Not-so-goody Salem!

Back then in Salem, times were really tough. If someone did anything associated with the devil, they're witches. Even if they didn't but look guilty, WITCHES. Being sentenced to death was an average, daily-basis thing. Does that even seem reasonable? To the Puritans back then in Salem, it all made sense. You worship the devil, you die. Since the Puritans were so paranoid that the devil himself would make his way into their community, absolutely anything done wrong was a life/death decision. The accusations weren't supposed to have anything to do with gender, age, or anything of the sort, but that didn't work. Children seemed to be the worst people in the whole community, yet with lying, they got away with basically anything. How can a child possibly do anything wrong...?
From what was going on in Salem, to us the Puritans sound crazy. Religion was always put in first place-yet murders were happening everyday. Nonsense! Life as a Puritan was extra hard. The children actually had it bad, too. The girls and boys were expected to do totally separate things. Little girls had to stay home, learn to cook and sew, and do house chores. Boys got to go out and explore the outdoors, practiced carpentry and crafts, and hunt. Nothing mattered except to worship and cherish God. Welcome to the life of a Puritan.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, was born in Salem, Massachusetts. His father was a judge in the Salem witch trials. I believe Hawthorne wrote his famous book because of how closely he can relate to it, considering he actually lived in the time period in Salem itself. I think Nathaniel Hawthorne did a good job by writing this book because people can compare their religious beliefs with the old days' beliefs, or do anything. This Puritan background definitely has an impact on present society here in America. The Salem Witch Trials were a big mistake, so because of history, we know now how to deal with crimes and the people who commit them. I feel that back then, nobody trusted anyone in the Salem society, and it is much different now-a-days. A person can actually trust a security/police/guard without being afraid of accusations. Because of the horrible past, America's society is what it is now- a liberated country with freedom of speech, religion, ANYTHING.

Am I Truly An American?

Even though I was born here in America and live here my whole life, I didn't feel like an American all of those 15 years. My family is the most POLISH family in the world, no doubt about it. Because of that, we strictly follow Poland's traditions and such. At the beginning, my mom and dad did not speak English whatsoever. It was hard for my mom to get a job or simply communicate with anyone. Out of all my family members, my 6 year old sister sister knew the most English. Under these circumstances, how could I feel like an American?

The time didn't come until my mom graduated her English class at Wright College. She took the class to make all of our lives easier. After getting her degree, she finally began talking with more non-Polish people and learning their ways of living and traditions. Because my mom was learning all this new "American stuff", our house and meals were changing. Instead of potatoes and meat with a side everyday for dinner, my mom changed it up a bit my serving pasta, spaghetti, and many other meals that we never had. Since these things were all new to me, I began to feel like an American. Being an American was a big deal for me because I finally felt like I fit in, not only in school but overall in the big melting pot, America. If it wasn't for my mom taking her English class at Wright College, I'd probably still be considering myself fresh off the boat POLISH.

people these days...

There as soooo many pointless problems these days, it's not even funny. Stuff back then that started wars and all that jazz was acceptable; land stealing and all. But the things that cause "wars" nowadays are super dumb. A big issue in today's society are same-sex-relationships. That is a totally different opinion for every other person, so it's not worth fighting about. If someone chooses a certain significant other, that's their life. Leave them alone, yeah? 
Other problems start in small neighborhoods because of race, for instance. In my opinion, blacks and whites are so "segregated" only because of past history. There is absolutely nothing in today's society that separates the two peoples. Makes NO sense. 
The point I'm trying to get across is that people are always "us VS them". Does this even make sense? Always going against each other. Some people may not even know why, they just follow the crowd. It's so easy to tag along and believe what people make you believe, but can we get a grip and stand up for ourselves? Voice our own opinions? 
Give that a try, maybe change that statement to "us AND them".
lovelovelove.