Money in the head

I can understand Walter a little bit. He wants to make some dough, some paper, some bread, dat cheddar and cheese. He wanna make it rain. He wants to make bank! But he can't make no money being an average old servant. He gotta dream BIG. But he ain't got no money. How he gonna get all dat cash with no money?! That's where big mama comes in. She got dem $$$$. 10000 dollars is nice, but ol' Walter need more then that. He wants to make an investment to make that cash. Nobody understand him though. They don't see his dream like he does. He begins to get angry cuz no one listens to him. He gonna take it out on his wife. Bad idea! He going go cray cray over dat money.

Walter is a good example of what money does to people. Just like many lottery winners, Walter is consumed by this large amount of cash that has instantly opened many opportunities. This money has created this false sense of hope for Walter as he know feels like he has a chance to reach his dream. Walter had good intentions. He wanted to support his family, but instead he did the opposite. The cash started to tear apart the family. Walter was so caught up with the money and his dream that he became a reckless, drunk jerk. Mama was incredibly smart in buying the house. She saved the family and brought them back together once again. Then mama makes the mistake in giving money to Walter and they lose it all. Yay, Walter! When are you ever not screwing everyone over?

Food

Dessert is the best part of dinner. I crave it every night. Sometimes its cake. Sometimes its a cookie. My mouth waters just thinking about it. When dinner begins I cannot wait for it. Tonight is a my moms specialty, money spaghetti. It is very "rich" in flavor. I quickly eat my spaghetti, shoving handfuls of it into my mouth. The spaghetti is delicious, so great, but I rush eating my meal for that savory goodness at the end. My mom notices I am eating my food quickly and decides that I must be extremely hungry and need more food. She lobs two gigantic spoonfuls of spaghetti onto my plate and smiles. I look at the food in horror. I must finish this quick. I shovel the food into my throat and once again, my mom puts more spaghetti in front of me. I quickly gobble that down too. I'm so full, yet I MUST have my dessert. It's a Daisy doodle cookie. I look at it and realize I am so full. I don't know if I want it anymore. I ignore my stomachs cry to stop eating and take a bite of the snicker doodle. It doesn't taste like heaven at all. In fact, I feel sick eating it. Oh god, It's disgusting. I run to the bathroom and throw up. It was not worth it. I had rushed through all of the glorious dinner for a Daisy doodle, which was not even that great anyways. I ruined my whole night and I end up next to the toilet.

Girls

Gatsby is a very good example of what love can do to you. People go crazy, and stupid for love. And in the end he paid for it. Because of his obsession in getting her back, he did crazy things and made some really bad enemies. There are plenty of fish in the sea and Gatsby could have gotten another girl just as rich with his charming smile. He was soooo much better than her. Also she was taken already. Don't mess with another guys girl, even if the guys a douche. Gatsby really doesn't know when to move on. After all those years and you still only like one girl who already is married and is really shallow. He crazy! I think he kinda is a stalker. He tracked her down, bought a house near her. Goes out every night to look at her from a distance. And also the amount of money her spent on her. Thousands of dollars every night. Millions of dollars on the house. Another couple million for his cars and "toys" all to impress her. And in the end he doesn't even get the girl! He dies in a pool alone, by himself. And what happens when he died. No one goes to his funeral. If he actually spent time trying to make some real friends instead of obsessing over a girl that he could never get, maybe he would have had more people at his funeral, and had more people that actually loved him. No one really loved Gatsby. He could have been so much happier if he had just gave up on Daisy.

Das Racist

In class, we often talked about African Americans and their perseverance through the hard times of slavery and discrimination. Then we talked about women, who also suffered from being treated unequal. Throughout my entire time at school, the main focus are these two people that "suffered." I don't get why African Americans need to be talked about so much. Can't we think of other people that suffered? We do every once in a while put a variation like talking about Jews and Native Americans, but then we go back to African Americans. Everyone suffers in this world and we shouldn't just keep focusing on one group. I'm not saying to be like the history teacher and lie about all the conflicts in the past. What I want is a mixture of everyone from every race and background to be talked about. How bout them Asians? We suffered through stuff right?  Chinese people building railroads was pretty brutal, but all of that doesn't matter. What matters is the African Americans and their slavery thing. Or how they were discriminated throughout the cruel years. Why don't we ever talk about other people and their problems? Kids that suffer in the ghettos or people suffering from depression are rarely talked about. Maybe the reason there is so much racism is because that is all we talk about. When I was little, I knew nothing about racist stereotypes. It was only till I was older that I learned all this nonsense.

True self

No one acts the same around everyone. People hide their true thoughts and feeling about each other. Your friend could be your worst enemy, just like how Chillingworth was disguised as Dimmsdales close friend. Another example is Severus Snape in Harry Potter. Turns out that "evil" teacher was actually Harry Potter's protector. I really hate how everyone doesn't truly express themselves. I am a example of that. I envy those who have the courage to go out and be who they truly are and are not afraid of what others think of them. There are different motives as to why people hide their thoughts. It could be that they want to be polite and not tell the man next to him that their breath stinks. Or it could be a person like Chillingworth who wants to hurt Dimmsdale? What would it be like if everyone truly spoke their mind? If all thoughts came out? Would it be better or worse? Am I asking a lot of questions? Potato.

