The Woman

Aaron Vass leaned back in his chair and looked down the dark hallway in his drab office building. All he could see was a light flickering at the end of the hallway, and a janitor in blue coveralls sweeping the floor. Aaron turned and looked back at his blank computer. He then noticed that it was seven o’clock, and he needed to get home. Grabbing his wrinkled gray suit jacket, he made his way to the elevator, and went down to the ground floor.

            As he walked away from the prison like building, Aaron saw someone standing on the other side of the street. Though he had never seen her before, she waved to him. She had on ratty clothes, and her fiery red hair was tangled, with leaves in it. He just walked by the girl, not giving her a second thought.

            Aaron had no reason to be unhappy. He had a good job, it was rather boring, but it was still a job, which many people could not claim to have. He had a good house, it was small, but still a house and he had chosen to live there. He had money; all of it was family money, but still money.  Aaron had many neighbors, most of them families, young and old, but he had never bothered to get to know any of them. His neighbors had tried in the past to get to know him, but after never going to the dinner parties or block parties, they finally got the hint, and stopped inviting him to things.

            Just as he was finishing heating up his dinner in the microwave, Aaron heard a knock at the door. There hadn’t been a knock at his door for a long time, and when he opened the door he was surprised at who he saw on the other side. It was the woman, from the other side of the street, with the fiery red hair. “Hello, Aaron,” she said, looking at him like she knew him.

            “What do you want?” he responded, “I don’t know you.”

            “I just came here to talk, Aaron. May I come in?” she asked while making her way into the front hallway.

            “I don’t want to talk to you.” Aaron said unhappily, “I don’t know you.”

            “You’ve always been so unhappy, Aaron, why is that?” she asked, while making her way farther into the house. From the kitchen, the microwave can be heard going off. “I think your dinner is ready.”

            “I don’t care about my dinner anymore. I just want you, a stranger, out of my house.” Aaron said as he followed the mysterious woman into his living room.

            “Nice house.” She said.

            “Thanks.”

            “Why don’t you get a bigger one?”

            “I don’t want one.”

            “Well, maybe a bigger house will make you happy.”

            “I’m not unhappy.”

            “Yes, you are Aaron. Everyone knows you are. But I just don’t understand why you are. You have everything everyone could want. A job, a house, and money. What more do you want Aaron?” she said this all so quickly Aaron barely understood her.

            “Why do you care if I’m unhappy? Who are you anyway?” Aaron said, he was getting more agitated by the minute, and didn’t like this stranger in his house, and wanted to get her out.

            “Why, Aaron, I’m the devil.” She said it so matter-a-fact that he almost believed her.

            “I don’t believe that you are the devil. You don’t look like the devil.” He said, his voice wavering a bit. All of a sudden the house turned cold, and the stranger whipped around, her eyes glowing red. Aaron back up, falling into the chair that was behind him, he was scared silent.

            “Do you think I would lie?” She growled.

            “No, no, no,” He replied in a quivering voice, “I believe you, trust me, I do.”

            “Okay then.” She said, her eyes returning to green color they were before. The heat was also returning to the house, for that Aaron was grateful. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the devil was in his house. “What would you say if I said that I could make you happy?”

            “How could you make me happy? You’ve already said that I have everything I need to be happy.” Aaron said.

            “You do have everything you need to make you happy, but I can make that everything better. Though there are a few things that you will need to give me.”

            “What will I need to give you?” He asked skeptically.

            “I guess, it isn’t a few things, it is one thing specifically, your soul.”

            “I need to give you my soul?” He repeated.

            “Yes, your soul. You will be tied to me for eternity and have to do everything I want you to, but in return I will give you the things you need to make you happy.” She replied. He just sat there thinking. “Aaron, you’re going to have to tell me yes or no. This isn’t an offer that will always be on the table.”

            “If I give you my soul, and do everything you want, you’ll give me the things I need to make me happy?” She nodded. “Well, I guess, if it would make me happy.”

            “That’s a very good choice, Aaron.” As she said that, the air in the house began to whirl around, picky both Aaron and the devil up, and as this happened, Aaron got a strange feeling. He felt something leave him, and when he was set back on the ground, he felt strangely empty, and the devil was gone, with just a lock of fiery red hair remaining of the devil.

