The Declaration of Independence

by Ellie Zak

There are times in life when those without authority or any means of assuming authority must stand up for what they believe in. When it impacts the life they will lead, and the path to success in achieving their dreams, they should be permitted to make their opinions heard. In those occasions when an entire group of people agree upon changes that must be made, it should be in the best interest of those with authority over the aforementioned group to put their best effort in to reaching the prospect of the changes deemed necessary. We, the student body of Grosse Pointe South, take it upon ourselves to express the faults within the classrooms, the school, and the school district. Year after year, the curriculum within Michigan schools stays generally the same, with very few changes. Adults are often afraid of change, even if those changes that could be made would benefit the students who go through that set of courses. But we have decided that something must be done to fix that, and we must move out of the rut that the Grosse Pointe School district seems to be stuck in. Without consequences put forth and voiced by the student body, there is no motivation for teachers, staff, and administers to make those changes that promote the higher quality of learning.

They have limited the amount of teams and clubs students want to run and participate in.  Students have many interests and to form a team or club we need staff sponsors. Some teachers are not willing to donate their time after school limiting the amount extracurricular activities. The students that would like to have new teams or clubs are not able because of the lack of teacher effort. We are unsatisfied by the lack of teacher effort, and the lack of activities that students would like to have.

They have limited the amount of snow days because Grosse Pointe is a walking District. We do not take buses but that does not mean that students do not drive themselves to school. It is dangerous for anyone to drive on the snow covered and icy roads and is especially dangerous for new drivers. For the students that walk to and from school it is hard, because the sidewalks are not cleared or salted that often. Students and teachers slip on the icy sidewalks walking into school and injure themselves. The community would be safer if we could stay home on excessively snowy days.

They have placed fees on our athletics. They have required these fees multiple times a year. They have refused to let us play without these fees, when we cannot pay. They have insisted we pay these fees, even if our sport requires more money to pay for other things. They make us pay these fees still, if we fundraise, or gain separate donations.

They have increased the amount of homework for students at Grosse Pointe South. We are at school for eight hours and then have to spend four or more hours on homework every night. That is way too much time. We all have many extracurricular activities and do not have the time for piles of homework. Teachers do not understand that we have six other classes everyday that give us excessive amounts of homework. The students at Grosse Pointe South have to stay up into the late hours of the night, to finish their homework and that is not healthy.

They have given students many different essay formats. We as students should have one essay format that is consistent in every class. The lack of a constant essay format creates confusion while writing essays for the student body. Essays are a large part of our grade and if we use the wrong essay format our grade could suffer. The absence of one essay format for the school makes it unclear which essay format the student body should follow.

They have placed tests from multiple classes on one day. They have placed stress upon us, when we know that studying for multiple tests is nearly impossible. They have deprived us of time to study when studying requires material from several classes that are very time consuming. They have deprived us of a good grade when we could not study. They have given us a disadvantage against other students with different teachers, who would be given more time to study their class’s material.

They have increased the amount of non-academic requirements. Unnecessary classes like gym, health, and a computer class should not be required for students at Grosse Pointe South. We took those classes all through elementary and middle school. For a student that is not interested in those classes, they limit the amount of classes they can take that are relevant to their future career. The student body is not saying that those classes should be eliminated from Grosse Pointe South; they should just not be required.

They have restricted schools we are allowed to attend. Students in Kindergarten through 8^th grade should be allowed to choose the school they want to go to.  Families move and we are forced to switch from their former schools. We should not have to be separated from our prior friendships formed at designated schools by you.  Students also have unique learning complications, and they should be able to go to schools that they can benefit most from.  Without being able to choose our schools the students may have to switch schools, or attend school unfit to help with their unique learning abilities.

They have reserved days to be only eight hours. They have not added hours to our day specifically for work, so that we could go home homework free. They have not added hours to our day specifically for sports, so that they do not run late into the day after school. They have not added time after school, to get more done, and provide for an extra day off. They have not placed a few extra hours on a school day for work, or sports, which would provide for an extra day off and a stress free environment at home.

They have not provided for a more flexible schedule. They have not allowed students to take one class off each week to provide for more study time or to pursue other activities. They have not allowed individual time in school to pursue activities outside of school, like sports. They have not given time in school for individual study that may result in higher testing scores. They have not even allowed giving up a class per week for individual study when an elective cannot be given up for a tutorial.       

Therefore, we, the student body, following the precedent set by our nation’s founding fathers, with the will of justice and right, severe the bonds and secede from the tyrannical and archaic establishment, and assert our right to teams without high and individual fees; the access to a system of testing where the tests are set at different dates, not piled on one day; the ability to graduate with the necessity of acquiring credits from classes that are not academic; the sanctity to days off from school when there’ enough school that other local districts are closed; the creation of a uniform way to write essays for every class in school; the freedom for a balanced and reasonable load of nightly homework; the freedom to step classes; the easing of how difficult it is to form clubs in school; the much increased level of education that would be received in a day with two extra hours, ne for sports and one a homework period; and the power to chose which school we want to go to, as long as it is in the district and you live in the district, for grades K-8. It is not logical or right, that we the student body, should struggle on while burdened by these tyrannical policies of the establishment, and if it is possible for these rights to be gained by sedition from the establishment, then we have the right, we have no choice but to secede from the oppression we are currently faced with.

