All posts for the month October, 2012

To Wish is to Hope

The word hope makes me think of wishing.

Wishing is the task of thinking about something that you yearn for.

Wishes are thoughts that arise from numerous occasions. Among these occasions, the most prevalent are:

  • Birthdays
  • New Years/Other holidays
  • Wells
  • Dandelions
  • Eyelashes
  • Shooting stars
  • Wishbones
  • 11:11
  • Lamps + genies?

Birthdays

Cakes are a cultural custom of birthdays and celebrations. Large cakes are made and served to all guests in order to bring about feelings of  togetherness and joy. The habit of wishing after blowing out candles is ancient and its origins are not strictly pinpointed. The usage of candles on cakes is thought to have many possible origins. Some attribute the candles to early Greeks. Ancient Greeks would place candles on cakes to make them glow like the moon and take them to temples. It was also believed that the smoke from the flames carried prayers to the gods. Yet others attribute candles to a custom originated in Germany where candles were placed in the center of a cake to represent the light of life.

In contemporary times wishing on your birthday comes with ritual. Your wish will only come true if you blow out the candles in one breath and as long as you don’t tell your wish to anyone.

Did you ever wonder how to make a wish on your birthday? Here’s a video describing how to do so…

New Years/Other Holidays

  • New Years

—-New Year’s Resolutions

New Years resolutions originated in ancient Babylon and spread to ancient Rome. With the start of the new year on the Roman calendars, resolutions were made with mostly moral concerns, such as to be kind to others. These resolutions embody the wishes of the individual.

Here’s how to stick with your resolutions

  • Other Holidays

   Other holidays, such as religious ones, attribute hoping for change and prayer into their ceremonies. Wishes for the happiness of humanity as well as peace are commonly made during these such holidays.

Wells

The belief in wishing over wells originated from the beliefs of the Germanic and Celtic peoples. Both cultures viewed wells and springs as sacred places, believing that water housed deities and that water was placed on Earth as a gift from the gods. Germanic cultures threw the weapons and armor of defeated enemies into the waters as well as coins as tribute to their deities.

The tradition of dropping pennies into wells comes from the belief that tossing coins covered in silver or copper would cause the water to maintain its freshness, thus it was lucky to drop coins in a well. It is estimated that in Europe, where wishing wells are more common, more than four million dollars is thrown into the depths of the wells each year.

Dandelions

 

How to wish on a dandelion…

The belief behind wishing on a dandelion arises form the belief that the seeds were fairies that would grant you a wish if you set them free.

 

Eyelashes

How to wish on an  eyelash

Wishing on eyelashes began as a result of superstition. People were afraid that if a witch obtained anything personal from an individual it would enable the witch to create a powerful dark magic curse upon that individual. It was believed that if a person noticed a fallen eyelash and wished whilst blowing it away, they would be better protected against possible curses.

Shooting Stars

Shooting stars are an extremely rare find. The origin of wishing on a star is believed to date to the years of  127-151 A.D. There are many theories as tho why wishing upon these stars originated.

Some believe the idea was first proposed by Greek astronomer Ptolemy when he stated that the “gods sometimes out of curiosity and boredom” peer down on the Earth from between spheres and sometimes stars could slip out of the gaps between these spheres. These stars, shooting stars, signified for the ancient Greeks the presence of the gods. It was believed that the gods would be more receptive to wishes made during these times. Some Greeks believed that the stars represented the rising or falling of human souls. Jewish and Christian cultures believed that shooting stars were fallen demons or angels.  Hence wishing on a shooting star was established, and still lives on today, though not entirely for the same reasons.

Some people also believe in wishing upon the first star of the night seen.

How to wish on a star

Wishbones

  Wishing on wishbones, originates from ancient Italy. Ancient Italians believed that if you removed the entrails from a bird, you could read the future in them. The collarbone of the birds would be laid in the sun to dry and it was believed that people seeking knowledge from their gods could make a wish on the bone. Some Etruscans believed that the birds were fortune tellers and would draw circles in the dirt with wedges for letters. They would throw grain on the circle and record the “letters pecked” to find answers to questions asked.

11:11

Wishing at 11:11 is purely numerical. Some numerologists believe that it is not pure coincidence that many people glance at clocks at 11:11, they attribute the symmetrical time to synchronicity. This belief in the uniqueness of 11:11 allows for one to conclude special things must happen too then.

