Nick Feng, 12/22/2020, Period 5, Day B

 Nick Feng

Modern Mythology

Period 5

12/22/2020

Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading.

    Our most current reading was about the book of revelation. From the reading, I began to understand more about how the religion emphasizes being faithful and trusting that they will be all saved in the end. I admire all the martyrs who have the courage to stand up to their authorities at the time and remain faithful. For them to have faith and sacrifice their lives as examples for others, simply requires tremendous courage in my opinion. For Noah Ark, God wipes out the entire human race and only leaves Noah with his family. I found this a little hard to take in that everyone was wiped out and that only Noah was spared.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception?

   These readings have taught me a lot about the Christian religion that I have never learned before. I never understood how their religion has brought them throughout some of their toughest times. From reading the Book of Job to the Revelation, I began to realize that their religion helps them get through tough periods within their lives. The information from the Book of Job teaches me that in life things are often unexpected and out of your control. However, you should remain faithful and trust the process, like how the Christians trust in their God.

How is what you’re learned applied to any classes/the world around you?

    What I have learned applies to the world around me in many different ways. From my previous blog post, I talked about how I know things in life may not work in the way I want it to and how I will be resilient to that. These new readings have only built upon that belief of mine. Especially with the college process almost over, I need to trust the process even more. Whatever the results are, I will not stop working hard and will trust that down the road, I will find my place to be.

Dustin Cong, 1/3/21, Period 2, Day A

Dustin Cong

1/3/21

Period 2

Modern Mythology 2021

Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading.

For my blog post today I will be talking about our most recent reading, which is "Introduction to Norse Mythology" by Edith Hamilton. This reading was about how much is lost on Norse Mythology and that it is very different from other types of mythology. The main thing that stood out to me was the idea of heroism. We usually perceive a hero as someone who saves the day, is courageous, and defeats the villain, but the idea in Norse Mythology has some of these ideas like being courageous and brave but it differs greatly because the hero doesn't technically win. The hero has to die, but their true victory is also death. Unlike Greek mythology heroes like Odysseus who needed to overcome obstacles and actually saves his people in the end, triumph in Norse mythology isn't about being the one who saves everyone, but about being someone who faces evil and never yields knowing they will die. The gods and the heroes know of this certain destruction known as Ragnarok yet they keep fighting. 

I also read other stories for the reading like "The Stories of Signy and Sigurd". I noticed in Signy's story there wasn't technically a hero, but the protagonist, Signy, still succeeds with her plans and commits suicide in the end, dying with her husband who she wanted to kill. I didn't really understand the lesson for the story or why she stayed with her husband for so long or the motives behind why her husband wanted to kill her father and her brothers, but I did notice the pattern in many deaths in Norse stories. Like in Signy, the main protagonist who is actually a hero died, but due to a misunderstanding. Sigurd saved Brynhild, but because of jealousy and not understanding the full situation, Brynhild planned Sigurd's death, which resulted in many feeling sorrow and Brynhild killing herself. 

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception. 

I would like to reflect on this idea of Norse Heroism and put this perspective in my own life. Throughout my years in middle school and high school, failure is always something I fear. Failing a test, not making it into a sports team, not being cast the role in a school play, etc. is all something really scary that we don't want to happen, but after reading about Norse Mythology, I'd like to see these "failures" in a new light. I'd like to see each person as their own hero in their own stories and as heroes we should never give up. Even if we know we will fail, we should never yield and try because failure is only when you stop trying. One low test grade shouldn't stop us from trying, but instead push us to keep moving forward and do better on the next one. 

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

I'd like to apply this lesson to something all seniors are going through, which is applying to college. Some may see applying to Ivies and these big-name schools as impossible to get into, but we can't give up. We won't yield to the competition or our own fears because if you don't try you will never know. I'd also like to see not achieving some of the things we want and "failing" as some type of destiny. As heroes in our own lives, we were destined to go on whatever path life puts us on, and not getting into one college or not making it onto a sports team could be the better option. Through the unexpected route, we can find things even better than what we wanted and learn lessons we actually needed. Norse mythology is definitely one of my favorite mythologies we have learned about so far and I will take this idea of being a hero throughout my entire life adventure. 

