...of unreasoned rituals that are very common nowadays. This is what superstition is all about. It is about incoherent beliefs and customs carried out with increasing popularity, by people all around the world. It is an irrational belief that does not have any fact or reason to support it. Its essence therefore lies in blind beliefs and habits that are generally accepted in a particular society and are scientifically unexplainable. There are literally hundreds of different types of superstition beliefs around the world. Some people take these very seriously but others just laugh them off. Superstitions may have begun hundreds of years ago when people didn't have the knowledge that we have nowadays. For instance people used to think that their shadows or reflections were part of their souls, because they didn't understand the concept of the sun or moon making shadows. Moreover, it is likely that learned people used superstitions as a means to make the general population abide with certain basic principle of life in order to ensure safety precautions or prevent a situation of fear to arise. For instance walking under a ladder leaning against a wall is perceived to be dangerous, as knocking against it can, not only be dangerous to the person standing on the ladder but also to the person walking under it. Therefore to ensure compliance to such basic safety precautions, this may have given rise to the said superstition of ,”Walking under a ladder brings you bad luck”. It is often said...
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...distinguishes one group of people from another, and sets the normality for acceptable behaviors and attitudes. What may be acceptable in one culture may not be acceptable in another culture. As Americans, we tip at restaurants, parking valets, hotels, clubs, bars, etc. What we may consider to be an act of generosity can be perceived as an insult in other places around the world. In many parts of Asia, Japan for example, leaving tip is commonly viewed as rude. In addition, many of the service charges are already often added to the guest hotel bills. However, if one would want to give additional tip, it best to put the money in an envelope rather than handing out cash. Another important culture tradition that is often over looked is religious superstition. Today, China has been dominating the world economical success, and the Office of Travel and tourism Industries said stated that there is a 232 expected percent increase in Chinese visitors over the next five years (article from week 2) China is a country with rich traditional and...
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...and looks down on those who live by the standards of “normal” life. Huck does as he wishes and lives life to the fullest. He is even interesting enough to write an entire book on. Huckleberry Finn doesn’t conform to societies standards. A good example of this is how he refuses to believe in any organized religion, and when he forced to by miss Watson he doesn’t feel like he gets anything out of it. He has tried praying but every time he asks of God for something he does not see any results. Huck has his own type of religion though; he finds God in natures beauty. He appreciates nature in all of its splendor and there are many examples of this throughout the book. Huckleberry Finn is also a very superstitious boy. Huck’s superstition tends to revolve only and around things that cause bad luck not good. This can be seen multiple times in the book. One morning Huck accidently spills the salt, he quickly realizes what he has done and hastily tries to throw some salt over his shoulder to counter his actions. Miss Watson quickly stops him from doing it and as a result he is on the lookout for bad luck for the rest of the day. Huck is also a liar. He loves to lie, and not just little lies here and there, but big and very complex lies. His greatest lie of all is when he fakes his own death to escape his abusive father. He goes about doing this by first using an axe to chop a considerable hole in the door. Then he kills a hog with the same axe to make it appear as if...
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...CHARACTERS: Anastacia Agueda Agueda’s daughter Don Badoy Montiya Voltaire – the grandson THEME: * Life is always full of regret, for we always realize what we have when it is gone. * Love was blinded and it turned into hatred * Love cannot be based on passion alone. CONFLICT: External conflict, Man vs. Man. We can see that Agueda and Badoy after having a bad married life with each other, used to regret the past that they’ve been together and it is revealed with their hatred for each other and how Agueda used to describe the devil to her granddaughter as if it was Badoy and same way as Badoy describing the witch in the mirror to his grandson as if it was Agueda. LITERARY MOVEMENT: GOTHIC FICTION with REALISM The story happened in the year of 1847 and it has a little blend of horror and fiction because of the superstitious belief of fortune telling as well as the devil and witch that will come out in the mirror if everything in the ritual will go wrong. ANALYSIS: Agueda and Badoy’s bitter marriage all began on that May night. Agueda and Badoy are two, completely different people. Agueda is a girl ahead of her time. She is bold and liberated unlike most girls her age. She stands out from the broad range of followers of her era. The tragedy is when Badoy’s heart forgets how much he felt for Agueda. The tragedy is how both were not careful enough to mend their drifting marriage. Both Badoy and Agueda perceived their marriage to be a taste of hell. Instead...