How to wish at 11:11

Lamps and Genies

Most everyone knows the story of Aladdin, popularized by Disney, but originally introduced in 1001 Arabian Nights. In the tale Aladdin rubs the lamp and a genie appears granting him three wishes. The word “genie” comes from the Arabic “jinn” or “djinn”, meaning spirit. It was believed that the jinn controlled wish magic. The tale of Aladdin was originally set in China but is Middle Eastern folklore. The tale was admitted into 1001 Arabian Nights in 1710 by French translator Antoine Galland who heard the tale from a Syrian Arab storyteller and scholar named Youhenna Diab “Hanna”.

Sometimes there doesn’t have to be an underlying reason as to why people hope. Their wishes are brought about by imagination, beliefs, brought about by  hope.

Leave a comment
by mickigregoire on October 31, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Big Words, Hope

Posted by mickigregoire on October 31, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/to-wish-is-to-hope/

Death — A New Beginning

The theory that death is an ending to life is an amassed belief for many people. For some, though, death is a passageway, a bridge, to a new life. Death is one aspect of the human the life that is uncontrollable. There are indeed ways one can lengthen their time on Earth by practicing good health and fitness, but death will come, whether we like it or not. Perhaps death should not be feared. Though it is a loss of life, it, in a sense, could be the birth of a new one.

I recently read a blog post on how one person yo-yoed between being faithful to God, and not believing in any part of God. This person turned to drugs, which eventually kicked her out of the Navy. She was admitted to rehab, became clean, got out, and turned to drugs again. It was death, the death of her brother, that turned her life around. The death of her brother got her to read a book written by a nun, confessing her wrongdoings. This person found a new life as a result of death. The death of this person’s brother in turn created a new life for her. She became a nun herself, as a result of death. Death created a new life for this woman.

My grandmother has been telling me about the Tao. To be honest, I couldn’t really give you a definition of the Tao, and I am not about to look up a definition because I honestly don’t think it can be defined. The Tao is a balance. When your life feels in balance, you are in touch with your Tao. Part of this belief is the theory that when you die, you become another organism. A tree, a bird, perhaps a butterfly. Some may condemn this, but I think it’s pretty neat. Anyways, this relates entirely to death becoming a new beginning. Who says you just rot in the ground when you die? Or that you will end up in so-called Heaven or Hell? An organism dying and becoming another organism is the passageway of death to a new life. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

 

Leave a comment
by jmanley2 on October 31, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Death

Posted by jmanley2 on October 31, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/death-a-new-beginning/

Death (Etymology)

death (n.)
O.E. deað “death, dying, cause of death,” in plura, “ghosts,” from P.Gmc. *dauthaz (cf. O.S. doth, O.Fris. dath, Du. dood, O.H.G. tod, Ger. Tod, O.N. dauði, Dan. død, Swed. död, Goth. dauþas “death”), from verbal stem *dheu- (3) “to die” (see die (v.)) + *-thuz suffix indicating “act, process, condition.”

Death’s-head, a symbol of mortality, is from 1590s. Death row first recorded 1940s. Death knell is attested from 1814; death penalty from 1875; death rate from 1859. Slang be death on “be very good at” is from 1839. Death wish first recorded 1896. The death-watch beetle (1660s) inhabits houses, makes a ticking noise like a watch, and is superstitiously supposed to portend death.

Leave a comment
by jmanley2 on October 31, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Death

Posted by jmanley2 on October 31, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/death-etymology/

Inevitability of Death

The Great Native American Shawnee Chief, Tecumseh, once wrote a poem regarding the inevitability and the destruction of fear towards death.

 

“When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”

 

I recently watched this film entitled “Act of Valor” illuminating the United States Navy SEALS and their constant sacrifices and acts of courage and bravery. Though fictional, the film was based on true operations and tactics f the SEALS. Once specific quote in the film really spoke to me in understanding the mentality of these warriors. This quotes reads, “If you fear death, you’re already dead.”. This quote also refers to Tecumseh’s poem. If one travels through life constantly fearing death, that person will look back on their life negatively, reminiscing on how they could have improved their quality of life. However, if one lives life without the fear of death in their minds, one will live life in the moment. In the SEALS’ case, these warriors cannot afford to fear death. They have to understand that death could come at any moment in any form. They know this, and are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for a cause in which they enforce.

