Reflection Fireside Poem comparison

The two poems I have selected from the Fireside poets are “Flower de Luce” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and “Old Ironsides” by Oliver Wendell Holmes.

“Old Ironsides” is a very compelling poem about saving an old war ship. It talks about the ship in its former glory days. “That banner in the sky; Beneath it rung the battle shout, And burst the cannon’s roar;- The meteor of the ocean air”(Holmes 211). The ship was supposed to be scraped to make a new ship and Holmes was writing this poem to make people aware of what was going to happen if they did not take action. I think that the meaning of the poem was just that, to raise awareness about the ship and what an important image it was for the United States.

I think that it qualifies for the romanticism writing style because it is a captivating story that utilizes imagery to help us imagine what the ship was like. In lines nine and ten Holmes writes, “Her deck, once red with heroes’ blood, Where knelt the vanquished foe,” (Holmes 211). Given this image it is easy for you to imagine that this ship was once a great war ship. Another to tell that it is romanticism writing is by the author. Oliver Wendell Holmes is a Fireside poet and Fireside poets were known for their romanticism writing style. The romanticism writing style also used metaphors to make the story more interesting. In line sixteen the author, Holmes, refers to the ship as, “The eagle of the sea!” (Holmes 211). This is a metaphor as well as a way for the reader to realize how majestic the ship really was.

The other poem “Flower de Luce” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is another excellent poem. In the poem Longfellow talks about a funeral, and the death of his friend and fellow fireside poet Nathanial Hawthorn. In the poem he tells us that he could not escape the pain of his death. In line three and four Longfellow writes, “Though all its splendor could not chase away The omnipresent pain.”(Longfellow) . Longfellow gives the pain an almost foggy or mist feel when he calls it omnipresent. It was as if you could fell the sadness hanging in the air. The pain was inexscapable. Longfellow writes that in his grief everything he knew seemed strange. In lines 13 through 17 he writes, "The faces of familiar friends seemed strange; Their voices I could hear, And yet the words they uttered seemed to change Their meaning in my ear." (Longfellow) The hurt of losing his friend was making everything he knew feel foreign. With him gone the world would be a much different place. Longfellow writes, "Ah! Who shall lift that magic wand of power, And lost clew regained? The unfinished window in Aladdin's tower Unfinished must remain." (Longfellow) Longfellow says this because he believes that no one else can write like Hawthorn did, and no one ever will. Longfellow writes that his work will remain unfinished because nobody could ever take his place.

"Flower de Luce" is a good example of romanticism writings in many ways. Longfellow has references to nature such as, "The lovely town was white with apple-blooms, And the great elms o'erhead." (Longfellow) Longfellow also has an allusion in line thirty five when he references Aladdin's tower from the book "Aladdin and the King of Theives". In line thirty Longfellow uses imagery by writing, "The wizard hand lies cold." (Longfellow) In saying this we can see the body of Hawthorn lying there cold and absent of life.

Holmes W. Oliver "Old Ironsides." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Longfellow, Henry W. "Hawthorne. Flower-de-Luce. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 1893. Complete Poetical Works." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. .

Reflection Chambered Nautilus

In the poem, “The Chambered Nautilus” by Oliver Wendell Holmes, there are two separate meanings to it. The first meaning is the literal meaning. It says, “This is the ship of pearl”(Holmes) which of course is talking about the chambered nautilus. The poem talks about how the nautilus grows and becomes bigger by building new cells to live in. The narrator if you will talks about finding the nautilus on the shore and it being “wrecked” (Holmes). This may mean that the shell was broken open and he could see all of the cells that the nautilus had once lived in. I think the poem would be boring if it did not say this, “Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee”(Holmes). This is saying there is another meaning to the story. It is giving us a reason to read through the poem again through a new lens, through a figurative meaning.

When Holmes says, “the ship of pearl.”(Holmes) I think the figurative meaning is our lives, or us personally. The author says, “Year after year beheld the silent toil”(Holmes). It is telling us the length of time it took for the nautilus to build its shell, but it is also telling us that it takes time for us to build our lives. The poem also talks about the toil that is involved in building the shell and our lives. The nautilus does not hatch from its egg with its shell already attached, it takes “Years after year” (Holmes). In the same way we are not born fully developed and ready to go out to the world on our own. We spend the first eighteen years of our lives living with our parents learning how to survive on our own. We go to school and learn from our parents. Then Holmes writes,

“Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:-

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll!

Leave thy low-vaulted past!

Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting seal”(Holmes).

Its saying if you want to live a better life you can not keep living as you are now, you have to keep striving to get better. If you build your life and your family you can not keep living in a one room apartment. You have to move into a bigger house. It needs to be bigger and better than the last. You can not live in the past, you must always be looking forward to the future and planning and getting ready for it. If you do not plan and prepare in life, you will not progress. It is like an athlete, if the athlete wants to get better he has to train and make himself become better, he can not just sit around and hope to magically be better when he wants to be. Do not live in the past, but always be planning for the future.

This poem exemplifies the romanticism writing in the way that it talks about nature and the nautilus forming its shell, but it does not give the scientific meaning for it.

Holmes, Oliver W. "801. The Chambered Nautilus. Oliver Wendell Holmes. 1909-14. English Poetry III: From Tennyson to Whitman. The Harvard Classics." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. .

Journal 17

I feel that I am constantly bonding with nature. I love to spend time outside. As you have probably already read in my previous blogs, one of my favorite things to do is go camping. When you are camping you spend all of your time outside in nature. I just enjoy spending time outside the feeling of the breeze on my skin and the freshness of the air just makes me feel alive. Being inside all day is one of my least favorite things to do. I hate it when I am sick because being outside will not help me get better. That is why I love being in sports so much. You never know what kind of weather you are going to have to run in or play in. I love all of the seasons in the year. When it is summer I love to play Ultimate Frisbee with my friends. In the fall it is obviously football. The weather you play in when you are in football varies from one hundred degrees to snow. My favorite time to play is when the temp is right around 50 degrees. I guess if I had to single out a specific time when I bonded with nature it would be when my family and I went to the Table Rock Lake for a week and went swimming, boating, skiing, tubing and cliff jumping. That is correct, I went cliff jumping. The cliff was around thirty feet tall and there was a second that was sixty. At first I was too scared to jump off the sixty foot cliff, but I soon built up my courage. The feeling of the grass on my feet as I ran towards the edge of the cliff and the hot sun on my body is indescribable. The feeling of regret was inevitable when I jumped off the cliff for the first time. I felt like I stalled in the air for a little while, and then I suddenly fell to the water. There was a sudden feeling of cold as I entered the water, but my body quickly grew accustomed to it. The way I bonded was this. There are a lot of dangerous things in the world, but most of them do not scare me.

Reflection-Fireside Poets

The Fireside Poets were and still are an American icon. They are a superb example of romanticism style poetry. The smooth and rhythmical phrases combined with the entertaining subject matter keeps the reader and listener engaged.

