The Importance Of Superstitions

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This is a critique of an article written by a freshman at Bowling Green State University, Firelands campus, titled “Albatross in the Red Sky on Friday: Does Irrational Superstition on the Great Lakes Make a Difference?” The purpose of this article is to evaluate rather irrational superstitions on the Great Lakes makes a difference on the success or failure of a ship and its crew’s fate. Sara Cordle effectively uses evidence and objectivity, but on the other hand she does not effectively use relevance which ultimately affects the value of this article.
In this article Cordle mentions a few main points which include; rat superstitions, cat superstitions, boat re-naming superstitions, and fear/anxiety. The rat superstition states that if rats …show more content…

The last superstition mentioned was one to be avoided at all costs-if possible: re-naming a boat. The name holds the personality of the vessel and the crew within it. This superstition came to be because if you accurately changed the name it would draw attention from taxing agencies and it would be easier to enforce fees and taxes. The only way to rid the boat of bad luck from re-naming was to purge it and then christen it. The last main point was fear/anxiety which stated that fearing superstitions can cause irrational responses during a crisis which can aid to the cause and effect of the …show more content…

Cordle states “Yes, superstition does make a difference, and it should be taken seriously…” (118). The only viable evidence to the superstitions being possible is the human factor condition of fear and anxiety. The human factor can be used in any number of situations. Looking at the animals (rats and cats) there is no evidence stated in this article to substantiate it. Rats run off a ship and it has problems. The question here is have rats ever been found on a boat in trouble? If cats are wanted to run off mice then the mice or rats running off the ship would be due to the cat on board not a doomed ship. So, again I reiterate this article does not entirely answer its own

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