Nature Portfolio- Responses to Atlantic Readings

Nature Portfolio- Response to Atlantic Readings

Read

The American Forests- John Muir

The Sound of Trees- Robert Frost

The Divine Soil- John Burroughs

            I read “The American Forests” by John Muir, “The Sound of Trees” by Robert Frost, and “The Divine Soil” by John Burroughs from the Atlantic Magazine readings. I think the main focus of all of these together is that a person should be proud of and respect where they are from.

            In “The American Forests” the essay is mostly about how Americans killed all of the trees. He describes that the to God, “they were the best he had ever planted.” He goes on to talk about how when the white people came into North America they had no idea what they doing. He states that “any fool can destroy trees,” and urges the government to stop all the destruction of them. He believes that we should respect nature and that our trees were something to be proud of.

            In “The Sound of Trees” by Frost, the poem says how the trees make “forever the noise” about trying to leave, but never going. He then goes onto say that this encourages us to leave places like when he says, “My feet tug at the floor and my head sways to my shoulders.” He is annoyed at the endless chatter the trees make about leaving. This relates to the big theme because this author wants the trees to like where they are from and not complain.

            Written by John Burroughs, “The Divine Soil” begins with how Darwinism affected people. He says, “Most people were shocked by the thought; it was intensely repugnant to their feelings.” He thinks people look upon nature now as “caste and cheapened.” The distaste of natural things by regular people upsets him very much. Overall he wants doesn’t want people to dislike where they come from, but relish in it and respect it.

            In conclusion “The American Forests” by John Muir, “The Sound of Trees” by Robert Frost, and “The Divine Soil” by John Burroughs all describe that people should respect and be proud of where they are from.


Words: 355

Nature Portfolio- Original Responses To Stories.Poems Read (5)

"Nature" By Ralph Waldo Emerson Response

        The essay by Ralph Emerson called, "Nature" is very moving. It speaks of how nature has the ability to release past memories and unpleasant egotistic tendencies by truly living off the land. Emerson states that nature has the ability to give, "perpetual youth." He thinks of old age as something to be shed off, like every year is more pain in modern day society. Upon entering into the woods, those years are "cast off."

            Emerson also talks about, “an occult relation between man and the vegetable… they nod to me and I to them,” This relationship is formed within nature. Once a person has experienced the value to a humble life of living off the land, he can understand what is around him better. He no longer thinks of a vegetable as just something to eat or sell, but as something that is grown and alive. This is very important because it allows a person to feel more about what is around them, and it signifies the respect needed between all living things.

            H believes that this relationship to, “produce such delight does not reside in nature, but in man, or in the harmony of both.” As in the Shel Silverstein’s novel, “The Giving Tree” states, all nature does in the world is give. Emerson points out that it is human’s job to acknowledge this occurrence with respect and gratitude because “nature is a setting that fits [people] equally well.”

 Word Count: 246

“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Response

       In this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, it talks about the tide rising and falling.  The poem is a story about the life of a person. In the first stanza, it says that, “the traveler hastens towards the town.” This means that the traveler is born and has eagerly gone into society. Soon the traveler has died when we hear, “the little waves, with their soft, white hands, efface the footprints in the sands.” The tide erases the traveler and the memories that associate with him. The “darkness that settles on the roofs and walls,” are the grieving loved ones who mourn for his death. “The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls.” This line is meant to say that continues to move on after death. The repetition of the line, “And the tide rises, and the tide falls,” conveys this message as well. Longfellow states that life goes on after death, despite the influences of the person. He uses the tide as a way to say that nature will always continue on its same path if allowed to. I thought the poem was sad to thin about because it makes the claim that human life is in significant.

Words: 217

“The Devil and Tom Walker,” By Washington Irving Repsonse

            The main theme of Washington Irving’s short story called, “The Devil and Tom Walker” is greed. When Old Scratch (the devil), offers Tom an old Kidd the Pirate’s treasure, he says, “he was determined not to do so to oblige his wife.” Tom didn’t want the treasure because he would of have to had shared it with his wife that he hated. Soon after in the story, the wife tries by herself to get the treasure. After she disappears, Tom takes it for himself. These are both symbols of greed. The devil is a sly and evil man who gains from the greed of people such as Tom Walker and his wife. We see in the beginning how he burned a log with wealthy man’s name on it. From the end of the story when the devil comes to collect Tom to drag him to hell, we can see that all the wealthy men’s names on the logs are those who had been greedy too. This story was a bit scary because despite the attempts Tom makes to cleanse himself of his sins, he still cannot break the deal he made to the devil.  This story reminds me of the fire and brimstone speeches in “The Crucible,” that were used to scare parishioners into being good. This tale sounds like it was said to children for the same purpose.

Words: 237

“To Build a Fire” By Jack London Response

This story was very sad because although the man is skilled to live in the Artic climate, he dies because of careless mistakes he made. The point of view in the story is one of the most interesting aspects.  It is told from third person omniscient, who gives thoughts to not only the desperate traveler, but also his dog. Each character is concerned with only saving themselves. This is eminent when the dog runs back to camp once the owner dies; and when the man wishes to kill the dog so that he can use the carcass for warmth.

            Another interesting writing style of the book is its instruction manual qualities. It really does teach the reader about the danger of, “the coldest snaps that never freeze during the winter,” and how to build a fire. I liked that this story was entertaining as well as informative. Although the man is by himself, there is lots of suspense built up as the story moves forward and the dangers become greater.