Ella Espiritu, 12/21/2020, Period 2, Day A

Ella Espiritu

12/21/2020

Period 2

Day A

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

At this point in time, I've made lots of progress on my previous goal of finishing my college apps. But as I rush towards the end of this goal, it's also important for me to keep the rest of my life on track. I've spent a lot of time pushing aside other school work and obligations at home so that I can focus on college apps, and I now realize that this has been detrimental to these other aspects of my life. Even though it is an important goal, I've allowed my anxiety towards my college apps to take up too much of my attention. So my current goal is to balance my work in a way that allows me to complete everything on time. It's healthier to not fixate on a single goal, to make time to complete other work and also enjoy yourself.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I've already started to work towards opening my schedule to other things. It's helpful to create a to-do list, to keep track of all my work and prioritize certain assignments. Putting all my due dates into a calendar is also very useful - it helps me figure out how much time I have to complete applications and assignments. I've also been trying to make more time to be with my family, while it's still the holiday season. It's important to ground yourself in things that don't involve work - family, friends, hobbies. Although it would be very difficult to find a perfect balance between every important thing in your life, it's important to try.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

I've never been one for New Year's Resolutions in the past. But now, as we leave 2020 behind us, I can't help but feel that this is a chance to make positive changes to my life. All around me, I see people trying to maintain a positive attitude towards the new year, and they inspire me to try and take more control over my own life. While there are many factors in the world I can't control, I can try to make a difference for myself and those around me. This past year has also made me grateful for what I do have in life, and I intend to enjoy those blessings for as long as I can. Sometimes, the most we can do is live life one day at a time.

Svetlana Doronkina, 12/22/2020, Period 5, Day B

Svetlana Doronkina

12/22/20
Period 5
Modern Mythology 2021


Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading. Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception. How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?


           For my blog post, I will be discussing my thoughts and opinions on our most recent reading - The Book of Revelation. The concept of the apocalypse has always been interesting, and something prevalent in every single religion. The question of whether the world will end in ice or fire sticks. What struck me about this reading in particular is this quote, “Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains”, because it is a huge reminder that at the end of the day, we are all the same. If the world really does end in hellfire and despair, money and glory bring us nothing but perhaps harsher judgement in the end. Quite an interesting paradox, if you think about it - most consider success the key to happiness, but just how often is obtaining that success morally right? Not so often nowadays.
        This reading really opened my eyes to the fact that every lesson examined in the Bible and revelations is heavily prevalent in our society even now, and how more often than not, we still haven’t learned our lesson. If the church hadn’t fallen to corruption and decided against twisting the words and meanings behind these great books, I believe that humanity would be doing significantly better from a moral standpoint. I guess we’ll never know. It’s a sad thought, knowing there is so much to learn and grow from in these texts, yet the very idea of religion and conformity to it terrifies people, and rightfully so. Another interesting thought from the reading was the take on innocence and power. “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!” speaks to me because the lamb is the one in power, not the tyrant. But can the lamb ever really be the face of God? Extreme acts of cruelty require a high degree of empathy, and to be a leader is to make difficult choices. It’s the wrath of an innocent creature like the lamb that propels a higher power towards action, allowing him free rein in the severity of punishment.
        The metaphor of the lamb brought on the idea of heavenly wrath being provoked only by the suffering of innocents - this thought in particular really solidified my view of religion and how in the same way God is fair and loving, he is decisive and cruel. Why does tragedy have to occur before change does? If the heavens and their ruler stand for good, then why do we all suffer regardless of how faithful we may be? It is unfair from one perspective, but on the other side of things, the Book of Revelation also made me get closer to an understanding of how justifiably unfair life is. We live in a modern world, where there are no angels or prophets to announce what we're doing wrong and how we can attempt to make it right. On that note, it makes complete sense to throw humanity challenges and hope we can help ourselves and learn something if good cannot directly intervene. And at the end of the day, our good deeds need to have noble motivations - we choose to be good not in fear of being smited or punished, but because we can and should be. Each bump along the road is a step towards real growth, and judging by the state of the world and the lack of heavenly intervention we see nowadays, every con is a pro in its own way.

