Journal Entry 40, Title: Harsh Words

Many words that provoke strong emotional responses are words that relate to the people’s race, family, or their weak points. These words either say bad things, or remind the people of what they are bad at. Words that offend people in general are the words that tell people they are dumb or unattractive. Words that make me angry are the words that remind me of the things that I wanted to hide or forget. The words that offend people are the words that provoke strong emotion. Like the word referring to the black people in the past, that word offended the black people by saying that their skin color is of the inferiors. Other words that offend me are the words that condemn my family. The tone of your voice can also provoke strong emotion when you are saying certain things. If you’re saying something with a sarcastic voice, people might get offended; but if you say it with an earnest voice, people won’t be offended. Sometimes your voice is what makes a word become an insult. 

Journal Entry 39, Title: Mockingbird So Far

The book To Kill a Mocking Bird is told from a woman named Scout’s point of view, and it is told in a light and merry mood. The story begins as Scout looks back at her childhood. She started from the summer when they met a boy named Dill. By the details given in the story, I think the setting is around the 1900s in America, when the depression is happening, and when there is still slavery. There isn’t an actual plot in this story, it sort of goes by chronological order, like a woman telling the story of her life. Scout has a brother named Jem, and they spent a lot of time playing together before they went to school. After Scout finished first grade, Jem preferred to play with Dill, who comes to Maycomb every summer. These three children played around the Radley house. They make plays and games about the house and the Radley son, Arthur. I think this book is very helpful for us to understand traditional American history and culture. Many of the things that Scout’s father, Atticus Finch told his children taught me what they valued. I think the Southern people are generally good natured, and they live a simple life. Atticus Finch told his children many times that “If Boo Radley wants to stay in his house; he has the right to do so. If he wants to come out, he will go out himself; you don’t have to force him out.” From this sentence I think the traditional Americans are simple and easy-going, they don’t want to cause trouble.

Journal Entry 38, Title: Response to the veil

The congregation in “The Minister’s Black Veil” responded to the black veil immediately after they saw it. They were very curious about the reason why the Minister wore the black veil and began taking random guesses. Some of the people were very terrified as they think the black veil as a black and ominous thing. I think the congregation’s reaction won’t be considered reasonable in our modern time, but it might probably be reasonable in that time, because their lives revolve solely around religions. Mr. Hooper acted as a sign of purity and a symbol of a great soul to the congregation, but when Mr. Hooper wore the black veil, it somewhat cast doubt on the congregation’s beliefs, and because the beliefs are the center of the congregation’s lives, they are terrified. I think the congregation did not overreact because that kind of reaction towards that kind of things was considered reasonable in the past. I think that if we were in a PAS school meeting, and Pamela went up in front wearing a black veil, we wouldn’t have had any reaction stronger than being mildly curious. I think I will just be curious of the reason Pamela did such a thing, and I will ask my classmates about the reason. On the other hand, if it was something that meant a lot to us, we would have a reaction similar to the Puritan congregations. For example, if Pamela went up and pulled out a gun, we would certainly have a very big reaction. I think a person living in a Puritan community and a person living in modern-day Taiwan will have different reactions to different things. We will only react strongly to something that matters to us, modern day people wouldn’t have cared if they see someone talking with a black veil on their face. Most modern day people will only think that person is retarded or just plain weird.

Journal Entry 37, Title: Parable

There were two servants in Roger’s house, one of them is bright and brilliant, and one of them is not that smart. One day, Roger had to leave the town for a few weeks for his business, and he left the house for the two servants to care for. Before Roger left, he told the servants to remember to receive the money from one of his fellow businessman, because he will be away at the time when the businessman comes. A few days after Roger left, a well-dressed man with a big mustache came to the house and gave half of the money to the smart servant, and half to the other servant. The amount of the money was so great; it is enough to buy an entire castle. After the businessman left, the smart servant thought deeply, and decided that he will run away with the money. The other servant didn’t think much about the money; he put it in a box and kept it safely in his master’s room. That night, the smart servant packed all his belongings and departed, leaving the house to the other servant. During the next few days after the smart servant left, a huge snowstorm struck the town and covered everything with snow. After the roads were cleared, the dumb servant went out, and found the smart servant frozen to death in the midst of the snow. The dumb servant later got the news that Roger also died in the snowstorm. Because Roger has no relatives, the dumb servant received all the money and wealth that Roger had. The dumb servant built many great bridges and donated money to the poor, he was loved by everyone in the town.

