The Bill of Rights Meaning de Moi!

To many people the history of the United States means little to them…so what if a guy named thomas and a guy named benjimen wrote about freedom.  But really, it means so much more.  Freedom is so easily taken for granted.  Protestors fight everyday, employing one of the Bill of Rights (the right of assembly) to get their voices heard (free speech).  Many don’t even think twice about the effects of the Constitution on everyday life.

There are days when all I want to do is lay in bed…sleep…dream…whatever!  Then I watch one of those infommericials showing starved children in war torn countries, and everything in my being wishes to help their poor souls.  They were born into a nation where war is a daily activity.  Where walking down the street could be the death of them.  America is considered a civilized society, yet many face this fear daily.  In inner-cities violence is so rampant that children no longer play in parks.  The playgrounds are deserted and rusty from neglect.  The sand is littered with leaves from years past.  Why is it so easy to be affected by a child 500 miles away, when innocent children are dying in your own state?  The one 10 Ammendments that I have issues with is the right to bear arms.  I understand both points of view.  People want protection, but others use it to their advantage.  How many deaths is it going to take before the federal government comes up with better laws to limit the distribution of illegal firearms? How many school shooting must take place before the American people stop caring?  The fact that a school shooting has become a commonplace thing is disgusting to me.  The national rifle association has every right to promote their orginazation.  People that own guns responsibly have every right to own whatever they please.  It’s those people that are irresponsible, young, and naive that worry me.

The United States was based on freedom, and thank God for that.  There is no other place like it, and probably never will be.  Somehow those men: Thomas Jefferson, Benjimen Franklin, and others found away for a democratic society to work.  And them them for that.

 

P.S. sorry it got a little rambly in there.

Historical Movie Reveiw

                History is something that everyone is taught, not only for the sake of knowledge, but to ensure that the same mistakes aren’t made over and over again.  War is a major issue in history, starting with the Crusades and still going on today, this action will probably never cease existence.  When I was assigned to review an historical movie for my history class I was not really sure where to start.  I like a lot of historical fiction films, but most of them were based on the later American history from the Civil War on.  So I consulted my movie buff friend, and she shouted out The Patriot in about a tenth of a second.  Luckily, it was on my cable’s OnDemand button, so I got to watch it for free!

                First off, I must say that I’m not usually into blood and gore in movies.  Actually, during the scenes of battle I can’t really recall any visuals because I was either covering my eyes with by fingers or in a fetal position, waiting for the sounds of guns to end.  However, the glimpses that I did catch of the war were pretty accurate.  Except a few dramatic additions: the battles went in the order, and the way the war was fought stayed true to history. 

                Even though it based on historical events, the dramatic content of the film was amazing.  I know that’s become a pretty cliché-ish word to use, but there was no other way to explain it.  I must say, every film that I have seen with Mel Gibson was phenomenal! I have only seen Braveheart and now The Patriot, but they were so emotional and gripping that they’re easy to watch over and over again.  The main reason is that both involve the feeling of revenge.  In Braveheart, the Scots are being terrorized by the English and every woman that is married is forced to sleep with the English governor, or something in that general direction.  When William Wallace (Mel’s charcter) marries, his wife refuses, and she is then executed for defying the king’s rule.  In The Patriot the first son dies because he feels that his father is not willing to save his older son’s life.  He dies unfairly and unjustly by a savage lieutenant. 

                Both movies contain this theme of revenge, and the reasoning behind the revenge is so concrete it makes it easy to root for Mel Gibson’s slautering of his enemies.  In both Braveheart and The Patriot he is able to meet the revenge and bring his armies to glory against the tyrannical English. 

                Overall, I loved The Patriot.  The fact that Heath Ledger was a member of the cast added to my love for it.  He was a great actor, and proved himself in his character.  The movie was historically accurate, and with the revenge them easy to watch.  Although it was a little too bloody, and a tear jerker, I am sure I will watch it again, and next time try to keep my eyes open throughout the entire 165 minutes of it. 

Past class

The last class I attended we talked about civil religion.  I wasn’t really sure what the term “civil religion” really meant, but the discussion that we had made it pretty clear.  I’m still not sure if I have it totally correct, but it’s about how governments are based off of religious beliefs.  Like how the concepts of religious holidays, symbols, and rules are translated into a public religion.  For example, a religious symbol like the Catholic crucifix, reflects the beliefs that the Catholics follow.  While the United States uses the bald eagle to symbolize the American beliefs.  The tie in between the two is really remarkable.  There are a number of similarities that I would have never been able to point out, and I’m glad I got the chance to learn about all of them.

Puritan Poem

So, we were told to write a Puritan Poem.  I’m not going to lie, mine really isn’t that great.  I was trying to keep up with the whole praising God for every little thing, but I am not a poet.  Or much of a writer for that matter.  SO here goes nothing!

The Sun

It shines on me when I am cold
It shines on me as I get old
He made it for the world to cherish
Cherish Him and he’ll grant your wish

It helps the plants grow tall and green
It helps tan that skinny teen
He made it for the world to love
He made it for the lovely dove

Oh God, dear God thank you so much
For creating Earth with your special touch
You made a land filled with sparkle
You made a world I love to marvel

That’s about it!! Thanks for reading it.

 

Revising Blurb.

The research paper proved to be quite a feat to accomplish.  In fact, I’m still working on it! Boy oh boy, sometimes writing papers feels like it will never end.  The fact that you have to revise, makes it much worse.  I mean, why can’t everything you write be perfect the first time? Eh? I don’t know, revising is the devil.  I had to say it.  Or maybe I’m just too particular about my writing, whatever the reasons, the drafts are starting to kill me.  I finish revising one draft right? and then the next time I look over my current draft I find ten other mistakes!  Its never ending…….

Salem Girls

My research topic isn’t very origional…I was going to try to make it more exciting, but there wasn’t many exciting materials to choose from.  It’s going to be about how the girls in the Salem Village were taken advantage of by the townspeople.  It is clear that towards the latter part of the trials, the girls had lost a lot of their followers.  Once they started naming people in far up places, people stopped believing in the girls outcrys.  This is kind of ridiculous considering it tooking the town almost a year to realize that witchcraft wasn’t taking place, and a lot of the people that had been executed were indeed innocent.  I couldn’t imagine living in a world like this, where a simple pointed finger in your direction could determine your guilt.