.  I drifted my eyes up higher on its face to its nose, well where a nose should be at least.  Instead, the beast had a flap of scaly skin with two slits resting on its face.  Coming from the slits was clouds of hot steam.  It was almost like the steam you see coming out the spout of a kettle once it is heated.  The steam also had a rancid smell, similar to the stench from the creature's mouth.  Next came the eyes.  Oh the eyes.  Staring back at me were three marble sized eyeballs.  There was no white or a black pupil to the eye, only purple and bright yellow.  I was taken aback by the perplexing sight in front of me.  I tore my eyes from the creature's eyes so I could take the look of the head in.  As I looked down, I saw what I guessed were the feet.  Normally, feet have toes, webs or something along that line, but this beast had four stumps with three projections coming out of them.  The projections helped the creature keep it's balance.  I started to wonder what I would look like if I had feet like that, then I realized I had a seven foot, green monster in front of me.  My eyes wandered up past its four knees to its thighs.  It did not seem possible for it to have such ginormous masses around the underlying bones, but it did.  They were about the size of a hundred year old oak tree.  The next thing I know, I see this huge hand slicing through the air towards me.  I had some crazy thoughts that went through my head, but---SMACK.  And that is how I became Flat Annie.

Journal #17

As the light blue fuzz feathered through the warm current of air purring from the heating vent, it slowly drifted through the air until it landed upon a hard, wooden desk.  On the desk sat a large, monster of a computer with papers and writing utensils scattered all over it.  There was a waft of aroma coming in through the heavy, wood door.  Fresh baked bread, boiling pasta, and cooking spaghetti sauce made up the aroma lingering in the room.  The water with the pasta was popping and sizzling with heat, while the spaghetti sauce bubbled with warmth.  The aroma from the sauce was filled with rosemary, tomatoes, thyme, and other spices and herbs.  "Charlie, come set the table," said the mother.  Charlie responded without enthusiasm, "Fine."  Charlie drug himself into the kitchen and went to the rectangular drawer that help the circular, red place mats.  He put the place mats hap-hazardously onto the tall table.  Napkins were the next thing to go on the table.  The package was unopened because it was bought the previous day.   Inside the package were bright, colorful napkins.  Charlie could not decide which color of napkin to choose.  Pink, turquoise, yellow, lime green, and lavender were the choices.  He finally decided upon the turquoise napkins and ripped the package open.  In the midst of unsealing the plastic, the napkins exploded from the package and slowly fluttered through the air until they landed on the kitchen floor.  What made it even worse was that there was an oscillating fan standing in the corner of kitchen, which started to blow the napkins EVERYWHERE. "CHARLIE!" yelled his mother! "I am so sorry mommy," whimpered Charlie in a small voice.  Charlie hurried to pick all three hundred and twenty napkins scattered all over the kitchen.  "It is okay Charlie, don't worry," said his mom.  His mom and him picked up all of the colorful napkins and finished setting the table together.  They had a delicious, stomach filling, Italian dinner.

Journal #16

Let's see.  An example of someone who dressed differently than normally, would have to be people's costumes on Halloween.  Most people only dress up for Halloween the night of or for a party because that is when they go trick-or-treating or to their party. I am talking about high school students, not elementary or middle school.  It is normal for younger children to dress up but once you reach a high school age, it becomes less of a big deal to dress up.  This year for Halloween, my friend and I decided to wear our costumes to school.  We were nerds, and if you were wondering, we looked pretty good.  I have to say that I got a lot of weird looks because I dressed differently.  I mean other people dressed up but they were cats or bunnies.  I find it very sad that people feel judged if they wear costumes to school because it is fun! It should not matter what you look like because WHO CARES.  Everyone is different in their own ways.  Plus, just because we are in high school, does not mean we can't still act like kids.  In my opinion, I do not want to grow up, so every chance that I can act like a kid, I take it.  Another example would be when Sperry's started to be worn.  Sperry's are a type of shoes that are worn by people with boats.  They are leather and have netting on the sides with ties.  At school, I remember one person wearing them and they had just came out, so no one knew about them.  The following week, EVERYONE was wearing them!  It was crazy that something no one knew about became so popular.  I think that it is cool when people change their style because it means that they are comfortable with their bodies and do not care what people think.  But then again, there are people who will wear something different and then feel self conscious.  As a result, they change their style so it was back to normal.  

Journal #15

The person I greatly miss would have to be Nolan.  Nolan and I first met in fifth grade at St. Agnes.  He had moved to St. Agnes from a different school and he did not know anyone.  We happened to be in the same class because in fifth grade there are only two teachers.  There are about fifty people in each grade, so twenty-five in each class.  During the first week of school, I would go up to him and start conversations so he would not feel left out.  After awhile, he would come up to me and say hi.  As time went on, we became inseparable.  Nolan and I would walk to class, lunch, before, and after school together.  People always thought we were dating, but who wants to date at such a young age?  All we were, were best friends.  For Christmas, we got each other presents, I gave him puppy chow in a doggy bowl (as a joke), and he got me a sterling silver flower necklace that have different words on it, like happiness and faith. Then for Valentine's Day, he got me a stuffed dog from Build-a-Bear Workshop.  The dog was white with pink hearts all over it and was dress up in a white shirt with a red skirt.  When you squeezed its hand, it said, "I love you!"  Writing this journal makes me miss Nolan a lot more than usual.  I moved away in seventh grade and we tried to stay close.  We found it very difficult to keep in touch because neither of us had cell phones then.  This is going to sound crazy, but we actually sent each other letters in the mail.  We did that a couple of times but then I stopped receiving them. ):  I will see him every once in awhile at random places and we will talk to each other, but it is not like it used to be.  I wish we could have stayed close...

