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AP IV Lit and Composition Period 7

> || Bible 2. Summery God decides that humanity has become very wicked, and is going to destroy all living things. But Noah is a kind person, so he and his family are given the task of building an Ark and gathering in it two of every kind of animal, so the living things that are not wicked can be saved. Once the Ark is finished and all the animals are inside, God floods the world completely. While waiting for the water to subside, Noah sends out a dove, who returns with an olive branch, showing that there is dry land somewhere and that soon the flood with be over. After the flood is over, God tells Noah he will never do something like this to humanity again, and to seal this statement, places a rainbow into the sky. 3. Conflict God vs. Humanity, God decided to destroy humanity and there is no way to stop it. Person vs. God. Noah isn't really conflicting with God, but God's put him in an awkward situation, and Noah probably had some doubt about whether building this Ark would work, sort of Person vs Self, but caused by God. 4. Themes There are several themes in this story. The overall message is that God is all powerful, and as easily as he made people, he can destroy them again. But, if you're a good person, you don't have anything to worry about. It's also a story of faith, that Noah trusted God's instructions to build an Ark, gather all the animals, and waited in a flooded world, because he believed God knew what he was doing and it would turn out all right. . ||
 * **Your Name** || ** Name of the Allusion ** || ** Allusion Workshop Post ** ||
 * Allison Cai || The Garden of Eden || **Source**: Biblical []**Summary**: God created man, Adam, gave him a living soul, and placed him in a garden in Eden to tend to it. He could eat from every tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or else he will die. From Adam’s rib, God created a woman called Eve. The serpent, Satan, questions Eve as to why she avoids eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She answers that if she touches the fruit, she will die, while the serpent says that she and Adam would become Gods. Eve eats the fruit and then Adam does the same, which make them become aware of good and evil. God finds them and punishes them by driving them out of the garden and giving them a life of labor, pain, and sorrow until they die and become the dust from where they came.
 * Conflict**: Man vs. himself: Man wants to eat from the tree because it’s tempting, but he knows he should not disobey God. He decides to eat the fruit. Man vs. God: After disobeying God’s commands, the man is punished, and also driven out of the garden.
 * Themes**: Two themes in this story are the downsides of human nature and wanting what you can’t have. It is human nature to be curious of what would happen if they got what is forbidden from them and also taking in more of what exactly they want to hear. Eve wanted to eat from the tree, but couldn’t do so until something told her it would be okay, even though she knew it wouldn’t be. This ties into the theme of deception. The serpent deceits Eve into eating the fruit by telling her she would not die, but she would actually become a God. ||
 * Jim Horvath || Pandora’s Box || # ** Source ** : Greek ([])
 * 1) ** Summary ** : Prometheus, mankind’s benefactor, wanted to aid humans in any way he could., including giving them the gift of fire. However, Zeus, the king of the Gods, knew that man would misuse and destroy with it. Prometheus knew the good man did with fire would outweigh the bad, so he stole fire away from the gods and gave it to them. Zeus decided to punish Prometheus with trickery, so he made clay figure of a woman, Pandora, which he brought to life. Then Zeus gave her a box and told her she was never to open it. Next, he offered Pandora as a wife to Prometheus. Pandora always wondered what was in the box Zeus gave her. Finally she couldn't resist and opened the box, and from it flew hate, sickness, poverty, and every evil in the world. She closed the box and managed to trap the final evil, hopelessness, inside.
 * 2) ** Conflict ** : The conflicts in this story are both Man vs. Gods and Man vs. Self. For the Man vs. Gods portion, Zeus, the king of the gods, created both Pandora and the box that contained all the evils of mankind, in order to get back at Prometheus. Also, Pandora’s own curiosity caused the evils to be released.
 * 3) ** Theme ** : Multiple themes can be found in __Pandora’s Box__. First, there is the theme of disobedience. Pandora disobeyed Zeus’s warning not to open the box, as her curiosity got the better of her. When she opened the box, she suffered the ultimate consequence: all the evils of humanity were released. She undermined authority and as a result there was “hell” to pay. Another theme that is present in the story is the ancient Greek equivalent of the saying “curiosity killed the cat.” If Pandora hadn’t been so curious, the box would have remained closed.
