Mythology Essays (Examples)

Mythology

The classical myths of Greece and ome have much in common with medieval myths, because ultimately, all myths have elements in common. The Greek and oman myths dwell most often on heroes, Gods, and Goddesses. Their characters are larger than life - someone the reader can look up to. Medieval myths also heavily rely on heroes who commit heroic deeds, such as Charlemagne and King Arthur. One difference is many of the heroes in medieval myths were real people, while most of the heroes in Greek and oman myth were just that - myths. Medieval myths took mythology one step further, because they often commemorated and idealized the deeds of real people, and this was quite a step away from classical mythology.

However, many elements remain the same, and as such, become timeless reminders of the most successful myths. Heroism is one timeless element, and romance is another timeless…

With respect to the mythology of the male gods, Zeus, Apollo, and Hephaestus seem to be a combination that matches the dynamism of their female goddess counterparts. These gods represent the good and the bad of males; they also represent the spectrum of power and balance of male energy. There is no one god or goddess myth that I feel fully represents the tension between male and female gods because individually, the Greeks gods are extremely fallible and their weaknesses are very apparent.

One singular myth also does not fully express the pervasive tension between the sexes as well as the ways in which the sexes are polarized. This is why a selection of two or three myths from each sex expresses to me fully the tension and the sexism (in both directions) throughout Greek mythology. These gods represent how strong men are, how they have ingenuity, are capable of…

"Yeats's flight into fairyland begins in his early childhood with Celtic folklore, 'the chief influence of [his] youth,' and climaxes in his early twenties with the 1888 publication of his first book" (Ben-Merre 2008). Yeats was commissioned to "gather and record the fairy and folk tales of the Irish peasantry" in what eventually became Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (Foster 76). "The collection includes descriptions of witches, giants, a rather exhaustive taxonomy of the class of fairies, and an early gloss of the legend of Tir na nOg (T'yeer-na-n-oge)" (Ben-Merre 2008).

Rather than framing folktales as otherworldly, Yeats saw these myths as repositories for older cultural traditions that made a claim for the uniqueness of Irish heritage. In the introduction to his first published volume of poetry, Yeats notes that the "folk-tales are full of simplicity and musical occurrences, for they are the literature of a class…

Calling her the worst names he could, insulting her honor and degrading her spirit, the Storm God beckoned forth all the clouds he could and harnessed the wind, thunder, and lightening to use against her in battle. Hearing his brother insult his wife, the Sun God began to brandish his armor and prepare for war.

Storm clouds gathered, thick and black and completely obscuring the sun for hours. The people ran inside and hid in their huts while the torrential downpours pelted their roofs. Frightened, the children hid under their sheets while their parents tried to bolt down the windows to keep their homes dry. For hours more, the storm raged but neither the Rain Goddess nor the Storm God would back down. The Rain Goddess stood her ground in spite of her tears and when she saw out of the corner of her eye that her husband was preparing…

As the communion is partaken of by the congregation and the minister shares the humble meal, they are all recalling how Christ died for Mankind and gave his body up to be consumed (Culbertson 55).

Living one's occupational life inside the Church is easier if one looks at Jesus' willingness to sacrifice home and family for his ministry of teaching. The minister does not need to sacrifice as much as Christ, yet should be willing to give up the pleasures of the flesh that youth desires, to give up rich foods that Jesus never would have tasted, to give up nice houses, as Jesus never aspired to own property, and to give up earning a handsome salary, as Jesus gave away the little he got. Jesus did not see himself as a God, but pointed to the loving nature of his Heavenly Father and the comfort of the Holy Spirit…

Oedipus Reacts to Bad News

It is perhaps an understatement to categorize the information that Oedipus received throughout the whole of the play as "bad news." With each new revelation Oedipus seemed to find himself guilty of greater sins and of placing not just his life in peril but his soul. Oedipus necessarily reacted violently and with deep emotion at each new revelation culminating with him using the broaches of his mother/wife to put out his own eyes. However, the act of gouging out his eyes was merely a representation of the true horror of what he had learned. Oedipus was consumed by the horror that he had not only destroyed his parents but was responsible for the future sorrow of his daughters. Oedipus was culpable for the agony that his children would undoubtedly experience throughout their entire lives. It is no wonder that in the end he wanted his…

..." The hymn also follows the general creation myth of Genesis, a staple in the Judeo mythology. Like the Genesis story, in the Hymn of Aton, the myth states that God is the one who gave speech, races, land and people. In essence, according to the hymn, the sun is the giver of all life, which makes sense as it is the sun's light that gives the means to sustaining life.

Historically, many scholars view this hymn as one of the earliest known examples of monotheistic mythology. In fact, the Pharaoh's thoughts were eventually found heretical by his own people and were quickly reverted to the more traditional polytheism of Egyptian mythology. However, this fact of both monotheism and atonement found in this hymn serve as an example of how mythology is passed on, as many scholoars argue that this hymn is an indication that Egyptians were the original source…

In this scene, Stephen is experiencing a conflict because he wants to establish a schoolyard presence but he does not know exactly what to do or what to say. He struggles to find an answer - a correct answer. e read that his body "feels hot and confused" (14) simply because he cannot answer the question. In this scene, we see how he is separating himself from others. Stephen also experiences the bittersweet experience of life when he is allowed to sit with the adults at Christmas. He is excited that will share this experience with the adults - it is a unique experience for him.