The subject matter of the Fireside Poets was different from the Puritan writing style. In the Fireside Poets writings they wrote about simple things like snow fall and a ship as well as evoking emotions of pride and patriotism. In the poem “Old Ironsides” the author, Oliver Wendell Holmes, writes in a way that gives the reader an emotional connection with the battleship, the U.S.S Constitution. In the poem, Holmes writes, “Her deck, once red with hero’s blood, Where knelt the vanquished foe” (Holmes 211). This phrase gives the feeling that the ship was very victorious. It had won many battles and conquered the enemy. It was the place where many great men had fallen. Such phrases stir in the heart’s of the readers a sense of national pride. The Puritan writers use things like experiences and use them as instruction for the reader. Their writing is very faith heavy. There are many references to the providence of God. In “Of Plymouth Plantation”, written by William Bradford, there are several references to God. “I may not omit here a special work of God’s providence.” (Bradford 15) Here Bradford is saying that without the help of God, and God’s sense of humor, the man would still be bothering them. The basis for all of the Puritan writing is that everything happens for a reason and everything happens because of what God has done.

I believe that the subject matter of the Romanticism period and the Rationalism period are the same, but they are presented in different ways. In the Rationalism writings, especially Benjamin Franklin’s writings, the topic is usually a natural event, or something that happened to him or someone else. In Franklin’s autobiography he writes, “I found myself very feverish and went to bed; but having read some where that cold water drunk plentifully was good for fever, I followed the prescription and sweat plentifully most of the night. My fever left me…” (Franklin 106) These sentences show the whole idea of the Rationalism period. For everything that happened there was a scientific reason why it happened. However, Romantics’ writings were made bigger than life, elevating them to an almost mythological point. In “Old Ironsides” Holmes writes, “And give her to the god of storms, The lightning and the gale!” (Holmes 211) It seems like Holmes is putting this ship into the category of legends. Sending the ship to the “god of storms” is making the ship a sacrifice to him. Everything is made larger then life and exaggerated. The Romanticism writings also brought a feeling of emotion to the reader. “No more feel the victor’s tread, Or know the conquered knee;” (Holmes 211) The reader feels sorry for the ship. This is a strange emotion for someone to have for a ship, but that is the reason that Holmes wrote it. He wanted the ship to not be torn down.

The content of the Fireside poets are almost the same as the Puritan and Rationalism writing styles, but they are portrayed differently.

Holmes, Oliver Wendell. "Old Ironsides." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Franklin, Benjamin. "from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Bradford, William. "from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

reflection- Franklin's virtues

I think that Franklin was very ingenious in his compilation of the thirteen virtues. He was a very ingenious man himself with many inventions like the library, the Franklin stove, and the bifocals. When Benjamin Franklin was making his list of virtues, I feel like he wanted to find things he felt he was struggling with and things he wanted to become proficient in. His thirteen virtues are temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. I think that for a man as accomplished as Ben Franklin it would be very difficult to stay humble. He was an ambassador to France, a founding father, and an extremely inventive man. Even to realize that you need to practice humility is a big deal. Another aspect of his life that would be hard for him to follow is silence. I think that for any person silence would be hard to accomplish. I do not think I can remember a day that I have been silent for more than an hour or two, I am not counting sleeping. I am not a super talkative person, but it is still hard to be silent. Franklin says, “Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation. (Franklin 149)” What is a trifling conversation you may ask? I think a trifling conversation is any conversation that does not benefit your life or the lives of others in some significant way. I have never gone one day without trifling conversation because that’s who I am. I like to make jokes and have fun. It is almost a habit for me. Franklin says, “I concluded at length, that the mere speculative conviction, that it was our interest to be completely virtuous, was not sufficient to prevent our slipping; and that the contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any dependence on a steady, uniform rectitude of conduct. (Franklin 148)” So basically he is saying that in order to be able to follow the virtues completely and to the letter, you must break your old habits and replace them with the new virtues.

I think that it was almost inevitable for Franklin to not be changed by his virtues. He was following such a rigorous schedule of virtues, and doing his best to practice them that I think he had become a better person. I think that one of the main keys to his success was the chart that he had made. Every day he would mark down which he had followed, so when he did not do well on a virtue it was obvious for him to see. It would seem hard to believe that such a great and accomplished man could become a better person. He plays a major role in our nation history, but I guess that is why he is such a great historical person. He wanted to make himself a better person. He did not want to make himself more famous or become wealthier. He wanted to become a morally better person. If we all had that same attitude could you imagine what the world would be like? Could you imagine how different the world would be today?

journal 18

The perfect autumn day for me would be going backpacking with my brothers in southern Missouri. When we go it is usually in late October after football season. It is beautiful because the leaves just start changing. The yellow, orange and red leaves look simply magnificent in the morning sun. We usually wake up early, because that is what you do when you go camping. We cook bacon and eggs over the fire and it smells like heaven. The sound of the bacon sizzling on the pan is like snow falling. The eggs and bacon are the best taste in the world in the brisk morning air. I love the feeling of the cold air against my skin in the morning. After we eat breakfast we have to break camp and hit the trails. To make they day more perfect in the middle of the day's trek the temperature will reach 75 degrees. While in the hike we came across a spring fed stream and a waterfall, and we immediately jumped in and cooled off. After the swim we decided to eat right there on the bank of the stream. Our lunch consisted of Vienna sausage, bread, and some water. A perfect day for me does not really consist of the literal day, but it consists of who I spend it with. Since my brothers are gone and off the college it makes it more special for me to spend time with them since I usually only get to see them two or three times a year. I do love to stay outside and spend time with nature, but it is better if you have someone the share nature with. Usually we would spend a week or so backpacking, and camping along the way. Another perfect fall day would be a Friday evening. The temp. would be perfect, and I would be getting ready to play football with my team. The perfect ending to the day would be with the crowd cheering and our team running victoriously off the field.

journal 16

Well I feel like I am about to write the exact same journal that I just finished moments ago. There are several ways that we could communicate with the students from Farmington High School. We could us Twitter and follow each other on the Twitter. Communicating through Tweeting we could accomplish a lot and develop team chemistry. There is a downside to Twitter, I do not have one. I do have a facebook though, and every once and a while I will check to see if I have any updates. We can also us cell phones to call and text each other and get to know each other. We need to find a good way to communicate and the best way to do that would be a trip up to Farmington High School. We could meet our fellow students in person and not in some bad video feed. We can utilize all of our resources to come in contact with our fellow teammates. I think one of the best ways to talk would be through Skype, even though the video feed would not be the best. We could still be face to face and compare the work we have visually through the Today's meet. Today's meet is an excellent way to communicate with the people and the messages come up almost immediately. Given my experiences already with my group no matter what tool you use to communicate with the students from Farmington High School, they will not respond. With the days drawing closer when the project is due, we are going to have to find a way to communicate so we can get this job done. It will be really frustrating if they do not help with this project. So I hope that through simple Email we will be able to talk and communicate with our group members. So far the Gmail has been the best way to talk, but so far only one of the group members has responded.

