Thanatopsis Questions - with Amy Gilbert

1. Thanatos (Death) and Opsis (Sight). The poem is about the sight of death and having to eventually go through it.
2. Shroud: A cloth or sheet in which a corpse is wrapped for burial.
Pall: a cloth, often a velvet, for spreading over a coffin, bier, or tomb.
Narrow House: the grave
Sepulcher: a tomb, grave, or burial place
The words influence the poem by talking about death, since the poem changes to the way of death it just makes it more understanding.
3. The shift in the poem around line 30 changes it from life to death. Death is a part of life that everyone has to go through it at some point.
4. The tone of the beginning of the poem is life and being stern about things, bitter, it switches around line 30, the tone of the end of the poem is about death and comforting because you are dying peacefully.
5. An elegy is a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead. The elements that describe this is when the poem shifts from mournful to comfort.
6. The poem is a description of a forest with rivers and hills forming the landscape so that its not flat and boring. It could also paint a picture that is bright and cheerful on one side with sunshine and flowers; while being dark and gloomy on the other side with rain and unhappy things.
7. The poem is an example of a historical poem by the language being used and because it simplified the thinking of the people during that time. It is a romantic poem because it has a deeper meaning that you would have read between the lines, it is also opposite from what people think now. Everyone tries to stay alive saying that death is a bad thing but in this poem it is saying that death is a beautiful thing that you shouldn't be scared of. It is a Calvinist poem because it is in the wrath of God that you should not be scared of death, this poem is a description of everyone having the same fate.

The Crucible Webquest with Amy Gilbert

Arthur Miller

Key events in his life
- Born in Harlem, New York City October 17, 1915
-His father, Isidore Miller, was an illiterate Jewish immigrant from Poland
-Best known for the play Death of a Salesman (1949)
-Once married to Marilyn Monroe from 1956-1961
-One of the best-known American playwrights after WW II
-After graduating from a high school in 1932, Miller worked in automobile parts warehouse to earn money for college
-After reading Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov Miller decided to become a writer
Other works (especially Death of a Salesman)
- Brought Miller international fame
- One of the major achievements of modern American theatre
-1949 Miller was named an "Outstanding Father of the Year"
-The FBI read his play The Hook, about a militant union organizer, and he was denied a passport to attend the Brussels premiere of his play The Crucible (1953)
-A View from the Bridge were successfully produced in 1955
- Kazan's film On the Waterfront(1954)
His beliefs/political outlook including communist connections
-1965 he was elected president of P.E.N., the international literary organization
-1968 Democratic Party Convention he was a delegate for Eugene McCarthy
Arraignment by the House Un-American Activities
-The Crucible is often seen as a denunciation of McCarthyism
-1952 testified and identified members or former members of the Communist Party
- Under some suspicion of being a Communist or sympathizer himself
- Convicted of contempt of Congress

New England in the 1690's

What type of people settled Massachusetts?

-Puritans settled in Massachusetts to escape religious persecution in England. 

-Including Plymouth (1620), Massachusetts (1628), New Hampshire (1629), Connecticut (1633), Maine (1635), Rhode Island (1636), and New Haven (1638)

How did they survive?

-The Puritans believed that they should live by Gods Word or they would be punished. They worked throughout the day and always studied the bible during their free time.

-They believed they were the Chosen People of God destined to found a New Jerusalem

What were their main fears and anxieties?

- People of New England mainly feared the devil and witchcraft
-They believed that if you were a witch that you sold yourself to the devil.-That the devil fought his war with heaven by using humans -Feared the devil and his demons, including a small, hairy creature called an imp. An imp was a witches familiar who would suckle from their bodies. It would aid in the devil's work by hurting and tormenting innocent people
-Feared religious uprisings from the Baptists and Quakers, attacks from nearby Native American villages and the divine wrath of God for misbehavior

What can you find out about their social structures/hierarchies?

-Establishing a government was the first issue that the Puritans faced after they reached religious freedom.

