My Name Is Walter-A Raisin In The Sun

Bitter? Man, I’m a volcano.
You don’t even know.
You don’t understand me.
Can’t see what I see.
My hopes and dreams.
You tryin’ to break at their seams.
I know your kind.
Not too hard to find.
Uptight, weak, under-ran.
Boy, you can’t even act like a man.
You think you got it all with your books?
And your fake d*** fa****** looks?
Sit down and let a man speak.
I barely got time for you weak.
I’m a giant and you a little ant.
Doing things I know you can’t.
I’ve got it all, I know I’m the best.
Don’t even try to put me up on the test.
I’m the man of the house.
And you asking a man or a mouse?
Let me speak I say again!
I don’t need no ink and a pen.
All you talk is about them d*** eggs.
I’ve got dreams baby, wings, not legs.
Why am I the only one with the solo?
I’ve got it together, me, Willy, and Bobo.
Trust me, I got this.
I’m stronger than you think.
I know I can do it, please.
It’s for my family.
Ruth, Travis, Mama, and Benny.
Ain’t nobody gonna stop me.
D***mit, I’m a volcano.

Dreams-Harlem

Often times we hear the advice that we should have a goals list. For example, the infamous Harvard study. Students were found to be more successful when they kept a consistent list of goals in their mind. These people had a dream. But that wasn’t the important part. That wasn’t the life-changer. It wasn’t the habitual conscious drive that made them accomplished. Making this list can help you see what you should do, but it doesn’t fulfill them for you. If your dream stays stagnant, forever in your mind but unachieved, it is utterly useless! It becomes the raison that Langston Hughes describes in his poem, Harlem. It will wither in the sun, and taste a sickly “sweet”. An artificial one. It will stay in your mind, a glorious feat, but in reality, it never even existed. Anybody can dream big. Everybody dreams big. But what separates the successful from the rest of society, is that they have the motivation to pursue that dream. They are proactive. Otherwise it remains a “heavy load” upon your back. Just like Anne Quindlen’s perfectionist backpack. She carried high hopes for herself, with a judgement just as high. That’s another thing with a dream. You need to know your limits. Anne’s backpack was too heavy for her, she tried to carry too much. To fully achieve your dreams, you need to know how much you can carry, along with giving in the effort to carry with you. A camel’s journey is long and harsh.

Foolish Love-The Great Gatsby

Foolish love. It is a disease that spreads wide and lays hands on just about every human with affection. Foolish love stems from the inner call of greed and self-fulfillment. The moment a person’s affection because self-seeking and puts themselves over their loved one, they have just became foolish. If this is so, then is not the whole world’s love foolish? A selfless love, or even just a less self-focused love, is it not so hard to achieve? Often times it may start out as a real love, or seem so, as with Jay Gatsby and Daisy. But as the story drives on, an admiration for their love soon turns to a morbid disgust, up to the point that the reader can feel no pity for Gatsby’s end. It’s a conflicting judgement that can only be reflected upon the readers themselves. Fitzgerald recognizes this foolish love, yet evidently in his life, failed to extinguish his own shortcomings. Merely knowing and acknowledging the problem does not always solve the problem itself. Fitzgerald wrote his stories based on his life as an output to his problems, but even they failed to suppress the effects of his foolish love. In the end, Fitzgerald does not even end up with Zelda, reflected and foreshadowed by Gatsby’s separation with Daisy. In a sense, Fitzgerald knew the his own problems, and his own demise, but he failed to solve them and fell into a trap he had already detected. An act of a truly foolish man.

Extra Creditz

They say that there are people who are born to be natural writers. Is this really true? Is it really the person inside that speaks to the reader or rather the circumstances around the writer that pulls that inner stomach for more hunger? Is it a natural characteristic or an influence? What if F. Scott Fitzgerald never struggled? Had gone to the wrong school, met the wrong people, became a man other than the renowned author in history? Would he be considered a lost opportunity? Would Basil ever hear his name? Would Gordon ever discover his most elaborate drawing? Would Amory ever find who she is? If Fitzgerald was born a writer, were the ink-shaped lives born with him? Before he could have even see the light of day, could he have created a literary lantern paving the inspiration of generations to come? Would we still talk about him? Could he be analyzed, discussed, and quizzed upon? If he looked within the mirror, would he see a clean cut man? Or would he see those eyes? Would his eyes call out to himself? What legacy, if any, could he leave behind? What would happen to the drunken words that trembled through his veins? Could they have belonged to somebody else, to be discovered in another day, year, century? Could I write this now? Could you still read this in disgust? Could you ever wonder these questions, pondering to no end as to why they exist?
Fact: Fitzgerald was a writer.