Journal 15

In this day and age it should be very easy for us to be able to connect with students from another area. With all of the technological developments we could be connected with the students from Farmington in a matter of seconds. There are cell phones and texting, almost every high school student has texting and would be able to communicate very quickly with each other. A downside to that would be that we are not allowed to use our phones during school, but outside of school it would work out perfectly. Facebook would be another good way to communicate with the students from Farmington. However the school has blocked social media websites so we would not be able do this during school. Outside of school there are so many ways that we could communicate using the internet. Google+ is not blocked and we could all use that and create our own profile and be friends. Today's meet would also be an excellent way to communicate with each other. It is like an instant messaging site. Also you could just talk on the phone and go old school all up on this project. If you really wanted to go old school on this project you could send a letter to the other groups, become pen pals and become best friends. We could also work in the library during P.A.C.E. if we are allowed to. We could message each other, or talk to them on the phone if we get permission from the teacher. We could Email each other, and work hard to make this thing work so that we can get a good grade.

journal 14

If I were alive during Benjamin Franklin's time period I do not think that I would be a printers/writers apprentice. I would much rather be involved in a much more manual labor career, or something along the lines with the military. Since I have to write on how I would spend my average day as Franklin's apprentice I will tell you. I would have to wake up early and collect the news that would be critical to the upcoming day, and I would have stay up late and get the news around town from the late night events. I would cover emergencies and I would be the adventurous reporter. I would collect weather information and other reports relevant to the people of Boston. I would come back after a quick trip around town collecting information and help Mr. Franklin set the type. I would help him ink the press and put paper in. After his almanac was printed I would deliver them to businesses around the community. I would stand on the street corner and sell them to anyone who wanted one. After I sold all of the alminacs no would return to the shop and clean the type. By now it would be lunch time so I would go and get food for Mr. Franklin and myself. After lunch Mr. Franklin would send me out to cover the town meetings that were occurring that day. I would also go out and interview people on how they felt about the British and the way they were treating the colonists. Once I returned we would look up wise sayings and jokes to make people laugh. After that Mr. Farnklin would send me over to the cartoonist shop and I would pick up the comic that he had drawn for the almanac. I think that I would enjoy working with Mr. Franklin, but it would not be the job I would choose.

Rowlandson and Bradsteet

Right off the bat in Rowlandson’s writing there is a reference to the bible, “Come, behold the house of the Lord, what desolation he has made in the earth. Psalms 46:8 (Rowlandson 82)” There is also the mention of Job of the bible. There are so many reoccurring times in this work that the providence of God or the grace of God is revealed. After she had been captured by the Indians she said there was no way she could describe the emotions she was dealing with. Then she makes the statement, “but God was with me in a wonderful manner (Rowlandson 83).” Here she is saying that even through all of her suffering and emotions she was struggling with, God was there to help her get through it. After Mary and her child are captured, Mary’s child dies. Instead of doing something harmful to herself like taking her own life she says it was because of God she was still alive, “I have thought since of the wonderful goodness of God to me, in preserving me (Rowlandson 83).” So because of what God has done to preserve her she is still alive. After spending time in her captivity she learned that her son was alive and well and coming to her. Once they were reunited and living together once more, she noticed that he was sleeping very well. Mary asked him how he could sleep so well, and he replied that he was praying and not sleeping. She then writes this, “I pray God he may remember these things, now he is returned to safety (Rowlandson 84).” All of these references to God and prayer are all characteristics of Puritan writing.

Bradstreet’s work Upon the Burning of Our House is about the burning of her house and the way that she responds to it. In the sixteenth verse she says, “I blest his name that gave and took (Bradstreet 91).” That is a reference to God, and a bible passage Job 1:21 which says, “He who gives also takes away().” He is referring to God. This is a remarkable statement to make considering her house had just been burnt to the ground. What she is saying here is that even though she has just lost everything she will still praise God for what he has given to her. If God has given her a house can he not also take it away? It was such a remarkable example of the Puritan faith when she said that. She also says, “alls vanity (Bradstreet 91).” What she is saying is that everything that she had was extra, a blessing from God. She did not need those things, but she had them because of God’s grace. Then she says something simply beautiful about salvation, “And did thy wealth on earth abide (Bradstreet)?” That was simply amazing the way she said that. Nothing that you have here on earth will last so it did not matter that she did not have the material things anymore because her treasure lied in heaven.

Crucible act 4

Sinners in the hands of and angry God is a very riveting sermon. In the sermon Edwards gives us such an emotional account of the way we have been living. To most people it sounds like the sermon is about how angry God is or about the wrath he is going to take out on us. In reality the sermon is so much more beautiful than that. There is such a deeper meaning, Edwards is trying to show the grace of God, and the love God has for us. In the beginning of the sermon Edwards talks about how God holds us over the hell in his hand. “natural men are held in the hand of God over the pit of hell (Edwards 97).” This is a very unnerving thought. We are held above the pit of hell with only God’s hand in our way. By now we are all wondering why God is still holding us? What is binding him to hold on to us longer? Nothing! There is no contract that God is bound by to keep us from falling into hell, however there is this, “uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed God (Edwards 97).” The only thing that is keeping us from being in hell right now is the grace of God. The grace of God is a very Puritan thing to say, and is perfect for that time period when Edwards was preaching.

How does all of that tie into The Crucible? In Act 4, and the rest of the play, the men (court) are acting as if they were God. They were controlling who was to die and who would be safe. I do not think that there should ever be a time when it comes down to man to decide who should live and who should not. They are deciding who would get a chance to be saved and who would not. “Which of them do you have hope for (Miller 128)?” Here Danforth is asking Parris who he thinks will confess their sins and have their life spared. They will give a select few the chance to repent and be saved. I think it is wrong to decide who will have a second chance at life and whose lives will be taken. Contrary to Sinners in the hands of an angry God and the way God is described. The court, who is acting as God, has no grace. Danforth says, “There will be no postponement (Miller 128).” Unlike the way God behaves with patients and kindness Danforth has no compassion, no patients and will not give anyone any extra time to think about what they are doing. The only compassion he has is if they confess before they are hanged. He is too worried about what others will think of him, whereas God literally has all the time in the world to wait. There is also a similarity in the two works. In his sermon Edwards writes, “And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has flung the door of mercy wide open (Edwards 99)” In the book the court gives all of the convicted a chance to repent of their sins and have another chance at life. It is such a beautiful thing when forgiveness is offered and accepted.

Crucible act 3

So far in the Crucible there have been several different times when human nature has been displayed in the play. As I said in the first act blog there is a lot of blaming going on in the book. Along with blaming there are many accusations that are being made about what is being said in the court room. Giles is accusing the prosecution of telling lies about his wife to convict her of witchcraft. “You’re hearing lies, lies! ( Miller 84)” It seems like no matter what is going on, there are always people will to accuse someone else or blame someone else to make sure that they or someone else they care about are safe. Here Giles is making an accusation that the court is making false statements, he is making this statement even when he may not know if it is true or not, but he is doing it because he wants to make sure that it does not reflect on his wife. He is doing whatever it takes to make sure that his wife is not condemned. That brings up another interesting human characteristic. Humans will do whatever it takes to make sure that the people they care about are safe. They risk their lives and their reputation to make sure that the people they care about and love are safe. This behavior is made evident again when Proctor says, “I would free my wife. (Miller 90)” Proctor is showing that he is willing to do what it takes to free his wife. He is also proving the love he has for his wife. He also is vouching for her honesty and putting his validity on the line when he says, “But if she say she is pregnant, then she must be! That woman will never lie, Mr. Danforth. (Miller 92)” When Proctor says this, he is basically saying that she is an upright woman, and that is also another thing that they are looking at in the interrogations in the court room. When someone is and honest and generally good person they are not suspected of wrong doing as much as someone who is not as honest in their behavior. As part of human nature it is easier for people to trust someone is upright and truthful in their behavior. That is why Danforth asks, “You are in all respects a Gospel Christian? (Miller 90)” People find it easier to trust someone who is and honest believer and is truthful and trustworthy in what they say and how they act. In human nature I think that people unknowingly try to look for honest people and trustworthy human beings to be around and invest time in. With that being said when Proctor says that his wife is truthful he is trying make her seem more innocent to the judge. And when he is asked if he is a Devout Christian Danforth is trying to see how honest Proctor would be with him. So far in the book there have been both good tendencies and bad tendencies in human nature, and I hope that we can see how well they play out at the end of the book.

