Twisted Truth

"When a society seeks to alter how the record is presented, well-proven facts notwithstanding, we learn how history can be distorted to political ends."

I agree with the the authors on this fact, but I disagree that well proven facts can not be twisted for political reasons. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for example is clams that the Holocaust is a myth. Even when it is a well proven fact that the Holocaust did happen, and there is an amply supply of proof. This is a modern example of a political figure twisting history. I found an interview with President Ahmadinejad that was conducted on the topic. If you have a few minuets it can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykd-syzZ4ZY&feature=related.

The Hour Makes the Man

“It is in times of emergency that heroes are looked for, and found. Bertolt Brecht wrote, famously, that it is an unhappy land that looks for heroes.”

Extraordinary circumstances foster the heroic qualities in everyday people. In other words, heroes are born when there are surrounded by ideal circumstances. More specifically, it is usually under unfortunate circumstances or tragedy that heroes often emerge. When something goes wrong, as a society, we look for some individual to take lead, step up to the plate, and ultimately "save" us from the crisis at hand. But without these specific circumstances, heroes would not exist. Their success and claim to fame heavily relies on the fact that they were in the right place, at the right time.

Just another thought...

Lucy Hughes-Hallett’s case on how heroes emerge is very similar to Gladwell’s, author of Outliers, view on how successful people are made. Gladwell insists that successful people are not self-made, instead he argues that they “are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” Before any other teen on the planet had started programming, Bill Gates acquired 10,000 hours of programming experience by the time he was 19. Now would he be the success he is today without having all of those extraordinary opportunities? Gladwell thinks not. And the same could be argued about heroes and their successes. The average, everyday man who miraculously lifts up a car to save a trapped little girl would be no hero, if the little girl was never trapped in the first place, would he? And would the firefighter who recently rescued a boy from a burning house be considered a hero, if the house never caught on fire? Or how about Martin Luther King Jr., would he have emerged as a hero if racism seized to exist?

Heroes: dangerous or essential?

"The notion of the hero- that some men are born special- is radically inegalitarian. It can open the way for tyranny."

Although great at times, the concept of a hero can be dangerous. Throughout history people have always searched for a hero in their time of need, out of desperation. Hitler's rise to power can be used as an example of this (although Hitler shouldn't be considered a hero). The German people needed a strong ruler who would look after them. Putting so much power in one persons hands is never a good idea, even if the "hero" has good intentions. Putting all of your faith in one thing leads to disappointment, and a heroes status is never secure. He or she is always being closely watched, people waiting for them to make a mistake. Or in Hitlers case, giving one person so much power was a mistake because he abused this power and his influence over people. A hero's success also depends on the time, for example, some leaders are better in times of war or conflict; while others are better at managing a countries day to day issues. Heroes are unpredictable and sometimes dangerous, but everyone needs something to believe in, just in moderation.

Hubris Schmubris?

"The Argonauts left Heracles behind," noted Aristotle, for the same reason that the Athenians took to ostracizing and sending into exile outstanding citizens, "so the Argos would not have on board one so vastly bigger than the rest of the crew ."

One of the major themes in Greek literature is the destructive power of hubris, yet this is a blatant example of such a force being exhibited by the Greeks. The assumption that times are good therefore we do not need a hero, is one for the hubristic kind. That is equivalent to saying that because we think we are getting by as is, we do not want anything that could improve our current state of affairs. This notion is dangerous one because that means whenever we do fall into a crisis there will be no heroes to lift us out, for they have all been driven away. Even the great Athenians, the arguable ideal western state, drove away people that they knew could help them develop and progress. Heroes help us to see the best in ourselves, not taking the status quo for an answer, and shatter the our accepted view of normal leaving the extraordinary in their wake. Human kind would be foolish to assume that we do not need as many heroes as it can find, at whatever time it can find them, for a true hero is not only a beacon of hope, but a catalyst towards a better society and a better future for humankind.

Hero Worship

"Hero worship still plays a vital part in our political lives. It inspires both terrorists and those who combat them. It shapes the rhetoric of our election campaigns. It helps determine the choices made by democratic voters and it eases the dictators' ascent to power."

This passage sums up what hero worship is in a nutshell. Worshipping a hero can have positive or negative ramifications, and shapes the morals we practice today. Today's foolishness, and the personalities possessed by people today are configured by heroes and the story's of heroes.

Timing is everything...

“It is in times of emergency that heroes are looked for, and found…”

Heroes are rebels, they are the brave souls who defy authority and stand up for what is right. The reason that heroes have such an appeal is because in times of need there they are, capes blowing in the wind, ready to save the day. Take Franklin D Roosevelt for example, 10 years before the depression his New Deal would not have been accepted. It was only after a few years of the Depression, when unemployment rates were 25% that Americans were willing to accept governments help in job creation. “It is an unhappy land that looks for heroes.” When times are tough we look to the sky in hopes of seeing Superman sweeping in to save the day.

