#4- Sydney (Cain and Abel)

Summary
In the beginning of the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve have just been created as the first human beings- Adam from the dust of the Earth and breath of God and Eve from the rib of Adam, taken while he was in a deep sleep (thus the name "wo-man" given). The two are given the commandment to "be fruitful and multiply", so they follow this commandment by having children. They have three that are mentioned in the Bible: Cain (the oldest), Abel (the middle child), and Seth (the youngest); but only Cain and Abel are relevant to this story. The conflict in this story stems from the fact that the Lord looks upon Abel with satisfaction while he looks upon Cain with disdain. This is because Abel gives the best of his flocks when producing sacrificial offerings to God, but Cain only offers the sick and weak of his flock; this shows that Abel is more devoted to God. Therefore, Cain becomes jealous of Abel and lures him out to the fields and murders him- the first murder in the Bible, supposedly setting the precedent for all future murders. This causes all sorts of trouble for the two which extends throughout the Bible for hundreds of generations. First, Cain is thrown out of the Garden of Eden and is forced to roam the Earth with an eternal curse placed on him and his descendants by God. Also, the more New Testament- relevant consequence is that Jesus does not end up coming from the line of Cain. As the firstborn son, Cain should inherit his father's blessings in at least twice the amount of the rest of his brothers, according to Old Testament traditions. However, since he disobeyed God and was exiled, he was effectively "cut off" from this important lineage and his descendants were cursed; they became a nation which was in constant war with God's chosen people and the nation of Israel. All of these consequences came from a sibling rivalry, which is something most siblings in modern times still struggle with.


Analysis

Sibling rivalry is a very natural part of human existence- seen from the so-called beginning of time, when the first siblings shared a very intense rivalry based on jealousy. My brother and I do not butt heads as much as many other sibling pairs; maybe this is due to his incredible kindness, because I surely cannot claim that it is due to my agreeableness. If anything, this is in spite of my incredible stubbornness. There are times, however, when we butt heads- not to the degree of Cain and Abel, but only because it never escalated to one of us murdering the other. Disagreement is disagreement and our situations are seemingly mirrors of each other.

Conflicts Between Siblings - Hannah Pauley

The story of Cain and Abel has had permeating influence throughout many works of fiction (the titles of the modern American novels My Sister's Keeper and East of Eden are two obvious examples), probably because its subjects are so incredibly universal and accessible: brotherhood (or sisterhood), pride, shame, jealousy, ancestry, and revenge.
Cain (the elder) and Abel (the younger) are two sons of Adam and Eve. Abel is to tend livestock and Cane is to tend the land. Both sons make offerings to God: Abel offers fresh, succulent fat, and the best Cane can do is give God some fruit, with which God is not impressed (possibly because in most ancient societies, offerings to the heavens are only significant if slaughtering is involved). Cain becomes envious of Abel, the favored baby brother, and leads him off to slaughter, and with this God is also not impressed. However, He has the good grace to mark Cain so that no one murders him and Cain goes to live somewhere "East of Eden." Later, Cain's great-great-great-great grandson Lamech confesses to his two wives, Zillah and Adah that he has killed a man, and he exclaims: "If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times."

Everyone who has had siblings has wanted to murder them at some point. I remember wanting to kill my sister when she would tease me and say that my blonde hair made me look like I did not have any eyebrows. At one point, filled to the brim with rage at her taunting, I gave her the meanest pinch I could muster. As a result, the two gods of the house condemned me to indefinite seclusion in my room. This is the way of conflict between siblings--whoever throws the first punch is the one punished. (Who's to say that Abel didn't cast an unseen smirk at Cain, or mutter something God didn't hear?)

My sister has nice, dark, thick eyebrows and hair to match. She's seven years my elder and the agism exhibited by my family never fails to infuriate me. She perceives me to be the "cherished baby" of the house, and the "spoiled" daughter, because after she moved out, I received all the glorious benefits of an only child. However, she is blissfully ignorant of what it is like to live without companionship in the madhouse-inferno that is our parents' home. (The television blares from sun-up to sun-down if our father falls asleep on the couch on game day, and our mother is always blasting some horrendous genre of music in the kitchen for all to plug their ears and try not to hear.) Naturally, I have always been incredibly envious of my sister's freedom to waltz out of the house on a whim.
Jealousy, however petty and unreasonable, is the primary source of most conflict between siblings. As in the case of Cain and Abel, and so many siblings throughout time, this jealousy derives from (or produces) rivalry. Throughout history, siblings have explored every means of competition, as there is generally tension between two people who are trying to do the same thing: make their parents proud. It's similar to the rivalry between co-workers applying for the same promotion, or a couple of high school students applying to the same selective college. 
It is only through the bonding experience of enduring something together that siblings are enabled to see themselves as absolute equals. When the circus comes to town, and the season of our family's holiday gatherings have begun, my sister and I are able to connect with more empathy and understanding, as we realize that we are just two trapeze artists of equal talent, dependent on each other to get through the chaos of Christmas time.

