1800s Hipsters

A hipster is considered someone who breaks the "social norm" of society, whether that is clothing or literature; and when we began looking at transcendentalist literature this week, I realized that they largely relate to modern day hipsters. For example, David Foster Wallace takes on the persona of a quirky man, with a bandana tied around his forehead keeping back his long hair. He defiantly fits the outward standards, considering we commonly associate hipsters with fashion choices. But, in this case the definition is more applied to literature, which Wallace also achieves. To begin with, transcendentalists tend to utilize nature references within there literary pieces, and during the era when this group arose, that was considered less common. Also, looking at Henry David Thoreau's writings, you see his emphasis on stepping away from what everyone else is participating in; He encourages humanity to stand up for what they believe in, even if that includes breaking government regulations. Thoreau's message eventually inspired some of the greatest activists such as Mahatma Gandi and Martin Luther King Jr. His purpose, once again, illustrates how transcendentalist could be considered hipsters.

America Is Not So Perfect

In class we had a discussion about the current state of America, and whether we lived up to the standard set in the Declaration of Independence. Also, the Declaration of Sentiments and women's rights came into topic. These topics got me thinking that our country is defiantly not perfect. Just looking back in recent events, the government was literally been shut down for the past few weeks due to a lack of congressional agreement. But, pertaining to the Declaration of Sentiments, although women's rights have massively expanded since the construction of the document, we still have a little ways to go. In general, the United States has a bit of work to do concerning equality. It is evident that racism will most likely always be present, but I feel like there should be a method to restrain any further growth. Also, in the professional field, equality should never be a question but only a common method. But in the overall outlook, America has greatly improved. We have eliminated slavery and created equal voting rights, as well as becoming much more excepting towards homosexuals and much more. Although we are not perfect and have a lot of work to do, we have made so much progress and that is something to be remotely proud of.

Reputation

When reading The Crucible through out the past couple of weeks I notice that the reputation within Salem's theocratic society is an important and reoccurring theme. For example, the protagonist of the story, John Proctor, sacrifices his existence to ultimately permit his reputation to exist. In Salem the concept of privacy and publicity remain as one. Due to this, the fear of accusation due to association begins to run wild within the town. Focused on maintaining a clean status, the citizens do just about anything to assure safety. This aspect has a good relation to the status of race during early America up until the mid to late 20th century. Many white people did not want to be associated with African Americans due to the very negative perspective people held against them. African Americans were seen as lesser human beings, and many believed that they would gain similar reputations due to association. That is one reason to why integration was so difficult to achieve. From this example you see a direct correlation with Abigail and Mary Warren. Mary Warren falls back under the influence of Abigail due to fear of association with a man who is breaking the social normality. She fears her fate with an accusation and could not stand breaking a clean reputation. On the other hand, John Proctor takes a different approach concerning his social status. By refusing to relinquish his name, John manages to die with integrity.

"Witches" Still Exist

In the portion of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, that we read this week, we discovered the mass hysteria prevalent during the Massachusetts Salem witch trials. Much of the fear was fabricated from false accusations and mob mentality. The whole occurrence was created by Abigail, and she did everything in her power to continue the ciaos. She caused everyone in the town to re-evaluate their neighbors. This craziness has a direct correlation to the nine eleven terrorist attack and the public's reaction to the Muslim community. After this attack people formed a misunderstood dislike for this community. American airports and other areas created intense security and also formed a large focus toward middle eastern cultures. Much like in Salem, many people began to accuse the whole Islam religion as a terrorist group. This accusation is ridiculous considering Islam is one of the most peaceful religions. This related back to the witch trials and Mary Warren being accused as a witch. This is just as ridiculous, because Mary Warren is one of the most timid and kind characters with in the play. These events are just examples of how closed minded humanity is.We want things to be picture perfect and in many cases we can not seem to accept diversity or difference. Also, mankind uses this to their advantage, much like Putnam's accusation in order to gain land. This is still common within modern day, because humanity has always been selfish and close minded.