The Crucible (4 of 4)

Quote 1
“Elizabeth: Great stones they lay upon his chest until he plead aye or nay. With a tender smile for the old man: They say he give them but two words. “More weight,” he says. And died.”
I like this quote because it shows how we think of others in comparison to ourselves. As human beings we tend to look at how others are either better or worse than us. With this, Proctor determines those who don’t speak are better than he, and from that he is willing to confess. While this is true, we see at the end of the book that he is in fact just as good as those around him.

Quote 2:
“... say what you will, but my name cannot—

Danforth, with suspicion: It is the same is it not? If I report it or you sign it?

Proctor—he knows it is insane: No, it is not the same! What others say and what I sign to is not the same!”
I really liked this chapter. It tells a lot about human nature as we see the character of John Proctor be twisted and bent almost until breaking. However, this is a really good point that he brings out. The importance of a name, and the importance of what you sign to. You can say something but if you sign your name, your words are set in stone so to speak. The difference is your identity. Seeing your name on a piece of paper takes what you have meant for others’ ears and reflects it back to you. Proctor cannot handle this in his decision and shudders that others should see it. He therefore later rips the paper and decides to hang, shattering the mirror and breaking the lie he had set in ink.

The Crucible (3 of 4)

Quote 1:
"Francis: We have proof of it, sir. They are all deceiving you.

Danforth is shocked, but studying Francis.

Hathorne: This is contempt, sir, contempt!

Danforth: Peace, Judge Hathorne. Do you know who I am, Mr. Nurse?

Francis: I surely do, sir, and I think you must be a wise judge to be what you are.

Danforth: And do you know that near to four hundred are in jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?

Francis: I—

Danforth: And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?"

Here we see the weight that Danforth has upon his shoulders. If he accepts that he has been deceived, all that he has done had been done wrongly. It makes sense that he is then so resistant to the idea, but this weight makes him blind to that truth and we see him dismiss good evidence for pointless reasons because of this.



Quote 2:
"Giles, faltering: I cannot give you no name, sir, I cannot"

Here we see a grammar I am used to hearing. Double negatives. I love these! They are so much fun to use when it makes a positive but few catch this and it is interesting to see how they have become so apart of our culture that they are taken as a single negative.

The Crucible (2 of 4)

Quote 1:
"Mary Warren: ... I only hope you'll not be so sarcastical no more. Four judges and the King's deputy sat to dinner with us but an hour ago. I —I would have you speak civilly to me, from this out.

Proctor, in horror, muttered in disgust at her: Go to bad.

Mary Warren, with a stamp of her foot: I'll not be ordered to bed no more, Mr. Proctor! I am eighteen and a woman, however single!"

Here we see what power does to a person, even if it is very little. Here Mary Warren is simply respected as a fairly high person in court. When that is suddenly taken away from her in the Proctor house, she stands up with her new found pride and demands it... and gets it. Once a person has been given a freedom or a strength, they cannot bare to live without it. We can see this in ourselves as we get older. Imagine how you would act if you were told to do something you hadn't done since you were a child. I have confronted this in my own life in the past and I, as I am sure we all do, naturally retaliate and demand to be respected as an older person, even if the cause is small. It is very interesting to watch her act as we all so often do... and get away with it.




Quote 2:
"Hale: No, no, I have no—

Proctor: I nailed the roof upon the church, I hung the door—

Hale: Oh, did you! That's a good sign then."

Here we can see how piety in Salem is based off of works and not a true relationship with God or a maturity in spirit. This explains why things went so wrongly. As human beings we are going to fall and do bad, resulting in "evidence" for a case if one is brought upon a person. People can easily point out the human flaws within each person's life and condemn them to a hanging.

The Crucible (1 of 4)

Quote 1:

"Betty: I'll fly to mama. Let me fly! She raises her arms as though to fly, and streaks from the window, gets one leg out.

Abigail, pulling her from the window: ..."(p18)

It is parts of the story like this one that intrigue me most. It keeps the audience guessing as to how real all of this witchcraft stuff is in the story. As a magician I see that crave within an audience to witness magic, and this constant unknowing of whether or not the magic is real, or the girls are just delusional keeps and audience on the edge of their seat, not able to wait for what happens next. Just seeing or reading of someone stepping out of a second story window without falling appeals strongly to the audiences imagination and forces them to invest their hopes into this story while at the same thing investing it into the wrong side. The audience knows that if Betty truly can fly then the group of girls with surely be hung, but that human want for flight is something an audience member can't help but wish for. With this it adds a nice complexity in the emotions of the audience.