It is a first and with that notion, it is accompanied with ideas of some sort of mysterious greatness. However, for the adults, it was almost just another dinner on another day. The adults let Stephen say the blessing but it did not take…

Mythology crime criminal justice. I a reaction/response article called "hy drug dealers live moms?"

There are some very good points made in the article which originally appeared in The New York Times Magazine entitled, "hy Do Drug Dealers Still Live ith Their Moms." However, many of these points are couched within crass, offensive writing and within other points that appear dubious or, in other cases, are outright fallacies. On the whole, however, this article does a decent job of deconstructing myths about drug dealers and the lifestyles that they adopt to further themselves within this enterprise. The article also includes some fairly sapient information regarding the nature of gangs in the United States. As such, the overall effect is that the discerning reader, such as one who has a degree of insight into these two topics extending beyond that of some of the people referenced in the article, is left…

Travis develops hatred toward those who have spurned him, including Betsy, the New York senator for whom Betsy campaigns, and Sport, Iris' pimp. Travis' mounting anger is conveyed through a series of scenes in which he transforms his physique into the sculpted frame of a hired killer; he performs countless exercises, including sit-ups, pull ups, and weight lifting. He engages in target practice in order to improve his marksmanship, and perfects his gun-drawing technique as well. If the scenes with Travis in his taxi cab represented the initial stage of the Campbellian mythical trajectory, in which the hero becomes aware of their surroundings and the need for a better life, the scenes in which Travis purchases guns and exercises exemplify the second stage of the process, albeit in a somewhat unusual manner. Where the second stage of the journey involves the hero undergoing a series of tests in which they…

Moby Dick, the creature, fits this classification very well as a mythological creature. Within the story that bears its name, the whale is described as being larger than any whale that Ahab had ever seen- an indication of something being too formidable for mere mortals to be able to fight, let alone defeat. To this air of invincibility, the obsession that Ahab has for the beast, and his classification of it as the symbol of all that everyone in the world hates and fears, sets the stage for classic mythology- hard to explain and understand forces, made real by symbols in real life.

Conclusion

As we have seen in this research, the terrible creature found in the flesh as Moby Dick is actually a complex, mythological creature, similar to that of the Cyclops or any other beast that we find in any mythology from any time. Perhaps what makes it…

Prior to Oedipus' arrival, Creon was left the thrown while the true king, Oedipus' father, went to consult the oracle for advice. Of course when doing this he was killed, which set into motion Oedipus' arrival, unseating of Creon and marrying of his mother. The question then is, in this story, why is it that Oedipus as king becomes a fool when his father, as king, went to seek advice.

What can be gained from this story is that in order to become king one must take something from somebody else and is thus thrust into a life of always being on the defense. In such a state, one trust nobody as everyone is potentially after your power. In other words, power corrupts in a manner of paranoia. Thus, it lead Oedipus' father to dress as a servant and roam the roads for advice on keeping his power. It led…

Therefore, more and more Muslim women have begun advocating for human rights. In addition:

Based on their life experience, most Muslim women who become human rights advocates or activists, feel strongly that virtually all Muslim societies discriminate against women from cradle to grave. This leads many of them to become deeply alienated from Muslim culture in a number of ways. This bitter sense of alienation oftentimes leads to anger and bitterness toward the patriarchal systems of thought and social structures which dominate most Muslim societies. (Hassan, 2007).

The problem with this is that these women cannot necessarily effect a change within Muslim society because, when they recognize the civil rights abuses under many current Islamist regimes, they remove themselves from Muslim society, which makes them unable to affect other Muslims.

Therefore, it becomes clear that women who are practicing Muslims need to become interested in civil rights. Some people claim…

Practicing yoga helps a person to regulate and control hormone secretion. Having an improved endocrine system keeps hormones in balance and promotes better overall physical and emotional health. Triglycerides are the chemical form of fat found in the blood. Elevated levels can point toward a risk for heart disease and high blood pressure. A recent study showed that yoga can lead to significantly lower levels of triglycerides. Yoga has been shown to increase the level of red blood cells that are found in the body. Red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen through the blood, and if a person has too few it can result in anemia and low energy. Vitamin C helps boost immunity, helps produce collagen, and is a powerful antioxidant; and a yoga regimen can increase the vitamin C in the body (Walker, 2007).

As a form of exercise, yoga offers benefits that are sometimes not…

Mythology

Foundations in Mythology

Myth is a word, and a concept, which actually has many meanings. They way we use it in contemporary society does differ dramatically to the more academic origin of the word. In popular culture and use, the term tends to represent some sort of legend, story, or fable. However, the way it is seen in an academic context is much different. The myth is still a story, but its purpose has dramatically changed when they are used by modern academics. From this perspective, a myth is a view into the ancient world. It is a way to extrapolate the meanings and symbols of a society which has long passed its prime. Here, the research suggests that "myths are symbolic tales of the distant past (often primordial times) that concern cosmogony and cosmology (the origin and nature of the universe), may be connected to belief systems or…

Mythology

The Norse creation myth begins with a world of nothingness, called Ginnungagap. To the north, there was an icy realm that was always dark. Nothing could grow there. To the south was a fiery realm, with rivers of poison. Nothing grew there either. Over a great period of time, the fire began to melt the ice and eventually the first being, Ymir, emerged. A cow also emerged from the ice, and licked the ice from the mountains. Ymir grew strong drinking her milk. He created Buri and his goddess wife, who bore their son; in turn Ymir's son had a son, Odin, who became king of the gods.

