Jason and the Golden Fleece: Grace Goulson

Jason's father, Iolcus, the lawful king, was usurped by his brother the evil Pelias. In order to keep him safe from the new tyrant, Jason's mother sent him to be raised by a centaur named Chiron. When Jason grew up to be a young man, he returned to the kingdom to claim the throne back. Pelias told him that he could have the throne if Jason retrieved the famed Golden Fleece. Knowing that this was a nearly impossible task, Pelias was sure that Jason would be unsuccessful, or better yet, killed and he would retain his tyrannical rule. Jason assembled 50 of Greece's strongest and bravest men who became known as the Argonauts. On their journey they were met with much adversity-- too many tales to tell. When they finally reached Colchis, the land of the fleece, the king's daughter, the crazy Medea, fell in love with Jason. Medea helped Jason get the fleece in the hopes of wooing him. Upon finally getting the prized Golden Fleece, Jason and Medea returned to his kingdom and he claimed the throne. Shortly after, he abandoned Medea for another women. Medea goes crazy and kills hers and Jason's children. Jason returns to the wreckage of the Argo and is killed by a falling beam of the ship. The end. ----- If you love stop motion animation and want to learn more about the story, see the cinematic masterpiece that is Jason and the Argonauts (1963).

Stories of love and revenge... They often involve a crazy person, as is the case with this story. And usually the revenge is pretty intense. Often the party taking revenge overreacts. I have no idea what would make some go to the extent that Medea took it other than mental illness or intervention from the gods. But I've noticed that humans have a tendency to be taken over by emotion and blinded by rage and confusion. When one person in a relationship takes revenge on the other, it's usually an indicator that the relationship wasn't too strong in the first place... These are my thoughts. They are limited, but these are my thoughts.

Post 11? Ben G

Sonnet 

Sonnet 130, Shakespeare

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress when she walks treads on the ground. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.

Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 130." Poets.org. Poets.org, 1 Jan. 2004. Web. <http://m.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-sun-sonnet-130>.

This sonnet, Sonnet 130, is (surprise surprise) of the shakespearean type. According to Poets.org, this type follows different rules, and is put together with three quatrains and a couplet. Each quatrain has an abab rhyme scheme internally, with the three together making an abab cdcd efef scheme. The couplet is always an AA scheme, so by tacking it on the end of the quatrains makes the final rhyme scheme, abab cdcd efef gg. Obviously, my copy and paste skills are not good enough to keep it in the correct scheme. Blame text wrapping. 

For me, at least, when I think of a sonnet, I always think shakespeare. There are other kinds, however: the petrarchan, the spenserian, and the modern. 

Post 10: Grace Goulson

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

God, having deemed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah wicked and full of sin, decided to destroy them. He and two angels came to Abraham disguised as men and told Abraham of his plan. Abraham bargained with God until the Lord promised he would not destroy the cities if he could find ten righteous people in them. The next day the angels went to Sodom and were met by Lot, who invited them into his house. They feasted, but a mob of angry people came to Lot's house, wanting to have sex with the strangers. Lot, being a good host(????) did not betray his guests, but instead offered his two virgin daughters up to the townsmen. The mob, unreceptive to Lot's offer, stormed the house, but the angels protected him. Then, having decided that there were not ten righteous people in the whole town, they urged Lot and his family to flee before the whole city was destroyed. Lot and his two daughters reached the nearby city of Zoar, but his wife disobeyed the angels by looking back at the destruction and was thus turned into a pillar of salt.

As Scar once famously said, "Life's not fair," but that doesn't mean that humans shouldn't strive to eliminate unfair punishment. Our justice and imprisonment system in America is screwed up, handing out unfair punishments all the time; punishment is certainly necessary sometimes, but it could often be handled better. I, for one, am a big fan of forgiveness, given that my name means mercy, especially in a biblical context. Had I had the power to destroy whole cities (or flood the Earth) like God does in this story, I would never have followed through with his plan. For supposedly being such a forgiving Lord, his actions often do not display clemency. This has always been a big contradiction for me in my faith. I think we all, as sentient beings (sentient being the key word), should strive to be more compassionate and forgiving and realize that everyone sins.

Assignment 10 - Max

I've always liked the story of Echo and Narcissus just because of how ridiculous it was. Echo was a real talkative gal who angered Hera. Therefore, Hera punished her severely. She was forced to repeat everything that was said to her, which understandably annoyed Narcissus, a hunk who she fancied. Narcissus was rude to her, so she went off and died somewhere, but being a hunk, he was also rude to pretty much every other lady he saw, too. Hera, a big fan of ironic punishment, cursed him, and caused him to only be able to love his own reflection, the one thing that could never love him back.