"The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe

In "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allen Poe, the switch between Rationalism and Romanticism becomes evident.  Rationalism consists of God creating everyone and everything, reasoning, and scientific evidence and backup.  On the other hand, Romanticism deals with just the opposite.  It is more about imagination, feelings and emotions, nature and dealing with the self and "self experiences."  Saying that these two literature periods came right after another is incredible because they differ each other drastically. Edgar Allen Poe is a significant figure during the Romanticism period.  He is considered a Dark Romanticist.  Dark Romanticists tend to write about emotions and psychological fears.  Poe is known for writing disturbing and dark stories about characters who are at inner turmoil and suffering.  Edgar Allen Poe exhibits the characteristics of the Romanticism period through his short story, "The Pit and the Pendulum," by portraying acts of imagination, emotions, examining oneself and innocence.  

Imagination is a key part of the Romanticism period.  Instead of placing their faith in God, people placed their faith in their inner experiences and imagination.  Throughout the story, Poe includes passages that exhibit imagination.  One passage is , "He who has never swooned, is not he who finds strange palaces and wildly familiar faces in coals that glow; is not he who beholds floating in midair the sad visions that the many may not view; is not he who ponders over the perfume of some novel flower-is not he whose brain grows bewildered with the meaning of some musical cadence which has never before arrested his attention" (Poe 264).  The actions in this quote have to be imagined because all that coal is made of is coal and it cannot turn into 'strange palaces' or 'familiar faces.'  The next part talks about floating in midair, which is found to be impossible because of the force of gravity.  

Along with imagination, are emotions and fears.  The narrator was put into a cell for a crime that called for a death sentence.  "My worst thoughts, then, were confirmed.  The blackness of eternal night encompassed me.  I struggled for breath.  The intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle me.  The atmosphere was intolerably close" (Poe 265).  The cell he was placed in is dark, claustrophobic, damp, and rat infested.  Being in that cell freaked him out and caused him to be fearful.  Having these fears within the writing, is because Edgar Allen Poe is a Dark Romanticist.  Next comes, the confusion and inner turmoil.  "In this story we find the most explicit statement in Poe's fiction of his sense of the blurry line between dream and reality" (May).  For most of the short story, the narrator is drifting in and out of consciousness and sensibility.  He does this so often that he finds himself wondering if he is still in a dream or if it is real life.  Because he does not know what sate he is in, it affects what he does.  "But where and in what state was I?" (Poe 265).  For example, he tried to get a rough estimate of the width of his cell, but each time he would lose consciousness, he would end up retracing his steps.  This led him to think that his cell was twice the size.    

After all of this, just through reading "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allen Poe, several qualities of the Romanticism period become obvious.  Poe brought imagination, fear, emotions, etc, out in his writing in a disturbing, creepy way.  This is what makes his writing, specifically this story at the moment, sought after during this period.  "The ending is not an ending at all, but rather the beginning of waking life, the movement from the gossamer dream or nightmare that constitutes the story itself" (May). 

 

May, Charlie E. "Dreams and Reality in the Story." Infobase Learning - Login. Bloom's Literary 

Reference, 1991. Web. 04 Nov. 2012. 


Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Pit and the Pendulum." Glencoe Literature. Wilhelm, J., et al. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill.  2009. 263-73. Print        

Journal #14

Hmm. Let me think.  The time that I was most scared would had to have been when I was at my friend's house for a birthday party.  This was about six years ago, and my friend decided to have a sleepover for her birthday.  When four of her friends and I got to her house, we did ll the birthday things like: opening presents, singing "Happy Birthday", eating cake and ice cream, and playing silly games.  Once it got dark, my friend thought it would be a good idea to 'ding-dong ditch' some of her neighbors.  Ding-dong ditching is where you go quietly up to someone's front door and once you ring the doorbell, you run and hide.  All six of us started walking down the sidewalk to one of her neighbor's houses.  The house we decided to ring the doorbell of, was old with missing shutters.  I am not one for scary things, so being out at night with no flashlight is pretty scary.  As a group we decided which person would go up and ring the doorbell, while the rest of us hid.  The person that was chosen was the bravest of us all and enjoyed the thrill of being scared.  She quietly sneaked  up to the front door, pressed the doorbell and then sprinted down the front stairs and around the house to where we all were standing.  As soon as she reached the group, the front door was opened by an older lady.  She had white hair and was in her bath robe.  We were all focused on making sure that the elderly woman did not see us, that we did not even realize that someone was behind us.  All we heard was, "BOO!"  Of course, we all screamed and ran as fast as we could back to my friend's house.  Luckily, the old woman had shut her door before we were freaked out.  The person that scared us ended up being my friend's dad!

