Freshmen: Today we focused on our first two principles of free verse poetry, that being the importance of using I and avoiding participles. Your task tonight is to write a free verse poem about a personal experience that adheres to the principles we covered today. Additionally, the poem should be typed, and I suggested you write as small as possible - choose an ordinary experience, and find what's profound in it. Write about an experience that takes place over a very short period of time. Include lots of specific details (objects, descriptions, etc.). Your poem is due Thursday. Please read for 20 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sophomores: Today our focus was on getting an introduction to the Tao te Ching. We will begin Life of Pi on Thursday.
Sophomore Honors: Today our focus was on creation myths, their commonalities, and what those commonalities reveal about humanity. Please post a comment on today's post in response to the following prompt: What common elements do we see in various creation myths, and what do these commonalities reveal about humanity? Your response should be a couple of paragraphs long; please sign it with your first name and English period.
CNF: Today we began reading the introduction and first chapter from Blink. We hope to finish these two sections it by Friday or Monday.
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In all the creation stories or myths that I have heard of, there always seems to be either one or more creators. In many creation myths, the creator(s) start from nothing. They build the Earth and everything in it from nothing. Like in the creation story from the Mayans. The creator, Heart-of-Sky, there was nothing. No animals or plants or humans. Then Heart-of-Sky made the ocean and the sky, and then everything that comes after that. The Shinto creation myth talks about how the creators also made the Earth and everything in it from nothing. Not only does most stories have creators forming the Earth out of nothing, but many have a test or choice of some sort. In Christianity, there is the story of Adam and Eve. In the Mayan creation story, there is a lot of conflict because the creator, Heart-of-Sky, didn't have anyone to praise him, so he made man out of mud and was disappointed. In the end, everyone got mad at each other and chased some people called "the wooden people" away. Lastly, in almost all creation story, there is a man and a woman. Most commonly, the woman and man are partners. Creation Myths tend to have the same idea or or storyline and they all reveal something to us about humanity.
When reading different creation myths, human nature usually tends to fall into some temptation or human nature cause someone to make a wrong choice. After reading and hearing different creation stories, I noticed that our human nature seems to take over and fool us. Reading and listening to these myths made me realize that or human nature and our humanity is weak. We stumble and fall easily, and there are always consequences to misbehavior. Learning about all these sorts of stories and myths were very interesting and it helped me come to the revelation that mankind was from the very beginning of time, a weak specie.
Human creation myths have many similar components. In nearly all creation myths, there is some form of creator. A god or higher being tends to initiate the creation of human life. There is generally some form of test as well. The creator will impose a choice or question on human life. A creation myth will often involve a gift. Gods can offer something to humans to facilitate life on Earth. Conflicts will also arise in many creation myths. Gods will fight or humans will squabble and characteristics of life will then come into play. While some creation stories offer a gift, another will impose a punishment. When humanity screws up, creators dish out the punishments and ridicules.
These concepts reveal several human qualities. First, we have the want to explain things. We create stories and myths to explain where we come from. We also want to explain how things in our lives came into being. One of the most important revelations of creation myths is not about where we came from, but where we are going when we die. The place that we originate from tends to be the place we predict that we will go once we die.
Will R.
Period 1
There are many similarities creation stories. There are many elements that they almost all include. One element that is always present is the idea of a creator of all. Whether it is a God or some other being, they are present. Also almost always included is the freedom of choice. Usually the choice between good and bad; or good and evil. In Christianity, Adam and Eve fall for the temptation of the serpent and fail to follow God's orders. Many creation stories also almost always include other live creatures other then humans. Every story that has been showed to me has indeed had creatures somewhat involved or just included. The final element that these creation stories seem to have is common is the creation of gender. Women are usually represented as. In my story, the women was actually the creator.
All these stories about the creation of the universe reflect ourselves in how we all think very similar. With details showing our virtues and comparison of thought. The biggest one I think is that most of us look up to some type of being or something transcendent and we thrive to find the answer to our creation. We as humans are very curious and thoughtful. And it can't be that we are just an accident or a coincidence. We also realize that we have a right to chose right or wrong and that we make mistakes. And that making right choices can be rewarded. But we are very vulnerable to what is bad and temptation is always facing us.
