Mythology tells about the character traits and relationships in human society. Topics are about tenderness, betrayal, motherhood, or the courage of love. In the visual arts, the mythological genre was formed in the Middle Ages; He painted legends and traditions. Images of ancient heroes and gods appeared in the pre-Christian period and occupied an…

This beginning paper attempts to explicate the myth of autonomy and individuality and the impact of this myth upon people in Western society. Focusing upon the work of the Dutch philosopher Gerrit Manenschijn, the authors briefly explore: (1) the history of autonomy as a myth as well as (2) how the West's monomythical culture shapes human…

In its simplest form, what is thought of as community is a group of people coming together on the basis of something shared for the benefit of the community. To imagine this form of community, people must reconstruct it as a memory from a prehistoric time in which they lived in harmony with other people. But as they have not experienced this…

The need for humanistically-oriented research may be viewed as the unfinished business of humanistic psychology. Additional research is needed to support some of the theoretical positions of humanistic psychology which have emerged from clinical practice, education, and management consultation rather than from laboratories and field studies. The…

A brief reading of "Desire under the Elms" by Eugene O'Neill illustrates how a conventional Oedipal reading of the playscript opens up spaces within the text for deconstructive free-play. In this case, a tension is identified and foregrounded between this conventional application of the Oedipal complex and Freud's interpretation of the…

Mythic elements are often found at the very heart of both eastern and western philosophical and religious tradition. This paper seeks to examine the uses of myth in conveying important concepts of soul, rebirth, and salvation in two seminal texts--Plato's "Phaedrus" and the Hindu "Bhagavad Gita." In drawing from narrative…

Television commercials convey to the audience through symbols, metaphors, and myths the feelings and emotions deeply rooted in our culture. While commercials on one level are concerned with a representation of the product or service, they are on another level a symbol of a larger meaning: love, family, romance, motherhood, or hero worship. A can…

Qualitative studies can be approached through a method analogous to semiotic analysis. In order to avoid arbitrary assessments, news reportage should be subjected to an analysis that will reveal the various logical and technological, mythic and modal structures reflected in the message system. Humanistic inquiry can borrow from structural models…

This paper focuses on a speech by Demosthenes, recognized as the foremost orator of the fourth century B.C., and the speeches of environmentalist David Brower, in a search for parallel use of values and myths in their rhetorical approaches. Myths provided a world view, ordered the world into right and wrong conduct and thinking, and created a…

This paper examines the role of myths and symbols in society through the use of a hypothetical dialogue. The paper begins by explaining what myths are and the functions they serve. Mythology and mythical symbols of past and present are compared. These changes in the nature of mythological symbols are explored through a dialogue between an artist…

In order to explore whether the medium employed to promote a given event also helps to shape the accompanying myth which is attached to any significant happening, it will be useful to compare the two rock concerts, 1969's Woodstock and 1985's Live Aid. One difference is the way in which the two concerts were organized, promoted, and executed;…

Much has been written about public relations as either a science or an art. Public relations is a phenomenon within society and has existed long before the name was first applied to the work of building relationships between social groups. Public relations deals with the very core of human experience: relationships. If art may be understood as an…

The value of hearing, contemplating, and remembering the ancient tales of the Seneca Indians of upstate New York is the theme of this paper. Three of the legends, the Storytelling Stone, the Woman Who Fell from the Sky, and Naked Bear, are related by the author. They are considered for their mythic concerns and in terms of their value and relation…

This discussion of the artistic merit and universal appeal of picture books was presented at the 1987 convention of the Catholic Library Association. A bibliography of books from which slides were taken to accompany the presentation is included. (Author/EM)

"Our World," by Virginia prison inmate Marvin Atkinson, is a poem which aptly describes the isolation of Black Americans from the national ideals that America represents. To most Blacks these ideals are myths that continue not only to elude them but enslave them. Four American myths which stand in the way of 30 million Black people who…