Freshmen: Today our focus was on public speaking, and the behaviors effective public speakers engage in. This was preparation for our Prayer and Great Thoughts Talk assignment. You've all signed up for a day, but you don't need to wait until right before it's due - prepare early. Please go to Ted.com, watch a Talk, and post a comment in response to this prompt: What effective technique did the speaker of the talk use, and why is this technique so important?
Sophomores: Today our focus was on some of the literary ideas of Joseph Campbell as it relates to mythology and myths. Using the think sheet you used during the interview, please respond with a paragraph or two in answer to the following prompt: Summarize some of Campbell's most important ideas about myths and mythology. Bring the creation myths you found to class on Monday.
Honors Sophomores: Today our focus was on some of the literary ideas of Joseph Campbell as it relates to mythology and myths. Using the think sheet you used during the interview, please respond with a paragraph or two in answer to the following prompt: Summarize some of Campbell's most important ideas about myths and mythology. Bring the creation myths you found to class on Monday. Honors students, finis the two assigned chapters from Foster.
CNF: Today we focused on a few different forms of non-fiction. Unfortunately, we were not able to finish the episode of Radiolab that we were listening to, so if you are interested in finishing it, you can find it at http://www.radiolab.org/story/110206-finding-emilie/
We will begin Blink on Monday. If you have your own copy, great; if not, I have extras.
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72 comments:
I watched a Ted talk called miracles of the natural world. It was all about seeing the unseeable. Using new technologies to see things to slow or two fast for our naked eye. Thanks to high speed technology we were able to discover that dragon fly are the best flyers on earth. I could see how vastly complicated an egg shell was. Its was just much to small for me to see. Using the things we learn from the smallest, most insinficant seeming thing. We can create new tools and robotics to better or lives and understanding. We've already accomplished so much. Like microscopes able to move atoms. But we can always move forward.
There are so many things I could take away from this talk. It taught me so many new and wonderful things. But I would like to leave you with this. Even the smallest most simple thing can actually be more interesting and complex than you or any one els can imagine.
I watched a Ted talk called: How Schools Kill Creativity. Ken Robinson was talking and explaining how schools focus on so many different things at young ages, but when you get older they start to focus on the non creative more logical side of the brain. He went on explaining that as you get older you grow out of your creativity and become "a mindless robot, who only uses their body to transport their brain to the next meeting they have to attend." frankly, I agree with him. why is it that in school we focus most of our energy on math and science? Even though it is important, shouldn't things like art, dance, and drama. It should be balanced out so that when the time comes you can choose what you love most, not be programmed to use no creativity.He also mentioned preparation for being wrong, this is something I consider very beautiful. I think there is something amazing about being wrong. The fact that you can learn from that mistake and try again means you are problem solving. And there is no such thing as failure. in the words of Thomas Edison when he asked how it felt to fail so many times he replied,"I didn't fail. I figured out 1,000 different ways how not to make a lightbulb." So the conclusion in this is you need optimism and creativity to be a happy human. that is one of the things I love about being human.
-Kendall Schwieger
The video we watched in class was very thought provoking in that it made me think about how we usually think that different cultures and or religions are so much different from ours but in reality they are so similar that we don't even realize it. For example, when Campbell was talking about how the myths of creation all have the same aspects of that there was a creator and he made man. When man was tested he failed and ate the fruit of knowledge. As Campbell said, there seems to be a reoccurring theme of blaming the person before you in the myths. Man blames women from bringing him the fruit, while women blames the serpent for tricking her and telling her to eat the fruit. Campbell focuses on the fact that the divine one is incomprehensible to humans similar to the what from the Dinka story. The humans were granted knowledge from the fruit and in the Dinka story they were given a choice. The versions seem to represent a sort of test as we discussed in class. One version having the humans pass and the other version having them fail. Or what is known as the fall.
I watched a ted talks called: Why lunch ladies area heroes. It was very moving because it was about a man who did a presentation about a book at his old school and saw his old lunch lady. She had been there since he was in elementary school and she was very old. This inspired him to write a graphic novel about lunch ladies. Little did he know how much this would affect lunch ladies so much. They would thank him for making lunch ladies heroes. They had said how they don't get very much respect and it meant the world. Shortly after, his lunch lady passed away.He attended her funeral and saw a painting next to her casket that he had given to her two years prior.
From this talk, I realized how we never give the respect for the small people, such a lunch ladies, as much as they deserve. Sometimes its the smallest people that do the biggest things. After all, they don't say " Big things come in small packages" for no reason.
