Tell Tale Heart

"The Tell - Tale Heart" is a very well known short story by Edgar Allen Poe. The narrator of the story is the main character of the story. The narrator in my eyes a man telling the reader he is not insane while describing the way he observed an old man for a week before killing him just because of the way one of his eyes looked. In the story it is never established as to whether the narrator is a man or a woman, but the first image that came to my mind was that of a man. After the man kills the old man and the police come he simply lets them search everywhere because he is very arrogant and thinks he hid the body perfectly. He even lets the police sit right above the buried body! Then he believes he hears the beating of the heart and it drives him insane to the point of him screaming that he killed the old man and ripping up the floorboards to show the police officers.
I think that the narrator was insane but very smart. Not smart enough to know he was insane, but smart enough to make other people believe he was not. He keeps reassuring himself throughout the story that he is not because of one clever thing or the other that he has done. He was just a mad,calculating, smart killer. If anyone goes to such trouble just to kill a man because of the way his eye looks they are insane in one way or another. I believe he killed the man and the police came but the pressure and guilt got to his already messed up head so he thought he heard the old man's heart beating even though he was dead. At that point he just snaps and tells the police officers everything. If he had wanted to the narrator could have gone on living his life because he had been very smart but he was also insane which made him hear the heart and confess to the police

Short Story

There once was a neighborhood.This neighborhood was small and had no name but to the inhabitants living there it was home. The neighborhood was three blocks wide and three blocks long. It was filled with simple houses, a park, and a few alleys that not everyone knew about. Every block was an abundance of trees and squirrels running amok. Everyone seemed to get along but there were a few troublemakers. There were three friends Mike, Max, and Marcus who wandered the streets looking for fun.  They would play basketball and football in their backyards and spend countless hours exploring their neighborhood.
There was one alley that they loved the most that was in between their houses in the middle of the neighborhood that was seldom used. The boys would use the alley as their hangout and secret meeting place. One sweltering summer day Max found an old slingshot in his attic that took three people to use.  He marcus and Mike shot water balloons and whatever they could find and it went far. The day was fun and exciting until the neighborhood troublemakers came. The troublemakers were all brothers and they looked identical. They were all very tall, had bright red hair, and bright green menacing eyes that cut through whoever they looked at. These boys were known as the "harry potter" kids because they resembled harry potter other than the red hair. These boys were known for stirring up trouble and were avoided at all costs by the other children.
This particular summer day the harry potter kids heard the laughter of Mike, Marcus, and Max in the alley and went to check it out. When they saw the three boys shooting water balloons they decided to strike at them with some of their own. The harry potter kids filled up some water balloons and headed back to the alley. At the end of the alley Marcus saw them coming and warned his friends, they each grabbed a handful of balloons and took up positions on either side of the alley. With sweat perspiring down everyones face and the scorching sun bearing down on their backs the first balloon was thrown, the first battle cry was screamed and the battle begun. 

song analysis

Lotus - Cage the Elephant

Woke before the mornin' sun i found it tucked beneath the hills

I sat and watched it rise it hit the sky and burst to flames

The lotus flower's got me thinkin' 'bout the way that we live

I've got this feelin' it's gonna stop

Driven by religion runnin' backwards down a one way road

A course collision split decision tryin' to save your soul

Manifest destiny is just a fancy word for murder

I've got this feelin' it's gonna stop

A billion faces runnin' round my head

All got opinions but the don't mean shit

Keep droppin' bombs until the whole world's dead

They said it's all been done and it's all been said

They'll turn this message into a pop movement

A fashion statement call it politics

You can't mark my words they'll put a spin on it

They say it's all been done

Look outside the box my friend

You heart's been dead since who knows when

It seems we've missed the mark lost all hope and given in

Pack up the suitcase take that handkerchief and wipe off your chin

The fear that drives you needs to be stopped

A billion faces runnin' round my head

All got opinions but the don't mean shit

Keep droppin' bombs until the whole world's dead

They said it's all been done and it's all been said

They'll turn a message into a pop movement

A fashion statement call it politics

You can't mark my words they'll put a spin on it

They say it's all been done

Fell into a daze and found my mind was gone and laid to waste

A battle ground indeed where holy wars have taken place

I saw the sun set watched it travel down and tear through the ground

The hate the drives us needs to be stopped

In this song the author is telling us that the way we are living is not going to be able to go on forever.  Eventually we will all end up killing each other one way or another.  They are saying that our lifestyles must change. "Keep droppin bombs until the whole world's dead." We are just dropping bombs on each other to solve our conflicts.  The last stanza explains how after everything is said and done and all of the bombs have been dropped the people will wake up and see that their lives have gone by and their minds have gone to waste, the beautiful world that they are used to has changed into a destructive battleground.  "The hate that drives us needs to be stopped."  We all must change for our way of life to go on.

