Insight and Questioning into The Puritans, Salem, and The House of the Seven Gables!

                    Sooooooooo......today I have the responsibility of commenting on three different topics and Ill try my best to make sure it flows. So, here goes. I would like to first recognize the Puritans. I've learned a lot about them in class and about their lifestyle, but after more research it got me thinking about the logic of their reasoning behind all of it. I already knew that they lived a very strict lifestyle and they could not waver from it in any way. But they also believed that God had a pre-destined place for everyone to go, as in Heaven or Hell. So why would people just not live 'normal' lives, and just do the stuff that they wanted to do because no matter what they only had one, definite resting place. And as in normal I mean commit sins like all other people and allow themselves to make mistakes because no matter what their eternal resting place had already been decided.
                    On to the next subject, Salem. The one and only Salem, Massachusetts. The place Salem itself is only interesting to me for two reasons, the Salem Witch Trials and the House of Seven Gables book but there are other little, imposrtant tidbits about it that are good to know. The city actually was started by a group of fishermen. Back then it was a very important shipping and trading place because of its close location to the water. And this made the town very rich and increased its size. 
                   
  

The times when I know I cant be anything BUT American

Soooooo... I cant choose one day when I realized that I was American. That day was either far too long ago or maybe it just wasn't memorable, but for now I'll just tell you about the times when I just know the things I do, say, or think are American. For example, when I'm riding in the car with my parents and we drive past any fast food chain or just a fast food place, I always see the lines packed with people. The drive- thru and the insides of the restaurant are full. no other place likes fast food like Americans. We love our fast food because its quick, easy, and most importantly CONVENIENT. Us Americans like everything that's convenient and veer towards that more than anything else. Part of the American way is having convenience in your life because our lives are very fast- paced and the quicker we can get something the better. Also Other instances when I know I'm American is when I find myself looking at the late- night infomercial that come on TV. They are always trying to sell you something that makes life more "convenient" and that will make life "easier". They try to sell you all types of things just to make that fast buck. And you cant forget their famous slogans at the end: "Buy now or they'll all be gone"  or "Call right now". They always try to get their product to sell quickly to make the fast buck. These are the few times when I know I'm American because they directly exhibit our fast paced life and one of our top priorities, convenience. 

Conflict and the consequences of NO resolution

               Conflict...bickering...disagreement with no resoltion in sight= DEATH! Now if you ask me this chain of events makes no sense and is completely irrational. Just because a disagreement cannot be settled means that someone has to lose their life? What kind of mindset is that!!! This kind of thinking makes no sense and I fear anyone that thinks this mentality to be right or just.
               This kind of thinking, in certain situations,  is an utter contradicton of the Constitution that our country was built on. For example, The principle of freedom of speech is not just exclusive to one group of people but is given to all people upon citizenship. Peolpe are allowed to say anything they feel and to express their opinion. Undoubtedly, people are going to disagree at times, but life goes on. People get into conflicts over their ideas at school, on the job, and in homes, but no idea is so strong that someone should lose their life. There will always be someone on the other side of the fence of you. No act of murder is justified in the sense of differing opinions no matter what subject is being argued.
              People should also never be persecuted or treated unfairly for having different and unique ideas. If people are in conflict, they dont have to take it to the next level of actually abusing or hurting the person physically. The best way to deal with conflict is to respect the other person's position and moreover to put yourself in their positions. I these two steps are followed a lot less conflicts would end in tragedy.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God >:-(

               Sooooooo.... This excerpt of Jonathan Edwards was funny yet eye-opening to how serious people valued religion during the time period that this was taught. It also teaches me how single- minded that Christians were back then and were willing to believe any preposterous thing that came out of the mouth of a priest.
               I found this excerpt funny because of the way it described God and how he was willing to punish sinners for the sins that they committed. It was also amusing to me because of the way God was portrayed and described throughout the entire piece. This is completely contrary to the way I and most people view God today. The wrath of God was so exaggerated that it became unbelievable and was taken to an extreme. Yet it was interesting to compare the beliefs of God back then and the God I know today.
              But this was also somewhat of a history lesson in itself. I got and insight as to how religion was viewed and valued back when this was written. From this piece I understand that religion was a vital part of a Christian's life. Christians were willing to do anything to serve and please God and people had the utmost respect for the Church. This was a good thing in some ways but, this willingness also made the Christians very gullible. Anyone that claimed to know the Bible it seemed like they would listen to and would do and believe whatever they said. This opened them up to be taken advantage of.
            And I know for a fact that if someone started preaching the same sermons like this in churches today people would walk out and people would challenge the teachings of this preacher. In our society today people are more independent and are willing to speak up for what they know is right and will not just go with the flow like they did back then. PEACE OUT!

There goes my neighborhood...

Personally, I have only encountered one experience where a group of people have clashed, but it wasn’t over territory. The cause wasn't someone moving into the neighborhood either. But it all started when I was in fourth grade and we began studying the civil rights movement in history class. This was the first time my class and I had studied this time period in depth. And out of nowhere, as we learned about the separation and segregation between whites and blacks during that time period, my grade started to follow the pattern. (F.y.i My school wasn’t that diverse and it was predominantly Caucasian, but there was never any separation and we all got along.) At lunch all of me and my friends sat together and all the other Caucasian people sat in another section. And at recess, when we played sports like dodge ball all the African- American people played on one team and all the other people played on the same team. It was a really weird period and eventually teachers caught on and addressed the situation.

That I can say was my first time experiencing separation of races and it is not something I want to go through again. But otherwise the only other clashing of people that I have seen is in movies like "Remember the Titans" and "Freedom Writers".   

Hello Blogging World

              My name is Briana Hammons. I'm 15 and in Mr. McCarthy's fourth period American Lit. Class. Soooo... (just to describe myself a little bit) I'm energetic, funny, optimistic, easy-going, and a little crazy at times, but who isn't?? But don't let all those other qualities fool you, because I'm intelligent and dedicated. I take my schoolwork very seriously.
             
               I am involved in dance and modeling classes outside of school. And I enjoy playing basketball and hanging with friends during my free time. In school, my favorite subject is math but I excel the best in English most of the time. (Hopefully that's the case this year too).

              One thing that I value a lot in my life besides school and my hobbies is family. I have a big family and they have always been a huge part of my life. I always spend holidays with them and we make fun of each other and tell old funny stories of my parents as kids. I couldn't imagine being without them. Family has always been important to me and always will be.

              And this year I plan on getting drastically better at all types of writing. My goals are to broaden my writing style and to compare it with the style of other American works. I also want to learn new techniques from this course to improve and intensify my writing. I hope to learn a lot this year and to have fun while doing it. Until my next post, PEACE OUT!