Katelyn A.’s Weblog

Katelyn Adams

Jessica Robinson

Honors English III

13 October 2008

Lone Stick, I Can’t Compare to You

     Josh Todd, the lead singer of Buckcherry, roared over the loud speakers, “Now the party was jumpin’, and the girls were fine with their lipstick summer glaze…” Suddenly a scream escaped my lungs as an ogre of a man landed on my head and hurtled me to the ground.  “I’ve got so many girls coming after me I put some [booty] on lay-away…” reverberated over the crowd; people relinquished inhuman cries of excitement as Josh Todd sang louder. Then my temple was, violently, met by the tip of a steel-toed boot. Despite the incessant battery, I got up again with the taste of blood tingeing my tongue with its outrageous acidity. I stood up. Shaking, in the crowd of overly intoxicated fans, whose alcoholic fumes harassed my nostrils. Helplessly my legs collapsed beneath me when I was knocked in the occipital portion of my skull with a “fly-away fist”. My limply unconscious body was caught by a neighboring fan as I was lulled into the remembrance of a more peaceful time. In the background Todd vocalized “I was smoked out, torn up…”

     I was beside a quiet pond, my silent haven, behind a friend’s house. Just as I sat lazily on the dewy grass beneath the tickling willow tree, a refreshing droplet splashed my nose. Upon the pond the echoing cry of Canadian Geese could be heard amongst the nearby fall of cadenced rain drops. Pine trees sighed heavily against the weight of the wind which pushed the smell of sweetly decaying leaves to stimulate my nose. Lead-parachutes of water fell almost unheard from the sky onto the once mirror-like water, and yet the water seemed unfazed by this visit from its sky-ward brethren.

     The lake was spotted with cake textured dabs of brown earth around the banks. There was an abundance of unruly spots of Kelly green tubes from water-plants as well. Just below me there stood, erected, a lone pentacle that was, in its entirety, made of milk chocolate hues that were spotted, from rain’s kisses, with freckles of a deeper, fudge-like brown.

     This tiny twig stood steadfast against the rain, and it seemed to be un-choked by the pollutants that slithered forth from the menacing metal drain at the right. This wooden statue stood solidly against the wind-borne waves that were pummeling it. Every time a monstrous wave engulfed the meager stick, it would wait and then inconspicuously right itself.

     Suddenly an enormous wave was upon the branch and it could do nothing but give way. Whatever force that had kept it there for so long swiftly released it. The twig silently sank towards the litter-ridden bottom that would be its watery-grave, where it would be forgotten; the sound of its decent was canceled-out by the airy falling of heaven-borne dew.

     Consciousness quickly overwhelmed me. The screaming singer’s song assaulted my ears as it came out of the speakers. I tried not to budge as I was rocked by the crowd; the plummeting lyrics were stirring up a “mosh-pit”. My shirt was stained with alcohol as it was hurtled at me from the sky. I stayed rooted as fans rhythmically lapsed against me. From above me a man came falling from his pentacle atop the lucid crowd. I expelled a cry as this monstrous man began to crush me. I fell helpless upon the debris-sodden grass. My body was consumed by a sea of people. I was sure I would stay there beaten by the people, and I would never be found because my cries were silenced by Todd’s ear-splitting song, “Break me down. You got a lovely face. We’re going to your place…” But I was not forgotten; a neighbor helped me rise to the surface. He pulled me un-dauntingly out of the tumultuous crowd, and he sat me quietly upon the bank. I nursed my splintered arm; I am going to have to remember that I’m not always as strong as I think, and what if there’s no one to help the next time I need it?

“WRECK OF THE HESPERUS”

It was the schooner Hesperus,
That sailed the wintery sea;
And the skipper had taken his little daughter,
To bear him company.

Blue were her eyes as the fairy flax,
Her cheeks like the dawn of day,
And her bosom white as the hawthorn buds,
That ope in the month of May.

The Skipper he stood beside the helm,
His pipe was in his mouth,
And he watched how the veering flaw did blow
The smoke now West, now South.

