Evernote in the Classroom

     Evernote seems like a very good program. I did not personally use it but I heard many of the students liked it a lot and it was very helpful. The main reason why I didn’t choose to use it was simply because I didn’t have the time. Between all the homework I got from my classes I kept forgetting to set up an account. Also I didn’t really want to put the time and effort in figuring out how to use a whole new system when mine was working out perfectly. I would take my notes each day in class on my email and then when class was over I would just email it to myself and that way I would have all my notes in one place. From what I have heard Evernote is practically the same as what I was doing. Since it was also half way through the year when I heard what it was even if I started using it I would have had half of my notes on Evernote and half of my notes on my email and I would just prefer to keep them as a whole in one place. I’m sure Evernote is a great program and maybe next year I will begin using it.

     I don’t really think they should do anything differently. I think they have a good program. I wasn’t against it I just didn’t have the time and wasn’t that interested in figuring out how to use it. Maybe to get people like me to join they could explain how easy it is and what you need to do to create an account. Before our teacher introduced it to us I had never heard of it or really what it was for. The only suggestion I really have is that they emphasize more how easy it is and its purpose. The one thing I really know about it still is that it is something people take notes using. More people would probably join if they knew what it was.

iPads in the Classroom

      Having iPads in class were very beneficial. They made it very easy for us to access all types of information. If the teacher asked us a question and no one was really sure of the answer someone could just look the answer up on Google in a matter of seconds. The iPads were also much easier for note taking. Sometimes during a class discussion you miss certain pieces of key information because you can’t write quickly enough to get it down. Or you could be writing so quickly to get as much down as possible that your notes are so messy and are useless later. The iPad makes it easy to get down all the necessary information because you can use the keyboard on the iPad and type it. You could still get by with the traditional pen and paper for notes but the iPad is helpful.
     
     There were not very many issues with having the iPads in class. The only real issue there was is that some students would get distracted and wouldn't do the work that they had to. Instead of paying attention they could be messing around with the home screen or moving around all the apps. When we had free time to work on projects some people would be checking their grades or on their emails instead of doing the work they actually had to get done. Most of these things only happened in the beginning of the year when we first got the iPads though. A lot of people were very excited so their natural instinct was to play around with them and see what they could do. As the year went on the students got used to them and used them more for their class work and taking notes instead of getting distracted by them. That was the only issue that the iPads created in the class and it soon resolved itself.
    
      I think it would be a very good idea for the school to get more iPads so that every student gets the chance to experience them. It would make it much easier for students. A big issue high school students have is staying organized and sometimes it takes its toll on their grades. The iPads would help reduce that issue and the students would be much more organized. It would give them a way to have all their work in one place. If every single students got to take it to and from school it would eliminate paper for notes, school books, and writing utensils. Some students could also be at a loss if they don't have the privilege of owning a computer at home and this would help them. If everyone single student got to use an iPad provided by the school it would help them out a great amount and I’m sure their school work would reflect it.

Gothic Story

Tommy Lewis was a 16 year old and a junior at Windpoint High School in South Carolina. He lived alone with his mother Jennifer, who was a single parent. Tommy didn’t even know who his father was and had no desire to find him. Tommy and his mother were very close. She provided a good environment for the two of them to live in. Since Tommy didn’t have a father he saw himself as the man of the house. He thought that it was his job to protect his mother, especially since she was basically the only family that he had. Since Tommy felt so strongly about protecting his mother he always acted tougher than he really was because he never wanted to let her down. He was a very tough, mature, and polite. Tommy Lewis was just an all around good guy. He had a lot of friends, was captain of the football team, and almost every girl in his grade loved him. Tommy was the envy of all his male peers.

Tommy was very content with his life so when his mother had to break the news to him that she got promoted to a higher position and they would have to move Tommy didn’t know how to react. The situation was bittersweet. He was happy for his mom because he knew that she was a very hard worker and deserved a promotion. But on the other hand, he wasn’t too thrilled with the fact that he would have to leave his life behind and have to start completely over. He would have to make all new friends, get used to a new town, and live in a new house. As much as he would miss his life he knew he didn’t have a choice. The best approach to dealing with it was to just be positive and make the best out of it.

