Wes Moore: Salon Interview IIIII

For many people reading the story of the other Wes Moore, the first reference they'll likely think of is HBO's "The Wire." How do you think that show affected the city of Baltimore?
From a P.R. perspective I don't know if it was the greatest thing for Baltimore, but it forced Baltimorians to have a conversation among ourselves about the city we want to be. It exposed parts of the city that even Baltimorians didn't know much about. We often don't understand what's happening elsewhere in our own city, which is fascinating. I think a lot cities have this split personality, but Baltimore really is a tale of two cities. A lot of folks in East Baltimore don't know West Baltimore.

There was a recent NPR piece arguing that your book represents a new way of looking at the black American family. Do you think that's true?

There's this whole idea of talking about the black family, and thinking, "This is who the black family is." But it's extraordinarily complicated. It's like saying, here's the Latino family. I think the book helps show the complexity of the black family - the fact we have families that are mixed immigrants, different family members enmeshed in different problems and trying to break free. Sometimes broad strokes do more harm than good.

Do you think it would have made a big difference in you life if a black president had been elected during your childhood?
I think it's fantastic we have President Obama. But if that kid in West Baltimore or in the Mississippi Delta can't see him or herself in that position - if it can't be real to them - it's not going to mean a whole lot. It's not just about putting more faces in positions of power, it's about helping that power translate to those kids. When people become involved in my life, and taught me to dream and think I could do X, Y, and Z as long as I was willing to work for it, that happened regardless of who was in the office. That was something I needed to do personally

Source: http://www.salon.com/2010/05/09/wes_moore_interview/

Wes Moore: Salon Interview IIII

Both you and the other Wes Moore make some bad decisions - at one point he tries to stab somebody - because you are unwilling to lose face. Do you think the culture of machismo among many young black men is part of the problem?

I think there is a larger problem in terms of understanding what manhood is. We have so many families in so many situations where people don't have men in the home, so they don't know what manhood really means. There are so many women across the country who have the extraordinary burden of raising their children on their own. My mom said, ¨I can try to teach you how to be a good human being, but I can never teach you how to be a man.¨

We need to have a stronger system of support in order for that to change. Seeing so many kids feeling so alone and looking for acceptance, if we're not willing to show these kids a larger sense of community, those guys in the gangs will. One of the great things about this book was creating ties with organizations across the country doing work with communities and kids that are largely forgotten about.

Another new memoir, Thomas Chatterton Williams' "Losing My Cool," argues that hip-hop has a toxic effect on the black community. Do you think that's true?

When a lot of kids listen to music and look at movies, they can't tell the difference between fact and fiction. But I think it's as difficult to throw a blanket over hip-hop, as it is over any musical genre. I think it has a clear responsibility as far as the level of influence it has. I've listened to it since its inception. It was a burgeoning musical genre in the Bronx when I was growing up, and it has grown with me. It's like other musical genres - some is fantastic, and some is not.

Source: http://www.salon.com/2010/05/09/wes_moore_interview/

Wes Moore: Salon Interview III

"In the book, you credit the military for setting you on the right path. But a lot of people see the military as an institution that preys on men in disadvantaged situations."
Have there been problems with the military, historically? Absolutely! I can't ignore them, but to say the military is an unfair institution that feeds by preying on people is, I think, unfair by any stretch of the imagination.
It's something I had to wrestle with. I come from a community and a family that is very skeptical of the military, and, in some ways, has thought it hasn't always lived up to its creed. I know the man I am has a lot to do with my military training, and the soldiers I went through combat with. It gave me the opportunity to pay for college, and some of my proudest moments have occurred while wearing the uniform. And it's worth remembering that the military has led the charge for a lot of social issues. Desegregation occurred in the military before it did in the rest of society. It has concepts of equal pay and equal worth for men and women, which society still doesn't have.

"As your book suggests, a lot of poor Americans aren't getting the help they need from public institutions. Does that ever make you question your decision to fight for the country?"
My grandparents grew up at a time when, if they were driving through the country, they would make sure they eat whenever they could because you never know when the next place will come that will allow black people in. Are there still systemic problems? Absolutely! But I think about the level of progress that we have made, and the country that I would like to see in the future.

Source: http://www.salon.com/2010/05/09/wes_moore_interview/

Wes Moore: Salon Interview II

"The most heartbreaking part of the book occurs when the other Wes Moore almost ends up leaving the drug trade, thanks to a job training program called Job Corps - but then he gets sucked back in. What went wrong?"
What we saw in the case of Wes is actually typical and illustrative of the situation that you have with ex-cons. Many of these people are disillusioned with school. They don't have college degrees. They have a record so they're not legally eligible for a lot of jobs, and to that, you add the burden of children. They're often not welcomed by their family or have precarious relations with them, and we're asking them to become upstanding members of society.
That was one of the most heartbreaking interviews with Wes, when we met specifically to talk about that. After that I went to my car, and I was unable to drive for half an hour because I was trying to absorb how close he was to doing something with himself, and yet how far he was and didn't even know. We need to figure out a better way to address recidivism in this country and find a better way to help those people who have served their debt to society, because we can't continue to pay for this financially and morally - having people with rap sheets as long as their arm because in many cases they don't know any other way.

"Now that you've written the book, what lesson do we take from your stories? What made you succeed where he failed?"
There is no one answer. We weren't responsible for the neighborhoods we happened to be born in. There are lots of issues that affect these kinds of outcomes: the abilities of families to use leverage to change their situation, their ability to support a child, the ability to give children the sense that they belong to something bigger than themselves.

