The Crucible Part 1

         In the Beginning of Act 1, Reverend Parris is the man who obtains the power to control the people as well as the power in the Church. Like many towns in colonial New England, Salem is centered around religion, therefore, it makes sense that he is the one with the most authority. In one scene, Reverend Parris is talking to Rebecca, Giles, the Putnams, and John Proctor about the recent occurrences in the town. John Proctor begins to criticize Parris's way of running the church, and he takes great offense, defending himself fiercely, saying “…You people seem not to comprehend that a minister is the Lord’s man in the parish; a minister is not to be so lightly crossed and contradicted.” Putnam responds in support of Parris with an enthusiastic “Aye! (Miller, 30)” Even though Parris is conceited and slightly nasty, the majority of townspeople are intimidated by him (and his connection with God), and as a result, support and defend him. This quote demonstrates the power Parris holds in the beginning of Act 1.

         By the end of Act 1, the power has shifted from Reverend Parris to a completely new group of people.  With everyone questioning the cause of Betty’s strange sickness, Abigail is accused of witchcraft.  In a defensive panic, she throws the blame on Tituba and denounces other women of associating with the Devil, saying, “I saw Goody Osborn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil! I saw Goody Sibber with the Devil!  Parris, Putnam, and Hale all respond in great relief, with Hale yelling things like “Glory to God, it is broken free!” and “I’ll call the Marshall!”  These quotes show how the townspeople are now under complete control of Abigail and her followers (Betty, Mary, ect).  These reasonable adults are “under the spell” of these young girls, not even taking into consideration they could be making up falsehoods.  By the end of Act 1, this group of girls controls the fate of everyone in the town. 

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How Many People Respond Today to this Sermon

Many people would have no response to John Edwards's "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" sermon.  This is due to the fact that society today is very different than that of the colonial 1600s.  Back then, almost everyone was Christian, and taught to believe in the power of God, Heaven, and Hell.  According to a 2008 survey, about 78% of U.S. citizens are Christian, 16% are not religious, and the rest are Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, and more (http://religions.pewforum.org/reports).  Though Christians do make up the majority of the population, many of these people were taught not to fear God, but that God is very loving and forgives people's  sins.  A small handful may be scared, but others would view the sermon as ridiculous and continue to follow their path of worship. For the rest of the population, because Heaven and Hell have no meaning to them (Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, ect,) the "Sinners" sermon wouldn't affect them in any way.  The vast majority of people today probably wouldn't respond to the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." 

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"

Pastor Jonathan Edwards, on July 8^th, 1741, delivered a sermon in the Church of Christ in Northampton. Upon hearing his preaching, people were shocked.   The imagery  it contains is supposed to be so compelling and vivid that it brought horror upon everyone who witnessed it.  Edwards was not at all a bad-tempered or insensitive man, he simply wanted to “awaken people to the need for salvation.”  His sermon definitely accomplished this:  it sparked controversy, and caused a spiritual revolution called “The Great Awakening.”  Worship changed from being made up onf detached rituals to people putting their heart and soul into theconnecting with god.

Because it did have such an effect on the way people worshipped and lived their lives, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" must be very powerful.  It is mentioned in the video that people could barely handle it because of the strong emotions it brought out.  I'm guessing the sermon described what sinful people could anticipate when they died.  Edmonds, I imagined, portryed God as a merciless being.  Before, people may have thought of God as being kind and forgiving.  I picture something like this:  "God throws your body in a firey furnace to burn, then lets your soul rot and suffer in the darkness of Hell."  The imagery must describe some kind of extreme pain and torture to have scared people so much.

Descriptive Post

  A pair of cranberry red, wicker chairs lie nestled in an array of greenery and flowers.  It's as if the photographer was peeking out behind some plants, and discovered this peaceful little garden. Dull, brown shrubery is right in front of the photographer, almost blocking the view.  To the right of that plant is some long grass, and above the grass are some beautiful pink buds.  The grass is lush, green, and neatly trimmed. To the left of the chair, there is a bed white flowers.  The stems of these flowers are about as lengthy as the chair, and and at the top of them, there are lare, some-what squarish white petals.  To the right of the white flowers, there appears to be some type of prickly-looking shrub.  It starts off as a darkish green, and as it gets farther from the ground, changes to a lighter green.  These extend almost to the top of the picture, almost twice the size of the chairs.  Growing in front of this bush is a small bunch of white flowers, possibly the same type as to the left of the chair.  Pale pink flowers lie directly behind the chair, beside to the shrub, and are the sme length as the shrub.  Surrounding this entire garden is a dense throng of trees- possibly a forest. 