A few weeks had passed and Tommy and his mom were getting ready to move their things in and see the house for the first time in person. It wasn’t a very good day for moving. The clouds were as dark as night and they could feel a cold salty wind blow in from the ocean. Their first impression of the house wasn’t exactly what they anticipated. Online it looked to be much more lively and welcoming. This house was far from that. It was very large colonial style house that seemed to be constructed of ancient brick. The front lawn was large, brown, and dead. There was a large black wooden door placed in the center of the frame of the house with a thick cooper door knocker. Leading up to the steps was a meandering walkway full of twists and dead weeds peeping out from the cracks. Following the walkway was a small set of steps leading to the doorway. The steps looked dangerous they were all slanted and down the side had two huge gaping cracks. Neither Tommy nor his mom wanted to admit that the house was dreadful so they just smiled and continued on to the inside to see if it was any better.

The inside of the house seemed to match the appearance of outside. The first thing that caught Tommy's eye was a big grand staircase in the middle of the room. When he looked up he saw a large chandelier swaying from side to side covered in spider webs. The room to his left was completely bare except for a fireplace. It was off to the side of the room and a fragile detailed border of vines surrounded it. The room to the right of him was a library. The ceiling was tall and mahogany bookcases reached all the way up to the ceiling and covered the perimeter of the room. The area was filled with ancient books and covered in dust. The house had very dim lighting due to the lack of windows and old light fixtures. Tommy traveled next to see his bedroom at the top of the staircase. It was large and had a single window across from the doorway. The top and bottom of the room were lined with a delicate molding which was covered with a thick filth. He saw his room also had a large closet. He stuck his head inside and found a string hanging from the ceiling that was attached to what appeared to be a trap door. Right as he was about to pull it to see what was behind it his mother told him he had to come help her unload the van.

A few days had passed and they were finally starting to get used to their new home. They hadn’t fully adjusted but things were improving and feeling less foreign to them. It was Tommy’s first day of school and his mother's first day in her new position so they were both a little anxious. Tommy made it through the majority of the day with no issues and even met a few friendly people who were willing to help him out and show him to some of his classes. It wasn’t until his 4th hour History class that he ran into some trouble. Some of the guys in the class that sat near to him started asking about general things like what his old school was like and what he thought of his new classes. Tommy didn’t feel anything was wrong with the situation until he told them where he lived. As soon as he told them his address they all immediately exchanged bewildered glances. Once he asked what was wrong they were reluctant to tell him.

Tommy ended up persuading them into telling him about the house. They went into a lengthy description of the homes history. Apparently a woman named Mrs. Jones lived in the house her entire life and loved it with all of her heart. She grew up in the house and later went on to raising her very own children there. She put all of her time and effort into making the house look beautiful. Besides her family, that house was her pride and joy. After her children moved out and it was just her and her husband they both grew very old and ill. A wealthy couple tried to convince the Jones into selling them the house and even offered much more money than it was worth but Mrs. Jones still refused it. Mr. Jones seemed to be considering the idea but Mrs. Jones wouldn’t allow it. One night a neighbor heard the two of them arguing then it unexpectedly went silent and neither of them was ever seen again. The rumor that was spread around the town was that Mr. Jones got so angry he killed his wife and put her body in the piano so that she wouldn’t ever be found. He later was filled with guilt so he committed suicide. Everyone now believed that the house was haunted and if anyone was ever to play the piano in the house then Mrs. Jones's spirit would be released and she would find any way she could to get whoever was in her home out.15 years had passed and Tommy and his mother were the very first people to live in the home since the incident. After hearing that story he was horrified but eventually calmed down and reassured himself that there was no possibility that that could be true.

Later that day when Tommy arrived to the front door of his home he could not shake the story that the boys at school had told him. He kept telling himself it wasn’t true and just tried to laugh it off. To make his mind at ease he continually told himself that the guys were just trying to scare him. He took a deep breath and shoved his key through the lock on the front door. When he grabbed the knob and went to turn it, it felt as cold as ice. After feeling the door knob a shiver ran down is neck to his spin all the way to the tips of his toes. He took a step back to clear his thoughts and proceeded into the house.