Ymir was cruel. The other gods killed him Ymir was cruel and the other gods killed him. Ymir's body became the Earth. From two trees, an ash and an elm, Odin formed the first man and woman, Ash and Embla. He…

Babylonian Mythology

Paragons of Polytheism

The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast Roman and Greek mythology with Babylonian mythology.

In his book The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Non-Believer, Christopher Hitchens makes the following observation, "By all means let us agree that we are pattern-seeking mammals and that, ow-ing to our restless intelligence and inquisitiveness, we will still prefer a conspir-acy theory to no explanation at all. Religion was our first attempt at philosophy, just as alchemy was our first attempt at chemistry and astrology our first attempt to make sense of the movements of the heavens (12)."

Thusly, it should come as no surprise that when one juxtaposes different religions and/or mythologies within the objective framework of science (and/or anthropology and/or sociology) certain fundamental commonalities emerge. That is to say because humans are innately similar -- pattern seeking, restlessly intelligent, etc. -- we have throughout…

Interestingly, Venus is a goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, which is significant, since she was literally created from the male genitalia, and males were more strongly linked to sexuality than females, even at that point in oman history. In the rest of oman and Greek mythology, Venus/Aphrodite generally plays a benevolent role, though she does use influence women to use their sexuality in inappropriate ways, such as the willful seduction of one's own father.

Botticelli's painting captures all of the prettier elements of the birth of Venus without referencing the uglier parts of the myth. There are no castrated gods or vengeful sons in the painting, merely a beautiful, naked woman emerging from the sea, standing grown in a sea shell. The sea shell symbolized the vulva in art of that time period. Moreover, Venus was a frequent non-religious subject of paintings, because it was considered acceptable to depict…

Myth

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings follows the basic concepts and structures of classical mythology, including having heroes who embark on journeys of self-discovery, and those journeys of self-discovery are often thrust upon them. For example, Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey did not want to get thrown off course after the Trojan ar. It was Athena and Poseidon's fighting that led to Odysseus's fateful storm that caused him to flit from island to island over the course of about twenty years. He learned a lot on the journey, but it was painful at times. Similarly, Frodo Baggins is thrust into a situation in which he goes on a long journey. It is as if he is at the mercy of the gods, but ultimately he is the keeper of his own fate. The other themes in Lord of the Rings that are akin to mythology include the theme of death…

This is a clear and explicit statement of the gods' selfishness, and in the context of the story of Zeus' in particular. There is no other reason provided for his desire to keep fire away from humanity; it is not out of a prudent and paternal fear of fire's destructive powers, nor because of something divine in the very essence of fire that is not to be sullied by human hands, but merely because it is part of the "stuff of life," and the gods do not feel like sharing. It is one more way in which Zeus can feel superior to man, and though this type of petty selfishness might not be very becoming to the king of gods in the Greek pantheon, maker of thunder and lover of swans, it is certainly appropriate for a villain.

So, too, is the ingenuity with which Zeus goes about punishing mankind…

Mythological Origin Story For Constellation Goddess

In the most ancient times when Men had yet to assert their dominion over the Earth and its inhabitants, and vengeful Gods still controlled the destiny of all creatures, the land of Telzah was ruled by the goddess Anre. As beautiful as she was benevolent, Anre was beloved throughout Tezlah and the people's devotion to her extended even beyond her land's borders. Rather than use her awesome powers to extinguish life wantonly and enjoy herself at humanity's expense, habits her fellow gods and goddesses had long grown accustomed to, Anre was known far and wide for her willingness to aid the injured and assist the fallen. Tales were often told of encountering Anre on one's travels, the extraordinary beauty of her earthly visage belying her any attempt to conceal her divinity, and invariably these stories ended with the provision of food and water, or…

Myth

Today we are going to talk about the myth of Jason and Medea, and show how it has manifested in different ways in popular culture and the arts. The myth of Jason and Medea stretches back to ancient Greece, but this symbol-laden story has permeated the arts and culture since then. The story has it all: war, love, sex, death, and murder. There are innumerable different versions of the myth, but they all share some common elements in common. These elements include the portrayal of Medea as a strong and powerful woman; a real "woman to be reckoned with." Jason, who is the very same Jason as in the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece, is also a strong person but he happens to assume a subordinate role in his relationship with Medea. As we will see, Medea is the star of this myth. She remains the star of the…

The absurdity in Monty Python comedy sketches seem like a philosophical cousin to Albert Camus.