Journal #13

The purpose of the Benjamin Franklin Virtues Project was to work as a team, but also to learn about the thirteen virtues that Franklin created.  He created these virtues to help himself become a moral and better person.  Everyone knows that this world needs help in the moral value category.  For this project, we had to implement one virtue for a whole twenty-four hours.  Some people chose virtues that were a challenge while others just picked an easy one.  I give credit to the people who took this seriously and challenged themselves with the implementation because that was the goal of that part of the project.   The next thing we had to do was to analyze Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography from a specific point of view.  To be honest, I did not enjoy taking part in the Benjamin Franklin Virtues Project.  No one did their part, just like every year.  From past years students, I have heard stories about people not doing their share of the project.  I do not understand why we still do this project if there is one or two people doing three other people's portions.  I understand that we do this project to work on teamwork and distributing the project evenly, but when no one in the group decides to participate, it ends up on one person's shoulders.  This person was me in my group.  I had to make three people's videos because they failed to do their portion.  I do not think that I should have done that because it is not my problem.  The people's videos I did got the same grade as I did for the overall video when they did nothing to help.  It is not fair.  The whole project is not fair. The way that this project could be improved would be to be able to evaluate your group members.  This would help because that way the people who did their work should get a better evaluation than someone who did nothing.  

Was Benjamin Franklin's System of Virtues successful?

“If there were no blemishes in this picture, it would scarcely be human” (Tuckerman).  No one in this universe is impeccable or unblemished.  Many people probably think they are perfect, but in reality they are not.  Benjamin Franklin noticed that his life was flawed, so he contrived a list of thirteen virtues that he thought were necessary to follow to help him reach moral perfection.  Franklin created a cycle that could be completed in thirteen weeks and in four times a year (Franklin).  He followed this system until eventually he was able to stop, because he had no faults.  “After a while I went thro’ one course only in a year, and afterward only one in several years, till at length I omitted them entirely” (Franklin 88).  Benjamin Franklin’s system of virtues was rewarding in making him a moral and exemplary person because the system became fixed into his brain.

“It was about this time that I conceiv’d the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection.  I wish’d to live without committing any fault at any time” (Franklin 82).  Benjamin Franklin came to the conclusion that he needed to alter his ways of living.  To realize and accept that his life needed changing, would take a lot of will power.  A little notebook was used by Benjamin Franklin to record all of his faults throughout each day, week, month, and year.  By keeping track in his book, he was able to see just how many faults he had in his everyday living.  “I was surpris’d to find myself so much fuller of faults than I had imagined; but I had the satisfaction of seeing them diminish” (Franklin 88).  At first, all he saw were the black markings symbolizing the faults, BUT as his records went on, he noticed the marks slowly diminishing.  Imagine the feeling of accomplishment as the markings decreased as each day went on. 

Benjamin Franklin realized that his life needed adjustment, so he took charge.  He changed his ways of living by coming up with his own techniques.  Franklin did all this adjusting and altering because he wanted to become a better person.  Becoming a better person takes some work and major amounts of perseverance.  "This article, therefore, cost me so much painful attention, and my faults in it vexed me so much, and I made so little progress in amendment, and had such frequent relapses, that I was almost ready to give up the attempt, and content myself with a faulty character in that respect" (Franklin 88).  In some cases, Franklin just wanted to give up and felt that he could live with his lack of moral perfection.  When he actually thought about it though, he knew that he would not be happy with himself.  In the end, he “omitted them (virtues) entirely” (Franklin 88).  Benjamin Franklin was able to stop completing the cycle because he had trained his mind to always be following the thirteen virtues.  It eventually became a subconscious effort.  All in all, the system of thirteen virtues that Benjamin Franklin created was successful in making him an overall better person.

Bloom, Harold, ed. "The Character of Franklin." Benjamin Franklin, Classic Critical Views. New York: C helsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=&iPin=C C VBF019&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 21, 2012).

Franklin, Benjamin, Dixon Wecter, Larzer Ziff, and Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1959. 81+. Print.

Journal #12

Wow.  It has been quite some time since I have written a journal.  This journal is about "the American dream."  If you have no idea what this "dream" is, don't worry because I did not either.  I had heard of people saying "I am living the American Dream," but I never understood what it actually meant.  To obtain some knowledge on this topic, I got onto the handy dandy internet and looked it up.  "The term “American dream” is used in many ways, but it essentially is an idea that suggests that anyone in the US can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a happy, successful life" (Smith).  When I read this, I understood "the American dream" much more.  Today's American dream, in my opinion, would be to be in a position where you can have leftover money to buy things that you don't necessarily need, have healthy relationships, comfortable living, and successful jobs.  A stereotypical example of "the American dream" would be to live in a three story house with three children.  The house has a white picket fence surrounding the outside and is located in the suburbs.  The parents are both doctors and love each other very much.  The family eats dinner together every night and have family game nights.  My family is pretty close to this example.  My parents have been married for twenty years and almost every night we eat dinner as a family.  I take advantage of living in the household that I do.  So many people I know are not as lucky as I am.  Their parents are divorced, don't have a lot of money, poor living conditions, etc.  Today's American dream is more about money, while the stereotypical example is about relationships.  I would rather have healthy relationships than a life full of money.  With money comes greed and greed comes with problems.  To be happy and successful in this world today, you have to be rich and famous.  

