The Smile

          Matthew was five years old when this all began. He was young boy who lived in Wisconsin with his mother and father. His family was a very stable family and were very religious. On February 13, 1991 Matthew's family received a phone call from a man named Joseph Vincent. Joseph was calling as a representative of the church in Canada and was very passionate about the religion. He asked Matthew's parents if they had a child and asked if he can talk to their child every day for about five minutes to teach and educate him about the bible. Joseph had a very kind and generous tone which allowed him to sound very persuasive through the phone. The parents agreed to it and from then Joseph has been talking to Matthew ever since.

        The first few phone calls that Matthew received were about the bible but after the first few the conversation began to change. Joseph was obsessed with clowns and elves. Joseph has sent Matthew coloring books, toys, and magazines that were all clown or elf related. His parents found no harm in this and saw this as an act of kindness for supplying their kid with toys and fun coloring books. This has been going on for almost the past year until one day Joseph asked Matthew if he ever heard of the man named Jack White. Jack White was a serial killer and rapist who dressed up as a clown or elf in order to lure children to his house to molest and kill them. Joseph told Matthew that he has been one of the victims who have been caught by the serial killer but managed to run away from him. Jack White was arrested and locked away. He told Matthew to never to trust strangers no matter how humbling and kind they sound. Matthew told his parents about this so his parents called the cops. There was no arrest for Joseph has not done anything harmful to Matthew. The parents did not know how Joseph knew there phone number or mailing address. But it was alright for Matthew's parent had changed their phone numbers and were going to move in a couple of months.

          It was now November 4^th 2001, Matthew had moved to Michigan with his family on 1994 and has been living peacefully ever since. Matthew is now fifteen years old and has just finished his freshman year. During the summer he went to check his mail box to see if his final report card as came. He opened up his mail box and he sees his report card, as he reaches in to grab the report card one of the booklets in his mailbox fell to the floor. He picked it up and saw that it was an elf coloring book. He threw it into the trash can for he did not want to remind himself of Joseph and went on home. He told his parents about this so they reported this to the police. The police were always around Matthew's home for the next few months just to reassure them that it was going to be alright.

          One year has passed since Matthew has received the coloring book and there was nothing to worry about. His parents were very busy that day so they told Matthew to not wait for them and to eat dinner by himself. Matthew returned from school at 7 p.m into his quiet living room. He prepared the leftover spaghetti and ate that for dinner. He had a very tiring day from school so after dinner he fell asleep on the couch. It was now 10 p.m and he had awaken from his nap. He saw somebody moving across his living room, he thought it was his parents and greeted them. There was no response back. He had just waken from his nap and his vision was still very blurry. He sees a figure that does not resemble his mother or his father. This person was round with a red and white striped top and bottom, pale face and red hat. Matthew didn't know who or what it was, but they made eye contact and then Matthew froze. The pale man looked directly at Matthew and held the stare for a couple of seconds. Matthew was so frightened that he could not move or scream for help. The man looked at him gave him a big smile and said “Don't trust strangers” with a mysterious tone. The pale man then fled out the door. Matthew began go pale and was having a hard time catching his breathe. He called his parents immediately and told them to rush back. He got up from the couch and there he saw the coloring book that he had thrown away a year ago fully colored and with a message in the back. It said “I will always find you Matthew” love Jack White.  

AP Question 3 The Crucible

       There are many themes revolving around the critically acclaimed book The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. One of the most memorable would be motivation since it spreads to various characters throughout all acts of the story. And with this motivation follows death, a recurring motif. But, there is a death that affects the audience the most, which comes in the very end with the protagonist meeting his demise. The main focus of the story is good vs. evil, and most of the characters pay the ultimate price for being involved in the battle. Most of this is due to the story-taking place during the Salem Witch hunts in Massachusetts in the year 1692.

      From the beginning, it is made clear that the people believe that there is witchcraft surrounding the village of Salem. This is because Abigail Williams, the antagonist, has tricked people into believing that there is evil lurking around their homes filled with witches. Her actions cause people to be hanged after they have been accused of being witches. But specifically she wants to kill John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail is shown as a deceiving manipulative woman having the motivation to be reunited with John Proctor so she could have for herself, and this explains her behavior. Her motivation is so strong that it causes many to die, who are seen as innocent and good, as they are suspected of being witches.

