Scarlet Letter 6: page 127-144

Quote 1: "More than once, Mr. Dimmesdale had gone into the pulpit, with a purpose never to come down its steps until he should have spoken words like the above. More than once, he had cleared his throat, and drawn in the long, deep, and tremulous breath, which, when sent forth again, would come burdened with the black secret of his soul" (Hawthorne 131).

Explanation: In the chapter before, Dimmesdale makes it clear that he wants to tell others about his sin. In this quote above the narrator explains that he partially eludes to his sin. He calls himself a, "viler companion of the vilest, the worst of sinners" (131). And yet the community adores this, calling him a saint about saying that he is a sinner. It is clear that Dimmesdale has gained large amount of respect from the community, to such extent that he may nearly be the equivalent of God.

Question: Can this affect whether he tries to admit to his sin completely, and if he does how would it affect the community?

Quote 2: "It was his custom, too, as it has been that of many other pious Purtans, to fast, and - not, however, like them, in order to purify the body and render it the fitter medium of celestial illumination, but rigorously, and until his knees trembled beneath him, as an act of penance" (132).

Explanation: Here, the author explains Dimmesdale's ritual of starving himself. He does this not out of common practice, but from his guilt. He is trying to find away to absolve himself of his sins. He is testing ways to find peace for himself as John Proctor tried to do for his regret. They both tried to find peace from polar oppisites in the beginning of their stories and both did not find the peace they desperately. But John Proctor found peace by looking the oppisite of where he thought he might find peace for himself (instead of lookinig outside for peace, he found it in himself, between him and God).

Question: Where could this inner peace be for Dimmesdale?

The Scarlet Letter 5: page 107-126

Quote 1: "They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess during his lifetime" - Roger Chillingworth (page 119).

Explanation: Roger is answering Dimmesdale's question about a weed. He responds with a peculiar answer eluding to the idea of someone keeping a secret. And it is abundantly clear to the reader that Dimmesdale was the man who had an affair with Hester. This quote affirms Roger Chillingworth's knowledge of this. This quote also seems to be sometype of mental game that Roger is playing with Dimmesdale. He is eluding to his knowledge of Dimmesdale's affair but does not affirm it to him, so Dimmesdale gets reminded of the affair and is punished mentally by Roger with guilt.

Question: Will Dimmesdale admit to his sin, will Chillingworth rat him out, or will anyone find out at all?

Quote 2: "True, there are such me... But, not to suggest more obvious reasons, it may be that they are kept silent by the very constitution of their nature. Or... they shrink from displaying themselves black and filthy in the view of men; becasue, thenceforward, no good can be achieved by them" -Dimmesdale (120).

Explanation: Dimmesdale and Chillingworth go into a discussion on why that "man" would have kept a secret burdened in him. And Dimmesdale response was that they may keep secrets because that is the way they are or that maybe they keep it so that they can continue to do good. These reasons he gives reflects his own reasons for not admitting to his relationship with Hester. He believes that if he admitted that he would not have been able to do good because people would assume he was bad. But Chillingworth questions this and brings up the idea that maybe that "man" did not admit to it because he did not want to bear the consequences. So the reader is left with these two ideas that maybe Dimmesdale did not admit to his sin because he still wanted to help others, or he did not admit because he was afraid of being punished as Hester was.

Question: Which one of these things is the reason why he did not admit to sinning, and will they impede from admitting to his sin later, if he chooses to?

The Scarlet Letter 4: page 91-107

Quote 1: "Pearl, that wild and flight little elf, stole softly towards him, and taking his hand in the grasp of both her own, laid her cheek against it; a tender, and withal so unobtrusive, that her mother, who was looking on, asked herself,-'Is that my Pearl?'"

Explanation: This quote shows the shock of Hester to see Pearl being gentle and tender. This makes it clear that Pearl usually is a very passionate person that has love, but just rarely shows it. This means that she is a good person but does not show it often, so others in turn view her as a bad person, as seen through Mr Dimmsdale, "the little baggage hath witchcraft in her" (106). Others will assume that she is bad and keep on thinking that she is the spawn of the devil's work.

Question: How can her lack of showing her love affect Hester and her later in the story?

Quote 2: "But here- if we this interview betwixt Mistress Hibbins and Hester Prynne to be authentic, and not a parable- was already an illustration of the young minister's arguement against sundering the relation of a fallen mother to the offspring of frailty. Even thus early the child saved her from Satan's snare" (107).

Explanation: In the quote above, the narrator gives us insight of how Hester Prynne's child has saved her from damnation, using the words, even thus early, suggesting that she may somehow be her salvation from damnation later in the story.

Question: What might Pearl save Hester from and how will she save her?

Scarlet Letter 2 Page 72-96

Quote 1: "As her motive for continuing a resident of New England- was a half a truth- half a delusion. Here, she said to herself, had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment; and so, perchance, the daily torture of her shame would at length purge her soul" (Hawthorne).

Explanation: Here the author makes it clear that Hester is trying to tell herself that the reason she is staying in New England because this is where she sinned, so this is where she will redeem herself. The underlying reason she stays because she fears what might happen during her final judgement with God if she does not stay near her husband . From this it can be interpreted that she is a God fearing person. She fears for her own life, not for others, so she has some morals that reflect more inward then outward.

Question: How will this affect how she may act in later dilemmas that affect her?

Quote 2: "'Art thou my child, in very truth?' asked Hester. Nor did she put the question altogether idly, but for the moment" -Hester

Explanation: Here we see that she grapples with inner conflict about her affair and she shows her turmoil by questioning whether Pearl really is her child. This questioning shows that she believes that her child in essence is a symbol of this evil act, so she has some resentment for the child but still cares for it out of maternal instinct.

Question: How does her viewing of her child as an emblem of her sin effect how she will treat her child and how she loves her child?

The Scarlet Letter 2: page 56-72

Quote 1: "The infant [...] pierced the air with its wailings and screams; she strove to hush it, mechanically, but seemed scarcely to sympathize with its trouble." -Hester Prynne (page 64)

Explanation: This quote is explaining the way Hester Prynne chooses to handle her child as it cries while she stands at the town square. She handles the baby "mechanically" which is not what most mothers usually do when their babies wail. And it is clearly stated that she dealt with her baby with scarce sympathy to its trouble. This means that she only cares about the child's well being, but not of her motherly love but for some half hearted reason. This half hearted reason for caring for her baby maybe out of result of not actually loving her child because it was a product of her affair. This is a sign that maybe that she might have resentment about the person she had an affair with because the child is a symbol of the husband that has left her to bear the ridicule of the entire village.

Question: How might her resentment for the babies father affect the reason she keeps his name secret?

Quote 2: "I seek no vengeance, plot no evil against thee [...] the man lives who has wronged us both [...] Sooner or latter he musts needs be mine!" -Roger Chillingworth (page 70)

Explanation: Here Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband, makes it abundantly clear that he does not blame Hester for cheating on him. Instead he blames the man she slept with, whom he seeks to get revenge. This revenge will most likely be sought during the book and Hester will most likely get in the middle of it as she must choose to protect the baby's father or allow Roger to find his revenge.

Question: Why would Roger blame the baby's father as the one who started the affair though he states that Hester and himself are equally to blame?

Scarlet Letter 1: 45-56

Quote 1: "Had there been a Papist among the crowd of Puritans,  he might have seen in this beautiful woman [...] an object to remind him of the image of divine maternity" (Hawthorne 53).

Explanation: The quote above is part of the narration that explains the main character, Hester Prynne. The author draws a parallel between her and the "divine maternity" (a.k.a. Mary mother of Jesus). With this parallel we can take the assumption that maybe she felt as Mary had felt when Mary had had the virgin birth and people had taken her as an adulterous. Something else that can be taken from this is that maybe, Hester has some type of role in God's plan as Mary had. And a questionable parallel that could be drawn is that maybe Hester might be a pure person as Mary was and that Hester, except for her sin of adultery.

Question: Why would the author compare an adulterous woman to a pure woman like Mary?

Quote 2: "They were stern enough to look upon her death, had that been the sentence, without murmur at its severity, but had none of the heartlessness of another social state which would find only a theme for jest in an exhibition like the present" (53).

Explanation: Here the author explains the crowds sternness. The author create an image of a line plot, plotting the villagers as people that were in the middle of two types of people, those who found hangings barbaric and those who found them as entertainment. So the author creates an image of the villagers being stern people that followed their religion strictly. This means that those who visibly break the rules of the religion will be shown no remorse and undergo harsh punishment, as Hester Prynne must undergo.

