In accordance to Easter occurring this weekend I want to address our culture and how it has changed in handling and celebrating it.

In the past there was a large focus on the religious aspect of the holiday and less on the "Easter Bunny" and his gift of candy and eggs. Families attended church services on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday. There was a large emphasis on the Lord and His sacrifice in sending His Son Jesus to die for us, even in the schools. Yet the tradition of the colorful Easter eggs also began with the Christians. The egg represents the tomb in which Christ was buried in and how, just like birds are born from their eggs, Christ was born again and rose from the grave. So in the past, even the use of the Easter eggs had a spiritual use, probably to help teach and model to the young children the miracle that is Easter.

But today it is a very different story. Sure, we all know that we should go to church but I think that is more out of the fact that that is what is socially acceptable, not because of the true reason. Now-a-days we teach our kids that the reason they should look forward is because the Easter Bunny is going to visit them and leave gifts of candy and toys. We see commercials and ads that advertise the candy and sales due to the holiday. They tell us that if we buy their clothing or toys we are celebrating Easter in the right way, but I just don't agree. Sure there is nothing wrong with eating a little candy and buying a pretty dress in celebration but in all of this we are forgetting the true reason for the holiday, that it acts as a reminder of what Jesus did for us so many years ago. As a culture and nation we are growing further and further from God.

As a result of this separation from God I feel that our culture is becoming a more sinful and shocking one. We have men murdering multiple innocent children, a more liberal government allowing pretty much anything to happen in this country because of not wanting to "offend" anyone, our military is being treated with less and less respect for what they do for us in this country by fighting to protect our freedom and rights with their lives, and so much more. I know that probably isn't going to be a very popular or liked post by some of you who read this but that is what this blog is for right? Saying what we think. So what do you think? Do you think our country needs to find its' way back to the Lord? Become "One nation under God" again?

In response to question 3...

           All throughout our lives we are told to be true to ourselves, that if we are we can become whoever we want to be. We’ve been told from day one that anything is possible if we do this. Yet, this is not entirely true. 
 
We go through our education being taught certain ways to read, write, and even how to do math. And we all know that if we don’t do it the way the teachers have taught us on tests or homework assignments we don’t get credit for the work. This right here is a big example of how they offset what they originally tell us. How can we be who we want when we can’t even do math homework or analyze a paragraph in an essay the way we think we should? As long as the outcome is the same I don’t see the harm in not doing things “the teacher’s way.”
 
One of the biggest examples of this that I can think of is from my junior year high school English course. We were reading a lot of literature about African Americans and their struggles of slavery and civil rights and subsequently writing essays in response to them. I didn’t always agree with what was said in those essays yet I knew I could never write my true opinion in those essays because first off, I wouldn’t get the best of grades on the essays, and secondly and probably more importantly, it could have offended some people in the class. Just like Lu, I had a conflict between two points of views that I wanted to write but could only choose one of the “voices.”
 
So yes, we are told we have freedom to write and say what we want and to be true to ourselves. Yet, in this country, especially now a-days, we are having to be more and more careful with what we say and write because we might offend someone in the process. In order to resolve this struggle, sadly, this most of the times means we just don’t say what is really on our minds. Now I ask you, is that really freedom to be our true self?
 
 
 

Talking about urban legends and literacy narratives in class recently has made me start to think about my childhood and the stories that my parents told me. They chose to steer clear of the scary, intimidating stories and lean towards stories that were more suited for a child’s sensitive nature.

As a kid I guess you could say my mother told me her narrative throughout the years. Having grown up in Mexico and then come to the United States with her family of ten at age 12, it seemed she always had a story to help prove or get her point across. If I didn’t want to make my bed or do the dishes she would respond with, “By the time I was six years old I was taking care of two babies, making sure all of the beds were made, the house swept, and dinner was on the stove, all before your grandmother came home.” Yeah, she made being lazy really difficult.

Other stories my parents told us were Bible stories and of course, fairy tales. You know, Jonah and the Big Fish, Ruth and Esther's stories, the stories of Jesus and His life, all the classic fairy tales and Disney stories. And looking back I am glad they did. Learning about legends and narratives it’s remarkable to see how they were teaching us through these stories and fairy tales. Lessons of morals or how we should act or how to dream, and all through story time every night or morning.  What about you? What were some of the lessons you learned from story time with your parents?