Sacrificing-Sanctuary

Sacrificing yourself is hard to do. The word sacrifice itself brings feelings of reluctance into the mind. It is giving up what you have, to benefit others of what they don’t deserve. It’s important that they don’t deserve it, because if they did deserve your payment, then it would not be sacrifice at all. It would be merely “giving back” or “making amends”. No, sacrifice is much more profound than a simple debt owed. It is disregarding instinct and following a sense compassion within you. Or rather, can it also be instinctive? An instinct to jump the fire, to save the innocent, to save the guilty. The selfless act of Giovanni’s elephant mother. Some could say she’s implied to take the bullets, because she’s a mother. But what has the baby elephant ever given to her, to deserve the cost of her life? It is a sacrifice. We often hear of sacrifices made in society today, but just how many of them were made from selfless intent? How many are for our own benefit? Although the only difference is in the change of mindset, the true intention of an action will reflect upon its results. Whether by a random decision by the whim, or a true act of care and love, a pure intentioned life that puts others before itself can only benefit this world of selfish ambitions. It is going against the current of hypocrisy and self-greed. A fish against the river. A leaf against the wind. A dying against death. A mother against a bullet.

What You See-The Scarlet Letter

The human mind is a clever being. It can sometimes trick itself into thinking what isn’t true. Whether it’s for an idea of neglect or refusal to accept the truth, this convincing mechanism can obscure the mind from seeing what it really sees. A common example of this at work is the occurrence of the passing away of a loved one. More commonly known as denial, a person refuses to receive that they’ve lost something they loved. In a sense, it is a defensive response in order to protect his or her special person. This trickery that the mind plays is used to keep that person alive for just a few more fleeting moments. Although the person’s eyes could have seen the person move on from life, or clearly hear the news of their death, their mind and feelings override the logical concrete truth.Dimmesdale publicly reveals his sin to the town. He stands atop of the scaffold brandishing his own scarlet letter upon his chest. Despite his physical proof and own verbal proclamation of his faults, the town continues to revere him and even claim to themselves that had not seen the scarlet letter. Society had fallen for a trap that Dimmesdale was imprisoned in for the last 7 years of his life. In a sense, this also seems to be a form of mob mentality. People believe as society wants them to believe, that their minister died a lasting death to demonstrate society the wrongs of sin, rather than the truth of a man fallen too deep into his self-pleasures, trying to desperately reclaim a fragment of his integrity.

Outcasts-The Scarlet Letter

Outcasts are what make up society. They define society’s characteristics and features. Without outcasts, we would all be a huddled mass of conformists. Originality would only come once. Outcasts are the backbone, creating new thoughts and opinions that branch out into society. Ironically, their definition is that they are rejected society, meaning society is built upon their own judgement.

Hester is first seen as a dirty adulterer. She is obviously outcasted by the scarlet letter upon her chest. The townspeople, as a society, shuns her to the most shameful part of the town. Despite her otherwise righteous deeds, the town only sees her for what is worn upon her chest. Gradually, the town begins to see her in a new light, they begin to see her as an amazing craftswoman who really only has true intentions for the well being of others. Hester represents the beginning against the conformed Puritan values. She has a new sense of righteousness that is also shown through the innocence of her daughter, Pearl. Pearl shows the continuation of Hester’s outcast qualities, newborn and ready to grow. Pearl represents the new generations to come that will follow Hester’s forbidden footsteps; a jubilant new birth upon a world of stark bleakness.

Carrying Backpacks-Anne Quindlen

Being AP english students, we all carry around this idea of perfectionism. Although some of us may be more extreme than others, we all strive to get the best grade we can, and when we don’t, there is the immense guilt that wells up inside of us that eats us away as we grumble about how hard AP classes are. Being a student is hard in the sense that you are constantly carrying these high expectations of yourself. They can come from your parents, fellow students, or just from inner desire. It is hard to reach these goals, as perfection is something that is never reached.

Anne Quindlen uses the analogy of a backpack to illustrate this struggle that we carry. As students, it is very relatable to us. We have carried backpacks our whole academic career. I know personally that backpacks can hurt immensely when you try to fit your entire locker into them. It’s the same when you try to fit your life into a perfect backpack and carry it around as you walk. It’s necessary to drop out some of the items from your backpack. If you don’t, life can’t be fulfilled as much as it should be.

Names-The Crucible

They are labels given at birth. Often times people share the same first name or last name or even both. Names determine how people are called. They dictate what you answer to. Your name is who you are.

Evidently, names are an important part of society and the town of Salem is not an exception. The value of a townperson’s name determines their character, status, and power. It is because of people’s names that there is even conflict at all in The Crucible. It all starts out with Elizabeth “blackening” Abigail’s name. As a result of her loss of power, Abigail tries to take the power of other people’s names to recover and grow her own. This all creates a domino effect of continuous accusations and false condemnations. This cycle only stops when somebody is strong enough to live up to their righteous name. The problem is that nobody realizes this until it is too late. The sinful infection has spread too far and branched out so broadly that going against the trend cannot destroy the root. The writing of people’s names in the devil’s book wasn’t actually real, but the intangible placement of false accusations on people is what really caused the real trouble in the town of Salem.

Often we can see this behavior in society. Unwanted names and bullying labels are placed upon people, hurting them and forcing them to continue the chain to save face. The behavior of the witch trials are not unusual, they are just exaggerated, probably for the better, as society today would not be able to realize the exact same troubles that they are struggling with.

Admitting-The Crucible

Admitting your mistakes is one of the most difficult things to do. It is exposing yourself to ridicule and shame. It means that you are telling people to disregard your judgement, to put themselves above you. Admitting you are wrong surrenders all of your opinions and personal assertions.