Death is inevitable. It will happen to every human, animal, and plant. Every organism will die in some form or another. Martin Luther King Jr. once stated that “A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.”. Though perhaps extreme, my interpretation of Dr. King’s statement is that death will come eventually. Why not do something significant in your life. Your days are numbered. Make them count.

Mufti Menk on Death

Leave a comment
by jmanley2 on October 31, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Death

Posted by jmanley2 on October 31, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/inevitability-of-death/

The Final Solution — Surrounded With Death

The Final Solution was a plan for the systematic extermination of all European Jews under Nazi Germany over the course of World War II. Most of these murders were committed at concentration camps (extermination centers) on mass scales. The largest and most notorious of these extermination camps was Auschwitz-Birkenau, located in Oswiecim, Poland during the German occupation of Poland. It is estimated that 1.3 humans were murdered, 90% of that figure being Jewish.

Image

The camp was first established as a auxiliary prison location for Polish prisoners. Germany’s Minister of the Interior Heinrich Himmler was the mastermind behind creating Auschwitz. The commandant of the camp was Rudolf Hoess, a brutally anti-Semetic Schutzstaffel (SS) officer known for murdering prisoners at will for sport. 

Image    

Heinrich Himmler

Auschwitz was comprised of forty sub-camps, where prisoners were housed. Prisoners were crammed in at three prisoners per bunk. These bunks were comprised of wood and brick, approximately 4 feet by 5 feet in space. The cabins, or sub-camps, were cold in the winter, hot and humid in the summer, and ridden with disease. 

Image

 

Hanging of Rudolf Hoess

The extermination of Jews was first done by firing squads within the camp, but this soon became inefficient. A chemical called Zyklon B was the primary killing technique within Auschwitz. The contents of the Zyklon B containers would be dropped into to cellars disguised as shower rooms containing hundreds of prisoners. The tablets inside the cans would react with the air to give off a gas composed of Cyanide. Hundreds of prisoners could be exterminated within minutes. Dead bodies of the gassed victims would be burned in either crematoriums scattered across the camp or burned in large pits.Image

Zyklon B tablets

Image

Auschwitz II (Birkenau) gas chamber

Special units of Jewish prisoners named Sonderkommandos were responsible for collecting and disposing of the bodies of murdered victims. These prisoners were literally surrounded by death for the majority of the day. Not only would they have to deal with the deaths of their fellow prisoners, but they would also be threatened by the SS officers. The SS would murder them as well if they did not carry out the orders. This camp is the epitome of death. There is no glory here. There is only cold blooded murder. Death was blended into the air. Another component of its chemistry. The prisoners lived night and day with it and second by second with it. Death could be seen as a threat, or as salvation. In all forms, death was constantly looming over the prisoners’ heads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SoTJ9cv028

 

Leave a comment
by jmanley2 on October 31, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Big Words

Posted by jmanley2 on October 31, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/the-final-solution-surrounded-with-death/

Calm, Cool and Collected

These are three words that I have heard from every coach I have ever had. In the coaches mind, each word wants you to do the same thing and that is to focus. The intended message to be relayed is that focus will bring success.
If the believe that if I were capable of ever being completely calm, cool, collected or focused at any point in time I would lead a far more successful and less confused life. There is so much to be aware of. College applications, school assignments, sports, clubs, religion, relationships, family and the list goes on. At this point in my life I am not able to succeed in all of these jobs, there is simply not enough time in the day. I am also sure that not only the majority of kids my age, but the rest of society has a hard time balancing all of their endeavors while staying calm and focused. This blog post is a message of consolation to those who understand where I am coming from. Times may seem stressful, there may seem to be no end to the work and no beginning to the calm we all look for. It sure seems that way to me sometimes. But I am sure that some day life will slow down; decelerate to a speed where focus is possible and peace and calm are attainable. I really have no clue as to when this race will become a less competitive stroll, but odds are it will come later that sooner. I look at people my age and see rushed lifestyles where life blows by us and the roses have no scent. I see my parents and my friends parents, there still seems to be that quick pace and lack of focus. But when I look at my grandparents and the other grandparents that occupy the sidelines during a soccer match I see what I look forward to. I see people content with their accomplishments and the past behind. I guess I have that to work towards, the ability to stay calm, cool and collected while enjoying my grandchild’s soccer game and not worrying about the nagging, relentless things I deal with now.