      John Proctor’s death is the most effective throughout the story. Although it doesn’t really take place within the story, it is foreshadowed at the very end. Abigail’s actions have accidently caused Proctor’s death since he is suspected of seeing the devil because he had been trying to save his wife from being killed as well. This is his motivation at first, to protect Elizabeth and save her life. This also causes his imprisonment. Elizabeth’s motivation is identical to Proctor’s, which would be to save her husband’s life. She does so by convincing him to confess. At that point Proctor becomes motivated in living with his wife and chooses to do so.

However, near the end, Proctor’s motivation changes. When refusing to give the confession paper, he acknowledges that he’s become a bad person, resembling the evil in the story. So, in response, his motivation changes to being an honorable person and staying that for the rest of his life. He chooses to rather die a good man than to live the rest of his life as a monster. Elizabeth summarizes this as the last line: “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him. Proctor choses to be hung and this shows how powerful his motivation really has become.  

Civil Disobedience

       Laws that are unjust and inimical should not endeavor the people to amend them and obey them because it should be a duty as an individual to follow what is right. Aristotle once said that “It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizens.” As citizens who thrive justice, they have a moral responsibility to go against unjust laws. Campaigns such as the Salt March, to Flying pickets and sit-ins, and the poll tax non-payment were all historical events that brought the people common people together in order to fight against the detrimental laws.

     Henry David Thoreau, the man who laid the foundation of Civil Disobedience, was a transcendentalist who argued in favor of the common people and called for an upright, more righteous government and policies. He thoroughly expressed his opinion in his essay “Civil Disobedience” or “Resistance to Civil Government” which was read by many nonviolent advocates such as Gandhi and King. Thoreau being a transcendentalist had trust that if ones soul and conscience was true than he or she was free. Civil Disobedience was galvanized when Henry was arrested for resisting the poll tax in protest for the Mexican American War and slavery. Thoreau believed that an American citizens should follow their own conscience, and for the ones who were against the Mexican American War should not pay taxes because if we do than we would be supporting the government. He believed that the American government's power should be in the hand of the people, not because they are the fairest but because they are the strongest and the majority of America. He asked “Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience, then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right.” He writes that if there was even one honest man who wants to bring an end to slavery and willingly be locked up for it in prison then there will be an abolition of slavery. It does not matter how small or weak of a person they are “what is once well done is done forever.” Thoreau explains that the government exists because the people chose it to execute their will but the government lacks the purpose for in which it was created for. So as the people, they must express opposition towards the inequitable laws. He emphasizes that an individual must not relentlessly yield to the majority of the State. Standing firm with this moral principle, soon later the Compromise of 1850 which led to the included Fugitive Slave Law. Thoreau educated the people on how a government should act and how they should respond in correspondent of that action. “It is not a man's duty as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous, wrong; he may still properly have other concerns to engage him; but it his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support.” He educates the people not to yield to the prejudice laws but to question them and not encourage it. This teaching has inspired reformers internationally such as Tolstoy in Russia, Gandhi in South Africa and India, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights movement.

        One of the most well known prominent leaders of the independence movement was Gandhi. He was great leader that believed in peace and wanted a fair world that would prosper. One of his first act of civil disobedience was the refusal to comply with racial segregations rule on a South African train. Gandhi was once removed from a first class railways compartment and thrown off in England. From there on he decided to fight against the unjust laws that rejects and harms the common the people. Although his teachings were based off peace he believed that an unjust law is the same as violence. Many times was Gandhi thrown into jail for refusing to obey the biased laws. During his time in jail Gandhi read “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau where he read about refusing the law non violently. Gandhi believed that violence does not allow an individual and a country to prosper, it brings his or her doom. He states “An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. Now the law of nonviolence says that violence should be resisted not by counter- violence but by nonviolence. This I do by breaking the law and by peacefully submitting to arrest and imprisonment.” Rather than the essay “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi preferred the Sanskrit word satyagraha which meant devotion to the truth. In other words in means that one must be prepared to die and suffer himself for the truth. This method was adopted by the people when the common people were opposing barbarous laws of the Government of South Africa. “So long as it is your endeavor to controls us with justice and love, we will let you to do so. But if you wish to strike at us from behind, we cannot permit it.” Gandhi and the people used this method for justice and love. On March of 1930 the spiritual independence leader began a march that fought against the salt laws. This movement was known as the Salt March which was limited my its failures. Despite the failures it announced to the world that Indian masses were strong forces and further continued civil disobedience which inspired many people such as Martin Luther King.

