Could a Transcendentalist Society Exist Today?

            It is true that the idea of a transcendentalist society in today’s world seems like a brilliant idea. Many, many people would be open to the idea of living somewhere that places such value on the individual and everyone being treated equally. A place such as Walden Island seems like the perfect escape from the often stressful and complicated lifestyle that the rest of the world has to offer. However, such a place as Walden Island likely could never exist in today’s world. Being a society that encourages and allows people to follow any career of their choice, very few people would choose to occupy many less well paying jobs that are necessary for a country to survive. This is especially true for a country that has strong isolationist policies. Being a small island country, Walden Island would likely not be able to support itself if every citizen chose to be a doctor, teacher or philosopher. Walden Island also seems as if it puts a bit too much value into the opinion of every individual. The policy of nearly every citizen of the island being able to vote on every matter that is put up for debate would result in everything taking an unreasonable amount of time to resolve. Another big flaw in the idea of Walden Island is the strict consequences that exist for things that are merely frowned upon in most societies. Bullying and harshly putting down another’s ideas is against the law, and repeated offences can get one banished from the island. Walden Island could never exist in today’s world.

            Initially, the idea seems wonderful. Walden Island is a place that is specifically designed so that everyone who lives there can be happy, and not have to worry about being judged or having their freedom restricted. Everyone is welcome to have complete control of their future, and no one needs to participate in the upkeep of the community any more than they want to. Each citizen has some say as to what laws and taxes are put into effect or repealed. The educational system encourages students to adopt transcendentalist beliefs, and prepares them for whatever career path that they choose. Any and all religions are tolerated. Indeed, it is illegal to harshly put down the ideas or beliefs of another. This may sound like a paradise to live in, but truly much of its design is totally impractical, and it could likely never flourish in modern day.

            In a nation where people have complete control of what occupation they wish to hold in their future, in order to encourage the transcendentalist idea that everyone should always follow their dreams, there would be few people applying for boring or simple jobs that are essential for a country to run smoothly. If every citizen was free to follow their dream of being a doctor or lawyer, there would not be anyone available to collect peoples’ trash or mow their lawn for them. It truly would be a marvelous thing if everyone in a place such as Walden Island was free to be whatever they wanted to be, but such a place could never exist in an independent nation.

            A big focus of transcendentalism is the value of every individual’s opinion and beliefs.  A transcendentalist society such as Walden Island would have to give every citizen a say in what laws they will be forced to follow. Although this might sound nice, it would unfortunately take ludicrous amounts of time to resolve any matter, no matter how important or trivial. Giving so much power to the people would also likely lead to taxes being so low that the government would barely have enough funds to run the country. With so much power being in the hands of the people, Walden Island’s government would be slow to respond to crises, and be ineffectual in dealing with most matters.

            Because Walden Island is a strongly transcendentalist society, it is obliged to make sure that every individual is respected and allowed to believe whatever they choose to believe without being influenced by their peers. This leads to actions such as bullying, the mocking of one’s beliefs, or harshly putting down one’s ideas being declared illegal. If people were moving to Walden Island from other countries, they would likely be banished from the island before they ever got used to such seemingly trivial things being against the law. Trying too hard to enforce transcendentalism on everyone on the island is completely impractical.

            Despite how simple and blissful a place like Walden Island might sound, sadly such a thing simply could not be made to exist in modern day. The need to make sure every resident can become exactly what they want to be and want for nothing is completely unfeasible. A paradise such as Walden Island could never be created in today’s world.

Dead Poets Society Conformity Post

It is and always has been human nature to seek acceptance from one’s peers and to fear loneliness. The desire to fit in usually overwhelms people’s desire to always be independent and be themselves. This is especially true among teenagers. In a school environment, a student’s worst fear is to be taken as strange or weird, and be shunned by his fellow students. In order to feel socially acceptable, students constantly feel the need to conform and try to behave, think, and look similar to those around them. Dead Poets Society is about a group of students living in this environment at a very esteemed boarding school called Welton Academy. With the teachers and professors of Welton Academy encouraging this behavior, as well as most of the student’s parents, the majority of the students at Welton found little opportunity to stay true to themselves and follow what they believed in. Everyone around them, their parents, their teachers, and unknowingly their friends, constantly influenced them to conform. The method of education that Welton utilized went completely against that idea that every child has a right to express them self however they want, and should choose their own future.

