"We had Husband and Father, and Children, and Sisters, and Friends and Relations, and House, and Home, and many Comforts of this Life: but now we may say as Job, Naked came I out of my Mother's Womb, and naked shall I return: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, Blessed be the Name of the Lord." -Mary Rowlandson pg.221
"Thus he whose tender mercies are over all his works hath placed a principle in the human mind which incites to exercise goodness toward every living creature; and this being singly attended to, people become tenderhearted and sympathizing, but being frequently and totally rejected, the mind shuts itself up in a contrary disposition."-John Woolman pg.257
"My wickedness, as I am in myself, has long appeared to me perfectly ineffable and swallowing up all thought and imagination like an infinite deluge or mountains over my heard. I know not how to express better what my sins appear to me to be, than heaping infinite up infinite, and multiplying infinite by infinite."-Johnathon Edwards pg.275
"In reality there is perhaps no one of our natural Passions so hard to subdue as Pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as such as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself."-Ben Franklin pg.385
"When I met with any boy who I knew could write, I would tell him I could write as well as he." -Fredrick Douglas pg.1541
"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry."- Henry David Thoreau pg.1682
"These God-breathing machines are no more, in the sight of their masters, than the cotton they plant, or the horses they tend."-Harriet Jacobs pg.2014
"It avails not, time nor place-distance avails not."-Walt Whitman pg.2183
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
2-"My Thirteen Virtues" (FINAL)
Inspired by Ben Franklin's list of virtues and precepts, I wrote my own list
you can read them in the blog that follows this blog. I listed "Patience" as my first virtue because as a mother I should be tolerant and with-standing. Raising children requires a steady, but patient hand. I am also familiar with difficult work outside the home. My career and studies take time to accomplish. However, when parenthood and the normal trials of life begin to overwhelm and I feel my patience my soon fail, I pause and give "Thanks" for my blessing (the second virtue on my list). I believe all lives are gifts, and I thank Him for allowing me to have such a fulfilled one.
"Respect" was third on my list. I respect God, myself, and others. I find that when I show others respect, I receive respect in return. I treat people with the dignity that I believe every human being deserves. I am not "Prejudice" in regard to their ideals or appearance. We were all created special in the eyes of God, therefore I intend to treat everyone in that manner.
Alexander Pope wrote to "To err is human." That is why "Forgiveness," my fourth virtue, is so imperative. Forgiveness allows us to address, learn, and move past our mistakes. Forgiveness is a powerful action that can cleanse your soul or eat you alive.
Reasonable decision making is also imperative therefore, "Reason" is my seventh virtue. I was taught as a child that what I do today will effect me tomorrow. I still stand by that thought. When I making any decision I think of who it will effect. Whether the repercussions are positive or negative, I consider my "Limit" and use moderation. I make decisions that I know will bring "Honor" to myself and my family. As a parent and a child I am aware that my actions not only reflect on me, but also on the ones closest to me.
Great pressure was also applied to me during childhood to be successful, and the way to become successful is through "Knowledge." For centuries women have struggled to create a way for themselves and other women to have an education. I take advantage of the opportunities those women have provided me. That's why I listed "knowledge" as my tenth virtue.
These virtues can be arduous and difficult to follow; but if I get discouraged, I "Rest." I rest my mind, by body, and my soul to achieve the "Serenity" I identified as my eleventh virtue. I believe everyone should take time out of their day for themselves only. A quiet 10 minutes alone can be just enough to revive and rejuvenate.
The last virtue, "Love," is without question the most important. Above all things I do in my life, I "Love." I love myself, my family, my career, and country. I love my child unconditionally and she will learn to love the same. I love my career, therefore I excel. I love my country, and therefore I sacrifice.
The 13 virtues I listed are simple rules of conduct that I make an effort to uphold everyday. Unlike Franklin, I didn't make these rules as away to make myself feel superior. In fact, I made them for the completely opposite reason. I maintain these virtues for the ones around me. So that they may feel important, loved, and respected. They help keep my "Priorities" in check and force me to a better person. Maybe if Franklin would have considered the ones around him more, then he might have been better equipped to uphold his 13 virtues.
you can read them in the blog that follows this blog. I listed "Patience" as my first virtue because as a mother I should be tolerant and with-standing. Raising children requires a steady, but patient hand. I am also familiar with difficult work outside the home. My career and studies take time to accomplish. However, when parenthood and the normal trials of life begin to overwhelm and I feel my patience my soon fail, I pause and give "Thanks" for my blessing (the second virtue on my list). I believe all lives are gifts, and I thank Him for allowing me to have such a fulfilled one.
