Class Presentations - December 7, 2010

I will preface this by saying that I am awed by the intellect of the people in this class.  It is daunting, and bery overwhelming at times for a dolt like me to be surrounded by, yet inspiring and entertaining as well. 

Taylor:  Henderson is not in touch with reality.  In dream time - the real  past.  He is forever trying to get back to his own beginning.  Hero aspect.  Horn of plenty, and the beginning is the end. 

"You cant get away from the rythm"  page  329 Henderson - read that part over

Melinda:  "What I already knew and learned to remember" Bravo!!! 

Doulas:  Homeopathy, symbolism of the umbrella.  Sorry, this is where my ignorance kicks in, some of these were too deep for me to put into words here.  Well done, I'm just not very bright. 

Stormie:  Did not like Henderson at all!  The person, not necessarily the book.  Felt that if Henderson had been familiar with The Golden Bough, he would not have gotten himself into so much trouble!  Amen! 

Sarah Knox - Four Quartets.  Henderson suffered so much and had a very slow and painful enlightenment.  I love the way she summed that up! 

Sally:  What I learned - Eschatology.  The world is ending, realized eschatology.  Well done. 

Corrin:  Henerson as the Phoenix.  Adonis and Aphrodite, my favorite quote - "The heart and the groin don't have alot of difference:"  Brilliant.  Another one that was hard for me to summarize. 

Mayan:  Compared her life to myth.  Spoke of how personal obstacles (depression) will be easier to deal with the her appreciation of myth. 

Jase:  Focused on the "I want, I want" 

Curtis:  Focused on modern day advertising and the connection with mythology:  Nike - agility, speed - Arachne as an expample of state sponsored art.  Loved it. 

David:  Departure, initiation and return. Henderson had a call to adventure. 

I apologize if my interpretations are terribly limited by my ignorance.   The presentations were all wonderful, enlightening and inspiring.  It is awesome to appreciate the intellect all around me!  Thank you all!!

Presentations: December 7, 2010

First of all let me post my own paper.  With that said, I would like to add that this class and writing this paper was tremendously enlightening to me.  To realize just what I had lost by burying my head and shunning that which I knew nothing about.  Without being weird, I can honestly say that my life is much richer and this experience has been of more value than simply becoming aware of mythology.  I have a clear appreciation for what I have left behind.  Years ago when I was younger, I loved to read.  Did it alot.  Than as I became older and busier and let the outside struggles of life take over, I hate to say that I don't think I have sat down and read a book that was not assigned or required for years.  Again, I hate to admit that.  I always felt that I was much too busy, too tired, too stressed.......This class has made me realize that there is nothing more therapeutical than curling up with a good book.  It is better than beer, more relaxing than tossing and turning and trying to sleep and the best part is it makes you grow, learn and live a better life.  Now, when I am stressed, I will grab a good book and sit down and read for a bit.  Go on a personal vacation.  I missed reading and appreciate what avoiding it has done. 

Catching up! Book 5

I would like to preface this post with some background of my mythological background, which also leads a bit into what my paper will be about.  Prior to this class I would have said loud and clear that "I do not like Mythology!!"  I have always avoided it like the plague (mythological, huh?!) and always thought of it as an old ancient form of science fiction, which I also claim to hate.  I am very happy to say that now that I have taken this course, and yes, read Ovid, cover to cover, I really enjoy Mythology and have a completely different view of it.  I have had a tendency in my life to avoid and or ignore things that I have little knowledge of, or simply don't understand easily.  I grew up in Montana and when I moved to New Jersey at 18 I recall telling some newly found friends that "I hated seafood."  One day one of them asked me how I knew that appreciating there was probably limited amounts of seafood in Montana.  It was at that point I realized I had never tried seafood............and guess what..............I LOVE seafood!!!  Who Knew???!!  My experience with Ovid is no different.  I have learned that I need to pursue that which I am skeptical about and have an open mind and let it in!  When I saw the book Ovid that was required for the course, I remember thinking clearly, Oh, dear god, I hope we don't actually have to read that!!!  I hope we just have to refer to bits and pieces, little bits and pieces!  Now that I have read it all, and many, many parts 2 and 3 times over, I could not be more thankful to have had this experience and learned not only that Mythology is beautiful and lovely and the source of incredible art, and music and has the incredible ability to help us understand human life and behavior.  Thank you for that!  With all of that said, with my newly found interest in mythology, I realize that part of the reason that I avoided it before is because I found it completely unbelievable, and quite honestly just weird.  Now I know that I don't have to believe it, just learn from it.  Let it take me to what I can relate to, it is not my job to make sense of it, but to let it make sense to me.  So, in many of my sentences of the stories, I will relate the story to what it made me think about in my current world.  Much of it seems absurd, and yes, maybe a little disrespectful, but I think it's OK, because taking it too seriously is what made me avoid it my whole life.  I think you have to have fun with it.  So here I go! 

Book 5

Perseus - This has got to be the worst wedding reception ever!!!  I will always and forever think of this story as I sit and suffer through my friends children's weddings!! 

Minerva and the Muses - I think of this as one of the first versions of American Idol with the whole music competition thing.  Minerva would be the first Simon Cowell and having the singers that did not win turned into magpies could explain many of the outfits that you see on some of the "music stars" at the awards shows, like Lady Gaga!  She must have lost some competition!!