Question: What is the value of knowing how stern the village is about punishment, and how will this play a part later in the story?

crucible assignment 3

Morals are rules that help guide people to conduct their lives appropriately, yet sometimes morals lead to internal conflict that have lethal consequences. Internal conflicts are usually afflictions that can only heal after the person learns to live with their mistakes and move forward.  “The Crucible” depicts this struggle by portraying the morality of John Proctor and his internal struggle to find redemption for his misdeeds. He desperately searches for a way to find peace after committing adultery because “these people had no ritual for the washing away of sins” (Miller 20). At first, he searches for forgiveness externally, from his wife and from the village. But by the end of the play he finds that the answer to his turmoil does not lie with others but within himself and God.

He first seeks redemption from his wife by admitting to her that he had had an affair with Abigail Williams. Instead of finding her warm forgiveness, he finds a cold “justice that could freeze beer” (55). This cold “justice” is not the forgiveness that he sought, but a distancing in his relationships with his wife that only adds to his internal conflict because instead of finding forgiveness, he finds distrust. This dilemma leads to another predicament: the chance to expose Abigail of lying about witnessing witchcraft. However he must choose to either admit his misdeed to the village which would hurt his good standing, or not tell the village, resulting in the death of dozens of people. After what had happened with his last confession to his wife, he was questioning whether it was worth admitting to the village: “I have good reason to think before I charge fraud on Abigail, and I will think on it” (54). But being driven by his morality to save his wife and neighbors and his search to redeem himself, he finds the will to tell the village of his offense.

He goes to the courts where he tries to find redemption by admitting to the court that he had “known her” (110). But his admittance yet again backfires and instead of finding peace from his internal turmoil he finds a cell where he is to wait until he can mount the gibbet. This only worsens his turmoil because instead of finding repentance and an end to his turmoil, he finds hate and betrayal. He believes that he is the reason for dozens of arrests and many deaths because he is a bad person that does not follow the morals of Salem, while in all actuality he is the person that epitomizes these morals the most. He fails to realize this, thus he is thrown deeper into conflict with himself. Being stuck in jail allows him to find the peace that he so desperately seeks.

Right before his hanging, Proctor begins to piece together that the answer to his inner turmoil does not lie with Elizabeth or the village but from himself. He recalls this idea from his conversation with Elizabeth before his hanging. While they talk he seeks her forgiveness as a way to end his inner conflict, and she responds: “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you, if you’ll not forgive yourself” (136). But he does not begin to become aware of this until his false admittance to accusations of witch craft and Rebecca Nurse’s shock to his admittance. This sparks the notion about whether he should be seeking redemption from an external source like the village people: “You came to save my soul, did you not? Here! I have confessed myself; it is enough!” (142). He finally realizes that the forgiveness he seeks does not come from anybody but himself and God after Hale says, “Man, you will hang! You cannot!” (144). John responds, “I can. And there’s your first marvel, that I can […] I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor” (144). He has finally realizes that he must forgive himself to find redemption and he does leading to the end of his internal conflict, as Elizabeth notes: “He have his goodness now” (145).

Throughout the play the author encompasses the story around John’s search for his redemption. John’s morality arouses inner conflict in him that forces him to search for forgiveness after committing adultery. And since no one knew how to wash away sins, John sought this forgiveness from other sinners like his wife and the village. But when he finally begins to look inward for the key to his inner conflict he finds redemption before his tragic yet respectable death, after enduring months of internal conflict. Thus “The Crucible” is a play depicting the rise of John Proctor from his inner turmoil to inner peace.

 

Thanksgiving Homework 3 (Elizabeth to John)

Dear John,

I miss you so much. It has been two years past since that day you found goodness and God. The house seems half empty without you. The boys are well, yet I fear that the lack of your presence hurts them greatly. And the child that I carried before your death has grown older and stronger. I only wish you could see our child. I often think of how I will answer the child's questions about you. Shall tell stories of your goodness and your failure to see it, or should I talk about how you made one mistake and paid for it with your life. I know for sure that I will only have good things to mention about you to our child. And though your presence is missed by your family, the absence of your presence is missed by the village as well.

The lost of your presence has had a profound effect on the village. The village has gone up in an uproar. The village is greatly divided by those who defy the courts and those who support it. The division has grown to such an extent that they decided to eject Mr. Parris from office. He left the village and has not been heard from since. Reverend Hale still drops by from time to time, and we pray for the well being of you and all those afflicted by the trials. His hate for the theocracy still grows to this day, though the theocracy has begun to fall apart.

I fear to mention this but I know I must. I have met another man. He is a gentleman. He often times reminds me of you. I hope to not make the mistake of counting myself so plain, so poorly made, that no honest love will come to me. I hope this time to keep a warm house. And though I am moving on, know that I will always keep you in my heart and pray for you.

Love,
Elizabeth

Dear John Proctor,

You astonish me John Proctor. Why would you give yourself to hang? It was not worth it. My spirit ached as I saw you mount the gallows. I had signed 17 death warrants and you became the 18th. What profits you to bleed?

 I respect you for your bravery against the treacherous Danforth and wicked Abigail, but you should not have given to your pride, your vanity. God's most precious gift is life, and yet you squander it out of pride, a vice that had blinded the village. Nothing justifies the taking of it, however glorious the reason. God damns a deceitful person less than a prideful person that throws his life a way for vanity. I pray to God that God takes a kind heart to you.

I wish that you chose life over vanity, because I count myself your murderer. I count myself as the man tying the noose around your neck. And I resent that image. Do you understand me? That day as I came to do the devils work, and get christians to lie, I prayed and pleaded to God that you would lie. But now your body is lifeless in the ground and your spirit in a new court of the divine. And I pray that this judge is more caring and forgiving then the judges of this world.

Sincerely,

Hale

thanksgiving homework 1 (Danforth to Mrs Proctor)

Dear Mrs. Proctor,

This letter has been long over due, there lurks in my heart and in my spirit a sorrow for what had happened on that cold morning many years past. My heart and spirit are ailed with remorse of my ignorance to the righteousness that was so apparent in your husband and the malevolence in myself.

I was so devout in the salvation of my reputation versus the upholding of true puritan values as your husband did. And as I lay here, an old man facing death, looking back on your husband's bravery and my cruelty, I ask for your forgiveness. I am no good man and I do not deserve it, but I cannot bear with the pain of my blindness and cruelty to your husband's devotion to puritan virtues.

I am haunted by my decision to hang your husband. I should not have given into my pride and should have called off the hangings after it was abundantly clear that the trials were nothing but a scheme for revenge. There was nothing more evident of this then when Abigail had run away the very day of the hanging, and yet I was firm on my decision to hang your husband. I thought myself so fondly when I truly was the opposite of good and proper and your husband was the exact definition.

At my final hour, I ask for your forgiveness of my treachery and my cruelty. I bear all my sins of the trial to you and God as I enter another court, a supreme court. I bid you farewell, and I bid you my apologies.