Journal Entry 36, Title: The Saddest of All Prisons

I agree that the saddest of all prisons is a person’s own heart. Our own heart is a cage that can shut off everything outside, and conceal everything inside. I think that many people in the world still carry guilt in their heart, like the people in the past. One of the examples of people concealing their guilt in the past is Arthur Dimmesdale. He was unable to confess because of the society he lived in. One of the modern examples is the North Korea president. The president jumped off a cliff and committed suicide, I think he hid some secrets in his heart and became more and more uncomfortable, so the guilt eventually drove him to death. I believe that the guilty secrets hidden in people’s heart can in fact isolate people from others. Arthur Dimmesdale began to feel uncomfortable being with other people, and the Korean president committed suicide without noticing his family. I think people who carry guilty secrets inside their hearts can never be happy; they can only gain happiness by confessing. Arthur Dimmesdale became happier after he confessed to the public, so I think whenever you have these kinds of secrets hidden in your heart; you should confess to someone and let the secrets out.

Journal entry 35, Title: Comparing Poems

Even though the poem “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”, and “The Cross of Snow” is written by the same author, they are kind of different. One of the most significant differences is the attitude towards death in the poem. In The Cross of Snow, the author showed his grief and regret about the fact that his wife has died. In contrast, the poem The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls explained death as a nature’s cycle, it happens to everyone and it is inevitable. In The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, the author has no apparent attitude towards death; he treated it merely as something that will eventually happen to everyone. In The Cross of Snow, the author treated death as something that wouldn’t have happened if he tried harder to save her. He regretted the fact that he failed to save her even though he tried. I think the unnamed traveler in the In The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, the author described an unnamed traveler. I think the unnamed traveler does not describe a specific person, but it describes the whole human race. I think Henry Longfellow is stating the fact that we will all die someday, and it is inevitable. In the other poem, the author described a specific person, which is his wife. I think he knows the fact that everyone will eventually die, but he still regrets the death of his wife because he thinks it’s mostly his fault. 

Journal Entry 34, Title: Image of Grief

Henry Longfellow chose the snowy mountains as a scene that represents intense grief. I think he chose this scene because the snowy scenes convey the meaning of sadness, and maybe his heart is cold and lonely like the tall mountains standing in solitude. I think images from nature that can represent grief or sorrow often involves coldness and bitterness. I think grief can also be represented by cloudy skies or rainy places. “Grief is a city where the sun never shines.” This metaphor compares the feeling of grief and regret with a city that will never have a bright day, and will always be sad and gloomy. I think grief is like the image I’ve chosen because when you are experiencing grief, you tend to be very unhappy and gloomy. Your mind is like a gray city, full of regret, sadness, and other unhappy thoughts. I think grief is a thought that is kind of special, because it’s not happiness, and not as strong as anger. It is a feeling that is somewhere between the two. Grief is often similar to regret, we have grief mostly because we regret something. We keep on thinking about that specific thing that make us regret, so our minds eventually gets filled with grief.

Journal Entry 33, Title: Human life: a cycle?

I think human life is similar to the cycles of nature. If we compare the sun with our lives, we can see some similarities. I think the sunrise can be like our birth, the sun in the middle of the day shines most brightly, and it is like us in our twenties or thirties, when we are in the best shape, both in our health and our career. There are many idioms in Chinese that compares the rise and fall of sun with our life. One of them described the sunset as the time of our old age. I think our lives are like these endlessly repeated cycles of the natural world. We get born, and before we die we give birth to another life, and the life takes on us after we die. These cycles all have a start and an end, it is the nature’s way to create and destroy. We come to this world, and we leave the world. Without these cycles, the world might become a very weird place. The sun will never go down, and we will never die. The world would be a very monotonous place, because nothing ever changes.

Journal Entry 32, Title: Natural Cycles

I think the life and death cycle of nature is kind of comforting, although it makes me feel sad and insignificant to think about it. I think birth, growth, death, and rebirth is vital to maintain the nature. I think this cycle is comforting instead of disturbing, I think it will be more disturbing if nature doesn’t have this cycle. When you take away even one part of the cycle, the whole balance of nature will collapse. If you take away birth, the world will stop living, and everything will eventually die. If you take away death, the world will be in total chaos, because the population will become too large. It is impossible to take away even one part of the cycle, but if you do, the world will turn into a place that nobody is normal. The life and death cycle of nature comforts me because it reminds me that the world and the living things on it will eventually change, and the scene outside my window will eventually change, too. If the things never change, the world will be very boring, and it will seem like we are stuck in time or a nightmare. More importantly, without the cycle, we won’t be here. 

