John Proctor- Hero or Stooge?

John Proctor, a farmer in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, is he a hero or is he a stooge? First of all, in my opinion, a hero is a person that overcomes obstacles and achieves their goals. John Proctor does not fit into that definition. He did not achieve his goal of bringing Abigail and the other girls to justice and in the end, he ended up getting himself and his friend into grave trouble.

Arguably, John Proctor can be a hero for his cause but he is a stooge for his last decisions.  Proctor was given a chance to be set free and he accepted it. He was alleged to have seen the devil and worked for him and he confirmed its accuracy. He told the judge that he lied about everything and he was the devil's accomplice. Though, in the end, he refused to sign his testimony and he was hung.

If he had agreed to the lies they put on him and recanted what he had believed in, why did he go change his mind. He only needed to sign his name for his life and he gave up that chance. He chose death over life. If he were to choose death over life in the end, why tell a lie before you die? Why ruin your purity before the moment of death?

I cannot call John Proctor a hero nor can I call him fully a stooge. He did not save anyone nor himself. He definitely was not foolish in the sense of what he believed in but he was a stooge for his decision of having a moment of regret. I call him a martyr for this.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Jonathon Edwards wrote "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". I have read an excerpt from it and I am stunned by his thought of God. In the excerpt, Edwards depicted God as someone very angry and more importantly, a merciless executioner. Edwards pictured God to be in rage with bow and arrow in hand, pointing it directly towards you, and ready to release the arrow at any moment he chooses. He also said that God holds you over the pit of hell and in his eyes, you are worthless and you should be cast into the pit of hell. In these situations, you are not tenable at all.

What a diabolic way of depicting God? I attended a Catholic school in the past and there, I was taught that God is a merciful and loving god. This is probably the major difference between the two philosophical ideas. Catholics believe God as a pretty nice person that would cut you some slack. However, according to Edward's rules, God will punish the sinners for every mistake and sin they have committed. In a way, he tells his listeners such as Puritans that their God is a carping god. Puritans would probably have believed Edwards because they live a very strict life so that they can get into heaven, and knowing that every mistake they make will count toward their chances of getting into heaven, they will believe Jonathon Edwards.

There Goes the Neighborhood

(This is a story made-up story about two families that move into a neighborhood.)

The Smith family moved into Neighbor Street. As they get settled into their new home, the residents of the block appear on the doorsteps of the Smiths and rang the door bell. Billy opened the door and said in a rude manner, "What do you want!" After a moment of silence, Billy slammed the front door shut and that was the end of the greeting. The neighbors were surprised by his rude attitude and took off back to their houses. The Smiths were then treated as outcasts of the block.

A few weeks later, the Browns moved to Neighbor Street. The residents went up to the Browns' porch and they greeted each other respectfully and made friends quickly. A few days have gone by now and the residents of the block all knew each other. The residents held a block party to celebrate the arrival of the Browns, but the Smiths weren't invited.

This story is to show that it is best to make a good first impression on people, especially the ones that will be usually around you, such as your neighbors. The Smiths had a bad first impression on their neighbors so they were treated as outcasts. Unlike the Smiths, the Browns made friends with their neighbor so they were celebrated for moving into the block. Likewise, Columbus befriended the Native Americans and his arrival to Hispaniola was celebrated. He was treated as a friend rather than a outcast and a threat. His good first impression on the Native Americans was the cause of his success in Hispaniola.

Introduction

Hello everyone. My name is Samuel Chu but most of the people I know call me Sam (I wonder why? :P). I am a sophomore this year and am currently in Mr. McCarthy's 3rd period American Literature class. The reason I said currently is because I've already had three schedule changes since the day of registration and my schedule is still incorrect as of this moment.

I usually don't talk to people extensively unless I've known that person for a while. If you know me for long enough, you would say that I am a serious person overall but I do put out lame jokes... sometimes. I usually bike to the park and play tennis with friends but that doesn't happen often because our schedules don't allow us. Recently, my bike was stolen (Yeah! Unbelievable! >:I).


Many people asked me how my summer was once we got back in school. I don't really know how to answer that question since I am quite forgetful and I've done a lot of things. Though, a very brief summary would be I've gone swimming, biking, running, and hanging out with friends. Still, even though there were many things that happened this summer, I still didn't get to do a lot of things I planned on doing so I guess I'll save that for next summer.

My freshman year was decent. There are A LOT more things I could have done but didn't so I regret that. This is a new school year and there would be more surprises and challenges. I will be ready for them when they come and hopefully conquer the challenges and make this a good year.