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...INTRODUCTION Folklore has for centuries associated black cats with superstition. Historically, in the US but also in UK, black cats were associated with witchcraft and evil. Black cat was sign of poverty in China, in Europe is bad luck to have a black cat cross your path. In Canada, bans on the adoption of black cats on Halloween were common until a few years ago. But, is some cultures, black cats they were celebrated and seen as a sign of good luck. In UK, Japan and Australia it is quite the opposite: black cat is a sign of good fortune and good luck. For 19th century sailors black cats were kept on ships as they believed it would bring them luck. Fisherman’s wives would keep black cats while their husbands were away to sea, believing they...
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...Maugan is portrayed as a man who believes in superstition, and this later creates issues for Merlin. Vortigern was constructing a fortress, but it would not stand higher than a man’s height; Maugan manages to convince his king, Vortigern, that the blood of a man who has no father must be spilled onto the foundation of his fortress. Merlin, who they believe has no human father, is the would-be sacrifice for this deed. Stewart portrays this logic as foolish, and through Merlin, calls Maugan a “charlatan”. This shows Mary Stewart’s true feelings about superstition as well; such beliefs are only held by misled people or frauds. Stewart also believes that superstition stems from a lack of proof and factual evidence about a subject. After Merlin makes the prophecy of of red and white dragons, and these dragons are seen in the forms of shooting stars, Vortigern sees this as evidence and dispels his previously held claim. Thusly, it can be seen that once evidence was shown to Vortigern about a different possibility for his problem, he eliminated his superstitious misconception based on the fact that...
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...Superstitions in India 1. A sack full of rice will be spoilt when touched by women in periods! it will also get spoilt if touched by women after having sex 2. Coconut tree, Ashoka Tree, Banyan Tree etc are considered sacred 3. The tail end of cows is considered as most sacred part as fortune Lakshmi lives there!!, 4. The "VAASTU" as a guide for floor plans of a house is a superstitious system, 5. East is the most preferred direction for all activities (I've seen some of them preferring to sit facing east even in the office), 6. Do not proceed , if a cat crosses your way, it brings omen 7. Looking at cat in the morning is jinx, 8. Looking at mother's face or picture of God as soon as you open your eyes in the morning will bring good luck for that day, 9. Giving or taking anything in the left hand is bad (you know what left hand is used for in India ) 10. Never ask the question "where are you going? " while they are leaving house, its purpose will not be fulfilled. 11. Repeatedly yawning indicates that someone is remembering you, 12. Sneezing odd no. of times indicates that something bad could happen, 13. Sneezing once when you make a statement indicates that what you said is true, 14. If a lizard makes a sound when you make a statement, it indicates that what you said is true , 15. Tuesdays & Saturdays are inauspicious for doing anything new or good deeds, 16. Monday is inauspicious day for shaving and thursday is inauspicious...
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...In the novel, Candide, the author, Voltaire, creates an interesting main character. The main character, also named Candide, is a very complex individual. He is both lucky and unlucky, a philosopher and a naïve man. Exploring the attributes and adventures of this interesting character is quite the story. At times Candide can be difficult to relate to. At some points in this novel he is just too naïve for anyone to relate to. “One fine spring morning he took it into his head to take a walk…he had not gone above two leagues when he was overtaken by four other heroes, six feet high, who bound him neck and heels and carried him to the dungeon.” (Voltaire, 15) Here Candide is being held against his will and forced to fight for an army, and he decides to just up and leave to take a walk. Anyone with common sense would realize that they would appear to the army as a deserter and would be punished severely, as Candide was. In this instance it is hard to relate to the main character. Candide goes through a variety of bad situations and comes out more or less alright most of the time, only to be thrust into a new, bad situation. This double sides luck shows its face when Candide is kicked out of the castle, and roams the streets begging. He later learns he is lucky to have made it out because the castle was attacked and almost all were killed or raped. He is lucky to have made it out of situation one, but making it out of situation one puts him into situation two, which is usually just...
