Alfred North Whitehead once said, “It is in literature that the concrete outlook on humanity receives its expression.” What is meant by this quote is that people and authors are able to explain the way they perceive the world best in their literature, as if the only way they could explain how they feel or what they have been through, is through fictional story, that the only way some people can illustrate their hostility or bitterness towards the world without actually verbalizing it is through their writing. The novel Harlem Girl Lost, by Treasure E. Blue focuses on a young girl named Silver Jones and her struggle of growing up in Harlem. This novel portrays this quote by giving prime examples of how hard life is for this young girl. The author illustrates vivid images of the trials and tribulations that this young girl endures just to survive, some things that people couldn’t even fathom.

The author of this novel stresses the importance of the human spirit and it’s ability to survive through Silver. Silver truly had a strong spirit and that is what made her survive the cruel life that she was forced into. Silver would not have been able to make it through her mother’s crack addiction, prostitution, and death with out her strong will. Her mother Jesse fell into the this false reality of life and didn’t have a strong enough spirit to handle it so she made sure that her daughter would not do the same thing that she did and that her daughter would have a strong enough spirit to endure life and what was given to her. Jesse said to silver, “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”(Treasure E. Blue p. xvii {17}) and Silver made sure that she stood for something whether it is strength and endurance or determination and love but she stood for some thing so that she wouldn’t fall for anybody or anything.

Treasure E. Blue uses these characters to symbolize true struggles that real people go through everyday. Jesse’s death was symbolic for silver as in a new beginning but one could have interpreted other wise. Some people would have gone down the wrong path going through the things that silver went through but instead she uses it as determination to better herself. Throughout the novel Jesse would make Silver say the ‘laws of the universe’ before she would go to school. Jesse would say to Silver “why are you in school?” And silver would reply, “to prepare to be anything that I want to be.” Then Jesse would continue on to say, “and what is it that you want to become?” Silver wanted to be doctor. Jesse the said “ is it going to be easy?” and silver would reply, “No it’s going to be extremely hard and challenging.” Jesse would continue on to say, “ and why do you expect it to be hard?” Silver would respond, “Because if you expect thing to be hard, everything will eventually become easy.” (Treasure E. Blue {p. 31-31}). These ‘laws’ would just enforce the fact that life will not be easy and Jesse wanted to make sure that Silver knew that because Jesse knew first hand that life would not be easy and wanted to make sure that Silver didn’t fall into the same trap she did.

Throughout the novel there were many conflicts such as man vs. man, Man vs. self, man vs. nature. Jesse was and example of man vs. man because she had many issue within herself that she had to deal with like her drug addiction and her life as a prostitute. Silver was an example of man vs. nature because she was born into dysfunction and the environment played a key role as to the person she turned out to be. Jesse was also an example of man vs. man because of the fact that her mother despised her and everything that she stood for.
The novel Harlem Girl Lost displayed a theme of determination and survival in situations that a young girl went through that most people wouldn’t be able to endure. Treasure E. Blue definitely incorporated real life situations and circumstances in his story. There are many messages in the story about survival and endurance and having the will and the spirit to handle what life has given you no matter how difficult it is. The author reflected real life situations through this family because these are some of the thing that children and families go through everyday. Treasure E blue portray his perception of the world through this novel which goes back to Alfred North Whitehead’s quote, “It is in literature that the concrete outlook on humanity receives its expression.”


Bibliography:
Harlem Girl Lost Treasure E. Blue

Dave Berry portrayed realistic situations in his article called men and women. I do believe that that actaully happens to couples due to lack of communication. I feel that if that couple were to say what they were thinking rather than keep it to themselves, there would not have been such a lack of understanding between the two of them.

I do believe that in Deborah Tannen had set realistic situations in her article about male and female communication and socialization styles. If I were a mediator, I would explain to each of them that men and women have extremely different ways of communicating and give them situations that they could better understand eachothers piont of veiws so that they will be better at socializing together and not have to wory about the other on feeling that they aren't being heard. Hopefully that will eliminate any misconceptions that they hae for eachother.

