Superstitions are a fascinating and thrilling part of life. Various people believe that superstitions are ignorant and foolish, but my family knows for a fact that they are genuine beliefs. How do we know this? My family, the Winchester’s, and myself, Alice, have recently endured countless hardships that were caused by the simple mistake of not knocking on wood when bad luck was looming in the air.
It was a chilly Friday afternoon when our once perfect life in Kansas came crashing down to the ground. In our twenty-five million dollar mansion lived my mother, Ethel, and my sister, Meredith. Following the birth of my sister, Meredith, my father was shortly killed in a horrific accident. I faintly remember the chaos of grief and funeral services,
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My father would always say, “In order to ward off the Devil, one will need to knock on a piece of wood when they sense or smell evil coming.” Scoffing at what they thought to be a ridiculous idea, my father decided to go on a long drive to release an enormous amount of negativity that was encompassing his once positive mind. Before he started the car, I ran to the blue chevron and asked him, “Daddy, why are you not knocking on wood before you leave?” My Daddy responded, “Honey, objects and people are highly capable of shattering your hopes and dreams in an instant. Sadly the local children have made my heart grow sourly bitter. My love for …show more content…
Through the thick and the sin, our luck always stuck by our sides. Sadly after the car accident, our family luck began to rapidly diminish. Our family mansion was claimed by the bank and was sold as a fore closure. Being fired by her job, Ethel, my mother, could not provide for my sister and I any longer. For months we lived on the street with no shelter, food, water, or blankets. Recalling my dad saying, “Being beggars on the street is a pathetic way to solve your personal problems of poverty.” I was discouraged to think that Daddy would be disappointed in my mom, Meredith, and I. Consumed by drugs and alcohol, my mother began to worship these addictions and they became a replacement to her for her own children. While Meredith and I were dumpster diving one morning for breakfast foods, we discovered our mother’s mangled body with her throat slit. We screamed a blood curdling scream and the police quickly arrived. The police asked us numerous of questions and said it was time to find our father and live with him. We exclaimed to the officer, “Our father was killed in a car accident and now we are orphans.” All of our other relatives live in another foreign land or we do not even know that they exist. My parents both despised their families and said that they did not want to raise my sister and I in the toxicity of the relationship that it would bring. Since we did not have any family to stay with, we were immediately put
... child no matter what. I feel like this story has helped me to be open-minded to the various situations that people may face and to not make assumptions. I also feel somewhat prepared for the situations that I may face in the field of social work as I continue to unpack my baggage.
Many cultures ascribe to some kind of superstition, magic, or faith. Merriam-Webster defines superstition as “a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation” ("Superstition”). This definition makes superstition sound like it belongs in a lower developed country that lacks the ability to have scientific knowledge. However, magic and superstition are alive and well in developed countries, such as the United States. Sports are rife with superstitions. Many players use “ritual, taboos, and fetishes to manage the anxiety generated by unpredictable events that challenge human control” (Gmelch 266). Superstitions are entirely psychological; a way to create a reason for an event that has occurred. In his article “Baseball Magic,” George Gmelch examines the rituals, taboos, and fetishes of American baseball and how they compare to the magic of the Trobriand Islanders.
Does anyone ever remember the first time someone said the silly childhood saying” Knock on wood.” Or even felt the infamous scare of when a black cat crosses their path because it was said to cause bad luck? These things are cultural superstitions that are normally used when trying to define why the most outlandish things happen to someone during their day. Some superstitions are used as to bring good luck and even protection, for example a young child may keep their blanket to keep the monsters at bay and to bring them comfort when they feel scared or even a Catholic wearing a cross necklace. Some may not agree with a religious figure being related to superstition, but in reality what is the difference between a cross necklace and a stuffed animal? Not much, when reading and comparing Margret Meads “New Superstitions for Old” and Langston Hughes “Salvation” there have been many similarities when between superstitions to the belief in God but one conclusion has been made when comparing both texts:
Urban legends are the supernatural folklore of our modern society. From one generation to the next, they orally travel throughout the world, constantly changing from one region to the next. Although cultural variations exist, the core of all these urban legends remains the same, to unveil the universally known individual and societal fears. “The Graveyard Wager” is a timeless urban legend told again and again, and the one of which I will explore more in depth.