Smith, S.E., and Bronwyn Harris. WiseGeek. Conjecture, 21 Oct. 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2012.

Ben Franklin Virtues

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was imperative to the Rationalism Period.  In those eighty-four years of living, he invented, revised and composed numerous things.  Franklin is known for inventing electricity and establishing the United States Postal Service, both of which are significant to people's daily lives.  Benjamin Franklin also invented swim fins, or flippers.  We just finished reading an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence that Thomas Jefferson wrote but was revised by various people.  Benjamin Franklin was one of the crucial revisers. One of the pieces that he composed was his autobiography that included thirteen virtues that he felt were meaningful.  The virtues consisted of: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility.  "I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurr'd to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short precept, which fully express'd the extent I gave to its meaning" (Franklin 82).

The Rationalism Period was all about using reason and scientific methods and observations.  Instead of blaming God for all of the events that are happening and just praying that they will stop, the people in the Rationalism Period take charge and try to fix it themselves with logic.  Benjamin Franklin was one of those people who used logic and took matters into his own hands.  He saw that he had flaws and committing faults that he felt guilty living with.  Franklin could have prayed to God to fix him like the Puritans, but he decided he would figure out methods to help himself have self-control and self-knowledge.  The method he invented was the list of thirteen virtues that he thought were his weak points.  Benjamin Franklin trained his brain into feeling guilty if he slipped up.  "This article, therefore, cost me so much painful attention, and my faults in it vexed me so much, and I made so little progress in amendment, and had such frequent relapses, that I was almost ready to give up the attempt, and content myself with a faulty character in that respect" (Franklin 88).  In some cases, Franklin just wanted to give up and felt that he could live with his lack of moral perfection.  When he actually thought about it though, he knew that he would not be happy with himself.  On the next page he talks about how he wishes he would have done a better job of striving for moral perfection.  Even though Franklin did not reach the level he wanted, he was proud of himself because he was a lot farther than he would have been if he never started.  

Having virtues in writing exhibits something that would be seen in the Rationalism period.  Rationalism writing puts  "emphasis on self-knowledge and self-control" and "man’s ability to perfect himself and society" (Hanscom).  This means that people began to understand that they needed to take responsibility so that they could grow not only as a better person, but also to help the community become a better place to live.  "As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other" and "the mere speculative conviction that it was our interest to be completely virtuous, was not sufficient to prevent our slipping; and that the contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any dependence on a steady, uniform rectitude of conduct" (Franklin 82).  Benjamin Franklin tells us that knowing whats right or wrong is difficult to determine but if you work at it enough, it will not be as much of a challenge.  Becoming better at knowing what is right or wrong comes with practice, just like a sport or a musical instrument.  You have to stop the bad habits and create new, productive ones to actually see any results.

Benjamin Franklin was not just an inspirational figure in the Rationalism Period, but in American history.  Just think, where we would be if Benjamin had not of invented electricity or established the United States Postal Service.  Granted, someone else eventually would have fulfilled what Franklin did, but you never know.  I mean where would this world be without flippers? It is a very crazy thought.  From Benjamin Franklin, we can learn to strive for moral perfection and shouldn't give up when you feel like you cannot go on.  Learning to deal with challenges is part of living and growing up.  Even though he is  in Heaven and is no longer with us, "His electric personality, however, still lights the world" (Quick).

Franklin, Benjamin, Dixon Wecter, Larzer Ziff, and Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1959. 81+. Print.

Hanscom, Merideth, Julian Orjuela, and Megan Shannon. "Rationalism Period." N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2012.

"Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin." Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2012.

Journal #11

If I was to make a list of virtues to live by, I would include: integrity, loyalty, charity, and respect.  In today's world, you see some of these virtues but many people do not live by these.  Integrity consists of being honest and knowing what is right and wrong.  The legit definition of integrity is "adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty" (Integrity). An example of integrity is there is a lost wallet and you do not know whose it is.  You have two choices, take the wallet and keep what is in it or find the person who owns it.  If you had integrity, you would know that the right thing to do would be to return the wallet to the rightful owner.  The next virtue is loyalty.  Loyalty would be described as someone who will never give up on you and never leave your side.  Your best friends should be loyal, I know mine are. (:  My best friends are there for me when I need help and do not give up on me.  Being loyal is very important for me because I want to know that I have someone who will stay by my side when the going gets tough.  After loyalty I have charity.  Charity is "generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering; aid given to those in need" (List).  In my opinion, helping others is one of the best feelings in the world.  Being able to change someone's life from bad to good puts such an impact on me.  Our school helped out a food bank by having a food drive and we ended up filling our principals office.  I was in the office earlier and a man came in and told the secretaries to tell our principal thank you for all the food because now they can feed more families in need.  When I heard that, a smile formed on my face and just knowing that we helped out dozens of families.  The last but not the least virtue I chose is respect.  My definition of respect is being kind to people, especially authoritative figures.  Being respectful should be something every person in this world should live by.  I try my best to follow these above virtues. 

