House of a Loving Friend
My eyes were half shut as drool brimmed on my lips about to escape any minute and drip onto the desk. Mr. Johnson didn't seem to notice, and lectured on in his steady monotone voice. A piece of paper landed on my desk, which snapped me back to reality causing me to slurp up the excess liquid on my lips. The paper was a note from Keli. That seemed to be all we ever did in Philosophy, write notes. I opened it and peered down at her neat, smooth handwriting. "What's wrong?" was what I found staring back at me. I frowned at the question asking myself the same thing. The day had been terrible, and for what reason I was unsure. I was unhappy and wanted to get away. I wanted to go somewhere where happiness overflowed and would surround me in its warmth. Then, at that moment, I knew what I needed to do. I needed to go see Ella.
As I stepped from my car, the icy wind rustled my hair and stung my face. I shut my car door and turned around to see Ella's house. A small cream colored one-story house, sitting underneath a brown metal roof, met my gaze. Eye-like windows peered at me with a cheerful light saying that everything was going to be al-right. Crawford Reservoir lingered in the background, making it look like the picture perfect house. Pine trees were sporadically placed around, and Ella's old, blue car sat in the carport giving it a homey atmosphere. I smiled and rushed to the door not wanting another minute to be spent in the cold air. I pulled back the old storm door, twisting the brass handle of the white wood door at the same time; I just wanted to get inside.
The second I was in the house, warmth flooded my heart and soul. I stood there drinking it in; it was the feeling I had wished for all day...
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...xist, and I grimaced at the idea. These pale white walls would be empty indeed when that day came. Not wanting to entertain the thought, I drove it from my mind, smiled and decided to enjoy every second with her I had today!
As I sat there listening to Ella, I realized there wasn't anything special about the house. It was Ella. She made the house seem alive with love and joy. I had never known a day when I walked through her door and didn't feel my heart swell with the love inside these walls. As I got up to leave the look of, "Please don't leave me!" appeared in Ella's eyes, and I wanted to cry. I promised to return next week and live the wonderful moment over again. I stepped outside, and again, the wind tried to grab me with its icy fingers, but it couldn't. Happiness was overflowing in my heart, and the warmth of Ella's love surrounded me like a warm blanket.
Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. 2nd ed. Mountain View: Mayfield, 1995
Grant, Michael, and John Hazel. "Athena." Gods and Mortals in Classical Mythology. Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam, 1973. Print.
Morford, Mark P.O., and Robert J. Lenardon. Classical Mythology. '7th ed'. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Rosenberg, Donna. "The Labors and Death of Heracles." World Mythology. 3rd ed. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. 100-05. Print.
It was similar to the suburban street I grew up on, but in lieu of cookie-cutter houses with stale Bermuda grass, there stood wood cabins with yards covered in snow. The reddish-orange light emanating from the towering street lights pierced through a white fog and gently illuminated the area. Exiting the car, I was overwhelmed with a flurry of new sensations. The gently falling snow absorbed all of the sounds I was used to hearing in a residential area.The low hum of passing cars, birds singing from the trees, and the sound of blowing wind appeared to be muffled, even silenced, by the steady falling snow. I felt enveloped in a cool, but somehow familiar blanket. The smell of burning wood was coming from every direction, as each house I looked at had a thin, grayish plume rising gently from the chimney. The plumes represented the warmth and comfort of the many people I imagined to be nestled by the fire. Looking down the street, I noticed how freshly plowed it was. A thin layer of snow and ice-- like icing on a cupcake, or the glass top on my parent’s nightstand-- covered the street. But on the side of the street sat a pile of snow that could have swallowed me alive. Feeling taunted, I stood there and weighed my options. Chest deep mounds of frozen crystals begged me to dive in and lose myself. Preparing to succumb to the temptations before me, I was momentarily hindered by the fear of my parent’s wrath. But had that ever stopped me
Through the sound of the thundering rain and howling wind, an ear-piercing scream slices through the air. Never in my life have I heard a sound quite like this one. It’s the type of scream that’s so desperate and horrific that its cuts right through your body and down to your soul and shakes the life out of it. Just on time, the well-known Virginian winds whipped open the door to the privy to let me out into the blasting wind. Through the rain and sleet assaulting my face, I heard the terrible scream rip through time and space again. Right away, my feet start taking off without me, trying to reach the main house, to my family. Through the raging storm, I can see the blue side door come into view, or the spot that used to be where the blue door was.
