Saint Bernadette Soubirous :: essays research papers

Saint Bernadette Soubirous The Soubirous family lived in the far north of the little town of Lourdes, in the Lapaca district. A large stream flowed there, and on this stream there were seven mills; one of them known as the Boly Mill, and this had been the residence of the Soubirous. Francois Soubirous leased the mill from relatives of his wife, Louise. In many ways, it was the trade of the miller that had brought the couple together. They had married on the parish church on 9th January 1843. By 1855, the family income had decreased drastically - trade was not good at the mill, and the Soubirous were not the best of business people; often filled with pity for the poor of the local people, they would tell their customers to pay when they were able to, and they never refused credit. And of course there was the family to raise, which further drained their resources. No longer being able to pay for the rent of the mill, the Soubirous were forced to quit their dwellings, give up the millers trade and take on whatever work they could find for themselves. Francois Soubirous recalled that another relative owned a building in the Rue des Petits Fossà ©s - this building was the former Lourdes jail. The old jail was locally known as "the Cachot". The Soubirous were allowed to remain there rent-free. Each evening, the family gathered around the old fireplace for family prayers. This concluded with the recitation of the Rosary - often led by one of the Soubirous girls, Bernadette. BERNADETTE The marriage of Francois Soubirous and Louise Casterot produced six children. The eldest of these was Bernadette. She was born on 7th January 1844, and was baptized the next day by Abbà © Forgues in the old parish church, being given the name of Marie Bernarde. Because of her small stature, she was always referred to by the diminutive form of the name, Bernadette. Six months later, Louise was expecting a child; because of this, Bernadette was entrusted to the care of a woman in near-by Bartres, Marie Aravant, who had just lost a baby boy. She stayed there for 15 months. From her birth, Bernadette was a weak child, suffering even then from the asthma which would cause her so much suffering that later, in the convent, she would beg the nurses to tear open her chest so that she might breathe. Because of her delicate constitution, her parents would attempt to give her little bits of food not available to the other children, such as white bread instead of black.

Ordinary Magic Essay

The story, Ordinary Magic, was written by Malcolm Bosse is about a boy who was born and bred in India. Jeffrey also recognized as â€Å"Ganesh† faced a lot of difficulties at a very young age. These difficulties that forced him to be mature included his father’s loss of life, his way of adjusting and bonding with the American culture and when his ancestor home was going to be demolished. Jeffrey’s maturity develop when his father, Mr. Moore, died and he was obliged to manage and handle everything, including paying for his deceased father’s funeral. Since his father’s death, the village people were starting to act towards him as a foreigner and not as one of them. They even told Jeffrey to pay as soon as possible for the house rental and for the funeral. All these happening changed Jeffrey’s life. He learned to be independent and that forced him to learn to be responsible. It shows that Jeffrey was forced to be mature at a very young age due to all his unfortunate happenings. Overtime, Jeffrey’s maturity enhanced when he had to move to America alone to meet his aunt and his way of fitting into to a new environment. Jeffrey did not want to go to America before but he knew he has the responsibility of fulfilling his promise to his father that he will go to America. The children in his new school was making fun of a mantra that Jeffrey taught to one of the girl in the school before, but Jeffrey did not mind it at all. He understood that those kids just did not understand how sacred the mantra was. This means that Jeffrey was mature enough to understand why the kids did not show respect to the sacred mantra and that he was mature enough to take responsibility of keeping his promise to his father. Jeffrey became more mature when he found out that their ancestor’s home was going to get demolished. He had to do everything he could in order to save it. He managed to form the Satyagraha and took full responsibility upon each individual that has decided to join the Satyagraha with him. Jeffrey fought the government through the Satyagraha where all of the members went on a hunger strike until the government have heard their plea. Jeffrey was mature because he learned to stand up for his beliefs and he stood up against the government. Overall, Jeffrey’s adulthood resulted from all of his unfortunate happenings that occurred to his life. Whether those forced him to be mature or not, he certainly was developing maturity throughout the whole story. In the end, Jeffrey’s circumstances that forced him to grow into a maturity person has helped him blend and mix in an Indian culture and an American culture that made him fit in.