            At the beginning of Dead Poets Society, a new professor is being introduced to the students and staff, Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating is the new poetry teacher for the group of students who make up the movie’s main characters. Mr. Keating uses an extremely unorthodox method of teaching, one that most if not all of his fellow teachers and professors disapprove of. Because of his strange teaching strategy and refusal to conform to the ways of his peers, Mr. Keating quickly earned the dislike of the dean of the school. Indeed, he was blamed for some horrible events that transpired towards the end of the story. Mr. Keating’s lessons about how everyone should choose their own future and not let anyone tell them who they should be gave many of his students the courage to speak out against the school and their parents. Some of them were inspired to be themselves and follow their passions despite severe consequences that occurred later on in the story. Every student who stuck out and attempted to be a non-conformist for a while quickly faced severe punishment from either the school or their parents. One student went against the wishes of his extremely controlling father and followed his passion for acting without his father’s consent. His father became infuriated, so furious that he pulled his son out of Welton and enrolled him in military school. The student soon committed suicide rather than live with a father who wouldn’t let his son do what actually made him happy. Because of the overpowering tradition of conformity and discipline that was enforced at Welton, the school was essentially a place where all the professors, who were practically clones, could mold the students into exactly who their parents wanted them to be. When Mr. Keating arrived and attempted to change some of the student’s way of thinking, the academy quickly rejected his ideas and promised punishment or expulsion for any who would not continue to conform.

Modern Day Transcendentalism Post

A good example of a modern day transcendentalist would be the lead singer of the band Slipknot, Corey Taylor. The nature and genre of this band somewhat defies categorization, because their music is fairly unique, but heavy metal is one thing that many people describe them as. The band was composed of nine members, until the recent death of their bass player, and they often referred to themselves as the nine. Corey and the rest of his band are extremely non conformist, and go to great lengths to display their uniqueness. For every album, they each wear a new grotesquely designed mask that they always wear at performances and on their music videos. Much of their music is about them expressing their hatred for what they believe to be an extremely corrupt society that we currently live in. They are anti government, anti religion, and basically anti anything that they don’t agree with. Although for the most part the whole band agrees with these beliefs, it is Corey that comes up with most of the songs and themes and writes most of their lyrics. 

http://www.songonlyrics.com/slipknot-biography

Slipknot is a pretty popular band, and their fans have taken to calling themselves maggots, after the release of a song Named Pulse of the Maggots. The song is essentially about how he and his band are going to support each other and their fans, and stay the way they are and deny anyone’s attempt to change them. One song that is an even better example of Corey’s transcendentalist beliefs is My Plague. It is about Corey’s utter contempt for anyone who tries to be someone they’re not just to change what people will think of them. The song expresses Corey’s belief that people should be themselves, and how anyone who doesn’t do so he considers to be his “plague”. The song The Heretic Anthem describes how Corey believes in standing your ground and not following or taking orders from anyone. Corey Taylor is an extremely unique human being, and he and his band are at least as independent and strange as Lady Gaga.

Modern Day Transcendentalism Post

A good example of a modern day transcendentalist would be the lead singer of the band Slipknot, Corey Taylor. The nature and genre of this band somewhat defies categorization, because their music is fairly unique, but heavy metal is one thing that many people describe them as. The band was composed of nine members, until the recent death of their bass player, and they often referred to themselves as the nine. Corey and the rest of his band are extremely non conformist, and go to great lengths to display their uniqueness. For every album, they each wear a new grotesquely designed mask that they always wear at performances and on their music videos. Much of their music is about them expressing their hatred for what they believe to be an extremely corrupt society that we currently live in. They are anti government, anti religion, and basically anti anything that they don’t agree with. Although for the most part the whole band agrees with these beliefs, it is Corey that comes up with most of the songs and themes and writes most of their lyrics. 

Slipknot is a pretty popular band, and their fans have taken to calling themselves maggots, after the release of a song Named Pulse of the Maggots. The song is essentially about how he and his band are going to support each other and their fans, and stay the way they are and deny anyone’s attempt to change them. One song that is an even better example of Corey’s transcendentalist beliefs is My Plague. It is about Corey’s utter contempt for anyone who tries to be someone they’re not just to change what people will think of them. The song expresses Corey’s belief that people should be themselves, and how anyone who doesn’t do so he considers to be his “plague”. The song The Heretic Anthem describes how Corey believes in standing your ground and not following or taking orders from anyone. Corey Taylor is an extremely unique human being, and he and his band are at least as independent and strange as Lady Gaga.

