Blog post #1 (late)

   Many of us come in contact with an Ichbod Crane once in our lives. A person who, from the outside, seems to come off caring and courageous, but after taking a closer look, we realize they are only care about themselves. We call this person the anti-hero, and in modern literature, making this the main character is increasingly popular. For example, Ichabod Crane is often described as caring, brave, and a leader by people by don't know him very well. He is a teacher and very loved by those in his community. However things aren't always as they seem.
    Taking a closer look at his actions, Ichabod Crane is greedy, manipulative, and jealous. This explains how he killed the headless horseman who was his lover's second choice. There are many examples of Ichabod Cranes in today's literature; one very obvious example being Jay Gatsby. Gatsby was a boy born into a poor family who turned his life around after being in the military by committing organized crime and selling fake booze in the age of temperance. To the thousands acquaintances of Gatsby, this was not the case.
    Gatsby was known for being a kind, generous man who threw lavish parties at no expense of the guests. He often went out of his way for other's and offered extravagant gifts just because. At first glance one might fall in love with Gatby's ways, but after close examination (that which most receiving gifts didn't do), one would realize he wasn't doing it to be kind. Gatsby was doing all of this just to get the attention of the woman he loved.
   Hearing this, it is heart warming, but keep in mind Gatsby committed a number of crimes and murders to make Daisy, the woman he loved, happy. So many suffered just so Gastby could be happy. Gastby also lied to many about his life just so they wouldn't know he was once poor. He was greedy not only for money, but for everyone's absolute and undivided attention. Comparing Crane and Gatsby, they are extremely similar. Both crave undivided attention from their lovers, both murder, and both are manipulative beyond belief. As deserved, both men die due to their crave for love and attention. Their flaws got the best of them.

Blog Post #2

     Imagine always feeling watched: no matter what you do, good or bad, someone is always there to pick apart your decisions. That's exactly what being a leader must feel like in America, a country known for scrutinizing its leaders. Take Obama, our present leader for example. As soon as he pipes in any opinion, thousands of ignorant Americans are there to argue what he says. Recently, Obama has stated that when he was younger he smoked pot. Not taking into consideration that most other Americans probably have as well, Americans attacked Obama. Before stepping back to realize Obama was not saying everyone should be smoking pot, Americans jumped to faulty conclusions.
    These accusations hurt our nation because we aren't looking at the big picture. No, Obama was not saying everyone should smoke pot. In fact, he wasn't even saying every state should legalize it. He was, however, pointing out that it isn't the worst thing in the world and it won't make people unsuccessful. Obama stated it is a gross habit and not professional, but we should look at the big picture. Should we criminalize those who smoke pot? Obama doesn't think so. Many Americans scrutinize him for these beliefs, though we should take them under consideration.
   Another great American leader that has been scrutinized for his beliefs: Andrew Jackson. He was a fantastic President who stood for the majority of the nation, as a President should. He, however was thought of very poorly because he made decisions for the common man, not the elite white men of the time. This was viewed as a shock because past Presidents had only sided with the elites seeing as they were the elites. Many rich men called him un-American though he was only doing as a President should.
    Although he kept to the common man and did not falter, disagreeing with Jackson only made his presidency harder. What would a President be if he didn't represent the majority of his country? A dictator. And many elites called him just that, though he was really doing the exact opposite. Looking back, many historians see Andrew Jackson as one of the greatest Presidents. Taking that under consideration, Americans should scrutinize our leaders less, for they are only doing they're duty as the President. Who knows historians may look back and view that certain leader as one of the best.