Seniors Journal #3---Needless Traditions, Harmful Rituals, Scapegoats
The Lottery places an ancient sacrificial rite in the present, that being the 1940-something hometown of Shirley Jackson.
It's frightening, of course, that someone is randomly chosen to be stoned to death for the good of the community. Aside from creating a frightening story, Jackson's point is clear.
On a figurative level, ritualistic killing still exists and is blindly accepted by a society composed of an unthinking populace. Society still feels a need for scapegoats, people on whom to place the blame for society's ills. Jackson and her family felt the sting of anti-Semitism in their own community.
On another figurative level, one perhaps that is less serious, The Lottery offers a criticism of outdated rituals, outdated rituals, ones that are often potentially harmful to the participants. Of course, I posited the idea that certain "senior" rituals, like Senior Week, Senior Assassin, and Senior Cut Day, have either outlived their benefits or have become dangerous.
Your prompt?
You can respond to my comments in any way.
You can offer your own ideas about rituals.
You might want to research a bit on the web about some unique rituals that are still practiced around the world, like the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain; the unsanctioned crucifixions in the Phillipines (warning--very graphic); the Tomatina (also in Spain); or Devil's Night (in America, the night before Halloween).
You may choose to comment about any of these rituals, too.
As always, respond in a minimum of 25 blog lines or 200 words.
posted by JTF @ 7:43 AM
47 comments
47 Comments:
During the senior year, all of the seniors need something fun to do to enjoy the last months we have together. Senior assassin is a game that all of the senior class participates in together. Although some people say that it is both dangerous and risky, most people would agree that it is all in fun. Everything in life can have a risk, but for the most part, senior assassin is nothing but a game. Each person has an assigned senior that they must spray with a water pistol. If they spray their assigned person, that person is out of the game. This activity creates some competition within the class and some spark in each and every one of us. I know that the classes before us have enjoyed this, and I feel that our class will enjoy it as well. While teachers may want to ban the game and believe that it is a damaging thing, I believe that there are many things that seniors could be doing that are even worse. I feel that this is a better way for seniors to spend their time than drinking and doing drugs. Instead of seeing the negative things in this game, it is better to look at the positive things.
During the senior year, all of the seniors need something fun to do to enjoy the last months we have together. Senior assassin is a game that all of the senior class participates in together. Although some people say that it is both dangerous and risky, most people would agree that it is all in fun. Everything in life can have a risk, but for the most part, senior assassin is nothing but a game. Each person has an assigned senior that they must spray with a water pistol. If they spray their assigned person, that person is out of the game. This activity creates some competition within the class and some spark in each and every one of us. I know that the classes before us have enjoyed this, and I feel that our class will enjoy it as well. While teachers may want to ban the game and believe that it is a damaging thing, I believe that there are many things that seniors could be doing that are even worse. I feel that this is a better way for seniors to spend their time than drinking and doing drugs. Instead of seeing the negative things in this game, it is better to look at the positive things.
After four long years of high school, seniors deserve to have a week during the summer where they can just relax and hang out with their friends. While some think senior week is a time to drink, others view it as a time to relax on the beach. In the past, some seniors have gotten in trouble during this week vacation. Between being arrested for underage drinking and having to be driven to the hospital for alcohol poisoning, many people believe that senior week bad news. However, seniors in high school are legal adults and are capable of making decisions for themselves. If they are aware of the risks of senior and still decide to go it is their responsibility to learn self control. People need to realize that they do not have to drink in order to have fun, but if they would like to drink they should do it cautiously. Police are down at the beach to monitor anything going seriously wrong, so there should be no reason to ban a summer vacation.
Since the earliest time that is noted in history, people from all over the world have been performing rituals in hopes of a better outcome. Many people in the Aztec times have performed rituals such as rain dances to the Gods for more rain in the season. Just like in The Lottery, they stone one person so that they receive a good harvest. In this extreme way of killing, I do not believe in this. I think this is more of a superstition. Their minds are so caught up in this ritual; they think that if they do not do this then something bad will happen. It might be, perhaps, that since these people can remember, they have been brought up to do such things. It has now become a bad habit they do not see the wrong in it. Some rituals/ superstitions are just silly. These are the main ones that have become just a force of habit rather than a problem. For example: Spoon under your pillow and P.J’s inside out in hopes for it to snow. Also, throwing salt over your left shoulder when you spill it. Many do not know how this started but they know that’s just what you do. As it turns out, when you tip the salt over that is a sign from the angel on your right shoulder that evil (Devil) is near and it could be bad luck, as a result, you should throw salt over your left shoulder to throw salt in the devils eyes because he lies on your left shoulder. Most rituals today that have been passed down from many years have become out of proportion.
Even though the idea of Senior Week makes many people cringe, I feel that it is still a socially acceptable practice. It is not all about the fools that are hospitalized for blood poisoning or the numerous teenage party arrests, but nevertheless it has come to earn this stereotype. It is almost as if the youth are turned into the scapegoats just because a handful of people screw up. It is true that within a large mass of people, especially for a "ritual" like this, things will go wrong from people upping the anti. This where we young adults must act with prudence and maturity, while still having fun. Some of my peers may disagree, but for me, Senior Week is a coming of age ritual in which high school grads can experience the real world. How else will we be able to function amongst other adults if we don't have the experience to cope with certain ordeals? It's also about relaxing and having fun with your friends at the beach before moving on to the unknown territory of college where there is Senior Week every week! Basically, if you don't go looking for trouble and know how to manage yourself in situations, Senior Week will be a blast. The old people of Dewey can move to Rehobeth.