Walden Essay Final Copy

            In this modern age, everyday life has complicated itself beyond the bounds of anything the writer and philosopher Henry Thoreau could have ever imagined. An advocate for the beauty of nature and simplicity, Thoreau spent over two years of his life living alone in the wild forest, writing down his thoughts and ideas about the beauty around him as they came to mind. Today, it is extremely difficult for people to simplify their lives to the extent that Thoreau did. Few would be willing to take his same extreme measures and isolate themselves in the wilderness for years on end. With all the modern technology, life is more complicated than ever before. People find it necessary to process ridiculous amounts of information on a minute to minute basis, and are usually in nearly constant communication with other members of society. It is exceedingly difficult for people to just detach themselves from the complex, intense reality that they live in and appreciate the simpler things that life has to offer. Many of the things that Thoreau was incessantly expressing his love for through his writing and journal are the things that people casually take for granted today. Appreciation of nature and how its peacefulness and simple harmony affect our lives is usually far from the minds of the people living in today’s world.

http://www.flickzzz.com/2009/02/beauty-of-nature-18.html

            Looking at the state of the world today, we can confirm that Thoreau did indeed seem to have some insight as to what the future would be like. His visions of cities and farmland taking over the forests turned out to be quite accurate. The former sprawling forests of our continent have indeed been greatly reduced. The majority of the population lives either in densely populated cites or in vast suburban areas. The closest thing that many people experience involving nature on a daily basis is a few trees and squirrels one might spot while walking down the block. Most people’s thought process mainly revolves around their social life, or making enough money in their chosen career to stay afloat, nothing close to what Thoreau most valued in his life. While Henry sought isolation and simplicity, most people today greatly fear being alone and uninvolved with the wider world.  

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/NIGHTLIGHTS.html

                                                                                           

Because of how much people use their technology to always keep them updated on what’s happening in their world, it is hard for people to set aside a few moments every now and then to just sit down, relax, and think.  With things like facebook and cell phones constantly being used for people to always stay in touch, some people can very rarely find themselves a few moments of complete solitude for some quiet contemplation. Very few people today can say that they have experienced life’s, and nature’s, simpler beauties the way that Henry did.

http://louisa-catherall-art.blogspot.com/2009/11/city-stress.html

            Many people living here in the modern day could benefit much from reading the work of Henry Thoreau. Though many people of his time thought him to be a complete fool, it is clear to us today that the man certainly did learn some important, if somewhat odd, lessons and values during his time spent alone in the woods. He gained a deeper insight into the simpler beauties of life and nature, and people would do well to appreciate and perhaps try to learn from his philosophies. 

Walden Rough Draft Post

                In this modern age, it is much more difficult for people to simplify their lives. I’m sure that few would be willing to take the same extreme measures that Thoreau did and isolate themselves in the wilderness for years on end. With all the modern technology, everyday life is more complicated than ever before, with ridiculous amounts of information having to be processed on a minute to minute basis, and people being in nearly constant communication. It is very hard for people to escape the complex, intense reality that they currently live in and appreciate the simpler things that life has to offer. Most of the things that Thoreau was constantly expressing his love for are things that people casually take for granted today. Appreciation of nature and how its peacefulness and simplicity affect our lives is not something that most people of the 2000’s often think about.

            Thoreau’s vision of the future turned out to be somewhat true. There are indeed many, many more cities in North America than there were in Thoreau’s time, and the former sprawling forests of our country have been greatly reduced. Most of the population lives either in densely populated cities or sprawling suburban areas. The closest thing that many experience involving nature on a daily basis is a few trees and squirrels while walking down the block. Most people’s thoughts and attentions are mainly focused on their social life and their chosen career, nothing close to what Thoreau valued in his life. While Henry sought isolation and simplicity, most people today greatly fear being alone and uninvolved with the wider world.

Because of how much people use their technology to keep them informed of what’s happening in their world, it is very difficult for most people to detach themselves from what is constantly happening with other individuals around them and just take a few moments to themselves to relax. With things like facebook and cell phones constantly being used for people to constantly keep in touch, it is not very often that people can find themselves a few moments of solitude for quiet contemplation. Not very many people today ever come close to Henry’s experience with the simpler joys of life, involving nature and solitude.

            Many people today could benefit much from reading the work of Henry Thoreau. Although many people of his time thought him a fool, it is obvious today that the man truly did learn much from his time spent alone in the woods. He gained an appreciation for nature and the simple things in life that many people today would do well to try themselves.

