History Class

I got an A- on this essay one of six students...yay for me...I just wanted to say...I WORKED SUPER HARD ON THIS!!!!!

Effect of Agriculture on Human Life – Essay

            The emergence of agriculture played a significant role in human life affecting jobs, science, and religion. While the transition to agriculture may have been an accidental one it caused social life to change with it. Before agriculture, hunting and gathering societies were very different. In a hunting and gathering community everyone has the same job and science and religion are not big parts of life. In a hunting and gathering community you could just leave an area when it did not meet the needs they had unlike in an agricultural society. They also believed in animism. However, after the transition to agriculture they had job specialization, they had to study the environment, and they believed in different gods that all controlled different things.

            Agriculture affected the way jobs were handled. While hunting and gathering societies were egalitarian and everyone grew up to have the same job of either hunting or gathering, in an agricultural societies there were some people who didn’t have a direct connection to growing crops, “…individuals who devoted …time to efforts other than the production of food” (Bentley and Ziegler, 25). Some people made tools out of metal that helped to cultivate food and to manage surplus of food and grain some people make pottery for storage. These were things that were also sold to the public for different reasons than these, for instance jewelry and decoration as well. Along with pottery in 7,000 B.C.E. and metallurgy in 6,000 B.C.E. also came textile production. It was necessary to have tools such as gloves to work as an agriculturalist and later on it also became an important role of society and the way people dress. Because of job specialization and people owning land (hunter and gatherer people do not own the land they use) people had different social status as well. Someone who was rich would have a bigger house, more jewelry, nicer clothing, and high quality pottery to adorn their house with and use for food, as opposed to someone who was poor who would have less of these luxuries and there was a leadership based on riches and influence, “Professional managers also appeared–governors, administrators, military strategists [since they now had something to protect], tax collectors…” (Bentley and Ziegler, 25). This was because the more land people had the more food people produced and because of the population explosion the demand for it was there and the more they would sell and make money for such things as these.

            Science was also a big aspect of people’s lives because of agriculture. In order to be able to sell food and have luxuries it was necessary to successfully grow the crops. Women were the also the one who helped this move along. They were the ones who gathered the plants that were needed and were the first ones to notice what helped and what didn’t help their plants grow. Through trial and error they studied the things that helped their plants grow most. By validating and testing the reliability of their results they knew what to do in order to have this. Science became very important to agriculturalist unlike to hunting and gathering societies where they just picked up from a land that replenished itself without the need of any human maintenance, “vegetable foods are abundant, sedentary and predictable. They grow in the same place year after year…” (Borshay Lee, 100). When “asked why they hadn’t taken to agriculture” and planted the mongongo nut the Bushman of the Ju/’hoansi-!Kung said, “Why should we plant, when there are so many mongongo nuts in the world?” (Lee, 93).

            While one would think that because there was science that religion would be something that they didn’t believe in ; however, the opposite is true, “Cities also gave rise to…priests, who…sought to discover meaning in human existence” (Bentley and Ziegler, 25-26). Agricultural societies had a very tight control over their crops because they didn’t let the environment control them, they controlled it; however, it was because of this control that they didn’t understand why sometimes things went wrong. They felt that because they were doing everything right then everything should have been going smoothly, so when something went wrong they blamed the gods. The gods they believed in mostly had to do with their agriculture system; there would be a god for the different aspects and things that helped to make the crops have a high or low yield, unlike in a hunting and gathering society where they were animist and just believed that there was not gods or goddesses but an energy in the world that was just there and that you didn’t have any direct contact with while going about doing things that needed to get done.

            To conclude, agriculture was important to human society and affected jobs, science, and religion the most. It led to job specialization which affected economic and social status of people. Agriculture also led to not only a surplus of food but the need for science in order to cultivate the crops to have a high yield. Lastly agriculture led to the development of a religion where the gods are very human like and are very important to the daily life and crops that they had. It was because of many of these changes that our society is the way it is now.