            Something that annoys me about this naturalism and transcendentalism portrayed throughout all the stories we’ve read is that they are all written by and starred by men. No women in any of these stories are mentioned to have the ability to be as involved in a close relationship with nature as men are. I think that its something very odd considering that women are the one’s who go through childbirth; something considered being the most natural thing of all. There are stereotypes being enforced by not naming women.  Like that since they are so vain, or too involved within the gossiping of society that they cannot possibly remove their egotism (the idea stated from Thoreau’s Walden and Emerson’s Nature). Maybe the fact they aren’t mentioned is because all the time periods of these novels or stories are so far back, and because of this women were not seen in the same light as men. That would be an adequate back up, but the fact we read, “To Build a Fire” by Phillip Connors changes all that. He was writing his story in 2002, meaning that it was published sometime afterwards. If one is to pick a transcendentalist in modern times, what better opportunity to use a woman. Or are women to just be the simple-minded ones who cannot fully understand living in the wild, such as the woman in Into the Wild. She was just a rubber-traveler, never fully entering the woods. Or in the Devil and Tom Walker, where the wife tried to get the money on her own, showing only greed, and wound up dead.  Why not involve Margaret Fuller, Mary Emerson, Sophia Peabody-Hawthorne, or Sophia Ripley? Sure the ideals stated in the general passages are saying humans as a whole, but the unspecificity of women is a sad thing to think about.

Words: 483

“The Snowstorm” By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Snowstorm begins with the snow being, “announced by the trumpets of the sky.” From this starting line, the reader can tell the snow is important and powerful. This is similar to how kings and queens were announced at the sounds of trumpets. It has the ability to stop, “travelers, and the courier’s feet.” This powerful theme is enhanced even more because the mailmen usually deliver through any type of weather. The tone begins to change to something of praise while it talks of, “the north wind’s masonry.” The descriptions that follow are all comparisons to great accomplishments in classic architecture. By saying that the snow is powerful and an architect, Emerson clearly loves the remains the snow leaves behind.

This idea of the snow changing the landscape is very much intact in modern day society. I remember last year when there were two snow days in a row, I loved looking out my window to see white towers created in the snow. This is similar to how Emerson felt in the poem while he is inside looking out at the storm. The only difference I feel with the snow is the relation towards the sunshine. Emerson says that, “when the sun appears, astonished Art.” I feel that when the sun melts snow, it is sad and leaves lumps of what used to be great architecture.

Words: 231

Nature Portfolio- Weather Experiance

Weather Experience

As a kid I would spend my summers at the Great Gilson beach camp in Wilmette.  It was a magical place where I had many friends and adventures. One of the most memorable adventures was in the summer of 2006. I was eleven years old, and classified as an “Astronaut.” The camp had multiple group names depending upon the age of the campers. The order from youngest to oldest was as follows: Munchkins, Gizmos, Aquanauts, Astronauts, and Space Cadets. Walking into camp on that morning, I looked up out to the Wallace Bowl. It was a huge place, with a stage on the ground and stone steps reaching at least 100 feet into the air. That’s where the campers would meet and await the day’s instructions or special announcements. That particular day, it was a bit overcast and drizzling. I had been afraid we were all going to have to stay indoors in the cramped park district building due to a thunderstorm. At camp, when it rained lightly it was called, “liquid sunshine” and we would remain outside for the day in spite of the weather.

I quickly made my way to my group of friends and greeted them. They were buzzing. “I bet it’ll be today!” exclaimed my friend Amila. She was a blonde gymnast who was by far the sassiest and most stubborn girl I had ever met in my life. We had become best friends instantly when we met two years before.

            “Yes!” screamed Izzy, my other friend. She was Italian with dark hair, who was always up for anything. The three of us were a great group, although probably a bit of a handful to the counselors who worked there. The name “troublemakers” was not an uncommon name for us.

            “What’s going on?” I had asked, eagerly waiting to hear the exciting news. I was only in the suburbs for the summers with my father, and often had to catch up on the traditions and events within the area by asking.

            “Today’s a wave day!” Amila whispered. I had no idea what that meant, but I was excited because of all the hype it was starting around camp.

            “Now, now campers!” bellowed out the director Mr. Miller. “Today the waves are pretty high and the rain has begun…so I am afraid that we’ll have to…” I could begin to feel the groans waiting to be released by the campers.

            “Have a double-dip in the liquid sunshine for Astronauts and Space Cadets!” he yelled. The whole camp jumped up and cheered for the old gray haired, plump man.  A double dip at camp was always the best of days because instead of going to the beach once, we got to go twice.  Luckily, our group was up to the beach first so Izzy, Amila, and I walked along the green fields with the rest of the group, to the beach a block away. Once I caught sight of the waters, I knew what all the fuss had been about. The waves were riveting. They crashed up and down at least five feet into the air. The waters were dark and the winds were high, blowing my hair all over my face. Immediately, all the Astronauts and Space Cadets raced for the water.

            I remember the water was surprisingly warm. Amila, Izzy, and I laughed and squealed as we tried to climb out farther and farther, with the waves breaking on us every five seconds. When I say breaking, I mean pounded. The waves were the strongest that day I have ever felt in my entire life. There were rows of campers shoulder deep in the water, awaiting every wave. Out that far, when a wave came, it was at least four feet above your head. There was the constant screaming and laughter of the, “Watch outs!” as kids got slammed into the sand. One particular wave came by, probably eight feet above my head standing up. Amila and I held hands as it slapped us and brought us down into the water. The under toe swept the hold of feet in the sand below, and tumbled us upon each other down the shore. We were amazed as we were finally let go of the current’s grasp at a measly foot depth. We must have tumbled forty yards backward because of that wave. We both got up in a mixture of coughing, laughing, and screaming; and hurriedly limped back into deeper waters. 

            More waves days came later every couple of years, but the beach decided it didn’t want the liability and closed every time. That day was one of the most fun times I have ever had. I will never forget the meekness I felt standing up against the gargantuan waves. The whooshing of the wind and water breaking upon the shoreline was like the theme song to an action packed thriller that I was the star of.  The waves that day were truly my favorite weather experience.

Words: 832

Nature Portfolio- Creation Story

Creation Story- "The Lava Lamp"

            It had been a regular morning in Roswell, New Mexico until the news spread. In one rancher’s corn field, a spacecraft had crash-landed! Reporters and civilians swarmed the area, trying to catch a glimpse of the flying saucer and its possible inhabitants. Before it could be properly examined though, the feds were all over it. They created a perimeter around the craft and swiftly removed it from the field. The public statement states that the aircraft was a special type of weather balloon of a highly classified space program called, “Mogul.” The rumors were silenced, and the evidence taken into government hands, never to be seen again. Or at least so they had thought in the beginning. The government later distributed out the remnants of the mission to the public in incubators also known as lava lamps.

