DR. JOHNSON

I had a really hard time controlling these photos in terms of size and position. I got them where i wanted them in the post, but in order to see the full painting you have to click on it. It is linked to open a window to show the full painting where you can zoom, etc.

The Lost Story of Lilith

The Christian and Hebrew creation story is well known. God created Adam from the dust of the ground, and saw that he needed a companion. He put Adam into a deep sleep and from his rib formed Eve. The two lived in Eden’s paradise, until the original sin was committed. This tale’s validity is rarely questioned by believers, but the Bible and other historical text may suggest that there is more to the story.

The Hebrew term liyliyth, which translates to Lilith, the “name of a female goddess known as a night demon who haunts the desolate places of Edom (Hebrew Lexicon),” was only found once in the Hebrew bible, but replaced in the King James Version with screech owl. "The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest" (The Holy Bible King James Version) Although mention of Lilith in the bible is extremely minimal, she does reappear in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which contained the oldest Old Testament text and many unpublished biblical passages.

And I, the Instructor, proclaim His glorious splendour so as to frighten and to te[rrify] all the spirits of the destroying angels, spirits of the bastards, demons, Lilith, howlers, and [desert dwellers…] and those which fall upon men without warning to lead them astray from a spirit of understanding and to make their heart and their […] desolate during the present dominion of wickedness and predetermined time of humiliations for the sons of lig[ht], by the guilt of the ages of [those] smitten by iniquity – not for eternal destruction, [bu]t for an era of humiliation for transgression.

As in the Dead Sea Scroll passage above, Lilith is demonized in Jewish folklore. She comes into homes within the first days of a child’s existence (a time period of eight days for boys, or up until circumcision, and twenty days for girls) and causes sickness and even death. To protect their children from this demoness, three angels’ names are inscribed on an amulet and placed around their neck. Lilith is also said to be a tempting seductress, taking advantage of men, often in their sleep (the said cause of wet dreams), producing demon spawn called Lilin. Semen for Lilith’s demon spawn is said to even be collectable in the marriage bed, which is why certain modesty and rituals must be followed. Lilith’s first ‘victim,’ claimed to be non-consensual was Adam.

Jacob had entered this gateway to faith.
Adhering to that faith, he had to be tested
in the same place his fathers had been tested,
entering in peace and emerging in peace.
Adam entered but was not careful.
Seduced by her, he sinned with that whore of a woman, the primordial serpent. (Penn Tech)


Lilith by John Collier


The primordial serpent referred to in the text is said to be Lilith, who through pure seducing powers (and sometimes wine) led God-seeking men such as Adam and Jacob, as stated above, but also Abram, Noah, and Isaac. Lilith has also been depicted as a serpent in other ways as well; specifically, the one who tempted Eve, causing the first sin of man. In many paintings depicting the original sin, the snake is only just at the bottom half, wrapping up the tree, but woman at the top half, handing Eve the apple.

And the Serpent, the Woman of Harlotry, incited and seduced Eve through the husks of Light which in itself is holiness. And the Serpent seduced Holy Eve, and enough said for him who understands. And all this ruination came about because Adam the first man coupled with Eve while she was in her menstrual impurity – this is the filth and the impure seed of the Serpent who mounted Eve before Adam mounted her. Behold, here it is before you: because of the sins of Adam the first man all the things mentioned came into being. For Evil Lilith, when she saw the greatness of his corruption, became strong in her husks, and came to Adam against his will, and became hot from him and bore him many demons and spirits and Lilin. (Torah)



The Fall of Man by Cornelis van Haarlem



The Fall of Man Lucas Cranach



The Temptation of Adam and Eve by Michelangelo

The myths of Lilith as a killer of babies, a seductress, the serpent who tricked Eve do not stem from, but come together in The Alphabet of Ben Sira. The story told was an answer to a plea (or rather threat) of the king, who’s son had fallen ill. The king said that if his son was not better, Ben Sira must pay the consequence of death. The following story was told in response:

"The angels who are in charge of medicine: Snvi, Snsvi, and Smnglof. After God created Adam, who was alone, He said, 'It is not good for man to be alone' He then created a woman for Adam, from the earth, as He had created Adam himself, and called her Lilith. Adam and Lilith immediately began to fight. She said, 'I will not lie below,' and he said, 'I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one.' Lilith responded, 'We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth.' But they would not listen to one another. When Lilith saw this, she pronounced the Ineffable Name and flew away into the air. Adam stood in prayer before his Creator: 'Sovereign of the universe!' he said, 'the woman you gave me has run away.' At once, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent these three angels to bring her back.