Likewise, Camus is like a distant relative of Buddha. Buddhism asks the individual to cease striving and desiring everything and anything -- including enlightenment itself. Life is suffering, says the Buddha, a concept that clearly reflects the punishment of Sisyphus. The root cause of suffering is not in the punishment, though, it is the desire to be set free or the desire to know why the punishment was meted. Elimination of the "uselessness of suffering," as Camus puts it, is the elimination of the desire for meaning. Camus would note that Buddhism is the religion of the absurd, or a religion that acknowledges the absurd and attempts to ironically pierce through it or overcome it. With a Buddhist outlook, Sisyphus simply rolls the rock up the hill more consciously.

When the meaning of life is…

Discussing myth can help bring these things to light.

Myth can also broaden our view from introspection to an examination of the workings of our society and culture. As already mentioned, our civilization can be seen as a continuum from the Ancient Greeks to the modern day. This is one way in which myth can help o explain our world -- understanding the Greeks from whom many of our ideas and myths came provides an understanding of ourselves (Powell, Chapter 2). According to Campbell, myth can even explain things that occurred before the Greeks, such as the nearly worldwide system of patriarchy that seems to have replaced a matriarchy in the pre-historic period (Campbell, 125-6). Many myths contain heroic and dominant ma figures, but they also contain hints of the concept of the Earth Goddess or powerful feminine force of reception and creation rather than simple submission.

Far from just…

Levi-Strauss also suggested that myth offered the "illusion" of being able to "understand the universe," which suggests a psychological purpose to myth creation (cited by Bierlein, p. 262).

Freud believed that myths shared a language with dreams, and were ultimately the "products of repressed individual childhood memories played out in conscious language," (Bierlein, p. 282). Unlike Jung, Freud did not believe that myths were "the products of any myth-producing area of the unconscious universal to all human beings," (Bierlein 282). Instead Freud explained the phenomenon of parallel myths in terms of a shared human psychological experience; human beings share the same neuroses. Parallel myths occur because all human beings share similar biological, psychological, and social experiences.

Jung, on the other hand, conceived of a collective unconscious that was shared by all human beings. Dreams and myths are "definitely related," according to Jung, but are not "the products of individual memories,"…

) the author's claim that the women are not heroes because they act in their own self-interests ignores the fact that cinematic narration is predicated around a central hero who invariably acts toward the fulfillments of their goals. When someone watches a Hollywood film, the protagonist is not deprived of hero status when they realize their dreams, so the women in Moolade should not be examined differently. Moreover, the author contradicts herself by first stating that the women act in their individual best interests and then that they work collectively to improve the plight of future generations. To be sure, the women do transition from conflict to cooperation (Colle and Amasatou clash most strongly); however, their initial dissention does not represent legitimate grounds for denigration. It is also confusing that she reads the radios as an embodiment of male power ("a symbol of technology the men have") when the film…

Myth of Asian Miracle

Critical Analysis of a Paper by Paul Krugman

The phenomenal growth in the East Asian countries and China during the 1980s-1990s startled the western world. Were they going to overtake the developed economies of the western countries was the question asked in the economic circles. Stanford economist Paul Krugman [1] wrote a controversial article, 'The Myth of Asian Miracle' in November / December 1994 issue of 'Foreign Affairs'.

In this article he compared the rapid growth of the 'Asian Tigers' to the economic development of the former USS during the 1950s and 60s. He argued that consistent economic development requires increased input of resources as well as increase in output per unit of input, which comes from increase in efficiency and technological advancement.

Krugman argued that rapid development of the U.S.S.. was due to increased input of resources, controlled economy and a rise in education level…

Myth Smehra

Modern Twist to the Legend of Frau Hitt

The German folktale of Frau Hitt has several variations, but in all of them she is the same: greedy and uncaring. Frau Hitt lived in a castle near Innsbruck, where she owned lots of land. Worked by farmers who earned very little money and respect from the Frau. One day during a time of famine, while riding her beloved white horse, she went to inspect the farms and the farmers in the fields. After blaming them for the food shortage and demanding they work harder and faster, she headed onwards to a pass where a stranger was standing in the clearing.

The stranger implored her to have pity on him and asked for some of the bread provisions she was carrying. She initially ignored him but again he implored her in the name of God. Frau Hitt, as miserly and…

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Interestingly, Dubrofsky reveals how women of color on the Bachelor rarely make it beyond the first few rounds of competition -- and even then only serve as framing devices for the feelings and reactions of the white female contestants. All this means is that reality programming like the Bachelor is as superficial and far-removed from reality as anything can possibly get -- and that it also reinforces negative stereotypes about women, whether of color or not.

3: Is Capitalism Gendered and acialized?

Joan Acker's "Is Capitalism Gendered and acialized?" does not shock me at all, although it takes a look at the different ways "economy" can be conceptualized. Her essay is a bit difficult to process as it uses many abstract concepts to convey a meaning. But her main point seems to be that women provide economic support even if they do not receive payment for it -- which…

In selecting a film to review, I wanted one that I had heard of and that I thought might be entertaining to watch. Clash of the Titans sounded fun, so I selected it for review. The 2010 film is actually a remake of a movie by the same title from the 1980s. That 1980s film was loosely based on Greek mythology, and the 2010 film was loosely based on it—so it was really not much of a surprise that the film’s characters bore little resemblance to the actual characters from classical mythology. Still, I was a bit disappointed that the writers failed to take even a passing interest in representing the stories of the Titans more accurately. What proceeds in the film is a loose—very loose—re-telling of Greek mythology from a bunch of people in Hollywood who seem more interested in reaching for any excuse to see a man in…