A lot of people think Kanye West is a narcissist, but to someone who knows him like I do, it is clear that this is a load of trash. Being an ordained minister in a religion devoted to the man (long story,) perhaps I am not the most unbiased commentator on such a thing, but to anyone who ignores the media's attempts to paint him as a villain, it is clear that Kanye is the most inspirational and creative figure of our generation. Kanye is confident and outspoken, yes, but that shouldn't translate to obnoxious in people's minds. He simply says what he thinks, even if it's not the majority's opinion, and that is admirable, if you ask me, not damnable. I could go on for hours and hours defending Kanye, it's one of my passions, talk to me in person if you want more, but for now, I leave with this video. I watch it every morning to start my day motivated.

 http://vimeo.com/104956776

10 Zachary Byrd

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah begins with god wanting to destroy these two cities. God talks with Abraham before completely destroying these two cities and Abraham is looking to save some people in these cities. They decide if there are ten good people God will spare the city.  Two angels go into the city to find ten people, they stay at Abraham's nephew's house. The angels however cause every man to want to have sex with them.  Lot offers his two virgin daughters to the mob, but they instead violently pursue the newcomers. Lot, his daughters, and the angels escape the mob's wrath.  They run away from the city as God rains burning sulfur on the towns.




I think there will always be unfair punishment in the world.  People always feel a need to punish people for crimes they have committed but based of the judges personal experiences some punishments can be worse than others.  In addition to this people in higher power will feel they need to assert their dominance over people seemingly beneath their stature.  No punishment is even ok because it comes around in other ways.  A punishment could be determined on the aftereffects of a crime on the individual.  For example in school if a kid has his phone out, they wont learn the material and will most likely do poorly on the test.  Their punishment is their bad grade of the test.  But if it affects other people that person should be punished by another person.

Post #10 Erin Holbrook

The story of the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah begins with Abraham conversing with three strangers that he meets in transit. One is identified as god, while the other two are revealed to be angels. God reveals that he plans to destroy several towns that he deems wicked. Abraham convinces him to spare the towns if ten righteous people can be found within the cities. The two angels are sent to Sodom, where Lot greets them and offers them lodging. The result is that every man in the city demands sex with the male strangers. The mob pursues the men relentlessly, and the angels decide that ten righteous people cannot be found in suck a wicked place. Despite offering his daughters up for rape, Lot is deemed righteous and the angels do tell Lot to flee with his family. Several members of the family cannot be convinced. Lot flees with his wife and daughters. As they flee the city, Lot's wife looks back on the destruction and is turned to salt because of this. Lot and his daughters end up hermits, and his daughters fear never being able to marry and have children.  They decide to get their father drunk and have sex with him, and they bear children  from this union.

In one analysis, this story is mentioned as evidence that god is merciful. I find it odd that a merciful God would destroy a town with even one righteous person in it. That he would eventually agree to a minimum of ten is not merciful. To say that forgiveness is a virtue, and then cruelly punish an entire population to me seems hypocritical. It is easily noted that even the best people can be corrupted by their environment. Even in the story, even Lot who exemplifies goodness is corrupted enough by the wicked city to offer his daughters up to a mob. The wonderful thing about human beings is that no matter how wicked we are at times, anyone of us is capable of change. We are conscious beings with the potential for almost anything. This is why I believe that any punishment that is not designed to better a person is unfair. To write off an entire city is definitely an unfair punishment. To write off people who weren't necessarily going to right their ways, but who might have, is not right. There are a lot of problems with punishment in our society. From capital punishment to laws that allow serial-rapists to walk free, we are not even close to acheiving a just system of punishment. I don't have the experience to define exactly what a just punishment would be. Yet I believe above all else that a  punishment should not just fit the crime but allow the opportunity for penitence, forgiveness and growth.

Assignment 10 Echo and Narcissus- Drew Sorenson

This is a rather pitiful tale of issues people in high school should be familiar with: love, talking, and our reflection. Echo, like many modern day high schoolers, chatted constantly and invoked the wrath of Hera for detaining her in her search for her husband who was probably off having fun with the other nymphs. Hera punished her by forcing her to have the last word and the last word only. Thus it was that she repeated everything Narcissus, who caught her fancy one day in the woods, had to say. Narcissus spurned her and she went off into a cave and died (a long while later). Narcissus was also rude to all the other nymphs, and one day one of them wished a curse upon Narcissus, which Hera heard and granted, which caused Narcissus to love something that could never love him back: his reflection.


I can honestly say I don't know very many narcissists, so I can't say there are any that I abhor. As to an altruist I admire, I admire the work of Ghandi. I can think of no other human being who was so selfless and so interested in the well-being of others than he.

Sodom and Gomorrah-Cassie Adams

God set out to destroy the city of Sodom because it was filled with wickedness and sin. However, Abraham pleaded with God, who agreed not to destroy Sodom if there were 10 righteous people in the city. He sent two angels to search for these people, and when they arrived they found Lot with whom they stayed. Later, a group of men came to Lot's door demanding the two angels so they could have sex with them. Insead Lot offered his two virgin daughters. This angered the men and they came after Lot, but the angels protected him. They advise him to gather his daughters and wife and flee the city as God was set to destroy the city. A rain of sulfur came down on Sodom and Gomorrah, but Lot’s wife looked back and therefore was turned into a pillar of salt. The next morning, Lot and his daughters arrived at the city of Zoar. 

I think that unfair punishment definitely exists in our society. In theory, when someone commits a crime, justice is served and they are punished according to the serverity of the crime. For example,  a driver speeding on the highway might get a ticket and have to pay a fine while a murderer might be sentenced to life in prison. However, we do not live in a fair world. Certainly, every action has it's consequences, but sometimes crimes go unnoticed, the guilty are free, and innocent people are punished for the actions of others. For example, in this story the entire city is destroyed as a result of the actions of a few. A simpler example of this is when one student misbehaves in a class, by using their phones at inappropriate times for example, and the entire class is punished and phones are banned in all circumstances, even when they could be used for educational purposes. 