One ritual that particularly strikes me as being out of date is the idea of capital punishment in the United States. This ritual of execution has been around since ancient times and has been used for different reasons such as punishment and even entertainment. I believe that the death penalty is a ritual that should have never been started in the first place. Although people may have done extremely bad things, nobody deserves death and an eye for an eye doesn’t make everything go back to normal. This relatively barbaric ritual of punishment should be done away with. Nobody should be able to play God and choose whether someone lives or dies because of his or her actions no matter how wrong they are. I can understand that people who have been a victim can have a lot of rage and want to cause harm to the convicted, but ultimately this does not relieve the pain and will only bring about more suffering to others.
I have to disagree on the comments that Senior Cut Day, Senior Assassin, and Senior Week are "dangerous" and "wrong". These rituals that formed in the past contribute majorly to our senior year. We have worked hard for four years to succeed at St. Mark's, and I believe that these specific days reward us for that. It is among our priviledges as seniors to be able to partake in these fun events. Senior Cut Day is in no way harmful because it is simply one-day break of school during the week, which happens very rarely. Senior Assassin is fun! It's an activity that joins our class together in harmless fun. Yes, Senior Week can be dangerous, but it is a time we get to spend with our friends for however long and spend time with the people we love, who we may not see after the summer is over. It all depends on your actions. Aside from the senior comments, one ritual that I find interesting is the Palio di Siena in Italy. Ten horses and ten jockeys are picked to represent their home town to compete against each other in a horse race. The people of each town dress up in costumes with their colors. The Palio di Siena is a competition between the contrade. It is a day of horsemanship, alliances, and animosities. The winner is crowned and the town is honored until the next race takes place.
I disagree with the comments you made about certain Senior "rituals," such as Senior Week, Senior Skip Day, and Senior Assassins. I don't think any of these activities are harmful, but instead I see them as one last time to have fun as a class before we go off to college. These are all things that we look forward to in our senior year, and we deserve them after four long years of high school. Senior Skip Day and Senior Assassins are in no way harmful, but I can see where you are coming from saying Senior Week can be potentially dangerous. Senior Week can be harmful, but as long as everyone does his or her best to make responsible decisions, it shouldn't get too out of control. I think that by the end of our senior year, we are all responsible enough to handle these types of situations. Senior week is just something that is going to prepare us for college and for living on our own. I don’t think these “rituals” should cease to exist because they are a part of our senior year that everyone looks forward to.
Rituals have been around man kind for hundreds and thousands of years. Some rituals are very meaningful, touching, and colorful. Some rituals are cruel, violent, and unnecessary. So the big question would be, why do them? If absolutely nobody enjoys them at all, is there any point in continuing these cruel rituals? For example the running of the bulls in pamplona, Spain. People have literally died from this unruly tradition, and almost every year someone is either seriously hurt or injured. Something like the stoning in the book "The Lottery" is also a very stupid tradition, that has been going on in that little town for years. Before anybody knew any better, they thought that there God was someone that would give them good crops if a human was sacrificed every year. This was perfectly acceptable. Hundreds of years ago! That community should be passed that point. Many people were angered from the story that Shirley Jackson wrote, but she was trying to prove a point! That these cruel traditions are stupid. Our human society is was passed the point of killing people and sacrificing people to please there God or for it to be a good year for the crops. She made me think. She made me think about stupid traditions like senior week and senior skip day, she made me really look at these 'holidays' and made me wonder what is truly the point of these things. It's time for human society to grow up and realize what is best for us.
Some of the basic things we do in our lives are meaningless rituals. One ritual that I have always been curious of is the handshake. Why do people shake hands? Where did it originate? Who started it? Why? What’s the point? I personally don’t understand it. It’s supposed to be a sign of greeting but why can’t we do something else. In Italy people kiss on the cheek, Greek’s slap on the back, in Guam people place their right knuckles on the other person’s forehead. Northern Mozambique people clap hands three times before saying hello while people from Tuvalu press a face of a cheek of a relative and breath deeply. We could even gently squeeze people’s thumbs like the do in Zambia. Other cultures do some pretty cool things as you can see; so I’m wondering how we got shafted with the lame handshake. I don’t know about you but I’d like to put my knuckles on a few people’s forehead. Maybe not so much breathing deeply the scent of a relative, especially not my brother after he’s done working out at the gym. I’m not saying let’s do away with the handshake completely; let’s just look into some alternatives. Guys when you meet your girlfriend’s parents for the first time you can squeeze their thumbs of clap three times and say hello, see how it goes.
