A Mid-summer Night's Dream Logs

Act III Sc i

-“Well, we will have such prologue, and it shall be written in eight and six” : denominates the meter of the verse
- There will be two prologues where they mention that Pyramus won’t die and that the lion won’t be real.- “These are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisbe that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself, which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?”- “Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?”- Robin arrives and transforms Bottom’s head in a ass head.- Titania falls in love with Bottom´



Act III Sc ii
“Capatain of our fairy band,Helena is here at hand,And the youth mistook by me,Pleading for a lover’s fee.Shall we their fond pageant see?Lord, what fools these mortals be!” (112-117)- Pun: “The hate I bear thee made me leave thee so?” (195)- Lysander loves Helena: “Helen I love thee. By my life, I do” (258)- Demetrius as well loves Helena: “I say I love thee more than he can do” (261)- Helena loves Demetrius- Hermia loves Demetrius - Hermia thinks Helena is a “thief of love” because she stole Demetrius’ love to her.“O me! (To Helena) You juggler, you cankerblossom,You thief of love! What, have you come by nightAnd stol’n my loves heart from him?” (296-298)-turns into a sort of love square
Demetrius loves Helens, Helena Loves Demetrius, Lysander loves Helena, and no one loves Hermia
- Helena and Hermia fight for Demetrius’ love.
- Athenian Lovers and Fairies occupy the stage simulaneously.
- Lysander and Demetrius have a duel for Helena's love (both switch their love from Hermia to Helena).
- Here we start to see the repercussions of the potion which was previously used to provoke a confusion amongst the four Athenian lovers.
We can see aggresive effects between Hermia and Helena.- Hermia threatens Helena to scratch out her eyes.
- Lysander and Demetrius vow to protect Helena from Hermia.
- Helena runs away from Hermia, while she disappears.
- Oberon sends Robin Goodfellow to prevent Demetrius and Lysander from fighting.
- He leaves them in a confusion, and consequently applies the nectar on Lysander's eyes while he is asleep.
"And the country proverb known,That every man should take his own,In your waking shall be shown.Jack shall have Jill;Naught shall go ill;The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well" (487-492).





Act IV Sc i
- Act IV of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is very different to the previous three acts of the play. Why? In the three first ones, Shakespeare emphasized on introducing the different characters (the royalty, the craftsmen, and the fairies) and the conflict amongst them. These conflicts seem to be centered in the love triangle or square between the four Athenian Lovers.
- Titania shows her love towards Bottom, who is still an ass head, “O, how I love thee! How I dote on thee!” (46).- This creates a feeling of jealousy on Oberon who takes advantage of her being asleep to undo the effect of the love potion.-
Effectively, Titania wakes up wondering why she was sleeping with a donkey head like Bottom.- They mention the lark here, “Fairy king, attend and mark. I do hear the morning lark” (97-98), which reminds me of Romeo and Juliet where Romeo says he hears the morning lark so he must go, but, Juliet says she hears the nightingale. These two birds symbolize the contrast between day and night.
- Thenceforth, Robin Goodfellow applies a charm on Bottom which repairs his ass head and brings back his normal face.
- After this, we can see how the scene divides by the fairies exiting, and by Theseus, Hippolyta, and Egeus entering.
- They find the Athenian Lovers lying asleep and wake them up to question them their story, which for them was partly real, it was only a dream. The only aspect that is clear for everyone is that Demetrius and Helena love other, such as Lysander and Hermia do.
- When they leave, Bottom wakes up and tells the crowd that he just had a dream. In this part of the play is where we start to see the relevance of its content with the title. Especially with the plot of the Athenian Lovers we see how dreams have an effect on the events, and how these are connected to all the odd events that happen in the forest. As well, with the intervention of dreams and magic in the play, Shakespeare tries to make things happen without a clear explanation, because in the long run, magic and dreams are unexplainable.
“The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report what my dream was” (220-224).
Here we see how dreams are unexplainable and indescribable that man cannot see, taste nor conceive.

Act IV Sc ii

- All the actors are united before the start of the play and the see that Bottom is missing
- “Have you sent to Bottom’s house? He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt he is transported.”
- As soon as they are going to start to get dressed up and be ready to present the play Bottom arrives. This really is like the typical plot of a sport movie that their best player is missing and as soon as the referee is going to start the match the player arrives.



Act V Sc i

The Act opens with Theseus and Hippolyta discussing the previous events concerning the four Athenian lovers, caused by magical “love potions”.
- Theseus doesn’t believe Hippolyta because he argues that darkness and love excite the imagination, “The lunatic, the lover, and the poet are of imagination all compact” (8-9).
- Hippolyta replies, “But all the story of the night told over, and all their minds transfigured so together” (24-25).
- When the lovers arrive, Shakespeare uses Theseus in order to connect the two substories of the play, the one of the craftsmen and the one of the royals. Hence, Theseus proposes the lovers that a perfect way to end this harsh conflict would be by watching a performance of the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe.
- The comments that Egeus makes about the play of the craftsmen reflect discrimination towards them since he judges the play for the social status of its actors.
- However, Theseus says that eventhough the craftsmen are of a lower social class, their intentions of making a good work will make the play worth of being seen.
“For never anything can be amissWhen simpleness and duty tender it” (88-89)
.- As the play within the play demonstrates being a clumsy performance of the actual myth of Pyramus and Thysbe, it ends being a comedy rather than a tragedy, both for the audience and the reader.
- Highlighted by Quince’s mediocre prologue, full of pauses and abrupt sentences, he changes completely the meaning of it to the height of making it say the opposite: “We do not come, as minding to content you, our true intent is. All for your delight we are not here. That you should here repent you” (119-122).
- At this point, Shakespeare leaves the play within the play aside and takes the reader to the context of the fairies, where Puck, Oberon and Titania end the story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by saying to the audience that they shall remember the events of the play as only a dream.
“Sent with broom before,To sweep the dust behind the door” (406-407).“If we shadows have offended,Think but this and all is mended:That you have but slumbered hereWhile these visions did appear” (440-444).
- Puck ends the play extending the barriers between reality and the world of magic. He insinuates the audience to remember A Midsummer Night’s Dream only as a dream.

AMND Log Act IV Sc ii

Act IV Sc ii

- All the actors are united before the start of the play and the see that Bottom is missing
- “Have you sent to Bottom’s house? He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt he is transported.”
- As soon as they are going to start to get dressed up and be ready to present the play Bottom arrives. This really is like the typical plot of a sport movie that their best player is missing and as soon as the referee is going to start the match the player arrives.

The Tao Of Harry Potter

Felipe Palacios
Pre-Ap English
December 9, 2008

The Tao Of Harry Potter


“Harry, after you are able to finish Voldemort, what will you do in life”? asked Ron
“First Ron I have to kill him. After, When I have done my goal and no more evil will be near me and my friends, I would probably try to change the world to make it a better place for everyone.” Said Harry
“Harry what about us, we have been your friends in all your life, are you just going to leave us behind? Asked Hermione
Harry thought of this question and relized that evil will pursuit him everywhere he went “Guys you two have always been there for me but, evil will always be on my back and I do not want to risk youre lives.” Said Harry
“Come on Harry we will always be there for you and will be with you in all challenges.” Said Ron “ Harry and about what you said earlier do you really think that three wizards are going to be able to clean up all the world of evil?”
“Well I am not hundred percent sure we will make it but we can try our best.” Said Harry
I am leaning more to the side that we will not be able to change it because life has its own way and things will fall in to place. I think we can’t interfere with destiny but we will try.” Said Hermione
“I have always though since little that things happen because they are meant to happen. For example if you do not want to go to a place in your whole life, but you are meant to go you will eventually go even if you do not notice that you have been taken there.” Said Ron
Harry though about this for a while and then responded “What if we go and ask the creators of heaven and earth?”
“Harry they are not part of us, they are of the unknown realm and we belong to the ten thousand things” said Hermione
“Hermione is correct the gods belong to an unknown and unborn realm, one that is used but never filled up, there people are unborn and therefore never die. In the other hand we are in earth where there is beauty because everything is ugly, we have to accept out reality as humans and be humble to the great things that are unknown.” Said Ron
“In that case what you are saying is that as humans we can’t do anything to be better?” asked Harry
“Of course we can, but we can’t do anything to change the way of the world.” said Hermione
“What is the way of the world?” asked Harry
“It is how thing will happen and we can’t do anything about it. It is the Tao of the World and Gods” said Hermione
“Then, how are we supposed to be good? Asked Harry
“you can be good by being a fair and just ruler.” Said Ron
“Also by meditating deep into the heart.” Said Hermione
“You may sometimes need to suffer to become better, but the sufferings are a way for the human nature to become better.” Said Ron
“Ron I would never have thought that you could explain the principles of life so well” said Hermnione
“Are you saying that I do not know how to live?” asked Harry
“Harry do you boast and brag about some of your qualities? Asked Ron
“Sometimes” said Harry
“If you do not boast you will receive recognition, if you do not quarrel no one will quarrel with you.” Said Ron
“Harry a very important thing you have to remember always knowing when to stop averts trouble. If you sharpen something too much it will blunt. If you fill a cup too much it will spill, so then knowing when to stop is essential to live.” Said Hermione
Thank you guys I think now I know how to live better and will use your teachings to guide my life.” Said Harry

The Way Of Go

The game of Go is a game where you need a lot of strategy to win. First you need to know all the rules that are complicated to learn. After thirty minutes of play I realized that the strategies you have to learn are not as hard but they are so many that they are hard to remember. First you need patience to keep on defending yourself until you find the right time and moment to counter attack. This game is different from other games like parches and chess because you can’t go directly and attack your opponent, you have to build your attack slowly and wait for the right moment. Also you have to always be one step ahead than your opponent. In that way you can attack him by surprise and win. I also learned the rule of Ko that is when it becomes eternal and no one can win until one forgets about the Ko. This game also is won by not really wanting to get your opponent until you get your chance to do it.