"Integrity." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. 

"List of the Virtues." List of the Virtues. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. 

Declaration of Independence

When a major step in politics or another big topic is taken, people try to manipulate people into thinking different things.  They will try to persuade you into believing something that may or may not be true.  People use propaganda techniques and faulty logic to get the response they want.  This right here can be seen in documents, like in the Declaration of Independence. 

First off, I would like to define propaganda for those who do not know what it means. Propaganda is "information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc" (Propaganda).  Now that everyone knows what propaganda is, I can go over what propaganda techniques are and some examples.  Propaganda techniques are approaches used to spread ideas and information to back up a political, religious, civil, or commercial cause.  Some examples of this technique are name calling, transfer, bandwagon, plain folks, card stacking, etc. ()  Along with propaganda techniques, there is also the occurrence of faulty logic.  When using faulty logic, people say things that are not necessarily true to get a wanted response from the person they are trying to persuade.  

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and contains some propaganda and faulty logic.  One example of a propaganda technique is name calling.  This technique is probably the most common of all techniques.  Name calling consists of attaching a negative label to someone or something to make them seem less qualified than you are.  "A prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a TYRANT is unfit to be ruler of free people" (Jefferson 124).  In this sentence, Jefferson is referring to the King as being a tyrant.  In my opinion, he is being a wee bit immature by calling the King names.  I don't actually know if the King was actually a tyrant, but from this document, people believe that he is. 

Another example of propaganda that I saw in the Declaration of Independence was the use of opinions as facts.  Those two words together is an oxymoron.  Opinions are what a person thinks in his or her own mind while facts can be proven.  "Such has been the patient suffering of the colonies" (Jefferson 122).  In this line, Jefferson is telling us about how the colonies suffered because of the King and soldiers.  While that piece of information is true, the colonists were mistreated, but the way he worded it made it an opinion.  "Patient suffering" is the part that makes it an opinion because I do not think that the British though the colonists were patient when the war started.  How could anyone be patient in a war?  

The last occurrence of a propaganda technique in the Declaration of Independence is called Glittering Generalities.  It is funny to think that using propaganda isn't always looked highly upon and they use "glittering generalities" as one of the names.  Glittering Generalities uses "glad words" like good, honest, fair, best, etc to make their argument seem more positive and look like the better choice.  An example I found in the excerpt is, "In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms" (Jefferson 124).  The "glad word" in this reference is humble.  This word makes the argument seem better for Thomas Jefferson than whoever his opponent is.  

All in all, even though Thomas Jefferson included propaganda techniques, the Declaration of Independence is essential to the way the United States works today.  We, as the people of the United States, are free because of this document. 

"Propaganda." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. 


"Recognizing Propaganda Techniquesand Errors of Faulty Logic." Recognizing Propaganda--Guide to Critical Thinking--Academic Support. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. 


Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., Douglas Fisher, Beverly Ann. Chin, and Jacqueline Jones. Royster. "The Declaration of Independence." Glencoe Literature. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2009. 120-24. Print.  

Journal #10

First off, I have never heard of Brach's Star Brite mints.  Okay, that is a lie because I just looked them up.  If Mr. Langley was to bring in those mints to our English 332 class, I believe that it would cause our class to get off subject.  This already happens daily, so you would not really want another distraction.  One of the distractions could be that someone could choke on the mint.  We would have to spend some time dislodging the mint from the throat of the student. Another distraction could be the stupid, crinkly wrappers.  Once someone takes the mint from the wrapper, they have the tendency (at least I do) to play with it.  As everyone already knows, the wrappers are made of plastic and when played with, it makes a very loud and annoying sound.  When I am in a classroom, I am there to learn and if someone takes away from my learning, I get frazzled and annoyed.  Sometimes I do slack off and take part in the horsing around part, but most of the time I try and spend my classroom time wisely.  Along with the distractions, there is a big possibly that all the wrappers would be left on the tables and desks.  Mr. Langley would not be very happy if he looked around the room and saw an abundance of Brach's Star Brite mint wrappers.  He would then have to take time out of his day to pick all the wrappers up even though they are not his.  After saying this, I would not really care if Mr. Langley brought in mints.  It is not really our decision as students to decide whether the teacher should bring in mints for the students.  We are not the ones buying the mints from the store.  All of the distractions I listed above should be taken into account before purchasing the mints and bringing them in.  

Journal #9

Autumn.  This one word brings such joy to some people's world. In my opinion, autumn is my favorite season because of the weather and all the colors.  When the season changes to autumn, the weather starts getting colder and you get to wear sweat pants and sweat shirts.  I am the person who would rather be cold than hot.  When you are hot, it takes forever for you to cool down but when you are cold, all you have to do is get a blanket or put on a sweat shirt.  The good thing about autumn is that you can open your windows at night and let a whole bunch of fresh air in.  During the summer you can't do that because the air conditioning is constantly running.  I have to be cold when I go to bed, otherwise I won't be able to fall asleep and I am not a fun person to be around when I haven't gotten enough sleep.  At this time, the football season is getting closer to being over and that means the games are awesome! I love football games because I love showing school spirit and having fun.  I am on the dance team so I get to get into the games for free and dance at halftime.  At these games, you have to wear sweatshirts and long pants.  These outfits are the comfiest! The main reason that I love autumn is because the changing of colors.  My favorite part is walking down the road and watching all the colorful leaves hanging on the branches.  Red, orange, yellow and brown are such calming colors.  Some days when it is really windy, you can see the colorful leaf tornadoes.  These are groups of leaves spiraling in the air because of the wind.  In the fall, my family and I collect leaves and laminate them so we hang them up as decorations in the house.  I LOVE AUTUMN!