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...Are you superstitious?? 1 Do you have a lucky color or a lucky number or a lucky gem stone? Before an exam do you perform the same rituals so that the exam goes well or a lucky t-shirt which you wear on the day of the exam? How many of us read our horoscope in the newspaper daily and believe it word by word? „Friday the 13th‟ is it really true? The origin of “superstitions” 2 The term superstition is thought to derive from the Latin superstitio, meaning "to stand over in awe. The term is ("outliving" remains of long after forgotten. related to the Latin word superstes or "surviving"), referring to the ideas and beliefs that continued their original meaning had been 3 Superstitions are considered as relics of outmoded ways of thinking. Superstitions are often passed down through generations; often, the origin of a superstition is lost to history. "Superstitions are habits rather than beliefs." - Marlene Dietrich 4 Superstition-Definition 5 A superstition is the irrational belief that future events can be influenced or foretold by specific, unrelated behaviors or occurrences. Superstitious beliefs are more common among certain groups of people than others, and vary from culture to culture: For example, the number thirteen is considered by many in western society to be inherently unlucky whereas in Japan the number four is often considered unlucky. The number 13 ?? 6 Reality...
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...Name: Date: “Jenna and the Black Cat” Questions 1. Erica considers Jenna to be the kind of person who a. is proud of her schoolwork. b. cannot think straight. c. often helps others. d. doesn’t like soccer. 2. One theme of the story is that a. fears can be put aside in an emergency. b. bad luck comes in threes. c. superstitions are ridiculous. d. good friends always help each other. 3. Which of the following sentences supports the theme of the passage? a. Jenna was afraid of the ghost tree, but she still helped the kitten. b. Jenna volunteered as a tutor after school and worked at an animal shelter. c. Jenna told Erica to shake salt over her right shoulder after Erica walked under a ladder. d. Jenna wouldn’t wear the same color shirt two days in a row. 4. In the sentence, “After getting the salt to toss over her shoulder, Jenna and Erica began the walk from the mall back to Jenna’s house,” the pronoun “her” refers to a. Jenna. b. Erica. c. both Jenna and Erica. d. none of the above. 5. Write a paragraph about a different story you know that illustrates the same theme. If you can’t think of a story, make one up. _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________...
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...Brown Superstitions What would you think if a black cat crossed your path on your way to school? Or if you accidentally dropped a mirror and it shattered into a million pieces? I know what most of you would be thinking- I’m doomed!! That is because black cats and breaking a mirror are two very famous superstitions. “What are superstitions?” many of you may ask, “and how did they originate?” Well, today you are going to find out. Good evening teachers and students. How many of you ever heard that it is bad luck to spill salt or that it is good luck to say “Bless You” to a person after they have sneezed? I’m sure many of you have heard those superstitions, but did you ever wonder who made them up? Many famous superstitions such as the one about black cats originated in early Christianity or in Ancient times. In Ancient Egypt, people believed in mythical gods. One of those gods was a black female cat named Bastet, and since Christians were trying to get rid of other religions, black cats and their owners were burned. After many years, black cats were thought to have another meaning - evil. They were believed to have supernatural powers of evil and be associated with witches and demons. People believed that if any black cat crossed your path, this was a sign that the devil was thinking about you and blocking your way to Heaven. Many years ago, it was proven that black cats weren’t evil, but to this day people still try to avoid having a black cat cross their path. Although...
