Best College Application Essay Topics - What to Write For Each Topic

Best College Application Essay Topics - What to Write For Each TopicWhen looking for the best college application essay topics for the most time-consuming time frame, you need to begin by defining what you want to say. There are two broad categories of essay topics: formal and informal.If you're looking for a formal topic, it should be one that includes substantive thoughts. It can be your very own personal statement or a reaction to a particular event, person, or concept. If you've been invited to apply for a job, write about your reaction to that invitation. While writing this essay, use plenty of examples to illustrate how your thoughts and views differ from the usual job candidate.The next category of essay topics is the informal topic. This type of essay will typically contain anecdotes, observations, and quotations. In many cases, the focus here is on the tone of your writing.For instance, if you're writing about a particular situation in your life, it's often best to use a con versational tone. That way, it will come across as you share your experiences with the reader, and you can provide more details to add depth to your thoughts.These two essay topics are also often used interchangeably. However, they are two very different types of essay topics. While formal ones generally focus on something that the student can simply state, informal ones tend to touch on matters that the student is just sharing.For example, if you've recently been invited to an internship, it's often best to take the opportunity to share an anecdote or a story from your recent events. Your teacher might be able to tell a similar story, and it would help to relate your experiences in order to fully understand and appreciate it. Or, if you're being interviewed, you might want to share a personal story that clearly highlights the areas of interest to the hiring manager.Other than the high school teachers, everyone can write for the class syllabus and class papers, but it may not necess arily be necessary to know how to write the same types of essays in college. Whether you're going to need to get past college admissions, or if you're looking for a perfect story to write a future college essay, getting tips on the right essay topics will definitely be useful.

The Biggest Sharks in the World

The whale shark holds the title of the worlds biggest shark species. Growing to a length of about 65 feet (the length of about 1 1/2 school buses!) and weighing about 75,000 pounds, this streamlined fish is really a gentle giant.   Some areas frequented by these sharks, such as Ningaloo Reef  in Australia, have become popular tourist destinations because of their swim-with-sharks programs. Whale sharks live  in tropical and warmer temperate waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. In addition to their size, these sharks can be easily recognized by their gorgeous coloration, which is formed from lighter spots and stripes over a gray, blue or brown skin. They also have very wide mouths, which they use to eat tiny prey -- primarily plankton, crustaceans, and small fish, which are filtered from the water as the shark swims. The second-biggest shark species is the basking shark, which grows to about 40 feet long. These animals are also plankton feeders. They live primarily in temperate ocean waters throughout the world. The Biggest Shark Filmed In summer 2015, a video swept the news, touting it was the biggest shark ever filmed. What many of the news reports failed to mention is the species. There are more than 400 shark species, and they range in size from the 60-foot whale shark to pygmy sharks and lantern sharks that are less than a foot long when fully grown. The biggest shark filmed was actually a white shark, also known as a great white shark. At average lengths of 10 to 15 feet, white sharks are generally much smaller than a whale shark or basking shark.   So, while the 20-foot white shark nicknamed Deep Blue may (or may not) be the largest white shark ever filmed, its by far not the largest shark ever filmed as there is plenty of video footage of much larger whale sharks and their slightly smaller relatives, the basking shark.   The Biggest Shark Ever Caught According to the International Game Fish Association, the largest shark ever caught was a white shark nabbed in  Ceduna, Australia. This shark weighed 2,664 pounds.   Another one of the largest white sharks caught is thought to be a 20-foot shark caught by a trawler about 12 miles off the coast of Prince Edward Island, Canada. The significance of the sharks size was underestimated at the time, and the shark was initially buried. Eventually, a scientist dug it up to investigate it and realized the enormity of the find. The shark was later estimated to have been about 20 years old, meaning it may still have had some growing to do Sources Bateman, D. 2015. Canadian Who Caught Real-Life Jaws Wishes He Hadnt. Toronto Star Newspapers. CBS News. 2015. Giant Great White Shark Caught OFF P.E.I. Was a Teenager. Grenoble, R. 2015. This Is Deep Blue, Probably the Biggest Shark Youve Ever Seen. The Huffington Post.Martins, Carol, and Craig Knickle. 2009.  Whale Shark.  Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department.

