How Halloween Was Created - By: Joseph Dempsey

Seeing as today is Halloween and in class we have been writing about the origin of specific traditions, I figured I would connect the two.

Believe it or not, the genesis of Halloween took place nearly 2000 years ago in Ireland. On November 1st, the Celtics celebrated a holiday known as "Samhain" (Sow-In). This day would be named by the church as "All Hallows Day", a day for honoring the Saints.However, the night before (modern day Halloween) the Celtics believed that the dead became ghosts. Because of this, the people would leave food and wine on their doorsteps in order to keep the ghost away. People would also wear a mask to trick the ghosts into thinking the person was one of them when they left the house. This day would be named "All Hallows Eve". The names "All Hallows Day" and "All Hallows Eve" would form the name "Halloween". However, the tradition of trick or treating did not originate from Ireland, but from Medieval England. In an act called guising, kids would dress up and go to peoples houses and sing, tell jokes, and recite poetry in exchange for money and or food. However, it wasn't until the early 19th century when Scottish and Irish immigrants to North America revived these traditions, that trick or treating actually became a thing. Although, up until 1950, it was more tricks than treats.

Here are a website and a video that has more information on the origin of Halloween and also where I got most of this information.
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween 
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween/videos/bet-you-didnt-know-halloween

The Value Behind Creation Myths: By Briana Cotten

A creation myth is a symbolic narrative based on the creation of the world. These myths reveal how people of past cultures see the world and try to understand it. In today’s society, we value creation myths as a means of learning about different cultures which overall affects a person’s frame of reference. Myths influence the way people perceive the world, allowing one to draw their own conclusion explaining how the world came to be.

    While many creation myths are drastically divergent, there are a few common characteristics shared between them all. To start, a Supreme Being appears in almost every myth. The Supreme Being either creates the world them self and/or is the catalyst to trigger the events. In addition, one should be able to connect each creation myth to at least one of Joseph Campbell’s four functions of a myth principles. Campbell’s four functions of a myth are…

1. Mystical:  to instill a sense of awe toward the mystery of the universe
2. Cosmological:  to explain the workings of the natural world
3. Sociological:  to support and validate social customs
4. Pedagogical:  to guide people through the trials of living

      Overall, it is human nature to question the unknown and search for meaning and answers. By conducting research on the given creation myth of a culture, one can learn a lot of information. In today’s world, creation myths are still forming and evolving based upon scientific theories and laws.  

How Music Affects Peoples Moods//Mikayla Bivona

Music is a huge part of people's lives, they listen to it while working, writing, exercising, walking in the halls ect.. Why do humans listen to music? Some people say they listen to it to relax them, some say to distract them. Rachel Raffino says she listens to uplifting music when she's upset to change her mood! Claire Riley listens to music to "block people out," because she's an "antisocial nerd" (her words, not mine).

Music can also bring people back to specific memories they had, for example, Kate Fontes tells us that when she hears the song Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift, it reminds her of her first concert. When I hear the song Born In the USA by Bruce Springsteen, I'm reminded of when I went to the women's US vs Germany world cup game, when walking out of the arena, that song was blasting though someones pick up truck speakers while people celebrated all around us.

Certain genres of music affect large amounts of people in a similar way. For example, according to Jane Collingwood from psychcentral.com, "[classical music]can have a beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones." 

If you don't typically listen to classical music when you work, give it a try! It could help you and you could end up liking it. 

Dialogue says it all! Grace Becker

When it comes to how a character is portrayed,  the point of view plays a major role. However, the dialogue spoken reveals many key points as well. For example, in Grendel by John Gardner, and the epic, Beowulf, the character Grendel, is presented in two completely different ways. In Beowulf we are given the image that Grendel is a dark, monstrous, beast. We never are informed of Grendel's voice in this story or what he thinks. Therefore, we automatically are forced to believe the story told from this perspective. Because of this, we are not able to look at Grendel with sympathy and can only see him as evil and heartless. In Grendel, we are able to hear Grendel's voice and see his thoughts, helping the reader understand the perspective of Grendel more clearly. At one point in the story of Grendel, he says, "'Why can't I have someone to talk to?' I said. The stars said nothing, but I pretended to ignore the rudeness" (Gardner 53). Grendel's alienation from the rest of society makes him feel alone and like an outcast to his surroundings. Due to this, and the fact that the people attack Grendel while he is helplessly innocent, is what leads to Grendel to his evil and aggressive behavior. We would never know the true side of Grendel if it wasn't expressed through his words in the story Grendel. 