The epitome of calm, cool and collected is this guy. He has so little to think about and so much time to contemplate about his few tasks at hand. I want to say I envy him but I only envy part of him. I envy his ability to focus but not his caged lifestyle. If only I could learn that portion of his mentality.

 

 

 

 

 

1 Comment
by connorwives on October 29, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Calm

Posted by connorwives on October 29, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/calm-cool-and-collected/

Freedom Without Responsibility

Recently I have been thinking a lot about this concept as it was the topic of my college essay. I never realized. After thinking about it for a while, I came to the realization that freedom without responsibility is quite simply, chaos. We see this everyday in life, whether it be a neglected neighborhood, or a neglected house, without someone taking on the responsibilities in these places, they fall into disarray very quickly. Below is a video with which many adults can relate. In the video an Icelandish man talks about the responsibility of debts and loans. He believes that one of the main causes of the financial troubles throughout the world are that people do not take out responsible loans or mortgages. In the United States, we have seen how chaotic debt can get, with national debt going up four trillion dollars in the last four years. If the United States can just get control of how loans are given out, maybe we can erase some of the debt that is piling up.

2 Comments
by smsbaseball30912 on October 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Chaos

Posted by smsbaseball30912 on October 27, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/freedom-without-responsibility/

College: An Opinion

Recently, I have embarked on the wonderfully expending journey of applying to college. With six days until Early Decision applications are due, I certainly feel the pressure of completing my Common App and submitting the required supplements and test scores. With all this on my plate, I have noticed one incessant feature of college that truly brings me down: costs.

With ACT scores to send, CSS Profiles to fill out (ironically, this is a financial aid application that costs $9 to fill out and $16 to send), and lofty application fees, applying to college has been the most expensive gamble of my life – not to mention the $40,000 + I will pay for my tuition, fees, room, and board.

According to CollegeData.com, I can expect to pay over $42,224 per year on college (for a private college). I hope for scholarships. Of course, I will most likely get some to off-set such a high cost.

OPINION:

Is college too expensive?  Should the government play a more active role in financial aid?

Now that you have expressed your opinions, I will dispense mine:

Yes, college is too expensive. I feel this way because there is a chance that I may not be able to attend an engineering institution, like I want to. Engineering schools are often the most expensive type of college and without enough financial aid, I may not be able to afford to go. Loans are inevitable. I have read that you shouldn’t take out more money than you plan to make when you graduate (as a prospective civil engineer, that’s a relatively high $60,000), but that only $15,000 per year, a mere 36% of the average cost. Plus, who knows if I will find a job (again, as an engineer, my chances of employment are relatively higher than that of others). College is too expensive, but the costs are there for a reason. This brings up the question: If I deserve a higher education, who will pay in place where I cannot?

In France, the average cost of attending a university is about €300 (~$389) per year. Yes, per year. The government covers most of the cost of going to school; however, les universités are much different from American colleges. In order attend university after high school (le lycée), a student needs to pass the BAC (the most important exam in high school). High marks are difficult to achieve so many student study intensively for years to pass the exams. Some universities also have pre-entrance exams that require two-year courses to pass. A French student must work hard to enter college, but they are rewarded with inexpensive education. I feel that the United States should employ a similar type of system. Students who work hard and earn good grades should be given free education. For less academic-geared students, alternate education, such as trade schools should be endorsed. Sadly, our current system of enrolment is capitalistic. Colleges need to make money, but the government does not supply enough aid. Students of high income are more likely to go to college, regardless of their academic performance.  I think that is wrong. College should be available to all people. If the American Dream has any truth in it, our system of financial aid is severely lacking. I don’t see this revolution happening any time soon, but hopefully, our country will work harder to help the rising generation in the years to come.