"Said the Holy One to Adam, 'If she agrees to come back, fine. If not, she must permit one hundred of her children to die every day.' The angels left God and pursued Lilith, whom they overtook in the midst of the sea, in the mighty waters wherein the Egyptians were destined to drown. They told her God's word, but she did not wish to return. The angels said, 'We shall drown you in the sea.'
"'Leave me!' she said.’I was created only to cause sickness to infants. If the infant is male, I have dominion over him for eight days after his birth, and if female, for twenty days.'

"When the angels heard Lilith's words, they insisted she go back. But she swore to them by the name of the living and eternal God: 'Whenever I see you or your names or your forms in an amulet, I will have no power over that infant.' She also agreed to have one hundred of her children die every day. Accordingly, every day one hundred demons perish, and for the same reason, we write the angels names on the amulets of young children. When Lilith sees their names, she remembers her oath, and the child recovers."

After following the advice in the story, the king’s son was said to recover. While this is just said to be folklore, the previous mentioning of Lilith in both the published Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls at least confirm her presence. Further, some believe that “The idea that Adam had a wife prior to Eve may have developed from an interpretation of the Book of Genesis and its dual creation accounts; while Genesis 2:22 describes God's creation of Eve from Adam's rib, an earlier passage, 1:27, already indicates that a woman had been made: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." The text places Lilith's creation after God's words in Genesis 2:18 that "it is not good for man to be alone"(Wikipedia). When Lilith left Adam, God then created Eve, who was formed from Adam’s rib so that she was a part of man, not equivalent like the identically made Lilith.

The legend of Lilith is controversial for many reasons. First, it disassembles the creation that has been preached in Christianity for thousands of years. Secondly, Adam having a wife before Eve raises questions about Christianity’s treatment of divorce. Where some newer sects of religion allow room for divorce under certain circumstances, some, like Evangelicals for instance, believe that even if dire circumstances lead to divorce, no other partner should be taken.

“But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (The Holy Bible).

Perhaps the most contentious matter, however, is that Lilith refused to submit to Adam, claiming equality. While some feminists claim that this story justifies equality for women, religious authorities and evangelicals dismiss this as exaggerated feminine nonsense. They believe that accepting the story as Lilith as Adam’s disobedient, independent first wife, women can wrongfully use the story and use Lilith as a symbol in there feminist agenda.

However, denying Lilith’s story may also serve a higher purpose for the church. The Old Testament, Holy Scripture in both Judaism and Christianity, makes multiple statements about women which place them at a subservient level. In Genesis 3:17 God says to Eve “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee” (The Holy Bible) This passage in Genesis was taken literally, decreasing women’s rights, making them property of their fathers or their husbands. "...God, by creating Adam first and also by creating woman for man), has set the gender-based role and responsibility of males in the most basic unit of society (the family) to be that of leader, provider and self-sacrificial protector and likewise has set the gender-based role and responsibility of females to be that of help and nurture and life-giving under male leadership and protection” (Religious Tolerance).

Further more, Eve’s deception painted a negative depiction of women. Religious figures such as Saint Augustine, Martain Luther, and Saint Tertullian have all spoke ill of women because of their connection to Eve. Saint Tertullian said "Do you not know that you are each an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the Devil's gateway: You are the unsealer of the forbidden tree: You are the first deserter of the divine law: You are she who persuaded him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God's image, man. On account of your desert even the Son of God had to die." and Saint Augustine stated “What is the difference whether it is in a wife or a mother, it is still Eve the temptress that we must beware of in any woman......I fail to see what use woman can be to man, if one excludes the function of bearing children.”