Tao Te Ching 13-28: How is the Tao?

Tao is a state of the mind and the body. When you do not need any material stuff to survive then you have reached the Tao. The Tao also teaches us that when you most need something it will come. “When the country is confused and in chaos, loyal ministers appear.”ch18 This can really be associated with the theme of destiny. If things come when you need them then it means the same as destiny. Things will come to happen is what the Tao says us. One example of this is when Obama came into power. Obama came into power in a time where the economy is in a very big crisis. It is said that all good presidents of the US have taken power in harsh times, so it might be destiny for presidents to be good if they are elected during bad times. A concept that I see in the Tao as well as in The Bible is the enduring of hard tests to become a better person. We saw this in The Bible when God sends his disease on Job or when he sends Abraham to kill his son. Now in the Tao we can also see that teaching “Accept disgrace willingly, accept misfortune as the human condition”ch13 these tests can be taken in two ways one way is a way to get better and stronger by passing that test. If you are very greedy and you want to become more generous maybe there is a time when you have to ask for money to someone and you discover generosity. Then you become more generous so you passed the test and now you are a better person. The second way that you can take these tests is in a bad way. You can take them in a form of punishment and a way how the Tao and God want to make you suffer. The way you chose depends on your way of thinking if you look for the bright side of everything or prefer to look for the negative side of everything.

Tao Te Ching 1-12: The Way Of The Tao

The way of the Tao is a combination of rules and conducts that lead you to the true way of the Tao. The Tao teaches us to use but not to use all. “The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used but never filled.”ch4 What I think that the Tao way is trying to tell us is to be able to use something without getting obsessed or depend on it. For example if you eat a hot dog and like it a lot and start eating it everyday you will eventually get bored of it. Another concept that the Tao expressed is the fact that all living things will eventually die. “Heaven and earth last forever. Why do they last forever? They are unborn.” Ch7 What I got from this maxim was that everything that lives will eventually die so all living things on earth have a beginning and an end. The chapter that I most liked was chapter eight. Chapter eight told us how to follow the way of the Tao. “In ruling, be just” ch8 this is one of the basic rules of all civilizations and religions to be just and fair. I think that today some people are treated unequally, but before there were many more injustices like slavery or sexism. The way of the Tao has simple rules like the ones mentioned in all religions and civilizations, but I think the Tao way emphasizes in the point that do not over use. The Tao says only to use what you need “Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow. Retire when the work is done. This is the way of heaven.”Ch9 I really agree with the concept of retire when the work is done. One movie that reminds me of this is Hannibal. In this movie the main character kills all the people that killed her sister, but after this he goes on killing people. First I do not agree with him killing the persons, but it can be seen as eye for eye, tooth for tooth. But when he starts killing people that have nothing to do with what they did to her sister is now going off the job.

Count And Non Count Exercises

Count and Noncount Nouns Part 1
Exercise 1

world c textbook c acid c smoking n poetry n applause c thought d
banana c conduct n progress n biology n essay c crystal c shopping n
Exercise 2
Defense x beauty x garbage experience x baggage
rain rug nature x bage motion x

Exercise 3
Diabetes: Beyond the Basics
Because diabetes can cause devastating damage to virtually all body systems. people with diabetes should not underrate the seriousness of their disease. Learning to live with a chronic illness such as diabetes must be an ongoing process.
The Hospital's Center for Family Life Education is sponsoring a five-part educational series on diabetes. The series will begin on April 30 and continue through May 29. The programs will be held in the second floor classroom of the Education Center from 7-9 p.m.
The diabetes series is free and open to the public and will be of specific interest to people who have diabetes and their families and friends.
Exercise 4
a table these person x this furniturethat assignment a boy
the poetrya difficulty xa research this eggs x those argument x

Exercise 5
The Computer Jungle
Though you can make __a__ decision on purely economic grounds, buying __a__ computer is often more like joining __a__ religious cult. Buy __an__ Apple, for example, and almost by default you join Apple chairman Steve Jobs in his crusade against IBM. Every machine has its "users' groups" and ____ band of loyal enthusiasts who tout its merits. That makes it all ____ more difficult for __an__ uninitiated to decide what machine to buy. Students have __a__ huge advantage, however. The computer companies are so eager for students' business (it builds "brand loyalty") that many offer huge discounts.
In the past six months, IBM, Apple, and others have brought out new computers, and __a__ fierce competition has forced prices down. Also, time is on your side: next year at __a__ time you'll have even more choice and more computing power and features for __the__ same price. On __the__ other hand, this will probably be true for many years. So for those who need or want __a__ computer now, it's a great time to buy one.



Part 2

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9. few
10. little

The Confucian Way

The Goodness is more a way than being just a good person. Goodness is more a combination of virtues that make a true gentleman. These ideas I forgot to mention in my first blog. The first time I read this I talked about this story in a more literal way that explains how the Master talks with his disciples and how he teaches them to be good. Now this time that I reread this I found new meanings and things in this analect. I understand that the Master explains that persons need to really want things and not to be interested because they will be considered better. “Those who are good feel in home in Goodness, whereas those who are clever follow Goodness because they feel that they will profit from it.” 4, 2 The Master also shows that the way of the Good is the way that people also need to be conservative. “In serving your parents you may gently remonstrate with them.” 4, 18 The Master also says that the rituals are to be respected and always done. This sounds a very conservative society where you have to do the rituals and serve your parents. What I could understand by the Confucian Way is that it is very conservative and it teaches you how to be a good person.

Spelling Exercises

1. Where is my jacket? I wanted to wear it today, and if I can't find it, we’re going to be late
2. Jane wanted to go on the school trip, but her mother said two hundred dollars was too much for the family budget.
3. As she waited for Rodney to become conscious, Selma was seized with an attack of conscience—was there anything she could have done to prevent it.
4. The map led the intrepid treasure hunters to a lead box of precious stones.
5. Have you seen their coats? They’re going to need them it is cold outside. I last saw the coats over there.
6. After conducting careful research, Shufang had a brilliant idea she'd write a paper on Thomas More's concept of the ideal society in Utopia.
7. Even though Bob would rather play video games than study, he decided to hit the books and then play some Halo.
8. It’s easy to admire a corporation that puts so much effort in creating its signs and window displays.
9. You’re fortunate to have survived the car crash without a scratch; it must have been because you were wearing your seat belt.
10. I would advice you to seek qualified legal advise on how to handle the situation.

Confucius Essential 15,17,18: The Master Is A Person Willing Always To Learn

The Master is a teacher that constantly teaches his pupils and disciples to be each day better. This reminds me of a Mother or a Father that are constantly trying to teach their children to be good. In one part the Master tells his pupils “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire,” 15, 24 I think that this is one of the basic rules of humanity and you are always taught this by your parents when you are little. In that way the Master is similar to the parents that one might have. He can also be different in one way because the Master does not accept a person that is not willing to learn, but parents always have to accept their children even if they have some problems.
Another aspect of the Master is that he is always willing to learn. He is like a person that can’t get enough of something. Normally if you have too much of something and too frequently you will eventually get bored, but the Master is always willing to learn more and more. He even states “Loving Goodness, without balancing it with love for learning will result in the vice of foolishness.” 17, 8 what I could interpret from this is that one must never completely give up on something because if not you will be filled with the other thing. Maybe what The Master is trying to say is that to have a balanced life is good, but to go in extremes like wanting just goodness or just learning could lead to a bad effect.

Confucius Essential 7,8,11: A Person That Finds Good In Every Place And Time

The Master is a person that always looks for good in bad situations. It is hard to get good and knowledge out of bad things but the Master has the ability to find these. A person that can do this has to be a very optimistic person. The Master said “When walking with two other people, I will always find a teacher among them. I focus on those who are good and seek to emulate them, and focus on those who are bad in order to be reminded of what needs to be changed in myself,” 7,23 I really liked this quotation because I did find it commonly in my life. When I am at a big dinner with my parents and their friends I try to copy persons that eat well to look more educated and avoid doing things that people do wrong at the table. A big teaching that I got from the Master is that money is not everything. Through out the analects he constantly repeats that money is not all “Without a thought given to official salary.” 8, 12 I know that money is not all very well, but money is necessary to live because with money is the only way you will be able to buy food. I really do not think that a person can go for a month without thinking about money unless he is a very spiritual person. The master in one moment of analect eleven says that the “heaven has bereft me.” 11, 9 I really see a similarity with what happened with Job when he lost faith or with Elie when he stopped believing in God’s good justice.

