Modern Puritan 

      In both an olden and modern tongue, a Puritan is someone who is strict in ways of doing things. The Puritans in the olden days were very strict about behavior because they were based on a theocracy. The bible was the law back then, and if you disobeyed the bible, you disobeyed the law. In the same way, some countries today use the system the Puritans used. In Iran for example, the law there is the same as the laws of their God. So in a way, Puritan society still exists today, but not in the way most people depict it to be. Also, the Vatican is a form of theocracy similar to the Puritans. The pope is in charge of the area and basically commands the rest of the Christians according to the teachings of God. If a problem is serious enough to make it to the pope, he will decide what to do to resolve the conflict. The Puritans had a kind of court like this as shown in The Crucible when the accused came before judge Danforth (as stupid, blind, and again stupid in my opinion) he made a judgement to resolve the problem. The result of his judgements were usually death or prison. However, the pope can't make such    decisions to sentence death as it is not his portion to judge a person's life in that manner, but in God's hands. I believe that the idea of Puritanism will continue in decades and even centuries to come because the laws that the believers' form of instruction (bible for instance) come in is basically the same as the laws of the country. You cannot kill according to the ten commandments, and in the U.S., murder is a crime. 

John Proctor

Many may view John Proctor as a stooge because he had an affair with Abigail, and few may see him as a hero because of his last actions before he was hanged.

             As readers of The Crucible know, John Proctor was a farmer who lived with his wife Elizabeth and two sons. He wasn't like most puritans at the time. He seldom went to church and his children weren't baptized, which made the town's people suspicious about his faith and loyalty. One of the people who questioned his loyalty was his wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth hired Reverend Parris's niece, Abigail, to work for her family. This 'work' eventually turned into an affair between John and Abigail. Elizabeth knew about this, but kept it to herself.

When Abigail and her group of girls were accused of witchcraft, they all pretended and blamed it on person after person until the town was so bare that cattle were strolling about. Finally, Elizabeth was accused of witchcraft by Abigail and co and was arrested. John, determined to rescue his wife, went to the court to plead on behalf of his wife. This is where John's heroics emerge. Abigail, her girls, John, and the judges were present in the court. John called for his maid Mary to testify that the girls were pretending. Mary is unable to convince the judges and the girls use this opportunity to make it seem that Mary was involved in witchcraft by repeating the words she spoke. Down to his last shred of dignity, John admits that that he and Abigail slept together, and the only reason she accused Elizabeth of witchcraft is so that Abigail could have Elizabeth's place in bed. I believe that John's admittance shows that he is a true hero. A hero must have the courage to admit his wrongs and try to fix them. John wronged Elizabeth and now he admitted it so that he could try to save her.

After Mary's testimony that the girls pretended failed, she ran back to them and accused John of threatening to kill her. Enraged at this and the whole situation of Salem, he shouts, "God is dead!" Now, I'm not agreeing with what he said since I'm Christian, but I can understand what he means and how he feels. The fact that he even says this shows that he knows that something is not right with the town. How can so many people be accused and everyone believe that it is true? What he said means that the town is messed up and there isn't peace, happiness, unity, or anything good; all is bad. A true hero must be able to recognize when something is amiss and act on that.

Finally, when John is asked to sign a deposition to confess his sins and go back to living the way he was, he refuses and rips the paper after signing it. He knows that the paper will be hung on the church for everyone one to see, but he has lost everything and wants to keep his name. He says, "I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" In the end Proctor does what is right even though he knows he will be hung. His wife Elizabeth seconds his action and knows that he is doing what he believes is right. John is a true hero because he chose punishment for his wrongs instead of selling out to live his normal life. If he had sold out, his life might not even be normal because the people might resent him for what he has done. A true hero is able to admit wrong, know when something is wrong, and accept punishment for what he/she has done. John Proctor has shown all these traits and exceeded them. He is worthy of being called a hero.

   Samuel Kajah blog 2                                                                                                                       

There Goes the Neighborhood

The phrase ‘There goes the neighborhood’ is a saying used to describe an unfortunate or malevolent event or condition that could change the reputation of a community or even the community itself. When Spaniard Christopher Columbus (originally Italian) and his crew arrived on the island of San Salvador, they surveyed the various animals, plants, and the general area. He took a liking to the nature and wished to return home with some of his discoveries. Columbus and his men approached a village and noticed that the natives had already fled their homes. The natives had seen Columbus and co coming and knew that they might be in trouble, so they fled with their valuables into the mountains. In a modern tongue, the natives would’ve thought or said ‘there goes the neighborhood’ because the Spaniards invaded their land. Columbus took plants and other resources left and right to return home with. The natives probably saw this as a treat and ran away. What they were thinking (there goes the neighborhood) meant that their home was being invaded and changed it in a way that was not benefiting them. Their situation concerning Columbus perfectly depicts the phrase.

            Similarly, communities in Chicago faced what the natives of San Salvador went through when Columbus took advantage of their land. In mostly the southern and western parts of Chicago, lots of murders, stealing, and other crimes occur each and every day. The people of those communities think only of their safety and have little time to enjoy outside their homes. Gangs and their enemies make these communities their war ground and that doesn’t benefit the civilians in that neighborhood in anyway.  Like the natives, those people hide where they can to avoid the violence. Also, whenever a crime happens and it gets on the news, the people of the community think ‘there goes the neighborhood.’ This is because the reputation of the area is painted malevolent and all other people outside that neighborhood see it as inferior to their own. Columbus appreciated the land of the natives but he still had the intention of taking their resources for Spain. The natives knew this and fled to avoid any unnecessary dilemmas just like people today flee to avoid violence.