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...ANTI SUPERSTITION AND BLACK MAGIC ACT Anti Superstition And Black Magic Act B.A.L.L.B(Hons) Roll No-36 ABSTRACT Superstition is a belief that is not backed by scientific evidence. It is irrational faith in something without a proper explanation. Superstitions are rampant in India and have claimed many lives over the years. The Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Bill 2013 is the first of its kind in India and was passed on 18th December, 2013. The bill was first drafted by social activist and rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in 2003. The bill faced heavy criticism and cost Dabholkar his life. He was shot dead by unknown assailants in August, 2013, nearly 4 months before the bill was passed. The Anti- Superstition Act is the first of its kind in the country and has been dealing with superstition effectively since its implementation last year. Other states such as Karnataka and Assam are also contemplating an Anti -Superstition Bill. This article provides the meaning and causes of superstition. It also discusses the history of the anti- superstition act in Maharashtra, its scope, limitations and subject matter KEYWORDS Superstition, Maharashtra, anti- superstition bill, Narendra Dabholkar, black magic, blind faith, Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS) INTRODUCTION ...
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...SUMMER SOLSTICE Setting: The main events in the story happened in the Moretas residence and at their townsmini plaza and those happened during the night. Characterization: * Donya Lupeng Moreta- long-married woman with three children * Don Paeng Moreta- the highly moral husband of Donya Lupeng * Guido- young cousin to the Moretas who studied in Spain * Amada- the family cook and Entoy's wife * Entoy- the family driver Plot: The story happened during the St. John's Day, Doña Lupeng finds Amada in a state of madness and ecstasy after the latter attended the local ritual of Tadtarin , where the womendance and invoke the spirit to empower them. And then they went to the house of their. * Setting and Conflicts Setting – Since the story takes place in the 1850s, women were repressed and felt shut in. Lupeng may seem to be happy in her routine life, but she also feels angry. You can notice this when she states to the children “Hush, hush I implore you! Now look: your father has a headache, and so have I. So be quiet this instant — or no one goes to Grandfather.” It indeed sounds like she feels as though she has a duty that she must carry on but she gets annoyed at her family because of her subdued state of womanhood. Although she tries act horrified when Guido tells of her woman should be adored rather than beneath their husbands, she contemplates and realizes she wants to be the leader of the pack. External and Internal Conflicts – The stereotypes of...
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...Luck is Very Important for Success Luck can be regarded as what happens to a person beyond his control, and it can be interpreted in various ways as according to a rationalist luck includes the function of the system of probability and an ignorance of unscientific beliefs. Another face of the luck refers to a series of spiritual or divine philosophy termed as fortune; several people consider that luck can be influenced through performing certain rituals by spiritual means. This belief varies from one to another person, as some says that luck is a belief of fortunate and unfortunate events in an organization or a meaningful coincidence as per Carl Jung philosophy (The Luck Factor by Richard Wiseman). Success or failure in business or in any other field is the result of a person’s own deeds as practically it can be accepted that one of the essential thing to be successful– being fearless! Here it is noticeable that fearless person feels confidence and able to take best decisions in any circumstance. The role of luck in success can be viewed as 30-50% successful inventions are the result of some degree accidental mistakes while setting up the experiment, sometimes when experiments fail or don’t work and a person who could have been famous unluckily gives up too soon, whereas because of some awful breaks, a great scientist becomes a sales man (The Book of Luck by Summers & Watson). This proves that success and failure are just a throw of the dice, luck favors the prepared mind...
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...Title: The Effects of Pseudo-Science and Superstitious Beliefs in Student’s Life Table of Contents Appendix A • Acknowledgement Page 3 • Consent Form Page 4-5 Abstract Page 6 Background of Info Page 7 Introduction Page 8-9 Literature review Page 9-13 Methodology Page 13-14 Result Page 15-17 Discussion Page 18-19 Conclusion Page 20 References Page 21-23 Appendix B • Survey Questionnaires Page 1-4 • Figure Page 5-6 • Journals Page 7-17 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to take this golden opportunity to thank Mr. Goh Wai Meng, our ADP Co-Coordinator for allowing me and giving me the opportunity to take up Senior Project as a subject. I also like to thank Mr. JQ. Lim, for his kindness and long dedication in helping me in completing the project. Without his guidance and help, I would not be able to complete this subject successfully and comprehensively. Not forgetting our fellow classmates for in giving us the co-operations by giving me the necessary information which helps me in finishing my compilation on time. Without them, the class also would not be a fun, learning environment. Through this subject, I able to understand and...
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