Post 10? Ben G posting attempt No. 2

Ben Gardner

Sodom and Gomorrah

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a classic example of punishment. In the story, there are two towns, Sodom and Gomorrah. The story actually takes place in Sodom, but Gomorrah also gets the punishment. I digress. Abraham has a conversation with God, who is planning to annihilate Sodom, but manages to get God to agree to spare the town if He finds 50 righteous people, at first, and Abraham persuades Him to lower His threshold to 10 people. 

To find out if the 10 righteous people exist in Sodom, God sends two angels to investigate. The angels find just a couple-- a man named Lot and his family. Since this doesn't fulfill the requirement, the city is in imminent danger of being destroyed. The angels tell Lot to cut his losses and run, which he does, taking his wife and two daughters with him. As they were climbing up the mountain to get off the plain, the immolation of the city began. Lot's wife looked back, against the recommendation of the angels, and was instantly turned into a pillar of salt. Some time later, his daughters decided to sleep with him, so as to continue the story lineage, both giving birth to future kings. 

"Genesis 19." Bartelby's. Bartelby's. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.bartleby.com/108/01/19.html>.

Unfair punishment is a part of life, that really can't be avoided. Unfair punishment resulting from false accusations, however, are seriously not cool. I cannot count the number of times I've taken the fall for something that I didn't do, because my idiot brothers REFUSED to own up to their own screw ups. Years ago, someone ate a bag of gummy bears, and planted the empty bag in my room. I still get grief about it. However, as I said, unfair punishment is a part of life, and it serves to get a point across. Or, if you're in a certain few gigantic countries in Eurasia, it serves as a way to make an example of someone/something. Coughrussiacough. 

Post 9: Grace Goulson

The Unknown Citizen

W. H. Auden, 1907 - 1973

(To JS/07 M 378
This Marble Monument
Is Erected by the State)

He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be
One against whom there was no official complaint,
And all the reports on his conduct agree
That, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a
   saint,
For in everything he did he served the Greater Community.
Except for the War till the day he retired
He worked in a factory and never got fired,
But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc.
Yet he wasn’t a scab or odd in his views,
For his Union reports that he paid his dues,
(Our report on his Union shows it was sound)
And our Social Psychology workers found
That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink.
The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day
And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way.
Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured,
And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured.
Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare
He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan
And had everything necessary to the Modern Man,
A phonograph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire.
Our researchers into Public Opinion are content 
That he held the proper opinions for the time of year;
When there was peace, he was for peace:  when there was war, he went.
He was married and added five children to the population,
Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his
   generation.
And our teachers report that he never interfered with their
   education.
Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd:
Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.

Auden, W. H. "The Unknown Citizen." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

This poem stresses how the "unknown citizen" in question is completely ordinary and normal, and it satirizes this to the point of where it seems as though the citizen is being honored as a fallen soldier. We can also infer the connection to an unknown soldier by noting the ironic epigraph at the beginning. The poem serves as a commentary on the utter boringness of American society at the time, and mocks the ordinary aspects of the citizen's life. Perhaps Auden wrote this poem as a reflection of society as a whole, or perhaps as relating to his personal life. Regardless, the message is clear: Auden is not a fan of conformity and lack of individuality. But the deeper meaning comes in the last two lines, "Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard." Through all of the data gathering and intense monitoring by (presumably) the bureaucracy, the citizen has really lost all of his individuality. However, the reader is left to assume that the citizen is neither happy nor free, which shows that the bureaucracy doesn't really know everything about the unknown citizen. 

post 10 - Genghis Goodman

The story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah begins with god wanting to destroy these two cities. God, being reasonable and just, decides to talk with Abraham before completely destroying these two cities. Abraham bargains with god himself, and eventually the two reach the conclusion that if the cities hosts ten pure people, god will not burn them to the ground. God then sends two angels to scout out ten pure souls - the angels stay at Abraham's nephew's house. These angels, however, create an opposite effect and cause a frenzy of men who want to have homosexual sex with them. Yes, two people come to town and instantly every man and his father wants to have sex with them. Abraham's Nephew (Lot) even offers his two virgin daughters to the mob, but they become infuriated and violently pursue the newcomers. Lot, his daughters, and the angels eventually escape the mob's wrath and God rains burning sulfur on the towns.

I believe there is unfair punishment in the world, and there will always be unfair punishment. There will always be situations where those in higher power feel an action deserves a more severe punishment then necessary. To me, no punishment is needed as long as an action does not directly harm or have the potential to harm other people. Therefore, it would be unfair to punish the following actions: using your phone during class (provided it's not a disruption), using your computer in class, being late to class, not going to class (in this sense being punished would be like going to detention, something like a zero a participation category would be fair because you didn't really earn those points), open-carrying a firearm to class (joke). I'm sure there are other unfair things that are punishable; however, it was easiest to list school rules because they are a majority of the rules I face daily - also I don't break the law very often.