Crucible act 2

In act 2 I believe that Proctor has a Gold personality. The traits of a Gold personality are need of belonging through a share of the work, loyalty and faithfulness. In the beginning of the act Proctor comes home after working in the fields all day. “The farms a continent when you go foot by foot droppin’ seeds in it. (Miller 51)” I think that Proctor was trying to convey that he really cared about his family and was hoping that his wife would notice the time and effort he put into the land. One of the other characteristics of a Gold personality is faithfulness. Proctor displays his devotion to his wife when she accuses him of having an affair with Abigail. Proctor says, “…I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you…(Miller 54)” Right now Proctor is obviously frustrated that Elizabeth would make such an accusation, but he is still trying to prove his loyalty to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is another interesting character in the book. I think that she has display the qualities of a Green and Blue personalities. Green personality uses facts to prove things and to win arguments. Blue personalities are somewhat emotional; they have a relaxed sensitivity, and have a sense of loyalty. She displays Blue characteristics because she wants to be loved and accepted by her husband. Elizabeth is trying to do things that will please Proctor. “I took great care, she’s tender? (Miller 50)” Here Elizabeth wants to make sure that proctor is happy by making sure that the rabbit is tender and letting him know that she took great care in preparing the food. She also displays qualities of a Green personality. When she accuses Proctor of having an affair with Abigail she uses her own facts. “I see what I see, John. (Miller 54)” Elizabeth is using the fact that she can tell the way that Proctor behaves when he is around Abigail. She wants to let him know that she cares about him and wants to make sure that he will not leave her. She is proving her loyalty to him and wants to let Proctor know that she still loves him.

I think that Marry Warren displays an Orange personality in this act. Orange personalities are outgoing, live in the present, and are free spirited. When she is told to go to bed by Proctor she lays down the law. “I’ll not be ordered to bed no more, Mr. Proctor! I am eighteen and a woman, however single! (Miller 60)” Here Mary Warren is trying to convey that she has grown up and can take care of herself. She does not want to be told what to do anymore. She also shows some Blue characteristics. She becomes very emotional when she is telling Proctor and Elizabeth about what had happened in Salem that day. “Goody Osburn-will hang! There is a shocked pause while she sobs. (Miller 56)” Sobbing is obviously different then simply crying. When she is sobbing it is almost uncontrollable and is a big display of emotion.

Crucible act 1

I think that this book reflects the Puritan religion by they way they act towards other people and the way they behave in general. There are several times in the first act that I can find when the characters do not act snobby or stuck-up to one another. In the beginning of the book Parris is behaving with an heir that seems to say no matter what you think you are wrong. It is not only Parris that behaves this way, but it seems as all of the characters act this way towards each other. The adults act superior to the children, as they should have in that time and according to their religion, but they also act as if they better than each other. According to their religion, everyone was already predestined to go to Heaven or Hell, but the people who were destined to go to hell could still lead the best life possible so they might be let into heaven. For the Saved it was possible for them to lose their salvation if they did not live in a manor that was pleasing to God. No one knew who was saved and who was not so everyone lived the best life that they could. It is funny to me however that they do not seem to care about that when it comes to saving their own face. They will do whatever they can to make sure that the blame does not fall on them. As long as nothing is blamed on them, they will be okay. Yet in all of this blaming there still seems to be a reliance on God. Parris says, “Oh, my God. My God help me!(Miller 8)” So in spite of all the concern Parris has for making sure that he does not get blamed for having witchcraft in his house he still has some apparent reverence for God.

Throughout the first act the girls a blaming each other for the practice of witchcraft that had been going on. Abigail says, “Not I, sir-Tituba and Ruth. (Miller 16)” Once again someone is blaming someone else for the witchcraft incident. It is funny that when the blaming happens the person getting blamed is usually not present to defend themselves. I think it is very much like that of the Puritan religion to blame someone else to make sure that you are being the best that you can be to try and make it to heaven. I think this is a breakdown in the Puritan religion. The girls are trying to do what they consider is the right thing by making sure they are not blamed for the witchcraft, but they are still sinning by blaming someone else and lying to make sure they save face. They are trying to contact the spirit world, which is a big no-no in almost every religion. It is treated that way by the characters in the play, but it obviously was not made impossible to access or to know how to contact the spirits. And there did not seem to be the respectful fear of spirits that should have been instilled in the children by their parents.

Reflection-Plymouth plantation

In Bradford's writing it was easy to tell that he was from a puritan background. In the first paragraph Bradford tells us that a boy had been thrown overboard by a wave "but it pleased God so that he caught hold of the topsail" (Bradford 64). It was as if he did not have any quick thinking or fast reflexes, it was only by the grace of God that he grabbed the sail and was pulled back on the boat. The grace of God was a very puritan thing to write and talk about. In Puritan writings God was mentioned a lot because he a major part of their religion. The grace of God, or God's providence was the reason that they were safe in the new world. When they were looking for a place to port they were caught in some dangerous waters and they were trying sail out before nightfall. They succeeded, "by God's good providence"(Bradford 65). Everything that happened because of God's providence. There was nothing that happened without God's hand in it. It was not because of the highly professional sailors and crew only through God’s providence where they saved.

When they finally reached the shore they were so overjoyed. When they were on the land they, "fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven"(Bradford 65). Once again they owed it all to God that they were safe they never even thought that there was any other way that they could have reached the new world then by the providence of God. When almost the entire group was stricken with sickness there were only six or seven people who where healthy and able to take care of everyone who was sick. Bradford says, “The Lord so upheld these persons as in this general calamity they were not at all infected with sickness or lameness" (Bradford 66). It was not because of their strong bodies and good health that they did not become sick, it was only because God had upheld them to make sure that they would be able to take care of everyone else. After the time they were sick the Pilgrims were visited by a very special Native American named Squanto. He could speak English and helped the colonist make a treaty with the other native tribes in the area. He also taught them how to plant corn and grow other important crops. Is his writing Bradford describes him as, “a special instrument sent from God" (Bradford 67). I think had it not been for Squanto, the pilgrims would not have survived. Squanto had done so many important things for them it is hard to not think he was sent by God to help the Pilgrims. Throughout the portion of Plymouth Plantation that we read it is obvious that this is a Puritan work. The constant mentioning of God, God’s providences and his grace are characteristics of Puritan writing. Also in the excerpt of writing the way that Bradford wrote was not like the language we speak today. The vernacular that his used was very unique to the time period in which it was written and to the puritan writers of that time.

