Journal #26

This blog is about snooow! I think my opinion of snow changes depending on what I'm doing. If I'm sitting in my house looking outside, I like it. Snow is pretty, and fun to run around in even though I'm not a little kid anymore. If I'm driving, however, I hate snow with a fiery passion. My car is not four wheel drive, and it doesn't weigh a whole lot. I think I hate the ice on the roads that comes from snow even more than snow itself. Nobody likes to slip and slide around on the road. I also hate snow when I drive because I live on a country road, so when it snows a lot you can't see where the road is. The road is just one big blanket of snow, and it blends with the snow from the cornfields so it's all perfectly flat. I have lost track of how many people I have seen get stuck on my road because they think that the road is somewhere it isn't, so they drive right off of it and into the ditch. I think that's what I most afraid of this winter. Another reason I dislike snow is that I don't like the salt that is placed on the roads. It speeds up the corrosion of the metal under the car! I dislike that quite a lot.
I know it seems like I hate snow at this point, but I actually really like to watch snow and make snowmen. I made a 6-foot tall snowman last year! It was pretty cool. I would make snowangels, but that's a little bit too cold. You lay down in the snow, then it just goes into every opening of your coat and melts. And when you stand up, you mess up the snowangel!
I think overall, snow is a little bit more trouble than it's worth. Little kids love it, anybody who can drive hates it with a passion.

"The Minister's Black Viel" - Dark Romanticism

I liked "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne a little more than "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe. I believe the psychological aspect of the story and the way that it depicts Dark Romanticism is much more affective than the doom and gloom found in "The Pit and the Pendulum." It was much more easy to relate to than Poe's story.
The main affect felt by "The Minister's Black Veil" was the way that humans are inherently evil by nature. Each one has all kinds of dark secrets and things they are ashamed of, which is what the pastor is trying to prove by wearing the black veil. His veil is used as a symbol of the evil and sins that separate people from one another, which is a characteristic of romanticism, specifically Dark Romanticism in that it talks about the evil tendencies of humans rather than goodness (Hawthorne).
Not only are humans naturally evil, but they are also prone to hiding their evil and closing it off from the rest of the world because they are ashamed. Most people are too afraid to do what the pastor did, which is showcase his sins and sadness to the world in the form of his veil. By doing this he took responsibility for his sins and the way they separate a person from the people around them if they are ignored and never addressed (Hawthorne).
The last thing I saw out of the story was that humans are naturally prone to judging each other rather than looking at their own faults, and they are scared by things that they do not want to address because they hit home way too closely. While yes, the pastor did wear his sins upon his face quite literally, the truth is that every person is just as guilty as he was. The people of the town knew him and his character, and they knew that he was a very good man, yet they chose to shut him out of their lives because he actually took responsibility for his sins and that scared them (Hawthorne).
The truth is we all have our own black veils. Whether they are deep dark secrets of things we have done it our past or simply evil thoughts we have entertained at times, we all possess them. The fact that we all possess them should teach us to be understanding of one another and the fact that we all have our faults. But instead of doing that we all choose to hide our own faults and point fingers at others in order to take t he attention away from ourselves. In this way we all suffer our own form of personal torture as the things that bother us slowly eat us up inside. If only we could all stop acting so high and mighty and admit that none of us are perfect, the world would be a much happier place. The fact that the pastor, one of the most holy men in that town, was the one able to step up and acknowledge that he is a sinner says a lot about our society. All of these dark truths that are revealed about society through this writing is a classic example of Dark Romanticism (Hawthorne).

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Minister's Black Veil." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature. Ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill. 2010. 280-289. Print.

Journal #25

Honestly, I think everyone has at least a little bit of a mask, if that makes sense. I don't know very many people that are comfortable with just openly speaking about their problems, they're all guarded. Maybe that's because that's just how my friends are, I don't know. I don't think that they are purposely pushing people away, though. I do not know if this would count as an example of "wearing a mask", but a while ago my friend got dumped by his girlfriend of over a year, and he would not talk about it with anyone. Like I said, I do not know if that counts as wearing a mask, but he was not being open about it, and he was holding in all of emotions. By doing that I guess he was kind of pushing people away, which is sort of like wearing a mask.
I can not remember the last time that I realized that I was wearing a mask. I am sure that I wear one just subconsciously to sort of help keep my personal life in my own mind, if that makes sense. I do not like when people talk endlessly about themselves and everything that is going wrong in their life openly to other people, so why would I want to do that to people? I wear that mask so that I do not annoy people with my personal issues. I wear a mask whenever I am feeling sad so that I do not get bombarded with questions because to me, asking questions makes the issue worse. I can not remember when the last time I was really sad, though. I suppose I just do not like to talk about my problems to others because I like solve them myself, and I do not want to be judged by other people. I do not mind listening to other peoples' problems though, as long as they do not talk about them constantly. I know a few people who only ever talk about themselves and how "sucky" their life is, and I hate it.

The Pit and the Pendulum - Dark Romanticism

There are just a few main, distinguishing characteristics of dark romanticism that I found repeated over and over when researching the topic. These are as follows: dark romanticists believe people are naturally prone to sin and evil, they believe the world is dark, decaying and mysterious, they believe that nature reveals truth about the world but that when nature reveals things about life they are mysterious and evil, and dark romanticists didn't ignore evil, but they acknowledged it and the horror of it. I also believe an aspect of dark romanticism is exploration of the darker side of the spiritual realm and the way that it clashes with our own in points that we can see on certain occasions. The belief in the evil and supernatural is very evident in some works of dark romanticists.

The Pit and the Pendulum, written by Edgar Allen Poe, a distinguished dark romanticist, is a clear example of many ideas of dark romanticism. The first place in which this is showcased is in the mood as the story opens. The feeling of the story is immediately set with the foreboding words of the first sentence: "I was sick, sick unto death, with that long agony, and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses were leaving me." So already, as the story opens, the narrator has managed to settle an air of depression and hopelessness upon the scene. Later in the same paragraph the narrator describes his judges as though the very lips on their faces were some great symbol of evil and finality. Through these examples the author has illustrated the characteristic of the horror of evil(Poe).

The way the world is decaying and mysterious is illustrated when the narrator awakens in a dark, disgusting prison. Upon further exploration he deduces that he is in a circular prison with a deep pit in the center which it is intended for him to fall into. At one point rats enter his prison and attempt to eat his food. This disgusting filth and these vile living conditions show the decaying and mysterious nature of the world(Poe).

The prison the narrator is in is very inhuman in the way it punishes him. The pain inflicted upon him is both physical and mental. He is tormented both by the grotesqueness and unhygienic nature of the prison and the prospect of falling to his death or being sliced open by the scythe, physically, and he is tormented mentally by the constant, slow descent of the scythe and eventually the slow progress of the walls of the prison as they push him inwards towards the pit. The combination of these many torments, rather than a slow, quick death, prove that humans are naturally evil and prone to do bad things to one another(Poe).

The tale of the pit and the pendulum is both a horror story for the ages and a lasting example of the era of dark romanticism. As described above, the fundamental ideas of dark romanticism are all represented within the short story. It is truly a classic sample of the genre that is dark romanticism.

Works Cited

Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Pit and the Pendulum." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature. Ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill. 2010. 263-273. Print.