 * Harry Zahn || Cain and Abel || # **Source:** Biblical story Genesis iv, 1-16 http://www.hymns.me.uk/03-cain-and-abel-bible-story.htm
 * 1) **Summary:** Adam got Eve pregnant and she bore two children, Cain being the older one and Abel the younger one. Abel became a keeper of sheep and Cain became a tiller of the earth. When the appropriate time came, Cain presented the Lord with an offering of fruit while Abel offered the young sheep from his herd. The Lord offered respect to Abel and his gift, but none to Cain. So Cain became angry. Then Cain and his brother started talking in a field and eventually Cain rose against Abel and killed him. The Lord asked what Cain had done. He said he heard Abel’s cry from the ground and realized that Cain had killed him. The Lord then cursed Cain so that the earth wouldn’t provide him with crops, he would be a fugitive and a vagabond. Cain wanted to die for what he did so God said that anyone who killed Cain would get punished sevenfold.
 * 2) **Conflict:** There is a conflict of man vs. man because a farmer fueled by jealousy kills his brother, but Abel also becomes the first murder and the first martyr. However, this could also be significant of the conflict between nomadic shepherds and settled farmers. Man vs. God because of punishment God gives Cain.
 * 3) **Themes:** One of the themes present in Cain and Abel is the theme of vengeance. Cain clearly is jealous of Abel that God accepts Abel’s offer and not his own, therefore Cain kills able. Vengeance is also present when God finds out Cain killed Abel because God then doesn’t let the earth provide Cain with crops and he forces Cain to wander the land as a fugitive. Cain and Abel also presents the theme of sacrifice, suggesting that God demands living sacrifices and is not interested in other types. Class warfare is another theme because of the clash between Cain the farmer and Abel the shepherd. ||
 * Chelsea Katz || Odysseus and the Trojan Horse || # **Source:** Greek, //The Trojan Horse,// a tale from //The Trojan War**,**// from Virgil’s Latin poem, //The Aeneid.//
 * 1) **Summary:** This story takes place after Homer’s //Illiad,// and before //The Odyssey.// The story is that the Greeks strategically constructed a huge wooden horse, which hid a chosen selection of thirty of their men inside. The Greeks pretended to sail away and the Trojan’s took the horse into their gated city as a symbol of victory. The hidden men in the horse snuck out of the horse at night and open the gates to allow the rest of the Greek army into the city. The Greek army entered and launched a surprise attack, destroying the city of Troy and winning the Trojan war. The horse was an emblem of the city of Troy and it was apparently Odysseus’ idea to build the horse, and fool the Trojans. The building of the horse took about 3 days. One man would be left outside of the horse to appear “abandoned” and ensure the Trojans took the horse inside as a sort of trophy. This “abandoned” man was a Greek soldier named Sinon. As described by Virgil, the encounter between the Trojans and Sinon involved Sinon convincing the Trojan’s he was left behind and all remains of the Greek military are gone. He says the horse is an offering to the Greek Goddess Athena. One Trojan priest, Laocoon, uncovers the plot and tries to warn the Trojans, but Greek G-d, Poseidon, has him strangled by 2 sea serpents before any of the Trojans believe his discovery.
 * 2) **Sources of Conflict Commentary:** Aside from the obvious conflict of man vs. man in the Greek’s vs. the Trojan’s as entire societies, I found the man vs. society (Sinon vs. the Trojans) conflict to be very interesting. Sinon was a symbol of the naïve attributes in which the Trojan’s failed to realize. His name translates to sinomai, which means to harm or to hurt. Sinon’s whole story is central in portraying Virgil’s belief that the Greeks were cunning, deceitful, and treacherous. (Virgil was a supporter of the Romans). Not only does this demonstrate that political differences appear in literature, but that Virgil wasn’t just writing his story for entertainment but to voice his opinion and uncover what he believed was “the truth about the Greeks”. Another man vs. society conflict could be found in Laocoon’s struggle to unveil his discovery to the Trojan’s. He was not the first to warn them, as a Prophecy gift, Cassandra also had warned the Trojan’s not to move the horse into the city but Apollo had cursed her because she didn’t love him that no one would believe her predictions in predicting the future (her prophecy). It’s interesting to see how resistant and stubborn the Trojan society is against it’s own people and how distrusting they could be.
 * 3) **Theme Commentary:** There are many common themes which appear in Greek/Roman Literature. One I find in particular is blindness. It’s a symbol which represents being naïve, or literally blind. The Trojan’s may as well have been blinded by the Greeks because of how fooled they were by them and Sinon. It’s really interesting because Poseidon, the one who stopped Laocoon (one of very few “unblind” citizens) from unblinding the rest of society, has a son who is blind himself (Cyclops). In fact, the reason Poseidon’s son was blind was sort of his fault, and Odysseus probably wouldn’t have blinded him (in **//the Odyssey)//** if it weren’t for Poseidon in the first place. ||
 * Lauren Daurizio || Noah and the Flood || 1. Source
 * Melissa Chayt || Pygmalion and Galatea || 1**.) Source: Greek** ([])
 * 2.) Summary:** Pygmalion was an ancient Greek sculptor who created a statue of a beautiful woman who he called Galatea or “sleeping love.” He fell in love with his creation, dressing it up, giving gifts and treating it as if it were his girlfriend. He was obsessed with her and everyday he would come home to kiss her hand. One day, Pygmalion went to the temple of Aphrodite and prayed for a wife like his statue. When the sculptor returned home and kissed Galatea he found that her skin was warm and she was alive! Soon after they were married and Aphrodite was a guest of honor at their wedding. Pygmalion never forgot to thank her for his good fortune. He and Galatea brought gifts to Aphrodite’s alter for as long as they lived. In return, she blessed them with happiness and allowed them to live long, happy, peaceful lives.