Confucius Essential: A Person Full Of Goodness

According to what the master thinks and says a true gentleman is one that is guided by goodness. I really agree with what the master tells its pupils to act as and how. The master sets like some kind of rules, but they don’t seem like rules. He just tries to tell them how should a good person be like and that are his pupil’s standards. This really seems like a way to establish rules without setting limits. Normally you are accustomed that rules are given to you like in boundaries and with commands, but here the master shows us a way that is not that way but a more kind and better way. I personally believe that if you tell a person to behave themselves with bad words and roughly it is harder to convince him than if you are more kind and helpful with them.
People are always been taught this one phrase “What I do not wish other to do unto me, I also wish not to do unto others.” 5.12. What this means is that you should not do to others what you do not want them to do to you. I think this rule goes beyond the literal. This phrase or rule must be one of the first rules of humanity because without it world would be chaos everyone doing what they want. This phrase I think it was done for people to be able to make good in all their decisions but also was some ay to rule the people. The master says to never have found a person full of goodness. I think this is a state that can’t be determined by someone else. Only one knows if he or she has been good in every aspect. It can’t be measured by anyone or by anything because it depends on your effort out of the whole you can do.

Obama's Victory Speech

Obama acceptance speech

“He states that the states will not be blue and red, but they will always be the United States of America.” I think this is demonstrative because Obama states that they are not separated, he states that they are united and are the United States of America.

“Senator McCain has endured longer for America.” Obama uses Logos when he starts talking about McCain because he talks of the good things he has done.

“Our campaign didn’t start with many endorsements, or money. It was built from hard working people by giving us 10 to 20 dollars.” He uses pathos to think that their campaign was hard and that people were in hard times but still helped.

The body language that Obama shows is an enthusiastic language that gets the people gathered around him motivated and exited. I think in this speech He talks more about the problems the nation is suffering and saying thanks to all the people that supported him. Obama also managed to make the people get chanting and motivated but not in an informal way. He managed by just saying the things he will do and he doesn’t change voice or anything he is just so good at persuasive speeches that he gets the people to support him easily.

Job And Night: If Hope Is Lost Why Live?

Job is a man that was once privileged and had a lot of power and had God on his side, but in one moment where he receives that disease from God he gives up on God and starts to think that the life of the wicked and the ones that don’t believe in God is a good life. In Night Eliezer is also faced with a challenge that tests his hope and faith. He once was a normal Jewish person who had a family and a good life, but when the Nazi’s invaded them he had to go to concentration camps. He also as Job starts to stop being so loyal to God and to think that he had abandoned them. If we compare the situations where Job and Eliezer are put and lose faith in God we can find some similarities and differences. Job was in his house, he had food and water and was tortured by his disease. Job had support from his friends and that was very important. In the other hand Eliezer was in concentration camp where everything was bad and wrong. He only had his father and was being tortured by his keepers and sometimes by his companions. Eliezer gives up God in the beginning of his life in the concentration camps. We see that he no longer felt the divine presence of God and his help. He said “But I had ceased to pray. How I sympathized with Job! I did not deny God’s existence, but I doubted his absolute justice.” pg 42 so we see that he no longer feels God in his side. Job starts to feel the same and each day he starts to look at the life of wicked people like a good life. I think these two books are really similar because they show how sometimes you can give up on hope and on faith on harsh times, but with people that still have something to live for managed to survive the harsh times. Eliezer’s motivation was his father and Job was his friends and the hope to live one day more. They might be different in the setting of time and events, but the main theme of hope and faith are present in both books.

Presidential Debate Fallacies

Presidential debate Fallacies

McCAin- “Is it expensive? Yes. But we all know, my friends, until we stabilize home values in America, we're never going to start turning around and creating jobs and fixing our economy. And we've got to give some trust and confidence back to America.”
This can be a circular reasoning fallacy because the main problem is that the economical status is getting worse. If they use the money on houses there will be no money for jobs nor to fix the economy, the same would happen if they use the money for jobs or for fixing the economy.

McCain- “But you know, they're the ones that, with the encouragement of Sen. Obama and his cronies and his friends in Washington, that went out and made all these risky loans, gave them to people that could never afford to pay back.”
I find this like begging the question because Mcain is not really asked who is guilty but how are they going to help them so he doesn’t really answer the question and starts accusing that could be the next safe spot.

Obama- “And Sen. McCain during that period said that we should keep on deregulating because that's how the free enterprise system works. Now, with respect to Fannie Mae, what Sen. McCain didn't mention is the fact that this bill that he talked about wasn't his own bill. He jumped on it a year after it had been introduced and it never got passed. And I never promoted Fannie Mae. In fact, Sen. McCain's campaign chairman's firm was a lobbyist on behalf of Fannie Mae, not me.” This is sort of Non Causa Pro Causa, because Obama’s cause for the problem is not really the cause of the problem In other words him not supporting Fannie Mae is not the cause of the problem.

Obama- “Well, look, I understand your frustration and your cynicism, because while you've been carrying out your responsibilities -- most of the people here, you've got a family budget. If less money is coming in, you end up making cuts. Maybe you don't go out to dinner as much. Maybe you put off buying a new car. That's not what happens in Washington. And you're right. There is a lot of blame to go around.”
This is hasty generalization because not all people put off buying a car and stop going to dinners because some people are corrupt and steal the money from taxes. Also I think that there are some people in Washington that are also suffering of this economical problem so he is generalizing

Job 10-38: Is There A Superior Being Than God?

From the story of Job I could receive various teachings. First I saw that perseverance has to be a value that you have to have very strong in your life because if not things might be harder to bear. In the case of Job he had a lot of perseverance at the beginning, but then started to give up on his hope. He starts to also give up on God and to talk good about the life of the wicked. I think that three things will be very hard to lose in your whole life that is family support, hope, and belief in your superior being. Your family will almost always be there for you except if you lose them or if you fight with them. God and hope will never be lost because God is always there with you and hope is something you control so you can always have it. Job’s friends really try to bring him up and that brought to my mind what real good friends are. Real friends are not friends that are just with you for your friends, your house or your money, they are there for you to help you, to be with you in the good and bad times, and those are real friends that are worth your friendship. But then Job defies God by thinking that he is superior. “Thinkest thou this this to be right, that thou sadist, my righteousness is more than God’s,”Job 35, 2 so we can see that Job is thinking himself superior than God. Job was one of God’s favorites but then thinks he is greater than God? This sounds like the story of Lucifer when he though he was better than God. Could there be a superior being or species than God?

Job 38-42: The Believer That Returns To Believe

Job has stopped to believe in God. He has given up his will and power to keep hope and faith on God. But then God shows himself and talks with Job, and reveals all that he has done in the earth. This part where Job had given up on something and suddenly starts to believe in it again reminds me of some events that sometimes happen in life. For example you are rooting for a team in a soccer match that is really losing badly. Then you give up on that team and think that the team will lose and there is nothing to do about it, so you turn your TV off. Then when you go to school or to work your friends tell you that your team won, and then you start having faith again and tell yourself that next time you will not turn the TV off. I think that Job got the same teaching from the event with God so he will never give up on God again. Then God punishes the friends that have tried to bring Job up. I did not really understand why God punished them? Or if he just punished them for not convincing him into turn him back into believing in God? In any case I thought this to be kind of unjust because His friends where the ones that were with him in the good and bad times and now they are being punished.

Job 1-10: Are Any Punishments Good?

God has to prove his servants and favored ones to see if they will really follow him trough the hard times. We have seen in past book of the Bible that God has tested his favorites like in the case of Abraham. God told Abraham that he had to kill his son and Abraham was about to kill him when an angel stopped him. Now God starts to test Job to see or proof that he can trust him. Of course God is also tempted by Satan to give these curses to Job, but I think this also will serve to God as a test. Job, on all the curses that God sent down on him, did not curse God and disrespect him. When God sent down a disease onto Job, Job gave up his fight and strength. Job started to stop wanting to live and to curse God. This part really reminded me of a movie that I don’t really remember how it is called, but a female boxer is left on a bed for live due to the outcome of a fight. She tries several times to commit suicide by biting her tongue, but fails. Finally her coach disconnects her because she asked him to and she dies. Job has a similar life to this he says that he has to stay at bed all day and he kind of loses hope. For me hope is the one thing that can’t and should never be lost. Without hope then you don’t have anything to live for. Finally we see that Job has very good friends that try to convince him of changing and to still hope for life and to don’t give up on God. They give him moral support and tell him things like “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth” Job 5, 17 this quote really symbolized for me not like a correction, but a teaching. For example if you are soccer player and an important player like Messi corrects you, you don’t take it like a reprimand, but more like a teaching from the master at the subject. The same happens with God. He is the ultimate goodness and love so if he punishes you, you should take it more like a teaching to be good

Obama Acceptance Speech

Obama in his acceptance speech uses a combination of the three forms of rhetoric. He evokes pathos when he refers to the people that are suffering from the presidential labor of George Bush and from the economical crisis. He uses logos to blame and to state facts that McCain has done or that Bush has done. He also uses ethos to tell the people that they are a better nation than what they have now, and shouldn’t be suffering what they are suffering with economics and the presidential work.




Ethos: “America we are a better country than this.”
“We love this country too much to let there happen what happened in the last 8 years”
“It is time for us to change America”
“We democrats have a very different measure of progress; we measure with jobs, average income, economy that honors dignity of work”


Pathos: “A man in Indiana has to pack up equipment that he has worked on for 20 years and watches it shipped up to China”
“Man who knew that plant was closing up but still worked because he knew that they needed that”
“Mom that worked on night shifts so we could go to school”


Logos: “McCain supports Bush 90% of the time”
“McCain has said that we have become a nation of whiners”


Forensic: “Failure to respond, direct result of broken policies in Washington and failed policies of George W Bush.”