The Raven Criticism Analysis

"The Raven" is one of Edgar Allen Poe's most famous poems. It draws in it's readers with deep inner thoughts of the mind, put out into the open by grief, suffering, and insanity. Edgar Allen Poe was a dark romanticist, and in being this, he wrote many things about the darker side of human nature, of mystery, of the psychological mind, and of darker spiritual phantasms. "The Raven" is a dark tale of a man going practically insane from the grief of his lost love, Lenore, and talking to a raven--a symbol of death--who only replies to the man, "Nevermore." The tale has many different references in it making the symbolic and figurative meaning stronger. It can be interpretted many different ways: a grieving man losing his mind due to the suffering from the loss of his beloved, a dark tale revealing the author's own feelings toward love, or a historical meaning, such as Dave Smith, author of a criticism of "The Raven," believes. "If we read "The Raven," despite its absence of specific local details, as an "awareness" of the life of America in 1845, we see that Poe has conjectured the nightmare of the individual cut off from history, abandoned by family, place, and community love. He experiences personally what the South will experience regionally and the country will, down the long road, experience emotionally. Though he means to celebrate Lenore, what he most intensely celebrates is the union with community, the identity of place and people which Poe simultaneously has and has lost" (Smith). Dave Smith believes that Poe's poem is Edgar Allen Poe's portrayal of the country at the time, something that I had never thought of, but that is interesting and also relevant. This idea would be accurate with the Romanticism Period characteristics, in which they wrote of emotions, nature, and patriotism. Smith's connection of the poem to the South does seem logical and it seems to fit the Romanticism time period."In this, in 1845, he speaks for the Southern white and, paradoxically, for the slave paralyzed in his garden and also dispossessed" (Smith). However, even though this does make sense, I do not agree with David Smith. I think that Edgar Allen Poe is mainly coming across and giving a story of how grieving and not doing anything to stop one's suffering of a loved one eventually makes that person go insane. He or she loses their minds to the grief and anguish caused by the loss of the loved one. "It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore--Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore." Quoth the Raven "Nevermore" (Poe, 260). I think that the poem is merely the suffering of a loved one, Lenore. Edgar Allen Poe's very articulate ryhming scheme and his use of words to create a dim and bleak, yet sincere tone, tell the story of a lonely, sad, loveless man, rather than an analogy to the South and historical United States, as David Smith believes.

Works Cited

Smith, Dave. "Edgar Allan Poe and the Nightmare Ode," Southern Humanities Review 29, no. 1 (Winter 1995): pp. 4-5, 9-10. Quoted as "Poe as a Southern Writer" in Harold Bloom, ed. Edgar Allan Poe, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1999. (Updated 2007.) Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMPEAP26&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 23, 2010).
Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Raven." American Literature. Columbus, Ohio: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 257-260. Print.

The Raven

A man is sleeping from reading a book, and he hears a small tapping noise on his chamber door. He shakes it off thinking it is only a visitor. He sleeps again, but wakes to the same tapping noise again. He goes to the door opens it, but he finds no one there. Then he hears a tapping noise on the window, and as he opens up the window, a raven flies into his room and sits on a bust of Athena, the greek goddess of wisdom and war. He asks the raven what his name is and it replies. "Nevermore." He asks of Lenore, his dead wife whom he grieves, and the raven again replies, "Nevermore." He then asks if his suffering for Lenore will ever go away, and the raven replies, "Nevermore." He tells the raven to leave him, but the raven, alas, says, "Nevermore."

This poem is dark and mystical, and from the literal translation, one would not know this. However, Poe uses many literary devices to make this poem how Poe intended it to be. For one, he uses illusion, or referencing something of another piece of work or art. "But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door--Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door--Perched, and sat, and nothing more." (Poe, 258). Here, Pallas refers to Athena. Athena was the protector of wisdom and innocence, and in the poem, she is used as protection of the man's mind. A raven was commonly used as a symbol of death. As the raven flies and sits on the bust of Athena, it symbolizes that the innocence, the wisdom, and essentially, the man's mind, dies, or he goes insane.

Poe also uses repetition in his poem to set the dark theme. The raven continues to say, "Nevermore," and only that word. The raven says nothings else but that. And as the man asks the questions to the raven, and the raven gives him these terrible replies, the man perishes in his anguish and grief.

Poe's poem is a symbol of darkness and death. The man, suffering from the loss of his beloved Lenore, loses his mind in his grief. He talks to a raven, believes the answers from the raven, and goes insane. The man loses himself in his sadness and suffering. The Raven symbollically shows us that when one wallows around in his or her grief and suffering and does nothing to escape it, they eventually lose themselves, and their innocent selves die in their anguish.

Journal #24

This blog is about a time when my mind scared me or played tricks on me. I must say, now that I'm older this does not happen very much. Today I thought I saw someone standing by my dad's car for just half a second, but no one was actually there. I was not scared though, I just figured it was a piece of hair in my eyes that look like a shadowed figure. I think the last time that my mind actually tricked me and made me scared was when I was seven or something. I used to afraid of walking through my house at night when all the lights were off because I thought that there were little ghosts and a t-rex in my house somewhere. I was actually legit scared that there were because I would see the shadows of things, and my mind would morph the shape into something I feared. I cannot recall anytime recently that my mind has scared me or played tricks on me. Unless optical illusions count as a mind trick! I was just looking at optical illusions yesterday of sidewalk chalk drawings (those cool ones in cities that are detailed and look real) and for a moment I actually thought that there was a spiral staircase going down into the ground from the sidewalk. My mind tricked me, ahhh! Of course I knew what it was two seconds later, but my mind got me, none the less. My mind also frequently tricks me into thinking that there is a person standing somewhere when there isn't, just like how I explained up there ^. I think that happens to a lot of people, though. I do not see actual full blown, detailed people. My mind just sees a shadow or a blur and immediately thinks, "OOH PERSON" without actual analyzing it and thinking, "oh, lamp". I do not think I have actually been really scared because of my mind recently, though; just mildly confused.

Walden Analysis

The author of the analysis starts out by talking about how Henry David Thoreau showed the true principles of Transcendentalism through his works, specifically his most noted work, Walden. I agreed with the author's point of view that through the account of his stay at Walden Thoreau set an example for other Transcendentalism believers through his display of self-reliance, frugality, economy, a personal relationship with nature that lives in every human, and environmentalism. The author points out that through his journey to Walden he sought to separate himself from society, because one of his core beliefs was that society was destroying the world because it was taking away people's individuality. The author makes a good point in the second paragraph when he talks about the way Thoreau worked to eliminate excess in his life and not waste anything. The author points out that he built his cabin for a mere $28.12 1/2, but that the point of this endeavor was not to preach the idea of hard labor, since Thoreau did in fact build the cabin himself. But rather the idea of what Thoreau went through was that if you do not live in excess and spend a lot of money daily, there is no reason why you should even have to work hard on a daily basis. You could simply work a little bit each day and never worry about your money running out or having to work too hard to finish it. I think the fact that the author caught this is very important because many people might think that his purpose was to show that hard labor is important, not to teach that living without excess is key.
The author points out a lot of symbolism that he found in Thoreau's writings in the third paragraph. He discusses the way that some of his writings in which he described journeys that he took were not only acccounts of journeys through areas and guides to where beautiful things are, but rather they were also guides through his own spiritual journeys to find enlightenment by being in the midst of natural, beautiful things. Thoreau also uses the seasons and times of year that pass by at Walden as symbols of journeys taken by the individual throughout his or her life. They go through the journey of spring and new birth and life all the way to winter when everything dies, and then back to spring where everything is alive anew. The author does a good job of proving how much Thoreau really reflected Transcendentalism and the beauty of nature through his works. The author also discusses the difference between Thoreau and other Transcendentalists by showing that Thoreau truly wanted to commune and live within nature in order to better understand it. Other Transcendentalists, however, such as Emerson, were interested in exploring the subject but not by physically placing themselves wholly within nature itself. I thought it was a very good analysis with many valid points that proved that Thoreau was a true Transcendentalist and also explored many of his theories and ideas about life.

Works Cited
Wayne, Tiffany K. "Walden." Encyclopedia of Transcendentalism. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=ETRA402&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 17, 2010).