Then up and spake an old Sailor,
Had sailed the Spanish Main,
“I pray thee, put into yonder port,
for I fear a hurricane.

“Last night the moon had a golden ring,
And to-night no moon we see!”
The skipper, he blew whiff from his pipe,
And a scornful laugh laughed he.

Colder and louder blew the wind,
A gale from the Northeast,
The snow fell hissing in the brine,
And the billows frothed like yeast.

Down came the storm, and smote amain
The vessel in its strength;
She shuddered and paused, like a frighted steed,
Then leaped her cable’s length.

“Come hither! come hither! my little daughter,
And do not tremble so;
For I can weather the roughest gale
That ever wind did blow.”

He wrapped her warm in his seaman’s coat
Against the stinging blast;
He cut a rope from a broken spar,
And bound her to the mast.

“O father! I hear the church bells ring,
Oh, say, what may it be?“
“Tis a fog-bell on a rock bound coast!” –
And he steered for the open sea.

“O father! I hear the sound of guns;
Oh, say, what may it be?“
Some ship in distress, that cannot live
In such an angry sea!”

“O father! I see a gleaming light.
Oh say, what may it be?“
But the father answered never a word,
A frozen corpse was he.

Lashed to the helm, all stiff and stark,
With his face turned to the skies,
The lantern gleamed through the gleaming snow
On his fixed and glassy eyes.

Then the maiden clasped her hands and prayed
That saved she might be;
And she thought of Christ, who stilled the wave,
On the Lake of Galilee.

And fast through the midnight dark and drear,
Through the whistling sleet and snow,
Like a sheeted ghost, the vessel swept
Tow’rds the reef of Norman’s Woe.

And ever the fitful gusts between
A sound came from the land;
It was the sound of the trampling surf,
On the rocks and hard sea-sand.

The breakers were right beneath her bows,
She drifted a dreary wreck,
And a whooping billow swept the crew
Like icicles from her deck.

She struck where the white and fleecy waves
Looked soft as carded wool,
But the cruel rocks, they gored her side
Like the horns of an angry bull.

Her rattling shrouds, all sheathed in ice,
With the masts went by the board;
Like a vessel of glass, she stove and sank,
Ho! ho! the breakers roared!

At daybreak, on the bleak sea-beach,
A fisherman stood aghast,
To see the form of a maiden fair,
Lashed close to a drifting mast.

The salt sea was frozen on her breast,
The salt tears in her eyes;
And he saw her hair, like the brown sea-weed,
On the billows fall and rise.

Such was the wreck of the Hesperus,
In the midnight and the snow!
Christ save us all from a death like this,
On the reef of Norman’s Woe!

–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Katelyn Adams

Jessica Robinson

Honors English III

22 December 2008

Unavoidable Fate: Analytical Examination on “The Wreck of the Hesperus”

In “The Wreck of the Hesperus” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow repetition, metaphors, and personification are used to show that there is no way to stop tragedy. Longfellow’s poem depicts the wreck of the Hesperus upon Norman’s Woe. With the help of imagery the reader witnesses the death of an entire crew as well as a heart breaking scene with Captain who frantically tries to save his daughter, and fails. Although not everyone has gone through such a tragic and heart wrenching loss of a loved one, surely everyone has gone through a loss of some sort; Longfellow uses his poem to tell not only of a horrific wreck but also to tell the reader that terrible things will always happen to people, and sometimes there is no way to prevent them.

When the storm first erupts the daughter asks thrice “O father! […] Oh say, what may it be?”, and through the repetition of this simple question Longfellow spurs curiosity in the reader. What is happening? Why does she keep asking that question over and over again? There has to be some importance! The importance of her questions is solidified with her father’s abrupt answers. His casually tell of the death of others, “Some ship in distress that cannot live in such an angry sea”; his nonchalance makes it seem as though he feels as though he is guaranteed to survive. He “steer[s] for the open sea” because he thinks that he can out run something that is already upon him. Through logical thinking the reader can assume that the arrogant man will rue his vain attempts of stopping the unstoppable Mother Nature.

