Second Semester Blogs

For my last Greek myth, I will describe my favorite (and most frustrating) story: the tale of Medusa. Medusa was once a lovely priestess at the temple of Athena, and because she was a priestess she had to take a vow of celibacy. Athena was the Goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, and her main rival was Poseidon the God of the sea. Both Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron God of the capital of Greece. Athena created the olive branch, while Poseidon split a stone and seawater came out. Naturally, the citizens of the city chose Athena and named the city Athens. Ever since then, Athena and Poseidon were always in competition and could not stand each other. 

Poseidon saw Medusa, a beautiful priestess in his main rival’s temple, and raped Medusa in the sacred temple of Athena. Athena saw this and was so humiliated and angry, so she decided to punish Medusa. She turned Medusa into a gorgon, a snake-like creature that was so hideous, when people looked at her, they turned into stone. Medusa ran away into ruins of an abandoned temple, and that became her home. 

Word had spread through Greece of this terrible monster that turns humans into stone, so many heroes set out to find and kill Medusa. Medusa then had to defend herself by turning these men into stone, however she started to become the monster that people labeled her to be with every man she killed. She one day looked for food and found another ruin of the temple where she was staying, proving that it was once built for Athena. By being reminded of her past, she began to resume worshipping Athena and became like a priestess for this temple. 

Athena saw this and remembered Medusa, she then sent a son of Zeus, Perseus, to kill Medusa. Perseus arrived at the temple, and Medusa heard him. She started to defend herself and snuck behind Perseus. However, Athena had gifted Perseus with Aegis (Athena’s shield) and he saw the reflection of Medusa in the shield. Then, he turned around and cut off the head of Medusa. Perseus was named a hero, and Medusa was labeled a monster. Even though Athena sent Perseus to kill Medusa some say that Athena was trying to offer Medusa mercy. 

This tale is so impactful, because it shows how unfair the world works. It is not Medusa’s fault that Poseidon raped her, but because Athena couldn’t punish Poseidon, she decided to turn Medusa into a monster. Medusa never deserved that, and then she was remembered as a terrible creature, when that is what the world made her. 

For this blog I will debate on potential topics for my issue brief as discussed in class. My first option for an issue brief is the censorship of books in schools. This idea proposes an interesting discussion because there are some books that are inappropriate for little kids to read (for instance a book on the holocaust) but does it violate the first amendment to restrict the speech in some of these books. Some of the books that are banned call into question who is making these decisions and why. Most of the books that are banned include books that have a theme of violence, LGBTQ+ representation, and race or racism. The way that some of these books are banned is that a parent makes a complaint to the school district and then they remove that book from the library. Where is the line? Who, if anyone at all, should have the power to decide this? 

A lot of schools as of recent are pulling away from the idea of censoring books, so the other question is of this topic’s relevance. Yes, books are still being banned but I could also focus on more general censorship in schools. This would include controversial topics that are banned from being spoken about inside the classroom (“don’t say gay” in Florida). This doesn’t allow some students to learn history and important lessons.  

Another topic that I could write about in my issue brief is animal testing. This is an issue concerning ethics and morality. Where do we draw the line for what deserves rights? Does an animal have the right to safety and not being subjected to drugs or genetic manipulation. Due to animal testing we have gotten the cure to many different diseases, but many more animals have died.  

I think that I am leaning more in the direction of censorship in schools, because I feel like that is a more prominent issue in our lives. As students we just went through high school and read some of the books that are now on some banned book lists (I read Fahrenheit 451). I also think this topic is interesting and important. 

This week I will be explaining the story of Echo and Narcissus. This myth is all about how we got the word for narcissism. One cannot be too obsessed with themself or else they will suffer from the same fate as him. It was said that he was the most beautiful man (he was the son of a god and a nymph), and that everyone (man or women) that sees him instantly falls in love with him. He never returned the advances of others, however, and Narcissus never returned any of their advances, and thus many people suffered of despair and died of heartbreak. 

The god of retribution, Nemesis, saw that Narcissus kept ignoring the people who were pining after him, arranged so that Narcissus would investigate a pool and see his reflection. When Narcissus saw himself, he fell in love with his own reflection. There are two versions that tell what happened next. In one version, Narcissus leaned down to kiss himself and drowned in the pool. In the other version, Narcissus stabbed himself because he would never be able to have the object of his attraction, himself. From his dead body, it was also said that the narcissus flower grew. 