Journal #23

This blog is about "unplugging" from electronics and all other things of the sort. First of all, I'm just gonna throw it out there that if I had to unplug, no offense to you Mr. Langley, but if I had to unplug I would not be able to attend your class! Or, well, I would have to not use a computer and not look at the big electro-screen thing. Uhm, if I had to unplug from electronics and stuff, I would probably get really bored. I would not go crazy or anything, and I would not go into a panic attack and start to cry, I would just be so monumentally bored all day. I do not text a whole lot, or at least I have not been lately, so my phone is never really being so I would not care if I had to give it up for a day or two. The same goes with TV, I do not watch TV very much at all. I do not ever have time to watch TV anymore because I have mountains of homework to do every night. Speaking of homework, my pre-calculus would never get done because I need a calculator to do it. I would probably miss my laptop if I had to give it up for a while, even though it's a hunk of junk that randomly dies and never connects to the internet unless I restart it eight billion times. I would, sadly, miss facebook. I can live without it for a day or two, but anything more than that just really starts to annoy me. My ipod's headphone jack is broken so I know I would not miss that...

I think unplugging for a day would be an interesting adventure. Maybe I'll try it sometime. It would probably do some people a lot of good to unplug for a day, though. I know a large multitude of gamers who do nothing but sit at home in front of the TV or computer and play video games alllll day. It would really help them to unplug for at least a day and get out and about. That's all I really have to say about "unplugging", it sounds fun, if I had time >:(.

Thoreau v. Gandhi

Thoreau and Gandhi's two pieces, "Civil Disobedience" and "On the Eve of the Historic Dandi March", are both very influential pieces based upon acts of protest. They are very different in some ways but also much alike in others. Clearly the most fundamental similarity is the act of protest happening in both of the works. Thoreau's cause is a protest against poll taxes that Thoreau protests against by simply refusing to pay it. He then spends a night in jail for his protest and refusal and tells the tale of his stay in the local jail. Gandhi's protest is against the tax on salt that is being imposed upon the people of India. His cause is also a protest against this tax, but his speech is a plan for protest rather than an account that is written down after the protest. The speech takes place the night before the protest, hence its title "On the Eve of the Historic Dandi March." In his speech he discusses three different ways in which the people can protest the tax peacefully without using any form of violence.
The writing styles of the two men are very different however. Thoreau almost makes it seem as though everything is about him in his works. He talks about how the government is wronging people and it all comes off as almost a way he is complaining about he himself is being wronged specifically. His work was not so much a call to arms for a chance to occur as it was a dissection of the very problems he saw in the government as a whole. Because of this he does not seem to touch the readers on quite as much of a personal level I do not believe. Gandhi, on the other hand, was very good at touching people on a personal level. The whole point of his speech was to rally together troops and call them to action in order to get something done peacefully and efficiently. His cause was not personal, but rather it was to benefit the entire nation and stop the wrongful occurrences he felt were being imposed upon his people. His main concern was to make life better for the people not just for himself. For this reason I felt as though he touched the audience on much more of a personal level. I believe the important thing to take away from these speeches is the point that protest and change do not always have to come at the price of blood. Sometimes people can be mature adults and handle things in an adult matter, which means talking about them or even protesting them but in a peaceful and non-violent way. These works stand as examples of that. In Gandhi's case these works went on to become actions that eventually led to change. In the case of Thoreau, although he might have influenced many people with his works, I do not believe there is an immediate source of action that can be verified. However both men have provided us with one thing and that is the inspiration to affect change with our words rather than our weapons, and that is an invaluable lesson.

Works Cited

Gandhi, Mahatma. "On the Eve of the Historic Dandi March." American Literature. Comp. Jeffory Willhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 229-30. Print.


Thoreau, Henry D. "Civil Disobedience." American Literature. Comp. Jeffory Willhelm. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 222-27. Print.

Journal #22

I think it would be okay to disregard the law only if you were in a critical situation. Most laws are reasonable, and they are made to insure your safety. I think the only law that can be bent a little bit would be speed limits. I can understand speeding a little bit, but only within a reasonable limit, like 2 or 3 miles per hour over the limit. I highly doubt that there is a person in America that hasn't sped at all. Speeding is a law that is difficult to completely enforce, so I can understand breaking it. However, going 15 miles per hour over the speed limit is way too much, and you would be endangering those around you by having to weave in and out of traffic. Even the speed laws have their limits.
My idea of a critical situation is basically when someone's life is on the line. I can not really think of a law you would possibly have to break if someone's life was on the line. Speeding, maybe, if they were dying in the back seat of your car or something. But even then, you would probably think to call an ambulance first before trying to play hero and drive the dying person to the hospital yourself. If someone was threatening or hurting you, it is not against the law to fight back because that's just self-defense. I am having a difficult time thinking of reasons to break the law. Disregarding the law for drugs is just stupid in my opinion because they are not something someone absolutely needs. I can maybe understand disregarding the law to steal medication for your dying brother or something because you don't have money, but even that is kind of stretching it. I suppose if you were trapped in a building full of deadly chemicals and broke down a door to escape that could be seen as defacing public property. I think being threatened is really the only reason to break the law.

Analysis - "Emerson and the Work of Melancholia"

In his criticism, Edmundson brings up the reason of why Ralph Waldo Emerson began to write Romanticism literature. Emerson refused to mourn the dead. Even when his wife died in 1831, Emerson refused to mourn because it was almost like showing weakness and conformity, which he was very against. Edmundson says that Emerson lost his best friend and brother, Charles. Then he talks about how James Cox told Emerson it was okay to be sad in his The Circles of the Eye. "Getting over the deaths of loved ones is no tired or traditional 'spiritual' vision for Emerson precisely because it is a literal breathing in, or inspiration, of the death in life" ("Emerson and the Work of Melancholia."). I think that after reading this, Emerson became aware of everything that he was holding in. He finally let it out by mourning two of the people closest to him. I think that because of that new feeling of mourning, Emerson channeled a lot of his new emotions into his literature. This helped them to express even more Romanticism because of all of the emotion that Emerson put into his writing. Later in the Edmundson's criticism, he discusses an excerpt that can be found in Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay Compensation, "Every soul is by … intrinsic necessity quitting its whole system of things, its friends, and home, and laws, and faith, as the shell-fish crawls out of its beautiful but stony case, because it no longer admits of its growth, and slowly forms a new house. In proportion to the vigor of the individual, these revolutions are frequent, until in some happier mind they are incessant…. And such should be the outward biography of man in time, a putting off of dead circumstances day by day…. But to us, in our lapsed estate, resting, not advancing, resisting, not cooperating with the divine expansion, this growth comes by shocks" ("Emerson and the Work of Melancholia."). This quote is about how Emerson handled all of the recent deaths he suffered through. He tells of how he continued to ignore it until he got used to almost having a "shell" on his back. By not facing this problem, it continued to grow.

I think that Emerson rejected Romanticism later in his life because he finally accepted the deaths of his loved ones. He began writing in the Romanticism style because he had a lot of bottled up emotion from not originally mourning the deaths of his loved ones. All of those new emotions he was feeling were then channeled into his writing, thus giving it a Romanticism feel. Once he accepted those deaths, I think he experienced a sense of calm that put him at peace with the deaths. His motivation for writing Romanticism literature was gone. I think he reflected back on his old works of Romanticism literature and saw that he was no longer as compassionate as he used to be. His over abundance of emotions had finally been quelled, and in it's wake it left Emerson without the will to write Romanticism literature any longer.

"Emerson and the Work of Melancholia." Raritan (Spring 1987). Quoted as "Emerson and the Work of Melancholia" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. (accessed November 7, 2010).

Journal #21

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Benjamin Franklin both had theories for making themselves better people. Emerson made a whole essay, Self-Reliance, about how much better off a person would be if they were more self-reliant and not dependent. He also believed that an individual should believe in themselves and be who they want to be. He thought that an individual should not conform to society, they should be their own person. He believed that the world was conforming too much and everyone was becoming too similar to everyone else. Emerson believed in being independent and self-confident, which is not exactly what Benjamin Franklin was thinking about in his autobiography. Benjamin Franklin believed that his Thirteen virtues would slowly help him become a better person over the course of his life. Many of his virtues were about bettering himself and helping others. Franklin was more dependent on others than Emerson, I think. Franklin stuck to his virtues for a long time, but eventually he gave in and slowly began to fail to conform to his virtues. This is where I believe that Emerson and Franklin differ. Emerson was very pro-independence, and he believed that people should be different and non-conforming. Franklin's views are almost the exact opposite. He created his thirteen virtues to help him conform to society, I think. He wanted to fit in and be known as the "friendly man" whom everyone could depend on. Well maybe not that last part. But either way, Emerson was definitely more opposed to conformity than Franklin.