Lacey Rose DeLucia, 12/23/2020, PD8, Day C

Lacey Rose DeLucia
Modern Mythology
Period 8
12/23/2020


Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading.


The current reading was the “Book of Revelation” six to eight for team one. The lamb, who opens the seven seals, in the “Book of Revelation” is supposed to represent Jesus and his dual nature is shown as he brings punishment and chaos upon evil people but he saves the martyrs and servants of God. In this way, as the lamb he has has sacrificed himself to save us but also judges us in the end. However, one part that I would want to know more about is if the martyrs are still waiting because the book said that they must wait till the rest of them were killed in the same way or if their eternal salvation is the form of revenge. This apocalypse and restoration that the stories of the “Book of Revelation” share also applies to the story of Noah’s Ark and how God wiped out everyone but Noah and his family to restart. I like how this concept gives hope to the followers in that they are descendants of the chosen humans and urges them to live the way Noah did for fear of another apocalypse. It was also interesting how numbers played a role in the “Book of Revelation.” There were seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials, representing how the “Book of Revelation” is a collection of various versions of one story. Additionally, number 12 is used consistently as the angels saved 12,000 people from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, which can be interpreted as a sense of perfection or completeness rather than a definite number. I like this interpretation because it makes it seem less like a quota and just further illustrates the perfection in the process of choosing only the loyal followers to survive.


Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.


As a Catholic person, it was interesting to read the Bible from a literary perspective rather than a religious perspective. When I originally read the Bible, I thought that the apocalypse and restoration of the story of Noah’s Ark was more of a one time occurrence far in the past, but reading it along with the “Book of Revelation” with its various versions and ambiguity showed me how this concept extends beyond religious context. It is ironic how humanity is currently at the intersection of several crises not too different from those outlined in the seven seals. Additionally, the “Book of Revelation” aligns with the message of the “Book of Job” as both suffering and a final judgement are inevitable but above all having faith and being authentic to God will lead to eternal salvation. Neither of these books give definite answers for the reasons for suffering or when or how we will be judged, but they do give a somewhat sense of hope in the midst of fear that salvation will be granted for all the followers. I always believed that acting according to the morals of the Catholic faith overshadowed formalities like going to church every Sunday. These books show me that there are no set answers for being a good person, and I continue to believe that having faith and gratitude for God is all that is necessary.



How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?


The ideas of the “Book of Revelation” and the “Book of Job” are applicable to the real world as disasters and suffering can be seen in a more healthy perspective, especially in these times. From these books of the Bible, I believe that obstacles that are specific to an individual at a certain time can be categorized like the suffering of Job as there may be no reason we can understand in the moment but it does make people a better person and have stronger faith in God. Meanwhile, the global hardships we face today, similar to the plague and natural disasters of the seven seals, are a form of the apocalypse from the “Book of Revelation.” It is not necessarily directed at specific people but it has the intent of reminding us that there are aspects of life where we have fallen behind and the tragic disasters have a somewhat positive effect of highlighting what needs to be fixed in society. In this way, we hope that the crises we face are only warnings and that there will be no future apocalypse on the scale of the story of Noah’s Ark.