            See, when the government collected the craft and examined it at Area51, they were overjoyed. They were truthful that the craft was in fact property of the United States, but lied about the purpose of the device. The device was designed to travel to distant stars and collect multiple specimens from different planets. The common term for these specimens is aliens. When they opened the craft, a team of doctors quickly took out the tiny injured aliens and desperately tried to keep them alive. They found that the atmosphere on Earth was too different from their home planets. The solution was what we know today as lava lamps.

            Each specimen from a different planet had very unique coloring and was very small. In order to distinguish where the aliens came from, they color-coded the fluid within incubators to contrast with the coloring of the alien. The heart rates of the creatures sped up once placed into the glass incubators, and the United States Federal Government was giddy with glee. They had believed they captured aliens alive and were nursing them back to heatlh! They were so happy in fact that they did not pay attention to the life forms inside, as they should of.

            The skins of the specimens grew hot. The fluid was reacting badly with their body systems.  Within days after the crash in Roswell, the aliens melted into blobs within the incubators. What was left were just vividly colored, small incubators with alien remains.

            The government thought this was a great tragedy. They had wanted to the restart their mission, and begin building new technologies to better adapt to alien living conditions. Due to the crash landing of the aircraft however, they were out of resources to fund a new mission into outer space. One clever scientist had a revolutionary idea. He suggested that they patent and sell the vivid incubators off to civilians are decorative pieces. The government loved the idea! They quickly added a small light bulb to the bottom of the containers and thus created the modern day lava lamp. Little did the consumers know that the goo inside the lamps were really alien remains. They got so popular that later adaptations of the lamp were created a few years after with the use of wax instead of extraterrestrial life forms to float about within the glass cylinders.

The End.

Words: 536

Nature Portfolio- Most Beautiful Thing In The World

My grandparents are among those who can be labeled as “better off.” The home they used to live in was considered a magical and beautiful place to me. Their property in Barrington, Il stretched out across five acres of land. They owned a huge house along with a farm full of animals, a grazing pasture, a magnificent garden, a pool, and lake. Living in Lincoln Park, the visits to my grandparents rural home was a special escape for my family and me.

 No matter my age, I was always allowed to roam carefree about the property. I jumped into the pool on hot summer days, and fished with my grandfather squealing as I wrapped worms around hooks. I picked herbs and vegetables for my grandmother, often going out of my way for the best looking specimens. I loved the sound of my feet crunching onto the gravel as I ran down the hillside to visit the barn. Despite the pestering I always received, I constantly would just stand on the pathway drawing out thick lines with my feet until I saw dirt under the gray stones.  In the barn I would spend hours whistling to the shy sheep who never gave me the time of day, picking up eggs from the chicken coop, and feeding the goats extra food from the palms of my hands, laughing at the slime of their tongues.  When I grew tired of the animals, I pretended to be Tarzan, trying desperately to swing from the branches of the enormous weeping willow tree by the water. Usually after a big fall, I would lie still on the ground breathing in the fresh air, and gaze out onto the lake where the swans swam elegant and proud.

I was my truest self at my grandparent’s house. I basked in the alone time I received when I was there. It was free of all prior misunderstandings and bad memories. When I went out to Barrington with my sister and mom, it was as if something was lifted off our shoulders.  The constant arguments about grades, money, and my father didn’t exist in that place, only the essence of nature. I felt as if the purification when I was there had no comparison to the sermons I heard preached to me everyday. Three years ago when my grandparents sold the property for a smaller and more manageable house, I was devastated. The new owners ripped up the gardens, tore down the barn, and removed the bare ground, replacing it with basketball and tennis courts.  Although I cannot revisit the place now, I relish in my childhood memories there. My grandparents’ estate was truly the most beautiful place in the world.

words: 451

Nature Portfolio- Nature Poem

Indian Summer

1. It creeps up on us every year

2. Choking the air to a silent freeze

3. Fall’s winds pierce like an evil spear

4. The confines of education

5. Revert our spirits back into desks

6. Instead of nature’s salvation

7. I thought the wondrous days had gone

8. Despite my pleading with the seasons

9. The warm times were to be withdrawn.

10. September arrived just on time

11. I’d braced myself for the cool wind chills

12. But yet the hot air had kept its prime

13. It’s a sweet season of its own

14. Sometimes slyly outwitting autumn

15. Spreading through the air like cologne

16. Hearing only stories about this,

17. I happily jumped and praised the lord

18. The summer returned its lovely bliss

19. Radiant hazes fall onto

20. Landscapes, and the multicolored leaves

21. blend together as they blow through

22. My doubts will be raised at sunset

23. As the blazing sphere falls beneath ground

24. I know autumn will not forget

25. The surprise told change can occur

26. Not to let fall have its grip just yet

27. The joy of having the pot stirred

28. When the warmth dies it’s a bummer

29.  But I still remember the good times

30.  I thank the Indian summer

This Land Was Made For You And Me

When I was standin'- I watched the sunset
The scrapers towerin'- the clouds like a net
That day I saw the night reappear
This land was made for you and me.

As I was layin- i watched above me
the stars twinklin'- all so shiny
And in my mind, I heard a whisper
This land was made for you and me

Thanksgiving

Since it is nearly Thanksgiving, I would like to give thanks to the good friends I have. In my American Literature class, I sit by Fiona McRaith. Whenever I walk into class I continually hear a bright hello from her. She’s also a great worker who always gives 100 percent on any type of group assignment. I’m glad she’s in my class! Happy Thanksgiving!  (64 words)

Community Stories

Wagner Matinee:
At the beginning of the short story, the reader is told by Clark that his home is in the town of Boston although his Aunt Georgiana's home in Nebraska is described in detail.  There is a big contrast in the two settings that leads to conflict. Boston, where Aunt Georgiana comes to visit, is a town rich in culture. The matinee they attend displays the classiness and sophisticated life that Clark lives. In contrast, Nebraska's conditions are described as "primitive savagery." The weather is, "a pitiless wind, and the alkaline water, which transforms the most transparent cuticle into a sort of flexible leather." These setting gaps create an internal conflict within Aunt Georgiana who at first worked and lived in Boston as a music teacher, but followed her husband to her now home of Nebraska. She wonders whether or not to regret her decision of leaving her love of music for the love of her penniless husband.