Source: http://www.salon.com/2010/05/09/wes_moore_interview/

Wes Moore: Salon Interview I

Salon spoke to Moore over the phone about the lessons of his book, the meaning of Barack Obama and the complicated blessings of the American military.

"You came up with the idea for the book after seeing the articles about Wes Moore's trial. Aside from your names, what do you both have in common?"
When he was arrested he was only a few blocks from where I was living. We both grew up in single-parent homes with our mothers, since we didn't have fathers in the household. Even when we were growing up in the different neighborhoods - Baltimore and the Bronx- the tenor of them was similar. We both got disillusioned by school at an early age, and had run-ins with the police.

"And then you decided to contact him in prison ... "
It initially started as pure curiosity on my part. He was actually much more open than I thought. I was surprised he wrote back to my letter. He started by saying when you're in prison you think nobody knows you exist anymore, and he just literally went point by point for every question.
Then I realized there might be a larger story to be told. There were two main factors that made me think I should write this book. One was that I thought about the police officer's family, and the tremendous tragedy that happened to them. The second was something that Wes told me. He said, "Listen, I have wasted every opportunity that I've ever had and I'm going to die in here, so if you can do something to make a difference, you should do it."

Source: http://www.salon.com/2010/05/09/wes_moore_interview/

How Wes Moore met Wes Moore part I

In late 2000, Wes Moore, an ex-military officer and soon-to-be Rhodes scholar, came across a series of articles in the Baltimore Sun that caught his attention. They chronicled the aftermath of a robbery gone awry: A few months earlier a group of armed men had broken into a Baltimore jewelry store, and in the process of making their escape, shot and killed an off-duty police officer named Bruce Prothero. It wasn't just the violence of the act that shocked Moore, it was the name of one of the suspects: Wes Moore.

Several years later, when Moore returned from his studies at Oxford, the story continued to haunt him. Here were two men with the same name, from the same city, even the same age, and two dramatically different trajectories. In the hopes of finding out why, Moore began writing and visiting "The Other Wes Moore."

Both, as it turns out, grew up in single-parent households with working-class mothers, in neighborhoods filled with crime and drugs. But while one Wes Moore was saved from delinquency and falling grades by transferring to military school, the other Wes fathered several children, surrounded by addicts, and fell deep into the drug trade before he eventually ended up behind bars for the rest of his life.

Wes Moore: Final Sentence (actual article) part III

Brobst said that McFadden testified before a grand jury that a necklace found at the scene belonged to Wesley Moore and was given to him by her brother. But she recanted at Moore's trial, testifying that she had been pressured by police to say the necklace belonged to Moore.

McFadden's testimony didn't damage the state's case. Jurors were told that McFadden was Moore's girlfriend and a police technician testified that he found Moore's skin cells on the necklace. 

After the hearing yesterday, Brobst also prosecuted Moore for violating terms of a 1966 probation by committing the murder. 

Court records show that county Circuit Judge J. Norris Byrnes sentenced Moore to four years' supervised probation Sept. 19,1996, after he was convicted of distribution of cocaine for selling a $20 bag of crack cocaine on Tidewater Lane in Chase.

Yesterday, Byrnes sentenced Moore to a concurrent five-year term for violating the law while on probation.

Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-06-09/entertainment/bal-wes-moore-prothero-0430_1_prothero-case-ann-prothero-richard-antonio-moore

Wes Moore: Final Sentence (actual article) part II

Donald Antonio White Jr., 19, and Troy White, 23, both of Baltimore, each were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole last fall after they were convicted by separate juries of felony murder.

Richard Moore, 30, of Baltimore, was charged as the shooter and avoided a possible death sentence April 30 by pleading guilty to felony murder in exchange for a sentence of life without parole.

Paul DeWolfe, Wesley Moore's lawyer, had asked Smith for a sentence that would give Moore the chance of parole. 

DeWolfe said that Moore has converted to Islam in jail, considers himself a father figure to his four children and talks to them almost every day on the telephone. he also emphasized that a few years ago, Moore participated in an eight-month Job Corps program that taught him construction skills and that he led a crime-free life from 1997 until a few weeks before the killing. 

But Assistant State's Attorney S. Ann Brobst told Smith yesterday that as a participant in the murder, Moore caused "immeasurable" pain. "The victim impact (statement) shows this murder caused a pain so immeasurable, not only in the lives of his family members, but in the community as a whole," Brobst said. 

Moments after the hearing, Detective Philip Marll, the lead investigator on the case, arrested Wesley Moore's girlfriend, Parcha McFadden, took her out of the courtroom in handcuffs and charged her with perjury for her testimony during Moore's trial.

McFadden, 24, of the 1100 block of W. Saratoga St. in Baltimore, was being held last night at the Balitmore County Detention Center on $50,000 bail.

Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-06-09/entertainment/bal-wes-moore-prothero-0430_1_prothero-case-ann-prothero-richard-antonio-moore

Wes Moore: Final Sentence (actual article)

"The final defendant to be sentenced in the killing of Baltimore County police Sgt. Bruce A. Prothero was given life without the possibility of parole yesterday by a judge who compared the crime to a 'Wild West' shootout.
Wesley Moore, 25, showed no emotion as Baltimore County Circuit Judge James T. Smith Jr. sentenced him, but the victim's widow sobbed quietly during the hearing.
'You committed an act like something out of the Wild West, and you didn't even realize how outrageous it was,' Smith said. 'That makes you a very dangerous person."