Journal Entry 31, Title: A Realistic View of Life

Do young people adjust their dreams or expectations to fit reality as they get older? I think they do. One specific example is from my own experience. When I was little, just like every other kid, I believed in Santa Claus. I used to think that when I’m asleep, Santa will come down into our house from my chimney and put presents under the Christmas tree. I didn’t even know that the chimney in my house doesn’t link to the outside, so no living thing can get in or out my house by the chimney. I think I was less idealistic than I was before, I think I’m more realistic. I just assume that Santa Claus exists without thinking how it exists, but now, I use some reasons to prove that Santa Claus does not exist. The realization that I will eventually grow up and have control over our own life urged me to develop a more realistic view. Developing this view does not offer comfort, but having this view is important. One of the advantages of having a realistic view is that you will become more responsible, independent, and not have to depend on other people like a child.

Journal Entry 30, Title: Comparing Characters

I think of all the characters, major or minor, Wilson is one of the most interesting characters. Wilson, the loud soldier experienced a change in his attitude before and during the battle. Before the battle, he was pretty confidant and a little arrogant, he complained that they never got to fight an actual battle; instead, they only got to march around. He said he wants to really fight, instead of just marching around and wasting their strength. During the battle, Wilson became a different person; he was so scared of dying that he gave Henry the yellow envelope, fearing that he might not be able to see his parents again. When Henry went in the regiment with his wound, Wilson was eager to help him and took him to the doctor, Wilson took care of him and even lent him his sleeping bag.  Before the battle, Wilson was not a very likable person; he was loud, arrogant and not very nice to other people. During the battle, Wilson became humble and treated other people nicely. I think the war had an impact on Wilson, it made him realize that he should be grateful that he has battle partners. I think he realized the importance of his comrades when he handed Henry the yellow envelope, and that’s why Wilson eagerly cared for the wounded soldiers that came in the regiment. 

Journal 29, Title: Henry's Relationships

Henry Fleming, the main character in the Red Badge of Courage, experienced many different things with the people he met, his experiences with Jim Conklin, Wilson, and the tattered soldier in the Red Badge of Courage are all different. Henry’s experience with Jim Conklin is the most significant. Henry was a friend with Jim Conklin ever since he joined the army, and Henry was even there when Jim Conklin died. Jim Conklin played an important role in Henry’s experience in the war because he offered comfort when Henry was fearful, like when he said he would run in battle too, if everyone were running, and he also taught Henry what it feels like to lose a friend. Henry’s relationship with Wilson isn’t very significant, but their relationship changed when Henry came in the regiment with his wounds. The tattered soldier was a nice guy, but Henry apparently doesn’t like him. The tattered man kept on asking Henry about the location of his wounds, and Henry was fearful that the people would find out that he doesn’t have any wounds because he ran away. The tattered soldier reflected Henry’s feeling of guilt for running away.

Journal Entry 28, Title: Conscience

The meaning of conscience by the dictionary definition is: the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one’s conducted or motives, impelling one toward right action. The meaning of conscience in my own words is the inner feeling that keeps us from doing something that is wrong or immoral. How can having a guilty or troubled conscience interfere with a person’s daily life? People who have troubled conscience may not be able to do things right. They cannot tell the difference between right and wrong. When you have conscience and you do something you think is wrong, you become guilty. Feeling guilty is an uncomfortable experience because you will be constantly worried that someone might found out what you did wrong. For example, in the Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming was guilty that other soldiers might found out that he ran away when the battle started. He struggles on the decision of whether to return and fight like a brave hero, or just stay away from the battle like a coward. Henry’s conscience urged him to go back and fight, like the other soldiers, but he was too scared and tired to go. 

Journal Entry 27, Title: The Dark Side

The Dark Romanticism was reflected in many forms or productions, like movies. In the movie “Star Wars”, there were a good side and a dark side. The dark side was evil and is obsessed with killing, for example, Darth Vader. The Dark Romanticism was popular at the time it was established because people at that time are generally pessimistic; it explored the dark emotions, or negative feelings of people. One of the writers best known for Dark Romantics is Edgar Allen Poe; the works he produced are very dark and kind of disturbing. I don’t really like Edgar Allen Poe’s works because it is so dark and disturbing, it gives me a headache. After reading The Raven in Expository Writing class last year, I experienced Edgar Allen Poe’s strong grief and sorrow towards the lost of his beloved wife. In that poem, Edgar Allen Poe kept reminiscing over the fact that his wife is dead, and that she will never return. This poem explored the negative feelings of loss, grief, and sorrow of human life. These emotions make up a part of our lives; everyone experiences these feelings in some time of their lives. I personally dislike Dark Romanticism, because it only brings negative emotions into this world; I think being optimistic is important.