Aunt Georgiana's home of Nebraska results in her appearance to become a bad image of, "primitive savagery." The alkaline water is supposed to "turn the most transparent cuticle into a sort of flexible leather." Clark calls her appearance shocking because she is misshapen, has a set of false teeth, and a constant twitch of her eyebrow and mouth.  Her appearance is looked upon negatively by the narrator because he calls her, "pathetic and grotesque."

Aunt Georgiana is the most affected character by the setting of her current residence of Nebraska verses her past residences in Boston and Paris. Before the move, she was a bright music teacher who taught Clark to interpret Shakespeare, learn Latin, and share her love of music by playing the organ with him.  Once she moved away, she lost her ability to do the things she loved. Her appearance changed, as well as her attitude into a glum woman. By losing the ability to indulge in her passions, her initiative to enjoy life was blown out because she could not enjoy what she loved to do in Nebraska. We can see her awaken from this when she cries at the Matinee.

An Account of Experience With Discrimination:
The racist bus driver in the story was described as having, "the old slaveholding spirit." When growing up in a community, a person is raised with a set of moral values. Where this man was raised, he was taught to believe that discriminating against black people was an accepted practice (maybe even encouraged).  When the set of ideals changed, he did not respond well. He still has all of the years of racism drilled into his memories. The author states that , "it is hard for the old slaveholding spirit to die, but die it must."

A primary source is a document or object that was created during the time under study. A secondary source is key to interpreting and analyzing primary sources, such as a news person reporting on an event.

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall :
Granny Wetherall has had a long lasting life of about. Her jilting f eighty years. Her jilting from many years ago was different from the final paragraph because when she was sixty she, “felt old and finished”. She had a notion that she was done with life, but overtime she passed that idea. She asks herself why the priest couldn't be there then.  During the final paragraph, it was the second jilting, where Granny Wetherall had no signs, and did not try to remember any other things, such as her will or family, as many people do when they die. She was no longer prepared to die, as she was when she was sixty.
According to Granny Wetherall, she believed the community dissolved because of the people. She saw the disrespect of the doctor “I’d have you respect your elders young man,”  signifying a lack of respect within the community. Also due to her daughter and how Granny thought Cornelia thought she was “deaf, dumb, and blind.” She was annoyed so much by her daughter that she stated, "I'd like to spank her."
A dissolving and disappearing community is different from a changing one because with being dissolved and disappearing, communities are gone forever, while a changing community evolves for either the god or bad.


Song: Church Pew or a Bar Stool By: Jason Aldean
Lyrics:
Ain't a whole lot going on Small town 
Friday night Revving up at a red light
On your mark get set go  
Pass a mom and pop restaurant  
Same four trucks parked out front I guess ya gotta make your own fun  
When you're stuck in a place this slow  
There's only two means of salvation around here that seem to work Whiskey or the bible, shot glass or revival  
When you don't seem to run on either side of the fence  
People act like you don't make sense These big town dreams that I've been chasing  
Will never come true if I wind up staying And I don't want, to fall in, the same rut, that everybody who seems to be stuck in now  
Why do I hang around
yeah,yeah In this church pew or bar stool kinda town

I'm like that am station that never comes in right till u pass that city limit sign its the only time it gets clear its crystal clear that i just need to find a place 
that where there's no lines nothing like it is around here someplace where it don't feel like this world revolves around
Whiskey or the bible, shot glass or revival  
When you don't seem to run on either side of the fence
People act like you don't make sense  
These big town dreams that I've been chasing  
Will never come true if I wind up staying  
And I don't want, to fall in, the same rut, that everybody who seems to be stuck in now
Why do I hang around In this church pew or bar stool kinda town
here it sometimes feels just like this world revolves around whiskey or the bible, shot glass or revival  
When you don't seem to run on either side of the fence
  People act like you don't make sense These big town dreams that I've been chasing  
Will never come true if I wind up staying And I don't want, to fall in, the same rut, that everybody who seems to be stuck in now  
Why do I hang around In this church pew or bar stool kinda town yeah i need to get out of this church pew or bar stool kind of town

Response to Song:

The artist uses the song to say how he does not like the small town he lives in. He dislikes seeing the same people over and over again, referring to them as being in “the same rut.” He believes the people have the choice of either being in a, “church pew or bar stool...” He restates this claim of either drinking or turning to God by singing, “Whiskey or the bible, shot glass or revival.”  When he says, “These big town dreams that I've been chasing, will never come true if I wind up staying,” he feels trapped to stay in the community’s secluded atmosphere instead of pursuing his dreams. In the final line of the song, he states that, “I need to get out.” This quote directly says that he wishes to leave the town.

Outline

Katherine Sears

Locks 2^nd

Outline of Research Paper

·         Introduction

o   A laugh is infectious, something that can lift tension and bring a smile to people’s faces in an instant. Over the years however, America’s sense of humor has been distinctively unique.  Their form of comedy is called satire, which is used with a corrective purpose, expressed through a critical mode which ridicules or otherwise attacks those conditions needing reformation in the opinion of the satirist (Harris). This type of humor was quickly well-received and put into the public limelight. American satire, derived from Lincoln Park's Second City theater group, has influenced the United States by highlighting an influential figure's history, policies, and ideology.

·         History of the second city

o   Comedy before second city

o   Compass players

o   Violet sills acting games

·         Improv led to satire

o   Improv defined

o   Skills/requirements

o   Satire today’s world

·         Effects of satire

o   On the individual

o   On the masses

·         Satire in the media

o   Beginnings= link back to sc

o   Newspaper sources of material

·         How satire highlights history

·         Satire highlights policies

·         Satire highlights ideologies

Intro

A laugh is infectious, something that can lift tension from a room and bring a smiles to people’s faces in an instant. Over the years however, America’s humor has been a distinctively unique satire. This satire was refined and put into public view by the Second City Company in Lincoln Park. The Second City changed the face of American comedy with its unique improve, unprecedented prolific works, and their long list of influential alumni.




