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Cynthia Ozick Analysis

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Throughout all of history, human beings have been storytellers. Humans have always sought to explain the unknown, understand themselves and the world around them, and connect through myth, story, and gossip. This transcendent nature of mythology proves it is much more than mere stories. Humans tell stories because they yearn to order the world to their lives. The real distinction between humans and other animals is not simply intelligence or reason, but the ability to share our stories. They uniquely connect all of human existence to act as a group in order to be more than just individuals. Humans desire connection as much as they desire order, and myth unites these primal desires. Cynthia Ozick explains the unity between the desires in her …show more content…

Ozick describes that stories “proliferate in their scores of languages, out of continents leafy or arid, out of furious histories and agitated moral persuasions.” Myths have existed and exist all over the world, in various languages, and with different motives. Yet, every myth plays an important role in any specific culture by connecting its members. Every myth includes symbols and lessons that give worth to human existence and connects all humans, or humans of a specific culture, to a transcendent order that lets them act as a people. Contrary to popular belief, myth and history do not oppose each other, but are linked together. Myth dates back thousands of years and permeates through all of human existence, and yet the stories still hold true. For example, in the Myth of Daedalus and Icarus, Icarus disobeys his father, flies to close to the sun and meets his demise. (Ovid) Although this story was written thousands of years ago, little boys still constantly disobey their father’s wishes. In addition, Daedalus has a love for invention and progress. (Ovid) Current societies are obsessed with the progression of invention and technology. Furthermore, in Brueghel’s painting Fall of Icarus, man’s ignorance toward suffering is represented by the unfazed Sheppard and fishermen. This lack of compassion from humans still astonishingly true today. Humans have become increasingly desensitized to human suffering because of the constant war, tragedy, and hardships in everyday

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