I Am Thankful For

There are many things to be thankful for in life. Family, food, friends, etc. I am thankful for 3 classmates. Those classmates are Samuel KAJAHHHH, Justin Commings, and Martin Barragan.

            I met Sam at the beginning of the year. He seemed like a friendly person so I introduced myself to him. We immediately got along. I’m thankful for Sam because he is great at revising papers and is quite the card. He also enjoys reading comics and likes Marvel, like me. He’s a great person. (I often annoy him by moving his chair back and forth with my foot, but that’s another story hahaha.)

            Justin Commings. I met Justin at the beginning of the year too. I introduced myself to him right after I introduced myself to Sam. I thought he was going to be a mean, tough guy. I was wrong. He’s a very kind person. He is also very intelligent and very good at basketball too. I am thankful for him because he often gives me ideas when we are doing group work. I am also thankful for him because he lets me share a locker with him during P.E hahaha. (If you are reading this, I am better at free throws.)

            Martin. Hahaha. I met Martin last year. He was in my Biology and Italian class. We didn’t talk to each other until one day on the bus. He introduced himself to me and I introduced myself to him. We started talking about our classes and from there we started to get along. I am thankful for Martin because if I have a problem I can always go to him. Yeah, we talk smack to each other x3434343 times a day, but at the end of the day we are still friends. Thanks Martin for being there for me man. Oh, and I saw your post. The Walking Dead>NBA.

            These guys help me get through class. They are there to help me whenever I need help. This is why I am grateful for them. Thanks guys. Happy Thanksgiving. 

I Celebrate Myself

I notice that a lot of teens nowadays like to slack off, drink, etc instead of focusing on their education. Why? I don’t know. They believe that being a teenager means drinking, slacking off, etc. This “belief” is especially common in my neighborhood. This is their “philosophy.” Slack off, have fun; %$&* education. What’s my philosophy? Work hard, study hard, and get an education.

            School has always been important to me. I have always been the “studious” one in my family and in my old school. I have always worked hard, studied hard, etc. A lot of teens in my neighborhood believe that I am “different.” Why different? Different because I don’t drink, or party, or do whatever they do. Every time they ask me why I don’t do this, I say “I believe in working hard, studying hard, and getting a education. I don’t care about drinking, partying, etc.” I don’t care if they think I’m weird. I’m proud of who I am. I’m proud of the choices I make and the choices I have made in the past. I am where I am because of those choices. They may not care about their future, but I do. I’m going to work hard because I want to be someone in life. Nothing will stand in my way. “Work hard, study hard, and get an education.” This is the philosophy I abide by. I celebrate my decisions and most importantly, myself. 

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe. A fantastic author indeed. His dark and Gothic style of writing influenced many notable authors such as Stephen King, Agatha Christie, and many other great writers. I consider Poe to be one of the best authors/poets of all time because of his very “intricate” way of writing.

            What I really enjoyed about “The Raven” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” was the amazing amount of detail. The way he described the atmosphere around him was astonishing. His descriptions were very vivid. I really felt like I was in the story. The other thing I enjoyed about his stories is the “eeriness.” It almost feels like you are the character in the story and it makes you feel like you are experiencing every eerie thing that is going on in the story. It’s fantastic! He makes R.L Stine look like an amateur (no offense R.L Stine fans).

            What do I dislike about Poe’s way of writing? Nothing. I believe that everything he wrote was written for a purpose. Some sentences in “The Fall of the House of Usher” were very long, but they served a useful purpose. They provided more details about the story and helped add to the “eeriness” of the story.

             Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809 and died on October 7, 1849. What was very odd about Edgar Allan Poe was his death. No one knows exactly what led to his death. There are over 26 theories that suggest how Poe might have died. Some of these theories are: rabies, diabetes, epilepsy,  carbon monoxide poisoning, alcohol dehydrogenase, etc. Another interesting (and odd) fact about Poe is that 4 days before he died, he was acting delirious on the streets of Baltimore in clothes that weren't his. Odd, right? Edgar Allan Poe will forever be considered one of the greatest authors (and creepiest too). 

What is an American?

What is an American? What makes an American an American? According to the dictionary, an American is “a native of the United States” I disagree with this definition. The reason why I disagree with this definition is because some people who were born here do not really appreciate the title of being an “American” If you do not embrace that side of you, does that really make you an American? I don’t think so.