The Image of a Hero

"Heroes must look, and act the part. They must swagger and preen or, if their public's taste inclines the other way, they must make a show of their humility, as Cato did, going indecently underdressed to the Forum. Heroic gestures are frequently histrionic, which is not to say they are frivolous: a symbolic gesture can have substantial consequences."


A hero does not necessarily need to be wearing a cape, and mask in order to "look the part." However, a hero must be one to stand out in a crowd, whether it be by ones image, actions, or simply just being different. Being a hero does not require any need to demonstrate acts of swagger, as Hughes-Hallett indicates. The simplest, and possibly most discreet of actions can make someone a hero. A manifestation of someone becoming a hero through the simplist actions is an advocate for women with breast cancer. An extraordinary undertaking that few women in support of breast cancer do is to shave their heads regardless of the fact that they are not undergoing chemotherapy, these women instantly become heroes to the millions of women suffering from this disease. This is an example of someone becoming a hero through the most uncomplicated of actions. When people advocate for others at their own will, it makes them a hero, most likely not in a historical sense, but the fact that they put others needs ahead of their own makes them a hero to someone.

Right time, Right place!

"Cometh the hour, cometh the man. It is in times of emergency that heroes are looked for, and found."

A hero does not gain glory by what he or she does at everything they do in their life. It is at one point in the life, where they decide to make a change and stand up for what they believe in. This moment is decided by the hero. Like the quote says, "in times of emergency that heroes are looked for, and found." Heroes magically have found the power to be in the right place at the right time, earning everlasting glory. We the people need this hero, they pull through and know exactly when to step in and exactly what to do.
The more we read about heroes the more we can understand their mindset when it comes to their claim to fame. When they make the choice to do something in their life that their name will be forever remembered.

Slow and steady wins the ambient race

"The average is the borderline that keeps mere men in their place. Those who step over the line are heroes by the very act. Go." -Henry Rollins

Human beings are fascinated by heroes, those extraordinary people that slay dragons, save damsels, and vanquish evil. But if you look around, you'll find no dragons to be slain, no damsels locked away in tall towers, and nothing with a label sign reading "evil", in the real world its all much more toned down. The real heroes of today aren't the ones on the front page, scoring goals and being praised by hordes of people, they're the everyday people that recognize the wrongs in the world, when its much easier to simply pretend we don't see them, and then do something about it. A real hero takes many small steps over that line, not yelling to the world that the line is long gone, but just persisting in their humble righteous journey.

Beyond the Borderline

“The average is the borderline that keeps mere men in their place. Those who step over the line are heroes by the very act. Go.”

To me, a hero is not Superman, or Spiderman, or Batman. To me, a hero is someone that like this quote says, steps past the “borderline that keeps mere men in their place.” Heroes are born when people realize that they are not content with following the steps of every other person in society. Eventually, through their actions they rise above and the average man. Though the point of blogging about heroes may have been for me to say; a hero is a mythological or iconic figure of great physical strength and supernatural powers who always destroys evil, I truly believe a hero is someone with strong morals who is brave, gracious, and humble. True heroes are the types of people that set out to do good not because they are looking to get a cool “hero” title, but because they genuinely want to help and bring happiness to the people around them. They’re the people that put themselves at risk for the sake of someone else and always do the right thing, though it may not make them popular. But in the end, I think true heroes are people who make decisions based on compassion and leave some form of legacy long after they’re gone.

True heroes are finally recognized

"Old myths, old gods, old heroes have never died. They are only sleeping at the bottom of our mind, waiting for our call. We have need for them. They represent the wisdom of our race."
- Stanley Kunitz

People do not choose to be heroes. They are ordinary people confronted by extraordinary cirumstances, that result in the very best being brought out of them. Heroes do not seek to be called heroes, heroes are people that we look up to, and strive to be more alike. It is for this reaeson that other people choose to label them as heroes. Acts of heroisim serve as examples to other people. Most people are be saisfied with acheiving modest objectives. If everybody was satisfied with themselves and beleived that they had acheived their reached their full potential, there would be no need for heroes. Heroes remind us that perhaps we too can act heroicly, and they encourage us to acheive more than we ever thought we were capable of. Humanity needs heroes. In todays society, celebrities are commonly confused with heroes. One positive, but unfortunatly temporary outcome of 9/11 was that true heroes were finally recognized. The true heroes in the events of that tragic day were the fire fighters, police officers, doctors, paramedics, the passengers on the highjacked planes that hit the world trade centre, and the office workers in the twin towers. Celebrities were finally reduced to the "cheerleaders" for real heroes, ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. We need to admire the simplicity, the purety, and the nobility of what constitutes a hero. They are role models that we need to emulate and to admire. Heroes remind us of what we are capable of, and what we should aspire to be.