 

Identity: Chapter 1 by Julia Young

Identity: Chapter 1
The hands were grasping an electric buzzer, maneuvering it swiftly across a disappearing forest of hair. Cutting each little tree at the top of its roots, only little stumps were left in their follicles. These hands went through this motion so swift and skillfully that they almost resembled machinery, a robot even.  Whoever owned these hands-- these tools-- would be proud, for looking upon the landscape they just mowed was like looking at art: a perfectly leveled layer of hair covered the head below the hands, no strands daring to deviate from the height of the others surrounding it. It was entrancing looking at all those little stumps, all arranged neatly on a pale round head. But the hands weren't done. A thick pearly substance began to drown the stubs of hair, followed by a thin white cloth. Suddenly there was a loud rip followed by what sounded like a distant and muffled scream. The hair was gone. All the hand's expertise gone in one quick motion. Strip by strip the cloth was pulled, bringing along with it the wax and the small hairs-- this time removing the roots from their follicles to reveal tiny bright red beads of blood in their place. Who's hands were these? My view shifted from their palms to their wrists, slowly tracing them all the way up to a chest... but who's chest? My frame of vision could not trace this chest up to a neck, let alone a face. I hit a dead end, and was forced to move elsewhere, forced to go across the room. Taking my attention away from the hands, I now saw a white wall, on it, nothing but a mirror; a mirror revealing what could be a barber and his client, only they were both stripped bare of all their hair. I chuckled to myself thinking about what an awful barber this person was, imagining the look on their customer's face when they looked in the mirror. But this customer's eyes were glazed over and expressionless, while the strange excuse for a barber quietly chuckled to herself.

I was inspired to write this short piece based on the picture above. We did a lot of this type of descriptive writing in Brennan's class last year, and I really enjoyed it. This picture, which is actually part of a whole collection of similarly eerie photos, was very intriguing to me; with the minimalist background, the futuristic outfits, the lack of color, and the different positioning and expressions of each of the subjects, this picture portrayed a very creepy, cold, and almost "utopian gone distopian" vibe. The one aspect of the picture that specifically related to my writing was the girl sitting under the plastic and the positioning of the other girl's hands on her head. This reminded me of someone getting their haircut. However, factoring in all of the other aspects of the picture, this was not your normal/ typical hair appointment.
Because this picture included so many other intriguing details, this post is only the first chapter of a bigger story. For my next post, the story will be continued based off of the same picture, but I may add some of the other pictures from the collection.

Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy in Sharp Objects- Josh Williams

Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy (MSBP) is a mental disorder in which a caregiver intentionally exaggerates a child's illness or causes a child to be ill.  The caregivers, most commonly mothers, usually do this to get attention and/ or get off on the hecticness of the situation.  MSBP was not recognized as a mental disorder until more recently because it was traditionally believed that all caregivers had the child's best interests at heart.  This disorder is an offshoot of Munchausen Syndrome.  This is when someone intentionally makes themselves ill for similar reasons to MSBP.  Both of these disorders were named after Baron Von Munchausen; a fictional character modeled after a German nobleman known for dramatically exaggerating stories of his own accomplishments.    

Sharp Objects is a novel that follows Camille Preaker, a reporter in Chicago, who must return to her hometown in Missouri to cover the murders of two girls.  Camille stays in her family’s victorian mansion along with her mother (Adora), her stepfather (Allen), and her much younger step sister (Amma).  Camille also had a step sister (Marian) around the same age as herself who had died when Camille was a child.  As the novel develops Camille makes significant discoveries from her past.  It therefore becomes apparent that Camille’s mother, Adora, suffers from Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy.

The inclusion of MSBP in Sharp Objects provides an interesting twist to the plot of the novel.  Camille discovers that Adora had been slowly poisoning Marian to make her sick.  Marian’s death, which occurred many years before this story took place, was subsequently caused by the poisoning.  This discovery, which was made by both Camille and a detective who was working the case, along with other evidence led to Adora being taken into custody as the suspect for the two young girls’ murders and Marian’s death.  Adora is eventually exonerated for the murders of the two girls after the real culprit was caught, but is still incarcerated for Marian’s death.  This changes the perspectives Camille, the rest of her family, and the community have of her.  This is especially devastating for Adora because of her previously quintessential public image.  Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy is an fascinating disease that provides an element of captivation in the plot.                       

(Artist rendering of Baron Von Munchausen)

"Dream Big" by Liz Ukstins

Walking into Mrs. Kopp's classroom is like embarking on a journey of self discovery. Countless motivational posters hang on the four walls, decorating the bare, white bricks with colorful sayings. Near the door into the classroom is a small, rainbow colored poster. It says, "Dream big." How does one dream bigger?

How can one dream better?

Lucid dreaming is the ability to be completely knowledgeable of dreams, including being able to control minor details in those dreams. Although lucid dreaming is not synonymous with dream control, lucid dreaming allows the dreamer to have almost unlimited fantasy fulfillment. There is a simple way to train oneself to dream lucidly. In order to do this, one must start by doing a reality test in a dream. A reality test is an action taken in a dream to see if the dreamer is in control. An example would be looking at a wrist watch. If the time changes while the dreamer is looking at it, there is a chance that lucid dreaming is occurring. Studies show that text in dreams change 75% of the time when looked at once, and change 95% of the time when looked at twice. If the dreamer notices changes that they initiated previously, then the dreamer is most likely lucid. Next, the dreamer must imagine that their surroundings are a dream, even if they're not certain that they are. A trick would be to say (or think) to yourself, "I may not be dreaming right now, but if I was, what would I be doing?" This step requires a large imagination. The dreamer must vividly imagine themselves completing tasks that could not be accomplished in normal day life, such as flying. The dreamer must hold the feeling of vivid visualization in order to complete step three. Step three includes visualizing other ventures (i.e. talking to dream characters, flying, completing tasks, adventuring). The feeling of vivid visualizing cannot be lost, or else the lucid dreaming will end.

