Nick and Jay

Both Nick and Jay are quite mysterious. From the book, it's mostly Nick or Jay's point of view. We learn more about the other characters than we do about Nick and Jay. It seems that Nick and Jay can trust each other. But, from the things that Jay tells Nick about his past, is it the truth? I can't help but suspect that both Nick and Jay are tying to cover up their "true" identity. Jay seems shady and sneaky. With him pretending to be what he's not (the fake books, enormous parties with random people) gives away the fact that he is not truthful and that he has a part of him that he wants to "forget."
The relationship between Nick and Jay is more so to benefit each other rather than a friendly relationship. In chapter 4 and 5, Jay tries to meet up with Daisy, and uses the help from Nick. To thank him, Jay wants to use money to "pay" Nick back. If they were really friends, doing something as simple as setting up an arrangement should not involve money to pay back the favor.

Snowflake Battle: Remembering Mr. Snowman

Do you remember,
Remember, the times,
We shared through our fears?
Praying that we'd stay,
Together, always,
And forever,
We made a promise,
Promise to be here,
But you are long gone,
Your soul melted away,
As the misty air,
Sways, it reminds me,
Of you. How frail,
Have you become since,
Last Christmas. You are,
Incomplete, you are drowning,
Mr. Snowman, and,
Dying. Oh, please snow,
Snow so I can piece,
Your cold heart together.
Ha, you are gone, gone.
Forever is never.

Music Review

"Wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy..."

You know Ke$ha? The blonde artist that people often refer to as "the stoned version of Taylor Swift?" Haha yeah, her, Ke$ha. She has some interesting songs...or more like lyrics. Without a doubt, her songs are catchy and the melody is upbeat and just puts you in a good mood. But if you ever pay attention to her lyrics, it definitely takes value away from the song. Her song "Tik Tok" was a big hit in the summer of 2010. As mentioned before, the melody is catchy....but the lyrics are extremely stupid and inappropriate for young children...even teens. 

"Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack. 'Cause when I leave for the night, I ain't coming back." 

O_o So, she sings about brushing her teeth with alcohol, partying hard, getting drunk, and hooking up with men like Mick Jagger. If this is "music," then I'm highly disappointed. The lyrics are supposed to be meaningful, not random things that you scribble on paper when you're drunk. Oh, but in this case, it's different for Ke$ha...she writes her songs when she's drunk at some club or party. Yeah, that explains why the lyrics about brushing your teeth with alcohol and falling for Mick Jagger came to be. For those of you who don't know, Mick Jagger is this celebrity that has issues with drugs, who divorced and married multiple times and has 4923857847189 kids...Okay, maybe not that many, but he has a few. 
It seems to me that the alcohol really got to someone...Ke$ha. It may not seem like a big deal because it's just a song. But think about it, this song is played on the radio...Anyone of any age can listen to it. Yeah, thanks for teaching people of all ages to party hard with alcohol and hook up with dirt bags...Because that's totally what our society needs. Way to go...Not. 

The Trick of Writing

What is the trick of writing?
There's no definite answer. Writing is something that is meant to be personal. Every piece of writing holds some kind of value. Because the meaning of writing changes from time to time, there is no ONE trick to writing. But anyway, the "basic tricks" still exist.
For example, when writing an argumentative piece, the writer should provide support and valid evidence. This helps them prove their point. Use of description and being "real" should be enough to write a story or journal. However, in every single piece, writing should be a form of art. In my opinion, no matter what type of writing it is, there should be at least a little bit of humor or "art" in it.
 

I Am Thankful For...

To be honest, I really appreciate this class. It's difficult to pick out ONE person from this class that I am thankful for because everyone in the class is friendly. We always have interesting discussions that opens my mind to a fresh idea. Everyone in the class are well mannered and they have self control (unlike some others at this school). The class is a comfortable place to be in because it's peaceful and "respected." I don't really want to point out the "only" one that I am thankful for. But, if I HAD to choose, it would be something like this:

I am thankful for Nina Posner! (: I love how we talk about random and funny things at 8AM in the morning almost 5 days a week. Her insightful thoughts and intelligent mind helps me understand the works of literature that we study in class. Nina's sense of humor and smile brightens my day, no matter how difficult the rest of the day may be. When presenting a certain book to the class and I am nervous, it's always comforting to see someone that welcomes you (Nina).