On the Reservation

Reservation......
what does this mean to you? When i hear the word reservation i immediately think of something or someone being held back.  Being "reserved".  That is essentially what reservations are isn't it?  It is a group of people that lived in North America and were kicked off by white settlers.  What did they get in return for giving up their land?  They got small reservations with bad land that made it hard for them to grow crops.  Native Americans were here first so why should they get the short end of the stick? 
The colonists and settlers from across the sea would not have survived in this new land had it not been for the help of the Native Americans.  But just like most humans  when we no longer need the Native Americans we kicked them off their land and said that they could still have their own land.  They got reservations.  It is like kicking someone out of their house and making them live in the doghouse in the backyard.  You reserve them from living the life that they want to live.

Black Boy response

So far I am really liking the book Black Boy and it is by far my favorite book that we have read this year.  Richard Wright is a spectacular writer and he is capable of keeping me into the story throughout long chapters.  Richard Wright is writing about events in his life that have already happened and I forget that they are not happening right now because they are described so well.  His descriptions are very clear.  Richard is always getting into some type of situation where he is in trouble and the way he handles the situation makes the book sort of humerous but definetly interesting.  Compared to the other books that we have read this year this one does not even have to compete with them for best book of the year. (so far)

Black Boy

Black Boy written by Richard Wright is a very interesting story.  The main character Richard is very conflicted and confused most of the time.  He gets in a lot of trouble and he grows apart from his family. The only person who is still any bit warm towards him in his family is his ill mother. His granny is very religious and when Richard stops believing in religion he is dead to her.  Richard does not really have many choices in his life.  He is only in a kid still but no one ever listens to him or respects his opinion.  He is not given many if any chances to prove what he thinks is right.  When he disagreed with his aunt she whipped him and they fought.  When his granny goes to slap him and he dodges it and his granny falls hurting herself it is not even thought to be partly her fault it is all Richard's fault.  Richard is an awrny, stubborn born but his family should at least here him out before they punish him like they do.

Hunger

In the book "Black Boy" the author and main character is Richard Wright.  He is hungry the entire book in more than one way.  He is literally hungry because he is poor and his mother cannot provide enough food for him.  He is also hungry for attention.  His craving for attention gets him into a great amount of trouble.  For one he burns down his house.  Even though he is only four at the time I believe he would have had the sense not to put the fire by the curtains.  When he kills the cat he does it just to go against his dad and finally win one of their battles.  He would not kill the cat because he did not know it was wrong.  Richard killed the cat for attention and to beat his father.  Richard is very hungry for attention even in subtle ways.  He wants to be heard when he was told to be quiet when his grandmother was sick, so naturally he made himself heard.  When Richard roams the streets and goes into the saloon and drinks he is basically an act for the people there.  Richard does not care though because he is getting attention.  Richard is definitely craving attention at all times.

King Still King?

Is what Martin Luther King went through still going on today?  In some ways yes and in some ways no. Yes there is still racism.  But there is not lawful segregation.  There is still segregation in my eyes, but it is not called segregation.  When there is an all white neighborhood in a wealthy suburb that is not called segregation but yet at the same time it is.  Whenever a black or hispanic person would move into that neighborhood they would most likely not be welcomed or respected.  This would not happen everywhere because not every single person in this world is racist but I believe there are a great majority that still are.  There are not race riots with police shooting fire hoses at the crowds like MLK's day but there are still tensions in this country and many other places.  Distaste and hate for other groups of people can be found anywhere around the world.  Martin Luther King was a very admirable person and I think that his message is still with us today (not just of defeating racism but being an all around better person) but racism is not the number one issue in our country anymore so we do not need to look back on it as much.  He is still one of the best role models to look up to.

I Hear America Singing

I Hear America Singing is a very interesting short passage.  Throughout it there are jobs listed such as carpenter, hatter and mechanic etc.  In the short passage each man or woman working these jobs is singing their own song.  The mechanics song is blithe and strong while the singing of the girl that is sewing is described as delicious.  This reading is saying that in America everyone plays their own part in helping the world go round and round everyday. There is a particular quote, “Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else.”  This quote basically proves that the author thinks that each person has his or her job to do.  When the passage says that the night belongs to the night and the day to the day it is just another reference to doing your job and not worrying about anyone else doing theirs.  This whole passage is saying that there is a place for everyone and once you find it you will be happy and fit into that role.

