Crucible Post 1

In The Crucible, Act One, the ownership of power over the town of Salem changes dramatically. As the novel begins, it becomes apparent to the reader that Reverend Parris holds the power. He is head of the church in Salem, and in this time period, when religion is viewed as just about the most important thing in life, his power is very great. Over the course of the first act, the power holds strong in Parris' hold, but at the very end, the authority he has over the town is shown to be very limited. Abigail Putnam and Betty Parris are shown to hold power over even him; Reverend Parris. After Tituba is accused of being a witch and confesses, Mr. Hale asks her for names of other witches in the town. After naming Goody Good and Goody Osburn, the children begin calling out names of the people that they claim they saw with the devil. Abigail said, "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!" (Miller 48) The words of accusation Abigail spoke in this quote, and the continued list of names she and Betty give show that they are standing up to claim power. People in Salem in 1692 believed strongly in religion, and therefore, they thought that a good Christian would not lie. Therefore, the names given by Abigail and Betty are seen for the most part as fact, even without proof.

This change in power is crucial to the plot, because it is so unusual for a child to have power. In Salem in this time period, children were second-class citizens. At the beginning of the novel, it was said about Parris that, "He regarded them as young adults, and until this strange crisis, he, like the rest of Salem, never conceived that the children were anything but thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at the sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak." (Miller 4) This shows that the people in the town did not think much of the children of Salem, but during this "strange crisis", which refers to the belief in - and hanging of - witches, children rose up to claim power over Salem.

"Sinners" Follow-up Post

When Jonathon Edwards preached his views of Hell and God's response to sinners in "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", the reaction from society was immense. Spoken in the early 1700s, the general audience of his speech was composed of very religious people who had never before imagined that their God was anything other than kind and forgiving. Once they heard his speech, however, a religious movement was sparked called The Great Awakening. In today's society, where there are different religions other than Christianity, and where a number of people aren't even religious, the speech would not spark nearly as intense of a response. The people today who are the most devoted to God and Christianity are much different from those in the 1700s. In society today, the general thought of Christianity is that God is very forgiving. Though people should do their best not to sin, and to be the best Christian possible, they also believe that they will have the chance to be forgiven. When those people read or hear this speech, their reaction will not be as strong as it was when Edwards first preached it. For a while, they might work really hard not to sin, possibly with the slight fear that maybe it is true; maybe Edwards really knows what he's talking about. But over the span of a couple years, or even a shorter amount of time, things would go back to the way they were, and people would forget. Those who listen to the speech and are not religious might have a very different response, depending on the person. There are those who do not believe in God at all, and they would most likely not be affected by the speech. However, those who aren't really sure what to think, and were just brought up with no religion, may consider converting to Christianity. If they believed that God would not understand and forgive them for growing up without going to church or praying, just because their parents don't, then maybe the fear would be strong enough for them to try for the rest of their lives to find religion. Ultimately, the response that Jonathon Edwards' sermon would spark in society today, and what was sparked in society in the early 1700s would be greatly different. People would not react as strongly in 2011, and any effect it did have would not last very long.

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" Post

On July 8, 1741, Jonathon Edwards delivered what is known as “the sermon for which England never forgave him”. His sermon sparked the fires of the Great Awakening. The American colonies, in reaction to his sermon, were pulled away from European Christianity in fear of sin and of Hell. Devoted to his God, and truly believing in the horrors of Hell, and what sinning could bring was what gave Edwards the motivation for his speech. He prayed that people understand what he is saying, and started believing, as he did, in the awfulness of what sinning can bring. According to the narrator, he had a reputation as a harsh man, incapable of love, but in reality, he was none of those things. Those who knew him said he was kind and insightful, and was a loving father and husband, and a good friend to those in need.

I think that Jonathon Edwards’ sermon will contain thoughts and ideas of what Hell might hold. I predict that he will tell of the horrible things that could happen to those who sin, and go against the rules of Christianity. His words will most likely be very powerful, and marybe even frightening.The narrator of this video said that Edwards had a “stunning metaphor on the wrath of God”. Therefore, I think that he may use literary devices and figurative language to bring his words to life. He just wanted people to see life differently, and to live it fully, without sin. By evoking horrible imagery of the terrible wrath of God upon sinners, he hoped to accomplish just that. 

Descriptive Post

Dominated by hues of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and every shade in between, the scene gives off a glow that reads "autumn" in every way. The leaves on the trees are turning from a green to a golden-orange. Far off in the distance lie mountains with a bit of an orange hue near the base. The warm sun reflects off the harvest food in the foreground of the image, giving them a happy, playful glow. The unique textures and colors of each food set them apart, and yet they all give off the feel of October. The two buckets, one upright and one tipped over, hold fresh, juicy, round apples. Their color and texture both contrast the deep green squash, which looks rough and bumpy. The various-sized pumpkins positioned to the far left are bright orange, reflecting the sunlight that is hitting them directly. The entire image is reminiscent of apple orchards and cider mills, and of vast pumpkin patches.