Adrian, Period 8
All creation myths have at least one thing in common. In basically all of the stories, there is a creator. Whether it be ancestors, God, a plant or whatever else, there is basically always a creator, hence the name creation myths. There is also usually a test of some sort. Like in the story of Adam and Eve, they are tested to eat the fruit on the tree. A story like that is the Dinka story where they have a choice to take a risk and get something possibly better then what they already have.
Another thing that creation myths have in common is there is usually an evil something. Something that I have noticed is that the evil thing is commonly a snake or serpent of some sort. The evil thing will most likely try to convince the creations to do something they're told not to. Something else I have noticed is that in many of the stories, there is a reward, or a punishment. Again in the story of Adam and Eve, God punishes them for disobeying him. What I've learned from these myths is that humans are fooled very easily. We fall for things that we would think we never would but do anyway. Maybe the myths themselves are just stories, but the ideas that come out of them are very real.
There is always a creator in creation myths, whether it be God, the Supreme One, like in the Hindu creation story, or any other divine being. Most creation myths also involve animals in some sort, and that is because as humans, we are one with nature. In most stories, man and nature were created together and coexist. Blame is a recurring theme in creation myths. When the divine being test the humans, but the humans fail the test, the humans tend to blame someone else. In the story of Adam and Eve, when God asked Adam why he ate the Forbidden Fruit, Adam replies that Eve made him eat it. Eve then blames the serpent.
Humans tend to use stories to explain things we don't fully understand. THe world most likely was not created in seven days, or that one man more powerful than us created it. The early people told these stories to answer the question they themselves could not answer. These stories also show that we always have a choice between good and evil, and that we should choose the good.
Joey M
Period 6
All creation myths have some commonalities, which relates to the Interlude titled "One Story" in Foster's book. These stories share similar ideas, events, and characters. In almost all creation myths, there is a creator. In many, the creator is God. This shows that humans have a strong desire to understand the world, and most of us rely on some supernatural being to explain the things that are transcendent.
Another commonality is a test or temptation given by the creator. For example, in the story of Adam and Eve, the two humans are tested by God. God tells Adam and Eve that they are not allowed to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, but the serpent tempts them, and they eat the fruit. This shows that humans are naturally curious. When we are told not to do something, we want to know why. This also shows that temptation is a struggle in the life of every human. We are all tempted by different things, and it is important for us to learn self-control.
Another major similarity in creation myths is the creation of animals and the land on which we live. This shows that humans are meant to live alongside the rest of nature, and we are not superior to other creations. We are one with nature, and we are meant to live together in peace.
Creation myths, although they may not be true, help us to understand our world, others, and ourselves. They teach us why we are curious, why we sin, and why we do the things we do. They help us to understand our world, and they teach us the difference between good and evil. For some, creation myths help to set a strong belief in a higher power, whether that be God or anyone else. Creation myths serve a great purpose to us, and they are very important to many cultures.
IN most of the creational myth stories from the class one thing is apparent. Most societies believe that there is one almighty being, or just one being, that is responsible for all of existence. This is not true for every story, but it is common which shows we as humans never fully understood why we were here or what we are supposed to do.
Many of these stories included a test mankind had to face. However, in most stories, we fail this test. This gives rise to the reason we suffer as humans, why we work, why we feel pain, why we suffer. However in other stories, we pass this text and we come to a great place where we can live in freeeom and enjoy life. Wheather these stories are true or not, they help us believe in a better place, they help explain what we do not know, and they help institute respect, hope, and love. that is what I believe these similarities mean
In most of the creation myths, there is a creator or some sort of God. Also, an act of evil, a choice, or a test occurs in most of these myths. After reading the creation myth I was assigned, and the other myths from the people in my group, I noticed that human beings can find evil in everything and most of the time we fall into it like a tramp because we are tempted.
Every culture has a creation myth. How have we come to be part of this world and why have we come to be part of this world. Most creation myths answer the first question of how. Creation myths of all different cultures have similarities whether that be a god who created us, a temptation the people face or the nature that surrounds us.