Prothero, 35, was shot three times Feb. 7, 2000, as he chased four men out of J. Brown Jewelers on Reisterstown Road during a robbery at the store, where he was working a second job as a security guard. After yesterday's sentencing, Prothero's widow, Ann Prothero, said she is trying to cope with the loss of her husband and to do her best to raise their five children. 'I have five children, and I do what I can to take care of them,' she said.

Moore declined to comment yesterday.

Prothero's family thanked prosecutors and expressed relief that Moore's no-parole life sentence means that all four defendants convicted in the killing will spend their lives behind bars.

Moore was convicted of felony murder April 2 based on testimony that he and his half-brother, Richard Antonio Moore, held clerks and customers at gunpoint while two accomplices smashed jewelry cases. The four men fled with more than $400,000 worth of watches, according to testimony."


Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-06-09/entertainment/bal-wes-moore-prothero-0430_1_prothero-case-ann-prothero-richard-antonio-moore

                                                                                                                                  to be continued....

Wes Moore: Literary Career

Wes Moore is a successful author. He wrote his first book, The Other Wes Moore, in 2010. This book and The Work are New York Times Bestsellers. Additionally, Discovering Wes Moore is a Young Adult edition of his bestselling book, and This Way Home is his first Young Adult novel that was released in the Fall of 2015.
The Other Wes Moore is the story of two young Baltimore boys that share name and a similar history, but travel down very different paths. While both grew up fatherless with troubled pasts, one became a Rhodes scholar and leader, and the other was convicted of murder and is currently serving a life sentence. Wes Moore sets out to answer what made the difference through telling the story of young men trying to find their way in a seemingly broken world. The Other Wes Moore has been on both the NY Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
Discovering Wes Moore is the Young Adult adaption to The Other Wes Moore. This book acts as a cautionary tale that is more accessible to a younger audience while maintaining the powerful message and story that was set out in The Other Wes Moore.
The Work provides a tale of finding purpose and passion through the work a person does. This book retraces Wes's experiences around the globe that have led him to find his passion. In addition he tells the stories of a dozen other "change makers" and how they found their paths to purpose.
This Way Home is a young adult novel about a high school star basketball player. Elijah faces a struggle that emerges from a standoff with a local gang after they attempt to recruit him to their basketball team. Elijah refuses to play for them and is faced with the consequences. Taking place in a pivotal time of a young adult's journey, this story is about discovering what truly matters in life.

Author Wes: Early Life and Career

Wesley Watende Omari Moore was born in 1978. He is an American author, social entrepreneur, producer, political analyst, and decorated US Army officer. He wrote The Other Wes Moore and The Work, both of which are New York Times Bestsellers. He was also the host for Beyond Belief on the Oprah Winfrey Network and the Executive Producer/Writer for Coming Back with Wes Moore on PBS. Currently, Wes is the founder and CEO of Bridge EdU, which is a social enterprise dedicated to reinventing the Freshman Year and creating a softer on-ramp to higher education for students entering their freshman year in college. Wes Moore was born in Maryland to Westley and Joy. Westly was a journalist and a newscaster. Joy was from Lowe River, Jamaica. When Moore was three, he witnessed his father's death. After his father died, Joy took her children to live in the Bronx with their grandparents. While in the Bronx, Wes attended Riverdale County School. At school, Wes encountered academic and disciplinary troubles. When Wes's grades declined and he became involved in petty crime, his mother enrolled him in Valley Forge Military Academy.  After high school, Wes graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College, a Junior College in Pennsylvania. He went on to attend Johns Hopkins University and graduated in 2001. Immediately after, he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar where he earned a Masters Degree in international relations. While living in London, Wes started a career in finance at Deutsche Bank in the international trade and finance division, but in 2005 he left to utilize his training as a paratrooper and joined the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. Wes led a team of paratroopers and special operators who were trained in civil affairs, psychological operations, information operations and various other special operations command disciplines. Among the many awards he received was the Combat Action Badge. Upon his return to the United States, Wes was accepted as a White House Fellow. He placed within the State Department's Office of U.S Foreign Assistance Resources where he tracked foreign aid to ensure it was being properly used. He served at the White House for one year, then returned to New York to work in finance at Citigroup.

The Other Wes Moore: Chapter 1

In chapter one, both Wes Moore's are introduced. Wes Moore, the author, and Wes Moore the criminal are the main focus of the story. It starts off by telling an event that happened when the author Wes was a child. The author Wes only has two memories of his father. The first one is explained. He and his sister were playing around and he ended up hitting her. His mother saw him and immediately let him know that he was in the wrong and sent him to his room. His father comes up stairs to comfort him, and Wes tells why his mother was so upset with him. His mother was mentally, physically, and emotionally abused by her previous husband. She explained to Wes that a man should never lay his hands on a woman, and Wes never laid his hands on another girl. The other memory Wes had was that of his father's death. This would have been a traumatic time for Wes, but being only 3 years old, he didn't really know what was going on. Wes's father suffered from a condition that could have been treated if he had been diagnosed properly, but the doctors just blew him off. That night, his father passed away.
The other Wes Moore had a slightly different story. Wes never met his father, and his father decided to walk out. His mother, Mary, was his only provider. She had a job as a secretary and it provided enough to keep the family going, but she knew that it wouldn't last. Mary got pregnant with her first son at sixteen, and promised her mother that she would attend college. However her mother's kidneys were failing and she passed away from a failed kidney transplant. Mary's grandparents then moved in to help Mary and her siblings. Mary then got remarried and had one child, but the relationship did not last and Mary was left alone to raise two children. Mary's second husband once tried to help, but he reeked of alcohol and was obviously drunk so Mary did not let him interfere.
Wes Moore and Wes Moore come from similar neighborhoods, and they both live with only their mother. They could have easily had the same story, but one had more encouragement and determination than the other.

