I do not really practice any superstitions, but sometimes I do like to pick lucky numbers or act superstitious with my friends just for fun.

I think the media influences people in strange ways: we all see so many things in the media -- we think this is how people really are -- violent or sexy or vulgar or good or perfect or happy. But the media is a liar. Very rarely do we ever see a whole story or even a true story on television. Life is not like a 30 minute sitcom. Advertisements try to sell us products that will make us happy -- but they really will not. If the media influences me in any way, it just makes me angry. Why should I be hit over the head by the media everywhere I go, everywhere I look? Another ad, another song, another film -- always and everywhere.

I…...

Nevertheless, anything that causes a character that is associated with some emotions, exclusive fear, and anxiety must be real. Since superstition does not manifest as madness or abnormality, it however can influence emotional effects.
Mad people will behave weirdly because they are experiencing certain "real situations" in "their worlds" that we normal people cannot understand or visualize. To these people, these are real situations. Connecting this perspective with superstition, similar understanding/beliefs on normal people can affect thinking and acting characters of an individual. For instance, a businessperson will engage in finding luck before presenting a proposal instead of preparing. It is evident that, irrespective of his abilities, he will fail at some instances like lack of proper communication. This person will end up failing to perform because the belief that certain rituals will be beneficial, ends up manifesting in a negative manner, failure. This person is thinking that superstition has…...

Exercise 6.4B: The Symbolism Of The Raft

The entire collage would have a black construction paper background to symbolize the darkness that kept surrounding them wherever it was that they went. There would be a light blue strip of shiny fabric running from the top left corner of the paper to the bottom right. This would be the river. On that river would be shiny jewels, silver and black in color, to represent the rocks that the had to go through to get from one part to another. One the top of the collage, there would be a simple squared with a triangular roof topped house on a raft. Although Jim and Huck did not have a fancy raft, it was still what they considered dear to themselves and it was what they saw as home for the time being. This would be painted on however, in watercolor to also represent…...

Does that mean that I think babies are being haunted by ghosts when they cry for no apparent reason? No, but the superstition does put you in mind of the thought that we should have respect for the spiritual world. The Chinese words for spirit and breath are similar, which keeps one in mind of the fact that life is filled with the spirit, just as the body is filled with breath. These thoughts are not necessarily bad -- and they keep us in mind of the old traditions of my culture. I like to think about the old traditions and learn from the old people how they lived and what they way of life was like. It helps me think about my own way of life and how I should try to live.
For these reasons, I do not find superstitions necessarily bad -- even if I do not…...

Stealing ocks From Paradise: Pele and Her Vengeance
The Hawaiian Islands are home to a diverse population. Much of this population comes from Polynesian roots, and culturally, there exist many different forms of religious and superstitious ideas that permeate modern Hawaiian culture. One of these superstitions surrounds the ancient Polynesian goddess of fire and lava Pele. It is said that if a person steals a lava rock from the island that they are cursed until they return it. From a religious perspective, Pele is a very jealous goddess and protector of the volcanoes and Hawaiian Islands. Thousands of people claim to have had bad experiences of having felt cursed after removing lava rocks from the islands, only to return them by mail or in person as soon as they realized the errors of their ways. Scientifically, it is impossible to prove any concrete link between the Hawaiian goddess Pele's anger over…...

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References

Field, J.P.; Belnap, J.; Breshears, D.D.; Neff, J.C.; Okin, G.S.; Whicker, J.J.; Painter, T.H.;

Ravi, S.; Reheis, M.C.; and Reynolds, R.L. (2010). "The ecology of dust." Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Vol. 8, No. 1. Pp. 423 -- 430.

Goudie, A.S. (2009). "Dust storms: Recent developments."

Journal of Environmental Management. Vol. 90, No. 1. Pp. 89-94.