"Respect" was third on my list. I respect God, myself, and others. I find that when I show others respect, I receive respect in return. I treat people with the dignity that I believe every human being deserves. I am not "Prejudice" in regard to their ideals or appearance. We were all created special in the eyes of God, therefore I intend to treat everyone in that manner.
Alexander Pope wrote to "To err is human." That is why "Forgiveness," my fourth virtue, is so imperative. Forgiveness allows us to address, learn, and move past our mistakes. Forgiveness is a powerful action that can cleanse your soul or eat you alive.
Reasonable decision making is also imperative therefore, "Reason" is my seventh virtue. I was taught as a child that what I do today will effect me tomorrow. I still stand by that thought. When I making any decision I think of who it will effect. Whether the repercussions are positive or negative, I consider my "Limit" and use moderation. I make decisions that I know will bring "Honor" to myself and my family. As a parent and a child I am aware that my actions not only reflect on me, but also on the ones closest to me.
Great pressure was also applied to me during childhood to be successful, and the way to become successful is through "Knowledge." For centuries women have struggled to create a way for themselves and other women to have an education. I take advantage of the opportunities those women have provided me. That's why I listed "knowledge" as my tenth virtue.
These virtues can be arduous and difficult to follow; but if I get discouraged, I "Rest." I rest my mind, by body, and my soul to achieve the "Serenity" I identified as my eleventh virtue. I believe everyone should take time out of their day for themselves only. A quiet 10 minutes alone can be just enough to revive and rejuvenate.
The last virtue, "Love," is without question the most important. Above all things I do in my life, I "Love." I love myself, my family, my career, and country. I love my child unconditionally and she will learn to love the same. I love my career, therefore I excel. I love my country, and therefore I sacrifice.
The 13 virtues I listed are simple rules of conduct that I make an effort to uphold everyday. Unlike Franklin, I didn't make these rules as away to make myself feel superior. In fact, I made them for the completely opposite reason. I maintain these virtues for the ones around me. So that they may feel important, loved, and respected. They help keep my "Priorities" in check and force me to a better person. Maybe if Franklin would have considered the ones around him more, then he might have been better equipped to uphold his 13 virtues.
4-Influences on Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" (FINAL)
At the time Herman Melville wrote "Moby Dick," the major occurrence in his life was his friendship with Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne's wife, Sophia, observed their relationship saying "Mr. Melville, generally silent and uncommunicative, pours out the rich floods of his mind and experience to [Hawthorne], so sure of apprehension, so sure of a large and generous interpretation, and of the most delicate and fine judgment." The two's friendship and appreciation of one another was proven by Melville in the dedication of "Moby Dick"to Hawthorne where he inscribed, "In token of my admiration for his genius."On the surface, these two writers had little in common. However, one of the links between them was the sea. Melville spent much more time at sea than his friend. For over 2 years, he was employed as a harpooner. During this time he heard wild stories of the Southern Sperm Whale Fisheries. These legends have simularities to "Moby Dick." They tell of notably larger and uniquely colored whales, claiming these phantom whales bring bad omens and that any encounter with them was always deadly.
If I wrote a paper on what I felt influenced Herman Melville's"Moby Dick" the most, I would pick either his friendship with Hawthorne or the fishery legends about mysteriously powerful whales. I believe they were both major factors to its success.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
3-" Promise to a Friend" Harriet Jacobs (FINAL)
"The honor of a slave holder to a slave!"
This statement could be the theme behind Harriet Jacobs' "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." Her narrative begins and ends with promises made between a master and a slave. The broken promises kept her captive and the honored promise set her free.
On her death bed, Jacobs' mother was promised by her master, that Harriet and her siblings "should never suffer for anything." (2013) During her mistress' life, the promise was kept. However, upon the mistress' death, instead of being protected, Linda was willed to the Flint family (the first promise broken.)
The Flint family tortured, emotionally battered, and nearly "broke" the young slave's spirit. Her major oppressor in the Flint home was Dr. Flint. He introduced the innocent teenager into a life of dishonor, disgust, and over all filth. He was a calculating man who manipulated not only Jacobs, but his wife. When his Mrs. Flint became aware of the inappropriate conduct happening between her husband and her slave, she was enraged. She "spoke kindly and promised to protect" (2019) Jacobs from the evil clutches of her husband. Not surprisingly, Mrs. Flint neglected her promise and sabotaged the relationship between Jacobs and her grandmother (second promise broken.)