Myth of the First Three Years

Major Points of the Arguments made by Broude and Zero to Three

Broude presents arguments against the myth of the first three years by exposing some of the fallacies propagated by popular neuroscience. The first argument that she makes is that the stage of brain development is not the same as the stage of child development. She argues that the fact that the brain is developing connections rapidly should not be taken to imply that the connections are being formed as a result of rapid learning. She argues instead that the forming of connections among neurons is simply the stage-setting for learning to take place in later years of the lifespan. Her second major argument is that a number of traits are experience-expectant and not age dependent. The fact that most of these experiences are available to children during the first three years of…

Nobody answered Gwyn however, and when he saw that everyone was asleep and couldn't be woken up because of the drink and food they had, he decided to escape. In his flight he took the princess with him, who was the only one awake. The legend is obviously symbolic and Gwyn stands out as an exemplary character who has been singled out from the entire people for salvation: "After a few hours Gwyn started to get nervous. It was getting quite dark, no-one had come to relieve him yet and a storm was brewing. The storm became much worse and a hole appeared in the wall. Gwyn rushed to the main tower and rang the bell as loudly as he could, but no help came."("elsh Legend") the fact that he takes the princess with him enhances the meaningfulness of the flood and the resemblance with the story of Noah: not…

myth of Narcissus is often misunderstood; many of the readers of the myth interpret the events as Narcissus gazing down at his own reflection in the water and falling in love with himself. The reality of the myth is that through some insufficiency of his own character, Narcissus is unable to identify that the reflection in the water is himself. The lack inside of Narcissus causes him to believe it's another person and he falls in love with this vision. A similar lack pervades through the characters of the story "Indian Camp" by Ernest Hemingway and "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor. In these stories, characters abound with paucities in nature but surfeits in egotism. This paper will examine the similarities in the imbalance of the moral fiber of these characters, the language that surrounds them to display this phenomenon and attempt to demonstrate how such visions of superiority have…

Constructed Myths and Man's Purpose

Since Nietzsche declared that God was dead, science and mankind have begun a twofold search. Nietzsche's declaration asserted that the need for God in the society's constructed identity no longer existed. The understanding of the times was that the scientific method could break down any problem into is components, and uncover both the purpose and the source of all of mankind's desires, tangible and intangible alike. The accompanying hopes for a utopian society would also be ushered in by modern thought. Modern, logical and rational thought would be able to replace oppressive superstition, religious, and myth of ignorant and uneducated people who used religious beliefs to explain those elements of life which previously could not be understood. Since the publishing of his work, along with Jung, Kant and a myriad of others, the social sciences have searched to identify the purpose of religious life within…

The Chistmas tadition, be it the length of time of its evolution o the desie by each subsequent cultue to make it an accepted eality, is not so open and obviously evolving, unless one eally looks at it, as Hutton has done.

Lastly, afte looking at Hutton's epesentation of the histoical undepinnings of the vaious aspect of the myth, itual and language of Chistmas one might look at how it continues to evolve in the pesent. The pesent meaning, moden day, with its myth, itual and language suounded by pomp, cicumstance and especially the gift giving (and eceiving) pat suounding what most people and especially Chistians believe Chistmas to eally be in thei histoy. I might add hee, that thee is a moden tend among Chistians to take Chistmas back to its histoical undepinning, o the believed histoical undepinnings of the holiday. What is inteesting about this is that when…

Myth

It has been stated that there are only seven real story lines, upon which all literature is based. Whether or not this is true, modern literature often echoes myths or legends of long ago. Sometimes, the recycling of a tale is blatant, and other times it is subtle. William Shakespeare regularly made use of Greek myths, and folklore. In the play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Shakespeare's premise is that Theseus, the Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, a warrior he has captured, are to be married. Shakespeare has successfully created a plotline based, if only loosely, on the greek myths of Theseus and Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons.

The myth of Theseus is one of the most popular of the Greek myths. There are many different stories that involve Theseus, but perhaps the most famous is the story of how Theseus killed the Minotaur. The greeks understood the myth in…

"Actually, there is nothing particularly ancient about either the peoples of Europe or their supposed right to political autonomy. The claims to sovereignty that Europe is seeing in Eastern and Central Europe today are a creation of the nineteenth century, an age that combined the romantic political philosophies of ousseau and Hegel with 'scientific' history and Indo-European philology to produce ethnic nationalism. This pseudoscience has destroyed Europe twice and may do so yet again. Europe's peoples have always been far more fluid, complex, and dynamic than the imaginings of modern nationalists" (Geary 13).

