Myth And Oswalt Summary

The book is broken up into two sections. The first half of the book, “The Bible and Myth,” Oswalt takes the time to define what a myth is and what

In the textbook, the study of American folklore by Jan Harold Brunvand, it gives the definition of a myth as “traditional pose narratives, which in the society in which they are told, are considered to be truthful accounts of what happened in the remote past” (Brunvand 170). Anthropologist William Bascom expressed that myths are similar to legends in the way they are told, described, and the main characters that they contain. However, myths vary from legends because they are revered and they take place in another world or an earlier world, instead of a historical past. One element that myths include is a supernatural component to explain “the creation of the world and its transformations into the condition in which we know it” (Brunvand 176).

A myth is a symbolic way of expressing truths and beliefs that are accepted by society. Myths, which are reading literature that is imaginative, teach truths that may not always have a basis for historical fact. Myths, which communicate ideas in story form, are creative stories that explain and teach religious truths of sin and consequence.

Then in that single sentences a myth is a belief that is often known as religious belief to most people and through time it has lost its credibility. On the other hand, we can also consider to be real and valid beliefs in any given culture. Like Christianity and Islam, just to name just two, are known as religion to the people. Because they are known to their people as the true version of the world. But both have different views on what is real and

Myths are not solely a matter of representation, but are narratives of value within a culture that is paradigmatic, authoritative and applicable. Paden explains that within religious worlds, myths set the foundation that shape people’s way of life. Subsequently, they shape societies moral compasses and beliefs. The creation story in the bible is sort of a grounding prototype that shaped the belief of the catholic church. This story shows how myth is being applied and used to orient people to a higher power both in the past and currently. It is also a characteristic of myth as it tries to explain life’s fundamental questions. This relates to Paden’s thoughts about myth being labelled as more than just a language, but one with an authoritative

The first chapter addresses the Bible in the connection of its surroundings and its commitment to society. Oswalt expresses that there are numerous commitments to the way the Western world perceives reality. The Bible, be that as it may, is the most essential contributor.

which is the worldview of “continuity” or “correspondence.” “Continuity is a philosophical principle that asserts that all things are continuous with each other. ”4 There are many versions of this idea, but the core is the same. Myth relies on the rationale that all things are continuous with each other.

The thought of the Bible being considered a myth has changes over the years. The though went from God and Bible not being able to be considered a myth, to mythical literature being at the center of the Israelites faith. The data has not changed, instead it is the perspective of scholars. This raises a question asked by younger scholars about accepting the Bible as truth if the history surrounding it is false. The definition of myth has been broadened over recent years to include the Bible. Oswalt discusses how a myth cannot be whatever a person decides it can be. It also cannot not be too broad that it could really be very many different things.

Continuity is the principle subject of the third section. Here, Oswalt clarifies upon what he touches on toward the end of section two. The one thing that myths have in common is the presence of continuity. The method for speculation in continuity somehow sees all things as a component of one another. The three major forces (mankind, nature, and the divine) all exist on roundabout continuum where the three have impressive and uncertain overlaps. Oswalt expresses that the outcomes of such a perspective are far-reaching.

Another repeated word within the passage is ‘myth.’ Hypothetically speaking, if Grant were to change the word ‘myth’ into something different it could potentially differ in intent and interpretation if he had used a different term to convey the lesson Grant was teaching. For example, if Grant were to use the word ‘fable’ or ‘folktale’ the lesson interpretation would have gone another direction for the reader. Considering he did use the word ‘myth’ in the novel, was that the best option for the lesson he was trying to get across. An alternate word that could have been used would be ‘legend’ or ‘fabrication.’ Legend’s denotation is “ A traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.” This word could replace the

Oswalt starts his definition process by discussing the debate of whether the Bible has a distinctive view of reality. Until fifty years ago most scholars believed that biblical literature did not share the characteristics of myth. Today there has been a radical shift in opinions, such as the possibility that mythical thought and mythical literature are at the very heart of Israel’s religion.1 Oswalt believes that this change is based on assumptions and not on new discoveries. The problem of definition encompasses the first obstacle when defining a myth. The validity of a definition must be evaluated. The first problem is that a definition must be broad enough to include all the items that share common characteristics but narrow enough to exclude items that only have a few common characteristics. The second problem has to do with the nature of the definition and whether it provides a description or an evaluation. Oswalt groups definitions of myth according to their type as either historical-philosophical or phenomenological. He then subdivides historical-philosophical into etymological, sociological and literary. Etymological definitions of myth emphasize the falsity of what is being described and are frequently too broad. In sociological definitions of myth, truth is seen as relative. Perception of something being true makes it true. Oswalt labels his final subdivision of historical-philosophical

When studying any piece of literature there are many different methods and techniques that can be used. The Bible, in specific, is often referred to as a source of moral code, hope, and answers to social, ethical, and political questions. However, this incredibly influential book can also be read as if it were any other novel. The events, settings, and characters can all be evaluated for what they are, forgetting the notion that they are from a religious text. This approach is called narrative criticism. When regarding to the Bible in this way, we do not need to know any historical information or focus on seeking a deeper theological meaning. Instead, the stories are evaluated in terms of how

One of the three myths manifest in translated to black women's reproductive policies was Welfare encouraged women to have more children. They were trying to limit the about of poor women having children. However, using Mississippi as an example discredited that believe leading people to realize that poor women have children because of personal reasons.

“Well, Jack, you may be able to wash your hands, but your mind is still muddled. You’re not thinking clearly at all, old chap. You’re acting as if myths are mere arbitrary inventions of fiction, as if we pull them out of thin air, but what you don’t understand, is that we make things by the law in which we are made. We tell stories because God is a storyteller. In fact, he’s the Storyteller. We tell our stories with words. He tells his story with history. We are all part of his story. This very conversation is part of his

Myths differ from other kinds of signifiers. For one thing, they are never arbitrary. They always contain some kind of analogy, which motivates them. Motivation is necessary to the very duplicity of myth: myth plays on the analogy between meaning and form. There is no myth without motivated form. In contrast to ideas of false consciousness, Myth doesn’t hide things, it distorts them. It alienates the history of the