 * 3.) Source of Conflict:** Man vs. Self because Pygmalion originally thinks that all women are flawed but when he finally falls in love with one, she is only a statue. He struggles with his own emotions since he is hopelessly in love with one thing that cannot reciprocate. It is an internal struggle for Galatea to be real.
 * 4.) Themes:** I think the overall theme is the power of love. Pygmalion shows a deep devotion towards Galatea, even though she was a statue, and spends his time wishing she were real. Aphrodite hears his prayers and it was his eternal love for her that made the goddess give him what he deserved in return. This type of affection for someone is seen in numerous literary pieces today. Also, Pygmalion never forgot to show how thankful he was to Aphrodite. This is why gratitude is a theme as well. Since he always remembered to honor Aphrodite, his life was filled with happiness with his wife. ||
 * Aly DeRiso || Tower of Babel || Source: Biblical, []

Summary: The Tower of Babel is found in Genesis 11:1-9, but does the phrase “the tower of Babel” does not actually appear in the Bible. Up until this point of the Bible, the world was said to have only one language. God came to see the city and tower the people of Earth had began building, predicting that their intentions were to create a “stairway to Heaven”. He believed that this would lead people away from God, and as a result, He caused them to speak different languages so they would not be able to understand one another. By doing this, the plan to build this stairway to Heaven came to an end, and the people were scattered all over the earth. The city was named Babel because, according to biblical etymology, babel comes from the Hebrew word “balal”, which means to jumble. God “jumbled” the language of the people of earth.

Sources of Conflict: Man vs. God conflict because the people of Earth were building a stairway to Heaven that God believed would lead the people away from Him. The people were using manmade products to build the tower, rather than “God-made” materials, which proved that they were calling attention to themselves and their achievements rather than giving glory to God.

Themes of work: The story of the Tower of Babel explains the variation of human language. It shows how once the people of Earth experienced a language barrier, they were no longer able to complete the “stairway to Heaven”, just as God had hoped to prevent the people from being lead away from Him. I also noticed that the competition of the people vs. God was apparent in this story. The people were being selfish in using the manmade materials to build the tower rather than using “God-made” materials which would have been stronger to build the tower. The people of earth were calling attention to themselves and their achievements by using the manmade materials, rather than showing praise to God by using more durable materials. ||
 * Lexi Chicles || Daphne and the Laurel Wreath || 1. Source: Greek http://www.haverford.edu/engl/engl277b/Contexts/greek_myths.htm

2. The mythical story of Daphne and the Laurel Wreath is about how the God Apollo fell in love with a nymph, Daphne, and the daughter of the River God. She had no interest in finding a husband and loved being on her own. Apollo had gotten into a fight with the God of love, Eros. One day Apollo went for a walk and he saw the beautiful Daphne. For revenge Eros shot Apollo with an arrow that made him fall desperately in love with her. She ran from him because she did not love him but she knew she would never be able to escape a God. She ran to her father and begged him to help her so as soon as Apollo was about to grab her she turned into a Laurel tree. Apollo took her leaves and braches and made a wreath that he would wear around his head to commemorate her.

3. There are two conflicts here. One is between man vs. man and the other is man vs. God. The first is man vs. man between Apollo against Eros for their argument and the other is the conflict. Second is the man vs. God conflict between Daphne and Apollo because she does not want to love him.