Sodom and Gomorrah - Jasa Harris

The city of Sodom was filled with sin, so God was set to destroy it, but Abraham pleaded with God not to if he could find 50 righteous people that lived there. God agreed, and eventually even agreed to spare the city if there were 10 righteous people. So two angels arrived at the city of Sodom to search for these righteous beings, but when they arrived they found only Lot who fed and housed them. Soon, however, a group of young and old men came to Lot’s door and demanded the two angels so that they could have sex with them. Lot instead offered his virgin daughters; this enraged the group of men. The men came for Lot, but the angels protected him and told Lot to bring anyone that belonged to him, including his daughters, wife, and son-in-laws, so they may be spared, God was set to destroy the city. The son-in-laws laughed at Lot’s ridiculous plea, and stayed behind. The angels told Lot to take his daughters and wife, flee the city, don’t look back and do not stop. Then God proceeded to rain down sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah, but Lot’s wife looked back and therefore was turned into a pillar of salt. Lot and his daughters arrived at the city of Zoar the next morning. Both daughters slept with their father and each had a baby, both of whom ruled over cities.

I believe there is a lot of unfair punishment in the world. This story shows unfair punishment as the entire city was destroyed for the men’s sinful acts. I thought it was a bit extreme to kill them. Their sinful acts could have been punished less severely. I believe that every act has a consequence, but often times the consequence doesn’t fit the crime. Sometimes it is too harsh and other times too lenient; this story is an example of the former. And you see this in our criminal system today, as some people are punished less severely because of the title they hold, what race they are, what gender they are, etc. The same crime is not always punished the same because nothing in life is ever really fair. 

Echo and Narcissus - Angela Tseng

Echo was a wood nymph that was in love with Narcissus, but he was only capable of loving himself. One day Echo allowed Juno's cheating husband to escape by engaging Juno in a conversation so as punishment Juno took away her ability to talk and instead she was only able to repeat things people said to her. Soon after she approached Narcissus but he instantly rejected her and in her sadness Echo ran away and died of grief, soon turning into a rock so that all remained was her voice. But on the other hand Narcissus continued to make nymphs fall in love with him, only to reject him so the gods decided to make him feel the pain of loving someone who will never love you back and he ends up falling in love with his reflection in a pool of water. He too fell into a deep state of grief since his reflection couldn't love him and died by the pool of water to be replaced by a flower.

A narcissist that I abhor is Dandy from American Horror Story. He's a spoiled brat who only cares for himself and puts his mother through lots of grief by doing things that upset her, like killing people. He always finds ways to get what he wants and doesn't care if he upsets people in the process. An altruistic person I admire is my old piano teacher, Anna Wesley. When I took piano lessons from her she was always extremely kind and almost like a grandmother to me. She was a very talkative person who had stories to tell about her life at every lesson. She and her husband also volunteered in the Belgian Congo to teach the people there music and once got kicked out but was soon invited back because they enjoyed their company so much. I always admired how kind she was and would love to be like her.

post 10- Saba

Three angels disguised as men visited Abraham. Two of them went to Sodom and Gomorrah to assess the wickedness level of these cities. God told Abraham that he would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the extreme evilness of the people of these cities. Abraham somehow convinced God to spare the cities if there were ten righteous people living there. God agreed. Abraham's nephew Lot met the angels at the city gates of Sodom. Lot took the angels to his home and fed them. Then all the men of the city surrounded Lot's house and asked for Lot to send the two men (angels) outside so they could have sex with them. By tradition, the angels were under Lot's protection, and he was so taken aback by this insistence that he offered the mob his two virgin daughters instead. The angels struck the rioters blind and led Lot and his family out of the city to safety. God rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them. Meanwhile, Lot's wife turns into a pillar of salt.

In this story, the "evil" people of Sodom and Gomorrah are punished for their deeds. But really who can decide whether something is evil or not? Whose place is it to determine what is morally good or bad? As I read this story I came to question whether the punishment by the angels was unfair and it was. The man was willing to offer his own two virgin daughters order to save the angels from an apparent sin. And in my opinion that is a worse sin because it portrays women and inferior to men. Their own father cares less for his own daughters than he does for the two random strangers in his home. 
http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/a/Sodom-And-Gomorrah.htm

Post 10- Marge

I am not a fan of this story. But the gist is that God is angry at the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because they are wicked and full of sin. Their sin being homosexuality. So God wants to destroy the two cities therefore destroying the sin within, but Abraham doesn't want this to happen. So Abraham makes a deal with God saying if God can find 10 righteous people in the cities he will spare everyone. God sends three men into the city of Sodom to scout out 10 righteous people, and they are greeted by Lot at the city gates. Lot invites them into his home and feeds them, but in the evening the other men from the city demand that Lot hand the foreigners over so they can have sex with them. Lot wants to protect the outsiders since he knows they don't agree with the practice of homosexuality so he offers up his two virgin daughters instead. The men refuse and try to forcefully take the newcomers. God then tells Lot to take his wife an daughters and soon to be son-in-laws and flee the city because he is going to destroy it, but only Lot and his two daughters make it to safety. They decide to live in a cave, but the daughters were afraid since there were no other men to mate with that their family line would run out. So they get their father drunk one night and sleep with him so that they can have children and keep their family line alive.