The definition of ritual is “any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner,” according to an online dictionary. In World Religions, we learned about a particular ritual called Sati that is performed by Hindu women. Sati is described as the ritual in which a widow is burned on her husband’s funeral pyre either by voluntary choice or, in some cases, force. This ritual originally started when a woman would decide to end her own life after the death of her husband. The first woman who began this ritual was Lord Shiva, who decided to burn herself in protest against her father, who didn’t approve of her husband. She burned herself in order to experience a rebirth and come back as the perfect woman for her husband. There are many origins to this ritual. Some believe that is was a way to prevent wives from poisoning their wealthy husbands and remarrying their real lovers. Another theory says that a queen grew jealous when she heard that her husband would be welcomed into heaven by hundreds of beautiful women and decided to sacrifice herself in order to be there when he arrived in heaven. The ritual of Sati is not only seen in India, but was also recognized in by the Greeks, Egyptians, and others. The women who committed Sati were revered and highly honored, sometimes with shrines built in their honor. Their families were given a lot of respect and were believed to be blessed after the ritual was performed. The ritual of Sati was banned from many regions of the world in the early 1800s although some isolated communities still perform it today.
Every person and every group have some sort of ritual or tradition that is important to them. One cannot truly objectively judge whether a ritual is good or bad, but one should always be willing to choose whether or not they want to be a part of the ritual. I know you do not like senior week because you think it has gotten out of hand and become dangerous, but I think it is a good tradition upheld by the seniors each year at St. Mark's. It is true that some people overdo it and harm themselves, but the majority of the participants of senior week have a great time. Senior week is not only a good tradition, but also a fair tradition. It is encouraged by the students, but is never forced upon anyone. Even once you enter senior week, you have control of everything around you and you can always make decisions on your own. It is not at all like "The Lottery" where the unlucky winner is mercilessly stoned to death. If a person gets hurt or drinks too much at senior week, they only have themselves to blame. I do agree that some traditions and rituals held, such as the running of the bull, are ridiculously dumb and probably should not exist, but senior week is a tradition that can be whatever you make it out to be when you are making choices during that week.
Rituals are defined by Wikipedia as a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. So what makes a ritual right or wrong? Of course any kind of killing would be wrong but what about those who refrain from that? You could look up many different rituals from different groups and find nothing destructive. Take Christianity for example, we have rituals; we don’t call them that but by the definition presented it fits. We have the ritual of consecrating the bread and wine into the body of Christ. No one would ever question our rituals as harmful because there are so many followers of Christ, but what about those who worship the devil? You hear “devil worshiper” and everyone thinks something is wrong with them and what they are doing is wrong and disturbing (myself included). In “The Lottery” they kill a person for a good harvest, but what is the town all dressed in black, lit candles and started chanting Latin to worship the devil. I know my reaction would be the same as if they just killed someone. So if no one gets killed, what’s the harm of any ritual, even if we don’t believe in their culture?
Ever since Freshman year Im sure everyone has anticipated senior week. Now that we are about to reach our goal anticipation is skyrocketing especially for senior week. Senior week might have it's bad reputation because of arrests and drinking, that doesn't mean that everyone will get into trouble. Senior week is practically the first week of summer and is sort of like a kick off to summer. This is a week to start our summer together as graduates and look forward to those few months we have together before we all go our separate ways. You don't have to drink to have fun because you can go relax on the beach and just spend some quality time with your friends. That week is sort of like a taste of the independence you will have when you go to college. Even though a lot of people also wrote about Senior week etc. I believe that this subject is easy to relate to than the other ones like the Pamplona. Since the fourteenth century Spain has continuously held each year the Running of the Bulls. This ritual is when six bulls are let loose to run and then that night are transported to off sight corrals to be killed that night. It supposedly establishes excitement and people show off their braveness. But, honestly I don't really understand why they have kept the tradition because over the years there has been an increased number in deaths and serious related injuries. Honestly after researching the Run of the Bulls I think that Senior Week is nothing compared to this. But the only thing everyone has to remember about senior week is that we have to make our own choices and be able to accept the consequences if we make a mistake. And remember you don't have to drink and get into trouble to have fun. Spending quality time with your friends on the beach and mini golfing and shopping is just as fun plus you will remember it.
I don't agree with the comments about our senior rituals. We have endured four long and painful years at Saint Mark's and we should be allowed to have some fun at the end. Everyone skips a day of school once in a while. If we decide to plan to all skip the same day I don't see it as that big of a deal. Senior assasians is another thing. We can have a great time with it as long as people don't take it too far. I don't think it's smart to be running across Kirkwood Highway or attempt to "kill" someone while driving, but it's funny to see someone hiding out in trees and bushes to try to get your person. Senior week can also be a lot of fun, as long as you don't take it too far. I attended a senior week two years ago with my two best friends and we had a great time. A house down the street got evicted on their second night because of their party but we knew not to take it too far. To sum it up, this rituals are fun things to do, unless someone takes it too far.
I believe our “senior” rituals will never die. They have become a part of being an upper classmen in your last year of high school. It gives us something fun to look forward to. I believe for the most part they are harmless. Senior assassin is just a game. No one really gets hurt and the school shouldn’t be worried. While it is organized with students, the school is not involved. Seniors do not bring this game inside of school, it’s strictly outside, and those are the rules. A water gun is harmless, it cannot hurt anyone. While some people may have been caught for trespassing, it was all in the fun of the game, it is not serious. Senior cut day is harmless as well. The worst thing that happens is you miss one day of school, not really a big deal. As seniors we organize this because we feel we have a right to have the entire class not attend for one day. It is done all across the country by hundreds of schools. Senior week can be dangerous but that depends on the student. You can not chastise the entire body for a few mishaps between several people. As seniors I think this is the biggest perk. We are young and this week we have the right to pretty much do whatever we want. There are consequences but I think we all feel it is worth it. It’s just something that everyone does that I don’t think can be stopped, and I think people should take everything a little more lightly.
