Thankful for a Classmate

                        Thanks Giving has come and gone yet as it passed it reminded us to be thankful. Not only to be thankful for the food(which I say was quite delicious) but to the people around us.  Yet must we be truly thankful for only one person? I can't decide for who to be thankful for. I am equally thankful for the class as I would be for each person. I'm not saying it to just be cheesy but it's true.
                        We all know that we would probably be most thankful for those we sit next too but what about the people across the room? They could be just as great as the people on our side without us knowing. So I am thankful for the class as a whole. If i can't choose one then why not all of the above? Also by the whole class that includes Mr. McCarthy too. So enjoy the holidays!

Am I a Plow?

        Lets start of by defining what a plow is.
               
             -The plough (American spelling: plow; both ) is a tool used in farming for initial  
              cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic 
              instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major 
              advances in agriculture. ...


        It seems to me that I can very much relate to a plow(though not physically). I may not plant seeds wherever I pass but I do plant something. To every person I meet, no matter how brief the moment, I always leave behind a memory. In time that memory may eventually fade but in some cases that memory will grow and be forever permanent in a persons mind. It may be a good memory or a bad one, nonetheless my encounters with any person I meet will leave a memory.
       
         I'm pretty sure I myself am not a major advance in agriculture yet I am a major advance from previous generations. I'm not trying to brag but its true. Compared to previous generations I have been pretty successful. Not just me but almost everyone. Today many people have had a superb education if you compare it to education 20 years ago.
          
         Saying that we could be considered as instruments. Every actions we do has some effect for the future. Whether it be large or small but we always leave something behind for the future. Some say the the purpose for the present is to improve our future. A bit ironic ain't it? Much like how a plow cultivates the land to prepare for the seeds that will be planted in the near future. So a plow and I have some things in common.
           
         

A Direction the Class Needs( Maybe that way ---> or that way <-----)

                 Our class start 2nd period meaning for many of us, the start of the day. Yet I don't seem to mind. American Lit is a great way to start up the day. When we start up with our journals it allows us to slowly but surely get our minds into gear. It's like breakfast for our minds because it stimulates our minds. Plus there no big rush in the class. When we arrive everything is mellow and calm with music in the background as an added benefit. Also I find the weekend stories enjoyable.
                Then we get into our class disscussion. I love that everyone has the oppurtunity to speak there mind. Few agreements and disagreements but it adds to the conversation. You get everyones opinion and not just the teachers. I also enjoy how our teacher adds humor into the discussion which gives everyone a chuckle here and there.
                I personally find the class fine as it is. I don't really see any need for improvement. It's a great way to start the morning and it's enjoyable too. So keep up the great work!
               

I Sentence You to 26 Hours of Work, 9 Days a Week! No Overtime...

                        Does slavery truly exist nowadays or is it in terms in which we cannot see?
Definitions of slavery on the Web:

• bondage: the state of being under the control of another person
• the practice of owning slaves
• work done under harsh conditions for little or no pay

            Now lets see this definition "bondage: the state of being under the control of another person". We can still see this today but instead of just one person, it is several. Many U.S citizens are in dept through credit cards, tuition, bills, payments, and much more. So what do they do? They work days and night trying to pay off such depts and hardly make enough profit to sustain themselves. There is no choice of whether or not to pay those dept, they have to.
           If they decide not to pay , they'll lose everything they have including personal possessions. The credit card companies don't care whether you only get 4 hours of sleep or if you become homeless, they only care if you pay them what you owe. So these companies or dept collecters don't directly have slaves but in a sense they do. They have people working throughout their lives to make money for them, whether or not the person working for them is making a living or not.
          So is slavery truly gone or it has just taken a new form?


(Continued)


     I am aware that there is "real" slavery in the world but i'm really focusing on a version of slavery that is considered to be overlooked. It may not be life threatening but certainly could be devastating. Also you don't have to use credit cards but some people have no choice but to. Either use a credit card now so your family has something to eat or cut into what little savings they have. Yet there comes the question of "why borrow money you're not sure you can pay back?". Easier said then done. Doesn't the United States alone owe trillions of dollars to other countries which it hasn't paid back? 

