Lacey Rose DeLucia, PD8, 10/7/2020, Day C

 
Lacey Rose DeLucia
Modern Mythology
Period 8
10/7/2020
Day C

1 Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading.

The current reading regarding the foundations of Greek and Roman mythology showed how humans were the center of the universe and their own religion since they created the gods to look like them. I like this version of religion because it makes the gods more relatable, less feared, and overall approachable. This is unlike religions like Christianity where God is just a figure and nobody knows what he looks like or the form he takes. Also, it was interesting that since the gods were made to look like the people so much there were rules to treat everyone as if they could be a god. This is similar to the part of the reading that said a person who did evil to strangers of orphan children would make Zeus very angry, which really shows their value of Xenia. I originally thought that the Greeks gods were petty and mostly preoccupied with themselves or their grudges with human and other gods, so these insights into the true nature of the gods exemplified how gods used their status to ensure that humans treated each other well and brought justice to those who went against the rules. This brought a greater sense of unity and morality to humanity since people both revered the gods and wanted to stay on their good side. Overall, this helped me to understand more about the role the gods played in people’s lives and how people used mythology as a religion.

2 Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

When discussing the role of mythology in class, it was interesting to see how mythology was a combination of culture, ideology, and religion and how it has adapted over time. Although the stories of the gods may be unrealistic it is still important to extract the meaning and lessons of their actions like their emphasis on hospitality or punishing of hubris. Critical perception is individualized to each person and their background. This influences my critical perception because it gives me a greater appreciation and understanding for a variety of literature. For example, when I was younger I never really read fairytales and disliked watching their Disney movies. But now when I look back and analyze the Cinderella stories I see the themes and deeper meanings that I overlooked when just considering it another princess movie. These themes are central to the story and I can better appreciate how culture has evolved to understand Cinderella in both the time it was written and now, with both perspectives equally important to understand Cinderella overall.

3 How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

This critical perception and greater understanding of how structures and concepts evolve over time apply to government and the current election. To understand the Constitution in the context it was written and also the perspective we have now in the twenty-first century is both significant to making the right decisions based on the Constitution. Although I may not agree with the ideas of the far right like allowing guns, I can see now that even if gun owning was for the intention of a militia it is a right and it should not be completely taken away. Additionally, when examining topics that were not in our founding fathers’ minds when writing the Constitution like climate change it is important to consider the basis of the Declaration of Independence and how the government is granted the power to protect the people by the people. Then the protection of humanity against climate change and its grave consequences should be above all even the financial burden. Overall, critical perception is important to acknowledge because it is our own bias and beliefs but equally important is understanding the context and concepts that explain other viewpoints so that we carry a general awareness and can make decisions based on this instead of the propaganda and distorted news in today’s world.