Men and women communicate extremely different ways. this is probably why there is always tension between the two when they are in need to communicate with each other. A prime example of how men and women are unable to communicate is many women think that when they are talking men are not listening either because they are not making direct eye contact or they don't say anything during the to acknowledge that they understand during the conversation. Boys communicate better by doing thins together and gils by talking and sharing secrets with each other. Many women feel that sharing secrets with one another bonds them together but when sharing them with men, men take it is an invitation to try and help solve the problem rather than to understand and relate to what they are saying.



http://homestar.org/bryannan/tannen.html
http://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-2113.html&fromMod=popular_relationships

My Goddess:
Falisia

Falisia is the goddess of strength. She is said to be the mother of all, nurturing, loving, and beautiful. She has infinate wisdom and is the strength of the world. She has the ability to end all life or begin all life. without her ther is no life. She is protective of the horrors of the world but want everyone to bask in the ambiance of happiness. Herself and her daughter the goddess of beauty work well together in the creation of others.
She is strong from the different tribulations throughout her life and can handle anything under any circumstances. She is the most powerful goddess and is a valuable asset to the other gods and goddesses.

My Heritage

I am part Afrcan American , Sioux Indain, and Cherokee Indian. My mother great grandmother was pure Sioux Indian and my fathers grandfather was pure cherokee indian. The sioux Indian lived primarily in North and south Dakota. The Cherokee Indian were said to live in the Great Smokey mountain of Tennessee. They spoke Tsalagi and were forxed down the trail of tears.

Mythology

1) Mythology is not unique to one culture, but is common to nearly all cultures. You can find myths not only from Ancient Greece and Rome, but from Africa, Native American, Egypt, Japan, China . . . and many more cultures.

2) Myths are a way of explaining the unexplainable. Some are based on fantastic beings, but some are based on known people and events and are a way of explaining and handing down history.

3) A body or collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes.

4) a story of forgotten or vague origin, basically religious or supernatural in nature, which seeks to explain or rationalize one or more aspects of the world or a society.

5)A myth is also distinctly different from an allegory or parable which is a story deliberately made up to illustrate some moral point but which has never been assumed to be true by anyone.

6) myths and mythologies seek to rationalize and explain the universe and all that is in it.

Egyptian God
Horus

Horus was a god of the sky. He is probably most well-known as the protector of the ruler of egypt. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was the 'living Horus'. Man with the head of a hawk A hawk. The ancient Egyptians had many different beliefs about the god Horus. One of the most common beliefs was that Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. After Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth, Horus fought with Seth for the throne of Egypt. In this battle, Horus lost one of his eyes. The eye was restored to him and it became a symbol of protection for the ancient Egyptians. After this battle, Horus was chosen to be the ruler of the world of the living.

Egypt Goddess:
Isis

Isis was a protective goddess. She used powerful magic spells to help people in need.
Isis was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. Woman with headdress in the shape of a throne A pair of cow horns with a sun disk Since each pharaoh was considered the 'living Horus', Isis was very important. Isis is often shown holding Horus on her lap. Isis is associated with thrones because her lap was the first 'throne' that Horus sat upon.

Mexican Goddess:
COATLICUE

Coatlicue, also known as Teteoinan (also transcribed Teteo Inan) ("The Mother of Gods"), is the Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon, stars, and Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war. She is also known as Toci, ("Our Grandmother"), and Cihuacoatl, ("The Lady of the serpent"), the patron of women who die in childbirth.
The word "Coatlicue" is Nahuatl for "the one with the skirt of serpents". She is referred to by the epithets "Mother Goddess of the Earth who gives birth to all celestial things", "Goddess of Fire and Fertility", "Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth" and "Mother of the Southern Stars".
She is represented as a woman wearing a skirt of writhing snakes and a necklace made of human hearts, hands and skulls. Her feet and hands are adorned with claws (for digging graves) and her breasts are depicted as hanging flaccid from nursing. Coatlicue keeps on her chest the hands, hearts and skulls of her children so they can be purified in their mother's chest.
Almost all representation of this goddess depict her deadly side, because Earth, as well as loving mother, is the insatiable monster that consumes everything that lives. She represents the devouring mother, in whom both the womb and the grave exist.
According to the legend, she was magically impregnated while still a virgin by a ball of feathers that fell on her while she was sweeping a temple. She gave birth to Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl. In a fit of wrath her four hundred children, who were encouraged by Coyolxauhqui (her daughter), decapitated her. The god Huitzilopochtli afterward emerged from Coatlicue's womb fully grown and girded for battle and killed many of his brothers and sisters, including decapitating Coyolxauhqui and throwing her head into the sky to become the Moon. In a variation of this legend, Huitzilopochtli himself is conceived by the ball-of-feathers incident and emerges from the womb in time to save his mother from harm.
A massive sculpture known as the Coatlicue Stone was discovered by the astronomer Antonio de León y Gama in August of 1790 after an urban redevelopment program uncovered artifacts. Six months later, the team discovered the massive Aztec sun stone. De León y Gama's account of the discoveries was the first archeological work on Pre-Columbian Mexico.