Tommy knew the only way to completely reassure himself that the story was just a lie was to explore the house himself and make sure that even if he did find a piano somewhere that it at least wasn’t filled with the body of Mrs. Jones. He started at the basement and worked his way up checking every single area of the house. He had checked the entire house and found no piano. He was fairly satisfied with his findings and decided to just take a rest and sit down on his bed. As he was laying there he was tracing every inch of the room with his eyes. Something caught his eye in the closet. He saw it was a string so he got up and went to it. When he saw it he remembered it was attached to the trap door he found when they first moved in and forgot to ever see what was above it. He decided to pull on it and down came a set of creaky dirty fold up stairs. He brushed off the stairs and found that they led to the attic. Tommy walked up the steep stairs and found himself in a completely pitch black room. The room was filled with a thick moist air. There was a cool breeze that was flowing about the space but he had no idea where it was coming from. The great amount of filth in the room hurt his lungs to breathe in. He knew he wouldn't be able to see anything so he went back to his bedroom to get a flashlight from underneath his bed. When he returned back to the attic with the flashlight he turned it on and attempted to see what was kept in the room.

The attic was a very large spacious area. As he roamed around he didn't find anything out of the ordinary. He came across some old clothing, boxes of paperwork, and even a few photo albums left behind by the previous owners. As Tommy made his way to the opposite side of the attic to go back down the stairs he ran into a very large object that was placed in the center of the room. The object was so big and Tommy no longer had his flashlight on so it knocked him to the ground. Tommy reached for it to pull himself back up and his hand pressed down on a set of keys and loud bang erupted. He realized that what he had run into was the piano. He slowly stood up and felt his knees trembling. He turned back on his flashlight and went over to the piano to lift up the top cover to see if the story that he had heard was actually true. He took a deep breath and opened the piano. He looked down and saw it was completely empty. He was instantly filled with relief and felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. The thought of how he even for a moment considered that story to be true was comical to him. He pulled out the bench from beneath the piano and sat down. He learned how to play when he was a young boy so he took this as an opportunity to see if he remembered anything. After giving an attempt he pushed the chair back in and continued on back down to his bedroom. He looked around the room and something seemed to be different but he couldn't figure out quite what it was.

When Tommy returned back down to his room he felt so much better and was glad he actually found the piano. He folded up the dirty old stairs and brushed off the dust that fell from the stairs onto some of his clothes. He walked back into his room from his closet and something seemed odd. There looked almost as if there was a low haze hanging in the air of his bedroom and the mirror above his dresser was covered in smudges. He didn’t really think anything of it so he just cleaned off his mirror and went to bed.

That evening Tommy was expecting a peaceful slumber since his worries had vanished when he found nothing decaying in the piano, it was the complete opposite. He woke up countless times in a cold sweat. He was tossing and turning the entire evening. At one point in the night he experienced something horrifying. He woke up because he heard a loud terrifying screeching noise. It resembled the sound of nails on a chalk board. He did his best to ignore it but he simply could not. He peeked up from underneath his blankets and swore he saw a ghostly figure standing at the foot of his bed. Once he saw that he rapidly blinked trying to erase the image from his vision. As hard as he tried the figure wouldn’t go away. From what he could tell it was a woman. She was dressed in an all white gown that was long and flowing. The gown was over sized and draped over her petite figure. He could feel her eyes starring directly through his soul. Her eyes were as black as coal. She was moving closer and closer to him and at this point Tommy was terrified. She stopped right in front of him and stretched out her arm revealing her boney hand. Her nails were long and stained yellow with age. She pointed to the door and whispered only three words through her dry and cracked pink lips “Leave my home”.

After hearing that he ran as fast as he possibly could out of his room to the bathroom. He turned on the sink and splashed his face with water as cold as ice. After taking a few moments to calm himself down and get his thoughts in order he made his way back to his bed room. On the way there he peeked into his mother’s room to make sure she was alright. He saw her soundly sleeping and didn’t want to wake her up. When he finally returned back to his room he saw that nothing was there. Seeing this, his mind was put to ease and he could finally sleep.

The next morning Tommy was in a rush for school seeing that he overslept. He ran out of the house in a scramble and the cold wind burned against his cheeks. All day long at school he could not keep his focus. He was too preoccupied in trying to decide if what had happened last night was true or not. When the dismissal bell rang signaling that the students could go home for the day Tommy was apprehensive. He had a gut wrenching feeling that the events that took place the night before were real and that something bad would be to come.

Tommy had walked the whole four and a half miles home from school to kill time. He was hesitant to go home. He felt a strong wind blowing and could sense that a storm was coming so he knew he only had a limited amount of time before he had to return back home. When he looked up to the sky he saw the charcoal rain filled clouds churning at a rapid pace. He could hear the thunder a few miles away so he knew it was on its way. He could see the tree tops blowing and swaying in the wind. Tommy was at his front door and felt a big fat raindrop land right on the top of his head and he knew it was time to go inside.