As I walked into the family room, I could feel the gentle heat of the crackling fire begin to sooth my frostbitten cheeks. I plopped myself down on the sofa. The soft cushions felt like heaven to my muscles, sore from building snowmen, riding sleds, and throwing snowballs from behind the impenetrable fort.
Rosenburg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. Third Edition. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. Text.
Women have given birth to new generations for centuries and have the common stereotype of being caring and gentle. But in the creation myth, women were given to man as a punishment. In the book of collected Greek tales, " Mythology Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes", by Edith Hamilton, women take up important roles that shape each story. Although women are usually characterized as being helpful and motherly, Greek mythology, on the other hand, portrays them to cause distress, fear, and anxiety to numerous men. Women’s actions are shown to be influenced with jealousy and vengeance which gives them an evil nature.
The dark, burnt red house with wood siding and white trim sat in the middle of a large green yard. My brothers and I spent many hours outside. We fed and played with our pets and various farm animals that lived in the scattered outbuildings. An old refrigerator turned on its side, with the ends cut off, had been turned into a rabbit hutch. As I turned the handle to open the oversized chicken coop, the hens clucked and jumped off the roost. In the frantic exit ou...
In a society in which social position was vital for having a successful family, the Greek and Roman families internally struggled with one another. This constant conflict stems from the father’s desire for control and the society’s high placement of power. In the Greek myth Demeter and Persephone, Zeus’s interest for his selfish gains prompts him to “ ( give ) Persephone to the Lord of Dead to become his queen “ ( Rosenberg Demeter 96). Zeus does not ask Persephone nor Demeter, his beloved wife, presenting that he does not show any opinions on their feelings. Although Zeus in reality just wanted to have a powerful family with the addition of Hades, his love for power overrode his love for his family and created a tension between the other members and him. In another Greek myth, Jason and the Golden Fleece, shows man’s love for supremacy through ...
Rosenberg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. Illinois: Passport Books, 1988.
In Gilgamesh, we find a hero who is created by the gods; yet he is part human: "Two thirds they made him god and one third man" (14). He seeks the protection of the gods and draws upon their wise counsel. Achilles is also of mortal-immortal heritage. Although he is often referred to as "son of Peleus" (a mortal), his mother, the sea nymph Thetis, had dipped him as a child in the River Styx causing him to be immortal everywhere except the heel by which she held him (?Achilles? par 2). Not unlike Gilgamesh, Achilles seeks the wise counsel of the gods and entreats his mother to use her diplomatic skills to gain favor with the other gods. He attempts this when he tells Thetis, "Go to Olympus, plead with Zeus/ if you ever warmed his heart with a word or any action" (I, 468-69).
The air is really fresh, and the wind is comfortable. Grandma usually opened the window during the daytime; I still remembered that feeling when the sunshine came in house and scatter. I walking among those numerous grand trees and admire colored leaves on the trees and on the ground. I miss that feeling of calmness and stability of the world around. I wish I could return the reality of those feelings once more. Memories in mind and never forget about happiness of staying in my grandmother’s house. Grandparent’s time-honored gift to their grandchildren is their unconditional love, unfettered by schedules, routines or commitments. They reinforced their grandchildren’s sense of security and self-value.
As I walk in through the door, I begin to sense the feeling of warmth come over me. This is the feeling I get every time I arrive at my Grandpa's house in Price, Utah. It's where I spent the first five years of my life. This is my second home.