There are many folktales and myths from ancient civilizations that do not have relevance in modern society. One reason people may think myths have no relevance in modern society is the conflicts that are faced within the myth. For example, the conflict in the myth “Noah’s Ark”, which was that everyone on earth was being bad so God had to cleanse the earth by sending a flood. This type of situation depending on people's, religion will not be faced. However, in the folktale, “The Four Dragons” the characters and themes relate to what people see today. One reason that “ The Four Dragons” is relevant today are the themes it provides. One theme this folktale shows is the idea of karma; what comes around goes around. The quote, “Determined to do good for the people forever” shows that the four dragons decided to become four rivers to supply China with water. Not only did this benefit China, but the four dragons, story is being retold over and over again. Now people hear …show more content…
In the folktale “ The Four Dragons” there is a period in time where China has no water whatsoever, we often see these environmental issues in places like Africa, where they may have water but is inaccessible because it is contaminated (Medwaydys, 2012). In the source Medwaydys.org it states, “the land became withered and dry”, this is a sign of a drought (2012). Having environmental issues around like this is also a danger to plants. This relates to when people tell you to stop littering or don't waste paper, otherwise you are hurting the earth (plants, ground, air, etc.). In conclusion, while being an ancient folktale, the Four Dragons Is still relevant in today's modern world for a variety of reasons. One is that this folktale provides insight into the ancient cultures of the world. Another being, many of the themes explored in these folktales are universal and are still utilized in stories told
Main Idea: The importance of Shakespeare, the Bible, and fairy tales is that they are all myths. Myth in this case doesn’t mean that they aren’t true, but rather that they are stories that seek to, as Foster puts it, “explain ourselves to ourselves.” Myths are important and are a part of a culture’s collective memory. Here, in Western culture, we are mostly associated with Ancient Greek civilization and the myths that lie there. We can see references to those myths in all sorts of literature.
In the past weeks we have read “Beowulf, “by Daniel Donoghue. Beowulf is an old English epic poem which includes three important monsters, Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon. Each monster had a big part of the epic poem. Grendel was assumed to be killed by Beowulf, until Beowulf showed up at the palace and was told the monster attacking them was Grendel. Once Beowulf finally killed Grendel, his Mother appeared. However, at the very end the most important monster to me was the Dragon. The Dragon is the one that put an end to Beowulf’s life.
As swans drift with the current on a secluded lake in upper Canada they think not of the water they are in but of dreams of the past and wants for the future. On the other hand, seals off the coast of Northern California fear for their lives every day of humans exploiting their natural habitat. Many things can endanger water born animals, and most all of these come directly from humans. The pollutants of water come from many sources both close and far away from the water body itself. Wastes of humans are the major cause of pollution in the water, such materials include sewage, chemicals among other notable items. First, the composition water: water is odorless, tasteless and a transparent liquid. Though in large quantities water appears to have a bluish tint, it maintains the transparent tendency when observed in smaller quantities. Water covers approximately seventy percent of the Earth's surface in the solid and liquid form. Pollutants can be carried over a great distance by combining with evaporating moisture, forming clouds and then the wind taking the clouds to the larger body of water. This process is called acid rain and it is a major source of water pollution. Acid rain has been a problem since the Industrial Revolution, and has kept growing ever since. With acid rain moving over to a fresh water body, the plants and animals could experience pollution that they never had to deal with before and they could possibly die for the sudden change without them having time to adapt, if this is possible.
Finally, we deal with death and rebirth. Once the hero slays the dragon, he’s changed. Whether the dragon was an internal or external element, there’s always an internal peace that comes from within the soul. The part of our life that we feared is gone and the hero is reborn, transformed into a different person.
Pictures drawn by monks allowed illiterate medieval people to develop thoughts of right and wrong. Beowulf is an example of a dramatic tale preserved by the Christian monks. The dramatic tale was a model for the medieval people to practice their piety. Since, Beowulf fought against a monster, ogre, and a dragon he becomes a warrior and this demonstrate his display of piety because as an old man he kills the dragon. The tale of Beowulf is a valuable story to the medieval people because the values shows warriors in the story of Beowulf being loyal serving their king till his death. Plus, it shows practices of the warrior piety to the king. Adding to this the tale allows society to take upon having piety since the king Beowulf was rewarding the warriors for their
Myths and religious doctrine are generally recognized as two entirely different things. Myths are usually referred to as a fictitious story or a half-truth; often they are stories shared between groups of people that are part of a cultural society. Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, and purpose of the universe, and often containing an ethical code dictating appropriate human conduct. Although they differ in certain aspects, they still hold similarities. Comparable to parables within the Bible, myths have different versions which are both motivating, as well as entertaining. There are not only parallels to the idea of the stories but specific tales hold similar morals and equivalent characters.
