Elsie Wong
Period 8
11/17/20
Day C
Blog #1
Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading
The Royal House of Thebes - Oedipus & Antigone
In the story of Oedipus, the plight of Oedipus ultimately culminates into his wife and mother, Jocasta, killing herself from the shame of having married her own son. This kind of suicide is not uncommon, as in more recent times, it has happened, as seen with the kamikaze bombers. This contrasts with what I typically believe the reason for suicide to be. I believed that most people sought suicide as a last measure, when they are caught in the last throes of despair and depression. However, I do find her situation to be quite similar to my perception, as she might’ve seen herself at a dead end, with her previous husband dead and having married her son.
On the story of Antigone, beyond being a feminist, I see her as a civil rights activist. At the end of the story, she tells Creon that she has not transgressed the natural laws that are inevitable. This is like how civil rights activists protest through civil disobedience where they refuse to comply with certain laws through peaceful protest because they are inherently wrong.
Perseus & Ancient Misogyny
On my thoughts on Perseus, I’ve noticed a common theme between multiple myths where the main protagonist or the “hero” of the story is prophesied to overthrow their specific patriarchal leader. This has happened in the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece, Oedipus and most importantly, the story of Perseus. This little motif might be an homage or an allusion to Zeus, as similarly, he is prophesied to overthrow his father, Cronus. By making this connection, it could be used to establish their status as a “hero” or at least somebody extraordinary.
We constantly see misogyny in ancient Greek mythology constantly from the bastardization of Medea to the suffering of Io. In this case, clear standards are given for how women should act. Danae and Andromeda are set as the standard for how women should act, being rewarded for simply enduring until help comes to them in the form of a man. While Medusa is hailed as what women should not be, as women with power are depicted as “monsters”
Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception
Ancient Greek Critical Lens
After reading the stories and analyzing them in English class, I was able to learn how to analyze the most current readings from the perspective of an Ancient Greek Through this analysis, I’ve learned how to view feminism and women through their perspective. Previous readings have established the fact that women are typically seen as subservient and encouraged to endure for the sake of their reward at the end. But in class, we learned that it goes beyond just that. Medusa is depicted as a monster in the myth of Perseus but she originally wasn’t like that. We watched a video in class that describes her origin story, depicting her as a maiden who did no wrong only to be raped by Poseidon and betrayed by the goddess she worshipped. This furthers the view by establishing the fact that women with powers are monsters. Medusa is depicted as a maiden in the beginning of the story, when she was helpless against her plight but the moment she gains the power to fight back (her power to turn men into stone) she is depicted as a monster.
Modern Lens
However, reading all about the issues that are not condemned enough in Greek mythology helped strengthen my ability to view these stories from a more modern 2020 lens and criticize them. From a modern perspective, the rape of Medusa is obviously condemned, and her depiction as a monster is disgusting. However, from a modern lens, Medusa gaining power would not make her a monster, as instead it could be analyzed as her gaining the power to protect herself from future rapists and predators by finally fighting back. I also applaud the positive representation of Antigone in her story. Although the Ancient Greeks condemned her for rebelling against the law, and even going to the length of sentencing her to death for that, from a modern view, she would be applauded as a hero. In class we learned about Antigone and how she could be a feminist in current times and like I touched on before, she could also be seen as a civil rights activist. She fights against authority in her own way, empowering her sister to help her out in the end as well as fights for the rights of her brother by resisting the law and burying him.
How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?
Other Classes
Since Greek mythology focuses on the aspect of humanity, a lot of human psychology can be analyzed in these current readings. As a student who took AP psychology, there are multiple connections I can make to that class. One apparent connection that can be made is between the Oedipus complex and the story from which the name derives from. In the psychosexual stages described by Freud, he describes a child’s feeling of desire towards the opposite-sex parent while simultaneously holding feelings of jealousy towards the same-sex parent, to which he coins the “Oedipus complex.” This is derived from the story of Oedipus itself, as an homage to the part where Oedipus marries his mother after killing his father, but this is inherently wrong, so children do grow out of this, just like how Oedipus finds out the truth.
Another connection that can be made between psychology and mythology is the concept of external and internal loci in relation to fate. In class, we learned that fate is inevitable and that it controls everything. Everything that happens is already predetermined, and whatever choices you make are also predetermined. This idea is shown in external loci, where people attribute everything that happens to be up to fate or luck. In psychology, the external loci is typically shown as a bad thing because it leads to low self efficacy. When people believe that everything they achieve or every obstacle they face is up to fate, they don’t work hard for themselves and in turn lack belief in their own skills to do tasks.
Real Life Application
A lot of the issues we see in mythology actually happen in real life. For one, the issue of rape in the origin story of Medusa is a really true story that happens even right now. Women are sexually assaulted and they are afraid to report it before rape culture prevents them from doing so. Athena and Poseidon are the perfect examples of rape culture as described above. Athena represents the victim blaming and Poseidon represents the rapist. But even then, the origin story itself perpetuates rape culture, by showing how rapists can get away with the crime and that the victims are to blame, thus establishing the fact that rape is something acceptable when it is not.
Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading
The Royal House of Thebes - Oedipus & Antigone
In the story of Oedipus, the plight of Oedipus ultimately culminates into his wife and mother, Jocasta, killing herself from the shame of having married her own son. This kind of suicide is not uncommon, as in more recent times, it has happened, as seen with the kamikaze bombers. This contrasts with what I typically believe the reason for suicide to be. I believed that most people sought suicide as a last measure, when they are caught in the last throes of despair and depression. However, I do find her situation to be quite similar to my perception, as she might’ve seen herself at a dead end, with her previous husband dead and having married her son.
On the story of Antigone, beyond being a feminist, I see her as a civil rights activist. At the end of the story, she tells Creon that she has not transgressed the natural laws that are inevitable. This is like how civil rights activists protest through civil disobedience where they refuse to comply with certain laws through peaceful protest because they are inherently wrong.
Perseus & Ancient Misogyny
On my thoughts on Perseus, I’ve noticed a common theme between multiple myths where the main protagonist or the “hero” of the story is prophesied to overthrow their specific patriarchal leader. This has happened in the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece, Oedipus and most importantly, the story of Perseus. This little motif might be an homage or an allusion to Zeus, as similarly, he is prophesied to overthrow his father, Cronus. By making this connection, it could be used to establish their status as a “hero” or at least somebody extraordinary.
We constantly see misogyny in ancient Greek mythology constantly from the bastardization of Medea to the suffering of Io. In this case, clear standards are given for how women should act. Danae and Andromeda are set as the standard for how women should act, being rewarded for simply enduring until help comes to them in the form of a man. While Medusa is hailed as what women should not be, as women with power are depicted as “monsters”
Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception
Ancient Greek Critical Lens
After reading the stories and analyzing them in English class, I was able to learn how to analyze the most current readings from the perspective of an Ancient Greek Through this analysis, I’ve learned how to view feminism and women through their perspective. Previous readings have established the fact that women are typically seen as subservient and encouraged to endure for the sake of their reward at the end. But in class, we learned that it goes beyond just that. Medusa is depicted as a monster in the myth of Perseus but she originally wasn’t like that. We watched a video in class that describes her origin story, depicting her as a maiden who did no wrong only to be raped by Poseidon and betrayed by the goddess she worshipped. This furthers the view by establishing the fact that women with powers are monsters. Medusa is depicted as a maiden in the beginning of the story, when she was helpless against her plight but the moment she gains the power to fight back (her power to turn men into stone) she is depicted as a monster.
Modern Lens
However, reading all about the issues that are not condemned enough in Greek mythology helped strengthen my ability to view these stories from a more modern 2020 lens and criticize them. From a modern perspective, the rape of Medusa is obviously condemned, and her depiction as a monster is disgusting. However, from a modern lens, Medusa gaining power would not make her a monster, as instead it could be analyzed as her gaining the power to protect herself from future rapists and predators by finally fighting back. I also applaud the positive representation of Antigone in her story. Although the Ancient Greeks condemned her for rebelling against the law, and even going to the length of sentencing her to death for that, from a modern view, she would be applauded as a hero. In class we learned about Antigone and how she could be a feminist in current times and like I touched on before, she could also be seen as a civil rights activist. She fights against authority in her own way, empowering her sister to help her out in the end as well as fights for the rights of her brother by resisting the law and burying him.
How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?
Other Classes
Since Greek mythology focuses on the aspect of humanity, a lot of human psychology can be analyzed in these current readings. As a student who took AP psychology, there are multiple connections I can make to that class. One apparent connection that can be made is between the Oedipus complex and the story from which the name derives from. In the psychosexual stages described by Freud, he describes a child’s feeling of desire towards the opposite-sex parent while simultaneously holding feelings of jealousy towards the same-sex parent, to which he coins the “Oedipus complex.” This is derived from the story of Oedipus itself, as an homage to the part where Oedipus marries his mother after killing his father, but this is inherently wrong, so children do grow out of this, just like how Oedipus finds out the truth.
Another connection that can be made between psychology and mythology is the concept of external and internal loci in relation to fate. In class, we learned that fate is inevitable and that it controls everything. Everything that happens is already predetermined, and whatever choices you make are also predetermined. This idea is shown in external loci, where people attribute everything that happens to be up to fate or luck. In psychology, the external loci is typically shown as a bad thing because it leads to low self efficacy. When people believe that everything they achieve or every obstacle they face is up to fate, they don’t work hard for themselves and in turn lack belief in their own skills to do tasks.
Real Life Application
A lot of the issues we see in mythology actually happen in real life. For one, the issue of rape in the origin story of Medusa is a really true story that happens even right now. Women are sexually assaulted and they are afraid to report it before rape culture prevents them from doing so. Athena and Poseidon are the perfect examples of rape culture as described above. Athena represents the victim blaming and Poseidon represents the rapist. But even then, the origin story itself perpetuates rape culture, by showing how rapists can get away with the crime and that the victims are to blame, thus establishing the fact that rape is something acceptable when it is not.
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