Today I watched a video on how lunch ladies are heroes. To most people lunch ladies are the insignificant people who put gross food on our trays, but to people in this video they are heroes all because of a book one man wrote. This man was just your ordinary writer of children's books until the day he ran into his old lunch lady. He was so inspired by her that he decided to write a book about the nearly "invisible"ladies of the lunch room. Because his book became so successful they became heroes. Heroes who feed hundreds of kids every day giving them the ability to learn. Like said in the video "you can't learn on an empty stomach" they gave students across the world a fighting chance.
The techniques I observed in this video are his ability to entertain. He told stories about his topic which kept things interesting. Entertaining the audience is very important because not only does it break the ice but it makes things less boring for you and the audience.
Abby Berceau period 5
I watched a TED talk called 'If i controlled the internet" one thing that the speaker did well was that he kept the audience interested. he did this with a combination of humor, hand gestures, and volume and pitch changes. i think keeping the audience interested is important because what is the point of giving a speech if no one is listening! Even if the audience doesn't particularly like the topic you are talking about, if you make it interesting, then they will still pay attention. in my opinion, keeping the audience interested is the most important trait of a good speaker.
Joseph Campbell's analysis of mythology pertains greatly to the idea of transcendence. In the creation stories Campbell discusses, he explains how all have a higher being or god. These stories provide an explanation for the unknown and for events that go beyond the ordinary experience. Campbell also describes how nearly all cultures have the same creation story: if all characters, details, setting, etc. are removed from the stories, they follow the same plotline. A god or gods create humans, usually presenting them with a choice or command. Based on their choice or if they follow the command, and the idea of human life as we know it begins.
Campbell also made the statement that pain is a part of life. Somewhere in a majority of creation stories, there is a conflict or fight. It varies between humans and humans, humans and animals, gods and humans, gods and gods, and so on. Campbell says that these are explanations for pain and terror in the world, and they simply are a part of life. Living with them is the way to get by them.
I watched the Ted Talk "Lunch Ladies Are Supper Heroes'. Jarrett Krosoczka went back to his old grade school to give the children a speech. When he got there he went to the cafeteria to set up. Then he noticed that the lunch lady from his childhood still worked there. When he went to go say hi she got his first name wrong but remembered his last. After that Krosoczka decided to make a comic book. Soon afterwards many children started to paste there lunch ladies faces on them and give it to them. He made this because he realized that lunch ladies provide lunch for many children in a single day.
When Krosoczka was saying his speech he was very relaxed. He knew what he wanted to say and when he wanted to say. he had good posture and made eye contact. While watching him give his speech I have seen what I would like to look like and sound like when I give a speech.
-Victoria Garcia
I watched the Ted talk about why lunch ladies are heros. The main focus was on how the speaker helped the lunch ladies feel important and appreciated. We need to realize how much everyone in our lives does for us, and we don't even notice most of it. The lunch ladies were ecstatic when the speaker wrote a comic about them, and showed the world that they are heros, who don't get the recognition they deserve. He was a very present speaker, and he made eye contact with different sections of the audience throughout his talk. I could tell he had a passion about what he was doing, it was obvious to anyone that he was being selfless by making a comic not so he would get attention, but so that lunch ladies would get attention. I personally think that he is the real hero, because he changed the lives of school staff around the world.
I watched jarrett krosoczka. His talk was about how much ladies were Heroes. The techniques that he used were, he was a very powerful speaker, he moved around the stage Instead of just standing still and he added humor to his speech. Using your hands when you speak to crowd is very important because they will get more interested if you're just standing still they could get bored and they could lose interest. Talking with enthusiasm is a big part of intriguing the audience into your speech making sure they want to listen to you. Adding humor to your speech is very important because it will engage the audience to want to learn more about his speech.
The speaker in Underwater Astonishments had many videos and pictures so the audience could visualize what he was describing. This technique was important so the viewers didn't get confused on what he was talking about. His tone of voice was not serious and it had some humor in it to make the audience feel comfortable. He had good body language by walking to different sides of the stage and used hand gestures so the audience felt he was talking to everyone. He mentioned the general public in his talk so the viewers could relate to him.
I chose to watch Brené Brown's: listening to shame, Ted Talks video. This speaker was very enthusiastic, and I was interested right away because she had a powerful hook. She drew me in with her story, that I'm sure many can relate to. Another thing I noticed is that she uses the space she is given on stage to engage and connect with the audience.
The most Important thing I took away from this, is that having guilt is totally different from having shame. Shame is embarrsement; unless you can say to yourself, "I can do this" and go ahead and try out for a spot in the school musical, or go ahead and give that graduation speech to the whole college campus... most of the time we get critiqued or pushed down. The problem is, if you look behind you to see the person critiquing you and putting you down, I guarentee you it is yourself. Shame can say many things, but most of the time it says that you'll never be good enough, or you will fail. But that's the diffrence between shame and guilt; shame is focused on yourself, and guilt is focused on behavior. Example for shame: I am bad. Example for guilt: I did something bad. For the most part, if I did something hurtful to to someone I would be willing to say "I'm sorry". That's guilt- I'm sorry, I made a mistake... not shame- I'm sorry I am a mistake.
