11/7/19 Alexandra Shinkareva Period 8

Modern Mythology 2020

Alexandra Shinkareva PD 8 #25

November 7, 2019

Aim: How does Perseus’ quest highlight the plight of women in ancient greek society?

Do Now: Pop quiz on the story of Perseus

The class began with a think-pair-share activity where we had to compare the characterization of Danae and Andromeda against Medusa and her sisters and determine what their plight was. 

Ryan started the discussion by saying that the contrast between them was that Danae and Andromeda were beautiful and Medusa and her sisters were hideous snake-like creatures. This was the beauty aspect in their characterization, which was appropriate considering that “beauty” was written in big letters on the whiteboard. Then, Helen was called on and she mentioned that the contrast between the women was that Danae and Andromeda were beautiful women that were saved, while Medusa and her sisters were hideous creatures on their own. Brian agreed and said that the plight was that the women were never in control of the situation that they were in. They were the pawns of men. He gave the examples that Perseus came along and killed Medusa because he decided that she was ugly and that Danae and Andromeda were saved because men decided that they were beautiful women. 

To end this discussion, Ms. Fusaro summarizes the answers everyone gave. Then she said that the king (father of Danae) tries to avoid his prophecy by locking up his innocent daughter and the Cassiopeia (mother of Andromeda) almost had her daughter killed for her wrongdoings. This shows how the parents punished their innocent kids for their own purpose. It also led to the idea that Danae and Andromeda were powerful women, since Danae was involved in her father’s prophecy and Andromeda had to be killed for Cassiopeia to be forgiven by the gods. It is a theme in Greek mythology that powerful women often get put down, which coincides with the recurring idea that women should be subservient.

After the discussion, we watched a video titled “Medusa, The Curse”. The video went over the story of Medusa and how she came to be one of the Gorgons. Medusa was initially a very beautiful mortal. She was a priestess in one of Athena’s temples. Athena wanted Medusa to stay pure (a virgin). Eventually, Athena became jealous of her beauty. Medusa happened to attract the attention of Poseidon, but she kept rejecting his approaches. Poseidon got annoyed and simply took Medusa by force. Athena got mad at Medusa for not staying pure, despite the fact that it wasn’t her fault. As a result, Athena cursed Medusa by turning her hair into snakes and making it impossible for anyone to look at her because they would turn to stone. After this, Medusa became the target many warriors, where her head is their desired trophy. All but one warrior were unable to get her head and were turned into stone. That one warrior was Perseus. He got several gifts from the gods, one of gods being Athena. As a result, he was able to kill Medusa and get her head. When she was killed, Pegasus was born. From this moment, Medusa’s head was used as a protective amulet to keep evil away. 

After the video, we had a whole group discussion. On the slide, it stated that Medusa only became the monster her figure embodied after falling into pits of despair. The question was “What can we understand about monsters in Greek mythology from the story of Medusa?”.

Brian started off by asking a question about how Medusa’s head became a trophy and Ms. Fusaro answered that her head being a trophy was related to the idea that women were generally awarded as gifts in this time. Mat mentioned that it was strange that Athena punished Medusa and then helped Perseus kill her. Ms. Fusaro said that there is a theory that Athena cursed Medusa in a way that men can’t harm her, but it doesn’t make sense because she helped Perseus kill her. Ms. Fusaro also explains how Medusa became a Gorgon. Medusa’s transformation was very painful. When she sought refuge in one of Athena’s temples, she accidentally turned the priestess into stone by looking at her. As a result, Medusa exiled herself and the Gorgon sisters took her in. By allowing Medusa to turn people into stone by simply looking at her, Athena ostracized Medusa from any human contact.

Then, Ms. Fusaro brought up the fact that Athena and Poseidon were at constant war, so the extent of Medusa’s punishment was too extreme. Joshua responded by saying that Athena was petty because not only did she curse Medusa and help kill her, she also put Medusa’s head on her aegis. 

Towards the end of class, Ms. Fusaro put up a slide that stated, “The dichotomy of women either puts them into a monster status, such as Medusa (or Medea) or completely helpless, such as Danae. Andromeda (Europa…)”. The question was “What would be the purpose of passing this inference on to a younger generation?” but class ended just as we began to answer it. 