Samuel 2: Respect Towards The Lord

Throughout the second book of Samuel we see that David is a wise king. One clear example of this is that he doesn’t require the blood of his enemies shed, in the contrary when his servants kill his enemies in a brutal way he is smites them. For me death can mean two things one is body death and the other spiritual death. Spiritual death could be for example if they kidnap you and they take away from you some rights of liberty and emotion. For me if you take away from someone their liberty and emotions their soul is dead. Something that was used very commonly throughout this story is “and they smote him under the fifth rib.” Samuel 2 4,6 At first I didn’t really realize why under the fifth rib, but then I started searching for my fifth rib and I realized that it wan near the heart, so this meant that when they smote them under the fifth rib they hit the heart. This could also mean that their soul was killed. One theme that was clearly represented was the theme of respect. This was surely shown when “Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God” Samuel 2 6,6 and then God killed him for touching the sacred ark. This shows how sacred and important God’s ark was. Sometimes I think that as generations pass the punishments become less severe. Before people were put to death if they stole or killed but today they are just sentenced to jail that for me is better than to be dead. Sometimes I wonder if I would be in jail or in another place different if I lived in the past.

Samuel 1: Invincible With God

When David fought with the Philistine named Goliath everyone thought that Goliath would easily win against David. I think that the bible is trying to give us the message that everything in the eyes of God is possible. We already saw something that had all odds against it and even though it happened that was when Abraham and Sarah had a son when they were around 99 years old. This may seem very improbable, but it did happen in the bible. Also David defeated Goliath that was also a very improbable task to accomplish. Even today we see that some miracles happen. When a person is very sick and the doctors have told that person that he will certainly die, we see that sometimes they survive and the only thing that could have saved that person is God. Also we can interpret this win of David as the power of God will always be greater than any of any man. If you have God on your side you will be invincible and have all the power on your side. Another theme that was expressed trough this book of Samuel is the theme of forgiveness. We see that couple of times David has Saul in his hands and could have easily “smitten”Samuel1 30,1 him, but he doesn’t and leaves him at the fate of God. Sometimes it is harder to forgive than anything else in your life. If someone steals from you something that is very valuable and you find out you will be mad. If you get the chance you will steal something back from him, but imagine that you do not steal his valuable item. It would be really hard because he has done the same thing for you and David did it when forgiving Saul’s live.

Exodus 22-35: The Other Side

Throughout Exodus we can see that God shows his hard and feared side. We see at the beginning that he unleashes his wrath in the Egyptians, but as I read this I notice that God shows his vengeful side. When he gives his twelve commandments he threats people that do not follow his laws with death. In today’s society we can see something similar with our judicial system. When people do not follow the law they are put to jail, what in the time of Moses would be equal to death, but death is a very drastically measurement. What happens if you were taken back to that time and without knowing what you are doing you sin? Will you die? This also brings us to a discussion we have today that is if the death sentence is human enough. Personally I don’t like the idea of someone being sentenced to death I think it is a bit barbarian and inhuman, but sometimes people are very bad and sometimes kind of deserve this sentence. God shows that he is partidary to the people that favor him, “but if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.” Exodus 23, 24 Sometimes when I fight with someone and a third person has to intervene and he or she doesn’t favor me I sometimes tend to think that they are partidary of the other person. God also does this to his favorite ones like Moses. We tend to think that God will be impartial and that every aspect of him will be perfect, but here we see his hard and punishing face.

Exodus 16-22: God Our Leader And Savoir

Here we are brought up with the theme of trust. The people of Israel start talking against Moses and Aaron. This was all because they were hungry and were in the wilderness. This brought up in my mind a question. What would I do if I were a person of Israel and was being led by Moses and Aaron? What I would do is to wait and trust them for some while, but if I see that things are getting really bad and we are far away from salvation if we keep following them I would part ways and look for another place. Finally God sends down mana from the heavens. This really shows a direct relationship between humans and God. Humans depend on God. This is clearly seen here because these people were helpless because they couldn’t find food and water and God heard them and sent down mana. Without God we would probably die because he gives us protection and everything we have is thanks to him. The water, the cattle, everything in the world belongs to him because he created this. Also I think God uses the humans as messengers. The people we have seen so far that are the destined one or God’s favorites to spread the word and be safe are: Abraham, Noah, and Moses. Sometimes I wander how would life be without a God? Will we all be as we are today? We as human beings and every living thing in the world depend on God to survive.

Exodus 6-15: Moses The Messenger Of God

God uses his messengers Moses and Aaron to inform the Pharaoh that if he did not free the people of Israel that god would release his wrath on the people of Egypt. The Pharaoh doesn’t believe Moses and Aaron and suffers many consequences, epidemics, and plagues. The Pharaoh never gives in into letting the people of Israel to leave. This reminds me when I sometimes fight with my sister over something for example the channel that we are going to watch in TV and no one wants to give in. So a third force in the bibles cases God and in my case my Mom intervenes and choose one side to win over the other. When we fight for it since no one wants to give in we may lose privileges and things. This can be exactly what happened in the bible but with different characters and different settings. The Pharaoh didn’t give in and many of his people, his cattle, and his land were affected. This seems also like a matter of a person’s fight over dignity. The Pharaoh always seems to surrender to the power of the Lord but he tricks Moses and the Israeli people and stops them from leaving Egypt. “And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.” Exodus 8, 32 This is an example of how us the human race always try to get advantage from people when they give in, but in this particular case things got worst because each time the plagues got stronger and the punishments harder. Finally the people of Israel are freed and are able to leave from Egypt. Perseverance will always win.

Exodus1-5: Are We Different?

Egypt has the people of Israel as their slaves. The king ordered the people that observed the slaves to treat them harder. But the inverse effect happened, “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. “Exodus Ch1 Vs12. Sometimes when I am playing tennis I try play harder and stronger to be able to win, but in that sense I get more fatigued and tired so then I lose. This shows how sometimes in life you try to do something that you think that will have a perfect effect, but as soon as you do it the effect that happens is the contrary of what you thought that would happen. When Moses goes to the sacred mountain to talk to God he starts to wonder why the flame appears but the tree in which the flame is at doesn’t consume itself. This shows how the human race sometimes doesn’t believe what they are told, but they have to see what they have been told to truly believe it. In the Old Testament people seem to live a lot more than any normal person today. I wonder why this difference in years happens. Could it be that time was measured in a different way at that time? Can people live that long? If people were so healthy at that time that they lived so long, why do us live so short compared to them? One guess I could think of that explains this is that God was with those humans always so that when they had diseases he cured them and they lived longer.

Genesis Ch 17-24: Young Version Or This Version

As I read through Genesis I try to compare this version of the Bible to the version that we are taught when little. In the one we were taught when little there are some differences for example in the King James Bible they mention that Abraham had a son with the maid that was named Ishmael and then another with Sarah named Isaac. In the version we read when we are young we only know that he had son with Sarah. Also when Lot and his two daughters were in the cave the daughters tried to have sons with him to keep his name alive. They manage to achieve this after they make him drink wine. When two people so close together have sons their sons may have mental or physical disabilities. I sometimes wander if in these cases there are some exceptions or every time someone close has relations the son will have problems?

Genesis Ch10-16: How did we get to where we are

God spread people from the city of Babel around the world. They all spoke the same language and had the same beliefs it seemed “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. Genesis ch11 vs1” I think that the world would be very different if all the people in the world had the same language and culture. One new aspect could be that the world would be very united because since everyone had the same background and culture well problems would be very little but everyone would be more like the same like a prototype. It wouldn’t be as fun because everyone are very similar. With difference in the world there might be more problems but it is more fun, more open and different. Sometimes I wonder if other worlds do exist. If there would be other worlds how would they be? Could there be a person the same as me but with different personalities? Different physical attributes? I also sometimes think that if there is this other parallel world it would be good because due to this global warming and that the earth will no longer be livable in, it would be good because we can go and live in this other place which will be habitable.

Cycle Of Human Destiny

God and Adam

God and the human communicate
And God tells him not to eat from the tree of knowledge.
The human, as always is defying and ate.
And God got mad with human and left his life hanging on an edge.

The human was helpless without him,
And started to try to regain trust,
But God was still mad and therefore ignored him.
The human started to rust

And after some while his generations also started to die.
After the world started also to disappear,
And the remaining humans had to look for another earth to not die
But they couldn’t find it and passed away, and in another place appeared.

Genesis Ch 3-9: The Salvation And Temptation Of Humanity

Cain and Abel is a story that can have many meanings. One that one can kill from jealousy because “The LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering.” Genesis 3 and Cain “slew” Genesis 3 Abel. Another meaning this story can have is the fight between two kinds of persons that are supposed to be the same and come from the same mother. This can be found present in some families where the siblings don’t get along very well and the family is not too close together. Also this story could show how the human race is destroying itself. The life span of people before was very great they all lived past the 100 years which today ii is very rare to see a person that is past 100 years old. I think as generations pass life span will continue to decrease due to global warming, the loss of water, and the fact that the air would be less available. I think that as time passes health conditions will improve until some point were medicine studies reach their highest point but then will start to decrease because food will not be able to feed everyone, and other effects of global warming. I think it is very hard to have to destroy a creation you have made and are very proud of because you have put a lot of time and effort into it to just see that it didn’t work. I think that happened to God when he saw that the earth was filled with violence and had to destroy everything in it with a flood except (Noah’s ark). Sometimes you are doing something and then having to undo it is when you are going to hand in a project for a class. You work hard and give it a good effort but when you are going to turn it in the teacher says it is wrong and you have to destroy it and do another one all over again.


