Thanks

I try to make classrooms interesting. I hear way too often "I hate school." That statement is ridiculous. You should love school, school is a place to go and have the best times so that 20 years from now you can hit up a friend and say, "Remember that time...". I try to participate, I try to understand and learn. 7th period class is a time when I can actually do that. Express and opinion, have an argument, hear something for the first time. That's something I miss in other classes. But a discussion, a class setting and a good lesson needs more people to participate. That's where Devin (David) comes in.

Thanks Devin for making 7th not a one way discussion for me, you have interesting opinions, some of which we have agreed and others where we haven't and that makes a good friend. When the class is silent, you can say something, a trait that surprisingly few others have, especially in this class. You are insightful and funny in and out of the class. That I can respect. Thanks.

A Celebration

Often we celebrate on account of the things we avoid. As a species we avoid self-indulgence, it is treated as an evil, a sin. Every one has at one point completed something "amazing" on the spectrum of what we can achieve, small or large. A kid isn't taught to gloat, he's taught to respect his humility. But it is never appropriate to celebrate. I celebrate, I honor, I remember the accomplishments I have done, not those I haven't. I celebrate the individual and the whole, the community that I'm apart of. I celebrate that that I can look back upon and tell to all I know, that was me, that was what I was. And what I will remember myself as is what I am currently. I celebrate all I am, not what I'm not.

The Poe-t.

Edgar Allen Poe is a staple in American Gothic writing, specifically in the masterful art of his poetry. After reading in class two excerpts and analyzing many more, you get to see the deeper meanings of Poe and his writings. Darkness. Despair. The poems of Edgar are a giant part of opening the eyes of his readers. He uses every single sense and more to get across the true themes of his writing. Loneliness is hell. Love is materialistic. Passion is savior to lost souls. Without Poe's poetry, American writing would be at a loss, and his readers would not have the outlook on life they have today.

Poe had loss in his family early on, and throughout life took all twelve rounds battering him into a metaphorical lump of loneliness. Many readers may attribute this to his "dark" sense of writing. Never does Poe set his stories in the dandelion fields or the children's playground. But this is not the reason. Poe used previous styles, long forgotten, and resurrected them to give readers a new type of story. No longer were the good guys beating the bad guys. No longer was the "happily ever after" tales of which we've learned to hate. It was a new sense of writing that did its job better than ever before; teach a lesson, get a metaphor across while keeping the reader entertained and on the edge of their seat.

This is Poe's greatest talent. The Raven, for example, classified as the greatest poem of all time, was a roller coaster ride that not only was the horror, but was also able to throw in the intricacies of a true story within every line. Poe was able to transform the face of poetry from happy meadows to dark castles, while keeping the influential principles within his story the same. That is the true beauty of the poet.

An American

An American isn’t defined as someone who can live in the Great United States. It’s more than that. An American has character, a definition embedded within all of us because of what our country is made of. We can be farmers, using the fertile lands that we are established on to embrace an opportunity. We can build the highest of towers and claim the skies our own. An American can be free, and American can be brave, but an American has to call the country where they have lived all their life “home”. An American should be “home”. As the dilemma is presented, we introduce ourselves from other nationalities. “I’m Italian”. No you aren’t, you’re an American, as a real Italian would say. We aren’t ever aware of this flaw because of the perpetuation of the idea that we are a melting pot; that we come from another land. We never have had the chance to call ourselves what we actually are because we are masked by our ancestor’s ambitions. We hide behind the houses that we built long ago in foreign lands, when we need to embrace the actuality of where we are from. The foundations of my home, literal and physical, reside in the United States of America. Someone who comes from another, but acknowledges the present is an American. Americans are here, we are where we call home.

A Modern Puritan

In two stories this year we've see the craziness and disorder of the Puritan lifestyle, but still marvel at their abilities to keep it together for over a hundred years. Where do we see this formula for success or failure in today's world? It's not an easy answer because the ideas of the Puritans are so outdated. Even the strictest of Orthodox religions do not compare to the 1700's Puritans. They are peaceful, together, and very sure of their beliefs. The Puritans lacked every single one of these ideas. But the monotonous, crazy and back-stabbing is seen no where else in today's society than the cubicles.
Think about it. Monotonous lifestyle, check. The Puritans were boring. No fun was allowed. The same strict schedule was followed every single day. The 9-5 life surely doesn't lack in the excitement department. The backstabbing, check. People are evil in the workplace. It's a race to the top. The depicted ideals of the cubicle life defines a pathological lie-fest where the meanest get the promotion. Nice guys finish last in Puritan life (John Proctor) and they sure do too in The work place.
Whether or not its what you want to do, you have to realize that the 9-5 cubicle working life is nothing short of the Puritan "dream". But is that what anyone wants to be? I think the history of Salem and the Scarlett Letter plot show that this "dream" is not what we want to live in.