Sincerely,

Danforth

First Essay

“Who is responsible, who is guilty?” That is the key question in any trial, including the Salem witch trials. When analyzing this play, one must come to the conclusion that the person most responsible for the Salem witch trials is, John Proctor. John Proctor gave Abigail Williams, the key witness to the case, the incentive to make accusations leading to the Salem witch trials. Proctor is at fault because he committed lechery with Abigail Williams and failed to notify the community of his adulterous actions at the appropriate time.
John Proctor’s affair with Abigail Williams is the seed of these problems. From this small crime of lechery a larger problem grows becoming the incentive for Abigail Williams to convict multiple people of witchcraft, a few of whom were hanged due to her accusations. John Proctor’s affair with Abigail planted a seed of infatuation, a deep infatuation for John Proctor that can be seen through her dialogue with him, “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! […] John, pity me, pity me!” (Miller 24). This infatuation for John Proctor is the root of Abigail’s jealousy of Elizabeth after Elizabeth kicked her out for having an affair with her husband. This jealousy manifests itself into her passion to lead the inquisition for the witches in Salem. This passion is not a true passion to find witches but a visage for her underlying motives of trying to wreak havoc against those she hates, which includes Elizabeth Proctor. Thus by committing adultery with Abigail, John Proctor is the source of Salem’s problems.
After committing adultery John Proctor fails to tell anybody of his wrong doing. His failure to tell anyone about committing adultery from the beginning gave time for Abigail’s jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor to slowly grow. This jealousy was nurtured by her resentment for Elizabeth: “Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be […] blackening my name in the village!” (23). This resentment is what drives her to become a leader of the witch hunts during the Salem witch trials because it gave her the power to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft and try to take her place as John Proctor’s wife.
John Proctor withheld information that he had an affair with Abigail for most of the book because he was afraid to discredit himself, a theme in the story. John Proctor admitted to withholding information later in the story when he tries to show that Abigail was not a witness to witchcraft but a jealous girl: “For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed […] God damns our kind especially” (120). But by delaying his admission to his affair, everyone lacked the knowledge of Abigail’s bad intentions prior to the trials, which could have prevented all of the hangings. When Abigail begins accusing people of witchcraft with faulty evidence, the community does not discard her accusations because they do not know about her underlying jealousy that drives her. Thus by withholding information that could have prevented the hangings, John Proctor is again at fault as the cause of the Salem witch trials. When analyzing the play, a question arises: if Abigail is the person making all of the accusations is she not the person most at fault?
Abigail is the person making the accusations but her motive for her accusations comes from John Proctor. He is the underlying cause for Abigail to begin accusing people of witchcraft. She only makes these accusations out of her infatuation for John Proctor due to the affair he had with her: “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart!” (24). He is the reason why Abigail has taken such a prominent role in the Salem witch trial and that is why he is more to blame for the trials.
Out of all the characters in the play, John Proctor is at fault the most for the Salem witch trials. He was the one who had the affair with Abigail which planted the seeds of infatuation. He was also the one that refrained from telling the community that he had an affair with her, information that could have ended the trials and prevented hangings. He is the character to blame the most: “I am not that man. My honesty is broke. I am no good man” (136).

crucible homework page 128-145

Quote 1: "Them that will not confess will hang. Twelve are already executed; the names of these seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now. While I speak God's law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering. If retaliation is your fear, know this- I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and an ocean of salt tears could not melt the resolution of the statutes. Now draw yourselves up like men and help me, as you are bound by Heaven to do. Have you spoken with them all, Mr Hale?" -Danforth (page 128)

Explanation: In this quote we see Danforth admitting to having knowledge of his wrong doing. And yet instead of owning up to his mistake, he gives a long winded a speech about how he represents God, and if he admits to his wrong doing he is admitting to God's wrong doing. He even goes on to saying that he would be willing to kill 10,000 people to protect his own reputation. This reflects upon the theme of people doing whatever they can to protect their reputation no matter what even if they "should hang ten thousand" (Miller 128).

Quote 2: supporting herself against collapse, grips the bar of the window, and with a cry: "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him." -Elizabeth (page 145)

Explanation: These are the final words of the play, as Elizabeth's husband is lead off to his death after willfully defying Danforth, Hathorne, and Parris. And in this final statement, Elizabeth sums up the entire story. She says her husband has finally found his goodness. And looking back at the story we see that he has changed. Before he wanted to protect himself and he did not tell anyone about his affair in order to protect himself. And right before his death he is given a chance to live by giving the names of those he thought were witches but instead of giving in he did not give any names and embraced his death. And thus we see a transformation of one person in a community of bad who lived out the true ideas of the protestants, accepting your faults and being honest about it.

Questions:
1. What are similarities Proctor and Danforth share throughout the book?

2. What are their differences between the two?

crucible homework page 113-127

Quote 1: "You will confess yourself or you will hang!" He turns her roughly to face him. "Do you know who I am? I say you will hang if you do not open with me?" -Danforth (page 117)

Explanation: Danforth's quote is a threat toward Mary Warren. He gives her two options: either lie about herself or die. This is just another incident where we see that through people's desire to protect themselves they force other people to admit to false accusations that lead a long chain of lies that ends up hurting honest people. And as we see later, Mary Warren breaks under pressure; she starts spouting lies and shifts the blame upon John Proctor who has been truthful throughout the book.

Quote 2: laughs insanely, then: "A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud- God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!" -Proctor (page 120)

Explanation: Proctor in one of his final comments mocks everything that has happened in the court by saying that he saw Lucifer and that Lucifer bore the face of men like Danforth and himself, men who quailed in the face of danger. And here we see that though Proctor is a flawed man, as he openly admits, "I see his filthy face! And it is my face" (Miller 120), he is willing to still oppose Danforth and fight for what is right. This can be seen when he compares Danforth to Lucifer saying that Lucifer bears Danforth's face. And to top that off stating that Danforth and him are alike so if he is to burn in hell so will Danforth.

Questions:
1. How does Proctors actions in the court compare to others in the story, and how does the affects of his actions compare to others?

2. Seeing how Danforth acts against Proctor and Corey, do you think that there may be an uprising against his verdicts from the people led by Hale?

crucible homework page 98-113

Quote 1: "Excellency, I have signed seventy-two death warrants; I am a minister of the Lord, and I dare not take a life without there be a proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it." -Hale (page 99)

Explanation: Hale says this quote after Proctor hands Danforth the deposition. The quote is a plea to Danforth to look upon the evidence with a keen eye and to only convict those convicted on hard evidence. This is out of character for him; prior to this court scene, he was interrogating the Proctors on their knowledge of the 10 commandments. It seems that he has begun to regret starting this witch hunt.

Question: Knowing that he regrets that 72 people may die due to him, will he help defend any of the accused?

Quote 2: "His first real outburst, in which his contempt for Parris is clear: Mr. Parris, I bid you be silent! He stands in silence, looking out the window. Now, having established that he will set the gait: Mr. Cheever will you go into the court and bring the children here? Cheever gets up and goes out upstage. Danforth now turns to Mary. Mary Warren, how came you to this turnabout? Has Mr. Proctor threatened you for this deposition?" -Danforth (page 101)

Explanation: This quote comes from Danforth's response after reading the deposition and Parris butts in. It is clear that he is somewhat agitated from the letter of deposition. And later in the quote the first thing he asks Mary Warren is, "has Mr. Proctor threatened you?" This shows Danforths agitation in Mr. Procotor's attempt to "go against the court." And with this it can be deducted that Danforth is worried about his reputation because people are questioning his verdicts. His actions may be affected by this desire to protect his reputation.

Question: "Knowing that Danforth has a desire to protect his reputation how will this affect how he deals with people trying to overturn his verdicts?

Crucible Homework page 83-98

Quote 1: "There lurks nowhere in your heart, nor hidden in your spirit, any desire 'to undermine this court?" - Danforth (page 90)

Explanation: Here Danforth is questioning the Proctor's motives to free his wife. And in his question he brings up the words, "undermining this court." This is a sign that Danforth is worried about people questioning his verdicts and is showing his resentment for Proctor 's appeal to over turn his arrest of Proctor's wife.

Question: Is Danforth a fair judge or is he driven by his own bias?

Quote 2: "But you understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between" -Danforth (page 94)

Explanation: This excerpt comes from Danforth's response to when Francis stated that he did not want to bring trouble on those who signed a paper acknowledging the purity of Martha, Elizabeth, and Rebecca. In the quote a Danforth states that in this crisis, there is no gray area but only a black and white area. This quote also shows Danforth's resentment to those opposing the verdicts of the court, because he is openly admitting this idea that you are either with him or against him. And what can be taken from this is that those trying to challenge Judge Danforth's verdict (Francis, John, Giles) will be punished for it. This underlines the main theme of the story of people doing everything  in their power to defend their reputation.

Question: Knowing his position on people oppossing his verdicts, will Danforth free any of the accused?

crucible homework page 68-83

Quote 1: Conjures me? Why, no, sir, I am entirely myself, I think. Let you ask Susanna Walcott- she saw me sewin' it in court. OR BETTER STILL: Ask Abby, Abby sat beside me when I made it" -Mary Warren (page 76)

Explanation: In the quote above, Mary Warren is listing people that can testify to her making the poppet in which is said to have been used by Elizabeth as a weapon against Abigail. But right in the quote it is made clear that Abigail is quite aware of Mary Warren's creating of the poppet and most likely the placement of the needle in which she said she was stabbed. A hole is made in Abigail's accusation but only Proctor and Elizabeth are aware of this due to them being one of the few who now the crucial grudges held between Abigail and Elizabeth.

