Alternate Ending "The Pit and the Pendulum"

    I had escaped from the pendulum with my life! That was two of the Inquisitions death traps for me, but I proved to be smarter than them even with them drugging me. I sat down to calm my racing heart from the near death experience. I noticed that my prison was becoming brighter and warmer. All of a sudden, with a loud creaking sound, the walls start to flatten out pushing me ever closer to the pit. I wondered if they had read my thoughts and were angry at me for thinking I, a protestant, was smarter than the Catholic church. I have no hope for escaping, either I will fall into the pit or being burned to death. As the walls moved closer and closer, I remembered when I first discovered the pit and threw a pebble into it. I had seen for a brief moment a little window that they used to check if the body were dead. I scrambled to the brink and got onto my stomach. I reached down and was just able to reach the door. I felt something furry on the wall and wondered what it could be when it squeaked. A rat sitting horizontally on the wall of the pit. How could that be? I shoved the rat off and felt the smallest ledge. The walls were close to my body, I could smell my clothes starting to smoke. I decided that it was either now or never and holding on to the ledge, I twisted my body and sank into the deep abyss. It was much cooler inside the pit and I felt my body beginning to cool down. I had no idea what I would do if one of the torturers had opened the window. I saw the walls of my prison swoosh together over my head and a dead, singed rat fell onto my head. I almost screamed of horror but I bit into my lip to keep from shouting out fearing they would hurt me if they discovered where I was. The walls moved back into their original positions. I expected them to look into the pit at any moment to see if I had fallen for they wouldn't find my body burned to a crisp. After what seemed an eternity of grueling pain from holding my body up, I saw a hand reach down into the pit. I grabbed hold of it and felt it pulling me up with a significant amount of strength. As I was dragged onto the floor of my prison, I looked around the room and saw my rescuer. There were many men in the room besides my rescuer and they were all wearing the same clothing as I. They told me that the French had invaded Spain and the French soldiers were releasing prisoners and taking captives. They had skipped my cell because they were told by my torturers I was dead. The former prisoners told me they were conducting a search of the entire facility to make sure they rescued every single person in this horrible prison. I thanked them again and again and then we went to help more prisoners.

Irving versus Poe

   I am not sure which author I prefer. Both write some type of horror/ scary story but Irving deals with situations that couldn't possibly happen whereas Poe deals with peoples' minds and situations that could occur. Generally when I read Poe's stories, my brain tends to think about it longer. After reading Poe, I picture circumstances in my head and then I can't get away from them because they're in my head and not real. With Irving, I thought about the story and did not conjure any pictures in my head. One thing I do like about Poe's stories is that some situations that he wrote about have and do happen which makes it so interesting because then you might be able to figure out why someone did what they did.

Romantic Poem Reflection

     One of my  favorite poems we studied this week was Snowbound by John Greenleaf Whittier. I like this poem because it tells the story of a farming family during a blizzard. I love the country and farms and I also love snow (a hazard of having relatives from Minnesota!). This story so vividly portrays how a family in the country lived during the winter. The people in those days were much hardier than we are today. They all knew their job and did so right away. Most importantly, they knew how to have fun with their family without the modern "conveniences" we have today. This is a wonderful poem about country life and makes me wish I could travel back in time to visit this quaint little setting.

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I love fall. It is one of my favorite times of year. I love how the leaves are turning colors and falling so we can rake them. The crisp cool air clears my thoughts and smells wonderful. Fall is also when we can harvest the garden full of apples, corn, squash, potatoes, onions, and pumpkins.I love it when the weather changes from warm to cool and people can hear the geese flying south for the winter. Fall strikes a chord within me making me want to hike in the forest observing God's wonderful creation. Fall is also the season when we celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving allows people to show how well their gardens did and enjoy in its bounty.

The McCarthy Hearings

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1769.html
       This page gives a brief summary of the McCarthy Hearings. In 1954, they were called the Army-McCarthy hearings because Senator McCarthy first targeted the military of having Communist ties. The McCarthy hearings also were the first ever televised hearings live in the U.S. With the hearings being televised, millions of people watched to see what would happen next. Most people started to hate McCarthy, his popularity dropped drastically which led to his loss of power. McCarthy accused Army Chief Counsel Joseph Welch's aide which led to Welch's famous reply: "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"                
        I would probably be listening like every other American to these hearings  get as upset as they. I would have gotten  so angry because this Senator all of a sudden said there were Communists in the government. The Russians were just as scared of us as we were scared of them. They wouldn't have tried to undermine the delicate balance between us. I really like how Mr. Welch finally stood up to McCarthy and said they were wrong. 

