Discussion Question #3

In Letters From an American Farmer, Crevecoeur witnesses slavery firsthand and is having trouble of grasping the concept because "the strange order of things" in Letter IX. Discuss the difficulty he has with the existence of slavery. Also analyze how slavery changed the social and political landscape of the North and South.

week 5

Crevecoeur in his letters compares Americans and Europeans. He also analyzed the question: What is to be an American? He believes that America is a progressive nation because of the diversity; “They are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans, and Swedes.” What is he trying to said by this? What was the purpose of these letters?

Discussion Question: Week 5 Readings

In Letters from an American Farmer, Crevecoeur writes that a person can call himself an American no matter what their lineage is. Past bloodlines doesn't make an American, loyalty towards the country is what matters (among other things). So why is it that when Crevecoeur wants to join the Indian community during the revolutionary war, he hopes that a young man who has shown interest in his daughter will come along? Does bloodlines not matter when it pertains to being an American, but when it comes to his family his thoughts are different? Or is it because when he is talking about intermarriages it was between English, Dutch, French, and etc. descendants , but when it comes to Indians, they are an inferior race and therefore he doesn't want to have intermarriages with them?

Claire, Eugene, Reem, Theodora

Arthur Miller's plot in The Crucible has often been been associated with McCarthyism and the "red scare" of the 1950s. What real life people could the fictional characters in the play have represented? Who were some of the judges linked with the McCarthy hearings and what were some of their rulings? Do Julius and Ethel Rosenberg represent Giles and Martha Corey?

Kar-Fai/Jett/Johnny/Ryan/Quinn

Week 2: Discussion Question

Theocracy combines both church andstate as one. What was the role this kind of government had in Salem in orderto cause the series of events that lead to the witchcraft trials? Slaves andservants such as Abigail Williams became powerful with the witchcraft trialsand other people with good reputations such as Mrs. Nurse became powerless. Whatexplains this switch of power? How could that be possible? How does Miller relate his play to McCarthyism?
Jared / Javier / Catherine / Torrin

Theocracy combines both church and state as one. What was the role this kind of government had in Salem in order to cause the series of events that lead to the witchcraft trials? Slaves and servants such as Abigail Williams became powerful with the witchcraft trial sand other people with good reputations such as Mrs. Nurse became powerless. What explains this switch of power? How could that be possible? How does Miller relate his play to McCarthyism?
Catherine / Jared / Javier / Torrin

Blog

In "The Crucible" I've noticed the immense amounts of irony in the play. For instance, the children held such power when Proctor is clearly a symbol of truth and common logic. Still his logic is refuted without consideration while the girls are taken so seriously. Also, it is ironic that Proctor, who cheated on his wife, is the symbol of truth. What does Arthur Miller hope to accomplish with this? Is he trying to cause the audience to realize something?

By Amanda McCoy, Courtney Jenkins, Punit Kapadia, and Anthony Jacques

Discussion Question: Week 2

Why didnt John Proctor's forgetting of the 10th amendment bring him under more suspicion from Hale?

Reem, Claire, Theodora, Eugene

Discussion Question: Week 1

When John Williams was able to find his captive daughter and talk with her, she expresses concern about "forgetting her catechism" and that she was having to say prayers that she didn’t understand. In the end, Eunice never left the Mohawk tribe, eventually adapting to their lifestyle and becoming one of them. Why did she stop resisting their culture? Was she forced to "convert," or she gradually change as she grew up? Additionally, why did Williams give up on getting Eunice back after the first attempts at "trading" for his daughter?

Reem Homsi, Theodora Huynh, Eugene Kim, Claire Northam

Week 1: Discussion Question

"Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.'s poems tone contrasts to Bradstreet's poem- in regards to the authors opinion of gender roles and the role of women. Why do you think that is? Even though they share common factors in their lives like writing during an era when women were not regarded with respect or even justacknowledgment of their abilities their writing styles differ immensely- despite their religious beliefs. Do you think this comes from their geographic locations ( Mexico vs Puritan America) or something more? If so, explain what stylistic elements of the text or tone of both poems makes you think this."

Courtney, Amanda, Punit , and Anthony