My Traveling Experiences

I have not been many places, so I do not really have any great stories or anything to tell. This summer I went to Wisconsin Dells for vacation. We stayed at Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park and we did some site seeing as well. Wisconsin really in not that far away. It took us about six hours to get there. Normally, we go to Colorado for vacation because my cousins live up there so we go to visit them. I always have a great time because we always go to really cool hiking trails and go shopping at their outlet malls. I have also been to Missouri because my Grandparents live there. Also this summer though, I went to North Carolina with my church for camp. That was a lot of fun and I will probably go again next year. I have to admit though, I'm not sure if I really like traveling that much. Now don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love to visit Europe, or even other places in the U.S, but I do not like to travel unless I have family or friends to travel with. Even though, I had a wonderful time in North Carolina, I did miss my family and some of my other friends. So, I never like being away from home for too long. Also, I always here people talking about how they want to move away after school and live away from their parents, but I do not really have the desire to move far away. I like living near my family. I will probably do some more traveling throughout my life for sure, as long as I am experiencing new places with great people. I have a lot of places I would love to travel to. One of the places I would really like to visit is Austria. My grandma is from Austria and she has many pictures of her there. It looks like a really pretty place to visit. I also thought it would be cool if one day I could go visit Egypt or Jerusalem. They have many historical sites that would be very cool to see.

"Plymouth Plantation" Reflection Blog

I thought that it was very interesting that Of Plymouth Plantation was very different from the other two things that we read, Upon the Burning of Our House and the narrative about Mary Rowlandson. In the other two things that we read, I said that they both kind of reflected Puritan writing because they used words that were very elegant and beautiful sounding. However, in Of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford is very straight forward and uses a very plain writing style. (Bradford, 15) Also, like the other two pieces that we read, there are many references to God. Actually, the whole thing really is about God. Normally, I read the book by myself and I do not use the audio option. But this time I just decided that I was too tired to read myself, so I turned on the audio and the first thing I noticed was his tone of voice. Even though it was not the real William Bradford, I believe the book does its best to really speak how they would speak. So , I was very surprised because his tone of voice was very kind of mean and demanding. He spoke a lot about how we are all sinners and will face the wrath, unless we are a new creation. (Bradford, 63) The Puritans were very religious and strong in their faith, so if you were a sinner and were not a new creation, they would talk about hell and how you have not escaped the wrath. I also noticed how they, or at least William Bradford, views God. They do not view God always as a merciful loving God, but rather a harsh and judging God. Bradford often speaks about how God looks at us as almost as we look at Satan himself. (Bradford, 64) Another example is when Bradford talks about how God is just holding us over hell, and the only thing between hell and us is air. I thought this was very interesting because even though some people think of God this way as well, most of the time we have always been taught that God protects us and is very loving and merciful. The Puritans obviously had a different point of view, when it comes to who God is and what he thinks of us. The writing style is also like that. Unlike the last pieces we read that were elegant and pretty sounding, this piece is kind of harsh and commanding. William Bradford is speaking to you and basically telling you all of these things about God as a fact a not as an opinion. Now maybe that was just the way William Bradford was, and maybe not all Puritans were like this, but I feel like he was kind of bossy when it came to his religion. Then again, he was a leader wasn't he? Even though, I don't know if I agree with everything that William Bradford said, I actually really liked this piece, especially when audio read it to me. It was really cool because it kind of felt like you were actually listening to him speak.

Bradford, William. Of Plymouth Plantation. Glencoe. Print.

Journal #3 - Hostage

If I was ever held hostage, I would like to think that I would escape nice and easy with no problems in the escape plan. Now of course this all really depends on the situation that you are in. For example, if I was on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. My escape plan would have to be very quick and complex. First, I would have to find a way to unlock the door to my little room that I am held captive in. My kidnappers obviously took the key with them, thinking that they have outsmarted me. I look around for something to use and at first I am at a loss. Then suddenly I realize that I have a bobby pin in my hair. I bend the bobby pin so that it fits in the key hole perfectly. I quietly open the door and peak around the corner. My kidnappers are nowhere to be found. Getting out of the room was the easy part, keep in mind that I still have to get off of the boat somehow. I slowly climb up the stairs up to the deck of the boat. I see them there playing cards on deck. I realize then, that they have my cell phone. I see it laying there on the table. So I decide to create a distraction. I throw the nearest thing I could find down the hall and hide behind a nearby wall. Score. I quickly grab my cell phone and call the only person I know will come to my rescue. Gabberzqueen. I call and she decides to come save me. Finally, I see her coming with her speedboat. I jump on and we ride back to shore. Unseen and unnoticed. Success.

Qualities of Puritan Writing - Reflection Blog

There are many things that I noticed when I read A Narrative of Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, and the poem, "Upon the Burning of Our House." The first thing that I noticed when I read the narrative is just the way that they speak compared to the way that we speak as of today. There were many words that I could figure out because of context clues, but many of them I was not for sure what they meant right away. I really like the way they spoke though because I think it is much more elegant and intelligent sounding. For example, there is a part in the narrative when Mary says "But now I must turn my back from the town, and travel with them into the vast and desolate wilderness, I know not whither." (Rowlandson, 82) Instead of using common words today like "place" it is replaced with a more effective word like "whither."

