Greek & Roman Mythology
Personal Reflection
李河金 Jean
4/25
How should we define an adventure? Can we see our own life journey as a kind
of adventure exploring and experiencing the world? It seems that the magical
elements in the mythological stories impossible to exist in modern world. Therefore,
can an adventure really happen in our days? This is the question I have in mind when
referring these mythical adventures back to reality.
Let’s leave the question first. Four great adventures are introduced in today’s
class. Different as they may seem to each other, it is not hard to discover that there is
one thing shared by them. That is, the implication of warning human beings not to try
exceeding gods. Phaëton was punished by Zeus and fell from the chariot because he
tried to do what the Sun does. Bellerophon also got banished because he believed that
he deserve a seat with the immortals. Moreover, Artemis’ trick made Otus and
Ephialtes killed each other because they deeds despised gods. Last but not least,
Icarus’s fall from the sky because of flying too close to the sun also implies that the
attempt to exceed gods leads to fall or punishment. From these stories, somehow, I see
how pessimistic and fatalistic the Greeks are in their culture. Unlike what the
technology and science are doing for us to exceed and surpass what we are able to do
now, they seem to be more conservative and reverent to gods. While we attempt to
achieve the impossible, the notion displayed in these adventures warns us not to.