Jay and Nick

Gatsby and Nick; what have they become ever since they met at one of Gatsby's infamous get-togethers? Two different lifestyles each of them live in this story, how could they become friends so quickly after one encounter? Their friendship is a shady one that can't be trusted not one bit because Gatsby is a person that is looking for something out of this friendship. He doesn't just want to become Nick's friend out of the blue since he barely interacts with the people he hangs with already. What I believe this friendship is going to end up becoming will be Nick realizing that the Gatsby is using him for something that Nick can get easy access to that the Gatsby may want or need in the future.

Gatsby is not someone that you would classify as a genuine person so you can never tell what his true intentions are in the relationship between the two. Like in chapter five, Gatsby wants Nick to invite Daisy overe so he can maybe re-connect with her and what they used to have going. This made an obvious point that this friendship may not be genuine and that Nick is only a puppet in Gatsby' scheme.

Winter Poem: Draft #1

Feelings circulating in my head,

Seems like it won't come to a halt anytime soon.

Counting down the hours

The minutes

The seconds

Until that day arrives.

Anxiety takes possession of every part in my body.

As the day dies

And the night arrives

My palms thicken with sweat.

Trying to rest my sleepy eyes

But something won't let me.

The sun begins to show it's joyous beam of light

And

Before you know it,

It's Christmas time.

Who Am I Thankful For... Mannnnn I Don't Even Know

This blog sorry to say may be one of the hardest one I have came across yet because in this particular class I don't open myself up a lot to the people surrounding me or anybody in that class in general. I guess the person that I would say that I would may be thankful for would most likely be Darius because he lends me a pen or pencil when ever I need it and sometimes will guide me to what I may have to do in the class. But I guess the main reason why I don't really open up as much in this class is because it's a huge re-adjustment from what I came from with my old school, Kenwood Academic Center. I'm not used to all the different ethnicity around me and I'm not sure how I connect with them because I haven't really grown up around them. Like sometimes I am lost when you guys talk about some of these rock groups I guess and I'm lost completely because I have no idea who these people are. I guess I should try and open up much more because once you get me going, I don't really stop lol. But in the long run, I feel as if that day will come and I will be able to say that I'm thankful for most, if not all my classmates in this American Literature class.

I am a Plow... I guess

I am a plow... hmmmmmm kind of a weird topic I believe to discuss on a blog. When writing this one blog, I was struggling to come up with something meaningful that would capture someone's attention and would continue to entertain them throughout this blog entry. A plow to me is someone that continues to clean up after every messy situation that may occur. Since I continue to think back to a snow plow that wipes the streets clean from bundles of snow stacked on top of one another so the cars continue on their route and can get through the day much more smoothly. In this case, I can be the plow at certain times, and I can also be the snow at certain times. I can be the one to sweep the problems away that other people may cause that will effect other people with the actions they may have committed. But also, I may be the problem that is getting in everybody else way and by doing that, I'm disrupting the flow of everything. I can't help the fact that some days I am a clumsy, clueless dude. The other days I may be the most intelligent man you may have ever met. But yes, I am a Plow... in some type of way.

American Lit. is Already Decent...

Me personally, I feel like making this blog is a waste of my time because I already know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with this class. Everything that could be brought to this class has already been delievered and many more. I love how this class is my first class of the day or else I would probably be in a horrible mood throughout the whole day. We have very meaningful conversations, even when we may have a goofy topic or something. It is always a blast to come to that class in the morning so I can fully wake up, and maybe go to sleep towards the end of the day. Depends on what the teachers will be teaching that day. But in American Lit. there is never a dull moment. Idk why but Mr. McCarthy reminds me of the chubby guy off of "The Hangover"... maybe that's why I try and hold back my laughs so much and is hard to take him serious sometimes. He is just randomly hilarious and the music he plays in the background is decent. I couldn't ask for a better teacher and since the teacher makes the class... I couldn't ask for a better class. So no critism here, just complimenting the class... which is why I believe this blog was a waste. But anyways, keep up the good work Mr. McCarthy.

Modern Slavery

In today's age, many people think that slavery is a ghost of the terrifying past we are terrified to relive. Once most people hear the word "slavery" they begin to take a look back around the 16, 1700s as the Europeans took full advantage of their power, shipping African American slaves all around the world. The tools to this scheme was based off trickery and people that had cold-hearts and did everything they could to get the job done. But luckily, that type of slavery came to an end that has been going on for about 400 years of tears, beatings, and deaths from the treatment the slave master would give out to the slaves.

