The Tao Of True Learning

“The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”

Through the Tao Te Ching the theme of eternity is always constant. Lao-tse talks about a “way” or a “path” to live a meaningful life, and this path or way is eternal. The text starts with a grave contradiction for it is directly telling us that the Tao that can be told to us is not the eternal one, therefore, the one the text explains to us is not the real Tao. Something eternal is everlasting. Nothing material will ever be eternal. Eternity can only describe ideas, methods, and a “way”. Only that what you have learned will be forever in you, everything else you may lose. Material things may be stolen from you, but your education never.

“Ever desireless, one can see the Mystery.
Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.”

One who doesn’t desire to understand never will. But one that strives to understand will learn the way of the mystery. Taoists strive to go past the mystery into the depth of the manifestations. One can choose to go along with everything that happens acceptingly, but one may also choose to learn about his surroundings to produce an impact on those that go along with him. We should all be impatient to understand and learn mysteries in our lives to be ever prepared to accept anything positively.

“The wise are impartial: they see people as straw dogs.”

In our world education has become a priority and a social divisor. Times are changing and the world is becoming more and more competitive. Our world is not impartial, for people with name or money have advantages and priority over those without. Wisdom is something which society has not come close to understand. We are learning and teaching the wrong things. We are being carried away into the wrong “path”. The general world society is very intolerant and completely closed to new ways that threaten their normal life-style. These close minded visions are not the way of Tao. A Taoist is open to new ideas and positive about everything, because everything has a bright side for him.

“Give up learning and put an end to your troubles.”

Not knowing the degree of your troubles might as well get you through them unaware of your position. If you are ignorant about something you don’t understand or even care to understand, you are removing a burden from your mind. Taoist turns what is negative to others and changes it into something positive. Ignorance might be negative to us, but to the Taoist it may simply be a way to live in tranquility without being aware of your troubles.

“Knowing others is wisdom.
Knowing oneself is enlightment.”

The way of Tao is to be able to know yourself, learn about yourself and you will learn how to live. Know about yourself and you will understand much. Only after knowing yourself should you go into understanding others to be able to relate yourself to the people around you. You should be the center of your learning but not of your actions, because even if you should learn about yourself as a priority, the targets of your actions should be others who need you. After you acquire the enlightment of knowing yourself, you are able to enlighten the life of those around you.

“The wise student hears of the Tao and practices it diligently.
The average student hears of the Tao and gives it though now and again.
The foolish student hears of the Tao and laughs aloud.”

What type of student are you? We must decide if we are to learn diligently, if we are simply going to take into consideration, or if we are going to laugh at wisdoms face. The kind of learner you are talks much about yourself. Taoist will strive to not only learn but to apply it unto the mystery. What good is knowledge if it’s not to help you understand the mysteries of life?
“Therefore the Sage seeks freedom from desire.

He does not collect precious things.
He learns not to hold on onto ideas.”

The way to living in harmony with the Tao is to seek only what is necessary, but never to pursue precious things or greedy ideals. Materialism is not the way of Tao. The Taoist will consider all ideas but will accept change in them, because he is able to see the positive side in every change life presents to him. These are one of the hardest things for our society in current times, for every single person at some point of his life is greedy and ambitious about something. We all have dreams we would do anything to achieve. Not many of us would be capable to put aside personal benefit for benefit of others as the Taoist does. He searches instructional and educational benefit, but greed in possessions is not the way of Tao.

“The sage never tries to store things up.
The more he does for the others, the more he has.”

We live in a world of greed and ambition where people are worth what they have and according to their possessions they believe they are more. A real sage will never strive to acquire more for him; he would rather see others have more. The Taoist is generous and works for other but never for him. If we live along with millions of people it’s because living is not about yourself, everyone else around you makes part of your life according to the way of Tao. A sage will seek the correct learning to complement his life and his understanding of the mysteries. When you help others you learn much about yourself and life, that’s why the more you do for others, the more you have.

A true learner is able to difference important teaching from those not as relevant. A Taoist sage is able to learn all that helps him carry out a meaningful life, but doesn’t strive to acquire knowledge that helps him only to become more powerful. Power and materialism are not the way of Tao. True learning is the way of Tao, for learning is “the way”. Learn to know yourself and you will be able to help others. Help others and obtain the true knowledge that makes up a real Taoist. When you have the knowledge to follow the correct Tao, you will then understand beyond the mysteries onto the manifestations.

The Game Of GO

To play the game of GO you must apply patientience and tactic. A single unthoughtful move might make you lose the game. Any move must have been previously thought not only to do something but to help you achieve an objective, be this saving a stone or capturing one. It is a slow game where the way you set up your stones reflects much of who you are and how you think. I have a hypothesis that different people will play very differently according to their mentality more than their tactic or ability, at least when they are begginners. I am more of a offensive player which reflect my character as a person who doesnt wait for things to heppen but rather makes them happen. Maybe a patient or mindful person will play more defensively, waiting for my mistake. The game of Go is very interesting for not only does it have deep thinking and analyzis involved, but it involves themes present in human nature such as the good of the group, greed, and patience. Always think before acting.

Ignorance Or Wisdom?

In chapters 13-28, the Tao Te Ching produces some very interesting argument that could be pointless but if interpreted as intended, may also be very simple solutions to reality. The first of these ideas is one that goes against our society’s logic, which states: “give up learning, and put an end to your troubles (chapter20).” When I read this I remembered another quote that I had read some time ago in one of my middle school classes that stated: “Ignorance is a bliss.” I related these two because both share the same message which, in my interpretation, is something like not knowing the degree of your troubles might as well get you through them unaware of your position. If you are ignorant about something you don’t understand or even care to understand, you are removing a burden from your mind. This is completely illogical in my mind, for I believe that education and knowledge are the key to success and the only real tools for fighting any troublesome situation. Some optimistic and simplistic people may agree with the previous statements, and that is what makes interpretation so subjective to the position.

As any other text, the Tao Te Ching includes very direct arguments as well, for sometimes interpretation may oppose the intention of the author. “He who does not trust enough will not be trusted (chapter 23).” It is simply stating that if you don’t trust someone, why might he trust you? Others will always see you as what you show them you see on them. Someone that is very mysterious and trusts none his secrets irradiates suspicion because people may wonder what on earth is it that he hides, making him very unlikely to be trusted.

Interesting interpretations come when the text reads “Know the white, but keep the black! (chapter 28).” This idea is one that may be very difficult to apply. As I see it, it is telling us to know what is good and accept everything we see, but to draw a limit between good and evil, accepting but never agreeing with the black. IT is something that every person shall learn in the course of his life. For me, this is something like the instinct of survival in a zebra that allows her to walk around predators, but gives her the wisdom to tell between a hungry lion and a wondering prairie dog. Life is all about drawing limits and stating priorities based upon those limits. The secret to a life of accomplishments is to be able to set high priorities and goals which you can achieve by respecting those limits you establish previously.

Evil As The Absence Of Good

Our new scholar text, the Tao Te Ching, is one that requires more in depth analysis than the ones we have read previously. It is very concise, for in its short arguments it is able to suggest a wide variety of interpretations and views. Much like the bible, the Tao Te Ching is a text of interpretation in which the reader may interpret many different messages from the same text according to the way in which he reads the arguments. This is a very interesting transition from The Analects which we were previously reading and left very little room for interpretations. The text previously mentioned had very straight forward messages in which not only the interpretations where given to us, but where it involved moral rather than religion, which further reduces the subjectivity of the reader.

One of the ideas that aroused my curiosity is the one mentioned at the very beginning. “All can know good as good only because there is evil. Therefore having and not having arise together (chapter 2).” This made me recall an email I had received a couple of months ago, which suggests that the evil is simply the absence of good, much like darkness being simply the absence of light. According to these ideas, as long as something exists, its absence will be present in some way. This lead me to the thought that evil will be present as long as good exists, which may be a little contradictory but applies because it leaves room for a second option that seems impossible: to avoid evil there must be no absence of good, therefore good must be present in every single thing, which would eventually abolish a meaning for good.

Much like The Analects talk about a gentleman, Tao Te Ching talks about a sage. “The sage is guided by what he feels not by what he sees (chapter 12)”. This idea leads to a connection in our lives. We constantly let our minds be guided by what we see and hear rather than what we feel. When we see and hear things we may misinterpret the true intentions of the characters, while our feeling need no prove or interpretations. This is also a way to avoid gossip, which is harmful and backstabbing. It is the way to keep a peaceful conscience and to be sure about our decisions, because our feelings are not influenced by those of others who conceal them in untrue displays.

