10/9/19 Jin Ping (Laura) Lian Period 8

10/08/2019

Laura Lian #15 Pd.8 

Aim: How do the stories of Demeter, Persephone and Dionysus demonstrate the human qualities of coming of age, sexuality, and indulgence?

Whole Group Discussion:

How is morality evident in the story of Dionysus? What is the duality in his relationship with humanity?

• “The reason that Dionysus was so different at one time from another was because of the double nature of wine and so of the god of wine. He was man’s benefactor and he was man’s destroyer.” (71)
• “On his beneficent side he was not only the god that makes men merry. His cup was ‘life giving, healing every ill.’ Under his influence courage was quickened and fear banished, at any rate for the moment. He uplifted his worshipers; he made them feel invincible”,  but all that freedom and confidence that fades away with the passing of alcohol (drunk or grew sober).
• Dionysus is god of vine; symbolizes how wine is crucial to merrymaking but too much wine leads to craziness
• Humans have a duality and it can be brought out by the wine

Dionysus (Positive side)	Dionysus (Negative side)
ecstasy, joy  Alcohol leads to confidence  Mortal mother Spring (rebirth) Inspiration of Greek tragedies	savagely brutal Alcohol leads to overindulgence or irrationality  Immortal father Winter (death) Devastation

• As all things should be, BALANCE.
• Overindulgence can lead to people becoming crazy, violent, knocked out, which shows the terrible after effects of drinking too much. (Pg 67 for reference)

Main Points (3 big takeaways): 

• The balance between indulgence and restriction
• Open-mindedness, acceptance, ability to accept that greatness can be anywhere
• Destruction of self by denying others (can also be seen in Demeter’s journeys)

Lesson: There will be punishment if you think you’re better than yourself, if you think that anyone else doesn’t have anything to offer or contribute. The takeaway from Dionysus is that by not having faith in greatness everywhere, you end up destroying yourself. You’re assuming you’re better, so therefore you are losing out on others’ greatnesses. It is the destruction of self by denying others.

Group Work

• Hades asks Persephone to not think of him negatively, yet his possession of her is portrayed as a “rape.” How does the violence associated with this relationship affect the story itself?
• Hades is the one is wrong; makes him look bad and Demeter in the right.
• Would you consider Dionysus’ punishment of Pentheus justified? Explain your reasoning.
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• Any comparisons between Dionysus and Christ? Use your Learn-To-Read packet for helpful details.
• In agony; Dionysus dies every winter but is rebirthed very spring
• Young; Dionysus is only God born from mortal mother and immortal father and never ages
• Known to use modes of transportation 
• Last seen in the company of thieves; the pirates who captured him after seeing him walking on water.
• Disciples; Maenads = followers
• * Christ is NOT Dionysus, but there is a lot of Dionysus’ stories that derived from Christ
• What connections about mothers can you make between Demeter and Pentheus’ mother? What can we solicit about the idea of motherhood from these two women?
• The idea of taking something too far and regretting it later
• Pentheus is under Dionysus’ will and kills her son. She had zero fault in the situation. Demeter’s daughter is taken away and she cannot find her. In her sadness she unintentionally caused the death of living things on earth.
• Our actions have intended consequences and unintended consequences - these reverberations and chain of consequences that influence not just yourself.
• Another big theme is the hardship of motherhood. The key takeaway is that, especially in motherhood, you must “have patience and endure.” In Demeter’s situation, she loses her daughter, but eventually finds her and can reunite under certain circumstances. 

Reflection

Today in class we learned the important underlying messages of the Greek story of Demeter, Persephone and Dionysus, specifically what the Greeks are trying to convey through the story of the God Dionysus. Dionysus represents the God of Vines/Wine, and what that symbolizes is the necessity for balance in the world. Wine (alcohol) is essential for merrymaking and can make one feel as if they have greater powers beyond themselves, but after they grow sober or become drunk they have bad side effects such as becoming violent or being knocked out from overconsumption. The story of Demeter is one of the many stories that highlights the hardships of Motherhood and that one must persist, because with patience comes reward. I’m Demeter’s case, Demeter must persist in searching for her daughter but she finally gets to be reunited with Persephone.