Journal #8

One time my friends and I planned to hang out on a Saturday night to watch a scary movie.  That night though my parents planned to have a get together with some friends.  Our families all have kids and we usually get a long pretty well.  I was going to leave to go my friends house after dinner but dinner went late and the clock read 8:20 P.M.  I asked my mom if I could go to my friends house, who unfortunately lives twenty-five minutes away.  Of course she said NO.  At this point my mom was being irrational and I decided to argue with her.  When a parent answers no, the child's first response is to ask "why?" It was a bad idea on my part because I later got in trouble for back talking.  My mom's response was that it was too late and by the time I got to her house, it would be time to come home.  Whenever I want to drive somewhere, you have to throw in the possible factor of getting in a car accident.  This of course also affected her decision.  She did not want me driving at night to a place that is semi faraway.  She does not realize that if I left at that moment, I would have an hour to hang out with my friends before I should actually leave.  My mommy still said no even after I told her that.  She is one of the people who does not like to change her answer once she has stated it.  This made me mad and ended up making me emotional because I wanted to see my friends.  It had been a WHOLE day without seeing them and who knows what would happen if I did not see them.  Parents seem to be irrational in a lot of situations but I guess they do that for a reason.  They seem irrational to us but to them they are being rational.  They keep us from going to places to keep us safe because they love us.

Journal #7

I hate bullying, which can be portrayed through physically hurting or emotionally hurting someone.  Bullying is never the right path to choose when your self esteem level is low.  When bullying occurs, the bully and the victim are both affected by it.  Most cases of bullying are because the bully needs to feel superior and the way that they fulfill that feeling, is to make someone else cry or hurt.  In class, there will be people who may have a question that may seem unreasonable and should already have an answer.  In other words, the question that the person formulated is stupid.  Yes, teachers say there is no such thing as a stupid question but believe me, there is.  If this happens in a classroom, the person who asked the question will most likely be made fun of.  The students will make comments that they think is funny but will ultimately hurt the student.  Everyone has been both a bully and a victim before in their lifetime.  It happens in your family, your group of friends at school, the classroom, at work, or even in places where you know no one.  It is sad to think that a person would bully someone that they do not even know, but it happens.  The effects of bullying on the victims can be very life changing.  There have been many cases where the victims have ended their lives because they do not feel like they could take it any longer.  For someone to take their own life is horrible and I cannot even believe how much guilt that the bully would feel.  Bullying can cause the victims to harm themselves to make themselves feel better.  For example, people cut themselves with a razor blade to make the pain go away.  Any and all of these effects of bullying should never have to be felt by anyone.  If only the world was a perfect place with unicorns and double rainbows all the time.  

The Crucible Act IV

"The parochial snobbery of these people was partly responsible for their failure to convert the Indians. Probably they also preferred to take land from heathens rather than from fellow Christians. At any rate, very few Indians were converted, and the Salem folk believed that the virgin forest was the Devil’s last preserve, his home base and the citadel of his final stand. To the best of their knowledge the American forest was the last place on earth that was not paying homage to God" (Miller 5).  “The Crucible” was written by Arthur Miller.  Miller is showing us a line that separates the goodness of God and the evilness of the Devil.  The town is the image of God and all the blessings he has given us.  Once you pass the forest line, you enter the Devil’s territory.  He states that the forest, Indians, and anything that lies in the forest is considered the Devil’s “home base.”  “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is a sermon that is preached by Jonathan Edwards.  Jonathan spends his sermon yelling at the congregation that their lives are all one big sin.  “Sin is the ruin and misery of the soul; it is destructive in its nature; and if God should leave it without restraint, there would need nothing else to make the soul perfectly miserable” (Select).   He reprimands them for not trying harder to live up to God’s expectations. 

“The Crucible” is a play about a town of Puritans who are trying to do the right thing.  What they believe is right is a lot different than the actual definition of right.  The definition of right is “in accordance with what is good, proper, or just” (Right).  The townspeople assume that there are witches that are taking over their minds and bodies.  They want the witchery to stop so they are going to try and act more on God’s word.  To try and stop the witchery meant that they would blame and lie to each other.  Even the reverends have turned to lying.  “I have sought a Christian way, for damnation’s doubled on a minister who counsels men to lie” (Miller 132).  Reverend Hale is the one who said this line.  People look up to him and religious figures, so when they lie, people think it is right for them to also.  This act is tearing apart families, almost everyone has turned to lying, and the worst of it is that many innocent lives have been taken.  "Life, woman, life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it (Miller 132).  Like Miller said, life is a gift from God and we shouldn’t take advantage of it.  Jesus died on the cross so we could live and be free of our sins.  In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Edwards wants the people to see that they are living their lives incorrectly and that they should make changes so that they can fulfill God’s expectations.  If we do not make changes, we will have to deal with the fiery consequences of the Devil. 