1 Comment
by Steven on October 25, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Opinion

Posted by Steven on October 25, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/college-an-opinion/

Senseing Calm

Having the ability to sense somebody’s points of calm is a blessing. Slower breathing, relaxed muscles, being physically content, limpness. These are all attributes to a calm individual. I walked through a park once and saw a man staring at a squirrel and he was mesmerized by the little guy. He was paying attention to only the happiness of the squirrel. One time I pulled my car into a boat launch at a small pond and saw a man stand up with a guitar in his hand. There was no wind and the water was still. He was in a calm peaceful state of mind and I could sense I had disturbed it.

1 Comment
by connorwives on October 25, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Calm

Posted by connorwives on October 25, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/senseing-calm/

Defeat as a Function of War

One of the most common words associated with war is defeat. It has been said that in war, there is no victor. For blood is always shed by both sides, and I find this to be true. To measure victory as account of who has spilled less blood seems a wonderfully Neanderthal practice. Still, such is the duality of man that we can crusade for “peace” by route of its reciprocal. Yet, war is a seemingly endless practice, whether it be hard right republicans or terrorist extremists…there is no end in sight. So the question is no longer, “How can we win?”, rather, “How can we lose the least?”…puzzling. 

 

1 Comment
by elliottghall on October 25, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Big Words, Defeat

Posted by elliottghall on October 25, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/defeat-as-a-function-of-war/

How Beauty Changes People

As society has changed over the centuries, I find it hard to believe that the term beauty still exists in the same context. Beauty used to be a trait that came naturally. However, over time people have found ways to try to achieve beauty in unnatural ways. To go into further detail of these unnatural ways, I feel I must direct each example at specific countries/cultures.

  • The United States

Ideals of beauty have gone from curvy figures and being beautiful without makeup to the complete opposite. Girls in the United States feel that in order to be pretty, they must starve themselves to be skinny and tall, wear make up, have perfect hair and tan skin. Going to the tanning salon years ago would have been unheard of, but is a daily occurrence now.

 

 

              

  • Southeast Asia

While American women are fighting to have tanner skin, women in Southeast Asia are desperate for paler skin. In their culture, white skin is associated with wealth, beauty, and social class. The market for pale skin is so high that it is even difficult to find cosmetics without whitening agents.

 

 

  • China

Chinese men and women strongly believe that height is a symbol of status. Therefore, many people are choosing to undergo a painful procedure to lengthen legs that stretches their bones to make them taller.

 

 

  • New Zealand

While Americans get body tattoos on a daily basis perhaps for meaning or for show, men and women of New Zealand tattoo their faces for cultural reasons. The swirling face tattoos, called moko, is their sacred ritual to define beauty that has been practiced for centuries. They were originally worn by Polynesian descendants as a symbol of status.

       

 

Others include:

  • Korea

Undergoing eye surgery to make eyes appear wider and rounder

  • Burma

Wrapping brass coils around their necks as they grow older to make their necks appear longer

  • France

No make up is beauty for the French, even if it means using “natural” make up to appear natural in beauty

  • Africa

Being overweight and having stretch marks shows beauty because it signifies wealth and status

1 Comment
by nphalen on October 25, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Beauty

Posted by nphalen on October 25, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/how-beauty-changes-people/

Comfort in Clothes

When teenagers come to school everyday, the majority of them dress for comfort. Comfort comes from being confident in what they wear. They don’t want to be made fun of what they wear so they wear what is popular. For example, many girls wear name brand clothes so that they are the same as everyone else and feel good with walking around in their clothes. Abercrombie, Hollister and American Eagle are common brands that boys and girls wear to school to feel accepted and comfortable around their peers. 

Image

 

People always wear clothes for comfort when they want to feel cozy. They don’t want to wear clothes that are tight to their stomach or show every bulge in their waste. People want to feel the same comfort that they feel when they get in to a warm bed and to do this they wear cotton clothes, for example sweatpants and sweatshirts so they are comfortable throughout the day. 

Image

 

There is also a song, by joyce manor titled “Comfortable Clothes” 

1 Comment
by alexisstickneyyy on October 24, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Comfort

Posted by alexisstickneyyy on October 24, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/comfort-in-clothes/

Confidence

Why is it so hard for everyone to be confident in themselves?

I find that this world lacks a lot of confidence, both in people and in actions. But we also have an over indulgence of confidence where it shouldn’t exist, such as in arrogant and immature people. 