Once he walked inside he knew right away that seeing the woman last night was no dream. He dropped to his knees with shock and could feel the tears swelling up behind his eyes. His entire body was shaking and he could feel his stomach drop. His heart was practically beating out of his chest. He couldn’t bring himself to look away from his mother’s body hanging so helplessly from the chandelier.  The thin rope from his closet was tied around her neck tightly and attached to the chandelier. There was a pool of blood right beneath her due to the multiple stab wounds in her stomach. He knew exactly who had done this to his mother. It turned out the story he heard and school was true. The boys were just trying to warn him not scare him. Tommy knew it was his entire fault. None of this would have ever happened if he had just listened to them and not played the piano. His poor mother died because he angered and released the soul of the previous owner Mrs. Jones.

Tommy couldn’t contain himself. He was filled with overwhelming guilt from what had happened and knew there was no one to blame but himself. He knew that they only way to fix it was put himself through what his mother had to go through. He went into the kitchen and found the sharpest butcher knife possible. He removed it from the drawer. In the knife he saw the reflection of himself and standing right behind him was the deceased Mrs. Jones. He plunged the knife right through his heart. His body rested in a vast pool of his deep red blood. He could feel the energy draining from him and all at once everything went black.

Thinking of the fact that both Tommy Lewis and Ms. Lewis were dead a content grin came across Mrs. Jones pale face as she stood over the dead body of Tommy. The house finally got returned to its rightful owner and everything was back to the way it should be. She had no mercy what so ever for either of them. It was their fault for moving into her home.  After news got around town that both of them were found dead in the house she would never have to worry about someone else trying to inhabit her home. She traveled back up to the attic and sat peacefully in the dark and played her piano. The chilling music ran through the air vents and traveled throughout the whole house. As the music was played the front steps of the home shook violently and two more deep cracks were made now creating a total of four.

Poe's Obsession with Death

Edgar Allan Poe is an experience writer who focused around the ideas of death and the emotions that come along with it. He used various examples of imagery to set the tone and mood to imply that death was upon the characters. He managed to incorporate death as a main theme into a great amount of his stories. Another element that Edgar Allan Poe commonly used was symbolism. Five short stories that all center around death are “Ligeia”, “Berenice”, “The Black Cat”, “The Masque of the Red Death”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher. These stories help prove that fact that Edgar Allan Poe was infatuated with death.

“Ligeia” is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories revolving around death. This is a story about a man who had to deal with the death of two wives. He first had a wife named Ligeia.  She was tall, pale, and had long black hair and he loved her dearly. Shortly after they were married she became ill and passed away. After Ligeia had died he moved to England where he met a women referred to as Lady Rowena. He quickly fell in love with her and they got married. Similarly to Ligeia, only a short period of time passed after their marriage before Lady Rowena fell ill as well. After a few days Lady Rowena appeared to be dead. The main character passed by her death bed and he saw that the color had returned back into her face. It only lasted a short period of time because next time he checked the corpse appeared to be dead yet again. The next day he was walking by and Lady Rowena seemed to be alive again because her corpse now moved to the center of the room. As her body was in the middle of the room the narrator saw a change in appearance and Lady Rowena now resembled Ligeia’s body. She was now paler, taller, and her hair was longer and black (Poe, “Ligeia”). This story is merging the ideas of both the strength of death and love. It is unknown whether Ligeia reappearing at the end was a figment of the narrator’s imagination or whether it truly happened. The main ideas of the story would still be true if it was either scenario. If it actually was Ligeia reappearing in the flesh it would have caused a great power to bring her back to the mortal world after being pronounced as dead.  And if it was just the narrators mind playing tricks on him it would show the strong love for his first wife and how badly he reacted to her death. Another example of death in this story could even be the way Poe described Ligeia because her appearance seems to be similar to the grim reaper. She was very tall, slender, pale, and had dark hair which is also the image that comes to mind when one describes the grim reaper. This story defiantly is a representation of death because of the situations which the narrator had to go through and the encounter he had with Ligeia after she was dead. Another important piece of writing by Edger Allan Poe to prove his obsession of death is “Berenice”.