We often hear the saying that water is the source of life so how can mankind waste this precious source that God has given us. A fine example was mentioned in the film about India’s new green agricultural system where 30 times more water is been use than the actual amount required. It is really hard to see how these farmers are spitefully wasting water when it is really needed in the neighboring communities. This goes to show that people only do things to benefit themselves not considering the needs of other people. Not only is water being wasted in developing countries but there is also water wastage in developed countries we often take our water sources for granted here in the US such as not turning off the pipes when brushing our teeth or washing our hands and the list goes on. Water conservation is the key to saving our planet because soon it will become extinct to us human beings.
Beowulf’s life was truly epic struggle. The monsters he battled made it so. Grendel and the dragon, capable of crushing men physically, stood for evils that could just as easily crush men in spirit. These two beasts represented society’s greatest fears, as well as detriments, and Beowulf fearlessly took them on. Grendel taught the hero a valuable lesson about maintaining one’s humanity in a world dominated by the dogs of war. The dragon, showed Beowulf’s mortality, his imperfection, but the hero eradicates it nonetheless, saving his people from not only physical threat, but sin. Bringing in such spiritual and moral dimensions, these two beasts certainly give the story of Beowulf depth.
Fairy tales have been part of our lives ever since we were young children. We all either grew up watching Disney renditions of fairy tales, or we had storybooks filled with vivid pictures of a tale. Fairy tales are so important in our culture that it would be difficult to find someone who has not heard of Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, or other fairy tale protagonists. Interestingly enough, fairy tales have been a very integral part of Western culture since the time they were written. Fairy tale writers, such as Charles Perrault and the Grimm Brothers, revolutionized culture in the 17th and 18th centuries with their writings. Not only did these writers write these tales for entertainment, but they also accomplished to influence the
According to World WildLife Fund, many ecosystems around the world are being destroyed, eliminating many plant and animal species that inhabit them (“Pollution”).
Water is on of the most precious natural resources that exist on our planet. “It is delivered from the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, hail, fog, and condensation and returns to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration” (Hannigan 1969). Although many of us love activities that have to do with water, we disregard it and pollute out rivers, lakes and oceans. Slowly but surely we are going to harm out planet till no return. Protecting and conserving nature will secure a better future. 71% of earth is covered with oceans. Sounds like a lot right? Imagine ...
Agriculture is the major farming activity. Agriculture's scale means not only that large area is directly affected, but that local and even regional climates can be affected. The draining of water from rivers and watersheds for irrigation leads to drier natural habitats. Those rivers that receive runoff from farmland are often poisoned by excessive nutrients and pesticides.
70% of this demand derives from agriculture which shows the influence of water on food supply globally as well as not just drinking water (Sawin “Water Scarcity could overwhelm the Next Generation”). But increasing water use is not just a matter of the greater number of people needing it to drink and eat; it also comes from pollution and misuse of water supplies, by either dumping or runoff of bacteria or chemicals into water. This also “causes other pollutions as well such as soil and air pollution, accelerating wetland damage and human-caused global warming” (Smith and Thomassey 25). According to a UN report, recent estimates suggest that climate change will account for about 20 percent of the increase in global water scarcity in coming decades. One of the main causes of water scarcity is water mismanagement worldwide.
Pollution can have an impact on our health, not only affecting people with impaired respiratory systems such as asthmatics, but very healthy adults and children too. Plants can be a benefit for pollution in the air, trees, bushes and other greenery growing in the concrete-and-glass canyons of cities can reduce levels of two of the most worrisome air pollutants by eight times more than previously believed. The more trees we can plant the less pollution we get and more air than just having a huge land and having abandoned buildings taking up space. To solve water pollution is to conserve soil, the best way to combat soil erosion is to keep the banks of waterways well-covered with soil-retaining plants.
Efforts to improve the standard of living for humans--through the control of nature and the development of new products--have also resulted in the pollution, or contamination, of the environment. Much of the world's air, water, and land is now partially poisoned by chemical wastes. Some places have become uninhabitable. This pollution exposes people all around the globe to new risks from disease. Many species of plants and animals have become endangered or are now extinct. As a result of these developments, governments have passed laws to limit or reverse the threat of environmental pollution.