I find that among students that surround me daily, there is a complete lack of confidence in their opinions, beliefs, and ideas which in my eyes is sad. If you can back up your views, why not express it, maybe someone else less confident will agree with you. Or someone that disagrees could debate with you on the idea. After all, things don’t get done by people sitting around keeping to themselves. 

Out of curiosity I searched “Confidence” on Google and a site came up on the top 10 ways to build confidence. However, most of this I highly disagree with. 

  1. Dress Sharp
  2. Walk Faster
  3. Good Posture
  4. Personal Commercial
  5. Gratitude
  6. Compliment others
  7. Sit in the front row
  8. Speak up
  9. Work out
  10. Focus on Contribution

For those with a lack in self esteem on top, this may work out great. But I don’t believe that posture, working out, and the speed you walk helps your confidence. However, personal commercial, gratitude, speaking up, and especially contribution are great for building self confidence. It is the people with confidence that contribute to classrooms, groups, businesses, and politics. 

However, this is all just my opinion. Some believe the world would be at greater peace if we didn’t have outspoken confident people. 

 

 
1 Comment
by nylaarsego on October 24, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Big Words, Confidence

Posted by nylaarsego on October 24, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/confidence/

Adventure

Helen Keller stated that “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Typically we associate adventure with something involving risk which can result in positive energy such as excitement and adrenaline, or negative energy such as fear and panic. The first real recorded adventure can be traced back to Homer’s which has had profound effects on all facets of pop culture. Many video games follow the same basic plot line; hero returns from war, faces perilous travels and task, fights in his own house/fatherland so he can have his home back. A 2000 movie, “o brother where art thou” starring George Clooney as Ulysses McGill is a loose interpretation of the original epic but set in 1937 rural Mississippi. Tying everything in English together, parallel to the first story line is the second story line of two governors running races against each other, very similar to all the kings men.

1 Comment
by lucast6695 on October 22, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Adventure
Tagged

Posted by lucast6695 on October 22, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/adventure/

Contemporary Hope

Is there hope for mankind?

What does hope mean in this generation?

When I searched “hope” on google news, the top articles were as followed:

Why did sports show up first? Hope in helping others shows up with kindness, but hope for the medical field shows up last? Is this really what our society values? I hope that society will realize how we place emphasis on the wrong things. Is not someone’s life more important than a football player being traded to another team? Or is this just my opinion?

Where do we see hopelessness in the world?

Hopelessness is a feeling aquired in the most dire and chaotic of situations. Everything feels as though it can never recover and that it never will. Void of confidence and filled with ideas of defeat, one is plunged into an immense darkness. This feeling can be brought about by simple disappointments or by larger tragedies such as wars or massacres. Some of the most renowned and most heart wrenching massacres of those of the Trail of Tears, the Bataan Death March, the Holocaust, Srebrenica, Rwanda, Darfur, etc, etc…

Where do we see hope?

Hope is extremely powerful where it seems most unlikely to exist. Hope is prevalent in groups of people overcoming persecutions, countries overcoming wars, and when the heart seems so broken that it will never be able to mend. Hope appears even in the midst of darkness… when all seems lost, when all that is left is perserverance and hope.

What gives me hope is love. Unconditional love for the world, for each other, and mankind as a whole.

_____________________________________________________________

ASK YOURSELF:

When all is lost what do you cling to?

Your family? Your beliefs? Your desires?

What is it that you think about when all is well…?

Hope is but a mere word encompassing billions of billions of

desires, wants, and dreams.

_____________________________________________________________

Here is a poem I wrote about hope (and no, not all poems have to rhyme…):

Through the mist and fog a voice can be heard,

it is subtle at first,

yet gains strength.

Amongst the yelps of pain,

the cries of despair,

the suffering of the world,

it shines through.

It shines bright as the sun

through the battlefields covered with blood,

through the slums plastered with garbage,

through the cities ruled by crime,

through the school grounds plagued with hatred,

through the deep, dark dungeons,

dungeons of the human soul.

It screams,

screams hope.

‘Never give up’ it cries

For some,

it goes unnoticed

but for others it is a beacon;

a beacon for life

a reason to continue onward,

a reason to live.

