House of the Seven Gables

The Puritans of the 1600's during the witch trials in Salem and the book, House of the Seven Gables, were very strict, pious, theocratic people. Although their way of life and ideals may seem extremely different from the life of current day Americans, the Puritans had a great effect on American culture. 

The Puritans based their lifestyle on three key principals which came from religion and dedication to God, work and labor to ensure their "predestination," and education, in which religion and work was the dominant theme. Simply, religion was the one factor that summed up Puritan existence. These influences, especially education, are stressed in today's society. You work hard to earn a good education so then you can use that knowledge to achieve a better job where you continue to work through the remainder of your life.

Religion, once again, was the key part in the life of a Puritan. They were very small minded when confronted with the idea of religions other than Protestant. This closed mindedness results in religious exclusiveness which is a part of society that they develop.

Though it might not have always been a good addition, the Puritans have added many factors to the lifestyle and society we came come to be familiar with in present day America.

The Moment I Knew I was an American

The moment I knew I was an American occurred 9 years ago. I was in kindergarten, and was 5 years old. The date was September 11th, 2001. 

My dad had dropped me off at school around 8:00. I was completely unaware of what was going on and probably wouldn't have understood the seriousness of what had happened. But all day I knew something wasn't right. I can remember very vividly the looks on my teacher's faces; the look of distress and fear. The phone in the kindergarten house rang continuously through out the day. My teacher would flinch when she heard it ring.

After a few hours, we all walked outside. I still didn't really know what was going on. The entire school was gathered around the flag pole which was at half staff. Everyone was quiet. We were told to bow our heads and say a prayer. I knew then that something was wrong.

Later that day, my mom and dad had the same feeling. I wanted to know what was wrong. My mom had told me that there had been Everywhere I went, American flags began to appear. On the news, reporters started talking about America and the country. 

That day around the flag pole, people were singing. I didn't know the name of the song until later. They were singing, "God Bless America." The strength and togetherness of the people is what showed me the power of our country. That was the moment I knew I was an American.

Us Vs. Them.. Them Vs. Us

Conflict is what fuels the anger with in us all. (I am angry that I have to retype this because Blogger spontaneously refreshed and my writing got deleted.) Conflict can lead to war and problems within a community, nation, or on an international status. Depending on the scale of the conflict, it can lead to serious injury or death in some cases. In The Crucible, the conflict arises between the people who believe in witchcraft and are accusing others of being witches, and the non-believers; the ones who believe they should take the blame for their problems rather than blaming others and "witchcraft." Like in The Crucible, the problems stem from controversial issues within the town.

There are many controversial issues in the United States today. One of those issues is abortion. There are many who would like to say they have no opinion on the topic, but other see it as the most heated issue in the United States. The radicals on both ends of the spectrum are very one sided and biased. They are not able to agree with one another. Because of this, many may feel like they are in a, "Us Vs. Them.. Them Vs. Us," situation.

This is how people though during the times of The Crucible. If people did not agree with each other, they felt as if they were being attacked - or you were a witch. If you were always at odds with people, everyone would have a, "Us Vs. Them.. Them Vs. Us," disposition.