Journal entry for "The Storm" pg 199

I was not really sure if we were supposed to do entry or response..


The title of "The Storm" could refer to the possible altercation between Bobinot and Alcee. If Bobinot decided to go home to check on his wife and had caught Alcee sleeping with his wife then the "storm" in a sense would have broken. Things would have gone crazy. People would have been shouting and probably threatening one another. But since Bobinot did not catch Alcee with Calixta then the "storm" has passed.


But another storm is brewing because Alcee is telling his wife Clarisse to don't worry about coming back to soon and to stay as long as she wants. So I think Alcee is going to try to get with Calixta again and this time he might get caught.

Response to "The Storm" pg 194-198

Umm.. The Storm is interesting in its own special way. It reminds me of cheesy romantic novels of today. It has a lot of descriptive words and that is probably the only reason I would like this story. I don't like the plot or anything. It was patched to quickly. The story does not have any conflict. Not even internal conflict. Usually someone will go through a conflict with themselves about whether they should cheat or not but no Calixta she just does it without any regard or consideration. There is really not much I can say about this story. it does not appeal to me at all. 

Good night and Good Luck S.O.A.P- Tone

SPEAKER:  There isn't anyone identified as the main speaker. There isn't any narrator. Everyone is speaking? I do not know how to really explain. The movie is just telling Edward Murrow's story.


OCCASION:  The person who wrote this piece probably saw Edward Murrow as a hero. Murrow did something that everyone else was afraid to do. He told the truth of the matter. The writer of this movie wanted to show how Murrow had people who helped him and supported his decision to oust McCarthy and show people he was doing something very wrong.


AUDIENCE:  The audience is anyone who is interested in Murrow. There is not any identified audience in this movie. This movie was created for everyone not for a specific class, race, or gender.


PURPOSE:  To show Murrow as someone very important to American history and television. Murrow spoke out for a group of people when no one else did even though Murrow was not being targeted. So Murrow was important for that reason.


SUBJECT:  The subject is how Murrow came about making this program about McCarthy and the challenges he faced with doing it. I know this because that is all they talk about? The movie is about him making the McCarthy program.


TONE:  The tone of this movie is very busy sort of. There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the news room and pretty much every else in Murrow's life. The mood is hard to explain. The mood changed from scene to scene really.

Analysis of The Crucible

I actually enjoyed reading The Crucible. It was easier to understand than The Scarlet Letter. I could follow the story. The Crucible definitely had "OH MY GOD" and "NO SHE DIDN'T" moments. This play really evoked emotion out of me. By the end of the play I was getting angry at Abigail Williams and her tactics to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor really got on my nerves after a while. He kept yelling at Elizabeth for not forgiving him right away. He should have known that she is not going to forget so easily. But Elizabeth irritated me too because she kept bringing it up if I had known her personally i would have told her "If you forgive him, you have to let it go. You can not keep bringing it up." I would have liked to see Abigail hanged for being a lying idiot but I guess that would seem too perfect a world for the play.


I do not have any problems with the play. It was pretty interesting and straightforward type of play. Some of the wording was a little strange but its not as bad as The Scarlet Letter. I think what makes this play successful is all the drama and also the internal, external conflicts. Proctor and Parris hated each other. Proctor in his head was dealing with committing adultery. Abigail vs. Elizabeth. Pretty much Abigail vs. the whole cast. The people that Abigail had no trouble with was her gang of girls and Danforth.

But overall this is an excellent play. I honestly did not expect it to be this good. Very impressed.

SOAPS - Tone document analysis for "Half-hanged Mary"

Speaker: The poem does not come out directly and state who the speaker is but the person who is narrating the story is using first person and says she is being charged as a witch so you can make the assumption that the person speaking is Mary. Mary is blue eyed and lives alone. She is being charged because she is not the normal girl. She owns her own land.

Occasion: I think the author , Margaret Atwood, was probably interested in the Salem witch trials and Mr. Urban tells use she likes to imagine the perspective of different characters.