Mexican God:
HUEHUETEOTL

Huehueteotl ("Old god"; agéd god in Nahuatl) is a Mesoamerican deity figuring in the pantheons of pre-Columbian cultures, particularly in Aztec mythology and others of the Central Mexico region. He is also sometimes called Ueueteotl. Although known mostly in the cultures of that region, images and iconography depicting Huehueteotl have been found at other archaeological sites across Mesoamerica, such as in the Gulf region, western Mexico, Protoclassic-era sites in the Guatemalan highlands such as Kaminaljuyú and Late-Postclassic sites on the northern Yucatán Peninsula.
Huehueteotl is frequently considered to overlap with, or be another aspect of, a central Mexican/Aztec deity associated with fire, Xiuhtecuhtli. In particular, the Florentine Codex identifies Huehueteotl as an alternative epithet for Xiutecuhtli, and consequently that deity is sometimes referred to as Xiutecuhtli-Huehueteotl.
However, Huehueteotl is characteristically depicted as an aged or even decrepit being, whereas Xiutecuhtli's appearance is much more youthful and vigorous, and he has a marked association with rulership and (youthful) warriors.

Indian Goddess:
Paraviti

Parvati, is the wife of Shiva and the mother of Kartikeya and Ganesha. Shiva and Parvati’s marriage can be traced in historical and religious texts.
Shiva was a Dravidian king who married Sati, a daughter of an Aryan ruler. Sati’s father, Daksha disapproved of their union. After the wedding, at a yagna (sacrifice), being performed by Daksha. Shiva was ignored by his father in law and the guests.
Sati, who could not bear this humiliation of her husband, jumped into the sacrificial fire and became the first Sati (a tradition where women would burn themselves on their husband's funeral pyres).
When Shiva collected her ashes, he could only express his deep pain and grief through a violent dance called the Tandav. Terrifying all creation he danced around the earth seven times. Unable to console Shiva, the Gods resolved they would revive Sati.
Sati was reborn as Parvati, daughter of King Himavat who lived in the Himalayas.
Shiva had renounced the world and in Mount Kailash he began a hard penance. Immersed in meditation, Shiva was immune to the presence of Parvati (daughter of the mountains).
Parvati asked Madan/Kama the God of love for help. He told her to dance in front of Shiva. While Parvati danced, Madan shot an arrow laced by flowers at Shiva, whose penance broke. When Shiva opened his eyes Parvati was his first vision. Shiva too began to dance with Parvati and as the gods watched the couple in bliss, their fears were laid to rest.
Parvati lured Shiva into marriage and away from asceticism. He became a householder and she became his shakti, the creative force of the cosmos.
In Mount Kailash their ardour was intense, the gods were worried about the child who would be born from this union. Shiva’s seed dropped on the banks of the Ganga (the river who flows through his matted hair). This is the lingam that is worshipped all over India. Their first child was Kartikeya or Subramanya. Kartikeya would fight the demon Taraka rescue the world and then return to Parvati and Shiva.
Parvati’s second child was Ganesha. Legends say his birth was determined by Parvati's desire for privacy. She wanted to bathe and created a son from the sweat of her body. She asked Ganesha to guard the door. When Shiva returned to their living area, Ganesha confronted him. Shiva who was unaccustomed to being blocked at his doorstep fought Ganesha and beheaded him. When Parvati saw her son lying beheaded, she was furious and demanded Ganesha be brought back to life.
Shiva sent his hordes to bring back the first head of an animal who was sleeping with his head to the North. They brought back the head of Airavat, Lord Indra’s elephant. Ganesha was given primary status as a god and Parvati was appeased.
Parvati is the only female deity, who like Vishnu has the ability to change her form. She appears in incarnations as Durga and Lakshmi. As Parvati she is soft, gentle and sattvic. As Durga she becomes a powerful warrior, and as Kali a bloodthirsty Goddess who can even demand sacrificial killings.