Poe doesn’t resemble death as obviously in this story as he did in the others. He chose to show it more through the setting and through the insanity of the characters. The story of “Berenice” is about a man named Egaeus and his cousin Berenice. At one point in time Berenice was beautiful and full of energy. She later fell ill and it took a toll on her mentally and physically. Egaeus had always been odd and full of gloom. One of his many idiosyncrasies was that he would find something and become obsessed with it. One evening Berenice came to the library in the home where Egaeus was and he couldn’t tell if she was dead or alive. Her hair was limp and her face was pale. But as soon as she smiled Egaeus became obsessed with her teeth. Once she died and was put into her grave Egaeus dug her back up and pulled out her teeth and kept them for himself in a box (Poe, “Berenice”). Death was represented physically when Berenice had fallen ill and lost off of her individuality. All the things that made her unique were gone once she became sick. She was once full of energy and happy then as time went on she grew limp and lifeless until she finally died. The library in the home where Egaeus spent a lot of his time also had a creepy feeling. It was described to dark, dreary, and full of mystery which are all also adjectives that death could be described by.  “An icy chill ran through my frame; a sense of insufferable anxiety oppressed me; a consuming curiosity pervaded my soul; and sinking back upon the chair, I remained for some time breathless and motionless, with my eyes riveted upon her person”(Poe, “Berenice”). This is how Egaeus described the feelings he had once he saw his cousin after she had fallen ill and saw that death would be coming for her soon. Edgar Allan Poe did an amazing job at describing the emotions that are paired with death. “The Black Cat” is another story that s centered on death similarly to “Berenice”.

Yet another short story that Edgar Allan Poe wrote that was focused on death as the main theme was “The Black Cat”. This was a story about a man who at one point was kind and gentle to all beings. Those qualities he once had vanished. He was a raging alcoholic as well as insane. He had a cat named Pluto that made him crazy so he found the only logical way to deal with it was to hang it. The following night after he hung the cat their house burned down and him and his wife were forced to move into a cellar. It was only a short period of time after Pluto’s death before he came across another cat that had all the same characteristics as his first cat. Seeing this new cat made him fill with guilt and he could not stand it. One day it had made him so crazy he took an axe to it. His wife reacted and tried to stop her husband but he ended up killing her instead. He couldn’t figure out what to do with the body so he put it in to the wall. The police were searching for her and they finally tore down the wall and found her along with the cat (Poe, “The Black Cat”).The first example of death that Poe presented the reader with was the fact that Pluto was a black cat and black cats usually stand for superstition and witch craft. “It did not make its appearance during the night - and thus for one night at least, since its introduction into the house, I soundly and tranquilly slept; aye, slept even with the burden of murder upon my soul” (Poe, “The Black Cat)! The narrator was so insane that all he cared about was the cat being gone and even though he just committed his wife’s murder he slept more sound than ever. The cellar where the couple lived also created a disturbing setting. It was a dirty and dark and her body was sealed up into the wall along with the cat. Another story that helps support the fact that Edgar Allan Poe is obsessed with death is “The Masque of the Red Death”.

This is a story about a horrible illness sweeping the town and killing mass amounts of people. This illness is called the red death. Prince Prospero who is the prince of the town ignores all the common people who are getting ill and chooses to do nothing but worry about his own self. As a way to avoid coming in contact with the red death he locks himself along with a select few of his wealthy friends into his castle. Each night in the castle they throw constant parties and try to ignore the fact that death is right behind the doors. One thing the guests cannot ignore is a large chiming clock within the castle. It rings every hour and every time the clock goes off the guests become very uneasy and stop whatever they are doing. One evening a masked figure comes to the door and Prince Prospero tries to kill him. As a result at the attempt of murder the prince actually ends up dying. All the princes guest are horrified and take off the mask of this mysterious figure. When the mask is removed nothing appears to be there, the person has vanished (Poe, “The Masque of the Red Death”, 456). The murder of Prince Prospero is not the only example of death in this short story. Edgar Allan Poe makes many other subtle references that link the short story back to the common theme of death. The red death is actually a reference to the plague or otherwise known as the Black Death. It was a tragic disease in the 1300’s and killed millions of people. Another reference to death was the masked figure. He was dressed in all black which is the typical color of death or mourning. The mask which he wore was red and resembled the symptoms which a victim of the red death would encounter.  When the masked person came to the door it resembled the fact that even though they were locked away death was something they couldn’t escape and it was only a matter of time before their life would come to an end. In addition to “The Masque of the Red Death” another one of Edger Allan Poes short stories is “Fall of the House of Usher”.