        The great leader of the African American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King had a burning passion for civil disobedience. King fought for good and did not cooperate with the evil laws of the government. King used civil disobedience as a means of generating government change. Just like Gandhi it formed a large scale of people to nonviolently refuse to obey the government's corrupted laws. King believed that there are two types of laws: just and unjust laws. A just law would be a law that go upon morals or the law of God. An unjust law would be a law that is discordant to morals. King had been arrested arrested numerous times for leading protests and march such as the civil rights march through Birmingham. Alabama. He emphasized that one must accept suffering and penalty in order for the right cause. King took more direct non-violent actions that calling for a negotiation because direct actions such as marches and sit-ins because it created more tension which causes the government to confront and deal with the issues itself. He believed that civil disobedience was the one form that can bring a negotiation for the government to change. He has a belief that “One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” A man that is obeying unjust laws is a basically a spiritually dead man. King emphasizes that the people need to stop going along with the government's corrupted laws and that they need to start acting against or else we all will be spiritually dead. Martin Luther King's idea on nonviolence had six very important principles. First was one can resist evil without violence, second was that nonviolence seeks to attain the camaraderie of the opponent rather than to humiliate them, third was that the source of evil should be repressed and opposed not the ones who are causing it, fourth is the satyagraha which is to suffer without retaliation, fifth is that nonviolence avoids physical violence and internal spiritual violence, and the last principle is that the nonviolent must have great faith for a better a future and believe that the universal will eventually will be on the side of justice and morality. “ An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.” Not only did King advocate nonviolence nationally but also soon began to increase the awareness of it internationally.

        Saint Augustine once said, “An unjust law is no law at all.” The primary goal that many of these reformers all around the world were chasing was to speak against unjust laws. That is a responsibility as a citizen and as an individual to do. Henry David Thoreau has sparked up the notion of Civil Disobedience is essay proclaims that even if its a small act or the act is done by a single individual it will last because once done will have been done forever. This inspired other reformers such as Gandhi who believed that supporting unjust laws is the same thing as violence. He believed that there will be sufferings for the truth to come. Finally the word of these people opened up the mind of the civil rights movement leader, Martin Luther King Jr. who nonviolently acted against prejudice laws by going on marches and sit ins in order to create tension and get the government's cooperation rather than waiting for a negotiation. These acts soon led to victories when congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Works Cited

"Gandhi and Civil Disobedience."- Constitutional Rights Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2015. <http://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/gandhi-and-civil-disobedience>.

"Quotes About Civil Disobedience."(35 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/civil-disobedience>.

"The Texas Politics Project."Texas Politics. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/ig/features/0607_01/slide3.html>.

"Nonviolent Resistance."Nonviolent Resistance. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_nonviolent_resistance/>.

"Civil Disobedience."By Henry David Thoreau. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015. <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper2/thoreau/civil.html>.

"Thoreau, Emerson, and Transcendentalism Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" Summary and Analysis."Summary and Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/thoreau-emerson-and-transcendentalism/thoreaus-civil-disobedience/summary-and-analysis>.

"About Thoreau: Civil Disobedience | Walden Woods."About Thoreau: Civil Disobedience | Walden Woods. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015. <https://www.walden.org/Library/About_Thoreau%27s_Life_and_Writings:_The_Research_Collections/Civil_Disobedience>.

Mahatma, Gandhi. “On Nonviolent Resistance.” 11 Sept. 1906. Speech

Descriptive Essay

         Winter break, a short but very productive time off. In that short period, I traveled to Las Vegas and Pasadena. This was the time for me to relax and just get everything off my mind. I waited for my trip to Vegas for a long time even when I was still attending school. The first semester a junior was worn out, stressed, and sick of it. The great thing about going away from your home is because it truly lets you feel that you are in vacation and really enjoy yourself.

