Team Poe

I really enjoy Poe's works. I would rather choose him over Irving because Poe has this deep dark side that he shows in every short story he has written. The thing I enjoy most about his literature is the fact on how he is so incredibly educated in whatever he is writing about. He uses the most descriptive, intellectual wording I have read and enjoy his gothic style.

Romantic Poem Reflection

Today I really enjoyed The Skeleton in Armor by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. First off, the rhyme scheme made it pretty nice to read considering it's not one you'd hear often so it flowed really nicely. I didn't really understand it until Mrs. Williams told us what it was about stanza by stanza. But once I caught on to what was happening I really liked the story it told. It was all about how he was a Viking who was very dangerous and skilled. But one day he fell in love with a princess but couldn't get acceptance from the king for her hand in marriage. The ending was but wasn't very realistic to me. I could not imagine the Viking just finding a tower and getting it for them to live in, but I really enjoy the fact (sadly) that she dies after having the kid. I seem to enjoy things that do not just turn out happily ever after. Which is how this ended, with her dying and him not being able to live without her which thus causes him to commit suicide.

I really like the way Mrs. Williams went over it stanza by stanza. Made for a better understanding of the story from my perspective.

Connection to Nature

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Gee I sure do hope that's the right URL link

The Crucible- Act I

After reading and discussing The Crucible: Act I I really am learning to enjoy the Salem Witch Trials through a literature aspect. Usually I like movies or do not like the way other people portray these trials with writing, but this play format really gets me interested and paints a picture in my head. I like the drama they add into the story such as Abigail drinking the chicken blood to get back at Mrs. Proctor which leads into Abigail and John Proctor's affair we read about in Act II but it's pretty obvious from the way she talks to him when they get their few minutes of alone time. Tituba is getting accused of killing Ruth's sisters, and since she is a black slave she is very much looked down upon. Also towards the end of the act they talk about how people are getting sentenced to jail and one is even getting hung. These are the types of things that make me want to keep reading. The things that make you want to keep flipping through to the next page until you find out what you need to know.

Reflection. With a lesson.

I'm trying to sit here and think about things in my ordinary life that could be used as examples of a religious lesson and fitting for a class blog post. Nothing is coming to mind. I just got done reading Dan Nord's post about morals in today's society and I believe nothing could be more fitting right now in today's society than that.

Now I'm thinking about all the little things in the day that I pass by that I should be more appreciative about. From going to a safe Christian school where I am not judged to even knowing I have a place to sleep and food to eat at night. People take too many things for granted without knowing it. I believe that people do not mean to take things for granted because we are not aware that we even do it. The littlest things seem to always make people's days; a smile or a nice hello to someone who doesn't usually get paid much attention to. God wants us to be happy and this is the way I find my simplest happiness. I always thought about what I would do if I only had a few months to live, but I have recently known how wonderful it is to look for all the little things there are to be happy about in life. Even when everything feels like it's not worth getting through anymore, always look for the little things.

Here are a few pictures I found that I find to be very fascinating.

How Squanto Played A Part

On March 22, 1621, Squanto first encountered the Pilgrims. He helped them survive and further more thrive in the end. Thankfully, he already spoke fluent English from his history and how he was raised. He wanted to serve as a translator.  

Squanto was brought back to New England by Captain John Smith, and after was planning on going to Patuxet. On the way there he was captured by one of John Smith's lieutenants and brought to a slave market. Nobody knows how he escaped but he arrived in Cape Cod about a year before the Pilgrims did. Half of the Pilgrims had already died from starvation, exposure, and disease when Samoset found the Pilgrims. Samoset did not speak English well, so he brought Squanto with him the next day. Together, they all worked out peace between both of the tribes and it existed from then on with the Native Americans and the Pilgrims.

John Smith Blog

 For this week's post I went and found a site that covered the whole John Smith story and his impact on forming Jamestown and keeping it alive. 

This is the site: http://colonialancestors.com/biographies/johnsmith.htm

Throughout the story I went and copied and pasted certain parts that I thought were very interesting or good to know-- the reflections are below them in what I have to say about that section.

"The Indians kept the wretched settlers in constant terror of their lives. Each man had to take his turn "every third night " lying on the damp, bare ground to watch against attack, although at times there were not five men strong enough to carry guns."

- This part really surprised me because I always thought of the Indians as friendly people, not people who terrorized the settlers. The fact that the settlers switched on and off to keep an eye out for the Indians' attacking on them was also very shocking.

"From that time his life (Smith's), according to his own story, was full of stirring incidents, only a few of which we can tell here. While traveling through France he was robbed and left helpless in a forest on the high-way, where he would have died from exposure and lack of food but for the kindly aid of a peasant who chanced to find and rescue him. Going to Marseilles he took passage on a ship with some pilgrims bound eastward on a journey to the Holy Land. During the voyage a severe storm arose, which greatly alarmed the pilgrims, and, believing that in some mysterious way their strange passenger was the cause of their misfortune, they threw him overboard. Smith managed to save himself from the sea, however, and a little later fought in a war against the "Turks, three of whose mighty warriors he slew in single combat. Afterward he was captured and enslaved by the "Turks, but he seemed to lead a charmed life, and with his usual good fortune again made his escape."

