Im thankful for...

I dont really know who I should be thankful for in my 7th period class. I've known Connor the longest, as we were in the same ackie class. Henry and is in my geometry class and makes me and the whole class laugh. Amelia is on the cheer team with me and is like a big sister to me. Holly is another student that makes me happy to know I'm not the only wierdo in the world. Karmyn's been my dance buddy since last year and she's so funny and I know I can be goofy with her.

But there's one student I'm just a little more thankful for: Ivy! She's all of what I just mentioned and I can tell her anything. Ivy is that student that I feel like I'm going to know forever. I wouldnt mind knowing her forever, either. She's a fellow poet and a wonderful critic. She's a real friend and I love her for it.

At first, she commented on one of my blog entries and I didn't know who she was. She was just tjat kid who sat on the other side of the classroom. Then she moved closer to me, became my friend on facebook and a close stranger. Now, she's got my number and we talk everyday before class. She also walks me to my 8th period class. I'm so glad to have a friend like her, and I'm thankful for her!

I celebrate myself!

A lot of people consider me to be a wierdo. I'm okay with that though because that's how I am. Other people's opinions are irrelevant to me because I have created my own destiny and I choose to live with it. For this, I celebrate myself, the being who sees things in a totally different light. I choose to be different so I can celebrate myself, not the person I am trying to be.

Eyes are the window to the soul.

 

Look at that face. What do you see? I see memories of death and beautifulness that time was merciless with. The suspense of the true story is hidden in the shadow casted from his eyebrows upon his eyes. His many gruesome experiences are stored in the bags beneath his eyes. His brilliant mind holds secrets that are unleashed in his works. But those eyes share a story...

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer who was born in the early 1800s. Orphaned by the age of three, he spent his youth with Mr. and Mrs. John Allan. He was separated from his older brother and younger sister, who went to live with other families. This part of his life ignites a theme of loss and abandonment in his text. Mr. Poe's dreams and desires were ignored as Mr. Allan encouraged him to become a businessman and Virginia gentleman. By the age of thirteen, young Edgar had written enough poetry to publish a book, but his request was denied by his headmaster who advised against it.

He was left to fend for himself at University of Virginia in 1826 with less then a third of sufficient funds. This forced his hand at gambling, which hindered him more than he was to begin with, so bad that he eventually had to burn his furniture to keep warm. This instills a sense of poverty and neglect which intensify the feeling of abandonment. He was so humiliated by his poverty that he returned home to his fiancée, who he later discover had become engaged to another in his absence. He was so heartbroken and fed up with Mr. Allan's poor treatment that he stormed out of the Allan mansion and enlisted in the US Army after publishing Tamerlane, his first book of poetry, at the age of eighteen. Shortly after, Edgar found out that his adoptive mother, Mrs. Allan, was dying of tuberculosis and wanted to see him before she died. Mr. Poe returned to see his mother, except she was covered by six feet of dirt and garnishment. The mutual grief felt by both Mr. Allan and Mr. Poe helped their relationship mend before Poe was appointed to the US Military Academy at West Point (after writing another work, of course). During his time at the academy, he heard that Mr. Allan remarried and didnt bother inviting nor informing Edgar of the ceremony. At this point, Poe was so outdone by Allan that he wrote a detailed letter describing how he was wronged by Mr. Allan throughout his life. After writing yet another book, Poe was thrown out of the Academy. By now, you'd think that Edgar Allan Poe was and early Bad Luck Brian. That he was. And his story continues with many women that came and went tragically, adding more pain to his roladex. His story finishes with an untimely death, at the age of forty. In this period, Poe has written multiple short stories, volumes of poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. Some consider him to be the father of modern mystery and suspense.

His stories are not completely made up, but his reflections of his life.

Oooooh, the hardest question anyone can ask me...

What is an American?

Well, I'd say an American is someone who lives in one of the continents that end in "America". That's pretty much anyone of the Western Hemisphere of the Earth. In these Americas, there are many identities that are drastically different. An "American" can speak Portuguese and worship a God that controls everything. An "American" can speak modern English and worship the Son of God, but still be so sensitized to the everyday things that it doesn't even matter who they worship. An "American" can be brown skinned* from people of brown skin; or be flesh-toned with flesh-toned parents that, at some point or another, came from brown skinned people.