Keep In Mind

The Analects strive to change the way we perceive our life and our priorities. After reading this text I changed my way of organizing priorities and my interpretation of events. A text that tells you that one should always seek the benefit of the group even if it’s not convenient for the individual is trying to get across a very interesting idea. These ideal may be what the current world community need to achieve social progress, for everyone disregards its importance. We all try to be individually successful and we are concerned more about our public image rather than the effects our lives have on the world. Do not be concerned that no one has heard of you, but rather strive to become a person worthy of being known (Analects, 4.14).” As in this idea which suggests that we quit being so concerned about what other might think of us, many others try to make in us a completely new social revolution completely opposite of the situation in the world.

Sometimes we are forced to break rules in order to maintain the group benefit. This suggests that we are occasionally allowed to “play God” when it is the only resource we have left to obtain the best result. We all have the decision-taking skills to analyze consequences of our act and to carry on a further comparison of consequences to come up with the best action. “The gentleman wishes to be slow to speak, but quick to act (Analects, 4.24).” In this quote the role of gentleman is what we all should be, we should all think a lot about things we say, but when we are required to act and support what we say, we are not to hesitate.

The Analects have left behind many important ideas which I don’t have to agree upon but which I will continue to consider as a further way to view the world. In my opinion you should never disregard a way of thinking. Even if you don’t agree with it you should think about it objectively to derive fragments which might complement your current understanding of a subject. This is what I have done with the Analects, and that is what they have done for me.

Universal Communtity

The Analects talk about not only the good of the group, but the ways through which this ultimate goal is to be achieved. There are certain ways which are to be considered moral and correct, but some other ways could be totally incorrect even if their end product is good. When you take the wrong path, you end up in a mistake, for the wrong path won’t take you to accomplish your objectives. “To make a mistake and yet not to change your ways- that is what is called truly making a mistake (book 15.30).” Therefore, what the text suggests is probably that the difficult part of life is not the actions and your objectives, but the means by which you obtain that which you want. The ways could lead you to very different futures even if your intentions are equal. There are ways to obtain both group and personal benefit that are acceptable, as there are ways to obtain this which are regarded as immoral and unacceptable.

In relation to our last text, King James’ Bible, we can start to notice some generic similarities in the text. The Bible was a very harsh text towards woman, who were regarded as less through the events. In Analects we start to encounter a similar idea about how women are more trouble than men and how they are inferior. “Woman and servants are particularly hard to manage: if you are too familiar with them, they grow insolent, but if you are too distant, they grow resentful (book 17.25).” To compare woman and servants is already a lack of respect towards the females, suggesting they are present to”serve” us rather than to help us. In this we also encounter a generalization, as if all woman where the same and as if the relationship between men and woman had to be strictly that described. In my opinion this may be a mistake, although it could also be argued that my interpretation of it is not what is meant and therefore it is not offensive or mistaken. That’s one of the reasons why analyzing this text can be so interesting and difficult at the same time, for a mistaken interpretation can change are point of view towards the message, affecting future interpretations.

Recalling the “good of the group” rather than individual benefit, book eighteen talks about public service. It suggests that public service is mandatory and that it’s a characteristic of a good man who strives to achieve his goals through correct ways. As the Master said it: “To avoid public service is to be without a sense of what is right… The gentleman takes office in order to do what is right even though he already knows that the way will not be realized (book 18.7).” This leaves little room for interpretations, for it is directly relating public service with a sense of what is right, which can mean no more than what it states literally. One who avoids public service is selfish and lacks that wisdom that allows for us to follow the right way to obtain meaningful objectives.

The Analects have many ideals that agree with those which we may have currently, but it should also propose new ideas. It invites us to reflect on our priorities. Are we more concerned about the common benefit, or do we only strive to obtain benefit, without minding if the means help or hurt others. I’ve always lived according to personal benefit over the benefit of those which make the group, those which I may not know but that exist there with me. Now that I come to reflect about it, it seems logical that the group should be a priority for it’s the only way to obtain development, and through the good of the group the worlds would probably be a better place. We should leave aside our arrogance and concern about others, for if we do this, others will be concerned about us, and the net result will be a concern for the well being of everyone that will take us to develop into a better universal community.

Death Beyond Our Understanding

Book eight starts off with a very interesting quote said by the master, which shows how true knowledge must be sought for. “I will not open the door for a mind that is not already striving to understand, nor will I provide words to a tongue that is not already struggling to speak (book eight).” One can never try to give knowledge to another who isn’t asking for it. If the student is not interested in learning, what good are the mentor’s teachings if they are not to be remembered? You should always seek for wisdom in the most unimaginable places, because as said by the mentor, wisdom won’t come and knock on your front door. The same happens when you seek help in times of trouble. Help will never come for granted, and any help you get is help you deserve because in some way you sought for. If you are in trouble and keep the problem to yourself, then only you can solve it for no one will come begging you to let yourself get helped. Communication is the key to the success in any human relations, and through good communication and confrontations of ideal you will get knowledge.

Book nine comes in talking about death, a theme which is subject to interpretation and which humans have never fully understood. People try to interpret death and to be prepared for it when it comes, but if “You don’t understand life-how could you possibly understand death (book 11.12)?” If mortality is out of our hands to control it, maybe it is because we are not supposed to understand the wonders of death, else it should ruin the beauties of life. Humanity has always been very curious about strange themes that have no scientific explanation, but not many people succeed in finding convincible explanation. We should never go ahead into investigating future elements until we understand the presence to its ultimate degree.

The Wisdom Behind Goodness

The Analects propose a very interesting change in the way they expose the ideas tan that of the bible, which we were previously Reading. In the new text the reader encounters a different way of extracting the messages, for the text is very direct and the teachings it intends are shown clearly, many times through the voice of the “master”. The text explains much through examples and analogies, which is similar to the strategy the bible uses, but much more direct and shorter. In Analects one must not read extensive writings to derive meanings, for the message is given to us in context so that are task isn’t to find them, but to analyze them.

These chapters talk about what the characteristics of a “good” person should be, and how wisdom is reflected in the actions. One example I found very true was: “Do not be concerned that no one has heard of you, but rather strive to become a person worthy of being known (Analects, 4.14).” This is the essence of a humble human being, who won’t strive to get attention or personal benefit, but strives to be at peace with him. After this, whatever people think about you should not care because what you think about yourself will always be stronger. If you leave to be at peace with yourself, you will be good, because being evil would contradict your intentions and therefore it would produce a negative public image.

The Analects not only talk about goodness but also about wisdom and how “sage” people apply theirs. People should live according to what they promise. For this reason you should be cautious about what you say, just in case you aren’t able to match it with your actions in the future. “The gentleman wishes to be slow to speak, but quick to act (Analects, 4.24).” This quote reflects what has been previously mentioned. You should strive to act in the best way possible to be the best you can, but when speaking about yourself, you must be careful about your limitations, because you won’t want to promise impossible actions or create false illusions.

Obama´s Acceptance Speech

Obama´s acceptance speech on Tuesday, November 4 caused great emotion on the United States, but also in the world. Once again, Obama proves his excellent speaking skills and his great use of rhetoric, which were vital factors in his campaign. He is able to captivate his public, no matter their number or intentions; he is able to convince them that what he said is how things are. I consider it a great speech with an effective use of ethos, pathos, and logos.

President Obama and his followers are full of joy for their victory, but he wouldn’t allow this to distract his attention, maintaining a serious and formal tone. He addresses McCain with great respect and prudence, which shows his use of diplomacy. He is also able to mix the feeling of the people to make them feel as if the change has finally come, as if he was what the country really needed. Obama refers personally to his family who helped him in his toil, once again highlighting his character and humble family. Through his tone and voice he is able to produce suspense and emotion in the public, changing tone and speeding up when needed, and going back to his initial tone without difficulties.

Barrack is a master of the use of motion in public speaking because he has the greatest confidence I have seen in a person. He walks and moves with such confidence in stage that his public view him not as a speaker but as a source of wisdom, who is accurate and decisive. His gestures reflect experience, changing them and adapting them to the message he is trying to get across, and to the reaction of the public. It is very interesting how he is able to produce such happiness in his followers when he is serious and direct thought the entire speech, never showing a weak point or a flaw in his reasoning. Even if you where completely certain that he had lied, it would be very hard to contradict it, because his confidence creates an illusion that tells us that we are wrong, that he is completely right.

