Final Test Questions

1. (Group 1) What is the only permanent thing? Change
2. (Group 2) What is a modern version of Pan and Apollo? Tenacious D
3. Archetype: the old stuff
4. Signature: the new way you tackle the old stuff
5. (Group 3) What false idol brought snow-Pygmallion to life? John Madden
6. (Group 4) At the beginning there was the Flood and at the end there was the Flood.
7. (Group 5) How did John get away from the Cyclops? He said his name was No Man
8. (Group 6) What can be said about all ends? They are also beginnings
9. What two parts did Corrin say were about the same? Heart and Groin
10. In Triston's final, they didn't have written knowledge, they had Oral Traditions.
11. What did Jon Orsi's final compare the writing process of ? Loss of virginity
12. James Joyce compares himself to what mythological personage? God
13. Eat raw flesh of one dismembered is called what? Omophagia
14. "In my Beginning is my End"
15. The happy ending of a fairytail is the Transcendance of a tragedy.
16. Mythology does not Construct your faith. It Reconstructs your religion.
17. What does Narcissus's mother ask the oracle? Will he live to old age
18. What is a Moly? Magic herb in mythology
19. What does Pegasus mean? Fountain horse
20. What is the ticket to the underworld? Golden Bough

The rest of the Presentations

LEVI

• Importance of being in Africa
• Illiada Quote pg#23

ERIN

• How mythology is kept to life through movies
• Endings where gods make things okay
• Pretty Woman--"Making a hoe a housewife"
• *******Deusxes Machina: god comes at end and fixes everything

SARAH

• Henderson the Rain King
• Book focused on memories
• He makes connections to real world
• Page 199 "How shall a man be broken for some switch dwelling"

JENNA

• Romilayu is the true hero
• Didn't like Henderson
• He was too self-centered

MICHELLE

• Related Henderson the Rain King to personal life
• Read serious religious books for fun
• Thought stories were fun, but would never relate to
• Don't appreciate culture unless you are immersed in it
• Learned mythology has always been there in her life

SHANA

• We exemplify myth
• Events lead up to flashbacks
• Passage from Finigins Wake

Individual Presentations

SARAH

• Henderson vs Freud
• Therapy session with Freud
• Henderson is child like
• Story skips around
• Discover conscious
• Struggle of conscious and unconscious mind

ASHLEY

• Henderson is Public Magician
• Related to succession
• Dahfu becomes immortal
• "Long live the king"

KARI

• Orphean Myth--Ovid
• She told story to Mom
• "Why would you tell a story like that?"
• You cannot defeat death
• The power of art and love
• ******Sonnet 146*******

MELODY

• Henderson the Rain King and Chapter 7 in Myth and Reality
• Henderson's apocalypse of his past
• He is a Be-er
• He overcomes his fear
• He has the will to change
• Africa is a state of mind
• Step out of your comfort zone
• "Pompous Ass"

ALEX

• What is art?
• Deadalus and Orpheus
• Symbolism is very important
• "Artist cannot escape his art or his fate"
• Art is both a gift and a curse

DUSTYN

• 12 pages long
• Research on Illiada
• Religion in Illiada
• All things are sacred
• Non-religious man is not real
• Symbolic is things that we ourselves make important
• **********Hierophany: everything is sacred; bring to life**********

RACHEL

• 3 Ovid stories compared to 3 movies
• Pigmalion vs My Fair Lady
• Pyrumus and Thisby vs Trison and Esol
• Apollo and Daphne vs Sound of Music

RIO

• Henderson the Rain King
• Connected to other stories

TRISTON

• Friend went to Africa, similar to Henderson
• Guy names his baby after friend
• Cell phones are super popular
• "Sex with me doesn't cure AIDS" (Billboard)
• Children can name plants, but can't read or write
• Children are mythical
• The Ugly American
• She wears a bracelet with white beads
• She has to sleep with brother-in-law to move on from death of her husband

