Reflection Blog - Choose Two

I chose to analyze two poems by William Cullen Bryant and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. "June" by William Cullen Bryant seems to me to be about a man being buried in June, when the weather is nice and all of his friends can come and see. "Snow-Flakes" by Longfellow is about the snow falling on the ground, sort of like the sky is crying.

I think that these to poems are similar in a number of ways. First of all, both regard nature to its highest. In "Snow-Flakes", Longfellow compares the snow falling down to the grief that the earth has. I find this metaphor to be interesting. I have heard so many times rain and thunderstorms being compares to the sky crying and letting out its angry, but never before have I seen snow compared to crying from the sky. I think that Longfellow was tying to get readers to see that the sky does not always need to have temper-tantrums and produce thunder and lightening, but when it snows, it is somewhat like a soft cry from the sky above. The sky is not angry, but more hurt I guess one would say. "Silent, soft, and slow descends the snow," describes this feeling very well in my opinion. The snow is so quiet when it falls, yet it produces "tears" and has emotion. A lot of Romantic poems compare things to nature and how great being outdoors is. I believe that this oddly unique twist of nature is one of the reasons that the poem of "Snow-Flakes" is so highly regarded. We have not discussed this in class, but I think that a good variety of Romanticism poems consist of onomatopoeia. Nature is given human characteristics, like emotion, that allows the reader to relate to it.

The other poem I selected was called "June" by William Cullen Bryant. This poem is very similar to "Snow-Flakes" because it too talks about nature in a very high regard. In my opinion, the poem is about a man that reflects on when he will die and how he would like to be buried in June. He says that in June "brooks send up a glorious tune". I do not think that he wants to die anytime soon, but if he were to die, or when he eventually does pass away, he wants to be laid to rest in the summer months so it is nice outside. This is a huge reflection on Romanticism writing because the author describes a man's longing to be buried in nature when nature is in its prime. Just like the snow, the warm sum, the green grass, and cheerful brooks display emotion. The man in the poem finds the summer months to be the most appealing. He connects with nature in a way that not many people do. I think that the author leaves the reader will many feelings of peace and tranquility because he speaks so highly of nature. Thinking of June around this time of year definitely makes me feel warm and peaceful, simply because it is so cold outside right now.

"Snow-flakes by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow : The Poetry Foundation." Poetry Foundation. Web. 11 Dec. 2011.

"June, by William Cullen Bryant." Poetry Archive | Poems. Web. 11 Dec. 2011.

Journal #20 - Autumn Poem

I think that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Autumn" is seemingly interesting. I think that is uses a great deal of Romanticism qualities throughout the very short poem. It is very descriptive when it comes to the detail included throughout the poem. "Thy shield is the red harvest moon, suspended, So long beneath the heaven’s o’erhanging eaves; Thy steps are by the farmer’s prayers attended; Like flames upon an altar shine the sheaves;" In this quote by Longfellow, he describes and compares the "shield" to a red harvest moon. I think that this comparison and description is a big part of Romanticism writing. Many writers of the time period used a lot of nature in their works. Longfellow's poems are full of hinted nature comparisons and also a lot of obvious representations. As far as what the poem itself means, I think that it talks about the season of Autumn and how it brings a lot of glorious things. New weather, colorful trees, bright attitudes, and long sleeve shirts fill the Autumn air all around the world. This poem made me think of parts of the county that do not experience all of the symptoms of fall. I am pretty sure San Diego, California does not have cooler temperatures and drastic changes in leaf color throughout the city. Anyway, I think that the poem is definitely Romanticism style because it is rather descriptive, despite the fact that it is kind of short. I liked the poem and thought that Longfellow put a lot of hard work into getting a seemingly short poem to have such powerful and encouraging meaning. A lot of writing during that time period seems to be short, but have a lot of meaning in the little lines that there are. I do not know if I prefer poems such as this one, or ones that have more depth to them. I like how I can translate the meaning of the literature to my liking because I seem to have different perspectives a lot of the time.

Reflection Blog - Fireside Poets - Romanticism

My first thought when I read that I had to pick a poem from one of the fireside poets, I decided right then and there that I wanted to chose a short one. What student does not want less work, less to read, and overall, less to analyze? I decided to Google Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poems and I picked the first one I saw. It was short, and immediately I was excited. In my head I thought, "Hey, I can get this blog done so fast now. No worries, right?" I read the poem and I was actually enthralled by the significant detail portrayed in the poem. It may be a short piece of literature, but I definitely feel like I could blog about the significance of it forever... so in the end, I do not feel like I am taking the easy-way out (which is a good thing).

The poem is called "A Nameless Grave". It is about a man who stumbles upon a grave that is completely unmarked signifying the body of an unknown soldier who died in the American Revolution. The man reflects on how the soldier died in battle, yet no one knows exactly who the individual was or is. "Thou unknown hero sleeping by the sea in thy forgotten grave," (Longfellow line 10). I find this quote from the poem to be very significant. To me, it is saying that the man who stumbled upon the grave reflects on the fact that nobody knows just who the soldier is...where he came from...how he died...his birthday...or even the day he had to part with this earth. The poem made me think a good deal about the American Revolution, a war in which I feel school teachers overlook in class more than they should. This was one of the biggest wars fought on American soil and back then, technology was nowhere as "technological" than what is it today. When someone was killed from a gunshot wound to the head, it was practically impossible for anyone to identify the body and say who it was. There was no DNA testing then. How sad is that? How sad and lonely would it be to die a hero, but no one know who you were? I asked myself that question more than once. Although one may perceive it to be a terrible thing to be deemed an "unknown hero", in all honestly, I think some soldiers kind of, sort of, wished to perish that way. They did not go to war to get their name in the local tribune, but rather felt so strongly about freedom and independence that they chose to serve their country with honor and gratitude. This poems last line says "And I can give thee nothing in return," regarding what the soldier has given the man. He means that the soldier fought for this man's independence from Britain, but because he is unknown, the man can not give anything to him. I think Longfellow wanted readers to feel like they could realize more than the man in the poem does. Readers can take from this poem that honor does not need to be won only by those who are identifiable, but rather, it should go to anyone who represented bravery, strength, courage, and valor.

As far as this poem representing the Romanticism time period, I think that it demonstrates great detail, just not as in depth as the other poems we have read thus far into this unit.

"Shot down in skirmish, or disastrous rout, Of battle, when the loud artillery drave, Its iron wedges through the ranks of brave, And doomed battalions, storming the redoubt," (Longfellow). Considering the poem is less than fifteen lines, these 3 lines give the poem a lot of detail. The author describes the loudness of the artillery, the wedges of iron in the rank, and even the state in which the battalions are "doomed". Also, a lot of the Romantic poems consisted of artistic inspiration. Since the Revolution was a huge part in any American's lives, I can understand why Longfellow had the inspiration to write this poem. I think that the Romanticism time period writing had a lot to do with what inspired authors.

"A Nameless Grave by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow." PoemHunter.Com - Thousands of Poems and Poets.. Poetry Search Engine. 10 Mar. 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.

Reflection Blog: The Devil and Tom vs. Rip Van Winkle

I have read a lot of weird stories in my life. I have sat and contemplated many of times what exactly it was that I had read. In all honestly, thus far in my English career I have dealt with odd and mind-boggling stories in an efficient manner. The Devil of Tom Walker started out very intriguing for me. I thought it was interesting how Tom is introduced into the story walking home through a short-cut in the woods. Washington uses very descriptive language all throughout this short-story. An example of extensive descriptive language is found early in the story. "It was full of pits and quagmires, partly covered with weeds and mosses; where the green surface often betrayed the traveller into a gulf of black smothering mud; there were also dark and stagnant pools, the abodes of the tadpole, the bull-frog, and the water snake, and where trunks of pines and hemlocks lay half drowned, half rotting, looking like alligators, sleeping in the mire", (Irving). In this quote, the author describes the scene in vivid detail. It is almost as if readers can feel and even smell the scene in which Tom is adventuring into. Washington Irving demonstrates key qualities of Romanticism writing by using nature and very descriptive detail in his work. Something that Washington exemplifies in a lot of his works is the use of a very controlling wife. Tom's wife takes initiative when her husband does not wish to search for treasure that will make them rich forever. She ends up going out and disappearing over the fact that she was money-hungry and unsatisfied with her life. Overall, I found The Devil and Tom Walker to be a weird, yet oddly intriguing piece of literature. I can see why it is very controversial for critics, seeing that it deals with a very controlling wife and excessive detail of nature.