One problem with the idea of ethnic 'self-determination' that Geary's book highlights is that it is virtually impossible to draw the line where it ends. "Surely, if Lithuanians or Croats have their own language, their own music, and their own dress, then they have a right to their own parliament and their own army" (Geary 9). But…

Existentialism takes the human subject -- the holistic human, and the internal conditions as the basis and start of the conceptual way of explaining life. Taking idealism From Descartes, Kant, and Hegel, then building upon it, existentialist thinkers strip away the external and look at questions that surround human existence, and the conditions of that existence, rather than hypothesizing or dreaming of different forms of being. Thus, the inward philosophical emotions, angst, dread, self-doubt, self-esteem, etc. are experiences of the historical process, and the process of learning and moving through "existence" into a less fragile, more concrete, way of self-actualization. The existentialist concept of freedom is the manner in which internal values are set and interact with external historical trends. ather than humans being primarily rational, they make decisions when and if they find meaning (Solomon)

Existentialism asserts that people actually make decisions based solely on the meaning to them…

Some of this is starting to improve, but there is still much work to be done. The media must play its part or the black family will continue to be hindered by beliefs that are held by some and advanced through media outlets until they are held by many others. This is unfortunate, but black people today must work with the media when it will advance their cause, and work against the media when there are difficulties that will hold up their advancement.

With the economy in general very poor right now, many black people will have trouble finding jobs that are as high paying or secure as the jobs that they might have had in the past, and they will also be competing with many white people who are looking for jobs in a world where discrimination is often subtle but still very real. This will present many difficulties…

Myth" by Muriel Rukeyser is a poem that discusses the issue of sexism in Sophocles' "Oedipus the King." The poem starts with a continuation of Oedipus suffering as a blind man after he had blinded himself upon learning the he had killed his father Laius and marrying his mother Jocasta. Rukeyser used Oedipus' story as her way of emphasizing the treatment of women during those times, that is, as an object of possession or commodity. In Sophocles' famous play, Oedipus' mother, Jocasta, is clearly portrayed as a woman who has been 'handed down' to Oedipus after her husband's death; Oedipus' triumph in Thebes made him the leader of that kingdom, and made Jocasta his wife as his 'reward' for conquering Thebes. True enough, what happened after Oedipus became the King of Thebes and his marriage to Jocasta was his ultimate downfall. Rukeyser points out one critical mistake on Oedipus' part…

So, Micah decided that if he was going to hurt, then she would hurt as well.

The first time Farina caught Micah with another woman, she did not even know how to describe what she felt. She screamed, she yelled, and she even threw a shoe at the woman. With Micah she was cold and distant, but she loved him and eventually she forgave him. but, a little bit of her heart had broken and Farina found that she could not eat. She grew thinner and paler, which made her incredible green eyes seem even brighter. Micah found that her anger only made him hate her more, but that he still could not bring himself to kill her. He strayed more and more frequently, making a point to make sure that Farina knew of his dalliances. Initially, she tried to ignore the whispers, but there were times when she would…

Gorski believes that we can close the "socioeconomic opportunity gap can be eliminated only when we stop trying to 'fix' poor students and start addressing the ways in which our schools perpetuate classism" (Gorski). He offers advice that includes becoming educated about class and poverty, being aware of stereotyping students, working to keep low-income students in a learning environment that they deserve rather than one that they may be placed in as a result of their family income, and teaching about class and poverty. Gorski considers the most important factor above all is checking our own attitudes toward class and being aware of them. This is the very least educators should do.

A found this article to be very informative because it points to many myths that society simply accepts as true. It is far too easy to fall into the trap of stereotyping rather than be more actively involved…

Paine is broken and reveals the entire scheme.

Similarly, Dumbo suggests that a belief in one's self can accomplish anything, even in the face of the most seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Dumbo is the story of an elephant with enormous ears. Dumbo is a freak and the mockery of the circus. His mother is taken away after she tries to protect him. The circus is a cruel and judgmental environment that put animals on display for the public's entertainment. However, Dumbo proves that with gumption, unrecognized talents can be honored. This is was typical of the Disney style -- much like during the Great Depression, the third little pig was celebrated as someone who "exhibits old-fashioned virtues, hard work, self-reliance, self-denial" (Sklar 204). The social prejudice that hurts Dumbo does not have to be cured; he merely needs to try harder to use his disability in service of society.

These films…

Myth in a Work of Art

Peter Dalton, Respondent, vs. Educational Testing Service, Appellant

Court of Appeals of New York, Dec. 7, 1995

The facts of the case, as presented by the chief judge, are as follows. In May 1991, Brian Dalton took the SAT administered by the ETS (Educational Testing Service), obtaining a very low score. Subsequently, in November 1991, he took the test a second time, scoring this time over 350 point more than he had previously done. As the results fell into a "Large Score Differences" category, ETS found it appropriate to review the two test sheets, to submit them to a document examiner who opined that they had been completed by two different individuals. As specified in the Registration Bulletin, ground material to which Dalton had agreed to in a written statement, the test score was cancelled for reason of question its validity and Dalton was…

film, Mr. Diegues's intention is to correct the misrepresentation by Cumus of the African Brazilian culture in the favela. Mostly what Diegues has done is to unite the story line of the Camus's film with the complicated realities of contemporary Brazil.This movie touches into details the reality of life in the Favela, it is intended to undo the superficiality of Camus film.By doing this, Diegues has added characters such as Lucinho, a drug trafficker and gang leader. In this film, Dieguise, struggles to restore the tone and focus of Camus version. By doing this, he places a lot of emphasis on the relationship between Orpheus's and his parents as well as his relationship with the community. According to Stam and Spence's perspective (Lecture V), the Western perspective in film has not only misrepresented people from the third world countries, but also their environment. Diegues in this film has shown mostly…

Mythology: Christianity

The Conversion of Constantine: 'Emperor Constantine the Great' by T. Hardenbrook

Constantine's victory over the then governor of Italy, Maxentius, at Milvian marked the end of an era of fighting and in-fighting among Caesars and Augustuses; and the beginning of a reunified, more religious Roman Empire. Following the victory, an arch with the encryption 'Prompting of the Deity' was erected at the Milvian ridge. To the Christian community, the 'Deity' meant Christ the Son of God; and to the Pagans, it represented the Unconquered Sun. It is widely believed that Constantine converted to Christianity after his victory at Milvian; but then one could ask, 'what then was he before the battle with Maxentius?'