Hero Of Animal Farm Essay - 673 Words

During the great struggle that had occurred in this great fable (or novel), many of animals had done a great deed of work. The animals had formed a rebellion (Soon later to be called the Battle of Cowshed) against their heartless and cruel human enemies. With the great knowledge of the pigs and the effort of the rest of the other animals, they had overthrown the humans and replenished the farm into a sufficient stable farm suitable for the animals. They had taken very good care of their farm. Yet out of all the creatures that had now inhabited the farm, only one creature stood out to be the hero (protagonist) of the story. It is Boxer who is the unsung hero of the farm. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The farm had been taken well care of†¦show more content†¦Then it would come to the time that he would work too much. He felt that he needed to do all this so that everyone would be satisfied. He would always be the first one out on the field working and the last one off. Boxer had work as hard as anyone did in the farm. Not one animal had the strength and determination that Boxer had possessed. Without his courageousness and might the farm would have been taken over by the evil humans in which the animals feared. Boxer had made an example to all the animals to go and work harder. He was the very idol and model for everyone working in the fields. As the years went by it was decided that a windmill was needed for electricity. The animals were unsuccessful when the wind knock down the windmill. Despite what had happened, the determined animals had decided to make a new windmill. This windmill was to be annihilated be the humans that had attacked. Boxer had been injured during this battle. Nevertheless he had refused to rest. He would not give up until a new windmill would be built before his retirement. He then went on with his work. Working hard and struggling to get every single boulder shattered; it had finally happened, the inedible had come, he collapse on the floor and he knew what was to happened. Even though he had partially recovered from his injuries he knew that the breath he was taking was one of his own. Two days later he was taken away, and was never seenShow MoreRelatedAnimal Farm By George Orwell1154 Words   |  5 Pagesyour own ideas and never give up just like the creator hero Snowball of the book Animal Far m by George Orwell. Snowball was trying to convince his ideas of how the animal farm should be ran to the entire farm. However, Napoleon had others ideas that most of the time conflicted with Snowball’s. Therefore, Snowball is depicted as a creator hero. Snowball from Animal Farm is a creator hero, since he is motivated by creating the best animal farm; his character flaw is trying to create ideas that areRead MoreAnimal Farm by George Orwell1338 Words   |  5 PagesIt can be thought that those who always put their people first are the most successful leaders. In the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, the pig Snowball adopts this style of leadership. His actions and intentions are always for the best of the group. Others may not use this leadership style like Napoleon another pig competing for the title of leader of Animal Farm. Napoleon instead uses his power to â€Å"lead the group†. He suppresses, persecutes, and uses fear to keep control of the masses and toRead MoreRole and evolution of the hero in literature1472 Words   |  6 Pages If Hero means sincere man, why may not everyone of us be a Hero? (Carlyle, qtd. in Hoyt s New Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations). This statement makes heroism seem simple, but is being sincere enough to make you a hero? In modern society, the answer is likely to be yes, but in literature, it can be controversial. A hero in literature is generally portrayed as a man of action rather than thought. He exceeds ordinary men in skill, strength, and courage and his usual occupations are warRead MoreMacbeth and Animal Farm Essay901 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween the texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects Focus on progression of power Compare the way George Orwell and William Shakespeare present and develop power and attitudes to power in Animal Farm and Macbeth. Writer’s sharing of attitudes other characters and writers AO1 = respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and evaluate relevant textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations AO2 = explain how languageRead MoreAnimal Farm, By Ayn Rand1240 Words   |  5 Pagesthe suffering of animals by their abusive owner in his novel Animal Farm, an allegory to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Society today is comprised of individuals whose perspectives sometimes clash with the majority and the results raise many debates. In three illustrations–Anthem, Animal Farm, and society today—physical and social fear plays a large role in the creation of heroes and subjection of the people to silence. Without a doubt, Equality in Anthem is the epitome of a hero who breaks traditionRead Morebecause it gives them a bad name if there supporting dehorning the cattle that are used for their1100 Words   |  5 Pagesaccomplished and they still to this day are trying to get animals the rights that they think they deserve. The Humane Society of the United States’ slogan is â€Å"Be a Hero.