This Christmas season, I thought a lot about the lyrics to the song "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S":
When I was but a youngster,
Christmas meant one thing,
That I’d be getting lots of toys that day.
I learned a whole lot different,
When my Mother sat me down,
And taught me to spell Christmas this way:
"C" is for the Christ child, born upon this day,
"H" for herald angels in the night,
"R" means our Redeemer,
"I" means Israel,
"S" is for the star that shone so bright,
"T" is for three wise men, they who traveled far,
"M" is for the manger where he lay,
"A"’s for all He stands for,
"S" means shepherds came,
And that’s why there’s a Christmas day.
In the past, it really was all about the toys for me. I could never sleep on Christmas Eve due to the pure excitement of waking up to presents. However, this year, my family did something that made me see Christmas in a new way. About a month ago, my parents sat our family down and told us that instead of buying presents for our siblings, we were going to save the money we would have spent buying them presents. We were then going to donate that money to those who needed it.
At first I really wasn’t all that happy about this idea—I love buying presents for my siblings…not to mention, I love getting them. ☺ But actually, I think it was the best thing that could have happened. I found that throughout the Christmas season, my thoughts were much more focused on the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas, I realized, is so much more about the giving. Yes, of course it is always fun to get a new present, but it is nothing compared to the feeling I felt when gave to a family that is not as fortunate as mine has been.
This also helped me to see something about Christmas that I never have before: for so many people, Christmas is not a time of celebration and fun, it is more of a realization of things they do not have. On Christmas morning, so many children wake up to disappointment. In the past, I have been so focused on myself that I had never stopped to think about the fact that Christmas is not such a great time for everybody. I am so glad that I was able to make Christmas fun for someone else, even if it was only one family.
This giving and focus on the true meaning of Christmas has inspired me to keep this attitude with me throughout the rest of the year. I once heard it said that Christianity blooms in December and fizzles in the other months. I believe that the world would be such a better place if Christians and non-Christians alike resolved to do kind things and think of others throughout the year and not just during holidays focused on goodness. My family decided that from now on, we are going to go to do some kind of “giving” thing once a month.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Mythology Research Paper
Kendall Sargent
Period 1
Aphrodite
If Aphrodite had had a magic mirror like the wicked queen in Snow White, it is probable that she would have asked, "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" She is the goddess of love, beauty, and desire (Lombardi). The myth of Aphrodite shares some similarities with other myths, most notably the myths of her father Zeus, the fair Helen, and the proud Narcissus. These myths have some of the common themes that are demonstrated throughout ancient Greek mythology.
Aphrodite and her father Zeus share some of the same traits. Zeus is the famous ruler of the gods on Mount Olympus. Aphrodite and Zeus were both unhappy with their marriages, and their love lives. This tempted them to try to find happiness elsewhere. Aphrodite fled from her crippled husband Hephaestus, and sought her true love Ares, the god of war. Zeus, on the other hand, was married to Hera, the queen of the gods. Unhappy being with just one woman, Zeus had so many affairs with other women that he cannot remember which of his children belong to which mother. He also had affairs with nymphs, and many creatures in nature (Hunt). Both Zeus and his daughter thought they were happier when they were being unfaithful, and so they continued to do so. Myths were created to explain phenomena, and these two explain cheating on your spouse.
Aphrodite was considered the most beautiful goddess in the world. There were, however, a few mortal women who were considered more attractive than she. One such woman was named Helen. She was so striking that during the Trojan War she was often referred to as "The face that launched a thousand ships." Aphrodite and Helen were constantly followed by suitors who wanted to be lucky enough to marry them. Because of their alluring qualities, both of these fair women made it easy for men to fall in love with them. Aphrodite was often found to be jealous of Helen, because even though she was only a mortal, men still loved her (Myths Encyclopedia).