After an excruciatingly stay in the Flint home, Jacobs was passed to Dr. Flint's sone, who proved just as harsh and his father. To prevent her new master from harming her children, Jacobs went into hiding. She concealed herself under a shed on her grandmother's property. There she stayed for seven years. The years in hiding did not discourage Dr. Flint's efforts to find Jacobs. He once threatened Jacobs' grandmother saying, "his heirs should hold me in slavery after her was gone, that I never should be free so long as a child of his survived" (2034)
When Jacobs met Mr. and Mrs. Dodge she was still being hunted my the Flint family and their hired bounty men. Up until this point, Jacobs' life had been plagued with nothing but broken promises. After seeing how the constant running, hiding, and oppression of captivity was effecting their friend, the Dodge family vowed to buy Jacobs from the Flint's and set her free. To Jacobs' gratitude and disbelief, the Dodge's kept their promise. The one thing Jacobs' father and grandmother had worked so hard to accomplished was granted by a family who upheld a promise to a "friend. (2037)
"The honor of a slave holder to a slave" meant nothing to Harriet Jacobs, but the honor between friends meant "Freedom!" (2038)
This statement could be the theme behind Harriet Jacobs' "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." Her narrative begins and ends with promises made between a master and a slave. The broken promises kept her captive and the honored promise set her free.
On her death bed, Jacobs' mother was promised by her master, that Harriet and her siblings "should never suffer for anything." (2013) During her mistress' life, the promise was kept. However, upon the mistress' death, instead of being protected, Linda was willed to the Flint family (the first promise broken.)
The Flint family tortured, emotionally battered, and nearly "broke" the young slave's spirit. Her major oppressor in the Flint home was Dr. Flint. He introduced the innocent teenager into a life of dishonor, disgust, and over all filth. He was a calculating man who manipulated not only Jacobs, but his wife. When his Mrs. Flint became aware of the inappropriate conduct happening between her husband and her slave, she was enraged. She "spoke kindly and promised to protect" (2019) Jacobs from the evil clutches of her husband. Not surprisingly, Mrs. Flint neglected her promise and sabotaged the relationship between Jacobs and her grandmother (second promise broken.)
After an excruciatingly stay in the Flint home, Jacobs was passed to Dr. Flint's sone, who proved just as harsh and his father. To prevent her new master from harming her children, Jacobs went into hiding. She concealed herself under a shed on her grandmother's property. There she stayed for seven years. The years in hiding did not discourage Dr. Flint's efforts to find Jacobs. He once threatened Jacobs' grandmother saying, "his heirs should hold me in slavery after her was gone, that I never should be free so long as a child of his survived" (2034)
When Jacobs met Mr. and Mrs. Dodge she was still being hunted my the Flint family and their hired bounty men. Up until this point, Jacobs' life had been plagued with nothing but broken promises. After seeing how the constant running, hiding, and oppression of captivity was effecting their friend, the Dodge family vowed to buy Jacobs from the Flint's and set her free. To Jacobs' gratitude and disbelief, the Dodge's kept their promise. The one thing Jacobs' father and grandmother had worked so hard to accomplished was granted by a family who upheld a promise to a "friend. (2037)
"The honor of a slave holder to a slave" meant nothing to Harriet Jacobs, but the honor between friends meant "Freedom!" (2038)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
2-"My Thirteen Virtues"(Revised C)
1.Patience
Have patience at home as a mother and in your endeavors
2.Thanks
Thank your God for your Gifts
3. Respect
If you respect yourself and others it will be reciprocated
4.Prejudice
Judge not. Give everyone and everything deserved opportunity
5.Forgiveness
You forgive, because He forgave.
6.Cleanliness
Keep yourself, your home, and your soul clear and free
7. Reason
Be reasonable in your decisions, for you are not the
only person who suffers when poor decisions are made
8. Limit
Everything in Moderation
9. Honor
Your actions reflect on not only you, but also the ones near to you.
10. Knowledge
Knowledge is power, therefore empower yourself through knowledge.
11. Serenity
A healthy body and mind is a rested one.
12. Prioritize
Keep your priorities accordingly and with just reasoning
13. Love
The bond that unites, saves, and inspires.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
1-Conflicted Ben! (Final)
When I compared the list of "virtues," anecdotes, and the personal ideals Benjamin Franklin stated in his autobiography, I found several conflicting ideals.
One of those contradictions centered around his appetite. Being one boy among 12 siblings, all born into poverty, Franklin stated that in his youth he took "little to no notice was taken of what related to the victuals on the table...those matters as to be quite indifferent what kind of food was set before me." (347) However, at the age of 16 after reading a book "recommending a Vegetable Diet," Franklin began "refusing to eat flesh." (351) ) His refusal only lasted until he "reasoned" himself into eating meat once again, a revolving pattern he continued throughout his life.
Franklin also displayed contradicting attitudes toward money, claiming himself frugal, and then loaning out what little money he had to people that he knew could not repay. Franklin declares himself frugal; he even named "Frugality" in his list of "Thirteen Names of Virtues," yet when a friend asked to borrow money he loaned it to him without question.
