Crucible Blog Post 1

Power. Power was big to the people in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. To have power was the ability to control the town of Salem, Massachusetts and everyone one in it. But the power didn’t always stay with the same person. There were some shifts in power during Act One of the story.

When entering Act One of The Crucible, Paris radiates with power. He has a desire, need and craving for power. Not even his own daughter’s well-being would stop him from protecting his power as the minister of Salem. “But if trafficked with spirits in the forests in the forest I must know it how, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it” (Miller, 10). As the minister of Salem, Massachusetts, Paris was already given the power over the town and people in it. The people of this time were extremely religious, which gave the clergy extreme power over the people. Anything said by a minister, like Paris, was to be obeyed as if a direct order from God. “…but let you say nothing of witchcraft. I will not discuss it” (Miller, 17). Having this power as a minister, Paris was given an extreme power during this time. This gave him all the power in the beginning of Act One.

By the end of Act One of The Crucible, there was a shift in power. The power to control the town and people of Salem was shifted to the girls who “danced in the woods” and were “worshipping the devil”. No one knew of what happened that night in the woods except for those eight (or so) girls. All the people outside of the group only knew that now two of the girls are in a state of unconsciousness and act as if their souls have been taken away. This leaves the people of Salem with some serious questions and need for answers. It made them afraid and come to the conclusion it was the result of devil worship and witchcraft. So when the girls confirm their beliefs, everyone believes what they have to say. When Abigail says, “She (Tituba) made me do it! She made Betty do it! … She makes me drink blood” (Miller, 43), everyone hangs on every word as it were spoken from God himself. They even believed the random accusations of witchcraft and devil worship the girls made on the women in town. The girls have found a way to get out of trouble with this and received the power over Salem at the same time.

Power is never a constant anywhere, even in The Crucible. People will gain power and some will lose it. The power will always be shifting between characters until the very end. But for now, it lies with the eight girls who danced in the woods.

Sinners Follow Up Post

Jonathan Edwards wrote a very powerful piece that frightened all those who heard it when he read it. The reaction today wouldn't be any different from the reactions of those from back then. People of today would be scared of the different ways God could kill his people for commiting a sin or how just one sin that has been commited (even a minor one) could send someone to hell at any moment. Edwards speaks of "arrows of fire" raining down from the sky at noon and the way they devil tortures you perfucely when you reach hell. Edwards also speaks of how that God hates us more than the people that are in hell at this very moment. These are just parts of his speech. Imagine reading the entire sermon in such detail, that people actually felt like they were burning up in hell. The reaction people would recieve from this context would be either be scared, afraid or just think it is really weird. This would make the people of today be just afraid of it now as the people were way back then. So the people of today are probably freaked-out by the sermon written, by Jonathan Edwards, as the people in the past.

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" post

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" was a sermon that was delivered by Jonathan Edwards on July 8, 1741. It is one of the most famous sermons in all of history and is the only sermon used in Anthology books today. This sermon was delivered to the new colonies and sparked the "Great Awakening". The “Great Awakening” took people away from Christianity and encouraged them to find "salvation". Edwards’ speech was so breath taking and powerful, it brought fear to all those who read or heard his words. He was known to be a kind person, but he truly believed in hell. It gave him need to write a powerful sermon to "save his people".

I believe in the actual sermon, that the reason people were so scared after hearing it was because he used such powerful words to show the wrath of God. Edwards probably spoke of how God could truly cause pain and suffering to all those who don’t believe in him. Showing his people how horrifying and torturous hell really could be. By using word so powerful and captivating, he grab the attentions of those around him and brought true fear of what could really happen if they didn’t believe.

Descriptive Post

A yellow lab sleeps soundly in a white, wicker basket filled with yellow daisies. Yellow decorated eggs are inside the basket as well between the adorable puppy and the goregous daisies. The daisies are at their prime and look freshly picked from a garden. The puppy's front paws hang over the yellow rim on the basket. The head of the puppy is tilted gently to the side as it sleeps on it's cheek. The puppy looks so small, young and innocent as it sleeps away. Your heart just melts as you see the peacefullness in it's face and the cute way his ear bends over the yellow rim of the basket. Crying seems inevitable as it baby skin bunches up beneath the cheek he is resting on. You just have to love this puppy.

