-Follow the professor’s directions. Do what the professor is telling you to do, if you need help, ask.

-Do not leave your questions for the professor for the day before the paper is due.

-Write a good thesis. Start out with a thesis and try to prove it, you will usually end up saying something different and will have to change the thesis.

-Write your essay and look at the final paragraph, your thesis will likely be in it.

-Your thesis needs to be a statement that someone can argue against.

– Make sure you have details to explain your thesis, you need to prove your point.

-Have good transition sentences, let one idea flow into the other. Transitions are key.

-Explain everything, you cannot over explain anything.

-Do not write your essay the night before it’s due, things will not turn out the way you want them to if you do not give yourself some time to write it.

-Have someone look it over for you.

-Read your paper aloud, it helps you fix mistakes.

-Do not use words you don’t know the meaning of, it will confuse the professor.

-Don’t use too many adjectives

-Take adjectives like “mostly” and “very” out, they don’t mean much.

-Make sure you use quotes, or your paper will be given back to you.

-Your quotes should be short in the middle of your sentences and make sure to explain them.

-State why the other side of the arguement is false.

-Be careful not to say things that are too obvious because you won’t be saying much.

– Don’t repeat yourself.

-Don’t dwell on a topic.

Note: For more help, you can refer to the readings on blackboard on how to write an essay, under ‘Documents’ and ‘Writing Literature Essays’

-Redgina Fequiere

Problems with the Bible: Nick, Olivia, Waleska (with Hannah’s additions)

God is Spiteful, lots of repetition, Pharaoh’s name omitted, story jumps around, stories move too quickly, women are not highly regarded, incestual  relationships, scenes of rape, God’s favoritism.

Think About Actions: Nick, Olivia, Hannah

We think modernly towards incest and rape, no strict laws then, lots of sibling rivalry, compassion is missing, very competitive/favoritism, first born regarded higher, wives give servants to husbands easily.

Authorship:

• More than one writer
• Order of stories: were they meant to be read consecutively the way we read them?
• Are they meant to be seen as a cohesive story

History

• Were stories and facts exaggerated
• Are they other recorded records or is this the main source of primary sources from this time period?

Audiences:

• Why would a group of people sit down and write such an extensive work, was there an intended audience then?
• Did everyone read and write, or was this book originally for educated people and the rest of the people would have to listen to it orally?
• Was the Bible created to set a standard of obedience its audience?

Purpose:

• Why did these specific books get passed down?
• Did all books of the Bible get passed down and is there some logic to the ones that did vs did not?
• Basis for modern religion.

Class Notes on Genesis

-Specific rules are given but chaos exists throughout the book of Genesis.

-It was a very disfunctional time/culture.

-Everything was all over the place; anything goes.

-First, as we are reading these stories in the Bible, we are shocked and surprised at the events.

-Most events seem gross and weird.

Michelle

Nickolette

Mark

When does this take place? what time period?

Who was the original author?

Who was meant to read this?

Where was it being written?

We encountered several problems in our readings:

• The lack of information from the author( authors)
• Taking in the readings seriously, in light of some of the ridiculous ideas, such as living for 800 years.
• Reading the texts as a literary work and not as a religious work.
• And your own personal morals getting in the way of being able to understand what the author is conveying.

In my group we  talked about 

• Why Pharaoh had no names. We didnt understand that . I said that there was a Paraoh with a name but realizied i was wrong it wasn’t a Pharaoh that had a name  it was just kings Abimelech. I think it is only the rulers in egypt that everyone calls Pharaoh.
• What was the credibility to a lot of the information that we read about.  When did all these other people come into being.
• How many years was between the children that Jacob had it didnt say.  Was Rachel really given to Jacob in a week or did he have to wait seven more years.
• The notes at the bottom of the chapters are somewhat helpful because it gives some  information that was not in the text.

1. Women seen as property
2. Incest and considered okay
3. always have sons or at least mention them in the text rather than when girls are born
4. favoritism of children (oldest usually seen as the best)
5. sibling rivalry, hatred
6. spontaneous situations ocurring
7. Many strict rules they live by, such as the oldest daughter having to be married before the rest of the siblings.
8. Extreme authority of elders over younger family members
9. long life spans

Katie, Redgina, Tom & Kia

• AUTHORSHIP: how many authors are there? Who are they? Is there anyway to really find out?
• HISTORY: What time period it was actually written in? Is this possible to find out?
• AUDIENCE: Who was this first written for? Was it directed towards churchgoers, or just anyone who wanted to know the meaning of life?
• PURPOSES: Who, What, Why was it written? For the church? For higher people in society? For jewish, religious people? …..

Relationships in the Bible:

We mainly talked about the family relationships and how they got married to their cousins.

• Marrying your cousin was the normal back then.
• It is different from what we are accustomed to today.
• They had no commandments to tell them whether this was right or wrong.
• It was not that pleasant to read.