I think that there is a lot of unfair punishment in the world. I think that God destroying these two cities was unfair punishment. I do think that the men should have been punished for not respecting the wishes of the foreigners not to want to have sex with them, but I don't think they should have been punished for being homosexual. To me homosexuality isn't a sin, but in this story it is so therefore God thinks his punishment is justified,. I also think that destroying their villages was a bit dramatic, but that was Gods call not mine.

post 9 - Genghis Goodman

To the Men of England

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Men of England, wherefore plough

For the lords who lay ye low?

Wherefore weave with toil and care

The rich robes your tyrants wear?

Wherefore feed and clothe and save

From the cradle to the grave

Those ungrateful drones who would

Drain your sweat—nay, drink your blood?

Wherefore, Bees of England, forge

Many a weapon, chain, and scourge,

That these stingless drones may spoil

The forced produce of your toil?

Have ye leisure, comfort, calm,

Shelter, food, love’s gentle balm?

Or what is it ye buy so dear

With your pain and with your fear?

The seed ye sow, another reaps;

The wealth ye find, another keeps;

The robes ye weave, another wears;

The arms ye forge, another bears.

Sow seed—but let no tyrant reap:

Find wealth—let no imposter heap:

Weave robes—let not the idle wear:

Forge arms—in your defence to bear.

Shrink to your cellars, holes, and cells—

In hall ye deck another dwells.

Why shake the chains ye wrought? Ye see

The steel ye tempered glance on ye.

With plough and spade and hoe and loom

Trace your grave and build your tomb

And weave your winding-sheet—till fair

England be your Sepulchre.

This poem brings light to the unfair situation in England. Basically, the higher powers in England are oppressing the working class. Shelley juxtaposes the harsh condition of the working class with the luxurious lifestyle of their tyrants, this is shown in quotes such as "weave with toil and care the rich robes your tyrant wear?" Shelly criticizes the "drones" however this poem is aimed at telling the working class to rise up as opposed to telling the tyrants to negotiate with their workers. Overall, this poem is very effective, implementing grim imagery of a life full of hard labor that leads to a miserable death.

post 10 / Hannah Pulley

Many versions of the story exist, but as retold in Greek mythology, Echo was a Nymph—a quiet creature of the fields and forest—and a chatterbox. Whether in casual conversation or in arguments, she loved the sound of her own voice and always had to have the last word, which was obviously something that could get any person—or Nymph—in trouble very quickly. One day, she had occupied Hera’s mind with her seemingly endless tales, which left the ever-straying Zeus free to consort with other Nymphs. When Hera discovers the diversion, whether or not it was intentional on Echo’s part, Echo is cursed to have no voice of her own, and instead can only repeat what is said to her.

Narcissus was the beautiful son of a Nymph Leirope and the river god Cephissus, and even as a child he was loved and hounded by all who wanted to admire him. Because of his vanity, however, none of these admirers were good enough for him. (and I believe that partially, he was fed up with the attention. I know I would be.) One day, Echo spots Narcissus in the woods, and is immediately mesmerized. She attempts to follow him, and when he calls out to see who it could be, she can only echo him. When the two run into each other, like a hasty collision in the hallways with books scattered and faces hidden, Narcissus pushes Echo away with little thought. Echo is left heartbroken by this rejection, and lies down and waits for death; her bones become stone and her voice is released to haunt the hills.

Several broken hearts later, Narcissus is cursed to fall in love and feel the pain of unreturned affections. One day, while gazing down at a pool of water, he becomes obsessed with the reflection he sees. Some versions of the story put it that a vision of Echo is reflected in the water, while most others say it was himself he gazed upon. Either way, it was someone he couldn't have. Overcome by this longing, he stabbed himself with a dagger. And that, my friends, is why you don’t confuse aesthetic attraction with love. Just remember: your apartment full of cats and potted succulents won’t care how you look.  

It’s not really a list that I put much effort into maintaining, but a few people come to mind. Reading Donald Trump’s Twitter feed is a waste of three minutes that’s easy to shrug off because it’s so comical, but then you remember that he’s being serious. At least half of the posts involve him talking up the Trump Towers and his golf courses, and the other half consist of him entertaining the thought of running for president; interspersed in here are opinions so extreme and views so far removed from those of the average American that I would fear the day that he actually did run.

A person that I greatly admire, not just for his altruism but for all-around amazing-ness is writer Ned Vizzini. While he was most well-known for It’s Kind of A Funny Story, he shared so much of himself and his experiences in short stories, speeches he gave at many universities and libraries, and other published works. Vizzini was an outspoken proponent for mental health awareness and from his writing, the connection that he emphasized between writing and personal healing, between art and medicine, is very much evident.

Pontikis, Nick. "Myth Man's Echo & Narcissus." Myth Man's Echo & Narcissus. 1 Jan. 1999. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://thanasis.com/echo.html>.