TALOR

• Henderson is trying to get back to illo-tempore
• He is not in touch with reality
• He goes to Africa to get in touch with himself
• He was in dream-time
• "The beginning is the end"

SETH

• Illiada's Myth and REality
• Reality is secondary
• Myth shapes our reality
• Take pieces of myth and carry on for generations

AMBERLY

• She went on a medical missions trip to Africa at age 15
• Her dad is a doctor
• Africans are peaceful and don't care what others think
• Worked in OR
• Man had to go out and kill a lion
• He walked 3 days to hospital
• Man was gored by a wild beast
• They dare to dream
• She lived a dream there
• "We can all change for the better"

LANETTE

• Henderson the Rain King
• Mythical Structure--Beginning, Middle, End
• He always suffers
• Revelation--I want
• Modern society has mythical things

JOSH

• Demythologizing Batman Begins
• Fear of bats because father's death
• Super ego = God (villan)
• Repressed ID

JAMES

• Connect Bible to Mythology
• Unicorns=Re'em; Re-yod-em
• Real unicorn=deer with one horn
• Biblical references (lots of them!)

MALINDA

• Props--cool mask with mirrors behind
• Why I already knew and learned to remember--Title
• Everything is new to her
• Started connecting things she learned in class to her past
• She reads books about myths to apply to her life
• Based her paper/presentation on a dream
• Allegory of the mind
• Mirrors show reality, infinity, and all-knowing

DOUGLAS

• Homeopathy
• The kind was anticipating the reain, so he had an umbrella
• Purple ribbons and skulls with cloth
• The moving of the ephigies
• Seriousness of ceremony
• Details of Henderson the Rain King

STORMY

• Had a difficult time reading book
• Thought if Henderson read the Golden Bough, he would have been a lot better off

SARAH KNOX

• He is always suffering
• He goes by ways that he is not
• Cub represents his owner's new way of life
• I want, I want was gone

SALLY

• Escatology
• Obsessed with Literal Escatology
• The world is going to end in 2002 on a napkin
• Learned the world ends every day

KORIN

• Henderson is a fetus
• He decends (his underworld) to Africa
• He is consumed with flame of grief
• Left in islolation room between flame and ash with Dahfu
• He brought fertility back to his heart

MAYAN

• Always interested in myths
• learned myths turn into real people and real events
• Connects life to Io and Jove
• She brought herself out of depression

MARI SHAWN

• "I hate mythology"
• She now embraces mythology
• No longer ancient timeless science fiction
• She is Catholic (practicing not recovering)
• Relates her religion to mythology
• Myth is something that never was, but will always be
• "trust the tales, not the teller"

JASE

• I want, I want
• 3 sections: At home US= viloin, pigs; Leaving family to go to Africa (wants change); King Dahfu--1st good deed, satisfies "I want"

JOHN N

• Who is Eclepious (healer of human arts)

JOHN ORSEY

• James Joyce book
• Read 1st page and thought it would be easy
• His birthday April 27th

CURTISS P

• media and entertainment
• Advertising related to mythology
• Nike--looks like wing from goddess

DAVID

• Broke down Henderson the Rain King
• Escapes life; always running away from reality
• Belly of the whale

STEVEN

• Mythology is everywhere
• The book Doom
• Main character represents Apollo (Paul)

MIKE

• I want, I want
• We have all heard the saying, but we have been told we can't. He never has.
• Africa wasn't the answer to his problems. It helps.

My Final Paper

Jenna Theisen

Dr. Michael Sexson

9 December 2010

Mythologies

Loyalty of a True Friend

While reading Henderson the Rain King, I found the main character to be very self-centered, spoiled, dishonest, and all together rude. I think the majority of the people in the class related to Henderson toward the end of the book when he makes up for all of his mistakes. I, on the other hand, believe the most deserving character who did not get enough attention in the book is Romilayu, an African guide and interpreter of Henderson’s.

In the story Henderson wants to go to Africa on this big adventure and eventually runs into an African interpreter named Romilayu. He would guide Mr. Henderson on his journey across Africa and in return would get the jeep Henderson promised him.