4. Themes of this myth include torturous revenge and the mistreatment of women. The God Eros viciously punished Apollo for simply teasing him about the truth of his arrows. This could be referenced through an unfair or exaggerated form of revenge in literature. Also, Daphne has no choice other than to run and transform in order to escape the powerful Apollo. This theme could be alluded to through actions of over baring men and the ways that they try to control their women. For example, an abusive relationship could be referenced through this myth of an unwilling woman and a forceful man. || 3. Conflict: Man vs. God: The people in the cities did not do as God wanted, so God punished them. This story is from the Bible, so the purpose of the conflict is most likely to show the consequences of not following God’s commandments, and also to show God’s power over humans. 4. Themes: This story mainly focuses on God’s power. It teaches that if you do not follow God’s commandments, you will be punished. And besides the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s wife was also destroyed because she did not listen to God, which shows that no matter how small of a demand, God expects us to obey. The 10 Commandments were created to establish law and order, and God expected them to be followed. So when the people of Sodom and Gomorrah failed to do so, God felt there was no choice but to punish them. || 2. Summary: Echo, a talkative nymph, distracted Hera with stories, while Zeus had affairs with the other nymphs. When Hera discovered this, she punished Echo by taking her voice away, so that she could only repeat what another voice said. Soon, Echo fell in love with the vain Narcissus, who rejected many lovers. When Echo saw Narcissus for the first time, she desperately wanted to talk to him. When Narcissus finally saw Echo, he rejected her. Echo was heart broken, causing her to spend the rest of her life longing for the love she never had until only her voice remained. No love was ever fulfilling enough for Narcissus. When, he saw a person in the water spring, he immediately fell in love, only to discover that it was his own reflection. He was miserable once he realized that he could never possess the object of his infatuation, causing him waste away his life. 3. Conflict: Man vs. himself: Narcissus is unable to express love for anyone else other than himself due to his excessive pride, which causes him to push others away. Even though Narcissus is so infatuated with his appearance, he is unable to change and learn to become less self-centered. 4. Themes: The overall theme is that one should never have excessive pride, which is considered a sin in Greek mythology, as it will ultimately cause the downfall of someone. In this situation, Narcissus believed that none of his admirers, including Echo, were worthy of his love. This displays the idea that if one believes that they are better than everyone, they will ultimately push everyone away until there is no one left, just like Narcissus. Another theme is unreturned love, as Narcissus rudely rejects Echo’s love. Narcissus is incapable of expressing love, which causes Echo to wither away until only her voice remains. || 2. Summary: Abraham feared God and always obeyed His commandments, and for that He would reward him. He gave him many things, including a son, named Isaac. One day, God decided to test Abraham and told him to take Isaac to Mount Moriah, where he was to build an alter and offer his son as a sacrifice. Abraham said he would because he knew that God would not make him do something that was wrong, and even if Isaac died, God could raise him from the dead. They rose early in the morning and set up the mountain together. As soon as Isaac was laid upon the alter and Abraham was about to take his son’s life, God called to him and told him to stop because he was now assured that he feared Him. Behind him was a ram caught in a bush, so he took it and offered it to God instead. 3. Conflict: Man vs. God: God wants to test Abraham so he tells him to sacrifice his son. Abraham loves Isaac but he agrees because he fears God and thinks He might punish him if he objects. He does as God says but doesn’t have to kill Isaac because God admits to testing him. 4. Themes: Abraham and Isaac is a sacrificial story. In this story, Abraham has to sacrifice his son in order to please God. He does this out of fear, which is another theme. Abraham is willing to do anything that God asks him to because he is afraid of anything bad that He might do to him. Abraham has a lot of faith in God to come so close to killing his son without knowing any reason why he is doing so. God takes full advantage of Abraham to test his fear and learns that he is both fearful and obedient to him. || Jason was the son of King Aeson, Jason was sent away at a small age, when Jason returned to his homeland to claim his inheritance from his uncle, who over took his fathers land, the uncle agreed to hand over the kingdom, but only if he could retrieve a Golden Fleece that was guarded by a fire-breathing dragon in Colchis. Jason accepted the challenge. He built a large boat called the Argo, and collected a crew of about 50 people. They conquered adventures such as the Blue Rock islands, fire breathing bulls, the dragon, and the dragon’s teeth, which would then turn into soldiers. He conquered them thanks to the magic of Medea, the daughter of the King whose island Jason was on. He later brought Medea home and married her, and they got home successfully after getting lost thanks too a few gods who got mad the Medea killed her brother. Man vs. Nature: Jason must over come the geographical issues that come along with traveling to Colchis, over tough seas, along with the animals that he must conquer when he gets to Colchis which I perceive as nature. I believe a reoccurring theme is overcoming obstacles to get what you want. First Jason wants the fleece so he must begin his quest for it. He had to