-They talk about how Smith already had had a tough life prior to making this voyage and shows how strong he was. This was probably how he got so smart and skilled to keep his men alive in Jamestown for so long. He is obviously a lucky man and doesn't give up on himself since he escaped death twice. This shows a lot of character to me about John Smith and makes me respect him more.

"Smith started one very cold December day on a journey of exploration. He sailed up the Chickahominy River in search of the South Sea, as the Pacific Ocean was then called. This was generally believed to be just beyond the mountains. When the stream had become too shallow for the barge, Smith with his four companions, two men and two Indian guides, continued his journey in a canoe. Landing near what is now called White Oak Swamp, he left the white men in charge of the canoe, and with one Indian pushed his way into the forest. Soon they were set upon by a band of two hundred Indian warriors, but Smith so bravely defended himself that he killed two of the warriors, and held out against the entire force until he sank in the mire and had to surrender. Having tied their prisoner to a tree, the Indians were about to shoot him with an arrow when he aroused their curiosity by showing them his pocket-compass and by asking that he might write a letter to his friends at Jamestown. Granting the request, they delivered the letter and brought back the articles for which it called. They were greatly amazed that the white man was able to make paper talk, and , believing him to be a superior being, they spared his life."

 -They really make Smith look like a god when showing how manipulative and sweet-talking he is to the Indians. He always seems to get his way when he really needs something and does it for the good of the colony he is trying to prosper.

"The old chief  (Powhatan) was tall and stalwart, with a round face and thin gray hair hanging down his back. Dressed in a robe of raccoon skins, he sat before the fire on a sort of bench covered with mats, with a young maiden sitting on each side; at his right and left stood the warriors, and close to the wall on either side a row of squaws."  

-I threw this in here because it really has a lot of detail about the Indians life and how much they cherished Powhatan. He was a huge part of their tribe and they state that he was surrounded by mats, ladies, warriors, and squaws. His clothing was some of the best because he held such high honor in their society.

"Smith, who knew so well how to manage the Indians, was equal to the occasion. He used smooth words if they served his purpose; if not, he used threats or even force."

-Since the Indians didn't continue to give them food because Powhatan thought they were getting too strong Smith stepped up and makes sure his people are getting what they deserve on this land. He fights for his people and this also shows a lot of character.

"He (Smith) boldly seized Powhatan's brother by the scalp-lock, put a pistol to his breast, and cried, "Corn or your life ! " The Indians, awed by Smith's fearlessness, no longer held out, but brought him corn in abundance." 

-More about Smith's character and how he manipulated and forced them to give food. He got more than he was asking for hence the "abundance."




Overall, none of this could have been done without John Smith, he was necessary for their colonization being prospered and working with the Indians to make it a more peaceful place in the end.

Native American Blog

Today was very interesting to me in class learning about your own spiritual calling. During class the idea came to mind of the quiz my friend had once found online about finding out what your inner animal is, which I thought fit quite well.

http://www.quiztron.com/tests/animal_does_spirit_m_quiz_87150.htm

That is the link to the website, it's just made by a random quiz maker and is probably a teenager so it's not very accurate but it's fun to do. If you try it and do it, comment my post so I can see what other animals there were to be and the description of it please! I personally did it and got a dog [description below].. which isn't very surprising considering my previous post.

"As a dog spirit, you are funny and fun. Your vibrant nature makes people want to be around you, so you are friends with many people. Plus, you are sociable and outgoing. It is easy for someone to be your best buddy forever. Your fun attitude helps you live an easy life with lots of excitement. Here is a quote that I think you would enjoy: What’s life without a little risking, without a little fun? Maybe if you dare and have excitement, you’d have more real problems, but less imaginary ones."

And yes, I liked the quote so much I made it my Facebook status, all for you Chunky Bits and Pieces.

Now, for something that will actually be getting me my points in this blog post, I researched a chant for dancing under the moon that the Native Americans would have performed. The video has a lot of added music and sounds so it's probably a little more than what they would have done, but the chanting is still in there. One of the comments was the words, I am going to take that as a good source because it does describe a chant to the moon pretty accurately to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWm87vQLnyI

"Dance the dreams of souls,
dance the sound of hearts,
find the rhythm that moves the earth,
seek the beat of the mighty waters,
feel the tune that is carried by the winds of change,
thunder echoes the band,
and rain is it's choir,
and it's song is life"

From this chant I can tell a lot about the way Native Americans felt about music and nature in general. They refer to the waters as mighty, the winds to cause change, rain is of a choir, and a song is life. They had such great values back then and had harmony with nature. A quote I found on a Native American Music website (Native American Life Living Art) is "Music is in the heart of the Native American. One doesn't think about it, one feels it. Music touches our hearts in ways that words can't explain. It is the universal language, but it has no words." I 100% agree with this quote because music is something that every culture and society has in common, it's a way to express feelings and emotions in a way that pretty much everyone can relate to.

Here is a photo of a Native American, I find this picture amusing, and also very fitting to my blog.

My one and only.

I have a severe obsession with my lapdog, Dakota. I love her more than anything in this world, besides my mom.