The Aztecs believed 13 to be a sacred number. The Aztec week was thirteen days long and the number was respected as a measure of time and completion (Number 13, 2010). The Aztec calendar year was 260 days long, which was calculated as 20, thirteen day periods, called Trecenas. The goddess Tlazolteotl was the ruler of the 13th Trecena, who was the goddess of sin and could forgive sins (Number 13, 2010). In Hinduism, the thirteenth night of the waning moon in the month of Maagha is sacred to Shiva, and notes a cause for celebration of creation and preservation (Number 13, 2010). For those reading tarot cards, the tarot 13 is the card of death. In Scandinavia, the day of the Saint Lucia celebration is December 13th (Number 13, 2010). egarding United States currency, the number 13 is seemingly glorified. On the one dollar bill, there are 13…...

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References

Lachenmeyer, N. (2004). Thirteen: the story of the world's most popular superstition. New York, NY: Thunder's Mouth Press.

Number 13. (2010). Retrieved 3 February, 2012, from: http://mysticalnumbers.com/Number_13.html

Radford, E., & Radford, M. (1949). Encyclopedia of superstitions 1949. New York, NY: Philosophical Library Inc.

Scanlon, T., Luben, R., Scanlon, F., & Singleton, N. (1993). Is friday the 13th bad for your health?. British Medical Journal, 307, 1584-1586.

Marital Success
The high divorce rates in First World nations have encouraged researchers, family counselors, and religious advocates to investigate the core foundations for the creation of a successful marriage. Starting in the 1960s, evolving social context ultimately shifted the rationale in why individuals choose to marry, and over time, divorce has come to be viewed as the preferred alternative to an unhappy marriage. One main fundamental principle to achieve marital success is to recognize women desire love, while men simultaneously need respect to feel fulfilled within the relationship. Emotional intelligence within a relationship and acknowledging various marital myths also contribute to the fundamental elements of marital success. Dissociating from marital myths and misconceptions is an essential part to understanding the true foundations for a happy and successful marriage. Appreciating and understanding how attachment styles affect marital relationships is also essential. These beliefs and attachment styles contribute to the marital…...

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References

Eggerichs, E. (2004). Love and Respect: The Love She Desires, The Respect He Desperately

Needs. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Gottman, J. (1993). A Theory of Marital Dissolution and Stability. Journal of Family

Psychology, 7(1), p. 57-75.

Dracula
The novel "Dracula" was written by Irish author Bram Stoker in 1897. Set in nineteenth-century Victorian England and other countries of the same time, this novel is told in an epistolary format through a collection of letters, diary entries etc. The main characters include Count Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Dr. Van Helsing. Count Dracula is the antagonist character of the novel, and is a vampire. The group of men and women led by Dr. Van Helsing are the main protagonist characters. The novel talks about Count Dracula's endeavor to relocate from Transylvania to England, and his demise. The story begins with an English lawyer, Jonathan Harker, visiting Dracula's castle to assist him with some real estate issues. During his stay in the castle, Harker discovers that the Count is a vampire and barely escapes with his life. Then the narrative turns into a…...

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References:

Parsons, G. (1989). Religion in victorian britain. (Vol. 4)

Stoker, B. (1897). Dracula. United Kingdom: Archibald Constable and Company.

Wood, P. (2004). Science and dissent in England, 1688-1945 (science, technology and culture,

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain provides poignant social commentary about the institution of slavery as well as about racism. Huck's tentative love for Jim illustrates that although he felt a moral obligation to help Jim that Huck was not immune from the prevailing beliefs in white supremacy that characterize the social context of the novel. Huckleberry Finn's historical context is therefore the pre-Civil War Southern society. In addition to slavery being part of the historical context, economic realities are also central to the novel. For example, Twain portrays the differences between poor white culture and wealthy white culture in the differences between Huck Finn and his friend Tom Sawyer. Moreover, Huck's desire to move out West at the end of the novel describes a historical context in which the West was still the final frontier, symbolic of new opportunity and total freedom.
4. What is Jim's central role in Huck…...