over come the Blue Rocks, fire-breathing bulls, warriors, the guardian dragon, getting lost getting home, Telos (who threw rocks at ships trying to dock), and a few other things. He had to over come these things in order to over come his uncle and take back the thrown that was originally his father. Each individual adventure made him stronger and helped achieve his ultimate goal. || 2. Summary: Jacob and Esau were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca. Esau, the first-born, was a strong hunter and was closer to Isaac, while Jacob was more studious and closer to Rebecca. One day, Esau sold all of his privileges as first-born to Jacob for some stew. However, Isaac did not know this and wanted to bless Esau. He ordered Esau to hunt and prepare a meal so that Isaac could bless him as the first-born. Rebecca heard about this and made a plan to deceive Isaac. She dressed Jacob in Esau’s clothing and put animal skins on his body so that he would smell and feel like Esau. Jacob brought Isaac a meal of his own, and Isaac, who had become blind, believed it was Esau and accepted the meal. Isaac then gave Jacob the blessing; when Esau found out what had happened, he vowed to kill his brother. 3. Conflict: Man vs. Man - Jacob and Rebecca deceive Isaac so that he will bless Jacob. All of this comes at the expense of Esau, who loses his superior position as the first-born of the family. Esau’s rage at Jacob immediately after the incident furthers the conflict between the two twin brothers. 4. Themes: A major theme in the story of Jacob and Esau is that of conflict within the family. In order to ensure that he receives the blessing, Jacob is forced to deceive his own father and cheat his brother. While Jacob does succeed in his deceit, his actions hurt his already strained relationship with his brother. In this family, there was also plenty of favoritism. Isaac preferred his first-born son Esau and intended to give him a blessing. However, Rebecca favored Jacob, and was determined to see him receive his father’s blessing, instead of his older and more rugged twin brother. || Cannillo || Joseph, His Brothers, and the Coat of Many Colors || 1. Source: Biblical ([|Coat of Many Colors Link]) 2. Summary: Joseph had 11 brothers and his father, Jacob, loved him more than any of the other sons because he was born to him in his old age. Jacob made Joseph a colorful, ornamented robe. The 11 other sons saw that their father loved Joseph the most, and would never talk nicely to Joseph. One day, Joseph was sent to find his brothers who were tending the sheep. The brothers saw Joseph coming, and before he reached them, the 11 brothers plotted to kill him. Although, one brother, Rueben, convinced the brothers to throw him into a cistern instead of killing him. They took of his robe and threw him into an empty cistern. They sold him to a group of merchants for 20 shekels, and was later sold as a slave. The brothers drenched his coat in blood to prove Joseph's death. 3. Conflict: Man vs. self- This conflict is portrayed by the brothers and their jealousy. Man vs. society/situation- Aside from his brothers, Joseph himself faces an important conflict. As the favored child, Joseph must learn to live with the difficulties presented along with his pampered life.Joseph's innocence and position in life present him with a conflict in which is is unable to change. 4. Commentary: One of the themes involved is jealously. In this story, jealousy is something that overpowers brotherhood and love. This tells the reader that the connection between Joseph and his brothers was never strong. Another evident theme is that the youngest child is the favored. Although not always the case, this story is an example of how the youngest child receives the most attention and treatment. However, this does not mean that he receives the most love. Before judging someone based on the way other people treat them, or their place in society, it is important to get to know them first. Always looked at as the favorite, the older brothers never took the time to understand that Joseph was a good person and brother like the rest of them. || Moses was tending a flock of sheep when he approached the mountain of G-d. When he got there, he saw a bush that was on fire, but it was not burning up. He went to explore, and G-d called out to him from inside the bush. G-d told Moses that he had seen the suffering of the Israelites, and instructed him to request that Pharoh allow them to leave so that they could find a prosperous place to live. Moses replied humbly asking who was he to approach Pharoh and demand that the Israelites be freed, but G-d reassured him that he would be with Moses, and that he would compel Pharoh to comply. He also told Moses that the elders of Israel would listen to him and that the Israelites would follow him on his journey. Finally, G-d told Moses that the Israelites were to take valuables from the Egyptians with them.
 * Rachel Fischer || Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah || 1. Source: Biblical ([])2. Summary: The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a “powerful lesson in the perils of wickedness.” According to the Book of Genesis, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were filled with sinners, and to punish them, God destroyed the cities and everyone in them with fire and brimstone. However, God allowed Lot, a good man, and his family to leave the city before it was destroyed. God told them to leave the city and not look back, but Lot’s wife looked back at the city, and God turned her into pillar of salt. The story is a topic of debate among historians, as there is little evidence that either of these cities actually existed. Also up for debate is the reason why God punished the cities. Many Christians believe that they were destroyed because the people were homosexual, but others dispute this, saying the cities were destroyed because of their lack of hospitality toward strangers.