-male adults led the town through meetings and authority.

-militia and elected leaders defended the colony, all of which were men.

-men gained their rankings through positions in church

-religion was the center of life during this period, and the Congregational Church was the center of every Massachusetts town

-Mandatory primary education was in effect, and Harvard College, founded in 1636 by the Puritans, was available for enrollment 

-Massachusetts minted its own currency, constructed a British military port in Boston, and collected local and colony taxes

McCarthyism and the crack-down on communists in the 1950's 

What was the Cold War?

-The cold war was a war between the United States and NATO against the Soviet Union and Allies. It was consider the cold war because there was no large fighting against the two sides. It was just a high level of tension between the them. 

What was McCarthyism? Who was Joe McCarthy? What were his aims? methods? Who were his victims?

-McCarthyism is an act that people participated in during the late 1950's that represented the anti-communist movement. Joe McCarthy was a US Senator from Wisconsin, he was the first to speak openly and accuse many US politicians and others inside and out of the government. His goal was the eliminate all forms of communist in the nation he lived in. McCarthy's methods of elimination were attacking people who shared their beliefs and spreading fear throughout the people of the nation. He did not only put down the people who came forth about being communist, he also tortured and persecuted those who appeared to be but did not admit it. 

What lead to his eventual downfall?

-McCarthy's downfall was forced upon him by himself. He was televising his trials on the people who were thought to be communist. The people and professionals who witnessed these trials saw them as unfair and McCarthy doing nothing but bullying the people on the stands.

Salem Witch Trials Web Quest with Amy Gilbert

1.1. During the trial while she was being questioned it made me very uncomfortable. I had a sense of hatred towards the people of the town and most definitely the girls that was testifying against her. Its a sticky situation when you know you're Innocent yet people accuse you of being guilty. Whenever her son came forward it proved to the jury she was innocent yet because of the dirty acts of the girls she was tried as guilty and hung. This makes me very angry because innocent people should not be harmed just because someone says they did something that they didn't do.
2. The author of The Crucible, Arthur Miller, uses creative license to make certain sense more or less dramatic than they really were. He also uses it to change small details throughout the story such as, ages and name. Miller uses his freedom by changing the details to make the girls testifying against so called witches older than the actual story. This is a huge difference because a young child wouldn't know any better if they are doing it with a group of friends for a good laugh yet once she is older it makes it feel more real because they realize the consequence yet they continue to put innocent people harms way. A minor change would be the changing of the names. Miller did this just to make his story appear different and to protect the identity of the actually characters.
3. Caborael's theory that the food had been contaminated with the ergot poisoning makes a lot of sense because perhaps the first girls to get contaminated did live under the same roof. Their immune systems could have been very weak and not able to fight of the poison. No it cannot prove that this was the cause due to the fact other questions were raised and we have no actual proof. Other professionals believe it could have been the start of a harmless teen prank that ended with tragedy in the hanging of their neighbors.
4. Miller points out the fact that their is an uncanny similarity between the Salem Witch Trails back in 1692 and the communist outbreak in 1949. This shows the similarity that the people of Salem were pointing out flaws of other neighbors and searching every detail to prove they were a witch. When the people of America start to fear communism there is a comparison of fear and search to cleanse themselves of the communist people just as Salem did with the witches. Millers article opened my eyes to see how one freak incident can turn everyday life up side down.
5. The House Un-American Activities Committee and the Salem Witch Trails show a comparison with the need to annihilate the situation. The HUAC pointed out the communist behavior and put a stop to it as well as the Witch Trails killed anyone who denied being a witch and took mercy on the ones who confessed to being a witch. The Contrast between the two is the trials persecuted them however the HUAC just held them in prison.
6. The holocaust was similar to the Salem trials because of the fact that they held innocent people against their will to contain the problem. The holocaust persecuted everyone one of faith, Jews, women, men, children everyone. The trails only persecuted adult woman.
7. George Santayana's quote means if our future generations cannot learn from our history's past mistakes they are doomed to fail and repeat them. We make the same mistakes just in different context. You learn from it by making the same mistake too many times and putting a stop to it. The Crucible is probably not the best at educating its readers on the Salem Witch Trials because Arthur Miller uses his creative license to change many details throughout the story.
8. Another example of the similarities is slavery and the desegregation of blacks and white. The KKK was a group of people who persecuted blacks because they were seen as unclean and worthless. The trials did the same thing because some people seemed different only they wouldn't admit it because it wasn't true, just like the blacks were no different than the whites.
9. The participation in the Salem Witch Trials activity would be our favorite activity because it shows the difference between the ones who admitted they were witches and the ones who did not.