I watched the Ted talk about how our body language shapes who we are. The speaker did a great job of incorperating the audience into the talk. While she was explaining, she would point out what she was explaining with the audience as her example. I got so many facts out of this talk and I will definantly use them in my Important thought presentation. This trait allows her to get comfortable with the audience and become more of a confident speaker.
Campbell had many strong opinions on mythology, especially the concept of creation stories. He believed that all stories have duality, or opposites in them usually man and woman. He also believes that we are all seeking the experience of being alive. We are trying to find the divine presence, although we are looking in the wrong place. Contrary to common belief, he believes that God does not exist anywhere in nature and that he is transcendent.
As we watched the interview with cambell the idea of manifestation, and whos manifisation we are came up. Cambell explained that in most cultures we are manifested in the image of the creator we believe in. Which brought him to saying that no matter the culture differance people believe in something bigger that themselves. This higher being giving us eternity which has been represented in myths as a serpent. Thus Campbell tells us to live life in the moment, because eternity is now.
Giselle C.
Period 1
The special skill that the speaker in the video I watched used was eye contact. It made him look very confident and it felt like he was really making a connection to the audience.
Sophie Robertson
Period 2
Campbell's ideas about myths and mythology were very interesting, especially his views on creation stories. Creation stories are so important to cultures because it's where their culture began. That's why creation stories are one of the first stories we learn as a child. Every culture has a differnet story but they usually all have one thing in common, a higher being. Whether it's God, or a god, the higher powers are the ones who created them. Some creation stories differ in the order of which things were created in. For example, the Christian creation story is how God made the earth, then man, and then animals. But in other cultures, man was created last. Also, most creation stories have a choice or decision that is to be made. Some make the right decision which results in a positive way towards then, but some make the wrong choice which affects them negatively. Creation stories are differnet and similar, but each cultures is some how unique.
-Anna Lower
Campbell has many strong opinions about myths and creation stories. Creation stories help explain the unknown or sometimes even a life lesson. God is usually a higher power in these creations and in the Hopi myth I think it is man and nature and God as the higher power. Each cultures creation stories are different but have a common middle.
-Grace Bruggers
Today we listened to Joseph Campbell speak about myths and the importance of them in our society. Cultures make creation stories to explain how their culture and everything around them came to be. One thing that multiple myths had was a snake. In the myths the snake was normally showed as bad but cultures also believe that a snake is a sign of rejuvenation or rebirth because the snake sheds it's skin revealing a whole new layer.
Campbell also talked about bad things being a natural part of life. In the story of Adam and Eve ,Campbell believed that God knew they would eat the forbidden fruit and only then they could live their full lives. Evil leads us to be the people we are today and accordion to Campbell it was for the better.
Annika d
Joseph Campbell during his interview said many interesting opinions on what myths are and why they are important. If Campbell’s interview was condensed into a simple paper, its thesis would be along the lines of Myths, are the greatest metaphors to cultures. From what we watched, Campbell kept referring to this notion of myths are the metaphors of the culture. Take for example the bible, regardless if it is mythical or factual, the bible has had a he culture impact on western cultures. The other major part of Campbell’s interview that would probably have been covered more if we were able to watch more of it, was that these myths of transcendent powers living or being within ourselves. This is very individual independent, but I believe Campbell is trying to say that the transcendent exists within you. A very controversial statement that I believe would have been clarified if we had continued watching. Campbell’s main point most likely was the connection of metaphoric myths to culture. I think everyone can relate to that.
Watching the interview with Joseph Campbell I found the ideas of choice and trying understand things that we cannot comprehend a huge part of all mythology.
Choice in the senses that we make a decision-to eat the fruit or not, to pick the what or the cows. This choice will have a profound affect on our lives. As for trying to understand the incomprehensible as he states, all myths attempt to reach past the temporal and into the eternal, to explain something we cannot hope to understand.
Katelyn Brimhall p 6
Campbell's interview about mythology has shown me how many creation stories have much in common. They all have to do with transcendence. In each story there always seems to be a more powerful or higher being that created Earth or creatures. With that, also came an opposing force with opposed the creator. These stories show us morals and problems we still have today. And that is why myths are still being used today in teaching.
I watched Ted Talks called: How prisons can help inmates live meaningful lives. This was about a man who worked in a prison and wanted to make them safer and not violent. During his speech I noticed that he used slides of how the prisons changed and he projected them a lot to make the audience know how bad they were. He also was very clear on his diction and his eye contact which caught the audiences attention. I think if I use these techniques during my speech I will get a good grade and it will make it a lot easier.