† This is exactly what the purpose of the organization is, being a hero to all the animals in distress. Within the past year, the Humane Society has helped save seventy-six thousand animals that were maltreated and abused. The Humane Society has been a leading voice in animal rights for more than fifty years. It is a group with manyRead MoreRevolutions Everywhere!: Animal Farm by George Orwell873 Words   |  4 Pagesconstruction. A novel named Animal Farm was written by the author George Orwell after he realized the terror brought upon a revolution and therefore wrote the novel to convey his hatred of these events. This book gives an example of a revolution in a society of animals. Most revolutions work in in a similar fashion; so, many revolutions have similar aspects to the story in Orwell’s novel, one of them being the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon. The Cedar Revolution of 2005 parallels Anim al Farm in which both uprisingsRead MorePower Corrupts In George Orwells Animal Farm804 Words   |  4 Pages In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm the reader is taken to Mr. Jones Manor Farm where the animals begin a rebellion. Among the rebellion two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, declare themselves as the new leader. Over the course of the story Napoleon manipulates animals into making him the sole leader. With all the power given to only him, he begins controlling every accept of the animals lives and forces them to follow his rules. Eventually they are back where they were in the beginning with MrRead MoreAnimal Farm Essay838 Words   |  4 Pagessatire Animal Farm becomes a movie . Like the book, the movie is a drama/ action film. It focuses on a farm, - Manor Farm- which is run by an alcoholic farmer known as the character Jones. Jones mistreats, abuses and starves the animals, forcing them to work day after day, striving to make the farm a success. This is because he is in debt and fears the possibility of losing the farm. Unfortunately, his hard work didnt pay off, and Jones was faced with more disappointment. The animals grow tiredRead MoreSummary and Comment on Animal Farm (6th Grade)965 Words   |  4 PagesThe book ‘The Animal Farm’ is a cleverly written book by George Orwell, which was first published in 1945. The time in which the book’s happenings play is not very specific, but can be concluded to the early 20th century in a farm house of rural England. In this book George Orwell describes the negative sides of communism by using different animals on a farm to substitute the different ranks and positions of people in a communist country. This fictional story features quite a few main characters

Analysis Of The Movie The Halls Of The Montezumas By...

The Mexican War was a test to the belief that the United States had about itself and its destiny of gaining land. The book To the Halls of the Montezumas by Robert W. Johannsen demonstrates the way in which race interweaves with the war, with Americans not just viewing Mexicans as inferior, but as superior to others themselves, functioning independent of any other race. The victories against Mexico simply support the argument; the demeaning of Mexicans was another way to justify the military actions. The overblown ego and sense of the entitlement that the United States has is what makes the territorial expansion, and the means through which it acquires land, seemingly in the American spirit. This attitude is fitting with its actions. It was the early victories that the United States experienced that at first was shocking, but then gave credence to the belief of the inferiority of Mexicans. As the contact and fighting between the United States and Mexico grew, so did the justifications in the racial superiority of the Americans . It is with this confidence that people began to feel that they could accurately point to the problem of Mexicans, mainly that they seemed a combination of all different races, the worse qualities of each being the ones that remained . This belief that the white population of the United States, as a whole, was comprised of a better people was confirmed by the Army as it encountered them militarily and culturally as it marched deeper into the country.

To Better Understand The Poem “If You Were Coming In The

To better understand the poem â€Å"If you were coming in the fall† it is helpful to know more about the poet herself, Emily Dickinson. She was born on December 10, 1830 and attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary for one year. Dickinson rarely left her home, so when she did the people she would meet greatly impacted her. In many poems she discussed love. There are three men who her poems are most likely about. Charles Wadworth, Otis P. Lord, and Samuel Bowles were all men she had relations with and was very fond of them. By the mid 1860s, Dickinson was living in isolation with her father, brother, and sister. To her, they were not just family but intellectual companions. Much of Dickinson’s work was influenced by metaphysical poets and also†¦show more content†¦To her, Summer will pass with half a smile, because she will see her lover soon, and half a spurn because she must wait all summer before seeing her lover. She uses summer because most people see summer as something fun, but for Dickinson, she cannot truly enjoy summer without her lover. In the second stanza, Dickinson says that is she had to wait a year