An example of this would be the fortune telling hairball and the rattlesnake skin. Jim also states during the first few chapters that his body hair is a sign of his future wealth. The signs have no correlation to their meanings and seem ludicrous and silly to those reading about them. Another moment where superstitions became important would be after Jim and Huck Finn 's separation in the fog. When Huck Finn lies to Jim about their separation being a dream Jim begins to tell Huck his interpretation of the dream as a warning. It shows that to the superstitious, signs and meanings can be applied to everything and anything. Later on in the book, while helping Jim to escape, Tom and Huck Finn lie to Nat about odd occurrences caused by their plans. Because Nat is superstitious he is quick to blame witches and believes Tom and Huck Finn 's lies. This allows Tom 's overly complicated plans to take off without a
What if we lived in a world where a small piece of paper was considered the Angel of Death? Where your neighbors would turn on you in an instance because a small black box “prophesized” them to? When true human nature is shown before you are cast into the blackness of death? Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a short story in which villagers gather once a year with a black box to perform a lottery that decides just that. The head male of each family must draw till someone has the black dot that decides which family will draw next. The “winner” in that family is then stoned to death by everyone in the village, including their own family. The story has multiple hidden messages that are hard to distinguish from the text. Each message shows a side of human nature that most people believe they do not have. By using literary analysis, Shirley Jackson’s messages become
The first aspect of superstition impacting our lives we’ll explore is the idea of superstitions causing us to spend money. According to the financial firm Forbes, “Superstition is a billion dollar industry. Every year, Americans spend a substantial amount of their disposable income on superstitious items such as 4 leaf
Goodall, Janet. "Superstition And Human Agency." Implicit Religion 13.3 (2010): 307-318. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
As long as one can remember, paranormal beliefs have always existed in human society. They are living in every man’s childhood and in every corner of human’s life. From the burning belief about Santa Claus’s gifts under a Christmas’s tree in the morning to a scary game about Bloody Mary and her coming back from the dead, it seems that people cannot help but draw themselves to these stories. Even when these beliefs fade, there would be a new one that eventually shows up. No matter how much science has progressed, the belief in paranormal phenomena still remains in society. Eventually, the question about paranormal phenomena seems pale in comparison to the human’s undying belief about such things. It is really hard to pinpoint an exact cause for human’s belief in the paranormal for only one cause is not enough; however, it is sure that psychological, sociological, and biological factors play an enormous role that contributes to this belief.
It was late I thought. Almost midnight yet I was still unable to sleep. I stared thoughtlessly at the moving shadows mumbling to myself, "it was just a story" but in my heart I knew it wasn't, it was more than a story, much, much more. Then, a crow appeared in the middle of my room. The crow stared at me with such intensity that I fell backwards into the safety of my pillow. I stared at the crow in shock as it disappeared into my closet and that's when I heard it, a long piercing whine that was like a nail to a chalkboard. I prayed that it would go away, I prayed with all my heart but it stayed there continuing its long whine. It was then when I caught a glimpse of it. I saw two glowing bloodshot eyes stare at me. I let out a scream born from terror and almost immediately my dad came bursting into my room. He stared at me with confusion but all I could do was point a shaking finger at my closet door. Cautiously, my father marched into the closet door only to find nothing inside. Then, without warning, the closet door slammed shut along with my father still inside.
In conclusion I have had a difficult life and have had to adapt to new people and enviroments multiple times. Although this was at times difficult I still turned out ok and love my new family. All in all the lead up to my adoption, my adoption and after the fact wasn’t ll that
Ono, K. (1987). Superstitious behavior in humans. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 47(3), 261-271.
In the days of Jesus through the mid 1900’s, people had many different superstitions, or beliefs, about life. People believed if they were to do certain things, they would have good luck. Like Indians used to do a dance, called the “Indian rain dance”, when they wanted it to rain so it would help their crops or even their heritage. It was a dance people still believe in today, but those people don’t know that the reason they said it worked was because the Indians didn’t quit dancing until it rained. There are many superstitions in today’s time as well. I know that in the game of baseball many different players have different superstitions. Just like David Wells, when he used to pitch for the New York Yankees, believed if he listened to Metallica before every game he pitched he would have a good game. But regardless if David Wells listened to Metallica or not, he would still pitch the same if he didn’t listen to them. All I am saying is that Shirley Jackson, when she wrote The Lottery, in 1948, was trying to show everyone about the different superstitions, or beliefs, each culture, town, or village had and how bad they were. Even the kids in the village got ready for the lottery, it didn’t faze them, and all they knew was that it was just an event that happened every year. After all, villages, tribes, or cultures have many different traditions they all tend to put their full trust in.
Dossey, D.E. 1992. Holiday folklore, phobias, and fun: mythical origins, scientific treatments, and superstitious "cures”. Asheville: Outcomes Unlimited Press. Quoted in Roach, J. 2004.
It was dark that night, I was nervous that this dreadful day was going to get worse. Sunday, October 23, 1998 I wanted to start writing this to tell about the weird things i’m starting to see in this new neighborhood. Gradually I keep seeing pots and pans on the sink suddenly move to the floor. I would ask my sister but she is out with my mom and dad getting the Halloween costumes. When they got home I didn’t tell them what I saw because i've seen Halloween movies and I have to have dissimulation otherwise the ghost will come out and get me first. October 24, 1998 I think I got a little nervous yesterday with the whole ghost thing. 12:32pm, Went to eat lunch with the family today and I go to get my coat. I heard the words furious and madness,