The Cross and the Switchblade essays

The Cross and the Switchblade essays The book I am writing about is The Cross and the Switchblade written by The Reverend David Wilkerson. It is a true story about an inexperienced country preachers vision to help teenage boys who are in trouble. The story starts when the reverend reads an article in Life Magazine about seven teenage boys on trial for the brutal murder of teenage polio victim named Michael Farmer. The reverend cried over the article and pictures, and then he was overtaken by a call from God to go help those boys in New York. He has a hard time dealing with his calling but finally reveals it to his wife and then the church congregation. He reluctantly gets support from the church and takes the youth director with him. Together they traveled 350 miles from Pennsylvania to a New York court house to try to visit the boys on trial. They are kicked out of the court house by the police. This gains them respect by the gangs on the streets. Then for the next two years he makes weekly trips to New York. S lowly but surely he builds a good relationship with different street gangs. During those two years he gains support spiritually and financially from several different types of supporters. He builds a center in New York to save teenagers from drugs and crime. All lead through prayer. This story starts in 1958 and was last printed in 1967 but it does not end there. Today there are centers in several cities in probably every state; they are the Teen Challenge Centers. It is a Christian ministry that has restored hope to tens of thousands of teens. Reverend David Wilkerson described him self as others saw him, a Bible waving country preacher with his hair standing up on his head. He was a man of average height with a slender build and brown hair. The reverend is a helper to everyone he meets. He knows that he is a steward of God doing only what he has prayerfully considered and knows is God directed. He ha ...

Thanksgiving Traditions in Italy

Thanksgiving Traditions in Italy Many cultures have been celebrating harvests for centuries. Thesmophria is an ancient Greek harvest festival. Southwest American Indians perform a Corn Dance. The Jewish people celebrate Sukkot, which marks the end of the agricultural year and coincides with the final harvest before the onset of winter, and many Asian cultures have celebrations in gratitude for their rich rice harvest. The Romans also celebrated a harvest festival called Cerelia, which honored Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, grain, and fertility (and from which the word cereal comes). The festival was held each year on October 4th and offerings of the first fruits of the harvest were offered to Ceres. Their celebration included music, parades, games and sports, and a feast. But Thanksgiving in Italy? How about celebrating the Celtic New Year in Japan, or El Carnaval in Russia? The distinctly American tradition, created by Pilgrims to commemorate a bountiful harvest in the New World, doesnt translate well in another land where the Plymouth Rock would be just another stone in two–thousand–year–old Roman archaeological ruins. Even the transliteral phrase in Italian for Thanksgiving, La Festa del Ringraziamento, refers to a variety of religious holidays held throughout the year for patron saints. Variations on a Theme In fact, expatriates from North America who do honor the Thanksgiving holiday in Italy find it difficult to replicate, since the ingredients necessary for a New England–style Thanksgiving dinner are not easy to find. Italian Thanksgiving, for most Italian Americans, then, means the inclusion of special Italian recipes to accompany the roast turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, Macys Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. Every family of Italian heritage has different culinary traditions to celebrate the holiday. An Italian Thanksgiving dinner might include ravioli con la zucca (pumpkin ravioli), tacchinella alla melagrana (roast turkey basted with pomegranate sauce and served with a pomegranate-and-giblet gravy), sweet Italian turkey sausage and mozzarella stuffing, baked sweet potatoes with lime and ginger, and even Italian cakes and pastries. What matters most, though, during La Festa del Ringraziamento isnt what ingredients are used, or who won the football game, but the opportunity for families and communities to come together and celebrate the season in a tradition thats timeless. Italian Thanksgiving Vocabulary List Click to hear the highlighted word spoken by a native speaker. lautunno- falllAmerindio- American Indianil corteo- paradeil granturco- Indian cornil Nuovo Mondo- New Worldi Padri Pellegrini- Pilgrim Fathersil raccolto- harvestil tacchino- turkeyla tradizione- a traditionla zucca- pumpkin