Student Declaration of Independence

As students of the Grosse Pointe public school districts, we the students have certain rights. These rights have been repeatedly infringed upon, and we have deemed it necessary to form an alliance together to stand up against the oppressors once and for all to declare our independence. This document will ensure that the students and teachers alike can work in harmony to produce a healthy and fun atmosphere for learning.  Whether the matter is health conditions or pertaining to the respect of the administrators, all of the items listed below have been deemed as basic rights that every student in the Grosse Pointe districts should hold

Teachers should respect students. This goes the same for students respecting teachers of course, but as long as the students are paying due amount of reverence towards the teacher, he or she should receive the same. Stupid questions do not exist. Teachers should not be able to disregard a question ever, even if has already been asked. Students can’t be expected to be listening 100% of the time.  On a related note, students should be allowed to have extra help as needed. Teachers should be willing to give up there lunch hour to assist students, or, at the very least, direct them to another student for help. Another basic right is the right to choose your schedule. Choosing classes is a key right, as this allows students more freedom in choices and helps decide what career path to go down. Having the best technology possible is a clear basic right for students. The school district should be doing everything in their power to provide students with technology that allows them to learn better and faster. A commonly overlooked, but essential, right is the right to have good, clean water. The water fountains at South are completely disgusting and are probably violating some sort of health code. They taste like metal and blood and should be fixed immediately.  As well as all of these other examples, the most important one by far is the right to feel safe in the school environment. Whether it be from internal or external forces, no student should have to go to school feeling like they are in danger there. The administration should always be doing everything in their power not only to keep the students safe, but to also make them feel safe. 

I.                    Instead of thirty six minute lunches, South has to provide an hour and fifteen minutes.  This is students’ only free time of the day, and thirty-six minutes is barely sufficient to eat.  Lunch should be a time to relax, and rushing to finish eating is not exactly relaxing.  It is the only break in the long seven hour school day.  This time should be spent doing whatever students’ wish, whether it’s walking to Farms Market and getting some fresh air, or just relaxing in the commons and socializing with friends.  Whatever kids chose, lunch should be a complete mental break.  A full seventy-five minute period would allow students to return to class rejuvenated and ready to focus, which would increase productivity.  Grosse Pointe South students demand a longer lunch period. 

II.                  Grosse Pointe South must supply laptops to each student for use in school and at home.  In almost every class, note taking is used by teaches.   This is a very effective method of teaching, yet can be time consuming.  Note taking would be a great deal faster if students had access to laptops, and could type their notes on a Word document.  Laptops that students could carry from class to class would also allow internet research to be done in class.   This would undoubtedly increase the efficiency of students in class. Also, because most assignments that require computers are completed at home, the access to them in class could reduce the amount of homework.   And for those students who don’t always have a computer available to them at their house, because of financial issues or having to share with siblings, the ability to take a laptop home would be greatly beneficial.  Students at Grosse Pointe South need to have laptops both in and outside the classroom to increase overall productivity. 

III.               There needs to be one full hour designated for nap taking.  In classes, countless students are always falling asleep because of exhaustion.  Research shows that teenagers need 9-11 hours of sleep to be fully rested, but that number is rarely reached because of many factors.  A demanding schedule, caused by loads of homework, sports, and other activities, leads to many students getting less than the adequate amount of sleep.  Since school contributes to the large quantity of homework that keeps students up late at night, it is only fair they provide an hour to let kids catch up.  An extra hour of sleep every day would lead to increased productivity, mood, and energy of the students at Grosse Pointe South.  This would make for an improved learning environment. 

IV.               Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays, and for the most part is loved by all. Many families put a lot of time and preparation into its celebration. Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays of the year to have long periods of family time, and some wish that this did not have to last for only one day. Considering this, it is our suggestion that an entire week of school be given off for its celebration.

V.                  Being as far north as it is, our home state of Michigan can often have very extreme winter weather conditions. The snow can often pile high enough to make even walking on the sidewalk a hassle, and temperatures can easily drop to the point that frostbite is something to worry about. Our district’s reason for having so few snow days is that Grosse Pointe is a walking district, but the majority of South’s students either get a ride from their parents or drive themselves to school. Even the kids that walk often have to deal with extremely low temperatures and very deep snow. Therefore, it is our belief that South should have more days off because of extreme winter weather conditions.

