Koran

The Quran is the religious text for the Muslims. The Muslims believe that their God verbally revealed the Quran to Mohammed through an angel named Gabriel.  Muslims regard the words in the Quran as holy messages and proof that Mohammed was a messenger of God. Supposedly, many scribes help Mohammed with the writing of the Quran but what to write was told to Mohammed from God. The book is read during prayers, but only in Arabic. The book also had many common storylines with the Christian bible.

I chose this topic because all I have really heard about is Christianity and I thought it would be cool to investigate a relic from a different religion.

 

 

 

Image : Common Attribution License

Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran

Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha is one of the most important and holy holidays to Muslims. The holiday represents the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son to show their god, Allah, his devotion to his command. In the story, as Abraham is about to kill his son, Allah replaces his son with a lamb, rewarding Abraham for his loyalty. On the holiday, people around the world symbolically kill their animals, adding up to 13 million worldwide. The animal meat is then split up into 3 parts. One part is kept by the family, another third given to friends and neighbors, and the last third is given to the poor and needy. after all of the animals have been killed, all men, residents, and people in good health are required by their religious law to go to the mosque and pray.

 

When I read this in the book it interested me because I didn’t know what it was. It is interesting to see how other cultures celebrate different holidays. It is important to understand other parts of the world.

 

Works Cited :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/10382365/What-is-Eid-al-Adha.html

Espand

Peganum harmala, also known espand or isfand, are seeds used the Middle East for getting rid of the evil eye. The seeds originate from a flower with various colors that only reach a couple inches off of the ground. The seeds are placed in a pan with red, hot charcoal and begin to pop like popcorn. The smoked is wafted over the victims head while prayers are said. This tradition is often practiced by Christians, Muslims, and even Jews.

I chose this topic because I read it and I didn’t know what this was. It is cool to see what other cultures practice and it is important for us to understand them.

Kabobs

“A kebab is a common dish, consisting of a skewer with small pieces of meat or seafood, together with vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers.” (Wikipedia). The skewers used to make these dishes are often 10 to 12 inches long and made of either wood or metal. The skewers are wrapped with tin foil on the ends. The meat and vegetables placed on the skewer are often topped with different marinades or sauces. Pasta salad is a very common side accompanied with the kebabs.

I chose this topic because I didn’t know what a kebab was and it is interesting to research foods from different countries. It is valuable information of people because it is important people learn about countries other than their own.

 

Image : Heather. Vegan Kabobs. Digital image. Flickr. N.p.,

1 Aug. 2008. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

 

Work Cited : “Kebab.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

 

Glass String

Kite fighting is a very important tradition to many communities in the Middle East. The glass string on the kite is what makes it able to cut other kites. Players will dip their kite string in a glue-type mixture before putting it into a collection of thin, crushed glass. This string however, has been banned in Pakistan and many other countries because of deaths caused by the string. It is very dangerous and many children have had their necks sliced by the string. 

I chose this topic because it is important for people to understand other countries beliefs and traditions. It is very interesting to see how other communities around the world go about their everyday lives.

Purposeless

Quote : Everyone must leave something in the room or left behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you’re there.

Article : http://www.allenbwest.com/2015/04/the-obscenely-easy-way-people-are-ripping-off-taxpayers-for-69000-a-year-in-benefits/

Image : This image is able for distribution through an Attribution License.
When I first read this quote, I thought about the opposite, people who aren’t leaving a legacy, especially people living off of the government. The article describes how any American can earn up to $69,000 a year, free college, and a free cell phone for never having a job. The article also includes that 1/5 families are living off of these programs and do not have jobs. The quote talks about leaving something behind when you die, something people can remember you by. This does not only mean a physical item, but also people you positively effected. People who live off of the government take money from those who truly need it and have nothing to show for themselves.

In this aspect, we are in danger of becoming a Fahrenheit 451 society. Just like the Fahrenheit 451 citizens, many Americans have nothing to show for their lives. People would rather waste their time away watching TV and getting paid for no reason than actually work for their living, as many of us would. By doing this the are taking money away from the people that actually need assistance to get back up on their feet. They take the taxpayers money so they can live for no purpose. These people, just like the Fahrenheit 451 citizens, have no care for anyone else but themselves or their TV’s. At this rate, many more Americans are soon to be joining these programs. Our nation is becoming more like a Fahrenheit society everyday, but hopefully we will never come to that.

Time Wasted

Quote : The sun burnt every day. It burnt Time… Time was busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him.

Article : http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/mobile-technology-fact-sheet/

Image: This image is available for distribution though an attribution liscence.

