Kevin Chen, Period 7, 3/14/24

Kevin Chen

Modern Mythology 2024

Period 7, 3/14/24

Blog #3

Nihilism, Apathy, and it's Problems    

    Nihilism is a theme that appears in John Gardner's Grendel, mostly during the Dragon's conversation with Grendel. The Dragon, being able to see all of time, considers Grendel's existential crisis to be meaningless. After all, if the universe will end regardless, why does Grendel's philosophy matter? Thus, he advises him to "seek out gold and sit on it". This is what the Dragon does, as he sits among piles of treasure in his cave. But the Dragon is not literally advising Grendel to do the same. Rather, the Dragon is encouraging Grendel to forget about existentialism and the philosophy of his existence, and pursue more material desires. By doing so, Grendel is supposed to forget about the suffering that came with questioning his existence, and gain new purpose in the form of materialistic fulfillment. 

     In some ways, Grendel has parallels to many people from today's younger generations. Faster spread of information via the internet combined with ever-growing social issues has lead many to simply give-up and turn apathetic towards things such as purchasing a home, local and global politics, higher education, work, having children. They question the purpose of all these common goals, and bare little to no ambition to pursue them.

    Many countries with hardcore society-first work cultures have issues with younger generations. Through movements on social media, many youth end up being very apathetic toward work and social contribution. An extreme example of this is China's "lying flat" movement, which popped up on social media a few years ago. China's work culture places value of ambition, effort, hardship, and struggle. "Lying flat" goes against all these ideals, in which the people behind it feel any effort or work is useless, and refuse to participate in 996 work culture (9am-9pm, 6 days a week). Rather, they opt to do the bare minimum at work or quit altogether.

    Even in countries with more relaxed work cultures and social pressures, lack of desire to struggle or put in effort still exists. Even in the U.S, there are people who don't want to work. Sure, a few of them may be simply lazy, but a decent portion are turned off by the current state of the workforce. While not nearly as intense as elsewhere, there are still expectations to give 110% effort, perform overtime, and strive to climb up the ladder. To some people, that ambition simply is not worth it.

    Another instance of growing nihilistic sentiment comes in the form of shifting sentiment towards reliance on parents. In the past, generally, the idea was that children move out at 18, go to college, and become independent. While that still exists now, it has broken down slightly. Many kids continue to rely on parents through and after college, and sometimes even live the basement of their home. Living in your parents basement still attracts negative comments, especially from the older generations, but some youth see it as a really comfortable and content way of living. In Chinese culture, for example, it is now attractive to either live with parents or live in an apartment supported by parents. Some even jokingly ask to be adopted so they can also live comfortably. In the past however, that kind of lifestyle was deeply shunned. 

    Rising housing costs turn the youth away from the idea of ever being able to own a home or even rent a decently priced apartment. An increasing average age for politicians causes the youth to be more disillusioned with the government, sparking distrust, lack of political interest, or even conspiracy theories. Worsening climate conditions and the constant bombardment of warnings from scientists lead some youth to even think humanity will end in the not far future. Their outlook on society is rather grim, so like the Dragon in Grendel, they choose to act for their own self enjoyment and desire rather than participate in society and progress.

    The societal problems were worsened significantly by the pandemic, and as of currently, there are no signs that they will be remedied. In fact, many more people likely joined this semi-nihilistic movement due to the pandemic, and its contribution to the bleakness of the world. Hundreds of thousands of people died due to coronavirus, and that mass loss of life has definitely taken a toll on the minds of everyone, especially the youth who are far more connected to information thanks to social media. Seeing death numbers rise constantly would no doubt cause disillusionment from the world in people, similar to the aftermath of the first world war in which the large death toll heavily impacted the returning soldier's minds. Surveys show motivation and ambition towards work or education has declined significantly following the pandemic across all ages, but especially in those under 29.    

    The disillusionment with the world has lead to another problem: the turn towards extremism. Plenty of youth who gave up on following the "normal" way of living as dictated by society turn to radical influencers on Youtube or TikTok. One such influencer, a certain former boxer turned radicalist turned Romanian inmate, rose to fame off of those that were seeking to find an non-mainstream way of living. By spouting nonsense such as "escaping the matrix" and lots of very radical and offensive things, he likely has led many people down a dark path. The quick rise and collapse of NFTs and cryptocurrencies may also be due to people searching for a way to escape the norms set by society and make a living in which they don't have to play by anyone else's rules.

    These issues have lead to some to jokingly refer to generation z as the "doomer generation". While non-participation in society is not a good thing, it is easy to understand where their apathy and nihilism comes from. While pursuing materialistic and easy to achieve short term happiness is fine, completely giving up ambition and desire to struggle to grow may not be. While internet extremism and lack of motivation can't be removed in its entirety, the situation as a whole can still be addressed. Something has to and should be done. In the end, however, these youth are pursuing the Dragon's advice in a way, like Grendel. They sought out gold, and sat on it.
 

Works Cited

Hall, M. (n.d.). Young adults are having a harder time finding the motivation to work during the  pandemic than their older peers. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/young-adults-struggling-motivation-covid-pandemic-pew-survey-2020-12 

Kerry, C. F., & Jacob Larson, J. S. D. (2021, July 8). The “lying flat” movement standing in the way of China’s Innovation Drive. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-lying-flat-movement-standing-in-the-way-of-chinas-innovation-drive/ 

Siegel, D., & Siegel, D. (2023, January 5). Generation doomer: How nihilism on social media is creating a new generation of extremists. GNET. https://gnet-research.org/2022/12/16/generation-doomer-how-nihilism-on-social-media-is-creating-a-new-generation-of-extremists/ 

Young people don’t want to work. now what? Dazed. (2022, December 13). https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/57766/1/young-people-dont-want-to-work-employment-gen-z-jobs-great-resignation

Raymond Chen, Period 1, 3/19/24

Raymond Chen PD 2 Modern Mythology Blog #2

Literacy & Learning
Write about your thoughts/feelings 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?