Post 4- Saba Khandani

Odysseus' journey into the walls of Troy wouldn't necessarily be viewed as an "adventure" in my eyes; because in my opinion, adventures are fun and exciting. Of course the beheading of thousands of drunk Trojans is intriguing, I still do not wish to embark on that adventure. My dream adventure would be traveling to at least one country in each continent. I've always been interested in international affairs and I think I would be beyond satisfied if I got the chance to experience all corners of the globe. Of course in a continent as big as Asia, with its wide range of culture, trips to at least three countries would be necessary. I know this adventure would take a lot of preparation, and could not feasibly happen in one trip, but the main point is to reach the ultimate goal (in the case of Odysseus, to win the Trojan War).

You know it's a problem when you ask for this necklace for your birthday.

Post 4- Genghis Goodman

    The story of Odysseus and the trojan horse begins with the war between Greece and the city of Troy. The war started over the kidnaping of the most beautiful women on earth- Helen, and continued for ten straight years. Finally, however, Odysseus devised a plan to win Greece the war. His plan was to build a giant wooden horse and give it to the Trojans, possibly as a trophy to signify the surrendering of Greece. However it was just the opposite, for this horse was hollow and built to contain greek soldiers. The night the Trojans received the wooden horse they wheeled it into the city and started to celebrate and therefore drink. The Greeks then exited the wooden horse and proceeded to kill everything and win the war.

    My dream journey is a culmination of the places I would like to travel to the most. These places are: Hawaii (I have already been there, however I would like to explore more of the islands and do more adventurous stuff, such as cliff diving in Maui); China, to experience the different culture and lifestyle, I would like to visit the places where my mother grew up and truly understand the immense culture transition she would've had to go through when she moved from China to America; Tokyo; Dubai; and the Maldives islands (google image the Maldives and tell me you wouldn't want to go there). Although a single journey that encompasses all of these places is unlikely at best, I feel like in the future I can scratch quite a few of these destinations off my bucket list one at a time.

Post 4 Trojan Horse - Jasa Harris

During the Trojan War the city of Troy was impenetrable, its tall wall provided great defense for Trojan warriors and many defeats for the Greeks who had been struggling to enter Troy for about ten years then. The Greek’s failures prompted Odysseus to devise “The Trojan Horse” plan. The idea was to hide thirty men inside a hollow, huge horse and leave the horse outside of Troy. The Greeks then “left” and the people of Troy celebrated and claimed their prize. They brought the horse into their beloved city and displayed it as a symbol of their success. But while they slept comfortably, the thirty Greek men emerged, opened the gates to lead their remaining army in, secured Troy and ended the war.

"Trojan Horse." Legend of the Trojan War

(Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts). N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. http://greece.mrdonn.org/trojanwar.html

My dream journey isn’t anything too extraordinary. I just want to go to Honduras. Honduran children hold a special place in my heart, so my dream journey would do something to benefit them. Honduras is filled with gangs and crime; it’s a really unsafe place to live. Children are on the streets and don’t have access to several of the basic accommodations that we here in the States take for granted. So I want to give them something that every child everywhere should enjoy. This might be like a bounce house or like an arcade type building. Also, Honduras is beautiful, so I’d get to enjoy that too. 

