Funny that I just came from English class two minutes ago...

   I completely remember watching The Crucible in its motion picture version last year in AP US History I. We had gotten to the point in history about Puritans and the settling of the English colonies. I believe we watched only half of the movie though, because I don't remember how the ending turns out. However the movie, like any other movie adapted from a piece of literature, included one extra change. In the written play The Crucible the setting jumps straight to Betty unconscious in bed. However, the very beginning of the motion picture started with a scene of the girls dancing in the woods. I thought the motion picture was very well put together and the extra dancing-in-the-woods scene included everything that was later described by the girls. Tituba was shown chanting next to a pot while Mercy ran around naked and Abigail drank chicken's blood and eventually a frog jumped into the pot, making all the girls scream before they took off into the woods screaming after being discovered by Reverend Parris.
   I will not lie, the actress who played Abigail in the motion picture was pretty, but she also had that look that contained a mean streak. The actress had that look of someone who does not put up with anybody's...ridiculous behavior. Abigail is also described in the play as being a strong, powerful girl who is not afraid to kill. I have to give credit for the motion picture company's acting scouts for finding the right actress who looked like she could take out anybody.
  As a side note, I also remember one of my history classes where we were talking about the Salem Witch Trials. However I do not remember details about what was being taught because I was falling asleep. Although I was sitting in the front row right in front of the teacher, I could not help but doze off a little bit. We were actually talking about the land wars that had been going on in Salem at the time. I remember picking up little bits of information in my sleep such as the rivalry between the Putnam family and other families in the village. I also remember we had to write a thesis about the land wars in Salem and unfortunately I don't think I did too well on that assignment. However, I am doing my best to get to sleep as soon as possible so hopefully I won't have to fall asleep in any classes this year.


P.S. So far this year, I have only fallen asleep in one class, AP Statistics, but I was lucky enough to not have missed any important material.

I'm lacking a title...

    So we get to take a rest from blogging about the American Dream, just saying. I have nothing against the American Dream but every now and then everything needs a break. After the first blog I was already at the point  where every other writing assignment I wrote somehow involved the American Dream. In AP History, since we were appropriately learning about the industrial revolution of the US, I ended up including properties of the American Dream in my chapter 24 essay. Although it wasn't a bad thing to include the American Dream, I just thought it was weird that the very first thing I thought of was the American Dream. Anyways, this blog entry is a break from the topic of the American Dream.
   I spent pretty much all day today looking for some wicked cool metaphor or example of literary terms in real life. I'm sorry to say I came up with nothing. I believe I ended up looking at the boxes for stuff like cereal and other food just to find an interesting example of a literary term. Unfortunately I am writing this blog entry based on my flow of thoughts in my head. I completely forgot the actual literary term for the type of story that takes simply the characters flow of thoughts. However, that is pretty much how I am typing this blog entry. Furthermore, please excuse the extended degree of casual attitude in this blog, but I believe the freedom of the blog's topic at least allows some leniency.
   While I was writing the sentence above about literary terms and trying to find examples in real life, I decided I could talk a little bit about dramatic irony. Everybody that has ever read a book, or watched television or a movie has most likely experienced dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is defined as when the audience knows more than the character knows. Frankly, the experience of dramatic irony completely frustrates me. Occasionally, if I get too worked up, I end up being the type of person that will yell at the TV. The things that usually get me worked up are the shows that involve really undeveloped, impossibly ignorant characters that have the intelligence, both in terms of common sense and book smarts, of a tiny mammal. These characters and the situations they often get into prompt me into yelling something along the lines of "How did you think that was a good idea? Did you really not see what was going to happen? Geez you are so stupid!". This can count as a fair warning to anyone that wants to invite me to watch a very badly made movie or an unbelievably unintelligible TV show, I strongly suggest you do not invite me to such an activity.

The Puritans and the American Dream

    The Puritans have been greatly disliked throughout American history and many people today still think badly of them. Most people will think of the Puritans as a strict-ruled, insane group of people. The largest event that sticks out about the history of the Puritans is mostly the Salem Witch Trials which executed twenty people believed to have been corrupted with witchcraft. Furthermore, the Puritans' dark belief of predestination is viewed undesirably by today's people of many different religions. However, the Puritans' expedition to New England to establish Massachusetts Bay Colony is a very important accomplishment and model for what is now known as the American Dream.
    Despite the Puritan's strict and sometimes harsh beliefs, their goals and dreams need to be properly recognized. The Puritans' movement to New England was fueled by their own dream to create a better community for their children. Although their dream was reinforced by the foreign goal to reform the world of its corruption it still provided the basis of the modern American Dream. The modern American Dream is based on the hope to reform one's life, and although the goals of reform have changed over time, the principal of change has remained the backbone of the American Dream. The realization that the Puritans' efforts to create a new society is simply their form of the American Dream helps make one realize that the Puritans' were all dream-seeking humans as most Americans are today.
    Although the Puritans have made grave mistakes and produced horrifying events, the Puritan's also strived to be a peaceful society and therefore should not be judged as harshly as they are today. When compared to the Pilgrims and Quakers that also moved to the New World for a new beginning, the Puritans are seen as almost modest. The Puritans continued to respect organized religion, unlike the more radical sects that often came to the New World to completely break ties with England. Furthermore, the Puritans did not make it their goal to destroy the Native Americans that lived near them and enjoyed nearly forty years of peace between the Natives and the Puritans. Although one must admit that the Puritans had their times of hysteria, especially during the Salem Witch Trials, they were still technically immigrants who were searching for a better life and who tried their hardest to achieve their goals. Therefore, the Puritans do not deserve their reputation of hatred and disgust to the extent that it is often interpreted.

How does the American Dream affect your family?

   It is simple to say that every person who has lived in America has arrived with the American Dream in mind. Furthermore, every individual keeps a differing version of the American Dream in their mind. My family, or at least my parents, resemble a modern American Dream searching family. The properties of immigration, education and home ownership all exist within my family's history in America. I am therefore a product of sorts, of my parents' American Dream.
   My parents came to America to satisfy their economic and educational desires. My mother and father came to America as a couple from Taiwan in order to fill a job position my father was fortunate to have found. Not only did their immigration to America fuel their opportunity for economic success, it also helped my mother reach a goal of quality education. Although there was nothing wrong with Taiwan's college system, my mother attended the University of Pennsylvania for her graduate school studies. Eventually my brother and I were born as a part of their dream to raise a family.
    Many people strive to gain as much of their American Dream as possible. After my birth, my parents continued their own efforts towards their dream, although I can not completely speak for their thoughts on their dreams. Shortly after I was born, we moved from Maryland where I was born, to Houston, Texas and into a comfortable one floor house. Maybe a couple of years ago, I was in my basement just looking around and I found several photo albums. In one of the photo albums I found a photo of my parents holding me and standing in front of both our house in Houston and a new minivan, although the minivan is now very old and has been sold. However, this photo showed the pride of my parents in their successes towards accomplishing their American Dream.
    I realize this has been all about my parents. However, without their American Dream, I might not be here writing this blog.