Broadening Horizons

"The Crucible" is a play that satirizes Puritan society. Everyone is willing to accept and follow what one person claims. When Abigail claims that different women are witches, people believe her without question, and each of these women are taken into court. It is very ironic how the society thinks Abigail is honest and perfect when in reality she is constantly lying about everything, just saying what she thinks will make her look best. Everyone wants to look their best even if that means lying. For example, John Proctor lies to his wife at first, telling her that he wasn't with Abigail alone in a room even though he was. He seems to care a lot about his wife and he wanted to look good in front of her, but she ultimately found out the truth. If he cares so much about her, why does he keep doing things that make him seem like he doesn't? Hyperbole, metaphors, and similes are all used in the play to describe Puritan society. Their whole society was in a mass hysteria, ...

While reading and learning about the history in "The Crucible," I had many questions. The play is about the Puritans and the Salem witch trials. We learned about the Puritan's beliefs and how extensive they were. I was constantly wondering where they got these ideas from. For example, where did they get the idea that its wrong to sing or dance. I wanted to know the origin of their strict ideas and beliefs, because they seemed very unbelievable. Just from reading half of Act 1, the irony is obvious. For example, the town is very strict, yet one of the main characters is having an affair with a married man. Isn't this against a commandment in the Bible? Why wouldn't there by consequences conducted by the town for having an affair? Also, even though they know about previous witch accusations and how strict the town rules are, many women went into the forest and conducted mysterious activities that they know would name them witches. Why would all these women conduct ...

In The Great Gatsby , it is debatable as to whether Gatsby is materialistic. In English class, we read an article naming Gatsby a "materialistic god" and explaining all the ways that Gatsby has this characteristic. However, the book seems to imply the opposite, explicitly stating how everything he bought was for Daisy. I still believe that Gatsby is materialistic. Even though he became wealthy so that Daisy would want him back, he still seems to want and enjoy all the things he has. He always likes to show off his mansion and his wealth. Previously being poor, it is understandable how Gatsby probably has longed for material objects and has become materialistic. Daisy is clearly materialistic, and he probably had gained this trait from her when they were together in the past and he saw all her belongings. He seemed to fall more in love with them than he did with her. Therefore, the article is correct in stating that Gatsby is materialistic even though his intentions in buyin...

In "The Great Gatsby," the pool may have numerous symbolic definitions. First, it can symbolize Gatsby's dreams and wealth. Gatsby never uses the pool until the end of the book. Instead, he just shows it off to people who come to his house. The only reason he throws parties is to show off his wealth in the hopes that Daisy would come. When fall approaches, Gatsby tells his servants not to drain the pool, symbolizing his attempts to hold onto his dreams, including having Daisy. It is clear that his dream of Daisy is almost unobtainable by this time, but he is still trying to hold onto it. His death in the pool represents the death of his ability to have Daisy, and thus cherish his wealth. The pool can also have a biblical symbolism of the baptism and cleansing of Gatsby. He repeats many times that it is his first time using the pool. He also takes off his expensive clothes which represent materialism. He is being cleansed from the materialism of the 1920's and the mat...

In "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby goes through so much just to be near his young love, Daisy. He spends a lot of time earning money so that he can be rich, buys his mansion directly across from Daisy's house, and waits five years just to talk to her. He even throws extensive, extravagant parties in hopes that Daisy would eventually wander in and see him and his mansion. It is clear that what they had was special because Gatsby still cares a lot for Daisy after all these years. This shows that there truly is no extent to love. Gatsby is so nervous when he sees her. He tries to hide it, but it is obvious. It is really awkward between them at first, but later they become more comfortable with each other. He goes through so much just to be near her and to get her back. Therefore, by broadening our horizons and using "The Great Gatsby" as an example, we can see that there really is no extent to love. Love makes people crazy and it obviously has do...

Generally, the American Dream is associated with wealth and prosperity- at least in the 1920s. All people cared about was partying and money. There was a substantial gap between the wealthy and the poor. This is made clear in " The Great Gatsby ." The poor residents of the Valley of Ashes are wedged in between the wealthy residents of East and West Egg. While the poor are slaving away, the rich are partying. This too emphasizes the theme of my last post. The author of the book has used the color gold to represent wealth. He uses many colors as different symbols throughout the book. Gold is only associated with the people of East and West Egg. The people of East Egg have inherited their money whereas the people of West Egg have earned their money. Therefore, the people of West Egg have more so earned/achieved the American Dream than the people of East Egg whose wealth has been handed to them on a silver platter. One thing I am wondering about is what else the American Dream ...