I think that their writing style is very similar. Both Emerson and Franklin's writing style is very direct and to the point. Even though Franklin was an author during the rationalism time period, and Emerson was an author during the Romanticism literary period their writing is similar. Romanticism and rationalism are pretty much opposites but in this case, I find them to be very much the same. I think I like Emerson better than Franklin, I found his Self-Reliance essay to be more easy to relate to than Franklin's thirteen virtues.

Journal #20

This blog is about the importance of self-reflection and taking a break from society. I am going to discuss taking a break from society first. I think that it is probably good for you to take a break from society once in a while. I think if a person spends too much time in society, they start to subconsciously conform to what others want, and I do not like that. Taking a break from society is like refreshing your mind. I think you become more independent and more like your true self. You could go camping in the woods to get away from society. You could build a tree house in the giant oak tree in your front yard that you think is s beautiful, and you wish you could be one with the tree because the tree is not influenced by society. That example was a little ridiculous, but I would do it.

I think self-reflection is important, but not exactly necessary. It is good to look back on your accomplishments, or failures, and think about what you've done. You can learn a lot from your mistakes. You could reflect back on that car you bought ten years ago that ran really badly, and now that you're thinking of buying a new car, you know what not to buy. Once again, that example is really ridiculous, but it is also good advice. Self-reflection could help you go a long way in life down a path of success. I think it could also make you more wise. I also think self-reflection is something that people should do maybe once they get out of high school. They could reflect back on their experiences and laugh about the memories. Or at least that's what I would do. I think it is important to reflect back on all of the important aspects of your life because not only do you learn from them, it will also help you to never forget them.

Journal #19

I do not really like the idea of having a Utopian United States. I am okay with United States the way it is now. I mean, a few things could change, but they would probably be really small things like saving the homeless or having less homework in school. I am going to describe MY ideal United States, not the ideal United States or everybody else because I think that would be more fun for me so there could actually be a possibility for me liking this blog.
In my ideal United States, there would be no poverty! I do not know how I would pull that off. I don't mean like a socialist government. I mean homeless people can get off the streets, and people that are having trouble with money can feel financially secure! People who make an obnoxious amount of money would continue to make there current salary, though.
I would also force every Taco Bell to undergo a health check every week. Yesterday Brandon opened up his potato taco from Taco Bell and there was a dead ant in it. I am now extremely afraid of eating at Taco Bell. So yeah, health checks to make sure there are no more ants because that's disgusting.
In my ideal United States, everyone would obey four way stop signs.
In my ideal United States, bluray movies wouldn't cost thirty dollars.
In my ideal United States, the economy would be ten times better than it is right now, and our relations with other countries would improve, and we would magically keep out all of the terrorists, or as Obama says, "Religious extremists" or something really dumb like that.
In my ideal United States, there would be a park in every city or town.
In my ideal United States, when someone ran for a political position, they wouldn't create stupid commercials that put down the other candidates that play on tv every single minute.
In my ideal United States, all WalMarts would become classier.
That's pretty much all I can think of.

The Last Leaf by Oliver Wendall Holmes

The poem is very easy to understand literally. It is written in plain English with not a lot of big words or phrases. Basically, the poem is talking about a very old man. He passes by the door of the narrator twice while hobbling with his cane. When he was younger it is said that he used to be the best man in town. But now he just wanders the streets alone and seems to mourn about all of the people he used to know who are gone. The people that he loved have long since been buried. The narrator’s grandmother, who is dead, told him that long ago the man had a Roman nose and bright red cheeks. However, now he has a thin nose and a crack in his back and his voice cracks when he laughs. And the narrator knows that it is wrong to laugh at him but he can’t help himself because the way the old man dresses is so strange. The narrator ends by saying if he lives to be the last leaf upon the tree he will be fine if the youth laugh, as he is laughing now, at the silly branch that he clings to.
There are a few similes used in the poem. They say that his cheek used to be like a rose in the snow, and they say that his nose now sits on his face like a staff. The only other poetic device used is likening the old man to the last leaf on a tree because he is the last one left where many used to be, and they liken his style and mannerism and the way they are thought of as weird by the youth to the way an old bough on a tree looks strange when it has only one leaf left on it.
The hidden meaning is that the old man is like the last leaf hanging from the bough of a tree. All the other leaves that have fallen off already are the people that he loved who have already died and been buried. The bough is old and outdated and so to outside observers it looks strange, which means that the old man is old and outdated and those around him who see him think that his mannerisms and dress are strange, so they laugh at him.

Journal #18

I really don't know how to write poetry, but here goes!

All around me leaves fall to the ground,
Falling softly, they don't make a sound.
I wish I could be just like a tree in fall,
Colorful, bold, and oh so tall.
The colors range from brown to red,
The leaves all dance above my head.
The leaves all fall dead by the end of the day,
I look forward to the new leaves sprouting next May.

Thanatopsis Analysis

Literal Meaning:

Nature talks to nature lover and steals his/her thoughts

When you’re feeling sad, go into nature and follow it’s teachings

Nature will reach out to you

You will not die alone because nature will be with you

All people are buried in the same earth

Nature decorates the earth where people are buried.

The sun makes the earth jovial.

One person is only a small part of the population

Seclude yourself- the dead are also there.

If you withdraw from the living, you are with the dead

Everybody living will die at some point.

Life goes on after you die

Everybody will join the dead at some point.

When death comes, relax and accept it

Poetic Devices:
There are many poetic devices which are used in William Cullen Bryant's Thanatopsis, One that sticks out a lot to me is Imagery. There is a ton of imagery in this poem regarding the heavens, nature, and then a large portion about death. It wants you to think death as a peaceful thing and so it refers to beautiful things that surround us our whole life.
There are also metaphors within this poem. They are a little rare, but they do reside within the poem. Bryant compares the last thought of death to a bad omen over your soul in the first stanza for an example. Bryant uses metaphors to put forward an easier way to read, and a recurring thought of death with his metaphors within Thanatopsis.
I do believe that William Cullen Bryant uses a small amount of personification within his writing like when he mentions the valleys and the brook, he says they are respectable and they stretch in silence, which they cannot do.
Bryant uses many similes within this poem. It occurs many times throughout the poem like when he says,"the hills rock ribb'd and ancient like the sun," or, "When thoughts of the last bitter hour come like a blight over thy spirit."
There are also three stanzas within this poem as they all reflect it seems to be different stages of accepting your death.

Figural Meaning:
The meaning of Thanatopsis is very deep. It says that you should accept your death. You should not be afraid because whatever you did on earth is forgotten once you die; you are just another part of the earth like past kings or thieves. Nature will embrace you once you are dead no matter what you have done in your life. So live peacefully and do not think about death.

Journal #17

I do not think I have ever really bonded with nature. I have done things IN nature, like camping and stuff, but I have never done a rain dance or anything like that before. I have never run through the woods butt naked and worshiped a tree or something like that. I do not really know what to type now. I guess I will just talk about how much I loved being outside in nature when I was young. I am not going to make up a story about bonding with nature, my sick sinuses are distracting me too much, and they are blocking my creativity.
Anyway, when I was younger I loooved to go outside. I would go outside as often as possible. I do not know if that's because my family did not have cable or internet, or if it was because I just loved being outside. Well we had cable but we only had like twenty channels, and only one of them had cartoons, and those cartoons only played on Saturday mornings. And we did have internet, but it was dial up so we never used it. Anyway, I'd always be outside. I remember making a Teepee out of big sticks with my neighbor, Amie. It was an awesome teepee. It was real tall and stuff and we used leaves to make it more sheltered. I also used to love climbing tress. I would always climb the one in my front yard, then nestle myself in between these two huge branches with a book and start reading. I suppose that was inadvertently bonding with nature since I was in that tree for a long time. I would also hide out in this "secret" fort that was in between my house and my neighbor's house. I say "secret" because it really wasn't secret at all because it was extremely easy to see. I do not spend as much time outside as I used to. The only time I'm ever outside now is when I wash my car or when I go for walks. I have too many other things to do.