Reflection

The most important thing that I learned today was that the Perseus story continues to express the common theme that women must be subservient to men and be patient. This was shown in both Danae’s part of the story and Andromeda’s part of the story. I also learned Danae, Andromeda, and Medusa’s fate were dependent on men. Danae and Andromeda were saved because they were believed to be beautiful and Medusa was killed because she was a hideous monster. This demonstrates the idea that Greek mythology puts women into an extreme, whether it is beautiful and innocent or a horrible monster. Last but not least, I learned about the details of Medusa’s story because the story of Perseus only mentioned her when Perseus killed her. Today’s lesson applies to real life because the story demonstrates the perspective that Greeks had on women. They believed that they were supposed to be subservient to men and that they are either beautiful and innocent or the complete opposite.

11/4/19 Alan Peysakhov Peroid 8

Alan Peysakhov                 

11/6/19

Modern Mythology 2020

We began today’s class by discussing how how the suicide of Antigone relates to other ways suicide was viewed in time. Antigone in short is a sister of a man that was not allowed to be buried after he died. She decided to give him a proper burial  even though she knew that she would die if she did. This was ultimately a suicide.

I believe that this relates to certain suicides of previous generations where many were looked at as honorable. One example of this is the Japanese soldiers, the kamikaze. These soldiers were committing suicide but it was seen by the Japanese as an honorable act as it was done for their country and their side of the war. Other forms of suicide that this can relate too are the ones that are committed because of a persons unhappiness with the way the world is and how it may have treated them. An example would be a man or women committing suicide due to being unhappy with the way their lives are going financially or maybe even  due to the insecurities that the world around them created. This second example really views how our outlook of suicide changed overtime. What once was seen as honorable during a time of war or other such efforts, now is seen by some as an escape from the world around them. When I answered this question in our classroom discussion today I said that suicide has lost much of its honorable conatation due to the way it is now being committed. People are now unfortunately doing it to find their way out of the world. It is seen by many as selfish because they aren’t thinking about the effects it would have on their friends and families. We will never truly understand however why people commit these acts now and will never understand how emotionally destroyed they must be feeling.

The next question that was asked in class was what is considered just and unjust and how can we possibly determine it?

Justice and the right thing to do is created by the world around you and really has a lot to do with nature in nurture. We oblivious know that terrorism is an awful and horrible thing, but a lot of these terrorists heads are filled with lies that state they will go to heaven if they commit these acts. They see these awful acts as just because they were nurtured into thinking so. People aren’t inherently unjust or evil. No one is born a monster. These things are created and instilled inside of you by the outside world.

Reflection:

After our discussion about the story of Antigone, I believe I now understand some other perspectives on why people come to the the decision of suicide. At first I believed that suicide was more of an escape for the world, and while still a very sad act, I now see how it may be viewed by some as honorable. Antigone commuted suicide for her brother. This was an honorable act as she put a proper burial for her brother before herself. I will be able to use this outside of the classroom to understand and attempt to learn more about people that do this now. Often when I heard of someone committing suicide I really brushed it off because I believe they were all done for the same reason. I now understand more about this and believe I should look into individual situations as opposed to coming to direct conclusions right away.

11/7/19 Colin Rualo PD 7

Modern Mythology 2020

November 7, 2019

Colin Rualo PD 7

The class began with a reading-check-quiz on the story of Perseus in Edith Hamilton’s

Mythology. 

Shortly after, we had a Think-Pair-Share: Compare the characterization of Danae and

Andromeda against Medusa and her sisters. What is their plight?

Billy said that Danae and Andromeda are pretty and beautiful while Medusa and her sisters

were the opposite - having scales and ugly. Dejon concurred, saying the first [Danae and

Andromeda] are saved, the second [Medusa and her sisters] are ugly.

When then watched a short video titled “Story of Medusa - Greek Mythology Explained”. We learned about how Medusa was originally a priestess for the temple of Athena, about how her hair infatuated the god Poseidon, and after eventually sleeping with him, was punished by Athena by having her hair turned into venomous snakes. The video explained that even the gods were prone to sin. I agree, as shown by Poseidon’s lust and Athena’s envy.

We then had a whole group discussion on who was the real monster in the story. Allen gave a few suspects: Medusa? Poseidon? Perseus? 

On a base level, Medusa was the literal monster. She turned to stone those who looked at her.

