Stacey Cajita, 12/10/2020, PD8, Day C

Stacey Cajita
12/14/20
Period 8
Modern Mythology 21


Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading.


While reading the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, I was immediately made aware of how metaphorical and how compelling the premise and main take-aways from the story were. From the beginning, like in many tragedies, we understand what will happen to the protagonist, and we realize that there is very little change of a happy-ever-after. Knowing the ending usually ruins the story, and typically makes many of my peers (myself included) bored of reading - however, upon closer examination, it becomes obvious that knowing the ending makes the play’s meaning that much apparent. Oedipus Rex subtly sprinkles hidden messages regarding human nature and our tendencies to hide beneath our denial and ignorance throughout the entire tragedy, and understanding the plot from the very beginning allows the reader to truly hone in and focus on seeking out the messages that we would not have caught the first time. I thought it was extremely clever how Oedipus was written so metaphorically blind, and then became physically blind as a result of unravelling the truth - and only then, was he finally able to see his mistakes and nature as a human.


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


Something that Modern Mythology has taught me is that there is much more to English readings than meets the eye - typically, English readings are expected to be classic Western literature, like King Arthur or Gulliver’s Travels, but it is clear that English readings sometimes don’t even come from countries that speak English. I have been made aware of so many cultural mythologies, such as Hindu mythology or Chinese creation stories, that I haven’t even been made aware of in history class. My critical perception of the world around me has been drastically impacted by the knowledge of other cultures from this class as I realize how much cultural diffusion has really gone on throughout the history of the world, and as I’ve been forced to look at things through critical lenses, I have been able to understand reasonings for specific actions in history that I have never been able to understand before. It’s become increasingly more and more important to me that I understand the motives behind peoples’ actions and realize how their society and values have impacted them, and by understanding cultures through literature I am able to understand people through their actions.


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


My learning from English class can be tied to the world around me as I grow older, because I have a greater understanding of different aspects of humanity. Becoming a college student makes me more and more fearful of what I neither know nor understand, as soon it will just be me, alone, with my brain and a million paths to walk down. As I read of human nature through Greek tragedies, or of human devotion through mythology stories, or of who I should hold as a role model through fairy tales, I am becoming more and more prepared for future lessons of these topics. In addition to this, I have been made aware of so many cultural ideas and belief systems, and through that I can more sensibly interact with people from those cultures as well as empathize with people from other cultures on a more deeper level.