A creator. God. All cultures have a greater conceivable being that they believe looks over them whether it be one God or multiple Gods. This one tiny characteristic greatly reflects on humanity. We know that we can't alone have hope in science and reason because at some point there will be a fault therefore we jump to the conclusion to having hope in a God. Without a God we are confused and lost to the ideas that only have transcendence as an explanation. This shows on each culture that since we don't have an explanation of how we became we have searched out the meaning and come up with "God." Whether that be the Sun Mother in the Aboriginals creation story or God in the Judaic story.
Another common trait in creation stories is a trial. Humans are faced with picking between good or bad which is a tough decision because either curiosity will get the best of us or we will use reason. This reflects humanity because everyday we are faced with trials and everyday we have the temptation of picking the wrong.
Nature is the final big commanality. God created nature and us together. Today as humans we live in the world and take the earth for granted. We are very destructive and it seems we don't realize our mistake. Nature was made beautifully for us to live with, to take care of. By taking care of the land we are giving back to our "God" which seems to be a big part in creation stories. Not the idea of taking care of the land but living with it, each story takes the time to describe the land around them.
Creations stories can teach us how to live and sometimes why we live(in the case of a God). Each culture has a different way of telling this one story.
Creation myths have many similarities but the one that is most prominent and reachers the most is the idea of a creator or higher power. I think that all creation myths have a creator because it is the attempt of human minds to wrap itself around a concept that we don't know about and would be difficult, if not impossible, to comprehend. The ideas of how the earth formed, why the earth formed, how humans were created and most importantly why humans were created is something we can't comprehend now and it certainly was not something earlier humans understood. So they came up with the created as something that they could understand, it was something concrete that was easy to understand.
Another thing I saw in many of the myths is the idea that humans were made of the physical parts or bodies of the creator. Such as the Egyptians creation myth that said humans were created out of the tears of the creator. I think that humans creation myths say we come form the creator because it makes us feel as though we are powerful like the creator or that the creator must want us because they sacrificed part of themselves to make us.
Katelyn Brimhall
Period 6
A commonality in many of the creation myths was that there was some sort of rejection from a Utopia to the world which we are living in now. For example, Adam and Eve began their lives in the Garden of Eden, but were punished after they ate the forbidden fruit. Their punishment was that they were forever banned from the Garden of Eden. A similar occurrence happens in the Japanese creation myth which was told today. The first man and woman were living in a perfect version of Japan, until they decided to have sex. God was angry at them for their sexual desire, and punished them. Although the myth never actually verified how the two were punished, it still implied that they were also banished from their perfect world. In the Bantu story, the world began as a perfect and peaceful place where all human beings lived in harmony with one another. However, certain humans began to realize they were better at different skills than the others. This made them prideful and cruel, thus bringing an end to a perfect universe. I believe this specific myth makes the most logical sense, and I might even not label it as a myth. Pride is among humanity's greatest downfall, and took us to another world.
In conclusion, all of the myths we read today had a certain commonality: humanity. Humanity in the sense that every single person makes at least one mistake in their lifetime. Some mistakes have a larger impact than others; in fact, some mistakes can be potentially life-ruining. These myths are not just stories to explain the way things are and to tell around a campfire, but they have a far deeper meaning to them. They do not just explain the world around us. They help us comprehend the world inside of us.
Robin Young, Sophomore Honors
One thing I have noticed in the creation myths is, there is one ultimate power. This ultimate power creates usually everything. Like God for example. He created Adam and Eve, who then are claimed to have created mankind. It appears that way in almost every creation myth. So, my question is, if so many cultures believe we come from an ultimate being, where did this ultimate being come from? For this greater power to create us, it must have been created by something or someone. I find my self asking the same question after every creation story I read, that's the biggest commonality in all of these myths.
Grace Driffill
Period6
While listening and learning about all these creation myths from different cultures I have noticed many similarities. One of those being a powerful being greater than the humans creating all. In most of these stories the greater beings of the myths started with nothing then created the world and its creatures. Like in the Apache culture's myth, the men are created first following then after the women. Which then I feel reflects how most cultures believed that men are greater than women. That women was there for company which can be seen in Apache culture as the creatures ask the creator for a women so the man would not be lonely. Yet these first creatures are not given everything. They have challenges to face which in most cases are failed. This explains how humanity put some representation of their own struggles into their explanation of humanity. These similarities show that in the beginning these stories where one being diffused through humanity with their own culture mixed in as it got passed on.