After the Captain’s death Longfellow continues to describe the storm so that the reader can fully understand the formidable force that the crew was facing. With the use of metaphors Longfellow illustrates how weak the ship was in comparison to the roaring storm. Longfellow says the ship is “like a vessel of glass, [that] stove and sank”. This shows how fragile the vessel was compared to its foe; even though the crew thought they were strong enough to bear the storm, this reiterates that they were destined to shatter. This posthumous description repeats the resounding theme that there is nothing to do when you are destined to die.

Like a slap in the face, the personification is. By portraying the sea to be angry and blood thirsty-being Longfellow proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was no possible way that the schooner could have ever survived. “The trampling surf” violently took the ship into her murky depths. Quickly, she took hold upon the ship and it immediately succumbed. There was no other option for this little ship as the giant waves stampeded over her. While the Hesperus sank “Ho! ho! the breakers roared!”; they were laughing a vengeful laugh as she plummeted. Longfellow seems to be portraying how cruel life can be, and how it seems to “kick one while one’s down”.

The idea that death is going to catch us and bad things will overwhelm us, is painfully apparent in Longfellow’s poem. The repetition engrains that idea into our head, the metaphors push away the dust of doubt away, and the personification hammers that idea even deeper into our subconscious. His poem makes our optimism seem pointless, and his reality ridiculously clear. After reading his poem the reader will have the verboding breath of death upon their neck forevermore.

Katelyn Adams

Jessica Robinson

Honors English III

23 December 2008

Pick the Pocket of the Patient: Infamy in the Medical Industry

     Most people know about today’s important blood diseases like the AIDS virus and hemophilia, but most people do not know about a blood syndrome that is affecting over three million Americans right now (Pollak).  The syndrome that is being refered to is von Willebrand Syndrome.  Although this syndrome may have a silly name, it is a very serious hematological disorder. Von Willebrand Syndrome is the most commonly inherited coagulation disorder, but little is known about it, and very few people who have von Willebrand Syndrome actually know that they have it (Beutler).  Von Willebrand Syndrome occurs due to a defect with

Figures 1 and 2 [Shows how the body forms a clot]. Digital image. Allaboutbleeding.com. 25 Aug. 2005. HONcode. 17 Nov. 2008 <http://www.allaboutbleeding.com/vwd_and_you/view.asp?id=4634>.

the eighth factor of the blood, the von Willebrand Factor (Enersen). Without factor eight, one of the thirteen blood clotting factors, blood will not clot properly (“von Willebrand Disease.” National Hemophilia).

     Since there are various degrees and types of factor eight deficiencies, there are also various degrees and types of von Willebrand Syndrome. Type 1, which is a mild deficiency of factor eight. Type 2, which has five subcategories, the most severe subcategory is Type 2B, all of Type 2 categories have a different mutation of their factor eight. Type 3, which is when there is no measurable amount of factor eight (Type 3 is the most severe form of von Willebrand Syndrome). Pseudo von Willebrand Syndrome “is similar to Type 2B, but the defect is in the platelets instead of in the factor” (Greenburg; “Von Willebrand Disease.” Kids).  Von Willebrand Syndrome is one of few hematological disorders that does not have a recessive form, so if only one parent has Von Willebrand syndrome then the child is likely to either not have von Willebrand Syndrome at all or have a light form of von Willebrand Syndrome (such as Type 1) and the child’s case could be so meager that it could go unnoticed (“Von Willebrand Disease.” National Heart).  Unfortunately, if both parents have von Willebrand syndrome, their child is more likely to have a severe form of von Willebrand Syndrome, such as Type 3 (“Von Willebrand Disease.” National Heart).  If neither parents have von Willebrand Syndrome, it is highly unlikely that a child would get von Willebrand Syndrome, unless it is acquired von Willebrand Syndrome; acquired von Willebrand Syndrome is caused by a “Wilms tumor, Congenital heart disease, Systemic lupus erythematosus and Hypothyroidism” (Greenburg). Von Willebrand Syndrome has been known to cause spontaneous bleeding in patients, as well as incessant bleeding; patients with von Willebrand Syndrome have a higher risk of losing massive amounts of blood and potentially dying every time they have surgery or even get a shot (Rahmer; “Von Willebrand Disease.” Kids). Patients with von Willebrand Syndrome have to be extremely careful with even the simplest medications such as aspirin because it could make their blood even less susceptible to clotting.  Due to their limited choices of help, patients find that there are both pros and cons of expensive medicine; it is helpful that research can be done to help future patients, but it is discouraging that the money spent by patients is being used for the miscellaneous debts of corporate providers. Medications to help prevent excess bleeding in von Willebrand Syndrome affected patients are expensive and limited. Are there reasons that there are extra charges on the tests needed to tell if a patient is affected by von Willebrand Syndrome, and the prices of the medicines for von Willebrand Syndrome treatment?  Do these extra charges benefit the patient?