The "American" that is probably the most recognizable is the one that lives in the country called "America", such as yourself. By now, you've probably noticed that I put "American" in quotation marks whenever I use it. That is because nobody is 100% from America. Everybody has blood from another nation, even if it is 0.00000000000000000000000001%, it is still something.

The only true Americans that history can acknowledge are Native Americans, many of which are still around. However, when Englishmen arrived, they redefined the word "American". They made Americans seem like colonial patriots who are very proud of "The Land of the Free". Yeah, we're "free", with a few limitations called "The Constitution". But hey, thats America for you.

*DISCLAIMER: by "brown skinned", I do not always mean African American.

The Modern Puritan

Based on what I know, those of the Puritan religion are very religious. Therefore, my opinion of today's Puritan would be similar to how they were two hundred years ago.

I say this because, based upon the literature that we've read about Puritans, there isn't really much flexiblity in their religion. For example, in The Crucible, people died for being different. Like, seriously? There would be no such thing as the Puritan belief anymore. So many people in today's society are different, it doesn't make any sense!

My point is that Puritanism would either be dead or very strict as they already were.

Add John Proctor to The Avengers!

John Proctor has shown some heroic characteristics and some stoogely behavior throughout the course of the play. However, in my opinion, characters are mostly remembered by their final actions/words. With that being said, I will remember John Proctor as a misguided hero.

Allow me to illustrate this situation: John Proctor was a well respected Puritan man with a wonderful life and a beautiful family. But he also has a big secret. This secret is the one thing that is allowing him to keep his life. The only problem with this is that of his wife is at stake. John, being the respectable man that he is, confesses his sin of adultery with seventeen year-old Abigail Williams to save his wife from being hung for witchcraft. With this goes his respect and integrity.

I say he is misguided because he is not the most religious guy on the block and he also managed to commit a son. Not only did he commit this sin, but he kept it from others so he wouldn't have to suffer the consequences. However, it is good that he did so because this secret has helped him save the life of a loved one, but not his own.

We now have a new hero. He shall be called The Adulterer.

Going... Going... And the Neighborhood is gone!

Before I begin, I have one question: has anyone ever stopped and asked themselves (or maybe even someone else), what if the Native Americans weren't forced to leave their homeland? How would that effect me, even at this day in age?

No, I am not going to provide you with an answer. I don't know the answer myself, but I have been asking myself that question. I imagine America would have looked very different from now, cleaner because people would possibly have more appreciation of nature, since that was one of the key factors in the life of a Native American.  People wouldn't litter, because they knew it was wrong. Everyone would be kinder and more in-touch with their inner selves. We would all be very family-oriented, as if the entire nation was one big family. I understand that this all sounds wonderful, but history did not occur that way.

This has me thinking of another question: what if the British didn't feel the need to practice their own religion? They wouldn't have thought of setting foot on the Mayflower. America as we know it wouldn't exist. Either another country would have discovered America or we would all be Native Americans. WE WOULD NOT BE WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE ARE TODAY!

Both of these scenarios are strange to think of because the change would be so dynamic. Any change would be. Say goodbye to the neighborhood you know and love.

Introduction time!

Hi everybody! Most of you do not know me, but my name is Keilani Williams. I am 14 years old and will turn 15 on October 5. I am only a freshman, but I have attended Whitney Young for three years as an academic center student. I attended Skinner as an elementary school student. I was born in Chicago, but I have a lot of family that lives outside of the city/state. I am very family oriented, as I spend much time with those who are dear to me.

Those who know me would probably describe me as a fun person to be around, confident and helpful, but calm and straight-forward. I see myself as an easy-going, athletic, and inquisitive young lady. I am easily understandable and will try my best and hardest with everything I do.

I am a cheerleader and a dancer, but my past times include hanging out with my friends, reading, and listening to music. My favorite book is The Silent Room by Walter Sorrells. This book takes me on a suspenseful adventure through a correctional boarding school, from the point of view of a student who should not be there. I don't really have a favorite music artist, but I enjoy music by those like Lana Del Rey and Chance the Rapper.

I am looking forward to this upcoming year and getting to know some of you!