I would say the writing style between The Devil and Tom Walker and Rip Van Winkle are strikingly similar. Which should make complete sense...seeing that they were both written by the same author and all. Both stories use extremely descriptive detail, a quality that was widely popular with authors during the Romanticism time period.

"Just then from a thicket a man came out--His legs were short and his body stout,

He looked like a Dutchman in days of yore,
With buttons behind and buttons before;
And held a keg with an iron grip,
And beckoned for help to the gazing Rip, (Irving).

The latter quote exemplifies the Romanticism qualities of Irving's Rip Van Winkle. He uses a lot of detail to put readers in the middle of the story to feel and see what the character is going through entirely in the short-story. As far as the two stories are different, I think that the first story's writing style is definitely more eerie feeling and suspicious, mainly because readers are in suspense the whole time wondering what on earth happened to Walker's wife. As far as Van Winkle is concerned, I think this stories writing style is more of a moral-teaching kind of story. The point that the author was trying to get across was probably one of do not let life pass by you too fast because you only have a determined number of years to do good, and leave your mark on the world.

Reflection Blog: Romanticism Critique

When I began searching for a criticism for Bryant's poem to match the Romanticism period on Bloom's literacy, I knew right away that it would not be that hard to get the job done, simply because the Romanticism period is virtually famous for its poems and other literature works. Poetry is not my favorite topic per say, but it is definitely a topic that will interest me if I find the right poem to read. That is why I was very intrigued by the poem "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant. In one criticism I found, the author says that Bryant's poem compares Calvinism and pantheism (Snodgrass). I find this to be very interesting because I never saw this comparison when reading the poem on my own. It is mind-opening to see the many reflections people have of a certain piece of literature, definitely poetry, that can be analyzed in many different ways.

The poem itself I interpreted it being as a warning to everyone that we all die, and that it is something we cannot avoid in life. In a way, it is sort of like a life cycle. You die, then you turn into something with nature. It sounds extremely cliche, but going back to the whole Calvinism thing, where it is believed that all things are in Christ and of Christ, the statement holds true when I analyzed it a bit more. We do just kind of, sort of...die. We never know when it will be that we are forced to leave this world. Nature is somewhat like a teacher that can help us guide us through life, represented in the form of a woman. I think "mother-nature" came to be because nature is nurturing, a lot like a mother. "To Nature's teachings, while from all around-Earth," (Bryant). I love this quote. It basically summarizes everything I was trying to say about nature, it is everywhere. You cannot avoid the trees, water, and skies no matter how hard you try.

When I compare this poem by Bryant to the Romanticism period, I find it to fit the category very well. First of all, Bryant's poem talks about death, a topic not so riveting and exciting in and of itself. This trend was extremely popular during the Romanticism period because authors were beginning to break out of their shell and talk about stuff that beforehand, people feared to discuss or bring up in their writings.

Another aspect I drew from the poem that I found in one certain criticism was the topic of, again, nature. Nature basically defines the Romanticism period in my opinion. Along with getting really gory and gross (thank you Mr. Edgar Allen Poe), authors also began to analyze the importance of nature in the lives of society. Bryant compares death to nature in a way. Like I said before, Bryant says that we die and become one with nature.

I never thought I would analyze a silly poem like this, but I actually got really into it when it came to William Cullen Bryant's poem. I think the Romanticism period produced a very interesting variety of literature, with Bryant't poem being one of then.

Byant, William C. "Thanatopsis." PoemHunter.com. 13 May 2001. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "'Thanatopsis'." Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Journal #19 - Circle of Life

Nature is so important in society and everyday life. People do not realize just how much of a role nature has in our lives today. As far as the circle of life is concerned, I think about the bond that nature and spirituality have with one another. It reminds me of the practices of Buddhism. Buddhists believe that once you die, you reincarnate into something that has to do with nature. You could come back as something such as a bird, a tree, or even a part of the river. I find this concept to be extremely fascinating and interesting. It is so different from the ideas of Christianity. The circle of life starts out, in my opinion, when you are first born into this big and strange world. You grow up into the person you want to be, grow up with the one you love, and then die. It sounds depressing, but in an average of about seventy years, a person can accomplish so much in their life. When they die, spiritually, if you believe in the teachings of Buddhism, they become one with nature. I do not know if I am interpreting this blog topic wrong, but that is how I feel about the subject matter. The circle of life is demonstrated very well in the movie The Lion King. Simba sees firsthand how the circle of life effects everyone. Eventually we all have to leave this earth, but in the end it is up to you personally whether or not your walk on earth is that of excitement and purpose. For me, the circle of life means you leave behind your own mark, then let generations to come always remember the impact you made in life and how they can improve my ideas. I hope that I can leave something important behind for my family and friends to remember and find interesting. This blog definitely made me think about what it is life to die and what happens after that.

Reflection Blog: Romanticism Period

My favorite time period, when it comes to oddness, that we have learned this year is probably the Romanticism period. It is very interesting to learn about how society changed so much from the Puritan period, the Rationalism period, and now the Romanticism era in American. The Romanticism period was a time that involved a sort of reawakening of things, including art, literature, and a connecting bond with nature that had been remotely lost before the Romanticism period took hold around the globe. Before learning about specific details of the era in class, I knew a little bit about some of the famous names that were around at the time. David Henry Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Edgar Allen Poe were just a few prominent authors of the time period that used nature, art, and abnormal methods to create masterpieces in their work. Emotion was a key component to their writing and they used it as such a way to get their point across. Before in literature, authors were all about using facts and figures to express the topic. I think a big reason why the Rationalism period did not last as long as most other eras is because science was not as advanced as some people longed for it to be. Many inventions were pawned up at the time, but they were not enough to fulfill the strong desire to be completely rational and logical about things. I feel as if the Romanticism period was a way for society to accept the fact that everything could not be proven with science just quite yet, and they realized that it is okay to provide feeling and emotion with art. Art during the Romanticism period was rather...interesting I guess. I am actually rather intrigued by the unique nature-connecting works that many authors became famous for. Instead of man being the focus of their work, nature and animals were now becoming the spot light and focal image in a painting or sketch. When comparing the Romanticism period with that of the Puritanism period, there was actually little difference in the two, if one asked me. I think that the major difference was the fact that in the Romanticism period lacked the consistent thanks given to God for everything that happened in life at the time. The Romanticist were more wrapped up in the personal and man-drawn opinions and thinking more than anything else.
Overall, I was very intrigued at the information provided and researched about the Romanticism period. It was an era that was drastically important to America and played a key role in what happened throughout society. Man thought differently, acted differently, and went about life in a more nature-bonding manner than before. Although it is not quite my favorite, I see find the Romanticism period to be fascinating and mind-boggling, much like the other eras we have learned about previously. Despite the fact that really weird things, such as poems from Poe, came out of the Romanticism period, I still find their weirdness to be important to life in general.

Journal #18 - Autumn

The perfect Autumn day would be a cool, crisp afternoon with red, brown, and yellow leaves falling down onto the ground. I absolutely love Autumn because the weather begins to cool down and everyone prepares themselves for Halloween with orange pumpkins and caramel apples. In the cold morning air of an Autumn day, I wake up and open the curtain to let the light pour into my room. Then I get up and go outside to smell the Autumn air. Probably the best smell in the world would be the smell of the morning dew on the green grass. Walking through the grass with no shoes on, feeling the moist weeds and flowers beneath your toes is probably the best feeling in the world. I also love fall because my birthday is in the beginning of October, so for me, my birthday kind of sets off the Autumn months. The smell of barbecues and bonfires also fills the air as families all over the country spend time with one another enjoying the vibrant atmosphere. In the afternoons of fall when the sun begins to set and the temperature begins to cool down, it is always nice to sit on the porch and watch the sunset before going inside and relaxing for the day. When you are outside, you can hear the crickets singing and the birds singing songs to one another. The cicadas roam the high trees and buzz all the evening long until there is absolutely no sunlight left peeking through the clouds. Fall is my favorite time of year because there is so much nature around us to look at and just enjoy. The beginning of the school year is never hard so there is always time to relax and just have fun before the brisk winter air takes over. If I could chose a favorite season it would definitely be autumn because it brings so much happiness into the lives of others. I thoroughly enjoy fall and wish that it would stay here all year round.

