I am thankful for...

..Jillian! LOL that sounds so weird.
I am in Eco club aand, this seems really lame but I was sort of nervous going there for the first time. It was the beginning of September, or mid september I think and I still did not know many people at school and eco club had been going on since the first day of school. I wasn't sure if I was going to walk into the club behind on everything, not knowing what's going on. It was stupid but I have anxiety like that-like I'm really shy. So anyhow, it turned out that Jillian was going as well! So I was actually really excited to know someone a part of it. So, we just walked in and she introduced me to some people and-I mean really all she did was help me understand what was going on so I wouldn't have to ask a complete stranger. It was very helpful. This probably seemed really lame but She was so helpful to me, in my situation and nervousness around people. 

I Celebrate Myself

Well, so I'm not sure at all what this post should be about. The prompt is very open-ended, so pardon me if what I write isn't what you had in mind. Idk.
"I celebrate myself" means, I think that-well another way of boasting about yourself. But it's not necessarily a bad thing, to talk good about yourself. In fact, I think it can be a good thing since in our society all that's normal and good is humility and extreme humility and self consciousness. You know I'm sure most of us had that time in grade school during art when "Oh! yours is so good!" "Oh no. It's bad, yours is good!" When, the second statement could be a complete lie. or when you got a super hard test back and the conversation went like this- "whoa! you got an A+! Everybody, soandso got 100%!" "oh no-I didn't. *hides test in folder". or the kid who flipped out because they got a b instead of an A. We, (of course I don't mean everyone, just the people who share these experiences) are so used to acting so modest and not recognizing our talents, or greatness and I don't think it's a good thing. If you draw a really great picture that everyone is complimenting on, accept those compliments. I knew a girl who was so great at painting that she's sold a few already, and she just pushed way all of the compliments anyone gave her with "oh. no it's bad". Like- no! it's obviously not bad, just say thank you! It became frustrating to the point that we all just stopped complimenting her art. Also, I completely understand where she's coming from. Playing along with "I celebrate myself", I was pretty good in art as well! My self portrait got hung up in the glass box! And so I know how it feels to have people bombarding you with compliments. This also happened with grades- people holding up my test for the entire class to see. I know how tempting it is to say "no, it's bad", but I don't. I say thanks, sometimes keep my head down because I'm embarrassed, but I don't reject what others say. It's a lot more relaxing and comfortable when the person accepts their compliments. Don't get me wrong, this isn't saying boast about everything you do, because people really don't care. But when you're given a compliment, accept it, because rejecting it honestly makes the person look scared and like they have zero confidence. 
p.s. to read this, use your mouse to highlight it. sorry, i have to go in rainbow order. 

EAP

Edgar Allan Poe had kind of an unfortunate life as a child. He had two siblings, Henry and Rosalie. His parents separated and his mom died when he was only two. After that, he and his siblings basically split up and were adopted by different family and strangers. Edgar's new parents were well off, his dad was a successful merchant. So, he was able to receive a good education. Theennnn he started drinking, ran into debt, and dropped out, or rather, quit school. He joined the army for some time, then joined out. Once out, Poe had no money, no job, and his adoptive father died and did not include Poe in his will. eventually Poe got a job as a newspaper editor, but then left that job and married his cousin, Virginia. I know what you're thinking-ew. oh it just gets worse.  She was 13, he was 27-that's like Beethoven crushing on his 17 year old student and composing a song for her. So after he married, Poe kept writing, poems and short stories, and longer ones. Several were published, but he didn't get any money for any of it.
So we have this general information about Poe, there are also lots and lots of myths. The first and foremost-his death. Some people say he was murdered, that is where there is the most evidence, but there really weren't any facts about his death. and that is a fact, about is death. there were none. facts. I love Edgar Allan Poe, particularly his short stories, particularly The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart. and The Pit and the Pendulum. Poe is dark and death and ghouls and cats, and shadows and hauntings and murders and that...is all I can think of. He is so cool. Sometimes I get so sick of regular poetry. The kind about love, about victory, about life- finally! Someone who put scary into good use! Poems and short stories don't always have to be happy or sad or reminiscing. They don't have to be an enigma or a puzzle to solve and understand. I like Poe's writing because I can understand it and it uses more common language and it is interesting! I have never read anything by him that hasn't interested me. God bless ya Poe

