the wonderful world of red

I once read a book in which a journalist moved to a small town and began writing a column for the local paper. His thing was to write a thousand words on any topic. I have always wanted to try that, but it's harder then both writer and character make it seam. My friend decided to die her hair red yesterday and so I got my topic from her, thanks friend. Well I tried to write a thousand words on the color red and this is my attempt. So here's to Mis L J braun, whose books I love

To the color red

Colors have long had many associations in the minds of peoples from the Americas to tribes of Africa to the ancient empires of China. What can like merely a color to some people can mean a whole range of things to others. Standing brightly and boldly out from all the rest however, is the color red.
Not only is red the color said to be the most well seen by people, but it is probably one of the few colors with so many varied and meaningful uses. Angry? Perhaps you see red down to your last red cent? Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, go paint the town red! Red also comes in may different hues with many names such as pink, which every little boy knows is a girl’s color.
Speakers of the English language pride themselves on their clever wording, their turns of phrase and their insinuations or double entendres. When children color, they use vibrant reds for fire engines, or cheery reds, with green or pink respectively, for Christmas or Valentine’s day cards. Have you ever tried to explain or define the color over the phone or to a blind person? It isn’t so easy if you can’t just show them or say “ apples are read” or “cherries are red.” Red also has a connection with music, yes music. When I was little, my mom labeled my piano keyboard with colored stickers to help me learn the notes. Reds were C, blues were G and everything else was yellow. We left the black keys alone ; does this tell you anything?
As I mentioned before, red has many conflicting symbolisms and connotations. For example: what do blood and tomatoes have in common? Blood is the life force that keeps us alive; it can symbolize life, vitality and strong emotion. Similarly blood spilled usually means injury and can mean death, wore or anger. Blood is also red when in contact with oxygen. Is it any wonder red-heads get such a reputation? Tomatoes, sometimes called love apples, are also red when ripe.
Red can also denote maturity and health Some fruits for example are red when ripe and healthy. Some plants such as flowers are also red when mature, and even some foods. That’s right, though he is quite alive and healthy, Sebastian appears to b a cooked crab rather than a live one. He isn’t the only one however, most crabs and lobster are depicted as red though they are actually a brown color. Red has both cultural, political, financial, military and even medical connotations; whether it’s the red cross, red militia, bank in the red or red carpet treatment.
Red is also used to signify heat or can even be used to indicate spiciness. Just think of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, they new what they were doing with a name like that. Was that red steam coming from your ears? The red rash of illness is what gives scarlet fever its name, and yet we call someone with a healthy glowing complexion ruddy, meaning red. See also, Rudy.
In china, red symbolizes good luck and celebration. It is believed to ward off evil and is used in weddings. Very different from American culture. In ancient Egypt, figures were sometimes depicted as having unnaturally colored skin to identify them with a certain element or meaning. Red symbolized life and victory, and Egyptian men were typically shown as having red skin. Rubies, which can be found in and around Asia and Africa are very highly valued and are believed to have both healing and prophetic powers. Garnet is also red, but are not as widely famed as rubies.
Red from the middle English, read.
What’s black and white and red—read—all over?
A news paper? A blushing zebra? A Dalmatian with a rash? A panda with a sunburn? A deodorized skunk?
Red is also used in a derogatory meaning, such as red skin, red neck or red meaning communist.
Often we over look how difficult learning another language such as English can be. The many denotations and connotations of the word red alone should almost be enough to convince one that with out cultural references one can get lost in idioms. To say someone is all red or turning red means not only that the blood is rising to one’s face, but It could also mean that the person is angry, embarrassed, hot, lying or even that it is windy outside. Similarly there a number of well known phrases containing the word red that might prove confusing for some who is not a native speaker of English. Below Are a list of just a few of such phrases and there meanings.

To paint the town red is to go out and have a good time
To be in the red is to be in financial trouble such as a bank
To see red is to become angry
The red-letter bible is the bible where all of Jesus’ words are in red
A red haring is a misleading hint or clue .. a distraction
A red cent is a penny
To be down to one’s last red cent yup you guessed it is to be down to one’s last penny
To be caught red handed is to be caught in the act of doing something wrong
Red hot spicy or good looking
Red flag usually a warning This can be seen in our red stop signs and traffic lights. It is even portrayed in nature. Have you ever seen the eyes on a red-eyed tree frog? They don’t just help with nigh vision, they’re designed to startle any predator who dares to wake them while they’re sleeping and thus not entirely alert. In nature red also means poison, such as with reptiles; another reason to STOP.
So, red can be both a color of love or of war and death. It symbolizes a number of meanings from health to good luck.

Just for fun, here's a list of famous people from history said to have red hair.
Alexander The Great
Eric the Red
Richard the Lionheart
Henry VII
Henry VIII
Elizabeth I
Antonio Vivaldi
Winston Churchill
Van Gogh
Galileo
Boris Becker
General George A. Custer
Judas Iscariot
Thomas Jefferson
Napoleon
George Bernard Shaw
Mark Twain
Martin Van Buren
Sarah Ferguson (Fergie) the Duchess of York
Carol Burnett
Ron Howard
Prince Harry
Robert Redford
Both Adam and Mary Magdalene are often portrayed in art as having red hair.