Evelyn Chow, Period 6, 2/6/23

 Evelyn Chow, Period 6, 2/6/23

Literacy & Learning

• Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction 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?

Since an early age, most of the deities that had been normalized around me have been strong, immortal, and almighty beings. From the God of Christianity, to Vishnu in Hinduism, these gods have existed since the beginning of time and for evermore. Although I’m not religious, I’ve never once questioned why this may be. It seemed obvious that of course, these all-powerful deities would be second to no other and live across the endless journey of time.

But, over time there appeared cracks in my ideologies.

Learning about Norse mythology for the first time in this class introduced me to the possibility of the flaws of these seemingly almighty deities. I knew already that gods were not perfect; Greek gods illustrated this concept incredibly well. But, Greek gods were still incapable of death. Heck, numerous of them were subjected to eternal punishment in compensation for their immortality. Norse gods, though possessing the same tragic personality flaws as the Greeks, were unfortunately much more vulnerable.

Despite each individual god being strong and formidable, ultimately all of them were susceptible to death—in fact, it was honorable even. For the gods who have fallen to Valhalla, they rise again in the wake of Ragnarok and die once more in the earthshaking battles, and this time, forever. When I came across this fact in class I was shocked and I couldn’t wrap my head around this concept. How could gods as mighty as Thor and respectable as Heimdall ever fall so tragically to death? Why would the creators of these myths introduce such somber themes to their works when depicting the gods of their civilizations? 

After the discussions we had in class, its purpose was finally clear to me. The gods weren’t supposed to be perfect—they reflected humans. They made mistakes because humans made mistakes. They died because humans died. After learning this, it was strikingly clear why this would be so. As they are a spiritual guidance for the common population, they are also influential figures for warriors. Since their society is notorious for their battle prowess, it’s important for them to be able to keep their fighting morale high, which they addressed with the existence of Valhalla.

This got me questioning other deities from different cultures around the world as well, and how theirs may reflect the values in which they emphasize in their societies. For instance, going back to the Greeks, their culture revolves around the heavy uses of music in daily life and religious events that can be illustrated by the frequent associations of music in their myths with their deities as well (Hermes with his lyre, the Muses, etc). In Chinese and Korean culture, they placed an importance on the concept of filial piety in which they also reinforced through their folklore such as the Chinese story of Wang Xiang and the Korean folktale Shimchong. 

Seeing the connections between societies and their cultures has broadened my perspective on the diversity of the beliefs possessed by people around the world. My fascination with history has only deepened and I aspire to explore more of the cultures shared by the people around me.