Ginger

Truth Research
Insights: So far, I have discovered a lot about the truth of insane people. i have learned how these people are diagnosed with mental illnesses and what their treatments are. I have also learned about stories where people classified as "mentally insane" have incredible abilities in other aspects of life like music, or one particular subject (math, science, english history, etc.). Presentation: Because there is so much info to put in this, i will probably do a powerpoint with notecards so I can just read off the info because I like explaining stuff. Questions: Does anyone have any suggestions? or cool facts about crazy people? or facts about people with mental illnesses being really smarrt?

Prompt #3: What is the "truth" about dreams?
A dream can be anything from a horrible mess in your head in the middle of the night, to a sequence of pictures the mind experiences when awake, but the true meaning of a dream is one far beyond nightmares and visions, it’s something that comes from the heart, something that you want more than anything else in the world. A dream is an aspiration, a goal to strive towards in life. The truth about aspirations and dreams is that they are completley possible when you work really hard. The kind of dreams that are nightmares are simply dreams, things you have in your head at night. Those dreams aren't true at all, they are simply fiction your brain makes up to entertain itself while you're asleep. Aspirations and goals however, are very truthful. They bring hope and force you to work hard because you want them so badly. Just like in Steinbeck's __Of Mice and Men,__ when Lennie and George are so motivated by their dreams to work hard, goals do the same for all of us. They motivate us to be better and do our best and work hard. ‘Lennie spoke craftily, “Tell me-like you done before.” “Tell you what?” “About the rabbits.”’ (13) ‘Lennie said, “Tell about that place, George.” “I jus’ tol’ you, jus’ las’ night.” “Go on-tell again, George.”’ (56) ‘Lennie said, “Tell how it’s gonna be.”’ (105). These are only three examples of the many times Lennie asks George to “tell about the rabbits”. Lennie is the person who is always reminding George of what he is working for. Dreams come true, only when you keep them at the front of your mind and constantly remember why you are working so hard to reach your goals. The truth about dreams is to follow them no matter what and work your hardest at them, just like how Atticus works so hard on the Tom Robinson trial in __To Kill a Mockingbird__. ‘”Atticus, are we going to win it?” “No, honey.” “Then why—“ “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,” Atticus said.’ (Lee, 87) This is my absolute favorite quote from __To Kill a Mockingbird__. It tells the complete truth about working hard for dreams. This tells the real truth about dreams: That even if they aren't possible, you should still try your hardest and do your best, because you never know, you could find out that your dreams are possible with just a little hard work and perserverance.

Prompt #2: What is the "truth" about fear?
In Golding's Lord of the Flies, a group of British boys are forced to live together on an island after their plane crashes over the ocean. The boys are driven to their mind's limits by being alone and afraid of the dangers of the island. The boys end up scaring themselves into madness. There isn't any evil on the island, but the boys are scared and think that there is evil and are therefore even more scared of it. They are scared of absolutley nothing, but to them it is absolutley everything. Now, I understand that Golding's message is that fear is in the eye of the beholder or whatever, but that isn't what I think. I think that fear is fear. There isn't any truth about it. It's simply a God-given emotion that everyone has. It's simply an act of science. Fear is just a mind game and there isn't any real truth to it.

What is the Truth of Mythology?

The truth of mythology isn't in the words written on the page. It is in the way we percieve the story, the way we, as separate individuals, read between the lines. Most people would say that the truth of mythology is in the certain facts that are based on the truth, but not me. I think that the truth in mythology is what you get out of it. Whether you learn a life-changing lesson, or just read a good story, I think **you** decide the truth in mythology, not anybody else. For example, in the story of Grandmother Spider, I personally learned "why opossums don't have hair on their tales". Though it might not be the best example, you still get the point. Reading the myth of Persephone and Hades, I learned why the seasons come and go because of Demeter. Obviously, different myths relate to different people in different ways. Since I know not to play with fire, the Grandmother Spider myth didn't really change anything in me. I personally don't think there is that much **real** truth in myths (like if Odysseus was a real person, or Hades was based off of someone from a long time ago). Like I said before, myths are only there to teach us a lesson, and that's exactly what we should get from them.