As we just finished Grendel, it showed how Mythology and so closely related to reality as well. Grendel, in my opinion, was just a lost being who was misunderstood. He who wanted to become a part of society was cast away due to his appearance.
Grendel resents mankind which is the reason why he became a monster. Before he even became a monster, he would view humans’ activities from a safe distance but at some point, he would visit the dragon which would change his perspective on everything. Grendel thought just because of his appearance and because God blessed the human race with their joys they chose to show disgust towards Grendel even though they were the cruel ones. During chapter 4, Grendel would see a couple quarreling, and right next to them was a man whose throat was slit and clothes robbed. He was baffled to see the contrast between innocent love and violent murder. This can be shown as how humans were violent towards each other but just because of Grendel’s appearance, he is automatically labeled as a violent monster. Soon after, Grendel approaches the dragon and receives advice which the dragon tells Grendel, “Seek out gold and sit on it”, the dragon wanted Grendel to find a path and stick to it rather than try to fit in somewhere where he wasn't welcomed.
Many people in our society face the same trouble whether it be race, gender, social status, or even wealth. For example, a veteran who may have served our country may become homeless due to trauma but others who pass by him don't know that. If a homeless veteran begins approaching someone, many would get in a flight or fight mode even if they were harmless and just wanted to ask a question. This was just one of the many examples of a “monster” in our society. Many around the world just like Grendel want to fit in with society's norms but are unfortunately blocked out because of different beliefs or even looks even though at root, they are just the same.

Selina Chen, Period 7, 3/15/2024

Selina Chen Modern Mythology, Period 7, 3/15/24 Research Paper 

                                            

In Natalie Haynes’ Stone Blind, we explored the lesson of women empowerment through the stories of the titan Metis and the mortal Medusa who both suffered unfortunate fates at the hands of gods. Metis transformed into many forms to try and save herself but instead ended up being swallowed with her unborn child. I remember the shock in everyone’s expression when realizing Medusa was not the villain that she is always portrayed to be. In every story we have heard before, she was the monster with snake hair that turned anyone who looked in her eyes into stone. She suffered the punishment of Poseidon’s heinous crime while he got away scot free. In today’s society, this is still the case in the topic of women’s rights. 

The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case revolves around Mississippi's Gestational Age Act of 2018 restricting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.  It includes exceptions for medical emergencies or severe fetal abnormalities but does not for cases of rape or incest. This law was challenged by the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of Jackson Women's Health Organization, the only abortion clinic left in Mississippi. The Supreme Court's decision in this case was an extremely important decision because it had the potential to either challenge or uphold the precedent set by the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized abortion nationwide. This decision would be life changing to women and their rights concerning their body. It could lead to usage of unsafe abortions for women who have no legal way of termination. Women who fall pregnant by rape or incest would be forced to carry the product to full term. 

Since the court ruled that the Constitution of the United States did not confer the right to abortion and overruled the court’s previous decision in Roe v. Wade, it has gained attention due to its ability to reshape the legal landscape surrounding abortion. Following the decision, several states have also passed or attempted to pass similar restrictions on abortion. Texas passed Senate Bill 8, which prohibits abortion once cardiac activity is present in the embryo around 6 weeks. This is one of the most restrictive abortion laws and has continuously faced many legal issues. Other states such as Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Idaho have also passed laws banning abortions in various circumstances. Overall, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decisions have allowed several states to test the boundaries and implement stricter abortion laws. 

As abortions become illegal in various states, women all around search for ways to get “treatment” without suffering criminal prosecution. On various different social media platforms, many videos and posts have surfaced of people selling herbs to self manage an abortion and some people who are against abortion take it upon social media to spread false information about dangers of abortion. This could leave people who are already confused, even more confused and may guide them towards a dangerous option. According to the Washington Post, postings of different herbs such as mugwort, pennyroyal and blue cohosh have been captioned to help cause a miscarriage at home. These kinds of videos have reached tens of thousands of people and although  they are trying to help, their methods could be harmful. Jen Gunter, a gynecologist has also spoken out against these methods and says none of these herbs are actually proven to help or are safe. Since then, Tiktok and many other social media platforms have removed videos that encourage herbal/natural abortions. 

Many articles also provide the harmful effects of using such herbs such as pennyroyal. This herb contains pulegone which forms toxins and can cause liver disease, according to Josh Trebach, an medicine physician, on the Rolling Stone. Another popular tiktok, which are all taken down now, suggested blue cohosh but did not include the many side effects that this herb would lead to such as hat this could lead to seizures, coma, and even death. The intent of these articles, videos, and posts may not have been made with malicious intent, but simply misinformation. After the Dobbs ruling, people have gotten desperate and has led to people considering unsafe abortions methods. In order to get the most accurate information, deep research must be conducted of the herb or procedure and consider the credentials the person has. Nowadays anyone can publish anything and people will believe it because they are desperate and grasping for straws. 