Post 4 (Cain and Abel)- Karl Werner

By the grace of the Lord, Eve bore Adam a son, Cain. Then, she gave birth to his brother, Abel. Cain tilled the ground and Abel tended to the sheep. Both offered their products up to the Lord, who favored Abel. Cain became angry and jealous, and in his emotions, slew his brother. He tried to deceive the Lord, but the the Lord saw the crime and banished Cain. He was cursed to wander the earth and live a hard life. His descendants populated the land and gave birth to innovations. In the end, the Lord gave Adam and Eve a third son named Seth to replace Abel.
Sibling conflict is an ever-present part of life. When you have a brother, it is inevitable that you are going to bash heads. Being a sibling naturally breeds emotions like jealousy and anger. Not quite Heathcliff level, but these emotions can be powerful. Most siblings are not pushed to murder by these passions, but conflicts do spring up. I have had many fights with my brothers. Whether started by a sports game or by jealousy over a birthday present, we have butted heads many times. Sibling conflict is a natural, every day part of life. With two little brothers, I am all too familiar with it. One must simply learn to live with these feelings, count to ten, and not stab your brother to death and try to cover it up.

"Genesis (The Book of Moses) 4." The Holy Bible: King James Version. American Bible Society, 2000. Print.

Lets build a horse - Jack Humphries

The great hero Achilles is dead. Stuck down in all his glory by an arrow let lose by fair Paris. In Achilles dying breaths, Greece seemed to lose all hope of recovering the lost fair Helen. In a stroke of genius though, the great commander Odysseus had a wooden horse built, and a plan made. The Greeks would lie and wait feigning a retreat while the great horse of the Greeks would be taken into Troy as the spoils of war. As night fell the hidden Greek hero’s opened the gates of the city and before the nights end, Troy had fallen.

My dream journey is to get away. To feel free: all the weights of life lifted off my chest. To have the wind at my back and smiling faces to greet me. Not to get to know necessarily, but to converse with. My dream journey is, in itself, just a journey after all. To go somewhere you’ve never gone before, to meet with people you’ve never met with prior to your quest, and to live life differently. This is what I want. To get away, away from life, finding solace in experience and discovery my journey will provide me with.

BERENS, Edward. A HAND-BOOK OF MYTHOLOGY. THE Myths and Legends OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME. NEW YORK: Maynard, Merrill, &. Print.

Margaret's Blog 3: Dream Journey

So in the story of the Trojan horse, the Greeks essentially pulled one over on the Trojans. The Greeks made a gigantic wooden horse, hid some of their soldiers in it, left it outside the gates to Troy and then pretended to sail away in defeat. That night, after the Trojans had pulled their “Victory Horse” inside the gates, the Greek soldiers got out and opened the gates to let the rest of the Greek army in. Of course the Greeks absolutely annihilated the Trojans, by surprising them in the middle of the night, and ultimately won the Trojan War. 

My dream journey would be to Hogwarts. Not the movie set, but to actually go there as a student for a week or so. Don’t even lie, I know most of you would want to go there too. I would explore the grounds, find as many secret passageways as I possibly could, and sneak into the kitchens so the house elves could gorge me on food. My class list would of course include: the care of magical creatures, transfiguration, and charms, but probably not potions, because Snape scares the pants off of me. I would attend a Quidditch match, rooting for anyone other than Slytherin, and I would read as many books from the library as is humanely possible in a week. This would be the greatest journey I could ever dream of; Being able to experience something so intertwined with my childhood. Oh, and no questions asked, if I saw Harry, Ron, or Hermione in the hallway I would shamelessly ask them for a picture (a magical moving one of course).

"Trojan Horse." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_Horse>.

Here is a YouTube video of all of the trailers for movies 1-8, it’s quite magical I must say. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8-e_VdwAME

Trojan Horse - Zac Byrd

The Trojan War was fought between Greece and the City of Troy across the Aegean. The wife of Menelaus, Helen, prompted all the fighting.  Menelaus lost her so he had to get her back through a brutal bloody war because there was no other way to get his wife back than to fight ten straight years. Different events took place involving people like Achilles, Patroclus, King Priam, Hector, and Ajax. Odysseus had an idea after years of this war to give the Achaeans a gift.  He gave them what they thought was a big winning trophy to signify their loss in the war.  This giants horse was wheeled into the city, along with what was inside which was many Greek soldiers, waiting to attack until nighttime. The Trojans got drunk because of the celebration and then the Greeks actually ended the war by taking over the city.

I would love to go to New Orleans.  The culture down there is a lot different from what we have in Lexington KY.  There is a lot more live music, and festivals.  Also they have beaches around there so I could also go relax after listening to one of the many live concerts.  I really just want to go hear and experience all the great jazz music and see where most of the great jazz artists get their roots.