The new elected president of the United States of America is a change, a completely new face of leadership. Through his acceptance speech he ignites hope in the heart of the Americans, who look forward to his government. This is a great example of the characteristics that make up a good speaker, and a great use of rhetoric. I definitely look forward to your government Obama, because America’s expectations are very high.

The Last "Night"

Elie Wiesel´s price winning “Night” is a story full of Contradictions and moral conflicts, where one must choose between personal benefit and survival or unity and comradeship. It was a time of war when human rights had no relevance and where God seemed to be absent. Jews had always had much faith in their God, to whom they would attribute anything that happened in their lives. But on the concentration camps the concept changed, and the main character wondered where God was on that moment of suffering. “How i sympathised with job! I could not deny gods existance, but I doubted his absolute justice (P.42)” Even his followers where doubtful about their God who seemed to be on vacation. “where is god? Where is he? Someone behind me asked (p.61).” IT was a confusing situation where many lost faith in God, but where many others, in spite of the difficulties, found this as an opportunity to grow their faith in God, to show him that they where loyal followers in all circumstances.

It was a world without mercy, where any SS officer would definitely please on shooting a Jew without hesitation.” If one of us stopped for a second, a sharp shot finished off another filthy son of a bitch (p.81)” The way in which the author uses the language to transmit emotions is very powerful, because with it he is able to transmit hope, resentment, or hate. We are able to get in the shoes of the characters, and I personally felt hate and disgust towards the Germans through the book, where Elie describes the inhuman treatment Jews received. Even war should have a minimum set of rules to follow, and everyone with a sane conscience should take that into account. From this I came to the conclusion that Hitler and his followers are crazy, simply following an idealist dream without reason or consequences.

Through the novel one of the themes that interested me the most is the relationship between a father and a son. Through the whole war the protagonist and his father rely on each other to survive. They look out for each other and struggle to stay together, to have themselves even when no one else in the world is their friend. They are able to go through most of the concentration camps together, but eventually they grow weak, and the conditions make them weak. Right before the war was to come to an end, the father becomes ill and has no strength to continue, but the son won’t let him fall behind, and sacrifices all he can afford to help his father. And when the old man wants to rest, his son won’t allow him, because he fears that his father will rest forever. “Don’t shout son…Take pity of your father… Leave me here to rest… just for a bit, I’m so tired…. at the end of my strength (p.100).” Here the roles change, and he who had been the strong and optimist character all the way is not at the end of his strength, and he who was just a kid, is now a man who must pick up his father from the floor and push him to continue.
The doctors couldn’t help him, and the kid did all he could to save his father, all in vain. The war was close to an end but his father was very ill, and all his hope and will to survive was extinguishing with time. The protagonist did all he could, for his father was all he had left in the entire world. But his father was not able to make it, the war had been too much for him to resist. “I awoke on January 29 at dawn. In my father’s place lay another invalid. They must have taken him away before dawn and carried him to the crematory. He may still have been breathing (p.106).” His father had been taken away from him while he slept; they hadn’t given him a chance to say good-bye before his father left him for good.

God Or Destiny?

People have different interpretations of events based on their role in the story or the part of the story they know even if it’s false or incomplete. It’s much as when we hear a gossip about something and we decide we know enough to take a position and judge facts. Job had a different point of view of the fact than his friends who not only where ignorant about the connection between God and Job, but they probably lacked the complete information. To their denial and comments Job said “I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you (Job, chapter 16).” These show how easy it is for people to talk about problems of others, but how hard it really is to get in their place. Due to this, we always see problems of other people easier to overcome than ours, because we don’t understand their position and our words of reflection end up being ignorant and counter-productive.

In the context of the bible, the friends who went to accompany Job in his mourning act as a voice of conscience of the protagonist. They are like his inner voice in the different positions he could take towards the problem. As always, our inner voice may lead us to mistakes if we listen to it under effects of anger or frustration. Job was desperate and his friends where no help at all with their argument contradicting Job´s own thinking. He in return responds to their accusations and false assumptions by making their arguments completely unsupported, “And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth? (Job, chapter 24).” None of them had any evidence of their friend committing evil acts and therefore none of them where in the right to suggest that he was being punished for his sins.

Through his suffering his faith shall not hesitate for a second, because Job is able to separate his misery from his spiritual life. He doesn’t even consider God as the guilty for all that is happening to him. But he does wonder why it all happens to him, and hates the cause of his misery without connecting it to the LORD. “When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness (Job, chapter 30).” This explains that the protagonist simply believes that the world or coincidence made him end up in a place that he didn’t seek for. Job “looked for God and evil came unto me” but he treats them as different matters, and not as if God was the one who had sent him the evil. In my interpretation of the facts, everything was destiny for Job and the fact that he was in misery didn’t mean that he had done something wrong or that God was evil, it simply meant that he saw himself involved in a series of unfortunate events that carried him into what he now was.

Materialist Satan

The book of Job starts with a scene of God and Satan, who argue about how Gods followers are so not because of material things, and to prove this God allows Satan to remove all of Jobs wealth from him and he shall endure in his faith. Satan smites his sons and damages his wealth, and the evil one removes any material advantage Job has and leaves him alone to the suffering of his problems. Job doesn’t understand, but “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly (Job, chapter 3).” He only explains the facts by arguing that God gave it all to him and that it was his right to take it from him, and it was not unfair or evil on his part. On the other hand his wife insults God and calls him unfair and evil, to what Job disagrees with completely, probably influenced by his fear of God.

Then three of his friends decide to visit him and mourn for all his loss and unhappiness. They believe that either God is an unfair figure, or that Job has done something of great evil they know not of and he deserves the punishment he is receiving, if not a worse one. Soon a reflection emerges in the text, one many people probably have previously considered in times of struggle: “The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he? Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good (Job, chapter 9).” Many people often think about how God is absent in their minds, and they misinterpret his position of God to make him guilty of any sort of problem that occurs in their lives. HE is not responsible for everything that happens and we have no right to charge him with the fault of our mistakes because what we get is what we look for, things don’t happen to us due to a random desire of God.

Job is alone and poor and all he has left to rely on is his spiritual strength and trust in God. Even though all this miseries happen to him he does not linger from the path of the LORD, proving what God has foreseen a good follower would do. This is a hit on Satan because he is proved wrong, and he realizes how big faith can be and how weak his power over humans really is. At the end Job makes one claim but not directly to God, instead he openly asks for a break to whatever is tha cause of his troubles. “Are not my days few? Cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death (Job, chapter 10).” He is weak and will no longer take the hardships of life, all he wants is to leave in peace the rest of his life, even if it means in the misery that envelops him. His last prayer is one that seeks peace and harmony with himself so that he may rest and live in tranquility the last days of his life. When people come to the end, they reflect on everything their lives meant not only to themselves and to others. We must always do that before we act, for if we want to live a peaceful life where we are able to find rest, we must seek for it before the time comes when we can no longer go at peace.

Evoking Ethos, Pathos, And Logos

Barrack Obama is a master of the speech and a skillful user of rhetoric. Being nominated as presidential candidate means that he is already a very popular figure and that many people see him as a great option for the title, but that is only half of the fight, for he is not close to being elected if he doesn’t convince the Americans he is the right choice. He may have many followers already behind him, but that is not quite enough to fulfill his dream of becoming president. It’s a race to capture more and more followers where the one who has convinced the most people at the end of the race will be the winner. Here is where rhetoric, or the skill to convince others, kicks in. By applying rhetoric Obama will be able to attract people to him and his intentions.

In his speech Barrack Obama states facts and proposals for his future presidency because one must base such business in facts, but he also goes into making a connection with the people where they are able to identify with him, to see him not only as a candidate but as a leader and a hero. This is where he applies pathos, logos, and ethos in his speech to achieve his intentions. Next, I will analyze how he uses this rhetoric figures in his speech and under what purpose.

Ethos is the Rhetorical figure in which one uses character to support the argument. This helps the user look trustworthy and reachable to the people when he shows them his character and lets them meet him as a person rather than the role they must develop. He starts by evoking ethos In the dedication: “all my fellow citizens of this great nation, with profound gratitude and great humility.” Here he describes himself as a humble and educated person, to show them his character as they want to see it. He opens his story to the audience to let introduce them to his background, to give them a picture of where he comes from. “Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.” This demonstrates where he comes from; it suggests some humble and fighting ancestors witch probably have influenced him to act like ways. With all this character description, ethos help him look trustworthy to the people, which will make it easier to transmit his message, and will make them more vulnerable to agree.