Quote 2:

"Hale, grasping Abigail: Abigail, it may be your cousin is dying. Did you call the Devil last night?

Abigail: I never called him! Tituba, Tituba"(40)

Okay, I know this is small, but the real ness of the characters is amazing in this story. They are strange, but they still feel real. Often in stories the characters don't follow simple human psychology nor think like a human would, but in this story we see time and time again that even though some characters are bewitched, each one has a backstory and acts as a human would off of that past experience. Each character is explained as to the essence of their past and the effect that past has put on that character. The character then acts off of that as they would. It is simple human nature to point to someone else and to hide the truth. Again from my magic experience, there are a few ways, if someone takes a quarter behind their back, then puts it into one hand, then places both of them right in front of you to tell which one it is. If you can't tell by other means, you can ask them to cross their arms and almost every time they will place the quarter underneath the other arm, trying to hide the truth. This is a simple example of human nature and we see things like this ring true with each character. On top of this each one has a good and bad side to them so you are constantly unsure of which one is the "good guy" if you will. It is nice to see a work that has taken such time with developing every character within the story.

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (1.3)

In your own words, describe what Platt lays out as the motivation for taking the Gospel to the lost. Is that a proper motivation?

Platt lays out that those who haven't even heard of God are still condemned and by not taking the Gospel to those people, we are basically condemning them ourselves. Also, he points out that we are blessed and saved because God loves us and so that we can share the Gospel to others to fulfill his plan. This is a proper motivation because, like in the story of the rich man and poor man, by us, being spiritually rich, and only giving our scraps to the poor, we are not being good stewards of the spiritual gifts God has given us. We have been blessed so that we may bless others, and by not following God's command to do that, we are walking away from what God has for us.

Platt contrasts the “rewards” of this world with the rewards found in Christ himself. What comforts, ambitions, or treasures are you holding onto that might be keeping you from radically following and obeying Christ? 

Honestly, I believe that my mind is what is holding me back. I love to learn and could spend the rest of my days learning about the world god has created and to give that up is something that would be extremely difficult for me. Learning how the world works, how people work, how people's think/have thought, and how to do stuff/ how stuff works is something I am always playing with. Whether it be doing cardistry, practicing magic, snowboarding, working on a car or analyzing people, I love doing that and giving up that time would be difficult to say the least.

Of the five components of “The Radical Experiment,” which would be the hardest for you to live out? The easiest? Why? 

I think the most difficult will either be reading the whole Bible over one year or multiplying the community. the reason why reading the Bible will be tough is because I have a difficult time reading for long periods of time. Also, the Bible is very dense and packed full of amazing truth and so taking all of that in will be a challenge to do consistently. As for multiplying the church, I am not quick to talk to people I don't know. I want to be able to do that, but learning to will be a struggle. I think either praying for the world or sacrificing my money will be the easiest because I know how to pray and can do that fairly easily and since I am in High School, I do not have to worry about many expenses so I am free to give my money.

Platt talks about intellectual universalism and practical universalism. Briefly describe what those are. Do you fall into either category? Explain.

Intellectual universalism says that since they did not know better they will go to Heaven. Practical universalism says that because all have sinned, even if they never heard of God, they will still go to Hell. It also says that if we think in terms of intellectual universalism, then is would be better n\to not share the gospel which God clearly tells us to do. I believe that I would fall in the practical universalism category. When looking back over this, I seemed to have remembered a verse that says something like you will be judged by what you know. Then, when looking into it, I found myself at Romans 2 in which it says something very clear. In the twelfth verse, it says that "For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without [regard to] the law..." I did not know what this meant so I went onto Bible Hub and look at the Greek word used there. I found the word used was "apolountai" which is a form of the Greek word apollumi which means to destroy, or destroy utterly. Therefore, according to that Scripture, those who have not heard the Gospel will be destroyed utterly.

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream(1.2)

Do you have a passion for extending God’s glory? What does that look like in your life? If not, what can/should you do about it? 

Yes I do. For me, it means learning to talk to people I don't know and getting used to putting myself out there. I am hoping that through magic this will happen as I begin to perform for people randomly, However, I ulimately want to be able to talk to people openly about their beliefs. Also, I am learning to trust God and see that when speaking to people, I am not representing myself, but God in me.

Describe in your own words how Platt outlines the mission of the church as “going, baptizing, and teaching.” How are you (or how could you be) living out this mission in your own life?

Basically, instead of shutting themselves in the church, Christians need to be reaching out to people, and baptizing those who accept the reach. Then, we are to teach people how to live by being examples ourselves. Again, we pass so many random people by on a daily basis and don't even say hello. I want to learn to strike up a conversation with anyone I come across.