Kevin Coughlin, Period 8, 12/23/20, Day C

 Kevin Coughlin

Modern Mythology

Period 8

12/23/20

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

I have two main goals that I want to accomplish before the end of the year. I want to finish my last college application, because that is due on January 1st. I only have one left, and it is for my dream school, so I really want to get that done and out of the way as soon as possible. Also, and somewhat counterintuitively, I want to be able to relax, unwind, and really appreciate that this awful year is finally over. Even though virtual school this term may not have been necessarily as rigorous as ‘normal’ school, we have all been in a very high stress situation for the last 10 months and I think that it is very important that we all take this opportunity to unwind. In addition, college applications have been happening over the past month, and i think that makes it even more important to be able to relax for a week.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I’ve been very stressed for the last two months or so. I was finishing my Eagle Scout rank in October and most of November, and then I had to move to college applications because I had an Early Action 12/1 deadline. So, I haven’t really had a chance to settle down for a while. So I think that if I can finish my first goal of finalizing my college application that is left, I will have shown resilience by being able to last this long without a non-stressor period. I also am a chronic procrastinator and  I was strongly considering not applying because of the lengthy supplement. If I accomplish the goal of submitting the application, it shows resilience also because I was able to submit it and did not succumb to my lazy nature. I think that it can be difficult to unwind after being wound for so long, so I also think that if I complete the second goal, I will have fully bounced back from the last 2 months. It also will help to end the year on a more positive note.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

I think that the pandemic and the other awful things that have happened this year have significantly increased my need for a break. I think that if this year had been more normal, it would have been a necessary break still, but not to the level that it is now. Everything has been made more difficult during the pandemic, so I think that these goals have been made more difficult, but also more important.

Teresa Crisantos, Period 8, 12/23/20, Day C

 Teresa Crisantos-Prudencio

Modern Mythology 

Period 8

December 21, 2020

Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading.

The most current reading we had was “The Book of Job” which is in the old testament of the Bible. The Book of Job is a book of wisdom alongside the Book of proverbs and Ecclesiastes. What this book tries to teach us is why good people suffer and it also explores the question of whether God is wise and just. This book began by telling us how Job had a good life and was faithful to God. Satan told God that Job was only faithful to him because of all the blessings he had given him. This leads to God making Job suffer and taking everything away from Job. Job remains faithful to God however he questions what he did to deserve this. It is clear that people during this time believed that you got what you deserved based on what Jobs friends said. However by the end of the story it becomes clear that this is not the case. God makes it clear that no one has the wisdom he has and that he does everything for a reason. It is clear from this that bad things happen to everyone but there is a reason for it even if we don't understand it. I believe this book is very important because it shows that the way you respond to hardships is very important. In addition, if you lose sight of your beliefs then it will be very hard for you to get past these hardships. Through this story we also see God’s wisdom because he talks about all the things he has to oversee and manage.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

I think it is important to note that I am Catholic so my perspective for this reading was most likely very different from anyone who is not religious. I had previously read the book of Job from a solely religious view and had not looked at it through a more english view/lens. Something in this reading that really stood out to me is that even if you are not religious the idea that sometimes bad things happen to good people for no reason is probably something widely accepted. I believe many people believe this even if they are not religious. This story is always one that reinforces my belief that even when bad things are happening if you truly have faith you can get through anything. In addition this story makes me think about how you respond to hardships is very important. I have always perceived hardships as something that is meant to make you stronger and to learn and not necessarily all bad. I also believe that if you put your trust in God everything will work out in the end. 

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

What I’ve learned in this reading can be applied to the world around me because I have always believed that there is not always a cause for your hardships but that the experience of them is more valuable. I have always thought that whether something good or bad happens in the world there is always a reason even if we can't understand it at the moment. This is mostly because I believe in God and that there is always a bigger purpose for everything in this life. This reading can also be applied to the world around us because you can't dwell on the things you lost or are going through rather you have to make the most of whatever you have. It is also important not to blame yourself when bad things happen as many times it is out of your control. One big example would be the pandemic as nobody directly caused it and we can only do our parts and hope everyone else does as well.