Giselle Carreno
Period 1
In the creation myths that I have heard over the past two weeks. Here are some of the commonalties that a lot of temptation in their stories. Another commonality is that a lot of stories have animals playing major roles in the stories to either help the people creating the world or hurting the people creating the world. One last commonality is that in a lot of stories one person or being is creating the world and either creating the world or other beings to help the person or being to create the world.
This commonalties reveal that humans need other beings to survive on their own. And that one person needs to start something and it might lead to something great or terrible or everything something in between. One last thing that this reveals about humans is that temptation is always around us and what we do we this temptation either act upon it or don't.
We have read a variety of cultural myths about creation. Every culture has their own perspective on the story of how everything was created. However, one thing that every culture's myths have in common is the fact that they all have a creator. Some have a god or simply a higher power. A supreme being appears in every myth. They are what triggers the chain of events that create the world.
We often look to stories so we can try to understand what is transcendent to us. When we don't know how to accept that there are things that we cannot comprehend, we refer to myths to help us explain what we don't know. Learning different culture's myths about creation can help us learn about their overall beliefs. It is interesting to learn all of the different gods or sources that are believed to have been the beginning of creation.
Savannah
Period 1
Some very common aspects of creation myths are higher powers, some sort of perfect world that we are created into, and a trial or test that disrupts the perfect place. we are usually the cause of the disruption, but in many myths, it is blamed on another creature. I think that these say a great deal about humanity because we like to believe that there is a higher power watching out for us. We also like to think that we were not to blame for our world not being perfect. In the Judea-Christian myth, the serpent tempts Eve, who in turn tempts Adam. we as a species like to blame others for our faults,and I think that comes out a lot in many creation myths.
On Tuesday we read a large variety of creation myths from different cultures. All of them had a bunch of the same aspects. The stories kind of reminded me of what we were talking about earlier in the week, that all stories have the same base just different settings and characters.
Many of the myths had a creator in the story. I believe that people put creators in their stories because they need something to believe in and make them do their best in life. They need to prove to someone that they did good and have a reassurance that even after they are dead they will still be somewhere. Another common theme was having tests in the stories. Humans have tests in their stories to show that we have choices to make and we need to own up to our responsibilities. I also think people give themselves a sense of power having the creators ask them questions. These stories really reflect the cultures that are connected to them.
Annika
Period 1
Some common elements that come up a lot throughout many different creation myths was the idea of some event that furthers creation. The "God" or Creator has created man or animals who in some way create the rest of the world. For example, in the Aboriginal creation myth, an eagle steals an emu's egg. the eagle then throws it in to the sky, and from there it catches fire, creating the sun. Another thing that comes up a lot is the idea of something bad, or maybe a conflict, but the result is positive, it somehow improves the earth. For example, in the Hureon creation myth, the Divine Woman's fingers were cut off. Now this may sound bad, but it actually lead the the formation of human beings. So not all bad things affect the world negatively, or at least in the early times of our earth.
-Anna Lower
Period 6
I have noticed from many of the Creation Myths that we have read in class that they all have a lot in common. Like it was stated in How to Read Literature Like A Professor, all of these stories have one story. These stories usually start off with nothing in existence. One Creator, or in some cases like the Shinto Creation Myth, Creators creates the planet Earth. The next thing that is made is usually man but some myths follow a different approach, leaving man to be created last. After everything was made or created, tyne humans were usually faces with a test or choice. The male is usually persuaded by the female to make the wrong choice, like in Adam and Eve, and were punished by the Creator. This choice usually reflects us as humans for the rest of our lives.
When we read these stories, I noticed that we as humans were almost meant to sin. In all of the stories that i read, the humans never made the right decision. This shows how weak we are portrayed in these stories. From noticing these stories similarities, I have to consider that these stories are all branches off the same initial story. With how similar these stories are from completely different tribes and cultures, you have to suspect that there is one story that we as humans have spread from continents and through generations.
Marcus Corbett
Period 1
In all the creation myths there seems to be many similarities between them even though they are somewhat different. One of the very common thing between them all is that they all have a creator. The creator is usually God or some higher power. Another reoccurring similarity that always seems to come up is there is temptation or a reason for them to do something they know they shouldn't. In the Adam and Eve creation myth Adam and Even are tempted to eat the forbidden fruit and give into the temptation. Temptation is very common in all of the stories and the lesson of it is to see if they make the right choice. They usually end with a lesson or moral. Lastly, most of the creation myths reveal something about humanity to us and the unknown.
