I did a little more research on the Puritan religion so that I can have more of an understanding while reading The Crucible and the House of the Seven Gables also Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.  In class we were focusing on Puritans, and in our discussion I began thinking that Puritans were like the Jehovah's Witnessess in many ways.  I didn't understand why people would believe that God already had a list of selected people in which he wanted in heaven.  If that were the case, why would God, since that was who they believed to be the creator, create people who he knew would do things that wouldn't get them into heaven?  Why would he mix the evil minded people that were "following" the devils and his ways with the godly people who were good and followed the Bible's word of law?  I could understand the fact that not all people get into heaven, but I also thought that they believed the world should be peaceful in a way that was excepting to God.  Yet God created the people that he knew would oppose his followers?  What did they believe to be the purpose of that?
conversion
repression
sympathetic to needs
no music? a dreamy state
only taught reading to younger children

The Time I Knew I Was An American

I seem to believe that compared to all of the other countries, America does try to make life more convient and easy for everybody that lives here.  I knew I was an American as soon as I started to grow up with the family that I have.  I have a typical American family.  I say this because my family does everything they can to spoil their children, and just as they say Americans are spoiled.  I feel as though I have almost everything I could ever want as a teenager.  I'm pretty sure I remember getting everything I ask for when I was little.  Well at lease the realistic things in life.  This may sound crazy, but besides doing well in school, which really shouldn't count, I have never had to work really hard for the things that my family "rewarded" me with.  It was just the other day when I walked into the store with my grandpa, and he offered to buy me so many things.  He kept asking me if I wanted this thing or that thing.  Finally I said ok I want this, are you going to buy it is the question.  Then he told me it was what ever I wanted, if I wanted it he would buy it.  Now there's a spoiled child for you.  But don't mistake me for a "brat".  In my oppinion, I don't really ask for much and I don't throw "fits" or whine about the things that I don't get.  Also if my mom says no I won't go to my dad and ask the same thing because I know he will probably say yes.  I learned the definition of what it meant to be spoiled early because of my family.  Now that I know what spoiled is, I really do think that not just me but all Americans are spoiled.