I am a Plow. . .

I am a plow. Yes, I said a plow...Wait, hold on for a second. How in the world am I a plow? I look nothing like the picture to the left and I do not break up soil or rip weeds out of the ground.

Well I'm probably physically not a plow, but we do have some things in common. If you think about it, a plow's life is full of hard work. Loosening the hard soil after a winter's storm or pulling out the weeds that have been planted there for months is tough. In a way, my life can be just as difficult at some points. Overcoming emotional barriers is probably the closest that I can get to being like a plow, facing difficult "work."

I'm a plow because I am a follower (or I could be one when I want to). Very much like a plow, I do what I am told by my parents or instructors. The plow doesn't have a life of its own. The plow only knows to rip through the soil when whoever is in charge of it drives it in the fields. And as for me, the things that I do are guided by other adults. This doesn't mean that I don't have my own specific role or mind, it just means that as for now, it's "safer" and maybe better that I do as I'm told.

Haha, so yeah, live the life of a plow. (:

Modern Slavery

Slavery
Mental Slavery - "The inability to view events, or one's self, differently from commonly held beliefs."
Physical Slavery - To abuse one's labor

Oh, how this topic angers me. Whether it is mental or physical slavery, it is wrong. It is wrong even if the one being abused is willing to sacrifice. We live in the 21st century where many laws already exist to protect our rights and such. But that does not stop violence, abuse, and "slavery." Too often, I see modern day slavery. To me, it is nothing new, because I see or hear it almost at least once or twice a week.

It's a painful feeling that greets you when you see an elderly person be abused by their relative or anyone in general. That sense of guilt, of a feeling that's like, "I know this is wrong, but I can't help you because you will not listen to me." Seeing their fear and misery is worse than anything. They have worked hard all their lives to raise their kids and hope that they will survive well. After all of that, this is what they get? Do they deserve scoldings from their kids everyday? Foul language? Screams or even have objects thrown at them?

NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. No one deserves such treatment, and definitely not elderly people. Whenever I see people that mistreat elders, I want to swing something at their face so hard...haha, you don't even know...But I can't, because that's abuse too...and surely I refuse to believe that two wrong's make a right. There's so much that I want to say to the abusers. I want to shun them and tell them how stupid they are. I want to lock these monsters up. As of now, I'm still afraid to face these monsters. . .but I am planning my approach. This will end. 

A Direction the Class Needs

"A direction the class needs..."
To be brutally honest, I feel that the class only needs to change one thing. Yes, one thing only, but it is a major thing: Inspiration.
It may sound weird and irrevelevant to a decent level, but the class truly needs inspiration. I say this because sometimes our class discussions are "shallow." We tend to state the obvious because it is right there and it is easy. Rarely do we ever make connections to our lives, or try to be in the place of whichever character that we are studying. We're all intelligent, but it is the time consuming things (like having inspiration) that makes our minds go far. I believe that everything we read about, hear about, or even write about should trigger a thought. Let it be a fresh idea, connection, or opinion, the material we come in contact with should act as a catalyst and our meaningful response is the reaction.

Interesting Tidbits

Puritans

-     Followed  Calvinist theocracy (The belief that God has already chosen the ones that would go to Hell, and it cannot be helped).

-      16^th – 17^th century Puritan = did not believe in what “puritans” today believe in. They were very much like Protestant reformers.

-      Puritans today = People who has strict views on sexual morality, disapproves recreation, and wants people to think this way.

Puritans and Calvinists still exist today. They are part of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Puritans from the past influenced our society to carry on these beliefs, even if they are not as popular. We give Puritans a different definition today, but that is not how true puritans are.

Salem

-      Why the witch hysteria began: Politics, religion, family feuds, economics, and fear

Today, many quarrels happen because of these reasons. False ideas are shared to cover up political inconsistencies. Rumors are spread around because of family feuds and fear or some people. History tends to repeat itself in this case. 