 * Allie Levin || Echo and Narcissus || 1. Source: Greek (http://thanasis.com/echo.htm)
 * Katie Haskins || Abraham and Isaac || 1. Source: Biblical
 * Lexi Halperin || Jason and the Golden Fleece || **1. Souce**- Greek ([])
 * 2. Summary:**
 * 3. Conflict**
 * 4. Themes**
 * Ryan Simpson || Jacob and Esau || 1. Source: Biblical (http://www.israel-a-history-of.com/jacob-and-esau.html#%3Cb%3ERebekah%27s%20Plot%20%28Gen.%2027%29%3C/b%3E)
 * Danarenae Donato || Cupid and Psyche || **Source:**Greek Mythology (http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/cap/cap02.htm)
 * Summary:** When a beautiful girl named Psyche was born, people worshiped her and neglected Venus, the goddess of love. Venus orders her son, Cupid, to make Psyche love the vilest creature. However, Cupid falls in love with her. Psyche, following the instructions of an oracle, is made the wife of Cupid. He only comes to her at night and asks that she trusts him not to see his physical form. Psyche is convinced by her jealous sisters to kill her husband, as he is a deadly serpent. However, with knife and lamp in hand, she sees the beauty of her husband, and pricks herself with his arrow to fall even more in love with him. Cupid awakens and ends the relationship, as there is no trust. Heartbroken, Psyche calls to Venus, and Venus gives her several deadly tasks; the last task results in an endless sleep. Cupid, who has forgiven her, saves her and has Jupiter make her a goddess.
 * Conflict:**
 * Person vs. self:** Psyche must decide if she is capable of trust and of facing death for love. Cupid must decide if he can forgive and love Psyche again. These actions prove their true love.
 * Person vs. Person and God:** Psyche must face her sisters’ jealousy and the conflicts resulting from their influence, which includes overcoming Venus’ jealousy and wrath.
 * Themes:** One theme is true love, which is evident by Psyche’s actions to be reunited with Cupid, and by Cupid forgiving her and making her immortal in order to spend eternity together. Another theme is searching for one’s self and soul to be satisfied and loved. These themes are intertwined as true love and love for one another’s souls conquers all obstacles. Powerful women are a theme represented by Venus and by Psyche, who acts like a Greek hero. There is the common Greek mythology theme of mortal women becoming excessively worshipped over a Goddess, resulting in punishment, such as in “Arachne and Athena.” ||
 * Sammy
 * Kris Yoo || Rescue of the Child Moses || # Source: Biblical
 * 1) Summary: The Pharaoh of Egypt made a law that all boy of the Hebrew race should be killed. Moses’ mother built a small cradle and hid him by the river where he was later discovered and raised by the Pharoah’s daughter. After Moses left Egypt, God told him through a burning bush that he must save his people. God got rid of Moses’ skepticism by turning him rod into a serpent. Moses and his brother Aaron gathered the support of the Hebrews, and demanded the Pharaoh let the Isrealites go. The Pharoah refused so Moses performed a number of “miracles” like turning a river to blood, calling upon frogs and locusts, and spreading a plague. The Pharoah still didn’t listen so God killed every first born Egyptian baby, and the Pharaoh eventually released complied. After being pursued to the red sea, Moses parted the red sea saving the Israelites and drowning the Pharaoh and his followers.
 * 2) Conflict: Man vs. Man- Moses must go up against the Pharaoh, the strongest person. Man vs. Himself-Moses must gather up the courage and overcome his fears to unite his people and challenge the Pharoah. Man vs. god: The biggest conflict in this story, Moses must overcome his skepticism of god and learn to trust him.
 * 3) Commentary: I feel like this is one of the most popular and well known stories from the bible. The biggest theme I saw was that no matter how small and insignificant one may seem, we have the possibility of accomplishing greatness as seen in Moses’ triumph against the Pharoah. I also interpreted the Pharoah’s daughters act of adopting Moses as showing that we are never bounded by the personalities and actions of our parents, family history, or genetics for that matter. We always have the free will to do what is right and moral. ||
 * Eric Rosenfeld || The Burning Bush || This story is from the bible, Exodus 3. []

There are two main conflicts in the story; the first is between the Israelites and the Egyptians, and the second is Moses’s internal conflict. The first is a societal and moral conflict, while the second is a fear of lack of support and self-doubt.

