Unit+02+--+Myth+and+the+Discovery+of+America

=Myth: An Introduction= toc We live in a world that sneers at the idea of myth. Myths are seen as out-of-date, childish, and -- most damningly -- false. We use the word "myth" as a near-synonym for "lie." People on TV and in classrooms engage regularly in "myth-busting." Labeling a story or idea as a myth is a sure way to prepare an audience to reject it.

A more open-minded approach acknowledges the universality of myth in human life. A myth, in the most generous sense, is not true or false (unless we decide that the only kind of truth we care about is the scientific kind). A myth is not a story to be judged, but an active agent in the life of the adherent. A myth //creates// meaning for a community of people who share a common set of life experiences.

Over the last few decades, Western thought has gradually opened up to theories that acknowledge the value and omnipresence of myth in human life. The works of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, for instance, attempt to describe ways that all human beings rely on myth. Excerpts from or descriptions of their work are available on our homework page. We study myth in this course because of its underlying presence in human affairs. We can illustrate this by playing on the concept of the rhetorical triangle that you read about this summer. Let's imagine that we put the triangle (the three appeals plus rhetorical context) at the top of the image of an iceberg, above the waterline. In this new image, the triangle represents our conscious, purposeful use of rhetoric and awareness of context. Underneath, however, lies a vast mythic consciousness that is hardly acknowledged by the act of rhetoric, but is nevertheless acting to inform and shape that act. This lower consciousness is not individual, but communal.

This unit of study on //Myth and the "Discovery" of America// will seek to explore myth and its manifestations in human life. First, we will explore the ancient myths of some Native American tribes; we will then read about the Imperialist agenda and its (mis)interpretation of Native mythology before moving onto Puritan culture and the power of the Christian myth in enabling American settlement and facilitating the spread of nascent American culture.

=Resources for the study of myth=  __ Background on Greek Tragedy: The Mythic Origins of Western Theater __ //The powerpoint file below provides an overview of the deeply religious and ritualistic impulses that gave birth to Greek drama. You may print out the accompanying handout to take notes on, or simply print the presentation itself. Once you have viewed the presentation, you may want to read this excerpt from __Oedipus Rex__ and complete this assignment for extra credit.//

=Native American Myth Analyses= //Once your group's project is done, change the page settings to make it public. Then post a link to that page below. If you want to read the text of another group's myth, the entire list of readings is here.//

The Book of the Hopi: Worlds 3 and 4 (Period 3)

The Book of the Hopi: Worlds 3 and 4 (Period 7)

Corn Mother (Period 7)

Iroquois Creation Myth (Period 7)

The Book of the Hopi: Worlds 1 and 2 (Period 3)

http://polyaplang.wikispaces.com/-/Native%20American%20Oratory/Period%207%20--%20Book%20of%20the%20Hopi%20%28Migration%20of%20the%20Clans%29/?responseToken=a7dae6c5d5744c30b2afe0191e64c0a7

Book of The Hopi - Worlds 1 and 2 (Period 7) http://polyaplang.wikispaces.com/-/Native%20American%20Oratory/Period%207%20--%20Book%20of%20the%20Hopi%20%28First%20%26%20Second%20World%29/home?responseToken=0f9d6a216cb13c3abd2a0173bdf332f3b

=Imperialism: Mythic and Cultural Dissonance= //We will begin our study of Imperialism with a second reading journal assignment. The readings are listed below. The full directions for all reading journal assignments can be found at the bottom of the Summer Reading page. You are especially encouraged to pay attention to the ethos of each text as you work on this journal assignment.//

1. Columbus and De Vaca //This file contains three readings -- two letters by Columbus and one longer letter by De Vaca. Please complete a separate journal entry for each individual reading. The result will be a total of three entries from this one file.//

2. //This is a long letter, but Cortez is extremely orderly in his paragraph structure. Use his topical approach to gain a sense of his overall structure; then focus your reading on the specific paragraphs that seem to be most at the heart of (and most revealing of) his central argument.//

3. //This document contains several brief excerpts from Bartolome de las Casas work "A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies." Pay careful attention to his tone and to the ways that he structures his ethical appeals.//