Assuaged: to lessen the intensity of
http://www.merriam-webster.com/

The Birth Of A New World: Genesis 1-2

The Making Of King James Bible Ch 11

When they were making of the King James Bible they started by gathering intellectuals from the entire kingdom to redact the bible. One of them was Bois, who was not interested in the “money”pg205 but he was more interested in the knowledge. I really think this is a state where you need to really love your job to stop being interested in the money than the job. Without the money you can’t live because you won’t get food and the basic goods. One life that seems similar to this life is the life of a sport player. This player risks all in life to try to get to be player in the professional status, but first he has to drop out of school to concentrate on this sport. Sometimes I ask myself: What will happen to him if he fails? What will happen if he gets an injury? His life is in constant risk but he tries his best to accomplish his goals and can sometimes make them.

The Making Of King James Bible Ch 10

England was at the moment in a time of peace where the drastic rebels were in a neutral state. In that circumstances came the dilemma of to choose the “pope”pg173 or “the king”pg173. I think that the world has always had that struggle to choose the state or the church. It is like being said to choose between your mom and your dad, you can have stronger bonds and have more trust on one more than the other but you can’t choose between them. When the rebels mounted on the ship with destination in Amsterdam they left their families behind without money or place to stay and “no one quite knew what to do with the abandoned families.”pg179 This event in old England really reminds of one event we are being part of here in the present. When you are driving to your home or to school you see a lot of homeless people begging for money. It may seem that today we presence that much more in sub developed countries but this outcome also depends on the causes. On sub developed countries one of the main cause are that rebel forces(like in Colombia “la guerrilla”) chase away the people from their towns and farms and their only hope of life is to go to the city to beg. You tend to think that you can’t find similarities with old times to modern times but there are quite a lot of things that are similar.

Spelling Exercices

In dealing with students on the high-school level - that is, the second, third, and fourth year of high school - we must bear in mind that to some degree they are at a difficult psychological stage, generally called adolescence. Students at this level are likely to be confused mentally, to be subject to involuntary distractions and romantic dreaminess. They are basically timid or self-conscious, they lack frankness and are usually very sensitive but hate to admit it. They are motivated either by great ambition, probably out of all proportion to their capabilities, or by extreme laziness caused by the fear of not succeeding or attaining their objectives. Fundamentally they want to be kept busy but they refuse to admit it. They are frequently the victims of earlier poor training, and this makes every effort doubly hard. They are usually willing to work, but they hate to work without obtaining the results they think they should obtain. Their critical faculties are beginning to develop and they are critical of their instructors and of the materials they are given to learn. They are beginning to feel the pressure of time; and although they seldom say so, they really want to be consulted and given an opportunity to direct their own affairs, but they need considerable guidance.




They seldom admit that they need this guidance and they frequently rebel against it, but if it is intelligently offered they accept it with enthusiasm. If they are healthy they are capable of long periods of concentration and an extraordinary amount of work. They are trying, most of them, to form political ideas and they have a tendency to be either extremely idealistic ( which is usually another term for radical ) or conservative, blindly accepting what their fathers and grandfathers believed in. It is in this period that students can be most easily and permanently influenced. It is the period in which they form strong attachments for their teachers. Their outlook on life is usually extremely exaggerated. They are either far too modest and retiring, or extravagantly boastful. They are much more susceptible to the influence of a strong personality than to that of a great intelligence. Of all periods of life, this is what may best be called the 'plastic age'.

The Making Of King James Bible Ch 6

The England in the year 1605 is very different from the England we know today but we still can find some similarities from modern times and older times. One clear example that I see is that in Old England, Catholics do a terrorist attack on the royalty. The comparisons that I made with this event in the past are also terrorist attacks. One event that was quickly brought to my mind was the Twin Tower attack. This one is the one that I most compare this past event to because both of these attacks were due to the fact that two parties disagreed. Other terrorists attacks that came up to my mind were the bombing of El Nogal, the explosion of the trains in Madrid, and there have been a lot of terrorist attacks recently due to the fact that two different sides disagree.
Old England as well as this modern world needed a central government or basis. “Needed a version of the scriptures that would bind together its people, its church, and its king.”pg.117 What I can compare this unified book that they used in Old England to a modern day book that unites all the people is the Declaration of Independence.
Another thing that I saw from this reading is that justice was very different from now. Before you could torture people and kill without a really fair trail. Now people are treated more softly and consequences are not as brutal.



Cataclysm: Catastrophe, Flood

Taken from: http://www.merriam-webster.com

The Making Of King James Bible Ch1

This person has like a contrast between two physical forms "old young man"pg8. A thought I had while I was reading this didn’t really apply to this story but it can also show the two faces of a person. Normally you say that a person has two faces when a person has 2 different but opposite personalities. This is normally not very good for the person because this means that the person shows that he has a good side in front of people but they have a bad side. One example is when a person is very kind to a person when they are with him but tells others that that person is bad. It is sort like a hypocrite. What I got from this "dream of coherence would come reality"pg10 reading is that if you are perseverant you may be able to achieve what your dreams are. You may have dreams that you think are very hard to accomplish and you try and try towards them but you give up because you find your goals too difficult. I sometimes ask myself: Are you giving up your goals? But what I try to do when I find I am giving up I try to try harder and try to achieve the goal I really think that a person has to be tried or have a fair trail before they are sentenced. This though is one of the rights that every human has. What may happen is that the person you are sentencing may be not guilty and you are taking a life unfairly. "A robber was hanged before he was investigated to see if guilty"

The Making Of King James Bible

The English empire was very conservative at that time. “Cultural conservatives might have bemoaned the death of old values and the corruption of modern morals”I think that people with conservative mentalities are not wrong, in fact I agree with some thoughts like being a close family, have a central basis of ruling and to be more organized geberally but, I sometimes think that they should also be more progressive. People like that should be more open to other ideas and try new things that can be better than the rules they have established a long time ago. Also as new generations and the world changes you need new rules and new basics for life.
When you have problems sometimes you just have to change and that will make everything easier. An example of this part is that most persons experience is when you don’t do well in one school and you just don’t like it, you can change of school and the situation may become better, or it will become a "new life".

Pre-Ap English Contract

I, ___________Felipe Palacios_______________, hereby understand and will abide by the Pre-AP/AP (Print your name)Academy’s expectations, obligations, and admission/drop policy outlined below with respect to my admission status and standing in the Pre-AP/AP Course, __________________Pre –Ap English_______________.(Print the name of the Pre-AP/AP Course)Pre-AP/AP Academy Expectations;• Maintain Acceptable GPA,• Motivated and Positive,• Responsible and Dedicated Work Ethic,• Attend Opportunity Day and/or Additional Review Classes, • Complete AP College Board Exam,• Sign Pre-AP/AP Student Contract. Pre-AP/AP Academy Admission/Drop Policy;• First Progress Report with Teacher’s Signed Approval…receive no course credit,• End of First Semester with Teacher’s Signed Approval…receive only partial course credit for grade of 6.0+. No partial credit will be awarded for any grade below 6.0,• Students who Drop Pre-AP/AP Courses or who Do Not take the College Board AP Exam will have the Pre-AP/AP Designation for that course removed from their transcript and they will not receive any grade or GPA enhancement awarded for taking that Pre-AP/AP course.Please note that at any time during the school year if the teacher deems that you are not meeting the expectations above for any or all reasons, then that teacher will require that you sign an additional academic probation contract. Your admission status and/or removal from the above identified Pre-AP Course will then be re-assessed based on your abiding by the academic probation contract signed and agreed to by you and the respective Pre-AP/AP Teacher.Student Signature of Agreement, __________________________________________ Date: _________________September 24, 2008______________Breed

Bullfinch's Mythology

This short story really shows the power of love. Everyday Leander had to cross the sea to get to Hero and be together. What shows the bond of love even stronger between them is that when Leander dies Hero is brave enough to commit suicide because she can’t live without him. "Leander loved her" I think that one of the biggest sacrifice one can make is commit suicide for love. I think that Hero was really brave because "cast herself down from the tower into the sea and perished." Hero and Leander

Gods throughout mythology play a very big part. They will always be stronger and better that humans as we see in this story. “Challenge your fellow-mortals as you will, but do not compete with a goddess." I really liked this way of explaining how the spider came to be. What makes mythology fun to read is that they show a way how the world and everything in it came to be in another way. This also can help you understand different point of views and have more criteria when judging thoughts
Minerva and Arachne


Conceit: a result of mental activity
Siege: a military blockade of a city or fortified place to compel it to surrender

http://www.merriam-webster.com

Spelling Exercises And Cliché Exercises

Spelling Exercises
1. Where is my jacket? I wanted to wear it today, and if I can't find it, we’re going to be late.
2. Jane wanted to go on the school trip, but her mother said that two hundred dollars was too much for the family budget.
3. As she waited for Rodney to become conscious, Selma was seized with an attack of conscience -- was there anything she could have done to prevent the accident?
4. The map led the intrepid treasure hunters to a lead box of precious stones.
5. Have you seen their coats? They’re going to need them; it's cold outside. I last saw the coats over there.
6. After conducting careful research, Shufang had a brilliant idea ; she'd write a paper on Thomas More's concept of the ideal society in Utopia.
7. Even though Bob would rather play video games than study, he decided to hit the books and then play some Halo.
8. It’s easy to admire a business that puts so much effort into creating its signs and window displays.
9. You’re fortunate to have survived the car crash without a scratch; it must have been because you were wearing your seat belt.
10. I would advice you to seek qualified legal advise about how to handle this situation.