Journal 26, Title: The Transcendentalists

The transcendentalists are the people that think everything in the world is a reflection of the divine soul, and they think that spontaneous feelings and intuition are superior to deliberate intellectualism and rationality. Transcendentalists view the world as a doorway to the spiritual or ideal world, and people can use their intuition to behold God’s spirit. I think their beliefs are kind of weird and strange. One of the most famous Transcendentalists is called Ralph Waldo Emerson. The famous things that he said don’t mean A THING to me. I can’t figure out what he is trying to say even after I read the sentences a couple of times. One of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quotes that I do understand and agree with is: “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.” I think that quote makes perfect sense, we shouldn’t keep quoting other people’s words, we should say our own. I only agree with some of the Transcendentalists’ beliefs, mostly because I only understand some of it. I don’t really agree with their views of the world, they think EVERYTHING has something to do with the spiritual world or god. I think it’s weird to keep believing that god is in every single place.

Journal 25, Title: Romantic Values

The values of the Romantics were feeling and intuition over reason and the placing of faith in inner experience and the power of imagination. Romantics also value natures that are unspoiled by civilization, and dislike the artificiality of civilization. These romantic values affect the American imagination by influencing the way they think, and changes the way they act. I don’t think much of the values that the Romantics favored are still alive in our modern society and culture. Most people in our modern society mostly values civilization, they usually dislike people who favors feelings more than reason. Deciding matter with you’re feelings is not as good as deciding with reasons. Deciding with reasons is more “rational”; it allows us to make a more appropriate decision. I personally think that some of the values that Romantics like are kind of weird. In our modern society and my own culture, we are brought up with the beliefs that we must be “realistic”. We have to value the things that play an important role in our life, instead of just some “feelings”.

Journal Entry 24, Title: The American Romantic Hero

The heroes mentioned in the textbook, page 168~169, are mostly people who have certain characteristics that people at that time value. Some people considered as heroes are people that live in the wilderness, and at the same time being civilized people. Heroes in our modern society are mostly people that treat the issues of the climate, or global warming with importance and are helping to solve the problem. Modern day heroes are also people that help fight some issues that are major problems in some country. For example, people that help in the process of relieving famine and transporting humanitarian aids into needy countries like Africa. These people are highly valued; they devote their time into helping others, and help make the world a better place for everybody. I think the values of American Romantic Hero are very different from the values of the people considered as heroes in our modern society. People considered as American Romantic Heroes are mostly people that are educated and civilized, and our modern society heroes are mostly people that are working to make the world a better place. 

Journal Entry 23, Title: Freedom and Equality

Are freedom and equality the two words that describe America? I think it is, because every time I think of America’s history, I think of their struggle towards independence against the British monarchy. When I was taking the US History class last year, we spent a LOT of time talking about how the Americans started to hate the British’s control, how the British treated them like workers, trying to get them to pay unreasonable taxes. The Americans wanted to have their own government and have the right to decide things for themselves, in other words, they wanted freedom. I think freedom and independence most accurately describes the values of America. The value of equality also accurately describes the values of America. In Great Britain, there are kings and aristocratic families, and in America there aren’t any families like that. In America, everyone is equal; nobody can have more rights than someone else. I think these values are something you’ll hold like a treasure, because the Americans fought very hard to get what they want, they fought a lot of wars for this cause, and many Americans died. Something that is achieved by such a way will not be treated without respect. 

Journal Entry 22, Title: The American Ideal

 I think the quote reflects the American Ideal, because it reflects how the Americans fought for their independence because they wanted freedom; they wanted to build their own society, instead of being a colony controlled by the British monarchy.  The United States is a free country, you can pretty much say anything you want to say, and this fact is reflected in the Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, “we will speak with our own minds”. The United States citizens have the right to say and do what they want, no one can force them do believe in what they don’t want to believe, like religions. This quote has a big meaning to Taiwanese people, because we are currently trying to get rid of China’s “control” over us, China thinks Taiwan belongs to them, but we think we are an independent country. Many people have strong feelings towards this issue, and I personally think China should think about the reason of why we don’t want to belong to them. The wrath of China has affected many of our global reputation. We weren’t allowed to go as “Taiwan” in the Olympics; we were only allowed to go as “Chinese Taipei”. We wanted to join the United Nations, but because of China, we were unable to join. I think the quote of Ralph Waldo Emerson speaks to many of the Taiwanese hearts, it reflected our struggle towards independence. 

