Entry 5: Guilt

Hester's treatment was completely fair, she violated a clearly stated law. She was guilty because she knew what she has done but felt as if it wasn't wrong. There is the fact that she thinks her husband is dead and therefore it is perfectly fine to get involved with other people. However no body was found so by law she was still married to her husband; therefore not being allowed to get involved with other men. A baby is not something you can hide back in the days, it acted as pretty solid proof of adultery. I believe she felt a bit guilty but also felt that it was justified.
Everyone feels a sense of guilt in their lives, and if you don't then you are a very arrogant person who cares for nothing but yourself. I remember that one time when I was still in elementary school I did something that was pretty unforgivable.Me and a group of friends were playing soccer during the lunch break, and I tripped someone on purpose. The kid fell and hit a stone with his elbow which ended up breaking his arm. I felt so guilty and afraid that I would get into major trouble. I didn't even have the courage to tell him I was sorry. The guilt hunted me for days and I finally let it out. I went to school and apologized to the kid face to face and hoped for forgiveness. He forgave me and the guilt disappeared; however thinking back at the event I still feel a sense of guilt.

Entry 4: Puritan Poetry

In Bradstreet's poem she sees God as being all mighty and whatever h does is always right. It is a very puritan point view, not many others would take it so easily and forgiving. As long as it was God's action or command it is right to her and all puritans. To me that seems very unreasonable because I agree with the Rationalists that we were created to find our own path, our own way of solving something. God is not there to give or take. God is only there as a guider giving only what he thinks we need to complete journey, not to take away. A rationalist would have written this poem differently, with less forgiveness and more reasoning as to way it has happened.  Why did the house burn down? If it was God who did it, why did God do it? Rationalist would try to find an answer instead of justifying it without reason. On the other hand a Deist would also be less forgiving, since they believe that God only creates and watches. A poem that is written by a Deist would probably contain more a more hateful tone, trying to find the reason or even blaming it on others. I personally would write the poem full of hate expressing every bit of ungratefulness I have. I do not believe that God has the write to take away as he pleases or if God even exists. It has a disheartened mood to it and not one of forgiveness.

Entry 3: Possessions

In the poem Anne Bradsheet wrote, she speaks of God being the giver and the taker. If God was to give you something he can always take it away without warning or mercy. Her house burned down with all her possessions but she only thanked God for allowing her to live. She believed that God had the right to take what ever he wanted and she was grateful that God burned it all, because they were only temporary items, things that don't last. She believed that in her after life, when she goes to heaven, she will have all she'll ever need. Therefore she did not complain but only showed gratitude.
On the other hand if the house I live in was to burn down with all my possessions inside, I wouldn't take it so well. First of all I do not believe in God being the all mighty, I may not believe in God at all. If someone was to take away my possessions without a justified reason I wouldn't hold back on my anger, no matter who that person is. To me possessions are not all just temporary things. Yes things may break and be retired from use, but there is always a memory that is attached to it. Such as your favorite toy as a child, every time you see it a memory of you playing with it would appear in your mind. Each item that I see as my possession have a certain amount of emotional value to them. It is not the lost of the material value that would anger me, but the lost of the emotional values will. Memories can't be bought in stores, they can only be made if it has happened to you, and taking an item that links you to it is like taking that memory away from you.

Rationalism v Puritanism

Compared to the old days back when America was a newly found land and society has just began to settle, the modern society has even more tenets and explanations to why life is. The old society believed in two main isms rationalism and puritanism. The rationalist thought that world as being reasoned and logical, everything is done with reason and logic. The puritans believes the world to be made by god and god was the one who decided everything; therefore everything they did was under god's order and everything that god didn't order to do is wrong. Rationalist thought of things with more reason and questioned what was right an wrong, makings things more complex compared to the puritans. The puritans only did what god tells them to do(which is pretty much whatever the church leader says because he is the one who talks to god), making things simple and to the point. Due to the fact that puritans aren't suppose to do anything out of order they are more narrow and they have a more strict system. The rationalists have more freedom to think and do as they please as long as the goal is reached. For example the rationalists would be the ones who believe in the "Big Bang" and puritans would oppose any ideas other than that god created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.
I consider myself was being more of a rationalist because I like to be free to take actions of my own, and to question actions of others, to make things reasonable through experimentation. I am an atheist and therefore I would not agree with many of the puritan ideas; however this doesn't mean the rationalist are all atheists. Rationalists may still believe in a religion if they choose to do so. I can see how both isms can be applied into life but I stand strong iwth my choice of being more of a free thinker, a rationalist.

A new nation

As the puritans started their journey towards the new world they had a goal in mind. They were sent there under God's commands as the passage states to set an example for all others to be going to the new world. If they were to fail God was to take back all he has given to them and they would become bad example people refer to, only to warn people of their mistakes. The puritans were simple people who had a clear goal in mind; however they may have been too simple. The puritans thought in an simplistic way with may have caused them to over look certain things. They didn't see the Native Americans as equals or as friends, the Native Americans were competing against them. They brought disease to the Native Americans and took many things from them. The reason behind it was because they believe that they were ordered by God and that the only goal was to create a great civilization. America today still hold certain attributes of the puritans. Their never dying determination and will power has allowed them to become one of the most powerful countries in the modern world. The puritans would be happy to see the success of America today, for filling all their goals of the manifest destiny and becoming a "city upon the hills" for everyone to see.