     There are many reasons that corporate marketers add extra charges onto medical tests. The most popularized reason would be that more money is needed for research. With research von Willebrand patients could have less to worry about, and they could finally stop worrying about how much blood they could lose due to the smallest of cuts. As it was mentioned, Type 3 von Willebrand’s Syndrome is the most severe, but a treatment is on the horizon; currently researchers are conducting tests to see if plasma derived factor eight could be used to help patients with type 3 von Willebrand Syndrome (“Von Willebrand Disease.” Clinical). As of yet, two drugs, Neumega and Optivate, are undergoing research to see if they can help von Willebrand sufferers (“Von Willebrand Disease.” Clinical). Although these two medications are new and are still undergoing testing to see how they affect factor eight problems, they could potentially save patients hundreds of dollars, and thousands of hours that were to be spent on worrying (“Von Willebrand Disease.” Clinical). Potentially Neumega (oprevelkin) and Optivate (Antihemophilic factor-von Willebrand factor complex) could work better than Desmopression acetate and Humate P to help patients. The best possible results for Neumega and Optivate would be to decrease the mortality rate of von Willebrand patients that undergo surgery (“Von Willebrand Disease.” Clinical). Even though a menstrual cycle is a big hindrance in ordinary women’s lives; menstrual cycles can pose a danger to women to have von Willebrand Syndrome due to the large amount of blood they will lose. Currently researchers are developing a Mini-Pill to help prevent massive amounts of blood loss for von Willebrand women (“Von Willebrand Disease.” Clinical).  Perhaps the most versatile effect of medical research for von Willebrand Syndrome is that most of the treatments that have been found to be successful in von Willebrand patients are also successful in other hereditary factor eight deficiencies; potentially treatments could also help a wide range of hemophiliacs (“Von Willebrand Disease.” Clinical). Although the research could potentially help patients, is it really worth their money, and is that the only thing that their money is being spent on?

     Although it is amazing how the research will help von Willebrand sufferers, research is not all that patients money is being used for. Mostly, the extra money patients pay on tests goes towards paying off the medical corporations legal fees.  The fees that patients pay off include malpractice suits, as well as the high-end lawyers needed to fight those legal cases (Fink).  Have you ever noticed the medicine advertisements on television? The ones that end with “Ask your doctor about [whatever medical product]” (Fink)? Well, those are not the only advertisements that medical bureaucracies use; they also advertise in health magazines, informational brochures, and they advertise directly to doctors so that the doctor will recommend their product (Fink). That is a lot of advertisement, a lot of expensive advertisement that the patient’s money is paying for (Fink). Logically, inflated testing prices should be used to prevent errors with the treatment as well as the testing, but it is not so (Cannon). Instead of using a large percent of the extra charges for error prevention, medical monopolizes use the money for personal gain (Pearlstein). Corporate offices need the extra money to pay off their employees’ yachts, porches, and country club memberships (Pearlstein). Not only do the corporate officers profit from the medical testing prices, but doctors do also. Doctors seem to no longer make the choices best supported by the Hippocratic Oath; rather doctors prefer to make “cost effective” decisions that are supported by corporate providers (Schmidt). These “cost effective” decisions tend to not help patients because they are not chosen because of how well they will help the patient but how much they cost (Schmidt). These obviously unnecessary costs negatively affect the patient’s finances as well as the patient’s trust for the medical industry.