to see her lover she would wind the months in balls and put them all in separate drawers. She plans to do this to make the illusion that time is going by faster. She also does this to emphasis that each months is its own challenge. After each month passes, she will just have another drawer to open and another month to overcome. It is also interesting to note that after Dickinson s death, many of her poems were found at the crumbled at back of her clothes drawers. This just shows that this poems was written to express the true, raw emotions Dickinson was feeling at the time. In the third stanza there is a notable shift of optimism. The two earlier stanzas depict waiting for a season or a year. However, in the third stanza it discusses waiting for centuries. It would be easier to talk about it in terms of decades because a lifetime in decades can be counted on two hands. In her poem she exaggerates this time period being a century. Not knowing when she will see her lover again and waiting for him to come back makes the decades feel like centuries to Dickinson. SheShow MoreRelated In Limbo, by Edward Brathwaite, I feel that there are numerous ways to1022 Words   |  5 Pagesnumerous ways to look at the story. Limbo In Limbo, by Edward Brathwaite, I feel that there are numerous ways to look at the story. One idea is that the poem is a journey, most likely on a slave ship. We know this due to the references like and the dark deck is slavery. If you were onboard a slave ship, and you were a slave, you would be placed underneath, on the lowest deckà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ with no lights or window. This lets in very little light, creating the dark. I recognize we are on a ship dueRead MorePoem Analysis : I Absolutely Love Poetry935 Words   |  4 Pagesthe words. When I think of a poem, I think about someone pouring their heart out to me. They use rhythm and schemes to draw us into the words. We talked about â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,† â€Å"A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,† â€Å"On My First Son,† â€Å"the Loveliest of Trees, The Cherry Now,† and â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz.† All of these poems were short and to the point. However, my favorite was â€Å"On My First Son† because it actually made me feel where the author is coming from the best. Yet, I will talkRead MoreAnalysis Of Chocolate By Rita Doves844 Words   |  4 PagesChocolate Rita Doves poem Chocolate has many different kind of literary elements in it. It is an extremley short poem but full of elements to eplain it and describe it. This poem is one of the best in literature because of Ritas usage of tone, diction, and imagry in that poem. Trying to understand exactly what she is saying in this poem is the total fun part of it all. reading this is reccomended. In this peice of lterature many things are happening. One of thoseRead MoreDifferences And Similarities Between The Chimney Sweepers, 1789. ( 1789 )987 Words   |  4 Pageswrote 2 poems, about the life of a young chimney sweepers and his point of view of this everyday event. There are obvious similarities and differences throughout both of these poems. Both poems of the chimney sweepers are historic poems written in a very childish way, it is the life of young chimney sweepers expressing their feelings and what is a normal day for them. The poems are written in a way that young childrens would pronounce their words, this is illustrated in the first poem when BlakeRead MorePoem, Mother Of Son, By Langston Hughes Essay1084 Words   |  5 PagesPoetry Journal Assignment In the poem, Mother to Son, by Langston Hughes, the author highlights counsels a mother to her son, to be persistent, not to let discouraged by obstacles that arise in life, posing herself example, â€Å"Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair†¦But all the time I’se been a-climin’ on.†, the image of a mother lovingly, wisely talking to her son about life.The language used by the mother shows that she was not an educated person and words such as â€Å"Tacks†, â€Å"splinters†, â€Å"boardsRead MoreThe Meaning Of Nothing Gold Can Stay1204 Words   |  5 Pageswas brought into this world. He wrote his poems to where you could imagine the countryside he lived on in New Hampshire. His wife was later diagnosed with cancer, and died one year after she was diagnosed in 1938. Nothing Gold Can Stay is a narrative poem because it tells a story. It is a story about nature and how things in life can be born and when its time for them to go they die. Nothing Gold Can Stay is the title that Robert Frost chose for this poem. The titles meaning is not obvious; heRead MoreSeamus Heaney s Mid Term Break921 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"sorry† or the feeling of seeing the ones you love be in such pain. In the poem, â€Å"Mid-term Break†, published in 1966, Seamus Heaney touches this subject in every aspect. In â€Å"Mid-term Break† Heaney tells the story of a young man whose brother has died and he comes home to the funeral. As the boy enters his house he sees things that are now different after the death of his brother. Heaney’s words and use of poetic devices draws a picture of the sad scene. In this poem Heaney writes about a death which isRead MoreThe Revolution Will Not Be Televised By Gil Scott Heron1454 Words   |  6 Pagesmessages were not being shown to the American public. With that