My Creation Myth

            In the land of Mariposa dwelled a magical colony of fairies. These fairies had special powers that they called impetus. Some used the impetus for creation, while others used it for destruction. A man and his fairy wife, were flying threw a meadow, contemplating resolutions to stop the destruction fairies from tormenting all of the creation fairies. The wife was with child and needed a safe place to raise her baby.

As they were passing a river, the man fairy had an idea. He thought that they should create a world with no evil and keep it secret from the destruction fairies. The woman picked up a rock from the riverbed, dunked it in the water, and then rolled it around in the dirt. Then, she focused all the impetus she had into the little rock to give it the power to grow. Then, the man set the rock on top of a sunflower so the new world could grow on a soft, safe surface.

The man and wife went back every day to check on the new little world until the day the wife went into labor. When the little baby was born, the man informed all of the creation fairies of the new world they had created and that now was the time to escape from the destruction fairies. All of the fairies met at by the river and then the all joined their powers and the little rock grew 100,000 time its size. In the new world, there were large animals that only ate the vegetation, and berries sweeter than any of them ever had tasted before.

As the little fairy boy grew, he found joy in making berries that made the other ferries fall ill, and animals that killed the other animals for food. His most destructive creation was man. Man eventually took all the berries and hunted must of the animals, leaving the fairies to starve. Where the fairies were buried is where the crops grew. The only fairy that remained was the boy who created them, although none of the humans saw him. He flew high into the sky and survived on the sacrifices that the humans made to him. And if the humans ever failed to make a sacrifice, the fairy would punish by drying out all of their crops until they made the sacrifice.

The World on the Turtle's Back. Questions 4-7

4. In both The World on the Turtle's Back and Genesis, the story starts with two people and one commits a forbidden deed. The difference being in Genesis man is thought to be above all other life forms, and in this story, nature and animals sometimes trump man.

5. The difference between the right-handed twin and the left-handed twin is the right-handed was thought the be the boy that does good and what's right. He makes the useful animals and berries and he always tell the truth. LHT is the one who is crooked. He was always deceiving people and he made the animals that kill the helpful ones and the berries that will kill people.These qualities are seen in people everyday. Some people feel it is their duty to do good and some people feel the need to do bad. Without one, the other would now exists.

6. The Iroquois attitude toward nature is that everything needs balance. For example, if it weren't for the meat eating animals, the deer would eat all of berries, leaving none for the people. They respect their gods, but they are see them as equals. In the first paragraph it say, "Far above the unpeopled world, there was a Sky-World. Here lived gods who were like people -- like Iroquois." And also in the story the twins were also gods and they lived on earth with the people. They're thought on good and evil is that all evil isn't completely evil and all good isn't always good. For example when the brothers went to their final duel, the LHT chose a weapon that he new wouldn't harm his brother while the RHT chose a weapon that he knew would destroy his brother once and for all. And after the fight, the RHT went home and chopped his grandmothers head off.

7. These functions are fulfilled in this story because it reminds people were they came from, the twins, it explains how the earth came about, and also how they continue to live there, by planting corn, beans, and squash, and to also keep tobacco close to their hearts.

Vocab. 1

Colloquial- Adj.

characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal.

"The diction in the story is colloquial." 

Dotard- N. A weak-minded or foolish old person.
The dotard at the park was always there feeding the ducks.

Furrow N. A narrow groove made in the ground, especially by a plow.
The bike crash was caused from the furrow in the road because it was too deep and no one had fixed it. 

Misnomer N. A  misapplied or inappropriate name or designation.
One rapper will use misnomer to punk a fellow rapper. 

Vilification V. To speak ill of; defame; slander. 
The vilification of a celebrities happens everyday. 

Atrophy N. A wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or nerve damage.
The atrophy of the little rat released an awful stench in the air.  

Misogynist N. A person who hates, dislikes, mistrusts, or mistreats women.
After George went on his rant about how he thinks women are disgusting, he was accused of being a misogynist.  

Vindicate V. To clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion.
 The dog was vindicate for 'going' on the floor when the baby was found running around without a dipper on.

Attenuate V. To weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value

Drivel V. Meaningless talk

Virulent Adj. Actively poisonous

Early American Writing Outline

I.               Early American Writing: Historical Context

a.     The Meeting of Two Worlds

                                               i.     The earliest American writers concentrated mainly on describing and trying to make sense out of their challenging new environment and the unfamiliar people with whom they shared it

                                              ii.     In dairies, letters, and reports back home, they recorded a historical turning point: when the world of the Europeans first intersected with that of the Native Americans.

                                            iii.     The earliest writers chronicled how the Europeans and Native Americans viewed one another and the North American land.

b.     From Colony to Colony

                                               i.     The colonists were loyal to the British until after the French and Indian War and then they were taxed to recover money from the war.

                                              ii.     Fired by cries of “No taxation without representation,” the colonists protested British control – in both fiery word and bold actions.

                                            iii.     With each new act of British “tranny,” writers for colonial newspapers and pamphlets stirred the hearts and minds of the colonists to support independence.

                                            iv.     The remarkable minds of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and other colonial thinkers put timeless words to this experiment in the form of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

II.             Cultural Influences

a.     Puritan Beliefs

                                               i.     Puritan settlers believed themselves chose by God to create a new order in America.

                                              ii.     Hard work, thrift, and responsibility were therefore seen as morally good, a sign that God was working within. The thriving settlements and financial success that grew from these qualities were thought to be a mark of God’s approval.

                                            iii.     Puritans tended to be inflexible in their religious faith and intolerant of view points other than their own

III.           Idea of the Area

a.     The Enlightenment

                                               i.     In the 1700’s there was a burst of intellectual energy taking place in Europe that came to be known as the Enlightenment.

