Echo and Narcissus- Hans Stromberg

The tale of Echo and Narcissus is a classic in Greek mythology. Echo was a wood nymph who loved to talk. (don't all woman). She set her sights on Narcissus, but he would never love anyone but himself. Echo helped save the goddesses Juno Juno's adulterous husband by boring Juno with talking. Juno was so pissed off, he cursed Echo to only repeat what others said to her. Echo say Narcissus in the woods, and like a woman, through herself onto Narcissus causing him to say, "Hands off! I would rather die than you should have me." Echo took this rather badly and went into the mountains to wither away, leaving only her bones and her voice which replied when others talked in the mountains. (echo, echo, echo....) Narcissus carried out his life rejecting beautiful woman and eventually pissed off the gods, so they cursed him into only loving something that couldn't love him back. That happened to be his own reflection in a pool of water. He tried to kiss the reflection but caused ripples and his reflection disappeared. So enamored with himself, he stayed by the pool and eventually died.


In all reality, their is no narcissist that I really abhor, but I'm not a fan of the Louisville Cardinals if that counts. An altruist I admire would have to be John Calipari. Coach Cal has rejuvenated Kentucky basketball and has done so with passion and for love of the game. Coach Cal has many enduring qualities, but his perseverance and passion stand out. He does not quit when he gets knocked down, he just tries something else with his basketball team. For instance, last year's basketball team was underachieving and getting knocked down. Coach Cal made his famous "tweak" before the NCAA tournament and guided his team to a national championship appearance. Also, Coach Cal is the perfect man to coach the wildcat basketball team because of his passion for the fans and for the history of Kentucky basketball.

Ode - Jacquelyn Engel

Here everything is so green!

It all becomes alive.

I no longer stare from behind a screen,

So do the bees as they buzz out of their hive.

Gone are the days where I stay inside for hours,

And coldness constantly crept its way towards me,

But now I am able to enjoy the flowers,

Everything is as it should be.

The sun is not covered by grey anymore,

revealing a perfect blue sky,

And a perfect temperature allowing me to open my door.

At last dear winter I say goodbye.

Ode Megan Woodrum

I looked at the ode "Ode to My Hands" by Tim Seibles which is a ode praising the hands and their magnificentness. This ode is mine.

Ode to dogs

Dogs will love you no matter what,

unconditionally, and loyally

You can be the shittiest person alive,

 but your dog will love you.

They will always greet you when you enter a room

like you have been gone for years;

the protect you from mail men and joggers 

as they pass the house;

They curl up at the foot of your bed 

and nap with you for hours.

Love them, and they will love you back

you can mold them, and train them into who they're going to be.

Their slobbery kisses and wiggling tails show adoratioin; 

we are their entire lives and must try to live up to the person they see us as.

Ode- Chelsea Southworth

Ode to the College Admissions Office

It is upon ye fair souls that all of our hopes rest.
We few, we proud, we senior students
hope to show you what makes us the best
and how we have spent our days with prudence.
The treasure you carry is shining as gold,
that ever-desired acceptance letter.
If you deem us worthy, it we shall hold
to make our lives better.
When it comes to college, you are the true heroes.
Riding forth on your silver steeds,
facing winds, hurricanes, tornadoes --
the world will hear of your noble deeds.
Brandishing your gilded swords
and charging into battle without care,
you are loved, admired and adored
over the hills and everywhere.
Your names are lauded, sung on high
all across the land.
And we all know the reason why:
you are mighty, great, and grand.
Please keep kindness in your hearts
and your brains as sharp as can be.
Do not let good sense depart:
you know you should accept me.

Abraham and Isaacs Schuler Ravencraft

God one day instructs Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abraham obeys these orders and takes Isaac to the top of the mountain. After reaching the top of the mountain Isaac asks his father where the lamb is leading Abraham to replay with "The lord will provide the lamb". Abraham then ties Isaac up placing him on the stone altar. As he is about to sacrifice his son the lord calls out at Abraham telling him to stop and then a ram appears. An angel of the lord calls out saying, "swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