            The next day, he woke up at the normal time, though he still felt that strange feeling of being empty. He got ready as usual, walked to work as usual, but when he got to work, nothing was usual. The building where he worked was gone. He didn’t see any of the people who he worked with. Aaron was confused, and he looked around. As he spun in a circle, he saw a woman with fiery, unruly red hair, but when he looked back, she was gone. Aaron felt a paper smack up against his leg. He bent down and read what it was. Your job was boring, it said, so I got rid of it and the people you worked with. Now you’ll be happy. Aaron was confused. His job was boring, but he didn’t want it gone or the people who worked there gone. There was Jennifer, the pretty blond, who always brought him coffee, and David, who would sometimes help him with his reports, even if David had reports to do himself. As Aaron walked home, the sky seemed to become grayer.

            Walking up his block, Aaron saw wrecking balls in front of his house. He ran up the street, and spun around trying to figure out what was going on again. Like last time, he saw the woman, but when he turned back to see her, she was gone. Again, he felt a piece of paper hit his leg. Trembling, Aaron bent down and read what was written on the paper. Your house was small, and made you unhappy, so I’m knocking down the houses next to it, to make your house bigger. Now you’ll be happy. He never really knew his neighbors, but he didn’t want them gone. The Jeffersons lived next to him on the right, they had two kids, Ryan and Ella, who could be annoying but they could also be cute, like when they had that lemonade stand out front. Then there were the Connors, who lived next to him on the left, they had a little baby, named Ava, and a puppy named Scout, sometimes Scout did keep Aaron up at night with his insane barking, but he was cute, and so was Ava. He didn’t understand what was going on, and what mess he had gotten himself into, so he just ran, and ran, until his got to the empty lot, 3 miles away from his house.

            “You can’t run from me, Aaron.” A voice from behind him said. When Aaron turned around, he saw her, and her fiery red hair. “This is what you wanted. You wanted to be happy, and I said I could make you happy. You gave me your soul, and I did everything to make you happy. I got rid of your job, and I made your house bigger. You should be happy.”

            “But I’m not. I’m not happy. I want my soul back; I don’t want any of this anymore.” Aaron whined.

            “Oh, I can’t do that Aaron. And now that I have your soul, I need you to do something for me. I need you to get me another soul.”

            “How am I supposed to do that?” Aaron was dreading the answer that was about to come. With a look from her, there was a gust of air, both she and Aaron rose into the air just like at his house the night before. As he was dropped down, Aaron was alone again, but when he looked down in a puddle that had appeared at his feet, he noticed that he had fiery red hair, with leaves in it, and red eyes.

           

Reaction to Verdict

I fully agreed with the verdict. I think that both myself and the rest of the defense team proved our case through all of our witnesses and cross examination. The witnesses did an amazing job at portraying their characters, though there was some testimony that I disagreed with. I did not agree with Aunt Sally's testimony that her character was just an exaggeration and the exaggeration was a portrayal of Mark Twain's views. I did not see that as a valid argument because Aunt Sally is not a major character so I did not understand why Mark Twain would put all of his views into her and rest the entire novels purpose on top of a character that was not even in half of the book. I think that the most influential testimony was from Mark Twain. Christina did an amazing job portraying him, and being able to answer questions on the spot that she was unprepared for. Through her testimony as Mark Twain, I think that we, the defense, did a good job at proving he was not a racist through him. I still think that the verdict should have been not guilty. Being the defense I completely agreed with our case, and I think we put reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury people as to whether Mark Twain was a racist or not. The trial was an amazing experience. It was a more fun way to research the book, and learn about Mark Twain. I also think that everyone did an awesome job. The prosecution was amazing, I thought that they were going to win the case. The witnesses did an awesome job taking on their characters and really knowing the characters. Also, the witnesses did a great job in cross examination. Overall, this trial was an awesome experience and one that I would love to experience again.

