Thankful

I am thankful for a couple of people in my 7th period honors American Literature class, but the one I have chosen to write about is Stephanie. I just met Stephanie this year, because we share physical ed and English class. So far, I would have to say that she is a pretty good friend. For example, if I don't understand something that's going on in English class and ask for her help, she would help me understand and explain to me things like what we are reading. Not only does she help me with academics, but I'm grateful that I'm comfortable enough to be able to joke around with her and that she can joke around with me.
So overall, I am grateful for the things Stephanie has done for me and I am grateful for the friendship we share. :)

I Celebrate Myself

When I think about celebrating myself, I think of reflecting upon myself and being proud of the person I am today. Every person is unique and has their own special traits and characteristics that make them who they are-- whether the characteristics be ones that are good or ones that are bad. 
As I am asking my younger brother what qualities come to mind when he thinks of me, he says, "Talkative, goofy, crazy, smart, and funny." Whether these listed qualities are good or bad in somebody's perspective, I would agree that they are a part of what makes me me. I am not quite sure how I would be able to define and put into words the definition of who I am, but to name a few things that I see in myself and have heard other people say about me are compassionate, God-loving, generous, athletic, etc.
I can honestly say that I am so glad to be able to look back at myself and be proud of my accomplishments and the person that I have developed into today. 

Poe

American poet Edgar Allan Poe was not the typical poet. He was considered a part of the American Romantic Movement. I have not read much of a variety of poetry before, but his literature is nothing like what I have had experience reading. The best fiction writings of Poe are gothic and considered part of the dark romanticism genre.
Poe used a lot of symbolism in his work, for example in his poem The Raven, the Raven represents Lenore.
I researched what may have influenced the darkness of Poe's writing style and I read a short biography on him. From what I have read, Edgar Allan Poe has gone through much turmoil, such as the death of his mother, desertion of his father, and death of his wife/cousin. All of these losses may have put Poe in a dark, upsetting spot in life.
As of my opinion of the poetry and writings of Edgar Allan Poe, I think they are very interesting. Like I have stated before, I cannot say that I have read poetry like his before. He writes in such a deep, dark mood that captures my attention for some reason. Overall, I believe Edgar Allan Poe was a great writer with a dark past.

What Is An American?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an American as so: (n.) a person born, raised, or living in the U.S. I personally do agree with this definition, however I think it is too general. In my view, an American is one who appreciates this country, our customs, and truly feels like this is where they belong. I believe that the meaning of being an American goes much deeper than just what the definition says. 

Yes, by definition, an American is one who is from the United States. However I think there are instances in which there will be an immigrant from a foreign country coming to the U.S. wanting to become an American. Unfortunately, there will always be some born-and-raised Americans who will not accept those who wish to become Americans. For example, my grandmother and grandfather were born and raised in Hong Kong, China, but they came to the U.S. a little over 50 years ago to raise their family and to live a better life here. My grandmother has limited English, however she is a legal U.S. citizen. She considers herself an American, however when other people view her, they see her as another immigrant from China. My grandmother does not bother with what others think, but it bothers me that when people think of American, they cannot accept foreigners as so. 

So in my opinion, an American is a person who was born and raised in America. Nevertheless, if an immigrant comes here and lives here—whether they are a U.S. citizen or not—and feel like they are at home, I agree that they are American.  

The Modern Day Puritan

Comparing the Puritans we read about in class to people nowadays, I would have to say that there is a big difference. Puritans in the society we are discussing and reading about differ from us modern citizens in the following ways: the punishments, the laws, and the ways of the people.

From what we read in The Crucible, I would say that the way people are convicted and sentenced time in jail is quite strange and unreliable compared to how it is done in modern days. For example, the way the Puritans got out of the punishment of being accused for associating themselves with the Devil is by admitting to it-- whether telling the truth or not--, accusing somebody else for the same crime, and signing a paper proving you admitted to it. We now go by the “innocent until proven guilty” way.

As for the laws, the Puritans were very led by the Bible-- specifically the Ten Commandments. Several of the laws that we have now are from the Ten Commandments, however we do not follow all of the Ten like how the Puritans had to.

Finally, for the ways of the people, the Puritans were very religious and were looked down upon if they did not go to church, know the Commandments, or were baptized. We now have freedom of religion and beliefs, which allows us to have the choice of going to church or even believing in a god at all.

Therefore, when looking at the Puritans from many years ago and the modern people now, in some ways we are similar, but I think in more ways we are different.

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

In my opinion, John Proctor would be somewhat of a hero. Although he made foolish mistakes, like having that affair with Abigail, for example, he did other things that made him heroic in a sense. As we all know, John ended up admitting to the court that he had this affair with Abigail, which was most likely a very difficult thing to come clean with. However he did this to try and save his wife, Elizabeth. By telling the court that he had an affair with Abigail, it shows why Abigail would try to get Elizabeth killed-- because she wants to take Elizabeth's spot as John Proctor's wife.

At the end of Act 4, we also read how Proctor was not satisfied with only saving his wife-- he also felt the need to save the wives of his friends. The fact he would try and do this for his friends shows courage, compassion, and heroism.

So, did John Proctor act as a stooge? Yes, I would say he did earlier in the text. However, he did seem to take more ownership of his previous mistakes and become more honest and open with things to save the people he cared for.  But everybody makes mistakes, right? Therefore overall, I would have to say that John Proctor is a hero.

Arrivals...There goes the neighborhood

When colonists arrived and, in my opinion, invaded America in 1492, they were not the only ones here. These "neighborhoods" belonged to the Native Americans. Little did the natives know, these new arrivals in their neighborhoods would be trying to convert their beliefs and essentially removing them from their own land.

As the newcomers were moving into the Native American's land, they observed and made assumptions about the natives. They said that the natives were primitive, uncivilized, and that it would be easy to convert the natives' beliefs to what the colonists believed.

The new neighbors looked at themselves as if they were at a much higher rank or position than the Native Americans were at. However, I do not think some of the colonists would have been able to survive without the help from Native Americans. To elaborate, the Americas were new land being introduced to these Europeans. They may or may not have known what kinds of food were safe to eat, how to catch wild animals, or how to prepare their food. I think it is safe to assume that the Americas were definitely not the same as how the colonists' homelands were at that time, therefore they may have needed help to survive. It is possible that they also did not know how to speak the language of the Native Americans or how to travel throughout the lands of America. However there were some Native Americans that served as translators and guides for the newcomers, who, I assume, served as great help.

Whether the change of the neighborhood was for better or for worse, it affected the way we live today.

I was born on April 23, 1998 in Chicago, Illinois. My mother named me Jessica Paige Luciano. When I had asked her about how she got my name, she told me it was from a television show she watched. The main characters were twins, named Jessica and Paige. My last name, Luciano, is Italian, which is one of my several races. My mother is full Chinese. She is from Chicago, but her parents are from Hong Kong, China. My father is Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Italian. His mother's parents are both from Mexico, while his father is from Puerto Rico and has an Italian parent.

As for what my personal hobbies and interests are, I love to play sports, especially basketball, volleyball, and running, do nail art, spend time with family and friends, and learn to cook and bake things. I also have had this goal to become a veterinarian since I was in 2nd grade.