            Now, when I think about an American I don’t think about the nationality/ethnicity/race of the person. Yes, you need to be a native or citizen of the U.S to be considered an American, but when I think about a true American, I think about a person whom is law abiding. I think about a person who wakes up in the morning and feels proud about being an American. I think about a person who has the freedom to express himself/herself and has the right to choose a religion that best fits him/her.  I don’t really think that the word “American” stands for a nationality. American stands for freedom and able (no reference to the Scarlet Letter). It stands for able because an American is able to do a lot of things that other countries prohibit. You are given many opportunities. I don’t think your nationality, race, roots, ethnicity, etc decide whether you are an American or not. You are an American if you feel proud about being labeled as an American and if you take advantage of all the opportunities that are offered to you.

The Modern Puritan(s)

The Puritans. They were very strict people indeed. Any small action that went against their beliefs was severe in their eyes. Now, who are the Puritans of the modern day era? The person you see in the mirror exhibits the qualities of a Puritan. That’s right, you. You are not the only one that exhibits these qualities. A lot of people, including myself, exhibit these qualities

            Now, you might be thinking “This guy is a doofus if he thinks I exhibit Puritan qualities!” and/ or “What qualities are you blabbering about?!” Answer me this. What is your reaction when you see a 16-year-old teenage mother? You probably look down at her, right? You might even think of her as a…well…. you know…a whore. Exactly. Does this remind you of anyone? *cough cough, the Puritans?*

            I know we don’t punish these people with prison time, but we often look down at them. We often think less of them. They are frowned upon. This is something the Puritans did. “If you are not careful, you’ll end up pregnant like____” This is something that a lot of people say nowadays. They use other people as examples. This happened to Hester. The villagers looked down at her and used her as an example. She was an outcast. The same is done to people today. Example? Teenage mothers, people with alcohol problems, etc are all subjected to this. Do you see your Puritan side now?

            

John Proctor Hero or Scrooge? 


I personally believe that John Proctor is the epitome of a hero. Yes, he committed adultery, but is everyone perfect? I know I'm not. John Proctor has always been liked by the community. He was always thought of as a good Puritan. The only problem was that he was a hiding a very serious secret. He was secretly having an affair with Abigail, Parris' niece. This is considered a severe offense in the Puritan community. Yes you might be thinking, "you seriously think this doofus is a hero?!" This is just one wrong he committed. Everybody makes mistakes. He began to show his heroic (well not quite heroic but brave to say the least) persona when he admitted that he had an affair with Abigail. He was willing to ruin his reputation in order to reveal the type of person that Abigail was. This was very brave if you ask me. Now, for the most heroic deed committed by John Proctor....(drumroll) At the end of chapter 4, Proctor was being forced to sign a confession in which he stated that he was a witch. He was also asked if he knew other people who were involved. He said no several times. Before the confession was taken away from him, he ripped it into several pieces. He died without ratting anyone out. Proctor is a true hero.

Arrivals...There Goes The Neighborhood

      I have always lived on the South side. More specifically, Little Village. Little Village is a predominantly Mexican community on the city's southwest side. It's a very vibrant place. It is often labeled as the Mexico of the Midwest and the Second Magnificent Mile (because of the long strips of commercial businesses). Now, you might be thinking "what a great community!", but in reality, it hasn't always been so great.
   
     Little Village has always had a gang problem. According to my father, it dates back to the 1970's. Violence plagued the neighborhoods during those times, but the amount of violence started to decrease slowly, until now. As of 2012, I have been noticing the arrival of more gang members in the neighborhood. A few years back, you were able to see a few gang members roam through the streets, but not many. Nowadays, I see groups of up to 8 gang members.  I`m not the only person who has noticed. A lot of my neighbors and people in the community have noticed too. They are not very happy about this.

    A lot of my neighbors are trying to do something about the gangs that are moving in. They are speaking to the alderman, the police ,etc. I think that their work is paying off because 2 gang members were driven off my block. There is still a long way to go. I still see graffiti on the walls on my way to school and I still see a lot of gang members . Little boys used to ride their bikes through the neighborhood, little girls used to jump rope outside of their house, a lot of people used to roam the streets . These things are not seen as much anymore.Who are the culprits? Gang members. Who is affected? The community.