Good Luck and Bad Luck Superstitions
1.
Napoleon feared black cats; Socrates feared the evil eye; Julius Caesar feared
dreams. Henry VIII claimed witchcraft trapped him into a marriage with Anne Boleyn.
Peter the Great was terrified of crossing bridges. Bad luck superstitions still keep
many people in different countries from walking under a ladder, opening an umbrella
indoors, or planning activities for Friday the 13th.
2.
Because of their irrational nature, superstitious beliefs should have disappeared
with the development of education and the progress of science. Yet, even today,
most people would admit to cherishing one or two superstitions such as seeing a
symbol of good luck, a wishbone, or a symbol of bad luck, a broken mirror.
Nowadays, there seems to be no logical reason for these superstitions.
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3.
The origins of superstitions lie in earlier man's need to understand his world.
Primitive man was seeking explanations for natural phenomena such as lightning,
thunder, eclipses, birth and death. At the same time, he lacked knowledge of the laws
of nature so he developed a belief in spirits. He was sure that there is a miracle of a
tree sprouting from a seed, or a frog developing from a tadpole, that pointed to the
influence of these spirits. Primitive man's daily existence was full of hardships and
evil. As a result, he assumed that these spirits were more often cruel than kind.
4.
Our ancestors (forefathers) believed in miracles, in signs and wonders, eclipses
and comets, in the virtues of bones, and in the powers attributed to evil spirits. The
world was supposed to be full of magic; the spirits were sleight-of-hand performers -magicians. There were no natural causes for events. A devil wished, and it
happened. Natural causes were not believed in. Delusion and illusion, the monstrous
and miraculous, ruled the world. While our ancestors filled the darkness with evil
spirits or enemies of mankind, they also believed in the existence of good spirits.
These good spirits protected the faithful from the temptations and snares of the
Satan.
5.
Now we are convinced of what is called the "uniformity of nature." We believe
that all things act and are acted upon in accordance with their character. We believe
that the results will always be to a large extent the same if the conditions are the
same.. A person who can analyze, think, investigate and evaluate evidence cannot
believe in signs. No person can believe in lucky days or unlucky days, in lucky
numbers or unlucky numbers. He knows that Fridays and Thursdays are the same;
that the number 13 is no more deadly than the number 12.
6.
Colonel Robert Green Ingersoll * once said: “Man should think; he should use all
his senses; he should examine; he should reason. The man who cannot think is less
than man; the man who will not think is traitor to himself; the man who fears to think
is superstition's slave.”
[*Colonel Robert Green Ingersoll (August 11, 1833 – July 21, 1899) was a Civil War veteran,
American political leader, and orator during the Golden Age of Freethought, is noted for his
broad range of culture and his defense of agnosticism.]
Bibliography/Works Cited: Wikipedia on Robert G. Ingersoll. Josh Sens, "Some Don't
Count on lucky", Via Magazine, January 2004.
Good Luck Superstitions – Comprehension Questions
1. At the beginning of the article the author mentions five great people.
a. Who are they?
1. ______________________
2. ______________________
3. ______________________
4. ______________________
5. ______________________
b. What do they have in common?
They believed in __________________ (ONE – THREE words)
2. a. How many superstitions are mentioned in paragraphs 1-2? ______
b. Give TWO examples
__________________________
__________________________
. 3. Scientific and educational progress put an end to the belief in bad luck.
True / False
Support your answer by quoting from the text.
___________________________________________________________
4. What is the general point of paragraph 3?
____________________________________________________________
5. What was the conclusion based on a primitive man’s daily life?
_______________________________________________________
6. Complete the following sentences with ONE or TWO words in each space.
Since the primitive man needed to _______________ his world, he was looking
for possible _______________ of _________________. He didn’t have the
__________ of laws of nature. As a result he believed in _________________.
7. What is the main idea of paragraph 4?
a. A devil ruled the ancient world.
b. There were no events that didn’t have natural causes.
c. Spirits both protected and harmed our ancestors.
d. Good spirits ruled the ancient world.
8. Give the definition of the “uniformity of nature”.
______________________________________________________
9. What kind of man is NOT superstitions’ slave?
Choose ONE option from the list below.
a. if he believes only in evil spirits
b. if he believes only in good spirits
c. if the world rules him
d. if he follows his common sense
e. if he finds natural causes behind events