Once he has the audience vulnerable to his idea, he must present them with convincing arguments. Obama evokes logos, argument through logic, to capture the audience in an intellectual area. HE begins addressing problems that he knows the audience will identify with and agree upon such as: “Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.” He talks about the problem and then finds a source, in this case George W. Bush, to blame all this things upon. Through this the audience identifies with the problems and interprets this accusation as a promise to make it better, a reason to support Obama and forget about McCain who would take a position similar to Bush´s. Now Obama has the audience in favor of his character and he has their support due to individual interests.

Once the candidate has given the audience many reasons to support him, all that is left to assure their vote is to touch their hearts and dig unto their souls to find sensible characters. At this point both him and the audience are engulfed in the idea and are so into it that emotion barely allows for his to continue his speech. To close his arguments with feeling he evokes Pathos. He does this by presenting heart touching problems as a reality of what America is headed for. “This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.We're a better country than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment that he's worked on for 20 years and watch as it's shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news. We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty...” At this point the audience cries and in their hearts they are all supporting him because it’s impossible not to support the idea of making out of America a fair place where ones work is noticed and where the government protects and promotes the people and their efforts. This is the climax of the speech where every single person in the audience has found a reason to support him and to identify with his proposals.

Barrack Obama produces a speech full of rhetoric and emotion where he is able to identify with his audience to convince them of his purpose. He touched the hearts of Americans and those hard-hearted ones who didn’t let him come into their hearts received him in their minds where they are considering his logical proposals to make out of America a better place under his presidency. This is a perfect example of how the correct use of ethos, pathos, and logos can take rhetoric to be as powerful as to unite a nation under a same idea for a common purpose.

David´s Mistake

The news of Saul´s death spread and they come to the ears of David who is to be proclaimed as the new King and ruler. He declares a time of mourning and lamentation not forgetting who he was and the intentions he always had. And in his wisdom he produces reflection on others: “Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel (Samuel book 2, chapter 1).” He was an honorable man and he would go no further to hurt the memory of Saul for his death was more than enough for David, who had been threatened by the man. Saul´s son becomes king of Israel but when he dies, the people ask David to be their king, and he accepts moving the capital of the reign to Jerusalem.

The reign of King David is followed by a variety of blessings and victories. He beat the host of Philistines under Gods will and reigned as the LORD wished and asked. In reward the LORD gives David and his house a demonstration of his conformity, which David praises exceedingly. ”And let thy name be magnified forever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever (Samuel book 2, chapter 7).” God had promised his descendants would build a temple for him, that his throne would be forever occupied by his people, and that his family would always have his mercy. This is a symbol of prosperity, almost as if he was naming David a material representation of himself in the earth. His linage would live forever under the favor of the God that had freed the Israelites and that now was taking them to prosperity.

In the midst of all this, the bible reminds us of how David is a mere mortal far from perfect, and of how also he can make mistakes in his life. He falls in love with another woman and commits adultery with her, and furthermore he is responsible for her husband’s murder so that he could have her as his own. This was a great mistake and treason to his wife and his God. Lord decides to forgive him but not for free, for he warns David that problems would emerge in his house as a consequence.

We are all mortals and we are all weak. Every single one of us has made and still makes mistakes. God doesn’t take into account the intentions we had but the action, and although he may be merciful and he always forgives as it sais on the bible, the price for his forgiveness is high. Every sin we commit we pay for with suffering at some point in our lives, so whatever we do will eventually turn back on us. We should strive to do good to have good turn back to us, and avoid evil for evil always comes back, and its generally worst on us.

God Helps The Humble

Saul won the preference of the LORD, who aided him in his perils and led him to becoming the leader of the Israelites. Later on, when they went to war with the Philistines, another heroic figure appears. David comes in as a hero when he defeats the Philistines in battle with the favor of God and saves the Israelites from a violent battle. “And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight (Samuel book 1, chapter 16).” And David had won the favor of the great Saul who didn’t realize the threat he was at the beginning.

Later on, when David starts becoming more and more popular, Saul grows jealous and removes his favor. And Saul feared for his position, “And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David (Samuel book 1, chapter 19).” From that moment they became enemies and David fled from Saul and hid to evade his “bloodthirsty” plan. Very narrowly did he escape from his hunter and only with the aid of God did David live through those intentions.

But the LORD was angry for Saul was becoming independent from him and in doing this he was acting against his will. BY trying to kill him who was favorite to God Saul would only fall into oblivion and eventually he would be the cause of his own downfall. And God was no longer there besides him to support him. “And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by prophets (Samuel book 1, chapter 28).” Saul was alone, as many people end up when they violate the limits of trust and favor by forgetting who has taken them there. Sometimes we forget how we got to be who we are, and how easily our superiors can demote our progress, almost as easily as they helped us out. We must never forget to be humble as Saul did, and we must accept others and even if they are a threat to our position, one should never use power or influence to damage someone else based on presumption.

Faith and Wisdom

God freed his people from the Egyptians through Moses, who was his Messenger and representation thorough much of Exodus. After Israel is free, LORD guides them to a new promised land where they shall live in his favor forever, and so shall their infinite descendants.” And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God chapter 29).” God is building a whole new civilization that follows his teachings and look up to him not only as their master, but as their mentor and protector. These people go through much hardship before they encounter a land where they can settle, and this is admirable because they are strong and follow the path of religion even on hard times where their faith seems lost.

And when trouble emerges and the people doubt about everything, Moses must put them back on track and assures them that God is with them every moment of their lives helping them overcome difficulties. And when Moses tells LORD how people are having trouble going on, God replies “And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God (chapter 29).” And the people believe in his presence and fight to keep on the track of faith. For not only do they see this as their only option being in the middle of the dessert with only a God to guide them, but I would consider the possibility that many of the followers are so because they fear LORD after all they have seen him do to others. He constantly threatens those who would break his rules even with death, which is contradictory to the Ten Commandments he writes on the tablets. People tent to follow leaders many times not because they wish to do so, but because it’s their best or only choice if they want to carry on normal lives without confronting the power and authority. God is an imposing figure who accepts no ideals that go against his own, and will punish severely anyone who chooses to stray away from his path.

And when God speaks to Moses for a very long time, his people fear his absence and go into panic thinking of what to do and of what might have happened to their leader in hands of Gods. They end up building an idol of a god made of gold and they pray onto the statue without realizing the anger that they would cause on both Moses and the LORD. And Moses sees this image and destroys it and goes back to God angry and fearful of how he might react. “And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold (chapter 32).” And LORD bursts in anger for they have all committed a great sin, and even if it was completely a result of their ignorance and innocence, they have acted unfaithfully by adoring some other material figure rather than the God that has done so much for the people.

People act without considering the consequences and without being completely informed in the subject, and this may lead to disaster. When you choose to do something which you don’t know about and you don’t consider the consequences, you are being ignorant. Israelites where ignorant in many occasions and they messed up even if they didn’t intend to go against God´s will. The same thing happens to us sometimes when we offend people or make mistakes which we didn’t intend to do. The lesson must be to consider everything thoroughly before taking important decisions so that we are always a reflection of what we seek to be. If the people think about the effects, they shall always, at least, reconsider the action.

The Perfect Rules

The people requested from Moses direct contact with God so as to have something to hold on to. He delivered their message to God, who said “And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death (chapter 19).” This way God accepts to present himself in front of the people, but to show that there are limits he warns Moses not to let them come near or he shall kill them for their disobedience and curiosity, which may be interpreted as lack of faith.

After this God gives moses six commands wich humanity must follow in order to be at peace with God. Moses writes the following rules on stone” Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery.Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's (chapter 20).” To the people he gives these rules and orders them to live by these under the favor of the LORD. Anyone who broke one of these rules would commit a sin, and therefore he would go against the will of God. Religions where based on these rules later in history, for in them lies the key to living in harmony and peace in a society where people must share so much with other people. If we chose to apply these ideals to our lives and lived under their logic then the world would be a much better place, and that’s why they were created, because LORD was able to foreshadow the weakness and the flaw of people.

Listen To The Warnings

God sent various signals to the Pharaoh to make him free the people, but he was hardened and gave no authority for this to happen. Much did the Egyptians suffer and the more they suffered, it seemed, the least they wanted to let the people free. Moses was the messenger who told the pharaoh what was coming to give him time to reflect and consider the proposition. These warnings are a symbol of how nothing of what happens to us is coincidence, but we look for what we get. If we are proud and wish to ignore these warnings, we suffer the consequences of our indifference. And Moses so told the Pharaoh: “And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts (chapter 11).” He was being warned about what was to come even though it was foreseen that he was to ignore this warning, and even after the consequences, he chose to defy God and his power.