10/23 Intro:

A laugh is infectious, something that can lift tension and bring a smile to people’s faces in an instant. Over the years however, America’s sense of humor has been distinctively unique.  Their form of comedy is called satire, which is used with a corrective purpose, expressed through a critical mode which ridicules or otherwise attacks those conditions needing reformation in the opinion of the satirist (Harris). This type of humor was quickly well-received and put into the public limelight. American satire, derived from Lincoln Park's Second City theater group, has influenced the United States by highlighting an influential figure's history, policies, and ideology.

The Crucible

Act I Response:
  I believe the crucible was very well written based on its historic accuracy and engaging plot. Compared to the many novels that I have read on the Salem Witch Trials, it gives a very clear overall view. I think the play would be better for the reader however if it was told in multiple first person accounts verses the current view of third person omniscient. In the textbook, it doesn't portray the emotions of the characters as well as it could.  I feel as if it's very rushed (Although because it was first a play, so I can understand the author's writing style.). The girl's need for attention draws into deep-rooted enmities between citizens of the town. I'm curious to see how the author writes about the reactions to the accusations of witchcraft and the tests given out to prove/disprove them.

Act II Response:
Act two was filled with lots of tension from the towns people. John Proctor, and his wife Elizabeth's relationship is put at odds when she is accused to becoming a witch. Mr. Proctor is torn between admitting his adultery with Abigail to the court or withholding the evidence about the "witchcraft" Abigail told him in confidence. We can also see a plot for Elizabeth to be accused based on the planted evidence of the poppet by Mary Warren. She is also torn whether or not to confess to her lies or continue to do the bidding of the other girls. After John's wife is taken away and he begins to yell at Mary, she just crumples to the floor and sobs, ending act II. The people of Salem have begun to feel hopeless over the power of the accusers (39 witches so far). This includes Hale, who has seen that his voice no longer has any weight in the proceedings of the court.

Act III Response:

In act III of The Crucible, hysteria once again breaks loose within Salem.  Francis and Mr. Proctor reveal to the court that the girls are frauds, exposing John’s own prior lechery with Abigail.  I was not surprised that Mr. Proctor decided to do this because the author wants to highlight the irony in the Puritan community. For hours these townspeople are drilled with fire and brimstone sermons that are supposed to cleanse them of all evil. However, each prominent character is motivated by one of the seven deadly sins for every action. For example, Abby lusts for John Proctor, thus raging a fiery wrath against his wife, Elizabeth. John is too proud to admit his guilt of lechery to his wife and the court, and when he comes clean, there is nothing to show for it.  The lack of a good reaction to his truths is meant to show that all evil deeds in the story get reprimanded.  Mr. Putnam displays greed when he asks his daughter to charge a man of witchcraft so that he may gain his land upon his death by hanging. Giles Corey indicted his own wife of witchcraft because he was envious of all the attention the people were getting for accusing witches. When Giles tried to revoke his accusation, he was taken into custody as well. This irony rings clear throughout the third act and leaves the reader ready to shake their fist in frustration at the rationale of the people. 

"The Crucible" Response: 

This play was intentionally made to be overzealous. The author wanted to highlight the absurdities within the characters intentions and rationale. By the end of the play, the reader knows where the end is taking the characters (rash, hasty action without justice). The final thought is instead to look at where the insane chaos stemmed from. Where might that be you may ask? SEXIST IDEOLOGIES OF THE CHURCH! Just kidding. Although not entirely.

 The Puritan community was centered on the fire and brimstone sermons of the church, creating a looming sense of a foreseen future filled with miserable, pleading forgiveness for the dreadful sin of indulging in the mere nature of being oneself: individual desire. From the start, the church argued that every single soul was on the track towards eternal hell without obeying the will of “God.” However, it was not the will of God they were so consumed with, but the order the authority of the church brought to America.

            The girls’ actions were predictable. They had before felt helpless against the power the church held over the people of the town, and decided to gain power themselves. Not to mention the already overbearing role they had to play within the Puritan community: the obedient housewife. The girls were at the bottom of the food chain in the social hierarchy of the community. The young women at the bottom, then the older women who took care of the home and directed the younger generations on their duties, then young men who had a say in their jobs and marriages, then the older men who were leaders of the household, having a final say in all decisions made, and then finally the church who had authority over all inhabitants (who’s whole philosophy was centered around the evilness of women). It’s also no mistake that the first accused witches were older women (Francis Nurse, Elizabeth Proctor, Sarah Good) because that’s who the girls dealt with and came to resent on a daily basis. Another thing I want to make a strong note of. Abigail is a young teen! John Proctor sleeps with her (in modern times we have another word for this: rape) and then goes off to tell the entire community that she is a shameful whore. And the reader is supposed to find Proctor as the protagonist?
The brilliant idea of their plan however, was to not go against the church itself, but make it an ally in their rise to power. Without the support of the church, the girls’ accusations would break down the authority the church had so cleverly established through fear. In the end, the girls won because the church would rather stay true to its teachings than admit to the flaws in having faith. If it had gone against the girls, it is highly probable the people of the community would begin to question their own moral values based on the church’s beliefs were flawed as well. In the leaders of the churches’ eyes, they picked the lesser of two chaos’s with their credibility still intact.

I understand that the play relates cohesively with the Cold War and I do enjoy the ideas trying to be displayed by the author. However, I still dislike his writing style. It wasn’t very descriptive and the situation outside of the main characters’ problems when facing their own accusations was poorly covered. It also didn’t add to my liking that the women in the play always seemed to be doing the wrong thing. For example: young girls falsely accusing people, Elizabeth proctor’s lie to the court, Martha Corey being condemned to death for reading. I want to believe the author wasn’t so blatantly sexist, so I hope (as my ideas were said above) that it was meant to highlight the absurdity women faced within this play. If it wasn’t, and the author was enforcing the idea that the church was right to stay true to its beliefs, then I will be truly saddened to see what other works in today’s modern world are called, “classic American literature.”