Journal #17 - Nature Bonding 101

I think the first time I actually bonded with nature was when I visited California and Oregon for the first time ever about two year ago. I found out literally three days in advanced that I would be making the trip out west, and seeing that I had never been beyond Illinois westwardly, I was really excited to see the new scenery that Oregon and California had to offer me. When I first got off the plane it was around 1 am Pacific time, but instantly I could smell a difference in the atmosphere. It smelled cleaner, fresher, and more radiant than nasty Illinois did. The next morning, I was able to see all of the mountains that surrounded the home I was staying in. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was living among nature. Later in the week, I got to see the ocean in California also for the first time. As soon as we got there, I took my shoes off, despite the fact that it was about 50 degrees outside. Feeling the sand between my toes was awesome. I remember just soaking up the sun and seeing how the ocean basically went on as far as the eye could see. The highlight of my nature experience on that trip was the last day I was in California. We went to this place up in the Valley and drove our car through a tree that was practically twice the width of any vehicle. After that, we were able to hike up the mountains and see the view from the top of the peaks. It took about two hours of hiking, but it was definitely an experience of a lifetime. We also rode a zipline thing through the trees up to the highest point of the mountains before leaving. I ended up getting priceless pictures. Thinking about it now, I really miss the nature that Oregon and California had to offer me and I cannot wait to go back as soon as possible.

Reflection Blog - Attempting Franklin's Virtue

For twenty-four hours, I attempted to apply Benjamin Franklin's virtue of industry. I have to say that it was very hard to follow, but at the same time, I learned a lot from thinking about it over a one-day span. His virtue of Industry says, "Lose no time, be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary action." I tried applying this virtue by managing my time more efficiently. It was very interesting to have attempted this virtue last night because I had a Scholastic meet, and on top of that, I had to come home around eight o'clock and finish all of the homework I had due the next day. Earlier in the day, thinking about the virtue, I decided during my free time during Pace and lunch that I would work on the finalized draft of my Zoology project. Looking back at it now, it really applied Franklin's virtue because usually when I have free time during the school day, I spend that time relaxing and putting off homework. I found that by doing my homework when I actually do have some time to work it helps lessen the work load I have when I come home late at night. After the Scholastic meet, I came home with a depressed attitude because I expected I would be working on Zoology all night. Instead, I was able to relax and read a book. By reading, I was doing something productive with the extra free time that I had. Overall, I found that by following Franklin's virtue of Industry, I was able to get a lot more done with the time I had. I will say that it was rather hard to break my habit of relaxing during Pace, but in the end it helped substantially.

Journal #16 - Possible Tools

I will probably use cell phones and Skype to communicate with my partners from Farmington and also here from Plains. No one really uses email anymore, so it would be pretty much inconvenient for me to get the email addresses of my group partners. I hope the people I am with are not very weird and always stock me and text me a lot. By doing these kind of projects, I think it will help me with communication in the long run. In life I will be forced to work with people I do not like or possibly do not know from all of the world. That is how society is getting today and it seems that communicating with people are over the world (or even the state) will be something very popular in the near future. As far as the group project itself, I know I will be using the computer for basically everything. This will pose a problem for me, seeing that I do not have a working computer at home anymore. As I said before, the best way for my group members to get ahold of me would be from my cell phone. Also, Facebook would be a very helpful tool because then my group members could even post pictures of anything that involved the project and I would be able to view it whenever I needed to. The only concern I have is, with using all of this technology, I am afraid that nothing will go right and every communication device in which I use will automatically fail me and stop working. I seem to have that kind of luck. Anyway, the project itself will require many tools, all of them being common twenty-first century items like cell phones, computers, web cams, and even social networks. These devices are all very handy, but they are also known for breaking very often. It will be a very interesting project and I am looking forward to see where it leads me.

Journal #15 - Skype Challenge

I think the biggest challenge I will face while working with students outside of the area is the fact that technology will probably fail me sometime or another throughout this process. To overcome this challenge, I hope that someone will be tech-savy enough to fix any issues that I am faced with. It also will help to get to know the people I am working with. It might be useful to be specific with our ideas, too. I know I will not be able to procrastinate when it comes to doing an intense project such as this. As we saw today, I believe technological dilemmas will prove to be the worst for a project such as this one. Other than anything that deals with Internet issues and such, I think another problem will be working with someone I do not know at all. I am the type of person that takes on a group project on my own, hoping to get it done as efficiently as I possibly can. It is hard for me to trust someone (especially someone that I do not know) into doing a project that my grade relies on. It will be something I will have to get over, but again, I think a way to help this issue will be getting to know the people I am working with, and also reminding them to get the project done in plenty of time, in case any technical issues arise when it gets closer to the due date. In general though, this project seems to be very interesting. I have never done something like this and I am excited to be involved in an experience that uses technology on such an extensive degree. As long as everything works out the way it should (when it comes to the cam working, Internet not lagging, etc.) I am sure that this task will be fun to do. I am looking forward to working with Farmington High School regarding Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen virtues and seeing what new information I will learn from other students.

Benjamin Franklin vs. Henry Tuckerman

Benjamin Franklin's virtues are very useful, depending on who you are. Reflecting on Henry Tuckerman's opinon of Franklin's virtues and Franklin's own opinion on the virtues he himself created, it is interesting to see how the two agree in similar ways. Franlin's system behind the virtues is rather complicated, but simple in a way...if that makes any sense at all. After careful consideration, I have decided that Tuckerman really liked Franklin. He sees the flaws in the virtue system, but at the same time, so does Franklin. This shows that people (like Tuckerman)are able to successfully analyze Franklin's virtues and come up with their own opinion. With this said, it means that no one opinion on the system is exactly right. As long as you analyze the material in your way, no one can judge you for your opinion. I sound like I am just ranting, but in all honesty, this makes complete sense in my head. I am using Franklin's virtues to creatively write this blog.

Despite the fact that Henry Tuckerman's criticism was longer than any other document I think I have read before, I was able to pinpoint the main points of the document. Basically, Tuckerman agrees with the virtues Franklin has, but he says that the system of virtues is a bit hard to follow. Franklin is a philosopher in Tuckerman's opinion (Tuckerman). Tuckerman makes a good point about Franklin's system of virtues. He says that every virtue is not for everyone, but they can be applied to anyone's life if they really need it. During the Rationalism period, people were big on fixing things to make their lives better. I think that society saw Franklin's virtues not as being perfect, but as being basics for steps to improve their own lives. The Rationalism period was very prominent for thinking outside of the box, which Tuckerman does in his criticism report.

As for Franklin and his virtues, I believe he did a good job of trying to set of his system successfully. He tried to manage his life in a rather organized manner. Many people recognize his success in doing this even today. That is why we have to learn about these virtues in our everyday lives. Benjamin Franklin, along with Tuckerman, see that the virtues will not work for everyone, and they come to the conclusion that people need to figure out how to apply the virtues to their OWN lives. It may not be a perfect system, but it is a darn good start for someone seeking help in life with their organizational skills and self-help stuff.

Overall, I think my opinion of Franklin's virtues has changed after reading Tuckerman's critical review. He points out many good circumstances that I before had no idea to ponder on. I think that Benjamin Franklin's system is something to apply to our lives in at least some way throughout our walk of life. Tuckerman agrees in many ways with what Franklin has to say. It is clear to see that Tuckerman would have liked Franklin if they would have ever met.

Franklin, Benjamin, and Leonard Woods Labaree. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New Haven: Yale UP, 1964. Print.

Tuckerman, Henry T. "The Character of Franklin." Facts on File. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.

Reflection - Franklin's Virtues vs. Deism

According to religiousrolerance.org, the definition of deism is as follows: Belief in God + Religious = Deism. For me, this really put things in perspective. Benjamin Franklin is one of history's most prominent Deists. His ideas and virtues highly reflect the basics of Deism. During Benjamin Franklin's time, the Enlightenment was influencing everyone around the world (Deist Roots of America). Franklin included, he was big about not necessarily proving religion wrong, but finding logical reasons behind religion itself. Together, Deism and Benjamin Franklin's virtues are interestingly intertwined with one another, as seen on deism.com and in Franklin's Autobiography.