 “The Fall of the House of Usher” signifies death through its tone and imagery. It is a story about a character named Roderick Usher who is physically and mentally ill and has his childhood friend come to help him. They live in a large decaying home which presents a very eerie setting. While living in the house Roderick’s sister falls ill and passes away. They decide to bury her underneath the home to avoid scientist digging up her body. Shortly after burying her they begin to hear noises and it drives Roderick insane and makes the narrator very paranoid.  They soon realize that the noises are Madeline underneath the house and that they have accidently buried her alive. She finally makes her way out of the grave and comes back to seek revenge on them. She attacks Roderick and they both die. The narrator runs in terror from the house and as he is looking back he sees the house crumble (Poe, “The Fall of The House of Usher”, 474). This short story shows the most about how Edger Allan Poe was obsessed. He tried to find a way to make death have as large of a role in the story as possible. “I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow. An air of stern, deep, irredeemable, gloom hung over and pervaded all (Poe, “The Fall of The House of Usher”,478). These two sentences show what the house itself was like and that tone it set for the book. He made the setting sound like a sad, tiring, and mournful place. He didn’t only express death in people. The house was even experiencing death. Its walls were crumbled and it was decaying. Madeline being buried alive also shows death. The pain she went through would be one of the worst things that a human being could go through. When she attacked Roderick in the end she wanted to make him suffer just like she did when he buried her. She successfully made her wish come true and in the end he died. The most powerful piece was the ending when he looked back and saw the house just break into pieces. It crumbled right before his eyes. The fall of the actual house represented death the best and strongest. “Berenice” is another story written by Edger Allan Poe that shows his passion for death.  

Death is a very complex concept and it is hard for some to grasp. Many people fear it and try to avoid it at all costs. On the other hand, there are people like Edgar Allan Poe who embrace it. He used death as the main focal point in a great deal of his writings. He realized that many people fear death and that actually benefited him. Edgar Allan Poe would play off of people’s fears and use it to his advantage to create a remarkable story. The constant referral to death in his stories showed that it was an obsession of his.

Bibliography

Allan Poe, Edgar. "Ligeia." Poestories.com. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://poestories.com/read/ligeia>.

Allan Poe, Edgar. "The Black Cat." Poestories.com. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://poestories.com/read/blackcat>.

Allan Poe, Edgar. "The Fall of the House of Usher." Online-literature.com. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.online-literature.com/poe/31/>.

Allan Poe, Edgar. "The Masque of the Red Death." Online-literature.com. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.online-literature.com/poe/36/>.

"The Middle Ages for Kids - the Plague, the Black Death." Middle Ages for Kids. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/plague.html>.

Faust Legend

The night was pitch black and Bethany Smith was having a very difficult time trying to make it out to her car in this type of darkness. The fact that she was carrying nearly everything she owned made it a little bit more challenging. It was around 3’oclock in the morning and Bethany was leaving town in search of a better life. She was a miserable human being and could not stand living in her house any longer. She was not only leaving behind a home but an entire family inside. From the surface it seemed to be a life that nearly anyone would be jealous of. She had 5 beautiful children and what appeared to be a loving and supportive husband. Behind closed doors that image was completely altered. Her children were constantly misbehaving and she had caught her husband cheating numerous times with various women from his office. He was not only a cheater but he was abusive. He abused her as well as the children. They had been put into dangerous situations many times by him. She didn’t have a job since she had to stay home with the children all day long and Marks job was very low paying so they struggled a great deal to provide for their children. Bethany was no longer able to handle the continuous stress of her everyday life. Bethany left her children in bad hands and she knew the consequences would be bad but she was losing her sanity. She knew it was selfish of her to leave her family but she didn’t care her biggest concern was herself at the moment.

Bethany made it out alive and managed to gather together anything of value and all the money in the house. With this she was able to pay for a little run down home in a small town in Maine. It was not as good as she was hoping for but she knew that with her circumstances she couldn’t be picky. She couldn’t afford any furniture but she was lucky to come across an old sofa that someone was throwing out. Bethany took that along home with her so she would not have to sleep on the cold dirty ground of her new home. Time continued to pass and she remained unhappy and without a job. Even though she was yet to find a job she became innovative and found a way to gather a few dollars but still not enough to pay her bills. She was willing to do almost anything for a single dollar.