Another thing that I liked about this narrative and I thought was interesting, is Mary's constant and strong faith in God. I don't think there was one time in this book when she doubted Him and if she ever did, her doubt didn't last long. There are so many examples of her faith in this narrative, one of them being this quote, "but God was with me in a wonderful manner, carrying me along, and bearing up my spirit, that it did not quite fail." (Rowlandson, 83) Not only does she give thanks to God then, but even in really difficult times, like when she is thankful because she is fortunate enough just to get a little bit of food, or not have to sleep in the rain. (Rowlandson, 85) Even after she lost her child, Mary never ever lost faith. I wouldn't necessarily say that her faith in God reflects Puritan writing though. Even if you have faith in God, I don't think many people have that strong of faith. That is why I think Mary's story is very impressive. The poem Upon the Burning of Our House also deals with religious views. For example, in the poem Anne Bradstreet writes things such as "And to my God my heart did cry", and "It was His own it was not mine." ( Bradstreet, 91) These quotes show how she has faith and is willing to give up everything.

Most people I think are not big fans of the rhyming in "Upon the Burning of Our House", but I think it makes the poem more interesting. I like this style of writing because if I wanted to hear just normal phrases, I would just read prose. I also think that, given the circumstances, rhyming can make the message of the poem more effective. I really like the Puritan writing style because I feel that it is very pretty and enjoyable to read. Puritan writing contains many religious symbols and points throughout, but I personally really enjoy reading about those kind of things and I think that that kind of stuff is very interesting.

Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., and Douglas Fisher. Glencoe Literature. New York: Glencoe McGrawHill, 2009. Print.

Journal #2 - Hospitiality

Once upon a time, not so far away from here, there lived a little family of moles. The moles lived in a little network of tunnels under the Hermes' house. There were other animals of course that lived in the neighborhood and the moles were liked by all. They were known for being a kind and respectful family. Every year the other animals would look forward to the mole's annual harvest party. The party was a tradition and was the last time the animals got to see each other before they went into hibernation for the winter. All of the same animals were invited as the previous years, however, there was a beaver that had recently moved into the woods near the Hergenrother's house. Now the moles were very hospitable, so as expected, they invited beaver to their annual Harvest party. The days passed and the weather slowly got colder. Finally it was time for the party. The animals filed into the mole's house and and began to partake in the festivities. Everyone was laughing, eating and having a wonderful time until Beaver showed up. Unlike all of the other animals, Beaver was rude and showed no respect. At first, everyone tried not to notice, but after awhile the animals were tired of Beaver and told him that he had to leave. As Beaver walked out of the moles' little tunnel, he realized that because he was rude and disrespectful none of the other animals wanted to be his friend. Beaver decided that he would go and apologize to the moles and all the other animals. Beaver said that he was very sorry for being that way and promised never to do it again. From then on, everybody loved Beaver and the party was fun again, and continued to be for many, many years. The End.

Journal #1 - "How the lion got its mane"

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there lived a little lion. The little lion was named Leo. He lived in the beautiful grasslands of Africa with his parents and the little lion was happy. But one day, the grasslands caught on fire and in seconds the land was destroyed. In a panic to escape, all of the animals ran toward shelter, heading into the jungle. Little Leo thought he knew where he was going and tried to follow the others, but once he got to safety, he realized that there was nobody in sight. He searched and searched for his family, but he simply couldn't find them. Eventually, Leo could not go on any further. The days passed, the weeks turned into months and months turned into years. Leo had lived in the jungle all alone for over a year, with nobody but a little monkey that kept him company sometimes. Because Leo lived all by himself in the middle of nowhere, he had not had a haircut for quite some time now. The fur around his neck grew full and fluffy as the time passed. Now Leo had not forgotten about his family, and everyday in the jungle he would search just for awhile. He was convinced that he could find his family if he only had help, but none of the animals would talk to him. They were scared because of his fluffy mane. He did not look like the rest of the lions. Leo looked big and tough. Almost losing all hope, Leo decides to go look in the grasslands one last time. He looked around for awhile and Yes!! They were there! All of them noticed Leo's mane and showed him great respect, as did all of the other animals. From that day on, Leo and all of the other lions were kings of the jungle and Leo lived happily ever after. The End.

My Favorite of the Three

My favorite novel, out of the three that we had, would have to be Their Eyes Were Watching God. This is my favorite for many reasons. Compared to the other two books, I feel like to me, it was the most relateable. That may very well be because the author was a woman and so was the main character. I really liked this book because it was realistic, but at the same time, it was a great story. Janie overcame so much throughout her life and even though it didn't end exactly the way she had planned, she was finally content with herself and with her life when it was all over. I also liked this book because I felt like the author was way more compassionate. For example, in The Grapes of Wrath, it feels like Steinbeck just tells us what the characters do, and barely tell us anything on how they really feel. But in Their Eyes Were Watching God, she gives you a glimpse of what the character is thinking and really feeling. By doing this, it makes you relate to the characters more, because a lot of what they feel, we have felt before at least once in our lives. Also, I read some stuff about the author, and she just seems like an overall nice person. The other two authors may have been nice too, but I really did enjoy reading this book and I would recommend to anyone.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2000.Print.