Every year on Good Friday, at least 21 people in the Philippines are nailed to the cross as a re-enactment of when Jesus was nailed to the cross. Talk about ridiculous rituals! Innocent blood is sacrificed every year just because it's been done the year before that and the year before that and the year before that and so forth. These people from the Philippines truly believe they are doing the right thing, but are not seeing the big picture. They do not need to risk they're own lives to remember Good Friday. There are many humane ways in which you can remember Good Friday. It's great that they want to remember Good Friday and how much Jesus suffered for us, but they need to remember that Jesus suffered so WE could live. Jesus Christ did this; Reenacting what Jesus went through is not what God wants. Also, the people of the Philippines need to remember that only Jesus Christ was risen on Easter. Once they crucify people, they cannot be risen. They lose they're lives to a dangerous ritual, not to mention they're family and friends who lose a person close to them. They're are many other practiced rituals that are very absurd, and therefore harmful in the world. This ritual really caught my eye, as I heard about it a few years ago from my Pastor. The world is constantly changing and hopefully one day that ritual will be broken so people will be saved.
Throughout the years, many cultures have had rituals that were performed for a necessary reason, usually for health, safety, or superstition. As medicine and technology have advanced, many of these rituals have become redundant, yet are still performed for the sake of tradition; however, sometimes these rituals result in unnecessary harm and mutilation. Circumcision is a prime example of such a ritual. Circumcision has been performed since biblical times as a symbol of a covenant between God and Abraham, and a religious rite of passage bringing a boy into manhood. Circumcision was also seen as a way for men to help with hygiene when bathing wasn’t available. With modern technology and hot water readily available in a majority of the people in industrialized nations, hygiene is no longer a reason for circumcision. Circumcision is still widely used as a religious rite in many religions, most recognized in two of the largest religions in the world, Judaism and Christianity. Even though this rite has been around for thousands of years, both religions should have gotten rid of this harmful opperation from their practices. By keeping this ritual as part of their practices, they are promoting the mutilation of the human body and setting a bad example to their followers and the rest of the world. Hopefully as people realize how unnecessary circumcision is nowadays, people will chose to decline this harmful procedure.
The reason why senior week can be potentially dangerous is because of immaturity. We obviously don't have the capacity to think about our actions and our consequences, therefore causing us to end up getting hurt or even worse, hurting someone else because of our stupidity. With that being said, I still think that we should have senior week because it's a time of bonding with our friends before going away to college. It's supposed to be a fun experience, depending on who your friends are and how they act during certain situations that could potentially harm you. You learn from your mistakes, which brings me to my next point. Rituals can be harmful but for some reason it is in our human nature. Humans need to depend on some sort of routine in order to feel “safe”. An example of this is the crucifixions in the Philippines. It's was a barbaric punishment even in its prime but this is an easy example of showing insecurities humans have especially when it comes to religion. In my opinion, I feel as though the people in the Philippines cling onto crucifixion in order to believe that Jesus will “save” them when they die if they continue their ritualistic behavior.
Rituals have defined cultures since the beginning of civilization. They become so traditional and sacred religions sometimes form from them. People who are Muslim make a religious pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lifetime, Jewish boys celebrate becoming a man at a party called a bat mitzvah, and in the Catholic tradition the day before Lent is used to celebrate before a time of repenting. This festival takes place before the forty days and forty nights of Lent. During Lent, Catholics are called to give up glutenous habits and repent before the execution of Jesus Christ. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and the day before has become known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. People use that day to fill up on eating, drinking, and partying before Lent. Mardi Gras has been a ritual in Christianity since the late seventeenth century. The most well known celebration of Mardi Gras in the United States takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana. What had started out as an innocent ritual has become an over indulgent and dangerous party. People travel from all over the place to New Orleans for this wild festival. There are parades, masked parties, and lots of drinking. Mardi Gras has become an excuse to get drunk and get into dangerous situations. Many people have forgotten the reason for Fat Tuesday and that it is a holy day in preparation for the holiest time in our religion. Mardi Gras has become a dangerous ritual and should return to its origination of a simpler and safer celebration.
A ritual I follow is the Mummer’s Day Parade. Some may think that it is just drunk people running around with feathers on. Others, Philadelphia natives, know it is so much more. The Mummers day parade goes way back to the early 1900 where Philadelphians practice all year to have a parade on New Years Day. It is considered a honor to be selected to perform for a club. Many people do not know this, but each Mummer is required 100 hours of community service to be able to perform. All the money needed to build the costumes and the set are earned in fundraisers. The string bands work many hours to throughout the year to prefect the routine. In the summer the bands go down to the beach and have a parade. They do it without all the feathers but they like to keep the Mummer Parade alive. It is a tradition close to the heart in Philadelphia. My family and I would always drive down to Philadelphia early that morning and go to the parade and after my whole family with all our extended cousins would squeeze into my great grandmothers cramped town house. It was a wonderful tradition that was lost when my great grandmother passed. But you will still see my family glued to the television New Years Day. I hope this tradition last for many years for it should because it is wonderful tradition.