The Enlightenment period in America and Europe is one of the most interesting movements that has swept the world in all of history. People, like Franklin, were beginning to think outside of the box and finding new ways to prove things that before only had religious reasoning. When Franklin applied science and logic to religion, he was demonstrating another popular movement throughout society during the late 1700's, deism. Deism does not revolve around a specific denomination, but rather represents an overall ideology on no specific religion. Franklin converts to Deism as seen in his Autobiography. In one of his virtues, Humility, he states that he follow Jesus and Socrates. This is an example of how Deists thought in the day. They did not see any religion as the "right" religion. They believed that God created the universe, but as I stated previously, they did not believe in any specific denomination (Deist Roots of America). Benjamin Franklin does not follow Jesus alone, but uses a rational approach by stating to follow Socrates. This shows that Franklin was religious but with a very rational approach also.

In Franklin's Autobiography, he states, "Some books against Deism fell into my hands; they were said to be the substance of sermons preached at Boyle's Lectures. It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist." In this quote, Benjamin tells readers how he converted to Deism. It took a book by Boyle, against Deism, to convert the prominent Benjamin Franklin. I find this very interesting because it is a good example how Franklin thought. Instead of agreeing with Boyle, he was ultimately converted and went with the subject that the author was trying to disprove. This is much like Franklin's virtue of order, stating that everything has its place and time. For Franklin, his "everything" was deciding what he believed. He gave it time, seeing that he converted to Deism at a very old age. It fell into its own place at its own time. This closely relates to Benjamin Franklin's virtue of order.
I was very interested to learn of Franklin's Deism life and how he came to be. It turns out, his virtues and the basic ideas behind Deism are closely intertwined. He revolved his political and even personal lifestyle around the basics of Deism. In regard to the references I found to relate his virtues to that of Deism, I found those websites to be very helpful.

"Deism: Its History, Beliefs and Practices." Web. 24 Oct. 2011.

"Deist Roots of America." Welcome To The Deism Site! Web. 24 Oct. 2011.

Journal #14 - Benjamin Franklin

Well if I were Benjamin Franklin's apprentice, I would probably be very smart. I am assuming he would make me help him with all of his odd chores, like doing weird science experiments and whatnot. In my free time when I was not helping him solve some crazy equation, I would probably be doing logical puzzles to make myself even more smart. When the day started, I would wake up, make Franklin breakfast, and then sit there in the morning and listen to him ramble on about politics and science and rational thinking. After breakfast, he would probably go out and go for a walk or something, so I would clean up and go with him outside. As we walk along the street, he will see one of his political buddies and I am assuming they will start talking about the Declaration of Independence or something boring stuff like that. This blog is really hard to write because I am behind so much, but I am going to try really hard to explain my day in the life of Benjamin Franklin's apprentice. Anyway, after we talk to his political buddy, we would go and play with kites and metal rods. It would just happen to start raining and lightening, and whoaaa lo-and-behold, we just discovered electricity. That would probably be the biggest feat of the day. I mean, how important is it that I made Franklin bacon and eggs for breakfast? Not very important I will tell you that. Anyway, at this point in the day, electricity has been discovered, so we call it a day. At night, Franklin goes over all the new stuff he learned that day, pretty boring if you ask me. We will probably do the same thing the next day because that is all this guy does. He invents new things. I fell like he will invent bifocals or something tomorrow, or maybe he will discover the cure for polio. Anyway, I hope I never have to blog about something so far-fetched again because in all honestly, this was very hard to blog about.

Reflection - Thomas Paine - Crisis No. 1

If I had to choose, which I do, whether or not Thomas Pain's The Crisis Number 1 was from the Rationalism period or the Puritanism period, I would definitely choose the Rationalist period. The style of writing was obviously Rational because of its logical and scientific approach on Britain. Paine strongly believes in his story that America should be completely independent from Britain. He supports his ideas with facts and logical explanations. One specific example Paine's writing style is his use of persuasion. I believe it is safe to say that if his novel would have not been as persuasive, individuals back then may have not made such a big deal out of his work. This could have possibly altered the history we know today. Paine's novel demonstrates how in two similar situations, one cannot treat another more fairly simply because of who they are. This is a common Rationalistic theme he tries to suggest in his writing. Thomas Paine's Rationalist approach in The Crisis No. One is an immediate example of how the Rationalism highly influenced society back then, leaving us to feel the effects of it even today.

“We did not make a proper use of last winter… and the fault is all our own” (Paine 135). In this quote, Paine says that the fault they are experiencing is only to blame on themselves. This is very different from the Puritan views of the previous time period. In a rational way, Paine explains that because society failed to prepare themselves, they are at fault for the consequences in which they now suffer. Their laziness was not God's fault, similar to what the Puritans would have believed during the Puritanism period. I find this point that Thomas Paine makes very interesting. I think he showed society what it was like to think logically. In a way, he clearly defines the Rationalism period in The Crisis Number One because of his consistent use of propaganda and persuasion.

Thomas Paine was a very logical kind of thinker, hence the fact that he is one of the leaders of the Rationalism period. Toward the end of his story, he talks about a possible scenario he could be in and what he would do. If someone came in a tried to rob his house, he would not just sit around and do nothing about it, but rather so proactive and try to stop the robber from stealing his things (Paine 136). At first, I thought, well is that not what everyone would do in that kind of situation? Back then, people were still getting over the whole "God did this" and "God did that". They began to analyze things in their life, being robbed for example is one of those in Thomas Paine's mind.

Overall, I thouroughly enjoyed Thomas Paine's novel. He definitely is a Rational thinker. He uses persuasion and logic to back up his ideas. I love reading Thomas Paine's writing because it is a different aspect than the boring Puritan ideas that we have previously read.

Paine, Thomas. "from The Crisis, No.1." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 134-136. Print.

Journal #13 - American Dream

The American Dream is something that people every day attempt to pursue. Today's "American Dream" consists of a wealthy business, well that is the persona of it anyway. People believe that to be successful, one must make a lot of money, have a nice job, a family that consist of a happy wife, a son, and a daughter. Although this may be the popular belief of the American Dream, it does not necessarily mean that it is the only dream within reach for Americans. Many Americans are actually happy being average-class citizens. They may not have the most money, but they are happy where they are. For them, "success" comes from being happy, not stressed, and just living life day by day with as minimal worry as possible. I think that for me, I find the successful route of the American dream is the rich and notorious individual. I do not live with the most money. We live comfortably, I have things I want and I get more than most kids my age, but at the same time, I want to live the life of fame and fortune. I want fancy cars. I want to attend fancy dinners with fancy people. I want to have a huge apartment in the skyscrapers of New York City. Many people feel the same way as I do because that is the typical American Dream of people who live in the United States of America. I know my expectations for life are high, and I might not achieve all that I want, but I can at least hope, right? I think as technology increases and more people connect with others all around the world, our expectations in life are way more higher than they were even twenty years ago. Everyone wants cell phones, they want economic cars, and they want to live a life of luxury. I think that is why a lot of are left with a ton of debt. This journal has really made me think about my life and what the typical "American Dream".

Reflection - Ben Franklin vs. Puritan Writers

Ben Franklin, compared to Puritan authors, is very different in his writing style. Puritan writers heavily reflect on God and the good works He has done for them. Rationalists, like Ben Franklin rely on science and logic to prove his points. Franklin's Autobiography is a very important part of Rationalist writing because his ideas and though process were extremely different from many notorious authors of the time period. The poems and other works by Franklin we have read so far in class really help me compare Puritan writing to Rationalist writing because of his interesting style portrayed in his literature.

A very large part of Puritan writing style is the fact that much thanks is given to God for everything the Puritans received in life. If something bad happened, they looked at it as a gift from God and an experience to learn from, rather than scientifically thinking their situation through, much like Benjamin Franklin does in his writing. A very notorious Puritan writing of the time period was Anne Bradstreet. She followed the ways and writing style that was typical for individuals in the day. In her story, Upon the Burning of Our House, Bradstreet's house burns down from a fire. Even as she witnesses her house go up in flames, she still praises God for what He has done for her (Bradstreet 91). In another example of Puritan writing style, Mary Rowlandson writes about her situation with the harsh Indians. They held her hostage and refuse to let her go, even to see her child. She is in a very traumatic situation, but regardless of the hell she is put through, she still gives thanks to God for keeping her safe and strong through a time of despair (Rowlandson 83). The Puritans were big believers of putting their faith in God no matter what. They could be on the verge of death, yet they still let God know He was their Savior. In Benjamin Franklin's writing on the other hand, he uses a more rational and logical approach to the everyday struggle life throws at him. We see this throughout his Autobiography found on page 108.

