Blog 7

Last week we had a rather intense discussion about whether slavery is something that can be made right in our current day situation. I think that this is a very important thing to discuss but not a realistic goal currently. What has been taken away from the Africans is something that can not be replaced: their identity. When slaves were brought to America, they were brought from all over Africa. They might have been brought with their family, but once they attend a slave auction, the families get torn apart and pulled away to far corners of the country. After such a long and intense separation, it will be difficult for a family to come back together. Future generations of these slaves wont be able to trace back their roots to their origins in Africa.
Even after freedom, it is not fair to this group of people that they have disadvantages because of a prejudice that has been instilled in their stereotype. Racism continues to occur all throughout America, not just in the South. No matter how hard a group of people try to eradicate racism, it will always be there because of the terrible mistakes by the white plantation owners.
Overall, I do not think that a wrong such as slavery can be corrected because the effects that are present are not like wounds where they can be healed, but they are scars that will last forever.

Blog 6

       This week we began reading texts during the time of Romanticism. One of the texts that we went over was "The Cast of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe. In this story, a man by the name of Montressor attempts to murder a man that had been driving him crazy. His attempts were subtle yet wicked. He used the best interests of Fortunato against him. He took advantage of Fortunato's excessive passion for wine. I think that this reflects what Poe went through in his life. Throughout his life, he went through several calamities that effected him. For example, when he was young, the man that had taken him under his wing had several quarrels with Poe, so Poe tried to get as far away from his as possible. In the Cast of Amontiallado Poe portrays what the narrator tried to do in the same way that he attempted in his life. By murdering Fortunato, the narrator was able to keep him away forever.
     Overall, what a person experiences in their life will effect the way that they write. Poe is an example of exactly that.

Blog 5

This week we discussed the civil war. I think that this war is a very critical part of American history. Without this war, the lives of many different people would be significantly different than they are today. If this war had not occurred, then it probably would have resulted in a divided nation or maybe even two different nations. Both parts would have significantly different values. Also, if this war had not occurred, then slavery probably would have continued until today. This would effect economy today because the main use of labor would be slave labor. It probably would have caused for the south to be a power house of industry and money.
Another element that would be significantly different would be diversity. America is a very diverse country because of immigration. People in the south would probably be mainly black or white. Now, it has become a melting pot of culture. Overall the lives of many people would have been immensely different if the civil war had not occurred.