It is possible that in order to keep social settings how the church believed it should be, with the man as the head of the household and the woman as his helper in the home, the church had to adapt the story as Eve as the first wife instead of Lilith. Lilith showing her independence would be detrimental to social order. With the ‘first wife’ story covered up, the demon Lilith can still appear without consequence. Additionally, the fall of man can be blamed on Eve, and serves a purpose in explaining various things such as man’s exile from Eden and pain in childbirth.

While Lilith’s story is mostly speculation, there is no questioning her existence in the Bible; her story holds just as much merit as any story in the other found there. People will believe what they want, or what they are taught. If Lilith was Adams first wife, it may lead to new ways to look at Genesis, and furthermore, new ways to look at history and relations between men and women.





Works Cited
Lilith - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 16 Dec. 2008 .
"Lilith." Teaching with Technology at Penn. 16 Dec. 2008 .

N/A. The Holy Bible: King James Version, Black, Pew. Peabody Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008.
"Online Bible - Search Bible Study Tools - Gateway to Resources." Online Bible - Search Bible Study Tools - Gateway to Resources. 16 Dec. 2008 .

"The status of women in throughout the history of Christianity." ReligiousTolerance.org by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 16 Dec. 2008 .
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (Penguin Classics). London: Penguin Classics, 2004.
The Torah. New York: Henry Holt And Co., 1997.

Paper 3: A Proposition

The topic for my paper is not completely developed. I wanted to explore some relationship between women and religion. I was kind of thinking about researching the sacred feminine in different cultures, but i'm not sure how i would refine that. On a little bit of a different note, i am also interested about women in polygamy (thanks to the discovery channel) and i think maybe a paper about that would be interesting and a bit easier to tailor. What do you think?

Offerings of Hope and Strength

“If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully.” How little I know. I have taken a sacred relationship between generations of women, and made it selfish. My mother and grandmother know everything about me; they could probably tell my stories. I could not, before now, tell theirs. But the story of Dinah touched me; she taught me the importance of remembering and retelling. She spoke of her mothers’ stories with the utmost admiration: “Their stories were like offerings of hope and strength poured out before the Queen of Heaven, only these gifts were not for any god or goddess - but for me.”

Her memories of her mothers stem from her time in the Red Tent, where menstruation was a blessing that was the passing of last month’s death, a welcoming of the next month’s life, and time to be spent together, passing on their memories and knowledge. Through the mouths of their daughters was the only way these women would carry on after death. The memories of the others would deteriorate with their body, and then be lost forever, little more than dust. “It is terrible how much has been forgotten, which is why, I suppose, remembering seems a holy thing.” I want to remember the stories of my mothers. I want to know of their struggles with the changing times, their personal lives, their careers, their pasts, and what they hope for the future. There are no red tents here, but they have shared their stories with me, and I hope by retelling them, I am able to do justice to their lives, repaying them for all they have given me.

My Grandmother’s Story

From the time she was a child, my incredible grandmother, Janine, was taking care of more than she should have been, a habit she never really broke. She was told that a woman’s job in a marriage was to have the house clean, the laundry done, the children taken care of, and the meal on the table. This advice was given almost hypocritically; her mother did none of this, she did. She took care of the house, went to school, and then later, at age fourteen, got a job working as a maid in a hotel. I cannot imagine the pressure of being the traditional ‘woman of the house’ and being a child. Added to that pressure were problems within her family. Her father was abusive and an alcoholic. She recalls asking her mother, “Mom, why do you stay?” Usually her questions were dismissed by her mother’s answer, “A bad Daddy is better than no Daddy at all.” She later told me that it was her own observations that made her decide this was not the truth. She decided that regardless of what her mother told her, divorce was an option, especially if the problems within a marriage affect the children.

She grew up in the projects, and it was her dream to escape that life. Instead she wanted a home with a husband that would love her forever, filled with their babies. Her dream would come true, starting with her marriage to my grandfather. From the day she put on her wedding ring, sealed with a kiss that was her family’s tradition, she did not take it off until the gold bands broke apart from wear.