Israelites lived in Egyptian land, and feared that Gods punishments would also end up affecting them because of the pharaohs ignorance. To this God answered: “But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel (chapter 13).” The people of the LORD where protected and wouldn’t be influenced by the punishments, which shows how God wished to punish only the guilty and not everyone, unlike he had wanted to do in genesis. This development in the character is interesting in a way because it shows that even divine figures are vulnerable to change and development, because one must change as his context changes; all beings are meant to adapt. God changed and his followers had changed, but their connection and objectives remained essentially the same.

Finally the pharaoh was forced to free the people when he was no longer able to survive through the punishments sent by the LORD. Moses was able to lead his people out of Egypt with help of God, who guided them day and night through the dessert. “And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten (chapter 13).” It was a memorable day and it demonstrated that mortals are no match to God, because even if they defy his power and are able to live with it for a while, this will never mean that mortals can have victory over the LORD.

Seeing Is Believing

Moses met the LORD, who presented himself in the right moment to save his people, those with who he had pact an alliance long ago. He gives us a further piece of information to complement his identity when he tells Moses about his relationship with his ancestors. “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them (chapter 6)”. By giving us his true name we are able to establish a connection with God in genesis, and we are able to understand how the story will evolve. We had previously established a difference between JEHOVAH and JANWEH, which are the two different characters for God in genesis. Now we know JEHOVAH is god in chapter two of genesis and will be the divine figure in exodus, at least at the moment.

Jehovah asked Moses to go and free his people from the Egyptians, but the latter couldn’t think of how to do it. God told him to go in his name, “And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee (chapter 4)”. The lord insisted and Moses when and delivered the message, with a predictable result. “And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me? (chapter 5)”. This shows his human characteristic; it shows that even though he believes in the God but he doubts about the task and would rather not do it. He is shocked by the evil of the Egyptians and not only feels overpowered, but he feels that he is not strong enough for the task. We see a very similar reflection further on in the bible when Jesus is about to be crucified, and he prays to God to save him, to change his destiny because he is afraid and as all humans, we doubt and lack devotion in many occasions.

God helped him by giving him a miraculous rod, which he could turn into a serpent to impress the Pharaoh. He did so and the Pharaoh called for his advisers to help him understand and explain the phenomenon, “And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said (chapter 7)”. Egyptians found an explanation to everything Moses did, and where not at all understanding. The pharaoh would never listen to him and never would consider the release of these people, because he really didn’t believe that he was dealing with a god. What you don’t see you don’t believe until it’s too late to realize your lack of faith. This happened to the Egyptians, who had to suffer terrible things before they understood their inferiority and accepted their loss. And this happens to us consistently, when we don’t trust other people and fail to do something for our own benefit only because we are incredulous and respond to things only when they affect us directly.

The Different Faces The Picture

Abraham made a covenant with God, a deal to show his loyalty for as long as he lived. God directed his word to Abram, “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; every man child among you shall be circumcised (chapter 17).” And Abraham did as instructed, circumcising himself and his son eight days after he was born. And after their leader every single one of his people did the same thing, to show that they were all loyal and they all were part of the everlasting deal. And god acknowledged this and kept them safe and under his protection, he was the “Sheppard” and the people where his “sheep.”

The bible often recurs to miracles to transmit messages or to develop a point, and miracles are attributed to god to show his unlimited power to do his will. Abraham was old and had no sons, but god decided to give him a son disregarding his age and that of his wife. ” Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? (Chapter 17)”. And god assured him that it would be so, for nothing is impossible to the LORD who changes facts as he wills.

God is double-faced figure, who’s reactions are unpredictable. For he decides to destroy a whole community for their evil, and these includes the death of the good people along with the sinners. This is a hasty decision, but he changes his intentions when asked to by Abraham, who wonders if those good people should die for the evil of others. Abram gradually changed statistics to save those in the city who deserved a better destiny: “And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake (Chapter 18)”. This way he was capable of saving the city even if it is for the sake of 10. This event shows that the LORD is very drastic but that he is also very understanding and fair. This is why I said he is double-faced, because you never able to understand or foreshadow any of his actions and decisions. There is to him a mysterious way of doing things, which leaves room for many interpretations of people. This can be both good and bad depending on how the church transmits the message.

The bible is a very subjective tool which is subject to many points of view, none of which are wrong. It’s officially a catholic symbol, but many people read it in different moods and for different purposes, extracting different messages. The church has power of interpreting it as if they were right and as if there was one only interpretation, but this again is also subject to people’s beliefs, because not everyone accepts or believes in the position and role of the church. When reading such texts we must be very tolerant and understanding, because we are dealing with cultures and religions, and we have no right to contradict or damage the structures of these.

Is Your God My God?

LORD God is an extremely biased figure as he is represented in Genesis. He wouldn’t hesitate to help Noah or Abraham and their breed, but he certainly had a different attitude towards other peoples. Through the passages we see how some characters have a divine advantage because of their ancestors or simply because they are able to satisfy the LORD. He granted gifts and great blessings to Abraham and his family, such as the occasion when he gave them land, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever (chapter 13)”. This is a reward for their loyalty to him, but couldn’t it be interpreted as some kind of propaganda?

At the beginning God had a few followers, and not many people believed whole heartedly in this one god as Abraham did. The fact that God was so giving and rewarding to his followers could be completely logical, but it could also be a way to attract more people into the religion. When people hear of such a giving and helping figure, the possibilities where that they would look up to the same God, which at the time may have been a little contradicting, but in today’s context it matches perfectly the fact that the church is a powerful institution that uses God to their favor as has happened before in history.

God never physically presents himself to anyone, but he communicates through messengers, visions, and signs. This gives him a mysterious characteristic that helps draw the line between him and his mortal followers. “The word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward (chapter 15)”. This shows how the LORD established communication with Abram, who was probably his most influential follower. He presented himself as protection, as “thy shield”, and all this comes in reward for his loyalty.

In Genesis the figure of God is very similar to gods in polytheistic religions and not much as a monotheistic god should be. The “LORD” intercedes constantly to get things how he wants them to be, which contradicts the logical and natural order of the things. The interpretation of God is very subjective because it is completely based on the moral and values of the person, and of how we understand the text. In my personal case the God described in Genesis has a lot of things strange to the God I follow, who in theory should be the same one according to religion. My visualization of a god has been influenced and shaped by much more than simply a bible or a Sunday mass, I have shaped my beliefs through my personal experiences in my everyday life.

Blue Light

Rejoice ahead the draftsman,
Vanquisher of the blue
While the drama truly began,
The day the world was new.

Standing in the sea of forces,
Less than the heavenly vigor
Sole in the different races,
Under him who is bigger.

Will of him who created me,
He who rests beyond the sea.

The Punisher

God, or “LORD”, as he was called by Adams contemporaries in Genesis, is a figure responsible for much of what happens in the early times of our existence. He makes the earth in the first place, but he is also its ultimate devastator. He creates Adam at first and then from his rib he makes Eve, and they in time are responsible for all their descendants, who anger God. They become violent and destroying, and the “LORD” decides to punish all except for a few who have won his liking. “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch (Genesis 6, line 13-14).” He shows his anger through this act, but by warning a few to save themselves he ensures the preservation of the creatures he created and loves in the world he made for them. This shows that God in the bible is not at all harmless, and that he does have some “preference” for those who follow what he expects from people.

In Genesis they mention “seven” many times to describe various different quantities. It took seven days for the creation of the earth, only seven days after god warned Noah did the flood begin, “and the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8).” As we know, seven is considered as the holy number, at least for those who follow the bible. This creates a certain pattern because when even descendants come in sevens, we get the idea that everything is meant to be done in perfect groups of seven, which might not be exactly the meaning of this repetition. The Bible has many interesting ways of organizing and explaining things through the same patterns, and we see lots of repetition occurring in the different lines of Genesis. This is probably some method to make it sound rhythmic when read aloud, or maybe to let the message sink into the public.

“The tree of knowledge” mentioned carries a connection with Greek mythology, where the same tree of knowledge gives the same consequences, which shows that Greeks share many biblical beliefs. Another comparison we can make is the fact of the flood. In Egyptian, Nordic, Greek and various other mythologies we see a flood appear maybe as a symbol for punishment and chaos. The bible has many similarities with mythology and ancient beliefs because it has a similar origin, and therefore it shares many common characteristics.