Joseph Campbell has an interesting view of mythology. The largest component to his beliefs is that God(s) is a transcendent energy, meaning no human could neither exactly comprehend nor define it. He strongly believes people should look at the connotations of mythology, instead of taking it literally. According to him, mythology is a clue to the innermost being of human nature; it is a metaphor of humanity. Many myths have similar concepts, one being "something forbidden". For example, the Lord said to Adam and Eve that they could have any fruit they wanted in the Garden of Eden, except for the forbidden fruit from the tree in the center of the garden. Of course, in the end, they end up eating it. Many myths have this "something forbidden" hidden inside of them, along with another character to blame. In the instance of Adam and Eve, they blame the serpent. Campbell believes this is all a metaphor for something larger, than human eyes and thought could ever understand. He does not believe we should look at the denotations of mythology, and focus more on the meanings and values that lie within it.
Robin Young, Sophomore
Joseph Campbell has an interesting view of mythology. The largest component to his beliefs is that God(s) is a transcendent energy, meaning no human could neither exactly comprehend nor define it. He strongly believes people should look at the connotations of mythology, instead of taking it literally. According to him, mythology is a clue to the innermost being of human nature; it is a metaphor of humanity. Many myths have similar concepts, one being "something forbidden". For example, the Lord said to Adam and Eve that they could have any fruit they wanted in the Garden of Eden, except for the forbidden fruit from the tree in the center of the garden. Of course, in the end, they end up eating it. Many myths have this "something forbidden" hidden inside of them, along with another character to blame. In the instance of Adam and Eve, they blame the serpent. Campbell believes this is all a metaphor for something larger, than human eyes and thought could ever understand. He does not believe we should look at the denotations of mythology, and focus more on the meanings and values that lie within it.
Robin Young, Sophomore
Joseph Campbell sees myths as a manifestation of the culture they were created in. He said that "myths are clues to the spiritual potentialities of our human life". He also showed duality in the different creation myths. There is often a choice to take which can be good or evil. Campbell said that bad things are part of life, just as good things. That's why myths give the created humans a choice. Another similarity between creation myths he mentioned would be the strong presence of Transcendence in the creation myths. Campbell didn't believe that god is part of Nature, he said that god stands above it.
Carl B.
Period 8
Joseph Campbell sees myths as a manifestation of the culture they were created in. He said that "myths are clues to the spiritual potentialities of our human life". He also showed duality in the different creation myths. There is often a choice to take which can be good or evil. Campbell said that bad things are part of life, just as good things. That's why myths give the created humans a choice. Another similarity between creation myths he mentioned would be the strong presence of Transcendence in the creation myths. Campbell didn't believe that god is part of Nature, he said that god stands above it.
Carl B.
Period 8
Joseph Campbell's views on mythology were quite interesting. He has found that all creation stories have some higher power, such as God, who is the Creator. Creation stories also usually show duality, which allows to know the difference good and bad. Campbell also talked about transcendence, which is something beyond human understanding. He states that the best things in life can't be told because they are transcendent. Creation stories help us to understand transcendent things, mainly the question of how the earth was created. Campbell's ideas were very insightful, and after watching this interview, I understood myths and creation stories a lot better.
i watched are you human by Ze Frank. Frank asks a series of questions to try to determine if the veiwers are human. He asks about everything from doing somthing to get attention to doing somthing embarrassing. Even though he didn't really do a presentation he did prove a point that humans are imperfect and that will never change no matter how hard we try we will show these imperfections at some point. He also shows how humans are embaressed to show these imperfections by asking anyone who has done these things it was a good and none traditional speech but it still proved its point.
I watched the ted video "To this Day...for the Bullied and Beautiful" by Shane Koyczan. I will be honest I cried my eyes out. He talked, and sang about how it's like to be young and different. He did an amazing job, he did all the things we talked about in class. The main one I really noticed that he did very well was being confident. He told stories and he interacted with the audience and he was so energetic. Shane made a song that was so deep and even I was thinking, yeah that hurts, and wow that happens? He really showed the audience and me that you can tell people or you can show them. Showing is so much more different then telling. I hope I can show my class and not just tell them.
Sophia Cordova
p. 2
Joseph Campbell was scholar that focused on myths and the message of myths. The myths that were focused on in the interview were creation story's.one thing that I found interesting was the comparison between western and eastern myths like how in the west its about conquering nature where in eastern myths nature itself is divinity. Another thing that it covered was how myths have a tendency to blame a initiator for some mistake usualy succumbing to some human desire. The thing I found most interesting was Campbell's personal idea ology like how if u really want to help the world the best action is passiveness to do nothing yet the heroes is the one that participates in it.