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" Questions Amy Gilbert & Brittany Payne

1. Edwards hopes were to accomplish that the Puritans would come and take over the land because they wanted to take over the churches and change them.
2. When Edward says  "Natural Men" he is comparing it to the common man, meaning before they gain power.
3. The meaning of appease and abate is the same thing, both mean pacify.
4. Edwards uses this technique to continue a comparison in the second paragraph.
5. The purpose of this clause is to further explain "The world of misery" by using an appositive to compare it to "that lake of burning brimstone". Another example of a appositive is "Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God."(Page 104)
6. The repetition of the word "and" is to emphasize the meaning of the continued sentence. The rhetorical effect is to maintain the emphasis and continue on with the meaning of the example.
7. Edwards uses semicolons to connect the independent clauses because he wants to make sure the comparison is continued so that its not stopped and started again.
8. Edwards develops a simile in paragraph 5 by comparing "The wrath of God" to the "...great waters that are dammed of the present."(Page 103) The power of imagery is very vivid throughout this paragraph, but it gives you a stronger look on power rather than actual seeing. He uses the simile because he wants to give the audience a more clear look on his perspective.
9. The figurative language and images in the next three paragraphs (6, 7, & 8) talk about the development of the sinners path and the imagery gives a vivid look on the damnation of the sinners future.
10. The nature of appeals that Edwards is displaying is pathos because he is basically just trying to scare the audience, he has no logic or anything to back up his argument.
11.Edwards tone is anger because he's expressing the dangers of Hell and he doesn't want them to experience Gods wrath of Hell.
12. Edwards wants his sermon to be heard so that the audience can hear the tone in his voice and feel the emotions in his words. He doesn't want the text to be misunderstood or taken in a different context therefore it should heard not read.
13. His text is persuasive because Edwards wants the sinners to not sin and feel the dangers of Gods wrath so he is going about his sermon to put the fear of God in them. The sermon is very effective by just reading a part of it so hearing the whole thing would most definitely scare you. You define a persuasive text by the emotions the author intends for you.
14. The parts of Edwards speech that might have caused audience members to faint or cry out would have been most likely the parts where he describes eternal life in Hell and the "...burning bottomless pit of Gods wrath."
15. On Amy Gilbert's blog post!!!!!!!

The Navajo Origin Legend & The Iroquois Constitution Questions

The Navajo Origin Legend

1. What words would you use to describe the images in these tales and the impression they made on you?
-The images in the tales show very spiritual things, are very vivid and descriptive and they way of life that they lived.
2. Not for this story
3. Not for this story
4. A) Recall: Identify the stages of the Navajo creation ceremony? B) Analyze: What do the order and ritual of the ceremony tell you about the Navajo people?
-They cleanse and dry themselves on the 12th day, the gods come forth, they wait for the wind to blow. They valued structure and sacred rituals.
5. A) Recall: What is the winds role in the ceremony? B) Contrast: How does the winds role contrast with the order and ritual of the ceremony?
-The wind is breathing life in corn, it plays the role of giving life not laying foundations
6. A) Compare & Contrast: In what ways do the two tales differ in their attitude toward nature? B) Evaluate: With which attitude do you most identify? Why?
-They show where they come from but now where they come together, respecting nature knowing that you cant change it.

