I Celebrate Myself

There are many qualities both good and bad that make me who I am. Every person has a large variety of qualities which I believe, no two people will ever have the same of. I really love the poem by Dr. Seuss that says  "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." This poem helps people to reflect upon how important and valuable they are as a person. Every person is unique and deserves to be celebrates. 
I celebrate the fact that I am the type of person that tries to get along with everyone. I am very open to hear other peoples ideas and personal beliefs. I am the type of person who believes that treating people the way you wish to be treated is the golden rule. I like to try new things as long as I don't hurt others around me. I like to be spontaneous and do new things on the spot. I believe the things unplanned give the experiences that matter and last a lifetime. 

Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allen Poe is a popular writer known for his unique pieces of poetry.  Poe had a life full of unfortunate events that I believe helped as inspiration for his writing. When he was only a kid, both of his parents died. That is usually a very scarring experience for a person. Since his parents weren't alive to care for him and his brother and sister, they were seperated. Poe's inspiration was a British poet named Lord Bryon. He had always liked writing.  He became very poor because he didn't have enough money to pay off college. His love life wasn't any better...his fiancé had gotten engaged with someone else while he had been off in college. His step mother died before he got to say goodbye to her. Those are just some of the many unfortunate events that Poe lived through. Having a life full of tragedies, Poe had a lot of inspiration from which his poetry flourished from.

Poe's writing style was completely different from project pieces that were written at the time. He almost always wrote about depressing scenarios. Also, events in which the reader would feel scared. He uses a lot of description in his writing, and with them, paints clear pictures. His stories are full of signs of a great imagination. He wrote stories of mystery, leaving the reader with a million questions concerning what happens next. After all his hard work and his contribution to American literature, he left a great legacy. Such a big legacy was left,  that society finds it nevcesary that Poe's writings be taught in classrooms around the country today.

What is an American?

America is known to be the land of opportunities, where anyone from anywhere can come and have a better chance to a great future today. That, and the idea of liberty and justice for all, is what attracted people from all corners of the earth to this one new place that seemed like the perfect opportunity for a better life. Having people from all around the world in one place, is what makes America the "melting pot," making it a country rich in diversity of cultures.
Having said that, an "American" can vary significantly, but not mattering those variations, an American is one who believes America is their home and holds pride in it. There isn't an actual race that can be officially represent as American because of the founders of this country who came from different places. Even though they came from different laces, they all played their part in learning to eventually mix and create a peaceful environment. Setting aside their differences in culture and beliefs in order to come to agreements on things that would be beneficial to the people as a whole.
An American is one who accepts this country as their own and in it, finds the desire to accomplish ones goals. Everyone who comes here, comes with a specific dream that they wish to fulfill and that seems to only be possible in this country. So, an American is one who dedicates themselves towards working hard in order to achieve this. An american is one who sees this land as a blessing to their life.
Since the migrants had to have seem something great to have left their land full of family history, so an American is one who loves their country. He/ she have decided to leave their homeland in the wishes to adopt a new one. Most Americans are second or third generations of migrants that have left their land just a few years back. In such cases, those Americans are Americans that can say they live in America, although their ancestors come from different regions. . Mentioning other nationalities before American are just titles that help others have an idea of your physical traits. Overrall, what matters is the country in which you live in and call your home

The Modern Day Puritan

Puritans were known for their extreme belief in following word for word what the bible instructed. Their religion was their law, and whoever broke the law, was looked down upon and automatically became a castaway. Today, things are a little less severe when it comes to judging others as to how it was before. For example, as we had discussed in my English class, adultery, which was known as a large scale sin, and as we read in the Scarlet Letter, came with heavy punishments that marked the people for life. Today, adultery is not punishable by law. Although, in society, if you are discovered to have committed such action, people look down at you as if you were a wild person without moral values. 

However, in other ways, society has become more judgmental. For example,when a teenage girl is pregnant  people will give her odd looks. The people automatically criticize the girl. In example, they might think she is living a crazy life and therefore that is the consequence. When in reality, that pregnancy could have been the result of rape. So, the problem with people now a days is that they are quick to judge and never to analyze a situation first. 

