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God, Myth, and Society, 2004.
This paper discusses that the social sciences have searched to identify the purpose of religions, but in their efforts to define the purpose of myth, sociologists are still at a loss.
5,645 words (approx. 22.6 pages), 23 sources, MLA, £ 97.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that ideas about moral values, religions, or myths, which have an absolute foundation in a ?god? who is essentially ?other? than ourselves, have been replaced in the minds of this generation by the treatise of relative morals and ethics. The author points out that there are the two common frameworks that classical mythologists used to understand the construction of myth: (1) Belief systems, which attempt to give the person a sense of control over that which is larger than him or herself, and (2) myths, which allow the person an understanding of themselves and the world around them. The paper stresses that, in the wake of man?s self-enlightenment, the striving for knowledge has left behind an unexplained vacuum in the minds and hearts of men to still remain connected to myth-belief systems.
Table of Contents
Levi-Strauss?s Conundrum Regarding Myth
Personal ?Needs? for a God Identity Myth
Myth Definition
Myth Construction
Myth?s Purpose
Conclusion
From the Paper
"As consequence to the failure of religious leader to adapt an argument for God?s existence in scientific terms, man?s continued desire to connect with a ?higher being? was reduced to the idea of myth. Thus construction of the myth has absorbed much of sociologist?s activities for the last half century. How and why man creates belief systems for something that is not real poses a problem to the scientific mind. If God does not exist, then within mankind there must be internal desires which create the longing and psychological need for attachment to an ethical system, or moral compass. Another hypothesis is that within the social construct of a community, there exists a collective need for the group to find identity with a ?higher order'.?"
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Impact Of Myths On African Culture And Society, 2002.
Looks at the significance of myths in African culture, society and religion.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 2 sources, £ 31.95
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Abstract
This four-page undergraduate paper discusses the importance of mythology and folklores in the religion, social and cultural structure of the African continent. The African society is based on a tribal system, which is considered to be of immense importance, and these tribes follow the customs and traditions of their ancestors without questioning their validity.
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Gods Before God, 1999.
A study of the development of monotheism in the Hebrew Bible.
1,944 words (approx. 7.8 pages), 8 sources, MLA, £ 43.95
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Abstract
Modern Judaism is usually considered a monotheistic religion - it has as its central tenet the belief in only one God, and the denial of the existence of all other gods. However, the Hebrew Bible is not a modern document, and it contains different conceptions of God and his relation to other gods. In places, the Hebrew Bible supports monotheism, but in other places it does not. This paper examines the various conceptions of God and other gods in the Hebrew Bible, how these conceptions changed over time, and the possible influences from sources outside the Israelite tradition, including Egyptian, Canaanite, and Iranian.
Outline:
Origins
Pre-Exile
Exile
Post-Exile
Conclusion
From the Paper
"In the early, pre-exilic period, the Israelites were still forming as a people, and were substantially influenced by Canaanite religion and culture. Yahweh was still a somewhat local deity, tied to the land and the temple. After the destruction of the temple and during the exile, the Israelite religion had to broaden to survive, and God became more transcendent, omnipresent, and monotheistic. The Israelites also had to differentiate themselves from the people they were living among, in order to keep their religion and culture whole. When the exile ended and the temple was rebuilt this movement continued: God became more universal and the Jewish people became more exclusive. The religion has become thoroughly monotheistic, although in late post-exilic times it starts to develop a sense of dualism that was absent earlier, and is a result of Iranian influences (Widengren, 311)."
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Drug Use in Modern Society, 2002.
This paper discusses the phenomenon of drug use in American society.
1,560 words (approx. 6.2 pages), 1 source, APA, £ 36.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how drug use is rampant in American society. The focus of this paper is on the upper-echelons of society in order to demonstrate how widespread this phenomenon has become. The author's main subject is a white, upper-class male from a stable home, which breaks the myth that all drug users come from the lower-echelons of society. Through the process of interviewing the subject, Andrew, the author gives an intimate look into the life of a drug addict and ,in the process, breaks many of the myths surrounding drug use and those who use it in American society.
From the Paper
"It was during this time that Andrew began using marijuana. The use of marijuana was widespread among the academics, but was completely taboo amongst the townspeople. The townspeople viewed marijuana as a dangerous drug, and viewed the people who used it in as ?drug users?. Andrew saw the townspeople as being completely hypocritical in their adamant stance against marijuana, since they were chronic and constant users of alcohol. Andrew notes that the academics got their extremely high-grade marijuana from local growers, at what he refers to as a ?kick-ass? cost. Andrew also visited Amsterdam during his tenure as a graduate student. He spent six weeks, alone in Amsterdam, for the purpose of writing his thesis. Andrew notes that he says that he spent ?almost every minute stoned out of (his) tree?. Amsterdam was a liberating time for him, as drug use is decriminalized, and liberal attitudes about drugs do not ?demonize? the user as they do in the United States."