        The first semester of junior year has got to be the most stressful time of my life. I was exhausted and lived a very monotonous life for about 5 months. It was the same routine every day, wake up, go to school, come home, study, eat, exercise, and sleep. There nothing new and it became a drag. But when first semester ended, I was free from the boring routines and the stress from school. When I am out of school, I do nothing related to school. I do not even hang out with my friends from school because it makes me feel like I am at school. I needed to get away from Los Angeles and go somewhere, where I won't see anyone I know. On the first week of break, I set off to my destination with my family. I am not one who would usually enjoy going on a trip with my family but for some reason it was different this year. I wanted to leave and I was looking forward to this family trip.

          It was finally the day, December 24, the day I head off to my somewhat paradise. I packed all my belongings, loaded onto the car and then we set off. As soon as I left my home, I left all of my worries and work behind as well. I was completely care free and did not have any burden on my shoulders. I for one do not enjoy long drives but I loved this one. The 5 hour ride where I can do anything I want but I fell asleep. I woke up and we arrived at In-n-Out, I usually do not eat fast food but I didn't care. I ate 2 burgers and 2 fries and when I returned to my car, I opened up my bag of Lays and Funyuns and started to feast on that. We then drove for about 2 and a half hours, then we arrived to the place where I can relax, eat, and play, Las Vegas.

         As I entered the bright street of Vegas it was truly magnificent. All of the buildings were shimmering with multi colored LED lights, Chinese tourists were taking pictures, the trucks had pictures of naked women pasted onto the side of it, and there were little hispanic people passing out little fliers for strip clubs. Yup, this was Vegas. It was not my first time going to Vegas, but it was my first time admiring the buildings and the shows that were occurring around the city. I had a great view of the city from my hotel which made it even more exciting. I saw all of the hotels such as MGM, Bellagio, and even Caesar's Palace from my room. Then I soon fell asleep anticipating what is going to happen the next day. The next dat I watched a show called the O show. It considered Vegas' best well known and most sold show. The show was marvelous, there were many talented acrobats that did acts that were out of this world. There people dressed as fictional characters from the Medieval times who were flying around the entire place. This show was truly amazing, it showed me that there was more to this Earth than bums and drug addicts. My last few days were extravagant and carefree then I went back home to start on my duties again.

       This trip has got to be my most memorable one yet. Not because I went to Las Vegas but because I now understood what it meant to be in vacation and why people need to lay back and relax. But I also learned that if my life was carefree forever it would make me into someone that doesn't care about his future. When I was on vacation I felt too relaxed and sort of wanted to have the nervousness that I feel when I go to school. If I don't then I will become a mindless zombie that just roams around this Earth.  



Question 2: Abigail Adams

In 1780, Abigail Adams wrote to her son John Quincy Adams while he was overseas with his father, before he became president. In the letter Abigail uses metaphors, logical comparisons, and talks about how John can use his talent out in the world and during difficult times.

Abigail Adams wrote to John in a kind manner rather trying to reprimand him of how he should be using his talents. She said “Your knowledge of language must give you greater advantages.” Which indicates that she knows that he will do well in his trip. She tells him that he has natural talents to build his confidence and help him recognize those talents. Abigail uses the metaphor “older and wiser” which means that his knowledge will grow and become great as he matures.

Abigail uses logical comparison to give John an idea of how he should work and behave during the voyage and throughout his life. The caring mother compares a judicious traveler to a river. She said that even a wise traveler can not find his way through the woods as smoothly as a river can. Adams want her son to be as smooth and fluent as a river. She wants him to know that being fluent and smooth is greater that being wise. She hopes that he will become diligent and mature from this trip.

Adams talk about the difficulties that he will be facing. She gives him solutions on ways to conquer those difficulties with his natural talents. She implies that he is a genius like Licero and that “ the habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties.” Abigail tells him that some of the struggles will be as big as “war, desolation, and tyranny.” But she tells him his talents, especially being articulate in language will allow him to conquer those difficulties and become “Almighty.”

 Abigail Adams wrote to her son John Quincy Adams to help him recognize his gifts. She did not know that John will be something as great as president but she did know that the way he was and raised will guarantee a bright and successful future ahead of him.                    

