Well, Am I An American?

On paper and by law, yes, I am an American. Born and raised in the USA, I am a certified citizen. And even though I may not agree with every decision the leaders of our country make, I am still an American. But do I take pride in that fact? America is a big melting pot, the very symbol of freedom for those who wish to come here, or at least, that's what the United States started out as. But unfortunately, the lawmakers have changed, and the immigrants coming here have changed. Society has changed. Whether I like it or not, I'm American. N0 hiding it either with that trademark accent.

But the moment I knew I was an American? My family is not extremely patriotic nor are we anti-America. Perhaps the moment I knew I was an American was on one Independence Day, the Fourth of July. I must have been around nine or ten and my dad and I went down to Lake Michigan to see the fireworks go off. We had a nice-sized American flag and so I brought that. Seeing the crowds upon crowds of people decked out in their red, white and blue finery by the lake was a new sight for me, having never been allowed to go out this late on Fourth of July before. I felt a sense of true belonging with these people: even though we were so different, we were all able to bond over the anniversary of our country's freedom. There was an almost palpable feeling of unity and pride and the atmosphere was just so positive. And maybe some people at the lake was just drunk or looking for an excuse to party and that's why they were so happy, but little Nina didn't understand that yet, and ignorance is bliss sometimes. But I'm pretty sure the other half of the people who came to the lake that night were proud to be Americans too.

Us vs. Them- To Conform or Not To?

Ah, the age-old situation of the individual and the community. We've all had to deal with this before, whether it be a cool band or a political opinion. Do we follow the crowd and conform to fit in? Or do we stand out to be our own person and live our own life? Of course, people are going to stay stand out, but really, honestly, would you make a decision for yourself if it ruined a friendship but kept you from being the person you were?

It's a tough question, for sure. I'll give an example. You are not very religious, but you are a feminist and believe strongly that women should have the right to choose. Say you go to a Catholic school where even the choice of abortion is pretty much banned. If asked, would you state your truthful views? Would you not answer? Would you pretend to believe in something else because your friends might act differently toward you? If we were being totally honest here, I wouldn't answer it. My religious views should not get in the way of a perfectly fine friendship. If two people have different opinions, they should be able to state them or not state them and get along just fine.

So is it possible for two friends with different opinions to get along after both views are out in the open, and both feel passionately? I guess it depends on the person, if no one conforms [not to say I'm encouraging conforming]. But thankfully, we live in a free country, where we can believe and say whatever we want. Don't take freedom of speech for granted, and be yourself and state your beliefs, because if you aren't you, then who else is?

Before I leave, I would like to offer you all a few words of advice. Don't be that one guy who loves the same bands, dresses the same and does the same things as everybody else. Dare to be different.

John Proctor, Hero or Stooge? [better late than never...]

Before I start, yes, I do realize this is Sunday, and yes, I realize the blog was due Friday. I'm not going to waste time with my excuses because they are irreleveant. However, even though I may have already gotten a zero on this assignment, I'm still going to do it (of course!) even though I am two days late. So without much further ado, I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, the ever controversial John Proctor.
The place is Salem, the time 1692. You are an upright Christian man living with a pious wife and three children, and farming for a living. All is well in your small town: everyone gets along most of the time, everyone is a righteous, God-fearing Christian and nothing really eventful ever really happens. Not too bad, right? Until your life is turned upside down when three girls accuse your wife and you of being a witch (including the underage girl you had an affair with) and after a long trial and several more accusations, you are finally put to death. What a life.
So did John Proctor die a hero or a stooge? Both sides can make valid arguments, however, I believe he was a hero. It cannot be denied that he had an affair with seventeen year old Abigail Williams, who is in my opinion, a terrible flirt with some newfound power. When Abigail basically asks him to leave his wife and marry her, Proctor defends himself and says that, "...I will cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again." He realizes that he made a huge mistake in this one-time affair and now knows that he must be loyal to his wife and his family. But then Abigail softens and asks, "Do you tell me you've never looked up at my window?" And at the crucial moment, John says, "I may have looked up." So he does realize his weakness in that maybe he is not completely over Abigail, but after all, he is only human. He is vailiantly trying however, to resist this temptation and stay loyal to his family.
When Abigail claims to be possessed by the Devil and accuses John Proctor's wife Elizabeth of witchcraft, he doesn't react with shame or embarassment, instead he stands by her in time of need and does everything in his power to protect her. When he made the decision not to go back to Abigail and stay with his wife instead, he made the right and just one. But then Abigail, immature and hell bent on getting her revenge, accused his wife and it all went downhill from there. John Proctor was the bigger person in the end, and even though this one unfortunate bad decision cost him and his wife their lives, he remained a loyal husband and father until the day he died. For this reason, John Proctor is most definitely a hero.