Today, March 2024, activists against abortions and reproductive rights for women have sued the U.S. FDA over the approval of mifepristone usage. Mifepristone is a drug used for medication abortion and miscarriages. This was approved over 20 years ago, but now a lower court ruling threatens to limit women’s access to it. It feels surreal because just two weeks ago, I saw an article about this pill finally being widely available at pharmacies through a doctor prescription but 14 days later, it is being threatened again. This would affect even states with abortion rights protections and devastate the millions of Americans that face healthcare access barriers. Mifepristone has proven over and over again to be safe and very effective and once again, people are trying to take away women’s rights. On March 26, the Supreme Court will decide the fate of this pill. 

It is important to take note of the parallels between mythology and modern times. Women’s struggles in bodily autonomy and reproductive rights still persist through the years. Their stories serve as a reminder that our voices must be heard and we must do better for ourselves and the future. It is scary to live as a woman in this world where others can inflict harm on us, and we might not be able to get rid of the aftermath. 

People searching for abortion online must wade through misinformation. (2022, July 4). Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/04/abortion-misinformation-herbal-remedies/

Identifying and Combating Abortion Myths and Misinformation. (n.d.). Www.acog.org. https://www.acog.org/advocacy/facts-are-important/identifying-combating-abortion-myths-misinformation

Dickson, E. J., & Dickson, E. J. (2022, June 29). Herbal Abortions Are Going Viral on TikTok. They Could Kill You. Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/tiktok-abortion-herbs-misinformation-death-1376101/

Kaufman, R., Brown, R., Martínez Coral, C., Jacob, J., Onyango, M., & Thomasen, K. (2022). Global impacts of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and abortion regression in the United States. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2022.2135574

Chloe Chen, Period 6, 3/21

 Chloe chen 

Modern mythology

Blog #3 

Social-political consciousness 

3/21/2024

I’ve always been a big fan of true crime. My favorite show as a middle schooler was Criminal Minds and my favorite YouTuber growing up was Stephanie Soo, who told true crime stories as she did mukbangs ( eat food ). She would capture your attention with the details in her stories and I always appreciated the efforts she put into researching the events behind a case. She told many cases, from mysterious cold cases to the infamous crimes committed by celebrities. Stephanie’s videos were constant reminders of the cruelness of the world. However, the cases that stuck with me the most were often cases about violence against women, specifically the Burning Sun Case in 2019. To summarize, it was a scandal involving many A-list celebrities in South Korea who were in group chats, sending illegal and non-consensual photos of women. These people would drug girls, rape them, and post the events in the group chats that made inappropriate jokes objectifying the girls in the videos. This case got a lot of exposure because these celebrities were idols to a large number of female audiences, who were around the same age as their victims. It was questionable that the maximum sentence among all the men was 2.5 years. But it was bizarre to me that in comparison, possession of drugs in SK would lead to 5 years in jail. Perhaps it was surreal to me because drugs are more widely used here and the average sentence for rape in the US is 16 years. After watching this video, I went down a rabbit hole of many other videos on South Korean crime. It didn’t take long to realize how the police forces didn’t care for violence towards women. This case was something I thought of constantly because the end was so unsatisfying. So much evidence of them ruining these girls' lives and all they get is a year or two in jail?

After hearing about the lack of protection from the SK police department, I became more grateful for the systems enacted in the US to reinforce protection against violence. However, I knew that wherever we go, as a woman, people will always have something to say. I am a strong advocate for women’s voices not just being heard, but also being listened to. It started in middle school when my best friend and I joined clubs after school. We decided to play handball and unfortunately for us, we were the only two girls on the team. We loved handball, but not the part where we could only utilize the brick wall instead of using the actual courts because the boys were using them. For middle school me, it felt off, but I didn’t care to say anything. When high school began, I was exposed to more outward discrimination against women. My jaw dropped when I first heard a boy tell a girl to “go back to the kitchen,” or when a guy outwardly called my friend a dishwasher as their guy friends giggled at the comment. I was even more shocked that every girl had managed to brush it off as if it didn’t mean anything. It was degrading to our identity as girls and I hated it. As I played handball throughout high school, it wasn’t any different. Boys would come over to me and my friends, and take over our courts. 

I am the oldest of four siblings, having two sisters and the youngest being my one brother. Growing up with my sisters, we’ve learned the hardships of being girls and tried to teach our brother to be someone respectful to everyone. I can see that my experiences growing up with mostly women in my family may not be the circumstances of other families, which causes our views of womanhood to vary. I constantly see the work that needs to be done to face discrimination against being a woman. But others can see how greatly the world has changed, so there is no way there can still be discrimination. I understand that for some people, this issue doesn’t matter to them at all because they have way greater things to worry about. But personally, this issue matters to me. So I hope that girls start calling out immature boys and their unfunny jokes. I feel so much better every time I say something rather than just keep it in. 

Hao Chen, Period 7, 3/18/2024

Hao Chen

Period 7 

3/18/2024

Modern Mythology 2024

Socio-political Consciousness

    Human rights, a topic that has been brought up over and over again and has been the center for discussion for decades if not centuries . But no matter how it is defined there have always been a few rights that have not changed, one of them is freedom. This is not the case however for victims of human trafficking. 

