Sunday, September 27, 2009

Curiosity in Pandora and Orphan Boy


Curiosity is the underlying theme in the Greek and African myths, Pandora's Box and Orphan Boy, because they both portray how curiosity can unleash negativity and change the entire world. In Pandora's Box, Pandora receives a box from Zeus, and can’t resist opening it. The world is changed because all pain and suffering is released. In Orphan Boy, an old man receives help from a magical boy, but betrays his trust by spying on him. The boy abandons him, causing drought and famine. In both of these myths, curiosity is shown in a negative light, but curiosity has also led to discovery of technology and medicine, saving people’s lives.

(http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/19090000/19090675.JPG
http://media.photobucket.com/image/pandora/Pandora01/Pandora-1.jpg)

Monday, September 14, 2009

My Name




My name is like my own, individual brand of sticky glue. Initially, the brand name catches the attention of a passerby at a market or store. Only catching a glimpse of a few letters, they are intrigued. They must buy that glue. The customer realizes that it may come in handy someday. They purchase it. Not entirely satisfied by the glue, they chuck it into an old cupboard of pointless objects. The next day, they casually visit the market once again, and they catch a glance of this brand of glue that is perfect for their faltering chair. They try out the glue at home, and it is sturdy and tough. Eventually they run out of that glue, and now have to go and purchase something for the little chip on the coffee table. They remembered that old, forgotten glue, and pull it out of the reject cupboard. Instead of wasting time searching for more glue, they use the old one. Although it wasn’t great, it did hold things together.

If you still haven’t guessed, my name is that innocent, little, reject glue. My sister was the broken chair, who was secured by the best glue, and I was the coffee table, being held together by the discarded one. My parents were searching for a name for my older sister, and they came across mine, but they chucked it aside for the new one they had found for her. Once I was born, they settled for the name that was chucked aside.

I am not declaring that I hate my name, but sometimes it doesn’t quite express me. In Hebrew and Latin it means grace, in Japanese it signifies an apricot, and in Sanskrit it means grain. I am by no means graceful, I am not quite fond of apricots, and I am quite certain I am not a grain.
My name is like a perfectly fitted dress, but unlike anything else, this dress transforms as I do. As I am very leisurely and gradually growing up, this dress alters with me. It has become all the times my mother has shrieked my name for me to tidy my room, and my big sister squealing at me when I “accidently” wore her favourite shirt.

My sister’s name is simple, short, and like nothing you have ever heard. It flows nicely, and any nickname it has, is longer. It is only 3 words, and two of them are vowels. It can be nicknames for other names, but nothing can be a nickname for it. Her name is Lua.

My name may have seemed like the old, unwanted glue, but it is not my identity, I am its identity. It is my yellow Livestrong band that once on, never comes off. It is actually a common name, Anna, but with an interesting twist from the suffix. Many people tend to pronounce it improperly. My name has been like a veil, protecting me from feeling any frustration. I have gone through entire years allowing people to say it wrong, but as long as I know, deep down, my name, and my identity, nothing can thwart me. My name is me, but I am it. Every day, and every night I am Anissa. My name has stuck with me through thick and thin, and it will never abandon me, no matter what.

(http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/multipurpose-glues-1.jpg)

Common Themes Of Creation Myths


Common Creation Myth Themes

Throughout time, various countries have each developed a distinct representation for the evolution of mankind. Chaos, supreme creators, and separation are the three elements that unite the Egyptian, Maori, and Chinese cultures. In the Egyptian and Maori myths, originally there was a void of nothingness. The Chinese assumed that the universe was initially shaped as a cosmic egg, but within it was nothing. From these voids of nothing came the supreme creators. The Egyptians believed their creator, Atum, materialized from the chaos, and gave birth to the gods, earth, and sky. In the Maori myth, instead of giving birth to the earth and sky, the two first beings were the earth and sky. The Chinese believed that their creator, Phan Ku, came out of the cosmic egg, and fashioned our universe with his chisel. In each creation myth there seemed to be some kind of separation that was crucial for the development of the earth. In the Egyptian creation myth, the earth and sky were separated because of their love for their creator, who wanted to form the earth. The Maoris also believed that the earth and the sky were disjoined, but only because their children pushed them apart for more room. In order to complete the Earth, the Chinese say that Phan Ku needed to die and use his body to finish the landscape. Mankind then lost him, which is the justification for human suffering. From these connections it evidently appears as though in creation myths people used to think alike, even though nowadays we are such individuals. I think that the myths have endured throughout time because they help explain the formation of the world and human nature, answering the questions humans have always been seeking.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Picture and Quote Explanation


Explanation for Picture

The dark silhouette of the lonesome man is visible on the beach, with footprints in the sand showing where he had originally come from. The sky is enshrouding him like a blanket. There is nothing in front of him, yet he continues on in his way. To me it symbolizes life's journey. We continue on, not certain about what will transpire. Sometimes we are alone, but it can’t hinder us. No obstacle should prevent us from continuing.

Explanation for Quote

This quote specifically seized my attention, because it shows the free will of mankind, and the choices we make. Throughout our lives we make decisions, and continue on in our journey of life. To be an individual, we need to pursue our own paths and not follow everyone else. We must be unbound and limitless. We should be unrestrained like the wind. Nothing should ever thwart us from fulfilling our dreams. Our journeys are never ending.