Crucible Epilogue

          

Crucible Epilogue

Abigail and Mercy Lewis board the ship that is going to take them to Virginia to get away from Salem and the witch trials which she had mostly been the cause of. She was not going to be held accountable for all the murders, if the town ever came to their senses. Abigail knew that witches were not real and she certainly knew what she had done to herself to convince the judges that witches were most definitely real.

            After the one month journey from Salem to Johnstown, Northern Virginia, Abigail was feeling pretty good about herself. She had a plan to get rid of Mercy. Abigail had been pretending to be nice to her for the whole trip. Just so she would be even more vulnerable. Their boat lands at the dock, and they go and find the nearest inn where they can stay for the time being. Abigail has Mercy pay for the whole room for the first few months. Every time, it is time to pay Abby finds some way to convince Mercy to pay. Sooner or later she will exhaust all of Mercy’s money…which is part of her plan.

            After the sixth month, Mercy was completely out of resources and it was time for Abby to make her move. Abby skips town and leaves Mercy Lewis to fend for herself. It was cruel but she had to do it to get rid of her so she could move quicker and complete her plan.

            When Abigail leaves Mercy by surprise she meets with, Howard Jacobs, a man she had met a few weeks back. She greets him with a passionate kiss. They hop into his carriage and are headed anywhere but Johnstown, Virginia.  They have been travelling north for a few hours; they are deep into the woods. The carriage runs over a rock and the back right wheel falls off. The shock of the crash makes Howard drop the horse’s reins and the skittish horse runs off. Once they get up and find their bearings, they realize that their lanterns have fallen over and the dry fall leaves are all aflame. The fire was spreading faster than any other fire they had ever seen. Within seconds Abigail and Howard are surrounded by a wall of fire. A face appears in the orange blaze and it starts to talk to Abigail. “Abigail, you must go to Reverend Hale and threaten to kill his family if he does not help you spread the witch trials around the colonies and the world. You helped me so much in Salem; you got all of my witches to their home with me. If you succeed in this task, I will give John Proctor back to you. If you fail, you will be in hell alone.” The Devil is gone and so is Howard. Abigail is extremely frightened by her encounter with the Devil but she knows what she must do.

Abigail finds one of the lanterns and lights it again with the flames that are still left from the inferno. She wanders through the forest all night and finally finds her way back to Johnstown by dawn. To her luck there is a boat leaving for Beverly that morning. She has only a few short weeks to plan before she will be in Beverly and have to kidnap Reverend Hale and hold him hostage until he agrees to what she wants.

Abigail’s boat anchors in Beverly, she looks like a different person, she cut her hair and is disguising herself so she is not recognized by the townspeople. She spots Hale and plans to follow him all day, until she can get him alone. Hale walks through town greeting his citizens warmly, he seems to be happier than he was in Salem a year back. Abigail spots her perfect opportunity; Hale is alone and walks into a small shed. She quickly follows him in and slams the door shut. She pulls out her knife. “Reverend Hale, it is Abigail Williams.” Shocked he does not reply. “The Devil just recently came to me and told me that he needs you to help me spread the witch trials all over the colonies and the world.”

“No I will not help you with that, you evil being,” replied Hale.

“Oh, but you must or else I am going to kill your family.” Hale tries to escape the shed, but she stops him by pulling out her knife and placing it over his heart. He steps back and puts a foot of distance between them. “The first victim that you will charge witchcraft on will be your wife. The decision of her life will be up to the judges. You must be convincing or I will torture her and your sons. Accuse her today. You may go.” Abigail lets him walk out but makes sure he knows that she will be following him everywhere he goes.

Hale goes to the judges of the town and is very convincing in his accusation of his wife. The judges are confused why he would do such a thing because they knew how much he hated the witch trial in Salem. Goody Hale is called into court and questioned. To Hale’s dismay she does not confess to witchcraft so she is condemned to be hung in three days.

            Abigail is very proud of her work so far, and she keeps telling Reverend Hale who she wants him to accuse next. She loves her power, just like she loved the power she had in Salem.

Soon Hale is getting tired of this nonsense and cannot see one more innocent person die after his wife was hung that morning. For a brief moment when Abigail is not in sight, Hale grabs a knife from his kitchen and hides it in his jacket. When Abigail walks into the kitchen a superior force overcomes Hale and he grabs Abby and pins her against the wall. “I am not standing for this nonsense any more. I just watched my wife die because of you and…” Abigail stabs him with the knife she has in her hand. Before he even falls to the floor she is gone.

