I'm thankful for a classmate...

I'd like to start out by saying that I'm very thankful for this whole class and all of my peers in it. It's been a fun first three months of the year.

But I am especially thankful for one of my classmates, and that is Jennifer Pang. She has been a great peer editor for all of my writing throughout the year, and while I don't always agree with what she says, I think she has helped my work develop. I thank her for all of her comments, suggestions and ideas. They've really been a big help. Additionally, she is a great writer herself. I have never struggled to learn things from her writing.

She is also a great group member. She makes group works more fun and always shares great insights on the readings we're discussing. It has been a lot of fun to work with Jennifer throughout the year in English II.

We don't share any other classes, but we do see each other on the math team. Having her on the math team is a lot of fun. She brings a lot of energy to the team and is always ready with a joke.

Finally, it's nice to have someone like Jennifer who will always remind me what our English homework was if I happen to forget.

Thanks Jennifer!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Song of Myself

I celebrate myself, and sing myself, despite my lack of vocal talent.
Perhaps writing a song would be a better idea than singing one.
For every atom belonging to me cannot sing.

I loaf and invite my soul, at least for the first part of this long weekend.
I lean and loaf my soul at ease, putting this blog off until now.
School in abeyance, but work continuing.
Ceasing not until death.

Or perhaps until summer vacation.
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself.
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

The last scud of the day brings snow.
It flings its whiteness after the rest and true as any on the shadow'd city,
It coaxes me to the indoors.

I stop somewhere with this parody (I suppose you could call it a parody. I don't know. What would you call it? (Comment honestly, everyone else hears you, and I check only a bit longer.)), so I might as well stop here.

Anyways...I have absolutely no clue what to write about, hence my interlude.
I celebrate myself for having straight A's in the first quarter, I suppose? And having a good first quarter of math team? And not falling too horribly behind on work (for the most part)?

I celebrate myself for accidentally freezing up my computer right now. Thankfully I didn't lose my work (save draft is your friend, people). I celebrate myself for remembering to save draft.

I celebrate myself for being one of the first in our class to finish this blog. So if it's not following the requirements, sorry.

And if this blog doesn't make any sense, that's fine. I too am untranslatable. You will hardly know what I mean (because I barely do), but I shall be good health to you nevertheless. Or hopefully at least a good read.
(But seriously, if this doesn't make any sense, check out the excerpt from Song of Myself. I celebrate myself for being able to blend that into this blog.)

Poe

Edgar Allen Poe was one of the great early American authors and one of the best examples of a Romantic. In all of his works, the "5 I's" are clearly evident, and that is why I like Poe's works.

The first I is imagination. I think that it's nice to see some more abstract and imaginative works rather than something as rigid as what was found in literature of the Age of Reason. Ligeia is an example of great use of imagination. While some may find it "weird," I just found it very interesting how Poe created an atmosphere and environment in his writing.

The second I is intuition. Poe's writing tended to be based off of feelings and was rather spontaneous, just as was expressed in the Wordsworth quote that called Romantic writing a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling." The emotions Poe expressed were very powerful indeed--the depression in the House of Usher, the remembrance of the lost Lenore in The Raven, among many others. 

Idealism is the third I. Poe seems to be an avid supporter of idealism, most clearly in The Fall of the House of Usher. That book uses an imaginative setting to convey the idea that the artistic elite will fall and that the cracks in the aristocracy are in the foundation and cannot be ignored.

Inspiration is the 4th I. Poe's writings were clearly inspired by nature and the natural world. The setting of the House of Usher makes the natural elements (such as the tarn) around it play a major role. Additionally, Poe uses the Raven to express a point, which shows he idea that nature is alive and has supernatural powers.

The final I is Individualism, or perhaps just "I." Poe emphasizes the individual by limiting the number of characters, making each one more important and allowing him to develop them further, giving them each their own individual voice. Additionally, there is no omniscient narrator--but rather an individual voice.

Will there be another writer whose works express these 5 I's as well as Poe?

Quoth the Raven--Nevermore.

What is an American?

               As the most powerful country in the world, you would think there would be a uniform definition of an American. But I don’t believe there is. I don’t believe there ever will be. I don’t believe there ever should be. “American” is not a race. It is not a religion. It is not a uniform culture. But rather, I feel that it’s an ideal. Perhaps it’s even an ideology.