Men and Women

Many women over the years have fought for more freedom and equality, but I do not think that this will ever happen. Men and Women will never be the equal. Men will naturally be stronger than women on average. Sports such as football will never be played by women. I really don't understand why women want to be equal. I can understand that women want respect and the option to do whatever they want, but why do they strive to be so independent. Their are so many cases where men are chosen over women for a job and feminist go crazy about that. They think that people just are sexist and think men are better. Maybe the real reason why the interviewer choose the man over the woman was because men have some characteristics that a better than women when choosing an employee. One example is pregnancy. Men don't get pregnant! Lets just say that two applicants are in their early 20's and they are applying for a job, one a man, the other a woman. If I were an interviewer higher someone, I want someone I can depend on that will at work all the time and will work hard. Around 20's and 30's, people will want to start a family and have kids and all that crap. If a woman gets pregnant, she needs a maternity leave. A guy, however, doesn't have the option and will continue working will the women gets a huge PAID break. Also when a woman has a child, by nature, that child is the number one priority to the woman. This may distract her from her work and she won't be as efficient. Now this is not always the case, but if I were an interviewer, that is what I would think. Men will be men, women will be women. They will probably never be equal. I think that women should have the option to pursue their passion and dreams and they should be treated with respect, but will they ever be equal to men? When I say that women are not equal to men, I don't mean women are inferior to men. I mean that they will never be the same. Each gender has their own advantages and disadvantages and should be lucky and happy to be who they are.

Friends

Chillingworth, to Dimmesdale, is a friend and a physician who helps him with his health and is good company. Yet Chillingworth is the exact opposite. He is manipulative, evil, and merciless as he destroys the good minister. Dimmesdale refused to believe that Chillingworth is bad because his belief that Chillingworth is good. Some of the towns people start to notice the evil that resides in Chillingworth. How can one tell if they do have a true friend? Most people assume their friends are trustworthy. People would hope their friends are psychopathic crazy maniacs that want revenge.  But you can never tell. Just like Dimmesdale, you can put your faith in someone, but you will never know a persons thoughts and true intentions. You can only interpret through your friends actions of what they want and what they do. No one knows exactly what I am thinking, and I don't exactly what other people are thinking. We have friends because we hope that we can trust another human being to help us out. And friends gain trust by helping and giving. That's how Chillingworth got close to Dimmesdale. He "helped" Dimmesdale out so that he could hurt and manipulate as he pleased. It reminds me of the quote, "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."(although Chillingworth really didn't have friends). If you really want to hurt someone bad, be his friend, and then stab him in the back. It may take 7 years, but it is totally worth it.

Selfish

When I read David Foster Wallace's commencement speech, he talked of something I had been thinking about recently. He talks of people being "arrogant" and self-absorbed and has "little critical awareness". He also talks about how to think about others and their situations and what they may be dealing with. I often assume that everyone is like me. Bored. Tired. Stressed. But I don't have a clue what is actually going on in their lives, or what they are dealing with. I don't know if they are hurt, or angry, or sad. I often forget about what other people are going through because I am so self-centered. I needs were my number one concern. David Foster Wallace's writes "The world as you experience it is there in front of YOU or behind YOU, to the left or right of YOU, on YOUR TV or YOUR monitor. And so on. Other people's thoughts and feelings have to be communicated to you somehow, but your own are so immediate, urgent, real." Is it by nature that we, as human beings, are and should be selfish? I think everyone has needs. Everyone wants to be happy and to survive in this cold world, so they become selfish, and greedy. But when I read "This is Water," it made me think differently about people. It changed my perspective in society in how I view others. I know I won't be perfect, but I want to try to see the good in others and understand their daily struggles instead of assuming the worst in everyone.

Freedom

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Are we all created equal? Is everyone born with the same strengths, intelligence, opportunities? NOT AT ALL! No one is equal. If anyone tells you that people are equal, then they are lying. As a swimmer, I see people that don't try at all during practices and still do better than me. I train twice as hard as them, yet they always seem to be stronger. Only the weak wish that everyone was equal because they cannot keep up with people that are greater than themselves. Men are not created equally, and  that will never change. All people are different, they all start differently, they will all live differently, and they will all die differently. A person born into a poor family is not equal to a child born into a rich family. A person who is blind will not sense all that a person can sense. It is unfortunate, that some people will live and given a better chance at life than others, but do not go to me and say everyone is created equal. No one person is exactly like another. We must accept what we have and persevere through life and all its pains and suffering. Life is not easy. There will be hardships. There will be struggles. Equality among human beings is impossible. We can work for it all we want, but there will always be the poor and rich. There will always be the strong and the weak. And there will always be the fortunate and unfortunate.