being said, the black power movement had a saying for this â€Å"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised†. â€Å"The Revolution Will Not be Televised† was written by Gil Scott-Heron in 1970. This was during the time after the Civil right movement was big. Equality was still a struggle, but things were coming along, as blacks were finally getting some notice in things. The Government treated black like they did not exist and were veryRead MoreDisabled By Wilfred Owen729 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Disabled† is a sad poem about a man who on a whim decides to join the army. Unfortunately, this was not a good decision for him. He comes back no longer whole, he now has stumps where once legs stood. He also will be spending the remainder of his days in a hospital. No longer does girls look his way they now only look at him with pity. Owen writes: â€Å"Tonight he noticed how the women’s eyes Passed from him to the strong men that were whole† (lines 43-44) They looked past him to the men who were not disabledRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost1221 Words à ‚  |  5 Pagesis a dynamic and deep poem orchestrated to perfection. However, equal to its acclaim, is the misunderstanding of the poem. A piece of literature of this stature deserves to be under the microscope of our classes critical discussions. I believe that the time would be beneficial to everyone. Giving a breath of fresh air to a poem that has been abused by Hallmark cards for decades. Room should be made for the inclusion of this outstanding literature. In the opinion of this poem having literary merit

Critical Analysis of Genesis free essay sample

World Behind the text Historical and Cultural Context Genesis illustrates the way Biblical writers J (Yahwist), E (Elohist) and P (Priestly) drew upon the cultural and religious legacy of the Ancient Near East (ANE) along with its stories and imagery and transformed it to conform to a new vision of a non-mythological God and a monotheistic, superior religion. â€Å"The Pentateuch developed against the background of the Ancient Near Eastern culture first cultivated in and spread by Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian empires†. From this, we can see how Israelite religion was â€Å"shaped by responses to and reactions against this culture due both to contacts with neighboring Canaanites and to conflicts with Assyrian and Babylonian empires†. Genesis 1:1-2:4a can therefore be said to reflect the â€Å"Babylonian account of creation, which we call Enuma Elish†¦known from at least 1700 BCE,† â€Å"predating the earliest text of Genesis by at least a millennium,† as both their structure and content are similar. In both Genesis and the Enuma Elish, the earth is made up of water and is divided into upper and lower waters and the days of creation in Genesis follow almost the exact same order in the Enuma Elish. The Enuma Elish is recorded on seven tablets and the Genesis account is completed in seven days. The Babylonians created humans to serve as slaves yet in Genesis God creates humans in the likeness of the divine. The Priestly source penned the creation story â€Å"with the purpose of portraying both the beginnings of mankind and Israel in the spirit of a monotheistic concept with a didactic aim. This conveys the notion of a superior religion assuming Gods eternity; as Genesis 1:1 states that in the beginning, He created, not that he was created. It is therefore implied that at the beginning of time God was already there, and as nothing is created from thin air, we can conclude that God is omnipotent and his existence has always been, portraying him as infinitely superior to those Gods o f the Ancient Near East who were created by other Gods. â€Å"The scope of Genesis 1:1-2:4 contains an entire portrait of the nature of Yahweh, over against all pagan claims. Implying that God is a being of infinite wisdom, power and absolute intellect, superior to those of the ANE. The passage was written for the Israelites to gain an understanding of their place within Gods creation and to explain the relationship between God and humans. Source Criticism The narrative occurs twice within the first two chapters, Genesis 1 is believed to be by the Priestly author or school of authors who referred to God as ‘Elohim’ because of their observance of and focus on the Sabbath, the establishment of the priesthood and various rituals. Genesis 2-3 is seen as a doublet, or second creation story, tied to a different source, J, who referred to God as Yahweh. Whilst having a doublet of a story and various names for God used in both stories cannot be considered evidence for two separate writers, â€Å"when the doublet of stories line up into two groups where one group consistently uses one name of God and the other uses another, that’s strong evidence. † When Israel went into exile under the Babylonians in 597 to 586, a school of priests seems to have gathered many of the cultic and legal traditions together. This priestly work, called P, thus formed a source which made the earlier historical accounts more complete. † Gowan also believes that P wrote the first creation story to reflect a setting during the Babylonian exile, â€Å"after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587BC between the middle of the 6th century and the middle of the 5th century†. Given that P writes with the purpose of showing Israelites that