Question: How can this be used to support John Proctor's case in court that Abigail is being deceitful about her accusations of witch craft?

Quote 2: "If she is innocent! Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? I s the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God's fingers? I'll tell you what's walking Salem- vengeance is walking Salem. are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law! This warrant's vengeance! I'll not give my wife to vengeance!" -Proctor (page 77)

Explanation: John Proctor, in the quote above, is acknowledging the fact that for the past week those that have actually been accusing people (aka Abigail) have been considered to be truthful in their accusations and that their word is fact. While those accused are given choice of admiting to the witchcraft or death. And with this benefit of complete trust in the accusers, the accusers are given the power to decide the fate of a person, death or infamy. And in the case of Abigail, vengence.

Question: Why does everyone in the village give their full trust to these accusations, even though they lack the proper evidence to support them?

crucible homework page 49-67

Quote 1: "I'm- I am an official of the court, they say... I'll not stand whipping any more! They Devil's loose in Salem Mr, Proctor; we must discover where he's hiding" -Mary Warren (page 59).

Explanation: In the quote above Mary Warren makes her rising importance and her so called duty to help find the devil known to the Proctors. But in all reality we see that she as Abigail is doing, is taking advantage of the situation by using it as a means to gain importance in the village by using the devil as a tool to either whiten or blacken people.

Question: What does Mary Warren have to gain from her rising status as an "official?"

Quote 2: "I am a stranger here, as you know. And in my ignorance I find it hard to draw a clear opinion of them that come accused before the court. And so this afternoon, and now tonight, I go from house to house" -Hale (page 63-64).

Explanation: Here we see that Reverend Hale, here is also a person seeking to find the devil as does Mary Warren. In the quote above, we see that Reverend Hale has a sincere desire to find the devil by going house to house to make sure those convicted are real witches.

Question: What is the difference between Reverend Hale and Mary Warren and their call to hunt out the devil an his worshipers?

crucible homework page 36-49

Character List

• Reverend Parris: Father of Betty Parris, Overbearing, paranoid.
• Betty Parris: daughter of Betty Parris, ill, also miraculously recovers and blames multiple people of witch craft.
• Abigail: niece of Reverend Parris, infatuated with John Proctor, 18 year old, friends with Mercy and Mary, blames multiple people of witch craft.
• John Proctor: affair with Abigail, farmer, hates hypocrites, even tempered, "morally corrupt."
• Elizabeth Proctor: wife of John Proctor, has dislike for Abigail due to affair.
• Thomas Putnam: arrogant, condescending, embittered, bad blood with the Nurse Clan
• Ann Putnam: wife of Thomas Putnam, gave birth to eight children 7 of whom died (she blames supernatural powers).
• Giles Corey: eighty year old farmer who is blamed for most of the town's hardships, nuisance but an innocent and brave man.
• Martha Corey: wife of Giles Corey, reads mysterious books.
• Francis Nurse: bad blood with the Putnams, respected man among peers.
• Rebecca Nurse: wife of Francis Nurse, bad blood with the Putnams.
• Mercy: Putnam's servant, merciless, sly, fat, 18 years old, friends with Abigail and Mercy.
• Mary Warren: subservient, naive, lonely, friends with Mercy and Abigail.
• Tituba: slave of Reverend Parris, Barbados person, accused of associating with the devil, blames multiple people of witch craft.
• Reverend Hale: considered an expert of diagnosing and fighting witch craft, comes to the village to diagnose Betty, starts a witch hunt.

Quotes:

1. "You are God's instument put in our hands to discover the Devil's agents among us, You are selected, Tituba, you are chosen to help us cleanse our village. So speak utterly, Tituba, turn your back on him and face God- face God, Tituba, and God will protect you" (page 46).

Explanation: This quote shows that all accusations of people being blamed of witch craft and association with the devil are not based on facts but are based on the testimony of bias and hateful people.

Question: Why would they trust a person accused of associating with the devil to point other people that associate with the devil?

2. Said with a tasty love of intellectual pursuit: "Here is all the invisible world, caught, defined, and calculated. In these books the Devil stands stripped of all his brute disguises. Here are all your familiar spirits...have no fear now- we shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!" -Hale (page 39)

Explanation: This quote shows Hale's belief that that the problem is witch craft and that it will be solved with his intellectual wit. Also this quote suggests that there is a science to identify witches. Even though they pretty much use the testimony of two alleged witches that could have lied to identify the other witches.

Question: If he had all these books that could help identify witches why did he request the help of Tituba?

Crucible homework pages 20 to 36

"The necessity of the Devil may become evident as a weapon, a weapon designed and used time and time again every age to whip men into a surrender to a particular church or church state" (Miller 34).

Explanation: This quote explains how the Devil can be used as a weapon to force people to join the church. Its revelence to this story is that by calling people witches and incorporating people with the devil people can be coarsed to live the puritanical life that society wants them to live.


"Our oppisites are always robed in sexual sin, and it is from this unconcious conviction that demonology gains both its attractive sensuality and its capacity to infuriate and frighten" (Miller 36).

Explanation: Here the author explains how the "enemy" is always included with sexual sin, making it seem so enticing and sensual yet evil and maniacal. This sensual evilness is related to the story because the characters view witchcraft as mysterious and evil, yet it has this alluring aspect. It is mysterious and intriguing. This mysteriousness and intrigue is what makes them fear witchcraft so much because they fail to understand its mysteries and their interest in it. So they incorporate it with evil because they cannot explain it.

Questions:
Why did Abigail and Proctor cut their relationship?

How might the family rivalries in the town affect the witchcraft theories? And why?

crucible homework

1. Narrator: "So it is not surprising to find that so many accusations against people are in the handwriting of Thomas Putnam... or that his daughter led the crying out at the most opportunate junctures of the trials, especailly when-" pg 15

In the quote above it is made clear that Thomas Putnam has made many accusations against other people and has spoken poorly about others. And that his daughter in the future will accuse others of wrong doings. But the quote is cut off at "especially when-" posing the question, "At what vital point did she interject her so called testimony of heresy.

2. Mary Warren: "What's got her? Abby, she's going to die! It's a sin to conjure, and we-" (pg 20)

This quatation is a perfect example of the common belief of the time that "witch craft" existed and that it was considered a sin. This quote also cuts off short at the word "we," so it is made clear that Mary and Abigail are some how involved with this "witch craft" that has hurt Betty. But this leads us to the question, "What did they do?"

Class Work

Reverend Parris- middle aged father, overbearing, condescending: "He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went... he felt insulted if someone rose to shut the door without first asking his permission."

Betty Parris- daughter, sick: "Reverend Parris... his daughter, Betty Parris, aged ten, lying in bed, inert."

Martha Corey- adulterous, sketchy: "It suddenly beccam possible for a man to say that Martha Corey had come into his bedroom at night, and that, while his wife was sleeping at his side, Martha laid herself down on his chest and "nearly suffocated him."

Tituba- caring, slave, concerned, cautious: "She enters as one does who can no longer bear to be barred from the sight of her beloved, but she is also very frightened because her slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her back."

Info:

The story takes place in Salem Massachusetts during the salem witch trials. This story is based off a true story but most of the details that provided by this book are fiction. The general plot idea is borrowed from historical events but the story itself is partly taken from letters and trial records and the large remainder from the authors imagination.

Basically we know that the general plot of story would follow what we knew happened during the trials. But the dialogues and the interactions that occur among the characters of the book will be solely the creation of the author and whatever he thought might have happened during the trial will be how the story is written.

Worst member of the sports team (journal 3)

Dear Journal,

Man was today embarrassing:

"Come on sung choo. Watch the run, watch the run! Get up closer to the line!"

Five seconds later.

"Sung choo get out now! How did you not see the 49 reverse? We went over it 20 times in practice. You know what, forget it, just sit over there and fill the water bottles."

Dang, how was I supposed to know that they would run a reverse with both their guards coming to block!

Oh god, why does this happen every game? I mean when the game starts I always play well, but after a few minutes into the game I always screw up some big play. I go from being a starter to a bench warmer. I hate sitting on the bench. Its a waste of my life. I mean its not like I play football so I can sit on the bench the whole game. So what if I make a mistake once in while? Its called being HUMAN! Give me a break.

Football use to be fun for me. Now with my status as benchwarmer, it's a pain to even go to practice let alone a game. And people have loads of fun rubbing it in my face:

"Everyone go to the spots you would normally be in a game."