Post 4-Rachel Hart

The story of Odysseus and the Trojan horse begins with the Trojan War, a war fought between the City of Troy and the rest of Greece.  Troy was surrounded by a large wall to protect itself. The Greeks attempted to gain access into the city for many years but nothing seemed to work, until Odysseus came up with the idea of constructing a large wooden structure in the shape of a horse with a place inside for the Greek army to hide. The soldiers pretended to leave and the horse was taken into the city by the Troy army. That night the Greek soldiers killed the Trojans and set the city ablaze.

My dream journey is to go and compete at Crufts in England. Crufts is an international dog show in which people from countries all over the world go to compete and prove they are the best in their specialty. The journey to get to go to Crufts would take hours upon hours of training as well as attending qualifying competitions. The actual traveling journey would probably be an adventure in itself as my dogs have never flown in the United States, let alone half way around the world. The flight itself is over eleven hours and I can barely stand the two hour flight from Lexington to Atlanta. I hope to make this journey at least once in my lifetime and hopefully before I'm too old to run along side my dog on the agility course.

Assignment 4: Grace Goulson

Odysseus and the Trojan Horse

So the Trojan war was fought between Greece and the City of Troy across the Aegean. It all began with the apple of discord, which eventually led to the abduction of Helen, wife of Menelaus, apparently the most beautiful mortal woman on the Earth. She was given to Paris, a prince of Troy, prompting Menelaus to attack, in order to bring back his beautiful wife. The two sides fought for ten long years, during which other stuff happened that involved Hector, Achilles, Patroclus, Ajax, and King Priam. Eventually, Odysseus (a Greek) had this brilliant idea to construct a giant, mobile horse and present it to the Trojans as a gift, in the hopes that they would wheel the horse within the city walls, ignorant of the dozens of eager Greek soldiers waiting inside, poised to attack. The Trojans were indeed duped by Odysseus's trick, despite the warnings of Laocoon; upon nightfall, while all the Trojans were drunk from celebrating, the Greeks jumped out of the horse's belly and razed the city, thus finally ending the war.  

As for my dream journey... I would love to go to Norway. This "dream" was reinforced over the weekend, when I attended my dad's cousin's wedding in Minnesota. My dad's side of the family has a strong Norwegian heritage ("Goulson" is Norwegian), and Bill himself is fluent in Norwegian and has been to Norway many times. His best man was even a Norwegian, a pleasant man named Odd Gunner. While in Minneapolis we visited Ingebretsen's, a world-famous(?), authentic Scandinavian gift store filled with countless genuine crafts and gifts, along with authentic cuisine (which included yummy food like lutefisk). Anyway, all this is to say that I really want to visit the place of my ancestors and experience the culture. And if not for my heritage, I'd want to go because I think Norway is the most beautiful place on Earth. I would love to hike to the top of a towering mountain and look down into a gorgeous fjord below, or watch the vibrant aurora borealis dance across the night sky. It would be a journey to discover "my people" and a truly awesome place. 

Assignment 4-Eliot Smith

In the biblical story, Eve, whose husband was Adam, gave birth to two sons: Cain and Abel.  Abel's job was to raise the livestock, and Cain's job was to tend to the crops.  Abel offered part of his livestock to the Lord, while Cain offered some of his crops.  However, God was satisfied only with Abel's offering.  This made Cain jealous of his brother, so much so that Cain killed Abel shortly after.  The Lord obviously noticed this, and cursed Cain so that he could never grow any crops again.  Cain left his home and didn't return.

A sibling relationship void of jealously and annoyance does not exist.  It is in a sibling's instinct to vie for the most attention from their parents, even if this is at the cost of the other sibling's happiness.  I have experienced this first-hand--I can recall many times where I felt that my sister was in the spotlight and I felt neglected, and I'm sure she felt the same way at other times.  Although it never got to a point where I invited her out for a walk and killed her, there were certainly times where I almost felt like it.  It is only later in adolesence that the siblings tend to distance themselves from their parents that this competition begins to fade.

Ben G 4

           A really long time ago, there was a big battle at a city(-state) called Troy. If you were geographically inclined, you might be interested to know that it is in modern day Turkey, but I digress. The war started over a woman, who apparently was the most beautiful in the world. Courtesy of Aphrodite. The war lasted for around a decade. At the end, Odysseus tricked the trojans with the Trojan horse. Needless to say, this trick cost Troy everything.