The Wisdom of Our Race

"Old myth's, old gods, old heroes have never died. They are only sleeping at the bottom of our mind, waiting for our call. We have need for them. They represent the wisdom of our race." -Stanley Kunitz

Myths were created as a way to explain natural phenomena and provide a moral code that the Greek and Roman people could live by. There was need for them and there still is, as humans today can still relate to the basic ideas of these stories. Myths represent "the wisdom of our race" because even though they were written thousands of years ago, people today can still learn important lessons from them. They are "sleeping at the bottom of our minds" because these stories are based on human nature.

Heros are never Satisfied

“If everybody was satisfied with himself there would be no heroes.”

Mark Twain In my mind a hero is a human who battles adversity and goes above and beyond what a normal human thinks they can do. A heroes battles throughout his or her life for immortality. Played out with battles, tasks, and great challenges to prove his or her heroism. Heroes are never satisfied with being a number in a crowd, left to die and forgotten. But to do something extra ordinary so that thousands of year after their death their name lives on.

What makes a hero a hero?

"If everybody was satisfies with himself there would be no heroes."

-Mark Twain

What is a hero? They are everything we want to be. Selfless, giving, self sacrificing; the best of us. We idolize heroes because, even thought they have their flaws, they are put in extraordinary circumstances and come out victorious. If we thought of ourselves as perfect than there would be no traits that we aspire to have, and as a result no heroes.

My Conception of a Hero

“Virtue is not necessarily qualification for heroic status: a hero is not a role model. On the contrary, it is of the essence of a hero to be unique and therefore inimitable.”

~ Lucy Hughes-Hallett

The quote by Lucy Hughes-Hallett accurately describes the way I perceive a hero; not necessarily someone with high or moral standards, and also not necessarily someone that people look up to or try to imitate. Heroes are rather unlike anyone else, and so much so that it makes the hero someone that is impossible to copy.

What is a hero?

“Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves.”

Carol Lynn Pearson To me a hero is exactly what Carol Lynn Pearson said, Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves. People always look up to heroes, they always cheer when they walk down the street or get honored with a medal. A hero is somebody that is a "freak" they have unhuman like capabilities. Such as human strength or ability to see through walls, jump high, just stuff out of the ordinary. My example of a hero is Hercules or Spider-man they do what is needed without thinking about if they would be safe or not.

Because we share that nature, we can identify...

"Because we share that nature, we can identify with these individuals and respond to them." The common denominator between myths and modern day are the human experiences explained within them. They have an enduring impact on mankind because they have eternal meaning. We still discuss these meanings today because we can relate, and learn from these experiences. They have stood the test of time because they are still of significance. Afterall we all are still human beings, we all make mistakes. However, a smart man learns from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from others mistakes. The only way to grow today is to learn from yesterday.

Fooling the Fates

The one of the main concepts in The Creation of the Titans and the Gods, is greed and selfishness. Cronus is hungry for power and was willing to do anything to get it, including eating his own children. Cronus believes he can "fool the Fates", but he later pays for his actions when his own children wage war against him. The moral of the story is basically that being greedy usually does not end well. The Greeks seemed to believe in fate, and thought that everyone had a predetermined destiny that you can neither fight nor change.

Dare to Fight Fate?

A reoccurring theme throughout The Creation of the Titans and the Gods is the idea of Cronus trying to fight the Fates. The concept of people battling and attempting to cheat their fate is still relevant to today’s society. I am not saying I believe that everyone is born with a predetermined fate that is their destiny, what I am trying to say is that some people (especially ancient Greeks), believe that once your fate is determined, there is no way for you to change it. Essentially to them, your fate is your destiny. Cronus’s story follows this very belief. His arrogance and selfishness to rule for eternity lead himself to believe that he could in fact “fool the Fates”. Even though they had prophesied that one of his own sons would overpower him, he believed if he ate every one of his children, it could never be true. But thinking he could get away with that was naïve and one day it eventually caught up with him. Cronus was inevitably trapped by his fate and was overpowered by his sons.

Gaea's Role

Among the first three immortal beings Gaea played what seems to me like the most important role in the creation of the titans and gods. Gaea was clever, and not unlike any human mother today. She created Uranus, Ourea and Pontus along with other immortal children. Gaea was responsible for all Greek gods and without her "mother-like" qualities, the myths we know today would all have something missing.