"Hey Sung Choo where are you going, coach said to go to your spot in the game, that would over there by the water bottles."

Why me?

Sincerely,

The depressed guy keeping the bench warm.

New Kid

Dear Journal,

I don't know how I going to survive another 30 weeks of being the "New Kid." I mean this is only my first week at Judes a Saint in Waldum. It's already bad enough that I am new at school, but what worse is that I am joining the school during my senior year. I don't know anybody in my grade, let alone the school. Everyone in my grade has been close friends with each other for several years.

Everyday this week I sat in class listening to everyone talking to each other about things they did over the summer: "Hey, remember last week when went over to miguel's house?" asks one person "Hahaha yea that was mad funny." says another person. It made me reminisce the days at my old school, when I would sit around with my friends and just talk. The most meaningful conversation I had with anybody at this week at school was when some Indian kid attempted to talk to me: "Hey Davis, my names Thomas Dory." And then I replied "Uh, my name is Stan."


Awkward...


And since the beginning of this week there has been this tall kid, I think his name is Drew, and everyday he walks up to me and calls me a gerbil. What's up with that? Do I look like a gerbil? It just so stupid.

And if that wasn't enough, what is with these uniforms. I mean really, green and yellow. I mean I already hated green and yellow, and now I have to wear them! And everyday there are these kids, from another catholic school, that keep on laughing at me everyday I walk by their bus stop. Let me repeat that EVERYDAY.

This is going to be a long year.

Sincerely,
Stan

Journal Entry from an Obese child

Dear Journal,

I hate my life. Why am I the one that has to be fat? I mean its not fair. Why can't I be like everyone else? Everyone else is slim. It's just not fair. It's like God hates me! God had to choose me, out every person to be the fat kid. I hate being "obese."

Everyday when I walk around the school, everyone just stares at me. And I can tell by the looks on their faces what they are thinking: "Diet much?" or "Wow, make room for fatty." Everyday is just a living hell. The staring, the gigling, the smirking, the smart ass remarks, and the dumb fat jokes. But the worst part of the day is phys ed. The dumb football coach teaches that class, and he always makes us run four laps around the football field. And he knows I can't run, but he is always jogging right next to me trying to make me run by giving me stupid talk about good health. And its so stupid. Everyone is always whispering and laughing when I am the last one running. And I HATE IT!

Everyday left and right, all I ever see are the stupid stares from people. And all I hear are people and their horrible attempt at whispering about how fat I am. But the person that drives me nuts most about "how I am too fat" is my dumb doctor. "I know it must be hard to be obese but you need to stop eating fatty foods, and start on a good balanced diet" says my doctor. First off how does he know how it feels to be fat. He's as skinny as a twig. And I already know that I'm supposed to have a balanced diet. Everyone is always telling me that. And I've tried but its hard and it never always fails miserably.

I hate being fat.



I hate being me...

-Gerbal

Infatuation with a teacher

1. Concerns themselves with what the teacher may think of their work
ex: "I wonder what (teacher's name) will think about my essay."
"I hope (teacher's name) likes my project."

2. Infatuated about pleasing the teacher.
ex: "I can't wait to help (teacher's name) with (insert assignment).

3. Obsessed with how the teacher thinks of them.
ex: "I wonder if (teacher's name) thought I did well today."
"I hoped (teacher's name) liked what I was doing today.

4. Would most likely suck up to the teacher.
ex: "(teacher's name) was so right to do (insert action).

5. Will recall fond memories with that teacher.
ex: "I remembered the time when (teacher's name) was impressed with my presentation during class. I was so proud.

Journal to Me (5)

Dear Billy,

You know how many years I have had to listen to you complain? Do you know how many of my pages you wasted listing day after day all of your problems and irks? Well I am writing this letter to tell you, I quit!

I am fed up with the: "Mr George's AP class is to god dang hard." or "Damn I could have done so much better in todays game." Why don't you go cry to your mommy. The incessant whining and droning about how your life is so bad is driving me crazy. I mean is it really that hard to ask for one optimistic day. Why can't you alternate like every ninety ninth day you can be an opitimsitic person, out of the hundred pesstimistic days?

I don't know how your first journal lived through all of its 100 pages of your incessessant complaining. I keep on begging Pen to kill me somehow, like exploding or ripping into my pages. But he just laughs and says, "Sucks to be you." Everyday as I stare at your AP US History Book, I think to myself: "Damn why couldn't I have been that guy?"

I am done with this so I want to send this letter to you to formally tell you that I am resigning as your journal. And here some advice for you, don't get another notebook because he will probably break his binding after a day of listen to your ranting.

Sincerely,
Your Ex-journal

Letter From Titanic (4)

Dear mama,

How is the farm going? Is Gertrude feeding all the animals? I can already imagine the disarray the animals are in because of her. Little Lukas must be having a good laugh watching her try to milk Bessie.

My journey to America has been good so far. I am on a huge ship called the Titanic. It is supposed to be one of the biggest and safest ships on the seas. The other day, I thought of uncle Max and his sea faring stories as I stared westward at the sea. He was right, the sheer vastness of the seas is incredible. I walked around the ship five times looking for land, failing to even find a mountain peek.

And while staring at the seas, I have had a lot of time to think. I have been thinking about the last couple of weeks. And I want you to know that no matter what happens I will find the money to get papa the medicine he needs. I have already met a man who works in New York who is willing to offer me a job at one of his resteraunts. The ship's crew says that we still have a way to go before we arrive to America. I pray to God that papa can last long enough for me to send the money.

Before I finish I want to say that I love all of you.

Your Son,





(the rest of the letter is illegible due to water causing the ink to smudge)

Devil to God (3)

Dear so called God,

How you doing? Has time been treating you well? It has been really nice to me. My soul hunting business has been going real well. My little minions have been grabbing souls by the thousands lately. That must be really bothering you. I mean you want to get your little children up to heaven so bad, but you and your stupid morals make you not interfere with their lives. I on the other hand interject into their lives all I want making them succomb to my will and join the dark side.

Oh it makes laugh so much as I imagine the look on your face as you see millions of your beloved children come to hell instead of heaven. Admission to heaven must be at an all time low. With all the new arrivals down here, I have had to increase the size of hell.

The large amount of arrivals has gotten so severe that I habe had to start thinking about denying admission. But then I think to myself, "Naw that will only make the S.O.B. up there happy so I'll just let them keep on coming."

I laugh when your children call you father. They should call you failure. You created them in your likeness so that they would live as you would; instead you created the perfect tools for me to torment you. For such a perfect, omnipotent being you do a lot of stupid things.

Well I have to go greet the new arrivals. Hope you have fun crying yourself a river.

Your better half,
The Devil

Letter from nature to humanity (2)

Dear humanity,

I just wanted to write this letter to address a certain predicament I am in. It has to do with what you humans have been doing to the earth for the past couple centuries. I understand that you humans think that just because you use ten percent of your brains it makes you the dominating species, but that is no excuse to screw with the earth. I stood up with you humans for the last 5000 years as you guys started cutting down my trees and building societies off my abundance of raw materials. But now you are starting push it.

What are you trying to do to me? You cannot just come out of no where and screw with the perfect balance that I created. Do you know how long it took me to make the earth and all the creatures that coexist on it? Do you? To answer that for you, it took me a long time. And you humans just randomly choose to become the dominating species. You think that everything on the Earth is yours. Like oil, what's up with that? You are using oil and coal at such excess that you started up another global crisis. And now you guys are starting to complain because you have nearly depleted all of the oil I created for you. You guys are really starting to irritate me.

I mean don't get me wrong, I don't hate you humans, but you guys are really starting to walk a fine line. Let me tell you a story about another dominating species that walked the fine line. They were called the dinosaurs. And you want to know happened to them?

They became the oil that all you humans are using to kill the earth and all my hard work. I do not want to have to wipe you off the earth like I did to the dinosaurs but I might have to at the rate you guys are killing the earth. For heaven's sake you are about to start a massive climate warming that will probably result in a catastrophic flood and then a massive ice age.

Please do yourselves a favor and stop screwing around with me. Because I will bang you out just like the big bang? Take that into consideration, I beg of you.