Journal Entry 21, Title: What I like about this class

In this class, there are a lot of things that I like. For example, I love how the fan swings its big blades around, causing the wind to blow and make us cool. Also, the air conditioners brilliant job simply cannot go about unmentioned. In summer, it sacrificed it’s self, making us cool and at the same time, making itself hot. It risks the condemnation that it is contributing to global warming, but despite these hardships, it continues to work and devoted its life into satisfying our needs. Another big thing is the large windows, these windows are brave creatures, they withstand the powerful winds of Hsinchu, and protects as from the horrendous beating from the large raindrops. They sacrificed themselves just to give as a nice, warm room for our educational needs, and they also protect us from the sun, but not so that they block the light. When we open these windows, it gives us a splendid view of the very clean streets of the Guangfu Road, and also an excellent place to breath in the fantastic air of our urban dwelling. Finally, what I love the most is the formation of the chairs and tables, they can be described in a single word, “creative”; with that formation, we can keep a safe distance from the lecturer without sitting too far so that we cannot see. I enjoy almost every class of American Literature that I took from October 29^th to November 1^st, it is truly my deepest pleasure to have the chance to walk into this classroom three times a week, and have the opportunity to walk out with a full mind and a flat stomach. 

Journal Entry 20, Title: What I don't like about this class

What I don’t like about this class? People might expect a five paragraph, 5 page double spaced essay, but to be honest, there isn’t much that I don’t like. If I have to be picky, I would say the weird smell that lingered in this classroom for one entire day. The smell can be easily described; it smells like “gas”. One thing that I also didn’t like was when we read the Scarlet Letter, we have to read many chapters for each week, and I wasn’t able to keep on with the schedule of the book. Unlike the pre-calculus and physics class, the formation of the seats are comfortable and spacey, I won’t hit my elbow with someone else’s every time I’m writing something. I hate it when I don’t have enough space to write, plus I am usually the only left handed person, so when I sit in the middle of various people, my left elbow keeps on bumping into another person’s right elbow. The formation of tables and chairs allows me to focus intensely for a much longer time than in pre-calculus or physics. Almost everything I have to say are positive things, I don’t have many complaints. 

Journal Entry 19, Title: The Unknown Quantity

People are all unknown quantities at the beginning of their life. What they like, what they’ll want to do when they grow up is all determined by later influences in life. They began to know who they are as they grow up; some people undergo this process sooner than other people. People find out what they do best by many different ways. Some people find out what their strengths are by slowly figuring out their own interests. Some people find out their strengths and weaknesses by significant events. Challenging situations can test someone, how they react with the sudden need to solve a difficult question, and how they try to solve the question. I do not fully agree with the idea that each person is an “unknown” quantity until he or she is tested by a challenging situation. Some people find their strengths from exploring, they try various different things and find out what they enjoy and are best in doing. Some people feel that they aren’t good in anything, and those are the people that find their strengths through certain challenges. A Chinese saying goes “Everyone have their own use in the world.” The people that think themselves as useless just don’t realize how great they are through important events. 

Journal Entry18, Title: Persuade Me

I want a bottle of water. And you are going to get one for me. “Why should I?” you may ask, don’t be so upset and I will tell you why. First of all, I need a bottle of water because I am thirsty. Imagine that you are stuck in a cage with the water just out of your reach. That’s the situation I’m in right now. Also, getting a bottle of water is easy… “Then why don’t you do it yourself?” Wait, I’m not done talking. Getting a bottle of water is easy for you, but not for me. That is because I have no legs, I lost both of them in war. I have to go down so many flights of stairs just to get a bottle of water, and I might die of thirst by the time I reached the first floor. Lastly, what if I’m god in disguise, and I’m here to test you? If you get the water for me, it might be a sign that you are a good man, and you will receive luxurious treasures just like in fairy tales. “But what if you’re not?” You’ll never know, plus, you won’t want to try the consequences. 