Daisy Buchanan

Daisy Buchanan is one of the characters that are hard to read at first. She seems harmless in the beginning. She seems as though she is just a free-thinker who is in a way admirable. She would be admirable because of her take on life. She possesses the mind-set of “living in the moment.” However, her careless lifestyle leads her to manipulate people naturally and without a second thought. This leads the reader to realize that Daisy is also one of the despicable characters. Daisy has so much power and control of Gatsby and his fate. Because of her, Gatsby went from rags to riches in order to impress Daisy and get himself to a place where he would be eligible to be with her. Daisy is also a little self-centered. “Do they miss me? She cried ecstatically.” This displays that Daisy thinks so highly of herself that she believes a whole city is in mourning over her moving to New York. She contradicts herself throughout the story. When Nick invites Daisy over to tea, Daisy insisted that Nick had to be in love with her, because he asked her to come alone. She is completely irrational, and she thinks everything is about her. She feels badly towards Tom, because she knows that he is having an affair with another woman; however, she is hypocritical about Tom being with another woman, because she is still in love with Mr. Jay Gatsby. Granted, Tom’s situation is more sinful than Daisy’s, but in perspective, they are very similar. Towards the end of the story, Gatsby tells Daisy that she needs to tell Tom that she never loved him. Daisy claimed that she cannot do this because it is simply not true, and she tells them that she has loved both of them. Daisy is a professional at leading people on throughout the novel. It is hard to look past the fact that even though she is married, she continues to pursue Jay Gatsby. When talking about her daughter, she states, “And I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” Daisy does not genuinely care for her daughter. She is more in love with the idea of having a daughter than the daughter herself. No genuine and dedicated mother would wish upon her daughter to be a “beautiful little fool.” Daisy seems to be admirable in the beginning, but, with further analysis, the reader can clearly infer that Daisy is more destructive than constructive.

Nick Carroway

Nick Carroway, who is the narrator of the story, is definitely among the admirable characters. From the beginning of the story, the reader can easily tell that Nick Carroway is somebody to look up to. On the first page of the book, he describes what his father taught him as a child, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in the world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had.” This illustrates that Nick was raised up as a polite man who thinks about the possibility of what others might have gone through before he judges them as a person. Another admirable quality that Nick possesses is that he was very literary while he was in college. In chapter one, he makes it known that he “wrote a series of very solemn and obvious editorials for the Yale News.” He then states, “and now I was going to bring back all such things into my life and become again that most limited of all specialists, the ‘well-rounded man.’” Nick is setting high standards for himself. This line from the book establishes that Nick is not content with being an average man; he wants to be an admirable and respected man that is completely well-rounded. The fact that he wrote editorials for the Yale News proves his intelligence. He is obviously very smart, which makes others look up to him as a sort of role model. Lastly, Nick Carroway does his best to help Gatsby work things out with Daisy. Gatsby is very nervous around Daisy, but it is obvious that he is still in love with her. Daisy is Nick’s cousin, so Gatsby sees this as an opportunity to get some help with winning Daisy over. Nick invites Daisy over so the two can meet once again. This solidifies the love Daisy and Gatsby have felt for each other over the years.

Tom Buchanan

Tom Buchanan is clearly one of the most despicable characters in the book from the beginning to the end. It is expressed openly how his physical stature and rough voice make him of the most intimidating men involved in The Great Gatsby. “His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed.” His physical appearance gives off an unmistakable arrogant facade. “Her husband, among various physical accomplishments, had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven-a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anticlimax.” Nick notes how Tom expressed his racism multiple times when they were together. It is also brought to attention that he is cheating on Daisy. “‘Why-’ she said hesitantly, ‘Tom’s got some woman in New York.’” This is another despicable action that Tom executes. The fact that he is having an affair with another woman is not only disrespectful to Daisy, it is disrespectful to Myrtle. He is just using Myrtle on the side to get what he desires. Any decent human being would have a conscious and feel a sense of guilt, but Tom does not. After Myrtle is killed, Tom throws Gatsby under the bus, and tells Wilson that it was Gatsby’s car that killed Myrtle. Tom has the audacity to accuse Gatsby of such a thing, while Tom feels no sense of shame while talking to the husband of the woman he has been having an affair with.

Jay Gatsby

We started reading The Great Gatsby, and I am already intrigued. Nick Carroway tells the story very well, but Jay Gatsby is definitely the character that grabs your attention and keeps you interested. Gatsby is portrayed as a man who came into new money who has a lot of mystery in his life. No one can really figure him out, except Jordan Baker began to. Gatsby throws these exquisite parties that are extravagant and lively. Everybody who is anybody shows up to these parties, invited or not. They last for hours upon hours. Jordan tells us a backstory in chapter four about when Jay Gatsby was involved with Daisy. Gatsby was a soldier, while Daisy was a little rich white girl who was not supposed to be involved with a man of a lower status. Daisy's parents did not want her to see Gatsby anymore so she was prepared to run away. Daisy then married Tom Buchanan, who is an aggressive man with a hard expression that can intimidate anyone. Jordan later pieces together why Gatsby throws these enormous parties every weekend. He hopes that Daisy will show up one day. Gatsby is obviously still in love with Daisy, but he does not want to make it obvious that he is throwing the parties just because he hopes she will stumble upon his house. He has to be more subtle than that. Gatsby knows that Nick Carroway and Daisy are cousins, so Gatsby has hopes of Nick sets them up. Nick, of course, does not mind at all. Jay Gatsby is my favorite character so far because he is the most intriguing. He is the most romantic, and he is so mysterious that it is irresistible to keep reading. He does for Daisy what most girls wish guys would do for them. Gatsby would do anything for Daisy. He went from an officer in the military to one of the richest men on West Egg.