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Constructed Myths and Man?s Purpose, 2004.
A detailed examination of Nietzsche?s theory of God and myths.
5,624 words (approx. 22.5 pages), 14 sources, MLA, £ 97.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the process by which myth is built within a community. What are the commonalities in the construction of myths? What is the return mankind receives by being a part of a myth structure? It explains that the underlying assumption is that, if there was not a need or an identifiable benefit from the myths, then men would discontinue their use. It discusses that this was the core of Nietzsche?s hypothesis. However, the continuance of constructed myth in mankind?s societal belief systems is similar to the ongoing need for grease in a wheel bearing. Without the myth, social orders to not function well. Atheistic communism has fallen, and social discord follows in nations that attempt to outlaw the exercise of religious beliefs. Like a thin coating of grease on sliding metal parts, the myth must serve some purpose. The final section of this paper considers the question as well.
From the Paper
"Since Nietzsche declared that God was dead, science and mankind has begun a twofold search. Nietzsche?s declaration asserted that, in detail, the need for God in the society?s constructed identity no longer existed. The scientific method and accompanying hopes for a utopian society would be ushered in by modern thought. Modern, logical and rational thought would be able to replace oppressive superstition, religious, and myth. Since his work, along with Jung, Kant and a myriad of others, the social sciences have searched for the purpose of religious life within the context of community. The ongoing survival of religion in the cultures around the world long after God?s widely reported death has created problem for sociologies and theologians alike."
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Four Functions of Myth, 2002.
Discusses four functions of myth pertaining to the Native American Hopi culture.
2,270 words (approx. 9.1 pages), 4 sources, MLA, £ 50.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses and analyzes the topic of the functions of myth, as defined by author Joseph Campbell in his book, "The Power of Myth". Specifically, it explains Campbell's four functions of myth and show how they are demonstrated in Native American Hopi culture. The Hopis of Northern Arizona epitomize the four functions of myth in their culture and society. Their society is based on myth, religion and spiritual celebration and they have held on to these myths when many other tribes have turned away from their spiritual and mythical past. The paper shows that the Hopi's myths relate to the earth, the natural world surrounding them and their dependence on this natural world for their survival. They understand the importance of myth in a healthy society and, because of this, they have one of the longest surviving Native American societies in the Southwest desert.
From the Paper
"The priests in the ceremony carry the snakes in their mouths as they circle a central plaza in the village where the ceremony is performed. After several groups of priests make their way around the plaza with the snakes, the snakes are gathered up by "snake gatherers," and carried out into the desert below the mesas, where they are released. If the dance is performed correctly, the Hopis believe it will bring rain (O'Kane 196-205). The Snake Dance is an excellent example of myth in its purest form, as it is the physical acting out of only one of the most important and vital Hopi myths. The myth relates directly to the health and well being of the community, and celebrates the wonder of the rain and the snakes and their relationship to the natural (and unnatural) world. It is their belief the snakes can communicate with the spirits who will send the rain, and to make the spirits happy, they must use just the right snakes, and then send them home (their release in the desert) to carry their message."
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Rape Myths, 2008.
This paper argues the negative influences of rape myths on crime policy and society.
3,010 words (approx. 12.0 pages), 9 sources, MLA, £ 63.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that people who report the crime of rape to the authorities are attacked very often because of rape myths. The author points out that rape myths permeate society with their age old rhetoric and transform large scale false beliefs. The paper stresses that rape myths give perpetrators the ability to justify their actions and, at the same time, they discredit the real victims who wish to seek justice. The author underscores that there are numerous rape myths, but the most common ones, which the author examines in detail, are 'you can't rape the willing', 'men are at danger of being falsely accused of rape', 'some categories of forced sex are not really rape' and, the most famous one of all, 'no can mean yes'.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Impossible to Rape an Unwilling Woman
Women Secretly Want to be Raped
Women Cry Rape
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Metaphorically speaking, the penis was deemed a weapon and the vagina as a submissive holder for it. The saying implicates that by merely 'vibrating', this holder could fend off the attack. In the words of Michael Ryan, one of the most prominent jurists in the 1830s, it was 'almost impossible' to rape a resisting woman. Children who had claimed that they were raped had to do so very carefully, many at the time considered the rape of a child impossible! John Leeson, who was a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, was one of the professionals who had claimed this."
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The Gods of Ancient Egypt, 2008.
An analysis of the human-like features of the Egyptian gods as described in the book "Egyptian Myths" by George Hart.
1,138 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 28.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how the Gods of Ancient Egypt were not only deities to their worshipers, but also served as a creative manifestation that collectively expressed the different facets of life in Egypt and how the scope of this effect varies from the appearance of each god representing what their responsibilities as a god might be to the human-like qualities and quirks of each god that gave them a more human aesthetic than the Greek and Roman Gods. In particular, the paper looks at how the "Egyptian Myths" is no exception to this rule and spans the breadth of Egyptian life as it touches upon the Egyptians love of beer, the emotions of the gods, the origin of the Egyptian people, the political responsibilities and relations among the gods, the relations of Egypt's gods and people to the land, and the relations of the gods to the people of Egypt.
From the Paper
"In the "Myth of Cataclysm," the gods display overwhelmingly human-like qualities. The most evident of these is emotion and more specifically, emotions related to power. Re's vengeful streak is made apparent as he addresses Nun, the primeval source of life. "In his statement he mentions how mankind emerged from the tears of his eyes... and how they are conspiring against him. He wants to know Nun's opinion before he kills the entire human race." Essentially, Re, the Sun God and the Ruler of Egypt, is considering the punishment of the human race for daring to rebel against him. This kind of retaliatory streak among gods is often perceived as wrath, but what defines this particular instance as vengeance is the emotional context. Re appears to feel betrayed by the humans as he states that they were created from his tears before he asks Nun whether he should kill them or not. The fact that Re consulted Nun about killing the human race also plays to the human qualities of the Egyptian gods. It suggests that Re has doubts about destroying his creation while also hinting that, while he is the King of Egypt and the God of the Sun, he feels indebted to the source of his own genesis, Nun. This same doubt is evident when he rescinds his desire for the destruction of the human race and sends his messenger to warn the humans about another goddess coming to destroy them while offering them a plan so that they might survive. "
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The Ritual Theory of Myths, 2002.
The paper explores the ritual theory of Roman myths by examining the myths and rituals surrounding two Roman Gods, Demeter and Dionysus.
927 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 23.95
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Abstract
The paper analyzes the connections between the ritual calendar of the Romans and the cyclical elements contained in the myths of Demeter and Dionysus. The paper discusses the issue of whether myths or rituals came first and concludes that it is likely that the rituals preceded the myths.
From the Paper
"Demeter was the Roman goddess of corn and the earth?s fertility. She and Dionysus were considered to be benevolent helpers of mankind. Like many of the Roman gods and goddesses, they were honored and represented by daily activities. Demeter and Dionysus were represented by the acts of breaking bread and drinking wine. Demeter lost her daughter to Hades and Dionysus died with the coming of the cold season. It is not difficult to see the mythological connection to death and the coming of cold in the ancient world. The story of Demeter has many cyclical elements, including the compromise that Demurrer?s daughter would spend only a portion of the year on earth. This coincides with the fertility cycles and winter on earth."
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Joseph Campbell and Myths, 2005.
A look at how myths are intended as lessons about basic codes of society.
2,868 words (approx. 11.5 pages), 3 sources, APA, £ 60.95
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Abstract
This paper expounds on Joseph Campbell's explanation of how myths are intended to teach individuals about the society in which they function. Through examples from Campbell's text in which Campbell talks about the Greek story of Persephone and Demeter, Arthurian legends, and religious myths, this paper demonstrates Campbell's contention that myths have served as a way of either bolstering the status quo of a culture or society or of teaching that deviation from the status quo will bring ruin.
From the Paper
"In terms of Greek and Arthurian heroes, the resolution of problems such as the acceptance of duality and harmony often pitted the individualist nature of the hero against a sort of guiding patronage system instilled by either the gods, royalty, or both. Campbell uses the Greek story of Persephone and Demeter as a guiding example, but there are many other examples in Greek myth of the gods acting as intercessors in the mortal realm and providing the sort of conservative instruction advocated by myths. Love in Greek myth is often something that is aligned with supernatural fate, as when the mortal woman who is chased by a god finds herself turned into a dryad, or into some other representational totem. Love is also the source of problematic blame in terms of the battles surrounding Troy in Greek myth and legend. But in any case, the heroes of these myths, when they are acting alone, show that they are stemming from an individual response which must be tailored by the intercession of the gods. If the hero is too individualist and denies the patronage system of the gods and oracles, as Oedipus did, the results are generally tragic."
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Man?s Myths, 2004.
This paper discusses that myth is not only a sociological function, but also has a basis in reality, which does not fit inside the scientist?s world of logical and visually measurable phenomena.
5,370 words (approx. 21.5 pages), 13 sources, APA, £ 94.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the reason for developing a myth is to understand the existing social order in terms of things that are familiar to the members of the society; myths are designed from experiences of the people. The author points out that the continuation of religious myth in the collective experience of mankind after developing scientific rational has presented anthropologists with a continuing dilemma. This paper explains that myth is a moral code, such as the story that delineates right and wrong or good and bad to those people who believe in and live by a specific myth.
Table of Contents
Personal ?Needs? for a God Identity Myth
Myth Construction
Myth?s Purpose
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Boyer also identified what he calls activation points around which the oral tradition is elevated to the level of a myth. The activation points for Boyer are the complex set of circumstances which men and women can experience as they mature. These events are often in need of an explanation that resides in an external locus of control. According to Boyer's research, these anthropological and sociological experiences trigger a specific physiological ethos in the brain, and the brain is primed to ?look for? traditions which explain these experiences. It is by chance that the myth and a religious framework is the best framework to give these experiences a cohesive meaning."
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Rape Myths, 2007.
This paper examines the issue of rape and argues against the myths that place the responsibility for such violence on the victim.
1,069 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 6 sources, MLA, £ 26.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer points out that the act of rape is one of the most violent and demeaning crimes in society. Further, the writer notes that rape is more associated with aggression and domination than it is with sex. The writer explains that not only does this act cause physical harm but it is also emotionally and psychologically damaging to the victim. In this paper, the writer discusses that in spite of the suffering of rape victims, the myth is often propagated in society that women initiate rape either by being alluring or tacitly leading the male on. The writer concludes that it should be remembered that rape is a crime and a social act that has enormous consequences for the victim.
From the Paper
"However, mythical attitudes and stereotypes have an extremely negative effect, not directly only on the women who is a victim of rape but also in terms of the reportage and combating of this crime; as well as on the subsequent arrest rates. Due to this myth that women often invite rape, many women feel that they are somehow to blame if they are raped. This has been given as a central reason why many women do not report being raped to the authorities. The myths therefore tend to distort the victims sense of psychological balance and viewpoint and point to the possibility that she may have in some way led the rapist on or encouraged him. These women therefore internalize the dominant social rape myths that are promulgated in the society and culture so that they become a measure of 'reality'."
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The Female Beauty Myth, 2007.
This paper explores the motives behind the way women are portrayed in the popular media.
2,492 words (approx. 10.0 pages), 10 sources, MLA, £ 53.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses the views of Naomi Wolf in her book "The Beauty Myth" that the enforced version of female beauty helps to maintain male economic and political power. The paper also discusses Noam Chomsky's argument that the powerful elite of our society deliberately manipulate the media they control in order to maintain the current status quo. The paper examines current popular media, especially television and film, to investigate whether these allegations appear to be valid. The paper concludes that the beauty ideal is indeed a myth that the elite of our society convey to us via the popular media in order to keep women in their inferior place.
From the Paper
"In her book The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf argues that the ideal of female beauty that is projected in modern mass media is simply the latest method of keeping women in a subservient role within the patriarchal system. Wolf sees the aggressive pushing of a particular form of beauty as an important part of a backlash against the successes that have been achieved by the feminist movement. She believes that this enforced version of female beauty helps to maintain male economic and political power, by keeping women busy with diet and exercise, or keeping them so consumed by anxiety that they are unable to act effectively in the worlds of business and politics. Wolf argues this point with reference to many aspects of the popular media, noting that they all send the message that it is vitally important for women to be beautiful; and that in order to beautiful, women must be thin (and preferably also young, white and blonde). In considering these allegations, we also need to keep in mind that theorists such as Noam Chomsky have argued persuasively that the media is controlled by the powerful elite of our society, who deliberately manipulate the media they control in order to maintain the current status quo."
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God in Hinduism and Judaism, 2008.
An analysis of the significance of a god or gods in Hinduism and Judaism
1,353 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 5 sources, MLA, £ 32.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the significance of gods in two different religions, specifically Hinduism and Judaism. In particular, the paper looks at how the Hindu gods and the Jewish God are extremely significant to members of those religions. The paper consists of sections on both the Hindu and Jewish significance of gods and points out common traits between the way the religions treat gods and the ways in which they differ in their practices. The paper uses MLA style footnotes but does not include a works cited page.
From the Paper
"Hindu religion emphasises a need for release from this world. One of these methods of release is the Bhakti Marga. The Bhakti Marga is a reaction of the common people to the other more intellectual paths to release. It focuses on devotion to the gods, and is a significant part of modern Hinduism. The Hindu gods are not all-powerful immortal beings, and originally the religion was philosophically based, with little emphasis placed on worship of these deities. Over time, worship of the Hindu gods became an avenue for the less intellectually inclined people of India to participate. In developing a justification of worship to the gods, Hinduism became a more practical religion, and this helped secure its own survival in a world where there were many religions to choose from."
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