Journal Entry17: Title: Give me Liberty or…

When you look back at Taiwan’s history, you can see that many countries have fought for the control of Taiwanese land. Several countries like Japan, China, the Netherlands, and Spain all involved in the wars on territories. After the temporary governments of various countries, there’s nothing more that the Taiwanese citizens want than the chance to govern themselves. Many of the most heroic events in Taiwanese history are the story of leaders fighting off the Japanese or Chinese control. I think the aboriginals will have the deepest understanding of the words “liberty” and “freedom”. Just like the Indians in America, the aboriginals were prosecuted by the outside countries coming into Taiwan. One of the most known rebels of the aboriginals resulted in almost the complete eradication of one aboriginal tribe. The craving for independence shaped the minds of Taiwanese citizens in the past, and it continues to affect us today. The characters of Taiwanese and American people are similar in some ways; we both fought for our independence. The Americans fought against the British, and the Taiwanese fought against China and Japan. Almost every country has the background of fighting for liberty and independence. For most people, when they hear the words “liberty” and “freedom”, they think about the history of their country. 

Journal Entry16, Title: My own Sermon

If you sin, you receive punishment. If you sin, god will not save you, you’ll go to Satan’s land and burn in the scorching hell for eternity. We are already sinners in the eyes of god because of Adam and Eve. We must not commit crime; one more crime will become the motive for god to ban us out of paradise. Sin is not tolerated by god. God tells us not to lie, not to kill and not to commit adultery. We are the creations of god, and god has the ability to destroy his creations, if some of us were to commit sin. Do not foolishly underestimate the power of god; do not be arrogant enough to cast disbelief on god. Those who cast doubt upon the powers of god end up dead, their bodies burn in black flame and cast a odor so foul it is surely the scent of Satan. God can create us with a flick of his hand, and he can destroy us with the same way. God keeps us from going to hell only to give us a chance to prove ourselves, if we sin, we lose the chance and we all die. So believe in god, and never commit sin!

 

Journal Entry 15: Title: Respond to Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards is a very religious and pious Puritan. In his speech “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, he stated that human are sinful in the eyes of god, and god have the power to destroy us if he ever wants to. I think Jonathan Edwards is not a very good choice if you want to live with somebody, as you can see; he is a very radical and extreme religious person. He says gods view us as something more disgusting than the evil serpents that we hate, and God has the power to “shoot an arrow” at as, as in killing us. I think his speech is trying to warn the people not to take things for granted, and we should be humble under the hands of god, and that god has the ability to take away everything we have, including our life. It is said that his speech made the crowds shriek and swoon. I think his speech won’t have the same effect on the modern religious people. Most people in our modern society don’t take the religion as serious as Jonathan Edwards does; they view the religion as only a way that can help them get through emotional hardships. 

Journal Entry14: Title: Sin

Sin is defined as “doing what is wrong, or not doing what is right according to God's rules”; this definition is clearly based on religion. The definition of “sin” in the modern society is probably defined as doing something that the majority of the society think is wrong. My definition is similar to the modern society’s definition because I do not have religious beliefs. In the religious realms, god decides what is considered a sin and what is not. If god tells you not to lie, and you lie, then you have sinned. The definition of sin is different for people with and without a religious belief. Many things done by religious people are considered a sin for themselves, but may not be considered a sin for others. For example, lying is not considered a sin by non-religious people because the law doesn’t say it’s a sin. Many religious people refer to the bible when it comes to the issue of sinning, and their lifestyles are often stricter than ours. When it comes to describing whether or not that you have done, or witnessed something considered as sin, I think I have not sinned, because various acts considered as sin in modern culture is written by the law, and up to today I have not broken the law yet. I am also not old enough to witness something truly described as sin. If I’m a religious person, the answer to the question above is probably both a “yes”, because it is almost impossible not to lie, and unlikely that you will never see someone else lie. 

Journal Entry 13: Fear as a motivation

Yes, I agree fear is often a motivation for people to do things. In most companies, the employees often do their work because their scared that they will get fired if they don’t do their work. Many students do their work because there are scared that they will be punished if they don’t do their homework. Another example is me and my mom. I usually do what she tells me because she’s going to get mad, and fear is what motivates me to do what she tells me. Because of fear, we are less likely to be injured, because we wear a helmet out of the fear of injuring themselves when do certain activities. Without fear, we might not remember to wear a helmet, because we are not thoughtful of the consequences. We may not enjoy the feeling of fear, but we must admit, without fear, we will be more likely to be injured.

Journal12: Church

I have never been to an actual church before; I have only gone to Chinese and Japanese temples. In the Chinese temples, there will always be a distinct smell. The smells come from a big metal pot in front of the temple, when people go to the temple; they take sticks covered with powders and light it up with fire, and they stick the incense stick into the pot. The powder on the stick is made of wood grounded into fine dust. Also, in almost every Chinese temple, there will be a little ceremony that people do to ask the god’s permission to do something that want to do. It’s called “Bua Buiy”, it is two pieces of banana shaped wood painted red. Both of the pieces has one side that is flat and the other side that is round, they determine whether the god approves what they are going to do by seeing which side of the two pieces is facing up when it falls on the ground. Japanese temples have similar looks as the Chinese temples, but the Japanese temples usually have black roofs instead of red roofs as Chinese temples do. Japanese temples don’t usually have incense pots, and they don’t have “Bua Buiy”. Japanese temples always have boxes in which you draw a piece of paper of bamboo stick with words indicating your luck for the day. 

