The Modern Puritan

So one day I was told to do this blog post and think about the whole topic of the "modern Puritan," whatever it may be in your mind.
After thinking and more thinking, I realized that the modern Puritan not only could be talked about in comparing the Puritan now vs. many years ago, but it can also be compared to other aspects in our society.
First things first, what is a Puritan?
Well, according to the dictionary definition, a Puritan can be defined as, "someone who adheres to strict religious principles; someone opposed to sensual pleasures."
In my mind, a Puritan is not only strict to religious principles, but they are pretty much strict on everything else. This would definitely include laws, rules, and other things that people have to follow.
One of the first things I thought of when it came to a Puritan was one of the forms of government that was enforced back in the Ancient Chinese Civilization. The form of government was called Legalism, which meant punishment for the ones who did wrong, and a reward for the good. This in a sense was somewhat like a Puritan because Puritans are often punished for crimes like adultery. Even though they didn't have much of a reward for good, it kept some people out of trouble and it was an expectation of a Puritan to be chops. "Good" meant obeying God's commandments to the Puritans, but in the Ancient Chinese Civilization, it was more force that was exerted. This meant that you shouldn't get on the bad side of the King, because Legalism meant force and a lot of power to one ruler.
This meant that Legalism in the Ancient Chinese Civilization might've been more strict than Puritans back in the 16-17th centuries, but they are fairly similar as for how strict things can be.
Not only could Puritans be compared to Legalism, but it can also be compared with modern society. One of the examples that I thought of were parents.
Yes, parents.
Typically some parents are stricter than others, bit most of them all have one mission; to make you the best person you could be. That is similar to Puritans because primarily one of the reasons why they obey everything God says is to be the best person they can be (for God). Also, parents can be really strict, so strict that they might even enforce similar rules on you, which makes parents comparable to the Puritans. (may I also note that the Asian parent is primarily stricter? It's true, it's not just stereotypes!!)

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

First of all, something completely unrelated to the title of this blog post is... PROCRASTINATION. This is partly why you see this blog post posted at around 12 am in the morning. How can this be? Well, I got home.. ate some goldfish, took a nap, went on my phone... oh, you don't need further explaining? Alright, let's get to this post then, shall we? *cool kid music*
For today's post, I will be talking about...
JOHN PROCTOR!!!
John Proctor is one of the main characters in The Crucible as he plays a really important role in the book. Many can argue both ways on whether or not John Proctor was a hero or a stooge, but many argued that he was a hero.. Which makes his "heroism" "mainstream." (Credits to Justin)
Even though in the back of my mind I agree that John Proctor did a really heroic thing, I feel like it is also arguable that he is a stooge. (At least for most of the story)
First of all, something "super juicy" happened in Act I that probably made some of you puke in your mind. HE HAD AN AFFAIR WITH A 17 YEAR OLD GIRL!! That, by itself is a foolish thing. (Then I think to myself.. if this was present day, wouldn't that be considered rape? Abigail is under 18!) In my opinion, when you're married, you're committed to your wife/husband You're not supposed to commit adultery! As a puritan, John should've known better. Also, how old was John? Like 34? He was pretty much twice as old as Abby, and to me committing adultery on a 17 year old is just plain foolish. I'm not trying to say that adultery could be justified, but why would he bother to break a commandment on someone he can call a "child?"
Even though something that you might justify with is the fact that John regretted doing that and felt sorry at the end; he did what he did. There was no turning back.
Another thing that John did was forget one of the commandments. (Oh the irony, I laugh every time.) Out of all the commandments, he had to be reminded of one by Elizabeth, his wife, that adultery was a commandment. It was like he was doing it on purpose or he was nervous, but that was definitely an action that I felt like John messed up on.
A lot of you might be reading this and being like: Why are you focusing just on certain parts in the beginning?
Well, I'm getting there, explaining myself till the end.
PLOT TWIST...
Towards the end of the story, John realized that what he did with adultery was wrong, and even if there was no turning back he knew that he had to show that he was faithful with his wife. He truly felt sorrow and regret for his past, stupid mistakes. I gotta say, that part when John and Elizabeth talked alone made me soften up a bit. All along I thought John was nothing but a fool, but then I realized that he really did care about Elizabeth, with the words being said and even a passionate kiss at the end of their alone time.
At the very end, John ripped up the confession paper he signed because he truly didn't witness witchcraft, and he felt like it was foolish for accusing another person just to save himself. Because of that, John had to die a pretty painful death, but that didn't matter to him. What actually mattered was the fact that his name would be remembered for someone who made a sacrifice, and after his death, not only did Elizabeth marry another man but the witch trials slowed down a bit. It wasn't as hectic and crazy, at least in my opinion, and I feel like John Proctor not only saved other people, but he made a big impact to the Salem Witch Trials. Even though the trials would've ended sooner or later, if he accused more people, the chaos would've kept going.
Therefore, even though John could be easily argued to be a stooge, especially in the beginning, I feel like he has died a heroic, tragic death.
Also, one thing that I thought about was the fact that even though John wronged God and he knew it, I feel like one of his reasons for dying a sacrificing death was because he felt like he wronged God in so many ways.. It made sense to me that John died partly to resemble Christ, even though he wasn't perfect.
JOHN IS A HERO AT THE END YAY
THE END