    The other day i was browsing through what me and my friend like to call "Chinese Tik Tok'' and watching some brain rotting short videos, i came across a short vid which is a camera recording of a human trafficker snatching a child on the street and getting pinned down by bystanders. It is lucky for this child because there are people nearby who saved them but it is not so lucky for the millions of victims who were already kidnapped away from their home. Based on federal records there are an estimated 27.6 million human trafficking victims at any given time. That is an astounding number because if all of these people are from America then that will be 8.3% of the total U.S. population. So why is the number so high? Well victims of human trafficking are typically taken for two primary goals, forced labor and sex trafficking. But the underlying reason is profit from the exploitation of victims. Research had it that over $150 billion of profit was made due to human trafficking per year making it the second largest criminal trade aside from weapons trading. The other reason for this high of a number is because human trafficking is hard to detect and stop. Not every place has a camera and not everywhere has people around who can stop the process. 

    Victims of human trafficking can come from any race, gender, social status, and age with 27% of  victims being children. The main purpose for the human trafficking of children are for forced labor and forced marriage. During these forced labors children are forced to work up to 16 hours a day and adults even higher numbers, and are beaten or starved if they don't.  These numbers led me to reflect on my perception of myself and others because while I am in school and worried about school work, millions of children are being forced to work in factories and concerned about whether or not they can live until the next day. We are all the lucky people just like the children that were saved, not having to experience the suffering of human trafficking victims.

    So people, next time when you are walking alone, be careful of your surroundings 

Sources

U.S. Department of State. (2023, January 18). About human trafficking - united states department of state. U.S. Department of State. https://www.state.gov/humantrafficking-about-human-trafficking/#:~:text=With%20an%20estimated%2027.6%20million,them%20for%20their%20own%20profit.

Child trafficking statistics. World’s Children. (2023, February 24). https://www.worldschildren.org/child-trafficking-statistics/#:~:text=27%25%20of%20trafficking%20victims%20are,are%20involved%20in%20forced%20labor. 

Facts & figures. Youth Underground. (2023, March 14). https://youth-underground.com/facts-figures/#:~:text=Human%20trafficking%20is%20the%20fastest,times%20the%20population%20of%20Switzerland.

Jimmy Chen, Period 1, 3/18/24

Jimmy Chen, PD 1, 3/17/24

The social discrimination of the homeless is present in most major urban cities and has been on the rise in the past years. In the US, homelessness has increased by 12% due to increasing rents and increasing living costs. These people also have a hard time finding jobs because jobs often have policies in place that discriminate against these people. Some cities have gone as far as to make homelessness a crime or restrict what actions can be done on the homeless. Benefits that normal people can get are often extremely limited to the homeless population, like healthcare and social services. Also, homeless people are often viewed in a negative light as stereotypes about homeless people being crime perpetrators or drug-addicts. Homeless people are ignored in society due to this stigma, which separates them further from society. Although not all homeless people are crime perpetrators, there are some who resort to a life of crime in order to survive. This shows how society has treated the homeless and forced them to commit things they wouldn’t have normally done. People find it hard to understand homeless people, as some people might say to “stop being lazy and get a job”, but this is often more complicated than just getting a job. The treatment of the homeless population can be compared to Grendel as they were both treated poorly and shunned by society. This shows how folklore can allude to real life events and there is relevance in fiction.

Bibliography:

News, A. B. C. “Why Experts Say Some Unhoused People Are Unfairly Assumed to Be Dangerous.” ABC News, 17 Oct. 2023, abcnews.go.com/Health/unhoused-people-perceived-dangerous/story?id=103751928

Freking, Kevin. “U.S. Homelessness up 12 Percent to Highest Reported Level as Rents Soar and Pandemic Aid Lapses.” PBS NewsHour, 15 Dec. 2023, www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/u-s-homelessness-up-12-percent-to-highest-reported-level-as-rents-soar-and-pandemic-aid-lapses‌ 

 

Nycja.org, 2017, www.nycja.org/justice-in-practice/homelessness-rates-for-nyc-summary-arrests-from-2019-2021

Joey Liu, Period 6, 03/12/24

 Joey Liu

Period 6

3/12/24

Research Paper 

Is oral literature still relevant today in the age of electronics and the internet? 

Ever play a game of telephone? A simple verbal message becomes almost cryptic after passing through just a single cycle around the circle. In a world where data and information is stored in a binary system we call the internet, oral literature seems to take on an increasingly obscure role in our society. 

I beg to differ.

Despite obvious setbacks such as a level of subjectivity from the listener’s perspective, oral records have an important role in understanding topics and historical events. It’s “lackadaisical” organization (compared to a written text) actually gives oral communication an edge with the audience. For example, the incorporation of hand gestures and tone changes helps keep the listener engaged, evoking emotions that otherwise would be absent. During the Norse Mythology unit, each group was required to write a story/script based off a minor character in a chapter and then act it out in front of the class. Every short had someone to record the video + script reading. Personally, I enjoyed most of the presentations as one of Netflix’s producers, but the stories that stood out the most were the ones that had tone changes and movements/acting. The emotions I experienced from each telling was far greater comparatively than the readings done at home of, as an example, Stone Blind etc. Tangible outbreaks of laughter from both myself and classmates serve as a clear reminder of the nuances that oral literature covers where written words do not. 

Moreover, oral records serve as a method of firsthand primary sourcing. You get an immersive, full experience by interviewing someone rather than, say, just reading about their work. According to the Smithsonian Institution Archives, it states, “— primary source material—from personal recollections through planned recorded interviews… used to preserve the voices, memories and perspectives of people…a tool we can all use to engage with and learn from family members, friends, and the people we share space with in an interview that captures their unique history and perspective in their own words” (Byrne). This aspect of a direct one way verbal communication is valuable in its own sense. Just imagine that you’re training for an upcoming basketball game. Your coach tells the team that a guest NBA star coached by Michael Jordan will be coming to train with them. Exciting right? Now imagine he instead said that Michael Jordan himself was going to come and give lessons on basketball. Hear the difference? (Not a basketball fan? I bet you still know who Michael Jordan is). 