623 words.

Topics

How Second City Began
Second City Comedy
Lincoln Park (Chicago named the second city)
Second City Actors/Actresses
Growth of the program over time

Notes

1.       (1.) Improvisation, or improv for short, is defined as a creation spoken or written extemporaneously. We use this particular skill in everyday life. The use of improvisation for the theater was created in 1955, when a company called the Compass Players began using the technique. The two heads of the ensemble, Shepard and Paul Sills, began their revolutionary idea in a bar in Chicago (Coleman). Their idea rocketed off the comedic foundations with endless possibilities for the new American entertainment industry.
------------------The format of improvisational comedy routines was taken up by other theaters such as the now universally known, Second City.

2.        (1.)  The intentions set by the Compass Players had not originally been to change the face of the comedic industry. At first, David Shepherd who came from a wealthy high society New York family, grew up disliking the bourgeois amusements available on Broadway in the early 1950s (Coleman). Bored with the divisions in comedy, he wished to create something that was relate able to anyone who watched it. This idea of relate able jokes came originally from the 16th century Italy called the commedia dell'arte. This type of theater went from place to place, performing scenarios with only key plot events to work off of. That way the actors could have any type of dialogue as long as those plot points were hit. Shepherds idea was exactly that, except using modern situations as the basis of the plots.

 3.         (1.)  Paul Sills at the time of the Compass Players was a student at the University of Chicago. He used the technique created by his mother, Viola Spolin, called the Spolin games. The Spolin game was used to get the shyness out of actors by making them touch the actor they were addressing. This game was helpful to kids and brought out the non-spoken forms of comedy within the Compass theater group.  These skits were played out after the evening's scenario had been carried out.

 4.         (1.)  The theater's skits and scenarios blasted through the comedic industry. Sills and Shepherd were overwhelmed with hype and college professors who wanted to make a mark on their idea big. The short skit particularly was considered witty and fun, drawing attention from many acting companies. This skit structure was used up until the 1990s when it was challenged to a reinvention (Coleman). Sills and Shepherd were afraid that their idea would tainted so they continued to explore other comedic changes.

 5.         (3.)  In 1958, the Compass Players ended their bar ("A Brief History of Second City"). After the closing, the ideology was taken up by the Second Theater on December 16th, 1959. The name was chosen because an unpleasant article written in the New Yorker about Chicago. New Yorkers originally began the nickname because of their loss in the running for the first ever World's Fair held in Chicago,1893. The actors loved the irony in the name and decided to have it be their company title.

6.       (4).     Eight performers started out on Dec.16, 1959 in a small 125 seat cabaret using only small props & costumes.  1950s were the red scare and people speaking out against political influence could be gained through comedy clubs. “Commerical success has not meant the sacrifice of artistic integrity.”  It has influenced the culture by film and tv with : the graduate, mash, young Frankenstein, ghostbusters, cheers. It joined every social status: the workingman  and the smart intelligent man. The audience was treated as if they were as smart as the actors, no down playing necessary.

7.         (4).   The typewriter went against the “fourth wall concept.” It was a hit by Sills. The fourth wall concept was created by Russian Constantine Stanislavsky and brought to America by Stella Adler. You pretend that the stage is the fourth wall of the room, not acting for the audience. It makes everything more serious= harder to make jokes.

8.         (3.) James Belushi!—His brother John was in the company and saw the show at 16 in 1970. It played: “the funeral,” “hamlet,’’ and “Brest Litovsk.” He started an improv group in high school, and read Viola Spolin’s Improvisation for the Theatre. He watched each show at least 6 times to absorb the fluidity and essence of the actors and skit. He acted locally, and his brother gave him zero pointers, allowing him to  develop his own style. Then he got in and things went smoothly.

9.          (21.)  Sheldon Patinkin was a director in Second City or helped out doing an odd job when necessary. One of Patinkin's job in Second City was trying to interpret for the cast topical interests of the past. He said it wasn’t easy. Some sketches were seen as “too sentimental and sappy.” As Second City became a national institution through the success of such SC-oriented material as "SCTV" and "Animal House" in movies, the material used in Chicago naturally developed. The comedy became less specifically targeted to a small, "in" local audience and expanded to include general lifestyle material familiar to the increasing numbers of suburbanites and tourists who became an important part of the audience. (Richard Christansen). “The form may have altered, but the product hasn't changed all that much. One of the strengths of Second City is that it always has been a reflection of its audience, and it still holds up that mirror today." (Patinkin)

10.    (5. ) The goal of Paul Sills and Sheperd was to stir a riot in  the audience. Sheperd wanted the troupe to perform at the stock yards so the workers could see the plays. He wanted the abused classes to have a sense of identity and by able to clearly identify the group’s inequalities (Sweet).

11. (6)  In March of 1960, only 3 months after the show debuted, it was praised in Time magazine. It was where "the declining skill of satire is kept alive with brilliance and flourish." The beginnings were scary for the group, they were afraid no one would show up to their shows. One empty seat was seen as a bad omen. They realized the audience loved seeing characters appear in many different roles. That is something they continue to do today. Everything was also really cheap too, 2.50 a ticket and the "fixed up" place wasn't  exactly a-list material.

12. (6) They had no advertisement budget to speak of when they opened. A man named Irv Seidner was their public realtions guy. He looked very serious and knew the right people. That's how critics came to their shows. By going to the show, it was the new cool thing to do. It also kept up eager college students aware of politics in a fun way.

13.  (6.) When no one laughed, actors relied on old tricks and swears to get the crowd going. Since there was no script, the stage manager was the one to decide when the scene ended. He tried to end it using piano or a curtain with the crowd laughing each time, but it was a difficult job.

14. (6.) Cast members are always gracious and give credit where credit is due. The experience taught them humor and the ability to rely upon one another.  The support of the bosses was crucial, because even if numbers were down, they never thought to close the club. It didn't matter if a scene even went on for 45 minutes and no one laughed. (did happen). The talent needed the stability that Second City gave them. After people watched, they knew a career could be made with a stable, working theater.

