Old Money, New Money, and Everybody Else

Nick is part of the Old Money community, but prefers to live with the New Money in his journey to making his own way in the world. I understand this need to be (moderately) independent and to become one's own person. The difference is that Nick is making one smooth transition from Old Money to New Money, never really encountering what it really is like to not be wealthy. His home is more humble than those in the West Egg, but it is still classier and in a cleaner environment that many of the people not identified as Old or New Money. Otherwise known as "Everybody Else." Myrtle would be identified as Everybody Else due her economic status when Tom is not to be found. While Nick might be making an effort to be his own person and not mooch off of his family or even associates who are not really in the business (such as Gatsby), he is still at an advantage and does not (or will not) face the same economic struggle as Myrtle or her husband or Everybody Else. I, myself, even at a smaller scale, would identify as Everybody Else, not inheriting any family money and definitely not making any money myself (quite yet). But where is the Everybody Else line drawn? Economically (and culturally) many people are thriving during this time; The Roaring 20's was a time to start up a new business and to become famous. Anything was possible, but where was Everybody Else left? How wealthy did living in the West and East Egg require a person to be? We know that Nick is associated with money, but does not have any since his business has yet to really start up. If Nick could rent a place for $80, could other people not? And pass off as New Money? 

Thankful

Who am I thankful for in class? I don't know, that's a hard one. I know many people in our class, but I'm not necessarily close to any of them. I guess I would have to say I'm thankful for Noemi. I've known Noemi since last year, when we were in the same English class. She and I struggled with that class together, and adapted to the ways of our teacher and grew somewhat close.

Because of Noemi, I rarely faced that awkward not-having-a-partner-or-group situation, since she would frequently ask me to be her partner or in her group. Because of Noemi, I felt wanted and accepted, which was nice. I'm thankful for Noemi because she included me, and didn't leave me to be out casted.

Noemi and I often communicate outside of class to discuss homework or assignments. If one of us misses a day, we'll text each other to find out what we missed. It's really convenient to have someone you can count on to help you, and I'm grateful for having Noemi, because I know she has my back when I need information or help.

Noemi has also been a good friend to me; she and I can make jokes and just talk and it’s not super awkward. I can't say she and I are super close, but I know I can call her my friend. She is someone I can count on, and if I ever wanted to talk to her, I know she wouldn't turn her back on me. I hope that Noemi can see me as someone she can count on as well.

It's weird to say that am I thankful for a classmate, but in the end, I know I'm thankful for Noemi.

I Celebrate Myself

In today’s society, we are very distinct from nature. Most kids would prefer to spend their days hanging out with their friends or on the internet instead of sitting and admiring grass. We live in a very fast moving world, where if you don’t move fast, you’ll fall behind. But is this a valid excuse for separating ourselves from nature, and most importantly, our inner selves?

                Another thing we often don’t do is celebrate ourselves. We’re raised in an environment that pushes you to achieve, to do better, to never settle. I was raised to push myself every day, and to do and be the best I could be. While I would often receive compliments for my hard work, I rarely complimented myself. “I can do better,” I would constantly think, and often still think. It’s helped to achieve what I have, and allowed me to be in the place I am now, but every now and then, I should allow myself to relax, and reconnect with myself, my real inner self. I’m so caught up in all my work that whenever I feel my immune system weaken and myself getting sick my first thought is, “I don’t have time to get sick.” When I do get sick, I don’t give myself time to recover until the weekends, when I finally have the time. Why do I do this? So that I can go to school and do all my work and not fall behind. Why? To succeed in school and enroll in a good college. Why? To get a good education and allow myself to succeed. Why? Because success leads to happiness. That’s what we’re fed at a young age: hard work will lead to success, success will lead to happiness, and happiness is what should be achieved. When are we ever told to sit down and admire grass, because grass is almost as complex as humans are? For most of us, never.

                Transcendentalists believed in going against the social norms, and doing what they believe is morally correct and what makes them truly happy, not what they’re told will make them happy. They believed becoming one with nature, and going back to our roots, to our real old selves, before society developed and become a place that told you what you liked and who you were the moment you were born.

                I believe we should all have a little of transcendentalists in us, and learn to celebrate ourselves for what we truly are and what we have achieved.

Poe

Okay, so Edgar Allan Poe always seemed like a cool guy, but I never read many of his work pieces. Sure, he was popular, and I had heard so much of “The Raven,” and I had often meant to read his stuff, but I never did. So when I found out we would be reading a number of his stories, I was pretty excited.

It wasn’t so much of a letdown as it was a sad realization. I had such high hopes for Poe, and when I read “The Fall of the House of Usher,” I was not as drawn in as I hoped. To be quite honest, I was bored and the story was dragging. Like really dragging. It was bit of a torture to read; Poe took his description a bit too serious, and I felt we weren’t getting to the action of the story quickly enough. Literally, the real action of the story didn’t take place until about the last page or so of the story, while it occupied about seventeen. I jumped into “The Fall of the House of Usher” expecting it to be as good as I had heard “The Raven” was. But was I read it, it felt dread and weariness. Needless to say, it was not my cup of tea.