All in all, humans are human, and the means in which we communicate are multidimensional. It is important that stories continue to be told and retold, fostering the sense of “beneficial subjectivity.” It is important to remember and understand the significance of both oral and written literature in our culture today, thereby ensuring that we gain a more complete understanding of history/cultural heritage and even entertainment. 

Byrne, Hannah. “An Introduction to Oral History.” Smithsonian Institution Archives, 9 June 2020, siarchives.si.edu/blog/introduction-oral-history#:~:text=Oral%20history%20is%20a%20technique,perspectives%20of%20people%20in%20history. 

Songen Tang Period 6 2/29/2024

 Songen Tang

Period 6

2/29/2024

Modern Mythology 2024

Socio-political Consciousness

In a recent lesson, we were discussing government systems that serve to repress its population and it reminded me of the conversations that were especially loud during quarantine and the black lives matter movement. I know that the lesson was talking about state organizations, but private prisons were something that seemed almost unanimously hated during that time. They are still somewhat state organizations because they are funded by the government and part of the prison system but it seems like what makes them seem particularly immoral is the “private” part, while most people still agree that prisons in general are necessary. 

The main argument against private prisons is the idea that they operate as a business and benefit from having full capacity at all times. This obviously goes against the general societal idea that we should have less criminals and therefore less people in prison. In order to have as many people as possible in prison, private prisons employed a wide array of practices. As a business, they have the ability to lobby for stricter laws that would ensure more people are arrested, even if the crimes aren’t deemed serious by the majority of people. Private prisons also have higher rates of recidivism which is likely not a coincidence considering if they focused on rehabilitation, there would be less people incarcerated, and they would receive less funding. I think this is one of the worst things private prisons, and prisons in general, do because by not focusing on rehabilitating criminals, they are causing more crime and raising the cost of prisons because they have to fund another sentence. Another argument against private prisons is that they tend to treat prisoners worse because by spending less money on them, they can increase profit, something public prisons don’t have to worry about.

Part of the argument for keeping private prisons is that they cost less than public prisons and therefore are saving government money. However, there are also arguments against this fact. Because prisoners in private prisons tend to stay longer and recommit more often, it might balance out the lower cost per sentence. Private prisons also don't tend to take prisoners who require higher security which also helps them lower the cost. A better argument for private prisons, in my opinion, is that they might help innovate the prison system, if they were to be rewarded for lower rates of recidivism instead of higher, they might outdo the public prisons which have hardly changed. This might also cause the opposite problem, however, where prisons are trying to get rid of prisoners who are not ready in order to increase profit, so maybe it's best to just try and limit the exchanging of money in our justice system. 

Ethan Cadotte, Period 7, 3/19/2024

Ethan Cadotte Period 7 Modern Mythology 2024

Research Topic: Cinderella

Ethan Cadotte PD 7

Despite being a topic that was covered in the very beginning of the year, I wanted to revisit the story of, “Cinderella”. I found the history of fairy tales to be quite interesting and significant in showing how society has changed throughout time through the lens of something that is as simple as a fairy tale, and so I wanted to save this subject for my final blog. Before this class, I had not known that there were other versions of fairy tales that we would see on television, often a production made by Disney. The curriculum has opened my eyes to the grim and harsh reality of the original fairy tales and their storylines. 

There is some controversy surrounding the first Cinderella story, but the earliest story with similar components of the Cinderella story was told by Strabo, a Greek historian. The story tells of someone named Rhodopis who had his sandal stolen by an eagle and dropped on the lap of the King of Egypt. The king then, stricken by the beauty of the sandal, went searching for the woman that wore it. It is a rather short storyline, but seeing how it has evolved over time into a story of malice, magic, and love is incredible to witness. 

After the story of Rhodopis, there were stories created with the elements of Cinderella that are more commonplace amongst more modern versions of the story. These elements include magical entities, evil stepmothers, and a protagonist that is a mistreated woman. One of the earliest versions of Cinderella that incorporates these elements is a story about Yeh-hsien, a girl with an evil stepmother that has a best friend goldfish that her evil stepmother resents and eventually kills. Yeh-hsien was then told by a stranger to pick up the fish bones and they turned into a nice dress and slippers to attend a festival. She loses a slipper that is found by the king, and he leaves it out for her to find. When she finds it and takes it home, the king and his men follow her to find out who she is. In stories like this, I find the part of each story where the, “magic happens”, to be very interesting. I find that every magical aspect has almost direct correlation to the culture of the people that made them. This is quite obvious because the people that made their own versions of the story would obviously use their own culture, however it is the only aspect that I see changed from story to story. In the story of Yeh-hsien, the fish bones that grant her the dress and slippers have meaning in Chinese culture. After a quick search, I found that the meaning of the fish in Chinese culture is wealth, and the meaning of the fish bones is happiness and safety. In one of the more famous versions of the story made by the Grimm Brothers, originating from Germany, the, “Cinderella”, of the story cries under a hazel tree and is then gifted with the garments for the festival. In Germanic culture, hazel trees represent several great qualities like wisdom, protection, rebirth, etc. 

The aspect of magic in each of these Cinderella stories is a direct representation of the culture in which they originated from. Taking a deeper look into the magic that occurs in these stories gives us better insight into how the people of the time lived and the things that they believed in. Fairy tales like Cinderella and many more, can allow us to peer into the lives and beliefs of societies that have thrived throughout history.