Comparing Franklin's writing style to William Bradford's writing, readers can tell how different Rationalists were from Puritans. Puritans tended to get straight to the point in whatever it was they were talking about. There was hardly any symbolism used in their writing. William Bradford, in Of Plymouth Plantation, explains the situation he and his crew are in, but does not lollygag in his writing (Bradford 64). He tells it as it is. Franklin on the other hand, uses very descriptive detail throughout his Autobiography.

After reading both types of writing styles, Rational and Puritan, I am overall pleased with Rational writing more so than Puritan. I enjoy the fact that Rationalists use a bit more detail in their writing, giving readers a chance to analyze what is being read, whereas in Puritan writing, it is basically said straightforward, leaving hardly any room for analysis. Franklin was a very descriptive man, and he displays this in his writing, leaving him to be a very prominent figure of the Rationalism period.

Bradford, William. "Of Plymouth Plantation." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 64-67. Print.

Bradstreet, Anne. "Upon the Burning of Our House." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 91. Print.

Franklin, Benjamin. "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 106-108. Print.

Rowlandson, Mary. "A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration or Mrs. Mary Rowlandson." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 82-85. Print.

Journal #12 - Rules

If I could make up my own rules, I would completely get rid of PACE. I hate it. I am sorry, but I have to vent about how I hate PACE. I think that it has a good purpose, but teachers are way too strict, especially toward students who actually want to get their work done. I think teachers need to realize that school is not jail. I sincerely apologize for expressing such negative feelings (that one is for you Mr. Langley). It is not fair that smart students are being penalized for actually wanting to learn. The basic idea behind PACE is rather useful, but the fact I am in PACE with a teacher I have never had, nor have currently, and no one in my class is in any of my honors classes, I have a rough time attempting to get work done that I do not understand. In all honestly, since I cannot do my work in PACE, I sit there and use it as a time to relax. Teachers will get mad when they hear me say that, but I am just being truthful. I think administrators should use my negative feed back and work with it, because many other students like me have the same problem. If I could make up my own rules, I would say that you are allowed to actually GO and get help in PACE, not sit there and stare at your homework the whole forty minutes. In my rules, I would not necessarily judge the students on their academic ability, but if I knew the trustworthiness of the student, I would trust them to go and get help on their homework. If teachers do not do something about the PACE situation soon, I will loose my mind up in here. I am a smart kid, I always have been. Please...stop punishing me for other's immature actions. Overall, that is my opinion on PACE and I hope someone important reads this (like Mr. Langley).

Journal #11

I think I have learned more this year than ever before that time is of the essence. School is basically taking up my life, and I have lost more time wasting my life away doing petty homework. Benjamin Franklin's aphorism saying "Lost Time is never Found" has definitely described my life on a very precise level. I wish I could be outside enjoying the Fall weather, or hanging out with friends, but instead, my life is consumed by homework that, most of the time, is merely busy-work. I have learned virtually nothing from the homework I have been assigned in the past month. In Franklin's aphorism, he states that when time is lost, it can never be found again or made up. After evaluating my life, I realize that time is honestly so important. We only get a certain amount of time on this earth and it only makes sense that we make the best of the little time we get. Last night for example, I thought that I had plenty of time to do my homework that I had. I had to write so many papers by hand, that it consumed more time than I actually had. I eventually had to call it a night and put my homework away and just go to sleep. Sometimes I underestimate how long it will take to do my assignment, so it is very important to plan for extra time to do something, just in case you get distracted or pulled away from the homework itself. I find Franklin's quote to be very exhilarating and many people should take from his insightful ideas. It is important we prioritize our lives and have fun while we can. We never know when our lives will be taken from us. I am glad I found this aphorism and I will keep it in mind when I am having trouble focusing on my work. Benjamin was a very insightful person who will always be remembered in history as an important person.

Propaganda in the Declaration of Independence

From the beginning of the formation of the United States, people have been debating and contrasting what type of government would blanket America to represent the millions of individuals seeking religious freedom and prosperity. Thomas Jefferson uses a variety of techniques to draw in the people, some of which result in faulty logic. As I first read through the document, I was faced with somewhat of a blunder because I failed to see the faulty logic, probably because my mind was completely agreeing with what Jefferson was saying. After searching deep into my brain, I was able to conjure up something that relevantly reflected name-calling, a technique that includes attaching a negative label to someone just because you do not like that (Recognizing Propoganda). When someone uses name-calling in their argument, it makes them look like complete fools in my opinion. In a way, they are sort of stereotyping that individual and perceiving them to be bad people, despite who they actually are. Jefferson consistently uses the technique of name-calling in his draft of the Declaration of Independence. "The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpation all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. (122)” Jefferson presumes that the king of Great Britain is a terrible man with injury and corruptness in his history. In paragraphs to follow on page 122-124, Jefferson completely destroys the king. He states everything and anything that the king has done in the past, yet fails to back up these accusations. This is rather unfortunate actually. Here we see the basis of our government being corrupt and nasty. According to the document, all men should and are created equally. Now, if this statement, created by an American ideological, is true, why would Jefferson be bashing the king in such a way? Here we see yet another propaganda technique used. Jefferson uses the bandwagon technique to get his audience to agree with the exaggerated material he is presenting. If he says something, because of his infamous political notoriety, many people will automatically agree with what he says, despite how farfetched and degrading toward someone it may be. I think by using these faulty logic techniques, Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence is not a very forceful document of choice for someone trying to read up on the history of United States government. Unfortunately, we see Jefferson’s emotions taking over logic. He is so opinionated that he fails to recognize his irrelevant attitude toward the situation he was faced with when writing the document. In one example, Jefferson says, “He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out our substance, (123)”. This statement persuades people to agree with Jefferson’s opinion toward the king of Great Britain.

Overall, I found the document to be very interesting. I think it is cool that even political figures of the era formed the basis of corrupt thinking that our government uses even today. I am glad that someone sort of fixed the kinks in Jefferson’s rough draft.

Jefferson, Thomas. The Declaration of Independence. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 120-124. Print.

Dspsweb@cuesta.edu. "Recognizing Propaganda--Guide to Critical Thinking--Academic Support." Print.

Journal #10 - Vocabulary Argument

Dear Mr. Langley,

It seems only relevant to postpone the vocabulary assignment until Wednesday for a variety of factual reasons that I hope you think about long and hard. First of all, junior honors students are enrolled in American Literature English. Topics that revolve American Literature are taught to students on a daily basis. Seeing that we are taking in a good majority of new information in such a short time span, we need every minute of class that is available for us to focus on the more relevant subject matter, which is American Literature. Never before in an English class have we been taught about Puritan writing and the types of writing that follow. On the other hand, we have been fed vocabulary quiz after vocabulary quiz from a very young age every year in English. Therefore, it is apparent that vocabulary is easier to learn and not as difficult to catch on to like Puritan writing documents. Before we move on to doing something we are uniformly used to, it only makes sense that a large portion of our time should revolve around the new material that is being exposed to us on a daily basis. Also, if you take a look at grades, our vocabulary grades are exceeding our normal day to day historical-English topic grades. Students in your English class this year are able to learn the vocabulary on their own, whereas it is more difficult to fully grasp the concepts presented through Puritan writing and other such American Literature subject matters. We are only required to learn seven vocabulary words per unit, but we are expected to understand a whole entire document that before this class, we had never been exposed to. I hope you understand what argument I have proposed, and rethink our vocabulary assignment's previous due date. It would mean the most to me and countless other students who feel the same as I do. Thank you, and have a fantastic day.