All About Gargoyles and How to Use Them

A gargoyle is a waterspout, usually carved to resemble an odd or monstrous creature, that protrudes from a structures wall or roofline. By definition, a real gargoyle has a function—to throw rainwater away from a building. The word gargoyle is from the Greek gargarizein meaning to wash the throat. The word gargle comes from the same Greek derivation—so think of yourself as a gargoyle when you swish your mouth, gurgling and gargling with your mouthwash. In fact, the word spelled as gurgoyle was commonly used in the 19th century, most notably by British author Thomas Hardy in Chapter 46 of Far From the Madding Crowd (1874). The function of a gargoyle is to spit out excess water, but why it looks the way it does is another story. Legend has it that a dragon-like creature named La Gargouille terrorized the people of Rouen, France. In the seventh century A.D., a local cleric named Romanus used Christian symbolism to neutralize La Gargouilles threat to the townspeople—its said that Romanus destroyed the beast with the sign of the cross. Many early Christians were led to their religion by the fear of the gargoyle, a symbol of Satan. The Christian church became a protective haven for the mostly illiterate people. Romanus knew the legends that the townspeople of Rouen did not know. The oldest gargoyles have been found in present-day Egypt from the Fifth Dynasty, c. 2400 B.C. The functional and practical waterspout has also been found in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Gargoyles in the shape of dragons are found in Chinas Forbidden City and imperial tombs from the Ming Dynasty. Medieval and Modern Gargoyles Waterspouts became more ornate toward the end of the Romanesque architectural period. The Middle Ages was a time of Christian pilgrimage, often with the pillaging of sacred relics. Sometimes cathedrals were specially built to house and protect sacred bones, such as those of Saint-Lazare dAutun in France. Protective animal gargoyles, in the shape of pigs and dogs, are not only waterspouts but act as symbolic protection at the 12th century Cathà ©drale Saint-Lazare dAutun. The mythical Greek chimera became a popular figure stonemasons used as gargoyles. The sculpting of the functional gargoyle became especially popular in the Gothic building boom across Europe, so gargoyles have come to be associated with this architectural era. French architect Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879) extended this association to Gothic-Revival as he creatively restored the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral with many of the famous gargoyles and grotesques seen today. Gargoyles can also be found on American Gothic Revival buildings such as the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. In the 20th century, Art Deco style gargoyles can be seen atop the 1930 Chrysler Building, a well-known skyscraper in New York City. These more modern gargoyles are made of metal and look like heads of American eagles—protrusions that have been called hood ornaments by some enthusiasts. By the 20th century, gargoyle functionality as waterspouts had evaporated even if the tradition lived on. Disney Gargoyles Cartoon Between 1994 and 1997, Walt Disney Television Animation produced a well-received cartoon called Gargoyles. The main character, Goliath, says things like It is the gargoyle way, but dont let him fool you. Real gargoyles dont come alive after dark. In 2004, ten years after the first episode aired, DVDs of the animations were released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. To a certain generation, this series is a remembrance of things past. Grotesques As the functional waterspout aspect of gargoyles diminished, the creatively monstrous sculpting grew. What is called a gargoyle may also be called a grotesquery, meaning that it is grotesque. These grotesque sculptures can suggest monkeys, devils, dragons, lions, griffins, humans, or any other creature. Language purists may reserve the word gargoyle only for the objects that serve the practical purpose of directing rainwater from the roof. Care and Maintenance of Gargoyles and Grotesques Because gargoyles are by definition on the exterior of buildings, they are subject to natural elements—especially water. As slender, sculpted protrusions, their deterioration is imminent. Most of the gargoyles we see today are reproductions. In fact, in 2012 the Duomo in Milan, Italy created an Adopt a Gargoyle campaign to help pay for upkeep and restoration—which makes a lovely gift for the person who has everything. Source: Gargoyle entry by Lisa A. Reilly, The Dictionary of Art, Vol 12, Jane Turner, ed., Grove, 1996, pp. 149-150