There Goes The Neighborhood..

Modern Day

Chicago is one of those places where there is much diversity when it comes to races, but low key Chicago is one of the most segregated cities in America! Since Chicago is a big city, there are a lot of different neighborhoods. As times changed, so did the neighborhoods. Different people of different races move in, and sometimes because of that, people decide to move out. Even though segregation was fixed by Martin Luther King, whether you like it or not, there is a lot of racial separation in Chicago that still exists today. An example would be my neighborhood. When my parents and sister first moved to "my" house 20 years ago, there were a lot more Polish people. As time progressed, they decided to move out, bringing other races to my neighborhood. As more time progressed, I was around two or three when my Asian neighbor decided to move out and rent their house to a different family. That way, my neighbor could get more profit, and the newcomers to the neighborhood could be happy. Many different families moved to the house next door, as around every 2 years or so, there would be a new family that moves in, sometimes a different race than the previous owner. Also, recently there were some Asian families that moved to my block and the block next to mine. Given that, you could say that the majority of my neighborhood is Mexican and Asian. Another thing about Chicago is the fact that a few blocks makes a difference! One second you can be driving through a decent neighborhood and the next second.. YOU SEE A RATCHET HOOD!(That's only a few blocks away from the decent neighborhood.) Low key, my parents would warn me to not get out of the train when I accidentally reach the "hood", but thankfully that hasn't happened yet. *knock on wood* Anyways, that's about it for Chicago neighborhoods. Believe it or not, back around when Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas as a complete stranger to the Native Americans, their reaction was shocked. At the same time, the Native Americans attempted to be welcoming, and their reactions are similar to our reactions when a new neighbor comes around.

Back then- 1492, Native American's Journal

It was cold, yet it was just like any other day in the Americas. I hunted for deer that day, and I got it. I was eating warm rabbit meat when I heard the waves of the ocean. "Swoosh, swoosh!" It was getting louder and louder. It was unusual for the waves to be moving so fast, so I turned my head to where the ocean was, and from a distance, I could see white. "Were they people?!," I thought to myself, shocked as I made out a ship that was getting closer and closer to the shore. The white shouted out something unfamiliar to me, but their rough voices were loud and obnoxious. As the white got even closer, the birds that surrounded near the ocean flapped their tiny wings, going to an unknown world with freedom. As I glanced over to the ocean once more, I could make out the white. They looked like people, but their faces were really unfamiliar to me. I've never seen a person so light before, and their eyes... their eyes were blue, unlike everybody else in my tribe. Finally they reached the shore, and they shouted something that sounded like excitement. Again what they shouted sounded loud and obnoxious, and I couldn't make out their words as they spoke fast.... There goes my tribe..