The Company Of The Bible

The making of King James’ Bible was close to its end. All that was left before publishing the text was the arranging of meeting in which “the binding and melting of all fifty or so translators efforts. (p.198)” should be concreted. The translators had worked long and hard, and they deserved a reward from their effort. Translators asked for their payment but “money was tight. By the end of the decade, royal finances where nowhere near capable of paying for the project (p.199).” James had undertaken an ambitious idea and now he was caught up with the money for the people who had so long worked to fulfill their king’s desire.

The project was spread into six companies, each responsible for the production of a different section of the Bible into a common English language apt for the non-educated folk. Now a few representatives where in the obligation to take the work of the “six companies and make them a single volume (p.201).” There were some that works hard enough to finish their part on time, but others took a little longer which delayed the whole process. There was on under the name of Bois, of the most dedicated and hard-working of all. He was vital to company who "four years he worked on the bible, finishing his part early (p.208)" was able to help other finish their assigned parts. Group work and good understanding of each other proved to be of the most important aspects necessary to the proper development of the process.

Close to its public appearance, the Bible had to be perfectioned to contain the perfect wording. “The new bible, so extraordinarily carefully prepared, was intended to replace above all the Bishop´s or church bible, who’s main function was to be read aloud in church on Sundays." If the public was to be the people in general who were probably illiterate and ignorant in many aspects, then the vocabulary and structure used had to be a simple one. There where long discussions over the right wording, and if we remember how important words where to the king, this was of the main objectives of the Bible. "The English sentences where being prepared for others, the non-educated (p.210).” Of the most intellectual minds in England had come together to produce something which had to be so basic and elemental. This was not simple at all; especially if we consider that the vocabulary which the commoners used was probably far from the one the intellectuals used to write and to communicate between each other in their long discussions.

The making of King James Bible was a matter of great patience and importance. This text is history, and the people who wrote it made an amazing job of transmitting a message in a completely different context without losing the essence of this message. This company managed to overcome all the different problems and disagreements they might have had to produce a final product worth of the costs. Not only do they leave the messages of the bible to us, but they teach us how team work and clear communication can help people achieve great things even in large groups where coming to an agreement can be long and hard.

Message In A Bottle

Religion is what guides our decisions and actions, and determines what is right or wrong. Some people take religion lightly, while other, like the religious Christians in Jacobean England, “driven by a passionate belief in the strict purity of their devotion (p.179)”, and went as far as to risking everything for their religion, so that they could express their beliefs freely. England was under a social conflict, in which tolerance for religions others to that of the king was out of sight. Everyone was to follow the same God through the means of the same Bible. It became a kingdom of words, where these and their interpretations where the absolute ideal.

Even presently the religious ones tend to believe word by word of what the bible tells them, and this leads to incorrect interpretations. Priests, who are responsible for transmitting this words to the public, have always taught us that "The words of the bible where the ultimate and encompassing truth itself (p.182)." But we must look beyond the words and struggle to read in between lines to grasp the real message. We could compare the bible to something like a “message in a bottle” in which the bible is the bottle floating through history, waiting for people to open it and go deep into its inner contents, to understand the real message that is kept inside its pages.

People in Jacobean England would do as told, to under the impression that it was all about god and his will. As religious leaders instructed people to “listen to the words of the bible and you will be saved. Nothing else is Necessary (p.175).” The religious community lived under this orders from those who called themselves “Gods elect” and that would interpret and transmit the word of the bible for hours without rest. So huge was this movement that "the king himself was obsessed with words (p.182).” King James Bible was to be the official, and ultimately, the only translation of the bible that should be used in England. This means that it had to be clear enough for everyone to understand, his orders where that “strange and inaccessible words where not to be used (p.194).” To my interpretation, what James wanted was a common sense of good and evil, he sought to instill the same beliefs and to his entire kingdom in a way in which everyone would interpret it similarly. The king wanted “a common idea of what was good: a Christian, orderly commonwealth (p.174).”

Through history leaders have always strived to make their message clear and even through all of their followers. As everything, teachings are subject to the interpretation of the public, who might take it in many different ways. A good leader is one that is able to clarify doubts and one who is able to transmit not only a message, but the same interpretation of such to everyone. By writing the bible in a way in which all was explicit, the room for interpretations was narrowed, but not as close as eliminated. In the modern Christian church we can find contradictions due to the different interpretations of the text, which increase as the interpretations go deeper. The bible is a historical text due to all this which is mentioned previously, and as a historical text, there is no right or wrong way to look at the intentions of the people who enacted this story.

Spelling Exercises

Adolescent Students 1:

Incorrect:

In deeling with students on the hih-school level - that is, the second, third, and forth year of high school - we must bare in mind that to some degree they are at a dificult sychological stage, generaly called adolesence. Students at this level are likely to be confused mentaly, to be subject to involuntery distractions and romantic dreamines. They are basicaly timid or self-consious, they lack frankness and are usualy very sensitive but hate to admit it. They are motivated iether by great ambition, probably out of all proportion to their capabiltys, or by extreme lazines caused by the fear of not suceeding or ataining their objectives. Fundamentaly they want to be kept busy but they refuse to admit it. They are frequently the victims of earlier poor training, and this makes evary effort doubly hard. They are usually wiling to work, but they hate to work without obtaining the results they think they shoud obtain. Their critical faculties are begining to develop and they are critical of their instructers and of the materiels they are given to laern. They are begining to feel the presher of time; and althouh they seldem say so, they really want to be consulted and given an oportunity to direct their own afairs, but they need considerable gidance. (From A Language Teacher's Guide by E. A. M�ras)

Corrected:

In dealing with students on the high-school level - that is, the second, third, and forth year of high school - we must bear in mind that to some degree they are at a difficult psychological stage, generally called adolescence. Students at this level are likely to be confused mentally, to be subject to involuntary distractions and romantic dreaminess. They are basically timid or self-conscious, they lack frankness and are usually very sensitive but hate to admit it. They are motivated either by great ambition, probably out of all proportion to their capabilities, or by extreme laziness caused by the fear of not succeeding or attaining their objectives. Fundamentally they want to be kept busy but they refuse to admit it. They are frequently the victims of earlier poor training, and this makes every effort doubly hard. They are usually willing to work, but they hate to work without obtaining the results they think they should obtain. Their critical faculties are beginning to develop and they are critical of their instructors and of the materials they are given to learn. They are beginning to feel the pressure of time; and although they seldom say so, they really want to be consulted and given an opportunity to direct their own affairs, but they need considerable guidance. (From A Language Teacher's Guide by E. A. M�ras)

Adolescent Students 2:

Incorrect:

They seldom admit that they need this guidance and they frequently rebel against it, but if it is intelligently offered they accept it with enthuseasm. If they are healthy they are capable of long periods of concentration and an extrordinary ammount of work. They are trying, most of them, to form political ideas and they have a tendensy to be either extremely idealistik (which is usually another term for radical) or conservativ, blindely accepting what their farthers and grandfarthers believed in. It is in this period that students can be most easily and permanantly influenced. It is the period in which they form strong atachments for their teechers. Thier outlook on life is usually extremely exagerated. They are iether far too modest and retiring, or extravegantly boastfull. They are much more susceptible to the influence of a strong personality than to that of a great inteligence. Of all periods of life, this is wat may best be called the 'plastic age'. (From A Language Teacher's Guide by E. A. M�ras)

Correct:

They seldom admit that they need this guidance and they frequently rebel against it, but if it is intelligently offered they accept it with enthusiasm. If they are healthy they are capable of long periods of concentration and an extraordinary amount of work. They are trying, most of them, to form political ideas and they have a tendency to be either extremely idealistic (which is usually another term for radical) or conservative, blindly accepting what their fathers and grandfathers believed in. It is in this period that students can be most easily and permanently influenced. It is the period in which they form strong attachments for their teachers. Their outlook on life is usually extremely exaggerated. They are either far too modest or retiring, or extravagantly boastful. They are much more susceptible to the influence of a strong personality than to that of a great intelligence. Of all periods of life, this is what may best be called the 'plastic age'. (From A Language Teacher's Guide by E. A. M�ras) .

