Papers
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Autumn’s Splendor
“Fresh, vibrant June passes to a languid, slow July. Then comes a turning point, when summer suddenly feels utterly tiresome” (Springer 110). Autumn has come, and nature is gradually changing. The once warm and pleasant attitude of the forest slowly turns dull as the get ready for the harsh winter ahead of it. The tall, towering oak trees tower surround the forest like a castle wall; protecting everything within from the harsh elements to come. The brisk, ruthless wind blows at every inch of them trying to get them to budge, but they stand strong like a wall of soldiers ready to go to battle. Their enormous trunks are cemented into the ground like the support beams for the Sears Tower. The ground around them is scattered with layers of red and orange painted leaves, which continually sway to the ground one by one like skydivers jumping out of a plane. They provide a blanket for twisted roots below. Bark encompasses the entire base of the tree, sheltering the insides of the tree. Amber tree sap oozes out of every nook and cranny of the bark, and looks as though the bark were bleeding from many years of painful service. It has the marks of an aged warrior. Pieces of battered bark peel from the tree as they leave hundreds of years of memories behind. The branches of the tree, now almost completely naked, jostle around in the wind as to spook off intruders to its domain. A few lucky few leaves still remain attached to the branches. They desperately hang on as the wind loosens their grip, and will soon batter them off into the depths of the dark, silent, and gloomy forest. It is hard to imagine that these aging trees stood tall ages before our ancestors.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
On the Origins of “Autopsy”
The etymology of the word autopsy is fascinating. It comes from the Greek “auto” meaning self and “opsy” meaning eye. In making an inference, one can assume that the word means “to see oneself.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the autopsy first meant “seeing with one’s own eyes, eye-witnessing; personal observation or insprection.” The first uses of the word autopsy were with regards to self-reflection and observation. In 1651, Robert Wittie wrote, “or by autopsie, when by our observation, wee get a certaine knowledge of things.” Thomas De Quincey says in “Miracles” that “the defect of autopsy may be compensated by sufficient testimony of a multitude.” In both of these examples, the word autopsy is being referred to as a means of self-examination and critique.
Friday, April 22, 2005
Science fuddles Creation
After at least five thousand years, the quest to discover the origins of humankind has made headway but remains a scientific and religious mystery. The Christian scientist, Charles Hummel, makes his attempt to explain away the misconceptions between the traditional Christian belief and the conventional scientific belief of how the Earth, how the human, and how the universe first formed. Hummel discusses in his book, The Galileo Connection, the interpretation of the creation story in Genesis. Many of the problems in Genesis and modern science, Hummel believes, originate out of how the Bible or the Torah is interpreted. Additionally, Hummel assesses the use of the author’s writing style and its purpose for us today. Personally however, it raises the question that if this part of the Bible is only figurative what other areas are only artistic features. In order to come to an open conclusion; information, logic, and discernment must come together as in Hummel’s theories of interpretation, of purpose, and of Christian belief.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Humor Essay: Evan
The Most Expensive Black Hole Ever (Has Just Swallowed Your Futon)
by Evan Eilers
The ultra-smart scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have finally come up with a way to get rid of all that excess gold that has been piling up and taking up space in bank vaults around the world. Bankers will at last have enough room to play ultimate Frisbee indoors, or, if they have a long enough hose, turn the unused vaults into ice skating rinks. The question you are now asking yourself has a very simple answer: no, the bankers will not charge money to go ice skating in their vaults.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
word essay-pretty-Lauren
The word “pretty” started out with different spellings and different meanings and it is now down to one spelling and three different meanings. Some of the old spellings of pretty included: prati, praty, prayty, preatie, perty, putty, and there are many more. In Old English, pretty meant cunning, crafty, artful, wily, or astute. It has changed a lot over the course of the year and now it means attractive, very, or fairly. “Pretty” is a very common word used daily by people. It can be used formally or informally. “Pretty” started out in Old English and has continued through out the years with different meanings; it is now extremely widespread and can be used in many different settings.
“Pretty” has changed meanings from the time of Old English to the 15th century to the present.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Eavesdrop-Megan W
The definition that most Americans typically mean when they use the word eavesdrop today is, as the Oxford English Dictionary says, “To listen secretly to private (conversation).” This is not the meaning that was always used; it is a definition that has come to be over time. Eavesdrop originally meant, “the place where the water drops from the eaves” The roof extended about two feet from the walls of the house. Back in England is when its usage first started. As time continued, the word eavesdropper came to be used as “somebody who stood within this strip of ground, under the projecting eaves and close to the walls of a building, in order to listen surreptitiously to the conversations within” (Quinion). In 1515, this word was used when it was written, “eavesdroppers under men’s walls or windows.” Using this analogy, this word, eavesdropper, comes to life; we can see the word in our mind, a person crawling along a wall, sneaking under the windows, so that they can hear what the people inside of the house are talking about. This came to mean the people who listen in on other people’s conversations, not necessarily actually listening in on the conversations in the house, but other places as well.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Two American Monsters: Consumerism and SUVs
American culture is strongly rooted in consumerism. One might argue that culture in this powerful nation, rich in resources is not just rooted in consumerism, but is consumerism. Americans tend to take all they can get and more, at the expense of anyone or anything. This trend covers everything from Big Macs to blue jeans, and possibly most importantly automobiles and the precious “Texas gold” that makes them go. Americans love their cars and love to drive them. From moms running errands in their full size SUVs to dads burning rubber in their BMWs Americans drive their cars. Little do they know that their frivolous energy consumption comes at a far greater cost than the $1.90 per gallon of gasoline; it costs the health and well being of planet earth and the people in it. It is imperative that Americans come to their senses and start driving more efficient cars, accepting economic implications of energy conservation, and mimicking other nations in their use of public transit. Actively seeking to achieve these simple goals will drastically improve the global environment, and the quality of life for those living in it.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
The Fading of a Pastime
The Red Sox, the Yankees, and the Braves. Every September these are the teams that one can see in the Major League Baseball Playoffs. There are other teams that will make it from time to time and do well, but these are the rare exceptions. Many people say that the teams that are in contention every year are there because the star players want to play for winning teams. This is true, but this can only be possible because those teams can afford to pay the stars to win championships for them. This is an unfair advantage that needs to be fixed. It is time that play is evened out; it is time for Major League Baseball to get a more comprehensive revenue sharing plan or a salary cap rule.