Another example would be with the way a person dresses. If you are walking down the street, and you see a person in all black with piercings and tattoos, most people look at them as bad people just because of their outside. They automatically think that they are odd, or are into doing bad things just because of the way they dress. In some schools, there is a group of "castaways" that aren't accepted because of how they look, what they have done or where they come from. So, people tend to target each other into what is known today as bullying. So, in reality, we live in a world where we are extremely judgmental. 

John Proctor : Hero or Stooge?

After reading The Crucible, I believe that John proctor is more of a hero. We think of a hero as a person who stands up for what he believes, does what is in his reach to help others and has many other desirable characteristics. In the story, John stood up for what he believed in when he defied his superiors when they talked of witch craft. John, being incredulous of such happenings, didn't go along with it even though that would cost him being judged by many of the towns people.
Another example is when Hale comes to his house and questions him about his Christian life and Proctor is sincere about his feelings toward Paris.

In the book, Proctor also ends up going to the court and declaring that his wife is innocent. When he did this, he was given the option of having her love only until her hold is born. Proctor does by accept because be wishes to help the many other innocent people who have been accused of witch craft. He did not only think of helping his wife and himself, but also of the others who he had known to be good people. I think this proved him to be a hero. Another thing he did was admit to have committed adultery with Abigail, even though it would cost him his reputation. This proves him to be a hero because he accepted his fault in public, ignoring what others would say after finding out. He did this for the sake of his life and having justice made for the innocently accused.

One could argue that he was a stooge because before taking action he second guessed himself a lot. I understand this but I also understand that as humans, we come to a point where we can't always be 100% sure of what to do. It takes a lot of bravery and effort for one to build up courage in order to stand up for what they believe. What makes John a hero to me, is that even though he had a money of weakness, he was able to pick himself up before it was too late. An example of this is when he had finally given in to confess to witch craft even though he knew that that was totally outrageous. He had arrived to the point of giving up the little respect he had for himself. He had felt that all was lost anyways so he turned to the easy way out. That is a very common thing for us humans to do. So I don't judge him for that moment of weakness but I look at the good side which is when at the last minute, he took it all back and decided death over living with his lies.

Arrivals...There goes the neighborhood

A neighborhood, is an area in which different people live near one another. In some areas, the people are familiar with each other because of the years they have spent living in the same area. In other areas, people may have lived there for a long time, yet never taken the time to actually get to know their neighbors. Whatever the case may be, the people in a neighborhood have a level of trust among them which provides them with the feeling of security. Otherwise, why live somewhere where you don't feel comfortable or safe? Now the real problem arises when new neighbors move in.....

When new neighbors move in, everyone wants to somehow meet the new neighbors or get a feel for what type of people they are. During the first few days, the neighborhood is indirectly observant of the newcomers in search of any abnormalities. During the "observation period," some neighbors are brave enough to go introduce themselves to the new neighbors as sometimes portrayed on television when neighbors go greet the newcomers with a baked pie or something similar.

If the family seems peaceful, the neighborhood gets a sense of relief believing that their security will not be threatened. I mean, who can live peacefully with neighbors who are always partying, getti g drunk and having convict-looking friends over all the time? As a good neighbor, the first impression counts alot on your attitude afterwards. If on the other hand, you seem to find yourself living next door to "bad" people, you are constantly on the lookout for any signs of danger. If any are found, it is likely that you will respond immediately in hopes of restoring your peace.

Me :)

Hi, my name is Cindy Yesenia Gaytan. I am a proud student of Whitney M. Young Magnet Hish School. I love to play guitar on my free time. It is probably the only thing I like to do when I'm bored, happy, sad, or stressed. I also like to sing, but I'm shy so I doubt anyone has ever heard me sing, nor will they. (With the exception of my Iris Mendez) my favorite color is blue, specifically royal blue. I love Ferraro Rocher chocolates. I enjoy coffee anyway at any time of the day. I wear a lot of skirts. I actually wear them all year long no matter the weather. I have my own sense of style according to my friends. I like math and science. When I grow up, I want to work in the medical field. I used to attend a soccer academy. I have played other sports such as volleyball, hockey and softball. Now, I don't enjoy any.  I rather spend time with my friends. One of my favorite hobbies is shopping. Luckily, I share the passion for shopping with many other friends and my mom. So, I go shopping often.