Terrorism Through The Ages

The conspiracy against the royal crown described in chapter six is much like an event occurred in Colombia on November 6, 1985, when a group of rebels under the title of M-19 violently managed to infiltrate and take possession of a national building. This event, called “La Toma Del Palacio De Justicia”, is much like the same situation but in a different context. In both cases people show their disconformities with their rulers through violent acts. To attempt against the integrity of a nation is considered high treason, and has always been punished severely. This is exactly what happened in Jacobean England. “In November 1605; the attempt by a group of desperate marginalized Catholic renegades and romantics to blow up the king, queen, princes, peers and other members of the parliament at its opening.” (ch6, p.105). As the text explains it, "terrorists is the word we would now use (p.105)". Because the contexts vary, so do the consequences and the perspective people have of the events. In the past, something like this would definitely cause a great reaction from everyone because it is something unimaginable, especially if it comes from "marginalized Catholic renegades", who represent a very important institution . On the other hand, terrorism is more of a normal problem in Colombia, and people have gotten used to it to the point where people accept it as part of the reality of their lives. English people where probably completely shocked by the attempt to blow up the king, and the king himself had much more power to act against the criminals than what justice has in modern days, where human rights protect even the most cold-blooded terrorists from torture. One might even argue that the M-19 attack was a modern adaptation of the conspiracy against King James, and of many other such events in which people rose against their governments through violence. Humans where born to be free, and they shall for ever fight to honor their interpretation of freedom, even if it means blowing up the king, or waging war against the government.

Up For Grasps

As Adam Nicholson explains it in his book, Gods Secretaries: The Making Of The King James Bible,“Few moments in English history have been more hungry for the future, its mercurial possibilities and its hope of richness, than the spring of 1603. At last the old, hesitant, querulous and increasingly unapproachable Queen Elizabeth was dying.” (p.1,ch.1). England was all looking up at the Queen to get a sign of her progress, everyone ready to take action when her time elapsed. Corruption was everywhere, being this the chance to get a good position in a new kingdom under new rule. People already in high places feared the possibility of a new king that would get rid of them. It was a time of insecurity, chaos, and political disorder. The old Queen was at war with Spain, distant, and careless for the problems. This was also the opportunity for a real king to come along and set everything in order, opening space for development and peace. The arrival of a new king to the crown of England "meant not only a change of government and policy, but a change of culture, attitude, and belief .A new king meant a new world.”(p.3,ch1.) The arrival of King James from Scotland to rule England was a completely new perspective for everyone, even for himself. When the news at last came to the people that the Queen had passed away, everyone turned towards James to gain his favor. People are very materialist, and sit under the tallest tree for the best shade. There where people making James feel welcome, making him think England was perfect and that he would have a flawless society to rule. The new king believed this hypocrisy and not only assumed the position lightly, but started wasting his money and naming absurd amounts of knights. It was a time where England was up for grasps, and when the future of every person in the kingdom seemed unsure. Internal difficulties would not take too long to appear.

A Fake Paradise

The making of King James Bible is greatly influenced by the politics of the time period. James had received the English throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth. It was a time of opportunity, where everyone struggled to assure their position in a new kingdom. This text, as any, is greatly influenced by its context, “It is the product of its time and bears the marks of its making. It is a deeply political book.” (Prologue, xiii). Even if it’s all based on previous texts and if it is meant to be ambiguous, it carries biased arguments influenced by the political background in the life of King James. In the spring of 1603 when the death of Elizabeth seemed close, England was in the middle of a crisis where everyone was looking towards a new ruler to help the kingdom take advantage of its power, which Queen Elizabeth had failed to do in her last years. England was at war with Spain, and James was the way to put an end to this conflict which was holding back the development of England as a power. It was also a new life for James, who had been king of a powerless kingdom in the midst of corruption and treason, “Like a poor man wandering about 40 years in the wilderness and barren soyle, and now arrived at the Land Of Promise.” (chapter one, page 6). Everyone made believe James England was a paradise full of richness and free of any troubles; a perfect kingdom. James believed this and he let all this cover get into his head, forgetting what it really was. He was a greatly intellectual man, and when he assumed the throne one of his first tasks was to unite England and Scotland under one rule. He adopted the motto of Beati Pacificy, Blessed are the Peacemakers. He presented himself as a fair person that wanted peace and harmony, but even with this theme for his kingdom he let power get into his head, and was able to execute people without a trial. He knighted hundreds and spread gold everywhere, as if he really lived in paradise. People where able to make him believe what they wanted, that he had arrived into a perfect place, but it was far from perfect. It was a world full of corruption where everyone looked for their personal benefit behind the kings back. And this happens all the time, when things seem to be what they are not. It is always a must to investigate completely and to be sure of where you are before you take important decisions. This fake image and the political life in which James was thrown into is the background of the text, and all this affects and decides The Making of King James Bible.

Instinct

What is it that takes us through the day, and eventually, through life? It is our sense of survival, our characteristic as fighters, like any other animal and living thing. We fight our surrounding constantly; we struggle to move with the people around us, because we know that if we fall behind we are done for. It is an instinct, and as any instinct, we do it without even realizing how competitive and brutal we are with each other. In the myth talking about Daedalus we see a lot of this theme of survival. Daedalus plans his escape, not being able to cope with the fact that he is being controlled, that somebody else takes the final decision about him. “He contrived to make his escape from his prison, but could not leave the island by sea, as the king kept strict watch on all the vessels, and permitted none to sail without being carefully searched. “Minos may control the land and sea,” said Dædalus, “but not the regions of the air. I will try that way.” This shows how the man exhausted all means of freedom, and not even what seemed impossible was able to stop him. This happens constantly in our life, where we look for the way around things, always trying to get what we want even if it includes going against the law or above others. We have come to be called the “civilized” animal, but we must remember we come from the wild as all animals. We also have that sense of preservations which animals use to escape from predators, and we use to gain advantage over others. We are free as our constitution and character state it, and for no reason will a human submit to anything without fighting, without making sure that there are no other possibilities and that where we are is the best we can be.

Cliches

Cliche Titles:

1.Love Story

2. The Day After Tomorrow

3. Mamma Mia

4.Its A Wonderful Life

5. The Lion KIng

Cliche Plotlines:

1. Love can overcome any barriers.

2. Inocent people pay for the crime of someone else.

3. Evil masternmind threatens with the destruction of the world.

4. Two friends go to war and one of them dies.

5. A man cheats on his wife, and she tries to make him pay for it.

Words that Sound Alike Practice

1. Where is my jacket? I wanted to wear it today, and if I can't find it, we're going to be late.

2. Jane wanted to go on the school trip, but her mother said that two hundred dollars was too much for the family budget.

3. As she waited for Rodney to become conscious, Selma was seized with an attack of conscience-- was there anything she could have done to prevent the accident?

4. The map led the intrepid treasure hunters to a lead box of precious stones.

5. Have you seen their coats? They're going to need them; it's cold outside. I last saw the coats over there.

6. After conducting careful research, Shufang had a brilliant idea; she'd write a paper on Thomas More's concept of the ideal society in Utopia.

7. Even though Bob would rather play video games than study, he decided to hit the books and than play some Halo.

8. It's easy to admire a business that puts so much effort into creating its signs and window displays.

9. You're fortunate to have survived the car crash without a scratch; it must have been because you were wearing your seat belt.

10. I would advise you to seek qualified legal adviceabout how to handle this situation.

Contract

I, ____________Daniel Toro_____________, hereby understand and will abide by the Pre-AP/AP (Print your name)Academy’s expectations, obligations, and admission/drop policy outlined below with respect to my admission status and standing in the Pre-AP/AP Course, _______________English________________.(Print the name of the Pre-AP/AP Course)Pre-AP/AP Academy Expectations;• Maintain Acceptable GPA,• Motivated and Positive,• Responsible and Dedicated Work Ethic,• Attend Opportunity Day and/or Additional Review Classes, • Complete AP College Board Exam,• Sign Pre-AP/AP Student Contract. Pre-AP/AP Academy Admission/Drop Policy;• First Progress Report with Teacher’s Signed Approval…receive no course credit,• End of First Semester with Teacher’s Signed Approval…receive only partial course credit for grade of 6.0+. No partial credit will be awarded for any grade below 6.0,• Students who Drop Pre-AP/AP Courses or who Do Not take the College Board AP Exam will have the Pre-AP/AP Designation for that course removed from their transcript and they will not receive any grade or GPA enhancement awarded for taking that Pre-AP/AP course.Please note that at any time during the school year if the teacher deems that you are not meeting the expectations above for any or all reasons, then that teacher will require that you sign an additional academic probation contract. Your admission status and/or removal from the above identified Pre-AP Course will then be re-assessed based on your abiding by the academic probation contract signed and agreed to by you and the respective Pre-AP/AP Teacher.Student Signature of Agreement, __________Daniel Toro p.___________________________ Date: _____________September 24, 2008__________________

