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Essay of superstition
Essay of superstition
Of Superstition a lengthy summary
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During finals week everyone has that lucky pencil or some lucky bracelet they take to the exam. If for some reason they forget it, it’s suddenly the end of the world and everything bad that happens that day is because they forgot that special item. In my opinion the absolute belief in superstition becomes harmful when it leads to self-destruction towards the individual when they become unfaithful to the ritual.
In the essay “In Defense of Superstition”, begins with an anecdote of someone going to the airport on Friday the 13th, claiming if “will you still take the flight will all the omens screaming you shouldn’t”, Friday the 13th has been known to be a really unfortunate day worldwide and despite this person doing all these superstitions
In “We Aren’t Superstitious”, by Stephen Vincent Benet, the theme of accusation supports the superstitions for the Salem Witch Trials. Throughout the entire story, accusations are thrown left and right; Arguing on who is a witch and who isn’t. When Tituba arrived from the West Indies towards the beginning of the story, nobody could predict the mayhem she would unfold. The queer and interesting stories she told Elizabeth Parris later spread into the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Now, one doesn't know if this was part of her “evil voodoo-witch plan” or aimlessly come across, but it was catastrophic. The first individual to be accused of witchery was Sarah Good, who later was followed by Sarah Osborne. They were both accused of witchery because of their low social classes. Sarah Good was known as a whore and a beggar, while Sarah Osborne was married to a lower social class and was a horrible Christian. This accusation of the lower class portrays a lot of what happens today in the real world.
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.
Witchcraft started in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Superstition started when women were accused of acting strangely. These superstitions turned into trials, and later lead to mounds of hanged people. Most of the people accused were innocent, but the harsh judge rulings left them with nothing to live for. The only options for the tried, no matter if guilty or not, were to claim guilty, living the rest of their life in prison, or to plead not guilty and hang. Due to both consequences being equally as punishable, many people isolated themselves from society. Unfortunately, some people caused the uprising of the salem witch trials more than others did. In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams single handedly attributed to the
Puerto Rico has many similar superstitions as the United States, as well some that are not as common. Some of the superstitions that are shared with the United States include black cats and walking under ladders bringing bad luck. Another similar one is that the number 13 can bring bad luck as well. Most high rise buildings in Puerto Rico do not have a thirteenth floor. The floor numbers jump from twelve to fourteen. Also, Tuesday the 13th is the equivalent of the United States Friday the 13th, however many in Puerto Rico view both days as a day full of bad luck. Some other interesting superstitions begin on New Years. These superstitions begin with throwing a bucket of water out the front door at midnight. To many in Puerto Rico, this symbolizes throwing out the all of the bad events of the previous year and emptying out the past year for a fresh new year.
Because of the destroying angel standing over the Town, a day of prayer is needed that we may prepare to meet our God.'' – Cotton Mather, 1721
To most people, traditions are very crucial and should be maintained all the time. However, in the short story, “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson, it can be seen that even though traditions are important in many societies, not all traditions should be acceptable. The central idea of this short story is how mindlessly the townspeople are for accepting unreasonable actions as a part of a tradition. This can be seen through the use of symbolism. The black box used for the lottery symbolizes the tradition that the villagers have been following for a long time. According to the text, it states, “Mr.Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition was represented by the black box.”
Superstition has been around almost since people first inhabited the earth. For this reason, it has played a main role in many classical pieces of literature. One of Shakespeare’s tragedies, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, is full of superstition and the supernatural. It contained so much superstition in order to foreshadow key events in the plot, to further develop characters, and to thrill and relate to the Elizabethan audience for whom the play was written.
The human race is obsessed with its own demise. We are mesmerized by tragic events, particularly natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes. There is not a country in the world that has not experienced some catastrophic natural disaster. In 2011 alone, there was Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, another earthquake in New Zealand, the twister outbreak in the US, and massive flooding in Australia, all which contributed to making 2011 “one of the costliest years for natural disasters” (Llanos, 2011). Natural disasters show no prejudice; they can affect anyone, in any country, at anytime. Therefore, it is not surprising that the end of the Winter Solstice marking the end of the 13th Maya Calendar, on December 21, 2012 has generated an international interest.