God has showed continuing care over them from the time of the origins of the universe and â€Å"was very concerned to give Israel a sense of trust in Yahweh’s goodness and fidelity so that they would not lose faith,† it is fair to assume that it was written during the time of exile when Israelites would be questioning their faith as a result of the significant and continuous hardships they had faced. Further evidence that the author of Genesis 1 is P is that â€Å"the account of creation in Genesis 1 has the refrains and solemn tones of a liturgical prayer†¦it maintains an interest in precise genealogy lists, a task of ancient temple scribes,† and pays close attention to structure and the repetition of key expressions, having a powerful effect on the reader, a style of writing that would only have been used by the well educated at the time, pointing directly to priests. World of the text Literary Context Genesis is the first of the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, written in Hebrew in Israel, interweaving many genres including myth, epic and history. â€Å"Israel’s Bible begins with an extended look at the world prior to Israel instead of assuming that the world began when it came to be. † â€Å"Gen 2-9 is introduced by Gen 1 and carried forward by Gen 10-11. Gen 1-11 then is a single story, an unusually sustained â€Å"philosophical† and â€Å"theological† explanation,† explaining our relationship with God, our flaws and destiny and religious institutions. Whilst P is the author of Genesis 1, Genesis 2 has been tied to J and differs significantly in its tone and focus. J writes almost as if it is a fairytale and where the P account focuses on the origin of the world with the creation of mankind as its climax, J â€Å"begins with Gods creation of the man, and describes how subsequently God builds up a world for his new creature,† creating the animals for the purpose of human companionship and giving humans care over the Garden of Eden. This contrasts to P who writes that humans are to ‘subdue’ and hold ‘dominion’ over the other living beings. Furthermore, whilst P writes in a chronological and symmetrical structure, J has poorer structure and does not discuss the creation of the universe in as much depth and instead focuses on humans. Genre The genre of Genesis 1:1-2:4a serves as a ‘consciously planned’ historical narrative or genealogy, containing dialogue in the form of God’s commands of creation, climaxing with the creation of man in God’s image. It has an introduction (1:1), a body (1:2-2:3) and a conclusion (2:4a) and together a unit is formed. ’ Structure In this passage, the author is the narrator; God himself is alive. â€Å"We first encounter God in motion – His spirit moving across the face of the deep. The entire creation account can be read as the result of this motion,† with the climax of this motion being the creation of human b eings in God’s image. In this way, humans are set apart from the creation of other beings, which establishes their role on earth and facilitates communication between humans and God. The passage uses imagery throughout along with the repetition of ‘evening’ and ‘morning’ in order to divide the passage into its seven-day structure. Genesis 1:1-2:3 comprises of six paragraphs for the six days of creation with the seventh paragraph emphasizing the importance of the Sabbath, repeating the theme of seven. †The account itself is organized into two parallel groups of three. In the first group, regions are created: night and day, firmament and oceans, and the land. The corresponding inhabitants of these regions form the second group: astronomical bodies, birds and fish, land animals and man. † Upon analysis of the seven days of creation, God created habitations in the first three days for the creatures created in the final three days. The phrase, â€Å"In the beginning God created† conveys the complete authority and ownership God has over creation and is a true introduction, one that condenses the essence of the whole passage. The power that God has over everything he created is the essential message upon which the rest of the bible is built upon. The completion of the passage with the creation of mankind is a climactic end and shows the great importance placed on the creation of humans in Gods image to control and care for his creation. Literary Qualities There are various literary qualities present in the passage. Firstly, days one to three and days four to six are tied together by particular verbs. Days one through three use verbs of formation, â€Å"separate† and â€Å"gather†. While days three through six use verbs of filling; â€Å"teem†, â€Å"fill†, â€Å"be fruitful† and â€Å"increase†. Furthermore, the first three days are concerned with forming while days 4-6 focus on filling. Also, day one and day four can be compared by the use of the key word ‘light’ as can days two and five’s use of ‘upper and lower waters’ in both their creation and inhabitants. These comparisons demonstrate the intentional literary composition of the creation story, â€Å"emphasizing the symmetry and orderliness of God’s creative activity. † P â€Å"presents God’s power, freedom and unchallenged control over the world by the calm and deliberate repetition of the basic formula ‘God said,’ ‘Let there be,’ ‘And it was so. ’† The repetition of these phrases conveys a message of the ultimate strength and powerfulness of God. The overall tone of the passage