The Iroquois Constitution 

1. Respond: If you were the chief of a Native American nation, would this speech persuade you to join the Confederation? Explain
-The speech would persuade me to join the Confederation because if the tribes joined together it would be harder to over throw.
2. A) Recall: What do the lords plan to commemorate their meeting? B) Analyze: What do the roots of this plant symbolize?
-The Tree of Great Peace. It symbolizes peace and strength.
3. A) Recall: According to the Constitution., what must confederate lords do to open a council meeting? B) Infer: What do these references tell you about the Iroquois?
-They thank the earth, things of the earth, and the creator to express gratitude to cousin lords. The references show that they appreciate what they've been given.
4. A) Analyze: What three images from nature does Dekanawidah use in the Iroquois Constitution? B) Infer: What do these references tell you about the Iroquois?
-Images of a tree, an eagle, and council fire. That Iroquois uses symbolism with nature, references that he is in touch with nature.
5. A) Summarize: Summarize the qualities and conduct required of council lords by the Iroquois Constitution. B) Synthesis: How well do these qualities apply to leaders in the modern world?
-The Lords have to be selfless, calm, honest, slow to anger, peace, and good will. The leaders try to follow these but sometimes fail or fall short.
6. Take a Position: Do you agree with and support the ideas presented in The Iroquois Constitution? Why or why not?
-I agree because they show many peaceful and calm qualities.

Symbolism shown in the Yellow Wallpaper

In the Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman there are many different objects that symbolism different things. The wallpaper in the room that the narrator stayed in symbolizes the bars of a cage or something that constrains you. In the beginning of the story the wallpaper is dirty, ripped, unpleasant, and unclean but as the story goes on she continues to stare at the wallpaper. Eventually the narrator sees a women in the wallpaper that is only seen by her and only seen in certain light. The story shows that the women in the wallpaper is looking for an escape just as the narrator is because the husband is constraining her from all regular activity. Gilman is trying show that in the time that this story was written women had no rights and had to answer to their husbands most of the time and they felt trapped behind society. Women are struggling with equality at this time showing that they are being ignored and not being given the attention they should as humans. In the story the author states "I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus - but John says the very worst thing I can do is think about my condition, and I can confess it always makes me feel bad." When the author writes this he is showing that men do not want equality in society and when women try to rebel or resist this the men try to take things away from them and try to contain them. Society saw women on the same level of children in the time that this story was written as they were restricted from many things and did not get any respect. Also when the narrator is tearing down the wallpaper near the end of the story it is showing that she is trying to regain sanity and get back to normal or healthy as her husband would say. The narrator tearing down the wallpaper shows that she is trying to get out of confinement or trying to escape from the restrictions that she has been put through. Another symbol that is being shown in the Yellow Wallpaper is the narrators notebook that she writes in. Her notebook is showing that she is trying to stay normal and not go crazy as it is the only thing that she is left with because her husband has taken everything else away from her. Although, her husband tries to stop her from writing in the notebook she still continues to do it behind his back because that is the only normal thing that she still has left in her life. Furthermore, the "nursery" symbolizes that the narrators husband is treating her like a child. John, her husband, takes all care away from her and insist on taking care of her because he is a physician and is supposed to know the kind of care she needs. He refuses to let her do anything herself and insist that she is continually taken care of by either him or his sister when he is not around. The narrator is treated like a child through out the story by everyone because she is said to be going crazy and so that would portray the meaning of the nursery. All in all, the Yellow Wallpaper symbolizes the cruelty that was shown to women in the time that this story was written.

Introduction to you

My name is Brittany Payne. I cheer for both football and basketball season as well as play soccer during the spring. I take dance classes outside of school all throughout the year. I have 2 older sisters and 1 younger brother, I also have 3 boxers. I attend Trinity Baptist church in newton and have a very loving church family that is always very supportive during any time of need, also I am an active member of our youth group on Sunday nights. I enjoy spending time with friends and family that I know I couldn't live without.