I can still see the overwhelming love in my Grandparent’s relationship. Just during the time we were at dinner, her honey called to make sure she would be home soon; he was worried it was getting too dark for her to be out alone. They have their routines and their date nights. They still hold hands. My grandpa jokingly complains about how my grandmother glues herself to him in her sleep.

My grandmother got exactly what she wanted. She had her forever. Soon she was pregnant with my father. I remember this story well.

“I looked at this baby, and I thought to myself ‘I can never love anything as much as I love him.’ I didn’t even want another one because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to love him as much. I was such a fool! Of course I could, I realized that later. Love doesn’t have limits. I could love your dad, your grandpa, and another baby, all as much, all at the same time. Your grandpa said no, though… It wasn’t my fault my birth control pills got flushed down the toilet.”

It is quite an accomplishment to render me speechless. My grandma had succeeded. I just sat there for a minute, and then busted into a fit of laughter. She just sat there, half smile half smirk. I asked her if Grandpa knew. “I assume so,” she said, “But I never outright told him.” I wonder if my uncle knows he is the product of my grandmother’s deviousness.

She raised her babies and kept her house. At one time, before her second child was born she thought she might want to work. She worked for three days before she could no longer stand being away from her baby so long. From that day until her youngest was in fourth grade, and she was thirty-two, she didn’t step foot in a job, not that being a full time mother wasn’t job enough. Her not working made financial situations a little tighter. To make things easier, she made all of their meals from scratch, even the ones she sent with her children to school. The first time my father ever saw processed food was at the age of eight. He came home asking my grandma why he never got those strange cookies in the foil bags: Oreos. She was told that the wants and needs of her children came first. She never really deviated from that advice. Even now, she worries and their needs, putting them before her own.

My grandmother was only employed as a mother until the age of thirty two, when her youngest son was in fourth grade. Now, she has worked her way up to a management position. My grandmother has risen from the hardest of situations, and brought to my life complete adoration. As a child I was part of her, a shadow that followed her around, probably most often against convenience. But of course, she preferred things this way, as did I. I remember her doting on me as a child; I was a daughter that she never had. Now, she and grandpa like to go out and enjoy their time together, still incredibly in love. She still has her babies and grandbabies too. “I don’t feel like I ever missed out on anything,” she said. “I got everything I ever wanted.”



My Mother’s Story

My mom grew up with old-fashioned parents. My mom recalls seeing my grandma waiting on my grandpa hand and foot. He would sit in his recliner as she delivered him his meals. She did all of the cleaning and taking care of the children taking care of her daughters all while working. Neither she nor her mother held any animosity towards the way things were, though. “He was always very appreciative,” my mom said, “and never complained about what she had fixed but there was still little relief for her.” “Daughters eased their mothers' burdens” though, and my mother was cooking meals for her family—just the way her dad liked them—by the time she was thirteen.

She continued to grow up faster than was normal. By only fifteen, she was to be a mother. She was obviously thrown into adulthood all too fast, missing the years of high school that she considers a time to grow and really get to know oneself.

She embraced the pregnancy and incorporated it into her dreams, and as a pregnant teenager, she wanted what my grandma wanted. She wanted a home, her baby, love, and to be happy: to live the perfect life, to be the perfect mother and wife. “As a teenager,” she recalls, “I gave birth to my first beautiful daughter who was born on Thanksgiving Day, which also happened to be my Sweet Sixteen. I can remember that day so clearly. I thought I knew it all that. I thought I had the most beautiful baby in the world and it would be a piece of cake. I never changed my mind on ‘the most beautiful baby in the world’ part, but oh, how I was wrong about everything else. Having a baby when you are a teenager has to be one of the most difficult things I have done in my life; one of the most rewarding now…but one of the most difficult then.”

