John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

I believe that John Proctor represents the qualities of a hero and a stooge.

John Proctors’ actions in the town of Salem make him both respected and feared. As an intelligent individual and a Christian, Proctor shows the qualities of a hero through his actions. Unlike the other characters in the book, John Proctor does not believe in witchcraft. He has a sensible way of thinking and won’t just believe something because everyone in the town does. He is also willing to give his own life to stick up for what he believes in. He is not afraid to stand up to people and doesn’t care what people think of him. John Proctor demonstrates his heroic traits when he confesses for what he has done. He also stands up for the girls accused of witchcraft.

The only thing that really makes John Proctor a “stooge” is his relationship with Abigail. He is married to Elizabeth and he sins by committing adultery with Abigail. This goes against the ten commandants and puts Elizabeth’s life in jeopardy. I believe he might regret it because he denies any feelings for Abigail to her face and to his wife.

           Even though John Proctor may have messed up in his life, he is human and everyone makes mistakes. I respect John Proctor because he is his own person. He chooses to believe in what he wants to believe and he will die for what he knows is right. I believe that John Proctor has done things that make him a stooge, but his heroic traits overpower them.

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

The title says it all. God is angry. We are all sinners. This sermon by Edwards really drew vivid images in my mind. If I were a young Puritan, I would have been pretty scared. I would have thought that even the tiniest wrongdoing would have me surrounded in flames. If I took a cookie before dinner, then I too, would be hanging by a thread over a fiery pit.

The God in the Christian faith is not angry. In fact, he is forgiving. People sin sometimes, but if they ask for forgiveness, they can still go to heaven. In fact, the h___ word is never used during a sermon. People should be good by nature, and not because they are scared into being good. What is considered “good” is by following the word of God.

I feel that perhaps the Puritans thought too much about what others were doing. There probably were a lot of sinners. They probably thought that they outweighed those that were good. They were probably in fear for their own lives because of what others were doing. Perhaps if we consider what is going on with the world today, we should all be afraid of what the future holds. Maybe a few people do need to be scared.

Out of District

In all my years of playing hockey, I have not come across this term. Of course I know what “out of district” means, it just never occurred to me that it would be a term used in club level hockey.

Last year, I decided that it was time for a change. I decided that I would check out a scrimmage camp in Northbrook. They had a couple of kids that really stood out. I really enjoyed playing at that level. I got along great with the boys from the team and they said that I should tryout. What I soon found out was that the Northbrook hockey program is a feeder program for the Glenbrook North High School hockey. It makes sense. You live in Northbrook, why wouldn’t you play for your high school? The problem is that when you have two players of equal talent, they have to take the Northbrook player before the “out of district” player.

So against all odds, I tried out. The Northbrook team has two “out of district” players playing for them…one of them is me. My teammates do not treat me any differently because I am “out of district”. Even though they have been playing with one another for years, they treat me as though I am “in district”.

This relates to the topic of “there goes the neighborhood” because it is like moving into a different neighborhood.

Introductions

Hey everyone my name is Devin Murphy and I am a freshman here at Whitney Young. I was fortunate enough to be an "ackie". My elementary school was Decatur Classical. I was born and raised in Chicago.
My family and I live in the Northwest side of Chicago, an area called Norwood Park.

I love to play sports, especially ice hockey and baseball. I have been playing hockey since I was 3 and currently play on a travel team in Northbrook. My team played against two teams from Sweden. Playing hockey is probably one of my favorite things to do.  I have one younger brother who is 10 years old. He also plays travel hockey and is a goalie.

My mother is Japanese and my father is Irish, making me a little bit of both. I also have a dog named Milkshake. My favorite food is probably sushi. I enjoy traveling to different places both on vacation and for hockey. I have traveled all over the U.S. and have been to Hawaii 4 times! This summer I went to Cancun, Mexico.

I also enjoy listening to music, reading, and writing. I am looking forward to this year and getting to know all of you.