For some time, Hetty Shephard felt trapped inside her home because she was not allowed out in fear of outside dangers, such as violent Indians. On June 19, 1676, she wrote "My heart longs sorely for the ocean, and all day I am weary of staying in the house." In the North Shore, times are rarely "perilous" and it's difficult to imagine what it would be like to have to stay home in order to be safe. However, a short drive to inner city Chicago transports us to a different world, where simply walking the streets can be extremely dangerous. Gang violence has become such a large problem, and has cost so many innocent children their lives, that many children and adults are now reluctant to leave their homes. I found an article detailing the sentiments of these Chicago children, and one fifth grader says 'I feel like a prisoner because I usually can't go outside.'
In order to ameliorate the situation, after school programs, sports teams, and church groups for youth have been formed, not only to get kids off the streets, but to give them a sense of belonging. Gang violence is one of many problems making times in the inner city "perilous," so many kids join gangs to obtain support and protection to help them cope with their problems. However, organized programs provide an alternative that gives kids a group to look to to help them deal with the times.
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2 comments:
michelle- this is a really good point and is so true. in present day society there are "perils" such as this that connect to Hetty Shepherd and the Puritans. I just have one thing that would be helpful if you could address: If our society is taking action towards alleviating this stress of leaving the house, why didn't the Puritans do something to lessen the stress of just flat out being a Puritan? Why did they have to continue living with anxiety? I doubt you can answer that because its a pretty loaded question, but its something worth thinking about.
That was a great connection!! After reading the article, the author mentioned that the kids feel "safer in school than at home." I considered whether or not church was the equivellant to school for the puritans. It provided them with a refuge from the Roman Catholic Church and also from the indians they considered to be associated with the devil. This is similar to the inner-city school kids turning to the school to protect them from the guns and gangs. In either case, both groups felt safer when in a community setting and in an organized system. Just some food for thought!
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