We read Gilgamesh in Literature Class

\Gilgamesh – Final Draft

            In Gilgamesh by Stephen Mitchell the gods have a close relationship with the humans. The humans ask things of the gods and the gods get glorification in return. They affect the humans in a positive way. The first of the occasions where the immortals help the mortals was when the gods ask Anu to save the people of Uruk from Gilgamesh’s destruction. Another incident is where Gilgamesh goes to Ninsun so that she may interpret his dream. She also gave Gilgamesh and Enkidu a blessing when they were going to kill Humbaba. In return the humans have temples dedicated to them and also do things like how the priestesses give themselves in the name of Ishtar to honor her. So it is important for them to have each other. The gods help the humans and in return they have to worship. The humans are grateful enough that they receive help, and thus carry out the things they have to.

            Gilgamesh “went to his mother, the goddess Ninsun, and asked her to interpret the dream” (83). This is important because it shows that the gods have wisdom and that the humans trust them. The mortals who have limited time on earth are not as wise as the immortals who have been there forever and therefore have the wisdom. Another incident that is similar to this is when Gilgamesh and Enkidu go to get Ninsun’s blessing before going off to kill Humbaba. Gilgamesh says “give me your blessing before I leave” (99) to which she answered by praying to the other gods so that they may give them protection on the journey. The humans rely on the gods to be there for them and share protection and wisdom.

            The gods were asked by the people of Uruk to save them from Gilgamesh’s “tyranny” the gods told Anu that “the people cry out” and no one dares oppose him” they said “Father, do something” (73). Then they “[created] a new hero, [and] let them balance each other perfectly” (74). The fact that they do something to help is what sets them apart from a lot of other pantheons. In this instance, the gods are like parents to humans as they have taken a protective role over the humans. They take care of their problems and fix their situations actively. In return they receive gratitude and offerings in the ziggurats and temples that were built to them.

            In the same way that the gods fix their problems actively the kind of praise the gods receive is very active and extreme as well, because the mortals are grateful and because they don’t want to inquire their wrath. The priestesses of “the temple of Ishtar” stand in front of the temple “ready to serve men’s pleasure, in honor of the goddess” (81). They are complacent enough to do this without any problems. However; if they anger the gods they receive hatred and punishment. After Gilgamesh insulted Ishtar she “shrieked, she exploded with fury. Raging, weeping she went up to heaven…as tears of anger poured down her cheeks” she “led the Bull down to earth, it entered and bellowed, the whole earth shook…” (137). She was very angry with Gilgamesh and even said, “I want to kill that liar, Gilgamesh, and destroy his palace.” (136). Ishtar was going to punish Gilgamesh, Enkidu and bring “famine for seven long years” (136) just because Gilgamesh, who is only one person, had pointed out a fault in her that was true. This shows that along with helping the humans they get a lot of power over them, much like parents over their children, but more extreme.

            The gods are helpful to the humans as long as the humans keep worshiping and not disrespecting the gods. However; when they do wrong toward the gods they receive extreme punishment.  The humans are dependent on the wisdom and protection of the gods, and without it them life is more dangerous. Human life is based on divine protection. The situation is a give and take relationship with the humans, and it makes sense, because Aruru, who is an immortal, is “the one who created humans” (74). The gods and humans need each other in order for both to exist, and without one where would the other be, because the gods are there to protect the humans so that they feel secure; however, humans are the ones who created the gods.

So...I wanted to say that I had a lot of fun writing this. I had to choose my own topic AND my own question to answer and I am very pleased with the results! Also, I could not have done this without the help of my wonderful editors (who are also my friends) Melissa and Anna. When they finished viewing my first draft there were so many pencil marks that I had a lot to work with and I got to understand how the people who read my passages feel. I told Melissa to become my future editor...she is heartless and I rather have someone tell me what is bad than tell me that it was perfect when it wasn't! Extra thanks to Melissa!

More World Literature Class...

Okay so I am realizing that I write everyday but I don't always have time to put them up the day I write it. So, some days there will be more than one post. To move onward, today Mr. Moore gave us 10 grammar words that we should use in a sentence. I was making separate sentences that had nothing to do with each other and I was not happy with the way it came out. It felt random, but in a bad way (a non-creative way), so I started over and made a short scene because I remembered how cool the movie Troy was and I was thinking about soldiers.