15.  (24.)----- Within American society, the boundary lines of humor are very blurred. Many networks, newspapers, etc. have trouble deciding whether their tell tale joke to lighten the mood, imply falsehoods, or concede to a subject crosses a line. The results of a line being crossed can be disastrous, especially when involving political figures. For example when G. Bush joked about searching for WMDs at a dinner for Radio and Television Correspondents' Association in March of 2004, he showed pictures of himself looking around the oval office saying things such as, "No, no weapons over here," and "Maybe under here?" He was blasted by both allies and adversaries(Paul Lewis).This idea of crossing the line is at heart with what the actors at Second City have to deal with every time they perform. They also jeopardize the face of the theater by making a mistake like that.

16. (24.) The idea within a joke can be different depending upon what it is trying to sweep under the rug or draw attention to (Paul Lewis). There are many famous people who desire the help of comedians to put them into a specific light through comedy. Actors also make their own decisions about how to portray a the ideals of a certain person. The idea of a joke stemming from some form of truth allows the audience to decide to laugh or take it seriously. Within the instances that a joke is deemed "not funny" or "too far",  the results can be bad for the theater group/actor. Saturday Night Live often has political skits in which the actors act out a role as if  they were a political candidate.  If a joke is made that the public deemed "too far" then the joke can also reflect poorly on the figure being impersonated.

17. (24)  The "prejudiced norm theory" was developed by Thomas E. Ford and Mark A. Furguson. It suggests that when a joke is produced, it has the ability to sway public opinion to discriminate against a specific group of people. Due to the fact that jokes have the ability to put a subject at ease, a person can take a very serious topic, put it into a joke, and allow the line to be crossed. However if the line is crossed on a regular basis, that creates the prejudiced norm theory. In this way humor can be used as an evil tool of the mind, changing the respective ideals within a culture. No actor would ever want to be accused of doing this type of propaganda purposefully.

18. (24.) The American audience in today's culture they can have a tough time distinguishing serious evidence within a joke or the depiction by the comedian (Paul Lewis). When a joke is made about an influential figure, as it often is on Saturday Night Live, in many cases the comedian wants to highlight their policies and/or ideals. If it is a controversial subject, the audience can result in a disgusted outlook on either the figure's policies and/or ideals or the way the comedian says them. The first result is usually the desired outcome, using mass media to empower the public with knowledge in order to change the current status-quo.  Examples of this are abundant on Saturday Night Live and Second City during election season when they exploit candidates. 

19.  (23)  The idea of politically sponsored debates as the only way to get political information is long gone. In today's modern age, we can research a political figure simply by turning on the television. Whether that channel is on a news broadcast or is simply a show such as Saturday Night Live or the View, US citizens can hear all about politics. Policy makers have learned to regard these non government programs as a big deal because as Cindy McCain put it in her review of her treatment on the View in 2008, she said "They picked our bones clean (Jeffery Jones)." These comedic hosts of non-government talk or comedy shows have a unique role in the influence they give out to the public audience who watch them daily.

20. (23) The influence held by these non-government talk shows can change the way an audience accepts or doesn't accept a figure. For example, when Tina Fey (from second city) portrayed Sarah Palin in 2008 on Saturday Night Live, the effects were truly devastating for the vice president candidate. Palin was picked to pieces as lines from her interviews were recited in sketches and her humbleness from Alaska was shown. The truth within these "playful" jokes on the show led the readers to understand what the republican campaign had tried to hide through charm; she was too inexperienced for the job (Jones). This ideology spread through the media was made by the comedian from Second City, Tina Fey.

21. (23)   For a long time, there was a definite separateness between politics, which was carried out by news networks, and pop culture, through different divisions, by television networks. Segregation allowed the networks to display an unchallengeable view of politics. By having widely accepted political views on shows, it helped network executives gain the most views for their advertisers. This was a form of oligarchy that was not challenged until cable greed reigned in the 1990s.(Jones).

22. (23)  The separateness came to together in the 1992 elections when candidates began to appear on talk shows. There the audience was allowed to ask the questions, gaining popularity with public. This boosted views so much that it eventually became the norm like it is today. (Jones).  With the audience being allowed to make a decision based upon their own knowledge,they turned to the faces they saw everyday: the hosts on their pop culture tv shows. These hosts realizes the importance of comedy in relaying these facts about important persons.

23. (22) Second City has always been a different approach to the norms of comedy. When the dominant style was a stand-up, individual, joker-teller performance, the second city was an ensemble of improvisation with sketches and intellectual humor (Rohter). The environment and the reasons to become a part of the group had changed because "comedy was not an economic commodity like it is now," according to David Steinburg, who was part of the cast in the 1960s. It was about coming together as a group to do something they loved, not about the money it would make. The Second City alumni now have many precedents who created an outstanding career such as Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, Bill Murray, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Tina Fey, and Stephan Colbert (Rohter).

24. (25)  Sigmund Freud has a philosophy about a term called "gallows humor." It is saying how in times of upcoming sorrow or bad situations, people resort to comedy as a sense of relief. However, the problem with using it is that the effects are only temporary,  and the "gallows" still await. The public wants distraction in times of great sorrow and therefore use gallows humor. We rarely see big comedians make it on television, and would probably be more inept to use it on a second city stage sketch because the setting is more personal.

25. (7.) There are universal moments in humor, which usually involve some sort of physical response. However, each place normally has their own particular form of humor. This is why some shows that Second City performed such as "Pinata Full of Bees," were a hit in some cities like Chicago and were a flop in others like Washington D.C. It helps to create a show based upon where the group is touring, so that the show will be a success. (Bent.)  However, the group will always have the nationally accepted satire that is Second City famous.

26. (9.) In the 1950's comedy was centered around mother-in-law jokes for the older generation (secondcity.com). Comedy was centered around the conformities that surrounded the typical "american family." Once second city came around, people no longer had to use the acceptable, tasteful jokes but instead joked about the issues. These issues were about what important events were happening in the early sixties. By cracking a joke, many people could know more about the government's affairs. The spring for rebellion in the 1960s was fueled by second city.

