I Am Thankful For...

I am thankful for many things. I am thankful for many people. I greatly enjoy my english class too! But there is that one person in this class that just has become a good friend in the past two months! 

Amanda Huerta has been just great! We have bonded over the journey of our very long, tiring and tedious Rube Goldberg project. We worked hard to come up with great ideas for the project but during that we also got to know each other a little. I think our greatest shared liking is food! We both enjoy eating a lot. When you find out that you share a love for food like Amanda and I have nothing can stop us. We are perfect for each other! Amanda is a great person who is fun to be around, she is always cracking jokes. I can be open with her, there is no need to be shy around her! She almost went home with a new younger brother after our project was complete! She is just so caring and loving!


What more could I ask for?! I am super thankful for her! Without her there would be no complete project. There is a smile on my face everyday because of Amanda! :)

I Celebrate Myself!

According to Mr. McCarthy I should be channeling my inner Whitman, Thoreau & Emerson. As transcendentalists they thought that they believed that religion and government tainted the purity of an individual. Well I guess that would mean that I am tainted, well not completely. 

I celebrate myself as I am. I am a strong believer and follower of my religion but I do not let that get in the way of my life. Although some of my choices and ideas are influenced by my religion,  I will always have a reasons for those not influenced by religion and government. I even think some things that, according to my mother is "unchristianly" like. I feel that if we were all to live strictly by religion and even by the government we would all be uninteresting and boring.

I like to believe that I am unique. I celebrate myself for being unique! I have set out to be a strong, independent young lady and I feel like I have accomplished that. Since a young age, I have wanted to prove my family wrong of so much. They have always had a set idea of the role of a woman, that is to cook, clean and tend to the men of the house. That always angered me because I knew I was better than that. So far I am on my way to a very successful life that will allow me to have my own career. But thanks to them I still have all the skills they have, but now I am acquiring more skills. I have set goals for myself and to prove certain people wrong. I always like a challenge. I know that my personality is only growing stronger and stronger, day by day. I celebrate myself for not giving up every time I felt like everything in my life was disappearing from me. I know that I cannot just drop everything the second life gets hard because many people have gone through worse and have come out of their situations with just so much success. I cannot give up because I would not be where I am right now if I had given up at some point in my life. 

I celebrate myself for not always being tainted by my community and society. I celebrate myself for being a strong and independent young lady. I Celebrate Myself! 

Poe.

Edgar Allan Poe is a great poet and author. His pieces are marvelous creations. They do have their creepy details though. 

After doing a little bit of research on Poe, I have found a couple life events that could have caused him to right these dark stories. As a child he did not have his parents around. His father ran out on the family when he was just an infant. His mother sadly passed away when Poe was just three years old. So he didn’t know his parents. Soon after his mother’s death, he was stripped of the rest of his family. He was sent to a couple in Virginia. As he grew up with the couple, he bonded with his adoptive mother Frances. He studied at the University of Virginia. When he came back home he found out that his financée was involved with another man. So he left his parents’ home.

His early life had some major events that could really be the reason behind his dark stories. If this is true then the sadness that came to him is what drove him to write great poems and stories. But he still achieved great success, even after death!

What is an American?

This is a very vague question because it can be answered in many different ways. An American can be anyone who lives in America, that is North or South America. But when someone thinks of an American they think of people in the United States! An American can be someone with a United States citizenship. An American can be someone that practices the traditions and culture of the United States. 

What is the American culture? Because the United States is still young I feel like there isn't really a culture to this country. I feel that it is still growing. What is truly American though? Baseball is "America's pastime." Some may argue that football is of America but the concept originates from rugby, which is from Britain. Many may think that fast food like hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hot dogs are from the United States but they all came from some other places. Music is inspired from other cultures. There are classic American literature authors that have written stories based on our history. 

America is believed to be the country with freedom and liberty. We have our own will to practice any religion, participate in any activities, get an education, and even vote by the age of 18. All of this is for Americans without any discrimination and if there is we can take it to court, as long as there is money. But we can press charges if someone assaults or even attempts to hurt you. There is a justice system that is meant to be fair to everyone. Schooling can be so good in the United states; there are also ways around the tuitions. 

So being an American isn't just about food or sports or music because there seems to be a history behind all things that don't lead back to America. Being American means being allowed all the opportunities that this country offers. At some times the Unites States doesn't seem to be a great place but I honestly we don't have it that bad. We have a lot. So even if you come from another country or your family does but you are able to take advantage of what America has to offer, you are an American. And I believe that many more people should be allowed to take hold of the advantages here. 

Modern Day Puritan

Although Puritans do not exist as they did before their lifestyles can still be noticed in today's society. One example is school.

School is very demanding on students; especially at a school like Whitney Young. Teachers expect a lot of their students, which can be a good thing but also very stressing to us. There are very strict rules for different teachers. Some feel that eating in class is unacceptable. I think that as long as the student picks up after them self then it should be okay. Some teachers may not accept late work, at all. I agree with every teacher who accepts late work but also deducts a certain amount of points each day the assignment was late. So many teachers have different opinions on different things that it also gets really hard to keep up with how every teacher operates. So the strict ways of school can resemble the Puritan life.

Another example of strict beliefs is seen from parents. They can be tough on their kids about school, sports and more. I have witnessed parents force their kids to participate in a sport. And when they didn't do as well as the parents expected they get punished. That is crazy! And then school. If a kid doesn't get perfect grades, they are suddenly not trying hard enough. Then that goes back to the teachers.

As we can see some of the strict ways of the Puritans are still around us today.

John Proctor... Hero or Scrooge?!

John Proctor is an interesting character in The Crucible. He did not go to church very often because he did not like that Parris would often preach of damnation. Although not attending church was frowned upon in this time and place, I believe he was a HERO! Early in the play we find out that he had an affair with Abigail Williams. This caused talk in the town and John's wife was suspicious. After a while he told Abigail that what had happened between them was done. He tried to make that right and even tried to make things right with his wife, Elizabeth. He wanted to fix things with Elizabeth. Eventually when she questioned John, he opened up and did not lie about his affair. He was a good man overall. He wanted to make sure that the innocent were not persecuted for something that they did not do, especially Elizabeth. He went to great lengths to do this for his wife and the others. He also refused to "blacken" Rebecca Nurse's name. He was a hero in his own unique way. He was not selfish and he was brave & courageous! He died for the truth; something many people were not doing or were planning on doing. They would lie to live. He was the hero of The Crucible!

Arrivals... There Goes The Neighborhood!

As I sit here and listen to Mexican music blasting from houses and cars passing by, celebrating Mexican Independence! So, I begin to wonder about how my family has come into this neighborhood! I sit and remember the things my parents have told me about this place they grew up in. Little Village celebrates with a parade today and I am writing about how Mexicans have come here!
According to my parents my neighborhood was once full of Polish people. I have been able to see this. When I was younger and my mother would take me to the supermarket we were the only ones that weren't Polish. I would stare at them as they ordered ham from the deli in Polish!! And now my dad has recently moved and we have Polish neighbors. I am still getting used to it because I grew up my whole life around Mexicans! This is a gradual change that takes years. Recently there was an Asian family that moved on to our block and for all I know that could be the start of something else! In a few years their friends and family may also move here and continue to spread. This is always happening everywhere! People tend to stick with what is familiar to them so that is how neighborhoods change!