Cliché Exercises

The Liberation of Everyday Life (2004)

Scenes from Everyday Life (1995)

Bring on the Bling: Academy Awards 2005 (2005) (TV)

Bling Bling (2001)

Save the World (2007)

From: http://www.imdb.com/


Cliché Plots

Two best friends and then one of the friend moves away because family gets a better offer at other place.

The impossible love between two persosns because of family fights.

The takeover of a plane .

Two friends that escape from their houses and go to explore the world.

War between two places because they had taken an important person as hostage.

Bullfinch's Mythology

I really think that people fall in love and love is one of the greatest feelings one can have. Love sometimes triumphs over everything in life. We have seen stories were love triumphs over family power like in Romeo and Juliet, or where love overpowers distance, or maybe sometimes love overpowers the coldest heart and softens people. “She envied the weapon that he grasped, the reins that he held.” This time love overpowers family trust. Scylla likes so much Minos that she is willing to open up the gates of the city in the middle of a war just to get to him. I think there can be two cases over here, one that she loves him very much or she doesn’t care about what happens to her family and city.Nisus and Scylla

I enjoyed reading this myth because it really proposes a new way of understanding how things came to be. The normal explanation that some one will give you of how a sunflower came to be is that god made it but here in mythology they show it to you in a way that is very different which makes it interesting and fun. “Nine days she sat and tasted neither food nor drink, her own tears and the chilly dew her only food. She gazed on the sun when he rose, and as he passed through his daily course to his setting; she saw no other object, her face turned constantly on him. At last, they say, her limbs rooted in the ground, her face became a flower which turns on its stem so as always to face the sun throughout its daily course; for it retains to that extent the feeling of the nymph from whom it sprang.”
Clytie

Modern Myth

Felipe Palacios
Pre AP English


The Hope And Desire To Save The World

“If your destiny is to save the world
You can’t do anything to avoid it,
But you shouldn’t avoid it, you should try to
Take full responsibility and do it the best possible.”
-Tony
I
In a world where everything was incorrect,
In a world where everything was wrong,
The destined baby was born.
He might be the one to save us from this suffering.

A kid was born who’s name was Tony.
He had an enormous heart.
He helped everyone he saw
He preferred to help an old lady cross the street

And be late to school
Than to leave the lady
At her own fate
And get a good grade in attendance.

One day one of the old ladies said
“Young man you always help
Old ladies cross the street,
Why even bother for

Old ladies that don’t even
Have rights and vote
On this obscure world.
You are a very good person

And if I had more power in this world,
I would make you president.
Tony said “Thank you madam,
But I think you are being too

Exaggerated, I don’t think
I would be good enough
To be made president,
Besides you have to have

A lot of Knowledge
To get to that place in this world.”

I don’t know kid but I sense the sign
Of good energy coming from your inner aura.

Think about it.” Said the women. Tony said
“Okay I will. Take care and be safe.”
All the lady’s words
Kept spinning in his head.


II
Tony got home and did his normal
Routine. Say hi to mom and dad and
Tell them how was school,
Take out the garbage,

And play with the dog.
Tony loved his family
And was especially close to his father
His mother had a very good relationship with him,

But his father was also like a friend.
That night they discussed
The day in dinner.
Tony was very smart so he tricked his sister

Into giving him the best seat that night.
“Mom, Dad, Sister I want to do
Something to change the world.
Today I met this old lady

That told me that people don’t have rights,
And can’t decide
For themselves
Who will rule them.” said Tony

That is unfortunately true
My son, but there is a way
To change that. The way
For you to accomplish

Will not be easy,
It will not require
So much physical strength,
But all the mental strength

You can think of.
Son this will not be easy,
But I have seen in you
Such an earnest desire

To save the horrible world we are living on
That you may be the chosen one to be President.”
Said Dad. “Honey don’t you think this is too dangerous?”
Said Mom. “He will be just fine” Said Dad

“So what do you say Tony?”
“I want to change
The world so
I will give it a shot.” Said Tony

III
Tony woke up and
Dad was at the table taking breakfast.
“Hi dad, now I am decided,
I will go for the Quest.

Now where do I start?” said Tony
“Tony you must climb
To the summit of Mount Boriku.
As soon as you get there

A sage will be waiting for you.
This sage will guide you through
The tests you need to gain
Enough knowledge to become

A good president.
The climb will be hard
But you have to be strong.
The tests will have no comparison

To the climb but
You also have to be strong
Finally if you succeed
You can change the world.” Said Dad

“Okay Dad so I will leave now
I will make it to
Make the world a better place.
So that way Tony left his beloved house.

IX
Tony started his ascend
To the summit of Mt. Boriku.
When he was at the start
He couldn’t see the top

At first the climate was warm
And comfortable.
Then it started to get
Colder and colder.

“I am so cold, I should
Have brought an extra sweater.
I have to be strong
All this is for the people,

For the greater good of the world.
Just forget about the cold
The cold and feelings are mental
Imagine yourself in a beach.”

While he repeated this phrases
And thoughts he slowly made
His way to the summit.
“Just one more minute

To go and we conquer
This beast.”
As soon as he got to the
Top he seemed like if he

Had grown a lot
In power
Soul and knowledge, but
He knew it wasn’t enough to be President.

Then he found Oogo the sage.
“Finally, I thought
You wouldn’t be able
To make it here.

It was a very harsh task.
Maybe you are the one
Destined to be president
And save the world.” Said Oogo

“My name is Tony
And I will go anywhere
And do anything to be able
To save the world from evil” Said Tony

“Well then let me explain you what to do.
There will be three tests that you
Have to pass in order to be President.
Each test requires a different skill.

Since you are tired
I will let you rest for a day
But tomorrow at noon you
Will begin.” Said Oogo

Tony followed him to a chamber.
In the chamber there was a bed, a sink
And a bathroom. This simplicity kept you
From getting distracted with beautiful things

Tony fell asleep
And slept soundly.
He was so tired
He didn’t even change clothes.



X
Tony woke up
And saw Oogo waiting
Near a fountain for him.
“You have to enter through

The water and see the
Beginnings of nature.
As soon as you have meditated
For 2 days without moving

Beside this fountain
You can wake up
And draw some conclusions.
If your conclusions are deep,

You will pass this test and go
To try the second one.
The time will start now.”
Said Oogo as he started a clock.

“I have to try to stay still.”
Thought Tony
Tony was focusing too much
On staying still that he forgot

About looking inside the water’s
Feelings. After being still for
About one hour he remembered
Of the purpose of this test.

He started to look into the water.
The water described the path of life.
First you are born through nature,
Then you grow around nature,

After that you need nature to survive
Through out your life.
At the end it is nature that tells
When it is your time to depart.

As soon as Tony finished seeing this
He woke up and saw
That Oogo was in front of him.
“So what is your conclusion?” Said Oogo

“My conclusion is that Humans
Are born from nature
And the rest of their lives
They depend on nature.

At the end nature also has
A plan for us.
The plan is when we are going
To die.” Said Tony.

“Very well said Oogo
Then you can rest
What is left of the day and
Tomorrow will be the second test.” Said Oogo


XI
Tony woke up
Feeling dizzy but he knew he had to do
The second test.
He washed his face

At the sink and went out
To talk to Oogo.
Oogo was meditating
And Tony had to wake him up.

Tony said “Oogo wake up
I am ready for the second test.”
“Okay this test is all mental strength.
You will start by going in this

Black hole. Evil waves and
Different kinds of temptations
Will try to influence you.
Your goal is to avoid all this,

Maintain concentration and
Try to retrieve good part,
The meaningful
An important part of this.” Said Oogo

So Tony jumped
Into the black hole
And his second test began
Evil images started to pass

Through the black hole
Images of death,
Images of massacres,
Images of child abuse

I must not look
At the bad side of this
I have to try to find
A good side,
A side full of

Love and meaning.” Said Tony.
Tony managed to resist
The evil part of the black hole
But now came the temptation part.

Temptation of golden statues
Pots full of gold
Glory and power
Mansions full of cars

But all of this pleasures
Would have been given to him
If he had gone the other way
Of the black hole and abandoned the test.

Tony said “I must resist
I must be strong,
All this suffering is for the people
I need to save the world.”

And so Tony resisted
This and came out
“So what did you see?”
Asked Oogo

“I saw that humans
Will have temptations
And evil paths throughout
His life but it is his destiny

To overcome all this temptations
And be able to have
A good life and get the
Good and loving part out of life.” Said Tony

Oogo said “Very well, Now we
Need to start the third test
Because we are running
Short of time. You will have

One hour to rest.
Don’t worry I will wake
You up when the time is right.”
So Tony went to sleep




XII
Tony was woken up
And he was tired,
But ready to face this
Third challenge.

