Are we Still Puritan at Heart?

     When I first read about Salem, the witch trials, Puritans, and the House of the Seven Gables, I didn't think much of them. To me, they were simply words written about a place I'd never been to, about people I'd never met, and about a time to which I could not relate. However, more of the stories are true than one would think, and after reading about the background of the time period, Nathaniel Hawthorne, the house itself, and Puritans in Salem, I feel as if  I can understand more of the information presented in books I have already read or will read. It's pretty spooky, actually--seeing as it's Halloween.......BOO!!!

     For example, Nathaniel Hawthorne has more in common with Salem than one would think. For instance,  one of his relatives was John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch trials. Some trivia about Nathaniel Hawthorne include that he eventually changed his name to "Hawthorne" in order to separate himself from his infamous ancestors. Also, he was born on July 4, 1804, and graduated from college in 1825 with Franklin Pierce, who would later become a United States President. Finally, Hawthorne often visited Salem, specifically the House of the Seven Gables, in order to be entertained by his cousin, Susannah Ingersoll, whose family occupied the house at the time.

     Speaking of the House of the Seven Gables, let's delve a bit deeper! This house is located in Salem, Massachusetts (yes, THE Salem, Massachusetts!), at 54 Turner Street. It is called "The house of the seven gables" because it literally has seven gables,which are the pointy things on the tops of the roof. It is quite interesting that the house where Nathaniel Hawthorne was born was moved to The House of the Seven Gables and is now extremely close in proximity to it--they are separated by only a few feet! As stated in the novel, The House of the Seven Gables, the building itself has an impressive history. It has been in the control of several different families, all of which have a story to tell. For instance, by Hawthorne's time, the house could only be seen with three gables. However, his cousin told him the house's history, and showed him the evidence of former gables. The house itself can still be seen today.

     The novel, The House of the Seven Gables, is partially about the town of Salem dealing with its past--a past which is now referred to as the Salem Witch trials. There are many possible explanations as to why these trials occurred. One of these possibilities could simply be teenage boredom. These teenagers who pointed fingers at so many villagers in order to have them executed could have simply attributed to the lack of excitement in the village. Then, there is the matter of the children falling ill in Salem. These sicknesses could have been attributed to ergot, a fungus which is easily grows in warm, damp, rainy springs and summers. Is it just a coincidence that this is how the Summer of 1691 was described? Nearly all of the young girls lived to the West within the Salem village, which was an area with swampy meadows would have allowed ergot to thrive. Furthermore, ergot is commonly found in rye, a staple ingredient in almost every type of food in Salem. Alternatively, the summer of 1692, which was towards the end of the time of the "bewitchments", was extremely dry, eliminating the risk of ergot in the village. Some symptoms that may result from eating ergot-contaminated food include violent muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions, hallucinations, crawling sensations on the skin, and a host of other symptoms, many of which were experienced by Ruth and Betty in The Crucible. Lovely.....

     Finally, we have the Puritans. The Puritans were extremely radical Christian thinkers which occupied the town of Salem at the time. They were categorized as believing in a theocracy, or government by religion. Basically, this meant that the government officials in the Puritan towns were the Priests and Reverends. The Puritans had some very odd traditions and rituals, at least from our perspective. For example, they believed a child born on a Sunday was a child of sin. This is because they thought that children born on the Sabbath Day were conceived on a Sabbath Day as well. You see, in Puritan society, sexual intercourse on Sundays was forbidden. (So, being born on a Sunday, made you like Black Sabbath, right? ...Right? ...No? Whistles..... Anyways.....) Puritans lived their lives in fear of a God as well as in fear of his counterpart, the Devil. It seems like an extremely humble yet unenjoyable and fearful lifestyle. 
     How does the Puritan-type society that existed so long ago still influence us today? Well, our religious diversity in the United States is a prime example! Many states do not yet allow gay marriage. The constitution does not mention it as being a bad thing, though the bible does. This represents some of our Puritan theocracy roots, though there is supposed to be a separation of Church and State. Our Puritan ancestors still influence us today because of the laws that they set in place before our system of government came around. Some of them just happened to stick around. Leave me a comment as to what evidence of Puritan roots influences you in your everyday life!
A Presto,
Simon