My mother’s life was not without personal or financial struggles. There were dark days in her life that neither of us revisits. But my mother is a fascinating person who is able to look back on those days with lessons learned. “I want people to know that even through my darkest days. I truly never stopped loving and feeling compassion,” She tells me, “I might have given up on myself but I never gave up on the dream of being a perfect wife, perfect mom and a true friend to everyone I met. I believe that I get this from my dad; he would have given his last dollar to help a complete stranger. I also want them to know that I have come to peace with my struggles. I have not lived anywhere near a perfect life. I am not the perfect mother, the perfect wife, or a perfect friend but one thing I can say is I am truly a caring individual that loves very deeply. I want people to know that even with my past my kids are number one and I would give my life for any of them.” My mom carries this philosophy with her every day. I have seen her befriend people at the worst times of their lives, and help them get back on track. Our couch is open to her friends who need a little extra help, but so is her heart, much more importantly. I know that the lesson of forgiveness and compassion is the most important lesson my mother has taught me. I will go through life knowing when forgiveness is needed, and when you have to stand up for yourself.

Regardless of her struggles, she says she now has more than she could have ever imagined. She is proud of what her life has become. “I have obtained so much more than I ever initially wanted. I have four beautiful children, a wonderful husband, and I am a successful business woman, “she says, but adds “I still am not done accomplishing things in my life. I will continue to look for more each and every day.”

Despite the choices her mother made to take care of her husband in such a way, my mother was never outright told what her job as a mother or wife was. She said she was never told her purpose because her parents had wanted her to come to her own beliefs and conclusions; her purpose however was always implied. My mother now feels that a woman has many jobs in marriage and motherhood. She knows that it is imperative to her family that she works, but still feels pressure to uphold the role of a traditional wife: take care of the kids, make sure dinner is ready, ensure the house is clean, and work a forty hour plus week.

While she feels all of these things are important, my mother says “I believe a woman has multiple jobs in a relationship. The first, and I believe one of the most important, is compassion. I also believe part of the woman’s job in a relationship is to know when to give, but also when to take for herself. I do at certain times feel obligated to uphold the traditional view; however, it is also extremely important to me that my family see that there is more to their wife or mother than the ‘traditional wife and mother.’ I try hard to break a little of that mold but still let them know what the importance is of a home cooked meal, or taking time out to do something extra for your husband and kids.”
It came as no surprise when my mother told me she knows, not believes, that the most important thing in life is family. It is a value that has been instilled in her since she was young. “My mom and dad where very young when they got married, I believe my mom was only seventeen. A few months after they married my mom’s mom passed away. My mom was not the oldest of the family but her and my dad took in four of her brothers and sisters. They raised them as they were their own children. At one time we lived in a one and a half bedroom house in Kansas City, KS. At night we would make pallets on the floor to sleep. My parents always made them feel that they were just as much a part of the family as their biological kids were. My dad never complained about having to work two jobs to take care of all of us. My mom never complained about having to cook and clean for all of us. We all knew we were going to stick together.”

“When she was a child, my mom was poor, and her mom was not in very good health. She still tells me how much she loves her mom and that her mom always made things work. On cold winter evenings when money was tight and there was nothing for dinner her mom would fix hot chocolate and toast. They would all sit on floor together like it was a party. As a child on cold winter evenings my mom did the same with us kids; except this time we had the money for dinner we just chose to make a party out of it.” She smiles remembering this story.
“My dad as a child lived in Wyoming in a box car camp. These were actual box cars made into a house in an old coal mine town. They had no running water or heat. My dad says he didn’t really mind it. They all snuggled next to each other telling stories of what they were going to do when they grew up; that is just families doing what they do.”

My mom has passed on that tradition of always putting your family first, but while doing so, she has always taught us that family is not limited to those of blood relation. Family consists of those who you draw your strength and compassion from when you have none left, no matter who those people are. “Family is where you can laugh and be a goof when the entire world seems to be too serious. Family is where it doesn’t matter what you do they are there to support you.”

My mom is a firm believer that where you are today is thanks to what decisions you made yesterday. That is why she takes nothing back. She might not have the four children that she loves so much. She may not be a successful businesswoman, or learned as much about life. Sure she has made mistakes, but how could she completely take them back when she has learned so much? She is now where she wants to be. “If I did not weather the storm, I would be a completely different person,” she says.