Music Review

The song that I reviewed is Scissors by Liars.  It is a very unique piece of work that I believe is from a unique band.  The song starts out slow and goes for a while very softly and then out of the blue the music gets really loud and frantic and the singer starts screaming.  The song lulls you to sleep in a way and then startles you with a loud outburst.  I personally liked the song.  I found it hard to follow what the song was about as much of the words were mumbled.  I did not think that the mumbling was necessarily bad it added another effect to the madness.  The song was very soft and instrumental for half the time and the other half it was very heavy metal-ish.  I would recommend this song for anyone that would like to try something new out. I had not heard of the Liars until i found their song on theneedledrop.com so I think that they are a relatively unpopular band.
Here is the link to the video of the song.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04domJ7F0oY

Snowflake Battle

I will win this snowflake
No matter what it will take
I will win this snowflake

The snowflake is mine
Try to take it from me
And you will pay a heavy fine

The golden snowflake is warming
Like sitting by the fire
Toasting marshmallows like a rich squire

If you don't have the snowflake
Don't feel down, just know that
Someone else is better than you in this town.

Nick and Jay

Nick and Gatsby.  What are they? Friends, enemies, or merely acquaintances?  One could argue that they are any one of those.  Personally I think that they are genuine friends but do not fully understand that they are yet.  Gatsby at first views Nick merely as a gear in a giant machine of a plan that involves him meeting Daisy again.  Nick's first impression of Gatsby is a rich man who blows all of his money on parties and people.  After reading through chapter five in the book I think that even though they may not have thought they were true friends at first, I believe that through all of the difficulties and controversy that they will go through together they will bond and they will  become genuine friends.
Gatsby does not think that Nick is equal with him in society seeing as he is not nearly as rich and known to the world as Gatsby is.  Nick thinks that Gatsby is mysterious at first but once he gets to know him he starts to get a better understanding of what Jay Gatsby does.  Nick still finds Gatsby mysterious but he gets used to it in a way.  All in all I think Nick and Gatsby are genuine friemds but they just haven't figured itt out yet.

I am a Plow

I am a plow.  This blog is easily the most confusing that I have written about this year in american lit.  If I were a plow I would be pulled by a horse.  I would go through the toughest earth and turn it very soft.  I would be one of the more effective plows even though I am pulled by a horse not a stronger animal.  I would have been crafted as the best plow ever not a cheap plow that you would by from target.  You bought me at macy's.  I would have been feared by the ground that was to be plowed by me.  The horse that pulled me would not have to work hard pulling me because I was so light.  I would not have brute strength on my side but I would have been manufactured so precisely that I would not need to be strong because I was used wisely.  The horse that pulled me knew how to use me and was not like a mule that would just pull me, the horse had some skill.  Yes, if I were a plow I would be envied by all who saw what I could do.  Some would try to steal me but I would not work with the animals that they used to pull me.  My horse was the only one that knew how to pull me.  Without that horse I would be useless.

classroom improvements

Mr. McCarthy there is not a whole lot I do not like about your class (suck up alert)  but there are a few improvements that I feel will make everyone’s learning experience better.  For one you should get a bigger classroom.  I know you don’t have control over this but sometimes I feel smushed in classes.  All of my classes have small rooms so it is not necessarily just your class.  Another thing that should not be happening in your class are notes on every chapter of the book that we are reading.  I understand why we take them and I get your logic but it is just so time consuming that sometimes I forget what I am even taking notes on. Not really, but they are boring, most of the time.  One more thing, you should put Noah back on paper clips.  Haha just kidding, or am I.  That’s really all I have a grudge against in your class.  I like the cat pictures on the daily journals.  They are definetly a plus.

modern day slavery

Comparing today’s life and society compared to back when there was slavery in America is very hard.  There still is slavery in some parts of the world today, which is horrible.  But there is not the kind of slavery we think about in present day America.  Or is there?  No.  In my opinion it is impossible to have slavery like there was less than two hundred years ago in America or any other civilized country in present time.  But there are some situations that feel and look like slavery to me.  The main one is when an immigrant from a different country is looking for a job and gets one but their employer makes them do extra work and whatever they say or they will tell the government that they have done something illegal. Being an immigrant that barely speaks english and does not understand Americas’s laws that person would have to obey and essentially be their employers slave.  In America this seems to be one of the closest things to slavery I can think of.