Rituals. Everybody practices rituals in one way or another. Clearly, most of them aren’t as harmful as Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” in which they kill a fellow member of the town. Then again if anything is blown out in proportion… Can’t it be harmful or dangerous to an extent? Rituals symbolize consistency. If all circumstances were constantly changing, then there would be no such thing as a ritual. Practicing rituals aren’t dangerous as long as no harm come to living beings. At some point people’s common sense needs to kick in and people need to realize how stupid or dangerous something can be. A ritual that I find as pointless as the one in “The Lottery” is the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Even though it is tradition, I think it’s just suicidal. Who would want to give up their life to show they have “bravado?” There has to be other ways to prove you a tough strong man other than racing a bunch of bulls from one area to the next. I find this as horrifying as the lottery because people somehow find excitement and entertainment in the killing of other human beings. It is just morally corrupt. This kind of tradition crosses the line in terms of appropriateness and it just becomes downright dangerous. However, there are certain rituals that are spiritual and harmless to practice. Therefore some rituals are okay and some aren’t.
I feel that Senior Assassin is not something that should be frowned about. It is an activity that every student looks forward too. It brings the senior students together before the final weeks of school. The game can seem harmful but for most poeple it is simply for fun. After you recieve the person that you have, your next step is to spray them with a water gun in order to get them out. This brings about adventure, entertainment, and excitement. I feel that there is nothing wrong with participating in this activity. You are not physically hurting someone or damanging other things. All everyone wants to do is to just spray a person with a water gun. I do not think that this is in any way harmful. The end of senior year suppose to be a great time. I think that this is an awesome way to have fun with your classmates and just enjoy the fact that your graduating soon.
I would like to comment on the death penalty. You made the comment, “On a figurative level, ritualistic killing still exists and is blindly accepted by a society composed of an unthinking populace. Society still feels a need for scapegoats, people on whom to place the blame for society's ills.” I think this could also be shown in a literal level in the death penalty. Society looks back and considers the punishment of crucifixion and stoning one to death barbaric, yet the same result comes from lethal injection and, until recently, the electric chair. Personally, I don’t think society has come far in the last few centuries. The mindset has not changed. I believe one day society will get to the point where they look back and consider lethal injection barbaric; at that point, I hope there is no longer the option of “sentencing one to death”. Also, I think the idea of a scapegoat can be shown with the death penalty. It’s a way of pretending that the problem has been fixed. The mentality is that that person’s crime has now been accounted for by killing them. In reality, nothing more is being solved; the damage has already been done and now you’re just putting more people through the pain of a lost loved one.
Senior Week, is the last time, most of us will see our closest friends for the last time in a long time. After four long years of hard work, trying to get into college we need to have some fun. Senior week is about relaxing hanging out with your friends, if it the last time you may see them or not. It a vacation with all of your friends down the street. Its an activity our whole class will enjoy its the last thing we as the st marks class of 2010 will do together. Even though sneior week is about having fun, you can get into trouble. You get kicked out of your house, may get arrested, go to the hospital, and maybe even ruin a friendship. But the reason its so much fun and why it keeps on thriving is because it is risky, it gives us a thrill, its exciting! your living with your friends, down at the beach. Its a privledge as seniors, that we never got to do when we were juniors, its a step in our life where we see if we can go it on our own, and show some responsibility as the young adults that we are. Its a time and place to be somebody, have your last stand. Its okay to go to senior week, its been okay since it started. Even though everyone has different opinions on senior week overall, its one of the best experiences of your life, its the end of the beginning to the new life that waits for you in college.
I will not be the first senior to write on this blog about how there is nothing wrong with senior week. However, I am not proclaiming that there is nothing wrong with senior week. It is simply how to handle and behave yourself during this week that makes all the difference. Some seniors see this week as a free for all, do whatever you want, nothing matters week. While it is nice to have a worry free week with friends, it is not a week to abandon your sense of right and wrong. With this being said, I do not see anything wrong with spending the week at the beach with your friends. For some its the last time they can spend alot of time together before everyone goes their separate ways. I, for one, am looking forward to waking up late, going to the beach with my friends, and creating alot of memories.
Senior year is all about having the maturity to be given certain privileges. I agree that there are some stories about senior week that show how dangerous it is. I think that the seniors who attend senior week have to have self control. The week isn't just about partying and going crazy, though. Senior week is something only offered to seniors, finally our turn. Something that just our class and friends can all enjoy together. Kind of like our last chance to all be together as one. School is over, we are ready to go on our own. We want one last time to be with our friends who we will be letting go. Its the one week we were dreaming about since freshman year. There are always risks in going down to a house alone for a week with a bunch of other teenagers, but everything has its risks. Its up to individuals to be mature about the privilege they've been given. Having good friends and self control helps eliminate some of the risks that are always talked about during senior week. Let us have our fun; if someone's not mature enough to handle one week, then they wouldn't make it in college anyway. In my opinion senior week is our last privilege and last who-rah, taking it away would just wouldn't be fair.
