Crucible Post 1

          Power is an important idea in "The Crucible". Reverend Parris is obsessed with power, even when his own daughter is ill he is thinking about himself and his job at the church. He does not want to believe that Betty could be ill because of witchcraft or the Devil because it would embarrass him because he is the minister of Salem. Even though Parris sends for Reverend Hale of Beverly who is a known witch hunter, Parris says, "A precaution only. He has much experience in all demonic arts,", he does not want to believe that Betty could be under some kind of spell. In the beginning of act one the power of the church rests with Parris. Some of the power over the people rests with Parris, but some power goes to Thomas Putnam. (pages 14-15) Putnam and his daughter Ruth are always accusing the people of Salem, and they are almost always witnesses in their trials. If the people Putnam accuses get sentenced to death, their land goes up for an auction and since Putnam is the richest man in Salem he can buy their land. Being the richest man in town gives him some power in the town.
     However, in the end of act one all the power goes to the girls. In Parris' eyes children are second class citizens. That is why the shift in power is very dramatic. The girls have all the power, the most important girl is Abigail because she is the ringleader of the girls. They hold the power because they can say anyone in the town is a witch and people will actually believe them! The citizens of Salem's fear of the Devil throws all common sense out the door. Witches were absolutely real in their eyes because that is what the Bible said. The girls essentially are murderers because they are accusing innocent people of witchcraft and the innocent people are getting sentenced to death.

"Sinners" Follow Up Post

     Even though our society today is not as religious as it was in the 1700's when the "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" sermon was first delivered by Johnathan Edwards, people still get pretty creeped out by the sermon. Today some still wonder if they are going to go to hell because the sermon can be so convincing that God is an angry God. An example of his wrath is stated "He is not only able to cast wicken men into Hell, but he can most easliy do it." This means that God does not even think twice about sending someone to hell. That was a little frightening. Also, the section in the sermon that asks one to think about the hatered that they have for the most venemous snake and then Edwards says that God hates them ten thousand times more than they hate the snake. I am pretty sure that people of today would respond to that in the same way as the people of the 1700's. The readers of today might not be as frightened as the people of the 1700's but, they are still get the chills from reading this sermon.

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" Post

            The video is an introduction to the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, which was delivered by Jonathan Edwards on July 8^th, 1741. It is the most famous sermon ever preached on American soil and is known today as an amazing text. When read today, people are stricken with terror from the metaphor he used on the wrath of God.  However our reaction is nowhere close to the terror that the people felt when he first delivered it. The sermon created controversy and was pulling colonies away from European Christianity. The Great Awakening began which is a spiritual revival and left a permanent imprint on American life. Edwards states that hell is a real place and he prayed for his people to awaken to the reality of sin.

            I would expect to hear about the horrors of hell. About the sins one would commit that would take them to hell. Also, what hell would be like and how long one would be stuck there.  Also, I would expect to hear about other things that might happen after death if sins aren’t absolved. Which one would imagine to be terrible considering the fear that the people felt when Edwards first delivered the sermon. I think that Edwards is going to push baptism to the people. He will say that baptism will absolve them of their original sin. Edwards might tell the people in the sermon of all the things an angry God would do to a sinner. I am curious to know what the metaphor is about the wrath of God. I am curious about the whole sermon actually and how could it scare people so much.

             

Descriptive Post

     A small cluster of an immense crowd of silhouettes. Their hands in the air making fists or the rock and roll hand sign. The concert hall would be pitch black if it weren't for the glow of the soft pink, golden yellow, lavender and periwinkle lights. The open space of the left half of the photo is colored a soft bubble gum colored blush and the right side lighting shifts from purple to blue. The lead singer looks like he is far from the silhouettes and raised up higher by the stage. He is translucent, a ghost, a shadow cast against the wall of pink light. The picture is joyful and has a sense of excitement captured within it. One can almost feel the vibrations coming from the speakers and running through the body, smell the sweat and cigarettes, and hear sounds of the Foo Fighters.



