Eisler's "Cultural evolution" and evolutionary theory
Essay - 7 pages - Modern history
Riane Eisler's “The Chalice and the Blade”, published in 1988, presents a new theory of human cultural evolution, as well as a new vision of reconstructed history. Eisler draws from archaeological discoveries made in the latter half of the 20th century, as well as from mythology...
The ancient culture and history of the Mayan civilization
Thesis - 12 pages - Ancient history
The Mayan civilization was a densely populated and highly advanced civilization that thrived in Mesoamerica from the second century B.C.E., until the arrival of the Spanish in the 15th Century B.C.E. They had their base in the Yucatan and spread over present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala,...
Ancient Egyptian astronomy
Thesis - 3 pages - Ancient history
Ancient Egypt is a very interesting culture. Like most ancient cultures, ancient Egypt placed lots of importance on the sky and the heavenly bodies. Unlike anything on Earth, the heavens seemed to be unchanging and all-powerful. The idea that the heavens were all-powerful was reinforced by the...
The Divine Comedy of Dante -William Blake (1824-1827)
Case study - 4 pages - Literature
William Blake is a multifaceted artist. As a poet, painter and engraver, he was born in 1757 and died in 1827, having been able to complete these illustrations of the Divine Comedy of Dante. During his lifetime, he was appreciated and supported by those brothers and a few patrons such Linell or...
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Case study - 5 pages - Literature
The Epic of Gilgamesh is among the earliest of all known works literature in the world. The poem tells the story of King Gilgamesh of Uruk who is thought to have reigned around 2700 BCE. Uruk is believed by some to be the origin of the name of modern day Iraq and was located in southern...
Plato as a proto-feminist: Tendencies towards the development of feminist thought
Thesis - 6 pages - Literature
The idea of Plato's Republic being one of the true first pro-feminist arguments seems to have some steam in modern times. However, there seems to be major flaws with these theories. The fact that modern feminism is not grounded in Platonic feminism is perhaps the most striking issue. For, if...
Get thee behind me, A-bomb: Inverted Christianity and nuclear influence in a Canticle for Leibowitz
Thesis - 2 pages - Social sciences
It comes as no surprise that the thematic bulk of Walter M. Miller Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz is drawn from traditional Christian mythology and lore. Age-old Catholic hierarchy, the Latin language and Biblical quotations are used liberally to set an appropriately pious scene. From...
Real-World relevance of fantastic creation: An examination of "High Fantasy" and the goals of literal and historical writing.
Tutorials/exercises - 4 pages - Literature
For the most part, fantastic or otherwise impossible methods of storytelling are ignored in the world of modern and classical literature. In order to accurately appreciate the quandary of the modern “Fantasy” author, one must be aware of the commonplace practice of division and...
The Inner Soundscape of Nada-Yoga: Sonic Path of Union
Thesis - 3 pages - Humanities/philosophy
The Himalayan religious traditions (Saivite Hinduism, Mahayana Buddhism, Tibetan Bon-po) are related by a common heritage of esoteric practices intended to unify the religious aspirant with the ultimate reality (as defined by the particular tradition). This gnosis is defined variously as dzogchen...
Alatiel and Helen: War Caused by Beauty?
Thesis - 7 pages - Humanities/philosophy
Few storylines are more familiar than that of the woman so beautiful that men cannot resist her and will stop short of nothing, even murder or treachery, to possess her. The most famous of these women is of course, Helen, with “the face that launched a thousand ships,” many of which...
Divine Flaws
Thesis - 3 pages - Humanities/philosophy
The question of whether gods are capable of being flawed has long preoccupied theologists and philosophers alike. The mythological deities of the ancient Greek pantheon possessed a myriad of humanistic attributes, including a wide range of notable character flaws; Zeus, of course, was infamous...
The Person of Gaius Caligula: A Study of the Man, and An Attempt to Discern Fact from Fiction
Essay - 4 pages - Literature
The historical figure of Gaius Caligula is one that has been mythologized, vilified, and misconstrued over the course of time. At this point in time, thousands of years after his historical reign over Rome, it is hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction regarding his life and his actions....
"You are Defined by Those that Oppose You."
Thesis - 5 pages - Humanities/philosophy
It is arguable that today it is commonly, if subconsciously, accepted that nationality is the most important aspect of one's identity. Whether it is a national sports team, a national representative at Eurosong, a national author…etc. one's nationality has become the most basic marker of...
David Michôd's film "The King" (2019) and Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien (1954-1955) - hero's representation in medievalism
Artwork commentary - 3 pages - Medieval history
Medieval society did not have a word about ancient hero models, because heroes belonged only to God. Some knights recognized for their admirable achievements were awarded the title of "Paladin". Nevertheless, the term is restrictive because it cannot qualify Robin Hood, the typical robber of the...
Myths and heroes - To what extent can the choices that people make, condition and influence their lives and have an impact on the world they live in?
Essay - 2 pages - Sociology
I will talk about the notion of myths and heroes. A myth can be defined as a popular or traditional belief, an unusual story about gods or heroes. But the term hero doesn't always represent a mythological figure or a superhero. Indeed, a hero can be a person who is admired for his or her...
