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MLA
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Literature & Language
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Essay
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English (U.S.)
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Topic:
Patriarchy as seen from the Legends of the Founding of Cities
Essay Instructions:
Choose one story from Greek culture and one from another culture and consider what is revealed about the relationships between men and women in the cultures from which the stories come. You may be comparing or contrasting what you understand from the two stories you are analyzing. You will think about your findings and record them in a coherent, well organized, correctly written essay of 500 - 750 words. Use MLA format. The two stories to use are listed in topic: Zeus and Europa; Winjiru.
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Patriarchy as seen from the Legends of the Founding of Cities
In Greek Mythology as well as in African legends, the relationships of men and women can be reflected in the myths surrounding the founding of the cities. Here we can also see glimpses of the birth of patriarchy as can be gleamed from the actual circumstances of the stories themselves. Europa the first Queen of Crete and was to be attributed the name of the European continent was a mistress of Zeus who is well known for his womanizing CITATION Apo99 \l 1033 (Apollodorus). The African legend of Wanjiru, considered to be one of the founders of the peoples of Kenya, Kikuyu and East Africa CITATION Ros83 \l 1033 (Mwangi) also nearly became the wife of an ogre disguised as a very handsome man. In both legends it was the woman from which the origin of the place was attributed to but it was the power of the man that created the initial impetus that spurred the birth of the place. From a historical point of view, we can say that the original matriarchal society which is a universal phenomenon during the time of horticultural and subsistence economies preceding wide scale agriculture is now to be replaced by patriarchy represented by the dominance of the man as can be seen from the legends of the origin of the place CITATION Ros83 \l 1033 (Mwangi).
In the legend of Zeus and Europa, Zeus was portrayed to be married but continued on with his gallivanting with other women. During the time when this legend was created, Greek society was already patriarchal and polygamous. One man is permitted to have several wives but only in the bond of marriage. Women were considered second class citizens and were not permitted to vote or have a place in political positions. Zeus did not marry Europa just like his other women but only had children with her. Zeus eventually left Europa although he gave her many gifts afterward. Thus, without mixing words, E...
Professor:
Course/Subject:
Date:
Patriarchy as seen from the Legends of the Founding of Cities
In Greek Mythology as well as in African legends, the relationships of men and women can be reflected in the myths surrounding the founding of the cities. Here we can also see glimpses of the birth of patriarchy as can be gleamed from the actual circumstances of the stories themselves. Europa the first Queen of Crete and was to be attributed the name of the European continent was a mistress of Zeus who is well known for his womanizing CITATION Apo99 \l 1033 (Apollodorus). The African legend of Wanjiru, considered to be one of the founders of the peoples of Kenya, Kikuyu and East Africa CITATION Ros83 \l 1033 (Mwangi) also nearly became the wife of an ogre disguised as a very handsome man. In both legends it was the woman from which the origin of the place was attributed to but it was the power of the man that created the initial impetus that spurred the birth of the place. From a historical point of view, we can say that the original matriarchal society which is a universal phenomenon during the time of horticultural and subsistence economies preceding wide scale agriculture is now to be replaced by patriarchy represented by the dominance of the man as can be seen from the legends of the origin of the place CITATION Ros83 \l 1033 (Mwangi).
In the legend of Zeus and Europa, Zeus was portrayed to be married but continued on with his gallivanting with other women. During the time when this legend was created, Greek society was already patriarchal and polygamous. One man is permitted to have several wives but only in the bond of marriage. Women were considered second class citizens and were not permitted to vote or have a place in political positions. Zeus did not marry Europa just like his other women but only had children with her. Zeus eventually left Europa although he gave her many gifts afterward. Thus, without mixing words, E...
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