Ryan McDermott, Period 8, 1/3/2022

 Ryan McDermott,Period 8,1/3/2022

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or non-fiction covered in class.

In class I was  able to learn about the way the ancient Egyptians thought about death and how they made guides for the afterlife. From the documentary I was able to learn that ancient Egyptians thought of life as the preparation for the eternal paradise that was death. They believed that the book of the dead was a guide to a prosperous afterlife. The Egyptians sold the book of the dead for large sums of money meaning only the wealthy had access to it. I was able to learn how archeologists had great efforts to preserve the Egyptian artifacts. Budge was able to get parts of the book of the dead from robbers before they were seized by the Egyptian government. However, some of the artifacts were destroyed in the blackmarket. This saddens me because parts of the history of Egypt was destroyed by looters and thieves just trying to make money. Additionally,  I learnt about the apocalypse in both Christian and Norse mythology. These stories have caused me to think deeper about life and death and have given me additional perspectives to think about.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

Learning about the book of the dead influenced how I perceive different cultures' viewpoints of life and death. I am able to compare and contrast the Egyptians views with the Norse and Greeks views. For example the Egyptians viewed life as a preparation for death where they would find eternal paradise. This contrasts with the Norse view of life. The Norse believed that you needed to live life to the fullest. However, both cultures shared the common idea that people should not be scared of death because an eternal paradise awaits them in the afterlife. This also bears similarities to another culture we learned about, Christianity, and their belief in the afterlife.

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

What I’m learning about in class has allowed me to think about my own perceptions of life, death and the possibility of an apocalypse. The beliefs of these cultures regarding life and death can be applied to the way I live my own life. The Norse belief of being unafraid and wanting to live life to the fullest is very meaningful to me. This is due to the fact that I need to work harder and take every opportunity given to me to improve my life and achieve my goals. Additionally, the book of the dead documentary shows the importance of preserving ancient culture as well as learning new perspectives on life and death.