DESCARTES' BELIEVE IN GOD
Descartes Believe in God

Descartes' Believe in God

Science attempts to prove how God did or does things. The assessment is heavily disputed by archaic religious doctrines. The traditional conflict between science and religion is entirely based on the dominion and not what is right or wrong. Rene Descartes' belief in God is not based on atheistic principles, but on blasphemy as seen from the way he investigates God's functions. hilst examining Descartes' belief in the existence of God, it establishes that Descartes does not dispute the existence of God, but has a different opinion (parallel from the religion). A scientific argument proving Descartes' arguments and a reflection on his presumptions are provided.

Does Descartes believe in God?

As a philosopher and mathematician, Descartes dedicated his work entirely on writing and researching. His arguments combined humanism, science, and religion to arrive on the much-aggrandized assumptions of natural processes. Olson (2006) reflects…...

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Work Cited

Broughton, Janet and Carreiro, John. A Companion to Descartes. New York: John Wiley & Sons,

2010. Print

Kohn, Hans. The Idea Of Nationalism: A Study In Its Origins And Background. Transaction Publishers, 2005. Print

McKnight, Edgar. Jesus Christ in History and Scripture: A Poetic and Sectarian Perspective.

Essentially, science utilizes the power of reason and logic in its search for the truth while religion depends almost wholly upon faith, being a belief in something without any evidence whatsoever to support it. In the realms of science, investigators seek to understand natural phenomena through direct observation and experimentation which makes it mandatory that all interpretations of the facts be provisional and testable. Statements made by any authority, revelation or appeal to the supernatural are not part of this process, due to the absence of supporting evidence.

Thus, in the eyes of religious scholars and authorities, all opposition to what science has uncovered is based on faith and mythological revelation which takes precedence over evidence. Also, the tenets of religion have not, for the most part, changed much over time and cannot be validated when subjected to the scientific method.

Like many others that study the natural world, scientists are awed…...

Hume and Experience
In morals, politics, religion and science, Hume was a conservative empiricist who emphatically rejected all theories he thought of as metaphysical or not based on actual experience and sense perceptions. He did not regard religious and metaphysical theories as scientific, but more like idle speculation, superstition and prejudice. No ultimate original principles existed outside of the mind and perceptions, and this certainly included the concept of cause and effect, which he insisted was derived from the senses and later processed through the mind in the form of simple and complex ideas. Nothing could be known about human nature or any other subject outside of an exact, empirical science, while innate and a priori ideas did not exist. Even his theories of mathematics, logic and the color spectrum were all based on empiricism, and the ability of the mind to reflect, compile and make connections based on repeated sense…...

What does this have to do with the rest of paragraph 27?
The individual and the institution of the state cannot flourish when their interests are in competition: one of the 'seeds' must die.

33. In this paragraph, Thoreau talks about how he sees his neighbors in a new light after his night in jail.

After suffering the loss of his liberty, he sees how little his neighbors are willing to risk of their own security to see justice done.

Paraphrase each of these observations:

a. "I saw to what extent the people among whom I lived could be trusted as good neighbors and friends;"

I saw that the people amongst whom I lived were good in name only -- they spoke about the value of justice, but would not lift a finger to do promote justice.

b. "that their friendship was for summer weather only;"

They did good deeds only when it was convenient for them…...

Sociologists explain their condition through a culture-of-poverty theory or the theory of internal colonialism. Under the first theory, Appalachia families, for better or worse, simply cope with poverty. The second theory, on the other hand, ascribes poverty in Appalachia to structural causes. The theories offer insights but are both found to be quite deficient (Billings and Blee).
The first theory on culture-on-poverty became popular in the 60s and drew its premise from Appalachia's ethnic geography in the late 19th century. It was then perceived as a distinct region and race that entered the American consciousness only after the Civil War (Billings and Blee 2002). Imaginative fictionists only conjured images of the mountain and upland cultures, which were vastly out of step with the lowland's, culturally ad economically. At the turn of the century, Willim Goddell Frost, president of Berea College of Kentucky, discoursed on the people of the southern amounts…...