As you enter/approach the time of your life when you will be making more of your own financial decisions, what do you think of Platt’s radical take on wealth (and giving it away)? Is this something that every Christian is actually called to? 

I think Platt has a lot of good things to say here. I agree, we should not live luxuriously, especially with so many people dying who could live off of our excess. I also think that opening your home to someone is one of the best things you can do because you then are investing into their life. Yes, every Christian should do this. If you have enough money to live in your home and have extra, you should not spend that on yourself.

On page 104 Platt says, "Our version of the American Dream ends up disinfecting Christians from the world more than discipling Christians in the world." Explain what you think he means by that.

Our version takes Christians and separates them from the world. Like he said, success begins to be measured by what we don't do, but God calls us to the world. We should instead go into the world and be a light to those in darkness.

Of Mice and Men(1.3)

Who is your favorite character in this book? Explain your selection in detail.

I think that Slim is my favorite. He seems to be the one who has been around a while and who is able to keep everyone settled. He seems the one with the most common sense, and takes care of good people such as George and Lennie. He also seems to have really developed himself to be something no matter where he goes which I respect.

If you could “vote” one of the characters off the ranch, who would it be, and why?

It would honestly have to be Curley. He is like the spoiled brat in the story. He thinks too highly of himself and lacks almost all common sense and capability to think. He does nothing other than live off of what his father has built. It is honestly one of my pet peeves when people take good people and hard work for granted because it is not what they want.

What will you remember the longest about this story? Did you find anything humorous in the story? Which part was the saddest? The most surprising? The most thought-provoking?

I think I will remember George killing Lennie the most. For me, it is the saddest, most surprising, and most though-provoking. While I cannot bring myself to say that those actions were alright, the situation he was in does bring up a lot of questions about life and about myself. It is also sad because George did love Lennie, and the only way he saw he could help him is by the actions we see in those last pages. It was a slightly expected ending, and I honestly like it because too often writers are not willing to end a story like that.

Of Mice and Men(1.2)

How is the theme of loneliness shown in this story so far? Give specific examples.

Loneliness seems to be something people are trying to get away from, but some get caught in. Lennie and George seem to not be lonely because they have each other, and while some criticize them for it, many wish they had it. Crooks lets Lennie into his room because he is lonely, and Curley's wife talks to many people because she is lonely. Candy had his dog, but when Carlson shot the dog, Candy no longer had anything to keep him company, so he talks with Lennie and George who helps him.

How is the theme of violence shown in this story so far? Give specific examples.

Violence seems to be something that is both wanted and hated. The men in the story seem like they will break into a fight at any moment with people like Curley, but they keep it in check. When Lennie accidentally crushes Curley's hand, he had taken the blows, but didn't want any trouble. Slim and Carlson seemed to want to put Curley into his place, but wouldn't because they could lose their jobs, and because Curley was small, had his dad on his side, and had a shaky marriage, he seemed to want to pick a fight with anyone. Violence seems to be both wanted and feared by most in this story.

How is the theme of discrimination (any type) shown in this story so far? Give specific examples.

Women and blacks seem to have the most discrimination. It isn't necessarily laws against them, but more attitude towards those people. For example, Crooks had more stuff than almost all of the other men in this story, and yet it is said that he was kind of pushed away because he was of his race. While this is true, the more main characters seem to have cared less about that. Perhaps this is a comment on the culture of this time that no one is willing to accept that they are discriminating people, and that it always seems to be the "others."

Of Mice and Men(1.1)

Describe and discuss the relationship between George and Lennie. What is it like?

George and Lennie have obviously known each other for a while Lennie seems to need George to help lead him, and George seems to need Lennie for company and couldn't just let him walk off for fear that Lennie wouldn't survive. They seem to be a lot less of companions and a lot more of two people stuck together out of necessity.

Discuss Lennie’s character. How is Lennie compared to different animals and what might Steinbeck be trying to suggest through these comparisons? Give specific examples.

Lennie seems to be large and strong, but also have no intellect. He seems to lack all common sense and relies on George for direction. He seems to often be compared to pack animals which follow, but cannot think for themselves. On page 3, Lennie gets compared to a horse, on page 15, George says, "Good boy" to Lennie like he is some kind of dog. all throughout the book, Lennie is compared similarly to these kinds of animals. I do not know, but my guess is that Steinbeck is suggesting either that sometimes the most capable people let others determine their future, or that given too much order and a person breaks. I will have to read and find out.

What is George and Lennie’s shared dream? What is its significance to their future? (Why is it so important?)

