Ol Goodman Brown and the Devil Within

In many works of literature, past events affected a character psychologically, affecting their view on life, and how they act. In Young Goodman Brown, the protagonist’s view on society is morphed because of one experience in the past. Goodman Brown, once a good man, innocent and pure, became corrupted by his attendance to the devil’s ceremony. Whether this was a dream or reality will never be known, but because of this event, Goodman Brown couldn’t look at anybody in society the same way. He became distrustful, seeing the devil in those who preached purity. He couldn’t even greet his wife once he came back home from the incident. In this event, he saw his townspeople, even his own wife, give up purity and give into the devil. He saw that people wore masks, hiding their true selves. Thus, the Goodman Brown we once knew became a shell of the man he was, hiding behind a mask just like the others.

Hello!

Let me start off saying that I absolutely love "The Road". Cormac McCarthy performed an excellent job writing this novel, especially with his use of diction. One literary element that plays a significant role in "The Road" is the novel's use of characterization.
In the post apocalyptic world of "The Road", a boy and his father travel down a road to reach the coast. Along their journey they struggle to find the bare resources they need to survive. They meet a lot of "bad" people, but they never meet a lot of "good" people. The father, a man who lost his wife, only aims to stay alive because of the boy. As stated, "The boy was all that stood between him and death" (p.29). The father thinks logically through situations, accepting the emotional hardships they have to face.
The boy represents the innocence of mankind. At such a young age, he still has hope that everything will be all right. Throughout the story, while the boy wishes to help others out, his father forces him to dismiss these thoughts, as they will get them killed.
The Road is a fantastic novel, unlike any other novel. The minimalistic writing style portrays so little, but so much at the same time. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Just another blog entry

What is the better path, having one group of friends that you're really close with or having a lot of friends, with only a few people you're really close with? Personally, I feel like i'm in a situation where I've expanded myself to all the cliques of Kearney, but i still only hold a few close friends whom i can really share myself with. Sometimes i really with i could be closer with more people outside of my normal group of friends, but given time constraints, I need to invest my time in other matters.
Maybe after college applications are finished and after the Academics tone down, I can work on hanging out with those people. I really do respect them, and I would like to get closer.
Not that there's anything wrong with my current group of friends; they're the funniest most understanding people I know. Even though there's some clash between me and a certain female best friend right now, I still love and respect my current group.
I guess I'm just saying that I naturally like to talk with and get to know people i don't know as well. This is also why i look forward to going to college; I'm going to experience so many things that I wouldn't be able to experience at home, and I'll meet so many new people.
But I digress. I think that there's a mindset you can be in where you can make a lot of friends, and be close with a lot of friends. Fortunately, I think that I am currently in this mindset

Senior Year so far, Q1

Senior year has been interesting. In some aspects, it's been a lot of the same thing. In some aspects there's nothing, and in some aspects a lot is going really well for me.
Academically I'm still pulling around a 94 average. I increased my SAT overall to a 1960, which i couldn't be happier about. I have the same teachers as last year, which definitely feels repetitive. For the most part I feel like I'm going through the same motions and practices; i need something to change.
This mindset has poured over to my social life. I'm getting a little tired of my central clique, and I've expanded the amount of people I talk to. The only real problem right now is that a) I don't have a car to hang out with other people, b) I would need to ask my parents to go places, and c) I've pretty much expanded myself across the student body of Kearney. I can't talk to much more new people because there aren't any more new people to talk to.
In terms of love life, I appear to be falling in the same trap. This time around, I'm noticing that it's not as much of a desire for this specific girl as it is a desire to have a girl be mine. I've basically milked by central clique of girls, which is another reason why I want to expand. It's not love, it's the desire for compassion.
But I digress. Overall, Senior year has been fantastic. I've met a lot of new people, I feel much more comfortable showing myself around others, and i'm definitely an overall better man than I used to be. However, with the goals I have for myself, I'm still a shell of the man I want to be.