is joyous with series of solemn announcements and commands. The Priestly source also uses light as a metaphor in this passage as Maier states, â€Å"it is no accident that Jesus is called the light of the world. † Religious Message amp; Purpose The message of the passage is that God is the almighty and powerful creator of the universe and all beings within it, creating humans in his likeness to care for the world. â€Å"It concludes with the sanctification of the seventh day, showing that the Sabbath day is of such importance to the author that he associates it with creation itself; but he does not explicitly draw the law of the Sabbath from creation. † The passage is set in the wilderness at the beginning of time, with the only character present in the passage being God, the creator. He displays human qualities and personalities by resting on the seventh day, allowing humans to better relate to and identify with this Supreme Being who shows human weakness in the form of tiredness. The World in front of the Text Today, just as in ancient times, religion â€Å"helps us to define ourselves, making the world and life comprehensible to us. † Humans find comfort in believing that there is something out there more powerful than themselves that has control over what they do and what happens to them and in this ense I believe that Genesis 1 is still relevant to today’s society. Both versions of the creation story were written with the intention of proclaiming the greatness of God and historically I believe the writers served their purpose, particularly during the time of the Exodus, creating â€Å"more than a story of Israel’s past (instead) creating a theology and purpose that explained the religious faith and spirit of the nation,† becoming t he foundation for Israel’s future focus upon God’s love. In ancient times, particularly during the Exodus, Gods creation and recreation of the world (the flood) and his renewed blessing after humans commit sin would have been important to remember during exile and would have given the Israelites grounds for new and continued hope. â€Å"It is easy to see that P moves the story of salvation along as a single historical lesson for future generations†¦weaving themes of blessing, promise, covenant and human response to god. † Upon such deep analysis of this passage I believe that it can still be interpreted in the same way today as it was originally intended, not in a literal manner but with an understanding of the greatness and power of God and his impact on our lives. Bibliography Achtemeier, Paul J. The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary. Rev. ed. NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996 Boadt, Lawrence. Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction. New York: Paulist Press, 1984 Clifford, Richard. J. and Murphy, Roland. E. â€Å"Genesis. † In The New Jerome Biblical Commentary.

Chapter One free essay sample

Utter, simple, apathetic, tenebrous, tournaments darkness. I see a pinpoint of light, and try to swim toward It. Either I get closer to It, or it gets closer to me, but I cant tell In the Inky darkness. The pinhole expands as It gets closer, and I get pulled toward it. It expands, and suddenly engulfs me in a flash of light. Im in a perfectly cubical white room, apparently made of marble. I turn around and see the hole I came from. An human-sized black, inky hole. It seems strange in this perfectly white cube.I turn around and start to look for an exit, but as I walk way Inky black tentacles lunge out of the hole, gripping me tightly. I struggle, but their grip Is Iron. They pull me back, to the world of darkness, but I dont want to. I try to twist about, attempting to writhe free from the tentacles. I break free, go flying forward, toward the white wall. I brace myself for impact And go straight through the wall. I stumble, and almost fall. I find myself in a large room, but with an enormous hole in the center. I look around, but theres nothing but solid white marble walls.I turn around, and they wall I stumbled through is still there. I test Its solidity, and as I expect, its solid. I search around the room, looking for any way out. On closer Inspection, I see on panel of marble Is slightly loose. I lightly tap it, and the echo tells me its hollow. I pull the panel off and look inside the tunnel. I see a simple switch. I look around, looking for anything else I can do. I pull the switch, shrugging. Its not like I have anything to lose. Suddenly, the marble block right under the secret switch, goes flying outward, hitting me hard in the stomach.I fall backwards, into the hole. I spiral down, falling down the enormous hole. As I fall I think, I was wrong. I still have my life to lose. Oh well. Im surprised to see myself still alive. I look around, and hay_ Instead of a cubic marble room, Im in a cubic jade room. Nice improvement. I look around, once again looking to an answer to my new puzzle. At the top of the ceiling, I see a bright blue block, bulging out like a button. But from my height, its way to far up for me to push. Oh hay. I know what to do, but not how. I notice that some Jade marbles along the wall are also slightly more bulgy. O up to them and try pushing on the, but nothing happens. I wonder If this Is Like one of those things Like the button wont press In unless you press the other buttons first around It In a specific order. I start pushing, but get nowhere. I