John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

Hero. Noun. A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

Stooge. Noun (derogatory). A person who serves merely to support or assist others, particularly in doing unpleasant work, foolish

I think a hero is someone who thinks about others before himself. John Proctor was only thinking about himself and what he wanted when he had an affair with Abigail. In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons the witch trials existed. He threw away all of his morals, and fell deeper and deeper into his own lie. He lost the trust of his wife, and he gave Abigail false hope, which led her to do some crazy things in an attempt to be with him. However, he was willing to sacrifice his reputation to ensure his wife's safety. He took risks so that others could be saved from Abigail's elaborate plan, which he clearly saw through.

He was a very reasonable person, and he admitted his mistakes and tried to make peace with Elizabeth for the pain he had caused her. He knew what he had done was wrong, and I think it takes a certain kind of bravery to admit to your mistakes in the first place. Not only did he confess to Elizabeth right after his affair, he was willing to lose everything to save her life from accusations that were partly because of him.

He also wouldn't publicly confess because he knew it would destroy the names of others, including his children. John Proctor didn't judge anyone except himself, and refused to let anyone else bear the blame. I think this is noble because he could have easily saved himself, but he chose to do what he felt was morally right even though it resulted in his death. Although he made some mistakes, I think that John Proctor was a hero.

There Goes The Neighborhood

When the Europeans began to inhabit the same land as the Native Americans, the lives of the Native Americans changed dramatically. There were both positive and negative effects, although they were mostly negative for the Native Americans. When the Europeans first arrived, the natives were enamored by their tools, weapons, and ships. They welcomed them with open arms. They were eager to trade with them and their own quality of life slowly improved with the items they received from the Europeans. However, the Europeans were quick to notice that the Natives had treasures, land, and were an easily accessible source of labor. Their greed won over and they began to take advantage and trade their worthless things for ones of more value. They brought along diseases such as influenza, smallpox, and measles that the Natives had no immunity to. They forced the Native Americans out of their homes and off of their land and into slavery. Thousands died. I think that it was almost impossible for two extremely different groups of people to peacefully coexist at the time because it doesn't take long for one group of people to realize they are more powerful and educated. They can then decide that they want to be in power and gain more for their people. They take the steps needed for them to achieve that power, even if it means turning on people who helped them in the past. Things have definitely improved in the present day and while there is still violence over clashing beliefs, we are able to live in communities that are both civilized and diverse.  

Me

My name is Rashmi Bajaj and I am 14 years old. Something interesting about my name is that it means "ray of light" in Sanskrit. I was born in Chicago. Both of my parents are from India and I traveled there this summer to visit family. I am now a freshman but was a part of the Academic Center so this is my third year at Whitney Young. Before attending the Academic Center, I went to Lasalle Language Academy where I learned French for 7 years. I am still learning French and am now in Level 4. My hobbies include playing tennis and running track and field, specifically hurdles. I am on the Whitney Young teams for both. I have been playing tennis since I was 8 and spend a lot of my free time on the court. I also love to read and play the piano.

In school, my favorite subject is science (currently I am taking chemistry) and when I grow up I want to be a doctor. Right now I am helping run some clinical studies at Rush Medical Center. Something I would like to do when I am older is travel the world. Some places I would like to visit include France, Costa Rica, and Alaska.