Everlasting Love

Examining the way a society envisions their own creation, reveals the principles they believe are the most basic and fundamental. If you want to uphold a value, having it present at the beginning of time allows it resonate with all your peoples, shaping their character to the core, because the value is seen as a value that all of humanity has seated within them, time immemorial. The Iroquois people's creation story of a giant turtle sprouting from the vast ocean, and from this ancient turtle all forms of life flow, shows the importance they place upon the earth, honouring it constantly because it is from which they too came. The Abrahamic religions believe in the story of Adam and Eve, in which the fundamental concept of sinning is the main factor, this shows that one of their core values is right from wrong, and resisting temptation. In the Classical Civilization the theme of motherly love is present.

Gaea's unrelentless love for her children, no matter their beastly attributes is a driving force in the creation myth, showing the importance they place on a mothers' loving protection, loyalty to the hearth, and most sacred of bonds between mother and child. These values resonate in the old greek culture with their adherence to the power of the maternal entity and its holy properties.

The creation myth of the ancient greeks is long outdated, and virtually no modern human believes that the present state of nature is because of the inner conflicts between immortals who lived on Mount Olympus. We now know that Mount Olympus has no apparent supernatural properties and that Uranus' genitalia most likely did not turn into Aphrodite, but the myth still evokes a human response upon reading, we still see where the characters are coming from, their reasoning, their motives. Be it these entities are fictional, but the because of the human characteristics we empathize with them and are engaged. The reason for this engagement is because this myth, and others like it, deal with the timeless constant of the human experience. Though these characters are ancient and immortal their actions and reactions are understandable, allowing the story to speak truths and speak to us through their themes and morals. Therein lies the value of myths in the modern day, the morals that the ancients learned from these stories can also be learnt by us. The morals of resisting temptation, respecting the earth, and recognizing the unique bond between mother and child are all truths that humans of all times would do good to adhere to.

-Yaseen

Treasure of Realities

"Myths are a treasure of realities- a kaleidoscope which, depending upon the age experience of the reader, reflects and illuminates his experiences, fantasies, hopes, and fears."

Much like many other forms of great literature, myths draw from past experiences that are exclusive to each individual. The emotions that these stories instil within us are dependent on our character. The lessons that we learn from these stories are reflected in our past. And the adversity experienced by the characters address our own largest fears. Though myths may contain supernatural elements, the characters and plotline are still somehow very relatable. This relatability and entertainment factor is directly correlated to their long lasting existence. The way these stories teach us such important morals is what makes them so unique. It’s the reason why even now days we continue to study these works of literature and analyze them in great conversation.

Titans and gods

Through out the myth "The creation of the titans and the gods" the overall big picture to me is, that mothers in general do not have to much power over there husbands doing. Gaea had no control when Uranus in prisoned her children, he could do whatever he wanted. Mothers that love there children have always have been very protective of their children. A few years there were stories about how a car trapped a mothers child and she lifted then car using superhuman strength. The human body can do a lot of crazy stuff like the strength of Hercules, strength of the three Cyclopses, and the Hundred hand giants. Gaea in the myth does not give up on getting her immortal children back from there imprisonment, and that is a very important thing to understand. Things can always get better for Gaea(mother Earth) just need to wait and see what happens. Myths have a lasting impact on humanity, or just to who ever wants to listen and learn about the past and learn the theme or meaning behind the story/myth. In my opinion myths are very important in modern day society that we live in today. I think the whole point behind myths are to pass on funny and interesting stories about the past and give us an imagination. I would have never thought that the sun comes across the sky by some guy in a chariot pulling it, without myths (Helios did it i think)

A face only a mother could love.

The idea that the female is the prime caregiver for her children is shown in this myth. Gaea (Mother Earth) morned the banishment of her first two children: the three Hundred-Handed Giants, and the three Cyclopes. It shows how much she loves her children because she goes to her children for help to emasculate Uranus and get her children back. After this is done Cronus goes back on his promise to retrieve the three Hundred-Handed Giants and the three Cyclopes, Gaea still does not give up in getting her children back, and bids her time. She does not give up, this is the concept that has transcended through time. The concept of motherhood is that the mother does not give up on her child(or children) and does not leave them behind. That idea, which is still believed today was created with the creation of Gaea.

Reflecting on the Values of the Myths

Gaea's heart overflowed with pride and satisfaction.

Over the coarse of the myth, many feelings throughout the family become apparent as though it was a modern day family. First off when Uranus sends his children to Tartarus in secrecy of Gaea, his wife. This secrecy is a sneeky effect that arises in modern day marrages/relationships, that in turn causes hatred, distrust, and a feeling of betrayal. In my quote at the top it talks about when Gaea asks her children to seek revenge on their father for his wrong doings and only one of them shows the courage to face their father. This youngest Tritan was named Cronus. As a mother showing pride and satisfaction to her children would be like a modern day mother feeling the same way about their child succeeding in school or sports. I find that these values in society to family's show a lot of relation to modern day family values. Which I believe is why myths are still relevant in our lives today.