     Patients with von Willebrand syndrome pay a substantial amount of money in order to subsidize their medical debts. Conveniently, the internet does not mention the price of von Willebrand Syndrome testing, and hematologists “beat around the bush” when testing prices are asked of them, but one can find the price of testing by asking a lab technician or a patient. According to Patty English, a local blood testing technician at Carteret General Hospital, “The tests would cost forty to fifty dollars, but sending those cultures off would cost a couple of hundred [dollars].” Although that may not seem very expensive, von Willebrand sufferers are required to undergo repetitive testing in order to effectively decide whether or not they have von Willebrand Syndrome; eventually “a couple of hundred [dollars],” would add up to be a couple of thousand dollars (English). In an interview Barbra Rahmer, a patient with von Willebrand Syndrome, admitted that “[The tests] were very expensive; I don’t remember how expensive, but I know they were very expensive”. These hundreds of dollar tests probably put a dent in the Wisconsin-mother-of-four’s pocket (Rahmer). It cannot be moral for these testing clinics to give tests that are unreasonably costly.

     It is not right for companies to charge patients so that they may pay off their own agendas rather than spend said money on research. Most people believe that hospitals and doctors benefit from the price of the tests, but it is the medical giants who assign the costs of the tests that benefit. Instead of personally profiting from the testing costs medical corporations could be finding ways to prevent the side effects that are caused by the von Willebrand treatments. Some of the side effects that are caused by the treatments are, potentially, worse than von Willebrand Syndrome itself. Desmopressin acetate, for example causes: upper repertory infections, pinkeye, nosebleed, vomiting, and swelling of the male genitalia (“Desmopressin”). Humate P’s side effects, on the other hand, seem to worsen the patient’s case of von Willebrand Syndrome as well as liver problems: “swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; […] coughing up blood; dark urine; […] new or worsening bruising or bleeding” (“Humate-P”). The up-and-coming drugs Neumega and Optivate also have serious side effects. Neumega has been known to cause anaphylactic shock as well as other serious side effects including: anemia, or even a highly severe problem known as “capillary leak syndrome” in which blood will disband from the circulatory system into surrounding tissues (“Neumega.” Chemo; “Neumega.” Rx). Optivate, since it is derived from human plasma, is likely to pass on viruses and other disease causing agents (“General”). It is hard to imagine how the head officials of medical corporations can allow medications with serious side effects to pass-on to the general public.

     Although substantial charges on medical tests and medicine may be used for research, that is not enough. The research is shadowed by the fact that there is an enormous amount of the patient’s money that is not being used purposefully. Patients blindly give their money away in the hope that there will be a better future on their horizon, and the medical corporations crush that dream by squandering the funds. These corporations also corrupt doctors into violating their Hippocratic Oath; sly businessmen promise bonuses to doctors that prescribe the faulty medicine. Whilst patients die, the Armani wearing men think of another reason that they can add prices to tests. Honest, pious, researchers are vastly outnumbered by the notorious, uncaring, chairmen. There is not an ounce of morality in what corporate giants do, and it is in no way fair to the patients who are locked in their diamond studded claws.

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Works Cited

Beutler, Ernest Kenneth Kaushansky Thomas Kipps Marshall Lichtman Josef Prchal and Uri Seligsohn. “Accessmedicine | williams hematology: chapter 118. von willebrand disease.” Access Medicine 2006. Mc Graw Hill Medical. 07 November 2008. <http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2134697>

Cannon, Michael. “Important Safety Information.” CATO Institute 2008. CATO Institute. 11 November 2008. <http://www.humatep.com/>.