1.     The man went to the front line, belligerent and stared the enemy down. He walked forward on the gritty sand as if he was jaunting and not going to battle. He had a surly grin on his face as he saw the weak men on the other side try to surreptitiously sneak to the back of the troop formation. Some of the more willful and whimsical foot soldiers glared back at him. There was no room for the emaciated or the philanthropist, on the battle field it was kill or be killed, and in the end it always turned out the same. He and his own troops standing on the sand painted red and redolent of rusty blood.

These are the words and their meanings:
1. Belligerent - aggressive, ready to fight
2. Gritty - coarse, granular
3. Jaunting - taking a stroll, strolling, short pleasure trip
4. Surly - rude, grumpy, unpleasant
5. Surreptitiously - secretive, sneaky, stealthy
6. Willful - determined, stubborn
7. Whimsical - impulsive, capricious
8. Emaciated - extremely thin, withered, weak
9. Philanthropy - charity, love of human kind
10. Redolent - smelling of, giving off odor/fragrance

Hope you enjoyed my post!

World Literature Class

This is a character who I had to come up with for the genre we are reading not which is Epic. We are reading Gilgamesh...I find it very interesting. So I came up with this character and it was part of my Homework and I wanted to share it because my friend told me it was very good and that I should make it a short story. I will work on it soon, but this is the preview.


 Cody Rossman walked down the lonely road with his face covered by a scarf against the desert sandstorm so as to not breathe in the sand. His medium built frame could hardly be seen with all the sand and despite his head being covered by his hood his shaggy hair was still full of sand. He walked that way for three hours and finally came across a town. He decided to stay because it was almost twilight and if he decided to stay out to camp in the open desert he would subject himself to the danger of the Desert Raiders. He walked into an inn and asked for a room for one night. She stared at his deep green eyes and chiseled face; she glared at him as if saying that nonsense was not allowed without so much as speaking. He went off to the room after he handed her the cash and opened the map that led to the key. All he knew was that it was made of gold and had an onyx scarab beetle on it. If he didn’t find it he would not be able to efficiently control fire and if he wasn’t strong enough the Pharaoh’s would win. They were just a group of people like him but they called themselves the Pharaoh’s and were strong enough to wipe out small nations. He traced a path to the Sand Dunes to the hidden pyramid under the sand. ‘All that’s left now is for me to pass all the traps and then defeat the Pharaoh’s. Well then. No pressure…that’s going to be easy,’ he thought the voice in his head dripping with sarcasm.

PS. sorry it took me sooo long to update! I hope you enjoyed the teaser!

Update!

I will update the next chapter of my fan-fiction this weekend! I couldn't do it today because of homework but I am trying really hard to get it out there as soon as I can finish it!

The Second of Two Pieces Written by Me in School...PPP

This was a way for the students to learn how to connect two articles. Even if they have absolutely NOTHING to do with each other. I felt bad that I left Augustine's reputation in tatters; however, this was the best and most opinionated way to connect the two articles. The first (Augustine's) is an article published in a newspaper and the second (Yong's) is a scientific paper on the research of people who believe their own lies by a miss Dr. Chance.

                        Kesi Augustine vs. Ed Yong

            In Obama’s Dream: A Model NYC High School by Kesi Augustine, a former student of BHSEC, the main topic seems to be that she believes that Bard is better than other schools. She even goes as far as to advertise the school in such a manner where she highlights how the school is very diverse and unique, how the school is demanding and challenges the students to work hard. What she doesn’t realize is that she is promoting the school for something ALL or at least MOST schools take pride in and do have. Every school says their work is such so that it stimulates the mind and makes the students learn things they will need to know in order to be prepared for college. Who doesn’t know that a Muslim and a Christian can be friends, that a gay and a straight can both believe in finding true love, and that a Latino and an African American can joke with each other about the stereotypes in their communities. Those are things that occur in many other environments besides BHSEC and school.

            As for “People Don’t Know When They’re Lying to Themselves” by Ed Yong if the title is not self explanatory enough for your taste it is about how people can and do lie to themselves to make themselves feel better or to escape the scrutiny of others, and they are so good at it that they believe their own lies. This is what Kesi does in her article.