They are always right!

Proctor exclaims to Cheever, "Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God's fingers? I'll tell you what's walking Salem-vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!"

This reminds of how my little brother seems to always be right. If I don't let him play with me, he plays the "Zach-hurt-me" card and I'm in trouble. If I yell at him for taking my stuff, he plays the "Zach-hurt-me" card and I'm in trouble. If I am eating the last of the Nutella and I don't give him any, he plays the "Zach-hurt-me" card and I'm in trouble. He is probably the least trustworthy, yet to my mothers eyes, he is the sweetest, most truthful kid that would never ever lie in his life. If my little brother thinks something is not fair to him, he gets his big Bambi eyes and my mother crumples to his cuteness. It seems nowadays, parents just seem to give in to what their children say. The world has not changed all these years. Accusers always are assumed as truthful. No one questions if they maybe are not telling the truth. This world is so perfect right? Obviously no one ever lies, that's a sin. And sinning is bad, so lying never happens. Abigail wouldn't lie about witchcraft. She looked like she was actually being attacked by Elizabeth's evil spirit. There are no other reasons why Abigail would accuse Elizabeth other than that she is a witch. Vengeance plays no role in this accusations. My brother obviously can't lie. Children never lie to their parents. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. In the eyes of the Court, Abigail is an innocent victim. In the eyes of my mom, my little brother is an innocent victim

Panic

Most individuals are not crazy by themselves; it is when people group up that causes mass chaos. During the Salem witch trials, people went crazy and started killing innocent women because of mob mentality. Usually under normal circumstances, the characters would never say the things that they said during the witch trials. They revealed all the issues and problems and blamed and accused others for their own gain. This mob mentality reminds me of the movie World War Z. The movie is about how people react and survive a worldwide epidemic. The virus turns people into zombies. World War Z begins with the main character and his family. No one knows about the zombies yet, but they see many police officers and there is a huge traffic jam. When a explosion goes off, people begin to panic. One scene is where a truck driver decides to ram into all the traffic. Still nobody knows the cause, but they began to run and scream and chaos consumes everyone's action. Flight or Fight kicks in and people go insane. They do things that they would normally never ever do. The environment and people around them causes them to go crazy. In both the Crucible and World War Z, mob mentality plays a huge role in how people act.

God

God is a really touchy subject to many people. There are so many conflicts and wars all started by religion. One terrible tragedy was the Holocaust. Those innocent people all killed and sent to concentration camp because of their religion. People have such different perceptions of God. During the Colonial Synthesis Reading assignment, I noticed how differently people viewed the God.  Jonathon Edwards thought of him as angry and enraged by sinners and unconverted men. Anne Bradstreet thought of a god who was almighty, powerful and wise. There are so many different opinions as to how many gods are there and what happened in the past with Jesus and stuff. Many people are too stubborn to accept other peoples thoughts and perceptions. People are too inflexible to see other people's viewpoints and people soon begin to fight. In the Middle East, Islamic and Jews are fighting over something that goes all the way back to 3000 years ago. Get over it! Stuff happens. Stop living in the past and fighting over some crap that happened so long ago. I am atheist, and I find it really funny how when I tell people that I don't believe in a god, they try to explain of how great God is and how it's so good and all. They seem to always forget to tell me all the bad things about religion, like the wars and persecution of people that it has caused. Have you ever heard of a war between atheist? Probably not. But how about some wars between religions? Almost a kajillion (which is a really big number).

Alexi talks about the hardships being a Native American and how they are often discriminated upon. For some time he felt alone because he felt that no one understood him. When he writes the Native Education, although he does use humor to lighten the mood a bit, one can still feel the pains he felt as he goes through his childhood being discriminated upon by not only the white people, but his own Native Americans. But one thing he does throughout his life is persevere, and go beyond what people thought he could do. He made his own path and did what he wanted to do, although many people like his parents tried to persuade him to do things in their own interests. People must find their own paths to happiness. Its hard at the beginning to figure out who you are. The environment around you influences who you are, the people you interact with influence who you are, the events in your life influence who you are, these things make you who you are.

The Power of One

Every individual has a potential. Any one person can make a change anywhere. It could be a huge change to the entire world, or to another person. There was a story of a man who committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. When people tried to figure out why he had done it, they searched his house to find a letter. The man said that he would jump off the bridge unless one person, just one person would just say hello to him. Not a single person did. People impact the world more than they know. One little difference in someone's decisions may not affect today or tomorrow, but everyone has the potential to change the future. The whole universe is connected, and one change will ripple through. The potential that everyone person has is almost unlimited, anyone can do anything. The power that everyone yields is based on how much one individual wants to give. Huckleberry Finn, although was just a kid, saved the Wilks's money from the duke and the king. Just his little contribution changed the lives in that community. The power that everyone yields is over 9000. It is enormous, and all one has to do is figure out how to use it.