“Desmopressin Acetate Patient Advice Including Side Effects.” Drugs.com 2008. HONcode. 12 November 2008. <http://www.drugs.com/pdr/desmopressin-acetate.html>.

Enersen, Daniel. “Willebrand’s Disease i.” Whonamedit.com 2008. 04 November 2008. <http://www.whonamedit.com/synd.cfm/3236.html>.

English, Patricia. Personal Interview. 12 November 2008.

Fink, John. “The Real Reasons why Prescription Medicines are Expensive.” Ezine Articles 2008. 11 November 2008. <http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Real-Reasons-Why-Prescription-Medicines-are-Expensive&id=1004215>.

“General Info for Optivate.” DoubleCheckMD 2008. Enhanced Medical Decisions, Inc. Brand. 18 November 2008. <http://doublecheckmd.com/DrugDetail.do?dname=Optivate&sid=90149>.

Greenberg, Saul. “Von Willebrand Disease.” 2008. HONcode. 11 November 2008. <http://www.emedicine.com/MED/topic2392.htm>.

“Humate-P Side Effects.” Drugs.com 2008. HONcode. 12 November 2008. <http://www.drugs.com/sfx/humate-p-side-effects.html>.

“Neumega.” Chemocare.com 2005. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.. 18 November 2008. <http://www.rxlist.com/neumega-drug.htm>.

“Neumega.” Rx List: The Internet Drug List 2008. RxList Inc.. 18 November 2008. <http://www.rxlist.com/neumega-drug.htm>.

Pearlstein, Steven. “Adding up the Reasons for Expensive Health Care.” Washingtonpost.com 2007. The Washington Post Company. 11 November 2008. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/13/AR2007021301149.html>.

Pollak, Elanor. “Von Willebrand Disease.” emedicine 2008. 11 November 2008. <http://www.emedicine.com/MED/topic2392.htm>.

Rahmer, Barbara. Personal Interview. 12 November 2008.        

Schmidt, Laura Anne. “The Corporate Transformation of American Health Care: A Stud in Institution Building.” Center for Culture, Organizations and Politics 2000. University of California, Berkeley. 06 November 2008. <http://repositories.cdlib.org/iir/ccop/wps-2000-08/>.

“Von Willebrand Disease.” ClinicalTrials.gov 2008. U.S. National Institutes of Health. 11 November 2008. <http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/search;jsessionid=6790D519B80D8089AD8799CC959952BA?term=von+Willebrand>.

“Von Willebrand Disease.” KidsHealth for Parents 2008. Nemours Foundation. 06 November 2008. <http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/vwd.html>.

“Von Willebrand Disease.” National Heart Lung and Blood Institue; Diseases and Conditons Index 2008. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 11 November 2008. <http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Real-Reasons-Why-Prescription-Medicines-are-Expensive&id=1004215>.

“Von Willebrand Disease.” National Hemophilia Foundation 2006. National Hemophilia Foundation. 11 November 2008. <http://www.emedicine.com/MED/topic2392.htm>.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” is a quote from Patrick Henry’s famous speech to the Virginia Convention; even though George W. Bush did not use this line specifically, when he spoke to the Americans about war in his post-nine-eleven speech the ideas that were the base of his speech were the same as Henry’s; they both wanted to convince their people that war was both inevitable and necessary. Henry’s goal was to prove to the people that there was no other choice but war, and that their freedoms were being taken away by an English monarchy that saw them more as an insolent child, than a civilized and educated populous. Much like Henry, Bush tried to convince the American people that all other options had been for naught and now they must go to war; the al Qaida had taken our basic right to safety, and by doing so they are taking away our freedom to live care-free. Patrick Henry also mentioned in his speech that the English monarchy had dishonored the colonists in many ways; ways that include, but that are not limited to, the monarchy making slaves out of the colonists, the monarchy has ignored their attempts of reconciliation, and the monarchy has forced the colonists to subject themselves to ridiculous laws. Bush also listed his grievances against his enemy, the al Qaida and their terrorist regime, by mentioning that the al Qaida has brutally massacred our people, the al Qaida has tried to put fear into our hearts, and that the al Qaida has destroyed the safety of our homeland. Both Bush and Henry said they supported the war and that they would do anything for their people: Henry says “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death” and Bush says, “I will not forget this wound to our country or those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people.”; in each of the quotes both speakers are trying to convince their people that there is nothing that cannot be sacrificed for the good of their country, and that they are willing to give up everything in their power to do so. Overall, both are trying to convince their audience that war is going to happen and that the people should support it.