Journal #16

I am going to write about my favorite TV shows. I can't just talk about one TV show that I like because I like far too many. I'll try to narrow down all of them.

I think my mooost favorite has to be Top Gear. The only bad thing about Top Gear is that if it's a rerun, it's really boring. All of the episode are kind of "one and done" sort of dealios. Anyways. Top Gear is a British show about cars. It's not just about cars, though. They do a lot of ridiculous tests to test which car is best out of a certain group, and they also have different challenges that they have to complete, among other car related things like races and lap time. One of my favorite episodes is where they hollow out the inside of a sedan and turn it into a living room. They put down concrete to even out the floor, then they put in little floor boards. They gave it a WORKING chimney and bookshelves. They even fit a wingback chair in there. They then proceeded to see how fast they could drive it, while there was a fire in the fireplace. There are a lot of other silly episodes, but that's a good one.

I also really like the show House. I really enjoy Hugh Laurey, if that's how you spell his name. I already forgot. My mom doesn't like it because it can get a little graphic at times. I am interested in medical things though so I like watching it. I don't understand a single medical thing they say, but I like it.

The last show I am going to mention is Courage the Cowardly Dog. I loved that show as a child, and I will continue to love it forever. It used to scare me so bad when I was little, but I'd watch it anyway. Now that I'm older I just enjoy watching the really odd art style that whoever created the show uses. The creatures are delightfully odd.

Journal #15

I use logic and reason when I make decisions, usually. I say usually because I also enjoy making spontaneous decisions that involve no logic or reason whatsoever. If the decision is important though, I will think logically. I don't really know what else to say. Uh, I think with logic and reason when I do my homework. I use logic and reason when I think about due dates, which I guess is pretty much homework. I use logic and reason when I watch NCIS and House. I use logic and reason when I bake cookies. I use it for pretty much anything that involves thinking, unless, like I said before, I feel like being spontaneous. So I guess some things that I don't use logic and reason for would be anything I do with my friends. What I mean by that is like, if we're trying to decide where to go, one of us will just say, "Let's go left" randomly. Of course none of us have thought logically about where we're going. We do think logically though, when the car is running out of gas. Then I have to think, "Oh, how far can I go with the amount of gas that's left in my tank, and how soon do I need to go to Thornton's?". So I suppose no matter what I do, logic and reason sneaks its way in there. I think that I'm a fairly logical person, more so than some people I know. There are multiple instances where I'll say, "oh, we shouldn't do that, something will go wrong" but no one will listen to me, and then something horrible happens. That has happened so many times. I do encourage being random every once in a while, though. I think being random and not thinking logically or reasonably is a lot more fun and enjoyable. Being logical can keep you out of a lot of trouble, though. I don't know what else to say now. I'm jsut being really repetative now. I'm pretty sure that's how you spell repetative. This blog says it isn't. I just used logic, ooh.

"Common Sense"

I am just going to start off this reflection/blog by saying that I did not really appreciate Thomas Paine's writing. He wrote "Common Sense" in almost a smug sort of way. He thought that he was always right, and everyone else was always wrong. One point that he brought up multiple times was that we should not have a monarchy. He said it was a sin for the Jews to think about one and it is a sin for America to have one (Paine). Paine also says, "The prejudice of Englishmen, in favor of their own government by king, lords, and commons, arises as much or more from national pride than reason." (Paine). What he means by this quote is that the people of the nation are not thinking rationally about their rulers, they only support them because of their own pride. I think Thomas Paine's strategy was to make the reader feel like he was right and that there was no other answer to consider. He also discusses the issue of colonies being too big for one group of people to represent. He states that there should be more people to represent them. We are learning about something similar to this in AP US History, but it is more about why some colonists were unhappy that the larger states had more representatives and the smaller states had less representatives. People thought that it was unfair that the larger states had more power than the smaller states. Thomas Paine just says that the colonies need more representatives, though. He also talks about when the colony increases in the amount of people, then the amount of interests and problems grow (Paine). I agree with his statement because it is reasonable. This statement can also refer back to how Paine wanted more representatives. As the amount of people living in the colonies grows, as does the need for more representative figures. The amount of problems increase as the colony grows because the issue of housing, food, and jobs will arise. Thomas Paine also talks about the fighting with England. He says that he knows that it is difficult for the colonies to get along with Britain because we want to be independent, but many of the colonists and government officials are still somewhat dependent on the British form of government (Paine). This is another way that Paine gets his ideas across to people. He talks about major issues and things that will be relatable to others. He then supports those ideas and subjects with a strong opinion and an example. Thomas Paine also confronts the problem of debt. Paine stated that the country needs to be in debt. He made one intelligent remark, saying that national debt connected the colonists together (Paine). He also said that with debt, there comes a Navy (Paine). I think that there would still be an army and a naval force, even if the country was not in debt. Before America was in debt to France, we had the Contineal Army. Thomas Paine also mentioned what would happen if we made an alliance with Britain. He thought that Britain would provide some protection for America by placing naval forces in its ports. He also brought up the important fact that common sense would tell them that they would trick them into slavery and then they would rule the colonists all over again (Paine). I thought this was a very good point. If America had openly allowed Britan to come back into the country, they would be leaving themselves wide open to become part of the British nation and government once more. Any hopes of being independent would be crushed, not only because of Britain taking control again, but because America would become dependent on Britain to protect them. Overall I think Paine made some very valid points. I think his writing strategy was good, although it did annoy me. I still do not like his "I'm always right" attitude, but I think in a way that helped him to persuade his readers. He also makes some historic references throughout the document. Overall I just thought he made many relatable points, and that was mainly how he supported his writing.

Paine, Thomas. "Common Sense." Archiving Early America. Online. 18 Oct. 2010.

Literary Criticism

The literary criticism that is found on Facts on File written by J.E. Leo Lemay is a very thorough and thoughtful piece of information. Lemay is very clear with his words and with what he thinks of Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. Throughout the whole criticism we read of how Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography is his best work and he is a much better literary author than anything else. I would have to argue a point that Benjamin Franklin's greatest work of art was nothing to do with any of his writing. In the essay Lemay says Benjamin Franklin was well known throughout the world and in Europe (Lemay). Europe was basically the center of the world at this time in history so he is comparable to the Pope or St. Theresa of the present day. Everyone knew him, but how many people read his Autobiography? No one because not very many people were literate. The people in this time period knew him for his inventions not for his writing! Think of the genius things he invented, one of them he found. But still, no one else found it. It is not like electricity is one of the greatest findings of all time. It is not like nearly everything that we in this present day use throughout the day. Electricity is Benjamin Franklin's greatest work of art.

Benjamin Franklin also invented the furnace. This improved greatly the wooden stove that only could warm one room of the house. Franklin made this furnace warm the whole house. Most of all the people I know have furnaces in their house so that is a pretty credible work of art. It allows us to sleep in comfort in the brutal winters of central Illinois. Then Franklin invented the bifocals. These were pretty nifty indeed for they allowed people with poor eyesight to not wear those ridiculous looking eyepieces they had before. They have developed into a common thing of fashion and style now and they help poor vision. Let us not also forget that Franklin came up with the concept of daylight savings time, as I have learned in the movie National Treasure. Daylight savings is something we Americans use all of the time. It is in the fall, and I can not recall the date but we fall back one hour and in the spring we go forward one hour. This allows us to have more hours of daylight to perform all of the activities of which we wish to perform in the daylight. This was pretty helpful before the lights we have now, which use electricity by the way.