Although Aphrodite and Helen were known for their breathtaking faces, Aphrodite took the compliments in a very different manner from Helen. Helen was humble, and took the praise from men with grace. Aphrodite knew that she was appealing, and shared this prideful trait with the vain Narcissus. They both believed that they were uniquely good-looking, and that no one was deserving of their radiance. While Narcissus always had a band of followers, he did not believe that any of them would be a suitable wife for him. After Narcissus told a girl, Echo, that she too wasn't a match for him, the goddess Nemesis decided to punish him. Nemesis led Narcissus to a pool of water and showed him his reflection for the first time. Narcissus thought that this bewitching person he was looking at was the only person worthy of his love, and so he fell in love with his own reflection (Upright). Aphrodite and Narcissus were both beautiful people, but their vain love of their own beauty sometimes got them into trouble. Being prideful is a theme often found in mythology.
As shown above, the myth of Aphrodite shares some common themes with other mythological stories. She was unfaithful like her father Zeus, men were manipulated by her beauty like Helen, and she was proud like Narcissus. Aphrodite played some vital roles throughout ancient Greece, and was a part of people's lives. The myth of Aphrodite explained feelings of love and desire. She will be remembered as a goddess who caused trouble with people's feelings, but she will also be remembered as the "fairest of them all."
Period 1
Aphrodite
If Aphrodite had had a magic mirror like the wicked queen in Snow White, it is probable that she would have asked, "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" She is the goddess of love, beauty, and desire (Lombardi). The myth of Aphrodite shares some similarities with other myths, most notably the myths of her father Zeus, the fair Helen, and the proud Narcissus. These myths have some of the common themes that are demonstrated throughout ancient Greek mythology.
Aphrodite and her father Zeus share some of the same traits. Zeus is the famous ruler of the gods on Mount Olympus. Aphrodite and Zeus were both unhappy with their marriages, and their love lives. This tempted them to try to find happiness elsewhere. Aphrodite fled from her crippled husband Hephaestus, and sought her true love Ares, the god of war. Zeus, on the other hand, was married to Hera, the queen of the gods. Unhappy being with just one woman, Zeus had so many affairs with other women that he cannot remember which of his children belong to which mother. He also had affairs with nymphs, and many creatures in nature (Hunt). Both Zeus and his daughter thought they were happier when they were being unfaithful, and so they continued to do so. Myths were created to explain phenomena, and these two explain cheating on your spouse.
Aphrodite was considered the most beautiful goddess in the world. There were, however, a few mortal women who were considered more attractive than she. One such woman was named Helen. She was so striking that during the Trojan War she was often referred to as "The face that launched a thousand ships." Aphrodite and Helen were constantly followed by suitors who wanted to be lucky enough to marry them. Because of their alluring qualities, both of these fair women made it easy for men to fall in love with them. Aphrodite was often found to be jealous of Helen, because even though she was only a mortal, men still loved her (Myths Encyclopedia).
Although Aphrodite and Helen were known for their breathtaking faces, Aphrodite took the compliments in a very different manner from Helen. Helen was humble, and took the praise from men with grace. Aphrodite knew that she was appealing, and shared this prideful trait with the vain Narcissus. They both believed that they were uniquely good-looking, and that no one was deserving of their radiance. While Narcissus always had a band of followers, he did not believe that any of them would be a suitable wife for him. After Narcissus told a girl, Echo, that she too wasn't a match for him, the goddess Nemesis decided to punish him. Nemesis led Narcissus to a pool of water and showed him his reflection for the first time. Narcissus thought that this bewitching person he was looking at was the only person worthy of his love, and so he fell in love with his own reflection (Upright). Aphrodite and Narcissus were both beautiful people, but their vain love of their own beauty sometimes got them into trouble. Being prideful is a theme often found in mythology.
As shown above, the myth of Aphrodite shares some common themes with other mythological stories. She was unfaithful like her father Zeus, men were manipulated by her beauty like Helen, and she was proud like Narcissus. Aphrodite played some vital roles throughout ancient Greece, and was a part of people's lives. The myth of Aphrodite explained feelings of love and desire. She will be remembered as a goddess who caused trouble with people's feelings, but she will also be remembered as the "fairest of them all."