Sources: 

Ciucci, C. (2021b, November 22). A history of the cinderella fairytale. BOOK RIOT. https://bookriot.com/the-history-of-cinderella/ 

Charles Gian, Period 1, 3/14/24

Charles Gian

Period 1
3/13/2024
Modern Mythology 2024

Research Paper: Nihilism

We’re a blip in the history of the universe. One tiny speck of more-than-average intelligence out of 70 quintillion planets. Planets get old, kaput, form a new planet, and the cycle continues. Like the famous quote goes, time stops for nobody. Everything goes to an end with enough time, just like how we will eventually, so what’s the point? Why do homework, why battle taxes, why challenge yourself and, inevitably fail, if you could just do nothing? Why do anything at all?

I’ve heard this constant buzz throughout my life, and I’m sure you’ve heard it too. This constant denial of any reasoning in life, the sly little devil on your shoulder, that you should just give up and let time take its course on you. It’s always intrigued me, but I’ve never paid much attention to it, as I’ve always been steered on a set course for my whole life. Now, with more freedom comes more choice, and I hear the buzz picking back up. What is Nihilism and where does it come from?

Summarizing one of Friedrich Nietzsche’s definitions of Nihilism, a renowned German philosopher, Nihilism is “... the negation of life through its subordination to a ‘higher realm’”. Nietzsche’s definition of Nihilism is more based on religion, where this “higher realm”, or higher being, is actually just fiction, lies that give people purpose in life. Without this “made-up” religion and higher beings, they would also see from the same perspective as him. However, people are so caught up in religion, and the “lies” as he puts it, that almost any other viewpoint seems alien. Everyone else falls victim to this, in a religion or not. We completely put our faith in science, believe it’s completely rock-solid in the discoveries we have today, and are extremely confident in explaining almost everything about this planet and our universe. However, within these fundamental bases come tiny little “lies”, gaps, or inconsistencies in science. For example, it’s well known that the Big Bang was the event which started the universe off, eventually leading to the creation of space, our stars, and our planets, over time. Keep in mind though, that it’s all just a theory. Once you start looking into ideas like this further, small fundamental questions like “How did we come about?” still haven’t been answered yet. The Big Bang theory does explain a lot, and connects with the findings we have today, but what caused it? What caused this massive explosion out of nowhere, from nothing, to kickstart our universe? Does science really explain what the world and universe is governed by and describe it, or is it all just fancy terms made up to sell that we know what we’re doing, and that more people should further this research of lies?

As in Gardner’s Grendel, the humans in the story, notably the shaper, just sing lies and make up stories about wars between their various groups, encounters with monsters, and the Gods which look after the humans. Grendel even imitates being The Great Destroyer to Ork, one of the priests. Humans in the story completely believe in their religion. All of Grendel’s nihilistic thinking was kickstarted by the Dragon. This further emphasizes that sometimes we need to listen to the other side, no matter how crazy or against what you believe it is, as they could be speaking the truth. Maybe there really is no meaning behind life, but it’s just up to us to create meaning for ourselves.

Works Cited:

Nietzsche’s Shadow: On The Origin and Development of the Term ..., journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0191453720975454. Accessed 13 Mar. 2024. 

Puiu, Tibi. “There Are over 700 Quintillion Planets in the Universe -- but There’s No Place like Home.” ZME Science, 15 May 2023, www.zmescience.com/feature-post/space-astronomy/astronomy-articles/how-many-planets-universe/. 

Rin Tung, Period 6, 02/27/24

Looking at Grendel’s mother, the first depiction of her in Grendel by Gardner is that from Grendel’s perspective, his pale slightly glowing fat mother. The life-bloated, baffled, long-suffering hag. And later that she loved him but seemingly in a distant, strange way. It still describes her as “one thing” with Grendel — “like the wall and the rock growing out from it”, mentioning her physical attributes and behavior with “she would reach out her claws and seize me” or “smash me to her fat, limp breast as if to make me a part of her flesh again”, “she hurls herself across the void and buries me in her bristly fur and fat”, even.

And maybe how Grendel sees his mother is how Gardner interprets the character from the original Beowulf, or maybe even a projection. She is motherly but beast-like. Instinctual. She does not speak nor understand speech nor understand Grendel’s mind, only really knowing that he is her child, loving him in the most primitive of ways.

In the original Beowulf, Grendel’s mother’s identity and standing in the story remains unsolved. The ides aglæcwif has been painted mostly as a monster woman since Klaeber’s version. Ides is widely accepted and agreed to be the lady, so is the term dis. The Dísir, the fate goddesses of Norse mythology, are really simply “the ladies”. Dís has also been argued to be the original form of valkyrie. Both Wealtheow and Grendel’s mother are ides, possibly representing the different aspects of the valkyrie.

But yet, the aglæca is used to describe both Grendel, his mother, and Beowulf himself. In the case of the former two, the monster, the demon, the fiend. To Beowulf, the warrior, the hero. Arguably, aglæca is simply a warrior, a fierce fighter; making Grendel’s mother, the ides aglæcwif, a lady woman-warrior. If there were no differentiations between the depiction of the hero and the antagonists other than the sexes, then at no point is her monstrosity ever mentioned or described. And frankly, that may be all that she was in the original Beowulf — a fierce, female warrior.