But she was not born with those powers nor did she ask for them. Poseidon could be

considered the catalyst of her downfall; his frustration over Medusa’s initial rejections drives him to rape her. Medusa received no help from Athena, who after finding out about the sin blames Medusa and punishes her. This is a common theme in which a man commits and sin and the woman has to pay for it (i.e. Zeus and Io).  Ms. Fusaro added to the discussion saying that Athena’s punishment had an extra layer: she forced Medusa into exile, ostracizing her, and she was only taken in by the Gorgons. Not only was Medusa betrayed by the goddess she praised by shunned as well.

Danae - The Curse

The dichotomy of women either puts them into a monster status, such as Medusa

(or Medea) or completely helpless, such as Danae, Andromeda (Europa)

What would be the purpose of passing this inference on to a younger generation?

In the Greeks’ time, the purpose was to know the societal structures of the time, which

was basically to tell women to stand down, know their role, and be quiet. Allen pointed out that Medusa and Medea were strong and got punished for it, while Danae and Andromeda were passive and didn’t do anything (and ended up alright).

Though much more likeable than Jason, Perseus is able to succeed because of the extended

help he receives from Hermes and Athena, yet he is regarded as a hero of his quest
Even though he was entrapped by Polydectes, Perseus takes on this quest with blind arrogance…

and yet he is not punished for it.

What makes Perseus more deserving of divine intervention compared to his female

counterparts?

William said simply that it was his fate to. He couldn’t die till it was done.

Ms. Fusaro left us with a question as the bell rang: If there is such a bias towards men,

why are there female goddesses?

Reflection: Today I learned about Medusa’s backstory. Similar to other female characters,

Medusa was punished by divine power (in this cause due to envy). The story continues to emphasize the misogyny in Greek culture at the time. It also continues to portray another “hero” who almost blunders his way through an impossible quest, and only succeeds through divine intervention. As usual, it is all to save a sweet damsel in distress. With these recurring themes, I will be more observant in identifying examples of gender prejudice and determining real qualities of heroes, without divine intervention.

11/04/2019 Alexander Rimerov PD 7

11/04/2019 Alexander Rimerov PD 7

Aim: How are death and morality approached in the Oedipus Trilogy?

Do Now: Suicide is a controversial topic because across cultures and time periods, the

perspective and purpose has evolved. Japanese Samurais would stab themselves

through the chest when faced with defeat, Japanese Kamikazi pilots would fly to their

deaths during wartime, Islamic suicide bombers would do the same. 

Think about how suicide is used in Antigone and compare it across time periods and

cultures. What kind of clout does suicide have? Why does/doesn’t it bear the same

weight now and today?

The lesson started off with a strong with a violent debate that was surprisingly

one-sided

• Everyone agreed that suicide of the past was regarded to be more honorable
• than suicide of the now. 

However, the real debate centered around the morality around the suicide of the now.
This question had the room split up into two main groups: those who believed suicide of

the now is selfish and those who believed it’s the fault of circumstances and not the individual. 
Steven led our discussion citing how the Japanese treated suicide in their culture. 

• He stated that back then, “suicide was virtuous.” It was meant to restore your and your family’s honor after your honor diminished. Now, he claimed, suicide is like an escape. It’s selfish because it only benefits the individual. Instead, the individual’s family will suffer from the loss of a family member, and experience none of the social benefits that came with Japanese suicide (and other suicides of the past). 

• To clarify, Steven explained that some benefits the individual’s family would experience after one’s suicide would be the elevation of their social-economic position and avoidance of public reclusion. 

Katherine disagreed with Steven saying that he went too extreme for putting the blame

on the individual. Most current day suicides are never the individual’s fault, and we shouldn’t

dump the blame on them afterwards. It is always because of circumstances. What suicides

of the now teach us is our limits and where to draw the line.
William added on to Steven explaining how in fascism it was honorable to sacrifice your life

in the name of the emperor. He quoted a famous proverb in the Japanese military during WWII, which stated, “To die for the emperor is to live forever.” By dying so honorably, your name

will live on in a positive light, and who wouldn’t want to be remembered so fondly.

• Ms. Fusaro added on to William’s comment, citing a Korean poem that stated a similar message. The general gist of the poem stated, “I can die over and over, but if I die for my lord, I live forever.”