            My ideal  DREAM journey would be across World War II Europe. Not affiliated with a particular faction, just to fly/drive all over the place and see all the vehicles, (TANKS!TANKS!TANKS!) airplanes, and big battles. I would most like to see the battle of Prokarovka, the biggest tank battle in history. Granted, it was one of the most deadly battles, but that adds to the history of the event, making it harder to forget.

Monument to said battle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Prokhorovka#mediaviewer/File:ProkhorovkaMonument.jpg

I have no idea how to make that any smaller. Fixed.

Post 4 - Angela Tseng

In the story of Cain and Abel, Even gives birth to a son, Cain, and soon after another, Abel. Even though the two brothers usually got along they were very different as Cain grew crops and Abel kept flocks. One day the Lord as them each to bring him an offering and both of the sons brought their hard work. Cain's came in the form of crops while Abel's came in the form of his fattest sheep and the Lord accepted the gifts but looked at Abel's with more favoritism. In a fit of rage and jealousy Cain killed his brother.

Even though I have an older sister who's currently a junior in college I can't really say that I relate to the story of Cain and Abel very much. As children me and my sister got along really well, as we do now, and we've never really had any huge conflicts. The only things we fight about now are pretty trivial like if one of us takes something from the other without asking and then the take-ee can't find it later or, since we have slightly different senses of humor, if one of us wants to show the other a YouTube video and the other person refuses to watch it. But those things blow over easily and I've never thought about killing my sister like Cain did and I doubt she has either as I'm still alive and well. So although I don't think my sister are very similar personality wise we still find ways to get along and support each other. 

Cain and Abel- Thomas Ueland

Adam and Eve had 2 sons, the eldest being Cain and the youngest being Abel. Although they did not always get along, they still loved each other and looked after one another. One day, their parents told them of God's wish to sacrifice a lamb; each boy was told to offer one. Abel took this order to heart and sacrificed one of his best lambs, whereas Cain didn't see the point and instead tried to burn some straw. When the lamb caught fire and the straw did not, the brothers realized that God had been testing them and that only Abel had passed. In a jealous rage, Cain asks Abel to go on a walk and kills him on the trip. 

The Cain and Abel story is an extreme example of sibling conflict; we all have experienced frustration regarding our siblings, but it rarely escalates to circumstances similar to this bible story. As for me, having 4 brothers and sisters means that I am very familiar with this type of conflict. Two are in college now and so the house is much quieter, but a few years ago we couldn't make it through a family dinner without arguing about something trivial. Though entertaining at times, these encounters generally darkened the mood and drew people into an argument who should have had nothing to do with it . Parents can intervene, but in our case it was best to let the two arguers work it out  because otherwise we would hold grudges for long periods of time. Overall, I believe that sibling conflict is unavoidable and instead we should focus on keeping the arguments civil and under control.

Cain and Abel - Alex Warren

Genesis 4 New International Version (NIV)

Cain and Abel

4 Adam[a] made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.[b] She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth[c] a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so[e]; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,[f] east of Eden.

17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of[g] bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.

23 Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
    wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
    a young man for injuring me.
24 If Cain is avenged seven times,
    then Lamech seventy-seven times.”

25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,[h] saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.

At that time people began to call on[i] the name of the Lord.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%204

I guess in my life I am Abel, and my sister is Cain. All my life I have not done wrong by my parents for the most part, so in return they have been good to me and given what I need and a lot of what I want. My sister on the other hand was a trouble-maker and pretty much bad kid during her teenage years, and she wasn't all that jealous I don't believe, she did realize that I was sort of unintentionally stealing her spot light. Basically my parents preached, in their own words what God said to Cain, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” What they were really saying was either continue your bad ways and be on your own, or live a better life and we will helo you. So my sister chose the latter and is know living a better life on her own after being jumpstarted by my parents.

(btw she and I love each other and get along very well)

Post 4 / Hannah Pulley

To Adam and Eve were born two sons: Cain and Abel. Cain worked the fields, growing fruits from the ground, while Abel tended to the herds. When it was time to bring offerings to the Lord, Abel brings his fattest, healthiest of the herd, while Cain presents the okay-ish range of what he has from the reject bin at the grocery store. When Cain is unhappy with his life and how the Lord looked upon him—as well as envious of Abel—instead of taking a long, hard look at his life, he kills his brother. For this, Cain is sentenced to live in misery and mediocrity, along with his descendants—like a real-life Stanley Yelnats. (Or however the family continued, considering that the first two people on earth gave birth to two sons. My money is on the aliens.)