Another one of Franklin's works that I would have to put ahead of his Autobiography would be his invention of a postal service. Before the days of emails and phones or texts, we had one way of communication and that would be the mail. This was all because of Benjamin Franklin. This helped us immensely when we did have have the technology that we do today. We can attribute basically all ways of communication to Benjamin Franklin since he invented electricity.

While J.E. Leo Lemay makes a very valid point that Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography was a great work of art, it was by far not his greatest. We have to think of all of the great things Benjamin did for this nation and the world. He has made many things easier because of his various works. But no way no how is his Autobiography his greatest work of art.


Franklin, Benjamin. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. [S.I.]: General, 2009. Print.

Lemay, J.A. Leo. "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." InThe Renaissance Man in the Eighteenth Century. Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, 1978. Quoted as "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. October 11, 2010.

Journal #14

This is my declaration of friendliness and all things kind :) I don't know why I chose it, but I think it's something that kids these day could do with a little more of. Too many chillins' these days are rude and unthankful! So I am going to make it a law (in my blog) to be friendly. Huzzah.

Here are some amendments for my declaration of friendliness (and there are plenty of them)

1.) If someone does something for you, SAY THANK YOU. It's not that hard to do. There are so many instances where I see someone doing something nice for someone else, ie picking up a dropped book, and then the helpee just kind of avoids making eye contact then walks away. So yeah, say thanks! or thank you. or thankers, I like that one.

2.) If someone else is about to come through the door behind you, just hold the door open a fraction of a second longer. I have been smacked in the face so many times.

3.) In the school parking lot by the sports complex, take turns with the people coming out of either of the two exits. You know, the main one then the one that's off to the left when you enter. I let a car go in front of me whenever I'm pulling out. I've also nearly been rammed into because the person just couldn't be patient, though. Leanne angry.

4.) I really wanna put HELP A BROTHA OUT right here but that has nothing to do with this amendment. If you accidentally run into someone in the hallway, don't shout "GET OUT OF MY WAY" or "OHMYGOD, MOVE". Please. This annoys me to no end. Just say, "sorry" or "excuse me". Don't yell, it's not like they could help their locker placement.

I could continue on and on, but I don't really feel like it. Help an old person, carry someone's books if they have crutches, pick something up for someone if they drop it. There are a few more in short. I wish people really were like this, that'd be like a Utopia of friendliness.

Journal #13

Well this journal is about school spirit. I don't really have a whole lot of an opinion about school spirit because it usually just depends on my mood. If I'm in a good mood then yes, I love school spirit. If I'm in a bad mood then no, I will not be having any school spirit whatsoever. And other times I just don't really care.

School spirit can be fun, especially during homecoming week. It's fun to get to try and beat the other classes (I still don't know who won, by the way). I really liked 80s day this year. I don't think we had it last year so it was refreshing. I don't like cowboy/cowgirl day very much. Our school is full of hicks enough as it is, I don't think it needs to be encouraged. Most of the people who dressed for cowboy/cowgirl day didn't even try that hard, anyway. Girls just threw on whatever flannel shirt they could find. I actually enjoyed observing the people who actually like on farms dress up, though. Their costumes were actually authentic and really good, not just throwin' on a plaid shirt. Every year we have class color day and school spirit day, so those get pretty boring after a while. Everyone's class colors are usually kinda lame anyway. I think black or white is a cool color to have since they're so basic. The juniors last year had tie dye shirts, those were cute too. A lot of people go all out for class color day and spirit day, though. I see a lot of people with painted faces or just things on their face in general. It's an excuse to use crayola markers on your face, basically.

School spirit can be bad when there is too much of it. Some people go overboard and freak out on you during homecoming week if you do not participate. Or if school spirit goes as far as putting someone else's school down, that's not cool either. I think one year some Pleasant Plains students vandalized another school or something, and that is a perfect example of how school spirit can get out of hand fast.

Journal #12

I just realized that I still have to do this blog! haha. This blog is about working with a partner. Sometimes I like to work with a partner. Working with a friend is very fun. Sometimes it depends on what friend you are working with, because you may not get a lot of work done. I am usually a hard working person though, and so are most of my friends, so we can work and talk and stuff at the same time. Usually, when we are working and talking and having fun, the work is done before we know it!
I really do not like working with people that I do not like or do not get along with. No one likes to do that. We usually butt heads or do not have to same ideas. Sometimes I just cannot understand what other people are thinking. It is really hard to do a project or something when you and your partner have totally different ways of thinking.
I remember a lot of project that we got in middle that I could have gotten a better grade on had I worked with someone I knew. Usually what ends up happening whenever I am in a group with some is I do all the work. People just assume that since I get my homework done every night that I am going to want to do the whole stupid project. WRONG.
I just do not work very well with partners. If it involves making a poster, they always make me do it because once again they ASSUME that since I like art and I'm a decent artist, I am going to want to draw the poster. WRONG AGAIN. So. I prefer either working with people I know or working alone.

Journal #11

Well, this journal is about ethics and values. I don't really have a whole lot to say about this. I think ethics are more like rules and what you see as being right, and values are more of your own personal views and what you see as important. I have not really ever thought about either of these, so I do not know what to say here. I think ethics are a little more important than values because you should always do what's right. A lot of people follow their values more though because they want to be independent and do what they want to. Values are very important to how a person views themselves. Values helps a person to become who they are and they can establish themselves. Values are things that people value and focus their lives around. Values are basically a set of rules that a person sets for themselves that they follow. Values are usually easy to follow because a person sets them for them selves. For example, a persons value is to be nice and to help others. This is a good value because it is helping out a person and the person who is giving out the niceness. Values are all different types of things. A person could set all their values based on the Bible. This would mean that they follow what the Bible says. They will also follow the 10 Commandments as closely as possible.

Ethics are more closely related to rules, not what an individual sees as being right. Ethics are like what is expected out of a person. For example, if you go to a sit down dinner, it is expected of you to be polite. It is not a rule, but it is generally what people are expecting. It may not be one of you values, but it is what should be done, even though it may not be what you want to do. You may want to be the most rude, obnoxious person on the planet because one of your values, lord knows why, is being loud and proud. That would be what you want to do, but it is not what is expected or what is right. So, basically ethics are what society views as right, and values are what you personally view as right.

Journal #10

Wellll this blog is about Science versus Religion. I suppose I could type about the Puritans and the Enlightenment/Great Awakening, but I really hate anything to do with Puritans. I also really hate anything to do with religion. I am so sick of writing about nonstop religion and Puritans, and I think always having to type about them just makes me hate them even more. I get even more junk about Puritans thrown at me during AP US History. I can't wait until we finally start learning about something else. This being said, I am going to type about my own personal opinion of science versus religion.
I do not really care if a person supports science or religion as long as they do not try to push their beliefs on me. I am pretty sure I was just talking about this in my last blog. I think people who support religion are more likely to try to push their beliefs on you. Like I said in my last blog, I know a lot of people who would openly criticize someone for not supporting their religion. What I mean is that if I was to say, "Oh well I think evolution is just a little bit more believable" the person would start to lecture me on why I was wrong and why I should not think that. I do not like people who do not respect other peoples' opinions. I find that people who are not very religious are less likely to try to push their beliefs onto others. I know that there are people out there that will try to push their scientific religion onto someone, but I have not personally encountered someone like that. I think that if someone was to try and preach their scientific religion to me, I would react the same way as if they were preaching their Christianity to me. I really hate religion in any form, it doesn't matter if it's Atheism or Christianity, I just hate it.

Puritan Project! Yeahhhhh

This is my Puritan Project!