Billy changed the topic back to the suicide of the past, stating that it was easier on the families whenever someone committed suicide because they believed in the afterlife, but now the value of lives are so much more greater because more people recognize the value of life and how precious it is.
Andrew disagreed with Billy, saying that people of the past valued life just as much as we did, and suffered from a loss just as we would. Some people of today still believe in the afterlife, and while it’s easier for them to cope afterwards, that doesn’t mean they value life any less than anyone else. They still suffer and recognize the loss of their family member.
Then Dejon finally jumped into the conversation and started relating the discussion to the homework reading. He first explained how the fact that Antigone knew she was going to be killed could be considered to be suicide for she willingly chose to die. But then he related this to martyrs like Rosa Parks. He states, “When you sacrifice yourself for something you believe in, no matter if you die in the process, then that’s honorable. When someone is dying for a cause, it’s honorable.”
Finally, we concluded the discussion with the fact that what we decide is an honorable cause is subjective. If it aligns with the viewer’s morals, it’s honorable. If not, it’s dishonorable.

Fate vs. Free-Will

In the lessons we have learned from the Greeks, the more we try to avoid fate, the more we

play into it. 

The Fates, in Greek mythology, the Moirai—often known in English as

the Fates—were the white-robed incarnations of destiny. Their number became

fixed at three: Cloho (spinner), Lachesis (allotter) and Atropos (unturnable).

They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal from birth to death.

They were often depicted as weavers of a tapestry on a loom, with the tapestry

dictating the destinies of men.

We had a short classroom discussion about this slide.
We discussed how the Greeks had an interesting interpretation of fate.

We related it to a diagram as shown below:

What this diagram shows us is that no matter what path you take, either the simple from

Point A to Point B, or the struggle of the journey on the right, by the time point B was

weaved to occur, fate has a way of making it happen.

• “Death will always come back to bite you, no matter how hard you try to avoid it;

It’s weaves in your fate.”

• Something to keep in mind is that the two figures shown above are two different journeys which the same starting and ending points. Some things in life were predetermined, but the journey in between was up to the individual. At least the Greeks believed in some free will.

Afterwards, we discussed how our philosophy has now changed to no longer believe in fate; that we are the makers of our own destiny.

• To relate to a previous lesson, our new philosophy holds us accountable for our own actions. We can no longer say that I did something (aka commited a crime) for the fates saw me to. This allows for a justice system based around a legal code (law) with no divine intervention (secular).

Antigone - The First Rebel Feminist?

Antigone’s crime was defying the laws of her land to appease her morality,

Is this a crime? How would it play in our justice system (translating the circumstances into

a modern perspective, of course)?

How do you determine your perspectives on justice? Is there a formula for

deciding what is justified? If so, what is embodied in that formula?

Why is this still a problem?

How will you fix it as you go into the world?

Cornelia started off the discussion by connecting Antigone’s scenario to an

actual court case that occurred within the last century.

A poor man’s wife fell ill and he needed to buy a drug to make her better.
He goes to the store to buy the drug, but he finds he doesn’t have the money
to buy it. After asking the clerk for a loan and being rejected, he was with two options:

don’t do anything and let his wife die or steal the drug. He decides to steal the drug and

his wife gets better, but for saving his wife’s life, does he deserve imprisonment?

Billy responds to this scenario by saying that there are no set morals. For example, Billy

brings up that fact that anyone could then get away with stealing food by saying that they

find it moral to take food in order to keep themselves alive. In this scenario, most people

would find it immoral because it’s for a selfish reason, but then when we apply that same

morality to Robin Hood, it’s perfectly fine because he’s stealing from the corrupt rich in order

to feed the starving poor.

Kelly adds on to Billy by reinforcing that there’s “no general formula for morals. The

best way is to compromise and make a set of rules that everyone can agree on (aka the law).”
Shannon then agree with Kelly saying there’s no way to determine what everyone thinks is

moral or immoral. The law is our best way to compromise.

Allen relates our discussion to Antigone, saying that we have a bias going into this story. 

“We all love the underdog story”.

Fusaro then leads the discussion and visits back to Cornelia’s example, but now with

bread for his starving family.
First she asks how many of us would send the man to jail: 

Only Steven and another raises their hand.

But now what do we do if 30 or 40 families start stealing bread because they can’t afford it?

Now everyone starts to reconsider.

Dominick raises his hand and says, “At that point jail isn’t enough. I think it’s off to the gallows.”

Everyone has a nice chuckle.

William says, “Set an example, send one family to jail and discourage the rest."

Then… the bell rang, thus marking the end of another successful day in Gods, Monsters, and the Apocalypse.