Sincerely yours,

Krista Duncan

Speech to the Virginia Convention - Reflection Blog

I think that Patrick Henry's Speech to the Virginia Convention is a very interesting piece of literature for a variety of reasons. For one, it demonstrates a magnificent example of the Rationalism period that was developing during the time. Another reason I found the document very interesting was the fact that it was a different type of reading from the boring Puritan writing that we have been reading in English. The tone of the story is very persuasive. I find it interesting that the speaker of the story used his talent to talk to his audience about the changes they needed to undergo. During the Rationalism period, people began to forget about the idea that God was working daily in their lives and watching over them. Society began to rationalize themselves and seek answers to questions regarding nature, science, and other topics of interest. In his speech, Patrick Henry uses a popular technique many speakers used during the Rationalism period. He persuades his audience to follow his ideas and theories, but then also backs them up. In one example, Henry uses this rational technique to change the President's mind. Throughout his argument, the speaker also uses repetition to get his logical point across. "Give me liberty, or give me death," (Henry 118). Here, Henry's forceful statement, telling the audience to "give" him this or that really enforces his persuading attitude. Patrick Henry sort of portrays himself as a "my way or the highway" kind of guy. Overall, using a rational approach to presenting ideas, which include persuasion and a repetitive tone, Henry connects logically and efficiently with his audience. This tone is completely different from Puritan writing, seeing that in that style of writing, people looked up to God as their almighty Savior. The Rationalism period really helped in getting people to think outside of the box. It gave them an opportunity to step outside of their realm of religious thoughts and beliefs. They were able to hear an opinion other than that of traditional ideas and form their own concept of life. This time period highly influenced many people, including that of Patrick Henry. His speech to the people of the United States is one of the more interesting of Rationalism documents in my opinion. Going back to Henry's quote, "give me liberty, or give me death", I believe these infamous words from a very notorious man highly reflect what society began to stand for back in the late 1700's.

I think that Rationalism writing is interesting to read, especially the primary source documents. I think that the new ideas that began to form were outside of the box ideas and it was interesting to see how the public reacted to the new thoughts. I am looking forward to reading more in the future.

Henry, Patrick. "Speech to the Second Virginia Convention." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 113-118. Print.

The Crucible Act IV - Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

When I first heard Joseph Edwards Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, I was very scared. It was basically one of the scariest stories we have heard all year, which ironically is what Edwards wanted to do to his audience listening to his sermon at the time. I found his Puritan ideas and thinking to be very interesting. Looking back at The Crucible, people back then really needed a sermon like Edwards to keep themselves in line. They were ultimately going crazy accusing everyone and anyone that they are witches (Miller 48). Joseph Edwards sermon is something that the people in The Crucible needed to hear because their religious ideals and manners are being swept away by the crazy witch hunts going on in Salem.

Specific characteristics of Puritan writing include short and simple, to the point writings that are boring and pretty much dull. Well, The Crucible is definitely short and sweet, but it is not very boring and dull, in my opinion. The whole entire story started because of the decisions of a few girls in the woods playing fun and games. In Joesph Edwards Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, he states that people are losing their sense of religious ideas. By scaring the people back in to the church, hopefully the madness of the time would stop happening and people could go back to living their happy little lives like they did before. In Edwards sermon, the only way for people to survive from going into the fiery pits of hell was to save themselves basically and act like a good little Christian fellow. Even back in society then, people acted weird and very irrational in times of dispute and corruption. It is interesting to see how crazy the people in The Crucible went. They accused innocent people of witchcraft, like Giles (Miller 52) and slowly killed him in an agonizing and painful death. That seems a bit dramatic in my opinion. Even though Joesph Edwards sermon was somewhat harsh with its idea on hell and whatnot, at least he did not go crazy and tell people to murder others who are not following Jesus the way they should be.

I was very interested in The Crucible. It was a very weird yet oddly interesting story. I have heard a lot about it in the past so I am glad I put myself through the torture of reading it and getting that out of the way. Joesph Edwards sermon largely reflects what occurred in Arthur Miller's story, so the two somewhat explain each other in an odd way. Puritan writing is very boring I think, but overall The Crucible and Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God largely kept my attention and I was able to thoroughly enjoy what I was reading. I hope we are almost done with this nasty Puritan writing and get on to the good Rationalism stuff. That seems way more interesting than some weird witch hunt that probably never happened in the first place.

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

Journal #9 - Being Rational

This weekend, my friend Rachel was very stressed and emotional because of her classes at school. She did not know what to do seeing that she was very far behind with homework and projects. I too had the same issue going on in my life, so it was easy to understand the situation she was faced with. It was sad seeing Rachel crying over school because I could completely relate to her issues. Rachel and I talked things over about what she was dealing with. She me to do all of the homework she has assigned on a daily basis. Her biggest trouble was English class. The teacher made sure students were busy almost 24/7. It was hard to catch up from homework if you were to get behind, The teacher assigned so much homework, it was extremely overwhelming for Rachel, and I agreed. We talked about what we might be able to do to make her homework load a little less stressful. The rational thing to do seemed to be to take a breather and make a schedule so she had time to fit in every class's homework. I completely agree with where Rachel is coming from. It is hard to balance family, friends, extracurricular activities, school, and everything else on top of life. It is hard to just be rational about things because you do not know if being rational will help or not. I really think that people who do not go through what you are going through have a hard time grasping exactly how you feel. Overall, Rachel and I were able to talk things out and see where we could make things less stressful for both her and I. I think being rational about things sometimes helps, but contrary to many teachers' belief, it is not always the easiest nor logical thing to do in stressful and emotional situations. I hope in the future people will understand more about what kids have to do in life.

Journal # 8 - Fall/Autumn

The only reason I like autumn is because my birthday comes at the start of Fall. I am very self-conceited. I love my birthday. I suppose I could say that I like the weather during Fall also. Once Fall starts, everything from there is so fun. Homecoming comes, which this year it is on my birthday. After Halloween, Thanksgiving break comes. I think this time of year is nice because little breaks come here and there, which is nice to catch up on things in life. I hate school this year. I used to be very motivated to get stuff done, but this Autumn has been really bad. I do not like the classes I am taking. Teachers wonder why I am so negative, well that is the reason. Another thing I guess I like about Fall is having bonfires when the weather gets nice outside. It is so much fun to have bonfire cookouts at night and stay out late just hanging with friends and family. This blog is hard to write about because there is very little I can think about that is positive right now. I really wish Fall was year round. I guess it is pretty to see all of the leaves change colors and see all of the deer and turkey running rampant in the fields again. You know me, I always find something negative in everything right? Well I kind of hate how it gets dark really early in the Fall. It makes me really tired. I guess I like that I get more sleep. My all-time favorite thing about Fall is the fact that my birthday is around that time of year. I know I mentioned it previously, but I seriously love my birthday. This year I will be seventeen, which means I can legally drive with more than one person in the car. I miss being little and doing Fall projects in school. I remember doing a whole leave unit during Autumn. Anyway, I cannot wait until the season in its prime. It is going to be so much fun.

The Crucible - Act III Human Nature

Ah, human nature. This aspect of literature is something I feel as if I grasp very well. Human nature tends to pop up in ultimately every piece of literature we read in school. Studying, analyzing, and applying the knowledge I know is always interesting, because I feel as if I am simply scrutinizing myself. In The Crucible, human nature is most evident throughout the play itself.
When someone is forced to endure a certain situation that is very difficult, their true colors (reference to last blog) tend to show. The characters in Arthur Miller’s play seem to show their true colors when they are pressed constantly about the witchcraft running rampant in the village. When people started to accuse someone of witchcraft, it seemed the cycle never ended. Nobody wanted to be the one’s accused, so to avoid this, people began to blame everyone else to keep themselves safe. This is yet another example of human nature. Humans will go to a very outward extent to protect themselves. In The Crucible, the girls denied on some occasions that they had nothing to do with the witchcraft. Soon, the accusations became too much, and they caved. Now, whether they actually did it or not, human nature is demonstrated to a very high degree at this point. Step 1: blame others to avoid being blamed. Step 2: when being accused in the beginning, save yourself as much as possible. Step 3: when the blame becomes too much, just admit to anything you are accused of so the accusations will go away. These three steps are very common throughout the entire play. Human nature has a way of repeating itself, and this is shown through the characters that end up taking the blame for things that they were more than likely innocent of.
John Proctor ends up confessing to his affair with Abigail, something that in itself was very reputable (Miller 110). Elizabeth attempts to save herself from prosecution by claiming that she is pregnant (Miller 92). Abigail goes on a rampage of names of those who she says were involved with the devil (Miller 48). These are all examples of the “Steps to Human Nature” in The Crucible specifically. It is interesting how Miller demonstrated this throughout the play. I think that the witch trials were merely a result of human nature in itself. People became very gullible, lives were destroyed, and in the end reputation became important.
We as humans have a way of doing things in a similar way, hence the topic of human nature. It is our instinct to save ourselves in situations such as the witch trials in The Crucible. People did what in reality, they thought was best.

