AP Language

    Ralph Waldo Emerson is an  American essayist, lecturer, and poet . Emerson believes people should speak their minds with harsh words today and tommrow even though it contradicts everything you said that day.  Speaking your mind helps others to understand what you stand for and your beliefs, however many people's beliefs can be very controversial can cause havoc if not said in a respectful manner. I believe people should speak their mind but with limit, some things are better left unsaid.      As humans and US citizens we are each entitled to our own opinion and have our freedom of speech, however some people don't know how to say things without offending others. People like Donald Trump, he uses very blunt and offensive language when speaking about others. When he spoke about Mexicans h e sai d  “They are not our friend, believe me,” as well as speaking about North Korea.  This not only offends but it triggers people and countries to a ...

    Dalai Lama is a the spiritual leader of Tibet. Of the many inspiring quotes Dalai shares he also frequently speaks about contentment. Lama believes that if you practice contentment you will believe you already have everything you need, because if you don't you will "never be content and always want more." In this situation I believe that people should work hard to get to where they are "content". In the United States people are never content with what they have.      Contentment is when someone is satisfied with what they have. However in the United States the nation is full of competition. “No achievement is good enough”. People should work very hard until they are satisfied with how their life is. I do agree that most Americans are unhappy/ unsatisfied because life is challenging and everyone has a different interpretation on what they consider their American Dream to be.     Many people can be content with being alive, healthy, having ...

       Cotton Mather is remembered as one of the most  influential Puritan  ministers of his day. Mather wrote many  reports based upon his studies and observations of witchcraft.  In the late 1600s Salem, many suspicions on witchery arose. Puritan Society was consumed with the thought that any entertainment such as Poetry, dancing,etc  entertainment was an act against god.        Any form of entertainment was the work of the devil and participating in these entertaining activities made you a devil yourself. He states that we should protect ourselves before we are manipulated by the devil " Beware of a boundless and sickly appetite". T hroughout the quote Mather uses imagery to make us readers picture what "witchcraft" looks like. Participating in any form of entertainment make you vulnerable to the " dangers you may incur".         Cotton Mather uses an analogy where he compares  listening to ...

        John Withdrop is a Puritan who came to America to establish freedom. He was a fierce leader and led his people with a iron fist. In the prompt " City Upon a hill" he was very clear on how he wanted his people to live their lives as an example to other puritans as they are a "city upon a hill".  Puritans were people who wanted to reform or purify their church, they focused  on religion and following God's plan.         Withdrop says since they are a "city upon a hill" they should live their lives better then everybody else so that they can stand out in gods eyes because " eyes  of all people are upon us" Puritans are  prohibited in commiting any acts of sin or else they shall be banished from the new land. They lived their lives so strictly, and centered around god's word. Puritans believe they are natural born sinners so they  devote their lives proving ethical charecter in gods eyes. Withdrop basically says ...

     Black elk was very comfortable sharing his visions with a John G. Neihardt although for his tribe he would be considered a betrayal. These visions are a very sacred aspect for his tribe and for native culture, therfore his tribe didn't want "outsiders" to know any of their native stories because they believe they weren't going to be understood how they understand it. Black elk shared his visions in which he is guided by 6 gods which grant him gifts of knowledge in which he is told to use these gifts to encounter problems in the real world to make the world a better place. I believe he shared his stories to this outsider so more people can know about his culture. Black elk is trying to give us more information of his culture, and spread knowledge on his experience.

            Wooden Leg  was a northern cheyenne warrior who fought against custer at the Battle of  the Little Big horn. Wooden legs culture believes in respect and value towards animals and nature. He lived in a reservation and was taught new things .Wooden Leg became a mixture of American Culture and Native culture when he converted to christianity because of his belief that it wasn't much different from Native Culture.          Wooden leg appreciates and valued his culture. He believes that uprooting nature is wrong as he says so "it is wrong to tear loose from its place on the earth anything that may be growing there".  Wooden Leg stated that when something is cut off completely, the person responsible acted out of sadness and should pray for forgiveness". Even though Wooden leg has adapted to American ways he never fully commited those ways because its wrong.           Throughout the ...

       Chief Joseph was the leader of the one of the largest tribes the Nez Perce. He faced with white settlement in tribal lands of Oregon. Many believe he died of a "broken heart" but he will always be remembered for leading his people on an epic flight across the Rocky Mountains.He didn't want his people to be subjected to oppresion by the colonizers, so he led them on a journey to Canada's border. On this journey they had to combat with them for the majority of the way, until he was eventually exhausted of the will to carry on and goes on to elaborate more on this feeling, in this speech.       Chief Joseph asserts that he is tired of fighting  " I will fight no more forever".  Then chief joseph starts listing all the reasons he is surrendering such as they  have no blankets, little children are freezing to death, they have no food,etc. "Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad". Due to the dissray of his people C...