            Kesi is in the words of Chance, “largely oblivious” to her own lies. She may say that Bard is better than other schools because “the similarities outweigh the differences” and because of its diversity. But she actually wants to justify to others and to herself why she went there. She tells us that the school had “eager students” and no one could make it through by “slumping” in a seat. She only does this to make it seem as if people should listen to her because she went through all this hard work and knows what she is talking about. However, truthfully, every single school has students who can pass and even achieve extraordinary grades and not work extremely hard. She advertizes the school in order to make herself feel good. She wants to make people think she is intelligent and important based solely on the fact that she has gotten such and exclusive education.  However, one can note she is unsure because of the way she goes about trying to make the school look fantastic. She seems very sure sometimes when she is giving the school due praise, but at other moments she seems to be trying to convince herself. She refers to the school as only a “high school” and says that she was extra prepared for “real college”. BHSEC is in fact a college and you do earn an Associates’ Degree for it. It is a great school and does what many great schools do. It prepares and helps students to establish good careers. One usually does some amount of work even if not much to do so. This is not something one should whine or boast about, it is just something unavoidable for those who wish to be successful in life and Bard helps the process along.

-In the words of my teacher Mr. Schwartz (I know how to spell it now), "You have to work very hard in order to fail school.Even with just doing the basics you can pass."
-Also, I got my schedule for my classes today and start the regularly scheduled classes tomorrow! I asked for piano and got it! Yessss! But I can truly say that the idea of having Physics is terrifying!
-Mr. Schwartz is now not only my adviser but my Global History teacher too!
-Hope you enjoyed reading that!
-Feedback is appreciated for anything I ever post on this blog! No FLAMES! I mean CONSTRUCTIVE and HELPFUL criticism.

The First of Two Pieces Written by Me in School...PPP

This one was from a prompt that the teacher gave us. He said that the guys have to write why they would rather be female and the girls would rather write why the would rather be male. For social reasons. I thought it was silly at first. I said "Please I love being a girl!" I still do...I don't know if I really could picture my self as a guy...but it did open my eyes to many social issues. I realize now that society is still somewhat sexist, though it has improved greatly.

            I would rather like to be a boy. The reason is because there is much less stress involved. I wouldn’t have to worry so much about being all the things my parents expect. In “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, she felt judged and as if her mother was not seeing her true self, her mother was seeing in her daughter all the things she was trying to warn her against. Her mother was trying to give her the good advice she thought would be important for her daughter to know in order to lead a good life, but failed to realize how her daughter felt. I feel this can be true for many young ladies and is something that most boys do not have to deal with. Boys do in fact have more freedom to do the things they want. Girls must not do a lot of things boys get to do or they will not look proper. A boy rolling and tussling in the dirt with his friends is something that no one would think out of the ordinary, but as soon as a little girl does it others begin to think things like ‘Where are her parents?’ and ‘Don’t they teach her manners?’ What does having fun have anything to do with manners?

            Another reason that I would rather be a boy is that the beauty standards set for girls to be considered beautiful are set so high and narrow that one must work extremely hard to look attractive. I learned from “Killing Us Softly 3” the third documentary out of a series of four that approximately only five percent of women in America posses the physical attributes that are what society tells us is beautiful. One must be “young, innocent, experienced, and sexy” all at once in order to be considered beautiful. Even in “Being a Boy” by Julius Lester the protagonist, a boy, realizes while he was at a dance that the girls felt like if they weren’t asked out to dance then it was their own fault. Most girls do have low self-esteem and depend on whatever they think of themselves and whatever other think of them, and it is not their fault because society makes it this way. If a girl sees beautiful women on TV, ads, and commercials all the time she won’t feel like she can measure up to them and she won’t have confidence.

            Finally, one can say that the things a girl is expected to do when he grows up to be a woman are not only many but also hard work. Once she is a woman she must take care to be a good wife and respectable mother. She must have all the skills necessary to raise a family among them cooking, cleaning, and in this day and age also manage a career too as if all the domestic duties were not enough to handle.

I also want to add that I saw "Killing Us Softly" and I thought it was amazing! I wanted to share it with you and I strongly recommend you watch it! Here is the link: Click Here! It will lead to Youtube!