For more information on lucid dreaming:

http://www.lucidity.com/LucidDreamingFAQ2.html#techniques

Beowulf: Book vs. Movie by Hannah Transier

In Beowulf's transformation from a book to a movie, many changes were made, which is common when books become movies. It is usually done to create a bigger appeal to the film watchers and make it more interesting.

One example of this in Beowulf, is the representation of Grendel's mother. When the beast Grendel's mother is described in the book, I was personally picturing just another beast, except older and of course female. But I did not expect a gold covered Angelina Jolie with high heels for feet. And I definitely did not expect her to be seducing Beowulf in one scene.

Another example of this is the character Beowulf. From the book's description, I was expecting a young, 15 or 16 year old boy, who was a little scrawny but still tough. But in the movie, Beowulf was a large, middle-aged man. And despite the fact that Beowulf never used any weapons or anything to help him fight in the book, he used things around him such as a chain and a door, to rip off Grendel's arm in the movie. Even though it was different. it did make the scene much more interesting and exciting to watch.

So although these examples of changes are very subtle ones, they are still significant. They show how, when books are changed into movies, things must always be altered. And additions such as a classic Hollywood love scene, or an actor who is nothing like the book character, must be put in to enhance the story for the film watchers and make it more theatrical.

DIY Painted Feathers

DIY Painted Feathers

              Have you looked at those feathers in Mrs. Kopp's room and wondered, "How do I make those?" Well, I'll teach you how to. First, you need to obtain a few items:

1. Fake Wooden Feathers
2. Three different colored paints
3. 20-foot String
4. Three Large Cups

Once you have all these items, you are ready to begin making your own painted feathers! First, pour each color of paint in each of the large cups. Then, take a feather and dip approximately half of it in one of the cups. Do this for each of the feathers (make sure you have an equal number of feathers that are different colors) and let them dry. Once the feathers are done drying, poke two holes near the end of each feather like so:

Then, put the string through each hole like shown above. You now have painted feathers that you can hang where ever you want!

Summer Reading Books Review

By Caitlin Scarpa

Almost everyone can agree that most schools have a tendency to choose terribly boring books for their students to read over the summer.  However, this year the choices of books were surprisingly interesting, and I enjoyed reading them.  The books I chose to read this summer were The Girl on the Train, Neverwhere, and The Nightingale.

The Girl on the Train was about three different women telling the same story through their own point of views.  The three main characters were Rachel, Megan, and Anna.  Rachel was an alcoholic who was struggling with her divorce with her husband Tom who cheated on her with Anna.  Every day she would pass Megan’s house while she was on a train to London; she would fantasize Megan's life with her husband Scott to be a perfect life, when in reality their life was far from it.  This book showed the struggle of these three women and how they affected each others lives.  It keeps the reader excited and in suspense throughout the entire story, especially when Megan mysteriously goes missing, and Rachel is too drunk to remember that night.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good murder mystery.

Neverwhere is about an average man named Richard Mayhew, who one day finds himself in a world of magic and mystery that was right under his feet the whole time.  After Richard decides to help a bleeding girl, named Door, one night, he woke up to be invisible to the world around him.  He makes his way into the Underground sewer system where he reunites with Door, and meets a group of wonderfully odd people.   Door is seeking answers to who killed her family, and Richard wants nothing more than to go home.  They embark on an adventure which takes them to magical and dangerous places.  The concept of this book was fascinating, but the execution could have been better.   The book would have been much better if it was written in a different format.  The book was based on a TV show, which explains why it was structured like it was.  If the story was told in first person by Richard, it would have made the book a lot better, in my opinion.  The book was still very interesting even of the format of it annoyed me.

The last book I read this summer was The Nightingale.  It was about occupied France during WWII.  The two main characters were Vianne and Isabelle, who both dealt with the war in a different way.  Isabelle was determined to make a difference and to help France in any way she could.  She was told countless times that she couldn’t do anything because she was a woman.  Even the Nazis didn't expect a woman to be one of the most wanted people in all of France.  Isabelle became known as the Nightingale; she would bring English and American airmen over the Pyrenees mountains to Spain so they could continue fighting.  She saved over 100 men  by making these treacherous journeys over the mountains and risking her own life as well as her family’s lives.  Vianne was a hero in her own way, she stayed home and took care of her family, making sure her daughter Sophie ate and was safe from the Nazis.  She saved her best friend Rachel’s son, Ari, by pretending he was her own son.  She was also able to help save about 19 other jewish children by hiding them in an orphanage until the war was over.  She was brave and strong and would do anything to make sure her family was safe.  Out of all of the books I have read this summer, this one was by far my favorite.  The book was extremely emotional, and heartwarming.  It showed the effect of woman on the war, and how women can make a difference even when everyone says they can't.  I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has a sense of adventure and who enjoys reading about a hero's journey.