Forrest Gump and the American Dream

Forrest Gump displays the American Dream very well in some ways. While watching this movie, I noticed that Forrest Gump accomplished a lot of what today would be considered very great accomplishments. He was a man with a very low IQ; however, he was able to overcome not being as smart as other people and make a fortune. I consider the American Dream to be going from rags to riches, having a perfect family, and remaining successful until retirement. Forrest Gump did go from rags to riches. On the other hand, he did not have a perfect family. We never saw Forrest's father, and he wasn't even aware he had a son until the son was already almost seven years old. The woman he loved kept running away from him with some abusive boyfriend. Forrest Gump went through many struggles before he reached the "American Dream." He went through enlisting in the military and fighting, first hand, in battle. He watched his best friend die. When he came back, his mother died. When he finally married Jenny, she died. Through all of this, he remained optimistic and hopeful. He remained a good person who would do anything to help anyone out. This to me is more of the American Dream than what it is thought to be of today. I don't think he achieved the American Dream by coming into a fortune; he achieved the American Dream by overcoming all of the impossible obstacles and still remaining a genuine and helpful person.

Discrimination

Differences are more accepted today than it was in earlier times. People with illnesses, disabilities, lower IQ's, different ethnicity and race are treated more equal now then ever before. Society today tries hard to provide equal opportunity for everyone. There are schools for disabled students that have facilities to accommodate them. All people from different ethnic backgrounds are welcome to all schools with no discrimination. There are classes that offer more one-on-one teaching methods for students with lower IQ's. Some claim that they are discriminated against; however, this is mainly used as an excuse. People are very weak-minded today, and are easily insulted. This can lead people to believe that they are being discriminated against. I do, however, believe that some people are discriminated against due to their looks. For example, when applying for a job, the manager is not going to hire someone who looks sketchy over the person who looks professional and well put together. People cannot claim they are being discriminated against due to their looks if they are not willing to put in the effort to look presentable.
In conclusion, I feel as though people today are not discriminated against as much as they were in the past. I feel today's society is fairly equal, and if people put in the effort to make a living and be productive with their life, there will be no problems.

Anne Bradstreet

Anne Bradstreet was born in 1612 to a former soldier of Queen Elizabeth, Thomas Dudley. In 1630, he sailed with his family to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America. Simon Bradstreet, 25, was also sailing on that ship and later married Anne Dudley, 16. Anne had been well tutored in literature and history in Greek, Latin, French, Hebrew, as well as English. She was very well educated for a woman of that time.
Historically, Anne is primarily linked to her prominent father and husband, both governors of Massachusetts who left portraits and records. She states, "any woman who sought to use her wit, charm, or intelligence in the community at large found herself ridiculed, banished, or executed by the Colony's powerful group of male leaders." She was to be a house-wife, because that was the standards during the 1600s. Women did not go out and get an education; they stayed home with the children and took care of the house. She had to stay separated from the linked affairs of church and state, even "deriving her ideas of God from the contemplation of her husband's excellencies," according to one document.
Anne Bradstreet was the first woman to be recognized as an accomplished New World Poet. Her volume of poetry "The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America..." received much attention with it was first published in London in 1650. Even though she had eight children to take care of, she found time to write poetry which showed her commitment. Her work reflects the religious and emotional conflicts she experience as a woman writer and as a Puritan. Throughout her life, Bradstreet was concerned with the issues of sin and redemption, physical and emotional frailty, death and immortality. Much of her work indicates that she had a difficult time resolving the conflict between pleasures of sensory and experiences with her family and promises of Heaven. As a Puritan, she struggled to subdue her attachment to the world, but as a woman, she sometimes felt more strongly connected to her husband, children, and community than to God.

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Poetry

Poetry is a form of literature that uses rhythmic qualities of language. It has a long history dating back to the Epic of Gilgamesh. Most poetry evolved from folk songs or the need to retell oral epics, such as the Odyssey. Ancient attempts to define poetry focused on the usage of speech in rhetoric, drama, and song. Later attempts used more repetition, verse form, and rhyme. From the mid-20th century, poetry has sometimes been though of as "fundamental creative act employing language."
Figures of speech such as metaphor and simile are used to compare things that are commonly known by people. Some poetry types are specific to particular cultures and genres and respond to characteristics of the language in which the poet writes. The rejection of traditional forms and structures for poetry that began in the first half of the 20th century coincided with a questioning purpose and meaning of traditional definitions of poetry and of distinctions between poetry and prose. The methods for creating poetry vary among languages and poetic traditions. Languages are often described as having timing set primarily by accents, syllables, or moras. Japanese is a mora-timed language. Syllable timed languages include: Latin, French and Spanish, while English, Russian, and German are stress-timed languages. Depending on which language is used, is the difference between poetry among these countries.
Rhyme, alliteration, assonance, and consonance are ways of creating repetitive patterns of sound. They may be used as an independent structural element in a poem, to reinforce rhythmic patterns, or as an ornamental element.
In conclusion, poetry has many different forms, and while it may have rules on certain types of poems, poetry has a wide range of structures that can work for anybody. "Anyone can be a poet"