 

Question 3: Television Revision

          Has television ever actually represent real life? Television was not made in order for a one to become more aware of their position in life. If television did represent real life, many of the shows that we watch today will be meaningless and boring. Barbara Ehrenreich is completely right about television being fake and unnatural. That is the point of television; to do unnatural things so that it may entertain the viewers.

          Television has always been a way for people to step out of the real world and truly relax and enjoy themselves. Television is a way to mindlessly and enjoy something. It also brings people and families together so that they all can watch a movie together, it takes no effort. My younger brother, every night watches a cartoon on television and eventually the family ends up sitting down and starts to mindlessly watch it together. The television brought everybody together in one area and allowed us to do something all together.

          T.V has provided all of us with information such as weather and news from around the world, it allowed people to spark up ideas through watching television. Not cartoons, but documentaries and the news allows our minds to grow in knowledge and be more aware of our surroundings. Business men for example need to know what is going on in stock and have to see what is going up and down. It allows people to know how much clothing they should wear before even going out of their home. The television has serviced humanity in ways that we do not even realize.

          Although television has allowed many to grow in knowledge, there are also downsides to it. It may turn and intelligent individual into an indolent potato. Even with this is consideration, television has done more good in society than harm. It provided entertainment, knowledge, and interaction. Television will only affect the viewer in a bad way depending on what the viewer watches and exposes him or herself to. It is one's choice to believe that television is unnatural and waste of time.

          It is our choice to be influenced by what we see in television. The television's soul purpose was to entertain and inform people about the world and their surroundings. One cannot blame television for causing people to be lazy, it is the viewer's fault for not being able to control him or herself.

How To Tame a Wild Tongue

Well known academic and feminist speaker, Gloria Anzaldua, in her book, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, describes how many different types of the same language can form from different kinds of people. In her book she talks about the different variations of the same language, Spanish, can be used when communicating with other people. She discusses about how one has to take pride in their language and have their own voice in order to fully take pride in their selves. Anzaldua uses a didactic forthright tone to support and educate her readers. She uses fluent transitioning to structure her book and good choice of diction in her sentences to convey her ideas to the reader.

Anzaldua's didactic and forthright tone informs the readers that there are many kinds of borders between nations, cultures, classes, genders, and language. She informs the reader on how many types of speech can be created from one language. She implies that with Mexicans you can speak standard Mexican Spanish or in a Northern Dialect but with Chicanos, who are a different type of hispanics, she has to speak to them mostly in English. They may be the same race but the way of speech is different. She tells her reader about how the hispanics tend to forget that they have predominately Indian genes. They are forgetting their heritage and who they really are, and one cannot take pride on his or herself until he or she has taken pride and understand their language.

Gloria uses very descriptive words to describe the way she is feeling and to establish to the audience a very descriptive picture. The author not only uses english words but uses spanish words has well to describe her Mexican way of life. She talks about how she was “ambivalent” about their music, meaning that she was confused about her culture and why it came to be. She lists many spanish words with the english meaning right next to it, such as bola (ball), carpenta (carpet), and machina de lavar (washing machine) to support her idea on how the Mexican language is different in a certain and small way that not very many people recognize. There are different ways to incorporate words even in the same language.

Gloria constructed her essay in a simple manner to allow the readers to interpret clearly in what she is is trying to justify. She formulates her writing with subtopics which is an easy way to separate from tradition to the chicanos and from the chicanos to linguistic terrorism. She first talks about her tradition and how there are many ways to communicate, by adding personal anecdotes such as the way she talks with her siblings and the way she interacts with Chicanos and kids her age. Then she talks about the history of Chicano Spanish and how it originate to allow the readers to have a sense of knowledge about its background. It then closes with the fear the Chicanos have on how others view them because they are afraid on what others will think of them because they do not speak Chicano Spanish. So she says “ if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about may language” to tell the readers that she is not ashamed of her language because she is her language. This was said almost to the end of the story to invoke a collective interest.

                Gloria Anzaldua is a feminist speaker and write of “How to Tame a Wild” believed that one has to have pride in his or her language to truly have pride in his or herself. This is done to inform the reader that language has heritage and that we should not forget it.