Sunday, December 12, 2010
The Grand Old Symphony...Not Exactly
Each year before Christmas we take the opportunity to go to the Utah Symphony down at Abravanel Hall. It's not like I love to go, but isn't usually misery to sit through the whole thing. One of the main reasons it wasn't as good is because they got a new conductor. It is usually this little Asian man named David Cho. He is great with the audience, and always makes it an enjoyable experience.
The new conductor didn't quite know how to act with the audience yet. There was a song specially picked out about the movie the "Polar Express." There was singing involved which is a little out of the ordinary. The song told every little detail about the movie in the exact same tune. After about five minutes of it, I told myself it was alright to go to sleep for a little bit. So I did, and when I woke up about 5-10 minutes later it was still going. The last 3 minutes were all about growing up, and even though you're old you still need to believe. The man's voice had so much vibrato it just got old.
Every year Santa comes, and leads the orchestra for the song "Sleigh Ride." This year he was just a little cheesier than ever. The jokes were awful, and there wasn't even a courtesy laugh.
The music still sounded fabulous like always. My favorite part is at the end when they invite the audience to sing along. The audience members are encouraged to bring jingle bells to shake as the songs are going at the end. Some of the kids didn't quite understand this concept, and so there was constant ringing throughout the whole show.
My mom is really sick right now, and so she couldn't go to the show. She told me I could bring a friend, and so of course the one year that it's awful a friend came with me. I feel really stupid, and she was really nice to put up with the whole thing. She didn't say so, but I'm pretty sure she thought it was pretty dumb. On the way to pick her up however we were pulled over by a police. My dad was going 17 over, and the cop was nice enough to let us off with a warning.
The whole morning was a little disastrous, but we got to eat lunch at Crown Burger which made it seem better. I am hoping that we won't have to go sit through that again next year!
Although that isn't the most fun tradition, I do have something fun to look forward to. On the afternoon of Christmas Eve we have a tradition to got see a movie. All eight of us jump in the car, and go to the theater. Last year we saw the "Blindside." We don't know what we're going to try this year, but I hope it's fun, and much better than the grand old Utah Symphony!
The new conductor didn't quite know how to act with the audience yet. There was a song specially picked out about the movie the "Polar Express." There was singing involved which is a little out of the ordinary. The song told every little detail about the movie in the exact same tune. After about five minutes of it, I told myself it was alright to go to sleep for a little bit. So I did, and when I woke up about 5-10 minutes later it was still going. The last 3 minutes were all about growing up, and even though you're old you still need to believe. The man's voice had so much vibrato it just got old.
Every year Santa comes, and leads the orchestra for the song "Sleigh Ride." This year he was just a little cheesier than ever. The jokes were awful, and there wasn't even a courtesy laugh.
The music still sounded fabulous like always. My favorite part is at the end when they invite the audience to sing along. The audience members are encouraged to bring jingle bells to shake as the songs are going at the end. Some of the kids didn't quite understand this concept, and so there was constant ringing throughout the whole show.
My mom is really sick right now, and so she couldn't go to the show. She told me I could bring a friend, and so of course the one year that it's awful a friend came with me. I feel really stupid, and she was really nice to put up with the whole thing. She didn't say so, but I'm pretty sure she thought it was pretty dumb. On the way to pick her up however we were pulled over by a police. My dad was going 17 over, and the cop was nice enough to let us off with a warning.
The whole morning was a little disastrous, but we got to eat lunch at Crown Burger which made it seem better. I am hoping that we won't have to go sit through that again next year!
Although that isn't the most fun tradition, I do have something fun to look forward to. On the afternoon of Christmas Eve we have a tradition to got see a movie. All eight of us jump in the car, and go to the theater. Last year we saw the "Blindside." We don't know what we're going to try this year, but I hope it's fun, and much better than the grand old Utah Symphony!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Letters about Literature Entry
Kendall Sargent
Letters about Literature
Dear Margaret Mitchell,
Last summer I read your book Gone with the Wind, and it changed some of my views about the Civil War. I feel like my life is different because of this book, and it is now a part of who I am. It takes some determination to read through a book that is nearly 1500 pages long. People ask me how I did it, and I just tell them that when you start, you can't stop.