               America has always been a nation of immigrants—the Native Americans—the “original” Americans—make up only a tiny, but still vibrant, part of our country today. We are made up of hundreds of different ethnic groups from all inhabited continents and most every country on Earth. That is why it’s my firm belief that there is no one American race and no one American culture. Each new wave of immigrants adds its own ideas, its own traditions, and its own culture to the American culture. “American” is also not a religion. One of the greatest achievements of our country is the religious freedom we practice. While we are not perfect, as a whole we allow people of numerous religions to practice their beliefs without interruption. Clearly, there is no single image of an “American.”

               So, then, what is an American? While we do not have a single culture, there are things that tie us all together. We believe that all men are created equal and are endowed to certain unalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The idea of individual freedoms is the source of what makes America a great country. All of our past mistakes have been from giving too few freedoms (or denying certain groups freedoms) rather than giving too many freedoms. One of the basic tenets of America is freedom, and so anyone who does not respect another group’s freedoms cannot call themselves American.

               One final thing that ties all Americans together is the hope of a better life. Most immigrants coming to America hoped for a better life—to be able to live in prosperity in their new home. While many worked hard and failed to find prosperity, the idea still stuck. I believe the hope that you can give your children a better life than you yourself had is a basic part of what it means to be an American.

The Modern Puritan

               The Puritans, as a religion, obviously do not exist today as they did in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s in the American colonies. The most similar in appearance are the modern Amish, who, like the Puritans, live in isolated communities separated from the more modern, more moderate outside world. While there are clear similarities between the Amish and the Puritans, there are enough differences that they should not be clumped under the same umbrella.

However, I would argue that there are religious groups that subscribe to Puritanical beliefs to this day. While the intentions of the Puritans were good, most of these groups, as the Puritans did during the Salem Witch Trials, spread their message through intolerance. The Westboro Baptist Church preaches “Hell and Damnation” and holds the Puritanical belief that God damns all sinners (meaning that the larger community they are a part of is going to Hell). Their intolerance towards LGBT people and towards the soldiers that protect our country is parallel to the views of many Salemites during the witch trials towards witches. Also, similarly to the Puritans, they are thought of as fanatics by the majority of the population. Another example would be the radical Islamic views held by certain groups in the Middle East, including Iran. Iran is a full-fledged theocracy—just like the Puritan communities. Religious dissent is usually not tolerated and adultery usually results in the execution of the adulteress (a punishment that could have befallen Hester Prynne).

While the Puritans did not stand the test of time, their ideas live on and exist in several places in this world. Is this humanity dooming itself to make the same mistake twice? Or is this the expression of humanity’s incredibly strong piety and faith? Only time will tell what will come of the Modern Puritans.
Edit: I realize this sounds very negative. I do not believe that Puritanism in and of itself is a negative thing, however, I do feel that the way it has been expressed historically and even into modern times has been through intolerance of those who do not share the same beliefs. I believe that being a "Puritan" involves striving to make not just yourself, but also others, better people, not to vilify those who do not agree with your beliefs.

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

I don’t pretend that John Proctor is a hero, or anywhere close to perfect. But he’s definitely a lot closer to “hero” than he is to “stooge.” In fact, outside of Hale (as we reach the end of the play), I would say he is probably the closest character to “hero.”

In the end, he is hung for witchcraft. He obviously did not commit this crime. The two crimes he committed were his affair with Abigail (which, along with Parris catching the dancing in the forest, was a key part of the setup that led to Abigail’s “confession” and subsequent accusations), and lying (which did get a bit out of hand at points). He also had an unfortunate tendency to rip up official court documents that he did not like.

But other than that, I believe he was a good person. His wife Elizabeth refuses to attempt to convince him to confess again, saying that “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” (1358). This is the truth of the matter—by not confessing, he tells God and the world that the true story is the one he had Mary Warren begin to tell in Act III, which is in fact the truth. Despite his lies, he goes to his grave holding to the true story.

