This journal is from the perspective of John Clyde, age 15 at the time of his first journal entry. He is an only child, as his brother died in war. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts, part of England but seen as a colonist in society. He lives alone with his father, due to his mother’s passing in 1761. His father is a merchant, and he plans to work as one in the future as well. From the beginning of the Revolutionary War until after it, England has changed. It used to consist of British and colonists, but now the colonists have separated to form what we now know as America. Another thing that has changed is that leaders of countries were called Kings and Queens, but now, in America, they are addressed as Mr. or Ms. President. People now can also freely worship their religion, because before it was banned/illegal. Finally, birth doesn’t have to be your destiny. That was a major change from before and after the revolution. If you were born poor, it didn’t mean that you would be a peasant your whole life. If you worked hard and put in the effort, you could pull yourself to […]
Category: Humanities
Brexit 1776
This is the American Revolution Common Craft Video was made by Jaslyn, Erica, and Michelle The American Revolution was all about fighting for independence and freedom. The American Revolution started as simple protests, then escalated to war, as the British were infuriating the colonists with acts and taxes. The colonists wanted independence, so they worked very hard to earn it, and after many battles and many negotiations, results in the United States of America we have today. Throughout the process of learning about this revolution, I found that revolutions were all about coming together to fight for something you believe in. Another thing was that if people are pushed to the breaking point, they will risk everything to fight for and get what they want. (All images are from Wikipedia)
2,000 Feet Under
“Trapped”, which was written by Marc Aronson, is a book about hope, teamwork, and problem solving. This book zooms in on the rescue mission of 33 miners, who were trapped in a mine for a total of 69 days. Buried 2,000 feet below the Chilean Desert, the rescuers above land face challenges, while the miners struggle to survive underground with limited resources. A theme the author could be trying to show is that with teamwork and a hopeful mindset, your chances of success will increase. Hints of this theme can be found throughout the book, where working as a team brings them together. Furthermore, the rescuers only find the trapped men because of their motivation to find the lost men, which was brought on by hoping and believing they were still alive. You should read this book because firstly, it’s fascinating to learn about how the world rescued the miners from so far down. Second of all, the story follows the miners’ perspective, and I found their story very interesting because of their challenges and problem solving in pressuring moments. Even though nothing in this book connects to current issues, it was an interesting read and I learnt a lot […]
The Boxers Are Seen As “Bad People”, but Do They Really Deserve It?
The Boxer Rebellion took place from 1898 to the 1900s. The cause of the Boxer rebellion was the opium wars, which came right before the rebellion. Because of the imperialism during the opium wars, where the foreigners took money and territory from China, the Boxers decided to rebel because they didn’t like how foreigners were taking everything they wanted from China. Because of their motive, the Boxers did not deserve a bad reputation. According to Newsela, the Chinese were forced to continue importing opium for the benefit of British trade. The foreigners also demanded that certain ports would be opened up for foreign trade, and that China had to give up some of their territories. This was their reason to start The Boxer Rebellion. During the rebellion, according to Mr. Jenne, the Boxers attacked the city of Beijing and destroyed the foreign buildings, and even some Chinese buildings, because they believed their ‘magic fire’ would destroy only foreign things. Unfortunately, they had believed wrong and ended up destroying Chinese property. To keep all the foreigners in Beijing, the Boxers cut off the railway lines and the telegraph lines so the citizens couldn’t escape or efficiently contact others for help. They […]
Instagram Notification: Follow helena_official for a guide on jealousy and low-self esteem
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play written by William Shakespeare, about four young adults who are in a tangled web of love; Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, and Helena. While Hermia and Lysander are in love with each other, Demetrius loves Hermia, and is approved by her father. Helena, who is in love with Demetrius, is a jealous and self-deprecating person. In the script, Helena says to Hermia: “Call you me fair? That fair again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair: O happy fair!” (Shakespeare 181-182). From this part of dialogue, we can infer that Helena is jealous of Hermia, because Hermia has Demetrius’ love. Helena knows Demetrius is in love with Hermia, therefore she admires Hermia’s ‘fairness’ and is jealous of her. We can also tell Helena is self-deprecating because she’s telling Hermia she isn’t ‘fair’. Helena thinks she was ‘less worthy’ of Demetrius than Hermia because Hermia was better than her. Later on in the script, Helena says to Hermia “O, teach me how you look, and with what art: You sway the motion of Demetrius’ heart.” (Shakespeare 193-194). Here we can tell that Helena is jealous of Hermia’s looks, wishes Demetrius loved her instead of Hermia. Helena clearly sees […]
How Humanist Am I?
For more information on Humanism, click here. For additional information on the Renaissance, click here.
Listen to the Human, Not the Monkey(‘s Paw)
Wisdom can be as worthless as a mound of dust, or as precious as a thousand jewels, it all depends on how you interpret and value the message. In the story The Monkey’s Paw, Mr. White comes across a talisman, a monkey’s paw, that is said to grant three wishes to three separate men. Despite Morris, the sergeant major that was in possession of the monkey’s paw before them, and his warning, Mr. White and his wife lost their only son by wishing for two hundred pounds. As his wife wishes for their son’s resurrection, Mr. White is aware of the consequences that will come and he uses his third and final wish to get rid of his son forever. In the story The Monkey’s Paw by William W. Jacobs, the author believes that ignoring the wisdom of others always comes with a price. Morris constantly warns the married couple of the monkey paw’s consequences and tries to convince them to destroy it: “Better let it burn…Be sensible—throw it on the fire again.” (Jacobs 85). By getting rid of the monkey’s paw permanently, Morris believed that no one would get hurt by wishing from it again. He was trying to […]
Cultural Differences
My found poem is about the external conflict in “Fish Cheeks”, a narrative written by author Amy Tan. In the story, the protagonist, fourteen-year-old Amy Tan has a crush on the antagonist, Robert, the minister’s son. She is conflicted in accepting her born culture, Chinese, and wanting to take on another, American. As Robert and his family were invited to her house for dinner, Amy is embarrassed by the manners her family portrays, scared of what Robert would think. Being used to American cultures, Amy decided that Robert would judge her for her Chinese origins. In the end, she learns to appreciate her culture and accept herself for who she is.