Both of these women have been an incredible part of my life. They have given me all of the advice and guidance I could ask for. My grandma tells me the importance of my education, and to avoid getting in a hurry. “Take your time and find what is right for you, as well as who is right for you.” She reminds me, perhaps every time that I talk to her, that there is always space for me in her home and life. However sporadically, I enjoy our lunches and the occasional pedicure that we share together.

My mom constantly tells me of the endless possibilities for me. I do not know if she realizes she started a new tradition in our family. On my graduation day, she read to me Oh The Places You Will Go in front of a crowd. However silly the poem was, it held a significant meaning, and I laughed along with her – and might have rolled my eyes a time or two—as we both cried. I know my sister and I are blessed to have the constant stream of her advice. She writes to us now:

“To my beautiful daughters: As you grow up my hopes are that you have self respect. I hope that you have strength everyday of your life, and when you think you are out, you draw it from your family. I hope you remember compassion for people even when you think they don’t deserve it, because you never know what their situation is. I want you to always be true to who you are; Do not change for anybody but yourself. I want you to remember that everybody makes mistakes and deserves a second chance, and that includes yourself. When you do make a mistake remember to pick yourself up, hold your head up high and move forward. Live your life looking forward not back. If you are forever looking back, you may run into a wall. Only look back to remember the lesson, then continue to the future.”

Just as her mother’s stories are a part of her, my mother’s stories are now a part of me, along with my grandma’s. Their stories will not end with me, like Dinah’s mother’s did: “The chain connecting mother to daughter was broken and the word passed to the keeping of men, who had no way of knowing.” But I will carry them, along with the lessons they taught, and tell them to my daughter. Their stories were a gift to me as well, advice that will help me, and pasts that I can learn from. From these women and their stories, I wish to take many things. From my grandmother, I wish to take her complete devotion to all things involving her family; I wish to carry on her pure views of love. From my mother I wish to take her compassion from others, and the weight at which she holds her family. From both I wish to take their strength and perseverance. Perhaps my wedding ring will be sealed with a kiss and not taken off until the bands break. Maybe I my family will share hot chocolate and toast in our home on cold winter nights, sharing our stories. Regardless, I know that Dinah was right. If you want to know something about a woman, you must first learn the stories of her mother.


Italicized quotations from The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Diamant, Anita. The Red Tent. New York: Spark Group, 2003.

Paper 2: A Proposition

My paper topic was inspired by one of my favorite books, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. This is a fictional retelling of the story of Jacob from the viewpoint of his female family members. Their time in the red (or menstral) tent was the only time they had for really relaxing and talking with each other. Durning this time in the tent, the history of the women in the family was passed down from generation to generation. Through the mouths of their daughters was the only way that these women would ever be remembered. The stories of their past, their traditions, and their future was all dependent upon having a daughter to share with.
I thought of my grandma. She was the mother of two boys, with no daughter to pass these things on to. While things are much different now than in the biblical setting of The Red Tent, it is also not too different. Would my fathers remember my grandma’s childhood the way she wanted it remembered? I felt like they would focus on different aspects than a female would. Just like in the story, a woman’s story is best passed down by a daughter, who tells it the way that woman would have wanted.
Now, I do not wish just to tell my grandma’s story, but to tell and compare her life, her challenges and her aspirations to those of my mother, and my own. I think this paper will end up being a combination of family history, a commentary on the change of women in a social perspective, and a change in women’s wants and aspirations. I want to leave my direction slightly open ended, so I can just go the way the answers to my interview questions, the stories, and my emotions take me.

My favorite quote so far:
“Well, I wanted another baby. And your grandpa said no. But really Jess, it’s not my fault my birth control pills got flushed down the toilet!”
I wonder if my uncle knows he is a result of the deception of my grandmother. I asked her if my grandpa knew. She never outright told him.

