I believe that in order to be able to create your own myth, you first have to learn the elements that go into writing a myth. Hence, you must study other myths before you can create your own. I feel this is true with anything anyone does, but we are discussing myths here. I enjoyed listening to the different types of myths the myth groups presented on in class because it gave me more insight as to what each myth was about and what elements have to be present in order for a myth to be classified under a certain type of myth (be it trickster myth, creation myth, the woman diving, etc).
The myth my group chose to present on was the trickster myth. I know the title, “trickster myth,” gives some type of hint as to what to expect from the myth, but I was not completely sure until I read about it. After studying trickster myths and presenting it to the class, I felt as though I was able to write my own trickster myth, which is what I ended up writing. While writing my myth, I thought about the elements that must be present in a trickster myth, the type of character the trickster is, and I used that information and applied it to the trickster myth I created. I feel that writing my own myth is a little different from studying a myth because I have to use my imagination to create my unique myth, while when studying a myth you just need to take the myth being read and analyze it by using the elements that help create that myth. Although the experiences are a little different, writing your own myth actually helps you better understand how myths work because you need to remember what you studied and apply it to your own myth. For instance, I had to remember what elements are present in a trickster myth in order to create my own trickster myth.
From this experience, I learned that providing my students with the groundwork or the fundamentals of myths before having them create their own myths is better than doing it the other way around because students will be well informed about myths before they are left alone to create their own.
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Hi Gustavo!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that we went over the different types of myths in class because I felt like it helped me determine which kind of myth I wanted to write about. I liked the group presentation on trickster myths, so I decided that I would write a trickster myth for my website. I think myth writing would be a fun project for high school students too. I agree with you that it's helpful to teach myths before actually writing them.
Hi Gustavo, I completely agree with the fact that studying the elements of a myth is helpful in creating a myth. I also agree that the presentations given in class were very helpful for this assignment. After all, even though I had heard of trickster myths before, I never really knew what constituted a trickster. Even the activity with the little paper animals on sticks helped me to better understand the concept. I also agree that creating a myth requires a certain level of imagination. Sure someone could say “I want to write a myth about the origin of corn”, but they need to use their imagination. They simply can’t say :“A seed fell from the sky and it grew into a stalk of corn…the end”. You have to be able to take the elements you learned and apply them to a new myth. So, I guess I would also have to agree that it would be a good idea to teach students about the different types of myths that exist. That way if they are also assigned to create their own myth, they won’t be overwhelmed by the fact that they have to start from scratch. Having a reference would definitely make things less stressful for them.
ReplyDeleteHey Gustavo!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed our trickster myth presentation! Hehe I honestly thought it was really fun reading the different myths under our section. I also decided to write a trickster myth since I enjoyed reading them. One definitely needs to use their imagination while writing their own myths. I had trouble making up a story that flowed and stayed true to character for the trickster myth. Reading and then trying to emulate a myth definitely gives you a wider understanding of it. I think the website is also a great idea to incorporate media in the class. I know I am having trouble making my website stand out and look nice. I am pretty sure that our students will find it a breeze! They will be able to express themselves creatively through web design. I also think that they will have fun looking at their classmates’ websites and myths. I cant wait to see your finished product of the website!
Hi Gustavo!
ReplyDeleteSo i totally agree with you about studying the myths before you actually create one. I found it much easier to understand myths once i really took the time to get a better sense of them. I think that you are on the right track by having your students learn them first before actually starting their own myth. I think it will give them a better sense of myths and like you said it really will help them to appreciate it more!
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ReplyDeleteHello Gustavo,
ReplyDeleteThe post that I had before I was testing something. Ooops. Anyway . . .
As for your myth analysis, I agree that providing a solid foundation is one of the best things that a teacher can do to aid in student comprehension.
In the example you provided about your learning about trickster myths, I think that it shows how, even at a college level, giving background information can really aid in learning.
I agree that the actual creating of a myth is different from studying a myth because of the imagination involved. What I would like to know is, how do you deal with students who claim to have no creative juices in them at all?! We all know that everybody has at least something, but, some students may be timid about the creative process. Perhaps if nobody but the teacher read it that would make them less timid.