Myth can be defined as a traditional story that explains a natural phenomenon in comparison to history, which is all of the past events usually recorded to be shared for later generations. Both can act as helpful tools to reveal a deeper meaning to any story.
In "The Way to Rainy Mountain" by N. Scott Momaday, he uses Myth to relive his grandmothers life and keep her stories alive. After he recited the legend, he says, "...and so long as the legend lives, the Kiowas have kinsmen in the night sky (Momaday 56)." Momaday cherished his grandmother and her stories and by mentioning that there will stars in the sky for his people, he knows that there is a spot up in the night sky for his grandmother and she will always be there to guide him. He uses historical references when he mentions his ancestry and how "they never understood the grim, unrelenting advance of the U.S. Calvary (Momaday 54)." His historical reference shows how much he knows about his ancestry and how much he wants us to be able to associate things he tells us. The way he uses both of these tools helps the story make sense, even if you have to slow down and reread certain parts. Since history is also about learning about the past, he wants to teach the future generations about his own family and tribe so that their spirits will never die.
Have you heard of the show "Mythbusters"? They take common myths such as: can an actual shark do the things portrayed in the movie Jaws? Can being dragged on the ground fast enough cause a pair of pants to catch on fire? They take myths and test them with science and history while giving us insight into the insane experiments they undergo in order to prove if in fact the crazy myths are true of false. Which is exactly what we do everyday! We test the limits to learn new things and become curious about our past and how they managed to figure out so much for us to have throughout their years. It's crazy to think how myth and history become apart of us. Don't you think?
No comments:
Post a Comment