Puritanism

Puritans were the more extreme  part of the Church of England when they started out.  They wanted to purify their national church by eliminating Catholic influence. Hence, the name Puritans.  If you were Puritan and you did not go to Church every Sunday and you disagreed with the minister you would be looked down on as a sinner.  John Proctor is an example of this, kind of, becausehe did not really like Parris.  The Puritans influence us today because society has a set of standards, morals, rules that we must loosely follow and I think that most of these are from the Puritans.  But in a more loose form.  For, instance if i disagreed with a minister people would not necessarily call me a sinner.  But in some states adultery is still a crime.  Some people say it is unconstitutional but it shows that the Puritans have definetly influenced us and still do.

Now Nathaniel Hawthorne ties into this in a way.  Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts.  He has written many books and stories.  His father, who has the same name was a sea captain who was a descendant of John Hawthorne.  If you can recall John Hawthorne was one of the judges at the Salem witchcraft trials.

The Moment

The moment I knew I was an American.  This is not an easy thing to answer.  How would I know what an American is, when did I find out?  How should I know what an American is, who am I to judge?
America is a beautiful place.  Our country is based on freedom from a tyrannical king that we proclaimed our freedom to in the Declaration of Independence.  Now don't get me wrong America has not been so perfect.  With slavery, racism, and a whole lot of other things America looks like the worst place to live.  But our founding fathers had a whole lot of bravery to be able to send a document to the King of England saying they were abandoning him and starting their own country.  They did this knowing they would have to face his wrath and superior army on their own turf.
                Now knowing all of this I have a pretty good idea of when I knew I was an American.  I knew I was a free, open-minded American when Barack Obama was elected to office.  White America went from being racist and just mean to people of other races (some still are) to electing an African American for President!  In no other country would this happen. Only in awesome, free America can culture change so drastically in such a short period of time for the better.  That is why I am proud to be an American.

Conflict That Leads to Death

Conflict between two groups whether they be countries or smaller tribes can have the ability to lead to death.  All that needs to happen are a few events that snowball leading up to one person going crazy and killing another person of the different group.  After this happens it is very likely that the two factions would both start killing each other left and right.  One example of something like this happening is when the colonists came over from Europe and met the Native Americans.  At first they were aliens to each other because neither of them had seen anybody like it before.  Then as they got used to each other they helped each other out and took advantage of each other.  The colonists and settlers had an obvious advantage over the Native Americans with guns and when they wanted something the Native Americans pretty much had to give it to them.  When the new colonists wanted to move west and push the Native Americans west as well the Native Americans began resisting which resulted in wars between the two groups and deaths on both sides.  The Native Americans suffered the most because they did not have guns and it was for the most part whit men killing the people who were there first.

Stooge or Not

I understand where John Proctor is coming from.  I find it respectable that he or anyone else would stand up for something they believe in.  At the same time though the decision he made was not a wise decision.  All he had to do was sign a document saying that he had committed some act of witchcraft and he was not going to die.  He signs it but when the judges say they will hang it up on the church door he freaks out and will not let them have the document.  So instead of living and being with his wife and children he dies because he does not want people to see that he admitted to witchcraft on an official document.  That is just not smart, at all.  If he knew he did not actually do anything bad why not just go along with it, why would he care what other people think about him.  That is why I think that John Proctor was more of a stooge than a hero.  Another reason why he was a stooge was because he cheated on his wife which is never a very heroic thing to do.  John Proctor could have saved his life but he was too vain so he died and left his family without him.

Crazy Sermon

If I were a child listening to the sermon that Jonathan Edwards gave I would be frightened and confused.  I would think that Jonathan Edwards was either a crazy old fart or I would believe him because I would not know any better.  I am not saying I would not believe in the religion per say but I would not believe all of the crazy stuff he said.   
After reading this I almost laughed.  Jonathan Edwards reminded me of some of those crazy politicians making accusations that do not even come close to making sense.  Also the politicians that like saying things like "I misremembered it."  This guy Jonathan Edwards could have believed in what he was saying or he could have been trying to make people act accordingly to his beliefs.  Either way he was a psycho in my opinion.  Now I am pretty sure that the God in religion is portrayed as a good person/thing that loves everybody not some mass murderer holding you above a pit of fire and death.  But in the end if I were a child listening to Jonathan Edwards back then and I did not know any better I am afraid I might actually have believed him.