Response 3: "Come over and help us"

Another aspect of the book that fascinated me was his allusion to the Massachusets bay Colony seal. The seal depicts a native american man, saying, "Come over and help us." This symbol signifies how the Massachussets bay colonists believed that the natives "needed" them to give them education, christianity, and other things they believed were essential to life.

Because of this belief, they tried to make friends with the natives, not so that they could be allies or so they could understand each other's culture, but so that they could force their own customs upon them. How kind of them. They also wanted to kill them and take their land as well, but we'll leave out that fact because there weren't enough settlers in America to do that yet.

This is another one of the points that Sarah Vowell makes which I agree with. And she goes on to say that in recent times, America still wants to "help" other countries to make them more like us. Like Iraq. If they were a democracy like us they wouldn't be the way they are, dagnabbed!

This all shows how Americans seem to think that it is our destiny to spread our culture around the world. It seems very bad, but it's true. And the world would definitely be so much better if other people just polluted and got obese like us, wouldn't it?

Response 2: The City on the Hill

In the book, The Wordy Shipmates, there is a lot mentioned about a certain analogy made by John Winthrop, that they should be as "A city on the hill." this image of power that he gives to those coming to America is a strong one, but not necessarily a true one. I wonder if it is such a good idea to use this, however much hope it might give to the newcomers, since overconfidence is never a truly good thing.

The settlers that were coming to America had no idea what was ahead of them. The grueling hours of backbreaking work would erase much of their hope, but Winthrop hoped that they would remain confident. He planted a grand image in their mind, giving them the hope that someday they would become part of a great society, and their children would someday be men whom the world looked up to. This may have helped them settle America, but the overconfidence later overshadows that easily.

In recent times, we are a "city on the hill", but that doesn't mean that we are looked upon fondly. We know about our own flaws, acknowledging that we are the leading country in obesity, pollution, and economic trouble, but refusing to do anything about it. On top of that, we all seem to have an idea in our heads that America is a great place, and is right in all conflicts or arguments. Even I myself feel it, though I know it's completely wrong.

Is our confidence in ourselves making us stronger, or is it just an excuse for all of our terrible mistakes that we don't want to fix?

Response 1: When Words Change their Ordinary Meanings

"In these times, words begin to change their ordinary meanings. Reckless audacity came to be considered the courage of a loyal ally. Prudent hesitation was called 'unhumanly cowardice'"

-Thucydites, on the Peloponnesian war, 427 BCE

For millennia, many have debated about the true meaning behind the sacred book known as The Bible. It's name, in Latin, means "The Book", and it is revered by many as the word of god himself. the bible contains many messages, and all of them have some goodness in them, but they can be interpreted in many different ways. This concept is explained well throughout the book, The Wordy Shipmates, especially through the ten commandments.

For one example, the commandment which states that one must respect their father has been seen in many ways. It can be taken literally, as an argument for one to listen to one's elders and to one's parents, but in the Group of ministers at the Massachusetts Bay Colony, they explained to others that it meant one should give respect and trust (and unquestionable obedience) to their higher authority, specifically them. The words of the bible which are clearly geared towards respecting elders in one opinion have been changed to encourage the rule of the government over the people, and a rule through religion.

If the bible is being used in this many ways, I cannot fathom how angry god must be if he truly wrote this book. Men have taken the text he wrote, and have changed it's meaqning to satisfy their own desires. By simply manipulating the words as written to their meaning, these men claim to have god almighty at their side, supporting them.

What is the point of having the bible if it is only going to be changed to fit our desires, rather than followed in order to better ourselves?