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References

Billings, Dwight and Blee, Kathleen M. Rural Poverty in Appalachia. Fathom Knowledge Network, 2002. http://www.fathom.com/features/122206

Coats, Lauren. Crafting Appalachian Identity: Regional Handicrafts and the Politics of Culture. University of Pennsylvania, 1997.  http://www.history.upenn.edu/phr/archives/97/coats.html 

Hagedorn, Jake. The Music of Appalachia. http://webpages.charter.net/jakehagedorn.appalachia.html

Lewis, Ronald and Billings, Dwight B. Appalachian Culture and Economic Development.  http://www.wvu.edu/pdfiles/lewisarc.pdf

Sikhism is a progressive religion that was well earlier than its time when it was established over five hundred years ago. The Sikh religion today has over twenty million followers worldwide and is ranked as the worlds 5th largest religion. Sikhism advocates a message of Devotion and commemoration of God at all times, honest living, equality of mankind and condemns superstitions and blind ceremonies. "Sikhism is open to all by way of the teachings of its 10 Gurus preserved in the Sikh Holy Book and Living Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib" (Sikhism, 2011).
"The word Sikh in the Punjabi language means disciple, Sikhs are the disciples of God who follow the writings and teachings of the Ten Sikh Gurus. The knowledge of these teachings in Sri Guru Granth Sahib is sensible and worldwide in their petition to all mankind. The creator of the Sikh religion was Guru Nanak who was born…...

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References

Frequently Asked Questions about Sikhism. (2010). Retrieved from  http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/FAQ 

Singh, N.G.K. (2011). Sikhism: An Introduction. New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. LTD.

Sikh Beliefs. (2009). Retrieved from  http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/beliefs/beliefs.shtml 

Sikhism. (2011). Retrieved from  http://www.sikhs.org/

Lesser-Known but Fascinating Macbeth Essay Topics

While topics such as guilt, fate, and the supernatural are often explored in Macbeth essays, there are a plethora of lesser-known yet equally intriguing aspects of the play that warrant examination. Here are a few suggestions:

1. The Significance of Sleep and Dreams

In Macbeth, sleep and dreams play a pivotal role in foreshadowing events, revealing characters' inner turmoil, and underlining the play's themes of guilt and madness. An essay could delve into the symbolism of sleep and dream sequences, their impact on character development, and how they contribute to the play's overall atmosphere of suspense and....

The Crucible: A Literary Exploration of Power, Hysteria, and the Perils of Accusation

Introduction

Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" is a timeless masterpiece that examines the destructive consequences of fear, paranoia, and mass hysteria. Set during the Salem witch trials of the 17th century, the play offers a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked power and the ease with which individuals can be manipulated into becoming both victims and perpetrators of injustice. This essay will explore various topics pertaining to "The Crucible," delving into the complex themes of power, hysteria, and the perils of accusation that are at the heart of the....

1. The Burning of Bridget Cleary: Exploring the Role of Folklore and Superstition in Irish Culture
2. Gender and Power in the Burning of Bridget Cleary: Analyzing the Social Dynamics of the Case
3. Bridget Cleary and the Intersection of Mental Illness and Misogyny: Examining the Tragic Consequences of Societal Stigma
4. The Burning of Bridget Cleary: A Case Study in Historical Legal Injustices Against Women
5. Witchcraft Accusations and the Burning of Bridget Cleary: Assessing the Impact of Fear and Ignorance on Human Rights
6. Bridget Cleary and the Politics of Irish Nationalism: Unpacking the Narrative of Cultural Identity and Colonial Oppression
7. The Burning....

Outline for Essay on the Theme of Alienation in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

I. Introduction
A. Brief introduction to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and its enduring impact
B. Thesis statement: The novel explores the theme of alienation through the characters of Victor Frankenstein, the Creature, and Walton

II. Victor Frankenstein's Alienation from His Creation
A. Victor's initial hubris and indifference towards the Creature
B. The Creature's rejection of Victor and subsequent feelings of abandonment
C. Victor's attempt to destroy the Creature and his growing fear and guilt

III. The Creature's Alienation from Society
A. The Creature's physical and intellectual isolation
B. His rejection and violence....