"Chastity," meaning abstention form unlawful intercourse, was also on Franklin's on list of "Virtues." Not surprisingly, chastity, like so many others, was a broken virtue. During a visit with a lady named Mrs. T., also his friend's companion, Franklin "attempted familiarities which she repuls'd." (371) Later, his friendship with Mrs. T's companion ended, and Franklin could do nothing but proclaim it an "Errata" in the story of his life.
The final contradiction (yet another "Errata" in his life) was Franklin's ever changing thoughts on religion. In Philadelphia, while under the apprenticeship of his brother, Franklin wrote articles expressing his "indescrete disputations about religion." (352) In turn, people began to identify him as an Atheist. A couple paragraphs later, Franklin addresses God, thanks God for his attributes, donates significant contributions to churches in his area, quotes frequently from the Bible, and believes that to "imitate Jesus" was a desirable virtue.
In the end, although he claims he merely has "Floppy Morals," (387) I believe Ben Franklin has a deeply contradictory nature.
One of those contradictions centered around his appetite. Being one boy among 12 siblings, all born into poverty, Franklin stated that in his youth he took "little to no notice was taken of what related to the victuals on the table...those matters as to be quite indifferent what kind of food was set before me." (347) However, at the age of 16 after reading a book "recommending a Vegetable Diet," Franklin began "refusing to eat flesh." (351) ) His refusal only lasted until he "reasoned" himself into eating meat once again, a revolving pattern he continued throughout his life.
Franklin also displayed contradicting attitudes toward money, claiming himself frugal, and then loaning out what little money he had to people that he knew could not repay. Franklin declares himself frugal; he even named "Frugality" in his list of "Thirteen Names of Virtues," yet when a friend asked to borrow money he loaned it to him without question.
"Chastity," meaning abstention form unlawful intercourse, was also on Franklin's on list of "Virtues." Not surprisingly, chastity, like so many others, was a broken virtue. During a visit with a lady named Mrs. T., also his friend's companion, Franklin "attempted familiarities which she repuls'd." (371) Later, his friendship with Mrs. T's companion ended, and Franklin could do nothing but proclaim it an "Errata" in the story of his life.
The final contradiction (yet another "Errata" in his life) was Franklin's ever changing thoughts on religion. In Philadelphia, while under the apprenticeship of his brother, Franklin wrote articles expressing his "indescrete disputations about religion." (352) In turn, people began to identify him as an Atheist. A couple paragraphs later, Franklin addresses God, thanks God for his attributes, donates significant contributions to churches in his area, quotes frequently from the Bible, and believes that to "imitate Jesus" was a desirable virtue.
In the end, although he claims he merely has "Floppy Morals," (387) I believe Ben Franklin has a deeply contradictory nature.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
"The Autobiography of Ben Fankin"-Ben Franklin
This autobiography is like a window to the past. These are the actual words of Ben Franklin, a Founding Father of our country. I have read a lot of literature about Franklin and seen a lot of programs about him, but to read his words seem amazing to me. When recalling what we all learned in elementary school about Ben Franklin, one would think he was, "all business." This autobiography is quite the opposite. He seems to have a sense of humor and surprisingly displays some sarcasm when discussing events and people he finds unreasonable. His humor makes him seem more human and not just a paragraph in a history book. I found this autobiography to be very enjoyable which was not what I was expecting when Mr. Simpson assigned it in class. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by, "The Autobiography of Ben Franklin."
"To a Waterfowl" -Bryant
A "waterfowl" is defined as a swimming game bird ( a Duck or Goose ) as distinguished from an upland game bird or shorebird.
This poem begins with a man lost in the wilderness at night in pursuit his "solitary way." The man spies a waterfowl flying through the dusk night. Enviously, he ponders over the "Power" that drives the waterfowl to find his lone way without being lost. He describes how the waterfowl prepares for his upcoming flight. And when the his preparations are complete the bird makes way to his "summer home, and rest." At the end, the man emphasizes the importance of the bird to him and how it has taught him a life lesson that "shall not soon depart." It has inspired the man in his own personal journey and will lead him in the right direction.
This poem begins with a man lost in the wilderness at night in pursuit his "solitary way." The man spies a waterfowl flying through the dusk night. Enviously, he ponders over the "Power" that drives the waterfowl to find his lone way without being lost. He describes how the waterfowl prepares for his upcoming flight. And when the his preparations are complete the bird makes way to his "summer home, and rest." At the end, the man emphasizes the importance of the bird to him and how it has taught him a life lesson that "shall not soon depart." It has inspired the man in his own personal journey and will lead him in the right direction.
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