What is an American

I think that American is an adjective that shouldn't be used to describe a nationality. I don't think anyone can be American in that sense. America is described as a melting pot, or a salad sometimes (which I believe to be more accurate). Either way, America is made up of lots of different cultures, races and nationalities. There is no set race in America, therefore I don't think anyone should say that their nationality is American. If you're "American", you could be Italian, Polish, German, Mexican, Indian, Spanish, Korean- literally any nationality.
       By calling yourself an American I think it should describe your culture. For example: eating American food like hamburgers and hot dogs and meatloaf; that is food that originated in America. It may have elements from different nationalities, but it came about in America.
      Besides American culture, there are elements that are part of our Constitution or ideas that came from the first explorers that still are a part of America today. We talked about this a lot but it is really true: freedom and opportunities. America is considered the land of opportunities, the New World. Immigrants came originally to escape their homelands that had whatever problems-famine, government, warfare- whatever the reason, they came here, to America. All in all I think an American is a person who lives in America. Not necessarily from America, but who lives here and shares the American culture and ideas. If someone lives in America, then they automatically put themselves in American culture, even if they keep some of their own nationality's culture, it's impossible for them not to be exposed to American ideas. 

The Modern Puritan

The modern puritan in my opinion, is a stereotypical high school. By that I mean, not ours, but what you might commonly see in movies and TV shows, e.g- Mean Girls. I'll start off with characteristics of a Puritan. They're strict in what they believe, children are expected to-not act like children- be stone faced, quiet and basically attract no attention. And to be general-they make a mountain out of a molehill. Now with all due respect, that was a huge generalization, however, based on the one and a half stories we read about puritans, that generalization has been true. In the Crucible, the entire town had a fit when one man found some girls dancing in the woods and several of them cried witchcraft. In the Scarlet Letter something similar happened when a woman committed adultery. Now how does this compare to a stereotypical high school? well there are different cliques, and if you are unique to all of them, you have no place to go. You stand out because you don't conform. Puritans were all expected to live similar lives with humility, thriftiness, and not standing out. If you did something out of the ordinary, it was obvious, people noticed and it was a big deal. If you do something or wear something out of the ordinary at a stereotypical high school, it's going to make a scene, and you possibly won't be accepted into certain cliques because you aren't conformed. Another example is gossip. Gossip spreads like wild fire and if someone hears something from someone else, the entire school could know about it by the end of the week. Little, unimportant things become a huge deal just like in the Crucible. the last example I have is about how puritan children are supposed to act. I compare this to freshman and the upperclassmen. Now I wouldn't say freshman are supposed to act solemn and quiet, but they are treated like that. They are treated as inferiors to the seniors and not included in certain activites etc..
     So, ultimately I don't believe there is any group of people as extreme as the puritans were, however the examples I gave were pretty close in some aspects.


* also just to clarify yet again, i was talking about stereotypical high schools, so no offense meant to anybody. 

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

So, the question is: John Proctor, from "The Crucible"-hero or stooge? Well I would say he is a hero, even a martyr. During the Salem witch trials, you sort of had two roads to take. You could either, one, lie and confess to being a witch and live, and maybe accuse somebody else while you're at it, or you could tell the truth, and be hanged. We never find out who is to blame exactly in The Crucible, but what I'm sure most people came to is that Abigail  and the girls are who started it all. Abigail is the ring leader and the other girls follow her. Maybe Tituba did have more to do with it, but as far as we know, the problem wouldn't have escalated as high as it did, had Abigail not put on the first performance by Betty's bed. Anyways, there were several people who confessed to witchcraft, which could be the right thing to do if it saves someone else, however it was usual to put the blame on another person after confessing, therefore putting them in danger of death. That cycle of confessing and accusing just went on and on and didn't get anyone anywhere, in fact the blame might come back to the first person eventually. Plus, they were lying! I totally get why- they want to live, and honestly I would do the same probably. But, what we're all told and taught as we grow  up is to stand up for yourself and your beliefs, and no one in The Crucible did that; except John Proctor. He wasn't ready to give the court what they wanted like everyone else just to live. The fact is, there wasn't much else he could do if he did confess. His wife was bound to be hanged in a year, he didn't know if there would be a way to prevent that ultimately, and the other people who were accused-well he couldn't control. Some of them didn't confess and were hanged, but the others were persuaded by Hale to confess a lie in order to live, and there wasn't really much way of changing their minds at that point. Therefore, what John Proctor did was heroic. He stood up for the truth, and hopefully changed other people's minds in doing so. He showed the court that they couldn't control the town anymore with their presumptions and accusations with false evidence. He showed the town what it means to be religious, not to the Puritan religion, but to his own beliefs and the truth; to be honest. 