Audience: It seems Mary is talking to herself and the reader. Its like she is asking herself why her. Why did people assume she is a witch. The speaker does not use any specific old time phrases to determine the audience so Mary is probably talking to us. Mary speaks of the people who hanged her and of god.

Purpose: The speaker's purpose is to show that people are being wrongfully accused for things that they did not do because of not meeting their sense of normal standard. Also the speaker says she has died twice. Being accused wrongfully can kill some people mentally. Speaker seems to be angry over this. She says she is not grateful for living because since she lived after being hanged people are definitely going to think she is a witch. So living has made her an outcast.

Subject: Being accused wrongfully and dealing with the inter turmoil seems to be the main subject here because that is all the speaker would talk about.

Tone: The author's tone seems informative and a little personal. She is sharing us her feelings of being accused wrongfully. Her mood seems to be angry but not like a wrath kind of anger but a subtle kind. its like she is keeping it in.

Arthur Miller, "Are you now or were you ever?" Questions

1. Miller attempted to make life real again by showing that things get repeated in history. The McCarthy trials are just like the Salem Witch trials. People being wrongfully accused for something they did not do and no evidence that they did any such thing. The Crucible shows that yeah these events happening now happened years ago. we are repeating a terrible part in history.

2. Miller's criticism was that the political left wing was not acknowledging the truth. Paul Robeson testimony was so remarkable because he expressed the idealistic canon of his convictions. Robeson stated that faith in socialism was a cure for racism.

3. The Crucible written by Arthur Miller evokes how people deal with conformity and individual freedom.

4. I think Miller means is that people forget the past mistakes in history so they end up repeating and repeating things that they could of avoided if they just looked back. It is vital for them to remember so we do not make anymore tragic mistakes over something small and silly and then later realize that it could have been avoided.

Girls in Front of 9/11 Mural (Photo) pg 160

The impact of the mural is more significant than the impact of the photo. Anybody could have taken that picture but someone who was deeply moved by the 9/11 attacks made the mural to represent how they feel. Not saying that photography is bad or anything but the mural took time to make. The artist thought it through. They knew what they wanted to put it. The photographer was just walking by and noticed the mural so decided to take a picture of it.


When comparing the picture to the actual mural i find the mural more moving. Like I stated up in the other paragraph someone took their time to make something to dedicate to the ones lost to the 9/11 attack. Looking at the mural in person in going to make some more moved than just looking at a picture of it in their textbook.

"Shooting an Elephant" pg 131 Journal entry

I think Orwell is big coward (even though I love him as an author). Orwell is a coward because he could not do the right thing. He knew killing that elephant was wrong. The elephant was not doing anything to the people. It was eating grass. He killed the elephant to not look like a coward in front of the Burma people. He should have told them that he was not going to kill an animal who was not doing anything. Orwell should have waited to consult the owner about what he wanted to do about the animal. Orwell uses the justification that the elephant killed the man and that he was merely doing was considered right. If Orwell was really unsure he should have waited for the elephant owner to come back and explain the situation not just take matters into his own hands for acceptance by the people.

Orwell is not a racist. he does get frustrated with the Burma people for jeering at him but he knows that imperialism is not right. He knows taking over a native land just for the benefit of your country is not right. He understands why the people act like this to Europeans even though it frustrates him.

Thoughts on The Scarlet Letter

When I was first reading it, I got very confused with the language that Hawthorne uses. I loved the concept of the book but the language really killed me. But everything else was great. There was a lot of symbolism with nature and with Pearl's name. The book was definitely filled with a lot of descriptions. I usually like descriptions but when Hawthorne describes something it takes about five pages to get his point across. When I was reading the long descriptions of the Governor getting elected I thought "is this necessary?" but that is Hawthorne's style. Not enough dialogue for me. Every time I came to a new chapter i would there was some type of dialogue but most of the time I was greatly disappointed.