Then where does the monstrosity, the beast-like aspects first emerge? Maybe it's simply the way that aglæca’s original meaning isn’t agreed on, forcing later renditions to build her entire image on what we know of her, a descendant of Cain. Maybe it's the same way Medusa has been slowly painted as a villain, a monster. Maybe it’s the way an unnamed strong and fierce woman, only fighting and killing for the sake of her child dying to her victims’ hands — maybe such characterization makes her monstrous. She is simple minded, unbothered and uncaring, except when it comes to her child, and at that point she would stop at nothing to protect him, to avenge him. Maybe it is that motherly instinct that paints her as a fearful figure to the patriarchal eye; maybe it is the way that she displays every aspect of a hero, but the fact that she is female takes away all of her benevolence.

But one thing is certain, she is always described as a motherly figure. Fierce, ruthless, but loving in her primitive and simple minded way. She simply runs on instinct, to protect her child and uncaring of everything else. If such is her character, then does it matter if she is a monstrous being? If being fiercely motherly, or even a strong woman automatically paints a character as a monster, then how many other female figures in our literature and mythology from a more patriarchal time are wrongly categorized as villainous or evil?

Morgan Lee, Period 1, 3/11/2024

Morgan Lee, Period 1, 3/10/2024, Modern Mythology 2024

Literature Circle - The Song of Achilles By Madeline Miller - Critical Theory Analysis

SPOILER ALERT

    Looking at a text through a feminist criticism lens requires acknowledging that it was written in a male dominated society and examining how gender stereotypes and patriarchal tendencies can skew our perspectives. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a modern retelling of The Iliad, focusing on the tales of the hero Achilles, told from the point of view of his companion, Patroclus. This novel leads us through their whole lives, from their childhoods to the end of the Trojan War. While the queer aspect is undeniable, as Achilles and Patroclus’s relationship and eventual tragic romance is the main focus of the story, there are many female characters who also play large roles. Because this takes place in Ancient Greece, all of these women were victims in some form or another, due to their role in society.

The first character we will explore is Thetis, a sea-nymph and mother of Achilles. Thetis never wanted to be Achilles’s mother, but it was prophesied that her son would be stronger than his father. To prevent this, the gods wanted to ensure that the child was half mortal, despite Thetis only being a minor god. They awarded Peleus, King of Phthia, the “honor” of being Thetis’s husband. The gods instructed Peleus on how to sneak up on Thetis, and despite her efforts to shapeshift and escape, he was able to successfully assault and impregnate her. After giving birth to Achilles, she was made to stay on land for a year to raise him. Thetis’s character is powerless in most of the book. She never wanted to be a mother, yet was raped and forced to conceive a child. Achilles was prophesied to die at a young age, and again, she was unable to prevent this, only able to watch as her son’s hubris led to his demise. Thetis is a god, yet was unable to do anything to prevent her molestation and her son’s death just because the gods had decreed it so. Thetis turned bitter, rightfully so, and disapproved of Achilles becoming romantically involved with Patroclus. For most of the book, Patroclus depicts her as this controlling and unreasonable mother, who is full of hatred. However, when thinking about it, she has a right to be this bitter. She never wanted a child yet was forced to, she would at least want her pain and suffering to pay off in some way, thus, she would intervene and try to do what she thinks would be best for her son. 

    Deidameia is the princess of Scyros and King Lycomedes’s daughter. When Thetis was trying to prevent Achilles from going to war (which leads to his prophesied death) she stowed him away on Scyros, disguised as a girl. She then forces Achilles to have sex, and consequently marry, Deidameia, who is aware of Achilles’s actual identity. However, once Patroclus locates and reunites with him on Scyros, she is sworn to secrecy by Thetis and forced to give birth in exile. Thetis then takes the child from her and raises him away from the influence of humans. Deidameia’s story, in particular, focuses on the struggle for power in a matriarchal society and how women could have their whole life ripped from them. When Patroclus first meets her, she is effectively at the peak of her power. Despite being princess, she essentially runs Scyros due to her fathers old age. When she harbors Achilles, she is the only one who knows the truth about his identity. However, this all changes when Patroclus finds Achilles. In order to keep Achilles as her husband, she threatens to reveal his secret. On a whim, she loses all of her power. Thetis forces her to keep her mouth shut and makes her give birth to her child secretly. She could no longer run the kingdom, as it would be increasingly obvious that she was pregnant, and she couldn’t even keep her own child. As a last ditch resort, she even tries to ruin Achilles and Patroclus’s relationship. She describes having sex with Achilles in order to turn Patroclus jealous. When that doesn’t work, she has sex with Patroclus, trying to see what Achilles sees in him, but not her. Patroclus allows this, out of pity because he is partially to blame for her dreadful situation, but also because he knows she is jealous of what he has and that his relationship with Achilles is strong enough that this won't be an issue. Deidameia is desperate to cling on to her power but ultimately fails. She was a rare case of a woman holding power, and yet she still lost it all due to factors outside of her control.

