High school so far...

Today in English class, we looked at some words and definitions and each group was assigned a word and we had to make a video using the word. It was a lot of fun, we had a good time making the video. So far, the best thing about high school is having so many different classes and having more freedom. Freedom as in free periods or going out for lunch. I also have a lot of classes with my friends which makes the classes more enjoyable. The work load is ok so far, I've only had a few tests and quizzes and a decent amount of homework. All the teachers are really fun and nice and don't overwhelm you with work. I love having a free period and a lunch period because I get to do my homework or study, and I get to hang out with my friends. High school is much different than middle school. Even though you switch classes in middle school, the atmosphere of high school is more fun and very different from middle school. In middle school I felt really young, and now that I'm in high school, even though we're the youngest in the school I feel a lot older and more mature.
The worst thing about high school is having to balance your time. To graduate high school, all students must have a certain amount of community service hours. Although I only have community service once a week, it interferes with extra help and my homework schedule. I get home late at night
and then I get a late start on homework. Also, clubs interfere with work, but they look good for college, so it's a good thing and bad thing. I can't wait for my next four years here!

God mind map

Reading the Old Testament and Genesis 6,7 and 8 changed my perspective on God. I never knew that God regretted anything, especially creating living things. This was a huge surprise to me. How much could we have upset God? How much bad could we have done? I guess bad enough to make God want to kill everyone with a deathly flood. God then says to Noah that he is determined to make an end to all flesh. He believes the earth is filled with violence because of all of the living things and therefore he must destroy them using the earth. The Lord was sorry that he made man on earth and it grieved him to his heart. I think that God can be a mean when he wants to be but he is truly good. After, God thinks the opposite of before. This was a huge shock, who knew a pleasing odor can symbolize something so big. God realized that Noah was able to survive the flood and this shows that living creatures are important and need to be in this world. This is showing the good side of God, because he didn't even say this out loud, he said it in his heart. He understands that the imagination of  man's heart is evil from his youth, not something they did recently. As well as God is understanding humans now, God also says some things about the animals - the other living creatures. God ends the flood and allows the creatures off the ark. He encourages them to start reproducing and living a normal life again. He feels badly that these animals were held captive in an ark, so he is encouraging them to reproduce so they can have more of that species. This is smart of God because the more animals the better.

Who's fault is it that humans got kicked out of the Garden of Eden?

Maia Kirschner

Who's fault is it that humans got kicked out of the Garden of Eden? 

It is God's fault that humans were removed from the Garden of Eden because he was the one who put the tree there in the first place and Adam and Eve were both tempted to eat from the tree. He tempted them with the tree for no reason, and when they fell for the trap, they were punished. Eve's punishment was that she would have a difficult time during her pregnancy, and Adam's punishment was that he would eat painful toil all the days of his life. Also, the toil would produce thorns and thistles, and he would eat the plants of the fields. The Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground for, which he had been taken. If God never put that tree there, they wouldn't have to be kicked out of the Garden of Eden. God set them up to fail. They fell into God's trap, and had to face the consequences that they put themselves in. Some people might say that it was Eve's fault that they got kicked out of the Garden of Eden, but we can't blame her for wanting what we can't have. They did it for their own survival. According to section 3 paragraph 24, after God drove Adam out of the Garden of Eden, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden a cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. This shows that he did not want anyone else making the same mistake that Adam and Eve both, also showing that he doesn't enjoy punishing people. 

Comparing and contrasting the Epic of Gilgamesh to the story of Genesis in the Bible

Maia Kirschner

         Comparing and contrasting the Epic of Gilgamesh to the story of Genesis in the Bible

The flood stories of Genesis and Gilgamesh are very similar but also have their differences. In the flood story of Genesis, the name of the hero is Noah. In Gilgamesh, the hero is Utnapishtim. Noah's call to adventure was a message from God, and Utnapishtim's call was because of a dream he had.
Both heroes were ordered to build a boat, and they both complained. Although both Noah and Utnapishtim's boats held all species of animals, Noah's boat had the animals and his family members. Utnapishtim's boat held family members and a few other outsiders. The flood in the story of Genesis was 40 days, however the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh was only 6. To find land, both Noah and Utnapishtim let out birds. Both men were blessed after the flood. Utnapishtim was granted eternal life while Noah was to multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over the animals. I think these stories may be similar because they were told down to the next generation and at one time it was the same story that everyone was telling but then people started to change minor details of the story and it ended up becoming a whole different story.


Sources:

http://www.icr.org/article/noah-flood-gilgamesh/
Institute Creation Research - The flood of Noah and the flood of Gilgamesh

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Maia Kirschner, and I'm a 9th grade student at Roslyn High School. The students and I in my freshman humanities English class are keeping a blog to post about our assignments and activities for everyone to look at. It's the third full week of school, and so right now we are reading, "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and other ancient stories. I find them very interesting. English is my favorite subject because I enjoy reading and writing and literature. My hobbies include dancing, baking/cooking, hanging with friends and playing with my dog. My English teacher, Mr. Reiff, has made the class so much fun so far, and it was his idea for us to make these blogs. If you're reading this, hi Mr. Reiff!