Huck Finn Post #3

During the chapters of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where the Grangerfords are present, there is humor, sadness, and allusion to Romeo and Juliet. Humor can be seen through the feud between the Grangerfords and Sheperdsons. At one point when Huck is staying with the Grangerfords he attends church with them. Both the Grangerfords and Sheperdsons bring guns to church, while Huck says the sermon “was pretty ornery preaching – all about brotherly love and such-like tiresomeness; but everybody said it was a good sermon…” (Twain 111). This is ironic in the fact that both the Grangerfords and Sheperdsons will go around and kill one of the members of the other family if they so please. Also both families had brought guns to church, which is a bit of a weird occurrence, because church is supposed to be a peaceful place and the preacher even preached about love.

                Sadness can be seen through Emmeline Grangerford. When Emmeline died her family "kept Emmeline's room trim and nice, and all the things fixed in it just the way she liked it" (Twain 106). This is a depressing aspect of her family never moving forward, and accepting her death. In a way, by keeping her room the way nice, and the way she would have liked it, is like the Grandgerfords are still hoping that Emmeline will come back and stay in her room. Also, Emmeline herself was a pretty sad character. Huck even felt bad for her, saying "Poor Emmeline made poetry about all the dead people when she was alive, and it didn't seem right that there warn't nobody to make some about her now she was gone; so I tried to sweat out a verse or two myself , but I couldn't seem to make it go somehow" (Twain 106). Even before her death, Emmeline had death surrounding her, which can be morbid and strange for a fourteen year old girl.

                The allusion to Romeo and Juliet can be seen through the pointless feud between the Grangerfords and Sheperdsons. The families do not even remember why they are fighting. When Huck asked about why one of the Grangerfords killed one of the Sheperdsons, they said that "'Him? He never done nothing to me.' 'Well, then, what did you want to kill him for?' 'Why, nothing--only it's on account of the feud'" (Twain 109). Even though the Grangerfords and Sheperdsons go around killing one another, they do not know why they are even feuding; it is just something that has always been done. This is just like Romeo and Juliet in that the families are feuding, and just go around killing one another for no good reason. Also, they do not know why they are fighting, they just are.

Huck Finn Post #2

                The relationship between Huck and Jim is a very close relationship. The relationship is like a father/son relationship. In this relationship, Jim tries to protect Huck from horrors that they face along their journey. One of the times that Jim protected Huck was when they came across the dead man in the boat. Jim said to Huck “’It’s a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He’s been shot in de back. I reck’n he’s ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan’ look at his face-it’s too gashly” (Twain, 57). Jim did not want Huck to see the horrors of a dead man, like a father would want to protect his son.  This father/son relationship is one that Huck has never had.

                 What comes along with the father/son is a fierce loyalty. This can be seen through Huck when he finds out about the bounty that is out for Jim for Huck’s murder. Huck said that he “had got so uneasy I couldn't set still” (Twain 64). Huck did not want Jim to get caught for his murder, especially because he had not been murdered, and there was no way Jim would have murdered him. When Huck was told that at first his real father was suspected for his murder, Huck had no such feeling of loyalty. This was because Huck’s father was never really a father to him and Jim is more of a father figure then his real father ever will be.

Huck Finn Post #1

In the first 10 chapters of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" Huck reveals himself to be a lonely person. He has grown up without a mother, and an alcoholic father who is rarely there. Huck one time says that he "tried to think of something cheerful, but it warn't no use. I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead" (Twain 13). This loneliness leads Huck to be heavily influenced by people, especially Tom Sawyer. Huck would do anything for Tom, even if it was stealing. I think that Huck is fearful of loosing Tom, like he has lost so many others, so he would do anything to keep him around. This loneliness also leads Huck to rebel against the widow and her sister. Huck does not know what a normal family life would be like, and he does not understand what the widow and her sister are trying to do for him. He has been so lonely in the past he does not know what a real family would be like. 

In addition to being a lonely person, Huck is also very superstitious. Huck has many superstitions, and acts on most of them. "I got up and turned around in my tracks three times and crossed my breast every time; and then I tried to tie up a little lock of my hair with a thread to keep witches away" (13). Huck believed that this would keep him safe, and he believed that there were witches that could do harm to him. While Huck is very superstitious, he does not understand organized religion. He did not know why the Widow Douglas would "grumble" over her food before she ate it, and he just wanted to eat it. Also, he did not like reading the bible. At first when the widow was reading it to him he quite liked it, but when he found out that the people in it were all dead, he did not see the point of reading it. This contrast of dislike and lack of understanding for organized religion and a very superstitious person makes Huck a very diverse character.    