But wait! Ms. Fusaro still had something to say. “Antigone was fine because she

had divine law backing her up. It was just a coincidence that divine law didn’t match up with

societal law.

AND...Done!

Student Reflection:

What did I learn?

I learned that there is never a clear cut answer to anything. On both debates we had today,

there was always a middle area that could never be completely answered. No one really

knew how to address it at first, but then, as we continued throwing ideas, we started to get

closer and closer to exposing that middle ground and finding ways to chart it. For instance,

in the first debate, while no one expected for a definite answer, Dejon suggested that “if

something aligns with the viewer’s/audience’s morals, therefore it’s honorable.” After that,

no one could really argue with him because it addressed both sides and settled down the

heat pretty effectively. Same with William’s comment about punishing the family to set an

example for other families in the second debate.

Why did I learn it?

It’s important to understand that there’s always two sides to a question, but more important

to know that there will be a solution that will always address both sides. You just have to

pour in the time and effort and have the right people to get there.

How will I use what I learned?

In the future we are bound to come across a topic that will seem to have no answer.

No matter how hard we think alone, we won’t be able to address it as effectively as with

an entire classroom. Public discussions, like these that we have in class, are what actually

give us answers. Maybe, we all might finally realize this and start asking for other people’s

opinions on the topics that stump us like this in the future. Then, we might stumble upon the

answers that we were looking for.

11/7/19 Sampson Zeng PD 5

Aim: With respect to gender roles, how does Lady Macbeth ​demonstrate the theme of "Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair"?

Group Work: The “Come, you spirits” soliloquy is arguably Lady Macbeth’s most powerful lines in Macbeth.
Finalize any details on your own Tableau. 

Reflection:

Today we spend 25 minutes in class preparing with our groups so that we can present our tableau's to the rest of the class. Our groups had to decide on which lines everyone would say and remember the part that was assigned to us. We could use props in our tableau, and we had to recite the famous lines of Lady Macbeth during her powerful soliloquy "Come, you spirits". Through our presentation of tableau's I learned that a few lines of someone's feelings can tell you a lot about the character, and what their motives and next actions might be. Through our interpretations of Lady Macbeth's soliloquy, I can infer that she is asking spirits to fill her with the ambition and the will to kill King Duncan, and that she is asking the spirits to take the kindness and warmth of a woman from her. This is implying that back then in medieval times, women would represent all the good things like kindness, caring, and helpful, and they wouldn't be seen as people that would be able to imagine or act out acts of horrible deeds. I can use what I learned today by better interpreting what a character's motives might be in a story and understand how characters are developed and given an amazing backstory even if they aren't the main "heroes" of characters of the story. 

10/7/19 Paulina Mastryukov PD1

11/7/19 Modern Mythology 2020 Period 1 Paulina Mastryukov 

THE DIVIDE OF WOMEN:

Compare the characterization of Danae and Andromeda against Medusa and her sisters. What is their plight? Danae and Andromeda are damsels, completely victims to their circumstances, which are more often than not determined by the men in their lives.Medusa and her sisters were monsters that were the designated antagonists of Perseus’ story. The former’s plight is that they are in danger as a result of the actions of the men in their lives, whilst the latter’s is they, starting with Medusa, were cursed to have writhing snakes for hair and a petrifying gaze.

Upon formally watching a video about the origins of Medusa according to Greek mythology, the class learned that she is one of three daughters, the only mortal one, of two ancient sea deities. She dedicated her life to being a priestess of a temple of Athena, which meant that she had to remain a virgin. She was immensely beautiful, her hair being one of her most notable qualities, with men flocking to the temple just to see her. This earned her quiet jealousy, which quickly turned to disdain from the goddess. Eventually, she caught the eye of Poseidon himself, but refused his advances on account of the fact she had vowed to remain a virgin to be a priestess to Athena. Unfortunately, Poseidon was in a feud with the goddess in question, thus saw Medusa as an opportunity to get back at her, so resolved to take the priestess by force. In trying to escape him, Medusa hid in Athena’s temple in hopes the patron deity would grant her protection. However, Poseidon was not to be stopped, leading to him raping her in her temple. Athena was enraged at such indiscretion, and as she could not do anything against a fellow god, she cursed Medusa to have venomous snakes for hair and a petrifying gaze as punishment.

