9/27/19 Terrance Chung PD 7

9/27/19 Terrance Chung PD 7 

Aim: How can we create and define the value of ancient mythology in contemporary society?

Team name changes 

Ms Fusaro reads poem ( landscape of the fall of Icarus) and asks us to annotate and

discuss 

Auden and Williams (author of poems) 

Stylistically difference, style change meanings, sentiments do they echo to the painting 

Any relevance to the original story of Icarus? 

Who is the monster in the poem? 

Auden: ignoring 

William: ignorance prefix -unsignificant 

unaware when in our own universe 

Monster: people ignorance or ignoring 

Greek philosophy: Don’t fly so close to the sun. 

Contemporary western philosophy: reach for the stars. 

Greek advocates for balance. Know your limits. Being humble. 

Connect monster in the road to Icarus 

Are people bad people for living for themselves.

Today, we discussed how ancient mythology is valued in contemporary western society. Ms.

Fusaro discussed the poems by W H. Auden and William Carlos Williams. Both of these

poems were inspired by the painting (The landscape of the fall of Icarus).  We then

discussed the meaning and stylistic differences between the authors and what they want

regarding the story of Icarus. Auden’s meaning in regards to the story of Icarus was the act

of “ignoring” whereas Williams meaning was “ignorance”. Auden’s interpretation showed how

people choose to ignore their surroundings, carrying on their daily lives even while Icarus

was drowning in the corner of their town. Williams’s interpretation of the town was that even if there

were people that noticed Icarus falling from the sky, it wasn’t in anyone’s personal interest to

react to it or help him. The Shepard carried on with his day, the farmer continued to till the

land, ships continued to sail as if nothing happened, all while Icarus was drowning. The moral

of the poem was that life continues going on even if something happens to someone else, helping and going out of your way for someone is not in human nature. We then connected the poems and painting to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. We discussed how the monster in the poems and the novel were ultimately the same and for the same reason. Are people considered bad people for not worrying about other people? This question is recurring throughout The Road and heavily focused on in the poems. Another topic we discussed in class today were Greek philosophies vs contemporary western philosophies. Greek philosophies focuses mostly on balance of life. This is prevalent in the story of Icarus as he loses his life because he didn’t know his own limits and wasn’t being humble.