...Native American Culture Have you ever wonder how the world was created from another culture’s perspective? Native Americans used creation myths to explained to their people how the world was developed overtime. Creation myths are a big part of the Native American culture. they have been passed down from generation to generation. In the creation myths, harmony with nature, rituals, and strong social values are shown in each myths. The purpose of having strong social value in these myths is to teach younger Native Americans valuable lesson if they ever do something bad. These myths reveals how the rituals were created and their intentions for doing it. Creation myths has harmony with nature in it to show a very close kinship between them and nature. Native American explained how the world began with their myths. Various works of literature reveal the Native American tradition and beliefs of rituals, strong social value, and harmony with nature. Rituals plays an important role in Native American Culture. In the short story, “The Man to Send Rain Clouds”, the Laguna ritual was shown when Leon did the funeral rites on Teofilo. For example, “ Leon ties feathers to Teofilo’s hair, paint his face, and sprinkle holy water on his grave” (50). This quote is important because it is part of the Native American’s tradition that was past down from generation to generation, and the purpose of doing this funeral rites is to make him be part of nature. Another example of Native American ritual...
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...“To be American (unlike being English or French or whatever) is precisely to imagine a destiny rather than inherit one; since we have always been, insofar as we are Americans at all, inhabitants of myth rather than history.” In the context of this quote attributed to Leslie Fiedler, being American means subscribing to a socially constructed national identity--to the collective American Dream. This observation expresses a core truth about Americans, and about an American greatness that is in fact exceptional, but it is also problematic in several ways. First, the public has never felt compelled to fix the meaning of the American Dream, a term that presumably everyone knows. Second, while Fielder’s assertion is true of Americans, it is not uniquely so: All people, in some sense or another, inhabit myths. Finally, while Americans have certainly imagined destinies for themselves, they also live in history. Everyone does. The American Dream is neither a self-evident falsehood nor a scientifically demonstrable principle. Beyond the abstract belief that anything is possible if you want it bad enough, there is no single American Dream. The theoretical basis for the American idea incorporates an explicit allegiance to the concept “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But as the history of slavery and the struggle for women’s rights make clear, the rights...
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...taught many historical events that are distorted or flawed about our country. Ray Raphael’s book “Founding Myths: Stories that Hide Our Patriotic Past,” proves how easily people get confused with what is fiction and what is fact. This essay will discuss how the background of founding myths developed over time, the consequences as a result of the myths being unexplored, the impact of the myths, and whether or not these myths serve as a useful purpose. Since we have grown to the age to go to school we begin to learn our countries history. These myths have developed over time through the historians who tell or write about them. Historians tend to change the perspective or history the way they want you to view it. The founding myth of the Founding Fathers is a great example. The author Ray Raphael gives us a reason that the Founding Fathers became developed over time. Several framers and signers did not have normal names in the past and the author believed that people would not be able to remember all the confusing names. For Americans to recite a good myth Ray Raphael believed that...
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...Although many of them have successfully amalgamated into American culture through hard work and diehard persistence, the idea of this “model minority” trails behind them unceasingly. This stereotype of the model minority characterizes Asians as having everything “figured out”. They are willing and ready to assimilate completely into American culture; they stay of trouble and are submissive, and they dominate in both education and in the work place. Even though this stereotype seemingly praises Asians; in truth, it has a counteractive effect on both the Asian community and other ethnic groups as well. Despite the existence of this model minority stereotype, Asians are not followers of the myth and altogether demonstrate it counterfactual. In Asian American Dreams, Helen Zia introduces the model minority myth through an article titled “Success Story of One Minority Group in the United States” where it explains it as a reasonably form of praise claiming “at a time when Americans are awash in worry over the plight of racial minorities, one such minority, the nation’s 300,000 Chinese Americans, is winning wealth and respect by dint of its own hard work…” (Zia, 46). This quote claims that Asian Americans are achieving a high degree of success solely due to their perseverance and hard work. In addition, they are also receiving the respect of the other racial minorities. Finally, although not mentioned in the article, the myth also claims that Asians not only do well in terms of the...
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...1). How is the word myth used popularly? For example, what does the statement, “It’s a myth” mean? In contrast, how is the word myth used in the academic context? After considering the definition in your textbooks and course materials, write a definition in your own words. The academic definition of a myth” is discovering a way of making meaning that has been part of every human society.” I believe myths are stories that are told from generation to generation. Depending on our culture, religion, beliefs and so on would determine the moral meaning behind the story. Some myths are legends. For example,” the cross of Jesus” is determined to be a legend and a myth. Depending on how the story is interpreted by the person listening to it. Myth is used to relate and have a reason for things that we do, as a society we need a logical meaning for the purpose for things we need and believe, with this we turn to myths. 2). Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes? Think about how myths explain the unknown and the tribulations of mankind. Stemming from different countries from across the globe there are different culture values that has meaning to our behavior. Generation to generation learn from one another that is how our brains developed intellectually. We will be able to ask certain questions about myths. Then we will be able to answer that same question with our own mythological understanding. When we study different cultures and...