The main theme of the work is self-doubt. Moses is a humble man, and he doesn’t believe that he can command the respect and the trust of the Israelites. He also doesn’t believe that he can convince Pharoh to allow the Israelites to leave, asking, “Who am I that I should go to Pharoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” G-d encourages Moses, and convinces him that he is the man for the job. He also pledges his support. Many people want to change things, but very few do. The story encourages readers to take a chance and fight for his beliefs. || [] 2. Summary: The new Pharaoh of Egypt was afraid of the Jew’s power so he turned them into slaves. God came to rescue his people by sending Moses to Egypt. When the Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go, God sent a series of plagues to Egypt to help them. The final was that the first-born would die. Each Hebrew family was told to take a lamb, slaughter it, and place blood on the door frames of their homes. This way, when the destroyer passed over Egypt it would pass over the homes cover in Passover lamb. The Pharaoh was first going to let the Israelites go, but changed his mind and sent his army to meet them at the Red Sea. Moses stretched out his hands and parted the sea, letting the Israelites to cross with a wall of water on each side. When the army went to follow, Moses stretched out his arms again and the entire army was swept away. 3. Conflict: The conflict is man vs. man. The Israelites were under the harsh treatment of the Pharaoh and were suffering. The Passover is the Israelites against the Pharaoh because they were escaping Egypt. This could also be man vs. God because the Pharaoh was challenging God who was issuing the plagues and helping the Israelites. 4.Theme: One theme of The Passover is redemption of slavery. The Israelites were slaves under the Pharaoh’s rule and were treated harshly. With the help of God, the Israelites escaped the cruel and unjust conditions of Egypt. This is important because the Israelites were able to maintain their freedom and escape the Pharaoh. Passover is celebrated to commemorate the escape and freedom of the Israelites. || 2. Summary: After the Israelites fled Egypt and Pharaoh, the Lord told them, through Moses, to camp by the sea. When Pharaoh found out the Israelites fled, he took six hundred of his best chariots, along with other chariots, and officers to pursue them. They caught up to them at the sea where the Israelites were camping. As soon as the Israelites saw the Egyptians, they began doubting their motion of leaving, but Moses kept them calm. The Lord told Moses to stretch his hand across the sea; he obeyed and the sea parted so the Israelites could pass through. They walked with walls of water on either side of them and the Pharaoh and his men following. Once Moses and the Israelites were safely across, the Lord told Moses to once again stretch his hand across the sea. They watched as the Pharaoh and his chariots were swept away by the water with not one survivor. 3. Conflicts: There were two inner conflicts in the Passage Through The Red Sea. [Man vs. Man] Pharaoh and his followers were fighting against the Israelites and Moses for leaving Egypt. [Man vs. God] Pharaoh was telling people that he was the Lord and God did not exist; so God was punishing Pharaoh for his wrongdoing. 4. Commentary: The consequences Pharaoh and his men faced during Passage Through The Red Sea resulted from him calling himself a “God.” In the story, the Lord punishes him not only by letting his people go free but also by drowning Pharaoh and his men. The moral of the story is that you should never call yourself a God because there is only one God. It is also a story with a lot of obedience. The chariots are obedient to their “Lord” Pharaoh by going with him and fighting for him and the Israelites are obedient to Moses and God by doing exactly as they say. || Summary: Arachne was an extremely gifted and talented weaver. The nymphs admired Arachne’s work, and they said that it seemed as though Athena herself had taught her. But Arachne was so proud that she said that she was better than even Athena. Athena heard this, and transformed into an old woman and advised Arachne to challenge her fellow mortals if she wanted, but not to compete with a goddess. The “old woman” also advised her to beg for forgiveness, because Athena would pardon her. Arachne became angry and insulted the old woman, who revealed herself as Athena. They began a weaving competition, and Arachne designed her web with pictures of follies of gods. Arachne made a beautiful web, but Athena was insulted and destroyed the web, making Arachne feel ashamed. Arachne hung herself, but Athena brought her back to life and condemned her and all her descendants to become spiders. Sources of conflict: There is more than one conflict in this story. Ostensibly, it could be categorized as man vs. god. However, because the story is meant to teach about the dangers of hubris, the conflict is man vs. himself. Arachne’s pride is, in truth, what led to her downfall. Themes of the book: This is a simple parable used to demonstrate the larger moral point that pride is dangerous. The Greeks are not necessarily claiming that if you boast and brag, the gods will smote you. Athena is rather a symbol for the negative repercussions that accompany hubris. Though Arachne had talent, she devalued her own abilities by exhibiting too much pride. If she had been grateful for her talents and willing to teach them, she would never have endured the wrath of Athena. This is a story designed to teach virtues. Something that is interesting is that these particular virtues have continuity throughout history, particularly within Western culture. || http://www.livingmyths.com/Greek.htm#Paris 2. The hero of the Greek myth, Paris, was known for his beauty and loyalty and was respected by the Gods. Eris, the God of strife, was uninvited to a divine wedding, and angrily crashes the wedding and leaves behind a golden apple with “To the Fairest” engraved on it. It lands between three beautiful Goddesses, who all bicker over who deserves to keep the apple. Zeus decides to give Paris the honor of choosing the winner. The three Goddesses all bribe him, and ultimately, Paris accepts Aphrodite’s offer of the most beautiful mortal woman in exchange for the apple. Helen of Troy falls madly in love with him under Aphrodite’s spell, but Paris has to steal her away from her powerful husband. The two run away together, which caused Helen’s husband to begin the Trojan war in pursuit of his wife. The war leads to Paris’s eventual death. 