Echo was a late addition to the tale and was not originally in the Greek version of the myth. In her story, she was a nymph and was Zeus’s lover. Hera, Zeus’s wife, was talking to Echo one day, and found Zeus sneaking out. She was furious, as she always is when Zeus has affairs, and cursed Echo to only repeat the words from others, thus she echos others. She then fell in love with Narcissus, who never returned the favor. She had to watch when Narcissus saw his reflection, and then killed himself. After watching him destroy himself, she faded away until only her voice remained, and we can sometimes hear her repeated our words (our echo). 

This myth is all about how when you think about yourself too much, it can start to affect the people around you. The people that Narcissus ignored got hurt, because he didn’t pay attention to anyone around him. Echo also got hurt because of the actions of Narcissus, and he hurt himself. The moral is quite clear about not loving yourself too much, but it also puts an emphasis on what it can do to the people who love you. 

Bibliography: 

A Summary and Analysis of the Echo and Narcissus Myth – Interesting Literature 

Another point that is as scary as the effects of light pollution is the other forms of pollution that humans have created. When our generation thinks of pollution, they might just think of air pollution, where there are gases and chemicals in the air. This is a very harmful form of pollution, but it is just one of several. There are seven main types: air, water, land, radioactive, noise, thermal, and light. I have talked about light, and you may already know about air, but I wanted to talk about the other forms, because the first step towards a greener earth is education on the types and effects of pollution. 

Land pollution is when the ground is affected by the chemicals and fertilizers we place on the soil. The contamination can then leak to rivers or other bodies of water, further polluting the environment. This is one of the main forms of pollution, and one way that we can help is by recycling and reusing plastic bottles that are not biodegradable. The other main form of pollution is water pollution. This pollution is caused by trash and chemicals being dumped into the ocean and lakes. Humans need water to survive, so this pollution is robbing us of a huge resource that is essential for human existence. One thing that we can do to help slow the effects is to use the minimum amount of laundry detergent. This might not seem connected to water pollution, but some chemicals in detergent damage your home water supply, so using less will help to stop that process. 

Another type of pollution is radioactive pollution. This is caused by accidents involving nuclear power plants, that have happened twice, there are devastating consequences to the environment, but there is not a lot that we can’t do about it. Plus, nuclear energy is a better alternative than some other fossil fuels. Another form of pollution is noise. This is caused by loud noises, like an explosion, and it can result in hearing loss. A way to avoid this is by wearing the proper ear protection whenever you are going to be in a high noise area. Another form of pollution is thermal. Thermal pollution is caused by the heating of water, and then that water interacts with oceans and lakes, resulting in less oxygen and more fish deaths. A way to resolve this is by using heated water to power other things, like a home heating system. 

The last area of pollution is light. This was the one that I chose to focus on in the past, because it is not the most well-known, and there are many things that we can do to stop it. Like turning off unnecessary outside lights at night and restricting the use of LED lights at night. 

Now that we all know a little bit more about pollution, I encourage you to take this information with you, and when you see an opportunity, fight back. 

Bibliography: 

What Are the 7 Different Types of Pollution? | YourDictionary 

Ways to Reduce Land Pollution | Sciencing 

16 Ways to Reduce Water Pollution – Green Coast 

Thermal Pollution Explained: Causes, Impact & Solutions | Perch Energy 

The next Greek myth that I would like to talk about is the myth of Icarus. You may have heard of this before, as it is incorporated into many songs and poems, but its meaning is just as important now as it was when it was written. Icarus was the son of a legendary craftsman, Daedalus. While many heroes and main characters in Greek myths are demigods (half-man and half-god) Icarus was fully human, which I think is important to his story. 

Icarus and his father were stuck inside one of Daedalus’ creations: the labyrinth. They were sentenced there by the hero-king Thesus after he killed the minotaur and fled the city (which enraged the now king Minos). Minos enacted his rage onto Daedalus and Icarus by throwing them into the labyrinth. This maze structure was very hard to navigate, and when the father and son finally made it to an opening, they were faced with a cliff and no clear way to climb out. Due to this, Daedalus made wings from wax and feathers and used them to escape. He told Icarus that the wings would not work if they got too low because of the moisture, but if you go too high, the sun will burn them. Icarus initially followed his father’s instructions and stayed in the middle, but the power that he felt as he was flying was too much, as was the temptation to fly higher. Icarus flew up too far and the wings melted. Daedalus then had to watch his son fall to his death, with nothing he could do to stop it. 