Both of these works of art have similar qualities.  The main similarity I found was that they each drew a distinct line between God and the Devil.  The forest, Indians and witchcraft are results of the Devil, while the people of the town are God’s masterpieces.  On the other hand, Jonathan put the lives of everyone on under the Devil and the level of Jesus under God.  Both authors have different perspectives but I don’t believe that either one of them had the right idea.  People should try hard to make following God’s word a life goal.  Being on God’s side is where you want to be.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin, 1996. Print

"Right." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012.

"Select Sermons." - Christian Classics Ethereal Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012.

Human Nature in "The Crucible"

In Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible," human nature is displayed through events and characters in mostly negative ways.  "The Crucible" was published in 1953, which was only fifty-nine years ago.  In the big picture, fifty-nine years really is not that long of a time period.  The sad thing is that even though it was more than half the span of a person's life, some of the same instances still occur today.  The biggest thing in the play that I noticed is lying.  Lying is done by everyone in the world.  When you are in a situation where you may be punished, you want to remove yourself from the spotlight.  Instead of being honest and sharing the truth, they project the problem onto someone else.  This case right here was exactly what happened in "The Crucible."

"The Crucible" shows that the consequence of lying about witchcraft leads to the death of innocent people.  Many people in the town of Salem are blaming and projecting the accusation of being witches onto each other, when the whole thing is just a lie.  "Betty: staring too: I saw George Jacobs with the Devil!  I saw Goody Howe with the Devil" (Miller 48).  This quote shows an example of what I just stated.  When you are being blamed for something, all you want to do is to turn it onto someone else.  Betty and Abigail did just this.  No one was actually a "witch" but because one person thought someone was a witch, everyone thought someone else was.  

Abigail is one of the characters who had the worst habit of lying.  She is privately taking vengeance against Elizabeth Proctor because she wants John Proctor all to herself.   To get her way, she makes up events that will set up Elizabeth into looking like she is guilty.  For example, in Act II, Mary Warrens comes back from the witch trials with a home made present for Elizabeth.  Mary made her a doll with a needle in the middle of it.  Later unbeknownst to her, Abigail was found with a needle in her abdomen.  The marshal accused Mary Warrens of witchcraft and somehow got the needle placed into Abigail's abdomen.  Abigail of course set up the plan along with Mary's help to make Elizabeth look guilty.  This act of lying sent Elizabeth to jail.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin, 1996. Print

Journal #6

I can guarantee that everyone in the whole wide world has been blamed for something they have not done.  In the cases I have been blamed, it has been because of my siblings.  Siblings think it is fun to turn the blame on someone else.  I have to admit it takes a load off when you are not being the one that is being punished.  But whenever you do something wrong, there are always repercussions.  If you did not know, repercussions means consequences.  My parents always say, "For every action you do, there will be consequences."  Some of the possible repercussions that could be drawn upon you for blaming someone else would be going to jail, getting grounded, getting sent to your room, etc.  If you robbed a bank and when the police questioned you, you pointed a finger at someone else, you could be sent to jail.  The worst thing though that could come from that would be the guilt.  Feeling guilty is the worst feeling ever, I think.  Can you imagine doing this action I stated above and sending an innocent person to jail?  I know I would be feeling so dragged down with guilt because that person who will be in jail could be a husband and a father.  He would be leaving his family because of some idiot who was to busy thinking about himself.  Another thing that would be terrible to live with is if you blamed one of your friends or even a best friend on something bad that you did and losing their trust.  I would feel horrible if I lost a friend or best friend as a result of one of my actions.  Losing a friend puts me down in the dumps and even thinking about this happening makes me frown.  I love all my friends and I am blessed to have them.  Writing this blog has made me think about not blaming things on other people. 

The Crucible Characters

In class, Mr. Langley instructed everyone in the class to take the True Colors test.  The test consisted of a series of questions where you had to choose one of two answers.  After you answered all of the questions, the page would reload and tell you what type of person you are.  The choices were Helper, Thinker, Planner and Doer.  If you were a Helper, the color blue would be associated with you.  Gold is for the Planners'.  Green is for the Thinkers' and the Doers are orange.  I was given blue which is a helper.  In "The Crucible" each main character has a color to tell them what kind of person they are.  The characters I found most important were John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Reverend Hale.

First off is Abigail Williams.  Abigail is John Proctor's niece who can be a pain.  In Act II of "The Crucible" Abigail is never speaking but she is mentioned a couple of times.  "Hale: Abigail were stabbed tonight; a needle were found stuck into her belly--" (Miller 76).  Abigail is a Thinker which is also the color green.  Thinkers are people who are critical, logical, and analytical.  Abigail is a Thinker because in Act I, she blames dancing and witchcraft on the younger girls.  She had to have thought this whole thing out because she knew exactly what would happen.  Another quality of a thinker is that when getting yelled at is in the picture, you ball up and try to stay away from the punishment.

