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Superstition essay minimum of 500 words
Superstition essay minimum of 500 words
Superstition essay minimum of 500 words
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Recommended: Superstition essay minimum of 500 words
Writing on the wall
Superstitions exist everywhere in the world. Every country on the planet has its own local superstitions. Each country also has its own variations on common superstitions. Some of the most common superstitions have to do with cats, alcohol, and death.
Cats have been domesticated longer than any other animal. Humans have even worshiped them; therefore, it makes sense that there are innumerable superstitions worldwide involving them. In the United States, there is a belief that if a black cat crosses your path, you will have bad luck. In Germany, whomever harms or kills a cat shall meet with great misfortune. In France, there is a superstition that it is bad luck to cross a stream carrying a cat. In the Ukraine, it is believed that if you give a cat gin before sundown you will have much misfortune.
Alcohol is considered to be the bane of society by many people worldwide. Having existed for thousands of years, alcohol has many superstitions associated with it. In the Czeck republic, it is considered bad luck to serve alcohol on Christmas. In the US, it is considered bad luck to not serve alcohol on Christmas. In Germany, it is believed to be good luck to drink three or more drinks with the groom immediately before the wedding. In Poland, they believe that if one consumes alcohol before noon, one will die young.
Death is the one thing feared most by humans. They attempt to justify death by creating superstitions. Many of these superstitions have to do with agriculture. In China, it is believed that when a farmer’s child dies on a harvest moon, there will be an excellent crop the next year much like in “The Lottery”; death leads to a good harvest.
As Herie and Skinner state “Beverage Alcohol can be described as a depressant drug which diminishes the activity in parts of the brain and spinal cord in accordance with the amount of alcohol in a person’s bloodstream” (Herie & Skinner, pg. 42). With its long history and unique properties such as the cure of all diseases “prolongs life, clears away ill humours, revives the heart and maintains youth”, alcohol is often related to tradition and expressions; many of these traditions are adaptation from earlier times where it was believed alcohol reflected water of life (Herie & Skinner, 2010). This is quite evident in Days of Wine and Roses where Joe is first seen drinking because “it was part of his job” and because “he had to because of everyone
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.
The history of the feline is extensive and intriguing. Although we think of the black cat as always being the carrier of misfortune, the white cat has held a dark position as well. In England the white cat is notorious for its bad luck, and an older American superstition stated that a white cat at night indicates disaster. The Dalton's cat abruptly has Bigger feeling uneasy,
As a natural phenomena that occurs frequently yet is still not completely understood, death has confounded and, to a certain degree, fascinated all of humanity. Since the dawn of our species, people have tried rationalize death by means of creating various religions and even attempted to conquer death, leading to great works of literature such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Cannibal Spell For King Unis.
The Handmaid 's Tale is set in Republic of Gilead in Cambridge, MA. The narrator/protagonist is Offred she is a handmaid for the Commander and his wife Serena Joy. Offred like other handmaids in the Republic of Gilead main obligation is to bare a child for the couples they are assigned to.
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
In some cultures, there are situations that involves drinking. These include: birthday parties, New Year’s festivities, graduations, weddings receptions, Fourth of July, Christmas and Mardi Gras. In these holidays, people usually drink in excess to have a good time and celebrate. Different countries specialize in different types of alcohol, such as: the Italian have really good wine, Mexico is known for beer and tequila, Ireland is famous for beer and whiskey, Japan has their own beverage called Sake, and the United States is known for beer, wine, and whiskey. In these cultures, drinking alcohol is an acceptable type of celebration that teenagers even participate in. Not all alcohol consumed is in celebration. Therefore, “the top 20 percent of drinkers consume approximately 30 percent of all alcohol drunk over a 12-month period” (Grant 290).
Most people view death as an evil force set out against all of humanity. In fact, in our present culture, the personification of death, the grim reaper, is one ...
This custom or tradition has led unfortunately to a lot of alcoholism and deaths for the
The concept of human mortality and how it is dealt with is dependent upon one’s society or culture. For it is the society that has great impact on the individual’s beliefs. Hence, it is also possible for other cultures to influence the people of a different culture on such comprehensions. The primary and traditional way men and women have made dying a less depressing and disturbing idea is though religion. Various religions offer the comforting conception of death as a begining for another life or perhaps a continuation for the former.
Of course, everything in this world is created by people for people; so is alcohol. Thus, drinking it may have some positive results; especially, if we recall history lessons, where we were taught that healers had used spirits as a common cold remedy. Alcohol ...
Ono, K. (1987). Superstitious behavior in humans. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 47(3), 261-271.
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.
Origins of superstition are deeply rooted in history and have a variety of reasons for the appearance, such as psychological, religious and economic aspects. Despite the fact that superstitions had different origins, according to Smith (2008), their function was to express the ideological associations of people and to indicate fears and anxieties of society at that time. To begin with, the psychological foundation of superstitions is the most deep-seated. It refers to the lack of knowledge and the impossibility to explain occurring events because of this. As Lindeman and Aarino (2007) argue, this fact can be compared with an understanding of the world by a child. As authors said, this understanding is explained by developmental psychologists by a notion of a core knowledge, which means process of cognitive learning about physical, psychological and biological entities and processes without any explanation, help or instructions. For instance, Lindeman and Aarino (ibid) recognize that animated subjects, such as ...
Superstitions are a natural part of any culture's make-up. However, some superstitions are firmly rooted in one specific culture. This is evident in Baby Sugg's statement to Sethe where she says, "Not a house in the country ain't packed to its rafters with some dead negro's grief" (Morrison 5). Similarly, Ella comments to Stamp Paid, "You know as well as I do that people who die bad don't stay in the ground" (188).