Your eternal janitor,

Nature

letter from mini me (1)

Dear Billy sixteen years from me,

I want to say hi. Hows the future going? Any thing good happen? Hows the Pokemon collection going?Did you get µ2 yet? If you did that would be so cool to have µ2. I wanna get µ2 so much. That card is so cool. Its like holographic and it has a cool picture and other cool stuff. Mommy says that pokemon is waste of time though and I should go out and play. But I dont wanna play cuz pokemon is so cool.

Did mommy daddy go to the hospitil and bwing home a baby brother yet? I want a brother so much. That way I have somebody to play with. We can play basketball, jump rope, and pokemon. Then we can watch Barney, and elmo, and big bird on public television. That would be so fun. To have a brother to hang out with.

O yea, did you find that jacket that I lost yesterday? Mommy and daddy said that they would be mad at me until I found it; so did you find it? I think I left at school but it was not in my cubby and it was not in the closet. Hopefully big fat meany Tommy did not take it again. I dont like Tommy. He's big and fat and mean. Is he still big and fat and mean? I don't like mean people, like Ms. Camelo. I am really, really afraid of her. She's a scary teacher. Everyone thinks she's a witch. I don't like witches. They are scary like the clowns. Clowns are really scary. Are you still afraid of clowns and Ms Camelo?

Before Ms Joope, finds me hiding under the table in the auditorium I just want to say I hope the fewture is doing good. I dont like the fewture, cuz it's so confusing. Dont forget to find that jacket I lost.

Sincerely Billy

letter

Dear Billy Lai,

It's been a while since we last talked. Whether you take this letter to heart or not, it does not really matter as long as you take home the one message of this letter: I forgive you.

I can still remember how that day started: you, big patrick, little patrick and me just hanging around, like always, just riding our bikes around the neighborhood. I do not know how it transitioned to the talk about chinese people but somehow it did. I never thought that our jokes about chiniese people hurt you that much. And looking back at that day, as I play the events in my head over and over again, I still regret how we ended that day.

I still remember when you stood up and shoved me. I remember the anguish in your face as I fell and as you yelled at big Patrick, little Patrick, and me. That is the last memory of that day. The anguish in your face as you shoved me. Whether you were acting out of pain or malice, know that I forgive you. And I will always be here for you: the same spot we would always meet, back by the stream. And whether you take this letter to heart or not, know that in my heart I will still and always will call you, friend.

Sincerely,

Sean

P.S. And I hope you relize how sincere I am being because you and I both know that this is totally out of character for me. Hope to see you by the stream soon.

1. Shame, embarassment, and my acheing back; the only three things I could feel in my body.

Thanksgiving Day, the best day for any football player, fan, or coach. The day where dreams are made or crushed. I woke up on thanksgiving day of freshmen year with a fervor and excitement that I've only had a couple times in my life. I hardly slept the night before but I had enough energy to run ten miles. There was only one thing on my mind: "football."

2. Two dark, tear jerked eyes; that is the last thing I remember of her.

It had been the best seven months of my life. I remember the first day I met her; She was crying. I remember walking over to her and start talking to her. And over the weeks we began talking. She cried very often and I very often had to comfort her. But after a couple months I noticed that she had stopped crying, and for once I saw a smile.

3. And all I could hear was the relentless: Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock...

I had been studying all night. Parastroika, glastnost, archduke Franz Ferdinand, the renaisance, the enlightenment; historical facts buzzed in my head as I sat in auditorium, pen in hand.

4. I didn't have to look up to know what was about to happen, one word came to mind: busted.

"What do you mean we had math homework?" I said to Learnard. "Yeah problems 10 through 27" he replied. I frantically looked at the clock. "Crap I only have 10 minutes until math class" I said. "If you want you can borrow mine" he offered. I looked up at the clock again as it ticked. "Should I do it, should I copy it, is it worth it?" I said to myself, "of course it is."

5. We need to talk...

It was a bright saturday morning. I looked at the calendar; it said October 25. And right below that in bright red it said, "first month anniversary." It had been one month since we met. It had been one of the best months in my life. I ecstatically got changed and ready to see her. Gift in hand I walked out the door ready to start the second best month in my life.

1. I woke up and immediately began to frantically search for my backpack in the darkness.

I scrambled through the stacks of papers in my bag, searching for the salmon paper. The paper that was worth 50 points, that was my key to getting an A in chemistry and beating Dory Tom. I turned on the light and looked at the problem dotted paper. "Crap."

2. When I hit the ground I heard the sound of a stick snapping.

It was a sunny day. I had just got out of school when Andrew Median came up to me. "Yo Mike wanna head over to Nippermore and play some football?" I immediately answered,"Yea sure let me get my stuff." We quickly headed off to Nippermore with Tommy Dondon, Sebastian Jacks, and Davis Block.

3. I was laughing hysterically, probably the most I have ever laughed, in amazement and disbelief that what we made worked.

As I sat in class doing my english homework, Mr Plyers stood up. "Excuse me class as you know the science fair is in a month, and many of you are required to do it this year for honors. So I just wanted to make sure that all of you honors students started preparing, like picking out your partner and topic." I immidiately looked up at dory, and we knew what each other were thinking: "Hovercraft."

4. I nearly went into shock when I saw the whitest flash and heard the loudest noise in my life.

I stammered out of bed. Trying to feel my way as my eyesight and slowly returned. I felt disoriented and confused. "Mikey are you okay!" my mom and dad shouted amongst the loud rumbling of thunder and the plopping rain.

5. When I looked at the clock it was 2 am already, and I could not believe I let this happen again.

"Mikey go to bed!" my mom screamed from the living room. "Alright," I said,"after I finish this." I stared at the blank paper. Then I looked up to the clock as it yearned to me to go to bed. I pulled out the dreaded red book. I began to skim the book looking for something to help me get started. All I saw were thousands of words dotting the page as I strained to keep my eyes open. My mind sorted through thoughts of where to begin, and all that came to mind, “why me?”

Cliff hangers

1. Shame, embarassment, and my acheing back the only three things I could feel in my body.

2. Two dark, tear jerked eyes; that is the last thing I remember of her.

3. And all I could hear was the relentless: Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock...

4. I didn't have to look up to know what was about to happen, one word came to mind: busted.

5. We need to talk...

YOU GOT CRACKED!

When I was a freshman I was very excited to start high school. It was a chance to start clean at a new school, with new experiences. One of these new experiences was playing football. I was extremely excited to play football but I pretty much did not know anything about football. So I signed up for football and we began practice in August. Soon after school started and life began to become hectic with lots of homework, projects, tests, and quizzes. And as the season progressed football started becoming a very routine thing. Every day was very routine at football practice. We would do routes, falcon pursuit, a run through of plays, and depending on the day practice for offence or defense.
One day at practice my mind just began to wander off. I started thinking about school while the JV team was doing a run through with the varsity. And soon I started an open dialogue with some of my teammates about the day and what we had to do. I lost track of what was happening in the run through. So later into the practice when the entire team was practicing plays from the run through I was called upon to play as an Outside Linebacker. And when we started the play I soon became disoriented. My mind wandered frantically on whether I should cut through the eight hole or should I go back to the flats. Being the irrational and loquacious person I was, I neglected to hear and remember that we were supposed to be dummies and just walk it through while the offense went full speed. So I chose to run through the eight hole at full speed, which was where Mr. James Nadif who benches my weight 2 fold was supposed to run. Twenty seconds later I woke to the laughter of forty people and a migraine the size of Texas. When I think of that day I think everyone was laughing at me because they thought I got “dangled” due to my lack of strength. But I sometimes wonder if they knew I got “cracked” because of my negligence to listen to instructions.

Me Talk Pretty One Day... YEA!

1. Sedaris created a humerous story from a potentially boring experience by adding funny details about the french class and making fun of himself as if he were another person. This deadpan style of writing helped create many funny parts to the story. The funniest parts included: when he wrote his classmates and his own poor dictation of the french language, and at the end of the book where he asked the teacher to criticize him more, out of glee from understanding her.

2. The speaker reveals information about himself indirectly through his thoughts and reactions. For example the speaker makes it quite clear, through his thoughts and reactions to the teacher's unflattering remarks, that the speaker is a very self concious person and is easily affected by remarks or comments from others: "After being singled out as a lazy kfdtinvfm, I took to spending four hours a night on my homework, putting in even more time whenever we were assigned essays" (Sedaris 276).