Expectations Run High

The expectations for the Honors American Literature class are very high in every aspect.
As an honors student, they are the brightest and the best. Naturally, the standards have been raised. Those students are expected to work twice as hard as they would in a regular class. Not only that though, but they are also expected to push themsleves to their limits and even a little bit further. Honors students need to be pushed this hard. That's why they are in an honors class. Taking Honors American Literature is suppose to challenge them so they can become a better writer, analyzer and more. If these students push themselves, they will be able to reach their full potential in every aspect of English. So when taking Honors American Literature, the students should expect to be pushed past their limits. For their expections have been pushed highier.
To be an honors student, it's a title and an honor and should be treated as such. This title can only be as honorable as it is if the students aren't mean or arragant. Honors students should automattically understand that they are expected to be polite and respectful. If the students aren't, it will bring a bad name to the class. Students may need to be smart to get in the class, but that is only half of what is requiered. They are also expected to know how to act towards other students, teachers, guests and anyone they encounter. They are the ones that represent how great the students at Grosse Pointe South Highschool can truely be. They need to be able to keep the good name that has been bestowed upon them. Being rude and disrespectful will just ruin everything the honors students stand for. So when a student enters Honors Ameican Literature, they need to know of the high expecations that come along with the class.
To be smart and well-mannered is one thing when entering Honors American Literature. It is another to be well organized. When entering the classroom, honors students should have everything needed for the class that day. If an assignment is given, it needs to be turned in on time. If a specific item is required for that class, the student should have it. Honors students should be constantly checking to make sure they are well prepared for the class. Students who are unprepared for the class could end up getting a bad grade on an assignment, needing to go to their locker and end up missing class. An honors student's presence is always needed in the class and grades should always be the best they can be. The students in this class should be organized and prepared for class so there are no mess-ups the entire year. For all the students entering Honors American Literature, they need to know what expecations will caome along with taking the class this year.
Expectations will run high for anyone taking Honors American Literature.

About Me

Me. One word that is made-up of two letters. It is such a little word, yet it means so much. There is so much I could say about me and my life. But, I don't think anyone wants to read an autobiography about me because I don't even want to (I especially don't want to write it). So I will summarize myself the best I can with these topics: family, school, friends, personality and goals in life.
Well, to start, I am fourteen years old and won't be fifteen until September 24th. I live with my two brothers (one older, one younger), my mom, dad and my dog, Abby. My older brother is exactly twenty-one monthes and two days older than me. Since we are so close in age though, he likes to think we are two years apart to make sure he is not close in age to me at all. It's too bad that I know how to count and correct him everytime on it. This makes it a constant debate between us. Which I am fortunate enough not to have this problem with my younger brother. He is about four years younger than me and it doesn't really matter to him. Age also really doesn't matter to my golden retriever, Abby, who couldn't care less about age and would prefer a belly rub instead.
School wise, I am a sophmore and one of the youngest in my graduating class. I am also one of the captains of the varsity cheerleading team at my school. I love being a cheerleader and having to face the obsticles that come along with it. Now, because I am a blond, that doesn't mean I am the sterotypical cheerleader who is stupid and spends all of her free time at the malls with her varsity quarterback boyfriend. Quite frankly, I would rather spend my time outdoors doing something more exciting, like biking, rock climbing or just tossing a fisbee back and forth with my best friends. I also care way to much about my grades and school work to be a sterotypical cheerleader. My grades are one of my number one priorities.
My friends are my life. I would rather hang-out with them then go out with some guy anyday. They are like my sisters. I have multiple friends, but I really have five BEST friends. We do everything together and get along all the time. We all love to read, act crazy and spend as much time as we can with each other. Sometimes we don't see each other for weeks because we are so busy, but we always find a way to eventually see each other. It is so cool that we are so close that someone could be reading a book in a chair, someone else could be on a computer, another person could be on a iTouch while the other two talk and it wouldn't be awkward. I love them so much and wouldn't give them up for anything.
Personality wise, I am stubborn and impacient. I like to always be doing something or going somewhere. If someone trys to stop me, I have a tendency to put up a good fight and really hate the word "no". I am not all bad though. I don't like to be mean or grumpy. I prefer being creative, nice and helpful. Also, I am not ALWAYS on the go. I do like to sit down and listen to my iPod, read or write. Which, in my opinion, makes me kinda diverse and open-minded to whatever is going on.
My goals in life are to get a 4.0 and go to Michigan University for my undergrad. Then go to Stanford for my graduate. There I will get my master's in either medicine, psycology, law or writing. After college, I want to move out of state to somewhere considerably warmer than Michigan and travel the world. At some pointe in my life, I would like to write a novel and sell an art piece in an art gallery. When I am grown-up, I want to be able to measure my life in adventures, friends and family instead of the materialistic things in life that don't mean anything.
Now, I could say the world and then some more about myself, but I know people would get bored or don't care. This is how I would describe "me" and wouldn't trade it for anything else.