Journal11: Motivation

In both the Scarlet Letter and the poem “Burning of our house”, the themes are strongly based on religious beliefs, and the characters in both of the books are all Puritans. In Scarlet Letter the characters often have similar appearances; they wear plain clothes and talk in a similar fashion. The villagers in Hester Prynne’s town were horrified when Hester committed adultery, and they punished her harshly. I think the punishments of Hester are strongly related to their religion. Anything not according to the Bible is often prohibited, and of course adultery is viewed as one of the most sinful crimes. Our society is based on justice legislation instead of religious beliefs, in our modern world, we won’t be punished in public if we commit adultery; our society gives us the right to keep our crime a secret. In the poem “burning of our house”, the writer blessed god for taking what she has, instead of getting upset about her unfortunate encounters. That is very different from our modern society, even now, religious believers won’t thank god for burning down their house, they will just be mad. The way the writer reacted about the burning of her house is strongly related to her religion. The Puritan religion believes god is the great architect, as mentioned in the poem, god made everything, and everything that the people have was given by god. Ann Bradstreet believes it is only right for god to take back what he gave, because it ultimately belongs to him. Our society is designed so we have to earn what we have, so when we lose our material possessions, we will be very upset. 

Compare and Contrast: Bradstreet vs. Sor Juana

The biggest difference of these two poems is the use of language. In Bradstreet’s poem, Burning of Our house many of the sentences are inversions, they have the subject behind the verb, for example: In silent night when rest I took, and most of the sentences rhyme with each other. The English version of Sor Juana’s poem World, in Hounding Me did not have any rhyming, it’s probably because it’s originally written in another language, and the English words for the original sentences don’t rhyme. Despite the very different things that the two poems are describing, the poem has the similar theme “vanity”, but it is described in a different way. In Ann Bradstreet’s poem, the author described her feeling of vanity when she had her material possessions, and after God took away what he gave, she felt contempt because she thinks she has enough, even after everything is gone. In Sor Juana’s poem, the author described the feeling of vanity that doesn’t come from material possessions. She feels the world values people of their outside appearances, and not their internal beauty. She thinks that the world is shallow in viewing people, as if judging a book by its cover, and she thinks pursuing outside beauty gives her the feeling of vanity, and she prefers to stock her mind with knowledge. 

Theme of “World in Hounding Me”

The theme of the poem is that the people in the world usually value outside appearances more than the inside values. They care more about what they look like, or what other people look like, rather than what they have on the outside. “How can it harm you if I choose, astutely, rather to stack my mind with things of beauty, than waste its stack on very beauty’s claim?” This sentence was from the poem lines two to five, I think this sentence most clearly described the theme of this poem. I think the poem’s theme is based on the author’s frustration and annoyance at how the world works. She may be annoyed by the fact that many people are shallow. I only slightly agree to her point of view, because the world has many people, not just the people who judge people by their appearances. If I were to write a poem on a similar topic, my theme would probably be a little similar to the author’s, but not as extreme.  

How Effective is the poem’s title?

The title of the poem “World, in Hounding Me” seems to express the writer’s annoyance for the world. Hounding means “to pursue relentlessly”, the writer must have felt prosecuted by the world if she chose to use this word. The speaker’s attitude towards the world can be seen in the title of the poem. She felt annoyed and irritated by the world, when the world appreciated her outside appearance more than her inner beauty. I think the author’s attitude towards the world is similar to mine, because I will become frustrated and irritated when the world only cares about our outside beauty, and not our inner beauty. The title of the poem is pretty effective in conveying the writer’s feelings towards the world. 

Hounded by the World

When I see the words “Hounded by the World”, I think of someone being looked for all over the world. “Hound” has the meaning “to pursue relentlessly”, so “Hounded by the World” most possibly means to be looked for in everywhere. People that are possibly hounded by the world are probably international criminals, or celebrities. The poem “World, in hounding me” turned out to be very different then I thought it would be. The poem talked about how the writer only valued the treasure in her mind, and does not care for the treasure and wealth. I didn’t really get what the title of the poem has to do with the poem’s content. I thought it would be a story of how she is pursued relentlessly by someone else. 