John Proctor is a local farmer who is hypocritical and has a deadly secret.  I would have to say John is a Planner or gold.  "You are the pillar of strength and have high respect for authority. You like to establish and maintain policies, procedures, and schedules. You have a strong sense of right and wrong. You are naturally parental and dutiful" (True).  This here represents him because although he does commit adultery, he knows it is wrong and regrets it every time he is with Abigail.  On page 23, Arthur Miller shows how badly John feels about committing adultery.  "Proctor: Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time.  But I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again.  Wipe it out of mind.  We never touched, Abby."  He has a crush on Abigail Williams.  John is in his thirties or forties while Abigail is seventeen.  That is a big age difference and the worst part is, is that John is married!! "You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet! He turns abruptly to go out.  She rushes to him.  John, pity me, pity me" (Miller 24).  this right here confirms the affair and even though John enjoyed what when on, he knows that it is a sin and should stop.

The last character I am going to analyze is Reverend Hale.  After reading the two acts, I would have to say that he is a Thinker or green.  I made this decision because Hale knows all about witchcraft because he has done loads of research is a smart man.  As the play goes on, Hale realizes who is telling the truth and who is lying.  To figure this out takes some thinking.


Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin, 1996. Print


"True Colors Career Gold Card." True Colors Career Gold Card. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2012.

Journal #5

When you say "fair punishment," it almost seems like an oxymoron.   Getting punished never seems fair to the child, because they do not feel like they did anything wrong.  The 21st century consists a lot of online media, online games, and cell phones.  These things make children and teenagers become attached to inanimate objects, which is never a good thing.  In the video, the women never really stated what the punishment really was but said that you should fit the punishment to the crime.  These crimes can be anywhere from back talking and fighting to cheating and stealing.  When I was younger, if I got in trouble I was sent to my room.  Now a days kids have TVs, computers, cell phones, and electronic games all in their room.  Sending a child to their room when they had all these electronics in their room would hardly be a punishment.  What you want to do is instead of sending them to their room, you should take away their electronics.  Taking away these devices will make the child have withdrawals and make them see that if they do the same crime, they will have to live through the "pain" again.  

My mom and dad feel that if we need punished, they will take away the things that we are closet to.  For my brother and youngest sister, it would be the computer.  They are both constantly on the computer playing online games.  It is almost like they do not have a life outside of the computer.  My punishment would be to take away my cell phone.  I love my cell phone and I would say I am attached to it because I do not like to let it leave my sight.  I am not happy that I am that attached to my phone because that means I am focusing more on that than more important things.  

My version of a "fair punishment" would be to take away the cell phones, computers, and gaming systems.  Children and teenagers need to see that their is life outside of technology.

"The Crucible" Act I

"The Crucible" was published by Arthur Miller in 1953.  The recent stories and excerpts we have read have been from centuries ago.  For example, William Bradford started his journal “Of Plymouth Plantation" in the 1600s.  That was over three hundred years ago.  That is a wide span of time for new ideas to arise.  The thing is, is that Miller's writing is similar to that of the Puritans'.  As we have conversed in past class periods, the Puritans' writing style consists of: straight forward, tends to be less descriptive, which leads to shortness and A LOT about God.  The main thing with God is that they do not want to put any emotion that will make God seem less than he is.  The Puritans' are scared that if they draw attention to themselves that God will punish them and send them to Hell.  

From what I just said, you probably think that "The Crucible" is just like all the rest of the Puritans' works of art.  Well you are wrong!  Arthur Miller's play talks highly of God and that he should always be put first, but it also shows how the Puritans' beliefs start to spiral into a downfall.  First off, I would like to share with you a little bit about what I read in Act I.  "The Crucible" is a play about the Salem Witch Trials.  These trials took place in Massachusetts in the late 1600s, 1692 to be exact.  The Salem Witch Trials were composed of nineteen men and women, who were accused of witchcraft and were either killed for their wrongdoing or sent to jail.  Many of the accused sat in jail without ever even having a trial.  As big of an issue it was at the time, it ended just as quickly as it started.  Anyways, the story line is that Reverend Parris' daughter, Betty is in a coma and they believe that it is because of witchcraft.  He had seen his daughter along with a couple of other girls dancing around a fire with the family's slave, Tituba.  

On the first page of "The Crucible," Arthur Miller states, "to win people and God to his side."  Just from this fragment of sentence, you are able to see that Reverend Parris wants to be on God's good side but also to be liked by the people in his town.  The government of Salem is a theocracy.  "The people of Salem developed a theocracy a combine of state and religious power whose function was to keep the community together, and to prevent any kind of disunity that might open it to destruction by material or ideological enemies" (Miller 7).  This right here also shows that God is important even when making decisions for the government.  

The author shows how the Puritans' writing style is starting to beak away from its normal format.  "He was the kind of man, powerful of body, even-tempered, and not easily led" (Miller 20).  this right here seems like normal descriptions to us, but with the Puritans', this is way too descriptive.  Usually they are very blunt and scarcely give details.  This quote shows how the writing style is starting to become different and not the same as it used to be.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin, 1996. Print.