Mythology and Modern Stories Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mythology and Modern Stories - Case Study Example Even with some religious barriers the western cultures are spreading all around the world. Along with the routine growth, the western countries themselves are trying to influence other countries to spread their culture1. One attempt to spread their culture can be seen through the media and many literary figures. But before getting into the details of these attempts there is one unanswered question, what exactly can be understood by the word "myth" and what are the theories that create a "myth"' Myth can be described as a folktale, a legend, a traditional tale. A main feature that a myth has is that myths are stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. Myths are basically created to teach the upcoming generation what to expect from the world and possibly how to protect them selves (Greek mythology on the other hand are based on religious believes which helps them create a more religious approach in the young's)2. Myths are created on the basis of four basic theories: the rational myth theory, functional myth theory, structural myth theory, and th... The type of myths that keep god in consideration are called creation myths, these myths tend to discuss religious believes and try to explain the facts of existence. Rational myth theory explains the understanding of natural and every day events, as for the functional myth theory, it talks about the lessons taught to people about morality and social behaviors. In other words it means that it teaches people what is right and what is wrong. These types of myths are created in order to form a more controlled and a stable society. If these types of myths were not exposed to the people then that will cause feuds between people due to different norms and believes of people. An example of this type myth would be the story of the Mahatma Gandhi; his acts of non-violence and ignorance have taught people not to fight and be patient about every step they take in their lives, this has helped the people to create a non-violent society. The third theory of myth is called the structural myth theory, this theory is based on human emotions and how the human mind has two sides, the good side and the bad side. The Chinese yin and yang symbol also explain the structural behavior of the human mind, it shows that within every good there is evil and within every evil there is good present. The structural myth theory also explains the same thing; these types of myths are called structural myths. An example of these structural myths could be the story of Romeo and Juliet. The story shows that how Romeo feels guilty about Juliet's death that he decides to punish himself by attempting suicide. This act shows that every human being has guilt inside (termed as legitimate conscience) of them for every wrong thing they