Nathaniel

-      Nathaniel’s family were Puritans

-      His father did a few cases on witchcraft in 1692

-      Nathaniel was ashamed his family took part in the non-sense. He added a “w” to his last name -à Hawthorne

Why the house is “haunted”

-      A young Nathaniel’s ghost is believed to be present at The House of Seven Gables

-      Reason: 1. Nathaniel lost his father at sea when he was only four years old. 2. Upon receiving this news, he was traumatized. The ghost spotted was a young boy.

The Moment I Knew I Was An American

"The moment I knew I was an American...," when I hear that, I don't know what to think. I could say that I don't even think when I hear someone say that. Really, I don't know who is exactly an American and how one acts to fit in the category of being an American.
According to Crevecoeur, and American is a person of European descent and leaves behind all ancient prejudices and manners once they come to America. America is a melting pot in his opinion. But is this really true? I doubt it. I consider myself as an Asian American...but obviously, I have no European blood in me. More importantly, my family still carry on with our lives with Chinese traditions. With this being said, Crevecoeur's ideal definition of Americans is wrong.
Because I fit in neither one of Crevecoeur's description of an American, am I still an American? That's what I wonder all the time. Sometimes I think that understanding English and the history of our literature makes me an American. Other days, I think that eating hot dogs, pizza, and drinking Pepsi makes me American. To me, American or not, I don't really care. "American" is just a label, a name. I already have a name, and I know who I am...I don't need to be "classified" because sometimes I may just fit in multiple groups. (:

"Us" vs. "Them"..."Us" and "Them"

Us versus them. We, as 21st century Americans compared to the Puritans in The Crucible...Yes, we are quite different from each other. But how different? We are still cruel, self-fish, competitive, biased, and sometimes ignorant people just like the many characters in the book. Those characteristics never change (it's almost like human nature, you know?). What changes is the way we or they show those qualities. 

In The Crucible, greed, self-fishness, and cruelty was portrayed extremely well by Abigail. This young lady managed to fool the entire town with her wicked mind and disgusting lies about witches/witchcraft. And what was her motive? Just to get back (or get rid of) at Elizabeth Proctor. Well, Abigail was pretty successful at carrying out her plan. Not only did she cause a ton of trouble and pain for Elizabeth, it also took the lives of INNOCENT people. Revenge is not healthy (obviously...haha), but it seeps into our lives every now and then. In the 21st century, you don't really see an occasion where hatred towards one person would cause the death of 30 others. If we're talking about being extreme and taking this way out today, the most that someone would do to seek revenge would be murdering whoever was giving them problems. That's still cruel, unjust, and self-fish...but in a way, it's less "mind-sickening" than what Abigail did. 

Another example would be us being biased. Over time, we have became more open minded and accepting. Back in the day, because we failed to judge African Americans properly, we mistreated them horribly (slavery, major racism, segregation, etc). People thought that everyone of their kind was the same and should be treated without value. Thankfully, we learned to snap out of that trance and not be afraid to understand what seems to be foreign to us. Biased-ness is present in the book as well since they thought children were pure/innocent (they could never lie, could they?! No, no, of course not...). Because of that thought, it brought down the justice in life. It abused the proper usage of evidence and what could or could not be used as evidence. Lives were taken just because of that one silly thought that children would/could never be so evil. Being biased was a mistake back then, and it still is today...We just evolve and learn. 

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

After reading Act I of The Crucible and having a discussion in class, I see John Proctor as a hero (at least for now). Like Rebecca Nurse, John Proctor doesn't believe in the existence of witches and witchcraft. In his opinion, he does not support the idea of having another reverend to come and "search for spirits" and have girls confess to witchery. He sees that by doing so, it is the same as saying "There's witchcraft going on right in Reverend Parris' house." That would cause a lot of chaos, trouble for Parris, and a lot of un-needed confusion and attention would be created. With John Proctor trying to prevent people from believing that there is witchcraft helps save innocent lives, reduce corruptness, and keep Parris' current place in the town of Salem. Once the word gets out, all Hell will break loose. So, in a way, John Proctor is a hero by disagree with Parris and the Putnams. He may be going against what Parris wants to do just to irritate him, but it's kind of saving him and others from a lot of hassle that will happen in the near future.

Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God

Jonathon Edwards's "Sinner In the Hands of An Angry God" is informing people of how dangerous God can be. In a way, he is also trying to manipulate the fact that there is a God in our life. From his writing, I really tried to believe in that fact, but I am not convinced. Edwards says that God can destroy us at any moment and do whatever he pleases to the human kind. On top of that, God is also instoppable.

