Thankful for ___________

Well, I had some problems when thinking about this blog. First, who should I write about? Second, what should I write about that person? Third, why am I even writing this all out here to begin with? Such a fail...

Anyway, I decided to thank everybody for a great year so far. However, I'd like to thank Jonathon Marek especially. 

Thanks for supporting my goal to become a better writer. You've made my year much more enjoyable knowing that I have a friend to have fun with.

You always seem to know what to say to brighten up my mood after a horrible start to the day.

You never fail to make me laugh when we're just hanging out.

We may not agree on everything, but we never fight (seriously) and if we have a disagreement, we always find a solution and never stay angry at each other for long.

You always respond to my jokes even when they're really, really, really, really bad (like, really).

You're a great help with math team and even when things get a bit rowdy, you never try to drag me into sticky situations that would get me kicked off by association.

Thanks for being a great friend, Jonathon! :) And sorry for not doing you justice with this.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone :D

I Celebrate Myself

I celebrate myself for my unpredictable tactics.

Change position quickly without question.

Fake left, right and go for the shot.

I celebrate myself for my perseverance.

Survival isn't just a few minutes.

Pace it and keep consistent.

I celebrate myself for my strength.

Don't get pushed out easily.

Box out opponents quickly.

I celebrate myself for my improvisation.

Shoot the rebound that you catch.

You know what's best for you.

I celebrate myself for my improvement.

Perfect has never been witnessed.

Growth comes from flaws.

I celebrate myself for my humanity.

Don't be a ruthless machine.

Understanding is key.

I celebrate myself for my determination.

'Give up' is not in anyone's vocabulary.

Chase until you've exceeded
         and keep racing to the top.

Poe

Edgar Allen Poe was born to travelling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809, the second of three children. His parents died when he reached the age of three and he was adopted by the Allens while his siblings were taken in by other families.
His foster father sent him to the University of Virginia with only a third of the amount of money needed and Poe's debts quickly piled. He resorted to gambling for money and burning furniture to keep warm. He was kicked out of the university and returned to his home.
There he found out that his fiancee had gotten engaged to another man in his absence. He left his home heartbroken and his foster father enrolled him in the United States Military Academy at West Point. He was expelled in eight months. 
He published his first book when he was eighteen and soon after being expelled from West Point published another. His poetry was featured in newspapers and he once spread false rumors about travelling across the ocean in a balloon in order to gain publicity for his work. "The Raven" was (and still is) his most famous work. Most households had a copy of the poem and most of his poems were printed and distributed through newspapers and magazines.
Poe's stories and poems were largely based on his own life experiences. Many people he was close to had died of tuberculosis, including his mother and wife. His writing reflected the stages of his emotions; he also dedicated many of his works to close friends and his family.
His death remains a mystery to the general public and there were only theories of how he died. Not even his family knew where he was when he died. It sparked some controversy and led to the first biography of Poe's life. Rufus Griswold, Poe's literary rival, wrote a memoir about how Poe was a drunk and womanizer that was intended to ruin Poe's reputation. It didn't work, however, and even after his death his works gained even more fame.

What is an American?

I'm going to be straight up and honest about this and say I really don't know what an American is. There are different standings about it, and I never gave this much thought before. When I ask older people (i.e. parents, grandparents) what they think when someone mentions "America", most of them say opportunities. I understand where they're coming from. Most adults immigrated from another country to America, or maybe their parents or grandparents times a great many times over did. America was and still is a place where there are slightly higher chances of getting a decent paying job. Although this is true, many companies are outsourcing jobs to places where they can pay employees much less than in America.

Some mentioned freedom. We, as citizens of the United States of America, do not have complete freedom. We are automatically allowed the freedom of press, religion, speech, assembly, and petition but we are not granted the rights of killing someone just because he/she angered us (and if so, more than half the population on Earth would be dead-don't deny it! We've all felt annoyance or anger toward at least one person in our lives.) Our rights to freedom are limited, but for a good cause. We can't do some things because it would not be morally right (but who's the judge of that?) nor would it be socially acceptable.

Speaking of society, we as Americans, as humans, judge people. We usually do this with appearance or five to ten seconds into meeting someone. It can range from "what on earth is that person wearing" dislike to outright "this is undoubtedly the most repulsive person I've ever met" disgust. First acquaintances rarely go well. It can range from current-Miley-Cyrus disgust to ew-Justin-Bieber dislike (I do no justice to this. I swear.) It can range from a general dislike of a person as a whole (for example, the annoying peer that always talks in class; not saying it's anyone I think in particular) to a dislike with the burning passion of a thousand white-hot suns (honestly, I've met some unpleasant people who are definitely worthy of that last title, and I use it to describe my relationship with them quite often.)

To wrap this up neatly, I truthfully do not think there is a definite definition of what an American is. The opportunities in America are disappearing quickly due to outsourcing. The "Land of Freedom" title is quite misleading and as a disclaimer, I highly do not recommend taking it seriously to the point of committing a crime. Americans (and more generically human beings) judge harshly, especially with the repulsive public acts of some certain people and some questionable professions. An American is what an American is. There's no other way to explain it from my view. We are what (and who) we are.

The Modern Puritan

Although Puritans don't exist anymore, there are traits that can be found in many groups, not all religious. In class, we discussed the Amish having a very simple life similar to that of the Puritans. The strict moral code can be identified in societies and organizations that emphasize citizenship, leadership, and character. For example, at school there are the NHS and NJHS that only accept students that show that they are active in those aspects of their self. They have to improve themselves and excel certain standards set for them in order to continue to be a part of it.

