I'm new, and i have to do a speech...

That makes sense. I'll try to post my outline and as much as the speech as I can remember...I'm not allowed to write down as an "essay", because then i'd just read off of the paper with my head down, and it's for public speaking basically :$ Sooo...I can tell y'all if I got a good grade, but not much else. natch M.EP

Just a few suggestions...

I wrote an essay a couple years ago about the misconceptions of snakes and the influence of media.

1. Jungle Book: Kaa
2. Anaconda
3. Python, Python Vs. Boa
4. Media coverage on the release of larger boids.

Then write about the great things about them...

I [I]just[I] finished typing this for school! (Hope it stays neat:confused:)


Snakes: Fears and Misunderstandings
I. Introduction
A. People are scared of snakes
1. Not always with a good reason; sometimes, but not always
B. Basically, people are afraid of something they don't understand
C. There are all sorts of fears...:
1. Arachnophobia-spiders, claustrophobia-dark/small spaces, ophidio-/ophiophobia-a fear of snakes

II. Common myths, fears/misconceptions
A. Hoop snakes:
1. Bite tails and roll away like wagon wheels downhill to escape (one version is to chase)
B. Snakes will chase you:
1. A snake will chase and attack you
C. Buddy system
1. Snakes travel in pairs; if one is killed, the other'll seek revenge
D. All snakes can kill you (around the neck)
1. Any snake can kill you
a. All are poisonous
b. Kill around neck

III. Refuting them with facts
A. Hoop snakes
1. Not anatomically able, no reliable accounts
2. Probably from hoop snakes-they lay in hoops, but slither away when frightened like any other snake
B. Chasing snakes
1. Snakes don't actually chase people; they're more scared of you, and will most likely try to slither away
a. A few species will, but not many; maybe 2 or 3 (These are venomous)
b. They'd be only a problem for people on foot: their high speed is maybe 8 MPH.
> An average person can run 10 MPH
C. Buddy system
1. Snakes don't actually travel in pairs; two of the same species were probably seen in the same area
a. They'd probably just eat each other
D. Killer snakes
1. Not all snakes can kill a human
a. Only 10% of all the snakes world-wide are venomous (not poisonous)
b. Do you think a snake maybe 1 ft. long has enough muscle to strangle you? No

IV. How people develop these fears
A. Tradition: folklores and superstitions
B. Religion: the Bible represents Satan as a snake (the Serpent)
1. Catholics too; the snake means evil and death
C. They're learned: parents'll be frightened and teach that fear to their children
1. There was a test where a mother was to call her baby over transparent steps to her.






V. Good things about snakes/ a touch of reality
A. They make very good pets
1. Easy to clean
2. Not noisy
3. Don't trigger allergies
B. Reality: you can't domesticate one, so they're still technically "wild animals"
1. Never just grab any old random snake you don't recognize
2. There are some species of venomous snakes, but not many (only about 10%, and 4 in the US)
C. Snakes also have very good uses/not always seen as evil
1. Some religions revere snakes:
a. Aborigines-associated a giant rainbow serpent with the creation of life
b. Quetzalcoatl-the "plumed serpent" who was the "Master of Life" the Aztecs worshipped
c. Some African cultures worship rock pythons and consider the killing of one a terrible crime
2. They've been associated with medicine and rebirth
a. Our medical symbol, two snakes wrapped around a staff, a 'caduceus', comes from Hermes
b. In Greek myth, Aesculapius saw one snake revive snother using herbs, and found medicine
c. In India, cobras are reincarnations of important people, of Nagas
3. Part of the foodchain, helpfull; they eat mice and other pesky rodents that get into your food storage

VI. Conclusion
A. All sorts of myths; some may be true, but many are not
B. You might still be sfraid of them, but it's ok...
C. ...Just remember, snakes aren't evil
1. "Snakes are simply animals and are not capable of being good or evil"
D. The way snakes act in movies isn't how they naturally act/react
1. They will generally try to flee rather than fight-they don't want anything to do with you
2. They ARE NOT all 40 feet and hungry
3. They don't eat humans at all!!! They'd rather have something that would actually fit in their gut



Bibliography:
http://www.umass.edu/nrec/snake_pit/pages/myth.html
http://www.oplin.org/snake/myths%20t...thstruths.html
me

And thanks to the anonymous users on bp.net for helping me with information
(That's where the quote came from)




Nope! Oh well!:oops: You get the idea:snake: natch M.EP

This is only the first draft, and I DID NOT expect the link to show up [I][B]AT ALL[B]!!!