1. The American Dream
How does the composer you have studied, appropriate this myth to reflect the context of the time in which they were composed? Analyse the ways each text, through its language, form and values, reflects the culture in which it was composed.
The myth of Pygmalion describes the creation of Pygmalion's desired woman, Galatea. He created his perfect woman out of ivory and lavished her with gifts. Pygmalion prayed for her to come to life and the Gods granted his wish. The main elements of the myth are creation, the relationship between creator and creation, man, woman and love. These elements are strongly echoes in the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and the modern film Pretty Woman.
George Bernard Shaw extended the simple ideas of the myth through his 1912 play, Pygmalion. He explored important issues of the time in which he lived and his play reflects values and attitudes of that society. Society was very much focused on social status and class segregation. He criticises the superficiality of society and examines the relationship between men and women. Shaw was a member of the Fabian Society, which believed in social equality, and the play echoes many of his personal beliefs. His main focus in the play is to question and challenge the validity and justification of class segregations. The play opens in Covent Garden, a place where all levels of society visit. This allows Shaw to examine different characters from each social class through Higgin's observations. Higgins and Pickering represent the educated middle class; Eliza and her father embody the lower class, the working poor. Alfred Doolittle is a member of the undeserving poor' and makes two very important speeches in the play, which comment on class segregation and morality. .
The play places a strong emphasis on language as it was a great class divider in society. Language gave people power and it distinguished people of different classes.
These creation myths contain many of the same universal elements that are found in nearly all creation myths and they demonstrate for us the degree to which the Indians felt we truly are one with nature. ... The punishment of the Water Monster is a direct reference to the great flood that is found in many creation myths, including that of the Christian myths. ... Finally, these creation myths discuss the nature of human beings. ... All three of the Indian creation myths hold universal elements that are easily recognizable and comparable to other creation myths from other cultures. The Indian c...
Myths can be about anything and can be used to explain a variety of ideas. The myth of Prometheus is a rather important one in the Greek and Roman cultures. The main characters of this myth are Prometheus and Epimetheus. ... This myth was told for the sole purpose of explaining how man was created and was not told, like many other myths, to entertain. This myth does not try to point out a certain lesson, but it does show that if you commit a crime like stealing, there are consequences to be paid. ...
Facts of marriage are usually confused with myths. ... The second myth about marriage is, We Will Make Each Other Happy. ... The fourth myth is, My spouse is all I need. This myth is a popular one. ... We all carry myths into our marriages. ...
Resonant as a Myth? Is it valid to call Fowles" The Collector resonant of a myth? ... Often, myths strive to delineate the psychology, customs, or ideals of society or explain aspects of the natural world. They explain why the world is the way it is, and each myth conveys its own message. ... Interestingly, there is a Greek Myth that involves the capture and eternal torture of a beautiful and enchanting woman. ...
Those that believe in myth over science, are they wrong? ... The term myth has multiple meanings. ... The term myth should not be thought of as fictitious or primitive. The possibility for the myth to be real should always be considered. ... In the myth Hesiod anthropomorphizes the cosmos. ...
The quotation marks around beauty explain this myth. ... Naomi Wolff, the main thinker of beauty myth states that "the wishful notion that with enough time, money, effort, and will power, any woman can and should attempt to look like an extremely tall, young, slender-yet-bosomy, Nordic blonde model of a certain facial bone structure more or less summarizes the prevailing beauty myth." The beauty myth is brainwashing, a warped and destructive notion in a universe of such amazing diversity. ... (Beecroft 1999: 176) The beauty myth triggers many associations On-going cycle 1. ... The beauty...
Myths are about our common experience. ... Myths are a reflection of human nature; human nature is reflected in myth. ... Thus it stands to reason that myths reflect human nature and human nature is reflected in myth. Some myths, generally creation myths, relate to questions like those mentioned previously. ... Joseph Campbell wrote, "Read myths. ...
Some of the authors also used myth so they would not make their readers feel stupid or being talked down to. ... Below is a discussion of what I fell how each of these author's use myth and their purpose of using it. Carlyle uses myth (past) to help bring the past into the present. ... Tennyson's main use of myth is to illustrate how man lost their faith and the consequences of losing it. ... Tennyson uses myth to help project his own vision of how he saw his own civilization (i.e., hollowness he saw). ...