Noah and the Flood- Brittany Graul

                In the story of Noah and the Flood, God looked down upon the earth and discovered that humanity had become evil and corrupt. As punishment for their corruption, God decided to wipe them out with a flood. However, God chose to spare Noah and his family and commanded Noah to build an immense ark. This ark would hold not only Noah and his kin, but also a male and female of every animal on earth. The flood was supposed to last for 40 days and 40 nights, though it wasn’t until far after that that the earth was no longer flooded with water. Eventually, Noah and his family and all the animals were able to come out of the ark and return to the earth. God told them to repopulate and replenish the earth and made a covenant with Noah and his sons.

                  Out of all the animals that are on earth, and that would’ve been on the ark I suppose, the one that intrigues me the most is the elephant. I’ve always adored elephants because while they are these massive, beautiful, and majestic animals, they are also incredibly expressive of emotions. While they can be playful, what is most interesting is that elephants express what could possibly be grief. When an elephant dies, sometimes other elephants will throw themselves to the ground and refuse to leave. Also it has been seen that some elephants will return to the place of death and look over the dead elephant. While it has not been completely proven that elephants grieve, it is certainly fascinating to think about and moving to watch.

                While in Noah and the Ark the world seemed to nearly end by being drowned in water, between fire and ice I’m not entirely sure which would ultimately cause the world’s demise. Though I side with Robert Frost in that if I had to choose I would say that the world would end with fire, however it could easily end in ice as well.  I’ve always felt that in his poem “Fire and Ice,” Robert Frost says it best (though the fire and ice he refers to are ultimately symbols for something else):

      Fire and Ice

BY Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

 Frost, Robert. “Fire and Ice.” Poetry Foundation. Web.  <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173527>

It seems a little more likely that the world would end with flames if you take the sun into account and humanity’s fascination with things with, shall we say, fiery and explosive qualities. However, I feel it wouldn’t be right to dismiss ice as a possibility because it could be equally destructive and who knows, as improbable as it may seem, it may be what the world ends in.