Joseph Campbell had many observations and important ideas regarding myths, more specifically creation stories, in his interview with Bill Moyers. One of these ideas is the reoccurring themes, meanings, and metaphors in creations stories from different religions around the world. For example, Campbell said that in all myths, we ‘search for an experience of being alive.’ Normally people may think that a myth is told to give meaning to life and meaning to the things that exist around us, but Campbell says that myths give us life in that they can fulfill the life experiences we have. Some stories within myths, and people within the stories, are brought up again and again and we see that most often, they are symbols for a part of life. One being the serpent showing up in many myths, and it representing life being thrown off its path, yet it continues on, like a snake shedding its skin.
Another important idea is the transcendence of myths and our inability to truly understand what they mean. Campbell even says that myths are metaphors as to what can’t be known. We may never understand what a myth may stand for or mean, but they can still fill our experiences in life with some ort of significance.
Maddie Horiuchi
Period 6
I watched TED in English class, I watched that before,cause my head teacher in middle school is English teacher,and he said that TED's talking is great,people don't talk for long time, but they just show us what they want to show,for just in about three mins.They have eye contact with audience,body language,somes they bring something related with their topic to make audience more understanding.Also, they will show us some sample or pictures. Freshman. Jiani Chen
Campbell compared many myths, the main idea was based on transcendence of the creator or creators. Campbell says that the stories and myths are related they have some higher power or creator that takes part in this situations. The creator or higher power has usually had us make a choice or do a command. The creator or higher power also has a conflict in the stories/myths. They have us going though many situations to make us feel alive. Campbell said " we are seeking an experince in what it is to be alive." The creators put us thourgh many things so we can have that rush.
Gabriel G.
Period 8
I watched a Ted talk called, "the danger of silence." The speaker had hand gestures and his body language as he was speaking gave an image to my brain and I could see or picture every word he was saying so clearly. He also had a lot of detail so that, again, put images in my mind to where it was almost if I was right there witnessing everything he was explaining.
Kayla K. period 2
One of the first major points I found was about God and nature. In the interview, it was stated that God is not nature, and nature is not God. You will find that different religions and myths have different view points on this. Another interesting idea is what women represent in mythology. In all myths, women represent life. Without women, there would be no myths, or life for that matter. Myths also address questions that we don't fully know the answer to. Like why was the world made, who made the world, and what are we supposed to do in it. All of these ideas from Campbell are very interesting. They all require a deep understanding and thought.
Grace Driffill P 6
I watched the Ted Talk "Are You Human?". It was very humorous and interactive with the audience. These two traits kept people involved during the speech. Although the speaker had a monotone voice, it made the speech even funnier and nobody was zoned out. He was asking questions like "Have you ever forgotten this?" Or "Have you ever done this?" And it kept everybody very tuned in.
Emma F. P.5
One of Campbell's points that he talked about in the interview was Zimmer's idea of the inadequacy of language. How we can't describe some myths because they transcend thought and ideas. Another idea that I thought was important Campbell's idea's and thought's about duality. And how everything in time has an a dual or an opposite or partner. Another Campbell's ideas was how women in mythology always represent life since with only men in myths no life will not have happened. And that women are the first partner of man in most creation myths.
One of the things that Campbell talked about that caught my attention was when he said "You shouldn't be interested just because it's said to be important." This can be related to the differences in different cultures perspectives concerning the creation myth.
People view the story of creation in many diverse ways but most tie together on the fact that we are all manifestations of divinity. In Campbell's interview with Moyers, Campbell explains that we are manifestations of divinity and eternity. I thought of this in relation to the fact that we are all made in the image of God. When we discussed two stories of creation in class, each of them talked about how God created man to fill the Earth. We are the eternal presence of the world.
2191Campbell argued many strong points about myths, especially myths of creation. He stated that all creation myths are, in essence, the same. Each one usually contains a higher power as the creator, some kind of challenge, and a consequence, either good or bad. He also said that each myth contains a lot of duality. For example, the "main characters" of most myths are a man and a woman. With this duality also comes symbolism. Campbell said that women in myths represent life with all its pain.
Another point Campbell argued was that all myths have a similar message: There is good, and there is evil. We should choose the good and fight against the evil.
One idea that Campbell focused on a lot in the interview is that all creation myths are alike in some way. All creation stories have a higher power that creates man nature and woman. Man and woman then have a choice of temptation to prove themselves. He also had other strong opinions. He said that we are always seeking the experience to be alive, in other words we are trying to find Gods divine presents. One strong statement that I heard him say was that God is not nature and nature is now God and that he is transcendence.