Oogo said “Now my friend
Your hardest test will start.
You will go to the Realms of
The dead and search for a demon.

This demon will tell you the story
Of many people and how they died,
You have to bring me back all
This information he will tell you.

That will be the easy
Part. The hard part is to
Find this demon
He will be able to conceal

Himself by becoming human.
You can use any element
To find him but you can’t talk.
Be careful he is very tricky.”

So Tony went down to
The Realms of dead and
Started his search.
He began by trying to

Communicate with sign
Language and with faces.
This resulted in a complete fail
Because most people down there

Ignored him.
Then he started writing
In the walls
This also failed due to the fact

That most people over there
Were analphabets.
Then he remembered
That he could use any element

So he brought from earth
The most attractive women
And the most handsome man
And everyone gathered around them,

Except one and Tony knew he was the
Demon because Demons don’t have
Feelings and therefore
Resist temptation.

Tony said (restoring the ability to talk)
“You are the demon
Reveal yourself”
And a lonely boy

Slowly started to transform into
A red big monster.
“My name is Comad
You have found me now I will tell

You the secrets of this Realm.
First the person that has been greedy,
Has no friends, is full of hate
And did not like live has to wash

The royalties paws all day and night.
Then comes the people that had friends
And left something in Earth but
Were not good enough with nature and

Humans. He has some pleasures
Like comfortable bed, some entertainment,
Pets and can play sports but has to work
Once every week.

And the highest level of this Realm
Is where the people are free to do whatever
They want to do, they have no schedules
And can have as many partners as they want.

This level is only achieved
By persons with real heart
And that are helpful to mankind.
They have helped everyone

While expecting nothing back
And have taken care of nature.
And this is all I have to say so Tony, go
Back now and save the world.” Said Comad

Tony therefore returned and told his
Conclusions
“Life that you have after death
Depends fully on how loving and

Kind you are with people here on earth.
The actions you have on earth are your
Future and that only
Depends on you and your actions.” Said Tony

“Very well, now you are destined
To be President of the world. Said Oogo
“I also have to state another conclusion, humans do not
Resist any kind of temptation.” Said Tony.

“Now go and save the world.” Said Oogo
Tony went down the mountain
And to his house. He told everything to
Dad and he went to become President.

He changed every aspect of
Life and taught everyone
That their actions will
Be reflected afterwards.

After all this Tony started to
Live in peace
And managed to save
The world.

Bullfinch's Mythology

When I started reading this story I didn’t really was so enthusiastic because the name was not a very attractive name, but when I got to the quote of how they built a city I started liking it. This way of building a city is really like a way of choosing the location of a place but in a way that you do not normally think of. “The oracle informed him that he should find a cow in the field, and should follow her wherever she might wander, and where she stopped, should build a city and call it Thebes.” I really liked this quote because it shows you that this person is not a traitor and, that he will stand up for you when you need it and he won’t turn his back on you. “O faithful friends, I will avenge you, or share your death.” Cadmus

“Threw a golden apple among the guests, with the inscription, “For the fairest.” Thereupon Juno, Venus, and Minerva each claimed the apple. Jupiter, not willing to decide in so delicate a matter, sent the goddesses to Mount Ida, where the beautiful shepherd Paris was tending his flocks, and to him was committed the decision. The goddesses accordingly appeared before him. Juno promised him power and riches, Minerva glory and renown in war, and Venus the fairest of women for his wife, each attempting to bias his decision in her own favor. Paris decided in favor of Venus and gave her the golden apple, thus making the two other goddesses his enemies. The Trojan War” When I read this passage from the Trojan War I really started to feel like Paris because in that situation what would you do? I really started to think that it was like a lose-lose situation which means that if you chose one the other would get mad, and if you chose the other the same outcome will happen. If I was Paris I would try to ask them to ask another person to choose, but if there is no way out I would probably choose Juno because the gifts she would give me could probably save me from the curses of the other goddesses.

Bullfinch's Mythology

This relation between human and nature is clearly described throughout most of the stories. Humans are mostly turned into nature when they die. I think that this can have a meaning. Humans do whatever they like to do with nature so maybe they are put in that situation to feel and see how humans treat and abuse nature. “Endeavoring to step back, she found she could not move her feet; trying to turn away her face, she tried in vain; and by degrees all her limbs became stony like her heart.” People sometimes are too self interested and think that everything they have is the best that each time a lover asks them to be their partner they say no because he/she is not as perfect as he/she. I think that is being too selfish and egocentric, I think that you have to be more open and give people more chances. “That you may not doubt the fact, the statue still remains, and stands in the temple of Venus at Salamis, in the exact form of the lady. Now think of these things, my dear, and lay aside your scorn and your delays, and accept a lover. So may neither the vernal frosts blight your young fruits, nor furious winds scatter your blossoms!”
“She praised the tree and its associated vine, equally. “But,” said she, “if the tree stood alone, and had no vine clinging to it, it would have nothing to attract or offer us but its useless leaves. And equally the vine, if it were not twined round the elm, would lie prostrate on the ground. Why will you not take a lesson from the tree and the vine, and consent to unite yourself with some one?”
“Give me the palm of beauty over my illustrious rivals, Pallas and Juno. But she shall not so quietly usurp my honors. I will give her cause to repent of so unlawful a beauty.” I really don’t like this reaction to kill someone just because she was born with a special treat or with magical beauty. I think that people should not be condemned for things that they have no knowledge of doing.
“Love cannot dwell with suspicion.” “So saying, he fled away, leaving poor Psyche prostrate on the ground, filling the place with mournful lamentations.” I really like the quote that Cupid said “Love cannot dwell with suspicion” because I think it is true. If you really love someone you don’t need to be suspicious with him or her because if your partner loves you he or she shouldn’t do things that hurt you.
“Thus Psyche became at last united to Cupid, and in due time they had a daughter born to them whose name was Pleasure. Cupid and Psyche” Love will most of the time triumph over evil. Love’s triumph also depends on the integrants because if they give up easily because they see an obstacle between them then love will easily fail but if love is true it will reign over every obstacle.

Bullfinch's Mythology

Again I see that humans have a very big relationship with nature and the gods. When most of the humans die the gods commemorate them with making a natural formation out of them like a flower or a stone or a tree. What I can also see from this is that humans become nature to maybe show humans how nature is mistreated and abused and maybe humans may stop abusing nature. “My lyre shall celebrate thee, my song shall tell thy fate, and thou shalt become a flower inscribed with my regrets. Apollo and Hyacinthus”

This reminds me of the man that parts and his lover waits for him to come back. The lover waits and waits for his partner but the partner never comes. Sometimes the partner never comes, sometimes he stays in another place, but the only common event on this stories is that the lover keeps on waiting for the partner. “In the meanwhile Halcyone, ignorant of all these horrors, counted the days till her husband’s promised return.
“Halcyone is no more,” she answers, “she perished with her Ceyx. Utter not words of comfort, he is shipwrecked and dead. Ceyx and Halcyone.





Quoits: a flattened ring of iron or circle of rope used in a throwing game

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Bullfinch's Mythology

People are sometimes too proud of them and too egocentric and think that what they have done is superior to all the rest. “Pygmalion admired his own work, and at last fell in love with the counterfeit creation.” I think that two things may have happened here, either the sculpture was tremendously beautiful and very human like or the creator was too proud of his work that he fell in love with him. “Venus, who was present at the festival, heard him and knew the thought he would have uttered; and as an omen of her favor, caused the flame on the altar to shoot up thrice in a fiery point into the air. When he returned home, he went to see his statue, and leaning over the couch, gave a kiss to the mouth. It seemed to be warm. He pressed its lips again, he laid his hand upon the limbs; the ivory felt soft to his touch and yielded to his fingers like the wax of Hymettus. Pygmalion.” This part of this story symbolizes the transformation from an ordinary object to a real human being. I think objects can become like humans depending on how much the person cares about the object.

“The plant was no other than the nymph Lotis, who, running from a base pursuer, had been changed into this form.” People can sometimes make mistakes that affect you tremendously even if you don’t mean any harm when you make the mistake. In this case the person didn’t know what would happen so she made the mistake trying to make a good act. “The woodiness crept upward, and by degrees invested her body. In anguish she attempted to tear her hair, but found her hands filled with leaves. Dryope” As I am reading through this mythological stories I am finding out that nature plays a very big role because every time a human does something wrong to a god he or she is turned into a plant, or a rock or a flower.

“She who used to love to recline in the shade, with no care but to cultivate her charms, now rambles through the woods and over the hills, dressed like the huntress Diana; and calls her dogs, and chases hares and stags, or other game that it is safe to hunt, but keeps clear of the wolves and bears, reeking with the slaughter of the herd.” People can change in many ways when they are in love. People can be very rude to you and treat you bad but when they are in love with someone they can even start to treat you better and softer. Love can also be like a softener. There are human beings that are very grumpy and cold but when they are in love they become sweet and kind. “Your blood shall be changed into a flower Venus and Adonis” Flowers are like a symbol of past events because I always see that when a person dies and gods or earth want to remember them they turn them into a flower.