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

Journal #7 - Bullying and Its Effects

Bullying is very unfortunate. It affects the person being bullied very negatively, and you always hear about people committing suicide or taking others' lives for being bullied all of their lives. It usually starts as soon as someone enters school. Once they are around their peers, kids tend to begin the phase of bullying that hopefully goes away once they mature. For the victim, they are usually forced to endure the bullying because sometimes they are not strong enough to stand up to the harsh words or even physical torment. At some point in your life, you will have to deal with bullying. Everyone is judged for who they are in society today, which is not fair, but it is just one of those things that come with growing up nowadays. Another example of an effect of bullying for the victim is an overall isolation for them because of constant self-esteem degradation. There have been countless studies saying that the emotional effects of bullying usually stick with people up into middle-age. I am not exactly sure what kinds of effects are put on the one doing the bullying itself. Depending on how heartless they are, there could possibly be some extent of guilt on their part. I have bullied my sister time and time again, and usually I feel really bad afterwards. For the kind of people who bully because of the negative things going on in their lives, little to no guilt is probably felt at all. They seem like the type of individuals who enjoy being mean to make themselves feel better. It would be really nice if we could completely do away with bullying, but for now the problem still runs rampant throughout society. I blame our rude and sarcastic generation for the overall increase in things like this certain subject matter. People need to grow up, shut their mouths, and realize what they say before they go and act on being a bully.

Journal #6 - Blaming the Innocent

When I think of blaming someone for something they did not do, I automatically think of the death sentence that a jury sentences to people who are innocent, but are accused as guilty. I have always wondered what would happen if after they were killed, someone found out the true story. A repercussion like that cannot be undone, therefore the consequences are fatal. It would really stink to be the person who was sentenced to death, who was in reality innocent, and could not stick up for him or herself because everyone else was against them. I know this topic has been debated for years and years. It seems like if I were ever on a jury that had to decide whether or not to decide the death penalty, I would drop the case if I could and run away from it. I always blame my brother if something is missing at home. I have many reasons to conclude why it would be him taking my stuff, but sometimes I end up being wrong. It is hard to admit when I am wrong, but in the end I realize that I would be pretty irritated myself if he accused me of something I did not do. I think the repercussion in that case would be my brother feeling angry or upset that I tried to blame him for a crime in which he was completely guilty. I never want to be on the other end of the stick when it comes to blaming someone for something they did not do. Unfortunately, I have been left on that other end, and I can say that from experience it does not feel good. Putting myself in my brother's position, my mom always accuses me of things that I have not done (when in reality it was more than likely my brother who did it in the first place). Getting accused for those kinds of things really hurt in the end because sometimes it is hard to prove yourself to your accuser.

The Crucible Act II - Character True Color Swag

The whole "true colors" thing to me is kind of annoying. Because I feel a blog is a great way to vent my true feelings, I believe before I go into a very far fetched analysis of important characters and their true colors, I should briefly state my opinion. Although the true colors quiz is merely a game, like that of one's horoscope, I believe it labels a person to a degree in which the individual ends of scrutinizing themselves, or thinking too much of the matter. Completely my opinion, I know. And now for the main event.

When I read The Crucible and began searching for clues to what color John Proctor may be, I had a hard time looking, until I read about him selling out Abigail as a "whore" and basically confesses his affair with the young woman. I believe Proctor is gold. A gold person tends to represent value and strength. For the Proctor to publicly admit his wrongdoing, and ruin his reputation in the town, is something very admirable that I believe deserves gold credit.

I think Abigail is one of the most simple characters so far in The Crucible. She is very easy to understand (could it be, another example of Puritan writing...). From the beginning, I was able to grasp that Abigail is a very carefree kind of character. She acts mostly like a child, very energetic and sort of immature. Sorry to all of you orange's out there, but I think Abigail's character represents orange. I also believe she represents somewhat of a blue character too, though. Mainly because of her simplicity throughout the story.

Mary Warren is the Proctor's servant. She came off to me as being a very strong gold character because of her dedication to not back down and stick up for what she says. Despite the fact that she was basically bossed around all of the time because of her social status, she made the best of her situation by having a very headstrong personality. In one example, Mary states that she is going to court everyday despite what her master tells her. I think this is very brave on her part. For one, Proctor could have really been angry and punish Mary. Who knows what the outcome could have been, but even still Mary sticks up for her beliefs and does not let people walk over her. I think this strongly represents a gold personality.

Finally, I think a very obvious color for Reverend John Hale is green with a hint of gold. He acts like he knows it all when it comes to witchcraft and he wants to be somewhat of a hero when he rids the devil from Salem. Green people are those people who do all the research and have to be right in their mind, while the gold people are more strong and in my opinion, cocky, people. I believe Hale represents these characteristics very efficiently because of his dedication (especially in the beginning of the story) to aid in the supposed witchcraft suspicion.

Overall, each color was well represented throughout what I have read so far in the story. Although I do not have time to blog about every character, I believe each one plays a vital role in the story's overall personality diversity.

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

Journal # 5 - Discispline

In the twenty-first century, parents use a variety of contemporary techniques to discipline their children. Back in the day, like the 1970's, parents legitimately grounded their kids. This included locking children up in their room and not hanging out with friends. That was a severe punishment for kids back then. In order to be with friends, kids had to actually be with them. Kids would spend hours outside playing, whereas now, they spend time on their computer, texting, and watching television. In today's society, kids can talk to their friends all over the country without even seeing their face. Texting and social networks have become key components in the lives of children and teens across the world. It would make sense now that parents are taking away technological devices because those are how people connect with one another. I think it is fair that things like cell phones are being taken away. If a parent sent their kid to their room, it would be more of an incentive to be bad because in almost every child's room nowadays there are computers, cell phones, gaming devices, and televisions. There would be no point to do a typical punishment of the 1970's in today's society because it would not be efficient at all. Sometimes cell phones and gaming systems need to be taken away anyway just to bring kids back to the realm of reality. It would give them a chance to go play outside, do homework, or even spend time with their family without having a cell phone glued to their face. In my opinion, I actually find it hard to discipline kids today because it is so easy for them to find something (most of the time technological) to entertain themselves. I think it will become even more difficult in the future, but who knows what will happen. Overall, things have definitely changed when it comes to how parents raise their kids. Society is changing rapidly, so it will only be a matter of time before we as a generation decide how we will change up traditional discipline and make it fit our current lifestyle.

The Crucible - Act 1

So far in the reading, The Crucible has been about a supposed witchcraft practice in the town of Salem. The people of Salem are very religious. All of the top officials are religious leaders, and most of the citizens hold a high regard to the church. This demonstrates a Puritan lifestyle because society in Salem was extremely centered on God. The Crucible highly reflects Puritan writing for a number of reasons. First off, like all of the other literature we have read so far in English regarding Puritan writing, God is always the main focal point of the Puritans. In a somewhat ironic and different way, The Crucible portrays God as being the center of people’s lives in Salem, but also demonstrates how to devil plays a significant role in certain “witchcraft” worshipping lives. In the opening scene of the story, Parris is praying at the bedside of his ten-year old daughter’s bed. Witchcraft is seen as something very degrading and sinful to the people of Salem. They believe anyone who participates in such nonsense is a worshipper of the devil. This is a good example of the Puritan writing of the time period, because in society today, witchcraft is actually a very popular topic. Back then, anything that had to do with the devil was considered terrible and extreme. Today, more and more people are beginning to follow witchcraft ideas, along with other nonfiction beliefs like wizardry. It has become very accepted nowadays for someone to be accepting of the devil, whereas back then, it was nothing but nonsense. This is an important part of the story’s Puritan writing because it demonstrates how society has significantly changed over the years. Another example of the Puritan writing style portrayed in The Crucible is the fact that it is stressed how bad it is that the church is no longer as popular as it was before the girls of Salem involved themselves in witchcraft. People were so caught up in the idea that girls in Salem were practicing witchcraft that their attention was hardly focused on church at all. In Act I, the girls decide they will not tell anyone what they did in the woods (drinking blood), but only tell the adults that they danced and that Tituba tried to solve the mystery of Ruth’s babies. The girls do not want to tell anyone what actually happened. I think that Betty eventually caves from guilt which then results in Parris finding out the true confession from the girls. I believe they decided not to tell the whole story in the beginning of what happened out of fear. Because Salem’s society was so firmly based on religion, they were more than likely scared of what the adults, and more importantly, God, would do to them in return. Puritan writing is very simple and straightforward. In The Crucible, no extensive symbolism or metaphors are used to entice readers. Because the story is set up as a play, it is easy for readers to understand what is going on between the girls and the citizens of Salem.