• The dichotomy of women either puts them into a monster status, such as Medusa(or Medea) or completely helpless such as Danae, Andromeda, or Io.
• This passed the idea onto the younger generation, in context the girls of the time, that you would become a monster if you showed any passion or errant emotion, whilst staying submissive and obedient to the men in your life, no matter what, would guarantee a happy ending.

Afterwards, we went into a discussion about how although Perseus was a better “hero” than Jason on some levels, but he still started his quest out of arrogance. What ultimately made him more deserving on divine protection over his female counterparts(Danae and Andromeda)? A possible answer is the fact how he, no matter what, was incredibly stubborn and committed to his ultimate goal, no matter what impossible circumstances he was met with.

What did I learn? I learned that there is indeed an extreme dichotomy of women in Ancient Greek myth: you are either some sort of monster, or a helpless damsel. However, the female monsters are often the ones that we feel the most pity for.
Why did I learn it? I learned this because it was heavily emphasized during discussion how in ancient Greek society, ideas that are deeply misogynistic by today’s standards were widespread, such as the idea of submission in girls to the men in their lives.
How will I use what I learned? I will use what I have learned to keep my mind open to how the context of these stories and the standards they display are very different from modern standards, but still understand this is not right.

Anna Liu 11/6/18 Period 2 - Blog#1

11/6/2019

Anna Liu Period 2

Aim: How are death and mortality approached in the Oedipus Trilogy?

Do now:

Suicide is a controversial topic because across cultures and time periods, the perspective amd purpose has evolved. Japanese Samurais would stab themselves through the chest when faced with defeat, Japanese Kamikaze pilots would fly to their deaths during wartime, Islamic suicide bombers would do the same. Think about how suicide is used in Antigone and compare it across time periods and cultures.

• We discussed about how our perspectives on suicide are based the time and culture. 
• PRIDE and HONOR versus DISGRACE and SIN
• In Japan, they had the tradition of seppuku also known as harakiri is a ceremonial ritual suicide where a samurai would die  honorably by disembowelment. In India, historically they had Sati or Suttee known to us as widow burning where a woman sacrifices herself by throwing herself over her dead husband's funeral pyre. These were treated as courageous and heroic; however in other cultures or time periods, suicide was not seen in the same admirable light. In fact, such as today's time, suicide is usually frowned upon like with the  youth in Asia suicide rates or in christianity where it is considered a sin.

How do we decide what is wrong and right about suicide?

• A point brought up by a student: When you die for something you love or die for the benefit of the people, it is considered honorable but when you die for personal  reasons it is considered disgraceful and treated as "an easy way out".

Fate versus Free-will

In the lessons we have learned from the Greeks, the more we try to avoid fate, the more we play into it. The Fates - In Greek mythology, the Moirai (often known in English as the Fates) were the white-robed incarnations of destiny. Their number became fixed at three. Clotho (the spinner), Lachesis (the allotter) and Alropos (the unturnable). They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. They were often depicted as weavers of a tapestry on a loom, with the tapestry dictating the destinies of men.

Antigone - The First Rebel Feminist?

Antigone's crime was defying the laws of her land to appease her morality. Is this a crime? How would it play in our justice system (translating the circumstance into a modern perspective, of course)?

• How do you determine your perspectives on justice? Is there a formula for deciding what is justified? If so, what is embodied in that formula?
• Why is this still a problem? How will you fix it as you go into the world?

In class we discussed that although it was a crime against human law and the "government", the ultimate law in this world of divinity would be divine law which says that you must bury the dead. So in actuality, Antigone was just following the laws made by the divinity of her world by burying her brother like he was meant to be, even though she knew the consequences of doing so. Another topic brought up was how justice was seen in the debate between divinity and government. 

Student Reflection:

• Today I learned that suicide is not what I thought it was as I walked into the classroom. I never really put much thought into it and it was always sort of a taboo topic in my perspective. There's this gray area between beneficial/ honourable and shameful/cowardly. Not everyone has the same opinion about suicide and that's perfectly normal. I also learned that fate is a very intriguing topic because you never really know if you are the one in control of your own life or if your life has already been drawn out on a magical tapestry. We learned about these topics because it relates to our own society and how much people's perspectives on things like suicide and destiny have changed over many many years. I  will use the information I learned today to think more intuitively about the world around us, perhaps our fates really are woven out already but what's yet to come will remain a mystery until fate decides to unravel itself for us.