Abigail Williams is never seen or heard of again. However, witch trials and mysterious murders kept happening for years after her disappearance.   

                                                                 

Crucible Essay

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller is based in Puritan Massachusetts in the town of Salem in the year of 1692. The play is focused on the girls accusing people of witchcraft and the people that know the girls are lying and are against the accusations. Rumors are spread throughout the town and the fear of the citizens of Salem blinds them all. Their common sense is thrown out the window and the only thing they can think is witches. In The Crucible, there are many characters that contribute to the Salem witch trials, the three most responsible are Mary Warren, Reverend Parris and the character most responsible is Abigail.

Reverend Parris is responsible for the Salem witch trials. He finds his daughter Betty, niece Abigail, slave Tituba and all of their friends dancing in the forest. He immediately thinks that they are doing the Devil’s work and conjuring spirits. Those things were not allowed in Puritan times. He scares the girls and Betty then takes sick and will not speak. She looks like she is dead but she is still breathing. “No- no there be no unnatural cause here. Tell him I have sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly, and Mr. Hale will surely confirm that. Let him look to medicine and put out all thought of unnatural causes here. There be none” (9). Parris does not want to look to witchcraft for Betty’s illness, but he calls for Reverend Hale just to check things out. By calling Hale, Parris gets everyone in the town all worked up about the possibility of witches in their village. If Parris would have just let Betty play her little game for a few days, she would eventually snap out of it because of human needs. Abigail would have never gotten the idea to accuse innocent people of working with the Devil.        

Mary Warren is also in responsible for the witch trials. She knows that Abigail is falsely accusing Elizabeth Proctor of sending her spirit on her and stabbing her with a needle. Mary saw Abigail put the needle into the doll that she made for Elizabeth. To save his wife, John Proctor makes Mary Warren go to court and tell the judges that Abigail and all the other girls are lying. “I-I cannot tell how, but I did. I-I heard the other girls screaming, and you, Your Honor, you seemed to believe them, and I- It were only sport in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried spirits, spirits, and I-I promise you, Mr. Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not” (106). Mary is telling the judges that the whole feeling of the courtroom was making her feel like there were actually spirits being sent upon her. They ask her to faint like she did in the courtroom before but, she cannot. What was stopping her? If she would have shown the judges she could faint on command the judges would be suspicious of Abigail and all of her followers. Mary Warren could have ended the witch trials and that is why she is one of the characters most responsible for them.

            Abigail is the most responsible for the Salem witch trials. She is the mastermind throughout the whole play. Abby has power and she loves it. She can accuse people of being innocent or guilty of witchcraft. The judges always believe her, so if she did not want someone around anymore, they could be put in jail or hanged by saying a few words or faking a faint. “I want to open myself! I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! 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 Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (48)! Abby says this when Reverend Hale is trying to get Tituba, to confess to working with the Devil. Abby sees Tituba’s confession as a way to get power in the town and be the ultimate puppeteer in the lives of the citizens of Salem. Abigail says that she was with the Devil and says she saw Sarah Good, Goody Osburn, and Bridget Bishop. It was easy for her to accuse them even though she knew the consequences of witchcraft could result in death.  As soon as Abby starts saying these things Betty wakes up all of a sudden and starts calling out innocent people’s names too. Abigail is most responsible for the witch trials because she ultimately started the accusations and kept them going until she ran away.

There are many people in The Crucible that were responsible for the witch trials in Salem, the three most responsible characters are Reverend Parris, Mary Warren, and Abigail. Parris was responsible because he overreacted about Betty’s “illness” and had the whole town in frenzy about witchcraft. Mary was responsible because she could have ended the whole ordeal but she did not. Abigail is most responsible for the witch trials because she stroked the match that started the wildfire of witchcraft accusations. The whole play is full of “what ifs”, but the ultimate question starts with what would have happened if Reverend Parris never had sent for Reverend Hale.    

Crucible Post #2

      In "The Crucible", John Proctor tells Reverend Hale that he believes in witches even though he does not. He does this to save himself and his family from being accused as devil worshippers or witches. Which does not end up saving them from the rash accusations of witchcraft in Salem.
     I am all for standing up for what you believe in and for yourself, in today's time. However, in Salem at that time I would definitely consider my options about the choice between lying or standing up for my rights. The court was insane back then. If anyone said anything that was not Christian about a person that accused person was immediately guilty. As an example, in the book Tituba quickly confessed to witchcraft when she heard Hale say that she would no longer be charged or hanged if she confessed. Which I thought was completely backwards. In our times, if someone confesses to a crime they are charged with jail time, they are not rewarded for telling the truth. In Puritan times I would probably confess to witchcraft if I was charged, just to protect my life. However, in today's time I would not confess until I was proven guilty.