Modern Myths Discussion Post
Hello Class!
Let us now look at modern myths and how they play into our lives. For your initial post (Due by Oct. 12 Saturday 11:59p):
What similarities do you see between the readings last week, if any? Why do you believe these are still relevant today? (John Henry, Bogey Man, Himalayan Yeti)
What do digital humanities mean to you? Explain. Since the internet is worldwide, does this make it easier for myths to spread from person to person? What is the need for these modern myths?
Do you see these myths/stories as representing our current culture since they are considered modern? Explain.
Have you heard any other internet folklore/myths? Please share!
For your replies (Due by Oct. 12 Saturday 11:59p):
Please respond to at least two of your classmates, but feel free to comment on more!
READINGS
The Bogey Man
England
The Bogey Man is so terribly tall,
The Bogey Man is as high as the wall,
The Bogey Man is intended to fall
On violent, truculent folks.
The Bogey Man is the nurs’ry police,
There isn’t a nephew, nor is there a niece,
But of whose folly he knows every piece,
And his horrible wrath it provokes.
“We told you he’d catch you,” my family said,
When I was a youngster; and there by the bed
He seemed to be standing, all green, blue, and red,
And every sort of a hue.
I thought he would leap in the dark with a cry
And carry me off to his home in the sky —
But he never did yet, for here still am I —
So I don’t believe that it’s true.
John Henry and the Railroad
John Henry is an old American folk tale hero, a man who can move mountains despite the hard-scrabble world he lives in. John and his son approach a railroad company in search of honest work. John carries a hammer forged partly from the chains that only recently held him as a slave, and he’s determined to earn his living as a free man. His feats of strength became legendary, turning him into a potent symbol of endurance and dignity for the labor and civil rights movement. But that came later — first, he has to get the job and prove himself first
.JOHN HENRY AND THE RAILROAD | Omeleto (youtube.com)
The Crazed Hunt for the Himalayan Yeti
Dr. Zarka examines the yeti’s origins, from Tibetan folklore and religion to the Westernized abominable snowman version. She explains how Buddhist beliefs, a series of intrepid 20th-century explorers, and a creatively translated word make the yeti the creature we recognize today—and how it led to some pretty incredible scientific discoveries.