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Essays on superstitions
Essays on superstitions
Essays on superstitions
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SUPERSTITIOUS
Human beings are superstitious especially among Chinese. If anyone who claims that he or she is not superstitious is either a liar or a fool. A lot of us believe in certain things that do not have logical explanations. This is especially true in this multi-racial country of ours. Each community has its own beliefs. It would be impossible to discuss all of the beliefs of Chinese; therefore I will just touch on some of them.
I still remember a few years ago, some of my friends and I went to a holiday in Bukit Bendera. One of friend decided to take some snapshots. So we all were dressed up and ready to be ‘shot’. We had our individual photographs taken first, and then we decided to have group photographs. But one of my friends gave us a warning that did not made up any group of three. He said that misfortune will befall one of the three if they have their photographs taken together! After listened that everyone avoided being in a group of three. Although I
STUDY SKILLS IN ENGLISH SSE 131 never heard of such a thing before but after hearing it, I did not want to take the risk. Actually it spoiled the fun a bit. I felt it was difficult to believe, even photographs can be superstitious. Honestly speaking, I do not know how much truth there is in this illogical belief but I do not dare to test it. After reading this, will you still dare to have your photograph to be taken with two other people?
The number three is also taboo among cigarette smokers. On occasions I have seen a group of people lighting up their cigarettes only to a maximum of two persons per lighted match. Actually the light is slowly extinguished after two persons and then person number three will use a new match. This I have to define as the belief that maybe some tragedy will strike the third person who receives a lighted match. Well, here is another belief not to be challenged.
When you are having a baby, there are some beliefs especially for the Chinese pregnant ladies such as: Don't use glue when you are pregnant because it will cause a difficult birth. Another thing is if you strike an animal during pregnancy, the newborn child will look like that animal and behave like one.
Witchcraft started in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Superstition started when women were accused of acting strangely. These superstitions turned into trials, and later lead to mounds of hanged people. Most of the people accused were innocent, but the harsh judge rulings left them with nothing to live for. The only options for the tried, no matter if guilty or not, were to claim guilty, living the rest of their life in prison, or to plead not guilty and hang. Due to both consequences being equally as punishable, many people isolated themselves from society. Unfortunately, some people caused the uprising of the salem witch trials more than others did. In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams single handedly attributed to the
During pregnancy in Vietnam, women are believed to be passing through an important stage in life, which will result in bringing forth life. she has to observe many rites so as to have a save delivery and prevent any birth complications. For example; during the first trimester where the woman is considered to be in the a cold state and is required to eat hot foods like, ginger, hot peppers and avoid cold foods such as lemon, melons, pineapples, spinach and green papaya which if consumed in excess will cause diarrhea and cough. while in the second trimester where she is considered to be in the neutral state and may be allowed to eat any food. The pregnant woman in the third trimester should not consume any supplements and should decrease the amount of food she consumes. This is done to ensure a safe delivery of the infant at birth.(Traditional Chinese Medicine,2012). The main idea behind this belief is to have a balance between warm and cool energy transferred to the body. This is not directly related to the temperature of the food bu...
After watching the documentary The Long Search: Taoism: A Question of Balance—China, I am totally surprised by the details in the video, which explain every single aspect of people’s daily life in Taiwan as religious, especially Taoist. Since China does not consider itself as a nation of religious beliefs and practices, I do not actually think of what Chinese people do everyday as religious. However, after studying Religions in China for a semester, I finally realize that all the Chinese traditions and beliefs have evolved as a mixture of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. As a result, it all makes sense to see in the video that Taoism is a dominant religion that has deeply influenced individuals’ life in Taiwan.
Kitayama, Shinoubu and Miyamoto, Yuri and Morling, Beth. (2003). American and Japanese Women use different coping strategies during normal pregnancy. United States, SAGE Publications.
These beliefs are all presented early in Story of the Stone. In the beginning, it is a Buddhist monk and a Taoist who discover the stone. Though he initially considers ignoring the stone because of its perceived loose moral values and questionable content, the Taoist Vanitas is soon convinced of the worth of the story by the stone’s insistence that others may learn from the message, and thus avoid the same pitfalls that befell so many in the Jia clan. “My only wish is that men in the world below may sometimes pick up this tale… and in doing so find not only mental refreshment but even perhaps, if they will heed its lesson and abandon the...
