Myths and Narratives

So for this blog, I don’t really know what I’m suppose to be writing about. Therefore, for now I am going to consider the questions of Mr. Dominguez. =)

I guess for me, I believe the function of myths and narratives are to play as the foundation of certain societies. They are the building blocks for certain societies where the culture and belief is based on what myths/narratives the ancestors of the past have created. In the past, without myths or narratives there would be no common ground of beliefs for the members of the society. Also, I think that myths/narratives were created to control the society in a way. Myths/narratives allow the ancestors of the past to teach the same morals and beliefs through each generation of the future. It keeps the teachings of that group the same through the years with few changes. “And at the same time [myths/narratives] legitimize the society in which they are told. The teller of the myth does not have to prove, like a scientist...” (24). This comment in a way supports what I was saying about myths and narratives and how they are just there to serve as a base of knowledge or control, without any proof behind them.

One example of a type of narrative is a grand narrative. Grand narratives are explained as, “big stories, stories of mythic proportions that claim to be able to account for, explain and subordinate all lesser, little, local narratives” (29). This type of myth can have a tremendous effect on a society. With grand narratives comes less myths in total and eventually instead of believing in several local myths; a society will follow the philosophy of one general myth. This means that with grand narratives, the minority discourses will be greatly influenced and not in a positive direction. As time goes by, the number of minority discourses will decrease only to have one large mythic story that is able to account for mostly everything. That's why there's people like the mythbusters who try to tone down the numbers of myths ot there by proving them wrong or right.

Anyway, I’m about done now because if I try to write anymore I would just be babbling on about nothing(like now). So peace out AP Lit!! =]]