Understanding The Importance

Our present is a direct result from our past, and our past is influenced by all the conditions that led to our existence. Therefore, myths make part of our past, and are even present in our current culture. We use them to describe conditions similar to those that happen on the myths, giving them Greek names to make connections. An example being the myth of Oedipus, who kills his own father, and marries the woman that gave him birth. Presently, the condition of having a romantic relationship or romantic feelings toward ones mother is called Oedipus complex. This term was directly derived from the Greek myth that describes a man in these conditions, even though he didn’t intend to be in that position. A movie titled “Edipo Alcalde” was filmed based on the ideas represented in the myth, considering different cultures and time periods. Another term used currently derived from ancient Greeks is the term “Bellerophontic letters”. “He brought letters from Prœtus, the son-in-law of Iobates, recommending Bellerophon in the warmest terms as an unconquerable hero, but added at the close a request to his father-in-law to put him to death.” This term is used to describe the case in which a person is the messenger of news that contains information prejudicial to him/her. The news Bellerophon carried was meant to be a death sentence, but the aid from the gods helped him overcome the sentence and become the successor of the throne, a merry life until he crossed the limit and confused the help of the gods with his own power. Our culture is a mixture of many ancient influences, which helps explain why we are able to identify ourselves with so many ancient cultures and civilizations. Knowledge is the greatest of human treasures. Knowledge must be kept safe and must be transmitted continually on from generation to generation to keep it alive. Myths are knowledge, and behind them we could even identify history, people, beliefs, and much more. Myths have been part of our lives since they were though and will continue to be remembered as long as we have a sense of preservation. This is why we should value our heritage, including myths and their messages.

Pride: Worth It?

We are all born under different circumstances, with different characteristics, and this all makes every one of us unique. Some of us are born with more advantages than other, while some of us may be born with difficulties, and this all makes diversity so important. We must be tolerant and accept other people even if they are different from us, but we may not go as far as forgetting who we are. We must always keep in mind how we are unique and not superior, and how we can take advantage of our unique qualities. It seems Greeks forgot who they where once in a while, and dared compare themselves with the perfect gods.” Cassiopeia his queen, proud of her beauty, had dared to compare herself to the Sea-Nymphs, which roused their indignation to such a degree that they sent a prodigious sea-monster to ravage the coast.” Sometimes we forget that we have a role in the world, and we must respect the fact that there may be people above us in that ladder of positions. When we defy authority, most likely, we will end up worse than what we started. In this case, Cassiopeia, the queen of the Ethiopians, compared her beauty to that of the sea nymphs, who sent a Sea-monster to disturb the people in their anger. Andromeda, the poor daughter, was the one who had to pay for the pride of her mother. We are very proud beings, which hold our honor in a very high place, but the gods, their pride surpasses even our notion of the word, and they take no comparison to mortals. Niobe failed to learn the lesson, and caused her children to die in disgrace. “What folly,” said she, “is this!—to prefer beings whom you never saw to those who stand before your eyes! Why should Latona be honored with worship, and none be paid to me?” At this Latona ordered her holy children to carry out her revenge, as a lesson for all mortals to understand their position and respect that of the gods. Her pride was stolen from her with Apollo’s arrows, showing how weak our honor is compared to that of the ones above. I don’t intend to make you believe that we must let others step over us and do with us as they will. The element of respect must always be present in any relation, and the difference between boss and worker must also be previously established. Promote tolerance, respect difference, and accept position to achieve success.

Divine Interventions

The gods are far from ambiguous, ready to blow the wind in favor of some, and ready to shape the world into what they like. Greeks knew this, and used it to favor their desires and ideas, always keeping gods at their side. Different gods would fight over territories and people to be the one who most people pray to. Cities had their local god, to which they gave the most importance over the others, being careful not to offend other gods in the process. “Athens was her chosen seat, her own city, awarded to her as the prize of a contest with Neptune, who also aspired to it.” Minerva was the main goddess of Athens, title she by gifting humans with olive oil. Most of the deeds and tales of heroes told in myths would not have been possible without the help and advice of gods that favor the hero in the story. In the myth of Perseus and Medusa, it all would have ended in tragedy without the divine interventions. “Perseus, favored by Minerva and Mercury, the former of whom lent him her shield and the latter his winged shoes.” With the shield he was able to look at Minerva in the reflection, avoiding her powers of transforming him into a rock. Alone, people can be weak and ignorant, but with a god behind their back they are able to accomplish all that Greek heroes did. In Greek myths, any character that lacked immortal characteristics, was simply a mortal representation of a god with similar qualities. People used to offer their riches and possessions to the gods to have them at their side; it was a constant struggle to keep the gods happy. The Greek civilization evolved around the gods, religion serving as its main pillar. Religion has always had a great influence in the world and the people in many different aspects. Even today people trust many problems to the gods they believe in, and as the Greeks did, they attribute events to them. We must accept the reality and take the consequences for both good and bad on our own hands, there is no such thing as blaming gods for our mistakes.

Sharing Burdens

Life is all about trusting the right people, about being able to make the right decisions with the right company. When we doubt or feel unsecure about something we tend to take all into our hands, as if we were able to handle everything by ourselves. We must learn to trust others with our worries, let people around us help us carry and cope with our troubles, making the weight bearable. We must, therefore, find a place in a trustworthy circle, in a place where we know people are transparent. Psyche falls into the doubt in the myth, and through the influence of her greedy sisters, she disobeys cupid, and loses his company. “As she leaned the lamp over to have a nearer view of his face a drop of burning oil fell on the shoulder of the god, startled with which he opened his eyes and fixed them full upon her; then, without saying one word, he spread his white wings and flew out of the window. Psyche, in vain endeavoring to follow him, fell from the window to the ground. Cupid, beholding her as she lay in the dust, stopped his flight for an instant and said, “O foolish Psyche, is it thus you repay my love?” We are all humans after all, and many of us are unable to resist the strong temptation of curiosity. Sometimes we are unable to trust, because the education we all receive tells us that the world is full of lies and that we should trust none but ourselves. If we are alive and sharing our world with so many people, it’s probably because we were initially meant to share, to trust each other, because there can be no harmony in a civilization without trust, tolerance, and order. When we show lack of trust in a person, we at once damage the natural relationship, and that’s when trouble emerges and rivalries are noticed. Humanity must learn to manage trust, because how can you live under the same roof in you can’t trust your neighbors while you sleep?

The Mortal Side of Gods

Greeks where polytheistic people that had different gods and divines explanations for every phenomenon. The main difference between gods and humans was not only their knowledge, but their immortal characteristics. Where Gods really immortal? Or where they simply terms that science had not yet defined, immortal in memories but not in feelings and decisions. The gods where rulers and wise figures in common definition. Can myths prove otherwise?

Greek gods lived along mortals, interacting with them, even fighting with them. A ruler lives along with his people, but doesn’t often get involved with problems or relationships with the people that serve him. A big brother lives and plays with his small brother, but it would be pointless if they got into a fight as equals, because they simply are not. Gods are the rulers and big brothers of humanity, but they act as if they where equals sometimes. We can see them getting mad at mortals, punishing them even if their actions where guided by ignorance and innocence. An example shown in the myth of Dryope, where her ignorance allows her innocence to go and pick up flowers, not know she was hurting Lotis. “Dryope, horror-struck when she perceived what she had done, would gladly have hastened from the spot, but found her feet rooted to the ground. She tried to pull them away, but moved nothing but her upper limbs. The woodiness crept upward, and by degrees invested her body. In anguish she attempted to tear her hair, but found her hands filled with leaves.” The gods in their cholera cursed her and made her into a tree, but does this reflect wisdom and superiority, or injustice and equality in mentality?

As mentioned before, Greek myths refer to gods as immortals but their actions and all of what happens suggests that they have a rather mortal mentality. This flaw in the explanations of Greeks through myths doesn’t get even close to diminishing them, but it does suggest the personality of those who invented this myths. Myths are part of the culture of everyone, they are responsible for many things, but they have become shadowed by science and factual events. Their place is no longer to explain, but to describe relationships and leave learning on people, which is why I reflected on the double personality of gods. We all have defects and troubles, but we must learn to accept our reality, never seeking perfection or giving our backs to others. We must learn to treat others for who they are, and not for who we are. Even gods had a hard time doing this, but we can do it because even if no one is perfect, everything is possible.