The first aspect of superstition impacting our lives we’ll explore is the idea of superstitions causing us to spend money. According to the financial firm Forbes, “Superstition is a billion dollar industry. Every year, Americans spend a substantial amount of their disposable income on superstitious items such as 4 leaf
There are big differences in how Chinese mothers act towards their children compared to Western mothers including the expression of feelings and approval, the worth of their children, and what is best for them. Amy Chua (2011) incorporates her own personal experiences of being a Chinese mother within her article and compares that to what she witnesses in America.
In “We Aren’t Superstitious”, by Stephen Vincent Benet, the theme of accusation supports the superstitions for the Salem Witch Trials. Throughout the entire story, accusations are thrown left and right; Arguing on who is a witch and who isn’t. When Tituba arrived from the West Indies towards the beginning of the story, nobody could predict the mayhem she would unfold. The queer and interesting stories she told Elizabeth Parris later spread into the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Now, one doesn't know if this was part of her “evil voodoo-witch plan” or aimlessly come across, but it was catastrophic. The first individual to be accused of witchery was Sarah Good, who later was followed by Sarah Osborne. They were both accused of witchery because of their low social classes. Sarah Good was known as a whore and a beggar, while Sarah Osborne was married to a lower social class and was a horrible Christian. This accusation of the lower class portrays a lot of what happens today in the real world.
...hinese. The Chinese see ghosts as haunting spirits, either dead or alive. The live ghosts in Chinese culture represents all of the odd and uncomfortable people who are unusual or have been disrespectful. Americans perceive ghosts as the haunting spirits of the dead. Americans also believe there are good ghosts' spirits of people who come to help or protect. Both cultures question the real definition of ghost. To each culture it has a new meaning. The ghosts represent the cultural divide of Chinese and Americans.
As people, all of the actions we take, and as a result, the benefits and consequences which occur, are rooted from our own beliefs. This is seen every day through the way we carry ourselves, the choices we make, how we treat others, etc. But, most notably, it is seen throughout history in the actions and culture of nations. China in particular is an area with many belief systems/ideologies which have developed over its long history; these include Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism, and Buddhism. With the previous statement, it is only logical to conclude that these belief systems have had a large impact on China’s development and culture.
Since I grew in traditional chinese family, so I don’t know much about religions. In my family, we don’t go to church or temple. In my family, we do have some special customs that we follow during holidays,
“The whole character of Chinese popular religion flows in the direction of plethora of rituals and obligations without much discernable doctrinal underpinning” (Corduan, 2012, p.410). The Chinese popular religion has gravitated away the gods of Buddha and Daoism and captured the philosophy of luck and materialism (Corduan, 2012), while it “is less concerned with philosophical issues and
In the view of the Chinese common man, life on earth is but a temporary stop on his journey to death and other reincarnations. Since death is viewed as inexorable and inherent in the human condition, the Chinese accepts it with composure. It was a common custom in China, especially in rural areas, for people to have a coffin ready in their houses as a preparation for death that may come ten or twenty years in the future. Well-to-do people used to build their own tombs long before they felt they were approaching death. This composure should not be construed as absence of sadness and regret. The Chinese believe that, in spite of its seamy side, life is still better than death which is shrouded in mystery. Death, for Chinese, does not mean total disappearance. Only the corporeal frame is disintegrated, and the spirit survives and perpetuates itself in a series of reincarnations. The belief of the survival of the soul forms the spiritual basis for ancestor worship while the feeling of gratitude ant affection for one's ancestors forms its moral foundation. Among the Chinese, the honest man is born amidst traditions and rites; as an adolescent, he seeks to improve himself through culture; and in maturity, he aims at wisdom through following the spiritual path. This pattern is not an abstract ideal but a way of life, which often leads to an attitude of tolerance and detachment. The bulk of the Chinese people lived for centuries in this environment of ancestral beliefs and religious doctrines.
In many countries, religion is very important, so important that some cultures use it in every aspect of their lives. China, like some other countries, is a multi-religious country.... ... middle of paper ... ...
This is because they believe in harmony. Social harmony is peaceful interaction of human dynamics among members of a social group or groups. The word harmony means the fitting together of parts to make a connected whole. The Chinese use this to maintain relaxed and to have a better sense of well-being in their lives.