Even though this form of slavery was being cut of in the U.S.A. doesn't mean that everybody around the world follows their lead and begin to make slavery extinct to the public eye. Some countries refused to let go of their slaves and some didn't even mention the idea of ending slavery. The main reason why most governments didn't want to put an end to slavery was because they were making such of a profit off it that they somewhat became rich off their slaves. All the product that the slaves would produce for their owners and the profit the owners would get from maybe selling the crops, cotton, etc. The owners would get so much profit out of things because they didn't have to pay the slaves a nickel for all their hard work and labor they put in for the owner to be so successful. That's the reason why places like India, China, etc. made sure that after the U.S. ended slavery that they kept the slavery business alive.

Even though slavery is somewhat a distant thought in many minds today, some don't realize that slavery is still alive in many places. Some may disagree with me, but hey, that's why this a blog and you can comment on this. But the slavery today is molded into different forms then back in the times with Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglas, and many more. The slavery around the world is mainly focused around child labor working for big time companies such as Nike and some other huge name brands. The reason why this type of slavery is still alive is because of the same principles they had back then, more profit! These sweatshops are full with many little kids working non-stop without a beam of sun or fresh air to hit their face. It's a shame that companies take advantage of this opportunity to put these kids in that position to not have a chance to be a real kid and have fun with their friends. They also have masters and guards as well just like the old days with guns staring down at them so they don't make a run for it. Most people try to ignore it or just ignorant to the situation, but this needs to be brought to the light and solved the best way it can. No way that a kid should be handling heavy machinery instead of an action figure or some type of ball to play with. This needs to stop instantly!

House of the Seven Gables

The House of the Seven Gables is a very unique house that was built in the year of 1668 in Salem, Massachusetts. This was a very hectic time in history because of the events happening in this one village of people. But the House of the Seven Gables was constructed by the man of Captain John Turner, whose family owned it first. It was a very unique house because of it's structure doing the time and the size of it made it even more of an eye-catcher. The architecture was not an original American piece... so this shows the big influence that foreigners had on the United States at the time and still do. The house must have been well built since it has lasted till this day even though it is taking some remodeling today.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a descendant of the family that was cursed by the lady that originally owned the huge house. He wrote about how the curse came to be and how the experiences his family had to put up with. He was able to witness house and how huge it really was and the history to it all.

This house was a very valuable piece in this village because of how big it was and all the things that would happen within it. But the village that it was in has a deep and long history behind it all. The Salem witch trials in 1692 is a very notorious time back in our time when all chaos just let loose. The story behind it all was that a group of horrific little girls pointing out people they believe were witches and the court hanging them for this matter. Turns out the kids that were pointing out people weren't so true and ended up being role models in the community.  

The Moment I Knew I Was an American...

The moment I knew I was an American is when I saw this video for class relating to child labor in Asia and many other continents that were involved in this cruelty. I felt bad for these poor kids that had to experience all the things that they been through. When they have to report to a master almost every single day with no pay what so ever. I don't think I would be able to last in that type of environment, but since that's all they know and see, they pick up to it. It is like a family tradition that is dying to be broken but won't be able to unchain those kids until they are grown. Some of them don't even leave when they are in their grown up level.

At this moment I knew that I was blessed to be apart of this free and wealthy country with so many benefits to it and resources. It's a shame to see how other kids my age have to put up with when they live in another environment then i do. I love the fact that I am able to have the privileges that I am blessed with today living in this country.

Us Vs. Them...Us And Them

People in this world hate to be alone most of the time so they make sure that they surround people around them so this doesn't happen. It's sometimes a scary thought for some people to be by themselves at one point because they would be forced to listen to their conscience. Some people are scared to look back at what they have done and what their conscience has to say. So they circle themselves around the same types of people with the same types of problems and insecurities they have their selves. That is when some type of clique or gang is formed and go lurking for these people. I have witnessed many of my friends and family members be sucked into this "family" they claim to be. A gang or a clique to them is basically family... since those are the closest individuals to them; the gang members. They take care of them in many ways and make sure that they are safe where they live and where ever they may go, that the gang they claim is going to protect them from anything. I hate to hear that when my friend brags on things like that pretending it is cool to be associated with that stuff. He truly believes they have his back through the thick and thin... noooooooo... sometimes not even through the thin. Some may just run off and leave him when I know I will have his back when ever. But that's the situation turns into "Us Vs. Them" because that  shows that they don't have your back at all, I do, so therefore it's us versus those lames you hang out with. So when it turns into the stage when it's "Us And Them" is when my friend departs away from them but remains cool with most.

John Proctor a Stooge/Goofy!