 Each Sunday she would go to the small church in the town. She would say hello to the priest who waited at the door to greet people as they entered. As soon as the collection basket was passed to her she would make sure no one was looking and take out all the money and place it in her pockets. Another way she managed to survive was going door to door asking for donations. Bethany would go to all the homes in the neighborhood and tell who ever answered the door that she was going around collecting donations for a nearby hospital. At first people seemed skeptical but she always managed to find a way to guilt people into giving her the money. Bethany had almost become a professional at conning people out of their money. What she was doing was giving her enough money to get by but she always felt herself yearning for more. Bethany never remained happy with what she had she needed to find a way to have the life she always longed for and felt that she deserved.

One night she was more tense than normal and went out for a walk hoping that some fresh air would clear her head and maybe she would be able to think of a new way to approach her situation. The night was colder than a typical October evening and there seemed to be a low fog hanging in the air. As she walked down the front steps of her house she saw a figure of into the distance. She continued out to the side walk and being the curious woman she was she made her way towards the person in the distance. Any normal person would listen to their conscious and realize that it was not a good situation and go back inside. She chose to ignore her instinct and go figure out who this person was and what exactly they were doing.

Bethany was making her way out into the fog and it was becoming thicker and thicker. When Bethany looked back she could hardly see her house anymore but as she looked ahead of her she was still able this mystery silhouette. She was able to conclude that it was a man of some sort. His face was becoming clearer and what she saw frightened her. What she thought was a man actually proved to be a creature, something that she had never encountered before. His face almost had a reddish tint to it. His figure was much larger than any normal human being that Bethany had seen before. He had monstrous muscles that rippled down his arms and down his chest. Her eyes remained on his face for a great amount of time and she was trying to make out what seemed to be his nose. It was a type of thick snout that took over the majority of his face. Her eyes continued to the top of his head and something odd caught her attention. Two small black objects shot out of the top of his skull and his coarse long jet black hair ran down until the small of his back. He was dressed in nothing but cut off pants. His legs were thick and strong like tree trunks. He was caught in a streak of moonlight and as his opened his mouth his sharp white teeth were reflected right into her vision of sight. He was very intimidating but she was mesmerized by him and had to find out who he was.

She was staring at him and he was staring back at her. Once she realized he was looking at her her whole body shook and she felt like his eyes were piercing through her skin. Once they were face to face she asked who he was and what he was doing here. He was very upfront and explained to her that he was the devil and he had been searching for her. She was confused and scared for her life once she found out that the devil had been searching for her. The devil proposed a plan to Bethany since he knew how unhappy she was. He told her that she would get all the riches her heart could desire and she would finally have the life that she had been longing for forever. Once he told her his terms she was horrified. She could never imagine killing her old husband and children. Even though she left them she never wanted them all to die. But the idea of being finally wealthy as she had always wished sounded so tempting. She couldn’t make a decision as important as this in a matter of a minute. They agreed on meeting in the exact spot the next night at the same time and Bethany would give the devil his answer. She began walking home and she knew she would have a long night of thinking ahead of her.

The next night she left her home at the same time and sure enough the air was just as foggy and eerie it had been the previous night. The devil was waiting just in the exact same spot as he had promised. She decided that she was willing to do it. The devil added one more term in order for her to get granted what she wanted. To make things more interesting and so he could have proof that she actually went along with the murders he required for her to bring back the hearts of all the victims. She knew it would be hard but she wanted to have all the money in the world and she felt that agreeing to his conditions were worth it. She gave the devil her promise and set out to fulfill it the next night.

Night had fallen yet again and she knew what had to be done. She got into her car and drove all the way back to her old home with a dagger resting in the passenger seat. She could feel herself getting cold feet but she knew what she was doing would all be worth it in the end. She had arrived to the house and let herself in trying not to make a peep. She quietly crept up into her husband’s room first and stood over him with the knife. Just as she was about to drive the knife through his chest he made a noise and rolled over. She knew that she couldn’t go along with it. Bethany had done many bad things. She stole, lied, and abandoned her family but she was no murderer. She ran out of the house and into the back yard. She remembered that her old neighbors had been dog breeders and she could hear the dogs barking. She snuck over the fence and took 6 of the puppies. She killed them all and removed their hearts.