This myth has a lot of connotations with Icarus’ hubris. Hubris was a big deal in ancient Greece, and it refers to one’s excessive pride in oneself. Icarus was only mortal, so to be able to fly must have felt like he was a god, and he let the thought go to his head, ignoring his father’s warnings. Also, the fact that Icarus was not even the one to make the wings is another important detail. He thought so highly of himself for his father’s skill. This story is now used as a warning to “not fly too close to the sun” and be humble. References to this myth can be found everywhere. From the musical Hamilton, ‘You’ve married an Icarus, who has flown too close to the sun.’ to the Marvel movie Eternals (One of the man characters is Icarus, supposedly who the myth is based on). Obviously, this myth has had an impact on our civilization, and it is not one that we should forget. 

Bibliography: 

The Myth of Icarus: Chasing the Sun | History Cooperative 

Since light pollution has become a major problem, and can have bad consequences, the United States has started to take action against it. One of the ways that they have done this is through state legislation. These “Dark Skies” legislations are for promoting energy conservation, public safety, aesthetic interests, or research capabilities. Even so, most of these laws are for federal or state buildings and grounds, and do not affect the everyday civilian. Other laws are just encouragements for people to consider the lights that they leave on at night, or the cost of the lights. Texas is also the only state that has laws restricting the military’s use of outdoor lighting at night, however, it only applies to counties with at least five military bases and a population of more than 1,000,000 people or adjacent counties located within five miles of a base.

The state laws are only in effect for 19 states out of 50. Pennsylvania doesn’t even have a legislature protecting the skies. However, it should not only be up to the USA to make changes. We have a responsibility as humans on this earth to help with the effort to reverse the damage that previous generations have done. There is a constant mentality that “it’s not our fault, so it’s not our responsibility”, but we have an opportunity to make a difference. If you need outside lights, for security reasons, then consider using shades that point most of the light down towards the earth. Also consider using lightbulbs that do not emit violet or blue light. This can significantly reduce the amount of radiation that affects how much of the night sky we can see. 

One solution to less energy usage in the United States was the LED lights. These lights are less wasteful of immediate resources, however since people realize this, they use them more often. Thus, wasting more natural resources in the process. LED lights are also super harmful to the sky in the form of light pollution, as they give off more blue light radiation. Therefore, we must be more careful with our use of artificial lighting, and not take LED lights for granted and overuse them. 

Nighttime light pollution covers nearly 80% of the globe, which just puts into perspective how bad the pollution has gotten. We must fight against this and save our earth and skies for future generations. As young activist Greta Thunberg said, “The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say – we will never forgive you.” 

Bibliography: 

U.S. Light Pollution Map Shows Which Cities Are Most Affected (greenmatters.com) 

How to reduce light pollution: This is what is being done | World Economic Forum (weforum.org) 

States Shut Out Light Pollution (ncsl.org) 

Nighttime light pollution covers nearly 80% of the globe | Science | AAAS 

I had accidentally posted my previous two blogs into the wrong blog cite, please don’t worry about commenting on these blogs.

The first Greek myths that I would like to talk about is one of my personal favorites, the tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus was the child of the Greek god for music and poetry, Apollo. Being his son, Orpheus learned how to play the lyre (ancient instrument almost like the harp) more beautifully than anyone else. He played so beautifully that objects would come to life, since they were so entranced by his music. 

When Orpheus was playing his lyre in the woods one day, he attracted the attention of a beautiful wood nymph (spirit) named Eurydice. They both fell in love with each other’s beauty instantly. They soon get married, but the god of marriage tells them that their marriage would not last. Orpheus and Eurydice ignored him, because they were so in love and did not understand how it couldn’t last. 

Since Eurydice was so pretty, other men set out to kill Orpheus so that they could have her. One of these men, a shepherd, tried to ambush them, when they were out for a walk, with the intent to kill. He failed, and Orpheus and Eurydice ran away from him into the woods. As they were running Eurydice got bit by a poisonous snake and died right in front of Orpheus. 

Orpheus was devastated, and he even stopped playing his lyre. He then went to his father, Apollo, for help. Apollo then went to the god of the underworld, Hades, to ask him if he would return Eurydice to Orpheus. Orpheus then went into the underworld and played his lyre for Hades with a song that he wrote for Eurydice. Hades, and everyone else in the underworld, was so moved that he agreed to let Orpheus take Eurydice. However, there was one catch, when taking her out of the underworld Orpheus was not permitted to look back and see if Eurydice was following him. If he looked back even once, Eurydice would stay in the underworld forever. 

Overjoyed, Orpheus began leading Eurydice out of the underworld, never once looking back. As he was at the very end of the journey, he looked back and saw Eurydice right behind him, but now condemned to the underworld forever. 

