Thankful

This year I am thankful for Bella and Amelia. I am so lucky to have you as friends. Division, gym, lunch, english and chemistry would definitely not be the same without you two. Every class we have together is so much fun, especially english with all of our crazy laugh attacks and the daily walk to Dunkin Donuts for lunch.  You are two of the funniest and craziest people I know. You always know how to make me laugh or cheer me up if I'm in a bad mood. I'm so happy and thankful that the three of us have gotten so close this year, I don't know what I would do without you guys. We have already made so many amazing memories this year and I know that we will have many more to come! 

I Celebrate Myself

In my opinion, the most important values of transcendentalism are individuality, self reliance, and self appreciation. The transcendentalists believe that only when people are true to themselves, follow what they love and who they are, they form a true community. I agree with this idea, you can't have a real community if everyone is the same. People need to have their own opinions, ideas and beliefs. Having   different ideas and outlooks on life is beneficial to a community, people can learn from each other and grow. If everybody thought the exact same way about everything, nothing would change and no progress, positive or negative, would be made. In addition to individuality, the transcendentalists believed people must be self reliant. I also agree with this idea. I think that it is important for one to know that they are capable of being self reliant, even if they don't  necessary have to be. In order to be a self reliant individual, one has to have self appreciation and celebrate themselves. I think to celebrate yourself means to value your opinions and to be self confident.

Poe

After researching Poe's life, the subjects and tones of his stories make much more sense. Edgar Allen Poe had a very sad life, he suffered the death of his mother and wife in a very short period of time. The circumstances of his life lent to his poems, for example, the Raven. There are several different meanings that can be found within this story. On one level, the Raven is simply about a bird who comes through the narrator's window and speaks to him. There are also deeper meaning and themes within the story. Poe addresses the idea of life, or lack there of, after death. The narrator asks the raven if he will see Lenore again, who is presumed dead. The raven says "nevermore", this challenges the reader to ask the question, what happens when you die? Earlier in the poem, when the narrator opens the door, he sees nothing but black, it is completely empty. I think this could symbolize Poe's idea of life after death. He puts forth the idea that there may not be anything but nothingness after we die. After dealing with so much death and loss in his life, it is understandable why death and mortality is a theme in the Raven, as well as other stories. I see this as a way for Poe to try and understand his own loss and come to terms with missing his deceased loved ones, like the narrator with Lenore. 

What is an American?

What is an American? This is a difficult question to answer. Though America has been its own country for nearly 250 years, many "Americans" still indentify with the countries their ancestors came from. I think a lot of this is because our country is still very divided. Although America is supposedly a "melting pot", which is true to some extent, it is still very segregated. I don't really think America has its own unified culture, religion or general way of life. People still identify with the cultures of their country of origin. However, there are some things that all Americans share. No matter someone's background, ethnicity or religion, certain American values, like freedom, are appreciated by everyone. Freedom is one of the most important foundations in American society. This virtue is something that seperates American citizens from the rest of the world and also unifies us. I think an American is someone who believes in freedom. 

Modern Puritans
I think that there are several ways we can see examples of Puritan culture in our modern society. Even though the values and ideas of the Puritans way seem extreme, or outdated the core of these beliefs can still be found in our culture. One way the Puritan beliefs live on in modern times are groups like the Amish. These people have strict religous beliefs and codes of conduct. They are very minimalistic in the way they dress and are not at all materialistic, like the Puritans. The Amish culture is very religiously based, and the rules they follow are governed by their religion. This is something that is shown in the society in "The Scarlet Letter", the laws and rules are based off the ten commandments. Apart from religion and theocracy, there are also other examples of Puritan beliefs in modern society. One of the most important factors of Puritan culture, as well as other theocracies, is conformity. I think everyone today, especially teenagers, can relate to this aspect of Puritan belief. There is always pressure to fit in, whether it be in school, with your family, or in your community. It's human nature to want to belong to a group and fit in with your peers, this human quality is something that exists in any society or time period. Even though the consequences for nonconformity were much more extreme in Puritan societies, people can still be looked down upon or deemed outcasts if they choose not to follow their community's social norms, like Hester in "The Scarlet Letter."

John Proctor: hero or stooge?

          I think that John Proctor would be described as a hero. A hero, to me, is someone who puts others before themselves, has strong beliefs, and will stand up for those beliefs and what they think is right. For most of the play, and especially the end, John Proctor does just this. I am not saying that he was always a good Christian and acted like a hero. In the beginning of the play, John was portrayed very differently. He had a moment of weakness and lapse in judgment in his affair with Abigail. However, I don't think that this made him a stooge.

             Throughout the whole play, John was one of the only people who wasn't afraid to stand up for what he thinks is right. Proctor didn't give into the peer pressure, he knew that Abigail and the girls were sending innocent people to their deaths, and he had enough courage and sense of morality to take a stand. Even apart from his morality, Proctor was also the most sensible and rational character. He could step back see the flaws in the way the trials were being handled. Other characters, like Danforth, were too proud and couldn’t see through to the truth. Even if Abigail hadn’t told John that there was no witchcraft, I think he still would have had the sense and awareness to question the girls’ motives.

            John’s admirable behavior is especially visible towards the end of the play. Even when Proctor himself is being accused of witchcraft, he doesn’t cave. He could have turned in another innocent person to save himself, but he didn’t, and that is what makes John Proctor a hero.

           

           

"There goes the neighborhood..." 

I think that the idea of two cultures clashing with each other is something that has been around as long as we have. As humans, I think we feel safe and comfortable with sameness and familiarity. When something, or someone,  new and different is introduced, it might seem strange or threatening.  This can lead to conflict. We have looked at several examples of this throughout history from our readings so far this year. The best example, in my opinion, is the clash of the Native Americans and the explorers from Europe. I think that the cause of this lack of harmony between the native people and the newcomers was not necessarily because they hated each other. They were such a different culture than the explorers had ever known, that the Europeans jumped to conclusions, seeing them as uncivilized, before even getting to know the native people. In this way, it wasn't really hate that caused the two societies to argue and fight, it was fear and lack of knowledge. If The new explorers had taken time to understand and learn about the native people, maybe they would have found that their values and ways of life really weren't that different after all. The story, "The General History of Virginia", relates to the "there goes the neighborhood" idea. The way John Smith describes the Native Americans is rude and demeaning, calling them "barbarians" and "savages". The settlers only saw the native people as a lesser society than theirs, one that needed to be more like them. They didn't take the time to understand or appreciate their culture. Looking back, if both sides had more of an open minded approach, and could have communicated with one another better, there could have been less violence and adversity.

Me

I’ve lived in Chicago for as long as I can remember, and I couldn’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else. Ever since starting high school, I have begun to appreciate the city even more, one of those reasons being public transportation. I had never taken a bus before high school, but my parents, who both teach elementary school in the suburbs, could not possibly drive me to the west loop every morning. Since then, I couldn’t imagine living somewhere without the train or a bus to take me downtown with my friends, over to someone’s house, the park, out to dinner, and pretty much anywhere.

Another thing I appreciate about the city are the amazing museums. Art is one of my favorite things, whether it be painting, drawing or taking photographs. I love being able to see amazing artwork whenever I want, at one of the best art museums in the country. The city also has beautiful parks, lakefront and beaches. During the summer my favorite thing to do is going down to the beach with friends and luckily lake Michigan is only a couple minutes from my house. I also enjoy running near the lakefront and the park. I’m not particularly sporty or competitive, so going for a run or walking my dog, Lucy, is my favorite way to be active. I am lucky to live in a city with so many fun things to do and places I want to go.