Before reading Gone with the Wind, I always thought of the Civil War in black and white terms. I thought the North equaled good, and the South equaled bad. Just because the North was against slavery doesn't mean that they were all good people. For example, Sherman's March is one of the barbaric events of American history. Similarly, the South was not all bad. Although I strongly disagree with slavery, your book helped me see that many southerners were born into this slavery system, and didn't purposely choose to participate in human bondage. I'm sure there were many kind southerners. I am glad I had the opportunity to read about the Civil War from the southern point of view, and see that the North was not all good, and the South not all bad.
Last year in U.S. History, we were asked to write down who was our hero and why. I immediately, wrote down Scarlett O'Hara. Since reading Gone with the Wind, I've considered her a hero and I have thought a lot about why. It's amazing that I could look up to someone who lies and deceives. For all her bad traits, there are things that make her admirable. When Scarlett faces hard times, she does whatever she needs to do to survive. When she is starving at Tara she promises this: "I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again." She then goes on to demonstrate that she is willing to take care of her family, even if it means that she has to marry her sister's beau. She is a fascinating character, and will always be remembered as a strong, independent woman.
The ending of this book has also stayed with me. I was discussing this book with my mom, and she told me that one of the signs of a good book is when you keep thinking about it after it's over. This definitely rings true with this book. The ending left me with this feeling that all hope was lost, but at the same time that there was a tiny flicker of light left. I sobbed the whole day after I finished, and it was all I could think about. For the next week, all I could think about was if there was any chance of Rhett and Scarlett ever being together. The ending completely left me hanging with Scarlett saying her famous line, "I can't think about it now, I'll think about it tomorrow."
Overall, this book has made its mark in my life, and it is part of my character. It taught me some great lessons about life that I won't forget. The Civil War is now my favorite subject to talk about at school. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to read your book, and I want to thank you Margaret Mitchell, for taking the time to write this classic novel.
Letters about Literature
Dear Margaret Mitchell,
Last summer I read your book Gone with the Wind, and it changed some of my views about the Civil War. I feel like my life is different because of this book, and it is now a part of who I am. It takes some determination to read through a book that is nearly 1500 pages long. People ask me how I did it, and I just tell them that when you start, you can't stop.
Before reading Gone with the Wind, I always thought of the Civil War in black and white terms. I thought the North equaled good, and the South equaled bad. Just because the North was against slavery doesn't mean that they were all good people. For example, Sherman's March is one of the barbaric events of American history. Similarly, the South was not all bad. Although I strongly disagree with slavery, your book helped me see that many southerners were born into this slavery system, and didn't purposely choose to participate in human bondage. I'm sure there were many kind southerners. I am glad I had the opportunity to read about the Civil War from the southern point of view, and see that the North was not all good, and the South not all bad.
Last year in U.S. History, we were asked to write down who was our hero and why. I immediately, wrote down Scarlett O'Hara. Since reading Gone with the Wind, I've considered her a hero and I have thought a lot about why. It's amazing that I could look up to someone who lies and deceives. For all her bad traits, there are things that make her admirable. When Scarlett faces hard times, she does whatever she needs to do to survive. When she is starving at Tara she promises this: "I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again." She then goes on to demonstrate that she is willing to take care of her family, even if it means that she has to marry her sister's beau. She is a fascinating character, and will always be remembered as a strong, independent woman.
The ending of this book has also stayed with me. I was discussing this book with my mom, and she told me that one of the signs of a good book is when you keep thinking about it after it's over. This definitely rings true with this book. The ending left me with this feeling that all hope was lost, but at the same time that there was a tiny flicker of light left. I sobbed the whole day after I finished, and it was all I could think about. For the next week, all I could think about was if there was any chance of Rhett and Scarlett ever being together. The ending completely left me hanging with Scarlett saying her famous line, "I can't think about it now, I'll think about it tomorrow."
Overall, this book has made its mark in my life, and it is part of my character. It taught me some great lessons about life that I won't forget. The Civil War is now my favorite subject to talk about at school. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to read your book, and I want to thank you Margaret Mitchell, for taking the time to write this classic novel.
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