Indian God:
Shiva

Shiva’s appearance is quite awesome. He wears a snake Vasuki around his neck. He is also known as Neelkanth (blue-throated), for he holds Vasuki’s poison in his throat. The legend dates back to the time when the gods churned the oceans. Vasuki’s poison threatened the world. Only Shiva could take the poison in his mouth. He held it in his throat forever and earned his name Neelkanth.
Also known as Pashupati, Lord of the animals he sits on a tiger skin subduing aggression. He holds a damru (a small drum) a symbol of creative activity. One hand is raised in the abhaya-mudra, for he is the benevolent force of destruction.
He wears a pair of unmatched earrings that symbolise his being Ardhnarishwara (half man and half woman). One earring is a Kundala, worn by men and the other a Tatanka worn by women. Shiva unites the sexes in his being. The love of Shiva and Parvati (his wife) fused together, they become one, the single creators.
Historically, Shiva reveals himself in secular as well as religious texts. A Dravidian king he married Sati a daughter of an Aryan king. (Sculptures from The Indus Valley Civilisation depict Shiva).
Sati’s father, Daksha opposed their union. After the wedding, at a yagna (sacrifice), being performed by Daksha. Shiva was ignored by his father in law who found him ‘uncivilised’.
Sati couldn’t bear this humiliation of her husband, jumped into the sacrificial fire. When Shiva came to collect her ashes he could only express his deep pain and grief through a violent dance called the Tandav. He terrified all creation as he danced around the earth seven times.
When nothing would pacify Shiva the gods feared his sorrow could destroy the earth. They decided to revive Sati and she was born as Parvati (daughter of the mountains).
Meanwhile, Shiva had renounced the world and gone to Mount Kailash where he had began a hard penance. When Parvati reached Mount Kailash, Shiva was so involved in his meditation that he was immune to Parvati’s presence.
Parvati did all she could to entice Shiva but his meditation was powerful. Finally she asked Madan/Kama (the god of love) for help. Kama told her to dance in front of Shiva. When Parvati danced, Madan shot an arrow laced with flowers at Shiva, whose penance broke.
When Shiva opened his eyes his first sight was Parvati dancing before him. Shiva fell in love with Parvati and became her loving husband. Parvati became his shakti (creative force).
In Mount Kailash their ardour was intense, The Gods worried about the child who would be born from this union. Shiva’s seed dropped on the banks of the Ganga (the river which flows through his matted hair). This lingam is worshipped all over India.
Their first child was Kartikeya or Subramanya. Kartikeya would fight the demon Taraka rescue the world and then return to Parvati and Shiva.
The birth of Parvati’s second child was far more prosaic, Parvati wanted to bathe in privacy and she created a son from the sweat of her body. She asked him to guard the door.
When Shiva returned and walked towards the bathing area, Ganesha blocked his path. Shiva was angry and offended by the impudent new guard who had the nerve to question him. In the battle of wills Shiva beheaded Ganesha.
Parvati was furious and demanded Ganesha be brought back to life. Shiva sent Nandi (his bull) to bring back the first head of an animal who was sleeping with his head to the north.
Nandi brought back the head of Airavat, Lord Indra’s elephant. After this single cosmic misunderstanding the family Shiva, Parvati, Kartik and Ganesha lived together happily.
Somvar (Mondays) are dedicated to Shiva, on every Monday of the year people observe a fast for Shiva.