Puritan Society Vs American Society ( Siblings or Distant relatives?)

                Nowadays Americans see puritans as a harsh, aggressive, strict, and overly dramitic people. They feared anything that would change the ideas of their society and had a strong sense of holy justice. Those who are considered to be witches or those who disagree with their way of life are executed or brutily punished. When we see that from an American stand point it seems completely barbarish. Yet is it really succh outlandish behavior?
                To this day Puritanism has played some role socially, politically, and culturally in our society. Their ideas have only been shifted or modified to go along with modern society. Such as the sense of justice and fair trial. Usually if someone was convicted of a crime or witchcraft, they are subject to a trial where they can try to prove their innocence. That is now also available in todays American society but modified to remove the witchcraft portion of it.
               Puritan society may also appear to be grusome yet it worked. People behaved and society went on with little crime or destruction. This slightly shifted into American society since is not really the wrath of god the people fear but fear of breaking the laws in America. So instead of using gods wrath and  testaments to be the peoples rule, America has created laws similer to those testiments or of based of the testaments to create their laws. Whether people know it or not but American laws have some slighly connection to religion. Such as people who believe that stealing is wrong because of their religion so it becomes an international law.
             
(continued)

             I do agree with that the legal system has their flaws and is taken advantage of. Yet its not exactly the Puritans fault. Puritans have left behind a legal system that I say was beneficial. Yet its flaws can't be entirely their fault. Over the years people should have added reforms to the system. The Puritans basically left behind the frame and over the years society should of built upon it. So the legal system of our country do have some flaws yet I don't feel that they are entirely outrageous.

            

The Moment i Knew I was An American

                    American is such a vague term. There is no single explanation on what an American is. Ask any two people on what an American is and you'll get two different responses. Yet the moment I knew I was an American was the day I was born in Chicago. Just living in the United States and becoming one with  community I knew I was an American. The moment I went to school with everyone else I knew I was an American. The first time i said the pledge of Allegiance, I knew I was an American.
                   To me being an American doesn't come down to silly papers and identification. To be an American you must of assimilated into society where you accept all others and others accept you. I knew I was an American when the people around me saw me as a person. I know I'm an American when i'm not known as a foreigner but as an equal. When people in America see me as Luis and nothing else, I know i'm an American.
                   So I've always been an American. I know because I was born and raised here. Raised among every other culture that lives within the U.S and I didn't see them as Asian, African, or Middle Eastern. I saw them as Americans because we are all part of the society in America. Sure people may separate you from others but they can't say your not an American. So any really can become an American, it just takes longer for them to realize it themselves.

Us vs. Them... Us and Them

                   Which side would truly win in " Us vs Them". They have the law on there side, but we do whats best for the people. So is doing the right thing over following the rules truly the right decision? This situation come up several times across the Crucible. Mary can't decide to be with them (Abby & the girls) or us(Proctor & the innocent). She could either follow authority but it may result in the loss of innocent lives. She could always do whats right and testify against Abby and save the people but it may fail and she may lose her life. So kill lives and live with it on your conscience or save lives and die trying. In my opinion it might seem better that you died trying to help others by doing the right thing compared to living a lie that will follow you forever. Decisions, decisions....
                  This event exists beyond the Crucible in everyday life. Many times at school itself. Such as peer pressure. Would you be with them (Do everything that "cool" people do) or with us ( Do what you feel is right and let no one decide for you) or vise versa. There is always a decision between that group or this group in life and sometimes it seems impossible to decide. Yet sometime neither group is correct. It really depends on the person that decides.
                 Yet honestly can't Them and Us just get along at time? Just arguments and arguments trying to dispute which group is right. For once can't both actually look into what the other has to say before shunning their opinion? Can Us vs Them = together? People should just get along. Yet it is a natural reaction to feel that your beliefs are considered true compared to others. Yet people have to be open minded in order to get along with others. A positive and  a negative may be opposites but remember that they attract.