The Crucible Act I

     When we started this section, I knew very little about the Salem witch trials. From what I have read in the Crucible and what we have discussed in class, I can say that I am really amazed at all this blaming and killing. I really do not like reading the Crucible because it angers me. These people said they were Christians and yet they jump to conclusions and assume the worst of everybody. All the sinning that is hinted at in the Crucible is appalling and makes me think of Sodom and Gomorrah. I do like however that Arthur Miller uses the Salem witch trials as an analogy to the Communist hunt in the 50's. It is amazing what fear can do to people. I know this is an excellent piece of Literature but I would rather read something more upbeat.

Puritan Plain Style

As I looked out my window early this morning, I noticed all the squirrels seemingly at play.
To us, they look as if a marvelous time is being had with no work and all play.
But even though some foolish person may think that being a squirrel is all fun, they work harder than we do.
Every moment of every day is spent in preparation for the harsh winter.
And though a person may be foolish to think, that being a squirrel for a day would be fun, we must model ourselves after the squirrel so we too will not be without food.
The good Lord Himself has told us that, "If any would not work, neither should he eat."
We must bring God glory by working as hard as His smallest creatures.

John Alden and Priscilla Mullins

      John Alden was in his early twenties when he was hired to be the ships cooper (barrel maker). Being a barrel maker made him extremely strong making him a great asset to the Pilgrims. Priscilla Mullins traveled with her father, mother, and brother to the New World. Her family died during the first winter. She devoted herself to helping others, especially the sick. John Alden married Priscilla Mullins in 1621 or 1623. They had 10 children, many of their descendants are famous, one of them being Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. John Alden held many positions in Plymouth, he served as deputy governor, the colony's treasurer, and he helped revise the laws. The Alden's and Miles Standish's family settled in Duxbury.
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/aldenjohn.htm


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem about the supposed love triangle between John Alden, Priscilla Mullins, and Miles Standish. This story is not factual at all but an interesting story nonetheless. As I read it, I noticed some historical blunders. Longfellow calls the colonists at Plymouth, Puritans. They really were Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth. Longfellow also refers to the Mayflower landing at Plymouth Rock which is untrue.
         Here is the link for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "The Courtship of Miles Standish". It is a rather long but I enjoyed it!!
http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/hwlongfellow/bl-hwl-miless.htm

Second Blog Post: Journals

I was looking at the Jamestown rediscovery website when I found this article on Captain John Smith. As I was reading it, I found parts that did not correspond to the story the General History of Virginia.
    It says on the website that the Algonquian Indians attacked the settlers, stealing guns and raiding their camps... I thought Jamestown had a wooden wall surrounding it??? The article goes on to say that John Smith and some companions were ambushed by Indian Deer Hunters. The Indians killed the Englishmen with John Smith and took him back to Chief Pawhatan where John Smith dazzled the Indians with his self-confidence and his mystical instruments with him, namely, his compass. Wasn't Jamestown the first Settlement in Virginia? How did the Indians understand him????? The article says that John Smith took part in a ritual or trial where he was made part of Chief Pawhatan's tribe. They say that John Smith believes Pocahontas saved his life... from what??? John Smith was made a member of the tribe, where's the part where Chief Powhatan nearly knocks John Smith's brains out??????
     This article, to me, sounds very biased. John Smith could do no wrong! He saved Jamestown! I think there's a bit of faulty evidence, lots of bias, and maybe just a pinch of exaggeration for good measure.
Here is the website I found this article at:  http://www.preservationvirginia.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=25

Nature Sightings

So my family went to the apple orchard today after school and as we were driving in the country, we saw the biggest bald eagle!!! It was on the ground holding something. It was so beautiful and amazing to see a bald eagle so close to home. The only other time I have seen a bald eagle is when my grandpa took our family on a cruise to Alaska and at one port, a Native American man whistled and about 5 bald eagles came from their nests and circled around in the sky. When I saw the eagle, my mind immediately went to English and learning about the spirit guides. I wonder if this means I'll become a chief??? LOL!!!!

The Lady Slipper

    My mother grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Her father was a great outsdoorsman, he went hunting and trapping to get money to buy their Christmas presents. One year, he bought my mom a pair of moccasins and told her about the legend of the Lady Slipper. The Lady Slipper is Minnesota's state flower and is endangered.
    The story of the Lady Slipper is on this link: http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/LadysSlippers-Ojibwa.html
   The Ojibwa are Native Americans that live in northern Minnesota and parts of Canada. This story is told to explain why the Lady Slipper looks like a tiny moccasin. The Lady Slipper is an endangered flower and it is protected by the state of Minnesota. No one can remove a Lady Slipper from its natural habitat.

My fist blog ever!!!! I'm really nervous...