New arrivals to the neighborhood

When a new group of people arrive in an area, what first comes to my mind is new neighbors. Within the past two years we've had four different families move onto my street. And there will be another coming soon. I don't mind  because it hasn't affected me at all. I didn't have any friends on my block that moved. Either the people owning the houses moved, or died, in one case. I also didn't know these people really well. They were adults and none of them were that social. Most of our neighbors I know because they come to book club meetings, block parties etc. The neighbors that moved, didn't. Actually i take back what i said about all of the neighbors that moved not affecting me. There was one family that I babysat for a lot and our parents were friends, so it was upsetting when they moved.
Anyways once people moved in then I sort of changed my mind. I did care about what was happening and it wasn't because of the new people, it was because of the houses. Think of it like this: you're used to seeing the same two houses across the street from your house for your entire life. They grow on you and you like them because they fit into the neighborhood like puzzle pieces. Then one day you come home from school and one is gone. It's been knocked down and construction workers are there already building a new frame of something that looks nothing like what you knew before. It's kind of depressing. All your memories of your childhood are suddenly changed, edited like a photograph; a big chunk deleted and replaced with something totally new, different and wrong. <----that is the reason I don't like new people coming. If they keep the original house, it is fine, but so far all of them on my block have been replaced.
So to connect this to the Europeans coming to the Native Americans' land, well I sort of think the same thing. I don't know enough to be sure of anything, but I think it's quite obvious that if the Europeans had come and didn't change anything, the Indians would be ok with it. The reason conflict started was because Europeans took the Indians' land, and changed it into something they didn't know; just like when my new neighbors came, the old houses were changed into something I didn't know. 

"Me"

5th period English
8/29/13

Alright well first off my name is Beatrice, but most people call me Bebe-as a nickname and BB happens to be my initials. I don't really care what people call me as long as the spanish teacher calls me Beatrice, because Bebe in spanish sounds-bad, frankly. Compared to Beatrice that is. Anyways, I'm a sophomore who feels like a freshman because I am also a transfer. From where? The ever-so-preppy, St. Ignatius (aka: Hogwarts). My brother goes to Whitney Young; he's a junior. I also have a sister but she's in 7th grade-still young, still happy, unlike the rest of us (god bless her). I have a dog named Cody. He is a minicher pinscher cocker-spaniel poodle mutt. Don't bother looking that up, you won't find any dog cuter than he is. I swear to you. I have a cat named Cupcake whose a boy. He's a tuxedo cat, and if you're wondering, Cody and Cupcake get along remarkably well. My favorite thing to do is make things. Everything. Literally. Clothes, food, furniture, dollhouse furniture, glass beads, jewelry, shoes, paper- everything. I just like working with my hands, NOT my brain. I also play the violin a lot. I used to hate it to the point of almost quitting, but no. I continued playing, not knowing what I was in for. What was I in for? well it's...hard. Don't get me wrong- I like playing the instrument but it is so much extra work that is sometimes impossible to complete. I also play tennis. But I'm not really a sports person.. I like ballet and aerial dance, but unfortunately there's not really time for either of the two during the school year. My favorite classes in school are (not including art, which would be #1, if I took it) science and english <----not just saying that because you teach it. My least favorite subject is definitely math. Math all the way. my favorite book is Jane Eyre; although I don't usually enjoy romance a whole lot, I love it. 

 If it were WWII, generally speaking, my life would be spared, while the whole rest of my immediate and extended family would be taken away. Everyone except my aunt, or so I've heard. I don't talk much in person unless I get to know a person really really really well. If that doesn't happen, I won't say a word. But I'm not mad, I just have a frowning face that is difficult to make look happy when I am happy. I think it's genetics, but maybe not. if I'm writing a letter, or a journal, or in this case a blog post i will say whatever I want-not always a good thing, but whatever. I figure that since this post is titled "Me" it's ok. My favorite color is red.