Giving Thanks

There can be many things to be thankful for. I am thankful for my wonderful, loving, and supportive family; without them I'm not sure where I would be right now. Also, my friends are a big part of my life and I am forever thankful to the amazing friends that have given me so many memories to cherish.

Giving thanks is a big part of what the world does. Tim O'Brien gives thanks to the many courageous souls who risk their own lives for the protection of ours. F. Scott Fitzgerald gives thanks to his family and celebrates his own life story through his works of writing, People throughout the globe have their own ways of giving thanks. They may volunteer at a shelter to help the people who are in need of care. They may plant trees in a community that has suffered terrible destruction from natural disasters. They may just have a good day and walk around and tell you "Thank You" because they know you are capable of kindness and love.

Looking back on the years, we see that Thanksgiving is an obvious day of giving thanks for the things we have in life, whether it's family, food, love, good health or support. It is a day that celebrated peace between two cultures while giving thanks for the things they can share together, as one. We take one day out of every year to reflect on our lives and be genuinely thankful for all of the commodities we possess. It is also a day where people give back. Places run Thanksgiving dinners for those who cannot afford to buy a turkey or let alone have a house to make it in. Our world is full of people willing to give everything they have for the good of someone they have never met. It's amazing how the world runs on giving thanks and receiving it. I hope all or your families had a wonderful Happy Thanksgiving!

The Power of Poetry

     What is POWER? There are many kinds of power. It can make you feel little when it's forcing words down your throat, or lighter than air when it releases its grip from the world. Then what do you get when you give power to a simple thing such as a word? A story, a poem, a song, a text message; they all become something greater than themselves when given the heavy gift of power. Many people write laws with the power of politics in their favor. I personally love when writers create poems with the power of emotion. If you really think about it, everything ever written is living, breathing, eating on the power of words. Poetry itself encompasses a whole world of emotions that intertwines the minds of awesome people who have a passion for poetry. Everyone can relate to a poem in a special way that is close to the heart. If you take the works of Emily Dickinson such as "Because I Could Not Stop for Death", she molds her own sorrow and emptiness into a wonderful work of art that makes you feel what she is feeling. Just like the "I Have a Dream" speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or the singing of the National Anthem at a baseball game, each one has the power to change a persons mood; whether it be the will to fight for a greater cause or pride for the country that you call home, that is the power of words. A poem's meaning isn't always clear, but after reading it, you know how it made you feel. And that is what the power of poetry is all about.

Our Inner Battles

Why do we torture our minds with our own guilt? I always say "better out than in" but does it really make a difference?

In The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale lives with his own guilt. It slowly drives him crazy because he can't handle the pressure of his faults. The townspeople can see his outer  appearance deteriorate while he becomes sickly with the disease of guilt. It's almost like cancer, it spreads throughout the entire body until is encompasses the mind as a whole. Within Dimmesdale, he yearns to tell people what he has done, but he worries about how the townspeople will react. They think of him as a holy figure because he is the minister of the town, while he views himself as a sinner. It's not healthy to keep such strong emotions bottled up inside. Proof of that statement refers to when we see the devastating toll it has on Mr. Dimmesdale.

This seems like the perfect time to compare The Scarlet Letter to the movie "Easy A". The main character, Olive Penderghast, is socially out casted as being a slut because of a rumor she unintentionally started, spread around that she "got together" with a college guy. For the people that knew the truth, she was open to helping them out. The weight of all the pretending and secrets started to pile up and at one point, she needed to tell someone her problems. She needed help. She couldn't take keeping everything bottled up inside her anymore. It's always better out than in, no matter what you're trying to hide.