VI.               One of the things that South’s students look forward to the most is holidays. They are an excellent time to relax and take a nice break from school. Because of this, one of the most disappointing things is when there is a holiday but students still have to go to school. Sadly, there are a few holidays out of the year that South does not give even one day off school for. We have the opinion that this should be changed, and that for every holiday, no matter how obscure, at least one day of school should be given off for its celebration.

VII.             The purpose of a school is to provide a child with the best education possible.  Each individual varies from his or her peers.   The option of block scheduling can allow for a more personalized schedule focused on each student’s individual needs.  It allows students to select classes and times that will better stimulate their learning process.  Block scheduling allows for breaks between classes for instance you might have math on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, this allows for breaks which helps students alleviate stress and keeps grades high.  This would also to give students assignments spanning over the break, which can help the student’s time management skills.  Those who have had block scheduling have remarked that the change in scheduling keeps your days from being boring so you tend to be more alert in class. Block scheduling allows for students to be more alert and have classes and schedules that fit their needs thus improving the Childs educations, which is after all, the main goal of the school system.

VIII.          Good grades and an attentive attitude is important to ones high school career.  To maintain grades and stay alert it is important that students come to school with their best mindset, which is why it is important to have breaks on holidays.  Students should have a half-day on Halloween and the day after off.  This will allow students to have a short break to alleviate stress and to enjoy the holiday.   Halloween is a national holiday that should be recognized by the Grosse Pointe Public School System with a day and a half off for the students and staff.  Many students in all three stages of school are out late on the night of October 31, Halloween, and would not be attentive at school the next day.  Giving students a short Halloween break will keep them on track and attentive during school.

IX.                High School is a very important segment of ones school career. It is also one of the more stressful and demanding.  For this reason High School students should not have homework on weekends.  The abolishing of weekend homework will allow for students to rejuvenate over the break and to recharge for the coming school week.  Without homework encumbering the student’s weekend, students will have more time to study for test or review materials covered in class.  This will raise students grades exponentially, students will be more relaxed, attentive, and better prepared for class which will result in higher test scores and grades; which will drastically improve students resumes come time to apply for collegiate study. Abolishing weekend homework will help Grosse Pointe students drastically. 

X.                  School should be adjusted to 4 days a week; the weekend spanning Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  2 days for weekends simply does not suffice for the amount of homework and rest students need.  The week of a typical high school student is extremely stressful and exhausting. The weekend is needed to recover.  Teachers tend to assign more homework on the weekends, though, knowing students will have more time.  This leads to the whole weekend being spent completing schoolwork.  Weekends are needed to relax and rejuvinate, and doing homework all weekend is neither of those things.  The weekends are also a sacred time to be spent with family or friends, seeing as though during the week, students are simply too busy.  Three days for a weekend would allow time for schoolwork, as well as friends, family, and rest. 

We, the students of Grosse Pointe South High School, hereby declare our independence from the Grosse Pointe Public School System. We only asked that we receive the treatment that we by our rights deserved, the treatment that we were neglected when a part of the Grosse Pointe Public School System. If we don’t receive our independence, there will be severe consequences. We may be peaceful and civil; we may boycott classes or organize a sit out on the lawn. Protest what we believe to be a corrupt establishment.  Hold strong to what we want and receive it in a peaceful manner. Or, we may be violent, vandalize the school. Rip doors off their hinges and graffiti the hallways. Break the windows of every educational institution, and yell blood curdling battle cries of freedom that even the bravest soul could not bear to hear. Though we are only students, we will crash board meetings. We will disrupt the very foundation that this educational system is based upon and wreak havoc among the board members, never faltering in doing so until our demands are met. Planting fear in every adult’s heart, because independence is a basic right; all students are naturally born with freedom in their blood. The students’ actions to take control of their independence are unpredictable yet organized, extreme yet understandable. It is best that the students receive independence and no other actions are put in place to stop the progression. By this time, there are no measures that can be taken to reconcile both the students and educational program. In no way can the ties between the two be bonded back together, and form a united assembly once again. Independence has spread to the very heart of the matter and no act can be taken to stop it. Independence will rise, and the Grosse Pointe School System should be prepared to fall.

Epilogue of Mr. Parris

The Epilogue of Reverend Parris

            The Witch Trials are finally over; Salem is once again a quiet, peaceful town, but that is really the only thing that hasn’t changed since before. The judges from Boston have departed, their pride somewhat diminished. Even the instigator of all the hysteria, the one who caused the dramatic shift in power, has fled, destroying all credibility of her stories for most. It seems as if every citizen of Salem had at least one friend or family member get hanged for witchcraft. Because of this, the majority of the people who still reside there have a simmering anger towards anyone or anything who was a supporter of the girls who did most of the accusing. One of these people is the former Reverend Parris. Before he could be chased out of Salem by angry townspeople, Mr. Parris left on his own, giving no warning to any family or friends.