Echo and Narcissus - Hannah Pauley

In the ancient myth, Echo was a woodland nymph who invariably claimed the last word in any interaction. One day when Hera found her husband was away talking with Echo, she cursed the nymph. Echo could never again "speak first," but only repeat the last word spoken to her. This became a predicament when Echo saw the young and beautiful Narcissus and fell in love with him, but could not speak to him. She followed him, and repeated the words he finally spoke to her, but alas, he was disgusted with her copy-cat approach. Echo, lonely and dejected, surrendered to her helplessness and went away to rot in a cave until only her voice remained, whispering back her visitors' own speech.
Narcissus shunned Echo, and all other nymphs. Once, a mortal attempted to win his affection and upon her failing wished for Narcissus to know the feeling of unrequited love. Narcissus later came upon a clear fountain and fell passionately in love with his own reflection, which he took to be an apparition of a water nymph. When he found he would not be embraced by his own image, he too wandered off and withered away. Upon his death all of the nymphs mourned him, and revered the purple and white flower which had replaced his body.
Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology. Grosset & Dunlap, 1855. Print.

One narcissist I abhor is Scarlett Johansson. In nearly all of her roles in film she purposefully exploits her own sexuality and in this way insults the very idea that women possess value beyond aesthetics and superficiality. Meanwhile, she appears entirely careless to this fact and remains wrapped up in her own youth and beauty as if this alone were an excuse be immodest and ignorant. In her role as the Black Widow in "The Avengers" she not only embodies the blatantly sexist depictions of women in comic books, but strikingly resembles the main character from the video game Tomb Raider, whose idealized figure and impossible breasts were accidentally (and comically) constructed, no doubt, by a room full of desperate and infantile men—who else? In her role in "Her" she shamelessly suggests that she could manipulate any person—in the film, man, woman, and machine—into falling in "love" with her using only her voice and her charm, reinforcing the superficiality of her own existence and suggesting the absolute emptiness of substance in romantic engagements. In this role she is "smart" because she is a computer, not because she is individually intelligent or interesting. 
Typing Johansson's name into Google brings up a myriad of images which one would be astonished to find did not originate on the cover of Playboy or Sports Illustrated. She does absolutely nothing but boast her beauty, in love with her own resemblance to the pathetic images of 1950s "Pin-Up" housewives and mistresses. She has the "talent" of a stripper, and calls herself an actress.

 One altruist I admire is Carl Sagan. He was not at all beautiful by superficial standards, but beautiful in spirit. He is most known for his work in science, his books, and his stellar television program "Cosmos," but the true greatness of his legacy rests in his wisdom. He saw the world as something magnificent to be explored, protected, and improved, and he encouraged others to see it in the same way. He not only spoke his beliefs, but he lived them. He sought to find and share what meaning and wisdom which science and the universe had to offer to the human race. Committed to clarity and conclusion by logic, he was unafraid to correct the illogical conclusions of others, deeming him both a skeptic and an indispensable contributor to science and to the world. 
 Successful, yet not prideful, he was an advocate of the idea of "Testosterone Poisoning," the negative affects of male compliance to the stereotypes of masculinity. He encouraged all humans not to succumb to the view that their species must be the only (or the smartest, most powerful, etc.) race in the universe, and continually attempted to dwarf the human ego by alluding to the grandness of the cosmos and the probability of life beyond Earth. He was certainly a man worthy of admiration.

Post 10-Echo & Narcissus-Isaac Satin

Echo, an ever talkative nymph, one day was with Zeus when she crossed paths with Hera. Echo's talking displeased Hera, and Hera cursed Echo to never speak first but rather only to be able to reply. Later on, Echo met Narcissus, who she fell madly in love with. This love would prove to be unrequited, though, as Narcissus was much too self-centered to consider Echo as a romantic partner. Echo reacted much like any lovestruck, tonguetied individual without a romantic outlet and went to live in a cave until she died. Meanwhile, Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection, and stared at it until he starved to death. So... poetic justice, I think.

My least favorite narcissist is Win Butler of Arcade Fire. There are innumerable reports of Arcade Fire treating their employees and fans quite poorly, and Butler is at the head of the band, so I feel this falls on him (not to mention he is singled out a fair bit in the previously mentioned reports). Wayne Coyne (songrwriter, singer, and guitarist of The Flaming Lips) has one of the most notable quotes about Arcade Fire's unpleasantness, but it's too raunchy to post here. As for altruists who I admire, I'd have to say the unfortunately deceased Robin Williams is at the top of the list. After his passing, there were tons of stories about his philanthropic nature, my favorite of which being that he used his clout as a star to have studios hire homeless people as extras in movies he was in so as to give them a way to earn honest money and get some work.


Bulfinch. "Echo and Narcissus in Greek Mythology." Mythography. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.loggia.com/myth/echo.html>.

Fun bonus link- Narcissistic Personality Disorder quiz!! http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/narcissistic.htm

Post 10

            Echo was a beautiful nymph, a favorite of Artemis, and incredibly fond of talking. One day, Hera went looking for Zeus, who she assumed was with the nymphs somewhere, and met Echo. Echo had the idea to distract Hera while all the other nymphs escaped by talking; when Hera found this out, she cursed Echo and made it so Echo could only ever reply, never speak first. Echo fell in love with Narcissus and pursued him relentlessly. Narcissus was too self absorbed to love Echo and after meeting her once, he rejected her. The only reasonable thing she had left to do was hide in caves until she died, and there was nothing left of her but her voice. Narcissus's cruelty was pretty typical; he met his end by staring at his reflection in the water, forgetting to eat or drink and refusing to leave the image.