Transcendentalist Socety- Con/Pro Essay

            A transcendentalist society seems like it would be perfect in this world. With all the hatred and judgment in the world, it seems like a transcendentalist society would help people throughout the world. Though the goal of a transcendentalist society might be impossible in today’s world. People for the most part have free will, so one cannot force another to be accepting and do not judge people. Also, the outside world and media are both very judgmental, and would have a great effect on how people feel about others. In a society where every person is encouraged to have their own idea’s and belief system, important decisions of the community might never be made, because people might not be able to agree. The idea of a transcendentalist society seems perfect and just what the world needs, it would never survive because one cannot force another to think a certain way, the influence of outside media, and problematic decision making.

            A transcendentalist society would be a very free society, unlike many societies and countries of today. A society where one can be themselves without fear of being judged would be amazing in society today. Today’s world is cold, judgmental, and harsh, where as a transcendentalist society would be warm, welcoming, and gentle. People though, could reject this society, because it is so different from everything else in this world. As easily as people could reject it though, people may accept it, because it seems like a perfect place to live. Although the inability of a community like this to make decisions would surly make it impossible to survive.

            Making decisions is a very important part of every society. With every person in a transcendentalist society being encouraged to have unlike ideas, and follow one’s gut there could be problematic decision making processes. If every person got a say in making laws, there would be a possibility of people never coming to an agreement. Also, if every person was thinking for themselves then that would mean, everyone would get a vote in all government issues. Every person in the community voting would take much time, and much money, and be completely ineffective, and hard to make a decision. With this slow process of government there could be chaos in a community, especially when people are encouraged to think for themselves and not conform to societal norms. Without a strong government to help and guide the people, a society cannot survive, and in a true transcendentalist society, there would be no central government. This lack of government would cause a transcendentalist society to fail. Not only would the lack of government cause it to fail, the influence from the outside world and media would have an impact of the society.

            In the modern world today, one is always connected to something, whether that is the internet or television. Unless the society wanted to become like North Korea, it could not be completely cut off from the entire outside world. The media would have an influence, especially with opinion news shows, and op-ed pieces in newspaper. It is almost impossible today to come up with a unique idea with the media telling people what to think, what to look like, and what to wear. This influence would harm a transcendentalist society because these influences go against everything transcendentalists believe. The other societies of the world would also have an influence on the transcendentalist society. Every society has a different view on the world, and every opinion influences the others so it would be hard to a transcendentalist society to be truly transcendentalist. These influences would lead to the failure of the society because the media and outside world would change it from being transcendentalist to just a normal society with judgment and hatred. As well as the unending media influence, people cannot be forced to be accepting of all things.

            Being a transcendentalist means that a person is accepting of all people, all things, and all ideas, and that is very hard for a person to do. One cannot force another to be accepting, the act of forcing someone to do that would be untranscendentalist in itself. People by nature are not accepting, which can be seen in today’s prejudices.  To survive, a transcendentalist society would have to be completely transcendentalist, and that is nearly impossible for the common person. The nature of judgment and first impressions is ingrained in the minds of people of the world. One can learn to become accepting, but it is nearly impossible to be accepting of all ideas and beliefs no matter how hard one tries. Every person is different, and has different beliefs, and that is what transcendentalism is all about, but some people’s beliefs are not accepting, and being accepting is another major part of transcendentalism. The inability to make every person in a society accepting would cause a transcendentalist society to fail.

            A transcendentalist society may seem just like what the world needs, but it would be an impossible goal to obtain. Decision making is a major part in every society, and with every person having different beliefs and ideas, it would be almost impossible to make any decisions. The media also has much influence on what people think and what they belief. The media can be judgmental, which is the opposite of the accepting way of life of transcendentalist, but it has an influence on what people believe. The free will of people also determines whether a person is accepting or not, and most people are not accepting of every belief system. Acceptance is a big part of transcendentalism, and without the people of a society being accepting it would not be truly transcendentalist. While some may think that a transcendentalist society would survive today, inability to make decisions, outside media and world influence, and the free will of people to not be accepting are why a transcendentalist society would never succeed.