Honors American Literature Expectations

Thesis:  As Honors American Literature students, one needs to be disciplined, willing to push oneself outside of one's comfort zone, and have a basic grasp on the elements of writing.

       Discipline is a crucial element students in this class must possess.  Some students, because they are naturally very smart, are used to procrastinating:  they are able to crank an essay out at the last minute, or read an assigned chapter very quickly.  With this class, however, pure intelligence will not suffice.  There will be larger, more complex projects.  These will require time management as well as a great deal of thought and analysis. Students who don't have the self-discipline to manage a lengthy paper or work on a big project will not complete it to the level expected.  For example, the summer assignment had many parts, and the reading, journal entries, annotations and essay could not be done in one night.  One needed to allow adequate time to pick out the important quotes for the dialectical journal, and to digest the meaning of the annotated passage.  Time and thought are something a student in Honors American Literature must be willing to give. 

        Creative thinking, as well as a positive attitude, is also key to succeed in this class.  There will be more than just the standard assignments most are used to, such as research papers and analysis essays on books.  It might be that a project is thrown at students they're uncomfortable with.  Already, Mr. Provenzano has made it clear he loves technology and that there will be assignements that involve the usage of unfamilar tech-y gadgets in the future.   Accepting this challenge and following it through to the best of one's ability is expected.  It may be expermenting with a foreign material/tool, or tackling an intimidating piece of literature.  Either way, innovative thinking and determination is required.  As ambitious students who seek academic growth, it's expected to have the ability to push onesself outside that comfort zone and perservere to get the job done.

A good basis of knowledge on the elements of writing are required.  It would be a waste of time to spend class reviewing the basics for everyone else who was ready to take their writing to the next level.  Everyone should have a firm grasp on how to write a solid essay. Included in such an essay is a good thesis, well-researched information to back it up, and a strong conclusion.  Correct grammar and punctuation usage, is, of course, also critical.  In an essay, the writer wants to sound knowledgable and well-spoken, and in order to do that, they must also possess a broad vocabulary.  Staying on topic and answering the question directly will also aid in the success on an essay.  These skills are expected of Honors American Literature students. 

About Me

        Health.  Family and Friends. School. These are a few things that are really important to me, Rachel, a tenth grader at GP South.  My hobbies and interests, as well as the people I love, make me who I am.  I began practicing yoga at the yoga shelter when I was in sixth grade, and it has become a real passion of mine.  At first I liked it just because of the physical benefits it provided.  Later in my practice, I am discovering it does great things for my mental being as well.  It helps me connect with myself, as well as the people around me, and achieve balance in all aspects of my life.

        As far as running goes, I joined the middle school track team with purely social intentions.  As it turns out, I caught a serious case of the running bug that I haven't been able to shake since.  Especially with the Cross Country team here at South, I have really found myself.  I love everything about it: the heat your body creates, the cleansing sweat.  I think it's amazing I'm able to go out in 20 degree weather without freezing to death because of the heat my body is creating.  The release it provides for me is : I tend to stress myself out uneccessarily about everything.  After a run, nothing seems like a big deal.  I feel as if I've discovered a secret weapon for life with both running and yoga. 

         In general, I am extremely interested in health and the human body. I'm that annoying person who reads the nutrition facts on everything I eat, and also making sure I love putsing around in the kitchen with my Aunt Mary (a former owner of a restaurant) and tweaking recipes to make them more nutritious.  I love, love, love food.  I can honestly say that there is not a single fruit or vegetable that I don't enjoy, and very few foods I won't eat.  I dream of being a dietician, or nutritionist, or something, that can help people discover the joy in cooking and healthy eating.

        Structure and organization is something most high schoolers don't care for.  I am definitely an exception.  As much as I love summer, I hate it at the same time because my day is not scheduled hour by hour.  This might seem strange, but it's just my nature.  I feel calmer when everything in my room is it's place.  I feel more secure when I have a schedule to follow.  I have exact places I have to be in the school year, and exact times I need to be there.  I like my room, my locker, my backpack, even my day, to be organized.  For some reason, it's comforting to me.

       My family and friends are another important, perhaps the most important, aspect of my life.  They have influenced me and shaped who I am.  I'm not extremely outgoing or social, but the people close to me are very close.  I'm not one to jump into a friendship, but prefer to get to know the person and slowly warm up to them.  I pride myself in the ability to maintain a friendship:  some of my best friends from elementary and middle school are still close to me now.  That said, I need to work on stepping out of my box and building my people skills.  I hope this year, my sophomore year of high school, I can improve on that!  Maybe blogging will be a helpful tool.