George and Lennie want to get a house with a few animals and a small farm/garden. This gives them the hope and will to live a new day. As far as plot goes, it gives their story meaning. It gives them something to accomplish, and something for them to work for.

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream (1.1)

What does Platt mean by “the cost of nondiscipleship”? What is the cost for us (as opposed to non-Christians)? 

The cost of nondiscipleship is that others are missing the gospel and are suffering because we are no giving everything to God. As an example, Platt uses a newspaper article with two headings. The fist talks about how Baptists just bought a 35 million dollar building, and the second, how baptists raised $5,000 for people starving in another country. Because we are no willing to sacrifice our pleasures, others are starving both physically and spiritually.

How does your reception of the Gospel and your hunger for God’s Word compare to what Platt describes?

I will admit that it is not as intense as what he describes. However, as of about a month ago, God opened my eyes to something I had not seen before and gave me an understanding that I can no longer live without. Even before this, I have valued truth for a long time. When Platt began describing how others apparently viewed the cross, I was hurt to see how little they think of it. They must forget who God is. They must forget that God stepped out of heaven and experienced mortality to save us. I am hungry, and while I have not developed the walk I wish I had, every time I read scripture, such Truth, no matter which part of the Bible, strikes a cord with me. I am not as devoted as I should.

How does the American Dream conflict with the message of the gospel?

The American Dream says you become who you want to be. Your destiny is in your own hands. The Gospel says that your future is in His hands, and you become what He wishes. However, with this understanding, we need not fear acceptance because we are God's people. If we are rejected, it is not our lives that is turned away, it is God's life that is turned away, but only if we submit as he has demanded.

Think of a way you’ve seen the American Dream played out in yourself, your desires, or in those around you.

God has blessed me with a highly active mind. For most of my life, and even to some extent today, I always planned on spending that as I wish. For example, becoming a video game designer, writer, psychologist, lawyer, engineer, or even something like a theoretical physicist. All of these are things I could see myself become, but I have not asked God if that is his will in my life.

Do you agree with what Platt says about the American church today? If yes, how have you experienced what he is talking about? If no, what has your experience been?

I have mixed feelings about this. I truly believe that it depends on the individual. I have seen any people who are not serious about God, especially in my generation. I go to a smaller church filled mostly with people who truly seek God, and talking about Scripture, Truth, and God are things we enjoy doing. We talk about personal experiences and all have been blessed by God beyond count. However, I went back to my old church in Texas this summer and attended a morning service on Sunday. I went to youth and found that most of them were checked out. The teacher would ask a question and I was the only one answering them. Also, we were talking about Jonah, which is alright, as long as it does not remain a Bible story. I felt like the youth did not care much about God or truth, and the material they were covering I had covered when I was eight. There was no growth in understanding or depth in conversation. The entire meet lacked so much compared to what I find within each by looking out of my window. However, then about a month later, I went to NAYC, and with 34,000 people (mainly youth) in one place worshiping God, I saw the move of God so strongly those three days, but what I saw more was a hunger and yearning in my generation for something to live for.

Chapter 20 questions

Who was Klemens Von Metternich and what was the Congress of Vienna and the Concert of Europe?

Metternich was an Austrian diplomat who witnessed the popular violence of the French Revolution, and was one of the people in the Congress of Vienna. That congress was a group of people with power who gathered together to restore order by insisting that Europe's dynastic rulers were the only legitimate political authority.The guiding principle of the peace was the balance of powers which basically said that no country could rise up and take over other countries.


Why was it that King Ferdinand's empire in Latin America, however, would not be restored?

When Napoleon had been defeated, local elites in the colonies who resented Spanish imperial control took advantage of the crown's weakness to push for independence.


Describe the Revolt that broke out in conservative Russia. What was it called? What were its causes?

In 1825, a group of army officers known as the Decembrists led an uprising to push the pace of reform. They did this because they believed that Russia could not live up to Alexander's promise to be the "liberator of Europe" (since he had died) without change in its social and political order.


Why were the Europeans more tolerant of the Greek and Serbian revolt against Ottoman rule?

The French and the British viewed the eastern Mediterranean as an important arena of commercial competition while Russians viewed their frontiers with the Ottoman Empire's Balkan holdings as a natural place to exert foreign influence.


Describe the events leading up to revolutions in France, Belgium, and Poland in 1830.

Louis XVIII was given the throne of France by the Congress of Vienna, which he soon succeeded his brother, Charles X. Under Charles's rule, he lost the favor of the people, and they rose up in revolution. In Belgium, the Congress of Vienna joined them to Holland to form a buffer against France. Belgium never agreed to this, and with the energy the energy from France's revolution in 1830 raised Belgian opposition.