            Before he was robbed and driven from his position of power, Mr. Parris was relatively content with his life and thus a fairly peaceful man. However, after being driven from his home and robbed of his power and reputation, Parris has focused most of his newfound rage at the people whose fault he believes it to be; John Proctor and Abigail Williams. If John had done what Mr. Parris, Reverend Hale and Danforth wanted him to and confessed, then Parris’s reputation would have been mostly restored and everyone would have believed that all of the accused really were witches. But John chose to keep that from happening and denied the charges until he was hanged. Towards the end of the Witch Trials, Abigail stole all of Mr. Parris’s fortune and fled with Mercy Lewis, rumor having it that they traveled to Boston. Now penniless and powerless, Parris has decided his best course now that he has been kicked out of his hometown is to kill two birds with one stone by tracking down his niece, Abigail. His first desire is to have vengeance on the deceptive girl who ruined his life, and his second is to reacquire his fortune that she stole.

Following the rumors that surrounded the girl who cried witch, Parris managed to follow Abigail’s trail to the nearest big city, Boston. Upon his arrival, Mr. Parris saw just how daunting his task would be hunting down one girl in this huge city. For a few days he searched relentlessly, searching every crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of his niece, but eventually he realized that it was very likely hopeless. Having no desire to return to the town in which he was so despised, Mr. Parris decided to settle in Boston and found employment as an innkeeper. For weeks he lived peacefully, always keeping an eye out for his despised niece and her companion. Strangely, Parris’s anger over what happened increased over time instead of diminishing. He came to blame Abigail for everything that happened during the Witch Trials up to where he left. Eventually he bought a pistol, and then started going out and roving the city every night searching for her. One early morning Mr. Parris was making a short stop at the market to pick up some more food for the inn. Because of the hour very few people were also out wandering the streets. As luck would have it, Parris glanced into the window of another inn while talking with a merchant and caught a brief glimpse of a familiar face.

            Mr. Parris’s eyes widened, then filled with excitement as he rushed up to the door of the inn. Throwing it wide, he quickly glanced around the room and found it to be empty save for the barkeeper. He rushed upstairs, drawing his pistol as he did so, and began throwing open doors in search of her. Suddenly, in the last room of the hallway, he threw open a door and found her. Abigail looked at him, and the look of recognition in her eyes quickly turned to fear as she took in the pistol and the look of rage in Parris’s eyes. With seemingly no hesitation, he pulled the trigger, muttering that she should not have so ruined his life as he did so. Feverishly he searched her room afterwards, and found his fortune stashed inside of a drawer. Only about half of it was remaining, but for Parris, that was enough. With a shout of victory, he quickly scrambled out the window and sprinted to collect his belongings from his old inn. Feeling elated at his weeks of searching being worth it, Mr. Parris quickly packed his belongings and left the state of Massachusetts forever.

The Crucible Essay

            Although the Salem Witch Trials can mostly be blamed on the lack of common sense in the majority of the people living in Salem, there were a few individuals that caused the original rumors of witchcraft. If they had not played the roles they did, no hysterical fear of the Devil would have raged all throughout Salem and the surrounding land. Unwittingly or not, there were three individuals who started the snowball effect of fear and accusations that led to dozens of hangings. The three people most responsible for the Salem Witch Trials were Abigail Williams, Reverend Hale and Betty.

            The very first scene of The Crucible, which is a mostly true play about the Witch Trials, is of Betty lying sick in bed, seemingly asleep and not able to wake as if she is in a coma. However, the local doctor cannot seem to find a single thing wrong with her. This was happening shortly after her father, Reverend Parris, had discovered Betty and many other girls of the village dancing in the woods. Dancing was very frowned upon in Puritan society. Because of the strangeness of a bunch of girls dancing in the woods around a campfire, and there seeming to be no natural cause of Betty’s condition, people began to whisper that it could possibly be from unnatural causes, and rumors of witchcraft began to spread. Now, considering the fact that witchcraft is not real, it is apparent that Betty must have been pretending to be unable to wake, for whatever reason. When Betty first woke up in the presence of the other girls who danced, she began speaking of suspicious things that happened the night before besides dancing. “You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor” (Miller 19)! Abigail was the one who originally led the girls into the woods to dance. After Reverend Hale seemed to cure Betty of her apparently magical affliction, she went on to accuse many citizens of Salem to be associating with the Devil, and so played a big part in starting the hunt for witches in Salem.