I really admired Romilayu’s character. He is in his mid thirties and is obviously a very hard worker. The thing I admired most about him is his loyalty. Not only is he loyal to Henderson, but he is also extremely loyal to his religion. “He said his prayers every evening. He fetched up deep sounds from his chest, like confiding groans of his soul” (45-46). Even when Romilayu is in the worst of times and confronted with challenging obstacles, he never turns away from his religion.

Even when Henderson screws up the most with the frogs, it is Romilayu who is there to encourage him to be a better man. Everyone else is so disappointed in him, but not Romilayu. He minds his own business and does not point fingers at anyone.

Henderson does not think of Romilayu’s feelings when confronted with certain obstacles. When they stay in the hut and have to make a fire to stay warm, Henderson tells Romilayu, “Rustle up some kindling, I tell you, and make it snappy” (133). There is no respect in that tone. He does not treat Romilayu very well and Romilayu does not say or do anything negative to Henderson in return. Even when they find the dead body in the hut, Henderson does not treat him very well. He says, “I directed Romilayu to turn him over. He wouldn’t; he wasn’t able to obey….” (135). The word ‘obey’ makes it seem Romilayu is a slave to Henderson. That word alone shows disrespect towards Romilayu. Again this happens when Henderson freaks out and wants Romilayu to go and wake someone. He is confused and questions Henderson and all Henderson says is, “‘Do what I tell you’, I yelled….” (136). Romilayu is confused and is afraid of Henderson. All he wanted to do was please the man and Henderson wasn’t even kind enough to give him accurate instructions.

When Henderson finally gets to meet King Dahfu, he completely forgets about his buddy Romilayu. We see this in the first encounter with the king. Henderson momentarily forgets about Romilayu and then questions where he is. “I wanted him by my side. He was allowed to walk behind me in the procession, carrying all the gear. Tried in strength and patience, he bent under his double burden; it was out of the question for me to carry anything” (149). It was out of the question for him to carry anything because he was the guest of the king. I thought this scene right here was the most important scene in the book. Romilayu has been so faithful to Henderson, yet he lets him take most of the burden when he meets the king. Henderson shows his self-centeredness when not helping Romilayu. He acts as though he is better than the people under him, including a loyal friend.

There are very few scenes after this where Romilayu is mentioned. In fact the only time Henderson mentions Romilayu is when he is having difficulties with the king. And even then, the scenes are of Romilayu faithfully praying for the both of them.
We later learn that Romilayu has a family. He has a wife and six children. Yet, he is still out in the middle of Africa helping a man who in most cases does not deserve the loyalty of such a kind-hearted man like Romilayu. Then Henderson asks Romilayu to take a letter to send to his wife and gives him the papers to the jeep, but Romilayu is not happy. He knows that his dear friend is sad and that hurts him. He is so loyal that he does not want to leave the man in his darkest hour.

Finally, when Henderson is in real danger, it is Romilayu who gets him out. He does not turn his back on Henderson when all Henderson is worried about is the dead king. He helps him to escape from yet another darkness Henderson gets himself into.

Henderson does finally see the love Romilayu has for the man in the end and comes to appreciate Romilayu for all of his hard work and loyalty. He rewards him by buying more gifts and putting them in his new acquired jeep. While parting, Romilayu is so sad to see his friend go. After all Henderson has done, Romilayu is still so loyal and worried about him. With tears they finally go their separate ways. It is not until Henderson is truly alone for the first time does he appreciate all Romilayu has done for him.

People focus their attention on Henderson. He has gone through a lot of things in his voyage of finding his inner self and overcoming his problems. He has treated people with disrespect throughout the entire book. It is Romilayu who has always been there for him. Even when the king was gone, Romilayu was there to help him back up. Even when Henderson killed the frogs and destroyed the Arnewi’s culture, it was Romilayu who was there to help him move on and did not blame him. In my personal opinion, Romilayu is the hero hidden in the shadows of darkness. Without his loyal friend, Henderson would not have gone through the experiences he did to become a better man.

