So when I heard that we had to do a blog about Ernest Hemingway's life I got pretty excited. Ernest Hemingway is one of my big hero's, spirit guides, gurus, whatever you want to call someone who had beliefs and goals similar to yours. Most of my heroes tend to be these larger than life, worldly sort of men, like James Bond, Jacques Cousteau, and especially Ernest Hemingway. Like any young man, I chose them as role models because they loosely emulated the vision I had always had for myself since I could remember, specifically, an adventurous, well traveled person, living life passionately to the fullest. Anyhow, backing up from that personal tirade, I just have to say Ernest Hemingway was a badass. Sorry for the expression Mr. McCarthy, but that's the only way I can describe him. The dude practically comes out of nowhere from a little Oak Park family and then carves this amazing path across the world, pretty much by himself. My grade school was in Oak Park, and it was literally right across the street from Ernest Hemingway's house. I could look at the window of my class and say "yep, Hemingway was born right about there". As we all know he had a pretty rough childhood, and he hated Oak Park for being so close-minded, but he still managed to pursue his future in writing, first in Chicago, but the he ships off to Italy to support the war effort. We know he was injured, but from the very somber tone and all the disillusionment, I'm thinking he saw some pretty grisly stuff out there, which is understandable for WW1. Anyhow we know in his mid-life he spent a lot of time in places like Paris, Spain, Venice, Key West, and Havana and he was awesome. He was a record-holder in both deep-sea fishing and daiquiri drinking, as well as a avid boxer. He was bros with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, and Gertrude Stein. Aside form Stein, who was annoying (my opinion, not fact) these people made up the Lost Generation, titled by Gertrude Stein, a label none of it's members subscribed to. Ernest Hemingway really hit his stride around his forties, his boxing, fishing and drinking where still going well, and he was now a big-game hunter, patron of bull-fighting, and a sub hunter during WWII. That's right, you read that correctly. He was a mercenary Nazi submarine hunter. He never caught a sub, but it's the thought that counts. He was a alcoholic, albeit a functioning one, and perhaps his lifestyle started catching up with him, because he had some serious health issues, and his decline form their sent him into a deep depression from which he never emerged. He killed himself by shooting himself with his favorite shotgun, and those who found him reported that he managed to get to get both barrel's off. A somber end to a glorious life.

Six Word Novels

"Sorry soldier, shoes sold in pairs".
ADHD. Searched for cure. Got bored.
Happy masochist entangled in jellyfish tentacles.
Wind blows, sails fill, journey begins.
Surgeon saves patient, Patient thanks God.
Shooting at anarchist meeting, Call Cops!

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

When I first heard the word stooge for this assignment, I’ll admit I thought something along the lines of the three stooges, but a quick google search defined it as a person who merely supports or assists someone else. To this respect, I am certain that John Proctor is definitely not a stooge. He is much more of a tragic hero of a Shakespearean nature. Basically, a tragic hero is a somewhat normal person, not particularly great, with greatness or heroics thrust upon them, often resulting in his tragic failure or demise. An example of a tragic hero could be Oedipus, Batman, or Sydney Carton. I think John Proctor is especially similar to Sydney Carton from ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. Both are men with dissatisfied with their lives, who have made mistakes in the past, but reclaim their goodness in a noble act of self-sacrifice. It may seem like John Proctor was somewhat stooge-like in the beginning, since he seems more concerned with keeping his mistakes a secret and preserving his family’s reputation. It is only later in the play that he demonstrates his heroics, sacrificing his life not only to preserve his family’s good name, but also the good name and innocence of those condemned with him.

For my 'There goes the Neighbourhood' comparison, I will be comparing the nations involved in the conquest of America, specifically the Mesoamerican empires and Spain. I will be lumping together the Mesoamerican empires such as the Maya, Olmec, Aztec, and Inca together for practical purposes. From these peoples perspective, it is quite possible they may have heard of the Europeans before they arrived, since they spent many years subjugating the Caribbean islands before landing in Mexico and Central America. If I'm not mistake it was Hernan Cortes who first landed in Mexico, and he was probably most famous as a conqueror. As far as how the Aztecs would react, I'm not sure they would be particularly upset, or think that the European concept of righteous conquest or early 'Manifest Destiny' was wrong, as their own religion called for holy war, slavery, subjugation, and the sacrifice of war prisoners after a conflict. Also, the Spaniards had a lot of support from other tribes that lived under Aztec rule, so in some ways maybe the Aztecs had it coming.  However, I can imagine from an Aztec civilian’s perspective, it would be absolutely terrifying. First, to hear of the arrival of shining, bearded men on horses, with magical sticks that exploded and killed people. Also the first thing to strike the Native Americans was disease that the Europeans bought with them, which scholars say was comparable the Black Plague in effect, so for many Indians it may have seemed like the end of the world.

I think the clash of cultures between Spain and the Aztecs is the story of any conquest. Whether it be the Australian aborigines, or peoples in the Pacific islands, European expansion has always been swift, and, somewhat sadly, seemingly inevitable. With the European mercantilist system, colonizing and then trading on a global scale is what kept economies afloat long after Europe was starved of resources. To a large extent, this is still true today.

               

 

About Me

So before I add my stories here I'll talk a bit about myself without getting too personal. I am 15 years old and have lived in Chicago all my life. Before attending Whitney Young I went to a Montessori grade school in Oak Park for preschool until 8th grade. The school was called Alcuin Montessori School, and was a very small school built in an old church. For those who don’t know, Montessori is a type of school that encourages a lot of freedom and responsibility at a young age, self-motivated learning, and then more rigorous course-work when one is older.

Outside of school I love to sail and swim. I’m also an open water and wreck diver, and I love to surf and kayak. As I write this I realize that that’s basically saying I love the seaJ. Anyhow, on land I am also an avid cyclist, and I race on a national level with my racing team. I also have been taking Wushu lessons since I was eight, and have the past year been practicing Krav Maga, which is the Israeli Special Forces martial art. Aside from that I love to travel and hang out with friends, and will live abroad as an adult