The postponement of his own baptism and the fact that he did not make Christianity the imperial religion immediately after assuming power are not sufficient proof that he was Pagan. The former can be well…

Myth/Opportunity

On page 348, #3, Kendall says the media use "thematic framing" and "episodic framing" in portraying poor Americans. Define these terms in your own words and discuss whether the media typically portray the poor as "deviant" or "other" (according to pp. 330-346).

Episodic framing looks at specific events, or episodes, while thematic framing attempts to put those events in broader context. For example, a news story on high rates of unemployment would be thematic framing, because it discusses a national, and even global problem, over which the individual has no control. The poor economy is blamed on corporate America and the greed and mismanagement of large organizations such as financial institutions. With episodic framing, specific examples are used and not placed into the greater context. It is easy, then, for the media to portray the poor as lazy, uneducated and irresponsible, putting the blame for their poverty back on…

Egyptian Mythology

Most of the people would define a myth as a story. But this is not the correct meaning of a myth. The debate over the accurate meaning of myth has been going through since last 2000 years. The most generally accepted definition of a myth is that, myths are stories regarding the gods. They are sacred stories and they give an explanation about the way the world is. They are traditional stories that contain knowledge and information. (Pinch 1-5)

Mythological stories have been told by the Egyptians for thousands of years. They, however, properly started recording and writing these mythological stories from 2000 BC. In the ancient times the Egyptians had a number of gods. People belonging to different regions had different gods whom they worshiped. ith the development of society, people of different regions started living together, and the stories regarding the culture, traditions, religion and way…

They are instructive but do not attempt to provide information about origination or purpose beyond informing the population of potential consequences for not abiding by the cultural customs. Malinowski suggested that instead of natural or explanatory reasons, a more logical explanation for the prevalence of mythology in Ancient Greece and Rome had to do with the reinforcement of customs and traditions already existing in the society. The myths would be created to justify accepted social customs as opposed to the actions of the society being dictated by the myths (Kirk 1974). The myth does not try to provide an explanation for why the custom must be performed but instead creates a precedent for the custom to insist that it is continually performed. An example of this would be proper burial rituals of Ancient Greece. It is written for example that bodies are to be properly buried and if they are…

mythology is important for both individualistic and collective reasons. On an individual level, mythology could teach moral or human truths, whereas on a collective level mythology could be used to keep people in touch with their origins. Mythological stories could then be used to teach children values such as hard work, diligence and obedience. Role models are created through mythological figures. Also, the mythology of different cultures can serve to teach the student about the values of that culture. This is particularly important in the world today, since advancing technology and phenomena such as globalization has brought foreign cultures much more frequently in touch with each other than was previously the case. It is therefore important to study mythology for the values that it can teach both children and adults, and also for understanding the heritage inherent in these stories.

Defining Mythology

Mythology derives from the complexity of the human…

Mythology

Tales of love begin with the creation of humans, and continue to the graphic media driven "reality TV" shows that televise the private lives of the bachelor and bachelorette and all the people competing for their love. Love is a feeling everyone can relate to, but it is unlikely most people would claim to understand love. ithin almost every literary genre there are myths about love that fuel ideals that are rarely if ever realized. There is no place where this is truer than in the stories of mythology.

The perpetual love myths that exist in classical mythology demonstrate ideals that are confronted even today by individuals searching for love today. The ideals of love that will be explored in this work are: love at first sight, the myth of one true love and the human phenomenon of over idealizing unobtainable love. The stories of classical mythology charter the…

Mythology

Why do People Study Mythology?

There are all kinds of reasons why people study mythology. Those reasons might be part of a larger, cultural reason, or they might be very personal to the person doing the research and studying. Both ways are completely understandable, and if a person is thinking about studying mythology, he or she might want to take some of the reasons people study it into consideration to examine his or her own motives. For example, some people study mythology because they are very interested in other cultures. When studying a different culture, how (and who or what) that culture worships is very important. It can provide a lot of insight into the overall beliefs of that culture and how it survived the way it did for the length of time it was in existence. Of course, there are other reasons for studying mythology, and one of…

functions of myth, as defined by Joseph Campbell. Specifically, it will explain Campbell's four functions of myth, and show how they are demonstrated in Native American Hopi culture. The Hopis of Northern Arizona epitomize the four functions of myth in their culture and society. Their society is based on myth, religion, and spiritual celebration, and they have held on to these myths when many other tribes have turned away from their spiritual and mythical past. The Hopis myths relate to the earth, the natural world surrounding them, and their dependence on this natural world for their survival. They understand the importance of myth in a healthy society, and because of this, they have one of the longest-lived Native societies in the desert Southwest.