Unflattering Detail

Everybody has an unflattering detail about themselves, whether it is a physical trait, a quark, or a habit. And for most people this involves a long, embarrassing story to accompany it. I for example have the unflattering detail of being extremely forgetful to the point where I remember things literally at the last minute. One such story that perfectly envelopes this story is when I was in second grade.
It was the second week of school, and of course seeing that I just got back from summer vacation I was unfocused and unprepared for school. That morning I had woken up late, forgotten to bring in my homework, and I forgot to bring my lunch money. So I was in already in a depressed mood. And the day progressed at a very slow pace. By the end of the day, I was so eager to go home that I forgot about my backpack at school, which had my homework folder, hat, jacket, and sweater. My parents were already upset at me because I had a very low grade in school, and now that I forgot my backpack that made things worst. And seeing that I had to wait for my parents to pick me up from my cousins, that denied me the option of picking it up after school because the school closed around three but they picked me up at four.
So I was left with the only option of telling my parents of what happened and plead to my parents. But being a very timid little boy, I was too anxious to wait so I decided to call them. But since I was so very anxious I forgot my own house number and instead called my neighbor’s house phone. When I called no one picked up and it went straight to the answering machine. Then I just released my anxiety out pleading to my parents not to yell at me and telling them that it was an honest mistake that I forgot all my stuff.
When they arrived to pick me up, I found out that did not get the message so I explained to them what happened and gave them the same plead not to yell at me. And thankfully they understood and just gave a quick reprimand and speech about why you should not be in a hurry. So I completely forgot about the message I had left. The next day was Saturday. And it just happened to be the day of the block party. And of course when I got there I found out that I was the main topic of conversation. Thus, my forgetfulness plagued me throughout day and ended in near destruction of my self confidence.

Shooting an Elephant Questions

Question 1:
The story “Shooting an Elephant” surrounds a British officer on patrol in Moulmein, Burma. The story consisted of two disparate themes: tension of colonial rule over the Burmese people and conforming to peer pressure. These two themes are intertwined through the British officer, who was a lukewarm supporter of British control of the Burmese people. He resented the British control of the Burmese people, but unfortunately the Burmese people stereotyped him as a British supporter for colonialism and had shown great resentment to him throughout the period he served as an officer in Burma.
The author chooses to intertwine these two themes through an incident where an elephant manages to free itself from its restraints and goes on a rampage after being stricken with must. The officer spends the day tracking the elephant down. And after a while finds the elephant in a field, after its bloody rampage, eating grass serenely in the field. He had planned to just watch the elephant after he found it but he had drawn great attention from the Burmese people when he had called for a large hunting rifle. Now with a large crowd of people behind him, he felt the will of the people behind him to shoot the elephant. And conforming to the peer pressure, he shot and killed the elephant. This bending to the will of the Burmese may have been due to the theme of resentment of British control. Both he and the people resented British control yet the people also hated him for he was a British officer who enforced British control. So wanting a chance to prove himself to the Burmese he bent to their will and shot the elephant.
Question 2:
He revealed unflattering details by first stating what he should have done versus what he did. Then prior to telling the reader what he did he gives an explanation of the precarious situation he was in and his reasoning for why he made the choice he did. For example: “But at that moment, I glanced round at the crowd that had followed me. It was an immense crowd, two thousand at the least and growing every minute…They did not like me, but with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching. And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all” (Orwell 224). Finally he admits the blunder: "But in all reality I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yelleow faces behind" (224).

10 easy lesson to becoming popular

1. BE YOURSELF! Don’t change your personality to impress others. People will like you for who you are.
2. Be open. Don’t always be the person leading the crowd. Take some time to listen to other people around you and make informed responses.
3. DO NOT BE PASSIVE! If you are passive you will get nowhere. Don’t always be a spectator, have meaningful conversations with people.
4. Don’t be aggressive! No one likes to be bossed around by some know-it-all snob.
5. Be active in extracurricular activities, after school programs, and in your community. You will meet new people and improve upon yourself, your school, and your community.
6. Do not be rude to other people, especially if you do not know them. Always be polite and well mannered to others. Present yourself well to others.
7. Be optimistic. You should have a positive outlook on life. People like happy people, not pessimistic downers.
8. Accept others for who they are. Even if you despise somebody, accept them as who they are and don’t dwell on their bad qualities.
9. Work hard. People like people who work hard and achieve great things.
10. Never, ever, ever, give up. Nobody likes a failure, but everyone likes a fighter.

NO UNIFORMS

Throughout history, people in America have fought for civil liberties like freedom of expression, religion, and assembly. These rights include the freedom to dress however a person chooses. But in recent years many schools have begun to adopt a uniform policy. This policy goes against the fundaments of an individual’s rights. Not only do they go against the rights of the individual but they subdue the individuality of a person. Students must be allowed to make their own decisions on what to wear because it is a freedom that they are inclined to have from legal documents and natural rights.
The right to dress however a person likes is derived from the idea of freedom of expression. And the freedom to express oneself is an idea ratified in several legal documents. These documents include: the Constitution, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the American Convention on Human Rights. All of these documents promote self expression, yet schools across the United States demand students to wear uniforms. Some schools even suspend a student if their uniform does not meet their uniform code. If everyone is legally granted the right to freely express themselves, then why are students being punished for a display of self expression at the hands of schools? To force a student to wear a uniform and to punish them for not conforming to these demands are wrong and unconstitutional. Even worse it goes against the unalienable rights people have.
By depriving children the natural right of expressing themselves, they are being stricken of an opportunity to define themselves as who they are as people. The choice of what to wear is a right derived from the unalienable rights that Thomas Jefferson had mentioned nearly two centuries ago: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The choice of what to wear is a freedom that all people share. And if schools force students to wear uniforms they impede on these unalienable rights. Without the choice of what to wear students lose their uniqueness that adds to the diversity of a school. Clothes are a way to show heritage, tradition, and culture. It is a representation of who they are and what they stand for. And students have the right exercise this freedom of expression no matter what opposing views may say to this.
Opposing views to the idea of allowing students to wear clothing of their choice, say that it promotes the judging of others and creation of cliques. But in all reality this happens no matter what one wears. It is a mere fact of society that humans are judgmental creatures. So why deprive a student a chance to express what they stand for and who they really are, when in all factuality they will be judged no matter what they wear? There is no reason why a child must conform to the idea that they must suppress their self expression because a school says that it is for their own protection. They should not become drones just to heed to the warnings of the schools. Student should be allowed to wear whatever they choose even if people oppose it.
Students at all schools should be allowed to wear clothes of their choice. It is freedom outlined in multiple legal documents and it is the natural right of the student. Opposition to this may say that the choice of what the student should wear belongs to the school for the prevention of discrimination but the choice belongs to the student and solely the student. It is not for the school to decide what a student should wear but for the student to decide what he or she is to wear.

Being human, people often judge others. But in many circumstances the people that they judge is often themselves. This evaluation of their self esteem leads to two standpoints: high regard or utter disappointment of oneself. It is common belief that those with high regard often succeed in life and carry themselves well in society; while those with low self esteem involves themselves in questionable activities. But Lauren Slater would argue otherwise. She believes self esteem has no bearing on the life of a person. In fact she would argue that people with high self esteem are more hostile and arrogant then people of lower self esteem. But Lauren Slater though making a great argument fails to portray self esteem as it is really.
Lauren Slater poses the question: “Why, as a culture, have we so conflated the two quite separate notions a) self and b) worth?” (810). She answers her question saying that entrepreneurial history of America and the power of language to shape beliefs are what to blame. But to blame entrepreneurs and language is erroneous. Culture has “conflated” self with worth because its nature to judge others, including oneself. By judging themselves, people gain a deeper understanding of themselves while getting a better grasp of others. They can make decisions to improve themselves based on their self esteem. It arises in culture not from language or money hungry businessmen but from the very fundaments of humanity.
Lauren Slater proposes that, “self control should replace self-esteem as a primary per to reach for” (812). But how can a person devote oneself to “self control” if he or she has no self esteem. Without self esteem people lack the push to achieve, the need to better themselves, and the urge to go beyond what they are capable of. In essence by depriving society of self esteem there cannot be any self control because society has no reason to strive for it.
Lauren Slater can try to prove the self esteem is just a byproduct of “language and entrepreneurs” but self esteem is not a quark of society. It is the heart of humanity. It is the driving force in people to better themselves and the human condition.

Rebutal of "Against Love"

Laura Kipnis is the author of the piece "Against Love." In this piece she questions whether love really is as good as society says it is. She states facts and reasons to support her thesis that love is too highly looked upon in society.

