Today may have been the worst driving experience of my life!!! Just to clarify my point, I had already possessed an extreme fear of driving before today’s fiasco. Now, my previous fears of driving have been multiplied by around a million!
This afternoon, while returning home from school, I missed crashing into the car in front of me by the skin of my teeth! It was raining hard. Apparently, a truck had wanted to cross in front of the car that was in front of me. Yet, it was our turn to go. In fact, there wasn’t even a traffic light. The man in the truck should have waited for on- coming traffic to clear before turning! So, the car in front of me slammed the breaks. I had, thankfully, seen what the truck was going to do a minute earlier. This had allowed me to break before the car in front of me. Yet, the slippery road made my car go a little farther than I thought. I barely tapped the car in front of me. However, I witnessed a frightening head- on collision between the car in front of me and the truck! I was so scared. Nothing had happened to my car. So, I waited for the fire truck that had stopped by to check on the car in front of me. Then, I pulled out into the next lane to go home. I am so grateful that I was not hurt. But, witnessing an accident like that has scarred me for life. I am so much more careful as a driver now. I know that I wasn’t involved in the accident. But, I still feel a little guilty to have survived with out a scratch, while the car in front had very awful damage. I am not sure about the driver of the car in front of me, I couldn’t stay long enough to find out ( since traffic had to keep moving). After this ordeal, public transportation is looking very appealing to me. I certainly am not looking forward to having to drive tomorrow morning.
Since my last blog was a formal report on the cultural importance of Venetian Masks, I figured that my next blogs should be more informal and express my interests. Hence, I have decided to blog about my recent trip to the Museum of Science and Industry or MOSI.
Dinosaurs, insects, chemistry, and human anatomy have always interested me. So ever since I turned five years old, I visit MOSI at least once a year as a tradition. It is almost like going to Disney World for me, I guess. Consequently, I have been able to witness the museum’s remarkable transformation into the excellent building it is today.
MOSI had been under construction for as long as I can remember visiting it. I always wondered what they were constructing in the other wing of the building. However, despite the construction and the museum’s relatively small size, MOSI maintained a diverse and unique array of exhibits. One of my classic favorites, which still exhibit today, is the Planetarium. Here, I was able to view different star constellations and learn about what the astronauts were studying at the time. Another classic exhibit was the Demonstration Lab. In this exhibit, different chemicals were combined to show the different reactions that could occur. I remember when the chemist froze a rosebud in 5 seconds. The frozen flower shattered to pieces when I dropped it on the floor!
Although MOSI was successful with these previously described exhibits, the museum felt the need to expand. Visiting MOSI now is even more exciting! The construction started long ago has yielded a magnificent second wing for more exhibit rooms. The IMAX Dome Theater and second wing have been around for a while now. Yet, I still can’t get over how excellent and advanced the museum has become. Even better than the architecture are the new exhibits that MOSI now offers. About a year ago, MOSI housed the widest and most complete collection of artifacts and recreations for the sunken ship, Titanic. On my most recent visit, I was able to see MOSI’s newest exhibition of human cadavers. The exhibit is titled “Bodies in Motion”. Actual human skeletons and muscles were positioned to resemble everyday movements that people go through. This was displayed in order to explain to the public how an human is able to move and work. I found this exhibit very interesting! In fact, I am planning to visit again in about a week.
So far, MOSI has proven itself to be a monumentally advanced institution. I am impressed with how they have improved education for our community. Hopefully, MOSI will continue with its prosperity and growth.
Well, considering the fact that two weeks ago I had no idea that blogs existed, I had a lot of trouble thinking of a good topic for my first English Composition 2 blog. After many ideas came to me, I decided to blog about Venetian Carnival masks. Alright, now people are probably wondering why anyone would type 500 words about carnival masks. However, if we didn’t take the time to learn about the different cultures around us, we would never be able to effectively communicate to one another and bridge our cultural gaps.
The Venetian Carnival began in the eleventh century. The practice of wearing masks and costumes came about during the year 1436. The same year, maskmakers created their own guild to produce their artwork. The idea of wearing masks, however, was an ancient practice taken from the Romans during their religous festivals. The Venetian Carnival, like certain Roman festivals, had a religious origin. The Latin meaning of the Italian word “carnenvale” is “farewell to meat”. According to Glotz in his article, “European Masks”, this explains why the Venetian Carnival takes place during the weeks before the Roman Catholic season of Lent, when meat and other festive foods are discarted as a way to spritually cleanse the body.
Yet, the success of the Venetian Carnival grew so much that it contributed to its temporary demise. The 1700’s ushered in a very prosperous time for the carnival season in Venice. The carnival lasted for aproximately three months, during this period. But, so much money, time, and effort went into celebrating the Venetian Carnival, that the Venetian Republic suffered from lack of responsibility and funds. By the time Napoleon came into power in the late 1700’s, the Venetian Carnival had disappeared.
Now that the history of the Venetian Carnival has been covered, I can go into more detatil about the Venetian masks and how they are culturally important. The first misconsception about these masks is that they were just purely decorative accessories for the costumes. The fact is that the mask was more important then the costumes themselves. Venetians, during the time of the carnival, were very socially divided. Classes were strictly separated, preventing any interactions with other class memebers different from that of one’s own. But, during carnival, that all changed. What a perfect disguise! Everyone was wearing a mask and costume, so there was no pressure to stay with one’s own society. Of course, scandals and affairs could take place with out any interference from witnesses, especially when the affair was between different class members. The masks were intended to be social equalizers.
To go into even more detail, masks can be catigorized into three major groups. “Comedia dell’ Arte” masks portray classic traveling theatre characters, such as Harlequin. Next, the fantasy masks are those that are mainly just decorative figments of the masksmaker’s imagination. These are the most popular. In fact, I bought a green and gold one during my summer trip to Venice this past year. The last group can be defined as the more traditional versions of carnival masks. These masks are the “volto” or “half-mask” and the “Plague Doctor’s” mask. The “Plague Doctor’s” mask, according to piedmontarts.org, has a beak-like nose, where Venetians stuffed herbs that were supposed to prevent the wearer from contracting the Black Plague. Of course, we now know that the Plague was spread by the bites of infected rats that roamed unsanitary streets. That was an unfortunate enlightenment for those who thought those masks would actually work.
Finally, I’d like to share how the Venetian Carnival made its full return, during 1978. A group of former art students decided to open a modern maskmaking factory that year. The beautiful masks, being portable pieces of artwork, sell extremely well to this day. Along with the booming sales of masks came the reinstalation of the Venetian Carnival into the daily lives of Italians. The carnival season remains a huge part of the Venetian tourist revenue. Even when it is not carnival season, as with my personal experience, masks and costumes can be found everywhere.
I hope I have brought to life the history behind the Venetian Carnival and highlighted the importance of wearing masks as a part of Italian culture. Remember that amidst the color, intrigue and excitement of the Venetian Carnival lies a deeper meaning. It unifies people of diferent classes and backgrounds to form one mass of people in pursuit of happiness in an troubled world. Such a traditon is certainly worth keeping.
last edited on Wed, Sep 28, 4:59 PM
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