I have one sister who is a sophomore now; she started school early and has been the picture of perfection, giving my parents much less trouble than I have in my seventeen years. When we were both younger, our combined personalities and fickle temperaments made it impossible for us to be in the same room without someone getting angry, someone’s feelings getting hurt, or the usual nerve-grating to happen. Perhaps we both grew up a little more at the same time—as I entered my junior year, and as she started as a freshman; perhaps being in the same school at the same time gave us a common perspective for once: life in high school is hard enough without the arguments over silly things. She has her life, her friends; and I have mine. We coexist in our separate worlds and maybe even have lunch after cross-country meets on Saturdays.

Cited: 

"Bible Gateway Passage: Genesis 4 - New International Version." Bible Gateway. Westbow Press. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%204.

Post 4- Isaac Satin

Cain and Abel were brothers and the children of Adam and Eve. Cain worked in the field with crops and Abel worked as a shepherd with the livestock. One day they gave offerings to God, who for some reason decided that Abel's offering was better than Cain's. Cain, understandably upset at this arbitrary favoritism, overreacted and killed his brother Abel, making him literally the first murderer ever.

I myself have a younger brother, so in purely mythological terms I would be seen as Cain's equivalent in that we are each the firstborn sons. Unlike Cain and Abel however, we get along pretty well, The occasional fight is unavoidable, but when the dust settles we'll always be brothers no matter what (a little more self control than Cain had also helps). Sometimes we even work as a team by irritating our parents about something we feel is important, and on more rare occasions, helping them out with things. He's cool with me, I'm cool with him, and we're friends. It's pretty good. Way better than Abel and Cain. Or Romulus and Remus. Or Loki and Thor, or siblings in a crazy amount of Shakespeare plays... There are a plethora of siblings who fall under the Cain and Abel trope. But not my brother and me.

Fun link bonus- a disgusting amount of examples of this trope: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CainAndAbel

4 Kaylyn Torkelson

Cain and Abel

Adam and Eve conceived a child named Cain, who became a farmer, and a second child, name Abel, who became a sheepherder. Cain and Abel both offered some of their livelihood to the Lord, who decided to respect Abel’s offering and chose not to respect Cain’s. (Favoritism much?) Cain was understandably upset and spoke to Abel afterwards, in a field, in which Cain and Abel began to fight and Cain killed Abel. When the Lord asked Cain where Abel was, Cain lied, and the Lord cursed Cain and his farming ability. Cain then started a long line of descendants. Oh, and Adam and Eve had a younger son named Seth after Abel’s death.

I have a younger sister named Grace who is in the seventh grade. We fight pretty regularly, usually over stupid subjects, and although I have probably thought about the perceived joys of being an only child at some point, I can’t say I plan on murdering my sister to achieve them. We’re required to love those we’re related to, even when they make it really hard. Like when she takes my belongings without asking and doesn’t give them back. Or when she’s just being unnecessarily irritable. She may be a problem the majority of the time, but at least she’s my problem. Conflict with siblings is a natural part of growing up; hopefully, the usual solution is not murder.

The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York: American Bible Society: 1999; Bartleby.com, 2000. www.bartleby.com/108/.

4 - Max Morris

Long ago in Ancient Greece, there was a Greek city-state name of Troy, near Sparta on the coast of Turkey. It was once allies with the rest of the city-states, but a major disagreement with the Gods had changed that. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite were all in a beauty contest, and Paris, the Trojan prince, was the judge. He chose Aphrodite, so as a gift, she gave him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. Only problem was, Menelaus, the king of Sparta. Paris didn't care, so he abducted her, obviously angering Menelaus and leading him to declare war against Troy with the support of many other Greek states. One of his soldiers was Odysseus, the subject of The Odyssey, a famous epic by Homer. In order to stand a chance at winning the war, the Spartan soldiers had to seize Troy. Being a clever boy, Odysseus built a giant hollow wooden horse, and had soldiers hide within it. They then offered this horse as a gift for their "victory." Despite the protests of a few, the Trojans took this horse into their city and partied with it. Suddenly, the soldiers flooded out and slaughtered every last Trojan there was, thus ending the war.


