Paul Smolensky, Period 2, 11/3/22

 Literacy & Learning

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

● Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that

learning influences your critical perception.

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

The story that stuck with me the most was the story of Icarus. Of course, I was familiar

with the story from way before I read it in your class. It was first read to me as a child as

a sort of warning to obey your parents because they know what is best for you. At first I

simply accepted the story at face value, and never bothered to think about the deeper

meanings of it. As time went on however, I began to think about what the character of

Icarus actually represented. Practically every interpretation of the story would have us

believe that Icarus is simply the embodiment of hubris who, in his foolishness and

arrogance, ignores the warnings of his resourceful and intelligent father. I, however,

view Icarus quite differently. I think that Icarus is actually a representation of bravery,

ambition, and perhaps heroism. In my mind, Icarus is a stand-in for the human race,

and his is the story of human dominance. Both Icarus and humanity started out as

prisoners, Icarus bound by the walls of the Labyrinth and humanity, by our primitivity. In

both cases, the prisoners were given an opportunity to escape their situation, and they

took it. Icarus was freed by his fathers wings, and humanity by our intelligence and

perseverance. Finally, both parties were warned against soaring too high. Icarus was

bound by the limitations of his fathers construct and humanity was stifled by regressive

ideas that taught to fear progress and divide the species. The main difference between

them, however, is that while Icarus fell humanity soars ever higher. Time after time, we

cross thresholds that were once thought inconceivable. From electricity to vaccinations

to space flight, humanity has dared to push the limits of the possible.

Throughout this class, I have come to realize just how connected all mythology

is. I never would have guessed that christian and mesopotamian fiction can be so

similar in its events. Because of this revelation, I am now a lot more observant when it

comes to similarities in different cultural myths.

This class has given me an entirely new perspective on mythology as a whole. In

the beginning of the year, when we first started analyzing the Cinderella stories, I

started thinking about the Russian fairy tales I was brought up on. I was able to

re-evaluate them from a new perspective. I started comparing Russian fairy tales to

Norse Mythology, and I started to notice striking parallels between them. The same

archetypes were present in both cultures, which would make sense as Rus culture has

Nordic influence. This experience has granted me a much deeper insight into my own

cultural identity.