Anne Bradstreet v. Puritan Beliefs

The Puritans believe that women should not be writers. Anne Bradstreet, while being Puritan, continues to pursue her desire to write. She writes poetry that follows the structure that male Puritans use when writing poetry. It starts with the story, transitions into a message, and ends with a prayer. I feel as though she is not looked down on because of her writing. She took a social standard, decided to ignore it, and continue to write. Her poems have a lot of meaning behind them, and can be looked up to as a form of example for how Puritans should act. One of her poems that we have read in class was called " Upon the Burning of Our House." The story was about her house burning down. She was going through her house and reminiscing on everything she lost and everything she could not get back. She realized the material things were gone; however, she talked about how she was going to miss the genuine happiness of her family more than anything. This is a very mature way of thinking, and for this, I think she is looked up to by the Puritans. She is setting an example for people of their religion. She shows them that God gives gifts, and takes gifts away; therefore, everyone should be thankful for what they have while they had the opportunity to have it. She is a very wise woman who keeps her priorities in order. She is able to overcome the human instinct of feeling hostile and not being able to understand. Of course she is upset, but she is able to realize that God has a better place for all of us that is better than any house any of us will ever have the opportunity to live in. The Puritans should definitely follow this example. They revolve their life around God and follow the way of God, so she sends a very good message to her readers.

Golf and The Crucible

This year I decided to try something new. I decided to play a new sport that I had no idea how to play. I joined the Newton-Conover golf team. I had no idea how golf was played and I knew no terminology, but I decided to take a leap of faith and fully emerge myself in the sport. In the Crucible, the girls went into the forest to try something that they knew nothing about. They knew it could fail; however, they wanted to try anyway. In golf, I knew I could fail, but I decided to do it anyway. The girls decided to partake in witchcraft led by a woman from Barabados. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into, but they were willing to try something new. They took part in throwing things into a fire, drinking charms, and dancing. These were all things that they would not normally partake in. However, they felt the need to go outside of their normal, daily lives and do something out of the ordinary. I felt the same, even though it was not something as cinnical and witchcraft.

The Crucible: The Movie

This week we finished the movie of The Crucible. There were many similarities to the play; however, there are also some differences. The characters connected very well to the play. They were exactly what I imagimed while reading the play. They portrayed the characteristics and personalities of the characters almost perfectly. There were some parts where I felt as though they could have made their acting a little more believable. They made sure to include the major parts tht had drastic effects on the play, such as: Betty faking her illness, Abigail threatening the girls, and John Proctor protecting his name. Betty faked her illness as part of a game, and the only person who had the sense to think of this conclusion was Rebecca Nurse. Abigail threatened the girls that she would kill them if they told of anything they did in the forest. She claimed she had no trouble with this because she had seen her parent get murdered right in front of her. John Proctor at first confessed, but then when they made him sign his name too it, he refused. He knew he was a good man and refused to associate himself with a name accused of witchcraft. In the movie, John Proctor and Abigail talked outside. In the play, they talked in Reverend Parris' house in front of Betty Parris. This is significant because Betty didn't hear about the affair and the feelings between Abigail and John. There were many similarities and differences, but overall the movie did a very good job of portraying the play.

Abigail's Involvement

Abigail is very relevant in The Crucible. Although she is not responsible to everything that went on, she is responsible for some of the major things that happened. In her past, she watched the murder of her mother and father. She watched as the Natives bashed their heads right beside her. She was helping at the Proctors home, where she had an affair with John. Elizabeth discovered this, and fired Abigail. These events could influence her in some ways; however, her behavior is inexcusable. She threatened the lives of Betty and Mercy so they would not tell of what really happened on the night they were in the woods. She tried, multiple times, to kill Elizabeth Proctor in order to take her place as John's wife. She used Mary Warren as a way to have Elizabeth accused. She pretended that Mary Warren was sending her spirit out to try to attack her. Abigail is very manipulative and truculent. She is a good liar, and since she is a child in the eyes of the people of Salem, she can get away with almost everything. She cannot blame "outside forces" for her behavior. She is responsible for her own actions. The readers and some of the characters can see straight through her façade. She stole money from her own family and fled Salem. She is completely crazy, and needs to be held accountable for her wrong-doings. In conclusion, Abigail is a conniving teenager who has committed serious crimes, and has accused others of committing serious crimes that will eventually have them killed. She is jealous and manipulative; however, she is a child, so she is completely free of sin. 

The Crucible: Act 4

Act 4 takes place in a Salem jail cell. Danforth walks in and asks when Hale is going to arrive. Herrick informs Danforth that, at the command of Parris, Hale prays with the inmates who are sentenced to hang. Parris admits that Abigail has fled Salem with Mercy Lewis. He thinks that they boarded a ship and Abigail stole 30 pounds from him. Parris begins to defend the accused people. He says that Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor are good people and do not deserve to hang. Elizabeth is brought in and is asked to convince John to confess to the crimes he has been accused of in order to spare his life. She insists that she will promise nothing. John is brought in to see Elizabeth. John asks Elizabeth if he should confess, and she tells him that she will not tell him what he should do. Elizabeth tells John that she cannot judge John's sins, because she feels as though the affair was partially her fault for acting so coldly toward him. Of course she wants him to live, but she cannot make this decision for him. John decides to confess, but when Danforth tries to make him sign a paper confirming his statement, John refuses. This is where John's morals are exposed. He has enough self respect to not give into the court. He will not let others take away his pride and ruin his name over a mere, false accusation. He would rather die with his morals and his principles than to live as someone he is not. He is not a criminal. He is not a bad person, and he will not let the court pose him as one. This shows great strength that is admirable and courageous.