     Is there such thing as a proper prostitute, a holy hooker, or a darling demimondaine?  Not likely.  Throughout history there have always been men in need of courtesans, and the courtesan’s job has not changed much over the centuries.  But, there are some differences between past harlots and the more recent ones. Harlots, like Mary Magdalene who was alive during the time of Christ, were strong willed and knew right from wrong, but as time progressed modern-day harlots formed. Abigail Williams, from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, is the ideal example of a latter-day harlot; Abigail is stubborn, and more concerned with self-indulgence than what is proper and pure.  Similarly, Mary and Abigail were both courtesans in the stories they starred in, they both fell in love with men who were destined to die, and they each had their lives saved when their condemned lover died; however, they each handled their paramour’s death differently, just like they dealt with their accusation of harlotry differently.

     Mary Magdalene was called “the town harlot” and was frequently looked down upon (Luke 7:36-39). Mary of Madala was a regretful and penitent sinner; she wept with Christ and cleansed his feet by rubbing in luxurious perfume with her hair (Luke7: 36-39).  Mary also gave Christ a rich alabaster jar of perfume; although expensive perfume may seem like a generous gift, perfume during that time period was only owned by meretricious women, and Mary’s gift was considered base by Christ’s other disciples (Mathew 26:6-7). Abigail Williams was also quite the erring woman; she even tried to convince Proctor that their affair was alright and that she wants him back: “grasping his hand before he can release her: John–I am waitin’ for you every night” (Miller 14).  Unlike Mary, Abigail did not care “whatever sin it [was]” that she was committing by being adulterous (15); Abigail never regretted her actions because she thought they were done out of “love” (15).

     Not only were like in their harlotry, but they both fell in love with men whose fate was to die prematurely.  Mary was, according to many early Gnostic texts and ancient Nag Hammadi texts *, frequently kissed by Jesus, and often called his “beloved”; there is no mention of them being wed, which made this affection immoral.  According to the Gospel of Philip, an apocryphal text, the translation indicates that Mary and Jesus were sexual partners.  The Gospel of Mary also portrays Mary being in love with Jesus.  As most know, Jesus did not live a long life and die of “natural causes”; instead, he was crucified by Pontius Pilot, which obviously caused great pain to Mary.  Abigail also had a premarital affair; she even had intercourse with John Proctor “behind [his] house and [he] sweated like a stallion” (14).  Abigail told John that she wanted him to give her “a soft word,” and that she believes he still “love[s]” her.  Abigail loves John and he used to feel the same.  Although Abigail is bitter she is still devastated when her lover dies, by being hanged. Mary and Abigail were both forced to endure their lovers’ deaths, which is one of many things they have in common.  

     According to the Christian doctrine when Jesus died he saved the world from death and damnation by ensuring eternal life.  So, by connection, Jesus saved Mary’s life.  Mary was saved through the death of her lover. Much like Mary, Abigail also had to suffer through the death of her lover.  Also like Mary, Abigail was saved through the death of her paramour, John. When John died he was hanged for witchcraft; unlike many others he did not confess to having “seen the Devil”, because he knew if he did the death of his neighbors would continue.  So, when Proctor was hanged, and did not mention the names of any of his neighbors; he hoped that by not saying anything he would stop the death and save lives: “I have three children–how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” (62). Proctor clearly understands that his admittance of being a witch will accurse others; so, Proctor saves his friends by not complying.  Jesus and Proctor connect Mary and Abigail in yet another way, by forcing them to live through the same experience of losing a loved one so that they may live.