John Proctor is by far one of the strongest characters in The Crucible. He has committed a pride-crippling sin of adultery that me most certainly regrets. Despite him knowing what revealing his secret will do to his name, he presents himself vulnerably before the court in efforts to reveal truth and save his friends. He puts his badge of integrity, the Proctor, on the line for his companions. In a sense, he sacrifices his life and future. Unfortunately, even with this heroic act, John Proctor is thwarted by the ravings of a power-thirsty adolescent girl. Another risk of admitting, is the possibility of absolute failure. In this case, the life of John Proctor was long lost. It was eaten away by the brutal hunger of greed and hysteria.

Admitting is always an issue early on in life. It is commonly seen in school, starting from as early as elementary school. Who vandalized the board? Who stole the teacher’s pencils? Who didn’t put their folder away? Each student is faced with a momentous decision as the dreaded statement unfurls from the teacher’s mouth: if nobody confesses, the whole class will be punished. Students are then faced to receive the infliction of “taking the blame”. Whether or not the student had actually done the punishable act, they must decide if their pride or the well-being of the class and their friends is best at stake. A cruel process that carries on through life and in John Proctor’s case, death.

The Power of Lying - The Crucible

Lying has always been one of my strongest traits. It is a way to escape the most perilous social situations. It is a loophole to fix mistakes and an opportune chance for humor and deceit. It comes naturally and breaches the trust of the people around me. It strikes wittingly quick and is potently effective.

In The Crucible, the obvious ruler of liars is Abigail. She is probably one of the most manipulative characters in all of literature. From the beginning of the story she has been an engine of trickery that spews false speech nonstop. Her innocent child character and possibly her gender convinces nearly every townsperson in the exposition. While all of the adult figures are trapped in her lies, the children and lesser females are snared under her command. Majority of the young girls dutifully follow her lead and become her lying minions. Those who rebel against her are accused and then are forced to once again fall under her authority for their own survival. With the power of cleverly timed and worded lying, Abigail has gained complete supreme control over the town. In just a few days time she has gone from the rank of a common preacher’s daughter, to the judging executioner with the lives of every person within the palm of her seemingly clean hand.

Since the beginning of mankind, lying has been a form of power, as shown in the story of the serpent and Eve. From a simple convincing lie, the devil had managed to gain control of the whole human race yet to come. Since then, lying is still being used as the main cause for strife and calamity. Lying holds power. A power that lies within each and every one of us.

How to Proclaim Your Religion-Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Religion should not be forced upon a group of people or an individual. Instilling fear or guilt is a false direction to bring somebody into a religion. Instead of personal beliefs and interest, the person is instead driven by selfish ambition.

Jonathan Edwards’s Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God uses persuasive strategies that forces terror and shame upon the listener. He uses this to draw listeners into his religion through negative emotion and manipulation. He focuses his piece mainly on the negative consequences of not joining his views, rather than the positive consequences of joining. The fact that some of his listeners considered suicide after his sermon shows that he targets the wrong emotional appeal in his audience. This radical behavior is deceitful and controlling. His perspective creates God as punishing and hateful; this diverges from respect through a relationship between the listener and God. Instead, it is a respect that comes from a fear of the listener’s own life.

This mind is commonly found in society today: groups of people standing with signs of “Repent or Die!” on the streets or the infamous Westboro Baptist church’s offensive picketing. These groups and their activities are generally frowned upon and rarely achieve anything except profound hatred from those around them. People these days are more independently-minded, unlike Edwards’s time. Puritans began questioning the rules of their faith and Edwards took advantage of this and their confusion. Although Edwards had good writing, he used it in a poor moraled fashion to support his cause.

Trickster: Coyote and the Buffalo

Tricksters are the fine line between the innocent and the loathed. Tricksters are well loved and disliked throughout history, as they bring humor and annoyance to all those around them. Tricksters bring action and drama within every situation they interact in, driving the plot in a way that no other type of character could.

In Mourning Dove's Coyote and the Buffalo, Coyote is the obvious trickster of the story. Without Coyote's trickery and immature deceit, the story would lose an element of interest and plot. Coyote’s reckless nature puts him in threatening situations in which he must use his quick wit to save himself. He fits the description of an “act-first-think-after” kind of character. Coyote, as the the trickster, adds flavor to the story that the reader can relate to. The reader finds humor in his cockiness and rash behaviour while also finding admiration for his quick wit. His contrast to characters such as the Buffalo, sets him apart as a unique character, drawing attention and interest.

Tricksters have been infamous since the beginnings of times. From old fables to contemporary media, trickers have been a prominent part of society; tricksters range from characters like Rumplestiltskin to Bart Simpson. A stable consistently is the punishment and “learning your lesson” for tricksters, as Coyote is shown to have when he loses his baby buffalo and food. Apart from entertainment, tricksters are also perfect as examples for life lessons and cultural morals. From the chastising of their behaviour, the reader can assume and learn from their actions. Stories just could not be the same without tricksters.

Can I Blog?

Self-evidence solves its own mystery.