Some rituals that still perplex me and many, that serve no purpose whatsoever are those of Islamic extremists. Islam extremism is defined as a term used to describe the actions and beliefs of violent Islamic activists. These people believe that in order to reach Allah and their “paradise” they must sacrifice themselves. Not only do they harm themselves but the lives of innocent people. We hear on the news about bus bombings and shootouts that kill many including children and other innocent bystanders. Even though they consider themselves Muslim many scholars and mainstream Muslims would say this is not what their religion is about nor do they promote this behavior. I have read that Muslims believe in doing good and following the Quran in order to reach their paradise. Those who are extremist some believe take the Quran literally and to another level. I personally don’t understand why these groups would believe that their god would want them to do harm to anyone or themselves. If they believe that Allah truly loves and cares for them why would he want them to die so terribly and painfully. These extremists were not brought to our attention (mainly because it did not effect us) until the incident of 9-11-01. This incident truly opened American’s eyes stressing that we are not always safe and do not live in a perfect world. The people in countries that practice Islam have to deal with these issues everyday. I feel as though we need to do everything possible to continue to protect those innocent people in order to put a stop to these rituals.
A time period in history that I found to have many scary rituals was the time during the Salem Witch Trials. Hundreds of people were accused of being witches and some were even hung for being found guilty. There were many strange tests that the town leaders would perform to determine if someone was a witch. One was the floating test. It was said that only a witch could float, well it was a lose-lose situation. If you drowned you were not a witch, but you were dead. If you floated you were a witch and were hung. They would also search for a “Devil’s Mark”. Any kind of skin irregularity or birthmark could be considered the mark of the devil. They believed that this is the spot where the devil touched the accused person and filled them with the power of witches. They would force the accused people to admit by saying they would be hung if they did not confess. This was obviously not true and kept the town accusations going on for such a long time. It is so scary to think about maybe having to live during that time period. There was no real reason that any certain people were accused because there are no witches. I cannot believe that so many innocent people were killed because of such strange rituals.
Throughout history mankind has developed and practiced numerous rituals both religious and cultural. The need for rituals came when it was believed that a certain event always gave way to some form of benefit for those enacting the ritual. For example, in The Lottery the towns people believe that by sacrificing a person that the crops will be greater then if they didn’t. Some rituals are harmful and others are not. For example, in the Catholic religion there are harmful ways of praising Christ, such as the monks that whip themselves to suffer as Christ did, and non-violent ways of praising god, such as the Eucharist. Although all rituals are at some point believed to be need, no ritual can truly last forever because when they are made they don’t have the future in mind and how society could change. When a ritual starts to overstep a society’s ethics, and do more harm then good, then the ritual is usually lost or thrown away. Although a ritual may bring a group of people together, traditions like The Lottery should only stay for a few generations at most.
I think that rituals can either be good or bad. Senior Week, Senior Assassin, and Senior Cut Day are all fun things that are done every year. As an underclassmen they are things that you look forward to and are excited for, and for seniors they are fun celebrations that celebrate graduating high-school and set you apart from the kids that are younger than you. Everyone has to wait their turn to participate in these "rituals," and when it is finally your time, it is worth the long wait. These rituals become bad when they are taken too far. For example, when one person gets too drunk during Senior Week and becomes ill or does something stupid, than the Senior Week ritual has become dangerous. One person messing up paints a bad picture of all of the seniors participating in Senior Week. These people ruin the fun for everyone and make adults question whether Senior Week is actually a good idea. If a senior can not control what they do, and do not know their own limits than they should not participate in this activity. The excuse is always peer pressure, but a person should know their own limits, and they should be able to say no. Overall I believe that rituals like Senior Week, Senior Assassin, and Senior Cut Day are a good and fun way to celebrate the end of high-school.
I agree with you and find the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain to be an outdated ritual. Bulls are let out into the narrow streets and chase men who run away from them. The men supposedly do this to prove their manliness, but I think it is just stupid. It doesn't seem very manly to me to be running away from a herd of angry bulls. Every year someone gets injured or even dies. I think that it is time for that tradition to die out. However, I disagree with you about the pumpkin chunkin contest. I think that it is actually a great ritual that is very entertaining. I think that it is also a good way to be creative and learn things about engineering machines and some of them are very cleverly made. I think that that tradition should stick around for a while. I also disagree with you about the tradition of senior week because I think that it is a good thing. I think that it is somewhat a right of passage before going into college. Also, if you are going to college somewhere far away from Delaware, it could be the last time you will hang out with all of your friends from high school.
Everyone, no matter who they are have certain kind of rituals in there everyday life. Whether there religious, cultural or random acts they are still called rituals because there is a reason and a purpose behind everyone. For my family we have the same ritual every Christmas. My parent's are divorced so every christmas eve we stay at my dads. We always go to 5 o'clock mass and have went every year since I've been born. As soon as we come back my aunt and uncle come over with the family. Even though that is all considered a ritual, the real ritual comes in after dinner. Every family member has gotten one gift and will pick a name out of a santa hat to see which relative that gift will go too. This ritual is not just something we do, it has a meaning behind it. The "secret santa" ritual has been a part of my dad's side for years and years. My grandmother still has stories about when she was younger and her grandparents did it with her. It means so much just because it has been carried on for so long and hasn't changed at all. It always is all about giving, and taking and being grateful for the gift we have recieved no matter what it may be.
