Research Paper

From doing the research paper I learned a lot about the Vietnam War. I didn't realize how harsh Americans were to those that returned home. It was extremely sad to hear of all the stories of men being spit on and told that they fought for nothing. In addition to that they suffered many health problems, and many were left with extreme Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most of them were homeless and struggled to maintain relationships with loved ones. It was also very hard for Vietnam veterans to find or hold down a job. Our Vietnam veterans should have been shown with respect when they returned home, because they risked their lives for our country. It upsets me to think that they have lost everything due to a war that very few supported.

Romantic Poem Reflection

The Chambered Nautilus was my favorite poem that we read this semester. I liked how it related the Nautilus building it's shell, to a Christian building their faith. It talks about how the Nautilus slowly adds new parts onto it's shell, while getting rid of the old parts. I think this relates to our faith because we also slowly grow in our faith, and we rid ourselves of the bad habits or things we have done in our past. I think this poem does a great job in portraying that message and showing us that we should live to grow in our faith. Also that we should rid ourselves of our past habits and move on to bigger and better things.

Connection to Nature

In nature I observed the many animals that were preparing for the winter/cold weather. The squirrels gathered their nuts and burried them in the ground. The geese flew south in hope of warmer weather. I connected to this because I feel like humans also prepare for many seasons in their lives. As highschool students, we are all preparing for college and then a career. At the time it may seem important to graduate highschool, start a career, earn a lot of money, and all the other things that life has planned for us, but in the scheme of everything all that is important is how we are preparing for what happens after our earthly life. We should be focusing on our life after death. Just like the animals preparing for the winter, we are preparing for things that are important, but not as important as what we should really be focusing on. People tend to stress way to much about things in their life that are insignificant compared to building their relationship with Christ. I'm not saying you shouldn't prepare for highschool and your career. I just think preparing for what comes after you life here on earth is more important, and in the long run will be worth your time.

What Were You Thinking, Edgar?

The walls were growing nearer and nearer. Soon I found myself right on the edge. I took one last breath and soon found myself in a free fall. Time seemed to stand still. My thoughts grew cold. My body was limp as i was being thrown through the air. One thing was on my mind. ...What was at the bottom of this pit? Before long my body slammed against the water and I found myself sinking to the bottom. I used all the strength I had to reach the surface of the water. I gasped for air and grabbed onto the side of the wall to help pull myself out. It was pitch black and I could hear the rats scampering around on the stone ground. I followed the curves of the walls to a small room that had a little crack in the wall with a stream of light piercing in. I grew excited, thinking that there had to be a way out. Then I saw all of the skeletons that filled the room. Some looked as if they had been there for years, whereas others only for a few days. Rats were crawling all over them, feeding on the decaying flesh. This is when I knew that I may never make it out alive.

Reflections on the Crucible

The Crucible was a play that shows how one lie can lead to so many others. When Abigail lied and accused others of witchcraft, they just followed along which led to even more accusations. It upset me how no one confessed and told the truth. There were so many opportunities where someone could have stepped up and ended all of the lies. Many people died because of those lies, and still no one said anything. The trials were pretty much a waste of time and many peoples lives were torn apart for absolutely no reason. I found that the whole time I was reading the play I was just getting more and more iritated. The people that were good ended up dying, and those who were bad and were the reasons for all the lies, ended up getting off free.

Political Climate of the 1950's

The McCarthy Hearings had many effects on ordinary life during the 1950's. The McCarthy Hearings delayed the legislative operations of Congress. They lasted a little bit over a month which probably pushed back all the other cases. The morale of the armed forces were definately not heightened by the hearings. Other countries were confused by what was going on, and their views of Americans were changed. Since the hearings were being televised the hearings were being seen and heard. This caused damage in the homes of those who were watching them. The McCathy Hearings was the first time for most people to see Congress in action. Most people viewed the actions of Congress as just and responsible, but when they saw the McCarthy Hearings their assumptions were completely destroyed. The hearings made the leading participants, who obviously forgot they were being televised, look bad.
I learned that the hearings had effects on almost all of those who watched. The armed forces, people from different countries, and those who were watching the acts of Congress for the first time. The politician's words had many effects on how people viewed them and how they viewed the government. I also learned that the McCarthy Hearings delayed other legislative operations that were supposed to be going on. The McCarthy Hearings really didn't have many positive effects other than opening the eyes of those who watched to what is really going on behind the scenes.