27. (8.) The Second City covers a wide range of subjects whether it’s making a joke about Starbucks or the United States’ reasoning behind the Iraq War. As Kelly Leonard, the executive vice president of second city, stated in a television interview, “Timing for everything has to be as current as possible.” One way the second city gains their information is from looking at online news articles. They have cooperation with the Chicago Tribune, and use their website as a feed source for new materials. To see what really has drawn the public’s attention, the theater checks the amount of hits on a single article.

28. (8.) Leonard also stated that, “All media should adopt the internet.” The second city has posted sketches online which accesses a network of 29 million people. The Second City does mention the “dark sides” to adopting the internet is the need for revenue and the fact that it eats up a lot of material (Leonard). The idea of the need for revenue makes the ideals of the second city a bit hard to follow. Since the state has no influence on the show, the comedy is pure. However, they must choose topics that link to many different types of people. Posting material on the internet creates a very hard job for the writers. They have to constantly create new material in order to satisfy the growing demand for new jokes and sketches.

29. (8.) The Second City not only stays relevant through their material, but also from their actors. Many other comedy theatres keep on the same actors for years and years. However, the second city philosophy is much different. “We get to build up the generation, then let them go,” (Leonard). This cycle has allowed new faces to appear that each bring something new to the table. The actors don’t worry about a job loss though, because second city has gained such a fabulous reputation from its alumni that they’ll be hired somewhere else in an instant.

30. (5.) Originally in the early 60's, the Second city had two troupes. They were placed in different theaters so that one was for the playwrights and one was for the improvisational actors. However, due to the growing popularity in Chicago, the playwrights were moved into a smaller theater, swapping with the improvisational actors, and then finally removed from the theater all together (Sweet, xxxii). Second City went with its gut instincts to remove the norm and trust in the new age thinking of improv they developed. This idea was probably the most influential decision the theater could ever make because it completely separated itself from other comedy theaters in its time.

31. (15.) The life of an improv actor was not all fun and glamorous, as the second city comedian Steve Martin explains in his bibliography; "Born Standing Up." He said that the only thing he focused on in a comedy act was that his "mouth was in the present and his mind in the future." This ideology suggests the rigorous quick thinking necessary to be an improv actor. He also stated that his emotions were like a roller coaster, falling up and down depending upon how his show went that day.  The life of an improvisational comedian needs knowledge that will light up an audience, or in the case of television, make the world laugh.

32. (26.) Satire is defined as always having a, "corrective purpose, expressed through a critical mode which ridicules or otherwise attacks those conditions needing reformation in the opinion of the satirist (Harris)." This idea of having a limit unreached by the issue in question has shown through in many political satire networks such as Second City and Saturday Night Live. By using a joke as a context to inform the public of government issues or problems, it allows the audience to react not only laughter, but inquiry as well. In many cases, irony is a typical format for a satiric joke, which allows the audience to see two extremes of an issue. The comedians who perform this satire have created a non-bias to their material when they highlight multiple sides' ideas.

33. (26.)  Harris states that, "the satirist's goals can be effected only to the extent that the audience responds to the attack." I agree with this conclusion because although a satirist ridicules a current ideology, they  make no claim as to how to fix the problem at hand. If a comedian were to make jokes about a solving mechanism, the material would no longer be funny. Instead, it would be some unqualified person speaking about politics. Comedy likes the idea of power in big numbers for this reason.

34. (26. ) Harris also states that a, "satirist has always aligned himself with the timeless, traditional notions of virtue and morality."  By using these virtues as a guide line, a comedian will almost always be agreed with. Every person grows up with a basic set of morals that defines something as: right or wrong. A comedian highlights the "wrongness" within an idea by making a joke about it. The comedian then will use the general virtues of what is wrong to display a flaw in an issue they bring up.

35.   (26.) Another key element political satire has according to Harris, is that the audience  should not be specifically addressed. When a comedian does this, it erases  the element of a witty, non-bias  comment into a well thought out plan to change a person's personal view. Every person likes the be the one who discovers something. If a thought is formulated by the person themselves about a subject, they are more likely to believe it if it was spoken to them.

36. (27.) The show aired on October 11th, 1975 on NBC (Hammil). SNL was created by Dick Ebersol with producer Lorne Michaels in 1975 because NBC needed a filler for that time slot. Before, it was filled with the late talk shows but with Johnny Carson’s word, Ebersol and Micheals debuted SNL. It was originally targeted for the 18-34 demographic because young people stayed up late and it was focused on what the new age would deem funny. The show employed people from the second city from the very beginning, imcluding Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.  It had a different musical act and host each week, allowing for more new age material to enter the show. The show used satire in its comedy.

37. (27.) The time slot was for 90 minutes, which was very difficult for the writers and actors on the show. The long running program caused both great skits and dull humor (Hammil). Since the show was improvisational comedy, it excited the audience. It gave the generations who never experienced live television programming in the 1950s with the on edge sense of theater missing from pre-recorded programming (Hammil).

38. (27.) The Second City and SNL were very alike in their actor choices. Not only were many of SNL’s actors from second city, there was also a cycle with the show. That means that many actors left and new ones came on, creating new faces for people to like and laugh with. The only problem was that when a leader in the production left, it created instability for the show (Hammil). From the beginning, Saturday Night Live provided America with some of its most popular characters and catch-phrases. The program's regular news spot provided sharp witty observations on current events through satire (Hammil).

39. (27.) SNL and the second city both have their cast members move on after working with the shows. SNL has always been seen as a precedent for political satire within America. The show is a way for people to view new ideas and digest them with a grain of salt. Due to its endurance, SNL has crossed generational lines and made the culture of a younger audience available to their elders and vice versa (Hammil).

40. (28.) The earliest form of satire humans have discovered is from ancient Egypt. "The teaching of Duaf's son Khety," was a text found that was told by a father who wants his young son to become a scribe. In order to affirm that desire, his father tells his son of all of the negatives other professions must endure. The words were meant to be comical, not literal. This text may have been used as a story to keep young scribes motivated or entertained.