Nathan Howard
period 8
I found that Joseph Campbell ideas to do with myths and mythology where not as expected, they focused more on the ideas of that myths don't have exact meanings; that for each person they can mean something else. These myths help us to find meaning in our own lives. Mythology and myths are manifestations of symbolic energy within each us as according to Joseph Campbell.
-Abi Garside
Period 5
In class on Friday we watched an interview with Joseph Campbell and his ideas on mythology. Myths are the stories in which every culture has that tells of how we came to be. God transcends above language and thoughts. We can try to understand God but he is out of our comprehension space. Myths are created to try and give us an understanding. Campbell states that legends will teach us about our own individual struggles and challenges. This helps us realize that pain is a part of life.
In creation myths we see a higher being and a story of what happened. Every myth is trying to open the transcendence of God through nature itself. Campbell states that we should be seeking an experience to be alive and try and be in the middle of evil and good, seeking both. Myths try to reveal the world to us and teach us how to live. It's a very complex subject but Campbell does a very good job in trying to lift the cover off the transcendency of God.
Sarah B.
Period 6
The video on Joe Campbell and his idea of what a myth really is was very capturing, in the sense that it made me think very critically. In the video Campbell shares what a "myth" really is saying, it was and brought clues to the spiritual intelligence of mankind. Saying, that myths are metaphors that are transcendent. He also explained why we should care about myth, including that myths as themselves release information that dates back to ancient times, where mankind has been involved, in all cultures and religions. The myths we read and study capture us and we start to find deeper meanings in them.
Campbell made some interesting points in the interview. The one that caught my attention the most is when he said "everything is evil to someone in some way" I found this to be so true and so interesting that he made this point. There is a deeper meaning to this that requires critical thinking to really get what he is saying. This also shows the more unknown side to myths and makes you really think about what is being said.
-Grace Bruggers
Maggie L.
Period 8
The video interview of Campbell focused on myths and the importance of them in the modern world. One thing that captured my interest was him mentioning that myths are clues to experiencing the world in which we are living and to find the transcendent. This statement caused me to think of other myths I have read and remember the spiritual and valuable elements found in them. Another point Campbell made was how similar all creation myths are, regardless of the cultures they originated in being miles apart; he states that all creation myths have basic components: a "Creator" of the Earth and all things on it, a point of right and wrong, and a challenge or key piece of advice given by the Creator. A quote by Campbell that caught my attention was that all humans are manifestations of a good consciousness.
Campbell had many ideas about mythology. One of his main ones is that all humans seek the experience of being alive. He says experiencing life lets us feel transcendence. Another of his main ideas was that myths don't ask about who made the world, or how, they ask about how god is a part of the earth.
Campbell also explained that myths can show us the deep problem questions and ideas in a culture. They refrence transcendent things that a culture believes. He also tell us that many myths, although different, can be the same in a metaphorical way.
Alea Bristow, 8th
Campbell's and Moyer's interview was all about myths, mythology, and creation myths. A big part of his interview was focused on the different creation stories and those stories were then compared. One thing that kept reoccurring throughout each story was a transcendent, or something beyond human understand. This transcendent was the creator who, well created everything. This is a very large part of the creation stories because it is how they are all alike but different at the same time. Some transcendents created earth, then man, then animals. Others created earth, animals, and then man.
Manifestations were also a topic that was discussed in the interview. Campbell was asked by Moyers something along the lines of "What are we all manifestations of?" Campbell responded by telling Moyers that we are manifestations of Buddha, our inner Jesus. Heaven, Hell, the gods, and the all the worlds are within us. This is very powerful thing to say because we were created by a transcendent, but that "God" is within us, along with everything else He has created as well.
-Anna Lower
Period 6
Joseph Campbell's idea of mythology focuses on Transcendence. He believes that God does not reside in nature, but that he is transcendent. Campbell also brings up creation stories, and how every culture has one. I've found that in most creation stories, or myths, it all begins with a God or a higher power. That higher power feels lonely, so they decide to create man. In some myths man came after nature, but in most others man came before everything.
Malia Abramson
Period 8
Joseph Campbell said that we are all seeking life and to live life in the fullest. And what he said about life, in a general sense, is sort or covered in most myths; the essence of life and how it came to be. Most myths according to Campbell cover how most things on the Earth came to be and why things are the way they are. But even with these myths and legends, we still cannot truly comprehend how it truly came to be, which is where the idea of transcendence comes into play. No one truly has a higher understanding of what came from where or who did what, which in all myths has a vague explanation, which is where Campbell says that all myths have some higher being. But even with these mythological understandings we have, we still cannot entirely explain what it is we are trying to say, which is what Hinrich Zimmer talks about when he says we have an inadequacy of language.