Death and Identity in Ladakh and Rondônia
Essay - 3 pages - Humanities/philosophy
Every culture defines different entities and ideas in relation to which the individual can experience his or her identity and physical or mental substances on which one's identities are located. Mortuary rites described in Hiroaki Mori and Yukari Hayashi's film The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way...
Unconscious discord: The battle between modern Greece and its ideal in the mind
Essay - 4 pages - Modern history
In the 18th and 19th centuries, many men from the West journeyed to Greece, trading in their comfortable existences in Europe and America for exciting adventures where many risked their lives in the face of pirates, brigands, and plague; and for some of these men, traveling to Greece “was by...
Racial stereotypes and their role in the concept of Manifest Destiny by Justin Herndon
Book review - 6 pages - Literature
The modern connotations of the concept of “Manifest Destiny” are generally of two diverging camps; One is a romanticized image of devout pilgrims, such as the Mormons, who left the crowded and sinful cities of the East for the freedom of the West, hoping to find a new promised land, or...
Matthew Barney or the Gesamtkunstwerk of the 21st century
Essay - 5 pages - Arts and art history
When talking or writing about the American artist Matthew Barney, critics and historians of art always start with the traditional biographic descriptions which in the case of Barney are quite pleasant and are justified by the fact that the artist himself uses autobiographic references in his own...
Brown v. board of education
Thesis - 2 pages - Social sciences
In keeping with the theme of examining national mythologies, we should look at Brown v. Board of Education with a critical eye. By and large, our society accepts the idea that racial segregation in schools are inherently unequal, that is, the end result will be disparate even with equal funding...
Abraham: Father of monotheism
Thesis - 3 pages - Humanities/philosophy
The story of Abraham is one of the most important and prominent stories in Islam, Christianity and Judaism. This can be clearly seen by the fact that these three religions are often referred to as the Abrahamic religions. Abraham is often considered the father of the great monotheistic traditions...
Cosmic creation myths across cultures
Case study - 3 pages - Educational studies
According to Norse Mythology, what is referred to as the planet Earth was once Ginnungagap. Ginnungagap is the Great Emptiness. South of Gunnunugagp was the firey realm of Muspell. Muspell only had lakes of fire and rivers of poison. The fiery pit prevented any type of growth to emerge....
Opposing values in American thought as depicted in films
Case study - 4 pages - Arts and art history
In a world where movie directors and filmmakers are building a name for themselves Robert Ray in A Tendency of the Hollywood Cinema(1930-1980) tries to show the need for filmmakers to produce movies that every person can relate. Ray emphasizes on the need for commitment in both plot and...
Decolonizing the Language Garden: Narratives of Exploration and Acquisition in Jamaica Kincaid's Garden Writing
Case study - 12 pages - Literature
While acknowledging their problematic nature, postcolonial writer Jamaica Kincaid maintains a predilection for explorer narratives. Between her two most exploratory and garden-related works, My Garden (Book): and Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalayas, she refers to at least ten such narratives,...
Assigning sex: The ethics of performing surgery on inter-sex infants
Thesis - 3 pages - Social sciences
Hermaphrodites have throughout history been in the center of mythology, scandal, and the perverse fascination of the public eye. They have been misunderstood and persecuted for centuries by those who are confused by their ambiguous genitalia. Today, such people possessing to some degree...
An illustration of the divine comedy revealing the romantic vision and clean eccentricity Blake - The Divine Comedy of Dante - William Blake (1824-1827
Case study - 2 pages - Literature
The Divine Comedy is a poem of Dante Alighieri written in triplets chained to hendecasyllables in vernacular Florentine . It is divided into three parts : Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, each with 33 chants. Dante began his writing in 1307 in Florence. Dante has the impression of having lost in...
An examination of the company De Chazal and Du Mee
Thesis - 44 pages - Management
DCDM & Co. Ltd is a value-based organization. The management claims that it is the organization's commitment to strong values that has enabled it to sustain the test of time. Its strong values are embedded in the firm and constitute the very ‘genetic code' of the organization. Its founders...
Magic and enchantment as a tool of love in Shakespeare's A midsummer night's dream
Thesis - 3 pages - Literature
“The course of true love never did run smooth. ” This, one of the most famous lines from Shakespeare's romantic comedy, A Mid Summer Night's Dream, no truer words have been spoken as Shakespeare leads the audience through a story of fantasies and misunderstandings. The story follows...
Reinventing Myth, Recasting gender: Myth in Morrison
Thesis - 12 pages - Literature
As an African American woman writer, Toni Morrison's relationship with myth is complex and multilayered. In an interview with Charles Ruas, Morrison calls myths the “nourishing stories”(115) that we are raised on. Myth educates future generations about values and strategies for...
William Blake's "Wall of words" on circular reasoning
Essay - 10 pages - Literature
“And the salt ocean rolled englob'd.” (Blake Pl. 28.23) The previous line comes from one of Blake's prophetic works, “The First Book of Urizen,” and is very typical of a Blake ending. More than a century before Stanley Kunitz was born, Blake had mastered the technique...
