Why Are You The Way You Are, Ishtar?

Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, a great and powerful and frightening being. On the surface, she is cocky and confident, sexual and full of lust. Her wrath is something to avoid, if at all possible. But I see her as someone afraid. In her descent to the underworld, all her worldly posessions were stripped from her, every claim she had to her status was torn from her body and mind. Similar to a rape victim, she was left scared, naked, and alone. She died on that trip to the underworld, and she was left to rot. Nothing could make her feel more human than that.

In showing that vulnerability, being completely exposed, she changed as a person. She suddenly had something to fear in her life, and it was exactly that: vulnerability. I think something clicked in her brain, something that she had never had to face before. The fact was, she was not as infallible as she thought she was. She was imperfect, and completely destructible. She now had something to fear, something to work to avoid for the rest of her life. I feel that this sense of constant fear for what had happened to her made her hostile. She altered her personality to compensate for her moment of weakness, and this caused her to be the great and terrible goddess that everyone feared.

When Gilgamesh rejected her, she felt vulnerability (similar to what she felt in the underworld), and this experience with him became the "taboo" in her mind. All memory of this embarrassing encounter had to be erased, and the way for her to do that was to elevate herself by taking what Gilgamesh holds dear: Enkidu. Why did he have the right to be happy when he had caused Ishtar such internal pain?

I'm starting to see Ishtar in a new light; even as I write this, my perspective on her is changing. I see now that her horrid personality was not entirely a result of maliciousness. It was an innate character flaw that caused her to crave control over everything, and all because of that one time when she lost control over herself. During that one painful trip to the underworld, Ishtar became someone new, someone different. She became the terrible goddess that we know her as.

Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, OH MY! (and Breaking Dawn!!!)

You can thank Meghana for this entire post, because she is the one who first encouraged me to read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Previously, I had made a vow never to touch those books which had threatened to replace my precious Harry Potter in popularity. Who was this Stephenie Meyer to challenge J.K. Rowling and try to take her place in the "fantasy book hall of fame"? However, I knew there was a movie coming out and I wanted to be able to go with my friends to see it, and they would only include me if I knew what was going on. Reluctantly I began to read... and couldn't put it down! Literally! I sat reading Twilight for eight hours, five of those in a row! I had never read something quite like this fabulous book. The funny part is, the writing is not significantly advanced and there are not intelligent themes, it's just a purely captivating story. The pure love felt by Bella and Edward touched me and made me feel like I was in the story. I found myself reacting to the moods of the characters and feeling their resulting feelings. When Bella was upset, I'd be upset. When Bella was ecstatic, I was ecstatic. What was going on with me?! No book had ever made me feel quite as (there's no other word for it) moody. It was a strange sensation, and it wasn't unpleasant. Thus began my Twilight saga obsession! In the next few weeks, I read the books in this order: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn (I know, I'm crazy!) I devoted all my time to reading, so much so that my parents became very short-tempered with me locking myself in my room, and they insisted that I leave my door open. I didn't take time off for meals, so I lost a significant amount of weight (don't worry, I gained it back). And to answer your question, these books are THAT good! I don't think I'll ever know why it affects me in the way that it does, but I guess it is just another of my life's unsolved mysteries! Anyway, it has strangely had a significant affect of my life, and that's something I don't think will ever change.

First Day

First Day
by Anna

The resonating beep of the morning bell,
the hustle and bustle of new faces,
rushing past toward their future,
all surround me.

The mixed emotions,
the familiar meeting the unexprienced,
a sense of comfort, yet hostility,
all surround me.

The gentle hum of feet trampling on,
the yells and jeers of reconnections,
the complete pursuit of learning,
and the pursuit of something not yet known,
all surround me.

The uninspired people reluctant to learn,
the others who seek pure understanding,
and those who are just there to pass the time,
all surround me.

The growing towers of information,
the endless pile of limitless volumes,
and the overwhelming knowledge to be acquired,
all surround me.

The utter change from what has passed,
the chance to start a clean slate,
the opportunity to find your passion,
and the means to achieve who you really want to be,
all surround me.