stare at the blocks some more, thinking hard. And thats when I realize my mistake. Thinking hard. I was over-thinking! The bulging jade blocks arent buttons! Only the blue one is. The jade ones are footsteps to climb up! I immediately start, and get to the ceiling easily, as I was always athletic.But as I look, I realize Ill have to Jump to hit the button. Suddenly, the Jade floor looks awfully hard. I collect my broken bits of courage together, and Jump, my hand barely slapping the button. I tart to fall, toward the jade floor. I try to steady myself out, but fail horribly. I brace myself for impact And once again fall through the wall. My feet suddenly hit solid ground, or, as I realize, solid obsidian. Now Im in an obsidian cubic room, but this time there is no ceiling. Cute. I walk up to the wall and try to pass through it.Once more, I fail. I growl at the wall In frustration. When I want to, you turn solid. I punch the wall with all my power, and all I end up with is a hurting fist. I yelp, flinching backwards. I look around, imagining what a bystander would think if they saw me. I look at the walls, and for the first time I realize that there is no source of light. Everything is Just evenly lit, but from no source. There are no shadows or highlights. Strange, I think. Now that I think about it, it look surreal. Lost in thought, I hear something falling. Something heavy.I look up and see an enormous Jade block falling toward me. I leap away, my foot Just barely evading the block. I look at the Jade block. It looks strange in the obsidian room. I wonder why I didnt realize something was falling when the block came down. Shouldnt the shadow have covered me first? And then I realize, in his world of no shadows, I wont know when something falls down. Another block comes falling down, Just next to me. I realize whats going on. This is the ultimate test, and I have to avoid getting hit. I stare up, trying to spot the next block. It hits across the room, but I realize that I dont see them until seconds before they hit. That means all I can do is run around the room, screaming like a little girl. Which is exactly what I proceed to do. Eventually the blocks fill up the floor of the room, and the only space left is the area Im in. Just enough area for the next cube. I become cognizant to the act that to avoid being crushed, Ill have to Jump on top of another block. I start from the corner. I start running toward the Jade blocks, and leap for all my life is worth. I make it, but Just barely.My shoe gets caught in the next blocks fall, and I have to leave it behind. I sigh in relief, thinking everything is okay now. But Im wrong. A voice, obviously synthesized to show no emotion, says, Subject has passed Level One. Level Two will initiate in 5. .. 4 3.. . 2 1. I look at the darkness that the blocks fell from in horror, hoping that the voice is wrong. But no, nothing works for me in this world. A block falls, and I repeat the entire process again. I pray and hope for the voice to say that I passed, that its done. Im exhausted, running and Jumping everywhere.The voice, know of voice of pure evil to my ears, says, Subject has passed Level Two. Level Three will initiate in 5 4 3 2. .. 1. I curse underneath my breath. Soon, with my breath haggard and barely being able to stand, I see a ladder on the side of the wall. It was definitely not there earlier. But I accept it gratefully. I climb up and find myself in another room. Again This room is slightly different. Its still cubical, but its split in half. One side is Jade, the other obsidian. The obsidian side has a black portal, the same one that I came from, the same one from which all this started.The Jade side has the same portal, black and all. But in the middle, dead center, is a white portal. I really didnt like my experience with the dark portal, so I close my eyes and step into the portal of light. The moment I enter, I feel refreshed. I start to walk, but the very same tentacles that attacked me earlier, only white this time, grab me, wrapping around tighter than before. I struggle, and the whiteness becomes blackness. Im in the very same looking portal. The tentacles push me forward. I see two exits. One of light and one of darkness. They move toward the darkness.I struggle, and try to escape, but dont get very far. They curl tightly around me, squeezing the life out of me. The move backwards for momentum, then Jerk forward, throwing me through the inky I find myself in a stony looking room chained to the wall. I see a door in front of me. The chains pinch into my skin, burning my wrists and ankles. I wish they would go away. And they do. They suddenly disintegrate into black gas, drifting away in the wind. I go to the door, expecting it to be locked, but it isnt, as always. I step through and find myself in a room made of marble.I see a round table, in the dead center of the room. Standing on the table is a stone statue, made of obsidian with green veins flowing through it. I squint to get a better view, and see that the green veins looks like liquid Jade (if it exists) flowing through the weird statue. Two hooded figures discuss in voices to quiet for me to hear next to the table. As I step closer, one of the hooded figures turn toward me. He straightens and begins to pull his hood off. I step closer, trying to get a closer look. His face enters my vision, and suddenly Im on the ground, blackness everywhere.