The Salem witch trials really go to show how much fear can ruin peoples lives. As soon as someone in the time of the crucible thought differently, it was immediately feared and called wrong. I think it is very interesting that even DOGS were accused of witchcraft even with them lacking the ability to speak. I think this shows how crazy the people during this time were. I also think its crazy that Abigail Williams accused over a quarter of all the people accused. I am anxious to read the Crucible to find out why she would do this, because it seems from the first couple pages that she may have been exhibiting some traits of witchcraft as well. She could be doing this to draw attention away from herself but I’m not sure.

I think our socratic seminar yesterday held a lot of interesting topics. Particularly the influence of social media since it is so relevant in our society. I thought it was interesting how people were saying we don’t fully even know the effect of social media since it is so new. I never thought about this but its very true. Even our parents didn’t have technology until they were adults. They did not grow up with the resources we have now. It is so easy to get wrapped in social media and get trapped in. Society has one social standard and young teens are brain washed into thinking that if they don’t meet these standards then they should feel bad about themselves. Most people get social media to stay connected but then end up with horrible lasting effects of the unrealistic world.

https://apnews.com/article/legal-proceedings-crime-guatemala-immigration-dc5c388157d9a64a678fcada30bf4c8a Similiar to the story we read about Vargas, this article deals with invalid immigration papers. A Guatemalan Police Officer was found to have lied on his immigration documents. He killed two political activists back in Guatemala and then lied about the conviction to obtain his green card. He did not mention that he had a prior arrest and proceeded on with the card. I think that unlike Vargas’s case, this instance is not ok. Vargas lied for his safety for a better life, but lying about criminal offence to get a green card shouldn’t be excused.

Do you think this is excusable if he came here for a better life and already served the time for the murders?

Do you think he should ever be able to get his green card after this?

For my independent novel, I chose “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott. I picked it because Mrs. Means suggested it and I have heard only good things about it in the past, but never got around to reading it. I also am excited to watch the movie after I read it because I love Florence Pugh and Emma Watson. My first impression of the book was that it was long and had a lot of words per page, but it’ll be fine because I have been enjoying reading recently. It takes place in the 1800s so I am interested to learn about life during this time. I like that although it takes place a long time ago, it isn’t unnecessarily wordy or hard to get through. I think I will enjoy it.

My favorite thing we have done in class so far is read Vargas’s autobiography. I think it is very interesting to see a side of the world that we have not experienced ourselves and it is important to learn about how others, who are not so privileged, live their lives. I had no idea how hard it was to get a US citizenship and the proper documents needed to be in the US. I think it is sad that this is a better alternative than staying in their struggling home countries. I cant imagine what the situation is like in Vargas’s home country if the things he experienced in the US were the better choice.