            Revered Hale arrived on the scene the morning after the girls were found dancing in the woods. Upon his arrival, he made a half-hearted attempt to wake Betty from her slumber, and then began to question the girls and Mr. Parris about the events of the night before. After Mr. Hale began to seem somewhat suspicious, Abigail tried to push the blame onto Tituba. Mr. Hale started to viciously drill Tituba with questions and accusations, and that was essentially when Reverend Parris started the policy of confess when accused of witchcraft or die. “You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba” (Miller 44)! The two reverends had gotten the first actual confession out of someone in Salem concerning consorting with the Devil. This seemed important because for most people it erased all doubt of whether or not there were witches in Salem, because why would someone confess if they are innocent? Now what really got the witch hunts started was when Tituba confirmed that yes, there were other witches in Salem other than herself. Reverend Hale was the one who first got someone to confess to dealing with the Devil, and this led to the belief that anyone in town could be a witch.

            Although Reverend Hale and Betty did indeed play a large part in starting the Witch Trials, Abigail played the biggest role. Not only was she the one who led the girls out into the woods to dance, which was the single event from which the rumors began, she confessed to having sold her soul to the Devil shortly after Tituba did. After seeing that Hale asked Tituba who she had seen with the Devil and seeing him believe her, Abigail saw an opportunity to seize some power for herself and quickly stepped forward, confessed to having consorted with the Devil, and immediately began to accuse others in Salem of doing the same. “I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Good Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (Miller 48)! It didn’t help that Betty quickly awoke and began to shout out the names of more townspeople. Abigail was successful in her grab for power, and went on to lead the rest of the apparently formerly possessed girls in accusing dozens of citizens of Salem of working various forms of hellish magic.

            After reading the play, it is obvious that every single person in Salem who believed in witches contributed in some small way to the hysteria. But the start of all the madness can be blamed on the one who first pretended to be bewitched, the person who first forced a confession of witchcraft out of someone, and the person who confessed second and made more accusations than anyone. Abigail, Reverend Hale and Betty were the three people most responsible for the Salem Witch Trials.

The Crucible Beliefs Post

Although for the most part I try hard to stick to my beliefs, if the consequence for doing so is death then I would most certainly tell people that I believe whatever they want me to believe in order to survive. If  Proctor had told Hale that he did not believe in witches, he probably would have been hauled off to jail along with his wife, and possibly faced a hanging with her. It's true that sticking to your beliefs is important, but another belief of mine is that it is okay to stray from that in order to save your life. Ordinarily I would tell people the truth about what I believe, even if it would result in me being shunned or harassed, but Proctor faced imprisonment and possible death if he told Hale the truth. At first I thought that Elizabeth was somewhat stupid for telling Hale she did not believe in witches, because it only made her situation worse. But then I realized that they were taking her to jail anyway so she really had nothing to lose in telling the truth. I know that if I had been in the situation that Elizabeth and John were in, I would have done the same thing as John.

Power Shift in Salem Post

Before the panic about witchcraft in Salem, all of the power was in the hands of the men who were elected by other men to lead the town such as Reverend Parris. The women in Salem were second class citizens, and their opinions usually mattered very little. The men were the ones who made all the decisions about the town, and the church was also fully lead by men. The church had a powerful influence on people during that time. When fear of unholy witches became widespread, the church's influence increased even more. It began to seem like the town was run by a theocracy.

After the incident in which Betty apparently became possessed by the Devil, she, Abigail, and the rest of the girls who danced had the power to accuse any woman in Salem of being a witch. The church went from being directed by holy Reverends to being used as a means for a bunch of newly empowered women of the town to hang whoever they wished. Eventually, the greatly respected Reverend Hale withdrew his support for the witch hunting, but by then powerful members of the government were already fully convinced that the Devil was loose in Salem. After being repressed for so long, a small group of woman who finally had some power and influence unfortunately decided to abuse it.

Sinners Modern Day Post

I think that if Edwards had delivered the speech in a fiery, fist shaking, shouting manner then in modern day he would be dismissed as a fool and possibly insane. However, because he delivered it so calmly as if it was a matter of fact it probably would have still had some impact today. It still would have likely caused many religious people to be somewhat alarmed and possibly shake their faith. But today most people are not as religious as the majority of the populace was back then. It is doubtful that the sermon would have had nearly as much impact now as it did then.