Bibliography:

www.windows.ucar.edu
www.gutenberg.org
www.ozmore.com
mythology.tonyarn.com
http://timepiece.shubhkaamna.com/shiva.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/aztecgods.html
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/main.html
http://connections.smsd.org/highlands/Mythology%20Introduction.htm
http://www.answers.com/topic/celtic-mythology
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/mythology.html

Africa Goddess:
Mawa

Mawa is the goddess of the moon her partner Lisa is the god of the sun. Mawa is loved everyone because of his kindness. Mawa is 0lder , woman and mother, gentle and refreshing. Coolness is the xign of wisdom and age therefore Mawa is the wisdom of the world. Mawu is the supreme creator god according to the Fon people of Abomey.Mawu represented the Moon that brings the night and cooler temperature in the African world. Mawu is depicted as an old mother who dwells in the West. Coolness is an expression of wisdom and age for the Fon people. Mawu and Liza are regarded as an unseparable unity at the basis of the universal order. Together they created the universe. They used their son Gu, the divine tool, to shape the world. They were also aided by the cosmic serpent, Da. Mawu and Liza were twins. When there is an eclipse of the Sun or the Moon, the Fon people think that Mawu and Liza are making love. Mawu and Liza are the parents of seven pairs of twins. These twins are gods with different domains. Mawu is the goddess of fertility, joy and rest. Liza is the god of day, heat and strength.

Africa God:
Lisa

Lisa was the god of the sun and his twin sister was the goddess of the moon. lisa the sun was fierce and harsh. She was the strength of the world. Liza is a deity of the Fon people who live in West Africa. Liza is associated with the Sun, which is regarded by African people as fierce and harsh. Liza is depicted as male and inseparable from his partner, Mawa, who is associated with the Moon. Mawu and Liza were also regarded as twins. Their unity represented the order of the universe. Liza is said to dwell in the East, and Mawu in the West. Mawu and Liza were born from Nana Buluku, who created the world.
In a different legend, Mawu and Liza were the creators. They used their son, Gu, to shape the world. Gu, the divine tool, was in the shape of an iron sword. He taught the people the art of ironworking, so they could make their own tools and shelter. Unfortunately, Gu did not know humans would use their knowledge to make weapons. With the help of the cosmic serpent, Da, their ideas came to life.
Liza was also the god of day, heat, work and strength. Mawu was the goddess of night, fertility, rest and motherhood. When there is an eclipse, it is said that Mawu and Liza were making love.

Persian Goddess:
Anahita

Anahita is the goddess of the strong undefined waters. Anahita is the source of all waters on earth.She is the scource f all fertility and the purification seeds in all males, sanctifying the womb of all females and purifying the milk in the mother breast. Anahita is percieved as strong and bright, tall and beautiful, pure and nobley born. She wears a golden crown with eight rays and one hundred stars, a golden mantle and a golden necklacearound her neck. She became a popular deity in many land and is described as 'the glory of life of Armenia, the giver of life, the mother of all wisdom,the benefactress of the entire human race, and the daughter of the great and mighty Armarazda. In peria she wa and still is an object of deep veneration, the source of life , and the object of deeply felt gratitude.

Persian
God:Vato

Vato is the persian God of wind. The wind brings life into rain clouds and death into the stor. Vato was said to be one of the most mysterious Gods in Persia. He is said said to come from the breath of the world giant where the world was made. He ride a chariot drawn by hundreds, maybe thousands of horsesand produces the lightning and make dawn appear.In Persia he is an unfathomable figure, and both the creator and the devil offer sacrafice to him.
There is both good and bad in Vato and is said that the wind move through both worlds. He is the worker of good, the destroyer, the one who unites, and the one who seperates. he is the most valiant, the strongest and the firmest.

Greek
God: Poseidon

Poseidon is the God if the sea, earthquakes, and horses. He was a brother to Zues and Haites. Poseidon was married to Nereus's daughter, a sea nymph named Amphitrite. The God decided to divide th land equally between all of the gods. Zues was given the sky. Haites had dominion over the underworld and Poseiden was given all water, both fresh and salt water. Olympians agreed that earth itself would be ruled jointly with Zues as king.