Perry Zhang, PD7, 11/14/22

Perry Zhang 

PD 7 

11/14/2022



Literacy & Learning

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

One story that caught my attention was the story of Midas and his golden touch. Midas’s story despite being considered a less important myth is a myth that we have heard at least once in our childhood. It describes a story of a tragic king that was given multiple opportunities and chances but was always ignorant and foolish about the chances he was given. His first tragedy blinded by greed was his famous wish for the golden touch, which Dionysus granted due to his kind hospitality. At first, Midas was ecstatic, he believed that this power will make him the richest person on the planet. Although this idea is somewhat of a brilliant idea, Midas being the foolish person didn't realize the consequence. Wishes offered by gods are very precious and magical but are known to come with a consequence,  this time, however, came from Midas himself for his wish has almost brought his downfall. Midas blinded by greed hadn't thought about the effect this would have on his daily life. Now, he could neither eat nor drink without having the object he hold turn into gold. In the end, he had to rush to Dionysus to seek aid and to rid of his current “curse”. In the end, he gained nothing from the wish he was given but instead a lesson for his greed and foolishness. Another case of Midas’s foolishness was his ignorance in offending a god. When asked to judge a music contest between Apollo and Pan, he ended up denying Apollo’s music as the best. As Gods are known to be petty, he offended the worse of the two evils and ended up occurring the wrath of Apollo turning his ears into donkey ears for his lack of musical taste. 

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

Midas’s story can sum up the characteristics which the gods and humans share. As we learned in our class, Greek mythology generally tells a lesson and shows characteristics that describe both humans and gods. We can see such characteristics from the pettiness of Apollo shown in the music competition to the generosity of Dionysus for his wish. Similarly in humans from Midas, we see the xenia,  greed, and impulsiveness he has shown. The lesson of the 7 sins is also present in the myth with greed and wrath being present the most from both the god and Midas. I believe that this helps shows the idea of flaws and how no one is perfect not even gods. This gives us an understanding of the belief of the Greeks in the past through the story they tell. The story was originally used as lessons and ideals that the Greeks believed in, from the flaws you have to the virtues you should possess. 

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

The story of Midas can be said to be one of many myths that describe us, human beings. From our pride to our foolishness are character traits we possess whether we like them or not. Midas in particular permeates the characteristics of foolishness and impulsiveness that go hand in hand and is something we should be aware of. The idea of being impulsive can be extremely dangerous in our life, from risking your wealth to gambling or falling into the endless cycle of taking debt. These impulsive actions are often irresponsible and lack the idea of rational thinking just like Midas’s wish. The impulsive decisions you make currently may be something you might regret later, so stop and think about it first.