When I read this quote, I thought about how time was burning our lives out, but like in the Fahrenheit 451 society, we waste it on TV and other non-social activities. The article talks about the immense amount of time an average person spends on a device per day. According to the article, an average American spends 5 hours a day on a screen, if you are awake 12 hours a day that means 5 months out of 12 you are on a device. It also mentions that 90% of Americans own and actively use a cellphone. The amount of technology used has boomed over the recent years and shows no signs of stopping.

In this aspect, we are in danger of becoming a Fahrenheit 451 society. Our society has become completely dependent on technology that 30% of people believe they could not live without it. This is pathetic and needs to stop. Some people are able to use technology at their leisure and control their time, while other binge check Twitter for 3 hours without realizing it. People have become satisfied with the momentary excitement of receiving a text or message that they do not wish to socialize with the rest of the world. Just like in the Fahrenheit society, time is burning and many people have nothing to show for it.

Standing Up

Quote : “I saw the way things were going, a long time back. I said nothing. I’m one of the innocents who could have spoken up and out when no one would listen to the ‘guilty’, but I did not speak and thus became guilty myself.”

Article : http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/bystanders-role-in-bullying

Image: image can be distributed through a distribution liscence

When I read this quote, I thought about bystanders in bullying. just like Faber, a bystander sits by, watches all of the wrong-doings yet does nothing. As Faber described in the quote, by standing by and doing nothing he became part of the problem not the solution. This means bystanders to bullying are equally as guilty as the bully. Many people disagree because they believe that by intervening the bystander is putting their safety at risk. However, intervening is not only physical, it can include talking to a teacher or adult. Any action that could possibly end bullying is worth it.

In the quote, Faber is highlighting Montag’s bravery in doing what he did not have the courage to. He truly believes that Montag can correct their society and open people’s eyes to to the wonder of books. Just like a bully, no one stood up to the society’s anti-book policies and so they continued to develop. If we as a school, state or country do not stand up to bullies the problem will only get worse. It is common with our society to be lazy and do nothing, but you can change that.

No Emotions

Quote : “Be independent we always said. He said, if I get killed off, you just go right ahead and don’t cry, but get married again, and don’t think of me.

Article : http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/future-tech/is-technology-making-us-less-human–1171002/2

Image : Image is free to distribute through a distribution Liscence

When I first read this quote, I immediately thought about the loss of emotion and interaction in our society due to technology. The article describes how technology has effected our social skills and emotions as a whole. It also describes how social media and technology addiction have deprived humans of social interactions. This is illustrated by Dr Cindy Bunin, stating “You become less human because you’re constantly isolated and with no emotional feedback, and you may start to feel depressed.” She also went on to emphasize the importance of human interaction to survive. Social media can give instant satisfaction when receiving a text or tweet and that is what causes people to become addicted and anti-social.

The quote from the book describes just how emotionless the Fahrenheit 451 society truly is. Mrs.Phelps describes her and her husbands agreement if he was to die in the army. Don’t cry, marry someone else, and get on with your life. Nice. There are many astonishing revolt ions in this book, but I believe this is one of the biggest so far. There are many components of the Fahrenheit 451 society that could cause the lack of emotion between couples, but I blame their technology. In their society, they sit in from of their wall TV’s watching the same mind-sucking shows with no human interaction, similar to our’s. Even Montag’s wife has become a emotionless machine because of her constant TV watching and seashell listening. This has become such a bad habit in our society that I think we are at the brink of no return. Technology was first meant to be used to improve businesses and our quality of life, but now it has become overused. Instead of talking to their families, people text them from 5 feet away or from the other room. Technology has made an immense amount of people lazy. If we do not realize we have a problem, we may vary soon end up like the Fahrenheit 451 society.

Government Control

Quote – The Mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the firehouse.

Article – https://www.aclu.org/nsa-spying-americans-illegal

Document is allowed to be shared, copied, and/or modified under the terms of the GMU Free Documentation Liscense.

 

When I first read this quote, I immoderately related it to the NSA’s illegal data collection. The article talks about how everyday, emails and messages sent by every American citizen were collected in stored in a NSA database, despite it being illegal and against the Constitution. When people heard about this through the media, they became fearful of their activities being monitored by the government. The hound is similar to this because the people feared if they did something wrong they would be found or killed by the hound.

In this aspect, we are in danger of becoming a Fahrenheit 451 society. The quote relates the hound and the NSA when it talks about it sleeping but not sleeping, because they are both always at work and alert. Much like the hound hiding in the dark corner of the firehouse, the NSA’s data collection was hidden and secretive. The NSA just like the hound, is controlled by the government and made to their specific purposes. If the government has all of the power over the people, the people’s freedoms aren’t as great. Our country is gradually giving our freedoms to the government in the name of security and soon, I believe, we will become as free as the Fahrenheit 451 society.