Courtney Lum

What is most striking about Genesis sections 6 through 9 is the notion that the earth and human populations had become so corrupt that God himself deemed it necessary to cleanse the earth. This divine intervention in terms of a flood creates a fearful atmosphere, in which readers along with the characters in the story are struck with a sense of helplessness and inferiority compared to this great, all-powerful being. However, I feel as if this story also creates the mood of hope and rebirth, with this idea that all evil and sin can be washed away leaving a brand new, clean slate. Disregarding the religious connotations of the story, Genesis can simply be understood as a second chance to go about life.