Campbell also states that there is pain and terror in the world and that most myths explain that humans, Gods, or animals in some sort of disagreement or fight cause the suffering.
Joseph Campbell talks a lot about the idea of transcendence, and how there is a higher power that we cannot fully know or understand. This is a recurring theme throughout mythology. Another recurring theme is that something is forbidden. Adam and Eve were told they could eat from every tree from the Garden except from the tree in the middle of the Garden which held the forbidden fruit. So, of course, they ate the forbidden fruit. In most stories, whoever did the forbidden action doesn't take fault for the actions, but rather puts the blame on someone else. In the case of Adam and Eve, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. Campbell also discusses how people should not take mythology literally, because they are just stories tying to teach us a lesson.
I watched the TED talk called "Two Poems About What Dogs Think (Probably)" by Billy Collins. The two poems were about their lives and what they think of their owners. the two dogs told about their Billy Collins used a lot of hand gestures, rhetorical questions, and had good eye contact. Billy Collins used eye contact a lot to keep the audience interested. Also he kept the audience interested by not speaking in monotone and raising and lowering his voice. these techniques are important so his audience doesn't get bored and so they are active listeners.
The speaker Jarret Krosoczka talked about his liking for lunch ladies and the work they put into their job. When talking he made eye contact, emphasized important words, and made a couple of jokes. The reason it is good to make a couple of jokes is to keep your audience listening. When making eye contact, it shows you're talking to the audience and the ceiling or wall. And lastly emphasizing words tells the audience the words that are important or words to think about.
Joseph Campbell's outlook on myths is very interesting. He has various intelligent opinions on creation myths and how they are the the base of our beliefs. He talked about how many different cultures have similarities with serpents and a God of some sort. Campbell also claimed that we are all seeking the experience of living. That really got my attention and made me think about all these different myths and how so many of them have similarities with the first men and woman and how their God gives them options.
Joseph Campbell covered a lot of different areas in the interview. I think the most important one that he touched on was the fact that we are all searching for a meaning. In every single civilization we are looking for a meaning. No matter what the myth it is, the reason is so we can find the meaning. The reason we are trying to find these meanings are because myths are metaphors. They are metaphors for transcendence. That is beyond our understanding, so we try to put them into these stories to understand them more. Overall I think that the interview was pretty good, but hard too comprehend as well.
Campbell's interview was based on mythology and creation stories. One of the big ideas, in my opinion, was transcendence. In each of the stories they read there was a transcendent. For example, in the story of Adam and Eve, God was the transcendent. He was viewed as something that was beyond human understanding. Another thing I thought was a big idea was being forbidden. Again, the story of Adam and Eve uses this. The serpent convinces Eve the forbidden fruit is okay to eat and she and Adam eat it.
Anna Howard
Period 1
I found Joseph Campbell's very intriguing. Views I found interesting were how some religions and cultures tie in with each other and how symbols can represent completely different things in other cultures. When Campbell explained how a snake in Christianity means a serpent and represents evil, but then in Buddhism the Snake God is very powerful. Also the snake is a reoccurring character in creation stories. Another view I found interesting were Campbell's views on creation stories and how even though each religion has its own creation story there are so many common factors. Every creation story that I have come a crossed so far always has a higher power, men are always created first, and there is always some sort of decision to make.
Joseph Campbell's analysis of all these theological myths are thoughts that pass through our minds as fast as a blink of the eye. Campbell's study focus on the transcendence, manifestation, denotation, and things existing in fields of time. All of these stories have a higher power, or a Creator, which I have come to think that the cultural groups made up to reassure their people, because our creation was a transendence. I loved how Campbell said that the Creator is presented through the whole world.
Campbell talked a lot about how we all seek the experience of being alive, and living life to the fullest. Living a life with no boundaries, and having a choice what to do. Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from the tree, and well they ate from it, but in the other story when the people had a choice they did the right thing. When we are told not do something it enhances our need and want to it, but when the decision is in our hands we tend to see differently. I also thought it was interesting how he mentioned that no one took fault for their action, they blamed someone else which is what human nature is today.
In the interview Campbell discusses several creation myths and how we should interpret myths in general. He said that once we learn to interpret and understand myths we can find rich information. One thing that myths have in common is a creator,the creator generally has the first humans run through a test or make a choice. Another common thing with myths isn't about them but it's how people look for the feeling of rapture or being alive through myths.