This tragic story is all about how you have to be patient and wait. Just like if Orpheus was patient and waited until they were both out of the underworld to look back, he could have lived happily ever after with Euridice. It also shows that even if you defy all odds, and can enchant inanimate objects, you can’t control death, and it will come for you and who you love. 

I love this story because I think it sends a really powerful message, as well as making me frustrated at Orpheus for looking back. But, if I am honest with myself, I don’t know if I could have stopped myself from looking back. Would the urge have been too strong? How far do you think you would have made it? 

While many conservation efforts have been started to decrease the amount of light pollution that certain countries give off, the problem is still getting worse. To start my civic issues blogs, I would like to detail the negative impacts that light pollution causes to the planet and humans. Artificial light can negatively impact human’s and animal’s natural body rhythms. The circadian rhythm is a natural cycle that repeats every 24 hours, and artificial light being produced at night can interrupt this cycle and affect the processes that naturally occur in humans, like the production of the hormone melatonin. Lower melatonin levels result in less sleep, anxiety, fatigue, and other health problems. Light pollution also affects ecosystems. When artificial light negatively impacts plants and animals physiologically, then that can result in modification of animal interactions or tampering of their migratory patterns. There are also studies that show that glare, excessive brightness, causes eye strain or loss of vision. 

However, most importantly, light pollution affects the way that we see the night sky. The night sky has always been an important staple to humans, it marks the passing of time, and the changing of seasons. Long ago, that was where people looked to find their way home. The sky is something that has always connected us with them too, we are seeing most of the same stars that they were, making those stars even more important. The night sky inspired many significant myths, art, and literature; therefore, it should be something that we respect.  

Light scattered throughout the atmosphere brightens the night sky, causing stars that have been with us for so long to be invisible to our eyes, due to the contrast. As Henry Beston spoke, “sometimes the more light there is at night, the less we can see.” The most famous poets compose lyrics trying to describe the beauty and the magnificence of the sky, and that just shows how essential it is to our existence. 

Studies have also shown that light pollution has had a 49 percent increase in the last 25 years, and that means that the sky is lighter, and it is increasingly harder to see the stars. Increases in light pollution were most pronounced in Asia, South America, Oceania and Africa. This blog is mainly to bring awareness to the effects of light pollution (and why we should care), and some of the activities that we can do to limit its effects. 

 

Sources: 

Light Pollution – Night Skies (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) 

Night Skies: A Cultural Resource – Night Skies (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) 

Light Pollution (nationalgeographic.org) 

5 Serious Effects of Light Pollution | Earth Eclipse 

Light pollution is on the rise: Worldwide, light up 49% over 25 years (usatoday.com) 

I’m from homeruns  

from the home teams 

my father explaining the plays. 

 I’m from four-wheelers pushing stones from their resting place. 

 The helmet that I never wore but swore that I did. 

 I’m from splashing and fighting 

Yelling and hugging. 

I’m from gossip and scandalous deeds 

My Gram found from the house next door. 

 

I’m from card games 

From never showing my hand 

Scheming and reading faces. 

I’m from long meets 

The pit in my stomach 

Extending and cutting me through water. 

I’m from picnics and fireworks 

From little white dogs hiding under desks 

Praying for sustenance. 

 

I’m from scrap books  

Laughing at how silly we looked. 

I’m from pictures and wood carvings 

My Pap forever etched into the slabs. 

I’m from cackling at videos 

From inside jokes and being told to settle down. 

I’m from love and work 

The echos reminiscing in my mind. 

One idea for my Civic Issues blog is to discuss light pollution. I would go in depth to explain the cause and effects of said pollution, while also considering ways and means to reverse the effects of it. I could tie in the United States’ viewpoint and actions and compare them with the rest of the world as well. Another Civic Issues topic that I could potentially do is education. Specifically, the role of teachers in K-12 and how the job has been on a decline. I could dig into how they are treated and what their viewpoints on the education system are. I could also find sources that might have disputing opinions, like teachers aren’t important, and see why they think that. A new idea for my passion blog is to consider Greek Myths. I believe that they have strong connections to the modern world, and it would be incredibly fun to dig deep into these stories and why they were made. Another passion blog that I could do would be to continue with my last posts and talk about the most iconic and important moments in Olympic history. I could talk about people, specific events, or even a specific Games. For my I believe statements, I thought that I could go with something like “I believe in books” and talk about how reading fictional stories helped me to strive for more, as I wanted to be like the characters I read about. Another I believe statement could be “I believe in sisters” and talk about having three of them has impacted my life in many ways.