Bullfinch's Mythology

Mythology is a way that humans explained phenomenons in the past. I like this very much because from this you can see that humans didn’t think as different as people today. “She was fond of talking, and whether in chat or argument, would have the last word” Some people have very talkative personalities. They start talking about something and talk about another thing, and go to another subject and go forever. This kind of people can sometimes be entertaining because they are normally fun to be around because they always talk to you about something, but sometimes people can get bored of this and stop the person so they can also talk. In this case this talkative attribute got the person into trouble. “With that she is still ready to reply to any one who calls her, and keeps up her old habit of having the last word.” I really liked this way of seeing how echo was made. I don’t normally tend to think of how echo came to being but while reading this myth I really thought that our science gives an explanation dealing with the rebound of sounds on objects, but I really like the point of view of mythology. “He talked with the supposed spirit: “Why, beautiful being, do you shun me?” This is also a sign of payback because he shunned a nymph and now this image shunned him. Normally what you do in life will come back to you someday so if you are nice people are nice, if you are mean people will be mean. “They prepared a funeral pile and would have burned the body, but it was nowhere to be found; but in its place a flower, purple within, and surrounded with white leaves, which bears the name and preserves the memory of Narcissus.” I have never thought of how some flowers came to earth but I like this way of explaining this phenomenon. Echo and Narcissus
This reminds of the story of Joseph and the Virgin Mary when they were looking for a place to stay and for Jesus to be born but most people did not accept them, until one humble house accepted them. “Come with us, and despise not our humble roof; so may your daughter be restored to you in safety.” “Goddess stooped and kissed the lips of the sick child. Instantly the paleness left his face” here I see a very clear difference between gods and people because a god only with one kiss can save a life that has almost no chance of living but humans with all advances and medicines and modern technology can’t cure some of the diseases. “Mother, you have been cruel in your fondness to your son. I would have made him immortal, but you have frustrated my attempt.” Sometimes you do something that you believe is right for everyone and in the aftermath of the event you find out that what you have done is wrong. So what do you choose? Sometimes it will be hard so you have to think things over a lot.


Shun: to avoid deliberately and especially habitually
Zephyr: a gentle breeze
Girdle: an article of dress encircling the body usually at the waist
http://www.merriam-webster.com

Bullfinch's Mythology

Serpents have always been associated with terror and evil. In the bible you can see that the snake convinced Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. In Gilgamesh the snake was the character that stole the plant of eternal life from him. “Among the rest, Python, an enormous serpent, crept forth, the terror of the people, and lurked in the caves of Mount Parnassus” “Since you cannot be my wife,” said he, “you shall assuredly be my tree. I will wear you for my crown; I will decorate with you my harp and my quiver” this sounds kind of greedy to me like sometimes you say that if you can’t have something no one can have it and you brake the object everyone wants. “Cruel wall,” they said, “why do you keep two lovers apart?” Sometimes you build up imaginary walls to stop loving someone but it is important to choose right the person you want to love and clear as many walls between you as you can. “My blood also shall stain your texture,” said he, and drawing his sword plunged it into his heart. The blood spurted from the wound, and tinged the white mulberries of the tree all red; and sinking into the earth reached the roots, so that the red color mounted through the trunk to the fruit.” This really reminds me of Romeo and Juliet when he thinks that Juliet is dead because she hasn’t woken up and commits suicide. When Juliet awakens she also commits suicide for seeing her love dead. This really has to take a lot of courage and the partners have to really love each other to commit suicide for one another. “Pan threw his arms around what he supposed to be the form of the nymph, and found he embraced only a tuft of reeds! As he breathed a sigh, the air sounded through the reeds, and produced a plaintive melody. The god, charmed with the novelty and with the sweetness of the music, said, thus, then, at least, you shall be mine.’ And he took some of the reeds, and placing them together, of unequal lengths, side by side, made an instrument which he called Syrinx, in honor of the nymph” The part that the man tried to hug the nymph and found himself hugging a bunch of reeds reminds me of a scene in the Walt Disney’s movie of Hercules when the friend tried to hug three and all of them disappeared. I am really enjoying reading mythology. Mythology teaches you how things were made by another point of view that is a bit out of what normally in culture you think about.

Adjoining: touching or bounding at a point
Forbade: prohibition, exclusion, omission, failure, neglect, or refusal
Deity: the rank or essential nature of a god
Heifer: a young cow
Gadfly: any of various flies (as a horsefly, botfly, or warble fly) that bite or annoy livestock
Thither: to that place




Definitions from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

Mythology: The Begginings Of The World

“Fire was regarded as a symbol of the divinity” druids. Fire has always been a symbol of light and we can see this from even the oldest texts written. Always humans mention fire like a place of light and happiness and in the contrary they associate the night and darkness with death and fear. “The classical (Roman) writers affirm that they offered on great occasions human sacrifices; as for success in war or for relief from dangerous diseases” druids I can imagine druids sacrificing people to the gods because in the early times people were really very religious. Those rituals done by them and were very vast and sacrificed a lot but I can’t see why they couldn’t have done this. “They were also the men of science and learning of their age and people.” Druids early teachers maybe like priests today because each teach something different but druids taught more subjects. “The Druids, harassed at all points on the mainland, retreated to Anglesey and Iona, where for a season they found shelter and continued their now dishonored rites.” druids this reminds me like in history when different religions have been persecuted by the law for just thinking differently.
“Which are three,—celibacy, poverty, and obedience” Iona These are very similar to the aspects of today’s church except for the fact that priests don’t have to be poor.
“Wagner’s Nibelungen Ring” wagners ring as soon as I read this and the introduction I started to think of the lord of the rings. “But it is to bring him nothing of happiness, only evil.” This is really similar to lord of the rings when Frodo gets the ring and starts seeing the evil faces and different evil energies. Sometimes in life you fight for a thing you really think will be good for you but as soon as you have it in your hands you notice that it is not as good as you thought it will be. This seems to have the plot of lord of the rings but the story is enacted different.
“A fearful quarrel was stirred up in the banquet hall, which ended in the slaughter of all the Burgundians but Günther and Hagan.” Nibelunge lied. This shows that injustice will always pay its price even if it is like a lot after or just the next moment that the injustice was committed.
“As a whole, however, Teutonic mythology runs along almost identical lines with that of the northern nations. The most notable divergence is due to modifications of the legends by reason of the difference in climatic conditions.” Teutonic Mythology. People in those times had similar beliefs in polytheism and same gods with different names. There might be 1000 names for the god of death but it will still be the god of death.
“And men by means of them and of what the sea yields; and it seems they were poetic men these, men who had deep thoughts in them and uttered musically their thoughts. Much would be lost had Iceland not been burst up from the sea, not been discovered by the Northmen!” Iceland. From here I can mainly see the contrast of Iceland of being like a place with beauty mixed with horrible natural scenes and then they introduce us to the wonderful man of Iceland and tell us how much it would have been lost if Iceland wouldn’t been conquered.





Uncouth: not known or not familiar to one, strange, rare.
Pigmies: any of a race of dwarfs described by ancient Greek authors
Beguile: to lead by deception
Burgundy: Former country of France
Liegeman: devoted follower

Definitions from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

Gilgamesh Tablet 10 And Relationship With Nature: Where Are We Going?

A part that I didn’t understand was the part of the drum and the drumstick that fell. What I could get from it is that a very precious item of Gilgamesh fell to the Nether World. “Then Enkidu went down to the Nether World not heeding the admonishments of the king” pg 86 This part reminds me when a mother tells a don or daughter not to do something because this will happen and the daughter or son does this and exactly what the mother told would happen happens. “The Nether World itself was that seized him; Ereshkigal the Queen it was who held him.” Pg 90 Enkidu must have been a great person because in the Nether world none of the lesser demons got him, the only thing that could get him was the whole reign, the Queen. “I will not tell you. If I told you how it is in the Nether World, the arrangement of things, you would sit down and weep because I told you.” Pg 90 Sometimes I also wonder what will be the afterlife. Normally I think it is going to be heaven with lots of food, pools, and fun things to do but sometimes I think of the bad side of afterlife like people crying, screaming, suffering and horrible things. Then we see that Enkidu tries to answer the question of where are we going by telling Gilgamesh of the Nether World. According to what I got from his explanation was that as more sons we have better our future. Is this really right? Will the fact that we have more or less sons affect our future?
Gilgamesh’s and Enkidu’s relationship with nature is very different at the beginning but at the end they change. “Enkidu was found in nature, he drank with animals and lived with them pg 5” Enkidu at the beginning was part of nature and coexisted with it. But after he was with the harlot everything changed. The animals did not want to be with him and he decided to go to Gilgamesh. The part where I really noticed that Enkidu became a nature destroyer or a person that wants to control it was in the Cedar Forest. Humans wanted control over the forest so they wanted to kill the demon Huwawa who was the guardian of the forest. Enkidu was part of nature and now he was killing nature so he was now enemy of nature. Another part was when Gilgamesh had to cross the sea to get to Uthnapishtim. He was weak compared to nature in this hugeness so we tend to think we are better and stronger than nature but sometimes nature overcomes us like in tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and many other natural disasters. I really think that the relation between Gilgamesh and nature is that humans really depend on nature to survive but we still want to destroy so we actually are not being the smartest species alive as we say we are.