            There's a long list of narcissists I dislike, but Hitler is kind of hard to beat in that area. He was self-centered and obsessed with power and control, much like Narcissus in the myth. On the opposite hand, I picked an altruistic group that I admire instead of a person. Going along with today's date being Veterans Day, I thought immediately of Team Rubicon, a volunteer organization that centers around returning war veterans. Team Rubicon employs war veterans and their unique set of skills and abilities to aid disaster stricken areas. Veterans experiencing difficulty transitioning from military to civilian life are surrounded by a group of people who know exactly what they're going through, while also discovering a new purpose for their abilities and self-worth from recognizing the impact one individual can make.

Bulfinch. "Echo and Narcissus in Greek Mythology." Mythography. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.loggia.com/myth/echo.html>.

Post 10-Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah-Rachel Hart

Sodom was city overrun with sin, so God wanted to see the city destroyed. However a man named Abraham pleaded with the Lord and settled with him that if he were able to find 50 righteous people living in the city then he would not see it destroyed. They come to an agreement that God would not destroy the city if he could find ten righteous people. God sent two angels to the city of Sodom to find the ten righteous people, however when they got to the city they were only able to find Lot who was feeding and housing the people. A group of men arrived at the home of Lot and demanded that the angels would have sex with them, instead Lot offered up his two daughters which enraged the group. The angels protected Lot when the men came for him and told him to bring his family so that they too may be spared as God was going to destroy the city. Lot's son-in-laws laughed at Lot's pleas to come with his family and be spared, and stayed behind. Lot was told to flee the city with his daughters and wife and not look back. Lot's wife didn't listen and was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back. The three soon arrived in the city of Zoar and were safe from the destruction of the city.

Unfair punishment does exist and always will. We live in a world full of inequality and with that comes unfair treatment of people-punishment included. Whenever someone commits a crime the victim is going to want some sort of punishment as retribution for the committed crime. In this story the entire city is destroyed as a result of the actions of a few. Everyone had to pay regardless of being involved or not.

Echo and Narcissus- Thomas Ueland

In Greek mythology, Echo was a wood nymph who loved Narcissus. He was wanted by many of the nymphs but never seemed to love anyone else back, and enjoyed praise and attention. Echo, known for her talkative nature, accidentally helps an unfaithful husband escape from the goddess Juno. As a result, Echo was punished by having her speech limited; she could only repeat things that were said to her. This did not bode well in her pursuit of Narcissus, and he eventually berates Echo and shoves her to the ground. The grief from this encounter kills Echo, and in the afterlife she becomes one with the mountains and continues to repeat the things that were spoken. As for Narcissus, the gods grow tired of his self-centered nature and decide to make him feel like he had made others feel. They created a reflection in a pond of a beautiful water spirit, something that Narcissus immediately fell in love with but could not communicate with because it was not real. He builds up frustration from this that eventually leads to his death. 

One of the most obvious narcissists out there is Kanye West. He has called himself the 'Michael Jordan of Music' and has stolen the spotlight on more than a few occasions. Who can forget his outburst on Sway in the Morning when he screamed "you ain't got the answers" among other things to seemingly any question posed to him. His narcissistic list is lengthy, but I wouldn't say I abhor him; some of his actions are outright comical.

An altruistic person I admire is my cousin Paige, who has worked in the Peace Corps and been to Africa many times doing missionary work. The extent to which she gives back to others astounds me, and I admire her commitment and selflessness.

http://www.echo.me.uk/legend.htm

Post 10: Echo and Narcissus- Lucy Wan

Echo was a wood nymph who loved a boy named Narcissus. Though Narcissus was loved by many, he never loved anyone; he believed no one was worthy of him. One day, Echo, who loved to talk and always had to have the last word, aided Juno's adulterous husband to escape by talking to Juno. When Juno realized Echo had distracted her, she cursed Echo so she was only able to speak when spoken to.

Echo, still very much in love with Narcissus, often waited in the forest for him to stroll by. One day, as he came by, Narcissus called out to Echo and told her to join him. Echo was overjoyed with his proposition and wanted to express her love to Narcissus. She ran towards him and flung herself upon him. Narcissus immediately had a change of heart and threw Echo to the ground. Echo was heartbroken, and ran off to the mountains where she eventually died of grief and became one with the mountain stone.

Narcissus continued to play this trick on other nymphs and so the gods decided to punish him, As he was walking past a pool of water, Narcissus caught a glimpse of what he thought was a beautiful water spirit, but it was actually his own reflection. He immediately fell in love, but when he reached out to touch the 'spirit,' the water displaced and the illusion was broken. Narcissus could only lay by the pool and gaze into the eyes of his love. Slowly, he withered away and died of grief just as Echo had.


A type of narcissist I abhor is the "humble bragger," or the person who thinks they are simultaneously better than everyone else but complains about how inferior they feel. I would rather associate with a person that owns their accomplishments and is confident or even overtly-confident than one who is constantly complaining about their small failures. The "humble bragger" is an annoyance.