3. In the story, there is literally a conflict of man vs. God when Paris struggles against the two jealous Goddesses whose offers and bribes he had rejected. However, the primary conflict was one of man vs. self, when Paris must live with the consequences of his lust and greed. 4. The major symbol in the story is, of course, the golden apple. Biblically, an apple has always symbolized temptation and lust, and the fact that it is golden stands for greed and wealth. This symbol dictates the themes of this novel. In addition, another of the novel’s themes is petty jealousy, which manifests itself in both Eris’s rude entrance and in the Goddesses’ obsession with the competition. The tragic and violent climax of the story, the Trojan war, warns the reader not to fall prey to the dangers of jealousy or temptation. ||
 * Julia Masur || The Passover || 1. Source: The Bible
 * Jaime Weinberg || Passage through the Red Sea || 1. Biblical: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+14&version=NIV
 * Shannon Park || Midas and the Golden Touch || **Source:** //Midas and the Golden Touch// derives from a Greek Mythology. ([])
 * Summary:** Midas was the king of Pyrygia, a king whom had everything he could wish for. Despite his over-abundant lifestyle, gold was his infatuation. When he encountered Silenus, a satyr accompanying the God of wine, the king invited him to spend a few nights at his palace. When Midas returned Silenus back to the God of wine, the God of celebration showed his appreciation by granting the king a wish. Midas, only thinking impulsively, wished that everything he touched would turn to gold, believing that it would be a blessing. However, he discovered that by turning everything he touched into gold, it restricted him from being happier. After turning his daughter into gold, Midas was now convinced that the wish had become a curse. He prayed for it to be taken from him, and the Gods directed Midas to wash his hands in the river of Pactolus where the gold would be washed off.
 * Commentary on sources:** Midas confronts a man vs. himself conflict when he is forced to face his desires. When faced with any addiction, man has to face the internal and mental antagonism that comes with overcoming it. Midas failed to acknowledge the consequences of the wish he made because his desire for money was greater.
 * Commentary on themes:** Some of the greatest lessons are learned the hard way. One might not see their values as a threat until they are put into a position in which the values are used against them. The important theme of appreciation applies to //Midas and the Golden Touch//. Midas took his fortune for granted and only appreciated his life after it was jeopardized. He neglected what he already had until he lost it. This theme emphasizes that humans are never satisfied, which is also presented in many biblical stories where God forces people to appreciate what they have by first taking it away from them. ||
 * Maura Carey || Arachne and Athena || Source: http://www.goddess-athena.org/Encyclopedia/Athena/Arachne.htm
 * Zachary Weinstein || Daedalus and Icarus || # This story appears in Book VIII of // Metamorphoses //, an epic poem by the Roman poet Ovid.
 * 1) Daedalus, a skilled craftsman, and his son, Icarus, are being held captive by King Minos on the island of Crete. In order to escape, Daedalus creates two pairs of wings made of wax and feathers. He warns Icarus not to fly too close to the sun because the wax will melt or too close to the sea because the feathers will get wet. The father and son escape through the window in their tower and fly towards freedom. After a while Icarus’ curiosity and confidence get the best of him and he flies toward the sun, which melts his wings and sends him plummeting to his death. The sea was named the Icaria Sea in remembrance of the tragedy.
 * 2) The main source of conflict is between Icarus’ youthful foolishness and Daedalus’ aged wisdom. Daedalus warns Icarus against flying too close to the sun, but Icarus ignores his father’s warning and suffers terrible consequences. This conflict is symbolic and focuses on abstract tension, rather than physical conflict.
 * 3) The main theme is the carelessness of children and their parents’ attempt to save them. Parents devote their lives to protecting their children, but often tragedy occurs anyway. Children are naturally curious and overconfident because of their naivety, portrayed by Icarus’ dismissal of his father’s warning. This tale’s usage of wings as tragic irony produces a feeling of dreadful fascination in readers. The wings liberate Icarus and Daedalus from their prison, but also lead to the death of Icarus. The beauty and horror produce an effect so that the reader can’t help but watch the tragedy unfurl. ||
 * || Orpheus and Eurydice ||  ||
 * || Samson and the Philistines ||  ||
 * Nicole Rifkin || Paris and the Golden Apples || 1. Source: Greek Mythology
 * || Book of Ruth ||  ||
 * || Perseus and Medusa ||  ||
 * || Jesus and Lazarus ||  ||