Creating a myth vs studying a myth

Even though I’ve always enjoyed learning new myths, creating my own myth was an interesting experience. Normally when I study a myth, I simply sit down, read it, and then think about what I have read. I also really enjoyed the mythology presentations that we had in class. Not only were the presentations informative, they were also quite enjoyable. Yet, when it comes to the study of mythology, I always feel like an outside observer. After all, it feels like I am peering through a window and seeing someone else’s work unfold before my eyes. I guess I can almost describe it like when I go to see a movie. Yes, I enjoy what I am seeing and I usually learn something, but I always feel like I’m simply a spectator. Well, that was no longer the case when it came to creating my own myth. I felt as if though an unseen hand picked me up and tossed me into a director’s chair. Suddenly I was in complete control of what took place in my myth. How exciting!

This isn’t the first time that I’ve been assigned to write a myth since I had the exact same assignment in the eighth grade. Even back then I remember that I was really excited and that I couldn’t wait to get home and write my own myth. Sure reading Greek mythology was fun, but creating my own myth was even more fun. After all, it gave me the chance to look at something in the world and come up with my own explanation for its existence. Then again, that’s probably the same thing that ancient people did when they came up with different myths. Even though the assignment was fun, I suddenly came to realize that a lot of thought and creativity goes into creating a myth. I guess it really made me appreciate the complexity of the myths more than ever.

I felt that this assignment was a lot of fun and I would really love to share it with my future students. Even though I’m sure that many students would enjoy studying mythology, others might not be too thrilled. They too might feel like outside passive observers when reading a myth. Perhaps by letting students come up with their own myth , it would give them a chance to be in control and show off their creativity.

Writing About Poetry Vs. Writing Poetry

When it comes to either writing about poetry or writing poetry, I must admit that I feel intimidated. After all, when it comes to writing about poetry, it involves taking a look at another person’s work. Many times it is often tempting to look at a poem and look for some form of authorial intent. After all, it is very tempting to assume that a poet might be influenced by something that took place in their own life. Yet many times this isn’t the case. Sometimes poets, like authors, like to create situations and places that have absolutely no relation to their own life. It is simply a product of their own imagination and creativity. While there are some poems that are directly influenced by a poet’s life, it is best not to approach a poem with this assumption. I think I was guilty of this for a very long time, but now I feel it is better to pay attention to the words themselves. Even though I admit that my interpretations of poems are off many times, at least I gain a better understanding of the language. Yet if there is something more daunting that analyzing a poem, it must be writing one!

Since I’ve never really been a fan of poetry, I’ve honestly never attempted to write it. I always felt that poets were either creative individuals or tricky ones who speak in cryptic ways. It was kind of hard to imagine that a poet could be anyone. Yet after hearing some of the poetry written by my classmates, I realize a poet could be where I least suspect. So even though at this point in my life I’ve gotten used to looking at other people’s poetry, writing my own was almost unfathomable. After all, what could I possibly write about that would be interesting? Eventually, with a few examples, I found myself able to quickly come up with a few poems. So, even though my poems dealt with topics such a bus rides and cockatoos, it was nice to see that a poem doesn’t necessarily have to be about sophisticated things. Poems can be about anything as long as the poet has a willingness to say something.

I think that this experience has taught me that when it comes to writing about poetry, language is important. After all, if I were teaching my students poetry, I would rather have them focus on the words themselves. I wouldn’t want them to think that they have to know every single detail of a poet’s life in order to understand the poem. Now if I know that the poem does relate to a historical event, then perhaps I would take a slightly different approach. As for actually writing poetry, I am now aware that it can feel intimidating. I am also sure that there are some students who might feel this way as well. If I did have my students write poetry, I would encourage them to try and write about things that actually interest them. Hopefully that would help to dispel any fears or discomfort they may have