When we began our study of myths, we learned the purpose that myths fulfill and why they are so important to cultures around the globe. Myths exist to answer fundamental questions about the universe. In this, I was able to understand that myths existed as a source of comfort for people. The unknown can feel scary and overwhelming, and in ancient times where science was not advanced enough to explain many of the experiences which affect our daily life, a story of explanation could have been comforting.
When it was time for me to create my own myth, it was my turn to explain a phenomenon. This task immediately overwhelmed me. It felt so incredibly broad, and I was intimidated by the burden of explaining the origins of something that I absolutely had nothing to do with and for which I was not present. This gave me some insight on how people must have felt in creating these myths; they must have been so intensely looking for answers in order to be inspired enough to come up with these stories. While the burden of explaining natural phenomena feels impossible to me because I live in a world where science has already explained a whole lot of our experiences, early people who did not have as much information or education were inspired by their intense curiosity to piece together reality in a way that makes sense for them.
This was a joyful reminder for me about how naturally inquisitive and exploratory humans are. If people do not have access to an answer to a question they have, they tend to go out of their way to fill in these knowledge gaps with myth, art, and research. This gives my role as a teacher a joyful weight to it. My classroom will be buzzing with curious minds ready to try their best in piecing the world together in a way that makes sense. I am excited to aid in their journeys of natural curiosity and I hope that the knowledge they gain in my classroom will help them make sense of and prepare for the big world ahead of them.
Hi Millie,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you connected myths to comfort, because that’s something I didn’t fully think about at first but it makes so much sense. The idea that myths helped people deal with the unknown really changes how you see them not just as stories, but as something people genuinely needed. I also relate to feeling overwhelmed when we had to create our own myth. It does feel like a lot of pressure trying to explain something so big on paper but it comes easier in your brain if that makes sense haha. What you said about early humans being driven by curiosity really stood out to me though, because it kind of reframes that pressure into something more meaningful. I also love how you connected this to a classroom full of curious students trying to make sense of the world is really powerful. It reminds me that learning isn’t just about getting answers, but about asking questions too.
- Heleyna Guardado
Hi Lillian,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! Your mention of myths as a comfort for society is well said, seeing as back then, scientific explanations were unrealized, making folktales a safer and more prominent means for making sense of the world. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about different myths and how they related to cultures, as it was quite interesting to see the world through their eyes. Viewing the world through a creatively unique perspective is certainly more intriguing than some of the scientific explanations we have today to explain phenomena. Myths and folktales make the cultural learning experience more educationally liberating and promote societal empathy and enlightenment, especially for students. While teaching students scientific explanations is important, teaching them myths is equally just as important, as it expands their cultural awareness and creativity. Learning about myths can also bring about pattern recognition, seeing as many of the tales consisted of similar themes and motifs.
Great work,
Rachel Franks