FOUR FUNCTIONS OF MYTH

Joseph Campbell wrote heavily about myth, reality, and how important myth is in our culture and society. Myths and stories have long been…

It makes sense that in a world reborn, gods would be reborn too, because what would the world be without them?

2. Why does Thor despite his death remain an important part of this new mythology?

Thor remains a very important part of the new mythology because his two sons, Modi and Magni survive, and because they have his legendary hammer, Mojillar. Thor's hammer is mighty, and those we wield it are mighty, so his influence continues even after his death. The author notes that there will still be evil in the world, and so, people like Thor's sons will need to fight it. He writes, "Many courts will rise once more, some good, some evil" (Crossley-Holland 176). Thus, the people, as they begin to repopulate the earth and Valhalla, will need the gods to protect them, and Thor's sons will be charged with at least some of the people's…

Medusa

The myth of Perseus and his beheading of Medusa tells an adventurous tale that presents many meanings and interpretations. One interpretation deals with the hero Perseus conquering his inner female psyche on his way to understanding the ways of wisdom as represented by Athena. The purpose of this essay is to examine Perseus' quest in these terms of a rite of passage through the feminine mindset. This essay will describe his relationship with his mother, Athena, the Gray Sisters and finally Medusa as he Perseus finally realizes his lesson.

The story of Perseus must be understood in terms of the feminine mind. Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, provides the hero with ample challenges to meet her standards. The Greeks understood their myths to help them live and learn important lessons during their journey. Perseus' story has great practical value because it identifies the unique circumstances that the…

HUM/105 -- orld Mythology Foundations Mythology Short Answers rite responses: How word myth popularly? For, statement, "It's a myth" ? In contrast, word myth academic context? After definition textbooks materials, write a definition words.

Most people think of the word myth as being meant to relate to an idea that is generally accepted but is not supported by solid evidence. The contemporary society also relates to tales of gods or ancient heroes that once had a religious basis as being myth. Many cultures have gathered numerous stories involving myths and they can be related to as being mythologies. It is only safe to relate to myths as being an abstract reality, relatively similar to religion (taking into account that even with the fact that many individuals are actively involved in promoting religious ideas there is no solid proof to back these ideas).

The estern community typically thought about myths as…

An even older mythological source for the reverence of compassionate maternal figures, however, comes out of the culture in which Mother Theresa practiced, rather than from the Christian tradition she lived by. This is the figure of Durga, one of the many incarnations of Kali, the Mother Goddess of the Hindu religion.

Alternatively, Kali and the many other forms of the goddess are seen as emanating from Durga (Rajhans, par. 3). According to this view, Durga is supreme power of the Supreme Being, the force of all creation, preservation, and destruction of the world (Rajhans, par. 1). This latter element does not fit with Mother Theresa, but the first two are essential qualities that she possessed and portrayed, and which were the primary foundations of her mythological status. This also illustrates the complexity of Hindu mythological and religious figures; at times, the separate functions of the Mother Goddess are seen…

Politics

Hesiod's Theogony

Written in the 8th century BC, Hesiod's Theogony provides a detailed and authoritative account of the Greek creation myth and, as such, is regarded as a significant primary source of Greek mythology. Although the style and structure of Theogony poses several problems to a modern readership, the manner in which the poem organizes and records the origins and chronology of Greek myth - and displays connections with the myths of other cultures - ensures that it remains a work of vital importance to the study of Greek mythology.

Greek myths, as with the traditional tales of most cultures, were initially passed orally from generation to generation resulting in a great deal of variation, from place to place and from time to time. Hesiod's Theogony is one of the earliest known attempts to chronicle a culture's myths in the permanent and stable form of a written work, and…

Heracles -- Mythological Hero

Heracles Mythological Hero

Heracles-Mythological Hero

About a Mythological Hero

Heracles, also known as Hercules, was a great mythological hero, who was considered as the son of God. His strength, valor, courage and supernatural characteristic were seen from his very childhood. The biggest turn in his life occurred when he murdered his wife and children, and was thus compelled to fulfill twelve challenging labors in order to purify himself. This article presents one of his twelve labors, which involved slaying away the Stymphalian birds. Several art works including pottery paintings and canvas art work, depict several instants linked with the heroic acts of Heracles.

Character Analysis of Heracles

Heracles or Hercules was a strong mythological hero who was considered as a man possessing supernatural power and was thus called half-god, a son of Zeus. The supreme confidence of Heracles was depicted from the early days of his…

Matrix and the Power of Myth

Most people spend their lives caught up in petty matters like money, food, career, and worldly obligations. We are surrounded by so much technology and "progress" that finding time for the important things in life can be difficult or impossible. Today, our society is dominated by the city. "It is all stone and rock, manufactured by human hands. It's a different would to grow up in when you are out in the forest with little chipmunks and the great owls." (Campbell 92). Quickly, the spiritual and subconscious side of the homosapien is being phased out; it is not productive. Even the heroes of modern society are losing their luster. The original hero of the West, Christ, is falling out of favor. Even American heroes like Washington, Jefferson, and oone stood for things that are now antiquated or misunderstood. Campbell believes, "life today is so…