Class Expectations

In Honors American Literature, it is expected that students are organized, respectful, and go above and beyond the requirements for their assignments. Primarily, organization is essential to a successful learning experience. Students in Honors American Lit should always have their materials with them in class. Organization not only refers to maintaining neatness with materials and assignments, but also time management. When a student stays organized, they are able to get homwork finished and turned in on time and it will be easier to keep up with the rest of the class. When assignments are completed ahead of time, before theyir due date, it allows the student to take more time to revise their work. This will help bring out the best in them, and provide their teacher with a good reflection of their best work. Avoiding tardiness and late work can really help better a student's learning experience in Honors American Lit, and will help their teacher provide them with an overall better edcucation.

Additionally, academic integrity and respect for fellow students is important in all students, especially literature. Plagiarism should not ever be a problem, and students should always write their own essays. Even so much as copying from a friend shouldn't be an issue. All work completed by a student and turned in should be completely their own. Respect also goes hand-in-hand with integrity. It is important to respect other students, and the authority in the classroom, whether it is the teacher or a substitute. When a good level of respect is not met in the classroom, it becomes more difficult for students to learn. An uncomfortable learning environment where students feel bullied or left out can get in the way of self esteem, among other things. This may lead to lack of effort, which should never happen in Honors American Lit. Each person should try their best in everything they do, and by respecting those around them, students can try to uphold a positive atmosphere in the classroom.

Finally, students should go above and beyond the minimum requirements for class assignments. Part of being an honors student means that they should not do the bare minimum. Instead, the students should add creativity and excitement to every part of their essays, projects, and other assignments. Taking things a step further can really help to bring fun into the process of learning, and the understanding will come along with that. Students should not only read the homework pages, but take their time to reflect on the reading and really strive to understand what is important. Students should notice the figurative language, themes, and important character growth over the course of the novel. An Honors American Lit student should not have to be told which parts of the book are significant to the plot, or when the climax is. They should work to find that out themselves. By exceeding the requirements, students in Honors American Lit prove that they belong in an honors class.

About Me

My name is Ellie Zak, and I am fifteen years old. I was born on June 10, 1996. My absolute favorite thing to do is to draw; I love drawing portraits of my friends and of my favorite television, movie, and book characters. For me, drawing is a really great way to express yourself, and there are almost no limitations to what a pencil and a plain white peace of paper can create. I wanted to take a drawing class at South this year, but I ended up taking Photography instead, which I have absolutely no experience with. However, I'm sure that, just like drawing, I'll enjoy the artistic experience.

Reading and writing are also two things I love to do. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling; those books are really big throughout my family, as we have all read and greatly enjoyed them. I have, in addition to my parents, two younger sisters. Cameron is 11 years old and in 6th grade, and Jordan is 9 years old and in 4th grade, and I love them both very much. One of my favorite kinds of writing is actually journalism, which is very different from any other type of writing. I was on the newspaper staff in middle school, and I took Honors Journalism last year. Now, I am on the Tower staff, and I really hope that there is a chance that I can make it to some position on the editorial board by senior year. However, I know that will be difficult because it requires a lot of after-school time, and I play fall and spring sports.

I run Cross Country at the moment for South, and this is my first year. I think that Cross Country is a really good sport, because it's really mentally challenging to finish an entire 5K. The thing that is really great about this sport, and different than anything I've ever done before, is that it's very independent. The meets are all about beating your own best times, and setting the fastest personal record that you can for yourself. I also play soccer at South, and I played for JV last year. I'm really hoping to make it to Varsity this year, but if that doesn't work out, I'm happy to play on JV another year. I've been playing soccer since I was five years old, living in Rochester Hills, and can't imagine life without it. I play on the Michigan Gators '96 team, a club soccer team outside of school, with a group of other South girls.

Over the summer, I visited Italy for a week (Rome and then Venice), and then went to Germany for two weeks to watch three games of the Women's World Cup. Watching professional soccer is truly amazing, and to see it first-hand is something I've wanted to do ever since I started to play. My idol is Abby Wambach, one of the best players on the USA national team, but there are many players on the team that I admire. I even talked to Lauren Cheney and got her autograph outside of the ESPN truck in Dresden. I love to travel, and to be able to travel to Europe and see soccer was truly the experience of a lifetime.

Currently, I am working on a major writing project with one of my best friends, and we are writing a novel together. If everything goes well, we might even end up trying to find an agent and we may possibly even move toward publication, but for now, we just enjoy writing it. I also participate every year in National Novel Writing Month, which takes place each November. Basically, you are allowed from November 1st at midnight to November 30th at midnight to write a 50,000 word novel. Before that time, you are not allowed to write anything that will be contained in the final copy, but you are allowed to plan everything out. The reason I enjoy this and continue to do it every year, despite the stress, is that it's a really good writing technique. It just about forces you to ignore editing and revising for just one month and get something done. Without this, I probably would have trouble believing that it is actually possible for me to write an entire novel, but now, I know I can do it. So it's a real confidence booster; as long as you succeed, of course.