My Personal Disaster

I went up to the stage,

The audience was pitch black

I was all alone

With no one at my back

I looked at the microphone

And I started to speak

But none of the words came out

I looked at the draft

And my hand started to tremble

The words on the paper

Looked like carvings on a cave wall

The words looked like they’re moving

The words looked like they’re alive

Finally my eyes fell upon

Some words that I knew before

I cleared my throat quietly

I opened my mouth once more

I told the story on the paper

It was about a man who doesn’t like his voice

The audience began to snicker

The judges begin to laugh nervously

It must’ve been my voice

That made the audience scoff

Finally the script came to an end

And I hurried off the stage

The experiment was terrible

It was bad and not too good.

Guilt

Everyone feels guilty about something they did. At first, I didn’t think I have anything to feel guilty about, but then I thought about the first and only time I’ve bullied someone. I felt guilty about a time I bullied a girl. I was bullied at that time, too, so I know how she must’ve felt. After that, I never tried to bully anyone, because I know how it feels. I didn’t feel guilty right after I bullied the girl, so I didn’t apologize. When I didn’t apologize, I lost the chance because I’ll never see her again. Having to do a bad thing to someone is not the worst you can experience; the worst is to lose the chance to apologize. I hope I’ll be able to apologize to her someday 

Puritans and Possessions

The Bradstreet’s poem talked about the writer’s house burning down. The puritans believed many things happened because the god made them happen, this religious belief caused the poem to be interesting. In the poem, she thinks it’s the gods will that the house is burning, instead of thinking it as natural causes. The writer paid respect to god for taking her possessions, instead of getting mad at her unfortunate encounters. She said the god had given her house, and now god is taking it away. She feels sorrow for the things she lost, but she thanked god for taking. If people in the modern society saw their house burn down, their reactions would be very different from the writer. Instead of feeling thankful, people would just be mad at the world and their unfortunates. The puritans believe that god can control everything, and people cannot control their faith. The writer in this poem believes god has done something right in taking all her possessions, and she thinks she has enough even if god’s taken her possessions.  

Hester's Punishment

The first few chapters of The Scarlet Letter talked about Hester Prynne’s unfortunate encounters. Hester Prynne was accused of adultery and was punished for it. She was forced to wear a piece of cloth with a big A (stands for adultery), and stand next to a pillory as her punishment. I think the punishment is unjustified. If Hester has a baby as the result of an affair, there must be a father. The father should be punished, and more severely than Hester, because it’s more likely that the father started the “action”. It is highly unlikely that Hester made the man have an affair with her; it is more possible that the man forced Hester to do what he wanted. The villagers should realize the fact that Hester couldn’t have controlled what happened to her, only the man can. I think Hester showed great courage in taking the blame to herself. She probably thinks revealing the father’s name would ruin his reputation as a minister. On the other hand, the man showed great cowardice in not facing his punishment.

Material Possessions

Lots of materials in our possession are essential to our daily life. We use them every day, and we are so used to them that sometimes we don’t think about their existence, but our life won’t be the same without them. Many people never imagine how they will live if their house burns down, and only after they lost their possessions they realize how important they are to them. My computer, for instance, is a very important possession that I have. Without it, I won’t be able to do homework, and all the entertainment it gives me will be gone. If my house ever burns down, I think the things that are hardest to lose are my computer and violin. One reason is that they mean a lot to me, and another is because they’re expensive. On the other hand, my possessions that are easiest to lose are mostly replaceable things. Things like my books and my old clothes. There are a lot of things we can live without, like the piles of books stacked in the attic, but when we lose certain things, we will experience a big change in our life. I think something that I can’t live without is my computer, because people’s lives in the modern society are closely bounded with electronic devices. For many people, living without a computer is like living without oxygen, and one day without checking Facebook feels like two days. 

Puritans and Rationalists today

In the old times, Puritans worshipped god, and their life was developed around the religious beliefs. They believed god had created the universe, and god will control their life. The Rationalists also believed in god, but their beliefs differ from of the Puritans. The Rationalists also thinks that God created the universe, but they believed god will not control the lives of human. Unlike the Puritans and Rationalists, many people in the modern world don’t believe in gods. They believed the universe was created by natural phenomena, and they think people should be able have their own beliefs. Like most people, I believe in science, and I think the universe is created by natural causes. People in the modern world are not prosecuted by their beliefs; the diversity of beliefs in the world is a proof of the freedom of beliefs.