                                              ii.     Enlightenment thinkers had begun to question previously accepted truths about who should hold the power in government. Their thinking pointed the way to government by the people – one in which people consent to government limitations in exchange for the governments protection of their basic rights and liberties.

                                            iii.     The political writings of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson shaped the American Enlightenment and began to eclipse even the most brilliant European thought.

b.     The Great Awakening

                                               i.     Preachers such as Jonathan Edwards called for people to rededicate themselves to the original Puritan vision, and a new wave of religious enthusiasm began to rise.

                                              ii.     The movement, called the First Great Awakening, united colonists who were in other ways diverse.

IV.            Early American Literature

a.     The Native American Experience   

                                               i.     When the Europeans arrived, there were more than 300 different Native American cultures in North America with Strongly different customs and about 200 different languages spoken.

                                              ii.     The Native North American cultures did not have a written language. Instead, a group’s history, legends, and myths were entrusted to memory and faithfully passed from generation to generation through oral tradition.

                                            iii.     Creations stories, way to explain how the universe and humans can into being, can be found in every Native American culture. Other forms include legendary histories tracing the migration of people or the deeds of great leaders, fairly tales, lyrics, chants, children’s songs, healing songs, and dream visions.

b.     Exploration and the Early Settlers.

                                               i.     The journals, diaries, logs, and historical narratives of those first Europeans to view the American landscape describe in vivid detail its many sights and wonders, as well as its dangers and challenges.

                                              ii.     The first of these writing were the journals of Christopher Columbus, which recounted his four voyages to the Americas begun in 1492. His fascinating journals provide a vivid record of the most significant journey of him time.

                                            iii.     A report by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca chronicled his eight years of wandering through Florida, Texas, and Mexico. In it he described the landscape and people he encountered, as well as animals that were new to Europeans.

                                            iv.     Samuel de Chaplain wrote vivid accounts of New England and the Iroquois.

                                              v.     As the colonies took root, writing began to focus on the story of the growth of the colonies.

                                            vi.     Captain John Smith wrote stories of his experiences in the colonies in order to attract other people to ensure the success of that colony.

                                           vii.     Other writers who documented the history of the New England settlements wrote in a plainer and with a more serious purpose.

c.      The Puritan Tradition

                                               i.     Puritan writers had their own purpose for recording history. They believed writing should be useful, a tool to help readers understand the Bible and guide them in their daily lives.

                                              ii.     Cotton Mather chronicled the Salem Witch trials and wrote more scientific papers on inoculation fro smallpox.

                                            iii.     Most Puritan writers wrote plain sermons, histories, and treaties, but poetry was how most others expressed themselves.

                                            iv.     The first book issued in the North American colonies was Bay Psalm Book which the Bible’s psalms were rewritten to fit rhythms of Puritan hymns.

                                              v.     Anne Bradstreet’s book The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up, was the first work published by a woman in North America.

                                            vi.     Most Puritan poems used vivid images from nature and from everyday life as a way to help readers grasp the spiritual world beyond.

d.     Writers of the Revolution

                                               i.     Many people were drawn the political writing as the effort to launch a grand experiment in government took shape in North America.

                                              ii.     The most important outlet for the spread of these political writings was the pamphlet.

                                            iii.     Pamphlets were inexpensive and helped spread the word of ongoing debates and helped fuel the revolution.

                                            iv.     Thomas Jefferson also wrote pamphlets, but his great contribution to American government, literature, ans the cause of freedom throughout the world dis the Declaration of Independence.

                                              v.     Natural law is the idea that people are born with rights and freedom and that is the function of government to protect those freedoms.

                                            vi.     In Phillis Wheatley’s poems, she wrote about natural rights of American Americans and pointed out the discrepancy between the colonists, “Cry for freedom” and their enslavement of fellow human beings.

Hills like White Elephants Picture

 This is the scenery that was described when the woman walked to the end of the station on page two.

 

 This is a close up of the "White" hills. Silver is the closest thing I had to white.

 This is a closer look at the valley where the train station, the two sets tracks on either side of the station, and the bar are located.

Hills like White Elephants Reflection

My first impression of the man and woman was two people waiting for a train, tired and having a boring conversation. As the text progressed, a conflict materialized from what seemed like nothing. The conflict being that the woman, Jig, was pregnant and the man wanted her to get an abortion, although she was unsure. Part of her didn't want the baby because she was ordering alcohol without hesitation, but part of her didn't want to put the little fetus's life to an end. The man was being very inconsiderate of how Jig might feel toward the child because he was choosing to say things like, "It's the only thing that makes us unhappy," and, "That's the only thing that bothers us." By saying this man is blaming the kid for their unhappiness and that pressures the woman into getting the abortion, even if it's not what makes her happy. This makes the man very hard to like, even though he is just scared. I also think it's interesting that the couple would choose a public area to have such a serious conversation. By having this discussion at the train station, it would prevent the man and woman from causing a scene, and thus avoiding a tremendous argument. I feel that the situation they are in is very unfortunate, but they could be handling it in a more constructive manner. The woman isn't communicating how she really feels, she is only telling the man what he wants to hear to shut him up. The man is not being mindful of how his words might be affecting the woman and why he really doesn't want to baby. He wants to keeping traveling, and that will become much more difficult with an infant.

How and Why We Read Homework

I enjoyed this video because it grabbed the attention of the audience right from the beginning, was full to the brim with useful information, and was funny to keep everyone interested. Some of the information that I obtained was the unimportance of the author's intentions, but how you interpret the text and what it means to you. Also that when you read critically it not any helps you understand the text, but can also help you write and tell stories more successfully. What I found most interesting was when he explained how the author was not as important as the reader might think. When I read I always wonder what the intention of the author might be but never interpret the text and think, "Well that what makes me happy, who cares what the author really meant."