"Sinners in the hands of an angry God" Post

This video initially describes how disturbing and graphic the sermon of Jonathan Edwards was, and then proceeds to give some background on the sermon giver himself. Edwards was living in colonial America when he gave the sermon, and it was so powerful that it started a religious movement in the colonies, giving them further motivation to break their ties with Europe. Because of this, one name given to his sermon was “The sermon New England never forgave him for”. Although many people made out Edwards to be a very cold and loveless man, in reality he was apparently very warm, sensitive, and a loving father. His sermon became known as the most important religious speech ever given on American soil.

Judging by what the video had to tell me, it seems like Edwards described in detail what horrible fates awaited sinners in Hell in order to further frighten his listeners. It also seemed like he dismissed the notion of a merciful god and made God out to be more than willing to punish his subjects. That would certainly put a scare into his colonial listeners. In order to make his sermon more powerful, Edwards likely had to be very specific in what punishments awaited sinners in order to make it more frightening. He also would have had to make it seem like he knew everything there is to know about heaven and hell, more than the priests even. This would have made his sermon even more convincing, because people will always be willing to listen to a self proclaimed expert.

Descriptive Post

http://crackedillusion.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/a-dark-and-quiet-place/ 

Tall pillars of darkness rise up out of the ground, blocking the light of the stars. The only light strong enough to penetrate their branches at night is that of the full moon overhead. Beams of light from the moon illuminate a carpet of fallen leaves and a small stream of dark water flowing over darker rock. The moonlight also reveals the trees around to be mostly dead and barren of leaves, giving the place a slight aura of menace. The trees are tightly packed enough to shroud much of the ground in shadow despite the moonlight. Faint wisps of mist rise up from the running water, further obscuring vision. The darkness limits eyesight enough to make it seem as if the dark forest goes on forever. It appears as if the forest is devoid of living things except for some small plant life. Overall the place exudes an atmosphere of mystery and shadow.

About Me

My name is Grant Hudson, and I moved to Grosse Pointe about four years ago. I am part of a family of five. I live with my brother, stepbrother, mom, and stepdad. Most of my family and friends tell me that i can be a very quiet, pensive person. Apparently I can also be very sarcastic and have a good sense of humor. Some of my interests are hanging out with my friends, listening to music, playing videogames and reading.

In my past school years I have usually enjoyed my english classes becuase of my interest in reading and sometimes writing. I often read books on my own time outside of school. Another thing I really enjoy is listening to my music. The genres I generally listen to are death metal and dubstep. A fun thing I did this summer was a lot of traveling with my family. My favorite vacation was when we went out of the country to Costa Rica. I was able to practice my spanish and learn a bit about a foreign culture.

As I become exhausted staying up trying to finish this assignment, I am reminded that another activity I love is sleeping. Usually the only way i can keep myself awake in first hour is if I get my cup of coffee in in the morning. I am also reminded of the fact that I should probably try to get my homework done earlier in the day than this. I guess I should try harder to keep my old habit of procrastination in check.

Expectations Essay

Being honors students at one of the finest public high schools in the country, an obvious expectation would be a certain a mount of capability. Students coming into an honors class should have a good amount of vocabulary and writing skills already mastered. Students will be expcted to be able to keep up with the pace of work and reading, and to do so without too much complaint. Punctuality is also important. It will be necessary to show up on time for class and to turn in assignments on time. Some enthusiasm is also expected. Honors students should at least somewhat enjoy the work they are doing.

In the classroom, it is expected that students remain attentive to the teacher. This is a good way of showing respect, as well as getting a good grade. Giving proper respect to things in the classroom like the computers and other students is also a good idea. A good skill to have in the classroom is the ability to work well with other people. Getting along well with your classmates can help make a harmonious working environment. It is likely that later on in the year, group work will occur. At that time especially it will be necessary to show respect to fellow students and their ideas.

Good work habits are another obvious expectation of an Honors American Literature class. Students are expected to work quickly and efficiently, both in school and out. They are also expected to manage their time responsibly. This means that assignments must be turned in on time, students will not be tardy, and appropriate amounts of time will be set aside for studying. Lack of studying is unacceptable for honors students. Students will be expected to study often, because that is the only way to do well on tests and quizzes.