The fear of the world ending has for a long time, even though the thought isn’t always at the top of our mind nor our biggest problem but it is still a worry that affects many. Whether it's an asteroid hitting earth, a zombie apocalypse, or a killer plague, we often think about what we would do when the world ends. We think about our families and our daily lives taking a turn for the worst. Some people even suffer daily from the fear that the world might end at any second and it's known as the doomsday phobia. Although most of us don’t have the doomsday phobia it is still something that we think about. Most of us think about the end of the world as only a sify movie while there are others preparing for a day that the syfi blockbuster movie
An example of a bad tradition is the hazing that is often required to join a fraternity. Often times, a student attempting to join a fraternity is required to participate in an initiation ritual and these rituals have resulted in death multiple times. Similarly, the tradition in “The Lottery” results in death. After each member of the community has drawn a ticket, each person reveals their prize. The one unlucky individual who draws a the ticket with a black spot on it is required to take his family back up and redraw. The family member who then draws the black spot is stoned to death by the remaining members of the community.
Elements of the supernatural have long enhanced the folklore of many cultures. Stories of ghosts, magic, and so-called aliens are transferred from generation to generation, sparking our imagination and uncovering our deepest fears. While some stories are clearly fabulous, others are believed by those who tell them. The story I wish to report is of the latter kind: an experience that generated real fear in the teller. Although the story is completely original, it contains ideas reflected in much other folklore, including similar tales from similar locations. And like all folklore, the effectiveness of the story depends upon the performance of the teller and those to follow.
Some of those good luck charms might include developing a daily routine; his can prevent uncertainty someone’s day. It also makes people feel better when they know what to expect. According to anthropologist these rituals are not rational.
Placida Linero, Santiago's mother is one example of superstition with is the book. "She had a well earned reputation as an accurate interpreter of other people's dream, provided they were told to her before eating, but she hadn't notice any ominous augury in those two dream of her son's" (1-2) Santiago's character also represents this element of magical realism. The statement " Nor did Santiago Nasar recognize the omen" not only reveals his superstition but also the common faith put in superstition. There must have been some sign of the, foreshadowing or coming of his death that he could have seen. It is funny how these omens are more readily accessible after it is too late.
As soon as we hear this so-called word 'Omen' we squeeze our nose and feel like the people of this modern age. The people who are living in the 'Scientific era' and this appears to be a matter of great shame if they believe upon this seemingly trash. But I ask you one question and please give me your answer right straight to your heart. Have you ever searched about these things like an unbiased scientist? Science says that we must leave out some of the things since they are nothing but mere co-incidences without any significance at all. Conversely, saints say in the God's creation everything has reason. Who is right saint or scientist? Have you ever taken enough pain to search out the reality? Or you just veiled yourself in the scientific dogmatism as soon as you come across these things? Tell me are you just the gramophone that runs on to sing the already recorded song? Newton invented the theory of gravity since he did not pass on the so-called common phenomena occurring from centuries. He got something uncommon in the falling of the 'Apple'. The 'Apple' which has become legend now. If Newton would have passed on this incident as mere co-incidence he had lost his eternity. He got eternity because he saw the uncommon in the common. He was not a common man who sees everything without any new perspective at all. But what about you? Every man is a born scientist, once he understands that he has also the same mind as all have. The difference borders on very thin line when we turn ourselves escapists to say 'Friends we are not scientists we are common human beings'.
Time wise there are two distinct areas, the war and post war eras. During the war, Frau stayed with a Viennese family who appeared quite superstitious; not too uncommon for a family in the war whose life could depend on weather they went out that day. The two main geographical locations, Latin America and France, are both superstition-bred countries. The initial setting of Cuba can also relate to superstition through the Spaniards view of the island as one of death during its discovery.