Sofia Mykytenko, Period 7, 10/23/23

 Sofia Mykytenko

Period 7

10/23/23

Modern Mythology 2023

Literacy and Learning

Recently, for homework, we read the ancient Greek myths used to describe the changing of the seasons – the story of Demeter, Persephone, and Hades. The stories were an interesting read, but what really struck me was the class discussion we had the next day, especially one question in particular. “Who is wrong – Demeter or Hades?” Firstly, I’d just like to say that this question is phrased in such a way that places all the blame on only one of the gods, without acknowledging they could both be wrong. Despite this fact, to me, there seemed to be only one correct answer. 

I believe Demeter and Hades were both wrong in their actions, but only Demeter had some justification for it. For instance, if two people stole from a store, but one of them stole food to feed their family of four at home, while the other did so for not much reason at all, one of these people is clearly the lesser of two evils. Hades kidnapped, raped, and imprisoned Persephone simply because he thought she was beautiful and wanted to make her his wife. Still, some blame Persephone for being naive or Demeter for not being watchful enough of her, when Hades is clearly at fault here because what he did was immoral and unlawful. Demeter, grieved the loss of her daughter so severely, that she made the Earth’s seasons fall into winter. This caused populations to starve and die, which was a horrible tragedy, but at least there was some justification for Demeter’s actions. 

People’s willingness to overlook what Hades did is due to the fact rape isn’t condemned in our society as intensely as it should be. Sure, people think that it's morally wrong, but oftentimes, the offender gets little to no punishment, even when proven guilty. Did you know that in Minnesota, if rapists know their victims, they are twice as likely to walk away with no sentence? 

Analyzing this text influenced my critical perception of the world and literature by making me more aware of the prevalence of rape culture in literature, and the world. Writing this blog made me reflect on an example from my own life, or rather my older sister’s life. My sister was at a party, where she had a few drinks. One of my sister’s male friends was talking to her a lot that night. Her best friend pulled her aside and said, “Oh, be careful, I heard him talking about how he wants to get with you to his friends earlier.” If she felt that my sister was too intoxicated to make her own choices and properly consent, that she had to tell her and warn her about what to do, she shouldn’t just be telling my sister to be careful, but also her male friend. If someone isn’t in the right state of mind to be making decisions, you shouldn’t be trying to make sexual advances on them. Thankfully, nothing bad happened that night, and my sister came home safe. However, the presence of rape culture could be seen in this situation, as victims are blamed for causing the crimes committed by another person, and the person walks away with no sense of wrongdoing or accountability for their actions.

Citations:

Stahl, Brandon, et al. “Convicted for Rape in Minnesota, Free from Prison Time.” Star Tribune, Star Tribune, 9 Dec. 2018, www.startribune.com/in-minnesota-convicted-for-rape-free-from-prison-time-denied-justice-part-seven/501636921/.