Greek Myths Analysis
Exploring Heroism in Greek Myths
Reid Gilligan
May 3rd, 2016
Storytelling is a way to explain the unknown, provide moral and ethical guidelines, and put good and bad human interactions into context for children. With the gods, heroines, and villains in Greek Mythology, children can be taught about values, courage, treachery, weakness, and the flaws of human nature. While the myths of the Greek gods are centered in the religion and culture of the ancient times, the stories continue to be parables to teach and entertain children today. The mystery and supernatural fears of ancient Greece have been overtaken by modern times, but the fundamentals of human nature remain unchanged and create opportunities to teach in a way that captures the imaginary …show more content…
By showing that the human experience today is not new and the strong find a way to navigate through the difficult and challenging times, the stories can offer hope and strength and support to a child’s own personal challenges, hopes, and demons. The myths mentioned in the analysis below take the human experience from creation with Gaea and Ouranos to war and survival with Zeus. The gods are shown to be much the same as humans. Zeus, for example, is depicted as a massive being, but human in looks. In fact, all of the major gods are human-looking while the monsters, who often represent human weaknesses, are described otherwise. The gods experience the same passions and flaws of …show more content…
The myths can be dark and contain horrific and terrifying events, often with people and monsters dying. Oedipus kills his father and has children with his mother; two disturbing acts even to adults. Heracles kills his own children in a fit of rage. Myths are violent and cause disagreement, but the fact remains that the global world today is violent and can be increasingly difficult for a child to bring into perspective. History and politics are important educational components but, even today, the alliances, tensions and treasons of the Greek myths can be translated to current events and are therefore teachable
Reid Gilligan
May 3rd, 2016
Storytelling is a way to explain the unknown, provide moral and ethical guidelines, and put good and bad human interactions into context for children. With the gods, heroines, and villains in Greek Mythology, children can be taught about values, courage, treachery, weakness, and the flaws of human nature. While the myths of the Greek gods are centered in the religion and culture of the ancient times, the stories continue to be parables to teach and entertain children today. The mystery and supernatural fears of ancient Greece have been overtaken by modern times, but the fundamentals of human nature remain unchanged and create opportunities to teach in a way that captures the imaginary …show more content…
By showing that the human experience today is not new and the strong find a way to navigate through the difficult and challenging times, the stories can offer hope and strength and support to a child’s own personal challenges, hopes, and demons. The myths mentioned in the analysis below take the human experience from creation with Gaea and Ouranos to war and survival with Zeus. The gods are shown to be much the same as humans. Zeus, for example, is depicted as a massive being, but human in looks. In fact, all of the major gods are human-looking while the monsters, who often represent human weaknesses, are described otherwise. The gods experience the same passions and flaws of …show more content…
The myths can be dark and contain horrific and terrifying events, often with people and monsters dying. Oedipus kills his father and has children with his mother; two disturbing acts even to adults. Heracles kills his own children in a fit of rage. Myths are violent and cause disagreement, but the fact remains that the global world today is violent and can be increasingly difficult for a child to bring into perspective. History and politics are important educational components but, even today, the alliances, tensions and treasons of the Greek myths can be translated to current events and are therefore teachable