In my opinion, God cannot destroy us and whatever misfortune that occurs to us is not God's responsibility. This is because we ourselves can see a chain of cause and effect everyday. We were the ones that did such things, not God. People die from illnesses because they were not careful of their diet and living style, not because God pounded his fist on our hearts so whoever it may be stopped breathing and died. Edwards talks a lot about the consequences of angering the God. But who is God, really? Who is he to say that somebody will get hurt, and nothing can prevent that? I dislike this piece because of how it creates this imaginary fear in people's minds. Because where's the evidence that such a beast like God exists?

There Goes The Neighborhood...

As you can probably tell from the first time you saw me, I am an Asian. Yes, I am one of the 1.4 billion Chinese people that are walking the face of the Earth every day. (: I love being Chinese, and I love China's culture. Though my opinions on certain traditions may differ at times, but I do not look down on it. I do not make fun of it. And I definitely am not ashamed of it.

About four years ago before I moved from 28th/Normal street into Chinatown, I didn't feel that my neighbors welcomed me. On 28th/Normal, most people were Asians. There were Asians that just came from their home country and couldn't speak or understand English. There were young Asian children that attended schools around that area. There were gangster Asians that came out at night and partied. You would think that the Asians living on this street would be living in peace and joy. Haha funny idea and I wish that was the case.

People from the neighboring streets weren't Asians. They were mainly Caucasions or Latinos. So, you have this group of Asians surrounded by people that could speak perfect English in America. Already, things sound like they could be complicated. And they did get complicated.

For as far as my memory can stretch, I can recall that there were times when  kids from a few streets down came and spray painted my garage door with "Fre$h Off Da Boat." I remember walking down the street with my Grandpa and two adults would say "Ching Chong Chingyyy, Gung Hay Fat Choy. Hahaha!" Strange isn't it? Because, if they were trying to speak Chinese, I'm pretty damn sure they failed miserably at doing so.

But I was sure as hell they were making fun of the Chinese language. They were looking down on the Asians that spoke broken English. Sometimes, it's not all about being EXACTLY the same. It's okay to step out, share your uniqueness and not be picked on for being who you are. Being away from your home country doesn't mean you lose who you are, lose your history, and the pride of your past. That's the concept that those people who picked on us did not get. They are ignorant. And no, ignorant is not bliss in this case.

Introduction

Hey there! Nice to meet you, 2nd period American Literature class! :D My name is Loren Hou. I'm usually a really quiet person, unless I've known you for a while. Sometimes, people often think that I'm in a bad mood because I don't talk much, but that's not true (for the most part!). 

I enjoy reading, writing (songs, stories, etc), playing the piano, cooking, biking, and spending time with family/friends. I'm also interested in track running and forensics science (not just forensics...I love all types of science).  Later this year if my schedule allows, I am looking forward to be a part of Whitney Young's girl's track team. And as for my interest in forensics science, there's nothing major that I can do as of now. But, I am planning to major in forensics, law, and get some sort of medical degree after at least eight years of college. After all of that, I'll be on my way to become a coroner. (:

Based on my career goal, one can assume that overall, I am a serious person. Other than that, I also have high expectations of myself. I wasn't always like this, but because of my family background (Haha, yeahh, you know how Asian parents are!), I slowly fell into the habit of having high standards as well. Though at times I may feel extremely stressed, on the flip-side, it's definitely worth the work and trouble. 

Even though my hobbies and interests may sound boring to some people, I'm not THAT "boring" and nor am I that much different from the other teens (a lot of people think that I'm extremely different from the other teens just because I want to be a coroner...). Just like any other teenager out there, I like electronics, music, and amusement parks (6 Flags...WoooHooo!). Some of the music artists that I adore are: Marilyn Manson, Coldplay, Jay Chou, JJ Lin, Evanescence, Gorillaz, Eminem, Beethoven, Chopin....and a lot more. I also like to listen to techno, trance, or just remixes of classical music. 

Of course, these four paragraphs cannot tell who I am. But, there's a good amount of me that's exposed here. I am looking forward to having a merry and meaningful year. (: