Greek Mythology Reflective Essay

June 17, 2020 by Essay Writer

Mythological Influence in Today’s Society – Reflective Essay I’ve always thought myths were irrelevant. Dead, even. Things that no one thought were more than just stories made up by old dead people when they were bored, without any real purpose. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Through analysing numerous parts of Greek mythology, watching Harry Potter, and then putting our knowledge together with the mythology photo essay, I have come to learn that myths are anything but dead in modern society.

They indeed have a very large impact on modern society.

They live in our western culture, lives, perspectives and ways of thinking, as well as names of companies, games, and other things. Among the vast amount of aspects of Greek mythology that have been integrated in our modern world, the name Pandora chosen for the jewellery company and books, such as “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”, stand out the most to me. Throughout this unit, I have learned that very many companies’ names are derived from Greek mythology.

These include Hercules (Heracles), Poseidon Seafood, Amazon, Pandora, Medusa (the cement company), Nike, Odyssey Cruise Lines, Trident gum, and many others.

All of these companies have given me insight about why companies would choose these names, where they came from, and what they wanted their company to be like. Among these companies, Pandora stood out the most. On the surface, this name seemed to be always seemed like a unique, thoughtful name, even when I had no idea what the background to it was. Because this name seems to be mysterious and have a deeper meaning behind it, I came to like the company more and regard it as superior, with high quality products.

After digging down and finding the root of what the company’s visions are, I have discovered a whole new world below the surface, full of deeper meanings hidden behind a word. I think that these names, because of a semi-hidden deeper meaning, attract more customers, even if the customers don’t know what the origin of the name is. These companies become a part of our lives more and more. Because of Greek mythology, many companies’ profits have been impacted, as with these aspects in people’s lives today. Companies named after aspects of mythology are very influential compared to companies named otherwise.

Another way that Greek myths affect us is in books and movies. Certain parts of movies have always appealed to me, but I never knew why. Before this mythology unit, I just assumed there wasn’t a reason. Now, I see that some of the plots in books and movies are actually based on entire Greek myths. Also, there are some plots that don’t use the whole plotline, but they still use very evident patterns and archetypes. By watching Harry Potter, I have understood that there was a lot of research deep in the world of mythology in order to make these stories more interesting.

One of many examples of another movie including mythology would be “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”. In this mythology unit, we studied archetypes. Percy is the hero who has to defeat Luke, the destroyer, while Grover (protector) and Annabeth (companion) always stayed with him. Well-known Greek gods were also in the story. When I found archetypes in these stories, I realized that no matter how much time passes and how different societies are, there will be parts and archetypes that are the same in every society at every time. This sets almost a criteria that makes books more interesting.

Sometimes the author makes a conscious effort to incorporate mythology into the story to make it more interesting. However, sometimes mythology integrates itself into stories without the author realizing it, but nevertheless makes the story a lot more intriguing. Myths influence our stories, and stories influence our lives. Books and movies are very influential in modern society. In conclusion, myths have a large impact in today’s society. They are present in the names of companies, such as Pandora, having a background that we can understand only by delving into the deep world of myths.

Mythology is woven into stories, like “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”; subtle until identified, yet impossible to ignore once they are. I have learned so much about the impacts of myths in our world throughout this unit. Yet, I know that we have barely scratched the ice; we have explored only the tip of the iceberg. Greek mythology has so many impacts on us, but are so many more impacts that I haven’t yet come across. Modern society’s influences from Greek mythology are as alive as ever.

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