Mythological Aspect in American and African Literature
Introduction
In writing, the authors are bound to collect the necessary information that can be the essential factor in their novel, stories, or report. Anything that is related to their work can be based on reality or fantasy and sometimes the combination of the two. In terms of culture, the writers are very strict to use the information with basis to avoid the any offensive on the group of people. Since the writers are viewing the culture they often unfold and get fascinated with the traditional beliefs and mythological aspect of the cultures.
Background and Problem Statement
Everyone is fascinated with the stories served by the mythologies. The myth varies depending on the country. The most popular mythology that is now a movie is the Greek Mythology that tells the story of the 12 deities or the Olympian Gods. The Roman Mythology also tells the same story of the Gods, however, the name are replaced (e.g. Zeus in Greek and Jupiter in Roman, yet same God). The writers of the modern generation are very fond to discover the literatures and mythological aspects of the various nations. They collect it and include it in their work. The question is how the writers use mythological aspect in their works by combining the works of African and American author?
Research Aim and Objectives
The main aim of the study is to describe the behavior of the author in combining the American and African mythological aspect. In order to achieve this goal, the study should consider the three objectives. First is to search the author/s that is apt in the investigation of the mythological aspect in writing. Second is to determine the knowledge and the influential factors that can be consider in the ability of the author to address the mythological aspect of two cultures. And third is to describe the presentation the author crafted in order to describe the mythological aspects of African and American authors, without being offensive to the culture and to the authors.
Literature Review
Mythology, based on the Greek term, is the combination of the word “myth or mythos” which means speech or discourse. But in later time, the word came to mean the fable or legend. Because of the continuous story telling of the early people, the main origin of the story has been forgotten until it appears to be a religious and supernatural in nature which seeks to explain or rationalize the aspects in the world or a society. For the purpose of learning, the mythology is used as to describe the system used in the particular area. Thus, there are number of mythologies like the Egyptian Mythology, Welsch Mythology, Greek Mythology, Celtic Mythology, and many others. Mythologies had been addressed in the particular time of the early people and thought them the concept of right and wrong, which deliberately passed in the modern societies. There are two writers that can contribute in the African and American culture and mythological aspects. First is Gloria Naylor and her “Mama Day”. This novel explores the issues of the person’s cultural heritage. In the place where the characters live nestled the African beliefs that had been brought in America. The African mythology and religion is about the power to conjure and heal. In addition, the African religion centers in the idea that death is a door to another world and, as such, it allows contact with the living. So long as the dead are remembered, they are immortal. The second author is Elizabeth Brown-Guillory and her “Beacon Hill”. Her novel is almost the same with Naylor’s “Mama Day” because it focused in the African-American literature. The healing and connection of the past to present is the main theme. The role of the healer in African-American literature often resembles the dual role played by the priest/physician in traditional African culture. The spiritual power of the people, especially those black women are emphasize which connects to their traditional beliefs and respect in their myths.
Methodology
The suggested method in the study is through the use of the secondary information. It is time consuming because of the need for the thorough investigation. The materials that can be used are the literature books, novels, stories, and online sites that can answer the study’s demand on the mythological aspect of African and American. With the help of those materials, the study can start its investigation and generate its analysis based on the prepared objectives.
Source:
Jones, V.K., (2003) “Overcoming Obstacles and the Search for Identity: Literature of Multicultural Women Writers”, Accessed 04 Aug 2010, from http://hti.math.uh.edu/curriculum/units/2003/04/03.04.06.pdf
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