Dollops and Tidbits

So, first of all, I did not picture Nathaniel Hawthorne to look like this. I know that's pretty random, but it was one of my first thoughts when I saw his picture. Nathaniel was born in Salem Massechusets on July 4, 1804. That's actually really ironic; he became a great American writer and was born on the 4th of July (haha). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s great-grandfather was a magistrate during the Salem witch trials; he played a big part in denouncing the guilt of many victims. The fact he was connected indirectly to the Salem witch trial probably has a great deal to do with the fact that the event plays a part in his writings. So speaking of writings. . . we move on to The House of the Seven Gables (Da Da Duuum!). But, a quick interesting fact first. Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick and a good friend of Hawthorne's, dedicated his novel to him.

The House of the Seven Gables (the actual house, not the book) is located on Turner St. in Salem, Mass. The history given about the house in The House of The Seven Gables has some truth in it; substitute Turner for Pyncheon and change a few facts around. It was actually built by John Turner in 1668 and sold to Captain Samuel Ingersoll in 1782. When he died at sea, he left the house Susanna who *connection!* is Nathaniel Hawthorne's cousin. For those who do not know (I didn't either, at first), a gable is one of those pointy triangle things on a house. Another fun fact: The House of the Seven Gables is New England's oldest mansion.

Ahh, the Puritans. You are born on a Sunday and the next thing you know, you are a social outcast because you have been shamed and are considered a "child of the Devil". The Puritans have a belief system that is not much different than other religions (well, a few differences). . .they just take it to the extreme. In their belief only the chosen will be saved by God's sovereignty; its not enough just to believe in God. They also believe that all sins be punished (most likely severely. . .). So to wrap it up, 17th century Puritans were a little cuckoo, the House of the Seven Gables is a REAL house and Nathaniel Hawthorne who was indirectly connected somehow to his stories. And. . . another fun fact: Benjamin Franklin was born on a Sunday, so to Puritans he was considered a sinner.

That Moment It Dawned On Me. . . Hey! I'm An American

I don't really think I had that great epiphany moment when I realized, "Whoa, I'm an American!" If anything it was the other way around. When I was little, I guess I just assumed that everyone was American; that they grew up here and just lived in the U.S. It wasn't until I started learning about my individual ethnicity and culture from my parents that I realized not everyone is from America.

I remember asking about my German and Guatemalan heritage, traditions that were unique to my respective cultures. Going off on a tangent here. . . I think that's why so many people identify themselves with the culture they came from. It makes the individual different from everyone else (a sense of pride) and allows people to identify with other people in their respective culture. Personally, I am proud to be of both German and Guatemalan descent, but I am also proud to call myself an American.

There are a lot of aspects of America that we take for granted as citizens. Things like speaking out against something we don't agree with, or practicing our respective religions. Not every country can do that. I always knew and understood this, but it never became a reality until I was given the opportunity to travel to Guatemala and Costa Rica two years ago and the Mexico last year. Some people there live so much more poorer than we do not get some of the same opportunities Americans do. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people in those countries are very well off and do extremely well. And most importantly, they are happy.

This blog kind of leaned toward the aspect of "What is an American" rather than when I realized I was one. But, I think that the definition of an American plays a big part in realizing we ARE Americans.

Us VS. Them. . .Them AND Us. Wait. . .What?!

Okay so in EVERY conflict, dispute, argument, and disagreement of ANY kind, there has to be two parties. . .them. . .and us. Well, I guess unless its like a internal disagreement, with like your consciousness, another personality, a hard decision or something like that-okay, I'm rambling.

So, going into specifics, the Crucible is definitely a good example. There are two sides to the million dollar question: are there witches in the village of Salem, or is it all just heresay and rumors? The side who is allied "with the Church and with God" of course believe that Satan has infiltrated the town and there is indeed witches present. This includes the court, Parris, the Putnams, and everyone in favor of the hangings. These are the people with motives to benefit themselves, whether it be for self image or money. They are convinced that children are innocent and have been bewitched by the Devil and witches.

In the other corner, we have the people who are falsely accused but prove to be the closest to God. These are people like Rebecca Nurse, the Proctors, and all the other women accused who did not confess. They did not confess (lie) to being witches, they stayed true to God. These good people have no motive except for saving their loved ones from the unfair judgments of the court.

So whats a conflict without some violence? Of course, the court has the highest authority, they are "officially" allied with God and have the final say whether you are a witch or not. They basically don't take no for and answer; you are either a witch, or you hang. The people filled with goodness don't stand a chance, they are condemned if they refuse to lie.

The story goes back and forth: accusing people, saving people from Satan, questioning people, accepting their confessions, no longer accepting their already accepted confessions. There are two sides all of a sudden because a stupid girl can't get what she wants. Before this whole thing, it was them AND us, not them VS. us (well, maybe except for Proctor and Parris. . .)!! So is that really how it has to be? Does violence have to be done to realize what happened was wrong? This whole story reflects martyrdom; all of these good people paid the ultimate price to stay true to themselves, retain (or in Proctor's case, regain) their goodness, and stay true to God.

John Proctor. . . Hero or Stooge??

THE Crucible. A tale of a witchcraft, greedy ministers, and A LOT of assumptions. John Proctor is the man in the town who does not really go along with Parris and doesn't even like him. He believes in exactly what he wants to, and no one, not even the minister can change his mind.

So, John Proctor. . .HERO! John proctor is definitely an honorable man throughout his time in the book. He may have done some. . .well, not GREAT things, like having an affair with Abigail, 17-year-old. Now, boys and girls, it is not nice to cheat on your wife. But, John Proctor knew he made a mistake and just straight told Abigail it would never happen again. And even though he cheated on his wife, he still stood by her and supported her when she was accused of witchery.

John Proctor never changed his beliefs; he refused to believe in witchery and instead turned only to God. He strongly held on to those beliefs until the day he died. He died with honor and dignity, a true hero.