What is the truth behind legends?

This spring break, i went to Colonial Williamsburg. While there, we went on a ghost tour of the town, where we hear the different ghost stories and legends that took place there. They had it set up so that when you went to the houses, a "ghost" would come out and tell you their story. Afterwards, the tour guide would tell the group the truth about the story. Most of the truths were completely different from the legends. It made me wonder how these legends had evolved from the truths. As time goes by, the stories are passed down through generations of people, and the stories are changed a little bit each time. In the end, the stories are completely different then how they originally started, kind of like the game Telephone. It also made me wonder about all the legends we know today, and how far they are from the truth. Things like George Washington's famous cherry tree, or the stories in the bible, or people like Rosa Parks, who, as we discussed in class, might not have been the hero we thought she was. It is kind of sad to think that the stories we have grown up on and the heros who have influenced us might not all be what we think they are.

Beauty through time

Today in class as we were discussing junior theme topics, someone brought up the topic of the perception of beauty through time. This reminded me of something that i saw in Williamsburg during my spring break. We went on a tour of the Payton Randolph house, and the tour guide showed us a painting of Mr. and Mrs. Randolph. We all laughed when we saw them, because to us they were very funny looking people. After we laughed, the tour guide told us that
they were actually considered very attractive during their time. I thought this was really interesting, because i didn't think that beauty was something that could change. I guess that nowadays, beauty has changed because of the use of make-up and different clothings styles. Also things like skin tone and body size have changed through time. What is considered as attractive goes through trends, just like clothing and other accessories.

We can do it!

Today in class, we started a discussion about World War 2 propaganda. One of the posters in the slide show was the "We can do it!" poster, about womens work in the war effort. It got me thinking about womens rights, and how big of a turning point it must have been for women. Up until this time period, women were still seen as the quiet, sweet and gentle homemakers. Most were raised under the impression that their purpose in life was to become a wife and mother and create a happy home. It must have come as a shock when all of a sudden, women needed to step up and do what was considered mans work, during the war. While some women were happy to have this chance, there were probably some who were hesitant, because it was against the beliefs they were raised with. This opportunity gave women the chance to show themselves, and men, what they could do.