Additionally, he is guided by the idea expressed in Act II that “the magistrate sits in your heart that judges you.” Elizabeth furthers this by telling him that “there be no higher judge under Heaven than Proctor is!” He doesn’t want the public to see his confession, and I think that may be because he in his heart was confessing to adultery, even though on paper he was confessing to witchcraft. I think he has confessed to himself and God and that is all he feels that matters. I realize that this is a theory that lacks solid evidence, but I feel that it might be the best explanation for him confessing, but refusing to take it public and subsequent destruction of his confession.

While John Proctor is a very complex character and I cannot even begin to go into detail about him, I feel that this short summary is a good approximation of his beliefs and ideas as he goes to his grave—that is, he is right by God and right by himself (both through not lying and through his confession), so he has no regrets in that sense.

"Arrivals...there goes the neighborhood" (or not)

               I have a major problem with this quote, and that’s that it’s somewhere between “misleading” and “completely false.” The one time it is accurate was when the Native Americans were being kicked out by the explorers, but I doubt that thought even came into the Native Americans’ heads until it was too late. I believe that at most points in history—especially the ones where this quote has been used to try to prevent new people from entering a community—new arrivals have helped the community out in numerous ways.

               Now, obviously, the basis for this assignment is the white explorers coming across the Atlantic, setting up colonies, and kicking the Native Americans out. That would be a case of arrivals taking over a neighborhood. However, I would be surprised if the Native Americans thought that was going to happen well before it actually did happen. I think they were more excited about the new ideas that the explorers brought over, and the possibility for trade. The problem was simply that the explorers said something more along the lines of, “Natives…This is our neighborhood.”

               The ironic thing is that the descendants of those explorers, who most unceremoniously and violently kicked the Native Americans out of their neighborhood, were very gung-ho about preventing new arrivals to enter their lands. Obviously, the Puritan groups would only accept Puritans, which is logical given their history of persecution. But later on, after the American Revolution, there have been numerous waves of new immigrants, all of whom have faced discrimination. The Irish, for example, were discriminated against by the British immigrants and Americans of British descent. “No Irish Need Apply” was commonly seen in the help-wanted ads in newspapers. The Americans feared that the Irish would destroy their civilization. Obviously, that didn’t happen. Other European groups have faced similar discrimination as they came to America, mainly because people feared the new arrivals would destroy their culture and their way of life—in other words, their neighborhood. On the West Coast, Asian immigrants were also discriminated against because whites felt that they might take over the neighborhood with their non-European culture and appearance.

               The aforementioned examples occurred around the turn of the 20^th century or earlier, for the most part. But does that mean people don’t say “Arrivals…there goes the neighborhood” today? I think they still do. Hispanic immigrants, if you ask some whites, are going to be the downfall of America. Some say that they will take all of our jobs for cheaper wages, therefore leaving the whites, who were here “first” out of luck. I find this statement incredibly hypocritical in addition to completely baseless. Firstly, anyone who is not Native American has immigrated to this country after the year 1492, and their ancestors have either been a perpetrator or a victim of this discrimination. Secondly, if we look throughout our own city, some of the most vibrant, active neighborhoods are immigrant neighborhoods. So yes, while immigrants may change the landscape of a neighborhood, this is for the better, proving that “Arrivals…there goes the neighborhood” should really be “Arrivals…here comes a new neighborhood” if applied to our times.

 

I know this is a bit longer than 400 words…sorry, but I feel like this is an important point I would like to make.

Me

Hi! I'm Jonathon M. and I am in your 5th period English class.
I'm a freshman frackie.
I can enjoy all subjects if the material is interesting, but I particularly enjoy math and social studies/history. I would consider myself an overachiever, but I don't think that's a bad thing. As for English class specifically, I really am fine with anything besides just being lectured or being forced to do busywork. I don't prefer reading or writing--they both can be interesting. As far as favorite books, I would struggle to name just 1 or 2. Right now I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo and am enjoying it immensely.
I really don't have much free time...but when I do, I enjoy playing computer games. I don't have any favorite movies or TV shows.
As far as other hobbies, I really enjoy baseball. I don't play it any more, but I do enjoy watching it. I'm a diehard Cubs fan, but I suppose I can get along with Sox fans for a year since both teams are so bad. I also enjoy watching other sports. As far as college sports go, I'm a Notre Dame fan. I also like math and have been on the math team here at Whitney Young for 2 years and made it to the state championships last year. I have played the piano for 9 years and continue to do so.
I'm really looking forward to a great year.
Jonathon