Grace
period 6
There are a lot of common elements in every creation myth, but there are also slight differences that make the unique. Each creation has a high power or creator that is something greater then they are. There is generally a choice as well, and in some there is a right/wrong answer that you could be punished for and in others there isn't. An example of a punishment would be when Adam and eve eat the fruit and are punished by in this case God. Although in every story that is given a choice rarley do we as humans make the right decision and are there for punished.
Another common element that I have seen in every myth I have read is that it starts from nothing, and that the high power is the start of everything.
When we read the creation stories from different cultures in class, there were several themes and symbols that were common throughout them. One theme is the idea that there is a conflict/test in the ‘beginning’ and the outcome is why the world is the way it is today. For example, in the Judea-Christian story of creation, when Adam and Eve eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge, they create original sin. I think that this shows that humans need something or someone to ‘blame’ for their problems. Even in this creation story, the humans blame a serpent for their faults.
Gender also plays a big role in many stories. For example, in the Inuit or Judea Christian, Man was created first and then the higher power created woman for the man to have a companion & she has a subservient role. Also, in other stories, the woman did something immoral which humanity sees as the reason for inequality today. Still in other stories, woman is ‘mother earth’ and she is looked up to and worshiped.
Finally, in many creation stories, there is the concept of good vs. evil. In the Huron creation story, there are two brothers- one representing good and the other bad- and they fight constantly. Today, this gives us reason as to why there is always a conflict of good and evil. There are many commonalities of stories throughout time, yet they provide an explanation for some of the situations we encounter today.
Maddie Horiuchi
6th Period
In all creation myths they all had a few similar traits. One of the most obvious ones was that they had a creator, someone who created it all not all stories had just one there were a few to a group. I also found that many myths also had an association with animals in some way, the most common was a serpent. In one of my creation myths the Creator first created animals, but when they came into realization that the animals can't praise them they created human. I also noticed that humans came out of something they didn't just come out of thin air. In the Hindu creation myth they came out of the Lotus flower, in mine it was stages from mud, wood, to corn ( maize). I also notice in correlation with my last thought is that the stories always began with the Creators making the Human never a creator making the Creators they were just there. In my group most of our stories there was no trial, the creation myths began with out sin into a Perfect World.
Hannah Vasquez
Period 6
There are a lot of common elements in every creation myth, but there are also slight differences that make the unique. Each creation has a high power or creator that is something greater then they are. There is generally a choice as well, and in some there is a right/wrong answer that you could be punished for and in others there isn't. An example of a punishment would be when Adam and eve eat the fruit and are punished by in this case God. Although in every story that is given a choice rarley do we as humans make the right decision and are there for punished.
Another common element that I have seen in every myth I have read is that it starts from nothing, and that the high power is the start of everything.
August 27, 2014 at 8:46 PM
Genevieve liston
Today in class, when we were making the chart, I realized that there is more similarities between different creation stories than I thought there would be. I think one of the main reasons is because of collective unconsciousness (a part of the unconscious mind that is shared by humankind because of shared ancestral experiences all throughout the world). One obvious similarity is that there is a creator who makes the Earth and humans and creatures. In the Judeo- Christian story, its God; in Hopi culture it is Tawa and Spider Woman; etc. All cultures have this characteristic in their story because they wanted to explain where they came from and why they were there. It was also an effort to explain something transcendent, or beyond human understanding (like God).
On a similar note, another common thing I saw was an event that furthered creation. For example, the Australian Aboriginal story says that an eagle stole an emu's egg and threw it up into the sky where it burned up, and the sun was created. What this says about humans is that we also wonder where and when other things from nature were created, including us, and why.
In almost every creation story, there is a conflict between good and bad, and good wins in (pretty much) every story, or another situation used a lot is that a bad situation ends up turning into something good, like the creation of something. In the Huron legend, the good and bad twin have a final fight and the good twin wins and restores peace. An example of the latter is when a giantess in the Inuit story has her fingers cut off and that creates all water creatures. I think humans are hardwired to want to have a life where everything turns out well.