Bad Day

I finally did my homework. It is better late than never I guess. Today I had a bad day. It wasn't really all that bad to begin with, but then it got horrible.

My sister-in-law is staying with us for a few days because she is pregnant and my brother had to fly to Salt Lake on a business trip. She is from China and still feels a little uncomfortable by herself. Well, I was reading a book for one of my classes when she told me she had a lot of bleeding. At first I didn't understand her. But then it occurred to me she was talking about the baby. She seemed to think this was normal. I personally have never seen a pregnant woman bleeding as much as she was. I told her to get in the car and I was going to take her to the hospital. She has a two year old little boy who is super busy, so by the time we got him loaded up and we were on our way, it was getting late.

We finally made it to the hospital. Considering we live forty minutes away, I thought we made pretty good time. We met up with my step-mom (who is a nurse) at the ER. We waited for almost a half hour for someone to even show up at the check-in counter. Then they made her fill out a ton of paperwork (in which she did not understand because she can't really read/understand a lot of English). She finally got seen almost an hour after we got there. The nurse checked her out and said she had a bad tear in her uterus. That is NOT a good thing. She bled a lot and the doctors and nurses at the ER didn't seem to be all that bothered by this. Xuying, my sister-in-law, was super scared. The worst part of the evening was seeing her suffer. My step mom and I took turns watching the crazy, wild, hyper two year old boy. He was running around the hospital screaming at the top of his lungs. You would think they would have tried their best to get her seen and out of there just to get rid of the screaming kid. But they took their time.

Now I have only been to the ER a couple of times in my life. Both times I was there prior we got immediate care. The nurses took care of the patient as soon as he or walked in the door. Now they weren't really all that busy. I think there was only three other patients besides us.

They tested her hormone levels and got an ultrasound on the baby. Thank God the baby was still alive. The heartbeat was normal and the baby seemed to be healthy. But she was still loosing a lot of blood. The doctors said she had a miscarriage scare and that she at risk to lose the baby. We were all scared and very tired.

While my step mom and Xuying were talking with the doctor, my job was to take care of the kid. He seemed to have an endless supply of energy. I think we rad around that hospital fifteen times. The bad thing about watching him was I have blood sugar problems and we had not eaten dinner. My sugar was dropping fast and we couldn't get in to see my step mom for her to take a turn watching him. While his energy level seemed to have a bottomless pit, my energy level was failing fast.

We were there for almost FIVE HOURS! They forgot she was there, waiting for the results. That entire time she waited, she thought she lost her baby. It was terrible to see her in so much pain. We finally had to track down the doctor and ask what was going on. The doctor thought someone else had already talked to us and that we were gone. I almost switched my major right then and there. I wanted to become a nurse, because I was so upset with the lack of nurturing they did. I am telling you, the care she got was terrible! Even my step mom who is a nurse said she was super disappointed in the care she got. We waited for several hours to hear the results and no one bothered to come in. Now I could understand if they were busy. But by the time we left, the only other patient in there was asleep.

My brother was finally notified about our not-so-fun adventure and was really worried about his wife. He is hundreds of miles away and won't be back till friday. The hardest part is seeing her upset. Their son knew something is wrong and wanted his mom to hold him. She cannot of course because she cannot lift anything and has to be pretty much on bed rest. She is still bleeding a lot and feels really sick. I just pray the baby and Xuying are okay.

Tonight taught me many things. 1.) I do not think I ever want to have kids. He was completely crazy and a lot of work. 2.) Always carry something to eat at all times. 3.) There is definitely something wrong with our healthcare system. When the troubled patient has to wait a half hour to be seen because she has to fill out billing information first, we need to change. 4.) Most importantly I realized there is nothing more important than family. This week is super busy for me with school and I had a lot of homework and studying to do tonight. But when the time came, the last thing on my mind was homework. I have a quiz tomorrow and I am not even close to being prepared for it. I know I will not be happy with my score, but I will not regret my decision to take care family first.