I think that most parents try to set parameters for their children to restrict them, similar to the way children in Puritan society were not heard or seen unless they are to turn of age or adults choose to. Children in modern times are not, but many things are discouraged like staying out late with friends or using the Internet for a long time. They are usually punished if they go against their parents/guardians/educators or act immorally.

In some countries, there are things that are seen as inappropriate. Some conservative societies think that certain types of clothing should not be worn at all. Usually, it means that girls can't wear short bottoms or revealing tops in public and boys can't go around without a shirt on. America is a very different country. We often criticize people on the news that are shown wearing revealing clothing or doing inappropriate things (i.e. Miley Cyrus) but we don't have a strict society that restricts it from happening.

There are more examples of Puritan traits in modern times, but I think these show some of those traits the most.

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge

John Proctor was thought of as a well-respected man because of his land. His character has many dynamics to it and changes throughout, albeit not as much as some others. The way the author presented Proctor had us questioning his morals when it was revealed he had an affair with Abigail Williams. Through his actions and dialogue from when he tries to get his point across that Abigail was the one lying, readers can tell that he's obviously doing his best to prove to his wife that he doesn't have feelings for Abigail and to everyone else that Abigail was lying.

From the four acts, many facets of his character are shown. He has a guilty conscience for cheating on his wife. He has a desire to stand up for his actions even though other people wouldn't understand his reasons for those actions. He's determined to keep his and Elizabeth's relationship from getting worse. He seems to be unable to defend himself when being questioned, maybe from nervousness and lack of preparation.

He was hung for witchcraft, which he was not guilty of. The sins he was guilty of were ones only Elizabeth and Abigail knew of-adultery and lying. He did rip up official court documents out of both temper and pride, which also led up to his execution.


I think that Proctor didn't have the weight of guilt when he was hanged. To me, he was noble to give up his life to save other people from being accused as witches in the chain of lies throughout the town. He isn't exactly the hero of the story, but he is as close as we can get to one.

"Arrivals . . There Goes The Neighborhood"

I feel that this quote can be quite misleading. For one, there aren't many prime examples in modern times of this. This can apply to many events in history, the most common being the arrival of the European explorers on American land.

The Native Americans didn't exactly know how so many of their population were dying off. The Europeans might not have known either but they did pass on diseases through casual contact. Native Americans had the right to think along the lines of "there goes the neighborhood" but that's only from one side.

The European explorers were there for God, gold, and glory. They believed that they had been sent on a mission from God to convert non-Catholics to Catholicism, which led to force on their part in killing the natives. Their motives were to bring back resources, convert as missionaries, and to get famous for what they did. They didn't consider the cons as much, seeing as they did what they thought they were supposed to do. Anyone who got in their way they would most likely kill.

There was a time when Asians were discriminated for immigrating to the US. People back then didn't approve of so many people immigrating because they thought the newcomers were after the wealth to send back to their families. Even now, Mexicans can cross the US-Mexico border and can technically live here for the rest of their lives and their children would be able to have automatic US citizenship under certain conditions.

It's not just the US that still has discrimination. A lot of Asian countries, most notably South Korea, didn't have a lot of interactions with other countries. Generally, South Koreans tend to look down on interracial relationships and even just people of non-Asian races. There are some different factors (like their political issues) that cause this particular type of society, but it still is a "there goes the neighborhood" type of attitude.

This type of attitude can come from religious beliefs, political beliefs, and social beliefs. The Europeans' religious beliefs caused a lot of brute force in attempting to convert many of the Native Americans. Their political beliefs come from ties with slavery where "colored" people were forced to become laborers for them. Their social beliefs were that anyone who were "barbarians" or "uncivilized" were not allowed to be considered human. Even though not everyone had that type of mindset, it's still definitely there, but just not as noticeable, similar to a nagging voice in one's mind.

About the Author, Me

Hi. My name is Jennifer Pang. I'm a frackie. I guess what I have to do now is tell you, the reader/peer, about me.

My birthday is September 20, which seems too early to me. I would rather have a later birthday than an early birthday.

I have almost a million hobbies. That's stretching it, but it does seem like it. I like music, writing, reading, drawing, origami, and travelling.

I rarely travel, which makes it even more fun. This summer, I went on a road tour of the East Coast. I visited Wall Street and Harvard among many other places.

I draw a lot. Sometimes they're just mindless doodles and scribbles, but I put a lot of effort into my art pieces. I have a really BIG imagination so I put some of it to use through art.

Origami for me is like a way to take my time to appreciate things. It started out as a Girls Scout fundraising project, but I loved it too much to stop afterward.

I read so much that all I remember from the beginning of the earliest memory up to sixth grade are books I've read. My personal favorite is Sherlock Holmes. When I was younger, I'd pretend to be Holmes and try to figure out what people are like just by appearance and manner.

I listen to music almost all the time. I listen to it doing homework, going shopping, and basically whenever I'm not at an appointment or in class. Usually it's to cheer me up. It has to be specific music. I normally listen to electro or dance pop and ballads. I don't like listening to American pop music.

Writing releases my stress. I keep a journal-maybe you can call it a diary-and I am currently writing three separate stories. One of them is the third installment of a series. It took me six months to write the two before starting the third one. I've started an action drama earlier this summer and recently finished the second installment of the series aforementioned. I find it easier for me to write according to mood instead of keeping it to one specific style of writing. I might write something long and happy one day and short and dark the next. It just depends on how I feel at the moment I'm writing.

That ends my little introduction. Enjoy the day!

--Jennifer