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...I am going to talk about the concept of myths and heroes. First of all, I would like to give a definition of this notion. A myth is a fictitious story which narrates the foundations of a given community. These narratives can convey the ideals of this community and create or perpetuate inspiring heroic figures. In this case, the concept of myths and heroes then serves a more profound purpose in our culture than mere fictional stories. To illustrate this, I have chosen to focus my thought on people's successful careers, that is to say people who started from scratch and reach the top of the social ladder. How can myths and heroes influence people's careers ? Aiming at answering this issue, I will exhibit a rags-to-riches life which is a symbol of the American Dream. Then I will show that political heroes could inspire society as well. First and foremost, one cannot deny that society is based on founding myths, a collective identity forged around common landmarks and shared values. As elsewhere, but even more so the myths of “The American Dream” in the United States is a great example. Indeed it promotes the idea that not only is personal fulfillment due to honesty and hard-working but it is based also on God’s will. As a captain of industry and a generous philanthropist , Rockefeller is a case in point. He was a role model who likely fostered the American spirit of competitiveness, innovation and entrepreneurship. In the same token, we studied the rags-to-riches life of Oprah...
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...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Ricky Gonzales HUM/105 December 14, 2015 Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Creation myths are stories told throughout time to describe how the world was formed and began. They also tell how the first people came to inhabit it. There are different myths for different cultures. The Native Americans have several myths. The Seminole Indians believe in the Creator who is also known as the Grandfather of all things. They believed the Creator made the earth. He then made all the animals of the world. The next step in his creation was to place all living things in a shell and placed it beside a tree. The Creator was hoping that the panther would be the first one to leave the shell. However, the shell sat for a long time. Over time the root of the tree formed with the shell and finally a crack appeared. Then the winds helped to make the crack wider. The bird began to peck at the crack until finally the panther emerged from the shell. The rest of the animals followed after that and they all went out to find their proper place on Earth. (nativeamcreation.html, 2015) The creator in this myth is a man. There does not seem to be any significance to this. One can only assume that man was always considered the greater being. The Zulu myth begins with just one seed that fell to the Earth. Once the seed took root in the earth, Uthlanga began to grow. These are long reeds that mean “the source of all things”...
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...Asian American organizations filed a complaint against Harvard University for discriminatory admission practices that set a higher bar for admissions for Asian American students than for any other race group (WSJ). Discrimination in college admissions is just one of the many ways that racism still affects Asian Americans today. This contradicts the belief shared by most White Americans that the civil rights movement eradicated racism in America and created equality between Whites and people of color (Sue 2007). Asian Americans are especially believed to experience little to no racism. This is due to the popular belief in the model minority myth: the belief that Asian Americans have succeeded in American society,...
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...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Stephanie Smith HUM/105 August 18, 2014 Kwajalein Harmon Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Creation myths are stories told throughout time to describe how the world was formed and began. They also tell how the first people came to inhabit it. There are different myths for different cultures. The Native Americans have several myths. The Seminole Indians believe in the Creator who is also known as the Grandfather of all things. They believed the Creator made the earth. He then made all the animals of the world. The next step in his creation was to place all living things in a shell and placed it beside a tree. The Creator was hoping that the panther would be the first one to leave the shell. However, the shell sat for a long time. Over time the root of the tree formed with the shell and finally a crack appeared. Then the winds helped to make the crack wider. The bird began to peck at the crack until finally the panther emerged from the shell. The rest of the animals followed after that and they all went out to find their proper place on Earth. (nativeamcreation.html, 2015) The creator in this myth is a man. There does not seem to be any significance to this. One can only assume that man was always considered the greater being. The Zulu myth begins with just one seed that fell to the Earth. Once the seed took root in the earth, Uthlanga began to grow. These are long reeds that mean “the source of all things”. The first one...
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...Kylie Murphy C.C.C. Annotated Bibliography “Five myths about gun control” By Robert J. Spitzer, December 21, 2012 1. I like this article because it states specific facts about gun control and not just opinions. It talks about all the myths about gun control, one myth is that gun control is a losing battle for Democrats. But, that is false because many democrats have voiced their opinion on the topic. Another myth is that guns are deadliest as murder weapons which has been also proven false because statistics show that gun suicide is more common than gun homocide. Another myth is that American schools have become shooting galleries. Horrible incidents like Sandy Hook and Columbine have happened but schools are still a safe place. Schools are starting to take a lot of precautions like lock down drills, metal detectors, and the presense of a resource officer. “…the odds of a child dying from a violent attack at school are about one in a million.”which may be very comforting to you but unfortunetely not to the families in connecticut and elsewhere. Another myth Robert talks about in this article is that gun regulations are incompatible with America’s gun heritage, but today four states have completely elimintated permits for handgun ownership and carrying. The last myth that Robert talks about is that the Second Amendment was intended to protect the right of Americans to raise up against a tyrannical government. If that was true it would defeat the whole purpose of the Bill...