The Crucible: Act 3

We just finished reading Act three in class the other day, and there was a lot going on. Abigail does not appear in Act three; however, she is mentioned very often. Act 3 is set totally in court where everyone is being questioned. Danforth learns that the girls danced in the woods; however, Reverend Parris denies that he saw any of them naked, which is a lie. Mary Warren confesses that she faked passing out in court. The people are taken back by this, because when she would faint, she would be cold. When asked to faint, she could not. Abigail insists that Mary Warren is sending out her spirit to try and harm the girls. Abigail claims to see a yellow bird that is coming to attack her. When Mary denies having anything to do with this, the other girls join Abigail in pretending that Mary has a hold of them, and they all start repeating everything Mary says. Proctor calls Abigail a whore in front of the whole court, and he confesses to having an affair with her. Elizabeth is then called into court. She is asked about the affair between John Proctor and Abigail Williams. Elizabeth decides to lie and said that it never happened. John hears this and begins yelling to Elizabeth that he had already confessed. Elizabeth is then taken away to be arrested. This is a very emotional scene, because Elizabeth was trying to protect her husband and his reputation. Danforth then asks John if he is involved with the Devil, and then he places him under arrest. Hale becomes extremely frustrated. He denounces the proceedings and quits the court. Act 3 is very intense, because everything is revealed, and timing proves to be one of the main factors.

Crucible Conflicts

There have been some major conflicts that have occurred in The Crucible. These conflicts have been over the true intentions of people, witchcraft, and reputations. Mr. Proctor does not like Reverend Parris. Proctor believes that Reverend Parris is a Reverend for the wrong reasons. He says he will not go to church if Parris is running the services. He thinks that Parris is mainly into preaching for the money, which is not entirely wrong. Parris is very concerned with his reputation, more than the well-being of his church and the members that attend, and Proctor is very aware of this. However, not going to church gets Proctor a bad reputation. Being a Puritan means attending church every Sabbeth Day and praying whenever possible. Another conflict is between the whole town of Salem. Everybody in the town is trying to figure if there are witches living in Salem, even though some people doubt the fact witches even exist. People are getting accused left and right, causing hatred for the court to grow. Reverend Hale is one of the people who is starting to believe that witches are not present. Another example of conflict would be the dispute between the Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. The affair that happened between John and Abigail is becoming present once again. Abigail is extremely jealous of Elizabeth, and she wants to take her place as John's wife. Abigail has drank charms to kill Elizabeth, and when that did not work, she came up with a whole plan to frame Elizabeth Proctor of performing witchcraft to try and hurt Abigail. In conclusion, The Crucible is a play full of conflicts between everybody. However, this is what makes the play so interesting.

The Crucible: Act 2

Today, we started Act 2. It was not as action-packed and crazy as Act 1, but it had some stuff going on. Act 2 mainly involved conversation and tension between two to five characters. It involved: Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor, Mary Warren, Reverend Hale, and Abigail Williams was mentioned quite often. John arrived home late, and he found out that Mary Warren had become an official of the court. The setting is very somber, cold, and dark. They are being very short with each other and making awkward small talk. Elizabeth is upset with John, because she knows that John saw Abigail alone. John and Elizabeth get in an argument about how Elizabeth should have faith in John's loyalty to Elizabeth, and that she should not judge him on his past mistake with Abigail. Mary Warren comes home and adds to the tension. John tells Mary that a good Christian girl should not be involved in deciding if someone should be hanged. This is yet another example of the hypocracy and irony in the story. John committed adultery, and he only goes to church about forty percent of the time, so how does he have the authority to tell Mary what a "good Christian" should or shouldn't do? Later, we find out that Abigail Williams has accused Elizabeth Proctor of performing witchcraft. We all know that this is another attempt to kill Elizabeth so Abigail can swoop in and take John Proctor for herself. Mary Warren assures Elizabeth that she made note of not witnessing any signs of witchcraft done my Goody Proctor. However, now that Mary is a court official, she believes that she does not have to answer to Elizabeth and John Proctor. Later that night, Reverend Hale stops by and starts questioning Elizabeth and John. He was in court that day and heard Elizabeth's name. He came over, trying to help and warn the Proctors of what could happen. Elizabeth becomes extremely nervous that she is going to be hanged, because she knows Abigail wants to take her place as John Proctors wife. She is then confronted by an official who has a warrant for her arrest, and is quickly searched. A doll that Mary gave her was found with a needle in the same place Abigail had a needle in her. She was quickly arrested. I believe that Elizabeth is being set up. I think that Abigail told Mary to give Elizabeth the doll so it would be found. Abigail may have something on Mary that we don't know yet. Act 2 did not have as much going on as in Act 1, but it was just as intriguing.