http://www.google.com/imgres?q=concert&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=HJFuokTU8gjF7M:&imgrefurl=http://www.tonsoftickets.com/&docid=0TJhkgQweeDMcM&w=500&h=333&ei=tppuTvOkO-6ssALd9-noBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=199&vpy=160&dur=484&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=183&ty=97&page=1&tbnh=164&tbnw=236&start=0&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0&biw=1366&bih=513

Class Expectations Essay 9/11/11

    Being a student in Honors American Literature at Grosse Pointe South High School requires many expectations; one should be organized, participate in class, increase their writing ability and be prepared for future English classes and careers.
    The expectation of being organized is required for a successful Honors American Literature class. organization does not only mean keeping every worksheet neat in an aqua folder. As well as keeping everything together, homework must be turned in on time. This entitles that a blog is posted before eight a.m. the next morning or that a worksheet is completed before the student enters the classroom. The student should also keep up with the reading assignments. One should not just read the pages, but comprehend and enjoy them. Keeping up with the homework does not just help one's grade in class. Completing and comprehending homework helps the student to participate in class.
    Student participation is vital for class discussions. Without student participation class discussions become nearly silent and dull. Opinions are appreciated from everyone in class. They help students have a better understanding of the material covered in class. Student participation also keeps the class interesting. One never knows what is going to be said. Students should learn to keep an open mind and listen to everyone's points of view. Participation can bring out new ideas about a book that a teacher might not have noticed after years of teaching it. Participation could make one a superior writer.
    Students in Honors American Literature should be expected to look back at their work from the beginning of the year and say, "Wow, I can not believe I wrote that!". Their writing should improve that much. They will learn new writing techniques and terms to further improve their writing skills. Having the enhanced writing skills will make the student feel more confident to write at a more abstract or creative angle. Which will help one's writing shine above others. Writing will become easier for the student and more enjoyable. Improved writing skills will also help the student during their careers or just help them sound more educated in am email.

About Me

Hi! My name is Olivia W. I am fifteen years old and will finally be turning sixteen in March. I am a sophomore at Grosse Pointe South High School. I have really enjoyed my time at South so far and look forward to a few more years here! I have made many new friends during my freshman year and I love spending most of my free time with them. We always go on fun adventures and try new things together. One of our favorite activities to do is plan birthday surprises for each other. More often then not we end up at Rojo Mexican Bistro; our favorite place to eat.
     When I am not with my friends I am hanging out with my family. I love having big family events at my house, like Christmas or Thanksgiving. However, I also love just having small family dinners with my grandparents and my little cousins. My grandma is a amazing cook. Most recently she taught me her secrets for making the best garlic mashed potatoes. My best dish though is my Key Lime Pie, it's famous around my family and friends. When my family is not cooking we will be playing cards or watching a movie.
      I have two extracurricular activities that take up a lot of my time after school and on weekends. They are my travel soccer team the Michigan Gators and Grosse Pointe South Choir. This weekend I am going to Chicago  for three games with my mom, I am so excited! The girls on my team are the best. I love spending time with them. I was also on the JV soccer team at South last year. I had a blast and met lots of new friends. My other extracurricular is choir, which is pretty fun most of the time. Music is one of my favorite things. I like to find new music that I think is really cool and show it on to my friends. Music can make you feel so many emotions during the time of just one song so that is why I love it so much. I just want  to name a few of my favorite bands and artists, they are Maroon 5, Jack Johnson, Adele, John Mayer, and my all time favorite is Coldplay. It's on my bucket list to see them live!     
     A few other things I like to do include shopping and travelling. When I go shopping I always get things that I can wear for a long time and are interesting. I also love to travel a few summers ago I went to France with my family and I had a great time. I can't wait for the chance to go back or travel somewhere else in Europe. New York City is also one of my favorite destinations.
     That's me  ~Olivia W. 

    This is one of my favorite songs it's called "The General" by Dispatch.