I don't believe any of the senior rituals are outdated or have outlived their benefits. It is a right of passage for seniors every year. For example, senior cut day exists for the soul purpose of skipping a day of school to hangout with your friends. Another example is senior week. It is a week down at the beach, the last time to see your whole senior class together, the last time you will see most of those people after graduation, and the last time to hangout and party with everyone. It is a traditional week after your last year of high school and before you go off to college, that seniors go to to have fun. Though some may think its dangerous, but to every senior it is a week of fun and enjoyment. Senior assassin, another senior ritual, is an activity that most seniors take part in and unites the senior class for one of our final times before graduation. Seniors take part in this game because it is a fun ritual and even though many teachers believe dangerous ritual, i do not think it is harmful. I believe all the senior rituals are a right of passage for every senior, especially senior week which kicks off the beginning of the last summer before we all go off to college. Those rituals should be kept for every senior to participate in and to remember how fun and exciting the last year of high school was for you.
Sure, many scapegoat rituals are still practiced today, but the one I feel is not only dangerous to man is also ridiculously cruel to the animal kingdom: bullfighting. These bulls are trained to be killed, and no matter how strong they are or what they're used for, they are going to be murdered. Strong calfs make it to the ring, and the weak ones are killed. The mother is kept around if she continues to breed strong calfs. If she doesn't, she dies. Once a strong mother breeds a weak calf, she's killed, too. Bulls in the ring fight against the matador until stabbed dead, or if it survives by killing the matador, it's killed after the fight. Bullfights have been used for entertainment in Spain and Mexico, and are still practiced till this very day. Portugal has come to its senses and illegalized murdering bulls in a fight. This has been a horrible ritual to follow, and borders animal cruelty in my eyes. It may not be as dangerous or as horrifying as live crucifixions in the Philippines because it's not toward the human race, but I think it is still an tradition that has gone on for way too long.
One ritual which is practiced during our senior year at St. Mark's is senior assassin. Many teachers and parents think this game is ridiculous or dangerous; however, when taking proper precautions its a great game. The seniors need to have some fun at the end of the year, and this year is no exception. As long as we are responsible and only "kill" people in a safe surrounding, this game is fine. Its a perfect way for seniors to end their year with this friendly competition. I know the past years some people have used no common sense when playing this game. Some have run across Kirkwood Highway or have "killed" people while they were driving. Those are both two completely ridiculous and immature actions and those people shouldn't have even taken place in this competition. However, for those responsible people, senior assassin is a fun and great way to end senior year.
Devils Night in America is the night before Halloween and it is the night where hoodlums go out and create mischief. They usually do this by egging or TPing (If you do not know it is when you get a roll of toilet paper and through it around a house) some poor defenseless random house. My view on Devils Night is a bitter sweet view. It is sweet to me because even though I have never done any of this, it is really fun to go out and wreak havoc in your neighborhood. It is fun to egg a house or TP one or do something completely different like saran wrapping a car and spraying shaving cream all over it. It is bitter because there is always the chance of getting caught. Whether you get caught by the police or your parents you are ultimately screwed and your next night, Halloween, is ruined because you will more than likely be grounded.
I agree with jm red. There is a lot of stress involved in your senior year of high school. Between applying to colleges and school work and other activities. The fact that it is your last year of high school makes it all the more frustrating because you just want it to be over. Once we finish our senior year and graduate we deserve a time to relax together and celebrate our accomplishments. Senior week is also important because it is the last time we will truly all bond together as a class before we all go our separate ways. I understand that people take it too far with the partying, but that is their mistake. As jm red said we are all legal adults and able to make our own decisions. People just need to think about what they're doing and the consequences, then we can have a much needed break.
One ritual that I never understood was capital punishment. It is a well known fact that in today's society the people who are going to commit the crimes that are punishable by capital punishment aren't necessarily afraid of death. Also when a family who has lost a member of their family due to murder pushes for the death penalty because they think it will ease their pain and be a just penalty for the felon, they are wrong. It is a proven fact that pursuing the death penalty does not help relieve any grief that has been caused. It also doesn't make sense from a financial point of view. It is well known that going through the process of putting someone to death is actually more expensive than letting them live the rest of their life out in prison.
Practically every culture and every community known to man has rituals. However, the degree to which "foreigners" understand them is minimal, and I think that that is problematic. Sure, things like providing innocent human sacrifices and running away from a full speed bull on the streets of Spain are incredibly outlandish, but who are we to judge when some of our rituals are just as crazy? Granted, as Americans we don't go around killing random people for God's sake, but we do have insanely thrifty shoppers that get trampled and killed underfoot because they're searching for the latest sale-- and that is just as uncivilized and maybe even less meaningless. I think that we shouldn’t judge rituals that are outside of our nation’s boundaries until we take part in them or really research the meanings behind them, because people’s livelihoods often revolve around such rituals. Unless we are prepared enough to argue that the entire human race is off their rockers, we should be more understanding and less judgmental, even when it comes to the most heinous of rituals. We don’t have to like them, live through them, or even agree with them, but we should try to respect them.
