Review

I have been reviewing most of my classes the last couple days, what I like, what I don't like, that sort of thing. Personally, I really enjoyed my religion class, and it was probably the one I learned the most from this semester. (Now I just hope that my test reflects that). The class started with defining religion, which was really good because I didn't realize how one sided my definition was. I also like that it can be defined as worshiping anything, not just a god, but a team or group. People are considered a bit eccentric for worshiping a football team, but they can do it. We then went on to discuss what a pilgrimage is and the different common religions that include pilgrimage. I liked how the class was taught. I thought it was very interactive, which is helpful to most students. I really like the idea of blogging instead of writing formal papers, and I think it has less pressure for both the teacher and the student. For me, watching videos and relating a pilgrimage to myself as well as pop-culture helped further my understanding of some of the terms in the class. It was also very entertaining to see what other people came up with for their own projects, and even differing views on similar things, like the same book. I would say the one thing I didn’t like about this course is the reading of Siddhartha, not that it wasn’t a good book. It just didn’t capture my attention very quickly and I was pushing to read it the entire time. However, I’m glad I read it because it helped me understand some of the course material, but I somewhat wish it could have been a different book that I would have enjoyed more. That does often happen with classes and its to be expected.

Elvis' Graceland

Recently I have been doing some research on Elvis, and his property, Graceland. I have learned many things, like that Graceland is named after the previous owners' daughter, Grace. For those of you who don’t actually know who Elvis is, I am speaking of the "King" of Rock'n'Roll, Elvis Presley. He became famous after singing some songs like Hound Dog, Blue Suede Shoes, and Heartbreak Hotel. But that isn’t even how he got his start. Originally, Elvis was a teen-heartthrob actor in some adolescent oriented movies. When his producer realized that the girls went after the singing better than the movies, they asked if Elvis would be willing to make the switch from acting to singing. Elvis of course said yes, and the rest is history.
Graceland is the name that Elvis gave to his home before he died. Like I stated before, he named it after the former owners' daughter, but the name has become a common proper noun in America. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee, along with Elvis' hotel, the Heartbreak Hotel. It is also a common tourist destination, and I'm sure a source of income in Memphis. Some people go as far as to pilgrimage to Graceland, and I personally think some of these people are nuts.
There are two types of pilgrims that go to Graceland, the immigrant and the transient pilgrims. The immigrant pilgrims come from all over, to be where they can be loved and accepted by others who feel the same way about Elvis. “Everyone loves Elvis, and everyone who loves Elvis is loved.” I personally think that the immigrant pilgrims are a little crazy. The transient pilgrims believe that going to Graceland is like coming home, and it gives them a feeling of closeness with Elvis. I believe that these people may be different, but still just as crazy as the immigrant pilgrims.
The final group that goes to Graceland is the tourists. They tend to go to see what it was like, and out of curiosity. They do not believe that it brings them closer to Elvis, and are not crazy. If I went to Memphis, Tennessee I would probably go to Graceland like most tourists out of curiosity. And I would not mind going sometime in my life, just to see what Graceland is really like, he was, after all, the “King” of Rock’n’Roll.