I watched a Ted talk called "How prisons can help inmates live meaningful lives" and I must say, the speaker was very good at getting his point across. Dan Pacholke, who has been around and worked in prisons since he was a child. He talked about how inmates who are derived of basic human needs are more likely to commit crimes in later life due to a sort of "karma" effect. When petty crimes turn into punishment by what may as well be stripping of human rights criminals will be more likely to start prison riots, cause issues, and even as far as attempted escapes. Dan Pacholke, who early on worked as a prison planner, realized that treating criminals that haven't done things of major importance badly can lead to bad things. In the second prison at which he worked he found that the cells didn't even have toilets. This led him to this amazing revelation, which changed that, and other prisons country-wide. Once toilets had been put in cells prisoner tolerance went up, and general incompetence went down. It was amazing to me how such a small change made such a big impact on the prisoners in ordinary confinement. The speaker used personal experience to get his point across, which is probably one of the more effective methods in speaking.
-Hunter Crosland
Campbell's ideas were very interesting, like how he said that when we are reading or hearing these myths, that we are looking for some sort of deep connection or to feel alive. He also says theres always the one thing we can have in all the myths. Like his motif, "The one forbidden thing", there is always something that we are forbidden to do or to have, like with the forbidden fruit in the story of Adam and Eve. I also think it is interesting how he defines a myth as "the experience of life". It's intriguing because we can all interpret that definition differently and what he means by that. After watching and seeing what he had to say, it made me think a lot about myths and all the different creation stories we have these days.
There were a few key points in the interview of Joseph Campbell that he kept referring back to. First of all, he talked about transcendence. Myths show that humans have a huge imagination and that they try to imagine about things that are beyond human understanding and thought. Campbell said that myths are metaphors of what cannot be known or named (usually God, or a god), yet they are clues to our innermost being and the spiritual potentialities of human life. Since they are metaphors, and they use lots of symbolism, one has to look at the connotation of a myth, not its denotation (literal meaning). Campbell also said that the heroic choice in life in almost all myths would be to accept the bad things in life and bounce back from them, which is symbolized by the snake in many creation stories. Another common characteristic of myths is the concept of duality, which means that for one existing thing, its opposite exists (good vs. bad, light vs. dark, love vs. hate, etc.).
The dual "concept" of good vs. bad is used in many creation stories. Usually, humans are created by a transcendent being and have a choice that shapes humans for the rest of eternity. This choice is usually between something good or bad, like when Eve decides to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge.
Victoria Stevens
Period 6
Campbell is very wise and looks deep into the meanings of myths. AS an example he says that instead of just reading the myths look at them deeper. He explains it as seeking for the mystery of life. That the myths are clues to understand the mystery of life. That there are two sides of mythology eastern and western. Eastern reflects good and the western reflects bad.
- Sam Loveland
Period 8
Campbell had many strong and interesting opinions on creation myths. Transcendence was the big thing in this interview. Transcendence is defined as "existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level", he includes that this idea is in many stories. Another big thing he includes is that myths help us figure out who we are. It gives us an experience of being alive, while they are also clues to human life. Campbell had a strong opinion and said "myths will help us find ourselves and help figure out the end of our story".
Kathleen Wilkerson
period 8
Many of the main ideas expressed by Campbell in his interview centered on the idea of us looking for the transcendent or that which we can not understand. He says we use myths and creation stories to give our lives meaning and to truly live in new experiences. Campbell expressed the belief that our lives are here and now, and instead of worrying about what is after this we should be worried about how we live right now and what our lives are like in our own eternity.
I watched To this day...for the bullied and beautiful by Shane Koyczan. I have watched this once before. I loved it. He uses such a powerful voice, and he is very poetic. He also made a video to go along with everything that he was saying. It was very powerful and emotional and I think that those are a great way to get your point across. He talks about his experience with bullying and how it effects everyone just not the person who is being bullied.
I went onto Ted and watched a talk called the danger of silence. In this talk the speaker gave up speaking to people. He was faced with many challenges. One challenge that he mentioned was that, one day he was walking around and he had come by a homeless guy who had sat there waiting for money or s response and he couldn't give the homeless guy one because he couldn't talk. In the speech he says that silence is almost like a genocide. You are trapping what you want to say in your lungs because you may ear what people might have to say.
This speech taught me that it isn't okay not to say what you want. You shouldn't be afraid to say what you want to. And last my favorite thing he said is this " I will not let silence wrap itself around my indecision "
I'm so confused right now but in response to the question I like how most of the speakers keep the speech flowing from one idea to the next. It keeps the listener interested in what they are talking about.
Throughout the video, Campbell made many fine points. One of the biggest points he made, in my opinion, is the reason we create these myths. He said that we create the myths in order to understand how our world came to be. Another point that Campbell made was that while we read these myths, we should be searching to find how we came to be. He also said something that changed the way I look at a word. He changed my definition of eternity. Campbell said that eternity is the dimension of here and now. I always thought eternity meant the same thing as forever. Now I think differently. So, all in all, there were some good points made in the video, "The Message of the Myth".
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