Brandon Luo, Period 5, 2/24/21, Day B

Brandon Luo

Period 5

2/24/21

Day B

Modern Myth 2021

• Socio-political Consciousness

• What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

One thing that I didn’t realize before I took this course was how much gender inequality there has been in the world for the past few thousand years. I always knew that some form of gender inequality existed because we have never had a female president and many other notions about patriarchal dominance. However, it was until I took this course that I realized that gender inequality is normal in almost every culture and is deeply ingrained in every culture. From the Greeks to the Norwegians and from the Christians to Egyptians, every story makes it painfully obvious how they treat and view women to the point where even I can’t help but feel bad for them. The most striking story, that is deeply ingrained in my head now, is the story of Europa. Zeus was so brazen as to become a bull, take her across the sea, and mate with her on the island. As always, Zeus takes no responsibility but Europa miraculously avoids the jealousy and wrath of Hera for some reason. Usually, the women that Zeus has an affair with don’t have the best fate.

• How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

By attempting to read and understand the information and culture in these stories, I am able to gain a better picture as to why there are so many woman’s rights and feminist groups today. It also helps me to appreciate that many women are standing up for themselves, and they are not willing to fall into the cultural norm of obedient women and fight for their rights. I also feel more at ease when I realize that women have more power now than ever before, but I believe that more should be done if we wish to make women truly equal to men.