Drama was great. But I hated the ending. I was very positive that Chillingworth would kill Dimmesdale but Dimmesdale pretty much just plopped down and died. I kinda knew that Dimmesdale was the father pretty early in the book. So not too many surprises. I enjoy when there are conflicts in a story so the whole religion versus love and passion definitely spiced things up. Hawthorne did make me feel sympathy for Hester. If that was what he wanted to do then he accomplished that.

So pretty much i liked the concept but not the language. It was alittle predictable and the ending was not that great but overall it was ok.

Thoreau "Civil Disobedience"

1. A better government commands my respect because our government right now is corrupt and just trashed. We should gut it out and start new and fresh. We should make the government for the people by the people.

2. (a) The motto that Thoreau accepts is "That government is best which governs least."
    (b) He likes to see it implemented as having no government

3. (a) A government is best which governs nothing at all.
    (b) Americans will get the best kind of government when they are ready for it.

4. (a) Thoreau is urging people to resist governmental policies with which they disagree.
    (b) Yes, he makes a convincing argument but there are flaws.

5. (a) Countries need government for order. Without order our whole society would be in chaos and in ruins. Government needs to change but it doesn't need to be taken away.
    (b) Government brings justice to individuals who deserve it. Justice is a big part of our society. Government disciplines people who deserve it. They make sure we make right choices for ourselves.

Emerson "Self- Reliance"

1. Everyone has to be self reliant in a society so cut throat as it is. People in America are independent. They do what they have to do for themselves and no one else.

2. (a) Emerson describes society as a joint-stock company in which the members agree for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater.
    (b) Society's main purpose is conformity.
    (c)

3. (a) Emerson says they were all misunderstood.
    (b) The evidence Emerson uses are individuals who made major contributions to scientific philosophical or religious thinking. People misunderstand him because people wonder why do they go through such lengths as to change how we think.

4. (a) Emerson thinks we cannot be consistent. Life is not consistent so why should people be that way.
    (b) I do not think so. Life is never consistent and consistency is boring.

5. (a) Emerson says God will not have his work made manifest by cowards. God wants people who can fend for their self to carry on his work.
    (b) Emerson would say there is a reason we are here so live your life the best you can. Be self reliant. Do not rely on anyone but yourself so you do not be disappointed. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you. Great people have done it.

6. "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist"

Maya Angelou "Finishing School" Journal entry

When my mom made me learn how to play the flute, I was very upset. She told me I would love to play it when I'm older and that I will thank her later on. I did not want to play it because of the practicing that is involved. When I first played it, I was upset about sounding really awful. My mom told me to practice and practice and I will sound much better. So I did. I played and played which irritated my dad. He could not take the sound of high out of tuned whistling. Finally I sounded better and I really did enjoy playing it. I now see value in learning the Flute. I got to meet people from different bands and got to go on band trips. So I thank my mom for making me learn how to play a instrument.

Journal entry page 95

    Spiderman, the most beloved and strongest superhero of all time, was keeping watch over New York City. Every night Spiderman keeps a watchful eye out for The Vulture. The Vulture has been causing havoc over the city for months. The criminal has been attempting to steal uranium and other chemicals but Spiderman has been preventing Vulture's acts by appearing at the nick of time. While Spiderman was swinging from building to building, he heard the cry of an old lady. He swooped down and landed in a deserted park. He ran to the old lady and as he approached he knew there was something wrong but it was too late. The Vulture jumped down from his perch in a tree and gagged Spiderman with a chemical that made Spiderman go into a deep sleep. The Vulture, feeling accomplished, completed the last stage of his plan. He put Spiderman in a tank filled with slimy water and flew off to do dastardly deeds. But Spiderman woke up instantly after hitting the cold water. he looked around and realized what happened before he went to sleep. He tried to escape by using his web but he realized his web ejector was empty. He forgot to fill it up last night! He cant climb up because the sides are too slippery. He was running out of time! He dived down into the tank and there was a lever at the bottom. He took a chance and pushed and all the water gushed out. He sprang into action and ran to the lab where he knew he would find The Vulture. Spiderman beat The Vulture up and sent him to jail.

Introductory post

Just checking that this work.

I'm Ashlee B.