Bradford, William. "of Plymouth Plantation." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

journal 12

If I could write my own rules about right and wrong I do not know if I would change very much about them. First of all I do not know the official rules of right and wrong. I think that the rules of right would be if it was contradictory to what the Bible says, then I would not do it. If my parents would not be happy about the decision I made then it would be the wrong decision. My parents are pretty fair about rules and what is right and wrong. I have not really thought about re-writing the rules of right and wrong. I personally do no see anything wrong with the rules and I feel like other people are just over reacting when they get in trouble about some things. One thing I do wish that was different is that I wish there was a giant list that had every wrong thing written down so that everyone would know it was wrong. There have been several times when I have gotten in trouble for doing something that I did not know was wrong. It has varied from doing the wrong thing in sports, to doing the chores the wrong way. Its like when a small child would get in trouble for saying something bad that they did not know was wrong because they were simply repeating what someone else had said. One of the biggest ways that people learn is by repeating and mimicking what someone else does. So if every wrong thing was written down, then there I think that there would be a lot less wrong doing. However there are some people that try to do the wrong thing on purpose and I wish I could change the rules about that. I think that if there were harsher punishments for doing wrong there would be less trouble makers in the world. If there was a more difficult punishment then people would not try to get in trouble as much.

journal 10

I think that you should postpone for the simple fact that I am so behind in my honors English homework. We already have a lot of work on our plate today so we should postpone it till Wednesday because I saw that we were not doing anything on Wednesday on the lesson plan. This being an accelerated we already have so much homework to do, it would be nice to not have as much homework one day. I know myself that I need more time to get caught up with my work, and I need to stay eligible for football. If I become in-eligible there is no one to replace me. Getting back to a reasonable argument I believe that we should work hard on this blog so that we can get a better grade. Some of us, like me, do not have the ability to complete all of the work at school. I do not have internet to complete the work I did not do at school. However since I have been given time to work on my homework I guess that I do not have an excuse anymore. Also since it is past the time for me to pursued you to let us wait until Wednesday to do our vocabulary homework it is more difficult for me to find reasons why we should wait. If there was ever a time that I would have needed for the homework to be postponed it would have been earlier in the year. Right now I am able to stay caught up, but there are some days I have so much homework that it is impossible for me to get it all done, especially with my limitation of not have internet at home. I feel like since the time has already past for me to pursued you to postpone it I am less enthusiastic about writing this blog. And since you did not call on me I do not have enough motivation to be extremely in my argument.

journal 9

The other day my poor three legged dog was viciously attacked by a bigger four legged dog. My dog Schroder has been attacked twice by this brutal dog. My sister was freaking out about it because my dog was hurt really bad and bleeding. She thought that my dog was going to die. My mom calmed her down by saying that she was not going to die, and that she would take care of Schroder. My mom said that the dog was going to be alright, and she thought that Schroder had just a few minor cuts. The reality is that she was bleeding really badly and she had to be taken to the vet the next day. Although my parents were really upset that the dog had been let out without being watched, they approached the situation with a lot of maturity. They were very rational in how they approached the situation. It was good that they were mature in the way that they behaved because they learned that the dog that attacked Schroder had been rescued from an abusive situation. The reason that the dog had been taken outside was because it was not getting along with the other animals. The owners took the dog on a walk outside and the dog got away from the owners and ran to our house. The dog was very violent with my dog, but I heroically rescued my dog from harm by kicking the other dog and choking it with its collar. My dog is going to be alright, but she is on antibiotics and wants to stay inside most of the time. The way that my parents handled the situation was key in keeping a good relationship with one of our two neighbors. Now since we approached the maturely and rationally we know when the dog will be taken outside on walks so that we can bring our dog inside. I am glad to inform you that Schroder is going to be alright.

Journal 8

Autumn is a great time of year. There are many exciting events in the fall season. My favorite event in the fall season is football. I love to play football there is nothing on earth like the feeling of smashing someone into the ground, or catching the winning touchdown pass. Another exciting happening in autumn is trick-or-treating. When I was younger I loved filling up my pillow case with candy. Now that I am older people are not as willing to give me candy. Now when I go trick-or-treating everyone looks for my younger siblings that should be with me. I like the feeling of fall. There is a distinct feeling fall the cold is different from the cold in the winter. Autumn has a different smell, it smells different. In the fall they also harvest the corn and beans. There is a lot of dust from the harvesting, and the busy buzz of the machinery becomes monotonous. My house is close to and a grain elevator and when the farmers harvest wet crops the put them into dryers. They run the dryers at night, and since I am close to the elevator the noise from the fans can be heard all night. The best thing about autumn is Thanksgiving. I love to eat the wonderful food that my mother and sisters have cooked. I also love to be with my family during the holiday. I do not get to see my brothers very often because one is married and the other lives in Joplin. So when it comes time to see my family around the holiday and the week before and after Thanksgiving. I also hate fall because that is when school starts. Fall is the death of summer, the death of the plants that grew through the summer. Summer is my favorite season because there is no school. All around autumn is an average season, school starts which is dumb, but football is great.

journal 7

What my mom has told me about bullying is that many times the bully will bully someone because they feel inferior and they are mean the victim to try and make themselves feel better. Another reason is because they want to be excepted by their piers. I have been both the bully and the victim. In every case that I have been the bully I find that I do not feel better about myself and I have regret for what I did. Also when I was bullied I did not feel that intimidated or bad about myself. However for some people do not brush off the effects of bullying as well as I did and still do. I know some people that take bullying very seriously. There are many consequences of bullying. The person who you are mean to will most likely think poorly of you and they will lose any respect they may of had for you. There are times when you bully someone or make them feel inferior without trying to. You may say something that is offensive to them or do something that will make them feel uncomfortable or offended. Even using a nick-name for someone my make them feel bad or upset them. If you bully in school you could have a variety of things done to you if you get caught. It could start with a basic warning or escalate all the way to an in house or A.E.R. If you are mean to a sibling at home you could get grounded, have a phone or computer taken away. I know that bullying is not right, and I do my best to avoid those situations. With my luck I usually get caught. Having that statement in mind I try not to do things that will cause trouble for me or someone else because I do not want to face the punishment.

journal 6

Blaming someone for something they did not do happens all the time at my house. I blame my sister for things and she blames me. Usually it is just my sister blaming me for doing something to her that I did not do. Most of the time the blaming is over something like who did not feed the dog or take care of another chore. Because of the way I acted when I was younger my parents usually believe my little sister. It is understandable that they would do this because when I was little I was an extremely mischievous child. I would do anything to get out of getting in trouble. I would blame my brothers to get out of something. Now my sister is able to tag a lot of blame on me. From time to time I do deserve the blame, but for the most part she is putting the blame on an undeserving, poor, innocent boy. Some of the main consequences that have been laid up me are not being able to go do something, or having extra chores to do. Usually the punishment is not that bad and I can stand it. However there are some times when you blame someone else that it could be dangerous to do so. You may be putting someone in danger, and you could be straining the relationship between you and that person. If you do not like that person it may be a good way to get even with them however, but being the good person I am it is not likely that I would do that to my sister, or anyone else. Psych I would probably do that to my sister, but not to someone I did not know that well. I have blamed people before and I have found that I have felt guilty about it later. So I am trying to stay away from blaming other people for things they did not do.

Journal 5

I think that in the 21st century, taking away electronics is a good way to discipline. In today's culture almost every child above the age of thirteen has a some type of electronic communication device. There are several different kinds of communications devices. Cell phones, computers, gaming systems and mp3 players are all ways that people can communicate with each other. If a parent or guardian or whoever is in charge simply says that you are grounded from going to a friends house or you have to stay home all week you will still most likely be in contact with your friends through texting or calling them. You may also us a social networking site such as Facebook or Twitter. Even though the disciplined child will be upset that he or she will not be able to go somewhere or do something with their friends they would still be able to talk to them like they were right there in the room with them. So if you were to remove all of their ways of communication then they would truly be grounded because they would have no contact with anyone outside of your home, with the exception of school. They would feel like they were in solitary confinement with nothing to do. I know that if I did not have any access to any electronic devices my day would be a little less exciting. Then I would be forced to talk with my parents about boring things that parents talk about, or play barbies or polly-pockets with my little sister. Although I do enjoy being with my family, talking to them the entire time would be almost as bad as having to talk all day.

journal-vacation

One of my favorite vacations was when my family went camping by Lake Michigan. We went in August and the weather was perfect for camping. We were half a mile away from the lake and we went there every day. On the lake there were huge sand dunes. We say people with sleds going down the sand dunes, and immediately my brothers and I had to try it. We played on the sand until it got too hot and then we would go into the water to cool off. It was fun to swim in the water because of the sand bars that were under the water. When you first got in the water it was five or six feet deep, but after you swam for two or three hundred feet the water was at your ankles. One day we went hiking on a trail around the lake. We started around four and it was a four mile hike so when we were done it was right when the sun was setting and it was so very beautiful. Camping is always fun because you cook your food and and you sleep in the outdoors. In was fun go to the beach everyday. One thing that was not a plus was that there was sand in everything. My swim trunks still have sand in them, and we went three years ago. We just went camping and there was sand in our tent for Lake Michigan. We spent a week there and I want to go back very badly. That was the last time that my whole family has been together. Now my brothers are married or in college with full time jobs. That trip was the best trip that I have ever taken with my family. We are taking a trip during Thanksgiving break with all of my family to Branson Missouri. It is going to be great because my whole family will be together again.

Journal 3- A hostage situation

I have never been in a hostage situation, but if i was i do not know how i would react to it. There are two different ways i could react. In my imagination I would be the person who saves everyone else by attacking the captors. If I were being held hostage by terrorist with a group of people i would be the one to start the idea of escape. In my imagination I would be able to untie the ropes that were bound to our hands and feet. We would wait for the captors to become lazy, to be off the ball. Then I would lead the group of hostages to a rebellion against the terrorists. We would catch them off guard and force each person one by one and take control of them. We would gag each one so that they could not cry out to the other captors. Our escape would move slowly yet surly. Eventually we would break free, having all of their weapons. Then we would use the terrorist as our hostages. We would march them to a place where we safe. After we were safe we would turn the terrorists over to the proper authorities, where they would be held for a fair trial by our just judicial system. All of that was in my imagination however. Now lets talk about what would really happen. If I really were a in a hostage situation I would be scared out of my mind. I do not think that I could handle being in a confined area for an extended period of time. I am a very active person and being still for a long period of time would be one of the best ways they could torture me. The only thing I could do is pray for my captors, and pray for the safety of the other hostages. In reality I think that I would be one of the last people to start a revolt.

Journal 2- Manners

There once was a flying squirrel named Louis, and a chipmunk named Winston. Louis was a very outgoing flying squirrel. He was very curious and always liked to find some way to make an adventure out of something that was not as important as he made it out to be. Winston was the opposite of Louis. Winston was shy and an introvert. He enjoyed to stay in his home with all of the things he had collected over the years. When Winston was younger he was not like he was now. He used to be adventurous and loved to nearly escape death. After he was nearly killed by a human when Winston was caught in a trap. Know he was afraid to go outdoors now. He enjoyed staying at home and admiring all of the things he had attained in his younger years. Louis loved Winston's collection as well. Louis loved to borrow Winston's stuff. Louis used to be very careful with Winston's collection, but over time he became careless and had little respect for Winston's possessions. Winston was not the kind of person that would tell someone when he was upset with that person. He was becoming upset with Louis because he felt that Louis was taking advantage of Winston's generosity. Winston did not have a problem with lending Louis his stuff, but he would have enjoyed it if Louis would ask before he just borrowed something. At first Winston did not say anything, but now he was becoming worried that he would not get his stuff back. Finally one day he told Louis. Louis had no idea that Winston felt the way he did. Louis realized that he was not being polite, and that he was not being a good friend by taking advantage of Winston's generosity. Louis apologized and promised that he would never take anything without asking ever again. Now in their old age Louis and Winston are the best of friends.

Journal 1, A Creation Story

There once was a time when the snake had long flowing fur, and strong legs like that of a lion, in fact the snake resembled the lion very much. There was only one thing that separated them from the each other, and that was that the snake did not have a long tail that is so distinct to the lion. When the animals were first created the snake was fine with not having a tail. He felt he was special and better then all of the other jungle cats. All of the other animals had long tails that the Snake thought that were in the way and slowed them down. When the all of the jungle cats would race along the river and through the forest the Snake would always come in last. The reason being he had no tail to balance himself when he ran. When the ran along the edge of the river he would always fall in. He could not balance himself. He was humiliated, but all of the other animals tried to comfort him. They told him that he was still the coolest looking animal in the jungle. For a while Snake believed all of the other animals, but after he started to see how useful all of the other animals tails were he became upset. When of the animals were napping they used their tails to keep away the flies and other bugs off of them. Snake however did not have a tail so he was continually bitten and pestered by the insects. He rarely got to have a good afternoon rest because of the bugs. When the other animals saw how distressed he was they tried to help him out. They tried to use their tails keep the bugs off of him. It worked for a little while, but once they fell asleep. The bugs would bother Snake again. He finally became so frustrated that he became angry with the Creator. He complained to him, and he cried out, "Why did you give everyone else but be a tail?" The Creator said that he should be content with the way he was made, but Snake kept complaining. So to teach him, and all the other animals a lesson, he turned Snake into a tail only. He lost his legs and his beautiful mane. He was only a small slimy tail. He became the snake we know today.

Fahrenheit 451 question 4

4. The hero of this book is Guy Montag. He stands up for what he eventually knows is the right thing to do. At first he struggles with the idea of changing, but once you change there is no way of going back. Guy was perfect character for this book. If he were any different it would not have been as good for the book. He was not always sure of what he was supposed to do, but once he did it he had made up his mind there was no going back. He was determined in what he was going to do. One of his less admirable traits was when he became angry he became enraged. It is obvious when he killed Beatty at his home. I think that even though he thought that Beatty wanted to die, and that is how he comforted himself, it was not the right thing to do. I think that Guy Montag represented courage. When he had his made up he stuck with it. Even when it was not the right thing to do he stuck with it. When he was worried about what he should do when he was in trouble he had Faber to help him at first. However when he was going on a rant, he had no fear. He was always ready to fight when he was angry. He lacked a lot of self-control and he did a very poor job of controlling himself. Guy Montag also represented truth. When he was trying to realize the goodness of books. He wanted people to know that there was truth in the books. Since he wanted people to realize the truth in the books I believe that he himself represented truth. He knew the truth in the books. Guy also knew that other people needed to see that it is okay to have different views. He knew that they had to realize it themselves. It was up to him however to show them how to understand it.

Fahrenheit 451 question 3

3. One of the universal themes in this book, Fahrenheit 451, is happiness. In the book Guy Montag is faced with the question, “Are you happy?” He is trying to find what will truly make him happy. He comes to realize that his job does not make him happy. His wife, Mildred, does not make him happy. In the book he is trying to understand why Clarisse McClellan is happy. Why she is so strange yet happy, genuinely happy. He wants the same happiness that Clarisse McClellan has. The more he goes on living like he had his entire adult life he realizes that he is becoming unhappy. So throughout the book Guy Montag is trying to find happiness, the burning of houses and books used to make him happy. Now that he had seen happiness in a different light, he was trying to attain that level of real happiness and joy. Ray Bradbury understands that it is human nature to desire to fit in. He understands that people are always trying to be normal. They do not want to stand out. It is especially obvious at the junior high and high school levels. No one wants to be different in the crowed. This is key to the book because this is one of the main conflicts in the book. Guy Montag is faced with a choice do I stay “normal” and keep going to my job and forget this silly idea that may make me fall flat on my face, or do I go after this idea of true happiness? As he grew more unhappy he knew that he had to go against the grain of the wood. He had to seek true happiness in the last place he knew to look, the books that he was supposed to destroy. If it was not human nature to want to fit in, then this book would lose a lot of its conflict, and it would just be about a man who could not make up his mind about what to do.

Fahrenheit 451 question 2

2. One of the biggest conflicts in this book is Montag’s conflict with himself. When Guy meets Clarisse his starts to change, he wonders why this girl is so strange. Then Clarisse asks him if he is happy. I think this is the first spark in the fire for Montag. At first he plays it off as if it is nothing. Guy kids himself into thinking he is happy. Thinking he is happy with his life. Then Clarisse shows him the dandelion trick to see if he was in love. It showed he was not. He was angry with her, but as he began to think about it he realized that he was not sure if he loved his wife. He began to notice that he was just going through the motions of life. Clarisse started to change him. She asked Guy questions that made him think. Wondering why she was so happy, yet she was so different. He enjoyed her company, he enjoyed talking to her and listening to what she had to say. All the time she talked Guy listened. He started to think. He realized how unhappy he was with his life. He wanted to find a meaning to what he was doing. And the only way he could think of was to read a book and see what it was all about. The conflict I am talking about is should Guy Montag tell anyone how he was feeling. He was afraid to tell the firemen for fear of what they would do. He felt he did not have a good enough relationship to tell his wife. Guy Montag was struggling with himself. Should he venture off into the unknown world of reading books, or should he just forget it and play it safe and go back to work like nothing had ever happened. The real question is did he want to be happy and a fugitive, or did he want to go on being unhappy and safe?

Fahrenheit 451 question 1

1. Fahrenheit 451 was a revealing book. It shows the way Ray Bradbury values God. In the book God is portrayed as an old fashioned idea. God is a thing of the past. He is something from a book long, long ago. In the book religion itself is ancient. No one wanted to be responsible for their actions. All people wanted to do was watch television. To them the bible was just another book to be burned. There was nothing special about it. The bible was just a way to call an alarm. In the book there is no reverence for God, or his power. It shows that Bradbury had no care for God. It also reveals his attitude about books. I think that Bradbury had a deep respect for books and what they had to say. The whole story is about saving books. Bradbury had a love for books and knew that they were important. In Fahrenheit 451 the author portrays a world without books as a very lonesome place. The only reason most people visited each other was to watch television together. There was no real social quality in the visits. To me it seemed like a very dull, and lame place to live. It was obvious to me that books meant a lot to him. I could tell he was trying to stress the importance of books in our lives. Not only books though, but literature all together. He knew that if there were not different views in the world then everyone would be the same. If everyone is the same then no one is special. That is why Bradbury stressed the importance of books in Fahrenheit 451. The way the author valued books makes me realize how important they are to society. Books give us different views on subjects like politics and religion. I think it is good for people to know all the sides of an argument. As I said earlier if we all had the same view the world would be a much less exciting place. Since he wrote from a third person perspective it was interesting to read what Guy Montag thinking. It was kind of hard to follow the story at some points, but for the most part it was good.

The Grapes of Wrath, Human Affairs

19. I think that in this book, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck was trying to draw attention to one thing. Steinbeck was calling attention to a justice in human affairs. In the book several times there are incidents where human beings are treated like animals by other humans. The first would be when the bankers were plowing all of the land into one big field. They did not care that farming was the only thing the Joad family, and many others, knew how to do. They did not care that this was the only land the families lived on. It was like they were herding animals off their land. Like cows being moved from one place to another. That is how the bankers viewed the people. The only thing they wanted was more money. Another incident would be at Hoovervill when the deputy treats all of the people like they were nothing. He talked down to them like they were less important. He treated them like dogs. When he told Floyd to get in the car it was like the deputy was Floyd’s master. I think this was the first time that the Joad family realized what they had gotten into. When the Joad family left Hoovervill they were stopped by a group of men that said they did not want any “Okies” in their town. It was like the “Okies” were just were just a name and not real people. They did not need food or shelter. “Okies” are not real people they were just animals. Once they had made it to the peach orchard, Tom went to look around. When he found Casy he was really surprised. Tom learned about the way the men were treated in jail. When they were being chased and caught by the men Casy was killed. The thing that is disheartening is that there was no respect for human life. They killed him like they would smash a bug.

The Grapes of Wrath, Rose of Sharon

18. One of the lesser important characters in this book was Rose of Sharon. Even though she is not as important, she still played a vital role in The Grapes of Wraths. Rose and her husband Connie had come on the journey because they were afraid of being separated from Rose’s family. I also think it was because they did not know what else to do. I did not like Rose of Sharon because she was always complaining. Whenever there was something she did not like, she would complain about it. Rose would blame it on her pregnancy, and I times it have been, but I think she enjoyed complaining. She had no problem telling someone she did not like something. When Connie left, all she did was cry. She pouted and wanted the rest of the family to feel sorry for her. It was as if she did not realize that the family was struggling to survive. When they went to the government camp, and the over religious lady talked to her, Rose of Sharon freaked out. She thought she had killed her baby because she had danced with Connie. After that she thought that every bad thing that happened would affect her baby and make it a bad baby. Rose of Sharon enjoyed having the attention on her. When Winfield became sick and needed milk, Rose of Sharon complained that she was not getting any milk for her baby. She thought she was the most important person in the group. Rose of Sharon was little help her mother, and when she did help Ma had to constantly reminder her to keep working. Rose would always say she was tired and needed to lie down. She also believed that Connie would come back to her; she was very naïve in thinking he would come back. When Rose of Sharon wanted to help her family harvest the cotton, Rose may have been trying to help, but I think it was to draw attention to herself. Then she became sick and was little help to anyone. And when it came time for her to have her baby she had little strength. Rose was never thinking of others, but always of herself.

The Grapes of Wrath, Jim Casy

17. Casy was probably one of the most complicated characters by far. He had so many complex ideas and so many strange thoughts. It really made the reader focus on what he was saying and think about what he was saying. Being a preacher made him think about a lot of things. Why was he a preacher? Why was he baptizing people? Should he be baptizing people? Was he really worthy of being a preacher? In the book he was really struggling with a lot of questions. He did not really understand the concept of his religion, so he disowned it. He was trying to grasp the concept of sin, what was sin? Did it really matter what you did. Through the trip Casy was a good help to the Joad family. Whatever they needed him to do he would do it. When they needed someone to help with the car, Casy volunteered. He would say grace for Grandma, and he said it at Grandpa’s funeral. When Tom got into trouble at Hoovervill, Casy helped him out. He kicked the deputy right in the neck, knocking him out. He took the blame for hitting the deputy and tripping him. He was a truly good friend. Casy was not worried about what would happen to his self. He did not have anyone to take care of so he did not need to worry about providing for someone else. Going to jail was like a blessing in disguise for him. He had good shelter and he was given food everyday. Later on when Tom found Casy leading a revolt, Casy had changed from a preacher to a leader. He was doing something right. He wanted equal rights for all of the workers. Better pay for them and better living conditions. He had gone for a preacher to an activist trying to change the course of history. He gave his life for something he truly believed in. He was trying to better his country.