Finally, one of the most important ones is the test/trial/temptation. It is when humans have to choose to do either the right or wrong thing, like when Eve chooses to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, which is bad. Mankind wants to say that we have freedom to choose to do the wrong or right thing, and sometimes we make mistakes.
Victoria Stevens
Period 6
In most myth stories, there is lots of common traits between them. Some myth stories, have a creator that has all the power and it makes lots of other things. Another common element found in these stories are a test, or trial. It tests someone In the creation story and tries to see if they are intelligent enough to know what they are doing is wrong. Sometimes they do the right thing but on most occasions, it is wrong. Another element found in these creation myth stories, is the impact of animals. These stories reflect the cultures that are connected to them
Diego C
Period 6
Almost every culture or religion has a creation myth and/or story behind it, and a lot of them have similar components. One major similarity throughout them all is that they have some sort of creator, who created many different things in multiple different ways. Whether it be a God, multiple gods, an animal, or even something natural like a seed(Zulu) or a big tree of life(Hungarian). And these creators usually start of with nothing around them and practically start of creating everything from scratch. Then they create the Earth in however way they do it, like in the Shinto myth, a god through his spear into the water and wherever it landed, land came up from the water. The creator may also at times test the humans, and depending what they do, they can remain all good and happy like usual, or if they fail, it usually brings darkness, hate, or evil into the world, like Adam and Eve eating the apple. And this usually shows what human qualities are like. The first big one is that we can be very greedy and tempted easily, only to please ourselves, we can be very selfish. But not everything is bad we also have good qualities at times. And it also shows that we can create different stories or reasons of why things are to answer questions we have about life or how things came to be.
Ryan K.
Period 6
In all creation stories the most obvious thing they have in common is the fact that man was created at some point. All the stories have different elements that add to them and make them unique. In all the creations stories we read there was always some sort of test involved. To me the Jewish Christian one is the best known with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.The thing that leads to the downfall is a snake. That to me was the second biggest commonality i found. Animals are mostly always involved in the story in a key role.
I also noticed that often the stories started from there literally literally being nothing then slowly things started to build up into a world. Little by little all the components of our world are put in in different ways and variations. All the creation stories hold answers we really don't know the answers to but we want to know. All demonstrate different cultures separate but closely related beliefs.
In every myth that I read there was always a creator of creators who rule over humanity. Some, like the Maori, had a set of gods that, even though they were continuously fighting, made humans and "ruled" over then afterwards. Unlike the Maori, most have included a choice of test for humans. The Dinka is a perfect example of this. God gave them a choice between cows and an unknown "thing". They chose the cows, making the right choice and living peacefully afterwards. As for the order of creation, it is really equally split. Some have the humans made first and some have nature made first. But in every myth humans are always at the top of the food chain, so to speak. God always gives humans the choice instead of any other animal. I think this shows that humans have thought themselves high priority in God's eyes from the beginning of time. At the same time humanity doesn't want to think they're alone and responsible for everything. They want to look to something for advice of comfort. Every human being wants to feel loved and protected. In every religion this is available for them in some way through their God.
In all the creation myths there are major components that really stand out and make the stories similar. For example, in both the Dinka and the Judeo-Christian creation myths there were animals that played a very important role in the story. In the Dinka story, the cattle are the deciding factor in the success of their people, and in the Judeo-Christian story, the same can be said about the serpent. This is the cultures way of expressing the importance or danger of a species in the world they lived in at that time. Another example of these main themes is the role of women. In the Aboriginal story of creation, the Sun Mother is the one who creates all the creatures and her grandchildren are the first human beings. In the Judeo-Christian story Eve is the first woman and the mother of all people. Both of these stories display women as motherly, nurturing figures which describes their role in society at the time these stories were invented. My last example of main themes in creation stories, is that of a male creator. In the Judeo-Christian story it is God, in the Aboriginal story it is the Father of All Things, and in the Apache story it is the Creator. In all of these myths, there is a male character who creates the world or the universe and decides to make it into our world. This represents the theme that men ran the world in the days these stories were invented, it reflects the patriarchal society that the inventors all came from. All of these ideas were shown throughout the world, revealing that elements of human nature can be found and dissected from each of them. We can learn a lot about the people who created these stories just by reading them.
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