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

Journal #4

I remember when I drove to New York City last June for vacation. It took about sixteen hours to get there because I rode on a tour bus. The trip itself was not as bad as I think I had expected it to be. The most annoying part about it was the sleeping situation. We stopped a few times the whole way there, but other than that we slept on the bus. There were other people going on the trip since it was a tour of New York. I swear, there was like fifty old people. I unfortunately had to sit in front of really annoying old people that would not let me put my seat back to seat comfortably. I remember stopping to get dinner and it felt so good to stretch my legs and walk around. It was interesting to see the new places we drove to. Each new area we came upon was new and different in so many ways. I began to see places I never before had set foot on. I think it is cool to see how different one city can be from another. The best part of the trip itself was finding a way to entertain myself for sixteen hours straight. I could only think about one thing, and that was what the Big Apple would be like. I could not wait to experience walking down Time Square and watching Broadway plays. Even though I was extremely bored most of the way there, it was well worth the trip when we actually got to New York City. That trip was by far the best of my life. It was really depressing on the last day we were there knowing that I had to make the trip back to Illinois again on a hot and boring tour bus. The trip back was even longer than the trip there because I honestly did not want to go home. Overall, New York City was the best trip I have ever went on in my life.

William Bradford- Of Plymouth Plantation

William Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation” is a very good example of Puritan writing style. It is short and simple, yet gives detail in a straightforward kind of way the experiences the Pilgrims had coming to America on the Mayflower. Bradford speaks of a “very profane young man” who basically tells the Puritans he wishes the worst upon them. The young man is told to be “cursing them daily with grievous execrations, and did not let to tell them that he hoped to help cast half of them overboard before they came to their journey’s end, and to make merry with what they had,”. Despite the fact that this young man is talking about wanting to throw the Pilgrims overboard, none of them react in a harsh way. This kind of mindset was extremely popular among the Puritans. They believed in staying calm and collected in difficult situations because they believed God would ultimately protect them and knew what was best for each individual. William Bradford says that God takes care of the profane man by giving him a disease which ultimately kills him, and ironically he was the first to be thrown overboard. Bradford’s writing style reflects greatly typical Puritan writing of the time period. To the Puritans, they believed God would be with them no matter what and protect them even in the darkest of times. Bradford and the other Puritans did not need to do anything about the harsh comments from the young man, because in the end they believed that God had a plan to get rid of the man in His own way. Bradford says in the end of the journal, “for they noted it to be the just hand of God upon him,” Even though disease ran rampant during times of travel, especially by boat back then, the Pilgrims believed God had given the man a disease that took his life. This kind of outlook on life was very common for Bradford and Pilgrims alike. Bradford does not include any illustrious symbolism in his journal. He says that he would like to record events through his writing in “a plain style, with single regard unto the simple truth of all things (page 14).” Like most Puritan writing, Bradford’s account was very short and simple. This happened, God saved them, and in the end everything was okay. Nothing needed to be elaborated because the Puritans had an answer for everything, and that goes back to God being their ultimate protector.

Although very short and sweet, “Of Plymouth Plantation” is a very interesting example of a Puritan writing style during Colonial Times. William Bradford simple tells what happens not too in depth but at the same time very informative. Writing styles such as this were popular during the time period because of the wave of Puritan colonization popping up all throughout society, so it was easy to understand and highly relatable. It will forever be considered a classic example of Puritan writing because of its illustrious meaning and overall Colonial significance.

Bradford, William. "Of Plymouth Plantation" Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Co, 2009. 14-15. Print.

Journal # 3 - Hostage

Considering I have yet to be held hostage (and have high hopes of never being held hostage), I do not have a good idea of what it is like. I can only imagine from watching countless episodes of CSI and Law and Order what kind of traumatic ordeal it would be like. Seeing innocent people being held against their own will is absolutely appalling in my opinion. I know for sure I would be scared out of my mind. I would also feel anxious because I would have no clue what would happen to me. Questions would be racing through my head whether I would be saved or not. I think I would cope with the situation by attempting to stay calm, although I feel as if those efforts would go unsuccessful. For some reason the only thing popping in my head right now regarding an attempt to stay calm would be to count as far as I could. It sounds silly but hopefully it would keep my mind off of things. I would also have to cope with my new surroundings where ever that may be. Here my CSI skills come into place. I would try to become as familiar with the environment as much I could, in case police needed my help in solving the crime. It seems really easy to talk about what I would do in a situation like being held hostage, but I think my though-out ideas only look good in black and white. I highly doubt I would stay as calm as I would like to be. I do not want to ever go through something as agonizing as being held hostage. It is something that would never leave me mentally. I cannot stop picturing in my head Rowlandson's story. The poor mother was held hostage by the Native Americans and had to go through very unfortunate circumstances. I do not want to ever experience something like that in my lifetime.

Mary Rowlandson and Anne Bradstreet

After reading works from both Mary Rowlandson and Anne Bradstreet, I was highly impressed with the amount of wit and creativity each piece of literature expressed. Rowlandson talks of her experiences as being a hostage of the Native Americans. Bradstreet puts into a simple, yet captivating poem a burning house full of burning things that ultimately all belonged to God. Although each author uses a variety of sentence techniques and writing styles, each has similar writing qualities reflecting that of Puritan writing, that based on God and the Bible.

When Mr. Langley began to discuss his presentation of the Puritans in class, the first thing that came to my mind was, "Okay, how can I relate this Puritan stuff to the things I will be reading from my textbook for homework?" At first I was a little hesitant because I had yet to actually read my assignment. After listening to Rowlandson's story and hearing Bradstreet's poem, I immediately was able to pick out the Puritan style of writing.

Puritan writing was very simple and plain for its time (PowerPoint Presentation). A lot the literature of the time period was based on God and Biblical teachings (PowerPoint Presentation). In Rowlandson's story, she mentions God time and time again. "...but God was with me in a wonderful manner, carrying me along, and bearing up my spirit, that it did not quite fail (Rowlandson 83)." In this quote, the main character is basically giving all of the glory to God, despite her unfortunate situation with the Native Americans. It highly demonstrates Puritan writing qualities in that it is highly centered on God and the works He does in outer and inner life.

As I previously mentioned, Puritan writing was drastically focused on God. Everything involved in the Puritans every day lives had a hint of the Holy Spirit in it. In Anne Bradshaw's poem, the main character says, "And that when I could no longer look, I blest His name that gave and took, that laid my goods now in the dust. Yea, so it was, and so 'twas just. It was His own, it was not mine, far be it that I should repine (Bradstreet, 91)." Even though this individuals house and belongings were burning down, she still praised God and said that all of her things belonged to Him because she knew she had a house in Heaven. He was only taking back what rightfully belonged to Him in the beginning. Puritan writing, if I have not already stated, is very Godly.

Overall, each piece of literature had its own unique style of Puritan writing, but was very similar in a way. In Rowlandson's case, she spoke of the main character's rough time with the Native American's and all of the sufferings she had to endure. Despite her situation, she gave all of the glory to God and did not focus on the bad things in life, but rather the good. In Bradstreet's poem, like Rowlandson's story, the main character suffers through something tragic, in her case, her home burns down. This does not keep her from praising the Lord, and even states that God is only taking back with belongs to Him. I find it interesting how Puritan writing was so simple but represented something bigger, like God. I was very intrigued by each piece of work and learned a lot regarding Puritan writing.

*I would like to cite Mr. Langley's very well prepared presentation of Puritan writing.

Bradstreet, Anne. "Upon the Burning of Our House." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Co, 2009. 91. Print.


Rowlandson, Mary. "The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson." Glencoe Literature. Ed Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Co, 2009. 82. Print.