     After Jesus’ death Mary was changed.  She felt it necessary to become a teacher of his words.  She celebrated his life and told people of the good things that he had done.  Although Mary mourned for Jesus outside his tomb, and came to pay her respects by “[bringing] sweet spices [so] that they might come and anoint [the body]”, she still saw the optimistic side and went off to help people (Mark 16:1).  Proctor’s death affected Abigail much differently than Jesus’ death affected Mary. Proctor’s death caused Abigail to flee; Abigail did not help anyone, instead she left them to die by not confessing that they were not witches.  While Mary saw Jesus’ death as an opportunity to help others, Abigail saw Proctor’s death as her conviction; if John was dead, all of her hope for the future was gone.  Even though Abigail and Mary share similar situations they each handle them differently.

     Mary Magdalene was a known harlot, and when Simon told Jesus of this, Jesus did not care (Luke 7:36-39).  When Jesus’ disciples said that Mary’s gift of perfume to Jesus was unworthy, Jesus said that it was a good use of the perfume, he thanked her and told her she would be well remembered (Mathew 26:1-6).  Mary repented for her old ways of sin and instead followed a purer path, by teaching and helping others.  Abigail, on the other hand, denied ever being John’s concubine; “Proctor, breathless and in agony: It is a whore![…]Abigail: Mr. Danforth, he is lying!” (49).  Instead of doing the right thing and admitting that she was a whore, Abigail lied.  She took the darker path, and condemned most of her town, and her lover, to death.  Mary and Abigail, though they are very similar, handle their accusation very differently.

    Although Mary and Abigail were both leading lovers of important men who were destined to die in order to save their lives, they are different due to their opposing choices in what to do when their paramour died and when they were accused of harlotry.  Mary seems to make decisions that are best for everyone around her, while Abigail makes rash decisions that are only serve the purpose of helping herself.  The similarities between Mary and Abigail show that even though they were prostitutes, they could play an important role in society; Mary’s role was to teach people and Abigail’s role was to kill them.  The differences between Mary and Abigail proves that harlots have changed throughout the ages; Mary knew that her premarital sex was wrong and she frequently asked for forgiveness, but Abigail thought that by saying the sex was out of “love” that the sex became less of a sin somehow, and it somehow became more acceptable (15).  So, there was such a thing as a Holy Hooker, but it was certainly not Abigail Williams.  

*The Gnostic texts and Nag Hammadi are gospels written by disciples; they were found in the mid 1800s, but they were not added to most versions of the Bible. They are often called apocryphal texts.

The Pastor said,

Go home and think,

About what was said tonight,

And how to let the best come out of you.

Then, it will be true.

I muse, is it possible?

I am sixteen, Christian, born in Greenville.

I didn’t go to school there, but Newport, and here

at this school by the shore, overlooking the sound.

I’m not the only Christian student in my class.

The road from the school leads down onto Pearson

Past the Packard’s, and Oliver’s.

Low’s, Davis’s, and come to the sign.

The speed-limit sign, where I take a right.

Up the steps, slip down, and ponder these lines:

It’s not easy to know what is true for you or me

At my age of sixteen. But I guess I am what

I learn, feel, and know, God I want to hear you:

Hear me, know you—we two—you, me, talk on this page.

(I hear temptation too). Me—who?

Well, I like to play, laugh, grow, and be in love.

I like to run, sing, dance, and read about life.

I’d like to see my dad when Christmas comes,

Or family—Lynn, Luella, or Lloyd.

I guess being a Christian doesn’t make me NOT like,

The same things as others like who are of different doctrines.

So will these thoughts show that I have faith?

Being me, it will not be pagan.

But it will be

A part of the Lord, my God.

He is holy—

Yet a part of me, as I am a part of him.

That’s Christianity.

Sometimes I don’t want to be a part of him.

But he always wants to be a part of me.

And we are, that’s true!

As I learn from him,

I guess others learn from me–

Although I’m imperfect—and sinful—

But somewhat more free.

Those are my thoughts on Christianity.