Being Married Isn’t Easy…Especially at Calvin
Being a college student is tough, especially with the added responsibilities of being married. And while there are many sources of support for the average undergraduate students at Calvin, the same can not be said about those undergraduate students that choose to get married. The atmosphere at Calvin toward married students is pessimistic and isolating. Calvin prohibits these couples from living on campus, adding to the stress of being both a student and married; these students are made to feel ostracized, with virtually no support from the Calvin Community. Other colleges of similar size provide support and housing for their married students, help the students to save money and energy on their housing and focus more on their schooling, and isolate them from the rest of the Calvin community, Calvin could learn from these other schools and do so much more to support their married undergraduates.
Cartoon Coercion
In a time when the media injects viewers with a steady influx of sex, violence, and mature themed programming that waves the flag of prevalent non-Christian worldviews, it is difficult for parents to know whether to turn their backs on their TV watching children without exposing them to harmful material. However, one source of entertainment that has been trusted to raise western society’s children for decades is cartoons and animated movies. To many, this form of media seems to have an innocence that the others do not, but this is a misconception. The media is subtly using children’s cartoons and animated movies to shape the worldviews of the young and impressionable. Examples of this molding can be seen in the very popular Saturday morning X-Men show from the mid-90’s, and Walt Disney’s Pocahontas, and Lion King.
persuasive essay - shawn
The United States of America has the most fair and just court system in the entire world. Corruption in the American court system is almost nonexistent, and even though the American court system works well, it could be better than it is right now. The problem in the court system is at the highest level, the Supreme Court. These justices are allowed to stay on the Supreme Court too long. Many problems arise from letting eighty-year old men and women govern the entire nation’s rules and regulations. The Supreme Court needs to change in order to fit the needs of the nation.
1st paragraph of persuasive essay-Lauren Haboian
Most people don’t understand the importance of exercise. Some schools don’t even have gym class because they want to focus solely on academics. While academics are important, making sure students get some exercise each day is just as important. Adults go on so many diets, in which one can only eat certain food or only eat at certain times. People want to try and lose weight as fast as they can. It is healthier to lose only one or two pounds per week by working out four or five days a week and eating healthy. The elderly do not exercise as much as they should either. They should not be doing strenuous workouts, but walking a mile or two each day will help keep them in shape and healthy. “Recently the definition of health has been expanded to include a state of complete physical, mental, and emotional well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (Sharkey 59). Exercise is much more beneficial than dieting to people of all ages; it is easier, it is longer-lasting, it is more fun, and schools should provide appropriate physical activity for children.
Oprah Winfrey as a Role Model
On September 23, only 12 days after the World Trade centers was attacked by terrorists, thousands of people were in New York City’s Yankee Stadium clinging on to pictures of loved ones that were then assumed to be dead in the ruble. According to Christianity Today, Oprah Winfrey said to them, “When you lose a loved one, you gain an angel whose name you know.” This shows how much Oprah Winfrey cares about other people and reaches out to them. For many women, Oprah Winfrey is a role model. Oprah Winfrey has more influence in some people’s lives than their own families. Oprah Winfrey is a great role model for women, because of her work, lifestyle, and how she has affected people’s lives.
Exegesis
Christians use many different strategies to understand the Bible. We understand the Bible best when applying our own knowledge of society, the context it was written in, and what God intended to say in the verse. Hermeneutics is the application of one’s own knowledge. Exegesis is a critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text. The most important question to ask when reading the Bible is, “What is God saying in this verse?” Exegesis is the most important aspect to studying the Bible because it draws in the reader’s interest, gives the genuine intent of the verse, and is the foundation of the other aspects of analyzing the Bible.
Christian Views on Culture
There is a rift growing in the Christian world today that seems to penetrate even the closest youth groups and churches. The rift is between two views of engaging popular culture . The traditional and more common model of engagement is called condemnation. Condemnation is the automatic removal of all “secular” art from culture, leaving only the Christian art. Discernment is the model of engagement that seems to be newer and less common among most Christian groups. To discern is to engage all art, regardless of the religion or message of the artist. The second method allows an art engager to take in much more of the beauty of God’s creation as well as allowing him or her to fully grasp the fallen nature of creation. These are the ways that a cultural discerner will have a better relationship with God and a better connection to the world in order to redeem it. A Christian in the world we live in today that simply condemns all art not created by a Christian misses out on a good ninety percent of art. Art is created by humans, because God made us with that specific capability to create it. Under no circumstances should Christians stay in their comfort zones and miss out on most art created because of trivial issues.