"One nation...in liberty and justice for all"

     When was the moment I first knew I was an American? That answer can hardly be said in written form. It is more easily implied. In class, we have defined being an American as being a free person who has the right to choose what he or she wants to do for a living, where he or she wants to live, what kind of name, social status, and rank he is to have in society, and, ultimately, what she wants to do with her life. And American is someone under rather new rules, compared to the rest of the world, which offer a broader spectrum and give more "wiggle-room" to citizens. Based on this definition of an American, I can't say that I am yet an "American"--only on paper am I referred to as such. However, I have definitely felt some of these defining characteristics at some points in my life, such as the right to choose my own fate. Most of these types of characteristics I learned merely from reciting "The Pledge of Allegiance" in class.
     When we were required to recite "The Pledge of Allegiance", I would always pay attention to the words I was saying. I didn't want it to be some essay or chant that was mindlessly regurgitated solely to avoid wasting time and in order to move on with the day. No, I wanted it to be something special to me--something that had figurative value and meant something unique. This was when I knew I was an American. Of course, I knew I was my whole life, but up until then, it was just a word used to classify me. Then, it suddenly became a word used to describe me. It meant that I, Simon Black/Toby, could not be specifically defined as an American, but it could be used as a word to shape my image to others.
     Specifically, the lines "One nation...in liberty and justice for all" help prove my definition of an American as being correct. This quote from "The Pledge of Allegiance" shows that an American has the right to be free, not just physically, but mentally as well. One can have freedom of choice, expression, and social mentality. This once-boring chant in class now opened itself to reveal to me that I truly was, and I still am, and American. It made me realize I was an American because I found myself fitting into the categories of the words in the pledge. I know I am a free-thinker, and I act on my own beliefs, meaning that I choose my own paths, making me a true American thinker as well as an American citizen.

"Death" vs. Death? I Choose Neither!

     (ATTENTION. THE FOLLOWING IDEAS SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT: THE WORD "DEATH" WITHOUT QUOTATION MARKS MEANS A LITERAL DEATH OF A PERSON, AND WHEN USED WITH THESE AFOREMENTIONED PUNCTUATION MARKS, IT SHOULD BE TAKEN AS HAVING A METAPHYSICAL OR FIGURATIVE MEANING. THANK YOU).
     When I think of a fight or quarrel between two combating individuals, I usually don't think of it ending with the death of one person. However, this "death" can be taken to the next level and be described as being a spiritual or figurative death as opposed to a physical one. In fact, there need not even be a physical "fight or quarrel".
      For example,  political figures may engage in mental "combat" through the course of debate and never swing a single punch. This will end in one of the politicians' defeat or "death", which, though it is not literal, still has a lasting effect on the person. Continuing with the politician analogy, one politician may support a controversial idea or topic, and the people in the nation not in support of this topic may rise up to commit drastic actions or cause the physical death of someone in support of the cause, or attempt at causing the hypothetical "death" of someone else within the confines of a civilized argument.
     In The Crucible, Goody (Elizabeth) Proctor causes the "death" of Abigail by subtly revealing to the village people in the town of Salem that she did something wrong, such as committing the crime of adultery, thus giving her a "bad name" in the village. This can be transferred into representing the death of her "good name" in the town of Salem. Mrs. Proctor did this by evicting Abigail from the Proctor house where she served as a maid or servant. She did this because she sense bad intent afoot, and was correct in assuming so, as her husband falsely committed the crime of lechery.
     Well, that's all for today. Can you guys that have read The Crucible come up with another area in the book in which one villager causes either the "death" or death of another? I can think of a few--at least a trillion.....Good luck!
A Presto,
Simon