Old money, New money, and everybody else

In "The Great Gatsby", the East and West Egg people are characterized by their wealth, or rather where it came from. The West egg people, according to my notes, are the newly rich, the "nouveau rich". According to the East Egg people, West eggs lucked in to their wealth. Since they are new to wealth, they simply got lucky because they weren't born into it like the East eggs. I think it's pretty obvious they didn't just "luck into it", they worked hard and became rich. The East eggs inherited their wealth, they were born into it and didn't necessarily have to work at all. I actually used spark notes to help me understand this because I was kind of confused. Spark notes said that the East Eggers looked at the West eggers as "vulgar" and "ostentatious". The West eggs didn't have social class, grace, or a charisma. Like a kid who gets money for his birthday and goes out and spends it all. Not that the West eggs spend all their money, but more like they just aren't used to being rich so they act in ways the East Egg calls "gaudy". Gatsby spends tons of money on insane, elaborate parties that cost a fortune, while Tom and Daisy are more reserved with their spending. They certainly spend a lot but don't make a public affair of it. There is definitely a sense of "we're-better-than-you" coming from East Egg. I don't like the East egg people. I think they're snotty and sort of stuck up. Of course I'm not one to judge since I only know one couple really well from East Egg, but so farr, I don't like them. the West Egg people, like Nick seem kinder and more fulfilled. Like, Nick seems nicer, I think, because he had to work for what he has. He has an appreciation for all of it because he knows what it is worth. The Buchanans certainly do as well, it just seems like they don't find it as special as Nick, because they're used to it. Gatsby I think appreciates his wealth just as Nick does, but instead of reserving it, uses it to his full advantage. I don't think his crazy spending is a bad thing; he's just using all of his resources wisely and he doesn't have parties for his own pleasure really. They make other people, strangers happy, which is a nice thing to do. Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like if the Buchanans were to have a party, it would partially be held to show off their wealth. 

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.