    Briseis was a peasant living on the outskirts of Troy. She was captured early on in the war during the raids. She was offered as a prize, a mistress for the generals of the army. Achilles, at Patroclus’s insistence, claimed her in order to save her from being used by the other men. She eventually was able to build a close friendship with Patroclus, helping around camp and accompanying when Achilles went off to fight. Eventually, when Achilles defies Agamemnon, he takes her forcefully and plans to rape her. Achilles, with his pride wounded and against Patroclus’s wishes, allowed this as it would give him a valid reason to attack Agamemnon and prove that the army is useless without him. Briseis lost her whole family and previous life due to the war, a war raged by men trying to get vengeance on other men. She had to live through a senseless tragedy just due to the greed of men and the need for honor and glory. Even in camp, though she was treated well by both Patroclus and Achilles, never once being used for her “intended purpose” (sexual release), she was still expected and relegated to do tasks that would be seen as traditionally done by women. She would help cook and help Patroclus gather items such as herbs that could be used for healing. Furthermore, she would eventually take on a motherly role towards other captives that Achilles claimed and Patroclus took in, helping them get settled in and teaching them Greek. Briseis’s whole life was turned upside down because of the war, and despite eventually finding a sense of normalcy and safety during the war, it becomes obviously how easily this illusion could be shattered just due to her gender.

    Besides the fact that this book takes place in a time and place where society was obviously male-dominated, this book doesn’t have a fully reliable narrator. Telling the story from Patroclus’s point of view leaves out a lot of the nuance and detail in regards to the women in the novel. His perspective is skewed because despite being weaker than normal, he is still a man. He isn’t able to fully or accurately comprehend and convey the women’s emotions and circumstances, which downplays their struggles in the book. 

 

Vincent Chen, Period 7, 3/12/2024

Vincent Chen Period 7 3/11/2024 Modern Mythology 2024

Socio-political Consciousness

Democracy. Demos, or the people, and kratos, meaning power. Put together, it means the government of the people, or democracy. But is it really? Over the past few years, we were shown again and again that our voices did not reach our governments. The Roe v Wade overturn, the increase in shootings, or recently, how a lump of cells are counted as life in Alabama. We tend to just chalk it up to be the faults of government officials, and continue complaining. But where does the problem really lie? In the corrupt and increasingly unfit to govern politicians, or is it elsewhere? 

Why are there really only two parties in congress? Why is it that every election always comes down to the two parties, and there have never been an independent president since George Washington? Can we truly pin all the fault on the corruption of the electoral process, or perhaps do we have to take part of the blame somehow?

The median age of members of the 118th senate is 65.3 years old, the average being 64 years old. The older generations, consisting of boomers and the silent generation constitutes 54% or the majority of Congress. The oldest member is 87, and still serving. While age could be an asset, as it comes with experience, I believe that in this rapidly modernizing and revolutionizing world of ours, we need to have representatives with the insight ad knowledge necessary to understand and lead our country through this ever-changing landscape of world diplomacy, economics, and domestic affairs. Take the recent congressional hearing regarding Tik Tok and social media. Without fully understanding how filters work, or how wifi connects a device, (evidence being the Texas congressman exposing himself that his For You page was filled with underage girls dancing “provaccatively”, and not understanding how an algorithm works) I do not believe that decisions should be made rashly regarding their usage. 

In light of the upcoming presidential election of 2024, we again seemed to have limited ourselves to only two “realistic” candidates, one being from the democratic party, and the other from the republican party, again. We seem to be blind to the fact that there are more candidates, other than just the Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden. No, we chose to be blind to the fact that there are more than two viable options. An interesting conversation I had recently, when I had voiced my opinion on potentially voting for a third party candidate as my very first election, I was met with a response, “you are just going to throw your vote away”. Perhaps this mindset is what really contributes to millions of votes being “thrown away” every year, the mindset that independent third parties are never going to win. If we all agree to vote a third party candidate, then perhaps we will have a viable third party in our country. 

Now going back to my previous questions, whose fault is it really that we have representatives that perhaps do not have the full mental capacity or knowledge needed to make informed desicions? Sure we can blame it on the redrawing of district lines in electoral votes, or the numerous shenanigans and corrupt tatics that allow politicians to win a seat, but I believe that we ourselves have a huge part in this as well. In a study done by Harvard’s Institute of Politics, the number of americans aged between 18-29 who declared that they will “definitely vote” in the upcoming presidential elections has decreased from 57% to 49%. Why? Is it because in light of the recent developments and increasing exposure of the tactics used by politicians to unjustly claim power, or because that they feel that their voices were useless, and they were powerless in the decisions of their government? If that is the case, then it is all the more reason in voting.

We, as the younger generation need to increase our voter turnout, as it is up to us to change the world that we live in. While many of us may doubt our power in government, or may think that our futile efforts wold amount to nothing, it is essentially these doubts and feelings of futility that creates reality. In psychology, it is know as the self-fulfilling prophecy effect, what we believe in, we will unconsciously act towards that, making it a reality. So to change that, I urge that all of us to go out and vote. We can change our world! No matter how futile you believe that your singular vote is, know that there is power in numbers. One cannot change the world alone, but only one is needed to ignite the spark that will set the world alight. 

Don’t believe it? Well, history has shown time and time again that only one is needed to ignite the spark that changes the world. From the civil rights movement’s Martin Luther King Jr, to the one intellectual that stood up to the US government and called for ceasefire in Vietnam, time and time again, their valiant efforts allowed for positive change on our country. 

But does this mean that I am encouraging you to go out and immediately vote for the third party candidate? No. As always, do your research before voting. Follow your own beliefs, and no one elses. If you believe that your goals and vision align with the republican candidate, then go for it. If it aligns with the democratic then vote democratic party. What I am saying is that do not be confined and narrow your choices to only two, there are more, and do not harbor the mindset that your vote does not matter. It matters, and it could be the vote that changes the trajectory the country is going. The power lies in the people, us. It always has, it is now time to wield that power for democracy. 

Demos, or the people, and kratos, meaning power. The power of the people. It is time to vote, and change the world.