An altruistic type I admire is the "quiet genius". The "quiet genius" never brags or even talks about test scores and grades. It is already stressful enough when one is surrounded by other intelligent people, and is in competition with them. To be a person that doesn't buy into the competition is refreshing.

If I Could Tell You So- Jack Humphries Blog 9

If I could tell you so

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/if-i-could-tell-you-2/

No one is completely in control of life. This fact was morbidly overbearing in the wake of world war two when W.H. Auden wrote “If I Could Tell You So”. Throughout his rigidly structured, Villanesque,19 line poem Auden voices his discontent with the uncertainty of life, repeatedly writing, “Time will say nothing but I told you so” effectively casting time as a mocking figure. On an interesting side note, Auden’s choice to write “If I Could Tell You So” as a rigid villanelle poem demonstrates a nice conjecture to the uncontrollability of time. In essence he’s trying to transfer his complete control of poetry to his overall life. He continues spitefully listing all the ill acts time commits like taking away our ability to be joyous in comedic situations as seen in the lines “If we should weep when clowns put on their show” and our ability to function as we grow old with age “If we should stumble when musicians play”. “If I Could Tell You So” is Auden’s rebellion against the uncertainty of life.

Post 10 Echo and Narcissus Karl Werner

Echo was a beautiful nymph, handmaiden to the goddess Diana. She absolutely loved to talk. Her penchant for chatting angered the goddess Juno, who cursed Echo. Echo could now only reply; she could never speak first. Echo saw and fell in love with a handsome youth named Narcissus. She followed him, wishing to speak, but could not utter the first word. He one day finally spoke to Echo, but when she tried to make him love her, Narcissus cast her away. Echo ran away to live in the wilderness, and her beauty faded with time and grief. Narcissus eventually saw his own reflection in water and fell in love. He stared at himself, wondering why every time he went in for a kiss, his love disappeared. He wasted away and died, never getting that kiss. Echo stayed with him the whole time. With the passing of Narcissus, she and the other nymphs grieved and lamented his death.

A narcissist I abhor is Matthew McConaughey. I never had anything against the guy, until that God-awful Lincoln commercial. I had to spend 30 seconds of my life listening to him whisper about how great he and Lincolns are. "I drove a Lincoln...long before anybody paid me to drive one." Dear Lord. I will actually pay to get that ad taken off TV. As if car commercials weren't bad enough.

On the other hand, the world has several altruists I admire, my favorite being Warren Buffet. Oh, he's rich, he can't be altruistic! Buffet is a self-made billionaire. With that large net worth, he engages in many philanthropic and altruistic programs. This includes work with the Gates and Make-A-Wish Foundation. I can really look up to a guy who not only obtained his own wealth, but is using that wealth to improve the world around him. Maybe he can pay to shut McConaughey up.

Post 9 Jania Stevenson

these hips are big hips. 
they need space to 
move around in. 
they don't fit into little 
petty places. these hips 
are free hips. 
they don't like to be held back. 
these hips have never been enslaved, 
they go where they want to go 
they do what they want to do. 
these hips are mighty hips. 
these hips are magic hips. 
i have known them 
to put a spell on a man and 
spin him like a top

"Poetry is man's rebellion against what he is." In this poem a woman is talking about the size of her hips. They are large hips, and although society tries to shame those that have larger bodies, Lucille Clifton decided to rebell write an homage to her hips to honor them. Although her hips are larger, she has never tried to hide them or cover them up. They are "free hips" and they are able to do what they want. Lucille is not ashamed of her body, and this poem was a great example of rebelling against what she is, but in a good way.

Post 9- Cassadi Cordea

Song: To the Men of England

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Men of England, wherefore plough

For the lords who lay ye low?

Wherefore weave with toil and care

The rich robes your tyrants wear?

Wherefore feed and clothe and save

From the cradle to the grave

Those ungrateful drones who would

Drain your sweat—nay, drink your blood?

Wherefore, Bees of England, forge

Many a weapon, chain, and scourge,

That these stingless drones may spoil

The forced produce of your toil?

Have ye leisure, comfort, calm,

Shelter, food, love’s gentle balm?

Or what is it ye buy so dear

With your pain and with your fear?

The seed ye sow, another reaps;

The wealth ye find, another keeps;

The robes ye weave, another wears;

The arms ye forge, another bears.

Sow seed—but let no tyrant reap:

Find wealth—let no imposter heap:

Weave robes—let not the idle wear:

Forge arms—in your defence to bear.

Shrink to your cellars, holes, and cells—

In hall ye deck another dwells.

Why shake the chains ye wrought? Ye see

The steel ye tempered glance on ye.

With plough and spade and hoe and loom

Trace your grave and build your tomb

And weave your winding-sheet—till fair

England be your Sepulchre.

"Song: To the Men of England" could be considered as a revolutionary poem. The vast majority of England are working for tyrants who are like drone bees, living off the the hard work of the working people. Shelley tries to call to attention that the tyrants of England are reaping all of the benefits that the working class should be receiving. Shelley's initial tone is condescending toward the working class and accused them of being cowards for not standing up against the upper class. His tone then turns almost pompous as he dares the people to do what is right and take action. It's safe to assume that Shelley is daring his people to be more like the French who were capable of creating their own revolution.