“The Raven” went much better; as I read it, I kept a rhythm in my head that added to the creepiness, and the “action” was continuous. It was pretty good, and I realized why “The Raven” was arguably Poe’s most famous work. It was definitely better, in my opinion, than “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and because it was short, it didn’t drag the details across 17 pages.

Of course, I would have to read a wider range of Poe’s works to fully develop an opinion on him, but as of right now, I am wearier of all the praise he receives. Though there is no doubt that he has a real talent of having hidden messages or double meanings behind his words, or even that he chooses his words wisely to hint at those messages, probing the reader to think deeper.

What is an American?

When people think of Americans, there aren’t many positive things to what they imagine: “’Murica,” McDonalds, obesity, etc. I’ll be honest, it’s what I first think of. Of course, that’s not what being an American is really about. Sure, we aren’t the best country out there, as we falsely boast about, but there’s a reason we got to be one of the biggest countries, why everyone (loosely put) wants to come to America, and why we’re known for our freedom and hope. 

I’m not going to sit here and praise America; I couldn’t possibly. I know all too much about how corrupt our country is. For example, our government shut down? I don’t think I’m the first to think that’s a bit out of proportion. I can, however, recognize that America can be pretty grand, and the people can be kind and accepting . America really is a melting pot, and to be an American, you have to be willing to accept people for their ethnicity, or ethnicities. Unlike many countries, we aren’t built on one particular race; we’re like chunky soup, some races blending together, while others are still are their own. Being American doesn’t mean you have to be more than one race, but it means you have to accept others even when they’re not your race. You can’t claim to be American when you can’t embrace what America is: a huge melting pot. 

The Modern Puritan

When we think about Puritan towns, we think about how strict they were. In our modern day society, it’s a little harder to pinpoint large groups or societies that are very passionate about their beliefs in a way that it is to the expense of those they believe are in the wrong.

One modern day Puritan that comes to mind is ‘The Plastics’ from the movie Mean Girls. It may not seem like it, but they fit the criteria: they are exclusive, strict, and unforgiving.

Exclusive: These three young girls are close “friends” who befriended each other and formed their clique because they shared similar qualities; they were pretty, fit, rich and coldhearted. They won’t befriend others if they don’t have these traits, expect for coldhearted (they can change that) and being rich is a flexible concept. ‘The Plastics’ hold the qualities highly, and do not just allow anyone who is pretty join their clique, but only the ones who are new (so they can change them to be just as they are, without a guilty conscience), and strongly possess these traits.

Strict: These girls have rules that are set in stone and enforced. If one girl is to break these rules then she cannot sit with the rest of the girls during lunch. It may not seem like much, but if not with ‘The Plastics,’ where are these girls to sit? Some rules the girls have: on Wednesday they wear pink, you can’t wear a tank top two days in a row, you can only wear a ponytail once a week, and sweat pants and jeans are only worn on Fridays.

Unforgiving: If you mess up, these girls can ruin you. It can start with kicking you out of their table, and, because girls fight emotionally rather than physically, can lead to them spreading rumors. It can get to the point where the girl feels compelled to cut off all of her hair and transfer schools.

In these ways, ‘The Plastics’, and many cliques, are just like the Puritans. They are, indeed, the modern Puritans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akbCmxb_w8s 

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

John Proctor changes throughout The Crucible. We first see him as a man who has sinned and only cares about himself and his wife. We later know he cares about his friends, the truth, and justice. At the end of the play, John Proctor is hanged for taking back his confession or dealing with the Devil, even if it was really all lies. So the question is: Was John Proctor a hero? Or a stooge? I believe John Proctor was a hero; someone who was noble and honest, even when death was staring at him in the face.

John Proctor was a sinner, who committed adultery and only his wife, Abigail, and he knew of this. With his wife's life on the line, he confessed to the court. He could have remained silent, and kept a good image, but in order to prove that Abigail had also committed adultery, and thus showing she was capable of lying, he confessed. At first, it seemed he had doomed himself, but also Abigail, and there was hope she would no longer be believed. Unfortunately, this backfired when Elizabeth, John Proctor's wife, lied and said she knew nothing of John and Abigail, showing that Elizabeth was a liar, and making John look dubious. To confess to adultery in a Puritan town for the greater good is heroic act, and quite selfless.

Towards the end of the play, John Proctor falsely confesses to “signing the Devil’s book”, but takes it back, leading to his execution. Since he had already confessed, and was already considered a sinner, he could have kept to his confession and been allowed to live, but he knew it was a lie, and he couldn’t about this just so he could be kept alive. John Proctor had to be honest, and be on the side of justice. He had found his “good” and even though he knew he had sinned before, he still did not want to betray the Lord once more.

A number of people had falsely confessed at this time just so that they may continue living their lives, but John Proctor, and others, stayed truthful and faithful. Considering the views of the town, this isn’t foolish, but an act of righteousness. These people were heroes, not stooges.