The Grapes of Wrath, Ruthie and Winfield

16. Winfield and Ruthie were classic adolescent sibling characters. They were always messing around, and finding ways to get in trouble. They constantly found something to argue about or to aggravate the other person. When the Joad family was traveling they would whine and complain about anything they could. They would whine that they were thirsty or hungry. When the family stopped to camp for the night, they would run off and play not helping the family. They would always tell on the other. Even if it was not a big deal, they wanted the other to get in trouble. When the Joad family stopped at the river before they crossed the desert you could tell that Winfield and Ruthie were getting on everyone’s nerves. It was like everyone wanted them to be more mature then they really were. They never thought of others. The only thought s they had were for their own well being or enjoyment. At the Hoovervill camp they were stuck up because they had food to eat and the other children did not. They were showing off to the other children. They did not know that in a few weeks they would be the exact same as the other children. When they were in the government camp they were very mischievous and curious. They went into the sanitary station and were amazed at the toilets. They had never seen a toilet before so when Winfield flushed it, he thought he had broken it. Ruthie knew that this was the perfect thing to tell on Winfield for, but she did not know that her plan would backfire. Ma told them that is what a toilet did. Ruthie was a brat, when she wanted something she had to have it. When the kids were playing croquet Ruthie thought she could just march in and take over. She did not realize that the other kids would not be so willing to give up their club. When she finally got the club no one else would play with her so she went and cried so the other kids would feel sorry for her. I think she felt sorry for herself.

The Grapes of Wrath, Al

15. Al was funny to me in this book. He was always “tom cattin around” as they said in the book. Al was always looking for girls, and when he found them you would not see him for some time. When Pa was looking for a car to go to California in, Al was the one who helped him pick it out. He checked the engine, and the rest of the car. Al knew which car models were good and reliable. Al was a big help to the family when they left. He had learned a lot about cars and was able to drive the truck along with Tom. When the Wilson car broke down he and Tom were the ones who were able fix it. It seemed like Al was always trying to leave the family and do what he wanted. Ma and Tom made him stay several times because they knew he would be better off with the rest of the family. When the Joad family got to California, Al wanted to find a job at a garage. I do not think he realized how hard it was going to be for him to find a good, well paying job. Once he found it I do not think he would be hired because he did not know that much about cars, and a garage would want someone with a lot of experience. They would not want someone they would have to teach. When Al went to the government camp with the rest of his family, he could not find a job the entire time he was there. However he did find a girl and he promised he would marry her. When the Joad family left the camp the girl was upset with him, but he promised he would be back. Once they found work at the cotton fields he had found Aggie, and he had promised to marry her. I find it comical the he promised to marry both girls, but Al seems more devoted to Aggie. I think he finally realized the commitment he was making and he knew he had to stick to it. Through the book the reader can see Al maturing. At the end of the book, Al stays with Aggie instead of going with the rest of his family.

The Grapes of Wrath, Uncle John

14. Uncle John is an interesting character in this book. In the beginning of Grapes of Wrath the reader learns that his wife died when he was younger. We find out that he thinks his wife’s death and the death of the baby was entirely his fault. For much of the traveling to California the reader hears nothing about Uncle John. For a while I forgot that Uncle John even existed. For much of the book the reader only hears his name, but he does not say anything directly. Uncle John is not involved in much dialogue. He is very remorseful about his wife’s death. He is always trying to make it up to everyone. He gives things to people, or does things for them. It is like he is trying to make up for what he thought he did by doing good things. He is trying to ease his conscious by helping other people. On the trip he was hiding five dollars so that when they go to California he could get drunk. Whenever he was upset or depressed he would go out and by himself whiskey. I am not trying to run anyone’s life, but I do think that getting drunk is going to solve anyone’s problems. He seemed to think anytime something went wrong part of it was his fault. When Rose of Sharon had her baby, he volunteered to burry the baby. I think he did this because he wanted a chance to burry the baby that had died in his wife’s womb. It probably helped ease the pain of the loss, now that he had a chance to burry the baby. I found it interesting however that Uncle John did not burry the baby, instead he put the baby in the swollen river and let it float away. In the end of the book it seemed like he did not care about living anymore. When the flood broke through the levy they had built, he did not hurry to get out.

The Grapes of Wrath, Ironies

13. One of the main ironies in this book is that the Joad family, and thousands of other families like them, left their homes to get better work in California, when they were better off staying home and holding out for something better. The families were sent brochures that told them of the wonderful California. There were orchards as far as the eye could see and there was so much work that you could never go poor. Everyone thought that they would go and have a much better life in California. Ma thought that they would go to California and live in a small white house, and that the family would go out everyday and pick peaches, cotton and grapes. She never stopped to think, and no one else did either, that everyone else would be going there with the same dream. The reality was that it was extremely difficult to get work. There were way too many workers and way too few jobs. Everyone found out the hard way that there was no easy way to live in California. They had to go looking for jobs everyday, and come back to camp everyday jobless. They spent weeks on end looking for jobs so that they could feed their wife and kids. When they did find a job they were paid very little. It was barely enough to feed their families. Sometimes it was not enough for them to feed their families. The camps they lived in were dirty and nothing like what they had imagined. They had to live in tents and be harassed by the police and other more fortunate people. No running water, no toilets and no showers. I am sure the smell would be terrible. It is almost funny how drastically different the two were. They dream of nice houses and good work, and they show up and find they have to live in dirty camps with low paying or no work.

The Grapes of Wrath, Conflicts 2

12. Once they reached California a big conflict was that everyone they had talked to who was on their way back from California was right. There were no jobs, no nice, white houses to live in and nothing came as easy as they thought it would. It was a big shock to them that they had to work hard and go hungry because it was such a bad situation there. When Tom saw how the people were being mistreated by the cops and the employers he was livid about it. This brought the potential for Tom to get in trouble. He did not want to start trouble, but he wanted to stand up for what was right. When the deputy cam to Hoovervill and treated everyone poorly. Tom became upset and when the deputy was chasing Floyd, Tom stuck out his foot and tripped the deputy. Thankfully Casy stepped and kicked the deputy and knocked him out. Casy was willing to take the blame for Tom because he did not want Tom to get in trouble and get sent back to prison. From then on Tom had a kind of strange hatred for the police in California. They were corrupt, and unjust. Once they learned about the government camp they headed straight for it, but a group of men did not want any “Okies” in their town. Tom was about to fight them, but his mother calmed him down and they just found another way around the town. When they were in the government camp everything was great, but after the first five days they were there they could not find any work. They did not want to leave such a wonderful place, but they knew they had to go so that they could get food to feed the family. The men did not want to leave, but Ma knew that they had to go if the family was going to survive. Their only choice was to move on and to look for work somewhere else.