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Modern Myths Redefined Research Paper

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Myth Redefined for the Modern Age Myth has been defined and manipulated throughout its usage in order to fit the desired criteria for explaining a multitude of phenomena. The usage of the word myth has steadily increased in the English language, applying to an increasing number of circumstances. Today, there exist programs such as MythBusters, where a group of hosts test classic wives’ tales and conundrums, while classifying them as myth. Quite obviously, these common misconceptions and questions do not fit the format and definition of a myth as it has been derived from the Greek mythos. Myth has come to be defined as a misconception, a distilled version of the term’s former significance. It must now be proposed that myth shall be redefined in order to provide a balance between the ancient and modern meanings. Myth in the context of modern culture needs to be redefined, shedding the connotation of connection to the divine, embracing the possibility of fewer qualifications, and allowing current cultural situations to adopt the definition of a myth without blemishing the significance of the term’s history. …show more content…

Such a question has sparked much debate, comparing the ancient myths of gods and goddesses to subordinate ideas of bigfoot and superstition. However, there do exist modern myths that still maintain a connotation of the supernatural, along with a difficult moral lesson. Examples include El Chupacabra, a creature that is often recognized as demonic, preying upon the livestock of immoral farmers throughout Central America. The issue with the definition then, becomes the formal background of a traditional story, as well as the characters within the story, as many modern myths lack such a structured background. Many myths are not capable of fulfilling all of the characteristics of the archaic definition, and

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