Journal #9

I do not like religion, so I do not have a lot to say in this journal. I do not care if someone is a Catholic, Buddhist, Atheist, or any other sort of organized religion. I do care, however, if they try to push their religion onto me. I do not like the type of people who will not accept any other religion besides their own. For instance, I know a girl who will go crazy and start preaching to you about God if you even mention that you are not a Christian. I do not like people who try to push their beliefs onto someone else. I believe people should have a right to believe in whatever they want to without being criticized. It should not matter to other people what someone else worships. I do not understand why religion has to be such a big deal.

This being said, I would have the absolute worst time living back in Puritan times. I would not want to worship God like all of the other Puritans because I prefer to just me a neutral person when it comes to religion. I suppose I would be an Agnostic person. If I was around during the Salem Witch Trials, I am almost entirely certain that I would be labeled a witch then burned at the stake.

In Act IV, John Proctor is sentenced to execution. His confession came too late in the situation. Elizabeth could not back up his story because she had already made up one of her own to go along with. Reverend Hale also spent some time trying to convince people that if they were involved in witchcraft, they should confess now to help release their sins. I found The Crucible to be somewhat of an odd book. It was really short, which I liked, and it was easy to read as well. I did not like a lot of the characters, though, because many of them were hypocritical.

Journal #8

I thought that the video was clever, but not really as funny as the comedian wanted it to be, I think. Maybe it was only me who didn't find the video all that funny because I don't usually enjoy crude humor. I think he made a good point about proofreading, though. I think people rely too much on their computer being able to recognize their mistakes then fix them. I think almost everybody uses Microsoft Word these days, and people rely heavily on the little zigzag lines under their mistakes. The red zigzag lines indicate a mistake, which I find helpful; however, a lot of the time people will just go through and use the first suggested word, which may not be the one they originally wanted. This is one of the points that the comedian made, I think. It was a little hard to understand him, but I know that he meant for it to be that way. Another valid point he made is that the computer will not add in a word if you forgot it. I've experienced that so many times when I type papers. I'll review it, then realize that I left out the main subject of the sentence. I usually will laugh at how horrible the sentence looks, then I will either fix it or improve it. I think a lot of the time I do not notice my mistakes, though. I will scan my paper and just skim right over it because I do not see it. I think it's because a lot of my mistakes are just accidentally spelling something wrong. Then that weird mind thing mixes me up, if you've heard of it. Where if a word starts with the right letter and ends with the right letter, it doesn't matter how the words in the middle are spelled. Lkie tihs, and tihs is werhe msot of my msitkeas cmoe form. It's ralely furtrstinag, but I apcect it.

Journal #7

I do not follow any superstitions. I am not a superstitious person, I never have been. I can't write about any superstitions I follow since I don't have any, but I can type about how when I was little I would follow superstitions just for fun. For example, I remember the rhyme "step on a crack, break your mother's back". I'm not sure that would be a superstition, but when I was little I still made sure to jump over all the cracks in the sidewalk. I only did that when I remembered the rhyme, but that's as close as I can get to being superstitious. I think superstitions are pointless. I don't know what else to type about since I don't believe any superstitions! I'll just talk about the different types of superstitions, I suppose.
I think the superstition I hear about most is walking under ladders. I can not remember what the consequences of doing that are, but I know it had something to do with having bad luck for however many years. I can understand why you should not walk under one because it's dangerous, but I do not believe it would give you bad luck.
I think the saying about a black cat crossing your path giving you bad luck is even more ridiculous than the ladder superstition. At least walking under a ladder is potentially dangerous so there is some logic to it. Having a black cat cross your path could not harm you whatsoever, even if it had some disease and tried to attack you. Cats are puny.
Another superstition is if you break a mirror it is seven years of bad luck. This superstition has a little logic behind it, as well. I do not think it would give you bad luck, but it is dangerous, just like the ladder situation. If you break a mirror you will more than likely get hurt, and maybe people take that as bad luck. There are many other superstitions, but these are the three that I remember the most.

Journal #6

I do not think anything good can come out of blaming someone for something they did not do. It's not ever a good idea to pin the blame on someone else for a lot of reasons. One reason would be that if your parents or teacher, whoever is upset with you, found out that you blamed someone else instead of manning up to it, you would probably be in even more trouble than if you had told the truth in the first place. Honesty is always the best way to go in a situation like that, I think. The punishment is always worse when you don't tell the truth.
If the person you blamed was your friend, then I doubt that they would want to be your friend after blaming them for something they didn't do. Blaming something on a friend is almost like stabbing them in the back. It would be different if they voluntarily took the blame for you, though. If your friend took the blame for you on their own, I think that would make them an even better friend because they are willing to take the blame for you. But if they didn't, I do not know any person who would want to stay friends with not someone who would blame something on them. I know that if one of my friends blamed one of their mistakes on me, I would be incredibly angry. I would confront them about what they did, then I would stop talking to them. But I think it also depends on what the person is blaming you for. If they were blaming you for breaking something then that's annoying, but if they blame you for stealing something from a store, then that would be something to worry and be angry about because that's a serious matter that could get you in jail. This would be another repercussion of not taking the blame.
Another result of not taking the blame would be it would cause the people around you to avoid you. If people found out that you lied about something you did, they would lose respect for you.

Journal #5

I think that taking away cellphones and games are pretty good punishments for the 21st century. Most kids these days are connected to their cellphones at all times, and I think they need to become accustomed to not having it around all the time. I really dislike the type of people who are texting when they are with another person, watching a concert, or are in the middle of a conversation. I can understand if it's important, but most of the time it isn't. I think those people really deserve to have their phone taken away when they get in trouble. I think the same goes for people who are addicted to online games like World of Warcraft or whatever other games are online, I don't even know the names of them. The same goes for kids who are addicted to xbox or playstation. I think kids should go outside at least for a little bit if it's nice outside. It would do them some good to get their games taken away.
Not everybody plays games or texts all the time, but I think a good majority of kids, teenagers especially, do. If they don't text or play games, then chances are they have a facebook that they are on all the time. I do not know how a parent would be able to take away their facebook unless they took away their whole laptop, which would also be a good punishment. That makes me think of another good punishment. The parents could put time restraints of the internet, or they could just unplug the router and hide it in their room or something. I have a friend who had that happen to him, but I don't think ti lasted for very long. I think parents these days are best off taking any technology away from their children because almost every kid has some form of connection to it. If they aren't attatched to any technology, then I think just grounding them from their friends for a weekend would suffice.

Journal #4

My family goes on a lot of vacations, so I'm just going to try and talk about a couple of the best ones. Every year I go to California to visit my Mom's side of the family. My grandparents life in Ventura, and my Aunt and two Uncles live in San Diego. I am just going to sort of summarize all the good times I've had as a while instead of talking about each individual trip to California. We always inevitably go to the beach, and we usually try to go to the Ventura Farmer's Market. My mom loves to buy organic foods from local market areas, so we always make sure to go every time. When I was younger my grandparents would take my sister and I to SeaWorld. I think going to SeaWorld so often made me want to be a Marine Biologist for half of my life. SeaWorld had a larger impact on me that I thought.
Another really exciting Vacation that I have been on was a cruise to a bunch of the little islands below Puerto Rico. I'm not sure I can remember all of the names of the islands, but from what I do remember, I visited Antigua, St. Martin, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Thomas, and I can't remember the last one. I feel like it was Topolobampo, but I think that's a city in Mexico I went to. My memory is atrocious. Anyway, while on vacation we did a lot of sight seeing, and I was surprised at the living conditions of a lot of the people. There were a lot of little shacks all over the place. There were a couple really nice houses, but those belonged to either rich people or important people. I remember one of the most extravagant houses belonged to the governor of Barbados. I think this vacation impacted me a lot because it made me realize how fortune I am to have a good home.