Practically every culture and every community known to man has rituals. However, the degree to which "foreigners" understand them is minimal, and I think that that is problematic. Sure, things like providing innocent human sacrifices and running away from a full speed bull on the streets of Spain are incredibly outlandish, but who are we to judge when some of our rituals are just as crazy? Granted, as Americans we don't go around killing random people for God's sake, but we do have insanely thrifty shoppers that get trampled and killed underfoot because they're searching for the latest sale-- and that is just as uncivilized and maybe even less meaningless. I think that we shouldn’t judge rituals that are outside of our nation’s boundaries until we take part in them or really research the meanings behind them, because people’s livelihoods often revolve around such rituals. Unless we are prepared enough to argue that the entire human race is off their rockers, we should be more understanding and less judgmental, even when it comes to the most heinous of rituals. We don’t have to like them, live through them, or even agree with them, but we should try to respect them.
During your four years at high school, people break apart into small cliques and lose and gain many different friends. During high school there are many dances and fun activities planned to keep the kids active in the school. By the time senior years rolls around, most people have a good idea of who their real friends are. Senior year is an exciting time of our lives and it only comes once. I know myself i would like to look back and remember fun and exciting times with my friends. Many seniors get together and plan a trip to the beach for senior week. This usually takes place in Dewey Beach, DE. This is a time for everyone to get together and have a good time for a week at the beach. Senior assassin is a fun activity to be involved with but students need to be practical and realize there are more important things like being safe and following the law, instead of just trying to win the game. It is a fun and exciting time for seniors who have finally finished up their four years at high school and are ready to move on to the next step in their lives. This is a ritual or activity that students participate in to have a good time and become closer with one another before everyone leaves to go their separate ways after graduation.
Mischief Night is a tradtion that has been passed from teen to teen. It's a night for young people to run around and just go crazy. My friends and I always go out for Michief Night and have fun. We drive around with the music thrombing and randomness increasing. We sometimes T.P. a friend's car or use window markers on their house; giggling the whole time. However, some teenagers take the idea too far and may cause serious damage. I have seen houses with broken windows and cars with slashed tires. When we are driving down the road, pumpkins cover the asphalt and cause cars to slide. Some people have even been mugged or attacked. In my opinion, many people have gone overboard and this can lead to getting into trouble or even getting arrested. Mischief Night should be a night of mayhem not jail time. I believe that many teens should reconsider whether or not one night of chaos should be taken this far.
I don’t really think that the rituals that you named are bad in any way. Senior Assassin is just a fun game to play to see who can last the longest without getting shot with a water gun. There is no bodily harm done. Senior Cut Day is also not harmful. Yes you may not be in school but nobody gets hurt in the process and if somebody does get hurt it’s their own fault. Senior Week is an iffy one but the people that do make poor decisions and end up getting hurt can only blame themselves. It doesn’t matter what people say to you. It’s your body and you can make your own decisions, nobody else can make them for you. There are plenty of people who come home from Senior Week unscathed. The only ritual that I find something wrong with is the one that we watched in class about the hazing. I think the idea, if followed properly, really isn’t that bad but when you get people that take things too far, that is when it becomes unacceptable. I think the students involved should have stopped way before they did so that it didn’t escalate like the way that it did.
accomplishing four years of high school is a big deal. we work hard five days a week, week after week after week, and it is exhausting. the saturday and sunday we have off in between theses tiring weeks is just not enough. that is why at the end of senior year, before we all go our separate ways, we indulge in senior week!
it is the one week a year that we have all had marked on our calendars since the first day of freshmen year. as the three graduating classes before us have told us about "the best week of their lives", it makes us want it more and more. it is a sickness really, called "senioritus", and i have it! every senior gets it every year, it is inevitable.
senior week is a big deal and you have to get it done right. organization of this week being roughly in the second quarter. you begin looking for houses and people you like enough or can tolerate for an entire week. once you find your house and people, you figure out the expenses. during the majority of the time the senior is schmoosing over their parents to let them go. you also need to make up rules for the house and roommates for the week!
unfortunately my english teacher has informed me that Dewy beach has called him and told him senior week is cancelled this summer, so I guess we will just get our money back and be done with it...yeah right!! ;]
Every year the senior class does somewhat of a ritual, the game of senior assassins. This ritual is mainly for fun and excitement. You pay a small amount of money to participate, and it is definitely worth the pay. Everyone is randomly assigned a person in their class to "kill". By killing them, it actually means you run around chasing eachother with waterguns. The game is very frantic, and everyone wants to win. The last person standing at the end of the game wins all the money they was raised when people payed to play. I think that this game is just a fun last way of creating class unity before graduation. The game is exciting for teh graduation seniors in their last few months of highschool. I think this is a fun ritual, and it creates many good memories and future stories to tell.
Here at St. Mark's we have two rituals that arer just times for us all to have that one great final time with each other before we all go off to college. While we are still in school we have the game, senior assassin. This game allows each senior who signs up a chance to "assassinate" a fellow friend, schoolmate. The game is neither harmful nor dangerous because all of this is done using waterguns. It's just an event we can all do together to have fun and watch our backs. Senior week is another senior ritual, however, this ritual spans out across Deleware to many of the high schools. It's a week on our own down at the beach where we can be with friends from other schools and friends at our school one last week before everyone leaves for college. Some say senior week needs to be cancelled because of what has happened before but don't punish us all because some kids decide to be care free and get themselves in trouble.
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