She sped back to meet with the devil because she knew that dawn would be coming soon. At this point Bethany was feeling very satisfied with herself she didn’t have to kill her old family and she would still get the riches she was promised. She would simply give the 6 puppy hearts to the devil and he would think they were the hearts of her family members and she would get everything she ever dreamed of. She pulled out onto the street that they would be meeting on and once again the fog crept up. This time it appeared to be thicker than ever. It felt almost as if it were taking her over. The devil was standing directly in front of her headlights and Bethany was forced to make an abrupt stop. He looked angry and Bethany began to get very worried. She got out of the car ready to give him the hearts. He knew she was lying before she even got there. She not only went back on her promise with the devil but tried to trick him as well. He was furious and no one can ever get away with upsetting the devil. Bethany Smith met her very tragic fate that night and was forced to burn in Hell for eternity.

Reaction to the Verdict

The verdict of the Jury was disappointing but predictable.  The Jury decided in 
favor of the defense that Mark Twain was not a racist. The vote was also unanimous. The defense deserved to win because they used good evidence and choose characters to support their side for the most part.One thing I wish we had done differently was chosen different characters for our witnesses. A lot of the people in the Jury said we didn’t choose good witnesses because they were not believable characters which is true because Pap was drunk and the King was a conman. The Jury said that for the most part they ignored what the King and Pap had to say because they were not believable characters.  However, Jim was a good character to use in favor of our argument. We had him talk about how he didn’t think that the n-word was a bad word and how he didn’t think there was anything wrong with him being mistreated. The Jury thought that that hurt our case a great deal. It is actually what we wanted Jim to do because we thought it would show that he had a lack of education and was ignorant to his surroundings because that was what he always had to deal with. I think we should have made that more clear to the Jury instead of just assuming that they would all interpret it the same way we meant for it to appear.

Another thing that I wish we did differently was our cross examination as well as the questioning of our own witnesses.  We should have asked more questions that would help prove our case that Mark Twain was racist. I feel we actually did a very good job with the questioning of Aunt Sally and Huck because we got both of them to contradict themselves in what they were previously saying. The character that we should have focused on much more was Mark Twain. He was the most important character and the one that left the biggest impact on the Jury. We had good quotes that he had written in letters that outlined how he felt that blacks and whites were different. We talked a good amount about how he was part of the confederacy but not enough to really convince the Jury. The defense argued that the only reason that he joined the confederate side of the war was because he had no other option but they gave no evidence to what they were saying about that. I think it would have been a good move to expand upon that. We should have just done much more research on Mark Twain to find things that would really make the Jury think that he was guilty.

One thing that disappointed me was how every single person in the Jury voted in favor of the defense. It wouldn’t have bothered me but each person gave almost the exact same reason. That made it seem almost like each person did just because everyone else was. Im sure that was not the case but I would just of like to have heard a variety of different reasons why we were wrong instead of the same one repeatedly. The Jury still brought up good points that gave me an idea of what we could have done differently. It was a hard case to prove and I would defiantly do things differently if I was given the opportunity. The defense did a very good job at proving Twains innocence. They deserved to win.

Is Huck Racist?

A big question throughout this novel is whether or not Huckleberry Finn is a racist. It is a difficult question because of his actions towards Jim and then his actions towards all other African Americans. Many would say he is not a racist because that is how everyone was in his society during that time period and that is how he was raised. Even if Huck was raised to think less of blacks and he couldn’t help it that does not mean he is not a racist. A racist is a person who thinks someone from a different race is inferior to another. “ It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterward, neither” ( Twain 89). This is what Huck said to himself after he played a mean joke on Jim and realized he had to apologize. It is obvious that he thinks less of African Americans since he almost wasn’t even able to apologize. Huck would have been able to apologize much easier if it was a white person. But because it was Jim and he is black he had to humble himself to be down on the same level as him which shows his racist thoughts. Even though Huck was born into that society and it influenced his thoughts and he didn’t have control over what he was brought into he is still a racist.

Huck could still be considered a racist even if he is kind to Jim. He thought of Jim to be an exception to black people which shows that he thought less of them all as a group.  “He was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick;  because he hadn’t ever been away from home before in his life;  and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n . It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it’s so” (Twain153). Huck found Jim moaning and crying upset one night because he was homesick and missed his family. Huck was very surprised by this.  Huck thought that only white people loved their families but this showed Huck that Jim even though he was black could love his family just as much as a white man does. He thought it would be impossible for a black man to have feelings or care about something like a white man does. Huck also thought of blacks to be unintelligent and worth less than himself. These thoughts of his match the definition of a racist perfectly. One could argue that Huck isn’t a racist because of his love and compassion for Jim but he is only one African American and Huck still thinks of all others as not having the same ability to do things as him and inferior in society.