Act 1 Overview

We have recently finished Act 1. As I said in my last blog, it really got the story started. The author did not waste time in telling this story, instead, he got straight into the action. Everyone in the town of Salem has something to hide; however, they all judge one another when the secrets start becoming known. They are completely hypocritical. They all say how they are firm in their beliefs, and how they are all very pure. While in reality, they are having affairs, conjuring up dead souls, believing in witchcraft, judging, and blaming each other. This doesn't sound very pure to me. The Reverend is more concerned with his reputation and keeping his job, while his daughter is supposedly afflicted by witches. Why is the father not solely concerned with his daughter's health? It seems he is more worried about his next pay check and how much extra money he is getting for firewood. Ann Putnam seems awfully worried that witches may be present in her home town, but she is the one who sent her daughter to Tituba to talk to the souls of her seven dead babies. Abigail Williams is just a jealous and aggressive girl. She is so jealous that Elizabeth Proctor is married to John Proctor that she is willing to drink a blood charm to kill her. Then, she told her friends that if they spoke a word of anything that happened in the forest, she would kill them. She said she knows how to kill them, because she watched Indians come in and kill her parents. The story has only begun, and it has already intensely grabbed my attention. However, when you take a moment to reflect on the story and analyze it, you realize that the story line is not solely focused on witches. This story, so far, is about people using witchcraft as either a distraction, or an excuse. They all have something to hide, so when they know they can be punished, they accuse the first person that comes to mind of performing witchcraft. It is completely crazy.

The start of The Crucible

This week we are reading, The Crucible. This play is very long, considering my character does not even come into the scene until Act IV. However, it has already grabbed my attention. While sometimes hard to understand because of the different way they speak, I am intrigued and excited to read more. So far, some of the townspeople believe there are witches among the town of Salem. There were girls dancing in the forest, while Tituba was singing a song in a different language. Betty is acting very strange; however, her friends are aware that she is faking. Betty has her father and the parents of the Ruth very worried. Betty's father is the reverend, and he is solely concerned with his reputation with the rest of the Salem. He does not want to be associated with witches in anyway in fear of losing his new found job. Without even finishing Act I, we have already discovered that Betty was faking her sickness, Abigail watched her parents get murdered, and Abigail had an affair with her boss. The way this story grabs your attention is astonishing. I haven't been even been able to lose focus while reading. This play is already getting crazy, and I can't wait to keep reading. This is the kind of story that you are so invested in, that you can't wait to see the movie, because you actually want to see what the characters look like and how they interact with each other.

Human Worth

The question present now is, "is all human life worth the same?" I firmly believe that we all come into this world as equals with the same worth. We are all born with a clean slate, and we are able to make our lives into whatever we think is possible. After birth, you develop responsibility. We have the responsibility to stay on the right track and make our lives worth something. Everyone has worth, because everyone is able to change if they really want to. Our society has an image of how people "should" be. This image is mere opinion. Not everyone is equal, and they will never be perfectly equal. Every person has a different gift to offer than the next. Some people are very aware of their gifts from early on in life, while others take the long route to find what they have to contribute. This longer route can include a criminal lifestyle, dropping out of school, or poverty. However, every person is created with a gift and deserves a chance to prove that they want to change, and that they are willing to turn their life around and start becoming a relevant part of society. Even if the man in jail is a murderer, we must keep in mind that he was once an innocent child who came into this world with endless possibilities and opportunities, but somehow, he lost his way and went down the wrong path. We have more of a responsibility to at least try to make them aware of their wrong-doings, and try to give them a chance to change before killing them off with an injection, because, doesn't that make us murderers too? If we are just fine with taking someone's life and sentencing them to death, are we not all murderers?

English Semesters

This year, I am looking forward to being exposed to new genres of literature that I would not normally read. I'm excited to be able to relate real world history with literature. Even though the work load is already pretty heavy right now, considering I never had homework the last two years, I think its going to be a good semester. I am especially excited to read The Great Gatsby, because I saw the movie and it's now one of my favorites. I have never heard of the first book we are supposed to read, so I'm just going to keep an open-mind about it. Although, from how Ms. Laxton has been talking about it, it sounds like it's going to be a pretty hard book. English is not my favorite subject, but it's almost my favorite. I like to read, but I only like to read books that interest me. My English teacher last year picked out books that were hard to read, because they were so boring. I am hoping that I don't find the books this semester to be boring. In conclusion, I am excited about taking English 3, and will try to enjoy the curriculum, even if it's not very interesting.

Summer Reading

This summer, I read a couple books. The first book I read was called The Boy Next Door. It was a romance novel. It took place at the beach, and it was about a girl who was on summer vacation. She lived with her mom and her sister, and they always kept a very neat house. One day, a big family moved in next door that was not as neat as they should have been. The yard was not well kept; the kids were always loud and running around; there was junk all over the porch. The families were polar opposites, but the girl ends up meeting the boy and falling in love with him. They sneak out and spend their whole summer going on adventures together. This book was very intriguing and heartwarming. I would definitely recommend this book. The second book I read was called Dear John. This was another romance novel, but, in my opinion, it was better than The Boy Next Door. Dear John starts off with a guy telling his story about how he was a rebellious teen, but then later decides to join the army. He is the only one out of his military buddies that does not have a girlfriend, and he makes it clear that he's not really looking for a girlfriend. Because he is always stationed outside of the country, he thinks it would be a waste of time trying to find love. He was on leave, so he went to visit his father in Wilmington, North Carolina. He didn't have a very strong relationship with his father, because his father was very introverted. John spent most of his time at the beach. While he was at the beach one day, he met this girl who he instantly felt a connection with. They fell in love very quickly, but towards the end of the book, there was a huge plot twist. This book definitely holds your attention, and makes you want to keep reading until the very end. I would recommend this book to anyone. You feel as though you are right next to the characters the whole time, grasped in full attention. My summer was filled with romance novels by the pool, and both of these books were worth the read.