Authenticity: Redux (with a touch of reminiscence)

Authenticity, by definition, means worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact. Authenticity refers to something that is true. It is very questionable however, if humans can ever really know the truth about or true state of anything. Take for example in the Loss of the Creature where Walker Percy talks about sightseeing, where people see things like the Grand Canyon not by discovery, but through the view and opinion of the tour guide. They are handed the Grand Canyon, and see the parts that are chosen for them to see instead of exploring it themselves. The difference is when one is given a cookie-cutter tour, it is less personal. They got the same experience as a million people before them. Then their trip to the Canyon is more memorable by what happened on the way, not the emotion or connection they experienced to the true Grand Canyon.

It can also be said that the only person who has ever seen the Grand Canyon at its truest form is he who saw it first, alone, and uninterrupted. Seeing the Grand Canyon first lets you see it at its authentic form because it has been untouched by human hands. There are no guard rails, or hideous glass pathways that lead from the surface over the canyon. When one sees it alone, his emotional reaction and opinion is only his, he are not feeding off of what his companion is feeling, and his view is not tainted by a few hundred scattered tourists and busses. He who sees it uninterrupted has as much time as he needs. He is not hurried by those who are getting bored. He is has the time to see exactly how much he wants to see, feel how much he wants to feel.

This idea of authentic discovery is not so different from authentic thinking, knowledge and experience should be come by honestly. Not shoved down one’s throat by any other person, company, or government program. When I think of this, I think of the first (and only time) I experienced the ocean. My uncle, who lives near the ocean, and had been there probably countless times, took me. I got out of the car, and though he had been there much more than I had, he let me lead. He let me have space so I could see the ocean for myself, the way the tide rolls up and down the beach, where the water meets the sky, and the way the animals react with the land. I got to hear the waves hit the rocks. I got smell the salt, and feel the freezing cold water on my feet. He did not point to avert my attention to other things that he thought I should be looking at or hearing. He let me discover the ocean the way I wanted to, and act upon my emotions and curiosity. What surprised me was that my uncle did not look at the ocean. He stood back and watched me. I think I understand his actions better now, after reading Percy's essay, I understand that he was seeing a more authentic ocean, because not only did he have his own experiences, but he now also had mine. He was seeing the ocean from many different views, which when compiled, makes a more authentic and genuine perception.

Barbara Walter's Dream

I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.




If time neither time nor money were objects, and I could interview anyone in the world, past or present, I would love to interview Queen Elizabeth I. I would hope that she would be willing to let me ask difficult or inappropriate questions without suffering the consequences of overstepping her royal boundaries, however. I think she must have been a fascinating woman. To have ruled a country as a woman during those times, when it was a man’s job, and women’s rightful place was as an agreeable, submissive, seen but not heard being, is an enormous accomplishment, and at the same time an enormous amount of burden and pressure. I would ask the following Questions, and then state my reasoning behind those questions:

1.What was the most challenging thing about being a woman, and being the primary leader of a country?
•Maybe it was commanding an army while wearing a dress that covered her ankles. That seems hard to me. There had to be so many tribulations day to day not only being a woman doing the job of a man, but being the only woman to have ever done this job.

2.What was your biggest accomplishment, and your biggest mistake
•Often times, the outsiders see mistakes and accomplishments differently than the ones who actually make them. I would be curious to see her take on her successes and failures.

3.What is the biggest misconception about your life both personally and as a ruler?
•Much of what we know about rulers such as Queen Elizabeth is factual, but surely there is something that was taken the wrong way, exaggerated, or analyzed incorrectly. I would want her to have the chance to set the record straight.

4.Knowing what you do now, would you trade your throne for a more personal life? Perhaps with someone you loved?
•Wouldn’t to marry mean being forced to give up her throne to her husband the king? So, if that seemed unfavorable to her, she sacrificed much in being the primary ruler. She was called the virgin queen, never married, in love (That we know of. See Question 5). Would she trade one for the other?

5.Were you ever in love?
•Purely out of girlish curiosity.

I actually think I could ask Queen Elizabeth enough questions to fill up a week. I would want to give her a chance to be in an interview where she could tell all of this and anything else she felt necessary. I would be intimidated though, in the presence of such a woman.