Why was there no revolution in Great Britain?

The government was more tolerant to reform, and did so when the people demanded rather than waiting for the people to start a revolution.


Explain the process by which slavery only remained legal in the southern United States, Brazil, and Cuba. (Slavery was legal everywhere in the Atlantic world in 1770)

An abolitionist movement started in England with people beginning to spread the word of the horrors of the trade to sympathetic audiences. The Word spread through the major trade countries (considering the largest one was also the origins of the movement) and eventually virtually the whole world agreed.


Explain the emergence of new political ideologies in the 19th century.

debates about citizenship, sovereignty, and slavery made it clear that issues raised by the French Revolution were very much alive in Europe after 1815. Early nineteenth-century politics did not have parties as we know them today, but more clearly defined groups and competing doctrines, or ideologies, took shape during this time.


What were the questions posed by nationalism?

What exactly counted as a nation, who demanded a nation, and what did their demand mean?

Merchantilism

Mercantilism is the idea of constant trade in a country in which one wishes to export more than they import. This also includes the government having much control over the trade of a country meaning the money goes into the government's hands to strengthen their power over their country and possibly even surrounding ones.

The Balance of Power is the idea that European nations should not dominate one over another, but instead should meet together, and keep their power equal. If one nations becomes too powerful, the other nations will work together to keep its power under control. This also includes if one ruler is ruling multiple nations.


The Middle Passage was the section of the Transatlantic trade where slaves from Africa were being transported to America. This passage put slaves in extremely harsh conditions, and many did not survive.

Song of Roland Laisses 1-50

Thus far in The Song of Roland, we have seen Marsille devising his plan to get Charlemagne  out of Spain, even at the cost of twenty of his people. Charlemagne sends Ganelon to give Marsille his letter, but once there, Ganelon speaks with Marsille's chief adviser, and makes a pact with him to kill Roland and end the war. Ganelon then speaks blasphemy to Marsille on Charlemagne's account, but convinces Marsille to go with his plans to kill Roland.

Chapt. 18

Identify and explain ONE event that occurred in France in 1789 that would support the argument concerning the causes of the French Revolution in the first passage.

In 1789, French elites refused taxation without representation; attacked despotism, or arbitrary authority; and offered an Enlightenment-inspired program to rejuvenate the nation.

Identify and explain ONE aspect of the French Revolution that would support the argument concerning revolutionary ideas made in the second passage.

When you compare the beginning of the Revolution and the end of it (the great terror), you see two completely different worlds. In the first, you see that the people simply wish to be given fairness in exchange for their work, while in the end, they wish to rule themselves, and have become crazed against those who would even think otherwise.

Identify and explain ONE assumption that the author of the first passage would make about the causes and importance of the French Revolution that would not be shared by the author of the second passage.

The first author may have assumed the unity of the people, the middle class and the lower class, while the second author may not have seen that, but instead seen them as just arising to the needs they had.

Chapter 19

1. The Industrial Revolution in Europe began in northern Great Britain. What circumstances made this process of economic development begin there? **Try to categorize your answers in terms of economic, social, cultural, and political factors. (p. 617-621)

The economic development began in Europe because of large national capitol, interest in commercialization, no internal tolls, easy internal trade, pursuit of wealth, strong trade with well integrated domestic market, and tech style inventions.

2. What was enclosure, and why was it an important factor in the Industrial Revolution? (p. 619)

Enclosure was the action of dividing up the land into large sections. It was an important factor to the Industrial Revolution because it commercialized agriculture which equated to larger profit, but also drove farmers of smaller land off.

3. Certain industries were particularly suitable for the kinds of technological developments that encouraged industrialization. What were these, and where did they exist in Europe? (621-629)

Some of these were tech style, coal and iron, railroads, spinning mule, and the spinning jenny.

4. What was the Spinning Jenny? What was the Cotton Gin? What effect did these machines have on industrial development? (621-622)

The spinning jenny turned cotton into thread six to twenty four times faster than a hand spinner.
The cotton gin separated cotton from seeds producing pure cotton quick and easy.
These machined allowed mass production to occur.

5. Industrial development changed the nature of work and production in significant ways. What were these changes and how did they change the relations between laborers and their employers, or local producers and wider markets? (631-639)

New inventions, such as the spinning jenny and cotton gin, make it easier to produce things needed, so work becomes manning the machine rather than actually doing manual work. This made the employer to employee relationships shift from a mentor ship, a master teaching his art, to one person residing over many people.