Learning from Ancient and Modern Themes and Customs Essay

Learning from Ancient and Modern Themes and Customs It has been said that there are under thirty plots in the world, and that all stories, in all languages, all over the world and throughout history, are simply variations on these. Parallels can be drawn between all literature; however, classical mythology has had particularly far-reaching effects on our present civilization. Modern society holds a fascination with Greek and Roman society, and classical literature and mythology are certainly no exceptions. Regardless of location, language and time period, humankind has always followed relatively similar thought patterns. Therefore, it follows that all stories created by humans would have certain parallels and would contain certain†¦show more content†¦Even Buddhism, a religion which views the world as running in a circular pattern without an end, recognizes the notion of the age in which we live coming to an end, along with humankind. Certain evangelists are firm believers i n this notion, even now. A scientific theory has been put forward that the universe has been expanding more and more slowly since the Big Bang, and will eventually begin to contract until it disappears altogether. It is natural for humankind to wonder if the Earth and our species are, in fact, finite. In the story of Baucis and Philemon, this idea of the end of humanity is present with the destruction of everybody save for those who had shown hospitality to Jupiter and Mercury. The manner of apocalypse in this story is also a popular one  ¾ a flood. Floods are a widespread metaphor in various regions and eras. Evidently, the most well known flood in Western civilization is the Bible story involving Noah and the Ark. However, legends of a flood can be found in the folklore of the Middle East, China, India, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. The legend upon which the tale of Noah is based actually originated in Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamian flood myth appeared in the Ep ic of Gilgamesh (one of the first literary classics), the narrative regarding the adventures of a hero-king of Sumer. In this version of the story, Noah’s counterpart, Utnapishtim, is the narrator of the tale. This flood myth likely has rootsShow MoreRelatedEssay on Exploring International Psychology1045 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction In researching the ancient roots of international psychology, I found that I gravitated with special interest to the ancient roots of Greek, Chinese and Indian psychology. In this research, I found myself replaying a statement I read when learning about the hypothesis regarding the history of psychology. This statement is â€Å" It may be possible that parts of history have indeed been chaotic whereas other parts have been linear and progressive and still others have been cyclical† (KingRead MoreThe Relationship Between Roman Empire And Western Europe1708 Words   |  7 Pagesfor the Roman influence on Britain. 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