2 Comments
by mickigregoire on October 20, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Hope

Posted by mickigregoire on October 20, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/contemporary-hope/

Anatomy of Defeat

We begin with Dedication to our cause.
We soon become Exasperated by failure.
We begin to feel Foolish at our attempts.
We once again become Earnest to achieve.
We become Aroused with our new found drive.
We stride for Triumph as we previously did.

2 Comments
by elliottghall on October 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Big Words, Defeat

Posted by elliottghall on October 18, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/anatomy-of-defeat/

The Chaos Theory

Image

The Chaos Theory, also more commonly known as the butterfly effect, explains why balance is so delicate. According to science, it is extremely difficult to predict something long-term because one small detail could be changed and the entire prediction that a scientist came up with would be completely incorrect. Say, an unpredicted earthquake changes the rotation of the earth ever so slightly to slow it down, now any scientists prediction of time with respect to how something occurs would be incorrect. 

1 Comment
by smsbaseball30912 on October 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Big Words, Chaos

Posted by smsbaseball30912 on October 17, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/the-chaos-theory/

Hope in Literature

(Feel free to click on any of the links –red words– to get information/watch video)

Hope is an immense topic encompassing volumes and volumes of worlds.

It is no wonder that such a sought after, contemplated ideal, has such a hold and popularity in poetry. Famous poets such as Emily Dickinson and Emily Brontë wrote poems titled ‘Hope’, each expressing their own attitudes and opinions about the vast and sometimes controversial topic.

Poem by Emily Dickinson (click here for link):

Poem by Emily Brontë (click here for link)

____________________________________________________________

Most stories involve a plotline sans hope. This hopelessness is what gives the novel the gravity to affect its audience. As the audience is immersed in a story that seems hopeless, they themselves hope that the tide will turn for the characters. Edgar Allan Poe is an author renowned for his ‘mystery/horror’ novels and short stories. Poe’s short story The Masque of the Red Death is one such story revealing the hopelessness of mankind. The story allows the reader to contemplate his or her current situation (ie: his or her life) and analyze their wants and desires as well as the grave inevitabilities of the world, namely Death.

However, hope does find its way into literature without help from the audience. Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces hope into his story The House of the Seven Gables. The main character Phoebe Pyncheon represents Hope. Phoebe is the only hope, the last straw, for the two crumbling families, the Pyncheons and the Maules. Phoebe is the youth, brightness, and innocence that reunites the Maules and Pyncheons with the aid of Holgrave. She recognizes the sadness and despair of the past and strives to change the future for the better.

Other texts encompass the strictly hope assuring lens such as The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and Your Invisible Power by Genevieve Behrend. These works reassure the reader that the world is good; that there is happiness, and that they, the audience, can achieve anything singlehandedly.

1 Comment
by mickigregoire on October 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Hope

Posted by mickigregoire on October 17, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/hope-in-literature/

Opinion – An Overview

I’d like to officially start this blog by stating this: an opinion is not a fact. I myself am not an openly opinionated person because I acknowledge this truth. Likewise, I do not find it fair for someone to force their often limited views on to someone. For the following posts, I will simply present my opinions on a variety of subjects and use rhetoric to support my ideas. You do not need to agree with me; you do not need to generally oppose me either.

With all of this, I hope to show you, the reader how elastic an opinion is, and how it changes or remains in order to broaden your minds and to teach you to filter what you hear more carefully and form your own opinions based off of what you truly feel. We all need help forming our own opinions without other people nudging us with lies, exaggerations, and bigotry. In reading this, I hope you may learn such a valuable skill.

Expressing your opinions:

Generally, it’s better to have thought and reasoning beforehand

                                      

Rhetoric at its finest:

1 Comment
by Steven on October 16, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Opinion

Posted by Steven on October 16, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/opinion-an-overview/

Defeat

Defeat initially embodies a negative connotation but it does not always have to be as such.   Defeat can be the driving force behind success and it often is. Still, defeat is often as it is assumed, negative. There are two definitions of defeat and they have highly contradictory implications. The noun implies that you have been defeated, that you have lost, but, the verb implies a victory over someone in a form of contest–it is entirely up to you…verb or noun.

Leave a comment
by elliottghall on October 16, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Defeat

Posted by elliottghall on October 16, 2012

https://apecewamogo.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/defeat/

« Older Posts