Puritans in America

Coming to America in the 1600s, Puritans fled England for reasons of religious persecution. Migrating as a family, they brought many important values of unity, family, strictness, and love. Puritans were able to marry for love instead of having arranged marriages. Parents took strict consideration for their children.The parent's consent determines the child's faith. The names of children had to be named after great Bibical figures. They also banned the celebration of Christmas and despised other religious affiliations such as the Quakers. Adultery was consider as a major crime and the punishments are extremely severe. This still exist in some states of our modern day nation as a morality crime even though it goes against the Constitution. Over 30% of Americans believe in enforcing this law. I personally believe that it is unnecessary to enforce this law because everyone has to right to be with whom they want to. People should have a pursuit for their happiness as stated in our rights, but I was taught to be loyal and grateful to what you have. A person shouldn't get marry if they know that they will commit adultery and wouldn't love their spouse in the future. I don't support the laws of adultery but I don't support the idea of adultery.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts with Puritan backgrounds. His literary works focus on dark romanticism. All his novels suggest that guilt, sin, and evil are natural aspects of humanity. In the Scarlet Letter, it depicts Hester Prynne of being punished by adulterous affairs and her attempts to starting a new life. Throughout the book, themes of legalism, sin, and guilt were expressed.

The Moment I Knew I was an American

The definition of an American is a person who incorporate his/her own culture with the cultures of the diversity in America and given the rights of the Constitution. The moment I knew I was an American was when I went back to China and realized how I differ from my Chinese cousins. In their eyes, I was a foreigner who lived a life of free rights and diversity. In my whole life, I have only made two trips to China. I understood that I differed from them in language, cultures, and nationality. They were all taught formal Chinese and lived in China absorbing all the heritage. Their opinions couldn't be expressed easily and they experiences a strict, competitive education. Comparing to me, I lived in America and had no sense of the real Chinese culture. Even though my parents are Chinese immigrants, I was born as an American in the USA. I resemble a "spring roll" which was thought to be an Americanized Chinese dish. I have a mixed culture of Chinese heritage and American education celebrating Chinese New Year and Christmas at the same time. Even though I am not truly Chinese, my nationality will always be American with a hint of Chinese culture.

Us vs. Them ... Us and Them

The causes of conflicts that lead to death conclusions are seen throughout the story of The Crucible and can be found in our current world. Not everyone agree and share similar ideas on economical, political, and religious issues. People's belief of resolving conflicts by sending their enemies to death is seen widely throughout history. Causes of wars are a prime example in our modern-day society. People's greed for more lust, wealth, and power can cause tremendous conflicts within and against nations. This will bring out wars that will try to rid opposing forces.
Controversial topics of religion are a huge cause of death in The Crucible. The belief of the Christianity and the pure works of God are consider to be of the norm and law. Those who try to sway away from the majority will be considered sinful and processed by the devil. The society's unwillingness to change and strictness of the authorities made it so that those who are not following the implanted set of rules will be punished to the extreme. Some believe that ending others lives will create a solution for their conflict but I think this is a very inhumane way of resolving a conflict. Extreme consequences are not necessary for those who don't deserve it.

John Proctor...Hero or Stooge?

Honest and upright, John Proctor was a good man, but one with a secret, fatal flaw. There are two choices to portray John Proctor in The Crucible. He is seen in my opinion as a tragic hero because of how he saved his wife and confessed about his adultery trying to stop Abigail's crazy rampage. It requires a lot of courage to confess that you actually had an affair with someone. Also, he tried to keep himself away from Abigail knowing that he did wrong before the trials. Even though the truth was told, the timing was wrong and nobody believed him. His betraying servant, Mary, blamed all the "devil's company"on him. Sadly, he was located in a unfortunate situation where nobody believed the truth when he wanted to admit and everyone accusing him. Knowing that the only way to survive was confession, he directed all the witchcraft doings to himself. After forcing him to confess and sign the confession, the court still wanted to post it on the church. Nobody would want their shameful secrets made public. It would have humiliated him and ruin his reputation for the rest of his life. Such an ugly scar is unjust for a man who took a little stumble and once had a great reputation. Why was that even necessary?