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...Optimism and Pessimism of Myths Myths are stories passed down from generations which surround our society and determine true or false concepts. A notion is established within a myth to indicate a specific story and idea. Well-known myths, such as the 'Myth of the Model Family' and the 'Myth of Education and Empowerment,' provide a representation of ideas that have exceeded the strength of time. These complex, yet simple, myths represent a diverse range of opinions within society since they've been molded and have transformed over the period of time. “Rereading America” offers different perspectives from a variety of authors regarding these particular myths. The opinionated narratives mentioned in the text prove that these common myths have the ability to influence society in many ways. Regardless of the variety of influence, the authors portray their viewpoints by displaying how the myths can form a common understanding among a people. While these myths create a...
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...In 1985, Richard Ramirez told police, “I spent my childhood in fear because all the other kids my age picked on me because of my appearance, but one night I went to the bedroom of one of the boys who tormented me and something came over me; something evil….a craving, that his death would satisfy me. Later as I was running from the scene, covered in blood, I thought ‘Was I a monster like all of them said or was I just pushed too far? (Hansen.)” Serial killers are one of the most fascination and morbid groups of people to study. A serial killer is someone who kills three or more people with a cooling off period (Hickey). Now the FBI has changed it to two people. In between their crimes the serial killer appears normal and fits in with society quite well. Serial killers are very different from all other murders. A serial killer is smart, cunning, and will conceal everything they can. A mass murder kills or tries to kill a lot of people at one time; like shooting up a school or movie theater. A spree murder kills one or two victims here drives to another town and does it again. There seems to be no logic to mass and spree killers. A serial killer is very special and has certain characteristics. Serial killers aren’t caught more quickly, because it is possible that many would-be serial killers are apprehended before they kill the three or more victims required to qualify them as such in the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Similarly, it is certain that some serial killers are detained...
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...Rituals and Myth Ruslan Khalilov REL 161: Indigenous Religions of North America Dr. Lisa Poirier September 24, 2015 Have you ever think about rituals and myths, why people do perform rituals and tell myth? Myth is the story of origin or controversial story of events in what people believe to be true. Ritual is a tradition or ceremony which people perform, because they believe that performing of ritual will help feel a sense of comfort. For example, people believe that knocking on the wood help people to believe that they have escaped bad luck after tempting fate. In this essay we will go more deep to definitions of myth and religion. Myth is a true story that may and may not have actually happened and it alternatives to scientific understandings of origin. Myth accomplish for people who tell them to believe to controversial story of origin. “When the woman fell she was pregnant with twins. When these came they evinced opposite dispositions, the one good, the other evil. Even before they were born the same characters were manifested. They struggled together, and their mother heard them disputing. The one declared his willingness to be born in the usual manner, while the other malignantly refused, and, breaking through his mother’s side, killed her.” This is an example of myth of Wendat (Huron people) in what they believe is a story of creation of land. Woman was falling with children, one was a good son and second was evil...
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...only measured on the basis of their intellectual contributions, “divorced” identity, social status, gender, race, religion, and other characteristics. But this is only an illusion a so called myth that individuals are brought up to believe. In “Horatio Alger”, Harlon Daltons is able to break down this myth of meritocracy that include how we are judged solely on merits, have a fair opportunity to establish those merits, and how merit will bring success. Ruth Conniff in “Women Losing Ground” is able to support the myth of meritocracy that Dalton has established by explaining how women are still suffering from this myth that America has created. Dalton and Conniff are able to debunk the myth of meritocracy and help those that believe in meritocracy understand the inequality the myth has created in American culture. The idea of meritocracy is stating that an individual will not get judged and that “each of us is judged solely on her or his own merits” (Dalton (Alger theory)). But “sometimes we are judged on a different scale”... “favored...and ignored all on the basis of our race” (Dalton). How does this compare to only being judged on his or her own merits because all that is viewed is people being singled out on their appearance or surroundings and not on their qualifications. For example many times individuals don’t focus on how mothers get judged in the workplace. When they are “79 percent less likely to be hired and 100 percent less likely to be promoted because they are...
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...An origin myth is a myth that explains how something began and often times they shape the societies they arise from in many ways. Some origin myths explain the beginning of the world while others explain the origin of their own tribe or community. In most Native American tribes origin myths provided what was expected of its members and set examples of how they should act toward others. The two origin myths that I chose to compare were those of the Inuit Tribe and the Seminole Indian Tribe. Both tribes are made up of Native Americans and their myths explain the origin of the earth and its inhabitants. The origin myth of the Inuit tribe starts with the first man living in a peapod. On the fifth day the man pushed his feet and broke free from the pod and met a strange bird. The bird turned out to be a raven and began to speak to the man. They became familiar with each other and the raven told the man to wait and not move and then the raven left and came back four days later with fruit and berries. The man was pleased at this and decided to follow the bird, next the raven lead him to clay where he constructed animals like mountain sheep. Next the raven created fierce animals and created a woman so man wouldn't become lonely...
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