We are constantly making sacrifices. But what exactly is a true sacrifice? When I googled the definition of a "true sacrifice" I came across one I found particularly intriguing. It stated that true sacrifice is "an inner attitude of mind and heart based on real understanding of unity and harmony of the one divine life and law. It is the giving of oneself and service to all, on any and all plans, without any selfish motive." Think about it, how much of what we do is unselfish? We sacrifice money and time but is it all completely unselfish? I would say more than likely not. I know we want to say that we do something purely out of the goodness out of our hearts and maybe sometimes we do but I would say majority of the time, even if it is subconscious we expect something in return. That "something" we expect in return could be a credit for when you need help in the future or simply be the happiness that comes from seeing someone else happy and that's not exactly a bad thing. I would say however we never really meet the definition of a "true sacrifice". 
http://www.teosofia.com/Mumbai/7603sacrifice.html
http://christianity.about.com/od/Old-Testament/a/JZ-Sacrifice-Of-Isaac.htm

Jason and the Golden Fleece - Jacquelyn Engel

The Greek King of Iolkos is usurped by his brother Pelias. The king's wife feigns her son's death, Jason, but actually sends him off to live with the centaur Cheiron where he will be raised until he is of age to come back and reclaim his rightful throne. When Jason is 20, he journeys back to his home to reclaim his title. He has quite a difficult journey but is helped by Hera, the Queen of the Gods who favors Jason because Pelias does not worship her. Hera is disguised as an old woman who needs help crossing the river. Jason encounters her and carries her across the river on his back where he ends up loosing one of his sandals. When he comes to court, Pelias sees him and was warned by a prophecy that a stranger with one sandal will claim the throne, so Pelias offers him a challenge to prove Jason's worthiness of the crown. Jason was to fetch the Golden Fleece, a golden ram given to Jason's ancestor Phrixus. Jason agrees and gathers a crew to find the Golden Fleece which is in the unknown part of the world and has several other dangerous encounters. Jason arrives in Colchis where he asks for the Fleece, but King Aietes challenges him to several other tasks before he can receive the Golden Fleece. King Aietes's daughter Medea takes interest in Jason and helps him since she is a powerful sorceress. Medea and Jason mart and return to Jason's home where he will be king, but his people are uncomfortable with Medea's magical powers, so Medea and Jason are exiled in Corinth. The King of Corinth offers Jason to marry his daughter, so Jason accepts which violates his and Medea's Marriage. Medea is enraged and kills the other women and her children. She leaves Jason and goes to Mount Olympus where she marries Achilles. Jason returns to his home where he is severely hit on his head and dies.

There is an endless amount of love stories, but as for love and revenge stories I cannot think of a lot within recent times. In our generation, love and revenge stories are considered quite disturbing, I think. If there is a novel or movie about a love and revenge situation it seems as if it is more likely to be categorized as a psycho thriller because it is an extreme and odd situation, but for some reason when one thinks of Wuthering Heights and Jason and The Golden Fleece, it is more associated with tragedy with a romantic flair to it.  Within each generation and time period there is bound to be differing perspectives given the different cultures, but love and revenge stories are creepy for the most part.

Sodom and Gomorrah - Jacquelyn Engel

God sent three angles to Israel, one being himself, and they were disguised as men. God sent the other two angels to Sodom and Gomorrah to witness the evil in the city while God met with Abraham to tell Abraham that he was going to destroy the city. Abraham compromised with God that if the angels found ten righteous people in the city then God would not destroy it. The two angels arrived in Sodom and were taken care of by Abraham's nephew, Lot. All the men in the city surrounded Lot's house asking for the two men so they could have sex with the, but Lot offered his two virgin daughters to the men instead which made the men angry, so they attacked his house. The angels, though, blinded the men and fled the city with Lot and his family, warning them that they must leave for God is going to destroy their city. Lot's daughter's fiancés objected and stayed where they were destroyed, and Lot's wife, though she was told not to, looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. God rained down sulfur, destroying the entirety of the city.



Unfair punishment is a tricky thing because the punishment may not have the most desired effect. Clearly, there is major controversy in the punishments given by law and policy, but there is also quite a lot of debate about punishment in schools. There is question about wether certain punishments given to students is an effective punishment. Suspension of students is of the most concern. Is being told not to go to school truly effective? Sure, the student has makeup work, but what else can they do for school? Are they learning from this punishment? It doesn't seem like there is anything to learn besides disappointment and humiliation since everyone else probably knows you were suspended. I think it would be much more effective if you had the student go to school or have them do something pertaining to school like community service. I'm not quite sure how the whole punishment system works for a student since I have never been severely reprimanded, but I think it's more logical if you make the student work as their punishment.