Journal #3

If I was held hostage, I would feel either terrified or angry. I don't think I would cry, but I would definitely be really afraid. I think it would also depend on the type of person who kidnapped me. If the person who kidnapped me looked like a serial killer, I would be really scared. I imagine a serial killer to be buff, have a lot of scars, and tattoos. I know that's really stereotypical for a serial killer, but that's just how I imagine one to be. If my kidnapper was some old pedophile man, I'm not sure if I'd be more afraid or more relieved. I would be relieved because since it was an old man, it would be easier to get away because I would be more athletic than him since I would be younger. I am actually really terrified of pedophiles or even people who look like pedophiles. Old men with mustaches remind me of pedophiles. Actually, I think mustaches in general are a little pedophile-ish.
How afraid I would be would also depend on if the kidnapper had a weapon. If they had a gun or a knife, I think I would be more compliant and I would not try to escape. If they did not have a weapon, I would definitely try to escape. I would probably test out that break-someone's-nose trick that Sandra Bullock did on Miss Congeniality. I would probably try to escape from whatever the used to bound me, then run for my life.
If escaping was not an option, I would probably try to charm them out of kidnapping me. I would be really nice and sincere even though they would be holding my hostage. I would just try to be as nice as possible to see if maybe they would feel guilty about kidnapping me and let me go. I highly doubt that would work, but I think it would be worth a shot if it was my last resort.

Journal #2

Deep in the woodlands of Michigan, there lived a squirrel named Dave. He lived in the most lavish little house made entirely from acorns and twigs. Dave was a kind squirrel, and he would often do volunteer work for the little town of Weldon, where he lived. Weldon was a tiny little town in the middle of a dense forest. Dave lived about twelve miles from Weldon in a house that he built himself. All the animals in Weldon loved Dave. Dave was also a fantastic cook. He would bake loaves of seven-grain wheat bread for the local orphanage, and he would bake apple pies for the senior center. He attended every bingo night just to spend time with his elders. Although Dave had great social skills, he preferred to stay indoors. All his time was spent wood carving in his little home.
One day, there was a knock on Dave's acorn door. Dave ignored the first few knocks because he was busy mixing the cake batter for the butterfly festival later that evening. The knocking continued until Dave could not stand the insistent drum of the door any longer. He wiped his small paws on a rag then grumpily bumbled over to the door. He unlocked the door then slowly allowed it to creak open.
"Hello?" Dave said as he cautiously peered outside.
"Oh, thank goodness you're home! I was beginning to think that this abode was abandoned!" a small voice squeaked from his doorstep.

Dave fully opened the door to reveal a portly beaver.

"I don't suppose you could help me? You see, I appear to have wandered too far from my creek, and I'm afraid I can't remember my way back!" the beaver said bashfully. "My name is Gus, by the way! Gus the beaver."

Dave smiled kindly at Gus. "Nice to meet you Gus! I am Dave the squirrel. You're more than welcome to stay at my house as long as you need! Please, do come inside." Dave stepped aside to allow the beaver entrance.

"Oh, thank you ever so much!" the beaver beamed with happiness.

Gus and Dave decided to live together after a week of the beaver staying at his acorn abode. Dave was lonely all by himself, and Gus was hopelessly lost. Gus will never forget Dave's hospitality.

Journal #1

I do not know a lot about Indians, but I vaguely remember my fifth grade field trip to Dickson Mounds. I know that there culture was very interesting and complex. They were very good at growing crops and bringing in a good amount of harvest. I remember that the men in the tribe would go hunt while the women would stay back in the village to mend clothing or tend to children. I think Indian American Culture is very interesting because their culture is so diverse. They lived in tepees that they would make themselves from large sticks of wood and big sheets of cloth. I really like looking at Indian artifacts in museums because they out a lot of detail into everything they make. They used berry ink to dye or decorate clothing or belongings. I think they made beads out of fish bones, if I remember correctly. I always find those interesting to look at. The Native Americans were very resourceful when it came to growing crops, making clothes, and other things like that. Their clothing was usually made out of animal skin that had been dried and skinned of the meat. Native Americans also usually have very unique names, such as the famous Indian Sitting Bull. I read somewhere that some Indian tribes would name their child after the first thing they saw after the child was born, but I am not sure if that is right or not. Native Americans passed down their stories and memories to their children, and their children would pass it down to their children. Many Native American stories are still around today, but a large portion of the original stories have been lost over time. Most Native American stories would be about spiritual creatures who would bring luck, good crops, or anything else of that nature. I like Native American Culture because of their religious beliefs, too. I like how they would imagine their gods as animals. I also remember how important totem poles were to their culture because it showed different spiritual forms of animals. I think I am going to enjoy learning more about Native American culture because I don't know very much about them, obviously.

Journal Entry

I am going to blog about the symbolism in The Catcher in the Rye. I'm only going to talk about one object, though and that object is Holden's red hunter's hat. I think his red hat symbolizes his independence and rebellion. His red hat is so different and unique, just like how Holden wants to be. He wears it to make other people think that he has a lot of individuality and uniqueness. Other times, though, Holden is afraid to wear his hat for fear of what others will think of him. I think that this symbolizes that Holden is very self-conscious and he is very dependent on what others think of him. His unique hat really just symbolizes Holden's inner turmoil of wanting independence but also his need for a companion.

Chapters 13/14

I'm starting to lose my motivation again. I think I may just do my actual journal entry after this one, then I'll somehow rearrange my blogs so that that one is at the top. I don't know how I plan to do this.

I think chapter thirteen was a little awkward because of the whole prostitute situation, but I think that’s just me. I like how Holden’s imagination is always going. On his way home from the club, he was thinking about a scenario where someone was trying to rob him. I think it’s a great skill to have. Having the imagination of a child all the time would be fantastic because it would be just like being a child again. When Holden returned to the hotel, the elevator boy offered to send a prostitute to his room for five dollars. I know that back then, five dollars was worth a lot more, but I still read that sentence with disgust in my head. I do not know what kind of desperate woman would sell herself for five dollars, but once again, I suppose five dollars was worth more back then. I almost wanted to feel angry at Holden when he accepted the offer, but I felt sympathy for him. His was at a rough point in his life and he was not making the best decisions. He sent the girl away later that evening, anyway.

I thought chapter fourteen was a little depressing. Holden talks about how he feels guilty for not allowing Allie to join his BB gun fight. I like it how Holden often thinks about Allie. The elevator boy and his prostitute also came to Holden’s room to demand the other five dollars. I thought this was idiotic because the elevator man told him it was five dollars in the first place. The elevator man pinned Holden against the wall while the prostitute took his money. Then the elevator guy beat Holden, which made me even angrier. The whole time though, Holden was thinking of it in an imaginative way, which made me smile.

Chapters 11/12

I thought chapter nine was very cute. I enjoyed reading about how Jane and Holden met. I think I like Jane and Holden’s relationship almost as much as I liked the relationship between Santiago and Manolin. I think that Jane is the only person that Holden really likes and trusts besides his little sister, Phoebe. I am confused however, about why he did not talk to her when she was waiting for Stradlater the day that he and she went on a date. After reading this chapter, I would have thought that they were good enough friends that they would still talk to each other and hang out all time. I thought the part of chapter nine where Holden explained how he would only show Jane Allie’s baseball glove was really cute and touching. I think that Allie’s baseball glove is one of Holden’s most cherished items, so I think that Holden showing her symbolizes his trust in Jane. The saddest part of the chapter was definitely when Holden was explaining Jane’s alcoholic father. He described how they were sitting on the porch and her father came out to ask for cigarettes. When Jane ignored him, he left. Jane broke down crying and turned to Holden for comfort. I thought this part of the chapter was both sad and cute at the same time. Holden spends the rest of the chapter talking about how happy Jane made him.

I did not have much of a reaction to chapter twelve. I did find it funny, however, when Holden tried to start up another conversation about ducks with his other taxi cab driver. I don’t know if Holden has some unusual obsession with ducks and that lagoon or if he just likes to use that as a conversation starter. The taxi cab driver ended up getting angry at Holden, which I did not understand. I pitied Holden and his horrible luck at getting a taxi cab driver who actually likes small talk. He goes to a nightclub later that night where he meets one of his brother’s ex-girlfriends. He is forced to leave out of sheer annoyance.