Lucy Kwan, Period 7, 10/19/2021

 

• Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or non-fiction covered in class.

• Recently, we went over the tale of Icarus, the son of a genius inventor that flew too close to the sun. Icarus's ultimate downfall came from ignoring his father's warnings to protect the wax on his wings, as it would melt and cause the boy to fall to his death. In our class discussion, we learned that outside of a general theme to listen to our elders, the tale also highlights Icarus's hubris as his downfall. Hubris is excessive pride, the worst hamartia (tragic flaw) in Greek mythology. Interestingly, I didn't realize that hubris was so deeply ingrained into Greek mythology that virtually every flaw has some component of hubris in it. As Ms. Fusaro eloquently said: "When in doubt, HUBRIS!" Personally, I never viewed the story as a criticism of self-centeredness in the wider scheme of society as compared to hubris contained in one's self. I especially enjoyed the art examination we did, since it portrayed the "protagonist" of the story as just a small splash in the water. Showing that even a main character like Icarus was ultimately nothing but a blip in daily life suggests the same about all of humanity. While we may perceive ourselves as highly important, the truth is that there is very little we can actually change, be it the state of our world, society, or our ultimate destination. In situations with little freedom and ability to change, one would be akin to Daedalus, trapped by their lives. However, the myth of Daedalus and Icarus implies that there is a way to escape such situations, through one's own ability. The only caveat would be one's own hubris, like in the case of Icarus. Overall, the idea that humans can still accomplish great things while recognizing their insignificance is a novel concept that certainly offers a more optimistic view to the perils of life. 

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

• We also learned about the parallels between women in ancient stories, namely those between Pandora and Eve. In Greek Mythology, Pandora was a woman sent to punish Epimetheus with her cruelly insatiable curiosity, ultimately unleashing terrible things into the world when she opened a box she was not supposed to. On the other hand, in the Book of Genesis, Eve was a woman created from one of Adam's ribs in order to accompany him, though she ultimately ends up falling into temptation and fooling Adam into committing the Original Sin, thus cursing humanity and getting them thrown out of the Garden of Eden. When comparing these two, it is evident that the woman is portrayed in a more negative light, seen as "the root of all evil." When tasked with explaining this phenomenon, I naturally defaulted to thinking about societal misogyny. Since the concept of patriarchy is so deep-rooted in these societies, I had always believed that this kind of rhetoric was just used to oppress women and other minorities, although I had never thought about why it was necessary to do so. The answer, however, was not what I had expected, though it did make sense. From a biological standpoint, it is easier to doubt parenthood on the male side than the female, therefore oppression is a way to intimidate women into remaining loyal. I find it interesting how a simple concept eventually ended up expanding to complex social biases like gender wage gaps and denial of basic rights. In a similar vein, it's been intriguing to examine prejudice from a "why" standpoint rather than a "how" standpoint. Although mildly depressing, the escalation of concepts as simple as immigration to large-scale discrimination needs to be studied simply to prevent such things from occurring in the future. As humanity evolves, so will our definition of ethics and morality. Even if prejudice is inevitable, we can at least attempt to understand its origins to better find ways to remedy it.

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

• Certainly, the lessons taught by the Greeks may be retained eons later. Most importantly, the notion of hubris is rampant within our modern world. As observed in many closed radical groups, the hubris that accompanies a blind trust in one's beliefs could potentially harm others and one's self. In an ideal world, we would all acknowledge our imperfection and attempt to work issues out with respect to all sides, but these days more and more self-centric thinking has become mainstream. We can see many people act as if they are the "Daedalus" of their stories, seeking unorthodox treatments, creating unhelpful solutions, or sharing unkind sentiments, but truth be told even the bright stars of our society are the "Icarus" compared to the grand scheme of our existence. Going on with life, us teenagers must start to accept that we may not be perfect, and that we're merely small specks in the universe. That is not to say we can't change anything, though. We are Icarus, but we are also Daedalus. It was Daedalus's hubris that led him to get captured by the king, and it was our hubris that has resulted in global issues such as pollution. And yet, Daedalus was able to devise a solution to his imprisonment, so who's to say we as a collective cannot? So long as we regulate our hubris as a whole, progress will definitely be made. One splash may go unnoticed, but thousands will ripple across the ocean.