John Proctor... a very valuable person in the village of Salem and also the cause of many of the problems that is happening in Salem also. He is a grown man, with two boys at home with his wife, and he still chose to cheat on them with some little girl that worked for him. Is it me or he is like the biggest goofy on earth? Even though he is still trying to cover up the mistakes he made in the past, they will be revealed sooner or later. The girl he seduced was little miss innocent Abigail, the Reverend's niece who does no bad. But honestly, she is a dirty little rat that you can't afford to stand next to or else she may snake you out and lie on you to get what she wants. This is what John has got himself into, and now he must do his best to make sure his secrets are not revealed out to the village. If this were to leave John and Abigail and leak out, John many have suffered a critical punishment that would be painful to watch. But I believe he deserves to have these problems since he couldn't keep it in his pants and stay loyal to the family that he supposedly loves. I understand that sometimes people get caught up in the moment and decide to not choose the best choice that is there that will better their future rather than their present. But now, because of this Abigail have fell in love with John Proctor and completely despises the wife of his. Now that she has been added to the "jury" for these supposedly witch cases that are happening. She is pointing out people that she has "seen" with the devil and sold their soul to him. She is pointing out people that dislike her and her family that have nothing to do with being a witch. Next on her list is probably going to John Proctor's wife to have him all to herself... which is something she would do. But the reason why I believe he is a huge goofy because of the fact that he is putting at stake a great family for some little psycho girl that has nothing for him. Smh... you clown. 

Sinners of an Angry God

Sin; something that is easy to come across now a days in the world that we live in. To sin is something that people would mainly believe that is judged by god, nobody else. But when the Puritans begin to take this act of sin and begin to get extreme with the consequences if you were to sin. They begin to talk about how you will never be able to reach the big, white, pearly gates of heaven if you were to cause one simple sin in your life. There is no forgiveness, no second chances, no regret, just a harsh penalty for something that can be so small as to saying something they don't like. The Puritans want you to feel a sense that is scaring to most people back in that era, even today. They make it sound like that you must be perfect in order to reach the luxury of being in heaven when you leave your life. This theory just doesn't sound right at all!!!

Puritans are completely blinded by their beliefs and having what I believe is the wrong conception of God and how he works. Yes, I do believe that God may punish those who sin in their life time but he was never the one to hold a grudge. God is a loving, caring god that loves all his creations... sometimes he shows certain creations tough love. But I don't believe god would exclude you from correcting your mistakes in life and moving on. The devil has put obstacles in your way from you to succeed in life and making it to where you would want to go ultimately. Heaven. But, god is there to guide you around these obstacles, and if you stumble at one he will help you back up, not leave you in the dark. For as long as I have known god in my lifetime I know that he has always been with me through the toughest times in my life and showed me the way out. Yes, I have sinned in my life, as well as many other living today. But he didn't take my life, or any other cruel punishment. He has stuck with me and have gotten me closer to the finish line, where my trophy is to reside in the beautiful house of god. So I must say that this religion is too much extreme and looks at god in the wrong way. God does realize that you may struggle with things at times and you have sinned. But he still looks at you as one of his children...

Sincerely,
Paul

Intruder Alert!!!

How would you honestly feel if you were just relaxing on your own property one day and all of a sudden, plenty of intruders or outsiders invading your area that you believe is yours? I know I wouldn't be able to find the exact words at the moment because I would be too heated if I were to experience that. Well this is what the Native Americans during the Christopher Columbus era had to face as they saw the massive ships sail into the shores of their land. As they saw the Spaniards unloading there ships and come to find out that they have encountered something that they have been searching for but found the wrong piece of land. The Spaniards believe that they found a western route to India but ended up on the land of the Americas. As time progressed, the Spaniards try to conquer and manipulate the Native Americans so they can take over this land they ended up on.  So back to the question, how would you feel if this were to happen to you?

The feelings that would be running through my body would make me speechless if I were put into the Native Americans place. Just the fact that there are foreigners that you have never seen in your life just show up at your native land thinking that you must accept them into your society or else. I would be appalled to witness such a cocky attitude displayed by these Spaniards. They should be grateful that I am letting them walk on my land and not have a consequence. They were polite at first, the Spaniards were, until time continued and they became more and more cocky. They began to sell the Native Americans such small things for much bigger things. They would completely take advantage of the Native Americans in every way possible. They also many hurtful things that affect the Native Americans in so many harsh ways. For example, they brought many deadly diseases with them to the Americas and it spread all across to the land to the Native Americans too, which lead to the Native Americans leaving the land. The Spaniards also brought guns and alcohol that damaged the Native Americans also because they weren't used to such foul things. So they were slowing making there way as becoming the owners of that land and leaving the Native Americans extinct. My feelings by then would be enraged but I'm not able to do as much since they have more advanced technology then me. So therefore I would evacuate the area like the rest of the Native Americans and not catch any of the diseases from the Spaniards.