My dream journey would be something with a real purpose in the end, I don't believe in all that Jack Kerouac self-discovery trash, it's just an excuse to be lazy. My dream journey would probably be tied in with my dream of being a filmmaker. I would like to be the second director to make a film in every continent, following in my hero Werner Herzog's footsteps. There's just too many potential for great settings and stories out there to pass up. You would also meet many interesting subjects on your travels, and perhaps film some short documentaries on them, too. What I want out of life is to experience as much as I possibly can and to create great films, and this journey would be a perfect way to accomplish both of those goals.

4- Hallie Walther

Cain and Abel

In the biblical story, Cain and Abel (Genesis 4), Cain and Abel were brothers. Cain worked in the field and Abel worked with the flocks. One day, Cain brought some fruit to the Lord as an offering and Abel brought fat portions of the firstborn of his flock, the Lord commended Abel and didn't acknowledge Cain. This led to a tension between the two brothers and eventually Cain killed Abel.

Most siblings are expected to fight all the time, to hate each other, and not have a very supportive relationship with each other. This is seen everywhere, including the story of Cain and Abel. However, this is stereotype is the opposite of the relationship I have with my brother. My brother Henry is a Sophmomore in the Academy at Henry Clay. Out of all of the people in my family, I am closest to my brother, I tell him more about my personal life that any other person and he does the same with me. We help each other stay out of trouble with our parents, help each other study, go out to get food, help the other pick out what we are going to wear that day, and always are there to support one another. I love my brother and I don't know what I would do without him.

Post 3- Genghis Goodman

Elegy for Philip Sidney

BY BARON BROOKE FULKE GREVILLE

Silence augmenteth grief, writing increaseth rage,

Staled are my thoughts, which loved and lost the wonder of our age;

Yet quickened now with fire, though dead with frost ere now,

Enraged I write I know not what; dead, quick, I know not how.

Hard-hearted minds relent and rigor's tears abound,

And envy strangely rues his end, in whom no fault was found.

Knowledge her light hath lost, valor hath slain her knight,

Sidney is dead, dead is my friend, dead is the world's delight.

Place, pensive, wails his fall whose presence was her pride;

Time crieth out, My ebb is come; his life was my spring tide.

Fame mourns in that she lost the ground of her reports;

Each living wight laments his lack, and all in sundry sorts.

He was (woe worth that word!) to each well-thinking mind

A spotless friend, a matchless man, whose virtue ever shined;

Declaring in his thoughts, his life, and that he writ,

Highest conceits, longest foresights, and deepest works of wit.

He, only like himself, was second unto none,

Whose death (though life) we rue, and wrong, and all in vain do moan;

Their loss, not him, wail they that fill the world with cries,

Death slew not him, but he made death his ladder to the skies.

Now sink of sorrow I who live—the more the wrong!

Who wishing death, whom death denies, whose thread is all too long;

Who tied to wretched life, who looks for no relief,

Must spend my ever dying days in never ending grief.

Farewell to you, my hopes, my wonted waking dreams,

Farewell, sometimes enjoyëd joy, eclipsëd are thy beams.

Farewell, self-pleasing thoughts which quietness brings forth,

And farewell, friendship's sacred league, uniting minds of worth.

And farewell, merry heart, the gift of guiltless minds,

And all sports which for life's restore variety assigns;

Let all that sweet is, void; in me no mirth may dwell:

Philip, the cause of all this woe, my life's content, farewell!

Now rhyme, the son of rage, which art no kin to skill,

And endless grief, which deads my life, yet knows not how to kill,

Go, seek that hapless tomb, which if ye hap to find

Salute the stones that keep the limbs that held so good a mind.

This poem contains all of the three elements of an elegy: lament, admiration, and solace. This poem contains lament mostly in the first couple stanzas. Lament is showed from the very beginning by stating "Silence augmenteth grief, writing increaseth rage" showing the hard feeling that occured due to this tragedy. You get a further sense of lamentation as the writer transitions into the main part of the poem, saying "Enraged I write..."
The next element of an elegy is admiration. The writer described the dead in a very positive light, saying he was well minded, a good friend, and unique, saying "He was (woe worth that word!) to each well-thinking mind A spotless friend, a matchless man, whose virtue ever shined" the writer also listed the philips good qualities, saying "Highest conceits, longest foresights, and deepest works of wit"
The author demonstrates somewhat of solace by saying "farewell." "Farewell" having a positive connotation, the author doesn't end on a bitter note.

In conclusion, the point of this poem shows that a poem can be used to "vent" the negative emotions of  something tragic (such as the death of Philip Sydney).