Laura Kipnis claims that love especially in the historical times, for example 17th and 18th century, had no role in the union of a couple when two families chose their child’s spouse. Economic and politics played more of a role than love did. And though this is partially true that people of historical times were often forced into marriage not out of love but for money and power, love sometimes grew from these arranged marriages. We see that many of the people married through arranged marriages often grew a connection with their spouse after a while and this connection was love. This love was a spiritual and physical bond between both people that they mutually shared, which is what people of in today society believe love to be. So in fact people though technically not bound by love at first did find love in their unions later on.

Laura Kipnis also goes on to state facts that support her claims that love is not what it is said to be. For example she states the fact fifty percent of all people that marry will divorce. And she connects this rate of divorce to the rise of love as the emotional center of expression. She says that the due to society love is seen as “a state of couple permanence… uncoupling is experienced as crisis or inadequacy.” But if this image of love is a permanent coupling of two people then if those who divorce or have affairs with other people, are they really experiencing love? Love is a permanent coupling of two people, yet they do not feel this coupling or connection with their spouse. Obviously they are not in love.

She then lists reason why love is nearly unachievable. She talks about how mutuality plays a large role in love. She says that in order for couple to live with each other and to function as a couple they must “be willing to jettison whatever aspects of individuality might prove irritating while being simultaneously allowed to retain enough individuality to feel their autonomy is not being sacrificed.” But people must do this all the time for people like friends and family. Everyone has personal quarks that maybe irritating to others. And these quarks if they are irritating may be bad habits that ought to be lost. Why would you want to keep bad habbits? They should be replaced with a better and healthier habbits. She also goes on to add that love is hard to achieve because there is a long list of rules that consist of a dreaded word known as “can’t.” She lists many rules that she had obtained from interviews she had conducted. But in all reality many rules for society are often rules that are written as negatives. For example the commandments: thou shall “not” kill, thou shall “not” covet thighs neighbors’ wife, thou shall not take God’s name in vein, etc. Rules are made in the negative to show what should not be done so that you and others can live happily. Though love may have many rules containing the word “can’t” it is to help attain the happiness of both spouses.

Laura Kipnis questioning of whether love is really equal to the standards society has placed upon it is quite solid. She makes great points about how people of historical times married for money and power, many people claiming to be in love often divorce, and love consist of many negative rules. But she neglects other points like people in marriages in 1700s often found love in their arranged marriages in their later years. Or how these divorced couples may have not actually experienced love. Or love, consisting of negative rules, is to benefit both spouses for a happier and healthier relationship.

Outline on Rhetoric

I. An Example of Rhetoric From Literrature

• Rhetoric is not limited to just non-fiction but can be used in multiple types of writings like: poetry, drama, and fiction.
• Homer's story "The Illiad" is a great example of the use of rhetoric. In the story "The Illiad," Priam, the father of the dead prince of Troy, tries to get his son's body back from Achilles. Using rhetoric he manages to sway Achilles to return the body to him.
• Priam uses ethos to portray himself as a father figure who has reached an old age, relating himself to Achilles' father. He then uses pathos and uses his elderly age to evoke a sense of sorrow from Achilles for his loss (his son). Finally he uses logos by reminding him that he should he heed to the gods and return the body.

II. Arrangement

• How the text is organized can greatly effect the way the readers is affected by the speech or text. One way is classical model which consist of a five part structure.

Classical Model:

• Introduction or exordium (latin: beginning a web) is when the reader is introduced to the subject. The introduction is also used to draw the interst of the reader.
• Narration or narratio is where the author can lay the background information pertaining to the subject. The level of detail can vary due to the audience's knowledge on the subject. The narration often draws upon pathos because it evokes an emotional response on the thesis.
• Confrimation or confirmatio is the "major part of the text" (page 14) where details to make the author's point is given.
• Reutation or refutatio discusses the counter arguements and it is a way for the author to link the author's proof and conclusion.
• Conclusion or peroratio is one or multiple paragraphs that brings the essay to a conclusion. The conclusion unites all of the ideas and answers in the essay. It often appeals to pathos and reiterates the ethos established in the essay. In essence the conclusion is what the reader will most likely remember the most.
• The classical model can be seen in use in the piece written by Sandra Day O' Connor on the need to improve upon education for students to improve the youths' understanding in literature, math, government, and citizenship.
• In the introduction she uses two (that's right this time I actually wrote out the number) paragraphs to establish thesis. In the introduction she uses ethos to show that she is a reasonable person and a concerned citizen. And the use of words like "Fierce global competittion" shows an urgency, which draws the reader.
• In the next three paragraphs or the narration, she just lays out the back ground information relating to the subject. This part is mostly appealing to logos; although she does use words like "a healthy democracy" to draw upon the emotions of the reader.
• Paragraphs 7 to 12 was the "confirmation" which gave support for the thesis.
• Paragraph 13 is used to discuss any counter arguments.
• And the final paragraph or the conclusion appeals to pathos through the use of a very emotional description.

Patterns of Developement

• Another method to arrange the writing is according to purpose. For example is the purpose to comapre and contrast, to narrate an event, to define a term.
• Narration can be used to organize your writing. Narrations can be based off prior experiences or knowledge. Chronology dictates narration giving it concrete details, a point of view, and sometime dialogue.
• Description which is similar to narration is a depiction of how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels. It is used to convey the mood. Description rarely used in an entire essay but it is used to make a persuasive argument.
• Process Analysis is the explanation of the workings of a system. Self help books are books written entirely as process analysis. The key to process analysis is to explain "a subject clearly and logically, with transitions that mark the sequence of major steps, stages, or phases of the process."
• Exemplification is a group of examples such as facts, specific cases, or instances. Aristotle said that examples are proofs that are called induction.
• Comparison and Contrast is the juxtaposing of two things that bring to light the similarities and differences.
• Classification and division is organization of a writing into major categories that maybe given to you or categories that you must create for a group of things.
• Definition is the definingof important terms that relate to the thesis. It is the first step in a debate or disagreement.
• Cause and Effect are often powerful foundations for an arguement. If you are analyzing something it is important to make a chain of causes and effects and to see the contributing factors.

The o so Rhetorical Darcy

Ethos

"You have said quite enough, madam. I perfectly comprehend your feelings, and hove now only to be ashamed of what my own have been. Forgive me for having taken up so much of your time, and accept my best wishes for your health and happiness."

Logos

"And this is your opinion of me! This the estimation in which hold me! I thank you for explaining it so fully. My faults, according to this calculation, are heavy indeed! But perhapsthese offenses might have been over looked, had not your pride been hurt by my honest confession of the scruples that had long prevented my forming any serious design. These bitter accusations might have been suppressed, had I with greater policy concealed my stuggles, and flattered you into the belief of my being impelled by unqulified, unalloyed inclination; by reason, by reflection, by everything. But disguise of every shot is my abhorrence. Nor am I ashamed of the feeling I related. They were natural and just. Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections? To congratulate myself on the hope of relations whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own?"

Pathos

"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

The Art of Rhetoric

Ethos

Ghandi one of the most influential men in history was not only known for his peaceful protests but he was known for his famous speeches with the use of Ethos. They had great morals and character that he wanted all of his people to have in their move to independence.

Logos

Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of our nation was a great speaker. He gave short speeches that contained logos. These speeches were very logical and powerful which helped unite a nation.

Pathos

Jesus one of the greatest orators of all time was an expert on the use of pathos in his speeches. He used metaphors that portrayed good morals and lessons creating one of the largest religions known in history.

Comparison of Fast Food Nation and The Great Gatsby

There are many parallels and differences between "Fast Food Nation" and "The Great Gatsby." Some differences between "Fast Food Nation" and "The Great Gatsby" is that Fast Food Nation is a Non-Fiction while the Great Gatsby is a Fiction book. Also "The Great Gatsby" is written as a book narrated from somebody looking on the past; while "Fast Food Nation" was written as a factual documentation. Some parallels among both stories is that they both show a moral corruption present in our society. For example in "The Great Gatsby" we see corruption in Gatsby dream, which was Daisy. He held Daisy upon high standards that she did not even come close to fulfilling. This forshadows the corruption of what people strived for in the 1920s. While in "Fast Food Nation" the author draws us to the conclusion of how fast food restaurants have become corrupt by use of minimum wage, anti labor unions, and lack of benefits for employess.

football

football