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6449

Puritan Plain Style: Observation

From Seed to Flower

My observation was of a seed blossoming into a flower. The religious lesson I got out of this was that our faith is similar to a seed. We all start off the same in our faith and we all progress at different times. Some of us never get the chance to develop a faith. While others of us grow in our faith at different rates. Some grow really fast, whereas others slowly find their to their faith.  In order for our seed to grow we need help. The seed requires water and sun. The sun is God. He is the one who we grow towards and we need in order to have a strong faith. Water is those around us. In order for us to grow we need people who nourish us and help us along the way. With those two things we can grow and then make a difference in the world by  spreading our seed. This means to spread God's word and help others grow in their faith.

They All Played a Part. (Squanto)

In 1621, Massasoit, the Wampanoag leader, sent Squanto to meet with the English settlers at the Plymouth colony because he could speak better English then Samoset and he knew the land well. Squanto was a Patuxet man who assisted the Pilgrims following their first winter in the New World in 1620. He befriended the English settlers and spent over a year with the Pilgrims, teaching them about local resources, fishing and how to cultivate and farm the land. Because Squanto spoke better English than Samoset, he negotiated a peace treated with the Pilgrims. It is out of this friendship that the story of Thanksgiving has come, with Squanto convincing Massasoit  to join the Pilgrims for a historic meal and agreement. In 1622, Squanto died from Indian fever while on a fishing expedition with a neighboring tribe.

Sources:

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/squanto.htm

http://www.mahalo.com/squanto/

Journals of Discovery

This picture shows how Pocahontas saved John Smith's life from her father and his tribe. We don't know whether or not this is true because John Smith was known to exaggerate to make himself look more heroic. This picture could be literal in the sense that she did save his life, or it could be symbolic, meaning that she saved the colony from destruction. She was also credited for bringing the colony food every four to five days, and because of this she saved many lives.This picture is accurate in the sense that Pocahontas looks around the age of ten. She was very young and it is unknown whether or not her and John Smith had feelings for one another. This picture is inaccurate in the sense of how Pocahontas's father was going to kill him. In this picture he is holding a staff, but in the story it talked about how he had two stones that he was going to us to beat his brains with. The weapons that the Indians are pictured with are accurate because they were well known for their bow and arrow hunting skills.

Native American Culture Blog

Reflection on Coyote and the Buffalo

      Coyote and the Buffalo is known as a trickster tale. A trickster tale is a type of folk tale that features an animal or human character who typically engages in deceit, violence, and magic.
      The story started off talking about how there were no buffalos that lived in the Swah-netk'-que country. It was all because of the coyote who was foolish and greedy. The Native Americans are known to come up with stories about why things are they way they are, and this is one of those stories.
      A coyote who was traveling over the plains beyond the mountains came across a buffalo skull. He recognized it as the skull of Buffalo Bill, who he was always afraid of. He then began laughing because Buffalo Bill was dead. He threw the skull in the air, spat on it, kicked it, and threw dusk in the eye sockets. He then heard a rumbling sound, and when he turned around he saw that Buffalo Bill was coming right at him! He ran as fast as he could and prayed to his gods for trees to appear. They did and he grabbed onto a branch so he could get away from Buffalo Bill . Buffalo Bill rammed into the tree over and over until it fell down. Coyote then ran to a second tree and Buffalo Bill rammed that one down as well. So he then went to the third tree and asked Buffalo Bill if he could smoke before he died. He prayed to his gods and an pipe was given to him. Buffalo Bill began to talk about how he was killed by Young Buffalo and how he took his herd. Coyote being as clever as he was offered to make Buffalo Bill new horns so he could kill Young Buffalo. Buffalo Bill agreed to this and spared Coyote his life. Buffalo Bill came upon Young Buffalo killing him with little to no effort and he took back his herd. Buffalo Bill was so grateful for his horns that he gave Coyote a young cow to take care of. Whenever he got hungry he could just cut of some of the fat and eat it and she would be fine. He was not supposed to kill the young cow otherwise she would die. But Coyote was greedy and killed the cow so he could eat down to the bone. He was so upset that he no longer had the young cow, so he went to go ask Buffalo Bill for another cow. He refused to give him another cow. So because of Coyote's greediness that is why there are no buffalos in Swah-netk'-que.
     This story does a great job in showing what happens when you become greedy. If Coyote would have appreciated what he had, he could've lived off the young cow for the rest of his life. But instead, he was greedy and was left with nothing. I think our society today is also very greedy. We always want the new phone or the new car. We're always looking for something better, and we don't always appreciate what we have. The Native Americans appreciated their land and treated it with respect. They create stories like this one to explain why certain things are the way they are. They believe that because of Coyote's greediness there are no buffalos on the other side of the mountains.