The Original Stooge: John Proctor

The first tidbit of information we learn about the man, the myth and the legend John Proctor is that he is a man with in a "so-called" dedicated relationship, yet has an affair with a, to put in lightly, lustful affair with Abigail Williams. Already the reader should be cautious of the character. I personally can't be a fan of the "above the law" protagonist that everyone else seems to like. I should have to figure out what type of person your main character is, you shouldn't have to tell me as the author. Nevertheless, John Proctor's ability to get the respect from the entirety of a town on pins and needles is pretty impressive. However, he still can't be confined by the religious rules of Salem. If you really wanted to live the farmer's lifestyle, have a happy life with your wife and children and never have to worry about a thing in the world, why would you put yourself in Salem, the strictest town in the nation? His carefree attitude sets me off throughout the entirety of the play, and the way he is portrayed in the film gives me the same impression. To every stooge, there are redeeming qualities. He is the person who would take the bullet for you if he wanted to. The way he intervenes in the play, taking the blame and not letting Abigail walk over the town is impressive to any one. He was the "Hero" of the town, in that sense. But do not let a man's best moment define him. Remember the type of person who he really is. A careless man who continues to either override his authority or do nothing to help a situation. In my eyes, John Proctor is the original stooge.

Clash

Clash. To summarize American, European and World History read through a non-fiction lense you really only need one word. Pyschological clash shines in both World Wars and through the slander and mass propaganda used in the French Revolution. We also see belief-based clash, be it the constant struggle of the Holy Land or the Crusades. But when it comes to Medieval Europe or Big Bad America today, we cannot take our eyes off of the physical clash that happens on a daily basis.

If there is any prime example of a brutal physical clash in history, it shouldn't take very long to find one.
 Columbus was a murderer, albeit an explorer as well. He is credited with the discovery of today's finest nation yet we forget who was here first: The people running your casinos. Isn't that sad? Isn't it ridiculous that a European explorer was able to  take abuse and take control of thousands of people who were living in a utopia 10,000 years prior? But what could they have done? It was an inevitable fate for the natives and the world's culture has learned from it. If a group of people become content with their technological and educational advancements for even a moment, another group can take them to the grave if they please.

Most Americans feel remorse for the natives, as if we could have lived in harmony, but that is simply not the case. The ability for Columbus to mop the floor with hundreds of cultures proved that we needed more, we were "destined" for greater. And the Europeans were greater. Would we be sharing the same thoughts over this website if the natives had fought back, if they had won? I think not.

The Original Stooge: John Proctor

The first tidbit of information we learn about the man, the myth and the legend John Proctor is that he is a man with in a "so-called" dedicated relationship, yet has an affair with a, to put in lightly, lustful affair with Abigail Williams. Already the reader should be cautious of the character. I personally can't be a fan of the "above the law" protagonist that everyone else seems to like. I should have to figure out what type of person your main character is, you shouldn't have to tell me as the author. Nevertheless, John Proctor's ability to get the respect from the entirety of a town on pins and needles is pretty impressive. However, he still can't be confined by the religious rules of Salem. If you really wanted to live the farmer's lifestyle, have a happy life with your wife and children and never have to worry about a thing in the world, why would you put yourself in Salem, the strictest town in the nation? His carefree attitude sets me off throughout the entirety of the play, and the way he is portrayed in the film gives me the same impression. To every stooge, there are redeeming qualities. He is the person who would take the bullet for you if he wanted to. The way he intervenes in the play, taking the blame and not letting Abigail walk over the town is impressive to any one. He was the "Hero" of the town, in that sense. But do not let a man's best moment define him. Remember the type of person who he really is. A careless man who continues to either override his authority or do nothing to help a situation. In my eyes, John Proctor is the original stooge.